How to Succeed

Magnet #1215 - How to Succeed

In a word: delightful.

I've mentioned before that every so often I have to remind myself to take advantage of this town and everything Broadway has to offer, so last month (pre-Tonys, thank goodness), I went to Playbill for their discounts, and decided to hit up How to Succeed.

I can honestly say it's been a while since I've had so much fun watching a show - especially given my reactions to Spider-Man and HAIR and American Idiot. (On Broadway, I mean - seeing David and Catherine in the West End last week doesn't count.)

Mind you, I can't stand the actual storyline of How to Succeed, because it really does cut a little too close to the buffoonery of Corporate America, but once I let that go, I was fine.

The Mod set design was well lush, and the fantastic cast (including the awesome John Larroquette) were outfitted in gorgeous costumes. As with Mad Men, the costumes made me feel as though I born a few decades too late. And the big production numbers were incredible - totally old-school Broadway musicals, and so much fun.

Finally, and here's the biggest surprise for me tonight - little Daniel Radcliffe, with the American accent so good I forgot he was a Brit (take notes, David Tennant), makes a terrific song-and-dance man. Something that - even after I saw him on the Tonys - I was worried about, having heard about the song-and-dance lessons he's had to take. Well, they totally took, because he was a pleasure to watch. Small in stature, but great presence on stage.

It was like...magic.

#Muchado

Magnet #1210 - Much Ado About Nothing

Confession time. I follow a lot of folks on Twitter surrounding the David Tennant/Catherine Tate production of Much Ado About Nothing. A couple of the actors, a couple of the bloggers, a couple of the fansite folks, etc.

But that's not my confession.

My confession is that, despite following all those Twitterfeeds, I seriously had an OMG moment in London that #muchado was really for Much Ado.

Now, in my defense, I must have known at some point. But for some reason, in my head, #muchado had become a word, pronounced like the Spanish muchacha or muchacho.

It was one of those OMG moments of extreme stupidity, that has perhaps replaced all the other moments of extreme stupidity. And, I keep repeating it with a giggle now, Mooochadoh.

Which is why I can't really judge the two little teenyboppers who sat next to me at #Muchado. The ones who asked us was the play done, and where we were going at the interval.

No, really. They couldn't tell that the play had been left mid-story at the...interval?

But anyway, yay for David Tennant still reeling the young ones into Shakespeare.

And yay for not being ill for today's performance!!! Thank you SO much, David Tennant!

Ya'll have no idea how happy I was not to see the little sheet, or the hear the announcement saying, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the role of Benedick will be played by [insert understudy here]." I would have seriously gone down to the box office, and left a really not-nice note demanding a public apology from the man himself if I'd flown all the way over from the US twice and not seen him perform.

And, it was a great performance, too. There's a reason they're getting accolades, and it's not just cuz they're Doctor Who alum. They have fantastic chemistry (right up to the kissing, anyway, but I have trouble seeing David kiss anyone - weird, I know), and David and Catherine really made this Shakespeare dramedy fun to watch. They were surrounded by an excellent cast, which made it so much better.

The show was funny in the appropriate parts, a bit teary in others - in fact, a lot more teary than I expected. And, with it being set in 80s Malta, that just added a bit more fun to it. It's always fantastic seeing how different companies stage Shakespeare, the decisions they make with setting and costumes, the line deliveries, the add-ons, etc. I love it.

Mind you, no matter who is playing her, no matter what the production, I still regard Hero as the worst, most niminy-piminy heroine ever in the history of heroines, for taking Claudio back after the way he devastated her at the altar. I hate her for it.

I mean, really, you can totally tell a man wrote that story!

*eta:
I forgot! At the interval (actually, after a quick trip to the loo, where all the older ladies were wittering on about how versatile David was), I ran downstairs and found that they were selling magnets. (I dunno why I didn't check earlier, most of the Broadway shows have them, why wouldn't someone be savvy enough to make magnets for me.)

So I bought five. For my sisters and friends. And me. I mean, damn, it's a helluva magnet!