Monthly Archives: November 2025

Friends! The Unauthorized Musical Parody

Comedy, Musical, Off-Broadway November 24, 2025 Leave a comment

My friends will confirm:  I am not a Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha.  I am a Monica.  If that doesn’t conjure up a distinct image, Friends! The Unauthorized Musical Parody is not for you.  If I have to explain that the plot revolves around six 20-somethings living a suspiciously upscale lifestyle in 1990s Manhattan, you are unlikely to be in on the jokes.  From the Smelly Cat cocktail onward, this two-hour jovial send-up is for fans who indulged in repeated TV viewings (thank you streaming).  The current open-ended Off-Broadway run began in 2021 and has spawned productions across the country and overseas.

The current core cast members — Francesco DiFlora, Anthony Gjelaj, Corinne Holland, Piper Loebach, Sam Massey, and Briana Sky Riley — remind us how gifted actors give their all for love of the craft in its myriad forms.  They have wonderfully clear voices and terrific timing beyond what is required for a light-as-a-feather production like this one.  DiFlora in particular must be eating his Wheaties (or whatever kids do these days) taking on a host of supporting roles along with the much beloved Chandler Bing.  And Holland’s Phoebe gets that hopeful opening guitar strum just right every time.  Andie Angel played the suitably thankless role of Gunther at the performance I attended.

The book by Bob and Tobly McSmith isn’t particularly clever, instead leaning into token tributes to every trope and tag line of Friends’ 10 year run.  Their lyrics set to Asaf Gleizner’s music are sharper, with the winking “495 Grove Street – How Can We Afford This Place?,” an ode to Pivoting, and a salute to salaries — set to a tune quite similar to one sung by a very different group of buddies — providing highlights.  The pre-recorded back-up chorus (sound design by John Hartman and Brad Sievers) adds depth in the shallow house.

Director Ryan Barto keeps things moving on the singular set with flipping panels that switch between Central Perk — New York City’s only coffee shop — and Monica’s spotless apartment complete with purple front door. There is not much in the way of character development.  The assumption is you know these people as well as you know your actual friends.  But the wigs by Conor Donnelly do more than the usual share of heavy lifting when it comes to helpful visual reminders.  

Friends! The Unauthorized Musical Parody is to the performing arts as Cheez Doodles are to Époisses de Bourgogne.  It offers suitable bang for the buck and goes down well with a Janice Double Wine.  The show is playing at the Jerry Orbach Theater, 210 West 50th Street, 3rd Floor.  The seats are softer than a sofa found in an alleyway, but the staff is as warm and gracious as the one at the newly reopened Waldorf.  Running time is approximately 2 hours with one intermission.  Content is PG-13 and will be funniest to those fluent in Friends culture.  Tickets are currently on sale through January 1 at https://www.friendsoffbroadway.com/ which often has BOGO offers.

Meet the Cartozians

Drama, Off-Broadway November 19, 2025 Leave a comment

What establishes our identity?  Skin color?  Language?  Scientific evidence?  In a country comprised primarily of immigrants, how do we balance our cultural heritage with our recognition as Americans?  In Meet the Cartozians, Talene Monahon, “a playwright of actor descent,” explores these weighty and often murky issues with keen insight and a knowing sense of humor using an Armenian family as her instruments.  With its complex history and even more complicated geography,  Armenia provides a wellspring of arguments about nationality, culture, and sense of self.  And if the play’s title brings to mind the most famous Armenian American of all, that, too, is very intentional.

In Act 1 we meet Tatos Cartozian, a character based on the man who was at the center of an Oregon court case in 1924.  As was true for the real Tatos, Monahon’s variation has been classified as a non-white Asian and on those grounds had his citizenship revoked.  It does not help his argument that his company makes Persian “oriental” rugs and employs “Islamics”.  To say more would detract from the delights of experiencing the reasoning of the family — Tatos’s mother Markrid, son Vahan, and daughter Hazel — along with their lawyer Wallace McCamant as he guides them in their preparation.  Monahon’s ear for dialogue and director David Cromer’s meticulous direction of each exchange should be freshly savored.

Act 2 takes place 100 years later in the Glendale, California home of Leslie Malconian. Several other Armenian Americans have been asked to gather with her to discuss and celebrate their ancestral heritage.  Their conversation will be featured in a special holiday episode of a wildly popular reality television show.  Despite the passage of time as well as that of many congressional bills, the subject of whiteness is no less thorny.  But it has taken on a very different hue.

