Democracy
Michael Frayn’s latest offering tells the story of the rise and fall of Willy Brandt, West Germany's socialist chancellor from 1969 to 1974. Was it the spy Gunter Guillaume who, despite his admiration and attachment to the chancellor, betrayed him everyday by reporting to the East German Intelligence Service who destroyed him? Was it the charismatic leader's own fondness for gambling, women and alcohol that led him down the path to failure? Was it the internecine squabling of his endless contingent of cabinet ministers who allowed their own greed and need for power to sacrifice him? Was it all of the above? James Naughton portrays Brandt in eloquent maner while Richard Thomas is at his best as the oily, unctuous, sanctimonious Guillaume. Robert Prosky and Michael Cumpsty contribute skillfully while the set design by Peter J. Davison uses various stage levels to enhance the interplay of the protagonists. This is a fascinating evening in the theater.

Brooklyn Boy
Eric Weiss (Adam Arkin), after working on a novel for 6 years, has finally made it to the best seller list even though he is only 11th in rank. But his dying father takes no joy in this, berating him for real and imagined insults throughout his life. His wife, a writer with no publications and no children is divorcing him against his wishes. His best friend from high school days insists on pointing out the absence of of practicing Judaism in his life. His Hollywood agent who deems his book magnificent is busy rewriting it so it should appear less "ethnic" in the movie version. All in all Eric's life is falling down around him and the line between success and failure becomes blurred at best.

Scenery by Ralph Funicello is excellent—both sparse and imaginative. The entire cast is more than capable of interacting with our hero in a tantalizing fashion both supporting and destroying in continuous flow. Daniel Sullivan has directed while Donald Margulies is responsible for writing this original play.

Good Vibrations
Everyone who loves the music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys should see this show. Everyone who never heard of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys should also see this show so they too can enjoy the energy, spiritidness and musicality of this production. Set somewhere in the 1960's the story follows 4 graduates of an East coast high school who make their way to California for sun, surf and fun before facing the chores of growing up. Their journey is set to the most popular Beach Boys hits, enlivened by the set designs of Heidi Ettinger and lighting design of Brian MacDevitt and Jason Lyons. David Larsen and Kate Reinders play the romantic leads quite appealingly while Jessica-Snow Wilson and Tituss Burgess lend comic relief to the secondary set of lovers. All and all this show is bursting with good will and lightheartedness guaranteed to put everyone in the audience in the best of moods.

Brooklyn the Musical
If this show had opened in a small venue Off-Broadway such as those in Greenich Village, the effect would be dazzling. The scenery's a marvelous hodgepodge of ideas, the costumes are strung together with tape and consist of trashy junk found in the streets, the alleys, the dustbins etc. The inventiveness of the staging and direction are non-pareil, the music is melodious and the lyrics, if a bit banal, are passable. But this show opened on Broadway and it may be just too slight to sustain itself for long.

The plot concerns 5 street singers who present an evening's entertainment —a fairy tale to be exact. It seems a troubador from Brooklyn arrives in Paris in 1969, falls in love with a Parisienne singer, unknowingly impregnates her before being sent off to Vietnam and vanishing from her life. She names her daughter Brooklyn and teaches her the unfinished lullaby her lover has left with her. In due time mama commits suicide, daughter sets off for Brooklyn to find her daddy. In the course of looking for daddy, Brooklyn becomes involved in a contest with a street singer named Paradice. She is helped in her journey by a magical fairy godfather, also a street singer and so on.

All the singers have excellent voices particularly Eden Espinoza as Brooklyn and Cleavant Derricks as the The Street Singer. Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson are responsible for the book, lyrics and music, Jeff Calhoun the direction, Ray Klausen the inventive sets and Tobin Ost the remarkable costumes.