Rachael Bloom: Death, let me do my show, Lucille Lortel theatre, September 6-30

 Rachel Bloom's hit TV show "Crazy Ex Girlfriend" brought her to wide attention - a contempory romcom with a strong musical background, it featured Bloom frequently singing songs about modern issues in lust, love, and professional womanhood. With songs like "Let's generalize about men", "the sexy getting ready song" and "I have friends", she took a hilarious modern woman's approach to a genre that could be simplistic and reductive, and delighted a cult audience.

Now, in her first solo show since Covid, she claims she's going to just do a light fluffy show full of silly pleasant songs. But as the ttile suggests, more is going on here, as some of her experiences from the last few years refuse to be carefully packaged away in joke form. 

This is definately a solo comedy show with a few twists in its tail, and it's difficult to realy get into the meat of the show without giving away some of these twists. But it's not a spoiler to say, yes, some of the show does involve dealing with how a young aetheist deals with the spectre of death as part of life, given personal losses and the potential for further losses. It rounds out into a conclusion that is simultaneously ridiculous and deeply moving, and Bloom performs throughout in a style that is simultaneously welcoming and completely controlling of the evening. It's a deeply personal show, heartfelt and honest, and is performed immaculately throughout. If ever she tours anywhere near where you are, catch her, she's charming, delightful, intelligent and witty. 

Hadestown, Maria Isaacs, Dale Frazier, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirkaday et al, Walter Kerr Theatre, Currently selling to June 16 2024 and on tour

 "Hadestown" pulls a story from ancient Greek myth straight into a modern telling, using the Orpheus and Eurydice story to tell of love, loss, art, practicality, power, and tragedy - a purely theatrical telling of a myth, embracing its familiarity in a tribute to storytelling and its metaphorical power.

Anais Mitchell's score starts with a strong New Orleans trombone riff and maintains in that style as Lillas White as Hermes introduces the players and the world - the boy composer, the lost young woman, the god of the underworld, his party-girl wife and the three fates, guiding everyone. Rachel Hauck's scene design resembles a low-down bar with everyone gathered to have a good time, to tell old tales - with some risers around for the 8-piece band to sit in that also gives a little bit of a greek-ampitheatre look. As the story continues and boy meets girl, the risks of poverty grow and the temptations of escape increase,  Rachel Chavkin's production builds in intensity til everything heads straight to the titular destination. 

Winner of 8 tony awards in 2019 and running (covid interrupted) ever since, in its current incarnation (with four of the lead five cast members recast) it's holding strong and powerful as one of the best shows on broadway - an emotional, musical and visual feast. White in the role of Hermes absolutely makes it her own (the role has previously been cast as, and is understudied by, males, but with White in the role there's no doubt she's perfect for it). Reeve Carney, who's been playnig the role of Orpheus since the beginning of the run, gives the role a delicate power, almost semi-autistic in the way his concentration on his art cuts him off from the dangers around him. Solea Pfeiffer has a tough-front-but-deep-emotional power behind her as a young woman tormented by the fates. Phillip Boykin oozes power and confidence up until the point where the front cannot be kept up as Hades. And Betty Who gives party-girl Persephone depth and emotional power as it seems the party may get cut-off for her. 

There's no definate plans for this show to come to Australia any time soon, though it is touring in the US and also is planning a UK return in the near future. But if it comes here it's absoultely a show to catch and be bewitched by again - a powerful telling of an old myth in ways that are absolutely modern, impressive and strong.