5/23/2011 The Best is Yet to Come and War Horse

I saw War Horse at Lincoln Center on Friday night. This is the second time I have seen the show, having seen it on the West End in London. This was Bill's third time to see it, since he also saw it at the National Theatre in its original run. All I can say is wow! We had seats in the second row, just off center. The production is very impressive. Those actors who portray the horses (puppets) are amazing. They bring the horses to life. You reach a point where you forget there are three or four people operating them. Seth Numrich, who plays Albert, the young man who loves his horse, is remarkable.  The cast is extremely good, with the exception of Albert's father, who I felt was a little too over the top. The production values are very impressive, including the lighting and special effects. This is a show that should be seen, and I'm sure it will win the Tony for Best Play.

On Saturday afternoon, we ventured to 59th Street to the 59th Street theatres to see The Best is Yet to Come, a musical review of Cy Coleman's songs to various lyricists.  What a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. The show has an amazing group of performers, starting with Billy Stritch leading the orchestra and performing a couple of songs. The remaining singers, David Burnham, Sally Mayes, Howard McGillan, Rachel York and Lilias White all have amazing Broadway credentials. And they don't disappoint. The show lasts a brief 80 minutes and could have gone on for hours. Cy Coleman is one of the most revered composers on Broadway, and wrote with many great lyricists. If I have any criticism, it is that David Zippel, one of his many collaborators, put too many of his songs into the mix. And they weren't the best of the songs. They relegated I'm Nothing Without You from City of Angels to a group number and didn't do the entire song. They also didn't perfom the amazing song My Friend, which was a standout in the show The Life. But the performances were amazing, and when Lilias White is on, she is spectacular. Her version of the anthem from The Life - The Oldest Profession - brought down the house, and rightly so, just like it did when she did it on Broadway and won the Tony Award for it. I think they have plans to move this show. I would love to see it go to Broadway, be expanded to two full acts, and also give it some dialogue to let us know about the remarkable career of Cy Coleman and his collaborators. Go see it, you will not be disappointed.