BOTTOM LINE: A beautiful and well-conceived macabre musical — nontraditional, for sure, but imaginative and quirky. For those who embrace artsy, interpretive theatre.

Adding Machine is a new musical playing off-Broadway that comes to New York from Chicago. It’s a musical adaption of Elmer Rice’s play from 1923 about an accountant named Mr. Zero who lives a completely mundane and generic life and finds himself going insane from the mediocrity of his existence. Sound relatable? Zero completely loses it when he is let go from his job; since the invention of the adding machine, there isn’t a need for his work by hand. Zero is a wonderful anti-hero; he is not a sympathetic man, but he inadvertently solicits compassion since his life is just so sad.

I am extremely impressed with the conception of this story. The production’s main color palate is gray and black, reiterating the desolate feel of these mediocre lives. The costumes are also gray and loose, not giving any character too much definition. Even the direction feels desperate; there’s a heaviness to the movement of these people. And true to the trend of new 21st century musical theatre, Adding Machine uses video projection in its set design.

Adding Machine is respectful of the era in which it takes place and the production itself has a very ’20s feel. Even the music is evocative of the time; it’s almost vaudevillian, but much darker and more tragic. Daisy, Mr. Zero’s co-worker and unrequited love, sings a song about her love for Zero that evokes Chicago without the Fosse. Musically speaking, Adding Machine is remarkable. It’s almost an operetta. In the 90 minute intermission-less production there wasn’t a single time that the audience applauded, simply because there wasn’t a break in which to applaud. The music and story roll together beautifully throughout the entire production. The cast is only 9 people and the orchestra only 3, but the sound produced by these people feels totally full and whole. It’s amazing what sounds the intricate harmonies can produce.

Even though I really enjoyed Adding Machine, it is definitely not a musical for the masses. Adding Machine is weird and not in a campy, Rocky Horror way; it’s weird in an avant-garde, twisted way. You probably have to have a predisposition for creepy storytelling and also a tolerance for artistic quirks you might not understand. Check it out if you’re into new musical theatre or inventive new ways to tell classic stories.

Adding Machine plays at the Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane, in the West Village, Tue-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, and Sun 3 PM. For tickets call 212-307-4100 or 212-420-8000.

Check out theatreiseasy.com for more reviews and info about the New York theatre scene.

The spring theatre season is officially under way! We now present our top picks for all of your March New York theatre needs (click on a show title below to read the Theatre Is Easy review) …

To take a date: In the Heights
A romantic and uplifting musical with some smokin’-hot, Latin-influenced choreography.

To take your parents: August: Osage County
Takes this spot for the second month. Family dysfunction has never been funnier.

Cheap but awesome: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Chicago’s Neo-Futurists perform 30 plays in 30 minutes for less than 50 cents a play.

For a laugh: The 39 Steps
A fun, goofy, wonderfully British ride.

For a good story: Liberty City
A compelling story about the fight for civil liberties in south Florida in the late ’70s.

Quick, before it closes: Liberty City
Plays like this don’t come around that often — and unfortunately don’t always stick around that long.

Visit theatreiseasy.com for more New York theatre reviews and useful info.

BOTTOM LINE: In the Heights is the first musical I’ve seen in a long time that has something for everyone. It’s original and provocative without being whiny, and the music, choreography, and talent are all top-notch.

In the Heights has so much heart that I just want to give Lin-Manuel Miranda a hug. Miranda conceived the original idea, wrote the music and lyrics, and stars in the show. It’s safe to assume his work is at least somewhat autobiographical. The “Heights” refers to Washington Heights, and the show gives you an inside look at life in the barrio. Appropriately, much of the music and choreography are hip-hop influenced.

Although In the Heights is innovative in style and theme, it respectfully maintains a more traditional musical theatre structure. Usnavi (Miranda) serves as the narrator and invites the audience into his neighborhood to meet his people. The musical theatre conventions and conflicts are all in place: it’s sort of a coming-of-age story in a poor neighborhood where everyone is trying to get up and/or out. Meanwhile, the ingenue falls in love with the wrong boy, and everyone struggles to make ends meet and do right for their families. Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes — she wrote the book — tell a linear story about realistic people in a place that really exists.

