Sousatzka Tickets

I am a big fan of the movie "Madame Sousatzka" with Shirley Maclaine (1988) so I was thrilled to see that it was being presented as a musical and, especially, with the hugely talented Victoria Clark. Though the story line is significantly changed from the movie, I felt the show's "heart" was preserved. Ms. Clark is a wonder. That voice, those acting chops -- remarkable. Montego Glover as the mother and activist against South African apartheid was wonderful as well. The South African music was also beautiful and performed by a brilliant troupe of actor/singers. The use of a large orchestra will hopefully be preserved because it certainly added to the excitement of all of the music. I did think that the almost 3 hour length was a bit too much for a Broadway run and I suspect some of that will be trimmed when it gets to New York, All in all, it's a "must see" and Ms. Clark and Ms. Glover must return for the Broadway run.

We took the family to see the new musical "Sousatzka" in Toronto last Tuesday, March 28 at the Eglin Theatre. What a performance! It was engaging, high energy, and flawless! I would highly recommend seeing this performance before it's gone. Hopefully it will appear on Broadway, as it well should! The performance connects real-life events and historical accounts together, ultimately painting a picture of what life was like back then, and is still for certain areas of our world that are torn by war or oppression...

Sousatzka, now in its development stage at the Elgin in Toronto, has great promise. Victoria Clark as never sounded better and she, gratefully, is given the best numbers in the show. She shines. The huge cast is talented and working hard. By changing the national origin of the young prodigy from India -- as in the film version -- to South Africa, an entire new genre of musical possibilities are opened up and the score exploits that opportunity with beautiful acapella numbers and dance with a Soweto rhythm and feel. However, there are too many extraneous, unnecessary scenes and songs that do nothing to advance the story or the emotions, but merely give an opportunity to highlight individual performers' talent. The glorious Judy Kaye sings a totally superfluous Christmas number, attended by projected snowflakes throughout the theater, but the number makes no sense and adds nothing to the movement of the plot. It only illustrates Ms. Kaye's talent and ability to reach heights, even when given a solo that stands out as if it was meant for another show. I urge the producers and the director to bring in an outside "fixer" -- Hal Prince, hello??? -- to cut, cut, cut and tighten up the show before it's eventual Broadway debut. The running time of 3 hours is just too long, and there is no logical reason for it. Save the good and eliminate the superfluous and give NYC something to rave about.