Early on in Skinny Lister’s set, they play “Colours”. It’s a beautiful song with a long slow build to a fantastic climax. “The red kite against the blue sky / My thoughts are drawn to them still / Colours flash before us, flash before us, flash before”. The band then brings out a giant jug filled with an alcoholic beverage and shared it with the crowd. The drink is quickly consumed by the fans.
This English Pub style sing-a-long style is a pervasive element of their fantastic live show. A fantastic example is on “John Kanaka”. Everyone sings along “We’ll work tomorrow, but not today / John kanaka kanaka tura yay”. The show continuously thrills the audience with crowd surfing by the female singer! It’s an all-inclusive celebration of music that is an absolute joy to be a part of.
Later in the set, they play “Rollin’ Over” and the crowd instantly smiles and starts dancing around. It’s a perfect drinking tune to sing along with. Skinny Lister has definitely mastered the folk rock and party atmosphere of a great live show. Catch them on tour now!
Cost of a ticket: $25
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
One bright flashlight in the large dark theatre appears on the side of the stage. A man humorously sneaks across the front of the curtain with the small light in silence. The following dance features him being chased around the stage as “I Will Follow You” by Abel Korzeniowski plays. By the way, Sneaky Pete is not a reference to the Amazon show of the same name.
Tossed Around (2017) (See the cover photo by Victoria Wesloh)
Choreography: Ray Mercer
The performance begins with all the dancers sitting in chairs in a circle facing the center. They begin tossing each other around and moving about like a crazy game of musical chairs / duck duck goose. The movement is intoxicating and showcases the talents of this great company.
The Man That Got Away – 1990
Choreography: Sherry Zunker
The Man That Got Away is the best piece of the night. Judy Garland sings as a woman dances dramatically while Michael McStraw, the Executive Director, dressed in a tuxedo stands still looking off to the left. He doesn’t react at all as she dances around him or even when she runs and jumps on him. The emotional singing by Garland is perfectly matched by the dancing of Ashley Downs. At the end, she embraces the man, who slips away and walks off stage as the audience erupts in applause!
JOLT (2012)
Choreography: Autumn Eckman
All the dancers are excitedly drinking out of mugs. What are they drinking? Alcohol, coffee, or maybe Jolt Cola? It gives them all a boost of energy and they proceed to dance very frenetically. At one point, they run across the stage in a single file line towards a light offstage. It’s a great visual as the bright white light contrasts with their black outfits.
Cost of a ticket: $29 to $99
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It (Go with the Front Main Floor seats on the side)
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for their spring performance, Unlimited, on April 5-6!
The film version of Young Frankenstein was released in 1974. The musical opened on Broadway in 2007. A revised version opened in London’s West End in 2017. And now, in October 2023, it opens at the Mercury Theatre.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is the grandson of the famous doctor that brought to life the terrifying monster. Frederick inherits his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. He travels there without the intention to continue his grandfather’s work, but he is soon drawn into the possibilities of what could be done. He works with his humpback sidekick, Igor, and his beautiful assistant, Inga, to bring a new creature to life. Things don’t go as planned and the monster escapes which leads to many hijinks.
One of the best scenes is when Dr Frankenstein and the monster sing “Puttin’ On The Ritz”. In the movie, it’s only these two performing, but in this version it expands to include most of the cast in a big hilarious musical number.
Sean Fortunato (Billy Elliot) is great as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who often delivers corny sex jokes. Andrew MacNaughton (Clue) is excellent as the monster, making the audience laugh with his physical humor. Ryan Stajmiger (Sweeney Todd, Company) is very funny as Igor. Jonah D. Winston (Clue, Avenue Q, Spamalot) is superb as Inspector Hans Kemp. Isabella Andrews (Sister Act) is delightful as Inga. The rest of the supporting cast is solid as well.
Photos by Liz Lauren
The jokes have a lot of Mel Brook’s 70’s style of corny comedy. If this matches your sense of humor, this is the show for you!
Cost of a ticket: $39 – $79
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It – (Go with the cheaper seats, it’s a small theater)
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Henry Rollins is the first to take the stage. With just the microphone on stage, he tells the 40 minute version of his life story with great passion and humor. It begins in 1960, when his parents meet and conceive him. They get married and he is born in 1961. They get divorced soon afterwards and he spends his childhood going back and forth between their two homes. Flash forward many years and he is working at a Häagen-Dazs ice cream store. He travels up to New York City from Washington, DC to see a Black Flag show. It’s getting late and he needs to leave to get to work on time. So, he requests “Clocked In” from their 1983 album, The First Four Years, before he leaves. The band invites him to sing the song and he puts everything he has into the performance. Back in DC at the ice cream store, he gets a call from the band asking him if he would like to audition to join the band. The rest is history.