The great thing about In the Heights is that the story is about 2008 and it’s told in a style that is appropriate for this time period. In the Heights uses music and choreography to help define place and time, and in doing so, it takes musical theatre to a groundbreaking place. Hip-hop works in musical theatre.

This show is original, and I can’t explain how refreshing that is. It actually has something new to say. So much of what’s on Broadway is derived from movies and books and plugged into “the Broadway machine.” In the Heights is original, it’s amazingly well done, and I hope it gets the respect it deserves.

It comes to Broadway from an extended run off-Broadway last year. If you saw it off-Broadway, here’s what you need to know: not that much has changed, but it’s a lot less gritty than it used to be. The Broadway version offers a beefier orchestra, flashier lighting, and a set that looks like a Hollywood interpretation of Washington Heights. They’ve added a couple of new songs and changed a couple of plot details to help explain the story, but it’s essentially the same as before. It plays well in a big Broadway theatre, and Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography looks even hotter on a larger stage. If you’ve seen it before, see it again; it’s interesting to compare.

In the Heights is in previews at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., and opens March 9. Tickets are available at the box office and through Ticketmaster; $26.50 ticket lottery available, more info to come (intheheightsthemusical.com).

Check out theatreiseasy.com for other reviews and NY theatre information.

BOTTOM LINE: An avant-garde new musical for artists, by artists. It’s quite inventive and touching, but maybe too “out there” for non-artists.

Passing Strange is a new rock musical about rock music. And it rocks. The five-piece band sits onstage through the entire show, and though they’re almost always playing, they’re also interacting with the cast and even speaking lines themselves.

The five musicians and six actors work together to tell the “autobiographical fiction” of Stew, the one-name frontman of the Negro Problem. Stew wrote Passing Strange’s book and lyrics and cowrote the score with bassist and longtime collaborator Heidi Rodewald. He also narrates the play and acts as bandleader.

The story isn’t exactly unique: Stew is a young black man growing up in middle-class L.A. who’s trying to find his way in a society that wants him to conform, even though all he wants to do is play music and be himself. He eventually heads to Europe to find the freedom to be an artist. The story is told in three phases: in L.A. before Stew leaves home, in Amsterdam after he arrives in Europe, and finally in Berlin after he tires of Amsterdam.

“Angsty artist on a journey” is hardly a new subject for a play, but the storytelling techniques and creative concepts used in Passing Strange are definitely innovative. The actors all play multiple characters from scene to scene (although the actor playing young Stew remains that character throughout the show), and the visuals are minimal, with the set made up of just a few chairs, a desk, and a music stand. At the back of the stage is a giant wall of bright neon lights carefully designed by Kevin Adams, the lighting designer of Spring Awakening; the wall informs the story, changing and pulsating as the scene dictates. Director Annie Dorsen’s staging is clever and seamless, thanks in part to Stew’s narration.

(more…)

BOTTOM LINE: British humor — I mean, humour — at its finest.

Okay, you caught me — Eddie Izzard is a comedian and Theatre Is Easy doesn’t cover comedy, but I’m making an exception because Izzard is doing a whopping three-week run in New York and, well, he’s really funny. I would feel bad not letting you know about it.

So why is Eddie Izzard so funny? His shtick is simply the rambling rehashing of facts and references in a dry and unabashedly sarcastic British manner. But somehow Izzard’s interpretation of giraffes conversing makes me laugh so hard I cry.

If you’re unfamiliar with Izzard, that’s probably because he’s somewhat of a cult favorite with an eclectic following. His comedy career began in Britain in the early ’90s, and according to his Wikipedia page, his U.S. breakthrough came in ‘99, when his Dress to Kill stand-up special aired on HBO. (By the way, I feel totally okay citing Wikipedia as a source because a large part of Izzard’s show involves his reverence for the website.) Izzard is also a respected actor — he stars in the FX drama The Riches, which returns for a second season next month, and he played Mr. Kite in Julie Taymor’s 2007 Beatles lovefest, Across the Universe.

