A Mega-Awesome Doubleheader!!

Good afternoon everyone.

Well, my loyal and faithful readers out there in the vast hinterlands of the good ole U S of A, Billi Pod is happy to report that yesterday’s Broadway entertainment doubleheader met and even exceeded his expectations.

So, let’s get this posting started with my report cards on the individual shows --

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET==>A. This admittedly “jukebox musical” has been running for almost a year despite rather mixed reviews. To me, from my terrific 5th row orchestra seat, the cast seemed to be energized for the entire intermission-less show - and so did the audience.

Each of the performers bore a passable resemblance to the rock ‘n’ roll legends they were portraying. Each of the characters performed their gold record hits in basically a jam session format.

Billi Pod has to admit that it brought back a lot of memories since it was set in 1956, when he was a mere 22 years old and beginning to really get into rock music. I left the theatre with a smile on my face and my ears ringing.

I don’t know how much longer the show can run so if you haven’t seen it, you should ASAP.

Now ...

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING==>A++<==this is gonna be a major hit, without a doubt. I had a great seat, 7th row orchestra, house right. Before the show everyone, and I mean everyone, around me was talking about how excited they were to be at the show. The crowd ranged from early teens to way older than me.

I had read postings etc. about how well Daniel Radcliffe sang and danced so I had pretty high expectations, but, folks, this young man far exceeded them. It was, in Billi Pod’s humble opinion, a Tony-worthy performance in all aspects, acting, singing and dancing.

There seemed to be great interaction and enthusiasm between Radcliffe and the rest of the cast members, particularly in the high-voltage dance numbers. Make no mistake about it, the role of J. Pierrepont Finch is extremely physically demanding. Oh, and two totally unrelated things -- (1) there are no traces of an English accent, and (2) he is only 5 feet 5 inches tall.

His costar, John Larroquette, who plays J. B. Biggley, the President of the World Wide Wicket Company, also gives an award-winning performance.

At intermission there was an additional 10 minute delay as a result of one of the ensemble members becoming ill. The delay did nothing to curb the audience’s excitement for Act II.

When the show was over we in the roaring audience leapt to our feet to give the cast its well-deserved standing ovation.

Let me also add that the sets and staging are also awesome. Now, yes ... it is a bit dated, but so what, we knew that coming in didn’t we? Yes we did.

I could go on and on my loyal and faithful readers but I won’t. Bottom-line==>this was one of my best theater experiences in a long long time. Now, if you have the opportunity to score tickets while it is still in previews you better do it because once this show opens it is gonna be one of the hottest tickets on Broadway.

Now on to other things ...

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight ...

WINKIE - “When a mild-mannered teddy bear finds himself on the wrong side of America's War on Terror, he becomes trapped inside the jaws of a society rabid with fear and paranoia. Is Winkie the evil mastermind behind dozens of terrorist attacks? Or is he an innocent scapegoat for zealots on both sides of the terror wars?” (Off-Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)

Yeah, I know, from HOW TO SUCCEED to a show about a teddy bear, but ... it is playing at the 59th Street Theatre, one of my favorite venues and is based on a highly successful novel written by Clifford Chase.

BREAKING NEWS==>opening night for SPIDER MAN: Turn Off The Dark has been postponed yet again and Julie Taymor is history. A new creative team is on board and the show will probably be shut down for 4 weeks for major reworking with Bono taking a major role in trying to repair this disaster.

Good luck, but it ain’t gonna happen because, in Billi Pod’s opinion, it ain’t fixable.

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”