Conquests and Philanthropist Bringing Sexy Back
Saucy Broadway Revivals
BROADWAY MAGAZINE – The swinging seventies are getting a Broadway revival as the sexual farce revolution continues on Broadway. While both The Norman Conquests and The Philanthropist are far more than sex-farces, they certainly both mine sexual territory for comic effect. Writing of the 2005 London revival of Christopher Hampton’s The Philanthropist (which opens on Broadway with Matthew Broderick), the always amusing Benedict Nightingale of The London Times writes:
Offstage, a mad colonel has assassinated the PM and half his Cabinet, and literary terrorists are murdering the nation’s authors. But that is of little interest to Hampton’s dons and their hangers-on in their ivory or (given the amount of sex on offer) ovary tower.
Of course, The Norman Conquests has earned some of the best reviews of the season. Directed by Matthew Warchus, who landed Boeing-Boeing on Broadway last season, the trio of three-full length comedies has earned significant praise. As the headline for Ben Brantley’s New York Times review summarized The Norman Conquests as “Unrequited Love, in triplicate.”
Spring fever is all over Broadway stages. Should we blame the gang from HAIR? Does this mean the Austin Powers Broadway musical is on its way? Well, not necessarily, though Beyonce is interested in Broadway. Does this mean that Broadway is bringing sexy back. Perhaps it just means that some things never go out of style…or rather that some things done to perfection always will be in style.
Tags: Austin Powers, Boeing-Boeing, Broadway, Hair, London Times, Matthew Warchus, New York Times, The Norman Conquests, The Philanthropist