Izzard’s comedy style is everything that’s good about British wit. It has a Monty Python feel minus the slapstick, although a lot of it is visual, e.g. snakes on speedboats in the Garden of Eden. And his subject matter is relatable, but not in the culturally specific, dumbed-down way used by comedians like Larry the Cable Guy. It’s relatable on a grander scale, encompassing religion, world history, and human history in addition to pop culture. Izzard’s mind is a library of random facts — or he’s just an amazing bullshitter. Maybe a little of both. Either way, he turns Stonehenge and ancient Greece into fodder for fantastic comedy.

His act is largely improvised, and he lets his snarky British pretension drive the subject matter. I’m not sure how much the current show varies from night to night, but I’m pretty familiar with Izzard’s past shows, and almost all of what I heard this time was new.

If you’re already a fan you owe it to yourself to check out the new show, especially while Izzard’s here in New York (where he rarely plays, although he performs a lot in L.A.). If you’re not already a fan but you like British comedy, you probably are a big fan and you just don’t know it yet.

Eddie Izzard performs at Union Square Theatre, 100 E. 17th St., through March 8: Mon-Sat 10:30 PM. Tickets are $40 and available at ticketmaster.com.

Check out theatreiseasy.com for more NY theatre reviews and information!

BOTTOM LINE: Not Sondheim’s best work, but a really beautiful revival of a really beautiful musical based on the life of French painter Georges Seurat.

The revival of Sunday in the Park With George comes direct from London, after an amazingly successful run first at a smaller theater (an off-Broadway kind of venue) and then at a larger theater in London’s West End. It’s everything a revival should be: a new adaptation of a story that has already told, adjusted for the today’s audience while still maintaining the authenticity of the script — not to be confused with revivals that are simply rehashed creations that fit the original staging moment-to-moment (ahem, A Chorus Line). The revival of Sunday in the Park With George uses projections and animations to fill the space and create an artistic angle to a play based on art, while also adding depth and life to the set. These elements enhance the story in such a clever and visually effective way; the end result is pretty impressive.

So here’s the thing: I like art a lot, but I also grew up in the ’80s and my attention span doesn’t last more than 30 minutes at a time (without a commercial break for Ecto Cooler). When I go to a museum, I’m great for about an hour, maybe two if it’s modern art. Sunday in the Park With George is like a lovely trip to a museum that lasts 2 hours and 40 minutes. It was a bit too much art for me, but I suppose for the more sophisticated art aficionado, it’s not overkill at all. It’s unfortunately not the greatest score ever, but there are a couple of songs that stand out and the cast is very good. The story is pretty solid and actually really informative (I now know more about Seurat than any other painter), and the storytelling technique is clever as well.

Act I is set in mid-19th-century Paris. Georges Seurat is an underappreciated painter trying to perfect a new method of painting called pointillism, while finishing his big painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (see painting above). The subjects of this painting are all real people in Seurat’s life, and he paints them whether they like it or not. At the end of Act I, they all come together and take their places in the painting. Act II takes place in America in the ’80s at an art gallery. Seurat’s great-grandson George is an artist who creates light installations, and he shows his newest work while he pays homage to his family history. His grandmother, Seurat’s daughter, is there to cheer him on. Although somewhat based on fact (Seurat was a real person and A Sunday Afternoon is a real piece he painted), the story is an embellishment of what could have happened in his life. The book to the musical won a Pulitzer Prize in 1985. (For more info on the story, check the Wikipedia page here.)

Sunday in the Park With George is a really lovely musical, and this staging is unique and smart. If you like musical theatre and Sondheim, it’s a must see; this is classic Sondheim. If you want a romantic and/or traditional night out at the theatre, this is a good bet too. If you want anything other than beautiful, traditional musical theatre, look elsewhere.

Sunday in the Park With George plays at Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St., and is currently in previews. Tickets are $36.25-$121.25 ($21.25 if you’re under 35 — visit hiptix.com); for tickets call 212-719-1300 or visit roundabouttheatre.org.

Check out theatreiseasy.com for more NY theatre reviews and information!

Welcome to Best Bets, your ultimate theatre resource from Popdose and theatreiseasy.com. Let us save you time and provide you with information on the NY theatre experience that’s perfect for your every need. Theatre is really easy.

