June 24, 2026: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler

Yesterday, I wrote about three shows I saw on a recent trip to London, which you can read about here. Today’s column is about three more— all revivals—the American musicals High Society and Avenue Q, and The Truth, a French comedy by playwright and director Florian Zeller.

Right then, let’s get cracking.

Avenue Q, book by Jeff Whitty, Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, at the Shaftesbury Theatre (soon to be renamed the Judi Dench).

I remember clearly the first time I heard about Avenue Q. It was February of 2003, and I was living in Los Angeles when I got a call from my dear friend Winnie Holzman who, at the time, was thoroughly consumed with her musical Wicked, which was about to have its first production in San Francisco in a few months’ time. She was incredibly excited—about Wicked, sure—but also about a little musical she’d just seen off-Broadway in the East Village that she told me was the funniest and most wonderful thing she’d seen in years and wanted to be sure I knew about it.

I did know about it because of its director, Jason Moore. Not only did I know him as an up-and-coming director, but he was also a dear friend. After graduating Northwestern University in 1992, he arrived on the doorstep of my Los Angeles home by way of a family member who knew his grandmother. As grandmothers do, she was looking out for her young grandson and thought that we should meet. It turned out to be a match made in heaven and my ex-wife, and I welcomed him into our family (my kids loved him) and he even babysat them on occasion.

Now every theatre fan in the world is ahead of what came next, which is that Avenue Q and Wicked went head-to-head at the 2004 Tony Awards with Avenue Q coming out decidedly on top, winning Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. Crazy, right?

Crazier still is that it has been 22 years since I last saw Avenue Q. A huge success, it ran six years on Broadway, then moved off-Broadway for close to another ten, before closing in 2019. So, the question is: is the timing right for a revival in these ragged and uncertain times? Do we really need to hang again with cursing puppets who have sex and sing hilarious songs? Oh, my God—yes! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I mean, any show with the warning "CONTAINS PUPPET NUDITY" is always welcome in my book.

There’s no question that the deliciously naughty slant Avenue Q brought to Broadway was responsible for the diabolical comedy of The Book of Mormon. Not coincidentally, Robert Lopez contributed to both musicals, co-writing music and lyrics with Jeff Marx on Avenue Q and book, music and lyrics with Trey Parker and Matt Stone on Mormon. Prior to seeing this new Avenue Q, I spoke with Jason Moore, who told me about something he was doing that I thought was smart. "I purposely went after new collaborators who are a part of this generation," he said. "It’s been more than 20 years, and I need to understand what material might not work anymore as well as deal with a whole new set of concerns for young people now starting out in the work force—which is what the whole show is about."

Be assured that Princeton, the show’s hero, is still questioning "what to with a B.A. in English?" and it feels as relevant as ever. Moore has assembled a cast worthy of the indelible roles first done by John Tartaglia, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, and company. Is it possible to top Ann Harada’s Christmas Eve? Well, no, but Amelia Kinu Muus finds new and hilarious things to do as does Dionne Ward-Anderson as Gary Coleman, a part created by recent Tony Award-winner Natalie Venetia Belcon, still starring on Broadway in Buena Vista Social Club. Emily Benjamin is terrific as Kate Monster and really sells Lucy the Slut for all she’s worth. I loved Noah Harrison as Princeton and Rod and especially Charlie McCullagh as Trekkie Monster and Nicky. Both land every, single joke and bring great sets of pipes to their songs. The whole production is exceptionally well-sung. Take a look:

There are some nice new moves from choreographer Ebony Molina and Nina Dunn (for Pixellux) adds some savvy projection and video design set against Anna Louizos’s street setting, based upon her original, only with a few added surprise treats. Rick Lyon, who created the puppets and also played Trekkie Monster and Nicky originally on Broadway, is returned to work with the actor-puppeteers, as has Stephen Oremus, repeating his usual sterling work as music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator (ironically, Oremus was also the musical director for Wicked in that intensely battled 2024 Tony Awards).

I'm so happy to report that Avenue Q still has its mojo. I found myself grinning so much my cheeks hurt. There’s little doubt this production will find its way back to New York; if not by this Spring, certainly by next fall. No inside information on that, but with it getting rave reviews in London and already being extended into 2027, it’s a safe bet. Kevin McCollum, the show’s original producer, is again at the helm with Britain’s Jamie Wilson Productions.

Avenue Q is at the Shaftesbury Theatre through January 3, 2027.

The Truth (La Vérité), by Florian Zeller, translation by Christopher Hampton.

Florian Zeller won a 2021 Academy Award for adapting his play The Father to the big screen (Anthony Hopkins also won for Best Actor). I saw the Broadway production in 2016 which brought Frank Langella his fourth Tony Award (both actors were extraordinary in an extremely demanding role). I’ve seen other Zeller plays and liked them okay, but the main reason I wanted to see this revival of The Truth, first done in its English translation by Christopher Hampton a decade ago at the Menier Chocolate Factory, is because of its star, Stephen Mangan.

