After having open-heart surgery several months ago,comedian Robin Williams is back on track, back on tour, and funnier than ever. Taking a break certainly seemed to recharge his batteries…not that he needed charging. Robin’s frenetic energy has always been one of the things that made him my favorite comedian–and it was in full force last night at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, where he made his South Florida stop on his “Weapons of Self Destruction” tour.

He walked onstage only to be greeted by a standing ovation from most of the audience, and went right into a set about the Hard Rock Casino and the Seminole Tribe–how they’ve had to change their names to things like “Chief Always Roll a Seven” and the estranged tribal son “All In”.  Like any great comedian, he did his homework on South Florida and worked the local jokes into his intro, heckling some of the latecomers and picking on the “hot women” with plastic surgery (accompanied by cameras panning in on the audience, displaying on two large screens on stage). He made a few quips about Governor Charlie Crist and his tan (”he’s darker than Obama”), and joked about how the Seminole Tribe could buy back Manhattan–”oh wait, looks like they already did, New York is here already” and of course, talking about our weather (”you folks down here know what global warming is, you’ve been living with it for years.”)

While I was not impressed with the constant dropping of the “f” bomb (which thank goodness eased off after a few minutes, where he still used it quite a bit but not every other word), Williams jokes spanned topics ranging from hurricanes and natural disasters (”I live in California, God’s etch-a-sketch”) to technology and Twittering, GPS systems, his surgery, politics, marriage, drugs, the Pope, pets, and of course, sex and porn.  In typical Williams style–and another one of the reasons he’s so top notch–he blended in his phenomenal character voices and impersonations with his jokes, never missing a beat.

During a great bit about people who have been married more than once should have to lose a body part each time around, he slipped into a set on same-sex marriage, Mormons and polygamy (”Mormons giving marital advice is like Octomom running a planned parenthood organization”).

He did surprise me by throwing in a couple of trite, we’ve-heard-em-before one liners (”Pregnant women shouldn’t drink–isn’t that how you got pregnant in the first place?”) but the rest of his performance was so damn funny, I didn’t care.

One of most clever bits was about how a committee designed the human reproductive system–and of course the comedy would be lost in translation if I attempted to describe this, so I won’t even try. Watching Robin Williams has so much to do with his voices and physical comedy in addition to what he’s saying that it’s neary impossible to describe him and do him any justice.

He finished the show, then came back for one small encore, which was a phenomenal impersonation of Walter Cronkite telling a “blue” joke. I won’t spoil the fun by telling the joke, but it was fantastic, made better only by Williams’ impression of Cronkite. Didn’t see the punchline coming, that’s for sure!

I literally didn’t stop laughing the entire show, and the audience around me was having a similar experience. It’s a non-stop laughing, eyes-tearing, practically peeing-in-your-pants heckuva good time, and I highly recommend you get to the Hard Rock Live tonight to catch his second show. (Be forewarned, though, this is DEFINITELY an adult content, R-rated show–not for the weak of heart or the prude.)

For more info:  Call 1-800-745-3000 or visit the Hard Rock Live website.

You would never know it was the last performance of Fiddler on the Roof at the Broward Center this past Sunday, with the energy and heart the cast exuded. Being that the first act alone was nearly two hours, it’s amazing how Topol and the rest of the performers made me feel like I was watching their first performance–which is always part of the magic of such professionals. They drew me in to their world and I was happily lost there for three hours.   (Photo courtesy of fiddlerontour.com)

But I didn’t expect anything less–Chaim Topol has been performing the part of Tevye since 1967 where he opened in London’s West End. That performance paved the way for him to star in Norman Jewison’s 1971 film version, for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. Although he’s now in his 70’s, this had no affect on his energy level, or believability as the character. He’s played Tevye over 2500 times across the world, and in 1991 he received a Tony Award nomination after his appearance on Broadway.  He IS Tevye.

Fiddler is set in 1905 Tsarist Russia, in a town called Anatevka. The story revolves around Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his challenge to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. The audience watches as he attempts to deal with the headstrong actions of his three older daughters, as each one’s choice of husband moves farther away from the traditions of their faith. He’s also faced with the Tsar’s edict that evicts Tevye and all the Jews living in Anatevka.

Although the show presents many heavy issues, such as the role of the patriarch and his struggle between religious customs and the love for his daughters, the cast skillfully managed to interwine a great deal of comedy throughout. Mary Stout, who played Yente the Matchmaker, provides wonderful comic relief–second only to Topol in his portrayal of Tevye with his good-natured complaining about his wife, Golde, and his fumbling of quotes from Moses and the Good Book.

All of the cast did a phenomenal job with the singing, from the opening number “Tradition” to Topol’s solo of “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset” which brought tears to my eyes. The wedding scene between Tevye’s eldest daughter, Tzeitel, and Motel, was so well done I felt like a guest at the ceremony. (I admit I even shouted “Mazeltov!” when they stepped on the glass.)

Two other scenes really stood out for me. One was the bar scene where Tevye promises his daughter to Lazar Wolf, and the non-Jewish Russians and the Russian Jews come together briefly in celebration.  The dancing here is spectacular. 

The other scene was the dream sequence where Tevye tells Golde of his nightmare, in order to get her to call off Tzeitel’s engagement to Lazar Wolf. He concocts a tremendous story filled with visions of Grandmother Tzeitel and Lazar Wolf’s first wife, who is cleverly made to appear about 12 feet tall. Obviously she’s sitting on someone’s shoulders–but it was so enchanting I forgot that for the moment while watching the fabulous ensemble “re-enact” Tevye’s dream.

I applaud the cast and crew, and am thrilled this show came to the Broward Center. It’s the first time I saw Fiddler since the movie version years ago, and it’s a performance I will certainly always remember.

With only about a month to go before the release of the movie 2012 along with Adam Lambert’s single Time for Miracles from the soundtrack, fans can get a little taste of what’s to come out on AOL video and YouTube (posted by Amazon).

The AOL video also provides a trailer for the movie and some behind-the-scenes video with Adam. 

You can read the full article here…