Floyd Collins

 Floyd Collins
Lincoln Center Theater
at the Vivian Beaumont
May 10, 2025

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Floyd Collins is touching, bold, and absorbing.  Adam Guettel’s score captures the Kentucky setting and the 1925 time period.  His music delivers the emotions of each character, illuminating the urgency of their traumatic experience.  Director Tina Landau, who also wrote the book, creates an encompassing atmosphere for the story.  The characters are fully dimensional, driven by strong objectives that create active conflict that builds throughout the show.  This is not an easy story to tell, and this cast and creative team tell it beautifully. 

Floyd Collins (played by Jeremy Jordan) spends his time exploring underground caves, seeking a cavern with immeasurable magnificence.  He plans on claiming it and opening it to the public to enjoy and spend money on visits.  He calls out in the darkness of the underground spaces, listening for a delayed echo.  When he finally finds one, he also finds himself trapped under a large limestone boulder.  People come from miles to help with his rescue.  Over the seventeen days he is trapped underground, the story of his rescue efforts spreads throughout the country.

Jason Gotay & Jeremy Jordan
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The songs composed for the character of Floyd Collins are stunning, and Jeremy Jordans voice rings
with clarity and emotion.  It’s as if they were written especially for him.  Jason Gotay plays Floyd’s brother, Homer.  They develop an endearing bond.  Their characters are distinctly different, making their relationship genuine and honest.  Lizzy McAlpine portrays their fragile sister Nellie.  Deep within her breakable exterior lies the rock that her brothers rely on.  When these three skilled actors join in song, magic happens.  Taylor Trensch plays reporter, Skeets Miller.  His character is quirky and likeable.  He matures because of his participation in the rescue effort, carrying the action forward to the end of the story.    

The vast stage of the Vivian Beaumont theater is purposefully and efficiently utilized.  Lighting creates the claustrophobic underground spaces.  This effectively contrasts with the openness of the scenes on the surface.  The staging is simple and extraordinary.  The cast of fifteen is amazing. 

Floyd Collins is playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater through June 22.  Don’t miss it! 

Domenick Danza

Camelot

 Camelot
Lincoln Center Theater
at the Vivian Beaumont
July 1, 2023 

Photo courtesy of
Lincoln Cetner Theater

The Lincoln Center Theater revival of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot tells the tale of an idyllic realm, built on the belief in equality and justice.  The book, revised by Aaron Sorkin, focuses on the challenge of this ideal, and the battle between intellect and mysticism.  Bartlett Sher majestically directs this stellar cast, drawing the audience into a regal world of knighthood, integrity, and respect, which dissolves due to jealousy, mistrust, and treachery.

Princess Guenevere of France (played by Phillipa Soo) is promised to King Arthur of England (played by Andrew Burnap) in a treaty of peace between their countries.  Guenevere, unhappy about her pending nuptials, offers her dowry to a stranger she meets in the forest to help her escape.  Little does she know that this stranger is Arthur, who has been walking in the woods out of nervousness over meeting his new bride.  Arthur sings to Guenevere of the idyllic Camelot, the Camelot of his dreams, the metaphor of his perfect and peaceful home.  She agrees to go with him to the castle, where she joins him in creating this utopia.  She and Arthur discuss the possibilities of transforming his band of knights into a noble assembly, with equal voice and influence.  The knights are uncertain about this change, but are definitely averse to Arthur’s decision to invite the French to join his round table.  Lancelot de Lac (played by Jordan Donica) travels from France and pledges his honor to King Arthur and his vision for Camelot.  Lancelot is strong and suave.  He quickly gains the trust of the king, and catches the eye and heart of the queen.    

Phillipa Soo, Andrew Burnap, & Jordan Donica
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

King Arthur is written as a young man who unwillingly has the crown thrust upon him when he
removed the sword, Excalibur, from the stone.  Andrew Burnap nobly portrays this youth with charm and ambition.  He is eager to make his mark on the kingdom and create a better future for its people.  He transforms into a ethical leader, yet never loses his youthful outlook.  Phillipa Soo portrays Guenevere as a feisty, determined young woman.  She takes her role as queen seriously, while joyfully participating in shaping the court and kingdom to her husband’s vision.  They become true partners.  Jordan Donica’s Lancelot is bold and confident.  His commitment to his beliefs and role as a knight outweigh his secret passion for Guenevere.  These three actor have luminous chemistry.  They develop their relationships through integrity and respect.  Their singing voices soar, filling the theatre with joyous passion. 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The entire cast delivers excellent performances.  Dakin Matthews is wise and grounded as both Merlyn and Pellinore.  Taylor Trensch is sneaky and undermining as Mordred.  Marilee Talkington is mysterious and conniving as Morgan Le Fey.

