Me2ism‽

Move On.

2011-01-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

I can't imagine many people will read this, as it's been over 6 months since I updated, but I suppose all writing-for-the-internet is done with the understanding the anyone could read it, but no one might.

Long story short, I have more or less abandoned "formal" blogging because a string of Stage Management gigs occupied the time and brainspace I would have otherwise devoted to this endeavor. There was also a growing discomfort on my end with writing about theater while also working in the industry (even if at its outer perimeters). Though I don't consider myself "important" enough either as a blogger or a theater professional to be able to cite a true conflict of interest, I nonetheless don't really feel comfortable "publishing" my typically snarky thoughts about people who could conceivably become my peers/colleagues. I had thought a solution would be to focus on the obscure/arcane, shows gone by, etc., but the time required to properly research that type of writing (at least to my own standards) just doesn't exist in my typical day, or, at least I don't want to make it exist.

I have set up a tumblr:

me2ism.tumblr.com

this is where i will share obscure showtune related videos I come accross, etc. and perhaps do some light opinion prose writing, though not necessarily--in fact, most likely not--devoted to theater.

Thanks for reading, whoever you are.

Donald

Post-Tonys Thoughts

2010-06-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

It is posts like these that earn this little bloggitty-blog the name Me2ism. But here's what I thought of this years Tony Awards.

(a Hirschfeld drawing for a Angie-hosted ceremony in '96)

A friend of mine referred to the day of the Tony Awards as "Holy Day", and more than ever I found this to be true. Though Michael Reidel will no doubt spend the rest of his days at the Post bemoaning the awards' lack of integrity, for me the awards are best at presenting an opportunity for the theater community--and let's be real here, the musical theater community--to geek out. The spend hours repeating each other as we talk about the nominees, who could win, who should have been nominated, what they will perform, what they should have performed, ways in which CBS kills theater by not allowing design and writing awards on the telecast, etc. etc. etc. The awards give a sense of structure to the season, an opportunity to reflect and to pass some sort of judgement.

The telecast itself makes a much more effective yearbook than it does a barometer of what was truly excellent or fine art--which is fine. Before I moved to NYC, the Tony Awards (and perhaps a few appearances on Rosie) were my primary source of information about what the hell happened on Broadway that season--and I was the type of nerd who read every article on theatermania.com, etc. And regardless of what I think about who won what, I feel like someone watching this year would ultimately walk away with a fairly accurate sense of how things went down this season. FELA! was artsy and not really for everyone. MEMPHIS was vapid but full of energy and toothy-grinned dance steps, and features a catchy--if derivative--tune. And even though trying to present the nominated plays is always tricky, I felt like, over the course of the evening, I had a vague sense of what was going on with each of those as well (though I think a 60-90sec "trailer" for each play would be marvelously effective, if a logistical problem for nominated shows that have already closed).

And how hot was Matthew Morrison singing "All I Need Now is the Girl", which is, in my mind, the sexiest (male) song in the theater cannon?

I spent the following Monday exactly as I would like to spend every post-Tony Monday--hungover, satisfied (with a hint of cynical despair), and relieved to have the head-space back to think about the projects on my plate, instead of this ridiculous notion of the "road block".

Next year at Radio City.

Patti LuPone at Les Mouches

2010-06-09T23:34:00.000-04:00

I was never a Patti person. I never hated her, but I never worshiped her. And her obnoxious behavior during GYPSY--the way she acted so victimized that she only won 1 Tony or something--weakened my feeling about her. But after winning a copy of the recording of "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches"--thanks to Adam Rothenberg at Adaumbelle's Quest--my thoughts are changing. Obviously, I always loved her Evita and, even more, The Baker's Wife. And I would give my left nut to go back in time to see her as Rosamund in The Robber Bridegroom (opposite then boyfriend Kevin Kline). But her Les Mouches act--an act she did on 11th Ave on Saturday evenings, after finishing Evita for the week--is astounding. She is, clearly, in good voice, and at that critical level of musical excellence and borderline indulgence, without crossing hte line, as I feel she has a tendency to do nowadays. I may not be a full, card carrying, member of the Church of Patti, but I wish the Gideons would leave a copy of this CD room in hotel room nightstands. Somehow there exists some video footage of the act on youtube--filmed. Please watch, and/or KeepVid, while you can. Embedding seems to be disabled, but click on the song titles for wonderful renditions of "Meadowlark", "Rainbow High", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"--renditions good enough to merit hearing these songs again, even if you think you can't--followed by "Look to the Rainbow" leading into "Superman"

Watch, enjoy, then get the CD

"Final" Pre-Tony thoughts/predictions 2010

2010-06-08T10:46:00.000-04:00

i don't really want to change my initial, post-nomination hunches, and in the past have not even done a follow up post like this. But this year has been so interesting with so many white middle aged men being absolutely, without a doubt, positive that their conflicting choices in any given category will win. Of course, even though the night promises surprises, come Monday morning we'll probably be talking about how boring and mundane they were.

BEST PLAY
On 4-May I said "It’s between Red and Next Fall. Next Fall is a “New American Play” and that alone could get it the win, as could the orgasmic reviews it got. However, people I know who saw it HATED it, and Red is probably the better work."
And Now... Well, I wrote that before seeing either Red or Next Fall. And, to be honest, I had issues with both. As I posted earlier, I thought Next Fall had a lot going for it, but had a major dogmatic crater at what should have been the center of the play. Red was exquisitely executed, and I suppose makes people feel smart, but I thought it was tedious and centered on philosophy just as sophomoric as Next Fall's. But British plays (even though Red was written by an American) have a clear advantage in this category, so Red will take it.

BEST MUSICAL
On 4-May I said "I’m pretty sure it’s going to be American Idiot, even if no one is really all that excited about it... Fela! has it’s supporters, but most people thought it was--though stunning--confusing, long, and ultimately boring...Million Dollar Quartet is a crowd pleaser, but not a serious contender. Memphis could actually take home top honors, simply by virtue of its pure intentions..."
And Now... Though just yesterday I listened to a podcast where many of the panelists insisted Idiot is going to win, I just don't see that as an option. It's playing to half full houses and the only people who like it are stodgy, snooty, middle-aged white men who think Green Day remained relevant even after Gloria Reuben sang "I Hope You Have the Time of Your Life" on ER. (They did not.) It's between Fela! and Memphis, and I'm going to put my money on Fela!, because I HAVE to believe, as long as I can, that the theater community has at least the semblance of taste.

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
On 4-May I said " It kinda has to be Memphis, doesn’t it. Though a win for Everyday Rapture is not out of the question, because everyone loves Sherie."

And Now... I'm going to call it for Everyday Rapture. And not just because everyone loves Sherie (and because she won't win Best Actress), but because, upon seeing it again, I realized it actually has the best writing. Novel conceit I know.

BEST SCORE
On 4-May I said "Memphis [will win] for showing up."

And Now... Sigh, we have to give it to 'em.

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
On 4-May I said "A View from the Bridge or Fences"

And Now... At the time of the nominations, Bridge had recently ended its acclaimed run, and felt like more of a contender. Now, everything's coming up Fences.

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
On 4-May I said " La Cage. It was fresh, felt contemporary, and elevated the source material. It is what a revival should be."

And Now... What can I say? When I'm right, I'm right.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
On 4-May I said "It’s probably between Liev and Denzel. Alfred Molina will win."

And Now... In the month that's passed, Denzel has emerged as a definitive leader in the category, even if Molina has an attache case of lesser awards.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
On 4-May I said "Jan Maxwell. At least, she should. Otherwise, she’ll keep getting nominated for everything she’s in until she does. It’s called the Susan Sarandon factor. Remember when she was nominated for The Client? But Maxwell could win in featured, in which case, Lavin will win."

And Now... Okay, I was wrong. It will be Viola Davis.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICALOn 4-May I said "It’s between Hodge—who was fantastic in La Cage—and Ngaujah. If I had a vote, I would go with Hodge, but I think Ngaujah could walk away with it."

And Now... If the tide is really going to turn Fela!'s way--as I believe it must--then Ngaujah has to win. On the other hand, Hodge's performance is WHY La Cage will win best revival--for the first time, Zaza is a credible drag performer around whom an entire night club could exist. I'm going to give it to Hodge.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICALOn 4-May I said "Sherie. Not only is she wonderful and he show poignant and honest, but she basically threw it on Broadway in 2 weeks after Megan Mullaly pulled out of Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Kate Baldwin was the darling of the fall, and might win if Tony voters want to reward her for, you know, acting, which Sherie doesn’t exactly do, as she is playing herself."

And Now... Again, I was wrong, and it seems to be a toss up between Montego and CZJ. I'll give it to Montego who has a "local girl made good" vibe going for her, took fewer vacations in a show that has run longer, and isn't leaving the show a week after the ceremony. Besides, people are already more excited about Bernadette stepping in than they ever were about CZJ, who over sang "Send in the Clowns", even though it was specifically written to make that more or less impossible.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
On 4-May I said "The guy from Red won shit in London, but doesn’t this award always have to go to someone in a revival of an August Wilson play?"

And Now... Redmayne is a cutie-patoodie, but, seriously, you can't beat someone in an August Wilson play in this category. British Plays win top honors, August Wilson gets featured awards, Matthew Murray hates everything. These are constants. Stephen McKinley Henderson, FTW.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAYOn 4-May I said "Jessica Hecht. Unless Jan Maxwell wins this instead of Leading Actress. Really, she should win both."

And Now... This is tough. It's rare for an actor to be nominated twice in an evening and go home empty handed, but to give Maxwell a Tony for her hilarious but brief performance in a silly production doesn't seem to do justice to one of our greatest living actors. I've also been hearing a lot of hubub about Scar Jo. And, though Fences has taken the away most of its thunder, people do think fondly of the Bridge revival, and this may be the chance to recognize it. But I'm actually going to call it for Hecht.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICALOn 4-May I said " I personally think it should be Christopher Fitzgerald, but I actually think it will be Bobby Steggert."

And Now... I have a feeling this will be the chance to throw a bone to MDQ and honor their best ~~impersonator~~ actor, Levi Kreis. Fitzgerald and Steggert are both dark horses though--Fitzgerald had a role that wins awards (and was fantastic), Steggert has been working non-stop since Ragtime closed, keeping him (if not his performance) fresh in everyone's mind. But he'll lose to Kreis.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICALOn 4-May I said "Angela should have the edge, because she is acting and Babs is just singing songs we’ve heard her sing before. But Angie won last year, and Babs hasn’t been up for nomination since She Loves Me or something. But Katie Finneran could walk away with the award, like the originator of her role, for providing some merciful humor in Promises, Promises."

And Now... Katie Finneran seems unstoppable.

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
On 4-May I said It looks like I forgot to say anything....oooops.

And Now... I'm going with Kenny Leon on this. He's done a number of artistically and fiscally successful productions in recent years, seemingly selflessly. This is the year for him to put away the bridesmaid's dress and walk down the aisle in Vera Wang.

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
On 4-May I said "Terry Johnson."

And Now... Bill T. Jones has the edge for creating the entire Fela! experience. Maybe the producers will let Terry keep La Cage's "Best Revival" Tony at his house.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
On 4-May I said "Bill T Jones. I mean, he has to."

And Now... Some people are saying Twyla will win. She won't. No one likes her show, a lot of which is lifted verbatim from a Sinatra Suite she did years before. Bill T.

"Sing Happy" on YouTube

2010-06-05T11:19:00.000-04:00

My FLORA kick continues, and since its too hot to move (even though I NEED to go to Trader Joe's STAT), I have found a bunch of other people singing "Sing Happy" (though I still prefer Ms. Bilkenstaff's, especially when she goes up on "give me a hallelujah and get up and shout"--side note, I would LOVE to see her do NEXT TO NORMAL).

Amy Wolk--she's quite engaging, and doesn't indulge at the top, which I appreciate.

A nice "Manhattan Transfer-esque" (I'm sure these groups HATE being compared to Manhattan Transfer, just as puppeteers hate being compared to Julie Taymor) ensemble at Signature in VA.

Here's a tween known only as Maggie. You know, because of all that heartache and stuff. Her voice cracks around 2m40s. It's endearing.

Kiara Sasso, from a Rio de Janeiro production of "The World Goes 'Round", in what I presume to be Portugese

A boy! With a great name (Sterns Matthews). I love the tone of his voice, and he goes up on "give me a hallelujah and get up and shout"!!!

And a bootleg recording from a very, how shall i put this, enthusiastic and ardent fan on Eden Espinosa, from when Eden did it at reprise. I guess she started the whole, going up on "give me a hallelujah and get up and shout" thing. She also added some questionable-for-the-periord-but-it-doesn't-matter-because-it's-a-concert-and-we-all-know-theater-in-LA-is-fake-anyway riffing. The video itself--which is a still of the fan and Eden plus some commentary--is amazing in its own right. Warning, the sound quality is not that great.

If you've watched all of these, I'm most impressed. I really thought I'd only have 3 or maaaaaybe 4. And there are actually videos I watched and didn't post.

Awesomeness

2010-06-04T17:08:00.000-04:00

A bit of NEWSIES choreo set to "Bad Romance". This essentially reminds me that Kenny Ortega is the man and that the IN THE HEIGHTS movie could be kick-ass. And also that I am gaaaaaaaaaay.

If the embedded video doesn't work, click here

more FLORA

2010-06-04T09:45:00.000-04:00

Here is a clip from a 1997 Kander/Ebb documentary about the creation of FLORA. It is most notable for featuring clips of Liza singing "All I Need is One Big Break" and "Sing Happy" via the Ed Sullivan Show. (These clips used to be online via bluegobo.com, but some damned lawyer got his undies in a twist and had all Ed Sullivan clips taken down. I would understand if these clips were available for purchase, and would gladly pay to see them, but they're not so now, basically, no one can see them. Ass hole.) They recount what could be an interesting anecdote about working with Mr. Abbott, but, unfortunately, I can't understand the key phrase of the anecdote. It sounds something like "We were out of town [yada yada] and Fred had this idea the none of it cottonted(?!?!), and he believed in it." Whatever that means. Anyway, watch for the clips of young Liza. She's 19.

Fun with FLORA

2010-06-02T11:24:00.000-04:00

Although I've known about FLORA THE RED MENACE for sometime, until yesterday the only song I really know was the (pretty annoying) "Knock Knock", because it was featured on a Broadway compilation cassette(!) with a Kids! theme which we listened to on car trips for awhile. (Other songs I recall being on the cassette include "Waiting for Life to Begin", a Daisy Egan rendition of "Broadway Baby", and a track from the Constance Towers KING AND I.) Well, yesterday, I listened to the OCR for the first time. The show is mostly known for being Kander and Ebb's first Broadway show, and the show that made Liza Minelli a star (and a Tony winner). I'm actually--and blasphemously--not a huge Kander/Ebb fan. Everything sounds the same to me (vamps and kick lines), and I find their strongest work stems from them writing the same type of small-c cabaret styled songs that get meaning added to them via juxtaposition in concept musicals. But I'm not here to belittle Kander and Ebb's deserved and sizable place in music theater history. I'm really just here to show some FLORA related YouTube clips. And say that FLORA, for the most part, actually sounds different than CABARET or CHICAGO. Here's Liza singing one of her many wonderful numbers in a drastically different context...on THE MUPPET SHOW.

