The thirty-eighth episode of Three on the Aisle, the (usually) twice-monthly podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening or downloading.
As was the case last month, only two of us were on hand this time: Peter Marks took a nasty fall on the morning of the taping and did painful damage to one of his knees, forcing Elisabeth and me to forge ahead without him. And while we already had a guest, Adam Feldman of Time Out New York, set for the episode, we had some trouble with Adam’s segment as well: I taped my end of the show in Connecticut, and it seemed that because of a glitch in the control board of our New York studio, we could only record two people at the same time! So Elisabeth and Adam shared the mike for his segment, while she and I handled the rest of the show. To our collective delight and relief, things went well anyway, and we plan to have Adam back later this season on a day when the gremlins are at rest.
In the meantime, here’s American Theatre’s “official” summary of the proceedings:
This week, Peter is out, but Elisabeth and Terry are joined by Adam Feldman of Time Out New York to discuss American Theatre‘s annual list of the most-produced plays in the country. Terry and Elizabeth also go through the mailbag and answer questions from listeners, and talk about recent shows they’ve seen, some good and some… not so good.
To listen to or download this episode, read more about it, or subscribe to Three on the Aisle, go here.
In case you’ve missed any previous episodes, you’ll find them all here.
An excerpt from Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer, a 1987 documentary directed by Amram Nowak. In this scene, Singer is seen returning to Coney Island and Brighton Beach, where he lived during his early years in New York:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
“When a book is boring, they yawn openly, without any shame or fear of authority. They don’t expect their beloved writer to redeem humanity. Young as they are, they know that it is not in his power. Only the adults have such childish illusions.”
Isaac Bashevis Singer, speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1978
In today’s Wall Street Journal drama column I review the Broadway transfer of Freestyle Love Supreme. Here’s an excerpt.
* * *
One of the reasons why Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” won over so many older playgoers who couldn’t care less about hip-hop is that it’s not a hip-hop show. It’s an extremely well-made musical about the founding fathers that just happens to have a hip-hop score. Yes, I exaggerate, but not by much, and I can’t tell you how many senior citizens of my acquaintance were pleasantly surprised by how much they liked “Hamilton.” Unfortunately, it was an inherently impossible act to follow, and to date, Mr. Miranda has yet to follow it…
In the meantime, Mr. Miranda has now gotten himself back on Broadway—after a fashion. He is very prominently credited as co-creator and co-producer of “Freestyle Love Supreme,” which just opened at the Booth Theatre after a successful off-Broadway run, and if you didn’t know any better, you could be forgiven for assuming that it’s “Son of ‘Hamilton.’” But you’d be dead wrong: “Freestyle Love Supreme” is the name of a hip-hop improv comedy troupe, which is a fancy way of saying that it’s a nightclub act, not a musical….
Each performance consists of 85 minutes’ worth of hip-hop numbers and sketches made up on the spot by the members of the troupe, who invite the audience to shout out words and phrases on which they improvise. Whatever else that is, it’s not a musical, nor does it purport to be one….
Therein, of course, lies the catch: Improvisational comedy is by its nature a hit-or-miss proposition. Some nights you get lucky, some nights you don’t, and some nights—most nights, truth to tell, unless you’re Elaine May and Mike Nichols—you spend a fair amount of time circling the airport, hoping against hope for inspiration to strike. On Wednesday, that came to about 45 minutes…