Set design by Michael Yeargan is truly magnificent.  The interiors of the castle are simple and expansive.  The space then opens up even further to sprawling exterior scenes.  The projections by 59 Productions and lighting by Lap Chi Chu enhance the set design by creating intimate areas and vast regions. 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The opening scene between Arthur and Guenevere is Mr. Sorkin’s strongest writing.  The characters are
introduced with wit and humor, smoothly establishing the conflict between them and vigorously setting the story in motion.  

Camelot is set to close on July 23.  Time is running out.  Get your tickets while you still can. 

Domenick Danza

Intimate Apparel, A New Opera

 Intimate Apparel
A New Opera
Lincoln Center Theater
The Mitzie E. Newhouse
January 22, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Lynn Nottage has collaborated with composer Ricky Ian Gordon on an opera version of her play, Intimate Apparel.  The Lincoln Center Theater production that was scheduled to open before the pandemic, is now running at the Mitzie E. Newhouse Theater.  Directed by Bartlett Sher, the production is simple and passionate.  The music and action flow from one scene to the next with sweeping momentum. 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The year is 1905.  Esther (played by Kearstin Piper Brown) is an unmarried black woman who employs herself as a seamstress, making intimate apparel for a wide variety of customers.  She receives a letter from, George Armstrong (played by Justin Austin), a laborer working in Panama, digging the canal.  Esther cannot read or write, so she asks Mrs. Dickson, who runs the boardinghouse where she lives (played by Adrienne Danrich), to read the letter for her.  George is searching for companionship, and the son of Esther’s pastor recommended he write her.  Mrs. Dickson does not trust this letter.  Esther confides in one of her customers, Mrs. Van Buren (played by Naomi Louisa O’Connell), who boldly offers to reply to George’s letter.  The correspondence begins.  When Esther tells her friend and customer, Mayme (played by Krysty Swann), about her new suitor, she also volunteers to write letters for Esther.  Love builds over time, and George proposes marriage.  The wedding takes place the day of his arrival to New York.  Among the things they learn about one another is that neither of them was the author of their letters.

Kearstin Piper Brown & Justin Austin
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The strength of Lynn Nottage’s writing in her 2004 play Intimate Apparel is the relationships.  In writing the libretto for this opera, she delved deeply into this aspect of the story.  Ricky Ian Gordon’s music takes these relationships to another level, especially in the second act.  The tenderness between Mr. Marks, the Jewish merchant from whom Esther buys fabric (played by Arnold Livingston Geis), gradually intensifies as the action progresses.  When Esther realizes her true feelings for Mr. Marks, the musical theme floats through the action.  It is repeated by Mrs. Van Buren, when she realizes her feelings for Esther, and again by Mayme as she meets and starts an affair with a man she calls Songbird.  It is emotionally engaging and follows through on the connections established in Act I.  The music and dramatic action equally build as Esther realizes that Mayme’s Songbird is actually her husband George.  

Although the cast is larger than Ms. Nottage’s original play, this is an intimate production.  It is very well suited for the Mitzie E. Newhouse Theater.  The set, designed by Michael Yearger, is minimal, consisting mainly of a turn table that keeps the scenes continually connected.  The costumes, designed by Catherine Zuber, are richly detailed and beautifully establish the time period.  The cast is superb.   Their voices are magnificent.  The acting is truthful.  

Intimate Apparel, A New Opera is playing at Lincoln Center Theater through February 28.  Don’t miss it! 

Domenick Danza

Flying Over Sunset

 Flying Over Sunset
Lincoln Center Theater
Vivian Beaumont Theater
November 28, 2021 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Flying Over Sunset is a psychological exploration of three true to life characters from the mid-20^th century (Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce, and Cary Grant).  The events leading up to the story are true, yet the action of the play is fiction.  It is a known fact that Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce, and Cary Grant experimented with LSD.  Playwright/Director James Lapine springboards this actuality into a journey of profound discovery and deep insight.  Tom Kitt’s music and Michael Korie’s lyrics lure the audience further in by engaging their imaginations and amplifying their emotions.  

