Theater Thursday - A Taste of Things to Come and Terms of Endearment

We were given tickets to A Taste of Things to Come for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: A Taste of Things to Come

Where: Theatre at St. Peter's Church
             619 Lexington Ave.
             New York, NY

When: Through December 11, 2016

Who: Ages 13 and up

Me - A Taste of Things to Come was good. The story was entertaining. It was about these four women who were all friends, and they would get together to enter cooking contests. The second act was about their lives ten years later. The first act was set in the 50's and the second act was set in the 60's. The show wasn't like I thought it would be. I thought it would focus more on the cooking contests. I liked that it was different than I thought it would be. It was more entertaining than I thought it would be. The songs were okay. I liked some of them, but I don't remember any of them. The acting was good. I didn't have a favorite character. The singing voices were pretty nice. The set was very interesting. It was really important to the plot of the show. The costumes also really showed the time period. There was this poodle apron that reminded me of my skirt when I was a 50's girl for Halloween. I liked the 50's costumes but I didn't like the 60's costumes as much. People dressed weird in the 60's. It was a good show, and I would really recommend going to see it before it closes on December 11.

Mom - A Taste of Things to Come is more than a story about 4 women who enter cooking contests. It is the story of friendship. It is the story of secrets. It is the story of bonds that can never be broken. Any woman that has ever had lifelong friends can relate to it. However, it is not only a show for women, the story is very entertaining and there is a lot of humor in it. The songs which include numbers about gossiping, happy hour, and cooking are fun although I wouldn't say any of them stuck in my mind after the show. Anyone who grew up in the 50's or 60's or anyone who is just particularly fond of one or both of those decades will love the nostalgia of it. The set and costumes are full of color and the show is full of life. It is just a fabulous fun time from beginning to end. The show is not for young children because of situations and language. However, teenage girls would probably enjoy it. For more information or to purchase tickets go to http://www.yorktheatre.org/a-taste-of-things-to-come.html

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We were given free tickets to Terms of Endearment for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Terms of Endearment

Where: 59E59 Theaters
            59 E. 59th St.
            New York, NY

When: Now through December 11, 2016

Who: Age 13 and up

Me - Terms of Endearment was good. It is the story a mother and daughter based on a movie which was based on a book. I never saw the movie or read the book, but I enjoyed the show. The story was interesting. The characters were likable. I didn't have a favorite. The mother, Aurora was tough but you could see that underneath it all she really loved her daughter. The mother and daughter had a good relationship. My mom and I get along much better than the characters in the show. The mother in the show could be really strict and annoying at times and my mother is not like that. The acting was good. The mother was played  by Molly Ringwald. My mom told me she used to be in a lot of teenage movies when she was younger. I saw her in Sixteen Candles but I don't remember. The girl who played the daughter is in a TV series on Amazon now, but I never saw it. The show had a lot of happy parts. It also had a lot  of funny parts. The end was sad though. Now, that I have seen the show I would like to see the movie.

Mom - For years, there has been a trend of Broadway musicals being made out of old movies. Now, there seems to be a new trend starting of  non-musical shows being made out of old movies. Terms of Endearment based on the Oscar winning movie of the same name is part of that trend. At its heart, Terms of Endearment is the story of a mother and daughter. Both are nicely played here by Molly Ringwald and Hannah Dunne respectively although seeing Ms. Ringwald playing a grandmother will make anyone  feel really old that remembers her from her many teenage roles in John Hughes movies in the 80's and 90's. The show works best in the small intimate moments. Seeing these moments brought to life on stage draws the audience in much more than is possible in a movie. However, some of the larger moments which are only mentioned in the show but actually occur in the movie don't always come across as well in the show. The show is still a tearjerker more so here because without any children in the show the ending is much more abrupt.  However, all in all although the show is perfect for mother/daughter bonding, it can be enjoyed by anyone whether they've seen the film or not. It is not for young children due to the subject matter. For more information or to order tickets go to  http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=269/.

And that's our view. Tune in tommorrow for Funtivity Friday.

Photo credit: All photos by Carol Rosegg