Immersed in Van Gogh

Dear Friends and Family,

     Slowly but surely New York is coming back alive, and that includes the theatre. We are not at full force, but I have been so fortunate to be back at the theatre nearly four times a week. I’ve seen a lot (visit my Instagram for the full smorgasboard and individual recaps) and my recommendations for my favorites are below. Over the past couple weeks, the experiences that have been the most special are the ones that force me to get lost in the story. My brain is always going a million miles a minute, but at Jake Wesley Rogers’ Mercury Lounge concert, at the Spring Awakening 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert, and at Immersive Van Gogh, the art took hold and I was nowhere but where my two feet planted.

     Spring Awakening first opened during my freshman year at Barnard and I was instantly obsessed. In hindsight, I call it my formative musical. It changed the way I understand the purpose of theatre; it shaped the way I see the world. The masses called it my generation’s Rent. While there are certainly thread there, Spring Awakening illustrates the disconnect between generations. Jonathan Groff as Melchior questions all of the stifling and shame put on his generation. The adults want to quell change, maintain the status quo. Whether you identify with the adults or the adolescents in that room, the undeniable truth is that they weren’t listening to each other and everyone suffered for that disconnect.

    Jake Wesley Rogers (a future music legend who I describe as the singer-songwriter talent of Elton John and the presence of Bowie or Jagger) contrasts generations in his song “Cause of a Scene.” Writing about his ex-boyfriend, Jake moans “Haven’t told my grandpa ‘bout you / Cause my parents told me not to / It might be a little too much at the end of his life / But the two of you share the same name … But I don’t wanna be the cause of a scene.” Again, these ideas of shame, guilt, change, respect. At Van Gogh, I could feel the disconnect and longing to be understood in the painter’s work.

     It’s made me think about the act of connecting. We call these "divisive times." But another way to describe this era is "disconnected times." We don't hear each other. But are we really listening to what the other person says? Are we trying to understand? Are we trying to connect? I succumb to the impulse to refute and rebut without really considering what’s been said to me; it's safer to stay in my head, in my world, in my opinions. It's also disconnected. 

     But what if I (and we) challenged that impulse? Perhaps if we actually hear, then we can work to understand, then we can connect, and we can help each other.

     In these moments when I felt most connected to the present moment (Spring Awakening, Jake, Van Gogh), that’s when I could detect the stories of disconnection in these art forms. I think it’s because when I surrender to another's story, I relinquish my own. That allows me to find equilibrium. That re-centering allows me to show up and listen and hear. I urge you to get lost in something—a movie, an album, a craft, a play. Get lost in it and abandon your thoughts because you'll come back with renewed space and perspective to handle others and the world.

     Speaking of handling the world: Thanksgiving is coming. Of course, it's a time to practice gratitude, but it’s also a time of gathering. It can be a breeding ground for conflict. Gathering and connecting are not the same, but they can happen simultaneously. What if we went in to Thanksgiving with the intention of connecting and not just gathering? I think we'd feel more full and more understood.

     I am ridiculously grateful to each and every one of you who reads this newsletter. To those who read it in one sitting, to those who save it and go back to read it piece by piece, to those who listen to the podcast, to those who watch my talks, to every one of you for supporting my career. It’s been one year since I left Playbill and you all make me feel like I’m on the right path: my own. For this, I do feel connected to you. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Chanukah (of course!).
With love and all that jazz, Ruthie

Calendar - New York Openings and Re-Openings

BROADWAY

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Now reopened)

Company (Now in previews; Opens December 9)

Written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, starring Katrina Lenk (The Band's Visit) and Patti LuPone (Patti LuPone)

Flying Over Sunset (Now in previews; Opens December 13; Currently on sale through February 6)

Written by James Lapine (Into the Woods), Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), and Michael Korie (Grey Gardens); starring Carmen Cusack (Bright Star), Harry Hadden-Patton (My Fair Lady), and Tony Yazbeck (On the Town)

MJ The Musical (Begins previews December 6)

Dear Evan Hansen (Reopens December 11)

The Music Man (Begins previews December 20; Opens February 10)

Written by Meredith Willson; starring Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman

Skeleton Crew (Begins previews December 21; Opens January 12)

Written by Dominique Morisseau (remember her from my Pipeline episode?); starring Phylicia Rashad

OFF-BROADWAY

Kimberly Akimbo

Atlantic Theater Company (Now in previews; Opens December 8; Closes December 26)

Written by David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek), music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Shrek, ...Millie); starring Steven Boyer (Hand to God), Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels)

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (Begins December 21)

The Shed

Originally performed by Lily Tomlin, now starring Cicely Strong, directed by Leigh Silverman (from my episodes on The Lifespan of a Fact and Soft Power)

Recommendations: 

*If these recommendations inspire you to check out something new, I’d love to know! Tag your post about it with #ruthierecommends.