And here is Heidi Bilkenstaff singing "Sing Happy". Lovely.

And here is Eden Espinoza singing a song that was added for that revisal in the 90s. For some reason they put this in the place of the awesome "All I Need (Is One Good Break)", presumably moving the superior "Break" to another point in the show? This song keeps the intro from "Break" and replaces it with something that sounds like every other Kander/Ebb song, which FLORA otherwise does a good job of not doing. Sigh. I will say, I find Eden to be quite charming here and wish there were videos of her singing material from this show that I like.

Fun with Free Theater: MITZI GAYNOR, "RAZZLE DAZZLE, MY LIFE BEHIND THE SEQUINS"

2010-05-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year I caught the Emmy Award Winning special RAZZLE DAZZLE, THE SPECIAL YEARS, a sweet little documentary that is more or less a guided tour through Ms. Gaynor's gaudy and fabulous televisions specials of the 60s and 70s. If you've been following, you may remember that I went on a variety-show kick over the summer (because what else is there to do when you're in Poughkeepsie with a mere 5 hours of rehearsal to ASM a day), so, naturally, the special was of particular interest. Mitzi's specials were like uber-variety shows, featuring boatloads of the gayest dancing boys in Hollywood, reams of taffeta and crinoline and sequined anything, and Ms. Gaynor's fabulous legs. I was delighted to become acquainted with this singing dancing Barbie-doll-for-gays (it's hard to believe there was any other audience for that type of entertainment), who is otherwise mostly known for playing Nellie Forbush in the unwatchable movie version of SOUTH PACIFIC.

Perhaps because of the success of this documentary, Ms. Gaynor has been touring the country (including a stop of dear ol' Muncie, IN, which was the brunt of more than a few jokes last night) with a one-woman career retrospective, "RAZZLE DAZZLE, MY LIFE BEHIND THE SEQUINS", which opened last night at Feinstein's at the Regency.

Normally a cushy venue with a paradoxical blend of luxurious space for the audience and unparalled intimacy with the performer, the folks at Feisntein's decided to put Mitzi in a converted ballroom, as opposed to their traditional cabaret venue, to all more space for her to "move", change costumes (glamorous, sparkly, Bob Mackie costumes), and show video clips (to cover the costume changes). The room was cramped, the stage and lighting rather hastily installed. But from her first entrance, in "Honey Bun" sailor drag, Ms. Gaynor was luminous, gracious, bawdy, and an overall delight. Though she did a fair amount of singing (especially for a 78 year old who isn't Barbara Cook), she spent just as much time regaling us with stories from her charmed career. Despite the fact that her life has been seemingly devoid of any conflict or despair (the worst thing that happened to her was having a contract terminated), she made a compelling and hilarious evening from anecdotes about her famous friends--Howard Hughes, Ethel Merman--and subjects as potentially mundane as "getting dressed to go to the Duke of Windsor's birthday party". So charming was Ms. Gaynor that her weak singing was not only forgivable, but endearing. (I am not so forgiving about the horribly cheap synthesizer--had I access to it from my seat I would have unplugged it before he could finish the opening number).

Also of note was the fact that I was seated among fellow Bloggers du Theatre, including: Kevin, the Theater Afficionado; The Adventurous Sarah B; and Linda, the Pataphyiscal Scientist.

In a season seemingly full of "old ladies", Mitzi may not be as revelatory as Angie or B Cook, but I have never seen a performer radiate so much warmth and love.

Fun with Free Theater: NEXT FALL

2010-05-07T17:56:00.000-04:00

I had heard mixed things about NEXT FALL. Brantley, who seems awfully arbitrary in his taste this year, acted like he had seen the best American play since DEATH OF A SALESMAN. Friends responses ranged from "it's hysterical" to the more ambivalent "I liked it" to the vitriolic "I was offended".

Just from reading the press materials, I admit I was not particularly intrigued, and probably would not have gone out of my way to see it if I had to pay full price, or even more than $30. The central question "Can a devout Christian and an Atheist get along [if they're gay and dating and stuff, oh, and one's 15 years older than the other one]?" didn't interest me all that much. "Yes", would be my answer. End of play. This is 2010, and unless someone is a crazy, Westboro Baptist style, fundamentalist, most people of faith learn how to live lives of faith in manner harmonious with a mostly secular society.

And Luke, the central character of NEXT FALL, seems to fall in the more reasonable, latter, category. So his atheist boyfriend's 4 year long inability to understand his boyfriend's faith never seemed convincing to me. Most of the theology of the first act consisted of Adam being unable to comprehend the Christian idea that accepting Jesus into your heart, and not good deeds, is the secret of getting into Heaven--that Matthew Shepard would go to hell (if he did not have Jesus in his heart), but his killers could repent and go to heaven. I agree, that is some major bullshit--if you believe in the Christian notion of a heaven and hell in the first place. If Luke's thoughts about the afterlife affected his behavior towards those outside of his faith, I would buy that as an issue. But it doesn't. Luke, in fact, never brings it up unless goaded by Adam, whose arguments are awfully sophomoric for the educated 40+ year old writer/teacher we're supposed to believe he is.

In the second act this "conflict" begins to show some signs of relevance as issues such as Luke's inner conflict with being gay and Christian, or Luke's inability of offer any solace in a time of loss that is not tinged in his faith are put on the table. These issues affect behavior and are thus at least dramatically credible, but only lightly touched upon.

What made these dogmatic issues most frustrating to me was the fact that I think NEXT FALL is an otherwise excellent play--well paced, funny, and surprising with characters I genuinely cared for. The execution was also top drawer--well directed, well designed, slick and professional and engaging throughout. As long as the characters were talking about something else--ANYTHING else, candles even--other than the heart of the play. I would, in fact, recommend you see it before it's inevitable closing. Even the annoying Jesus-talk scenes flow by rather painlessly, and if you aren't prone to talking or thinking about theater after seeing it, you might not even be annoyed by them.

Also, am I the only one who remembers The Torkelsons? Because the mom on that, Connie May, is fabulous as Luke's mom.

2010 Tony Nominations

2010-05-04T10:09:00.000-04:00

Okay Kids, here we go. This was a weird year for Broadway. WEIRD. Let's look at how everything is going down. As is "tradition" I will list the nominees, describe the "tizzy" (i.e. what the queens on ALL THAT CHAT are furious about), and make some preliminary guesses as to who will win.

Best Play

In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play Author: Sarah Ruhl

Next Fall Author: Geoffrey Nauffts

Red Author: John Logan

Time Stands Still Author: Donald Margulies

THE TIZZY: Superior Donuts, Race, and Enron were all shut out. The first was well received, but shuttered quickly, the 2^nd was not well received, but has done solid business and is still running, the 3^rd is reviled by many for its perceived anti-Americanism. I’m somewhat surprised to see Time Stands Still on the list, mostly because I forgot it happened, and sort of thought it was a revival even though it clearly wasn’t. Oh, and Martin McDonough’s first direct-to-Broadway play, A Behanding in Spokane, was snubbed.

WHO WILL WIN: It’s between Red and Next Fall. Next Fall is a “New American Play” and that alone could get it the win, as could the orgasmic reviews it got. However, people I know who saw it HATED it, and Red is probably the better work. And, as Reasons to be Pretty can attest, Tony voters never actually vote American because everyone assumes only British people can make plays. Unless it’s Enron.

Best Musical

American Idiot

Fela!

Memphis

Million Dollar Quartet

THE TIZZY: Come Fly Away is not on the list, Million Dollar Quartet is. Some probably thought Everyday Rapture would make it on the list, but I was dubious. In general, Off-Broadway was the place for musical theater this year, and this is a sad lot of nominees with Memphis, which I simply did not enjoy, being the only musical in which a couple of writers sat down, created characters and a story, and then wrote songs for them to sing.

WHO WILL WIN: I’m pretty sure it’s going to be American Idiot, even if no one is really all that excited about it, and Mayer was snubbed in the director category. Fela! has it’s supporters, but most people thought it was--though stunning--confusing, long, and ultimately boring. But what it has going for it—amazing choreography and a unique “experience”—could be enough in this dud of a season. Million Dollar Quartet is a crowd pleaser, but not a serious contender. Memphis could actually take home top honors, simply by virtue of its pure intentions, and because it’s been running since the fall and building some kind of an audience for itself.

Best Book of a Musical

Everyday Rapture Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott

Fela! Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones

Memphis Joe DiPietro

Million Dollar Quartet Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

THE TIZZY: Adams Family, the only new book musical of the season was not nominated. Probably because of that “everyone hates it” thing. But you’d be hard pressed to show me what kind of book Fela! has. Basically, there’s Memphis and filler. And, as I said before, I didn’t like Memphis.

WHO WILL WIN: It kinda has to be Memphis, doesn’t it. Though a win for Everyday Rapture is not out of the question, because everyone loves Sherie.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

The Addams Family Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa

Enron Music: Adam Cork, Lyrics: Lucy Prebble

Fences Music: Branford Marsalis

Memphis Music: David Bryan, Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan

THE TIZZY: 2 plays are nominated in this category, because Broadway musicals sucked so hard this season.

WHO WILL WIN: Memphis, again, for showing up.

Best Revival of a Play

Fences

Lend Me a Tenor

The Royal Family

A View from the Bridge

THE TIZZY: That Jude Law Hamlet was overlooked, but, for the most part, these are the revivals people were talking about. Well, these and Brighton Beach Memoirs, which was ineligible because of its short run, but deserved to win.

WHO WILL WIN: A View from the Bridge or Fences.

Best Revival of a Musical

Finian's Rainbow

La Cage aux Folles

A Little Night Music

Ragtime

THE TIZZY: Promises, Promises was snubbed in favor of the Ragtime revival (which I loved, but many thought was a week regional production).

WHO WILL WIN: La Cage. It was fresh, felt contemporary, and elevated the source material. It is what a revival should be.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jude Law Hamlet

Alfred Molina Red

Liev Schreiber A View from the Bridge

Christopher Walken A Behanding in Spokane

Denzel Washington Fences

THE TIZZY: All of these nominees are already-famous movie stars. And I’m sure they all deserve their nominations, but it’s not really celebrating and honoring the theater community—I expect this same bunch to be in competition for an Oscar somewhere down the line.

WHO WILL WIN: It’s probably between Liev and Denzel. Alfred Molina will win.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Viola Davis Fences

Valerie Harper Looped

Linda Lavin Collected Stories

Laura Linney Time Stands Still

Jan Maxwell The Royal Family

THE TIZZY: So…there are apparently no roles for women this year, with Linney getting nominated more or less by default (and for being famous). At first I thought Tovah Feldshuh was snubbed, then I realized she wasn’t in anything this season.

WHO WILL WIN: Jan Maxwell. At least, she should. Otherwise, she’ll keep getting nominated for everything she’s in until she does. It’s called the Susan Sarandon factor. Remember when she was nominated for The Client? But Maxwell could win in featured, in which case, Lavin will win.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Kelsey Grammer La Cage aux Folles

Sean Hayes Promises, Promises

Douglas Hodge La Cage aux Folles

Chad Kimball Memphis

Sahr Ngaujah Fela!

THE TIZZY: Kelsey Grammer couldn’t really sing the role when I saw it (though I imagine anyone would sound flat singing “Look Over There”). John Gallagher Jr. was snubbed. As was the guy in A Little Night Music.

WHO WILL WIN: It’s between Hodge—who was fantastic in La Cage—and Ngaujah. If I had a vote, I would go with Hodge, but I think Ngaujah could walk away with it. Only catch—he only does about half the shows a week. Many Tony voters probably saw the understudy and doubtfully want to sit through the show again.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Kate Baldwin Finian's Rainbow

Sherie Rene Scott Everyday Rapture

Montego Glover Memphis

Christiane Noll Ragtime

Catherine Zeta-Jones A Little Night Music

THE TIZZY: Christiane Noll was nominted. Kristen Chenoweth was not.

WHO WILL WIN: Sherie. Not only is she wonderful and he show poignant and honest, but she basically threw it on Broadway in 2 weeks after Megan Mullaly pulled out of Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Kate Baldwin was the darling of the fall, and might win if Tony voters want to reward her for, you know, acting, which Sherie doesn’t exactly do, as she is playing herself.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

David Alan Grier Race

Stephen McKinley Henderson Fences

Jon Michael Hill Superior Donuts

Stephen Kunken Enron

Eddie Redmayne Red

THE TIZZY: Maybe someone expected Tony Shaloub to get a nomination for Lend Me a Tenor? And no one from Next Fall was nominated. Otherwise, this category looks like a dumping ground for token nominations for otherwise overlooked plays.

WHO WILL WIN: The guy from Red won shit in London, but doesn’t this award always have to go to someone in a revival of an August Wilson play?

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Maria Dizzia In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play

Rosemary Harris The Royal Family

Jessica Hecht A View from the Bridge

Scarlett Johansson A View from the Bridge

Jan Maxwell Lend Me a Tenor

THE TIZZY: Um, Maria Dizzia? She was good, don’t get me wrong, but to be the only recognized performance from that show…that seems odd. Also, this is randomly the most fiercely competitive category of the season.

WHO WILL WIN: Jessica Hecht. Unless Jan Maxwell wins this instead of Leading Actress. Really, she should win both.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Kevin Chamberlin The Addams Family

Robin De Jesús La Cage aux Folles

Christopher Fitzgerald Finian's Rainbow

Levi Kreis Million Dollar Quartet

Bobby Steggert Ragtime

THE TIZZY: Actually, this seems about right. Maybe someone expected Euan Morton to get nominated, but I did not.

WHO WILL WIN: I personally think it should be Christopher Fitzgerald, but I actually think it will be Bobby Steggert.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Barbara Cook Sondheim on Sondheim

Katie Finneran Promises, Promises

Angela Lansbury A Little Night Music

Karine Plantadit Come Fly Away

Lillias White Fela!

THE TIZZY: Old lady catfight!

WHO WILL WIN: Angela should have the edge, because she is acting and Babs is just singing songs we’ve heard her sing before. But Angie won last year, and Babs hasn’t been up for nomination since She Loves Me or something. But Katie Finneran could walk away with the award, like the originator of her role, for providing some merciful humor in Promises, Promises.

Best Direction of a Play

Michael Grandage Red

Sheryl Kaller Next Fall

Kenny Leon Fences

Gregory Mosher A View from the Bridge

THE TIZZY: I actually don’t think there are any major upsets here. Well, perhaps people thought Rupert Good would get a nom for Enron.

Best Direction of a Musical

Christopher Ashley Memphis

Marcia Milgrom Dodge Ragtime

Terry Johnson La Cage aux Folles

Bill T. Jones Fela!

THE TIZZY: Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s nomination is probably getting a lot of WTFs. Also, Michael Mayer—who is, ostensibly the only reason American Idiot is a show in the first place—was overlooked, which actually does not bode well for its chances of winning.

WHO WILL WIN: Terry Johnson.

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford Promises, Promises

Bill T. Jones Fela!

Lynne Page La Cage aux Folles

Twyla Tharp Come Fly Away

THE TIZZY: Oh, that’s where Promises, Promises and Come Fly Away has been hiding.