The stage crew wheels out a podium and a stool with waters placed on top it. It’s instantly clear this second half will be a bit different. David Sedaris takes the stage to great applause. He goes on to read many humorous essays that he has written. He includes a few very short stories. One of them is about the book signing he does in Cincinnati on October 15, 2023. A young woman asks him for advice about writing a college essay. He suggest writing about getting pregnant at 14 and then having an abortion. And then to say that it is very important that she gets into college to honor the sacrifices that she had to make. He also told a story that begins with him reading a ChatGPT story written in the David Sedaris style. After reading it, he exclaims that it really sucks and that he wrote a much better version. He goes on to tell a truly dark and hilarious version filled with rape and murder.
Both David Sedaris and Henry Rollins are master storytellers. While their styles certainly differ, they were both very entertaining this evening.
Cost of a ticket: $110 (Orchestra)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Check out the Auditorium Theatre’s website for tickets to future shows here.
A pair of friends who meet in third grade ESL class are still friends as high school seniors. It is now the 2000s in Newark, NJ. Often, she sneaks into his room via the fire escape to get away from her bad homelife. Her mother’s boyfriends are always trouble. Their relationship is never romantic, but they consider getting married so that he can get his citizenship. They are both very unsure if it’s the best option, since It carries many risks.
Martyna Majok has written a very emotional piece about friendship and the immigration experience of young adults. The first half rapidly switches between scenes as time flies by and the their friendship develops. An intermission should be added before the second half, which consists of much longer scenes and the additional of a third character.
Grant Kennedy Lewis is excellent as the guy who is struggling to find happiness and citizenship. Jocelyn Zamudio (Rust) is superb as the gal who really wants to help her friend, but is very nervous about the potential consequences. Brandon Rivera (Rust) is great as the friend who is very uncertain about the whole situation and how he fits into it.
Two friends are hanging out in the alley behind the salon where they work. They are trying to decide what to do to celebrate one of the friends’ birthday. They are choosing between just drinking in the alley or going to the bar at Rainforest Café. An acquaintance walks by who works at Ross. After a somewhat awkward conversation, the birthday girl invites her to join them. She accepts and joins them as they joke around and open up to each other.
Brett Neveu (The Malignant Ampersands, To Catch a Fish) has written a hilarious play about friendship. It is full of laughs and is so new and fresh. It’s a must-see comedy. Also, the set recreates an alley behind a mall fantastically.
Natalie West (Fulfillment Center) is absolutely hilarious as the Ross employee who is a little bit strange and full of surprises. Stephanie Shum (Small World, Plainclothes) is excellent as the birthday girl who is very smart and organized, but full of anxiety. Lastly, Taylor Blim (Mary Page Marlowe, The Wolves) is superb as the other salon worker who is so funny and friendly.
Cost of a ticket: $40 (Thursday Price)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Revolution through November 5th!
Louis Armstrong begins his musical journey in New Orleans. He joins a big jazz band and gets married. He then witnesses one of his bandmates get murdered due to a racist false accusation. So, he decides to leave his wife and move to Chicago. He forms a new band with his new lover, who is in the band and is also the manager. From there, his story continues on to Los Angeles and then on to New York.
In the middle of the show is “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)”. “When you’re smilin’, when you’re smilin’ / The whole world smiles with you / When you’re laughin’, when you’re laughin’ / The sun comes shinin’ through”. The performance of this song is fantastic from the smooth baritone vocals to the great trumpet solo.
The show closes with “A Wonderful World”. “I see trees of green / Red roses too / I see them bloom / For me and you / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world”. This is such a beautiful song and it sounds perfect being sung by James Monroe Iglehart. He truly captured Armstrong’s voice and charismatic style.
The highlights of this show are the songs, but too much of the musical focuses on the narrative instead of the music.
Cost of a ticket: $115 (Orchestra Center)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Jefferson Starship kick things off with “Find Your Way Back” from their 1981 album, Modern Times. “And why I had to leave / I hear a voice, and it says to me / Find your way back / Find your way back to her heart.” This is a great rocker to start the show and prepares everyone for a great night of music.
Later on, in a tribute to a pair of newlyweds in the audience who used it as their wedding song, they play “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Starship’s 1987 album, No Protection. This song has over 484 million streams on Spotify. “And we can build this dream together / Standing strong forever / Nothing’s gonna stop us now / And if this world runs out of lovers / We’ll still have each other / Nothing’s gonna stop us”. This is such a massive hit and a great choice for a wedding.