BEST BETS, FEBRUARY 2008:

To take a date: The Farnsworth Invention
(Go with the hot, intellectual thing.)

To take your parents: August: Osage County
(Relatable family drama that will make your family look normal.)

For a laugh: Avenue Q
(Obvious but solid entertainment; try the lottery for cheap tickets two and a half hours before the show.)

For a good story: The Seafarer
(The plot has holes, but the characters are fantastic.)

Cheap but awesome: Speech & Debate
(The first of Roundabout Theatre’s new “Underground” series.)

Quick, before it closes: Speech & Debate
(Closes February 24 after a very extended run.)

Let us be the first to tell you: In the Heights
(Previews begin February 14 for this awesome new musical.)

Check out theatreiseasy.com for NY theatre reviews and information!

BOTTOM LINE: An uninspired story with mediocre music; a few decent moments and a talented cast keep it from being a total bust; only recommended for those who really like musical theatre and are jonesing for something new.

If I’m wrong, please tell me why, but I thought Next To Normal was a story that didn’t need to be told … especially not through song. And trust me, there’s a lot of song in this rock-opera for the Prozac generation. Luckily, the gifted cast of five graciously sing its faces off, giving the score some much-needed depth and feeling. Brian d’Arcy James and Alice Ripley (they play the parents) have intensely good voices, and Jennifer Damiano (she plays the daughter) really shines in this role.

The plot begins with a mother, father, and their teenage daughter lamenting their craptacular lives. The mom is on pills, the daughter is angsty and the dad ignores it all (wait, you’ve heard this before?). It’s kind of like American Beauty without the quirky characters and interesting story. But then the audience finds out the twist — the reason for the dysfunction — and this was my favorite moment of the evening, which I was glad I didn’t see coming, so I’m not going to tell you what it was, lest you choose to see Next to Normal yourself. Suffice it to say, things get worse for the fam and the mom ends up attempting suicide. She’s admitted to the psych ward and given electro-shock therapy (cue Chief throwing drinking fountain through window). After the treatments, she has totally lost her memory and has to try to piece everything together again (McMurphy didn’t have that hard of a time — okay, Cuckoo’s Nest references end now). Really, the story is just sad, and at the end it’s still sad, and no one has really grown.

Next to Normal is a hefty production with a seasoned creative team, and it shows. The set is pretty great — it’s a three-story structure that sort of resembles scaffolding — the band is perched on the sides of the second and third stories, and the actors utilize all three levels easily, giving the space a cool movement and feeling of fullness. The set looks a lot like the set used for Rent, and I’m not saying this has anything to do with the fact that Michael Grief (Rent) directed this, and Anthony Rapp (original Mark in Rent) assisted him. The lighting and sound design are also spectacular.

I really want to like this musical. And giving everyone involved the benefit of the doubt, this is its first real production after being presented at the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival and then spending time in development in Seattle. And I did see it at the beginning of an off-Broadway run, so if it happens to get a chance on Broadway, a lot could potentially change. See this show if you really dig musical theatre, or if you’re a rock opera buff.

Next to Normal plays a limited run through March 9 at Second Stage Theatre on 43rd and 8th. Tickets start at $84; student rush tickets are $15, available 30 minutes before showtime, and youth advance tickets are $26.50 for anyone 25 and under. Visit 2st.com for tickets and more info.

Check out theatreiseasy.com for more NY theatre reviews and information!

BOTTOM LINE: Worth seeing because the production is so imaginative and unique, and also because the cast is incredible. It’s a fun ride, but just know it’s not about the story being told — it’s about how the story is being told.

I can see why The 39 Steps won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy: the execution is kind of genius. Seeing this play is a lesson in creative storytelling. The 39 Steps is a big, fat homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s movies; it’s essentially his movie The 39 Steps, with some obvious references to other Hitchcock films. However, the story is told with only 4 actors, and only a handful of set pieces that the actors move around the stage as the scene requires.

