Theater Thursday - Berlin to Broadway With Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage and A Comedy of Tenors

We were given free tickets to Berlin to Broadway With Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

 

What: Berlin to Broadway With Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage 

Where: York Theatre Company
              619 Lexington Ave,
              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for 13 and up

When: Through February 19, 2017

Mom's view: If you are looking for a musical with a story, this is not it. However, if you are interested in a musical journey through a great composers song catalog you will enjoy this show. Kurt Weill is probably best known as the composer of The Threepenny Opera. However, he also composed the music for many other musicals including Street Scene, Lady in the Dark, and One Touch of Venus. Songs from all of these shows and more are included in this musical and beautifully sung by the cast of five. The songs include, such well known songs as, Mack the Knife and September Song along with a variety of less known songs. The amusing, The Saga of Jenny sung by Rachel DeBenedet is a highlight of the show. Unfortunately, most of  the shows Weill participated in don't really stand the test of time and seem quite dated now. However,  that doesn't mean his songs still aren't worth listening to. If you want the opportunity to experience these classic songs sung live on stage,  hurry down to York Theatre Company's production of Berlin to Broadway before it closes on February 19. For more information or to order ticket go to http://www.yorktheatre.org/2017-mufti-season.html.

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We were given free tickets to A Comedy of Tenors for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: A Comedy of Tenors

Where: Papermill Playhouse

            22 Brookside Drive

            Milburn, NJ

Who: Recommended for 13 and up

When:Now through February 27, 2017

Mom's view: A Comedy of Tenor's is a sequel to Lend Me a Tenor which ran on Broadway in 1989. This show is kind of the reverse of that show. Whereas in that show, Maria, the wife of the great opera singer Tito Merelli, mistakenly becomes convinced that he is cheating on her, in this one he becomes mistakenly convinced that she is cheating on him. Of course, there is a whole lot more to the plot than that including a whole lot of slamming doors, cases of mistaken identity and general confusion as with any great farce. While having seen the original show may add slightly to your enjoyment of the show, this sequel stands on its own, and you don't have to have seen the first show to be able to understand and enjoy this one. If you are an opera fan, you are in for a treat because the tenors in the show actually do sing at one point in the show. If you are a fan of farce, you won't want to miss this offering of the genre with its amusing plot presented by a talented cast of comedic actors. If you are neither a fan of opera nor farce, you will probably not enjoy this show. As with most farces, it is not a suitable show for young children due to subject matter. For more information or to order tickets go to http://papermill.org/.

And that's Mom's view. Tune in tomorrow for Funtivity Friday.

Photo credits: All Berlin to Broadway photos by Ben Strothmann 

                          All A Comedy of Tenors photos by Jerry Dalia