Review: John & Jen
While musicals have license for unbridled imagination to reach the most extravagant of conceits (and we thank them for that), sometimes they can have the most profound effects when they’re brought down to ground-zero reality. The crushingly intimate John & Jen takes a magnifying glass to the relationship of a brother and sister who grow up (and apart) during the tumultuous 1960s and 70s. The revival of this two-hander by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald is the rare musical that takes the time to examine the relationship between two sole characters, doing so to an impressively deep degree. Read more
Stage Rush TV: Episode 71
Talking points:
- Sarah Roberts from Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment co-hosts!
- Kate Baldwin’s album-release party at Feinstein’s
- Memphis‘ Bryan Fenkart and The Addams Family are best in show at Broadway in Bryant Park
- From Follies at the Kennedy Center to Sweeney Todd in Paris: How far will you go to see a show?
- Broadway grosses
What do you think, Rushers? Who do you think was the strongest act at Broadway in Bryant Park this week? What’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled to see theater? Leave your frequent theater miles in the comments below!
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Stage Rush TV: Episode 70
Talking points:
- Kevin Daly of The Theatre Aficionado at Large co-hosts!
- Broadway in Bryant Park triumphs in its second week
- Kevin attends Kate Baldwin’s album release party at Feinstein’s
- Is Victoria Clark’s performance in Sister Act the show’s emotional center?
- Broadway grosses
What do you think, Rushers? Was Broadway in Bryant Park this week one of the best sets you’ve seen? Have you watched Kerry Butler sing “Fly Fly Away” 57 times, like I have? What did you think of Victoria Clark’s performance in Sister Act? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thank you for helping us to reach 70 episodes of Stage Rush TV!
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Hey Finian, shut up and sing!

The cast recording of Finian’s Rainbow is going to annoy me to no end. The album for the excellent, gone-way-too-soon show was released yesterday, and today I downloaded three songs from it (I loved the show as a whole, but didn’t want the entire album). “How Are Things In Glocca Morra,” “Look To The Rainbow,” and Old Devil Moon” all have introductory dialogue leading into the music. I’m sure the majority of the tracks have incorporated dialogue—perhaps someone can let me know if I’m right or wrong in the comments section below.
Why did the producers at PS Classics (the label that released the album) do this?? Dialogue in cast recordings toss a distracting wrench in the continuity of the album’s flow. And in Finian’s case, there’s more than just continuity problems. Read more
Finian’s Rainbow

5 Reasons To Rush Finian’s Rainbow This Weekend
The rush is $27 and box seats might be available. The situation might be different this weekend, as rushers might be getting in their last chance to see Finian’s before it closes, but when I rushed, I was at the St. James Theatre at 8:55 a.m. and was the first and only person on line until a half hour before the box office opened. It’s a student rush, with up to two tickets per ID. At my performance, I got box seats, which gave me a great view of the beautiful St. James Theatre and great, close-up views of the actors. Unfortunately, the box seats are an extreme side view, so I don’t feel I saw enough of John Lee Beatty’s set design to properly review it. Many characters’ entrances were blocked, as well.
Christopher Fitzgerald’s pants. Playing the loveable leprechaun Og who has traveled to Missitucky, USA from Ireland in search of his stolen pot o’ gold, Fitzgerald cements himself as one of Broadway’s greatest current character actors. Having played quirky and riotous characters in Wicked and Young Frankenstein before this, his performance in Finian’s is delightful. A mute performance by Fitzgerald would be equally as entertaining, because the man’s eyes and mouth work to create such animated facial expressions, he can convey almost anything and make it just as enjoyable. While he’s staying in Missitucky, away from his magical homeland, the leprechaun finds that he is growing. Costume designer Toni-Leslie James puts Fitzgerald in different sets of pants throughout the show, each new pair shorter than the last. This simple, not-fooling-anybody gimmick becomes so hysterical, and Fitzgerald wears the joke perfectly. Read more