We first meet Aldous Huxley (played by Harry Hadden-Paton) when his is shopping at Rexall Drugs with his wife Maria (played by Laura Shoop).  She instructed their close friend Gerald Heard (played by Robert Sella) to let Aldous try LSD.  The drug takes effect while they are shopping, and everything in the store vividly comes to life for Aldous. 

Tony Yazbeck, Harry Hadden-Paton, & Carmen Cusack
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Cary Grant (played by Tony Yazbeck) makes an appointment with his wife’s therapist (played by Nehal Joshi) to request a dose of LSD.  While under the influence of the drug, he sees himself as a child (played by Atticus Ware) performing in vaudeville in England, dressed in girl’s clothing.  Cary faces buried memories from his childhood, including his father’s abuse and his mother’s abandonment.

Gerald visits his dear friend Clare Boothe Luce (played by Carmen Cusack) in the garden of her Connecticut home.  She asks him to gives her LSD.  While under the influence, she sees a vision of her deceased daughter and mother, both of whom died in tragic car accidents.  She is joyous and comforted by this vision. 

During a chance meeting at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles, Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce, and Cary Grant reveal the serious changes they are all facing.  They joke that the one thing they all have in common is their experimentation with LSD.  They decide to meet and, with Gerald as their guide, share an LSD trip.  This experience takes them in separate directions, yet bonds them in genuine moments of mutual need and earnest understanding. 

Robert Selia, Harry Hadden-Paton,
Carmen Cusack, & Tony Yazbeck
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

This is truly an ensemble musical, as each character has a separate and strong story line that comes together in the end.  Carmen Cusack is vibrant as Clare Boothe Luce.  Her character oozes with charm and her singing is magical.  Harry Haddon-Paton has a strong presence as Aldous Huxley.  He does everything as a stiff upper lip Englishman with a high intellect.  Tony Yazbeck is smooth as Cary Grant.  He captures the image perfectly, and fills the character with the truths and challenges the man struggled with his whole life.  Atticus Ware is outstanding as Archie Leach, the young Cary Grant.  He and Mr. Yazbeck complement one another very well.

Robert Sella (as Gerald Heard) is the glue that brings all the characters and events of the story together.  His character is consistently present, and his performance is firmly grounded.  There are also strong performances by Laura Shoop, Nehal Joshi, Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Michelle Ragusa, and Emily Pynenburg.  

Michelle Dorrance’s choreography creates rhythms that give the show a driving pulse.  Her duets create strong relationships and viscerally move the plot forward.  The set, designed by Beowulf Boritt, makes this Lincoln Center Theater production visually stunning. 

Flying Over Sunset explores the hardships that separate us and the opportunities that can bring us together.  It is playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater through February 6. 

Domenick Danza

Greater Clements

Greater Clements

Lincoln Center Theater

The Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater

December 7, 2019

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Samuel D. Hunter’s new play Greater Clements is a moving and powerful story of the long-term effects of inactivity and denial.  The characters are richly developed, facing weighty challenges and life altering decisions.  Director Davis McCallum keeps the action moving in this two hour and forty minute play.  He rivets your attention and utilizes the entire theatre space to create the perfect atmosphere to draw you in.  The cast, led by Judith Ivey, all deliver flawless performances, fully bringing Mr. Hunter’s heart felt writing to life. 

Photo courtesy of Lioncoln Center Theater

The people in the small town of Clements Falls, Idaho have voted to dissolve the township.  What was once a thriving mining town will very soon not exist.  The territory will become part of the county, leaving longtime residents with a lack of identity.  Maggie (played by Judith Ivey) is closing the mine tour office and museum.  Her son Joe (played by Edmund Donovan) has recently returned to town after living on the streets in Alaska.  When Maggie’s high school sweetheart Billy (played by Ken Narasaki) passes through and stops in for a visit, she is faced with a surprising opportunity for a new beginning.  Billy’s granddaughter, Kel (played by Haley Sakamoto), is with him.  Kal carries some emotional baggage.  When combined with Joe’s past, this creates a problem.  In order to move forward, they all need to face the darkness that has been passed on through decades of silence and denial.

Judith Ivey & Edmund Donovan
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Judith Ivey is magnificent in this role.  Her character links every element of the story, and Ms. Ivey keeps the audience focused on the action.  Edmund Donovan creates a potent empathy for Joe’s character.  Each scene exposes a deeper layer of his past, and Mr. Donovan plays every layer truthfully.  He and Ms. Ivey are amazing together.  Their mother/son bond is strong and genuine.  They are the heart of the story.  There are also strong performance by Andrew Garman, Nina Hellman, Kate MacCluggage, Ken Narasaki, and Haley Sakamoto.  Together this cast creates the urgency of this small town spiraling to extinction.