1. tick…tick…BOOM!. I am overwhelmed. I am floating. I am reeling. I am moved. tick..tick…BOOM! is a triumph of a film. For all the Rent-lovers out there, TTB is the musical Jonathan wrote before Rent. It follows Jonathan writing his first musical, Superbia. Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and written by Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen, Fosse/Verdon), I cannot say enough about how gorgeous this movie is. My heart swelled for all of the deep respect paid to our artform and the artists who have made and continue to make it. The cast is a veritable Who’s Who of theatre. But this is a must-see for theatre people like me AND all of you and everyone you know. This movie will help you understand how a musical gets made—a question I get so often. This will help you understand why it takes so long. This will help you understand who Jonathan Larson was. This will help you understand where Rent came from and how it changed the world. This is the painful struggle and the blissful ecstasy of making art, making theatre, and doing it in New York. It's also for anyone who has ever questioned if they have the stamina to achieve their dreams. It is out on Netflix today, though I BEG of you: Please, see it in theatres if you can. First, because you owe it to yourself to hear this music with a sound system made for it. Second, because we need these kinds of movies to have box office support. Andrew Garfield (as Jonathan Larson) is a MASTER. Robin De Jesús (original In The Heights Broadway, The Boys in the Band) serves a performance of truth and subtlety. I fainted every time Joshua Henry opened his mouth. The cast also features Judith Light, Vanessa Hudgens and a hundred more people I want to be surprises so I won’t list them. tick…tick…BOOM! is a magnificent way of saying, “This is what we have to offer. THIS is musical theatre.” Tickets here.

2. Trouble In Mind. Alice Childress debuted this play Off-Broadway in 1955. It was set to move to Broadway in 1957, but producers required the Black woman playwright to tone down the ending as a condition of the transfer. Childress refused. Now, she gets her overdue Broadway debut with her play as written. Timing is everything because this is the moment we need this play and might just be willing to hear it. It’s a show within a show; a cast of Black and white actors rehearse an anti-lynching play under a white director. The drama raises questions about the kinds of roles written for Black actors, backstage racial politicking, and the ownership of stories. Vital and crackling with a first rate cast. Tickets. (LaChanze, Chuck Cooper, Maisel’s Michael Zegen), Roundabout Theatre Company makes good trouble with this one.

3. Assassins. The theatre world exploded when the cast announcement for this Classic Stage Company mounting of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s musical about Presidential assassins. Steven Pasquale plays John Wilkes Booth (a part he was apparently born to play), three-time Tony nominee Brandon Uranowitz plays Leon Czolgosz, Judy Kuhn (Les Miz’s original Cosette and the voice of Pocahontas) plays Sara Jane Moore. We go through murderers and attempted murderers of U.S. Presidents in an attempt to understand what would make someone want to kill a President. Harrowing and subversive, I sat there feeling like this show could unlock this moment in America. There’s something here. John Doyle (who directed The Color Purple revival starring Cynthia Erivo) injects charge and recasts meaning in this musical from the ’90s. It runs through January 29. For political junkies, for Sondheim devotees, for anyone who finds psychology fascinating, this is a great one for you. Tickets here.

4. The Trevor Musical. Trevor is a free-spirited middle-schooler who worships Diana Ross. He lives to sing and dance in a world that would rather have him shooting layups. He is 100 percent himself and confident in his golden dream to become a star. Written by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis, the musical is just as much about discovering your own identity as it is about acceptance from others. It teaches a necessary lesson about the consequences of homophobia, bullying, and identity rejection—all told as a classic showbiz-style musical with a grand opening number, dance breaks, top hats and canes, and more. You cannot help but fall in love with Holden Hagelberger as Trevor; I just wanted to hug him. A solid musical across disciplines, it’s ideal for a family outing. Tickets here.

5. Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord. Ok, this is the pandemic show we need. Kristina Wong’s solo comedy is hilarious and healing. She tells the story of starting a sewing squad to make masks during the pandemic and it is the single most helpful piece I’ve seen to help process everything from March 2020 until now. Creative, witty, and touching. An absolute antidote. The show closes November 21, but will be available to stream! Praise technology! Tickets here.

6. Immersive Van Gogh. Something special and different. Created by David Korins (scenic designer of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen), the exhibition comes straight out of the scenes of Emily in Paris. It feels so cool to be awash in Van Gogh's brush strokes. The majesty of his paintings come to life in this massive scale. The musical ambience and vibrance made me feel serene. I saw the exhibit at Pier 36 in NYC, but you can go in multiple cities across the U.S. (Columbus, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Nashville, and many more). Check it out.

Last Chance: Beyond Babel. I recommended this earlier as the dance theatre Romeo & Juliet I cannot stop thinking about. The epic production closes November 21.

My Philosophy

I believe in art's power to create change. Art—particularly theatre—can help us reflect, determine, and, sometimes, change our beliefs. I hope that you all continue to engage with the storytelling and art around you—wherever you are and whatever level—and that you entertain different points of view. Advocate for your principles while always leaving room to hear others and evolve. Let's stay engaged, thoughtful, and active. 

As always, if you need show recommendations or if you have theatre questions, please get in touch! I LOVE to answer. Keep tabs on RuthieFierberg.com. 

Thank you for your enduring support.