WHO WILL WIN: Bill T Jones. I mean, he has to.

Best Orchestrations

Jason Carr La Cage aux Folles

Aaron Johnson Fela!

Jonathan Tunick Promises, Promises

Daryl Waters & David Bryan Memphis

Below are the rest of the nominations, which I will not comment on. I will say that I am so excited for The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, where I had the pleasure of working the past 2 summers, and its well deserved Tony Award for Best Regional Theater.

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Beatty The Royal Family

Alexander Dodge Present Laughter

Santo Loquasto Fences

Christopher Oram Red

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici Fela!

Christine Jones American Idiot

Derek McLane Ragtime

Tim Shortall La Cage aux Folles

Best Costume Design of a Play

Martin Pakledinaz Lend Me a Tenor

Constanza Romero Fences

David Zinn In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play

Catherine Zuber The Royal Family

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici Fela!

Santo Loquasto Ragtime

Paul Tazewell Memphis

Matthew Wright La Cage aux Folles

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin Hamlet

Neil Austin Red

Mark Henderson Enron

Brian MacDevitt Fences

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams American Idiot

Donald Holder Ragtime

Nick Richings La Cage aux Folles

Robert Wierzel Fela!

Best Sound Design of a Play

Acme Sound Partners Fences

Adam Cork Enron

Adam Cork Red

Scott Lehrer A View from the Bridge

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans La Cage aux Folles

Robert Kaplowitz Fela!

Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen A Little Night Music

Dan Moses Schreier Sondheim on Sondheim

Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Alan Ayckbourn

Marian Seldes

Regional Theatre Tony Award®

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut

Isabelle Stevenson Award

David Hyde Pierce

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York

B.H. Barry

Tom Viola

When you wake up an hour before the Tony Nominations are announced...

2010-05-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

...you know you aren't going back to sleep--what if you sleep THROUGH the Tony Nominations? So you turn to Facebook, and see that your friend posted a video from a concert she sang in, and you obsess and share it with your "readership".

The concert was an evening of songs by Sam Carner and Derek Gregor.

Here is Sarah Corey singing "Shoulders Down", which is, I beleive, from Carner/Gregor's review, SING BUT DON'T TELL

And here is Sarah Corey and Jennifer Blood singing "Grown Up Now", which I presume to be from the same song cycle.

and now I only have 36 minutes to kill...

You Don't Need a Reason for Audra

2010-05-01T12:09:00.000-04:00

A great arrangement. And, you know, the Audra thing.

It's May

2010-05-01T12:03:00.000-04:00

Time for some clips from Amateur Productions of CAMELOT!

"The Scarborough Theatre Guild" Production. Lisa Kulchycki sings it well, and I kinda dig the set. Skip ahead to about 1m12s for the actual song.

The chorus on this one sounds good, and there's a lot of them. Which means there's a lot of bored people sitting backstage for 2.5 hours.

And Marin Mazzie from the (mostly unwatchable) Philharmonic concert

In the Heights/Some End of Season Thoughts

2010-04-25T15:35:00.001-04:00

It's been nearly 2 seasons since IN THE HEIGHTS more or less swept the Tony Awards. Though Michael Reidel may kvetch, I have listened to the HEIGHTS recording with great regularity from the moment I got home from seeing it. Though its detractors say the book is hoakey and old-fashioned, as a friend of my succently put it, "I have no complaints." Was I able to predict the outcome of most story lines? Sure--but rare is the musical that actually suprises me, and character is usually more compelling than story anyway. And that score. That score. I'm sorry, after a character gets an introductory song like this, I care what happens to her--even if the same problem might not seem as big a deal to me. Honestly, if, after this song, I heard that Nina's big conflict was lactose intolerance, I would still be on board for the ride. Here is a great video of Mandy Gonzalez singing "Breathe". I can't imagine this will stay up for long, so grab it whilst you can.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you end Act I. (The first 5m57s aren't entirely necessary in this context)

As we approach Tony Nomination time, I look at these and find this season completely lacking. Only 2 shows (MEMPHIS and ADAMS FAMILY) have scores written explicitly for the stage (I hesitate to call MEMPHIS "original"; I have not heard ADAMS), and many of the others barely have books worth mentioning. In my mind, BLOODSONG OF LOVE, currently scheduled to play at Ars Nova until May 9th, is not only the best new musical of the theatrical season, it's the ONLY new musical of the theatrical season.

I Loves Me...

2010-04-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

...a vocal arrangement for chorus that features a (mostly) a capella breakdown (at 2m17s). Thought what is it about (mostly) a capella breakdowns that seems to mandate the company stand in a straight line downstage? Eh bien, I have nothing to complain about here.

That special something

2010-04-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

"Schadenfraude", aside from being a delightful number from Avenue Q, is a word that falls into a distict linguistic category of "untranslatables"--words that exist in one language which have no analogue in another. I wish there were a untranslatable meaning "that unique and special joy and sense of discovery upon watching a truly exciting NEW musical." It is difficult to define this word beyond that rudimentary definition, other than to say it falls under the category of "you know it when you see it". In recent memory, this would would, in my case, apply to my viewings of PASSING STRANGE, IN THE HEIGHTS and NEXT TO NORMAL. And now I can whole-heartedly add BLOODSONG OF LOVE to the list.

This engaging and entertaining work boasts book, music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, an emerging music theater writer who, with this show, seems pretty damned emerged to me. The show was a total package: tuneful, funny, smart and, by its last quarter, genuinely moving.

One of this conditions of this "special something" for me is that my affection for this show often supersedes my ability--or desire--to identify said shows faults. So while I will not assert that BLOODSONG is flawless, I have no interest in seeking out or discussing its flaws. I'd rather focus on planning a second visit.

For more information about BLOODSONG OF LOVE, go here http://arsnovanyc.com/bloodsong.html

DISCLAIMER: After a lot of thought I decided that I don't really want to write reviews any more. However, as a member of the ITBA, I get free tickets to shit all the time, and thus feel obligated to write about it. But, starting with this, those shows I do cover will probably be much more anecdotal or, like this piece, using a show as a jumping off point for a slightly larger conversation. So a lot of the details (like names of actors or whatever) typically obligatory in a review may not be present here. Partially because I'm lazy, but mostly because I work in the theater, often with these people, and don't necessarily want to be putting stuff out there--even if it is complimentary--that they will stumble upon if they're googling themselves. I will try and include a link to this pertinant information. If I don't, that is just the laziness talking.

Happy Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T11:37:00.000-04:00

A clip from the under-appreciated--or at least, overlooked--film version of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. I think Norman Jewison does a fantastic job of nailing the tone of this piece, and its implicit dichotomy of traditional biblical imagery and 20th Century rock idolatry. There's a certain understated grace here--same as in the FIDDLER movie. Definitely taking from the Robert Wise school of movie-musical realism. I wish Jewison were charged with other stage-to-screen adaptations

If this above clip doesn't do it for you, I urge you to compare to the late '90s tv version. The symbolism--and singing--is really quite forced. Every syllable of every lyric is performed so emphatically (because it's "serious" I suppose), as if doing so makes it "deep". But the heavy hand only serves to make the material look flimsy. Telegraph that it's deep, and you'll only dissappoint. Undercut it, and audience members can find depth they don't necessarily expect.

Judy Garland - Almost Like Being In Love / This Can't Be Love

2010-03-24T10:15:00.000-04:00

I've been hearing this song 6 times a week since mid-February. It's on her Carnegie Hall record, among other things. Every night it's like I'm hearing it for the first time--truly a remarkable arrangement/performance. I particularly admire her consistency--despite a near flub-up latei n the number her rendition here, on her ill-fated television show, is near identical to her famed Carnegie recording.

Also, because it linked to the above, here's Judy and Liza singing "Two Lost Souls" from DAMN YANKEES.

Aside from being convenient, I posted the above because I've been seeing some more rumblings about that Jim Carrey/Jake Gyllen-not-dating-Reese-Witherspoon movie version of YANKEES. It's sounding more and more like a hot mess. "They" (meaning the producers or whatnot) want to "address steroids use in baseball" with this remake. I mean, seriously? (a) Why is sterioids use really an issue that needs to be addressed in the media at all? (b) This is DAMN fucking YANKEES!

Christine Baranski is Mame

2010-03-13T03:55:00.000-05:00

'Tis apparently the season for finding Christines singing "My Best Girl". This surprisingly effective--or, at least effectively sung--rendition is from that Kennedy Center production starring Christine Baranski which did NOT make it to Broadway, despite persistent rumors that it would.

I still want Bette Midler.

Joan Diener is CRAZY

2010-03-11T01:34:00.000-05:00

"Aldonza" from MAN OF LA MANCHA is always a bit much, if you ask me. Easily the most melodramatic lyric ever. Makes anything in CARRIE plausible at conception. And anything is a bit much if you ask Joan Diener to sing it. But on the original cast recording, her reckless chestheadmix soprano is bizzare, wonderful and thrilling.

Now take this performance, add some years of this becoming a signature role in a major hit, then translate it into French, courtesy of Jaques Brel. And sing. it. slooooowly. Like, seriously, add almost 60 seconds to the same number of musical bars. And you get this. It is grotesque. There is nothing more I can say.

Christine Ebrsole in something

2010-03-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

If I were to make a list of my favorite things it would include, to be sure:
Christine Ebersole
Mame
Reruns of the Rosie O'Donnell Show

And the gods heard her prayers...Christine Ebersole on The Rosie O'Donnell Show promoting MAME at Papermill. (I'd love to see the planning meeting for that one. "Rosie, it's for a regional theater production in Jersey." "It's an excuse to have Christine Ebersole sing with a cute kid." "Does Tuesday work?")

The singing starts at 4m45s, after a lengthy and not particularly eventful story about Chrstine trying to make a flight. I always wonder how these interviews work--clearly she knew she and Rosie knew this story was coming. I suppose they knew they had to talk about something else besides regional theater in Jersey.

Mame's dress is fabulous, though was that the one she actually wore at that point in the show? As Cherry Jones would say, "I have so many doubts."

Young Patrick is played by the always delightful Paul Iacono, who I worked with on DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS and was in the new FAME film.

Anyone willing to make an argument for Ms. Ebersole as a new Broadway MAME will find audience with me (though my current dream casting has Bette Midler as MAME, Mary Testa as Vera and K Chen as Gooch).

Cake, or It Takes a Village

2010-02-15T21:42:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize until recently that I know a lot of people who know a lot about cake. But when it became clear that the 30 frosted cakes the run of Transport Group's BOYS IN THE BAND requires would be my problem, I began to assemble my small army of cake experts. A list of everyone who has been involved (I'm writing this on my blackberry during the show, so no links or images):

1) Katya Schapiro-baker and blogger. She answered my first panicked email on this subject with via gchat and made me realize that it IS possible to make 30 cakes, that you can reeze them before icing, and that some icings don't require refrigeration.

2) Peiyi Wong-set designer (asst on BOYS), roommate and former cookie lady assistant. She talked me through some practicalities and contacted her former boss (the aforementioned cookie lady) who lent me 4 cake pans (which Peiyi picked up). Also offered advice throughout this process.

3) The cookie lady-lady who makes cookies. See above.

4) Ali Marts-former college roommate, actress turned pastry chef, life saver. Ali made 18 cake rounds on a super tight budget (this is a non-profit we're dealing with). She also gave me a lesson in cake icing (as I have to ice the cakes at the space for every show).

5) Wendy Patten-BOYS PSM (I am the SM). Picked up 15 jars of icing from a Stop N Shop in White Plains. Will buy "nice cake" for gala opening

6) Susan Horowitz-Teacher. Help carry still warm plates to Ali's car today so I could get home in time to come to the theater for today's rehearsal/performance.

How it works: each night we use 1/2 a cake. During the 2nd act I frost the next day's cake as the current days cake is being consumed. The cake I frost during the show is comprised of the un-used half cake from the previous performance plus a frozen cake half. It. Has white vanilla frosting with green trim. Starting Wed it will also say "Happy Birthday" (or possibly even "Happy Birthday Harold").

Visit http://www.TransportGroup.org for ticket info so you can see these cakes (and the fabulous play around it).

Best Night Ever

2010-02-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

As a member of the ITBA, I frequently get comp offers to varied theatrical events. I've seen shows like Fela!, Avenue Q and Oleanna, and been invited to much, much more. However, nothing has (or likely ever will) top the sheer delight and euphoria that resulted from seeing Betty Buckley at Feinstein's.

First off, I had never been to Feinstein's before. It's a place for bitches far classier--and 10-50 years older--than I, who can afford $99 prixe fixes that include a glass of Michael Feinstein's own brand of wine. This is the type of place where the hostess says "Right this way, Mr. Butchko" before leading me to an amazingly comfortable rounded corner booth with the perfect view of the "stage". I was almost afraid the night was going to peak before it started. But no amount of hyperbole could really prepare me for what was to come.

It was definitely an cabaret evening. That word, "cabaret", typically fills me with the same sort of unease that words like "song cycle" or "webisode" yield--I think of lugubrious, breathy, piano-heavy arrangements of songs that sound just fine they way they are "intended" to sound. Ms. Buckley's set was indeed lugubrious, breathy and piano-heavy (though an excellent bassist and versatile percussion/reed player did wonders), but it was also absolutely thrilling. Ms. Buckley is an excellent actress and was able to imbue each number with enough meaning to justify the decadent arrangements, so even though each song got a similar Buckley-treatment (small voiced/almost sing-speak versus that blossom into a strong if vulnerable belt), each song also felt like a new journey.

"Spoiler Alerts" about her song set to follow. I so enjoyed being surprised that if you have even a faint inkling to go, I would skip this paragraph until you (a) see the show or it (b) closes. She started off with a Rogers and Hart medley which included "I Could Write a Book", "This Can't Be Love" and a third song I cannot remember. Nice and breezy, along the lines of what I expected. She then sang a pairing of "We Kiss in a Shadow" and "I Have Dreamed". The pairing and arrangement was quite inspired--both songs have never quite sustained my interested before, but in tandem (with the boring parts of each song jettisoned), it was lush and moving with Buckley's interpretation far more nuanced than I thought possible. Then came the number that almost made me fall out of my seat: "Fine, Fine Line" from Avenue Q. The song is such a lesson in catharsis in the first place. Add to that Buckley's initial hesitation in hitting the high note in the "I don't think you even KNOW what you're looking for" section of the bridge, coupled with her triumphant belt by the end of the song. I died. What followed included a cute novelty number called "When I Belt", a sultry "Lazy Afternoon", a stirring and superbly acted Jacques Brel number (I think it was "Ne me quitte pas"...but it was in English), "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", and a charming "You've Got Possibility", in addition to a few others I cannot recall. The second time my heart stopped was her closing number: "Home" from THE WIZ. Typically a riffing playground, it was nice to hear the melody stand up to the more subtle, but no less impassioned arrangement and performance Buckley performed. For her encore, she sang "Memory", the song we knew she couldn't NOT sing. It was as if I heard the song for the first time and was as much as my gay heart could possibly handle--if she had segued into "14 Dwight Ave, Natick Massachusetts", I literally would have gone into cardiac arrest.