Next up is “Miracles” from the 1975 album, Red Octopus. “If only you believe like I believe, baby (if only you believe like I believe) /We’d get by / If only you believe in miracles, (if only you believed in miracles so would I)”. This is such a beautiful song that really captures the spirit of the 70s while still sounding great today.
The band leaves the stage except for the lead guitarist, Jude Gold. He proceeds to play “Embryonic Journey” from Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 album, Surrealistic Pillow. It’s a fantastic electric guitar solo that belongs among the ranks of songs by Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson.
Next, they play “White Rabbit”, also from Surrealistic Pillow, with an extended introduction. “When the men on the chessboard / Get up and tell you where to go / And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom / And your mind is moving low / Go ask Alice / I think she’ll know”. This psychedelic tribute to Alice in Wonderland is truly a masterpiece.
The hits just keep coming with “We Built This City” (over 489 million streams on Spotify) from Starship’s 1985 album, Knee Deep In The Hoopla. This song is also part of Rock of Ages, which just had a great production at Mercury Theatre. See our review here.
Next up is “Jane” from their 1979 album, Freedom At Point Zero. This track was featured in Wet Hot American Summer. The lead singer, Cathy Richardson (from Elmhurst, IL), rocks this one out of the park.
To end their set, they play “Somebody to Love”, also from Surrealist Pillow. “When the truth is found to be lies / And all the joy within you dies / Don’t you want somebody to love”. This was a great rocking choice to have at the end leading the audience to continue singing it as they exit the City Winery smiling.
A Bahamas concert is not just an audience watching a band perform. It is an interactive celebration of music. The band is fronted by the lead singer, Afie Jurvanen.
Midway into the set, he plays “Lost In The Light”. It’s a beautiful song that features his slick guitar playing along with the Felicity Williams’ magnificent voice, which is pure delight for the appreciative crowd. Afterwards, he says that his favorite part of the show is watching people dance to this song. It’s a tricky one to move to. He also says he wishes he wrote 10 songs just as good as this one. It could definitely be argued that he has.
Soon afterwards, they play “All The Time”. “I had all the time in the world; you wanted none of that.” Afie has captured that melancholy feeling perfectly with the tone of this song.
Alfie comments on how silly the encore process has become in that it is now expected. So, instead of going to stand over by the trash cans for a minute, he’ll just say “Goodnight” and the audience can pretend they left the stage. Sure enough, after the next song, he does this and it works like a charm.
To close out the night, they play “Caught Me Thinkin’”. “Caught me thinking / What it might be like / To be alone for a while / Or alone for just one night”. This is a beautiful song that encapsulates his soft rock sound. This brilliant musician is a master of his craft and he puts on a fantastic show! Catch him live whenever you can!
As you enter the theatre, a jazz trio is playing. Jimmy Powers on the piano accompanied by a double bass and drums are laying down a mellow vibe. The theatre resembles a cocktail lounge with candles and gardenias at every table. Excitement builds for the entrance of Billie Holiday (“Lady Day”). Finally, she arrives clad in a beautiful pink dress and immediately stops at a small table near the microphone laden with gin, brandy and other liquor. She pours a brandy and takes a big slug and then refills her glass and fills another stating “For later.” It quickly becomes obvious that this is not a typical performance of one of the greatest jazz singers to ever walk the earth.
Before long she begins her first song “I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone,” which ends to huge applause. Billie is played wonderfully by Yolanda London. She continues to drink and sing interspersed with tales of her life.
She talks lovingly of her first husband Sonny Monroe, although she acknowledged his many faults including his introducing her to heroin. In addition to addicting her, she blamed him for hiding his stash in her luggage during a police raid. As a result, she spent a year and a day in prison.
As the performance moves along, she continues to drink and decline. At one point, she runs from the stage and returns stumbling with a surgical cord around her left arm. Plainly, she just got a fix. Throughout, Jimmy tries to keep her going. He interrupts her stories with the start of a song to get her back singing. Later, he suggests that she take a short break while exchanging shakes of his head with the other band members. Whenever a song would start, the monumental singer would drop her infirmities and beautifully capture the feeling of each song. Among the songs covered were some of her most famous including: “Pig Foot,” “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit,” and “Deep Song.”
Billie’s reminisces about her life are extremely poignant as it is clear that she is approaching the end of her life. She details her lifelong battles with poverty, addiction, and racial prejudice and intersperses them with the magic of performing at Carnegie Hall and the loves of her life. Throughout it all, she sings. Each song is a loving tribute to the enduring legacy of the great Billie Holiday.
Cost of a ticket: $90 (Cabaret Seats) PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It + Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
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