Stage shows in New York bode well for touring
NEW YORK — Broadway is reaping a bumper crop of new musicals.
Unlike last season, which was dominated by “Hamilton,” the 2016-17 season has no comparable front-runner. Instead, it offers many crowd-pleasers appealing to varied tastes with distinctive sounds, styles and subjects — a plus for Columbus, because most of the shows should tour.
Here are snapshots of a half-dozen productions (ranked in order of appeal) that stood out during a recent visit to New York:
Focus: Teenage struggles in the social-media age shape the family drama about an isolated boy and a community tragedy.
Star turns: A season standout, Ben Platt (Benji Applebaum in the “Pitch Perfect” films) is moment-by-moment
mesmerizing, achingly vulnerable and sadly funny in the lead role.
Memorable moments: Many, as the highschooler searches for an identity, a connection and integrity after a suicide and a white lie spark unforeseen consequences.
Creators: author Steven Levenson, composerlyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land” Oscar winners), director Michael Greif (“Rent”)
Pros: The fresh, softrock score captures adolescent angst and parental pain; suspenseful twists and social-media scenic projections buoy the cautionary tale.
Cons: Most songs aren’t instantly hummable.
Details: Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St. Telecharge (212239-6200, telecharge. com) Groban performs as nominal star Pierre.)
Memorable moments: Intermittent, although the immersive, cabaretstyle production (with some seating onstage) is thrilling as actors interact with the audience.
Creators: composer/ lyricist/author/orchestrator Dave Malloy, director Rachel Chavkin
Pros: Wild dancing, melodramatic lyrics, colorful costumes and spirited acting reinforce the rococo spectacle of mad passion.
Cons: The uneven show is confusing
Details: Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th St. (Telecharge)
Focus: The true story about the kindness of strangers is drawn from interviews with stranded airline passengers and the rural Canadian citizens who housed and fed them after planes were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on Sept. 11, 2001.
Star turns: None; 12 versatile actors play many roles with grace, humor and humanity.
Memorable moments: Many touching acts of decency and compassion toward “come from aways” (or “outsiders”) fill the 100-minute one-act.
Creators: authorcomposerIrene Sankoff and David Hein, director Christopher Ashley
Pros: With heartfelt drama and cultureclash comedy, the feel-good musical is fluidly staged in documentary style; direct address and conversational lyrics spark laughter and tears.
Cons: The overly broad narrative is folksy, sentimental and predictable; the pleasant folk-rock-Celtic score, forgettable.
Details: Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St. (Telecharge)
Focus: Women, beauty, glamour and power dazzle in this dual biography of cosmetics rivals Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden.
Star turns: Broadway divas Patti Lupone (“Evita,” “Gypsy”), who is witty and imperious as acerbic, Polish-accented Jewish-immigrant Rubenstein, and Christine Ebersole (“42nd Street,” “Grey Gardens”), as elegant and chipper Canadian Arden.
Memorable moments: “Pink,” Arden’s rueful reflection on her rose-colored legacy; “Forever Beautiful,” Rubenstein’s coda about famous artists who painted her portrait.
Creators: author Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel, lyricist Michael Korie, director Michael Greif
Pros: The fascinating history, catty drama, ironic symmetries, gorgeous costumes and stylish staging are as well-packaged as the women’s expensive facial creams.
Cons: Partly because the women never met (aside from a welcome fictional epilogue), the binary book seems unintegrated.
Details: Nederlander Theatre, 208 W. 41st St. (Ticketmaster: 877-250-2929, ticketmaster.com)
Focus: The romantic drama blends two 20th Century Fox films to re-envision the legend of a royal Russian daughter who perhaps survived the Romanovs’ 1918 assassination.
Star turns: A radiant vocalist, Christy Altomare, proves endearing as Anya, a plucky orphan whose amnesia fades under training to fool the Dowager Empress (elegant Mary Beth Peil).
Memorable moments: “Journey to the Past,” Altomare’s beguiling first-act finale
Creators: playwright Terrence McNally, composer Stephen Flaherty, lyricist Lynn Ahrens; director Darko Tresnjak
Pros: A melodic score, a self-discovery theme and picture-perfect video projections help a rival Hollywood studio crack the Disneyprincess formula for broader appeal.
Cons: Bland lyrics and cliched characters sap an old-fashioned fable derivative of “Newsies” (Anya’s street-smart love interest), “My Fair Lady” (Anya’s training) and “Les Miz” (a new Javert-style Communist villain).
Details: Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St. (Telecharge)
Focus: Based on the Bill Murray film (1993), the London import revolves (and revolves) around a TV weatherman reliving Feb. 2 in a Pennsylvania town.
Star turns: As cynical Phil Connors, Andy Karl (“Rocky”) cycles through denial, debauchery, despair, self-destruction and self-improvement with unflagging energy.
Memorable moments: “Nobody Cares,” a country-western lament among losers, and “Hope,” a sly feat of misdirection as Phil hits bottom.
Creators: composer/ lyricist Tim Minchin and director Matthew Warchus; author Danny Rubin (screenplay co-writer)
Pros: Clever lyrics, spiky humor and ingenious puppetry lift the absurdist Tilt-a-Whirl musical.
Cons: the uneven tone, frenetic pace, bland love interest and an arrogant jock/jerk too unlikable to care about through act one
Details: August Wilson Theatre, 245 W. 52nd St. (Ticketmaster)