I feel I should also give special mention to the exquisite sound system and their fantastic compact LED lights which highlighted Ms. Buckley's beauty while practically disappearing into the ceiling. I want them in my living room (you know, for parties or times I want to do a really thorough PRETTYBELLE sing-a-long).

I had such a grand time that I was once again inspired to become disgustingly rich (or to date someone who is). If you currently find yourself in such a position, then get thee to Feinstein's pronto! Otherwise, envy me.

My New Favorite Thing

2010-01-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

Dropbox is the best thing the internet has provided for me in a long time. It's devilishly simple: Register for an account and download the program to every computer you frequently use--at home, work, etc. It creates a "My Dropbox" folder. Store all the documents you frequently need to access and update in that folder. BAM! You have the SAME up to date file on every computer you use, automatically updated whever you have the program downloaded. You can also access the files at any other computer via the interwebz. Even better, you can SHARE ENTIRE FOLDERS. 3 people working on a spreadsheet, share the folder and any time 1 of you updates it, EVERYONE has the updated version. It's like google docs, only with real documents. It has changed my life (for the better). Click on this link and get started.

Homework: Guilty Pleasure

2010-01-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

One of my long-time guilty pleasures has been HEARTBEATS, a sort of jukebox musical of Amanda "The Rose" McBroom's cabaret songs (plus a few presumably written for the show). The thin story focuses on a woman turning 40 and wondering what went wrong with her marriage. For some reason, the show and its 90s lite pop score really resonated with me when I was in the 7th grade. I got the cast recording. The L.A. cast recording. I don't know how one got the L.A. cast recording of HEARTBEATS 40 minutes west of Cleveland in 1996, but by gum, I found a way.

My favorite song had always been "Putting Things Away", a song which finds parallels in putting away groceries and dreams. The lyric is a bit on the nose and the music cheesey, but I love this song:

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

In trying to find some mention of it on the internet, I found this most peculiar item--an assignment for an ESL class at the National Taiwan University. Most of the assignment is about identifying the many household items and activities mentioned in the song--it really is a esl vocab paradise. But the last study question--"What explanation in the second part of the song does the singer give for not liking to put things away? How do the last things she says in the song affect the interpretation of the rest of the song?"--would actually be difficult for me to answer. How DOES the end of the song affect your interpretation of the beginning. Because you don't want to play the ending of the song, but yet...and I remember why I got out of performing.

One last tidbit: whilst at amazon looking for a jpeg of the cast recording I found this review I wrote while a Jr. in High School (I wrote a lot of amazon reviews back then).

Late Night Nonsense

2010-01-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

I don't have a whole lot to weigh in on the current situation going on with respect to NBC's late night programming, other than to say, in my opinion, the ball was dropped in the mid-90s, when Jay Leno took over The Tonight Show instead of Letterman. Fact: David Letterman is far funnier than Jay Leno. I suppose there is something simple and non-threatening about Leno that appeases "those people" in America (the same "those people" who are afraid of Thai food and homosexuals and fans of Sarah Palin). But as these past seven months have proven, "those people" have happily accepted Letterman as their late night leader. Though Leno was the habitual "winner" in the ratings throughout his "competition" against Letterman, it was a competition NBC made for themselves by not giving Letterman the show in the first place. I sincerely doubt Leno would have had the chutzpah to move to CBS (or any other network) against Letterman had Letterman been crowned Carson's successor, and NBC would have continued its unrestricted dominion over late night TV. As it stands, NBC may have very well killed the Tonight Show, leaving Letterman the lone player on the field. Watch the following clip and show me a Leno clip that is even remotely as funny. It's a dare.

Norbert Leo Butz

2010-01-09T09:29:00.001-05:00

If you aren't obsessed with Norbert Leo Butz, you either hate musicals or don't have ears.

An audio only of him singing One Song Glory in '98. I believe he was the 1st Roger replacement. The recording is okay...aside from a few moments of technical difficulty. Norbert is perfection.

Here he playing Mark to Adam Pascall's Roger (I guess Norbert was a swing as well). Why was this recorded in the first place? Thank god RENT inspired the rabid fandom it did, prompting fans to record and collect live performances. I'm curious as to what else exists out there...

Here he is in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDREL (the show for which he won a Tony). I really enjoyed this show--a legitimately funny musical comedy is a hard thing to pull off.

in Cabaret

Here he is in LAST 5 YEARS. I chose this particular one because he is shirtless. But pretty much all of the original production can be found here.

As Fieryo in WICKED. He basically outsings Idina here. He was an interesting short for the romantic lead--i mean, he's shorter than Elphaba--but probably the smartest decision WICKED made.

South Pacific and Avatar: When is it okay to look away?

2010-01-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

I don't think many people seen an inherent link between SOUTH PACIFIC and AVATAR. But, at least for me, there are a few similiarties: I saw both at Lincoln Center in the first week of 2010, both are over 2.5 hours, both deal with warfare in tropical locales and troubled relations with "natives", but are absolutely stunning, stunning enough to negate some substantial flaws.

When I say South Pacific is flawed, I do not mean to dismiss its substantial merit. The score is gorgeous, tuneful, and memorable. The characters are unlike any others in the music theater cannon, and the situations it deals likewise break any sort of mold that has existed before or since. But things get confusing when the 2nd act becomes a bunch of guys in khaki barking and listening to the radio, someone gets MALARIA, but that turns out not to be so big a deal and he goes on a top secret mission (which, for some reason, requires the aid of a random French plantation owner). The mission itself--as well as its consequences--is vague and confusing. Oh, and that malaria victim falls in love (even though he has a girlfriend) with a local girl just because she's hot. But she is so hot that he realizes he's racist for not wanting to marry her, even though there are many legitimate reasons not to marry her, like his girlfriend lack of knowledge about anything north of her lady parts. And I'm not even going to start on the first scene ending with our heroine saying (forgive me for paraphrasing) "You tell me you've killed a man, but yet I can tell that it's okay."

With the amateur productions I've seen, these dramaturgical quibbles were enough to seriously taint the experience, but the production at Lincoln center was so stunningly designed, acted and sung that most of the more bizarre elements of the book didn't reveal themselves until I allowed myself the think about them afterwards. Even those tedious "listen to the exciting stuff happen off stage" scenes were styling enough to hold my interest.

Despite it's flaws, SOUTH PACIFIC is still unquestionably a masterpiece, deserving of it's Pulitzer prize. The Lincoln Center production merely shook the cobwebs off and gave it what I can imagine to be an emotional punch similar to what audiences felt in the 1940s. AVATAR is a remarkable technical achievement, manipulative and predictable. It is, in fact, exactly the sort of movie I have spent 26 years avoiding. But it was visually stunning, even moving at times, with many unforgettable moments. In short, it was "worth it".

So at what point is it okay to ignore flaws and relish in the abundant resources of a production? Is it somehow "cheating" or "quitting" to allow a movie like AVATAR wow us with razzle dazzle, even if it was somewhat (though not entirely) lacking in substance? Another example: I loved FINNIAN'S RAINBOW. A friend of mine hated it. He loved the score, but couldn't get over the lack of conflict in the book, or the underdeveloped characters, or the hastily created romance. I, for one, didn't care how hasty the romance was, since it created an excuse for me to hear the delightful "If This Isn't Love". Sure, the character development was fairly crude compared to that of, say, A CATERED AFFAIR, but the richness and joy in FINNIAN'S score made it the more satisfying evening. And really, most everything can be picked apart if held up to close enough scrutiny; the whole is almost always greater than the sum of its parts. It's a fine fine line indeed.

Whatever Happened to Her?

2010-01-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

Martine McCutcheon is probably best known on this side of the pawn for her role as Hugh Grant (as England's Prime Minister)'s secretary in LOVE ACTUALLY (the cutest movie ever made). But she had previously had considerable success as a television actress, pop singer, and won a slew of awards as Eliza Doolittle in Trevor Nunn's acclaimed MY FAIR LADY. The wikipedia article on her indicates she's something of a hot mess with her most recent work being in the public appearance/spokesperson realm, but the her surpsingly satisfying rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" (even if the last phrase is not quite thrilling enough) indicates that a return to the musical theater stage (were that she were Charlotte in the Night Music revival!) is necessary.

What to expect when you're expecting NINE

2009-12-15T15:21:00.000-05:00

If the powers that be in the 1980s thought that NINE differed enough from its source material, 8 1/2, that 6 months was added to the title. Well, perhaps, if there hadn't been that Mickey Rourke/Kim Basinger movie, Rob Marshall's adaptation of the Tony award winning musical might have considered a further update: 9 1/2. I'm not going to go into a full fledged review, as that is ultimately something I don't really feel comfortable doing (though I have and will probably continue to do even as I complete this post), but I do want to point out the ways in which the film is so very different from it's stage predecessor. This means "spoilers" will follow.

1) The "concept". Part of what made the stage NINE (hereafter "S9") successful was its highly theatrical concept. Guido on a white tile stage on which sat all the women in Contini's life, commenting--if only with their continued presence--on the proceedings. Additionally, everyone onstage, aside from Guido and little boys, was played by a woman. The movie takes a more naturalist approach, with men appearing in various roles and the women only appearing when they are actually in scenes (though sometimes they appear as realizations of Guido's imagination). The musical numbers happen mostly in Guido's mind--often in justoposition to a "real life" scene--on the set of what is supposed to be his next movie, which is apparently Rob Marshall's CHICAGO. (No wonder Guido is confused.) But, snarkiness aside, I generally understood Guido's desire to envision his women's problems in a particularly glamorous and sexy way, even if the specifics of the device were a little fuzzy. And despite a certain conceptual unclarity, the numbers are all gorgeously shot and contain the right emotional impulse and pay-off.

2) The score. A lot is missing, including the title song, "Grand Canal", "Be On Your Own", "Only With You", "Simple", "Growing Tall", and one of my favorite songs of ALL TIME "The Bells of Saint Sebastian". We did get 3 new songs, including a useless (if somewhat entertaining) go-go dance number for Kate Hudson and a bunch of sexy boys in skinny ties, a simple and pleasant song about dreams for Sophia Loren (in lieu of the title song) and a Kander-Ebb knock-off for Marion Cotillard (in lieu of "Be On Your Own"). The Cotillard number was the most interesting change for me. Perhaps they didn't want Luisa--Guido's long suffering wife--to be saddled with 2 weepy ballads. Her new song is a raunchy strip tease that is played against a more reserved book scene. The combination is effective if the song itself is forgettable and the staging particularly reminiscent of CABARET. There is also a lot of incidental music (assorted lounge singers and the like) throughout. I'm not sure if Yeston wrote that as well, but it left little-to-no impression either way.

3) The Performances. Daniel Day Lewis is nothing short of incredible. His inhabitation of Guido Contini is so thorough and complete that one hardly notices how thinly developed the stories of his respective women are--no matter how little time we the audience spend with his many loves, their effect on Contini is so clear and precise in Lewis' performance that we fill in whatever dramaturgical gaps were left behind. Marion Cotillard makes the strongest impression of the women. Partially because her arch was the most developed, but mostly because she's a damn good actress and her "My Husband Makes Movies" was wonderful (and aided greatly by Marshall's treatment). Judi Dench as Lilliane LaFleur (Guido's agent in S9, but an Edith Head-esque costume designer here, a change which seemed unnecessary at first, but makes complete sense in context) also scores well with her particular blend of criticism and advice. And she makes fine use of "Follies Bergeres", a song I have never been all that fond of. Penelope Cruz is infectious as Carla--Guido's mistress--and makes a fine vamp in her "Call to the Vatican". Nicole Kidman's role was reduced to a scene on the film set followed by an adequate rendition of "Unusual Way", which is a beautiful song, but not too effective without any context or backstory to support it. Fergie sings "Be Italian" (another non-favorite of mine) magnificently, even if the number features the most loathsome musical-theater cliche--tamborines, blech--while officially making "sexy dancing on black, wooden, arch back chairs" the SECOND most loathsome musical-theater cliche. Every second Kate Hudson is on screen is useless. Not because she lacks talent, but because her character is not an asset to the story in any way. It's as if Serena van der Woodsen fell in a rabbit hole and ended in 1960s Italy...with gogo dancing boys in oft mentioned skinny ties.

4) Back to the title for a moment. The show is called NINE because adult Guido is constantly at a battle with childish impulses, behavior, and memories vs Grown-up responsibilities. In S9, little Guido talks Grown-Up Guido out of suicide (with the lovely "Growing Tall", perhaps the number I missed most from the film). Here the child is used much more sparringly. Though I think Marshall ultimately gets the point accross, it all seems a little underplayed to me, considering that little boy is basically the title role.

But squibbles and squabbles aside, NINE is a lush and decadent movie that is thankfully bringing public attention to a brilliant--if often overlooked--musical.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC thoughts

2009-12-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

Last night I saw the current Broadway revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (currently in previews). Those of you who have been reading regularly (both of you) may know that this production has been somewhat of a fixation for me, particularly with respect to casting and the mere existence of her majesty, Angela Lansbury. Overall, the production was beautiful--I found the set to be elegant and versitle, the costumes stylish and flattering and the lighting atmospheric and slick. From my vantage point in the top balcony, I also appreciated teh nuanced sound design, with the faintest of ambient noises being piped into different speakers.

The big question on everyone's (i.e. both of yours) minds is probably, "How is Catherine Zeta Jones"? I would consider her performance a success. She had an appropriate gravitas and landed most of her zingers squarely on target. If I felt she pushed a bit hard at times (singing "The Glamorous Life"'s slight melody like it was "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "Send in the Clowns" like it was "Memory"), she possesses and embodies all the requisite charm and glamour and will no doubt only continue to grow in the role.

Angie is, of course, delightful, though there was something off in "Liaisons". I don't know if it was an interpretive choice or an error (or a combination of the two), but the rest of her line readings were particularly devastating and hilarious.

Anne (Ramona Mallory) and Henrick (Hunter Ryan Herdlika)--both young unknowns--were quite delightful. They both had strong voices that handled the difficult and rangy music without grating, quirky and endearing personas, and legitimate chemistry onstage.

The casting of Aaron Lazar and Erin Davie as Count and Charlotte Malcolm had me scratching my head when it was announced--the Count is usually a more pompous/bombastic presence in the vein of Mark Kudish or, in another time, Robert Westenberg while Charlotte is a wry, one-liner machine--I trusted there was some concept or idea that justified the casting of the two young pretty people. It seems the couple is envisioned as a nouveau, status conscious couple--I was reminded of Pete Campbell and his calculating wife, Trudy, on MAD MEN. Lazar's Count seemed more naive and entitled than pompous, but it was a shift that worked for me. Vocally he was spot on, and he takes his shirt off in Act 2. No complaints. I've been a fan since I saw him in PIAZZA and am more than willing to renew my membership dues to his fan club. Davie surprised me with her depth and wit in act 1, and her "Every Day A Little Death" was perhaps the most musically satisfying renditions of the song I've heard. I was less convinced with her as the scheming seductress in Act 2, but perhaps she will settle in over time.