This is not an easy feat for a story of this magnitude. It’s classic Hitchcock suspense with perhaps a little more action than usual (and no, you don’t need to have prior knowledge of the Hitchcock movie to understand the play). To accurately tell this story, you need to show a moving train, a chase on the top of this moving train, airplanes flying and hovering just over the hero’s head, a stage full of dancers, a parade, a speeding convertible, and a plethora of other things larger than a stage with 4 actors can allow. The 39 Steps manages to create these scenes with merely a few sets, brilliant lights and sound, and 4 incredible actors. And the really great thing is that I never questioned it; the minimalism is supported by the humor and the stellar character work.

Overall, I dug the play. It was quite entertaining and watching it unfold was a fun ride that I felt happy to be on. The downfall for me, though, was the plot. It seemed pretty clear that the intention of this theatrical endeavor was to tell Hitchcock’s story using clever staging and cool techniques while keeping it all amusing with that dry British wit. The intention did not seem to be to actually tell the story and make it (even somewhat) real. Sure, there was action, there were characters, even relationships between them … and yeah, there was a plot. But for me, I need the characters to form a relationship with the audience; I like to feel like I’m watching these people go through something real. The 39 Steps is much less about a mutual experience between cast and audience, and I never thought these people actually existed outside the American Airlines Theatre. But that’s a preference thing, and it doesn’t take away from the caliber of talent or the brilliant staging of the play. If you enjoy a goofy farce, I doubt it will bother you at all.

The 39 Steps plays at American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St. It officially opens January 19 and runs through (at least) March 23: Tue-Sat 8 PM, and Wed, Sat, and Sun 2 PM. Tickets are available at roundabouttheatre.org or by calling 212-719-1300. Check out theatreiseasy.com for other reviews and NY theatre information.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s as good as the hype: the story and characters are totally compelling. Highly recommended for anyone who likes smart comedy with a darker side. And you can go for $26.50.

I had heard a lot about Tracy Letts’s new play, August: Osage County, before I got to see it myself. Since everything I had heard was extremely positive, I wasn’t so sure it would live up to the hype that had been built up. Unsurprisingly, it managed to exceed every expectation I had. I’m not sure I’d say it’s the best new work in decades, but it’s pretty damn good, and entirely worth seeing now, with this cast.

August: Osage County is the story of the quintessential dysfunctional family and the drama that ensues when they get together after hearing that their father has disappeared. In the midst of tragedy, the extended family (headed by their pill-popping matriarch) must try to reconnect and come to terms with the loss of their father, while discovering dark and disturbing secrets about their kin. Although the subject matter is heavy, the writing is so funny that the story is, in every way, a comedy. I laughed out loud throughout the entire play.

The ensemble in August: Osage County is flawless. Each of the 13 characters experience change, and each actor takes us through that journey with biting realism. Also notable is the direction by Anna D. Shapiro. There is only one set: a big three-story house into which we can see seven rooms as if we’re spying through the wall from the outside. Action takes place in all of these rooms and sometimes overlaps with a scene playing elsewhere. With 13 actors and constant conversations (some of which occur simultaneously), the choreography of the movement is precise and carefully calculated; I always knew where to focus but remained interested in the other things happening.

The script is funny and fascinating, and could probably just stand alone as a good read; add to it a phenomenal cast and brilliant direction, and you’ve got a real theatrical experience. I felt grateful that I was invited in to see this story unfold. It’s delicious voyeurism. And when I went into the lobby at intermission, I looked at the other audience members and felt like I was sharing something special with them. The overall experience this play provides is the reason live theatre is so powerful. When all of the facets come together so perfectly, it’s an experience unlike any other.

And even more good news: you can get a ticket for $26.50. Sure, it’s in the rear balcony, but it’s a small enough theater that it really doesn’t matter. I saw the show from the nosebleeds and I didn’t miss a thing; it still felt intimate. If you can afford a better seat, go for it, but if you’re low on funds, the $26.50 ticket option is a gift.

August: Osage County is playing at the Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th St., between 7th and 8th Ave.: Tue-Fri 7:30 PM (also Wed 2 PM), Sat 2 and 8 PM, and Sun 3 PM. Ticket prices range between $25 and $100; for tickets, call 212-239-6200, visit telecharge.com, or stop by the box office. Official website: augustonbroadway.com. And check out theatreiseasy.com for more NY theatre reviews.