Every first Wednesday of the month, get caught up on what’s new on stage with a review round-up. And that vaguely hollow, clinking sound you hear at the end of each segment? That’s me tossing in my two cents.

First, one quick note: there are so many shows that have opened in the last month that I’m splitting my round-up into two parts to save us all from one eye-straining, mammoth post. Even I don’t want to hear myself talk that much. We’ll discuss the subtly linked (oh, such a tease)  How to Succeed and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo tomorrow.

Photo by Carol Rosegg.

ARCADIA

Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece about the dramatic goings on at an English country estate (and the researchers attempting to make sense of those events almost two centuries later) returns to Broadway in a production directed by David Leveaux.

“…a half-terrific revival of Mr. Stoppard’s entirely terrific Arcadia.” New York Times

“It’s easy to admire, but hard to love.” New York Post

“Arcadia offers as thrilling and fulfilling a theatergoing experience as you’ll likely have this season.” USA Today

“Despite the mashup of Brit/Yank acting styles, helmer David Leveaux delivers a ravishing revival…” Variety

Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Mizer’s Two Cents:  I saw the original Lincoln Center production (when I was five…cough, cough) and it was one of the highlights of my theatergoing life. This production can’t compete against those glowing, though perhaps suspect, memories but it is a lovely and transporting mounting of a true work of genius. The stage crackles with wit and heart, keeping the focus clean and the momentum rushing forward. Though I agree with reviewers that some performances are not quite fully realized, Billy Crudup’s wickedly exuberant Nightingale and Lia Williams’ fierce and compassionate Hannah are revelations.

Now let’s confront the elephant (or better yet, the second law of thermodynamics) in the room. People say that they are intimidated by the erudition of Stoppard’s plays but Arcadia is not a physics/history/math lesson. It’s not a test and you will not need to bring your number 2 pencils. Yes, the characters talk about theories that are beyond the average theatergoer (and perhaps beyond the average Nobel Laureate) but that’s because they are highly specific and specialized characters. The point is not the minutiae of what they are saying but how and why they are saying it. Relax, roll with the characters’ enthusiasm and trust that Stoppard is smart enough to highlight what you really need to understand (and, the thing is, you will understand enough by the end to impress your friends at math parties.) All that truly matters in this achingly human play is that we are all searching, always needing to know what we can never know.

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Arcadia. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

They say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb but clearly “they” weren’t talking about Broadway theater. It’s like a twenty car pile-up of show openings out there, everyone trying to crash the party before the Tony eligibility deadline on April 28. Right now, there are overworked publicists surviving on nothing more than leftover pigs-in-a-blanket and fumes from their overheating blackberries. Pray for them. Here are a few bits and bobs to keep our energy up:

• The new play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo opens tonight for a limited 16 week run on Broadway. The critical reaction to Robin Williams’ performance should be interesting to watch (and I’ll chime in next week in April’s  “To See or Not To See” round-up.)
• The box office results are in and it looks like people are responding to the fizzy (and slightly filthy) fellas of Priscilla Queen of the Desert as well as the revival of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. In a perfect world, Arcadia would be raking in Wicked-dough for years to come.

• If you want to be ahead of the curve, take a look at the list of musicals which received development grants from The National Alliance for Musical Theatre.  The odd-couple combo of Michael John LaChiusa (Hello Again) and Ellen Fitzhugh (Paper Moon) is certainly an eye-catcher.

We’ve made it through our first month and I want to thank everybody for reading and commenting; this should be a conversation between friends so jump on in and let me know what you’d like to see more (or less) of.  Keep up with posts by joining us on Facebook. And, finally, take a look back at some popular stories from March you may have missed:

• Tom Berklund was our first Theater Buff. You never forget your first.
• Celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s birthday led to some truly heartfelt and lovely remembrances from readers.
• Tony-Nominee Kate Baldwin kissed and told about Sheldon and Cheyenne.
• Cheap Broadway tickets.  ‘Nuff Said.
• And finally, we mounted a full-scale revolt against tyranny and bloating with the Les Miz Workout.

Every first Wednesday of the month, get caught up on what’s new on stage with a review round-up. And that vaguely hollow, clinking sound you hear at the end of each segment? That’s me tossing in my two cents.

With the spring season about to ramp up, I thought I’d offer a sneak peek edition of “To See or Not to See” featuring a critical look at two shows that are up and running (or tumbling into the pit) and a tease for the three shows I’m most excited to catch in the months ahead.

Image via Google (Sara Krulwich, The New York Times)

SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK

Following multiple delays and bruised bodies (as well as egos), the bank-busting, comic book musical—directed by The Lion King‘s Julie Taymor and with music by U2′s Bono and The Edge—still hasn’t officially opened.  But that hasn’t stopped most major critics from piling on like a spandex sale at the Justice League.

“Spider-Man is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway; it may also rank among the worst.” New York Times

“An inconsistent, maddening show that’s equal parts exciting and atrocious.” New York Post

“It’s by turns hyperstimulated, vivid, lurid, overeducated, underbaked, terrifying, confusing, distracted, ridiculously slick, shockingly clumsy, unmistakably monomaniacal and clinically bipolar. But never, ever boring.” New York Magazine

“Beyond the offstage drama and lavish budget, and all the feats and flash accompanying them, lies an endearingly old-fashioned musical.” USA Today

Mizer’s Two Cents:  If you love stagecraft, go for the jaw-dropping mixture of high tech wizardry and classic theater/puppetry techniques. And now with reports spreading that major reworking is about to happen (with script and music doctors), this could be a truly fascinating chance to see a new show being built before our eyes. But, at Broadway ticket prices, this graduate level theater class won’t come cheap. All that being said, I do hope folks can take a step back from some of the more sensational talk about the working conditions. One of the guys in charge of the flying harnesses actually flew me for a year when I was on tour and he would have thrown himself in front of a two ton set piece to protect me. Whatever stories have been spread, I’d wager my life savings that the crew of this show is doing everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the performers.

UPDATE: NY1 is reporting that Julie Taymor is out as director. What a tangled web, indeed.

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