In 2009, Mangan wowed Broadway audiences in a production of Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests, brought over from London’s Old Vic. The key to his success as Norman in Ayckbourn’s three play-evening, was his ability to remain endearing while doing the most appalling things. When I saw the plot synopsis of The Truth, I realized it was going to play into Mangan’s strengths, another of which is forever being self-deprecating, which he played to great effect on the Showtime comedy series Episodes (2011-17).

The Truth is using a tagline in its advertising that sums up its sensibilities well: "Where trust is fragile, loyalty is negotiable, and everyone has something to hide." Mangan plays Michel, married to Laurence, having an affair with Alice, who’s married to Paul, his best friend. It’s really all you need to know because the fun is watching the wheels come off the racing car as Michel rides it recklessly round the track. The comedy is non-stop as is the character’s increasingly depraved behavior. Aided by the performances of Janie Dee, Ardal O’Hanlon, and Sarah Hadland (whose maddening deadpan is just my cup of tea), this is farce played as beautifully as possible with nary a slammed door. In fact, the set changes constantly while almost always remaining the same, a cute trick from designer Lizzie Clachan (who also does the spot-on costumes). Director Lindsay Posner, a London mainstay, has only been represented on Broadway once; a 2013 revival of Terrence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy that starred Roger Rees. Based on his work with these four actors, I would be excited to see what Posner does next.

The Truth is at the Apollo Theatre through September 12th.

High Society, score by Cole Porter, additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, book by Arthur Kopit, based on Philip Barry’s The Philadelphia Story.

In the late 1950s, when tastes were changing and big musicals from the major studios were fading into obsolescence, MGM took one of the best films in its library, Philip Barry’s The Philadelphia Story, and turned it into a new Cole Porter movie musical. Synonymous with sophistication, Porter was the right choice and wrote eight original songs for the film. Released in 1958 as High Society, the play had been both a stage and screen hit for Katharine Hepburn, and Grace Kelly was a terrific choice for a musical remake, even if she did have a thin singing voice (it was solved by having her only sing half a duet).* Reviews hardly mattered as just before filming started, Kelly announced her engagement to Prince Rainier of Monaco (a world-shattering event at the time). Becoming a real-life Princess was merely a slight a variation on the image the public had of her to begin with. After High Society, Kelly never acted again.

Tracy Samantha Lord is a tricky role and for this new London production it has been cast with Helen George, the wildly popular star of the British series Call the Midwife, which hasn’t been off the air (nor she with it) for 14 years. A fresh face to me, George gives a thoroughly professional, if uninspired performance. Playing opposite her as her ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven, is Julian Ovendon, another popular figure, mostly for his appearances in West End musicals like South Pacific and Passion. Blessed with a beautiful voice, he brings a smoothness that conjures memories of Cary Grant and Bing Crosby, the men who proceeded him in the role. Also cutting a fine figure is Freddie Fox as Mike Conner (the Jimmy Stewart/Frank Sinatra part). Fox, the son of famed British actor Edward Fox, has got the necessary "aw shucks" manner patented so well by Stewart, as well as a bit of Sinatra’s swagger. Currently, he is appearing on the Apple TV series Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman.

All three attracted a sold-out crowd on the Tuesday afternoon I attended in the Barbican Centre in Central London, Europe’s largest multi-arts venue. As soon as the overture started, it felt like a good choice to start my London trip (I’d arrived the night before) since you can’t beat Porter with a large orchestra. And with sumptuous orchestrations by Larry Blank, the songs flooded the theatre with a richness that can only be described as a pleasure. And then the show started.

High Society has had several iterations since its first production, staged in London in 1987. When an entirely new one was created in 1998 by an American team, it only managed a four-month Broadway run. But over the years, persistent attempts to "fix" things have mainly meant bloating it with additional Porter songs from his more successful musicals, which is embarrassing. I watched stone-faced as one character launched into "I Get a Kick Out of You" with minimum finesse, making it seem as out of place as singing "Blow, Gabriel, Blow." Having seen the 1998 production, I applauded its digging deep for more obscure Porter songs, enhanced by Susan Birkenhead’s clever rewriting of certain lyrics. Songs that were well utilized included "She’s Got That Thing" (from 1929’s seldom seen Fifty Million Frenchmen) and "I’m Getting Myself Ready for You" (from 1930’s The New Yorkers). Unfamiliar to me, they easily fit into the plotting. Shamefully, both are missing from this London production. Instead, we get "Let’s Do It," "You Do Something to Me," and—inexplicably—"Be a Clown." It’s disastrous.

High Society is at the Apollo Theatre through September 12th.

* Ironically, "True Love," the duet sung in the film by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, was a million seller and both were awarded platinum records for the song. Kelly remains to this day the only sitting royalty to receive such an honor.

Ron Fassler is the author of The Show Goes On: Broadway Hirings, Firings and Replacements. For news and “Theatre Yesterday and Today" columns when they break, please subscribe.