Author: Ben Lerner

By Ben Lerner

In deeply unsettling political times, art can provide essential commentary or essential escapism. Schmigadoon, the loving sendup of Golden Age Broadway musicals based on Cinco Paul’s Apple TV series, is wholly the latter. Like the Celine Dion jukebox musical parody Titanique, reviewed here, it’s silly, campy, and self-aware. Where Titanique is full of references catering to fans of Dion, LGBT culture, and Titanic, Schmigadoon is by and for lovers of traditional musical theatre and is somewhat less niche in its references — and it sticks the landing even better. 

Schmigadoon is pure escapism and a laugh riot directly adapted from but exceeding the impact of its television predecessor. The plot, much of the dialogue, and most of the songs (all by Cinco Paul) are largely unchanged from the series, but a loving parody of an art form in that art form — the traditional two-act structure with a live audience, rather than a six-episode TV show — hits different. In other words, the piece needs laughter to break the fourth wall and remove any seriousness from the narrative, and at the Nederlander Theatre, you are encouraged to laugh at absolutely everything. Parodies are meant to be enjoyed in a group setting!

At Schmigadoon, you don’t need to know Brigadoon or to have watched the Apple series to love it start to finish. What you will need is some prior exposure to traditional Broadway musicals like Oklahoma!, The Music Man, and The Sound of Music, which most do. I’d wager you’d enjoy Schmigadoon without it (it’s less inside joke-based than Titanique) but it’s best if you can catch the clear references to the classic showtunes the musical lovingly parodies and interpolates. You’ll laugh regardless, but if you’re a theatre buff, you’ll catch all the jokes, which come constantly. And unlike Titanique’s (deliberately!) low-budget set and costumes, Schmigadoon makes fun while providing classic Broadway musical production value — multiple sets, an ensemble of top-tier dancers, and all the bells and whistles. 

But the show’s heart is in its satire of classic musical motifs. Each number references classic songs while parodying their cliche nature. Our leads are Josh and Melissa (Alex Brightman and Sara Chase), a couple looking to reignite the spark on a hiking retreat, who get lost and stumble upon a peculiar town called Schmigadoon, where townspeople burst into song spontaneously (something Melissa lives for and Josh abhors). Soon, they learn this isn’t like Colonial Williamsburg, but that they’re living inside an actual classic musical set in the 1940s (ish…the inconsistent era in which it takes place is a running joke). And they seemingly can’t leave. 

The rest of the cast is composed of the Schmigadoonians they meet, all directly pulled from the Apple series that starred an ensemble of bigger names than this adaptation. I dare say the cast improves upon each performance — there are no weak links to be found. Perhaps it’s not so shocking that a cast of Broadway triple threats best parody Broadway musicals, but the onstage structure and live audience surely help. The one exception is Ann Harada, reprising her role from the TV series as the mayor’s ditzy wife. Her husband, who is harboring a secret, of course, was Alan Cumming onscreen and is now Brad Oscar. 

Two deserving performers in the cast received Tony-nominations among the show’s 12. One is the hilarious Sara Chase, recognizable to some from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, who adapts Cecily Strong’s onscreen role as Melissa and blows the roof off the Nederlander vocally. The other is Ana Gasteyer as Mildred Layton (Kristin Chenoweth onscreen), the reverend’s conservative wife, who deliver’s Act 2’s biggest showstopper, “Tribulation,” a brilliant satire of “Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man. As we expect from the SNL legend, Gasteyer chews the scenery with every line delivery and delivers her signature belting riffs (though the people want even more!).

While Gasteyer slays Act 2, when she’s most featured, I do want to shout out one cast member who was not recognized by the Tonys but delivers a genius comic performance in Act 1. McKenzie Kurtz, as promiscuous waitress and Josh’s love interest Betsy, hams up Dove Cameron’s performance in the role onscreen tenfold. Everything Betsy says and does is hilarious, and, as a former Glinda in Wicked, she has the vocals to match. Other standouts include Max Clayton as Melissa’s love interest, bad boy Danny Bailey (Aaron Tveit onscreen), as well as Isabelle McCalla, a terrific vocalist, as schoolmarm Emma Tate (Ariana DeBose onscreen). 

