Archives for August 25, 2011

My mother had two major operations in the past few days to relieve and repair an intestinal blockage. Amazingly–though I guess we shouldn’t be surprised at such things anymore–she appears yet again to be recovering with unexpected speed. Indeed, her doctors have assured me that it’s now safe for Mrs. T and I to resume our travels, so we’ll be heading up to Wisconsin tomorrow to see three performances by American Players Theatre, though you can bet that we’ll be keeping our cellphones on.
I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, heartfelt thanks to all those who wrote or posted with good wishes.

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

BROADWAY:

• Anything Goes (musical, G/PG-13, mildly adult subject matter that will be unintelligible to children, closes Jan. 8, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical, G/PG-13, perfectly fine for children whose parents aren’t actively prudish, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)

• Million Dollar Quartet (jukebox musical, G, off-Broadway remounting of Broadway production, original run reviewed here)

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.:

• Oklahoma! (musical, G, remounting of 2010 production, suitable for children, closes Oct. 2, original run reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON IN EAST HADDAM, CONN.:

• Show Boat (musical, G, suitable for bright children, closes Sept. 17, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN GARRISON, N.Y.:

• The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare, PG-13, suitable for bright children, closes Sept. 4, reviewed here)

• Hamlet (Shakespeare, PG-13, closes Sept. 3, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN LENOX, MASS:

• As You Like It (Shakespeare, G/PG-13, closes Sept. 4, reviewed here)

• The Memory of Water (serious comedy, PG-13, some adult subject matter, closes Sept. 4, reviewed here)

• Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare, G/PG-13, violence and some adult subject matter, closes Sept. 3, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK ON BROADWAY:

• Master Class (drama, G/PG-13, not suitable for children, closes Sept. 4, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

“Large organizations cannot be versatile. A large organization is effective through its mass rather than through its agility. Fleas can jump many times their own height, but not an elephant.”
Peter F. Drucker, The Age of Discontinuity