On Broadway- The Front Page

One of the hottest shows on Broadway this season is the revival of the play The Front Page. It has a powerhouse cast including Nathan Lane, John Slattery, and John Goodman. Set in 1928 Chicago, the comedic play takes place in the press room in the Criminal Courts Building and revolves around a group of newspaper reporters covering the upcoming hanging execution of an accused murderer.

Given that the feeling about today's media is not one of trust, this play certainly resonates with today's audiences. Truth isn't necessarily of the utmost importance, but getting the scoop is.

This is a show where for me the performances were more enjoyable than the show itself. Nathan Lane gives his usual larger-than-life performance as Walter Burns, the editor and boss of John Slattery's star reporter Hildy Johnson. Lane doesn't show up onstage until Act II, but he makes the most of his time.

The actors who really drew my attention included Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays as a fussy, germaphobic reporter tormented by his fellow reporters, TV veteran Holland Taylor as Johnson's impatient future mother-in-law, Micah Stock as a police officer of German decent, and Sherie Rene Scott as the doomed man's girlfriend.

Mays gets a laugh every time he opens his mouth and his physicality is spot-on as always. Taylor owns the stage whenever she bursts into the scene. I saw Stock last year in his Broadway debut in It's Only A Play, where he earned a Tony nomination and also starred with Nathan Lane. Once again he upstages veteran performers with his impeccable timing and comedic instincts. He has a bright future indeed.

Scott plays a more serious role and you might think that would be jarring in a comedy, but she pulls it off beautifully. Although she is more dramatic than comedic, you cannot take your eyes off her when she is on the stage.

It was fun to see Robert Morse and John Slattery, two stars of TV's Mad Men, reunited.

The Front Page has a limited run, and it is difficult to find discounted tickets, but this is a show worth seeing for the performances of so many talented actors. You can find more information about the show here.

Dadadadum...Snap Snap.....Dadadadum..Snap Snap....

The critics pretty much slammed it, but I have to say that I found the Broadway show The Addams Family delightful. True, the songs are not very memorable, but it is a funny show and the performers are fantastic.

The opening song featuring the entire Addams Family, including long-dead members risen from the grave, sets the tone and introduces the wacky family. How Bebe Neuwirth is able to walk in the iconic skin-tight black dress is a physical miracle. Not to mention the front which is "cut down to Venezuela" to quote Gomez. (At least she gets some more movement in the second act when the belt at her knees is gone.)

Jackie Hoffmann plays Grandma with such gusto, she has many of the funniest lines. In the dinner scene, she ad libs a line that  had the cast cracking up laughing, with Neuwirth looking down into her lap and her shoulders shaking. Her best line is to young Pugsley when she says that drinking the potion "would make Mary Poppins look like Medea". When Pugsley says he doesn't understand her reference, she tells him to "put down the texting and READ A BOOK".  The audience howled and applauded wildly.

Adam Riegler is a charmer as Pugsley. He plots to break up his sister Wednesday's romance with her 'normal' fiance Luke. Kevin Chamberlain is delightfully devilish as Uncle Fester, who acts as a kind of narrator for the show.

Carolee Carmelo and Terrence Mann are wonderful as the Beinekes, the parents of Luke. Mann and Lane do a fun song and dance together, and Carmelo has a hilarious scene after she drinks the potion by mistake.

Lane and Neuwirth shine as the stars in this show, and their tango is delicious. Lane's comedic timing is shown to perfection when he says to Morticia as they are discussing whose grandma Grandma really is,
"MY mother? (pause...pause...pause) I thought she was YOUR mother!" Even though you can see the line coming from a mile away, Lane milks it for all it's worth.

The Addams Family appeals to adults and teens, and it's not just nostalgia for the 1960s TV show. The subplot of Morticia and Mrs. Beineke dealing with aging and marriage is touching, as is the relationship between Wednesday and her brother Pugsley.

The show is very funny, it's always great to see Neuwirth dance and sing (her dance with the ancestors is  wonderful) and Lane does what he does best- make us laugh. There are discount tickets available for the show at the TKTS booth and online at playbill.com and theatermania.com. It's worth your time and a discounted ticket to laugh for a few hours.