Broadway opens curtain to entertaining choices

MARISA GALLELLI STAFF WRITER NLG723@CABRINI EDU

Things have certainly been getting good on Broadway as of late. With smashing shows such as “RENT,” “Wicked” and “Aida” hitting the stage, and new shows such as Mario Cantone’s: “Laugh Whore,” which opened on Oct. 24, 2004, “to an adoring crowd of fans,” said to www.playbill.com. This new smash hit, is a one-man show that is a satire that pokes fun at idols such as Liza Manelli, and Judy Garland.

“RENT,” which opened in April of 1996, and to this day is still performing off Broadway and in tours across the country. The show currently stars Drew Lachey playing Mark Cohen, one of the lead male roles. This show is based on the “La Boheme” story, but is set in the East Village in New York City. It tells the story of a close knit group of friends, almost all of whom have AIDS, and are trying to cope with what life is currently throwing at them. The show follows the characters over the course of a single year, with Mark now played by Drew Lachey, as the narrator. As the show goes on, you hear the stories of all of the characters, Roger, Mimi, Mark, Angel, Collins, Benny, Maureen and Joanne.

This play was very controversial for its era, because it brought to the forefront the reality of homosexuality and AIDS. It showed off the facts of life pure and simple, life and death. That everyone lives life as they chose, and dies eventually despite the circumstances surrounding them.

“Wicked,” which opened on Oct 7, 2003, showed a different side of a favorite children’s tale, “The Wizard of Oz.” It took a look at the younger lives of the