Music

William Shatner Returns to Broadway After 50 Years

It’s considered bad form for critics to review a Broadway show while it’s still in previews.  After all, the kinks in the production are still being worked out, so it’s unfair to offer an objective opinion on what is still a work in progress.

However, since I am neither a theatre critic nor objective, I absolve myself from the whole idea of this post being in bad form.

As you may know, I toured with The Shat on a cross-Canada jaunt last year called How Time Flies.  The format was celebrity interview style; I was Ron MacLean to Shatner’s Don Cherry.  Each night, we sat on stage with him telling stories and be providing the segues.  It was the most fun I’d ever had in my life.

Shatner also enjoyed the experience of this kind of performance.  By the time we got to our third show, he was already planning to take the tour to the US.  Would I be interested?  Is Saurian brandy blue? Absolutely!

However, things morphed in the interim.  A new promoter, a new director and a new team came together. It was their opinion that the show would be better as a true one-man event; no moderator.  I was disappointed, but hey, that’s showbiz.  Besides, the Canadian experience gave me enough stories and more pleasure to last the rest of my life.

The American tour–15 dates–came together first.  Then someone on the production team said “What if I could get you two weeks on a Broadway stage?  That way, we could say that the rest of the tour is ‘direct from Broadway.’ That would help sell tickets.”

I don’t know how this guy did it, but in ten weeks, he secured a two-and-a-half week stand at the Music Box Theatre on W 46th.  That’s a near miracle.

I emailed The Shat offering congratulations.  He said I should come down to see one of the preview shows this week.  So I did.

Shatner, who turns 81 next month, does 100 minutes of what amounts to performance stand-up without an intermission.  And he was brilliant.

I will admit wholeheartedly and without reservation that the new production is far, far better as a one man show. The direction is better, the staging is cooler, the video clips are tighter, the lighting more sophisticated (this is Broadway, after all), the narrative more cohesive and the closing bit is as close to perfect as you can get.  And even though I knew what was coming up next in the script throughout the whole show, I still laughed and listened.

Afterwards, Larry, his manager, invited me backstage.  The Shat was cordial as ever and his wife, Elizabeth, gave me a big hug.  We talked about the night’s performance and, like before, the Shat was genuinely interested in my suggestions.  Then he asked me to join him, Liz, Larry and Harry, his theatrical manager, to go for drinks at a place called Bar Centrale, a hang-out for the Broadway types.

Over martinis (the Shat had Perrier because, after all, tomorrow was opening night), we went over the show again, the reaction of the audience and the blocking of his movements.  It was surreal and super, super cool to be so much on the inside.  (Shatner has plenty of other plans for the year ahead and if pulls them off–wow.)

I also had a long talk with Elizabeth about the Junos (Shatner is hosting this year) and an offer I had from a jeweller to bedeck her for the ceremony.  Then I got sucked into a discussion about gowns. Jewels I can do; gowns are not my thing.  Fortunately, I have help.

I kinda wish I had been there last night–Thursday, opening night–because afterwards, everyone was going to engage in the Broadway tradition of going to Sardi’s to read the reviews.  Damn, that would have been cool.  Still, I have nothing–nothing–to complain about.  

If you’re reading this in the US and you hear of Shatner coming to town–the non-Broadway part of the tour starts in Los Angeles–go see it.  Trust me.  It’s worth it. The New York Times theatre critic thinks so, too

I love the dude.  In the short time I’ve known him, he’s taught me more about performance and presentation that I’ve learned in the last dozen years.  And he’s been so cool about it, a total pro. 

I hope our paths continue to cross.

More reviews:

New Jersey Newsroom

Broadway World

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37911 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.