The Great White Way has actually become greater and less white with the addition of two shows featuring African American performers - just in time for Black History Month.
"Stick Fly" is a powerhouse of a play that landed on Broadway in December on the marquee name of Alicia Keys, but the talents on stage and in the writing have made this an American masterpiece instantaneously.
With all of the secrets and family turmoil of an "August: Osage County," "Stick Fly" lets the troubles bubble below the surface a bit until everything unfolds in an explosive second act.
"Fly" seems to be a light tale of brothers Flip and Spoon bringing their girlfriends to their family home in Martha's Vineyard. Amidst mix-ups and mishaps, "Fly" takes its melodrama lighthearted, but the audience knows their are secrets to come out. And not knowing all of the details, actually creates anxiety among the audience...yet the characters on the stage don't know what's coming.
And all of the brilliance is from the well paced and nuanced prose of playwrite Lydia R. Diamond...surprisingly, this is the first show this Boston University faculty member has had produced on Broadway. The play, though, has played at other theatres across the country on its way to New York, recently winning a best supporting actress award for Diona Reasonover in the San Diego production.
With the Broadway production, Kenny Leon manages to get the most out of his cast. To most, Mekhi Phifer as the wiser, older son Flip, is the biggest name in the cast, thanks to his work in movies and TV. He makes quite an impressive Broadway debut and is equally balanced by Dule Hill, also known to television audiences.
The entire cast is all at the top of their game, but the real revelation is Condola Rashad as Cheryl, the housekeeper's daughter. She is witty, funny, charming, fragile, sensitive - she is every woman and every emotion. Her timing is amazing and she draws us in every time she's on stage. And while this is her Broadway debut as well, she already has accolades from other stage works. I was so impressed by her, even before I knew later that she is from a family of entertainment royalty - Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen. The young Rashad doesn't need to use their names to open doors - her talent kicks the hinges right off any barrier.
Check out the show and get tickets at www.stickflybroadway.com. Act fast. Sadly, the show is closing Feb. 26, 2012.
"The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess" also returns to Broadway, albeit for a limited run.
It stars the multiple Tony winning Audra MacDonald who once again captivates from the moment she graces the stage. It's hard to believe that a woman with such an angelic voice can offer such sensual, seductive realism in her from-the-wrong-side-of-the tracks Bess.
She is equally balanced with Norm Lewis who brings a fresh vulnerability to Porgy, rather than just the usual sympathy.
And while everyone in the show is in top form - especially the under utilized Joshua Henry and the surprisingly great singing of David Alan Grier - this "Porgy" left me wanting more.
I couldn't decide if it was "more" from the longer symphonic concert version of the show that MacDonald has done in the past. Was it "more" of the old fashioned book of the show (instead of the more modern, gritty version that this show is).
But it was more simple than that for me. I need more sets. The simplicity of the art direction of "Porgy and Bess" was very distracting. Sure the actors and songs tell the story, but the minimal production values felt short in enrapturing me in the story and thinking it was more like the symphonic version of the show.
With that being said, it's never a disappointment to see MacDonald live. Get tickets and learn more and www.porgyandbessonbroadway.com.
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