rent

nederlander theatre

synopsis:
jonathan larson's rock musical retelling of the "la boheme" story, but relocated to aids-era east village, new york. a penniless songwriter's love for a young woman grows even as illness begins to consume her. the poet rodolfo is now punk rocker roger. tubercular mimi is now an aids-infected dancer at an s&m nightclub. painter marcello is now aspiring filmmaker mark cohen, and so forth. the ending is transformed from the opera, but the theme of love striving to endure beyond all obstacles remains. this musical will make you cherish that special someone in your life. the songs are unforgettable, you'll be singing them in bed with your signif other( if you know what i mean!!) my favorite songs include: "rent," "seasons of love," "light my candle," "without you," "one song glory."

riverdance

gershwin theatre

synopsis:
riverdance returns to new york with a production conceived and created especially for broadway. riverdance - on broadway will feature the entire international company of 80 singers, dancers and musicians whose performances have touched the hearts of millions around the world. "it has always been our ambition to bring riverdance to broadway," says producer moya doherty. "while riverdance celebrates the irish, it also embraces other cultures and so to us there's no more fitting place for it to play than broadway.... the crossroads of the world." riverdance had its world premiere at the point theatre, dublin in february, 1995, where it opened to unanimous critical acclaim. the show made its north american debut at radio city music hall in march, 1996 and played an additional three sold out engagements in 1997 & 1998. this theatre year it is making a stop at the saenger in june of 2000. you'll be stomping your feet to the sounds of some great irish music.

jeckyll & hyde: the musical

plymouth theatre

synopsis:
musical adaptation of robert louis stevenson's classic about a kindly, humane doctor who develops a potion that allows his brutal, animalistic side to emerge. i first saw this musical before it made its way onto broadway. linda eder and robert cuccoli were beautifully cast for this production. the special effects were spectacular with explosions, fires, etc. the musical was similar format to that of les miserables. however, linda eder with her wonderful singing voice, who probably has several albums under her wings, made this production stand out, plus i am a fan of stevenson's works especially, "the strange case of dr. jeckyll and mr. hyde." my favorite songs: "facade," "bitch, bitch, bitch," "bring on the men,"

phantom of the opera

majestic theatre

synopsis:
a disfigured musical genius haunts the catacombs beneath the paris opera and exerts strange control over a lovely young soprano. based on "le fantome de l'opera" by gaston leroux. score includes: "music of the night," "angel of music," "think of me" and the title song.

you're a good man charlie brown

ended broadway run (presently touring)

synopsis:
principal renovators are director michael mayer, set designer david gallo and music supervisor andrew lippa who provide, respectively, the new skits, the new look and the new songs. the finished product -- and it does appear to be almost complete prior to its january previews in new york -- is big, bold, bright and colorful, a living cartoon with oversize props and the kind of lighting that in a department store display case would tempt you to buy two of everything. yet it retains the intimacy and humor that has made "charlie brown" a staple of the school, community and regional theater repertoire for decades. there are still six actors playing six characters: sally, schroeder, linus, snoopy, lucy and charlie brown. purists may note that the show's original non-lucy female was patty. sally, charlie's sister, happens to be mayer's favorite "peanuts" character. sally, played sublimely by kristin chenoweth in a curly wig as kind of a petulant shirley temple, has some of the show's finest moments, among them a hilarious skit in which she and snoopy (roger bart) go chasing rabbits to theme song fragments from "peter gunn," "mission: impossible" and "hawaii 5-0." chenoweth, whose vocal range seems to cover everything from lisa simpson to grand opera, also gets one of the new songs, "my new philosophy" (with stanley wayne mathis as schroeder), a dandy 1920s number that deserves a socko finish, but just sort of ends instead. the other new tune is schroeder's, the sparkling "beethoven day" in which he takes the 5th (symphony) and turns it into a motown-style appeal to make beethoven's birthday a national holiday. the more familiar bits and songs are similarly fresh. bart is sensational in snoopy's big song-and-dance number, "suppertime" (i suggest there should have been an encore), and in "the red baron." affecting an english accent and the requisite doglike growls and yips, bart captures snoopy's world war i flying ace persona. gallo's scenery performs some aerobatic magic of its own, creating a sense of flight more intriguing than if snoopy were to swing above the stage on a wire. anthony rapp as charlie, b.d. wong as linus and ilana levine as lucy bring out their characters' idiosyncrasies with panache. all are endearing as they face those eternal verities of life and "peanuts" baseball, homework, kite-flying, the need for a security blanket and the desire to be noticed by a certain little red-haired girl.