Judith Ivey & Ken Narasaki
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Dane Laffrey’s set brilliantly creates the illusion of the multi-level locale.  This heightens the visceral understanding of the depth each character needs to go in order to face their truth.  The concept utilizes the audience space.  It expands the playing area and successfully pulls the audience into the center of the dramatic action.   

Samuel D. Hunter has written a play that is well worth seeing.  He makes a strong thematic statement of how denial and silence begets impotence in future generations.  It will make you questions your complacency with inactivity.  It is a significant work and an enthralling experience.  Greater Clements is playing at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E Newhouse through January 19. 

Domenick Danza

In the Green

In the Green

Lincoln Center Theater

at the Claire Tow

July 27, 2019

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

In the Green, a new musical by Grace McLean, is now playing at Lincoln Center.  It has a unique score that reflects the style and mood of its medieval setting.  It is based on historic characters and tells the story of their spiritual catharsis.  The cast of five women play various roles and sing for a full ninety-minutes.  Their voices blend and separate as tensions in the action build to reveal the depth of the story.

The year is 1106.  Eight-year-old Hildegard von Bingen is tithed to the Catholic Church.  She is to be a handmaid to Jutta von Sponheim, who lives in complete seclusion.  She voluntarily locked herself in a cell connected to an abbey church.  During their time together the women share their stories.  They seek freedom from the outside world and journey toward wholeness.  After thirty years of solitude and Jutta’s death, Hildegard emerges from her cloistered cell to share her wisdom with the community.

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

This is a very dark and obscure story, structured and told in a way that is befitting its topic and time period.  There are outstanding and moving performances by Rachael Duddy, Ashley Perez Flanagan, Grace McLean, Mia Pak, and Hannah Whitney.

In the Green is playing at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater through August 4.

Domenick Danza

The Rolling Stone

The Rolling Stone

Lincoln Center Theater

The Mitzi Newhouse

July 20, 2019

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Playwright Chris Urch has crafted a tour de force in The Rolling Stone, now running at Lincoln Center Theater.  The characters are all truthfully developed.  In the second act he takes the conflict to the highest degree.  The physical and emotional safety of each character is at serious risk.  Director Saheem Ali magnificently builds the audience’s engagement by layering honest and personal moments that endear them to the characters.  You cannot help becoming part of the action, hoping for the best, yet fearing the worst.

The year is 2010 in Kampala, Uganda (Africa).  Joe (played by James Udom) has just been appointed pastor of his church.  He and his brother, Dembe (played by Ato Blankson-Wood), and his sister, Wummie (played by Latoya Edwards), are feeling the loss after their father’s death, so this news brings them great joy.  The newspaper is publishing photos of men accused of being homosexual, causing devastating disruption in the community.  Dembe is aware of the danger his is putting his family in due to his relationship with Sam (played by Robert Gilbert).  When Mama (played by Myra Lucretia Taylor), a close friend and influential member of their congregation, brings them news that Dembe’s name is “on the list,” a decision must be made.  Does Dembe leave the country with Sam?  Does the family flee with disgrace?  Do they stay and risk Dembe’s life and the family’s place in the community?

The Cast of The Rolling Stone
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Ato Blankson-Wood, James Udon, and Latoya Edwards create an authentic caring trio of siblings.  Their closeness is evident in how they challenge one another to be their best, and sacrifice their own desires for the need of the family.  The tables turn on their relationship numerous times in the action of the play.  Each moment brings a myriad of emotion to the surface.  These three actors rise to each of these moments as the action builds beyond expectation.  They are a unit with individual beliefs and flaws that bring about a powerful turn of events that have a potent effect.

Ato Blanson-Wood & Robert Gilbert
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The relationship between the characters created by Robert Gilbert and Ato Blankson-Wood is touching, humorous, and deeply moving.  The audience is on the journey of their emotional discoveries.  Their hearts are shared.  Their intimacy is open and visceral.

Myra Lucretia Taylor plays a loving and giving matron to the congregation.  Her character hides her fears and vengeance beneath her faith.  Ms. Taylor depicts this duality perfectly.  Adenike Thomas beautifully portrays her daughter, Naomi.  As their truths gradually reveal, our understanding and compassion flourish.

