I was so excited to write my (so I thought) original content-blog today. In honor of HAND TO GOD, Broadway’s newish dark comedy featuring a near-Satanic sock puppet, I was prepared to top ten Broadway’s most influential puppets: AVE Q to LITTLE SHOP to Fred Casely pulling the strings. As I was fishing for images, I found that some blogger at Broadway Box.com just did the same exact top ten list! Boo. Oh well, looks like I’ll be soup-ing, instead; after all, there is a lot to talk about this week.

Most irksome, are the critics already falling all over themselves over Dame Helen Mirren’s performance in THE AUDIENCE. Across the pond, she won the loosely-relevant Olivier Award for her performance. I mean, she’s played this role in another project already and the same writer (Peter Morgan) penned both pieces. Stop beating a dead (War) horse, Mirren. There’s no question she is stunning in the role. But it’s like that boring Daniel Day Louis/Maggie Smith thing where we just start polishing the statue before anyone’s even seen the piece. Is this portrait of the Queen equally relevant to American audiences as it was last season to the Brits? Why not take the concept and make it applicable here: we could watch Bradley Cooper play cuckoo Reagan from Western movie days right up until he loses his jelly beans during Iran-Contra. Let’s be real: most American audiences are going to get one out of every four political references in THE AUDIENCE and pretend they get the other three. And sprinkling the Broadway cast with a few American actors whose British accents blend well enough doesn’t cut it. Producers have added an insert into the program to help Yankee ticket holders navigate the play. Yeah… that doesn’t scream that the material is not intuitive. If I have to read a synopsis or cheat sheet, I better be watching an opera at the Met in an obscure Eastern Bloc language. Even Playbill.com has put out “A Guide To The Basics Of British Royalty”. When these measures are necessary, I’m sorry, but it’s a good indication that the writing and direction did not do their job for the target audience—more of a “plop” than a thoughtful “transfer”. My opinion: this production neglected the most important aspect of any production: IRONICALLY, the audience.

Happy to see my old pal Tituss Burgess on the Netflix hit UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT. Great casting and even though Tituss (the real one with two “s”’s) would have you believe his character is the antithesis of the real him, every now and again on the show I see a glimmer of Tituss—I mean, he may not be attention-seeking but he’s still a bundle of personality and fun—at least in private moments. Tituss is fantastic on the show and I love seeing a Gay character of color and of a certain size representing a lot of otherwise voiceless people and the issues they face—especially in the skinny-minnie back-patting supposedly politically-correct world of Broadway. The last time I spent time with Tituss—that was quite a while ago—my friend Javi and I were leaving his apartment and he said, “Alright boys, I have to get some sleep, but should I sing you out?” And the answer to that question when it comes to his mega-talent is always a resounding, “Yes.” And he did. And it was a song just for the three of us and I was humbled by it and luckily, I recognized in the moment how special it was. He’s a mensch and I’m so happy that an audience beyond Broadway is seeing him again (after his fabulous stint on 30 ROCK). Smart girl, Tina Fey.

In other news, the tenth anniversary of Broadway Backwards happened this week, a bit under the radar. And yes, Tituss did a number from DREAMGIRLS that brought down the house, but not as much as the all-male version on the Cell Block Tango from CHICAGO, that you should definitely watch here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/14/cell-block-tango-male_n_6868290.html

If you’re not familiar, Broadway Backwards is the annual fundraiser for Broadway Cares/EFA and the LGBT Community Center, which raised near half a million dollars this month for the causes. The “backwards” part refers to the fact that the event features musical stars of a certain gender singing songs traditionally voiced by another gender. It’s a great concept and a fantastic way to support the charities. I’ll take it anyday over the gutter-scraping narcissistic Broadway Bares later in the Spring.