The Apple TV series’ choreographer, Christopher Gatelli, handily takes the reins directing the stage adaptation, so it’s no surprise the plot and dancing directly mirror the source material. There are some welcome updates, including original songs written for the stage, which made Paul eligible for the Best Score Tony nomination — unlike last season’s Smash, which took its entire score from the NBC series.

The strongest songs here still come from the TV show, and of course, almost all of them are direct interpolations of existing classic showtunes, so he likely won’t win in that category. The Kiss Me, Kate-inspired song “I Always, Always, Never Get My Man,” performed onscreen by Jane Krakowski as a character based on The Sound of Music’s Baroness Elsa von Schraeder, is notably cut onstage and the role reduced. Thankfully, we still get Paul’s hysterical and raunchy sex-ed parody of Maria’s repeat-after-me “Do-Re-Mi.”

There are several new one-liners in Paul’s updated book that are nearly perfect. And there’s one new key plot point — the traditional Act 2 tragic death trope a la Oklahoma! — which is folded in brilliantly and so ridiculously you won’t feel an iota of melancholy. Paul’s super smart addition of something dark in the lightest way possible really solidifies the show’s unapologetically campy and silly tone.

Many songs directly reference recognizable musical theatre cliches, like Clayton’s “You Can’t Tame Me,” Kurtz’s Ado Annie-coded “Not That Kinda Gal,” and Chase and Harada’s duet “What’s The Matter With Men?” — the last two of which are new to the stage adaptation. When Schmigadoon reaches its finale “How We Change,” aptly named for yet another end-of-a-musical motif, the audience has been taken on a joy ride that hilariously pokes fun of and pays tribute to the classic Broadway shows we know and love.

Visit Schmigadoon to escape the real world at the Nederlander Theatre. It’s one of the funniest and most joyful productions the season, and unlike Melissa and Josh, you’ll only be stuck there for a couple hours.

By Ben Lerner

Broadway is no stranger to adaptations of films, though often they’re reimagined as musicals. Dog Day Afternoon, which opened March 30 at the August Wilson Theatre, is the somewhat rarer example of a nonmusical play adapted from a classic film. It tells the same story as the Oscar-winning 1975 movie, but with a new script and certain directorial choices that make it distinctly more comedic. While diehard fans of the film will struggle with these changes – as some critics did – those who can put their purism aside, or those going in blind, will greatly enjoy this fast-paced, funny, and deeply entertaining play as its own work of art.

Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon starred Al Pacino and John Cazale and won Frank Pierson Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. It was categorized as a crime drama based on a Life magazine article about a real 1972 bank robbery in Brooklyn. Here, Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (both known for The Bear, amongst other film and TV projects) star in Pacino and Cazale’s roles with a new, darkly comic script by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis.

Bernthal gives his all as the play’s lead, Sonny, and commands the stage with ease in his Broadway debut. His friend and sidekick in the attempted robbery of a Chase branch in Gravesend is Sal, played as very intoxicated and sedated by Moss-Bachrach. While he’s billed second, his role is significantly smaller and less impactful. The robbery goes wrong, of course, and hilarious chaos ensues as the bank staff are held hostage by very incompetent captors.

If there is a cast member other than Bernthal who deserved recognition from the Tonys, it’s not Moss-Bachrach, but three-time nominee Jessica Hecht, who is hilarious as head teller Colleen. Like the script as a whole, she successfully goes for the laughs while still revealing inner turmoil as the play goes on and stakes are raised with the NYPD surrounding the bank. Colleen’s employees, Roxxana (Elizabeth Canavan), Lorna (Wilemina Olivia-Garcia), Alison (Andrea Syglowski), and Guadalupe (Paola Lazaro), and her boss, Butterman (Michael Kostroff), provide more comic relief. 

