West Side Story

By Amy Leon

Are you…loyal?

Set in New York in the 1950s, West Side Story is a beautiful tale about the for­bidden love between a white gang member, Tony, and the sister of the leader of the rival Puerto Rican gang, Maria. The story follows the progression of Tony and Maria’s love and how their actions affect their families and communities.

The dancing is phenom­enal; every movement onstage captivates the eye and ex­presses true talent. Not all the singing can compare to the elaborate dancing, but was still very enjoyable.

Earlier Broadway produc­tions and the movie did not contain much Spanish, but Lin-Manuel Miranda (from In the Heights) translated por­tions of the dialogue and a few songs for this revival, chang­ing the entire dynamic of the show. It made sense - wouldn't recent immigrants from Puerto Rico speak some Spanish? You should know that if you expecting to hear "I Feel Pretty," you will be getting "Siento Hermosa" instead.

West Side Story is an all time favorite and I gladly welcome it back to Broadway!

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $26.50 lottery rush beginning 2 ½ hours before the show • The Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway. Visit www.broadwaywestsidestory.com for more information.

Hair

By Torffick Abdul

Are you…free?

Hair is a musical about a group of young hippies living in New York City during the 1960s. The story intertwines the lives of Claude, a hippie seeking his rightful place in the world, and his friends and family. On the streets of New York, this group of hip­pies fight for civil rights at home and for an end to the Vietnam War overseas. Inside themselves, they struggle to find a balance between identity, the hippie lifestyle and the responsibility to one’s family and one’s country.

Hair is a great way to experience history while listening to a catchy mix of rock and roll. I recommend this musical to everyone — though, there is a scene con­taining nudity that might not be appropriate for all ages.

I left the theatre with a newfound respect of the hip­pie culture. After seeing Hair, all I wanted to do was grow my hair out, sing and shake my head frantically! Who knew a musical named after the elongated silky strands growing from the human scalp could be so inspira­tional?

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $25 lottery rush beginning 2 ½ hours before the show & $25 standing room tickets when performance is sold out • Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St. Visit www.hairbroadway.com for more information.

Coraline

By Nat Marcus

Are you…brave?

Coraline is a musical based on the children’s book of the same name. Although I never read that book, I still found this show entertaining.

Nine-year-old Coraline and her parents have just moved into a new apartment building full of quirky and puzzling residents. Coraline spends her time exploring the mysterious yard and creaky buildings, but nothing peaks her interest. One day she finds a door that leads her to an alternate reality and the life that she has always dreamed of: meals are delicious, toys can talk and nothing is ever boring. How­ever, Coraline soon realizes that this perfect life might be too good to be true and she might be trapped in this other world forever.

Jayne Houdyshell, at age 56, does an excellent job of portraying a nine-year-old. Her mannerisms and physicality perfectly reflect the mindset of a young antsy girl.

I would recommend Coraline to anyone in the mood for something different. It’s full of excellent performances, amusing music and an enthralling and unnerving story.

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $15 student rush • Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St. Visit www.mcctheater.org for more information.

Next to Normal

By Mariana Quinn-Makwaia

Are you…understanding?

Next to Normal is a musical about a not-quite-normal family trying to hold itself together. Diana, a stay-at-home mom struggling with bipolar disorder, attempts to juggle the chemicals in her brain with her reality at home. Her husband, Dan, works hard to pretend that everything is fine. Their seventeen-year-old son, Gabe, is very close to Diana, while their sixteen-year-old straight-A-student daughter, Natalie, feels ignored. At times, it is difficult to determine the differ­ence between reality and what is happening inside of Diana’s head.

While Next to Normal has hilari­ous moments, it does not shy away from bringing up truths. Diana’s struggle with mental illness and Dan’s attempts to save their marriage were so emotional that I choked up a few times.

Natalie’s rollercoaster into drugs and depression was simplified a bit too much, almost to the point of being cliché. Perhaps if she had been the main character, she would have seemed less like a health teacher’s imper­sonation of a teen.

Next to Normal is deep, genuine and comedic. If you are a fan of rock musicals (hint, hint, Spring Awakening), don’t miss this show!

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $25.00 general rush • Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St. • Visit www.nexttonormal.com for more information.

Avenue Q

By Claire Pienaar

What do you get when you combine a story that takes place on the wrong side of the tracks, a (literally) colorful cast of characters and some very crude and immature humor?

Nope, not Adult Swim. I’m talking about Avenue Q, a musical collaboration of puppets and humans and monsters alike.

Though it was initially confusing to distinguish between humans and puppets, the puppets soon had enough life to be actors on their own. The human puppeteers handled their inanimate counterparts very well, while showing identical expressions in their own faces and body language. Some characters did not wield puppets and instead interacted with the puppets as they would with each other.

Most of the performance was composed of comedy, a type that rings with honesty and lets people make light of their own moral flaws (maybe everyone is a little bit racist…sometimes…) Parts of the play were meant to cause the audience discomfort, including the gratuitous puppet sex scene, and Rod the Republican’s tune about his “girlfriend that lives in Canada”. However, the use of puppets is what made all of the near-blasphemy in the musical more acceptable.

Avenue Q has been running since 2003 and has been very popular among our generation. Since many teenagers in New York City have already seen the musical, bits of humor and lessons from the musical have influenced our culture. Never having seen the show before, I sat through it once and recognized almost half of the jokes as ones my friends have been telling me about for years.

Avenue Q is wonderful for teenagers and adults alike. The continuous humor and brutal honesty will keep you laughing and cringing throughout the entire show!

Ruined

By Sabrina Khan

Lynn Nottage’s Ruined is an intense and sexually charged drama that draws the audience to the stage. Ruined tells the heroic tale of Mama Nadi and the young women she harbors in the war ridden Democratic Republic of Congo. While several factions of militia and rebel forces tear the villages apart and destroy the lives of its inhabitants, Mama Nadi discovers a way to remain safe—by consorting with these very factions.


Set in a quaint village bar, the play begins in a rather lighthearted manner. Mama Nadi is busy cleaning when she is visited by the “Professor,” a salesman who brings her supplies such as lipstick and condoms. They discuss business in a humorous tone, but the mood shifts when The Professor offers Mama Nadi some additional cargo—Sophie and Salima, two homeless young women. It turns out that Mama Nadi provides more services than just food and drink. Her innocent pub is actually a brothel that serves all of the men fighting in the war. We soon meet Josephine, the most popular prostitute, who helps Mama Nadi run the business.

Mama Nadi makes no distinction between those she welcomes, as long as they follow her one rule of not bringing loaded weapons into the bar. At first it seems that Mama Nadi is safe from conflict because she shows no loyalty to either side, but her flexibility makes her even more vulnerable.


Sophie, Salima, and Josephine tell their stories throughout the play. Each story about their ruin is more heartbreaking than the last and moves the audience to sympathize with these women who must sell their bodies to the very men who stole them from their homes. Sophie, the most physically scarred of these women, is exempt from the usual brothel duties and takes on singing and bookkeeping to pay for her room and board. Her singing is the only soothing aspect of Ruined, the music of which exemplifies the essence of the struggle of the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ruined pays homage to the women who have no voice of their own. It is as suspenseful as it is moving and will not disappoint.

How to see the show: New York City Center, Stage I, 131 W. 55th St. Visit www.mtc-nyc.org for schedule and more information.