The Rolling Stone is a brilliant play.  The Lincoln Center Theater production is superbly directed and performed.  It is playing at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater through August 25.  Go see it!

Domenick Danza

Falsettos

Falsettos

Lincoln Center Theater

Walter Kerr Theatre

October 15, 2016

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Lincoln Center Theater is celebrating William Finn’s Falsettos with a poignant revival at the Walter Kerr Theatre.  Under the directions of James Lapine, this powerhouse cast delivers breathtaking performances.  The production offers a chance to stop and think of not only how far we have come in just a few short decades, but what took place that propelled us forward and how important it is to not fall back.

Act I takes place in 1979.  Marvin (played by Christian Borle) has left his wife, Trina (played by Stephanie J. Block), and son, Jason (played by Anthony Rosenthal), for his lover, Whizzer (played by Andrew Rannells).  In an attempt to maintain a sense of connection, Trina and Jason see Marvin’s psychologist, Mendel (played by Brandon Uranowitz).  The entanglement intensifies when Mendel falls in love with Trina and they get married.  The emotional upheaval that comes with the breakdown of the traditional family is tenderly illustrated in this act.  Uncertainty is felt by all the characters.  Stephani J. Block keeps the humor high in her rendition of the song “I’m Breaking Down.”  She and the men in the cast comically illustrate her point of view about this tough transition in the song “March of the Falsettos.”

The cast of Falsettos
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Act II takes place in 1981.  Marvin has split with Whizzer and befriended his neighbors, Dr. Charlotte (played by Tracie Thoms) and her girlfriend, Cordelia (played by Betsy Wolfe).  When Jason invites Whizzer to his baseball game, Marvin and he start up again.  While plans for Jason’s Bar Mitzvah are underway, Whizzer is diagnosed with AIDS.  Tracie Thoms succinctly expresses the helplessness and confusion that was felt at the beginning of the AIDS crisis.  Christian Borle creates a number of sincere and honest moments that connect to what he tells his son in Act I, that love is most important.  It is the chemistry of this amazing ensemble that allows the message of Falsettos to ring true and come full circle.

This production lacks the groundbreaking effect that it had when it was originally produced at Playwrights Horizon in 1981.  It does, however, allow us to reminisce on decades past and reflect on what is important to carry forward in the decades to come.

Domenick Danza

Dada Woof Papa Hot

Dada Woof Papa Hot

Lincoln Center Theater

At the Mitzi E. Newhouse

January 2, 2016

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Peter Parnell’s new play, Dada Woof Papa Hot, explores the change that takes place in the relationship of a married couple after they have children.  Is there enough time for everyone to get the right amount of love and attention they need?  What if the child bonds with one parent more than another?  What happens when one parent adapts more readily to parenthood and its challenges?  More importantly, are these concerns different for a gay couple as a straight couple?  Mr. Parnell successfully examines the fears, worries, joys, and letting-go that come with commitment to this life-long change.  There are laughter, tears, and strong understanding of what it means to settle in for the long haul. 

John Benjamin Hickey & Alex Hurt
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

When Alan and Rob (played by John Benjamin Hickey and Patrick Breen) befriend another couple, Scott and Jason (played by Stephen Plunkett and Alex Hurt), they expect to bond over stories of their children, who just entered the same pre-K class.  The attraction between Rob and Jason heats up at the same time that Alan’s best friend Michael (played by John Pankow) admits to seeing another woman behind his wife’s back.  Each of these six characters honestly opens up about their relationships and how they have been different since the children came along.  It is through these six varied points of view (gay, straight, male, female, older, younger) that Mr. Parnell examines the pitfalls and benefits of raising a family.  Each character approaches their challenges differently, showing that when it comes to creating and building a family, there is no such thing as traditional.

John Benjamin Hickey & Patrick Breen
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The second to last scene of the play is the most honest and well-written.  It is between Rob and Allen, where they actually voice their fears and face their emotional blocks.  Surprisingly, Alan, who has been pretty steadfast and sure of himself throughout the play, is the one who gets emotional.  This admission allows Rob to express his disappointments.  It is through this confrontation that the underlying conflict of their relationship, which drives the action of the play, is able to resolve.

This play refreshingly discusses the change of values our society faces at this time in its evolution.  It does it with humor and heartfelt moments.  The dramatic twists and turns, however, are very much foreshadowed.  This does not make them any less climactic, just a little too predictable.

Domenick Danza