(Marry Me...a little)

My only complaint was that the production seemed awfully heavy. Many of the songs felt over-interperated to me, acting on some belief that if the lyric was slowed down and said with greater emphasis it would mean more. It's a choice, but I felt many songs--particularly all of the brief numbers for the ensemble--felt ponderous and at odds with the natural lilting momentum of the music. I felt, overall, that the evening could have somehow been more "wonderful" and "enchanting", but was nonetheless engaged throughout (each act flew by even though they both clocked in at more than an hour each).

YouTube Delights - Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, Diana Ross

2009-11-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Some non-sequitors. I stumbled upon this life clip of Judy and Young Liza at London's Palladium singing "Hello, Dolly", or, as the case may be, "Hello Liza, Hello Mamma". These are some talented dames. And as young and "fresh" as Liza is, she radiates that certain star quality.

In looking through the users other YouTube videos (hoping for more from this concert) I instead found this clip of Diana Ross singing "He Lives in You" (as in, the song from the Broadway LION KING). Apparently she recorded it in 1999. It's actually quite fabulous. and she does well by it.

Here is another, less opulant, performance of the name number by Ross. The more initmate presentation is better vocally, but not as much fun.

CARRIE Casting

2009-11-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

Ever since my friend Andrew gave me a bootleg recording of CARRIE I've been obsessed. (Remember that time I spent a morning watching different versions of "I'm Not Alone"?). So when those wacky producers Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum decided they were looking to dust it off and give it another chance, I was optimistic. True, I thought an Encores!, or perhaps a BC/EFA Benefit concert version would be most appropriate, but these guys really think they can make it work. So, why not let them try. The elements are there--a compelling "world of the play", and a score that is, for the most part, actually fantastic. The original production was an out of control mess, with director Terry Hands having little to no control/vision over what "the world of the play" should be. Stafford Arima is doing honors here. Many loved his stripped down, no-set RAGTIME at Papermill and the West End, but does he have to skills to find a balance in tone for CARRIE?

What DOES excite me is the cast announced today. Sutton Foster as the gym teacher? Might be a waste of Sutton, but I'll take her in anything. Marin Mazzie as the mother? Something about it doesn't add up, but it titillates me as well and could be quite fabulous. What has be most excited is Molly Ranson in the title role. She was in BURNT PART BOYS at NYS&F this summer and she. is. incredibly. talented. That she was cast gives me confidence that someone involved in this reading knows what they are doing. I really hope that person is Stafford Arima.

Talk Back/Talk Smack

2009-11-18T09:27:00.000-05:00

Michael Reidel's latest column discusses the announced closing of OLEANNA, stirring up conrtoversy saying Mamet's axing of post show talk backs (and his general refusal to assist in any publicity) is part of the show's downfall. The article fails to acknowledge the real issues at hand--a lazy production shipped in from LA with a director busy with another show down the street, two stars who weren't asked to do much more than be famous and pretty and learn their lines, and a dated script. I did sense, reading posts from bloggers who attended the talk-backs (when they still existed) that the post-show event did add some value. And I might have enjoyed hearing differing opinions from my own had I stayed. But, talk-backs or the lack thereof are not what did OLEANNA in, star-fucking did. Maybe it's true that you need boffo box office names above the marquee, but you need a good production on the boards.

-----

Speaking of Talk Backs, last night I was inviteded to attend 39 STEPS, which also featured a talk back (hosted by Bob Balaban). Again, I declined the invitation to stay, but I was curious as to what there was to talk about. The evening was clever and executed to perfection, but didn't leave me with anything to think--let alone speak aloud to a group of strangers--about. Its producers seem to by eyeing an Ave Q-esque move to New World Stages. The show could certainly work there, and if they can generate audience interest, all the more power to them. However, 39 STEPS didn't particularly ingratiate itself on me, and I have a hard time imagining myself rooting for its continued success that way I have (and do) with Q. Partially because Q is about my life (struggling in Brooklyn in your 20s), whereas STEPS isn't really about anything other than a love of old movies and quick-changes (both of which I do enjoy). But the house seemed full on a Tuesday night, and it is an "easy" show, one I could recommend to anyone without worrying it would be too weird or long or cheesey or in any way objectionable. And perhaps that is the key to its longevity: it really is a show for everyone. It just isn't a particularly insightful, moving or interesting show.

BARCELONA

2009-11-15T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is actually one of my favorite songs from COMPANY. Don't know why, but do I really need a reason to love a Sondheim song? I stumbled upon this on YouTube--Bernadette Peters and Richard Chamberlin performing the song from some sort of television special. I believe it was a 1979 special titled "Musical Comedy Tonight", though the IMDB page does not have much information on it. There was apparently a follow up program in 1982. This song is actually ideal for Peters. I had not known Chamberlin to be a singer, but he does a fine enough job. He would have made an interesting Bobby in his day. I am now intrigued to find out more about these programs, and if more clips exist on the interwebz.

Amazing

2009-11-15T11:07:00.000-05:00

How has this been on the internet since August without anyone mentioning it? Sean Patrick Doyle, who is apparently playing Fruma Sarah in the national tour of FIDDLER (which was starring the aged Topol, who is now out and replaced by Harvey Fierstein), sings "Wheels of a Dream" from RAGTIME. His imitation of Brian Stokes Mitchell is mostly adequate, but his imitation of Audra--and when do you ever hear imitations of Audra? Never.--is uncanny.

Here, Doyle sings "Can't Help Loving Dat Man of Mine" in true McDonald style.

And, because it falls under the general heading of "Amazing", a (shhh) bootleg of Audra from the original Broadway production singing "Your Daddy's Son". I would keepvid this shit before it gets taken down.

MAME thoughts

2009-11-10T18:04:00.000-05:00

I am basically obsessed with all things MAME, and have been ever since my mom directed AUNTIE MAME when I was in the 5th grade. (I did not play Patrick because I felt "too much pressure", but I WAS Partrick Dennis for Halloween this year, bugle and all.) I have read the book, seen both movies numerous times, and worked on a semi-staged concert version with Sandy Duncan, even though it meant spending another month living in a scary attic in Pittsfield, MA. Everyone wants a revival of it, but it seems no one wants to produce a revival of it. Perhaps it is because the writers are fiercely protective of it and basically want the original production again. Jerry Herman has even gone to far as to say he would insist on the original Onna White choreography. Of course, with a production looming and a skilled director at the helm, Herman may let go a little, but we'll never know. I don't think the libretto needs much revision at all, though I would get rid of Lindsey Woolsey (he is completely useless) put the Upson's anti-semitism from the play back in the musical (with Mame opening a home for Jewish refuges and not unwed mothers and the end), and restore the best--and most important--line of the play:

Patrick: There are a lot of things a girl like Gloria doesn't need to know about.
Mame: Should she know that I think you've turned into one of the most beastly, bourgeois babbitty snobs on the Eastern Sea-Board, or will you be able to make that quite clear without and help from me?

In the original novel, Mame's liberal free spirit was as political as it was fabulous and decadent. To me, the play AUNTIE MAME is actually quite similar to Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's other popular play, INHERIT THE WIND. Both center on the protagonists fight to protect and encourage the right to think, and both reflect the core of the national debate that has led to those outrageous town hall meetings or the inability to pass marriage equality laws. Nowadays, MAME is too often thought of as a musical about a woman who wears 30 years of fabulous fashion and drinks a lot, a family friendly ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. I would love to see someone like David Cromer mine the play with this in mind.

As for Onna White's choreography, it is truly excellent. I've often thought her work looked awkward in films like BYE BYE BIRDIE, THE MUSIC MAN and PETE'S DRAGON, but onstage it seems to make more sense. Below are two clips from the 1983 revival (which essentially remounted the original production). Note how cleanly she stages "It's Today", making it simultaneously a full company production number, and a quite naturalistic party. Also note her use of line and space in the elegant title number--and the way she uses the bodies of her chorus members. Though recreating this choreograhy around a new production would probably not work, I don't know of any choreographers today who have such a pure sense of dance and movement as metaphor combined with a musical comedy sensibility. Could Bill T Jones work with jazz squares?

What Happened at BRIGHTON BEACH?

2009-11-02T09:22:00.001-05:00

1 week after opening, producers have closed BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and cancelled the partner production of BROADWAY BOUND which was supposed to, eventually, run in rep with BRIGHTON BEACH. As members of the theatrical community and press, try and sort out "what happened?" I thought I'd throw my own 2 cents into the works.

1) Lest there be any doubt, it was a WONDERFUL production. Funny, well acted, and smart.

2) The play is mercilessly wholesome about it. As a jaded New Yorker it was a bit of a relief--like hot cider or a cookie--but I can see how many would not be intrigued by jokes about not wanting to eat liver, or wondering what boobs look like. And before I spontaneously bought a TDF ticket, I didn't feel particularly compelled to see it. But boy, am I glad I did.

3) The marketing seemed largely ineffectual. I only saw banner ads on playbill and, eventually, NYTimes.com. Whereas I see HAIR ads on every city bus. The artwork itself is particularly unexciting to me.

It seems to get too much leverage out of the name Neil Simon, which, in and of itself, isn't that exciting. Beyond that, you just have a couple of guys, one of whom is wearing knickers. When has a pair of knickers ever sold tickets?

4) Stars. There aren't any (really) in this production. Except Laurie Metcalf. She is very talented. She won 3 Emmy Awards for her work on ROSEANNE. And, aside from a brief Broadway stint in the completely forgotten NOVEMBER, she's been off the public radar since ROSEANNE went off the air.

Except for the fact that ROSEANNE hasn't been off the air. You can pretty much ALWAYS find an episode of ROSEANNE on if you're in the mood. There are two types of people in this world: People who refuse to watch ROSEANNE and people who realize that, at least in its early seasons, ROSEANNE was one of the best-written and acted sitcoms ever. Which is why it's on 47 times a day. So there is an audience out there for Laurie Metcalf. Why wasn't SHE exploited more? Where were the interviews in press and on television? Why is she totally missing from the print ads? To pave the way for knickers? Yes, the play is about the boys (who are basically little Neil Simons), but theater audiences want hot men or powerful women. When you lead is 15 years old, you might want to consider going for the latter.

5) As William Goldman said in his fabulous book about Broadway, THE SEASON (as well as his equally wonderful ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE): Nobody knows anything.

FELA!, Memphis. Memphis, FELA!

2009-10-30T16:58:00.000-04:00

FELA! and MEMPHIS are both New Musicals opening on Broadway this fall, I saw both of them for free, they both feature a lot of dancing, and they both deal with issues that fit under the broad "race" umbrella. Though they have more in common than, say, MISS SAIGON and WAITING FOR GODOT, I admit that I will ultimately be comparing an apple to an orange and remarking at the differences in color, texture and flavor.

MEMPHIS is a work of fiction that, nonetheless, tells a story everyone knows involving segregation, the South, music, and the 1960s. FELA!, thought not really a linear narrative of any kind, nonetheless tells a story that, thought based on fact, is most likely new to the majority of audience members about oppression in Nigeria in the late 1970s.

MEMPHIS, though about musicians, has an unremarkable and derivative score that frequently fails to evoke the very specific genres the libretto references. FELA! is basically a jukebox musical, but it uses a jokebox many are unfamiliar with, by a man known to be an innovative musician, and explains--if in borderline tedious details--what is different about this music. However, though the music in MEMPHIS is often bland, it is just as consistently energetic and engaging, whereas FELA!'s jam session of a score allows the audience to disengage.

In MEMPHIS dance is used throughout, mostly to lift the numbers from the story, rather than to enhance the dramatic content of the songs. In FELA! the dance IS the story. If MEMPHIS's dramaturgy is chrystilline clear and FELA!'s often confusing, the power and insight FELA!'s dancing adds to the proceedings is unparalleded. MEMPHIS's choreographer--the ubiquitous Sergrio Trullio--is Broadway dancer-turned choreographer, and his work is consistently adequate and professional, if pedestrian in its use of verical lines and grids of toothy grinned chorines. FELA!'s Bill T Jones comes from the dance world and is adapting his career-long habit of movement as meaning, body as form and structure to a more accessible Broadway framework.

The result of the differences between the craft in MEMPHIS and FELA! is perhaps most clear in each musical's respective moment of Extreme Abuse against the protagonists. In MEMPHIS the moment feels essentially inevitable, leaving the audience with a Morales-esque feeling of nothingness. In FELA!--perhaps because it is legitimately shocking and new, it stuns. I don't know which of these productions will be more commercially successful, though FELA! will probably walk away with stronger reviews (especially if those impressed by its off-Broadway incarnation are similarly entertained). But, if MEMPHIS may perhaps embody the type of likable dance-and-belt-a-thon that many want right now, FELA!'s innovative dance (and stunningly imaginative lighting) are what Broadway needs.

One Week From Today...

2009-10-29T10:41:00.000-04:00

...we open

1158: Moses Maimonides flees Spain, dies in Cairo 1204.
1492: Ferdinand and Isabella expel all Jews from Spain.
1992: Maimonides returns.

Polybe + Seats
presents

GRANADA
written by Avi Glickstein
directed by Jessica Brater
produced by Catherine Wallach and Polybe + Seats

Ensemble:
Elaine O’Brien
Sarah Sakaan
Indika Senanayake*
Lindsay Torrey*
Jill Usdan
Ari Vigoda

Set, Costume, and Puppet Design: Peiyi Wong assisted by Bevan Dunbar
Lighting Design: Natalie Robin assisted by Marika Kent
Sound Design: John D. Ivy
Dramaturgy: Miriam Felton-Dansky
Stage Manager/Associate Producer: Donald Butchko assisted by Dinah Finkelstein
Selected music performed by Anna Levenstein

*indicates member of Actors' Equity. Granada is an Equity-approved showcase.

Runs November 5-22, 2009

Thursdays-Saturdays @ 8pm
Saturdays @ 3pm
Sundays @ 7pm

Granada begins in 1992 as the King of Spain prepares to symbolically welcome Jews back to Spain after 500 years of banishment. A young Egyptian Jewish woman has been invited to stand in for all of those exiled-but following the ceremony, she reveals to Spain's prince that she believes herself to be the resurrection of Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), philosopher, royal physician, and Jewish cultural icon. Quite suddenly, the prince's world is not what it was before her revelation: he is pursued by a bear, seduced by a princess hatched from a grapefruit, and nearly betrayed by his trusty aide-de-camp. Is this the beginning of the Messianic age?

Bringing together characters and stories from Sephardic Jewish folklore and culture, Granada draws on a centuries-old tradition to create a tender, bizarre, and funny look at a people separated by continents but united by a state of exile.

Tickets available at
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=GRA21

The Access Theater Gallery has limited accessibility. For accessibility information, please contact info@polybeandseats.org.

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Just watch it

2009-10-23T14:17:00.000-04:00

David Carroll in the original Broadway production of GRAND HOTEL. He passed away earlyish into the run (and, in fact, was not even preserved on the Cast Recording), being replaced by go-to-Billy Finn Brett Barrett. But they don't make'm like this anymore.

What Do You Do With a B.S. in Theater?

2009-10-21T11:04:00.001-04:00

I was a Jr. in college when AVENUE Q first hit Broadway. I had an instantaneous affinity for the witty and tuneful OCR, which, among other things, bailed me out of at least 2 potentially awkard car trips. It's odd to think that I related to the material since, at the time, I had only been to NYC once, and often did, in fact, sit on a quad.

