This weekend I had a chance to see the testosterone filled new "all boy" Broadway musical Glory Days and the estrogen driven "all female" production of Top Girls.  I couldn't help wondering if there was a battle of the shows (and sexes) who would take who in the ring.  Might it go something like this?

Welcome to the Broadway Smackdown!  In the first corner, wearing period costumes and crazy wigs we have the all female cast of Top Girls at MTC's Biltmore Theater.  In the other corner we have the Abercrombie & Fitch wearing boys of Glory Days at The Circle in the Square Theater.  Let's handicap the competition.

The Girlz

I might have to put my money on the tough chicks over at Top Girls.  First of all they are a high wattage group of stars.  Caryl Churchill's plays boasts a remarkable cast; Mary Beth Hurt, Mary Catherine Garrison, Martha Plimpton, Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Ikeda and Ana Reeder.  The 1980's set play about a career woman trying to get ahead in a man's world explores sexual politics, war and British government.  All the women play multiple roles, make amazing quick changes, sport a variety of accents and play everything from a pope to a 14  year old girl.  

I had a chance to see the show on Sunday and will have to hold my tongue until it opens on May 7th.   But, regular readers of this column will remember that I have a particular obsession with one Marisa Tomei.   I am thrilled to see her in this show and she really gets a chance to show her acting chops.  She plays a number of vastly different parts including a Victorian adventurer, to a frumpy mother who has left her best year's behind her.  Ms. Tomei has already picked up a Drama Desk Nomination for her performance!  I love me some of that Marisa Tomei.  The rest of the cast is uber-talented and accomplished -  together they are a force to be reckoned with.

Audiences should get tickets now.  Caryl Churchill is a bold, innovative and exceptional playwright.  You won't want to miss an opportunity to visit one of her early works and discover it through a top notch production presented by Manhattan Theater Club. 

The Boyz

Can the four young fellows of Glory Days really compete in the same ring as the ladies of Top Girls?  It is debatable, but you can not count out the power of a group of high school boys who can sing.  This new musical is a last minute addition to the B'way season; arriving on the rialto via the Signature Theater Company in Washington DC,  Glory Days is about four high school friends who have reunited one year after graduation.  The show is written by composer-lyricist Nick Blaemire, 23, and librettist James Gardiner, 24.  Yup - you read that right - they are 23 and 24 and their first show is debuting on The Broadway!  

Glory Days (originally titled Ass Backwards) began in a class taught by director Eric Schaeffer at the Kennedy Center in DC three years ago.  Schaeffer loved the show and eventually mounted it at The Signature this past February.  After wowing audiences and critics in DC some NY producers rushed the show up to The Broadway to have it open on May 6th, just under the deadline for this year's Tony Award Nominations.  Wow!  What a story - right? 

The press notes describe the show thusly: "the story of four best friends who reunite a year after high school graduation, only to find how much they have grown apart. As they attempt to understand each other's differences, they soon realize that nothing can compare to the glory days of high school when life was simpler. Set to a vibrant score, Glory Days is a witty, unflinching look at four guys who refuse to be defined by generational stereotypes as they struggle to find their place in the world."

The show features the talents of Steven Booth, Andrew C. Call, Adam Halpin, and Jesse JP Johnson who hold court at the Circle in the Square theater for an intermissionless 90 minutes.  With four guys, a simple set and packed with songs and energy, many are comparing this show to Altar Boyz.  I attended the show on Friday night, but I have to keep mum until the show opens on May 6th.  

The Winner

Well, we are going to have to wait until the shows both open and the critics have weighed in before we will know who will rein victorious in the B'way Smackdown between the Glory Boyz and the Top Girlz of The Broadway.   Do you think this could be a regular thing?   Next up - Cry-Baby vs. Hairspray (the Battle of the John Waters' musicals).  Or instead of having Tony voters decide the Best Actress in a musical category - we can have Patti LuPone and Kelli O'Hara duke it out for the top prize.  Who would win that match?  I think I would have to put my money on Patti - she is one tough cookie!  Although, O'Hara is a scrappy chick - she might just take her.  Dueling Divas!  Not a bad idea?!?!

~ See You On The Aisle