While the play is over two hours long and its intermission is welcome, there’s a shift in content in the second act which comes abruptly. Fans of the film won’t be surprised by Sonny’s queer identity reveal, as it featured representation that was ahead of its time. Others may find it jarring, as without any references in the first act, it first seems like a joke. Luckily, Esteban Andres Cruz plays Sonny’s partner Leon, a trans woman, with a devastating humanity that is still funny, showing the audience that while Leon can tell jokes, she isn’t one herself. 

There’s more than LGBTQ representation that feels politically progressive for a play set over 50 years ago. The humanization of and compassion between the robbers and bank workers is at the center of the narrative, where the villains, if there are any, are police officers. It’s simultaneously relatable — working class tellers and would-be thieves have more in common with each other than with the systems that oppress them  — and it’s also very charming. There’s even an interactive anti-establishment chant with the audience. 

Unlike The Bear, an intense drama series categorized as a comedy by the Emmys, Dog Day Afternoon reworks the dramatic cinematic masterpiece that inspired it to a crime comedy. Sometimes reimagined pieces of art are disastrous and deserve to be forgotten. But in the case of Dog Day Afternoon, comparison is the thief of joy. It’s interesting, suspenseful, and well-acted – and the comedy doesn’t take away from its impact. Those unfamiliar with this fascinating story will be hooked by the plot and will stay for the laughs. Those planning to see a remake of the film onstage should keep an open mind – and you might enjoy it just as much.

Dog Day Afternoon runs through July 12 at the August Wilson Theatre.

By Ben Lerner

There’s a delightful new romantic comedy about two strangers carrying a cake across NYC. It happens to be a musical direct from London called Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), now playing on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. 

It delivers on that premise, but I can also promise you’ll laugh, smile, swoon, and be moved. Weeping is not out of the question. Being charmed by its two leads is guaranteed. Developed in the UK but set in Manhattan and Brooklyn over two days in December, Two Strangers makes New Yorkers, Brits, and any romcom aficionado feel right at home.

Unlike the average musical comedy, Two Strangers has only two cast members — and you guessed it, they’re the two strangers in question. One is Dougal, fresh off the plane from London to attend his estranged father’s NYC wedding, and the other is Robin, a busy New Yorker and sister of the bride who is tasked with picking up “the kid.” Do they vibe at first? Of course not! Do things change? Well, it’s a romcom after all!

Luckily, a classic meet-cute leads to some surprising developments, as truths about both characters are revealed and they begin to care for each other. It follows a formula without being formulaic, largely thanks to the tiny cast, unique direction and a memorable score that spans genres.

The other referenced characters never appear, and while that can occasionally it feel incomplete, Two Strangers thrives on the chemistry and comic timing of its two leads, who are developed beautifully through their maximal stage time. Sam Tutty, known for his Olivier-winning turn as the titular character in the West End’s Dear Evan Hansen, shines as Dougal, who is at times corny, at times vulnerable, and always very adorable and very British. He played the role in London, but his costar, the phenomenal Christiani Pitts as the pessimistic (and secret-carrying!) barista Robin, is new to the Broadway transfer. Pitts, who appeared in King Kong and A Bronx Tale on Broadway, is from New York, which is clear in her referential one-liners about NYC culture. 

 Jim Barne and Kit Buchan have written a script both wholesome and clever, weaved between catchy songs well-suited for online virality, all sung expertly by Tutty and Pitts. The unique set of oversized suitcases on a Hamilton-esque turntable, designed by Soutra Gilmour, has a few surprises of its own. Its abstract nature and simplicity contrasts with the realistic image on the Playbill cover of Dougal and Robin on the subway.

Directed by Tim Jackson, Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) is another welcome British addition to the Great White Way. It’s neither radical nor revolutionary, but it’s special to see two talented actors perform a musical romantic comedy all on their own. I’d wager that there’s a bright word-of-mouth future for the production and that its score will develop a young and passionate fandom. Appealing to lovers of both situational comedy and wholesome romance, Two Strangers, set in NYC in December, is a sweet treat for the holiday season. Tickets at https://twostrangersmusical.com/