The same six actors — Raffi Barsoumian, Will Brill, Andrea Martin, Nael Nacer, Susan Pourfar, and Tamara Sevunts — play parts in both acts.  Martin delivers her characters’ retorts with the wry “who me?” inflection we’ve come to expect from the seasoned comedian.  Fellow Tony winner Will Brill gets even bigger laughs with his quiet earnestness.  But a work this dialogue-heavy only succeeds because of the talent of the entire ensemble. The 2 ½ hour piece sails along at a satisfying clip.

Will Brill, Andrea Martin, Nael Nacer in MEET THE CARTOZIANS ; Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

The artistry behind the scenes is equally accomplished, particularly Enver Chakartash Act 2 costumes in relation to their Act 1 counterparts.  Scenic designer Tatiana Kahvegian creates the illusion of expansive depth in both living room settings.  Stacey Derosier’s lighting shifts from the muted tones of low watt bulbs and filtered sunlight to the intensive glare of actual spotlights.

Those who, like me, consider our country to be less of a melting pot and more of a stew — with distinct ingredients that complement each other — will find the brainy banter of Meet the Cartozians a sparking and engrossing entertainment.  The story also serves as eye-opening education as we witness a renewed struggle against those who wish to “preserve America’s white, Christian identity”.  It’s an auspicious opening for the 47th Season for celebrated 2nd Stage.  Performances continue through December 7 in the Irene Diamond at the Pershing Square Signature Center, 408 West 42nd near 10th Avenue.  The house is comfortable and well raked, but noticeably breezy.  Tickets begin at $86 and can be purchased at https://2st.com/shows/meet-the-cartozians#info.

Robert Icke’s Oedipus

Broadway, Drama, West End November 14, 2025 Leave a comment

Restrict your liquids and buckle up for the ride.  Robert Icke’s multiple Olivier Award Winning Oedipus has landed on Broadway.  The writer/director phenom transforms the 2500 year old Greek myth to tell the story of Oedipus, a warm and ambitious politician on an election night that should be full of celebration.  Though he is an immigrant whose marriage to the widow of former ruler, Laius, has prompted gossip, his messages of acceptance and affordability have resonated with the voting public.  A landslide victory is all but assured.  Yet his promises to release his birth certificate and to investigate Laius’s death have stirred concerns among those closest to him.  Oedipus’s own uneasiness begins to rise when a futurist cult member, Teiresias, is admitted to campaign headquarters and utters a series of dire warnings.  To ensure the now-set ominous mood remains unbroken, the two-hour political thrill ride has a strict no late seating, no re-admittance policy.

Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in Oedipus; photo by Julieta Cervantes.

On stage for the majority of the running time, Mark Strong manifests a charismatic Oedipus, whose worthy purposefulness has a pronounced shadow side.  His chemistry with the radiant Lesley Manville as Jocasta makes their critical relationship positively pop off the stage.  Jordan Scowen, James Wilbraham and particularly Olivia Reis are terrific as their flawed offspring Eteocles, Polyneices, and Antigone.  (No Ismene exists in this edition.)  Joining the production for the US run is the steady John Carroll Lynch as Creon, Oedipus’s affable campaign manager and brother-in-law. Bhasker Patel brings stateliness to the faithful Corin.  Though his appearance is short, Samuel Brewer makes an affectively disturbing Teiresias.  While it is truth that Merope is supposed to be stressed and guilt-ridden, the usually stellar Anne Reid could use a bit of an energy boost to reach the cheap seats.

As an extension of the election night conceit, the lease is up on Oedipus’s campaign quarters.  This allows for the poetic disassembly of Hildegard Bechtler’s industrial modern set, starting with draining the color out of the space.  To illustrate the initially relaxed state of the characters, costume designer Wojciech Dziedzic has primarily adorned the family members in athleisurewear, with the formal attire set out for the approaching victory.  Tal Yarden’s videos add realism and reminders.  The ticking clock and mood music incorporated in Tom Gibbons’ sound design is aural gilding of the tension lily.  

For those unfamiliar with Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street), there are a few features to keep in mind.  The acoustics are particularly good throughout the space.  Though they get you closest to the action, there is almost no rake in the first dozen rows of the orchestra.  The front mezzanine, with the previous chair back only reaching to ones knees is a strategic alternative. But the steepness of the stairs left some white knuckling the handrail.  

Apologies to Liam Neeson, but it really takes a particular set of skills to tell a story with an ending so infamous it has its own complex and still keep an audience on the edge of their seats.  By tethering the tragedy of Oedipus so beautifully to today, Icke infuses what could be a cold classroom flashback with deep humanity and chilling emotion.  Tickets are being sold for performances through February 8, 2026.  Visit Oedipustheplay.com for details and to purchase tickets.