‘Hills of California’ review: A cutthroat new stage mother on Broadway
Two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. At the Broadhurst Theater, 235 W 44th St.Perhaps the city should rename West 44th Street Stage Mother Way.Between 7th and 8th Avenues at the Majestic Theatre, Audra McDonald will soon begin playing that most ferocious of performer parents, Mama Rose, in a revival of the musical “Gypsy.” And next door at the Broadhurst, where Jez Butterworth’s new play “The Hills of California” opened on Sunday night, lives her stern British counterpart, Veronica Webb.Like Rose, single mom Veronica forces her four daughters in Blackpool, England, to learn the ins and outs of show business in pursuit of finally escaping their shabby lives spent running a dingy hotel.