Bad "Penny"

The reviews are in for "The Threepenny Opera" and they are universally bad. Some kind words by everyone for Jim Dale and a few polite nods towards the vocies of Cyndi Lauper and Nellie McKay but virtually every element of the show is lambasted by everyone. I've yet to find a single exception, including every newspaper, the two trades, etc. The last Broadway revival -- starring Sting -- was also reviled, which means one of the great shows (and scores) of all time continues to be ill-treated. Sometimes, outsiders like movie or tv or pop stars feel Broadway regulars are waiting with the long knives when they make their debuts (see Kelsey Grammer, Denzel Washington, Paul Simon, etc.). But that's not true -- invariably Broadway would love to see new blood succeed; but they rarely do. Case in point: Julia Roberts. She got pans, but her show was treated with kid gloves compared to "Threepenny."