This Sunday I finally saw the little-show-that could in its new home Off-Broadway and was pleasantly and consistently surprised throughout. I was surprised at how many jokes, characters, and story lines I was not aware of, despite knowing the score backwards and forward. I was surprised by the extent to which the imaginative staging and choreography lifted the numbers I knew so well. I was surprised by the extent to which the show hit home with me, now that I actually am broke, living in Brooklyn, and unsure of my "purpose", and surprised at its abilities to, if only mometarily, qualm my varied anxieties.

Q's new home at New World Stages seems to me to serve as a combatant for the inherent, if subtle, earnestness and sincerity of the show. From the industrial common areas of the complex--with decor that seems more suited for TopShop--to the house staff aggressively pushing drink specials delivered to your seats during intermission, I felt more like I was in a stadium than a theater. Perhaps this is the way things will be everywhere from now on. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it, and I suppose I could get used to it. It is to Q's credit that its cuddly puppets and likable performers (Anika Larsen makes an especially a wonderful Kate Monster, with Seth Rettberg making a fine Princeton/Rod) made themselves, and their story, heard and felt (pun intended) over the din.

OLEANNA on Broadway

2009-10-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

In the 10 minutes or so in which I waited outside the Golden Theater for my friend, no fewer than 5 separate groups of middle aged women noted the marquee and exclaimed “Oh look, Julia Stiiiiles is in something.” No mention was made of Bill Pullman, who costar with a longer career, or David Mamet, the Pulitzer Prize winning—and perhaps most marketable—playwright who’s OLEANNA opened last night. No mention was made of either of these men (let alone director Dough Hughes) because, for this particular subset of the population—middle aged women walking on 45^th St at 6:45pm on a Thursday night—Julia Stiles on Broadway is the event of note. Those women would not be disappointed. Julia Stiles was indeed in something. On Broadway. Hell, (spoiler alert) she even cried. Those of us asking for more, however, might not walk away as satiated.

OLEANNA concerns Carol, a college student (Stiles), who meets with John, her about-to-be-tenured professor (Pullman), to discuss that fact that she is failing/”doesn’t get” his class. This seemingly innocuous encounter—full of theory about the nature/value of higher education and identity—is cast in a darker light in later scenes as She lodges a formal complaint against Him. She claims his behavior both in that meeting and in the classroom, is condescending and sexist. Thus begins a discourse on gender roles, power dynamics and political correctness. Sort of. Because the two sides of the argument are never really presented. She attacks Him relentlessly and tirelessly, making arguments both solid and tenuous. He, in reaction, is increasingly befuddled and disheveled, but never particularly articulate—there is not one moment after the first scene in which He makes a point that She acknowledges. Not that she should, as his argument consists of refrains of “Why are you doing this to me?” as opposed to specifically refuting her arguments and evidence. Of course, her arguments and evidence are so vaguely presented that I have a hard time believing a tenure board would give them lip service. He is equally ineffective in his communications with his wife, who calls incessantly throughout to play despite Pullman’s habitual greeting of “I can’t talk right now.” I am almost offended that a play supposedly dedicated to the exploration of interaction between genders shows women in a singular light as ceaseless harpies who, with their combination of needs and expectations, push Him over the proverbial edge. And it is only when He is pushed that any of Her arguments begin to seem plausible.

The trademark “Mamet” rhythm comes off as contrived and unconvincing here (especially in the first scene), and there is little variance in tempo or energy. The design elements are appropriate, if not particularly helpful in setting a time for this production—the world is a different place in 2009 than it was in 1992 (when the play was first produced). The fact that this production neither confirms nor denies this fact, setting the play vaguely around now-ish, underscores the feeling that the whole evening was very “general”—generally engaging, generally entertaining, generally well acted. Though adequately and professionally executed, I can’t help but think I would see an equally, if not more, provocative production at a college or regional theater. But it wouldn’t have Julia Stiles. And for some people, that may be enough.

To save over 40% on tickets, just visit BroadwayOffers.com and enter code OLMKT93. Tickets are only $59 on Tuesday-Friday or $65 on Saturday and Sunday! (Valid through 11/15)

Our New Phantom - Shirtless

2009-10-09T17:48:00.001-04:00

This guy is going to be the Phantom in the London production of PHANTOM: LOVE NEVER DIES, set to open this March. (Broadway will get it in Feb 2011, or something like that.) I'm shallow enough to say I'm now excited about the production.

Of course, remember when Gerard Butler was in the movie version? Thank God he had that mask, because no one really rememebers, and now he has a career. Here's a gratutitous Gerard Butler Shirtless pic.

POLLY

2009-10-08T10:15:00.000-04:00

When I was a weee little lad, my exposure/interest in live-action musicals was pretty much dictated by films what my mother loved growing up. This wasn't a problem because (a) she had pretty decent taste, so I watched a lot of SOUND OF MUSIC, MY FAIR LADY, PETER PAN, and CINDERELLA w/Leslie Ann Warren and (b) I was, you know, six. I don't think I would have "gotten" PRETTYBELLE anyway. But in 1989 (when I was in Kindergarden or 1st Grade), a new TV musical came out. Perhaps this was the first musical that my mother and I each experienced for the first time at the same time, at least the first that left a lasting impression. POLLY is POLLYANNA (which I have never seen in its entirety) reset in the 1950s segregated South. I think the idea is fairly inspired, using Polly's ANNIE-like optimism to affect the attitudes of a small southern town. Mrs. White (the cranky lady akin to the Agnes Moorehead "You've got a stubby little nose" character, played here by Celeste Holm) is actually white. She lives on the white part of town, which one must literally cross a bridge to get to. Need I say that the movie ends with both races on that bridge, walking towards each other? A bit on the nose perhaps, but it ultimately tells a much more nuanced--and believable--musical story of this struggle than MEMPHIS will at the Shubert tonight.

This musical number in particular has stuck with me for the past 20 years. Not only does it feature great choreo from Debbie Allen (who also Directed), and a spirited performance by the hyper-talented (and, for a time, ubiquitous) Brandon Adams, its infectious ear-worm of a tune is performed a capella (until the unfortunate button which is remniscent of Andrew Lippa's massacre of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN). How I dream of this song making it onto an episode of GLEE...

Did I mention Jasmine Guy and Phylicia Rashad are also in it? This lovely trio has also followed me for 2 decades.

And this is when I learned of Music Theater's particular ability to handle the emotions of a strong woman scorned--and my ability to relate (and sing along)

5 Theatrical Pet Peeves

2009-10-06T12:39:00.000-04:00

As a Geminii, I am simultaneous easy-going and incredibly neurotic. So, while I try to have a laissez-faire attitude most of the time, certain attitudes, opinons, and actions never fail to make me want to punch a brick wall.

1) People who wish a show would "just close already"--I've already discussed this at length, so I won't rehash now. But it's annoying.

2) Somehow insinuating that RENT would have been so much better had it not be frozen upon Jonathan Larson's untimely death.--This issue actually points to one of the biggest issues in the development of Musical Theater. Everybody thinks they know how to fix the show. Sometimes, like with NEXT TO NORMAL, a show can be in development for years and remain so close until that 1 special workshop or production where everything falls into place. But I'm willing to bet just as many shows are so close...until 4 years of workhops and readings and differeing opinions from directors and artistic directors and dramaturgs extinguish what original spark was still there. The whole situation reminds me of that speech from SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION:

I remembered why I loved paintings in the first place, what got me into this. I thought... dreamt... remembered... how easy it is for a painter to lose a painting. He paints and paints, works on a canvas for months, and then, one day, he loses it. Loses the structure, loses the sense of it. You lose the painting. I remembered asking my kids' second-grade teacher: 'Why are all your students geniuses? Look at the first grade - blotches of green and black. The third grade - camouflage. But your grade, the second grade, Matisses, every one. You've made my child a Matisse. Let me study with you. Let me into the second grade. What is your secret?' 'I don't have any secret. I just know when to take their drawings away from them.'

Yes, it is certainly possible that RENT could have been a better show had there been an opportunity for revision. It also could have been the same show but shorter, or with a different song instead of "Contact". Or it could have been worse. There are more important things than a "tight" first act, and the essence of the show--the memorable characters, the great score and the infectious, tangible, spirit--was pitch perfect.

3) Bloggers who apologize for not posting--I mean, we love you. But, as Eliza Doolittle would sing, "There'll be fruit on the tree,/ And a shore by the sea./ There'll be crumpets and tea without you." And we're more than likely behind on our blog reading, not annoyed that you've been "MIA." So please, go to you cousin's wedding, and don't stress out about it. Really, we're not waiting.

4) "The Miller's Son" serves no purpose in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC--"You see", them what make this point argue, "at that point in the story, everyone is partnering up and plotlines are being resolved, so we can't interrupt that wiht a song that has nothing to do with the plot." This literally blows my mind. Hal Prince. And Stephen Sondheim. Men who literally turned the musical inside out aren't allowed to stop the proceedings at an unexpected point in the evening to deliver a thematically relevant--if not THE thematically relevant--number? Suddenly they need to do things the expected way? Because it kind of reminds you have a well structured farce? That's what we WANT them to do, right? And let's not forget, they realized, out of town, that they needed this song and had to FIRE someone who wasn't able to sing it. You don't just FIRE people because you really want to "show off" and "ruin the pace" of your 2nd Act. And Leigh Ann Larkin is going to tear the shit out of that at the Walter Kerr.

5) "The original CHICAGO was sooooo much better than the revival"--Even if this is true (and isn't that almost always the case anyway?) what exactly is the point in saying this? It seems to me to say "you know that show you liked? well, you shouldn't have enjoyed it, because there was a better version of it that you will NEVER SEE. And since you'll never see it, you pretty much have to assume I'm right. Hope I ruined your fond memories of a night in the theater!" Sub-peeve: Why does playbill run an article every time Brett Barrett goes back into CHICAGO? I think we all pretty much know that's where we can find him.

On Second Thought...

2009-10-01T11:10:00.000-04:00

In a little over a month, 2 currently running Broadway shows have announced changes to their production. Not cast changes, script changes. On August 25th WEST SIDE STORY announced that their "expieriement" of having the Sharks occiasionally speak Spanish wasn't really working, and they were going back to English. (Well, kinda. My roommate, a Spanish teacher who was upset when I told her this in August because she was looking forward to hearing some of it in Spanish, saw it this past weekend and said "I Feel Pretty" is still mostly "Siento Hermosa", which , incidently, sounds like a brunch cocktail.)

Recently, the folks at SHREK have announced that they will add Neil Diamond's "I'm a Believer" to the (lovely) Jeanine Tesori/David Linsday-Abaire score. The article leads me to believe it will be performed as exit music/during the curtain call. But really, who knows. Poor SHREK has so much potential, but it's held hostage by the maniacal and artless DREAMWORKS who seem dead-set on recreating their popular movie verbatim.

This type of mid-run adjustment isn't without precedent, but it's rare. Especially lately. So for it to happen twice in the ammount of time it God to flood the earth...that's odd. Some previous examples (off the top of my head):

WISH YOU WERE HERE, a show this is largely, and justly, forgotten was notable for 2 things. 1) Having a swimming pool onstage (it was 1952), and (2) closing down after opening and reopening after much revision and improvement. It also had a score by Harold Rome, the composer time forgot. Which is and is not deserved. This song is fun. It was also directed by Josh "South Pacific" Logan, which means there were probably lots of shirtless men around that pool. THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL did the same thing twice over. SEUSSICAL flopped on Broadway, but went on tour with a revised book and became the most licensed show by amature theater groups and schools in America.

When Liza did a brief stint in CHICAGO the Act I closing duet, "I Am My Own Best Friend" became a solo number. (click here for an audio-only YouTube video!) (Chita, cut from the number while Liza was in town, got the last laugh when the did THE RINK together. Liza left the production early (probably not entirely her choice), being replaced by a better received Stockard Channing and Chita won her first Tony.)

Speaking of Gwen Verdon, somewhere in the run of SWEET CHARITY, the powers that be cut her first number, the fascinating "You Should See Yourself." Legend has it that an audience member wrote Verdon an angry letter after seeing the show, because the number, which exists on the Cast Recording, was not in the show. She felt slighted. Gwen verdon responded with a check for $0.12, the cost of 1 track on the Cast Recording. One can only imagine what that patron would have done upon seeing CAMELOT. There are so many discrepancies between the script and OCR--and I've heard so many varying accounts--that it's hard to believe what show audience members saw.

A few songs originally cut from HELLO, DOLLY! were put back in when The Merm took over the title role.

Ultimately, I think that, as a living, breathing art form, theater should be subject to such change. Provided it's an improvement.

KRISTINA in Concert at Carnegie Hall

2009-09-25T10:23:00.001-04:00

When I had "studied" abroad in London, my Drama Crit (I think that's what the class was called...we saw plays, and talked about them) professor put a ban on the word "boring" when describing a play we saw. The rational was that "boring" was a cop-out word that students would hide behind without having to come up with anything more specific to say. I have tried to follow this maxim throughout life, in addition to eliminating "um" and "like" from my vernacular.

Um, like, without using "boring" I'll have a hard time describing KRISTINA.

To be fair, I expected this to be the case. After all, KRISTINA is about a community that emigrates from Sweden to Minnesota. In 1850. That's the type of thing you expect to be long, slow moving, incredibly earnest, and most likely, pretentious. So why would I attend this 2-night only concert event at Carnegie Hall in the first place? Because KRISTINA was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, the BB of ABBA. I really, REALLY like ABBA. And though I ultimately think CHESS never adds up to less than the sum of its parts, any show that brings "Nobody's Side" to the universe can be all bad.

And KRISTINA wasn't all bad. Part of what hindered it, no doubt, was the concert presentation. Though I can't imagine sitting through a longer version of the show, the transitions were most awkward, with all sorts of plot points being yada-yada'd. For example, Kristina's husband sings a moving ballad about not wanting her to die when she contracts scurvy on the boat from Sweden. Cut to, Swedish peasants (including a now robustly healthy Kristina) singing about the charming city folk at Battery Park. Previous to that, there is a bit of narration in which we learn that one of Kristina's daughters dies from eating too much porridge. Huh? In the second act someone comes back from the gold rush with a bag of money. Kristina's husband (and the ensemble) to sing something about it being "Wildcat money", which I guess means it's no good. I actually think that song might make sense, I just didn't understand a single word Russell Watson said or sang. Anyway, the poor kid with the Wildcat Money dies in between songs not long after. They also sing about lice, a new stove, miscarriages, trees, flowers, and whatever the ensemble said (also had trouble hearing their words).

Much of the music was recicative and/or a mediocre version of "The Mountain Duet" from CHESS. But there a few nice moments. The orchestra, led by Paul Gemignani, was, of course, excellent throughout. Kevin Odekrik, as someone's younger brother (he was the one with that Wildcat money) sings a pleasant song in Act I comparing his restless spirit to a stream. I said it was pleasant, not original. Louise Pitre as Kristina's mother/a former prostitute (I think) had a couple of songs to sing. I didn't think they were all that interesting, but she was great, and really sold that death-by-porridge-overdose narration. But the highlight of the evening was whenever Helen Sjöholm opened her mouth. She's a big deal in Sweden and, now, she's a big deal here. About a third of the audience gave her a standing ovation after her big Act II number "You Have to Be There". Here is a demo of that song she recorded for the BBC. The singing starts 1m15s in. Her voice is simultaneously deep and warm and bright and stirring. Live, in Carnegie Hall, the performance was legitimately thrilling.

