I had the chance to catch a press screening of American Buffalo, a new Broadway play starring Haley Joel Osment, Cedric The Entertainer and John Leguziamo last last week. It was my first experience where a celebrity was the lead. I enjoyed being that close to the talent and watching to see them ride the entire show through flawlessly. You KNOW in movies, there are months and months of filming a few lines a day and then several takes for each line. That buffer does not exist in theatre work and all three men proved they did their homework.

I was especially rooting for Haley as you know the difficultly young stars face when trying to remain relevent as adults. Hopefully this will transition him into older roles and place him back on the big screen. Or better yet, perhaps he found a new calling and love for the theatre. Either way, he was my main pull to the show as I really enjoyed him in The Sixth Sense.

While the show itself was not something I would have typically attended, the story has a reputation and has claimed several huge actors to cast.

Originally on Broadway in 1977, the three-character drama concerns a
plan to steal a coin collection. Originating the roles were Robert
Duvall (as Walt/Teach), Kenneth McMillan (Donny) and John Savage
(Bobby). In the 1983 revival, the cast was Al Pacino, J.J. Johnston and
James Hayden. A 1996 movie version starred Dustin Hoffman, Dennis
Franz, and Sean Nelson.

Truth be told, I'm more of the Beauty and the Beast on Broadway kind of girl and this play was one set and no singing tea cups . The story took precedence and that was a very new experience for me.

If you are a NYC local or are planning to visit the area before December 24th, you can catch the show for a nickle! Yes, 5 cents!! Click here for details. 

Continue reading...