As most of you know, I am a theater buff.  For anybody that’s coming to New York and wants to see a serious play, they must make a point to see Man and Boy starring Frank Langella.  It is what theater is all about.  It is wonderful to see an actor do his craft in such a magnificent way.

I recently went to see Relatively Speaking,  a show that is made up of three one-act comedies by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen and directed by John Tuturro.

All three were very different and reflective of their personalities and style.  Ethan Coen’s storyline matches his typical movie-making style, which is quirky.  Elaine May’s dealt with female neurosis and a totally self-absorbed woman played by Marlo Thomas.  Finally, Woody Allen was at his best recreating the silent-era routine of slamming doors, with eight characters playing off each other.

Spider- Man Turn off the Dark recently re-opened on Broadway, I saw it about two months ago before the departure of Julie Taymor and really felt it wasn’t the horror everyone said it was. I am very interested to see the revised show and compare the two. The reviews are still not shining but they are not as horrendous as the last round. I would love to hear your thoughts if you have seen either or both of them.

If you want an evening full of fun, humor, extravagant costumes, classic songs and a ton of showmanship….go see Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

Years ago I saw Mama Mia and couldn’t understand why the audience was singing along, jumping up and down, laughing and cheering. I do understand it for this show. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, make it a must.

PS Rosie O’Donnell was in the audience and took photos with her fans, which I thought was a very nice gesture.

I recently saw Driving Miss Daisy with Vanessa Redgrave & James Earl Jones, it was great to see such pros on a minimal stage apply their art. I highly recommend it but you have hurry, as there are only 10 days left!

I also went to  Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore with Olympia Dukakis. I actually had tickets for the day Liz Taylor passed away, which to me was a strange coincidence since she did the movie version,  Boom in 1968. If you ever have the chance to rent it you should, it’s a cult classic. It has extraordinary sets and Liz  look very voluptuous.  Milk Train has been on Broadway a few times and never to good reviews, for me this is hard to believe since Olympia Dukakis gave such a wonderful performance.  When Tallulah Bankhead was the lead in 1964 it was not well received, as “the boys” found her to be campy and never really allowed her to separate her acting from her own persona. 

Olympia Dukakis

Elizabeth Taylor

Talluah Bankhead

Tonight I am going to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which I am very excited about since everyone loves it.

On Tuesday night I went to see the much talked about Spider-Man, expecting to walk out during intermission booing and complaining. Much to my surprise, I was entertained and wowed by Julie Taymor’s imagination and the theatrics.  When I did walk out (at the end of the show) I felt I had gotten my money’s worth.

In all fairness there are some problems with the show, for me the music was not very interesting, it was about 15 minutes too long and needed tightening up all around.

It is no Sweeny Todd….but after all it is about Spider-Man.

During my numerous trips to the theater recently I have noticed during intermissions that everyone is on their blueberries or whatever other gadgets that light up and produce messages. It fascinates me that that during those 15 minutes of intermission instead of talking to whomever you are with and just that people retreat to the mundane.

Were they checking to see if the President called with an urgent life or death question? What could be so important that you can’t enjoy the moment you’re in?