(Sidebar: At some point Emily Skinner/Alice Ripley also sang this song. They do a nice job.)

Here is Helen singing what 90% of the audience wishes they were hearing her sing last night, something from CHESS

NIGHT MUSIC Cast Announced

2009-09-22T17:40:00.000-04:00

I don't even know what I will think about any more. Playbill.com has just announced casting for the upcomming Trevor Nunn-directed revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.

Unconfirmed rumors that Catherine Zeta-Jones would play Desiree and Angela Lansbury would play Mme Armfeldt have now been confirmed. I am so excited to see Angie in this role I could just about die. I may take a mortgage on my apartment (even though I rent) just so I can be one of those crazy types who sees a show 20 times. She. Will. Be. Fantastic. And I'm warming up to the idea of Zeta-Jones. I think she's be glamorous, elegant and sexy, and though I wish I could've seen a Victoria Clark or a Donna Murphy take on the role, I'm willing to let Catherine surprise me. Who knows, this could launch a whole new phase of her career.

Other interesting bits of casting (and my thoughts):

Alexander Hanson as Fredrik Egerman--Hanson did the part in London. I don't know anything about him, but I've had a devil of a time thinking of an actor who would be appropriate or interesting in this role, so perhaps it's just as well that Nunn is sticking with something he knows works.

Aaron Lazar as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm--I was SO sure it was going to be Matt Kudish. I mean, this is the role he was born to play. Lazar is far younger and prettier than I imagine the arrogant and booring Carl-Magnus to be, which leads me to believe T. Nizzle is going in a different direction with this character. In any case, I've been a fan of Lazar ever since I saw him in LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, so he's welcome in my book.

Erin Davie as Countess Charlotte Malcolm--I'm kinda WTFing over this one. Yes, she's younger than I expect Charlotte to be (but as a pairing with Lazar I guess it makes sense), but I'm more concerned about Davie's ability to inhabit Charlotte's wry sense of humor. Davie didn't particularly impress me in GREY GARDENS or APPLAUSE, and Charlotte is one of my favorite roles in the musical theater cannon. I'm ever so curious to see how her and Lazar's characters are interpreted in this production, because right now it is pretty far out of my realm of comprehension.

Leigh Ann Larkin as Petra--Now we're making some good ol' fashioned sense again. She was fantastic as Dainty June in the LuPone GYPSY and will sing. the. shit. out of "The Miller's Son"

Hunter Ryan Herdlicka as Henrik Egerman--I googled his ass, and he just graduated from college. And is appearing on Broadway with Angela-fucking-Lansbury. I hate him/wonder if he's single.

Ramona Mallory as Anne Egerman--Her mom (Victoria Mallory) was the original Anne, and had an unnatural ability to hit high notes, so Sondheim basically wrote the part out of most human beings' range (which he has gone on record as regretting). Perhaps Ramona has a genetic disposition to singing up in the stratosphere? Let's hope. Also, I'm pretty sure she worked at a trashy New Hampshire summer theater with a friend of mine (who has since given up acting to go to Law School).

I am probably more excited about this show than any other coming to Broadway at the moment. Can I really wait until November?

AVE Q

2009-09-14T17:59:00.000-04:00

The most shocking bit of Broadway news in awhile is the recent announcement that AVENUE Q, set to close this weekend, will instead re-open at NEW WORLD STAGES off-Broadway. NEW WORLD STAGES, as a venue, is rather curious--shows either go there to die (ROOMS, FLAMINGO COURT, SIDD) or live forever (ALTAR BOYS, NAKED BOYS SINGING, GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW). I'm curious (as are well all) as to which category AVE Q finds itself. And what will it mean for the worth of a show's "Broadway" status? After all, many people come into town and they want to see a BROADWAY show. An off-Broadway show just isn't going to fill that niche. But can a show's Broadway reputation and branding follow it elsewhere? It certainly does on the road, why not in NYC? Though it also raises a few potentially ethical issues: Off-Broadway actors make less than a third of those on Broadway, but will the producers see their cut diminish to that extreme? Regardless, it is a fascinating experiment, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out in the months--and years--to come.

Perfection

2009-09-13T13:28:00.002-04:00

I'm not the world's largest fan of Cabaret songs. They tend to sound alike to me, and with no context surrounding them, they can feel vague and a little shallow. Yes, this is a sweeping generalization based, no doubt, on hearing more bad examples than good ones. Perhaps if more were akin to the following, I would be a bigger fan.

Recorded by Audra McDonald on her HOW GLORY GOES album (which is probably the finest album of its kind), "I Won't Mind" (music by Jeff Blumenkrantz, lyric by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) is a masterful bit of storytelling. In just 4 minutes, a rich and complicated woman is created. I believe it was Tommy Tune who used to say that, in a musical, "you have to deal them out slowly." I love how the details of "Lizzie's" relationship with the child to whom she sings are doled out bit by bit, verse by verse. I also love that--unlike 87% of other such songs--this isn't to or about a romantic interest, past or present. If you've never heard this before, you're in for a treat. If you have, it's still glorious.

Try to Remember

2009-09-11T09:35:00.001-04:00

Speaking of Idestructable

2009-09-09T09:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know if any score has been more parodied and covered than WEST SIDE STORY. And the thing it, is always works (and is usually funny), because the show (and that score) is so damn good. So good. Here MTV has a go at it. (The fact that I cannot tell you who any of these people are makes me feel old.)

And, while we're at it, remember this?

Shrinergate

2009-09-05T14:07:00.006-04:00

On Sun 23-August, it was announced that the upcoming Broadway revival of BYE BYE BIRDIE would cut the act two "Shiner Ballet". (Yes, for those of you not as well versed in musical theater, there is a musical which features an act two "Shriner Ballet".) Gina Gershon was quoted as saying it "felt a little too gang rapey".

Almost immediately the show-queen sector of the internet was a-tizzy. Is a 1960s musical really too "risque" for 2009 audiences? Could Gina Gershon not handle the dance? If high schoolers have been pulling it off for 50 years, why can't Broadway? The "scandal" got to the point where Roundabout (who is presenting the revival) got their PR people to get Playbill to run an article in which Director/Choreographer Robert Longbottom details what is changing for the revival and why. Apparently (though conspiracy theorists may not "buy it"), the cut was made for dramaturgical reasons (i.e. there actually is no reason for a musical to feature an act two "Shriner Ballet"), and not a lack of talent or imagination. From the article it does seem like this is a fairly thoughtful production of BYE BYE BIRDIE. Will it be fun? That remains to be seen. But I am willing to let it open before passing judgment.

What Shinergate revealed was the big ol' bullseye on BIRDIE's back. Critics of the revival that hasn't happened yet have commented that the book is old fashioned and creaky, as a means of illustrating why the show is unfit for a 2009 Broadway production. Yet these same critics suddenly think Gower Champion helmed WEST SIDE STORY the minute a five minute dance routine gets the ax in order to make the show feel less dated. Though 5 days away from first preview, but BIRDIE's reviews have already been written.

SPIDERMAN, TURN OFF THE DARK, which isn't even really in rehearsal yet, seems doomed for a similar fate. Though no one has seen anything of the show (and those who have heard a bit of the music seem to think that its okay) it is ruthlessly villainized in the press because of its alleged $45mil price-tag and its temporary shut-down as more funds were raised. Since when was being expensive a crime? Or having difficulty raising money? And why, as people seemingly invested in the growth of the American Theater--both artistically and in terms of relevance--are we so quick to attack anything that theoretically (because we are judging based only on what we hear might be the case) exists outside of our arbitrary guidelines for what is and is not acceptable? Everyone has the right to one's opinion, but shouldn't the show be finished before it is judged? If we want interesting new work geared towards intelligent and adventurous audiences, we need to be genuintely open minded and adventurous, even if that means potentially liking Gina Gershon as a shrinerless Rosie.

A Great Song is Indestructable

2009-09-01T09:19:00.003-04:00

Remember the mid-90s, when we thought it was fun was to have punk-ish girl bands (like Letters to Cleo) cover showtunes in commercials? (I distinctly remember versions of "I Feel Pretty" and "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"). What these advertisments ultimately proved to me is that some theater songs are simply indestructible.

The primary goal of a song should be to service the show it's in. But there should be a certain double consciousness of theater music. Theater music used to be pop music, and before OKLAHOMA the shows were just frothy excuses to produce hit "singles"; long-form music videos. Post-OKLAHOMA, the disparate elements of a musical had to work for a common purpose, telling a single story or exploring a single theme. Even if a theater song of today is not (most likely) going to be a "pop" single (which is no one's fault, industries change, Ethan Mordden: please relax), there is the need for songs to serve the show but also stand alone outside of the show. Not every song in every show. And some may argue stand-alone songs are not necessary or even appropriate at all. But for a show to permeate, it needs a single musical moment you can remember and reproduce. A song you can play for someone--or perform on The View--that will endear the listener to its parent show. Quickly. A "single". And these "singles" are the most likely to be "indestructible".

So what does an "indestructible" theater song have? A clear idea and structure. The clear idea is usually summed up in the following equation: Title + why? = What the Song is About. "I Feel Pretty". She sure does feel pretty. Why? Because she's in love with a pretty wonderful boy. "I Miss the Mountains". Why? Because those meds are fucking her up. The structure gives the lyric and the melody a shape and processes the information for you so you, the listener, absorb it quickly and remember it.

Here is a truly fabulous, "indestructible" song. Liza Minelli and The Pet Shop Boys performing "Losing My Mind" from FOLLIES. The craft of Sondheim's song is basically perfect, moving through the singer's day ("The sun comes up", "the coffee cup", "all afternoon", "I dim the lights") putting a slight twist on the 'Why' ("you said you loved me, or where you just being kind?") at the end. Suddenly it goes from a song of someone who loved and lost to someone who may have been in a one-sided love the whole time. Of course, the Pet Shop Boys version doesn't really play on the deeper subtext of the show. But the song still works. Because it is indestructible.

RAGTIME Revival

2009-08-27T13:15:00.002-04:00

I'm fairly excited (if skeptical) about the upcomming revival of RAGTIME. I want to hold off extenstive commenting on it for the moment, but I will share their new print design, which is awesome.

The NIGHT MUSIC that almost was

2009-08-22T10:25:00.004-04:00

A while back I began to play "Who's going to be who in the A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC REVIVAL?"

Well, according to Michael Reidel in the NY Post (an unconfirmed source who nonetheless doesn't often go to press with mere whimsy) not only is it looking increasingly likely that Angela freakin' Lansbury going to be Mme. Armfeldt, but Catherine Zeta Jones (Douglas) will star as the fading flower Desiree. CZJ did have a reasonably extensive musical theater career in the West End prior to becoming a movie star/Michael Douglas' wife/T Mobile's biotch, so I am not all that upset the role may go to her over one of Broadway's leading ladies. And if Angela Lansbury is in it, most things are right with the world.

In light of this casting news, I thought I'd share a story about the NIGHT MUSIC that almost was. This came to me directly from none other than Harold Prince. (I wrote him a letter saying "I want to meet you." He met with me. Real nice.) Here, with some artistic license (as in, I'm trying to recount I conversation I had 3 years ago), is the story.

ME: So I Just got back from working at Barring Stage Company for the summer.
MR PRINCE: Oh, what did they do?
ME: Typical summer stock stuff. The Human Comedy, Wonder of the World, and Ring Round the Moon.
MR PRINCE: That's not typical at all. [ed. He's right.] That's most unusual. You know, A Little Night Music was almost based on Ring Round the Moon.
ME: That's funny. Because I was thinking it would make a great musical, but when I told my roommate he said, "What would they sing about, how they're not in A Little Night Music"?
MR PRINCE (sagely): That's funny.
ME: So what happened?
MR PRINCE: We knew we wanted to do a romantic comedy, and we wanted people running through lots of doors. [ed. The only production of NIGHT MUSIC I've seen had no doors.] So we looked at Ring Round the Moon and Smiles of a Summer Night. I wrote Jean Anouilh about procuring the rights for Ring..., and he kept avoiding me. But I kept at it. Finally he said he was interested and told me to meet him, so Steve [ed. as in Sondheim] and I flew out to Paris to meet him only to find out he had just left the country. I didn't appreciate being jerked around, so we went with the Bergman film.
ME: Fascinating.
MR PRINCE: Anything else you want to ask me?
ME: Yeah. Why did you do all those musicals with Larry Grossman?

[ed. Yes, I am the dumb/smart ass who asked the esteemed Hal Prince why he wrote so many flop musicals in the 80s with the same guy. For the record, the answer, in short, was that he really likes "Mama, a Rainbow".]

In the end, I think the world of theater is a better place because Jean Anouilh was kind of a dick. Ring Round the Moon is fun because it requires its male lead to play twins. Madcap hilarity ensues. But there's a lot more philosophy about economics and less romance. And the show would've been all about Len Cariou with no real equivalent to Desiree. There is an old lady in a wheelchair though (played by Carole Shelly at BSC, who would make a fine Armfeldt, should the Lansbury rumors be too good to be true).

FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST

2009-08-20T17:05:00.004-04:00

Immediately prior to leaving my friend's apartment to see FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST, we came--er, stumbled--upon this picture:

from when cast members went to a launch party at Vlada. I'm still not sure if the above boys were actually in the show I saw, but the point is, I saw this picture with the understanding that it related to the show I was about to see, and said "ohhh, this is going to be so trashy!"

Trashy, in this context, was a good thing. After all, FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST is a new musical in the NYC Fringe about a bathhouse in the 1970s. If what I saw at the Cherry Lane, was more camp than trash, silly rather than seedy, it was always likable and often winning.

FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST concerns the sexually repressed Charlie (played by Ben Knox who also pulled a Meredith Wilson, penning book, music and lyrics), his sexually frustrated wife (an appealing Kristy Cates), their two children (son aspires to be a lady, daughter aspires to be a tramp), a lascivious and homophobic priest (Marty Thomas) and a pair of down on their luck bath house operators. All of these characters are drawn--in equal measure by Knox's writing, the wildly enthusiastic cast and director Holly-Anne Ruggiero--in broad deliberate strokes, as if in a melodrama. No one ends up tied to train tracks, but if they were, I wouldn't have been phased. Such broad playing really pays off in numbers like the deliciously decadent, Kander/Ebb-esque "Get What You Want" and the surprisingly musically accomplished trio "Daddy's Left Us". But for a show that seems so eager to "go there", it frequently stops short, aiming for naughty while settling for something brash but easy.

Special attention should be given to the designers, particularly the glossy, functional and clean faux tile-walled set by Michael P. Kramer and the spot on, if-she-was-on-a-tight-budget-it-didn't-show, costumes by Emily Deangelis.

3 performances remain, so check out their website for show dates/times and ticket information.

