Steve McCoy News

Aye, Matees! It is so exciting to see the world premiere of a show. I had this opportunity with the opening of Treasure Island, A Musical Adventure at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, Long Island. This original two-act musical, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, has a book by Sherman Yellen, Music by Gary William Friedman, and lyrics by Will Holt -- all Tony nominees. Now playing through October 27th, this beautiful up-and-coming production, directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, is in fantastic shape thus far.

TREASURE ISLAND, a new musical adventure, will premiere this fall at Theatre Three (412 Main Street) in Port Jefferson, NY from tonight, September 15 to October 27, 2012.

TREASURE ISLAND, a new musical adventure, will premiere this fall at Theatre Three (412 Main Street) in Port Jefferson, NY from September 15 to October 27, 2012.

The Pulitzer and Tony award winning musical, Next To Normal, by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitts, is a force to be reckoned with. For its Long Island premier, now playing through June 23rd, Jeffrey Sanzel's incarnation of this dark, rock musical at Theatre Three provides the audience with an honest and heartbreaking glimpse into a family dealing with many varied emotions.

If anything gets you into the Christmas spirit, it will be seeing Theater Threes' annual production of "A Christmas Carol". Jeffrey Sanzel, who directs and stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, has brought together an incredible cast and crew to tell this timeless Charles Dickens' tale.

Set in the 1950's, the Pajama Game shows the frustration between management and labor unions, intertwined with a love story of people on opposite sides of the picket line (Babe and Sid with Babe the leader of the strike and Sid one of the heads of management). The show is still a very relevant, especially in the current economy, with businesses trying to cut as much as they can while trying to increase their output of products and overexerting their employees. It is this seemingly timeless struggle that is at the heart of the Pajama Game, and portrayed excellently in this production.

As an avowed Monty Python fan, it was with much anticipation that I looked forward to finally getting the opportunity to see SPAMALOT. Unfortunately, this hodgepodge of scenes cobbled from the cult film (although admittedly, it is a very large cult) Monty Python and the Holy Grail, failed to fully engage me. In fact, it's the additional elements that book writer and Python member Eric Idle includes, along with a couple of fresh songs he's written with frequent collaborator John Du Prez, that really standout in this dubious homage. But, a game cast put on a fine display nonetheless at the Fox Theatre this past weekend (January 7-9, 2011).