BOTTOM LINE: Traditional musical theatre at its best.
It wasn’t really time for a revival of Ragtime. The new musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 and ran for two years. It was mostly well received, winning Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical as well as Best Score (Lion King beat it for the coveted Best Musical prize). It starred Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell in what was a categorically extravagant, traditional Broadway production similar to The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked (although Wicked wouldn’t open for a few more years).
But something unique happened with this production of Ragtime (directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge) originally staged for and presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.: Everyone freaking loved the show. It could have been Broadway bound from the beginning, but its overwhelming response probably had something to do with the show’s New York transfer. I have to agree with the fans on this one; This production of Ragtime is fantastic. It is everything that is magical about musical theatre, down to its most basic storytelling intentions and emotional connection with its audience. The show itself isn’t perfect, but this revival is really incredible.
Avenue Q (or the dirty puppet musical, as some know it, shown here with the original Broadway cast) has taken an interesting production turn by closing its Broadway run in September only to somewhat immediately open off-Broadway. Obviously, producers thought its success was far from over, at least in a smaller theatre for a slightly cheaper ticket price. Announcements that Avenue Q was closing on Broadway came as a shock, since the show had been a smash since it opened in 2003. Beating all odds, the satirical new musical won the 2004 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score (Wicked lost in an upset).
It’s no surprise that Broadway producers like to cast celebrities in their shows. If your show, let’s say, is a dramatic British play about horses that wouldn’t attract the average tourist (ahem, 
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Well, the Tony Awards aired last Sunday night and there weren’t any surprises of note. Everyone who was supposed to win took home their respective awards and aside from the teleprompter being apparently really hard to read, the night pretty much went as planned. Billy Elliot won almost all of the awards it was up for, including the coveted Best Musical prize. God of Carnage won the award for Best Play, as expected. Neil Patrick Harris proved to be a decent Tonys host, not terribly cheesy but still endearing to Grandmas in Ohio. And the G-rated entertainment offered more musical performances this year including the tours of Legally Blonde, Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia (because that’s apparently what people want).
Situational comedy doesn’t need bells and whistles. Interesting people in amusing situations can be plenty. Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests introduces six characters at their sick mother’s house over one weekend. It’s a spontaneous family reunion of sorts, and that set-up is enough to spark over six full hours of humor (broken up into three separate plays). The Norman Conquests is a lot like watching your favorite tv sitcom live; it’s neither deep nor insightful, but it’s ripe with jokes and one-liners that you’ll most likely quote for weeks to come. And since the plays are considerably longer than your average 23 minute TV show, there is more time to get to know the characters, and more development of the plot’s antics. Plus, it’s British humor so the play is both physical and over-the-top as well as dry and biting; it’s a brilliant combination that makes for a hilariously entertaining theatrical experience.