SHE LOVES ME

2009-08-19T08:51:00.002-04:00

After my last post, I continued hunting for Bock and Harnick on YouTube and came across a most remarkable discovery: A TV movie version of SHE LOVES ME. Made in Jolly 'Ol England in 1978 and featuring TV/West End names of the day, this decidedly low budget affair nonetheless presents a charming production of Bock & Harnick's endearing RomCom.

SHE LOVES ME is based on Mikos Lazlos's THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, a Hungarian play about two bickering co-workers unaware that they have been writing love letters to each other for months as anonymous pen pals. The play had already inspired a Jimmy Stewart movie and the Judy Garland vehicle, IN THE GOOD OL' SUMMERTIME prior to being adapted for the Broadway stage and inspired YOU'VE GOT MAIL years later. The Broadway musical featured, in additon to Bock and Harnick's score, a book by their future FIDDLER librettist Joseph Stein, Hal Prince's debut as a Broadway director, Babara Cook, and Jack Cassidy who won a Tony playing the smarmy Kodaly.

Sheldon Harnick's lyrics are consistently smart, witty and well structured. Much has been said about "Vanilla Ice Cream" (if you don't know it, it's at the end of part 8, but you should let it come up in context for full effect), but I've also long been partial to the charming story song "A Trip to the Library" and the nervous patter of "Tonight at Eight." Jerry Bock's versatile and layered music was always a notch more complicated than that of his peers (see Herman, Jerry and Styne, Jule) while remaining accessible and memorable. He had a particularly knack for giving a sense of momentum and musical largess to comedy numbers (see the aforementioned "Library" and "Eight") that exist in the same musical dialect as his soaring ballads. These are songs actors love to sing and singers love to act.

Despite an abundance of excellent material, the show has never been a real smash--partially because it opened and an intimate chamber musical in a season that included HELLO, DOLLY! and FUNNY GIRL, partially because of some peculiarities in the writing. We see almost none of Amelia and Georg's animosity before we learn they are "Dear Friends". Throughout, the pacing spits and starts, giving EVERYONE a song, but not always making said song seem urgent at THAT moment in the show. (There is a certain casual, "day in the life" charm to be found there, something unique in our opportunity to settle in with these characters for a time. But there's everything to indicate we are in a traditional musical comedy, and nothing to indicate we are dealing with a horse of a slightly different color.) And though Jerry Bock's rich and evocative score finds much inspiration in the 1930s Budapest locale, I don't know if people are, or ever were, all that entranced by the allure of 1930s Budapest, especially when only seen through dim interiors. If we're going to spend all of our time inside, why not set the show in New York City and give the characters names we can pronounce?

Nonetheless, it's not every day you get the chance to see a decent, well sung, production of SHE LOVES ME, so the movie is well worth one's time. Cutting only "Days Gone By" (and it's reprise), this movie is faithful in word and spirit to Bock/Harnick/Stein/Prince's creation. The video quality is poor (cleary taped on TV and saved for 15 years before uploading), and the audio doesn't always sync up with the picutre. But the music is well executed and the performances spot on, with Gemma Craven as an endearing Amalia, Robin Ellis a charming if aloof Georg, Diane Langton a frothy Ilona, and debonair David Kernan as Kodaly.

There are 11 parts, each about 10 minutes long, the first of which is embedded below. Luckily, the uploader divided the videos into logical segments, so it's quite easy to watch a few a day until you have completed the movie (as I did).

Enjoy!

The Very Next Man

2009-08-14T09:34:00.003-04:00

I always love finding good performances of Bock and Harnick (my favorite Golden Era songwriters) tunes on YouTube. Finding videos of FIORELLO!, TENDERLOIN and ROTHCHILDS is not always easy/possible, but this morning I did discover a charming rendition of "The Very Next Man" (one of my favorite songs of theirs) by a Katie Karel. I believe this is a production at Stephen's College and the production values are quite nice. The staging may be a bit busy/on the nose, but I give anyone doing a production of FIORELLO! mad props.

By the way, the less offensive alternate to the original "and if he likes me/what does it matter if he strikes me" lyric begins at 2m35s

And, because I'm feeling generous (and because it is SO thrilling), you can listen to/download Patricia Wilson from the Original Cast Recording here Oh why has she not been in more?

Decent Writing in Unexpected Places

2009-08-13T13:15:00.005-04:00

Here is a clip from the highly entertaining and infectious (it's been with me for 20 years) opening number to the Cannon Movie Tales version of THE FROG PRINCE. (In the Mid-80s Cannon released a series of made-for-tv/video-movie-musicals. There were filmed in Eastern Europe with great haste and economy). Not the place one would expect to look for examples of good theater writing (and, to be fair, it ain't SWEENEY TODD), but I was surprised, in looking at it again recently, how well it achieves its purpose, even if it is by uncredited writers.

The story of THE FROG PRINCE is, when you think of it, pretty thin. Spoiled princess meets frog, makes deal with frog, kisses frog. So how does one expand it to a nearly 2 hour long movie? Especially when the main conflict is your protagonist's selfishness? Well, you can start off by making the princess sympathetic and lonely, with an evil half-sister (played by, if you can believe it, Helen Hunt) who schemes to keep the princess away from the frog. So it becomes less a story about faith, trust and selflessness and more about finding friends in unexpected places. So how to start the story? With the young princess (Zora, played by Aileen Quinn, Hollywood's ANNIE) waking up, eager to face the day. With a--perhaps not by coincidence--Annie-like optimism Zora sings of her certainty that today will be her lucky day: "Today will be my lucky day, my lucky day I know. The trumpets and the fanfare and the banners tell me so..." Trumpets and fanfare. These trumpets not only establish that we are one a "once upon a time" fairy-tale land, but we soon find out they sound whenever the king has an important announcement to make. If they had just been part of an establishing shot, we might not notice, but the opening of the song brings them to our attention. Zora continues through two verses, feeding and singing to her fish and likening herself to a butterfly while playing with a butterfly mobile in her room (she's not afraid of wild life). You imagine she is this warm--and warmly received--throughout the castle. Then, at the bridge, we learn a crucial fact--she is lonely, with ONLY her toys and fish as friends. Then she reveals a secret: she wished upon a star that she would have friends. And she thinks it's going to work (which is why she's so damn happy). She is certain her wish will come true because, in addition to that wish she made, she has her lucky golden ball. That's why that damn ball--the ball upon which the entire story hinges--is so important. If she looses that, she looses all hope of ever having a friend. And now, but 3 minutes into the movie, we are armed with a protagonist we care about and a sense of where the movie will take us. And, we just heard a really catchy, happy, tune. So to whoever wrote this song, good work. And, from what I hear, they may need your help at FIRST WIVES CLUB...

2 Essentials

2009-08-11T17:37:00.002-04:00

There are two (2) things every musical needs.

Strike that.

There are two (2) things every musical SHOULD have.

Addendum.

There are two (2) things every musical OF NOTE should have:
1. An evocative “world of the play”.
2. A FANTASTIC score.

The above are interrelated: The world of the play inspires something extraordinary from the composer; the music imbues the play with ambiance and texture that is felt in the bones, regardless of (or in addition to) the design elements (if there are any). Though they support each other, I do think its worth to explore each essential independently.

The World of the Play
To me, this is just as—if not more—important than the story. When Rogers and Hammerstein adapted LILIOM into CAROUSEL they relocated the action from Budapest to late 19th Century New England. Perhaps the shift was a little arbitrary, but it is an evocative world visually and musically, one where few other musicals take place. To this day, production stills from even the lowest budget productions are instantly recognizable because the world is so vivid and distinct. For a more current example: From it’s fledgling days as FEELING ELECTRIC to its present Broadway triumph, NEXT TO NORMAL has more or less told the same story with the same—excellent—score. What changed between Second Stage and Broadway? The world of the play. The jokey-winks that had felt out of place off-Broadway were taken out as the creators decided to take their characters—and the world of the play—more seriously. And what a fascinating and subtly described world it is—often a fairly realistic contemporary family drama but one that frequently delves into more “conceptual” worlds, with characters commenting on action in limbo and lines between reality and delusion intentionally and masterfully blurred. And this is a world that NEEDS the music to exist; there is no way any designer could adequately create this world without Tom Kitt’s score.

A FANTASTIC Score
This may seem like an obvious statement. And no one denies that good music is a crucial element of a good musical. But FANTASTIC music is exciting. I don’t think one needs to walk out of the theater humming the tunes, but one should walk out of the theater wanting to BUY the tunes (if they haven’t already). There is certainly justified criticism to be made about IN THE HEIGHTS, but the world of the play is so appealing, especially as manifested in the ear-to-ear-grin-inducing score. When I saw IN THE HEIGHTS I bought the cast recording at the theater and carried it around with me for weeks forcing anyone even remotely willing to listen. And I told everyone to see it. That same season I saw A CATERED AFFAIR. Like HEIGHTS it dealt with working class New Yorkers struggling with small decisions with almost epic repercussions for the central characters (HEIGHTS had the question of how to pay—and what to sacrifice—for an education, AFFAIR had its wedding). And AFFAIR had a wonderfully strong book with finely etched characters and given fine portrayals by a superb cast. Well directed, beautifully designed, frequently moving. What did I talk about to my friends after the show? I mentioned that someone proposed to his girlfriend onstage, and how much I loved Leslie Kritzer’s high-waisted dresses. The music, though lovely, didn’t demand attention, and, as a result, didn’t get any.

So perhaps I should once again amend my initial statement.

There are three (3) things every musical of note should have:
1. An evocative “world of the play”
2. A FANTASTIC score
3. Someone to expect and insist on 1 and 2.

"Just Close Already"

2009-08-06T17:12:00.004-04:00

I have just found out that 2 charming gentlemen I have had the pleasure of working with over the years will join the cast of Broadway's MAMMA MIA in September, and for the first time in a long time--maybe ever--I began to seriously consider buying tickets to MAMMA MIA. At the very least I was thankful it existed. Not because it is the culmination of a lifetime of theatrical hopes and dreams for either gentleman, but it's certainly a good gig, and they deserve above production contracts and health weeks.

And then I thought back to the number of times I've heard someone say--or said myself a show (MAMMA MIA or otherwise) should "just close already."

And I realized that's an incredibly stupid thing to say. Why would anyone who is at least tangentially related to the theatrical community want a show to close? I am embarrassed by my past cynicism for a number of reasons:

1) The "HEIDI Principle"--You know, that scene in THE HEIDI CHRONICLES? Where Heidi gives that speech to the society ladies describing some catty women she overhears in a gym locker room? The "Women, Where Are We Going" speech ending "I thought the point was that we were all in this together." The New York theater community prides itself--and is heralded--on being welcoming, like "a big family" so why would any of us (bloggers, non-working actors, award winning composers) wish death upon another show? We don't have to like everything, hell, we don't have to like anything and can tear it apart to shreds, but we should always be happy to see it running, if only because it means people are working, people like us (and, possibly, someday, including us).

2) Think About Who We're Mad At--Though it may be a joke, to say "why doesn't it just close already" is to express anger--not bemusement--that the show is a long-running success. But no one in the history of theater has ever thought that meant it was good, just that people are willing to pay lots of money to see it. Lots of people. And lots of money. Lots of their money, that they could choose to spend on Yankees tickets, or, perhaps a trip to Paris or Branson. And though, as forward thinking artists, we all wish there is more of a market for the NEXT TO NORMALs out there (and those struggling to get off the ground), the fact of the matter is, we can't dictate what people "should" want to see. And I am willing to bet that just as much--if not more--money has been lost trying to custom tailor shows to MAMMA MIA's audience than NEXT TO NORMAL's. (Which do you think lost more money, HOT FEET or [title of show]?) Just because a show is frothy, silly, and, in some eyes, tacky and vapid doesn't mean the creators and producers didn't take a risk in mounting it as a Broadway production.

3) No News Is Good News: If you want a show gone (who knows, maybe you're a writer or producer with a property that could ONLY go in the Winter Garden, and you've been waiting 15 years to get it up), don't bring it up. At a panel I witnessed this summer, Jefferey Sellers talked about how important it was to keep theater "in the conversation". If you TRULY don't think it's worth your time, don't talk about it. And don't think about it. Will that make it close faster? No. But if you don't care, does it matter?

Still Thinking About Variety Shows...

2009-07-25T20:01:00.002-04:00

...this time about Julie, rather than Judy. In 1972/73 Julie Andrews had what it seems most people who could carry a tune and/or owned character shoes had, a short lived variety show. Though THE JULIE ANDREWS HOUR seemed to be well recevied in some circles--receiving Emmy Awards in 1973 for Outstanding Variety Musical Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music--ABC cancelled it not long thereafter. I'm assuming by that point the bloom was off the rose for the Variety Show in general, and Andrews' biggest successes were several years behind her.

This first clip is a medly of Cass Elliot hits sung with Mama Cass herself. I've always loved Cass' voice, and it pairs quite nicely with Andrews' perfect soprano.

Here's a clip of Andrews with the real Maria Von Trapp. The laugh track is quite offensive, but Von Trapp is adorable as she teaches Andrews how to yodel!

Here is an epic compilation video. I haven't actually watched all of it, but the best part is at the top, a bizzarre production number out of "I'm Late". There are many men in rabbit costumes. Again I say, variety shows are WEIRD.

The Big Gay Musical

2009-07-23T10:36:00.002-04:00

there is a movie coming out called THE BIG GAY MUSICAL. The least I can do is show the trailer.

And, while I'm at it, the trailer for OY VEY, MY SON IS GAY (which features John Lloyd Young and Lanie Kazan!)

Before the Parade Passes By

2009-07-22T10:40:00.002-04:00

Apparently all roads lead to Channing these days. I had wanted to look up some different YouTube renditions of "Is a Parade in Town" from ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, but none existed (aside from a solo cello version and a poor college choir Sondheim medley). It's not a far stretch to go from there to "Before the Parade Passes By", long my favorite song in the show. However, aside from a bad community theater production I saw years back, I have never seen the FULL number (with scene and all). Luckily, some kind soul posted it from the 1994 revival, starring Ms. Channing herself. Sadly, embedding is disabled (what does that accomplish exactly?), so I'll have to link to it HERE, but some things I want to point out/discuss:

1) Amusing Channingisms include: "Rum toddy" at 1m30s, her deliberate "oak. leaf." at 2m, "without colah" at 2m20s, how slowly she says "I have decided to rejoin the human race..." starting at 2m50s, the way she drives the point "Harmonia Gardens at 8 o'clock" at 8m30s (and the rest of the speech that follows)
2) I was surprised at how sensitively written this monologue was. I'm sure it's mostly Thorton Wilder (it feels very OUR TOWN), but it's not every musical theater leading lady that gets a monologue like that.
3) Though he was revered in his day, I don't think Gower Champion quite gets his due any more. Certainly the old guard understands, but, as a member of "the next generation" I have to say the extent of his talents has never really been appreciated by--or fully communicated to--me. He's been overshadowed by the "innovators" like Harold Prince, Michael Bennett, and Tommy Tune, while his innovations are negated by the fact that his hit shows (DOLLY, BIRDIE, 42ND STREET), get black marks for being silly stuff appropriate only for schools and stock. But notice the brief dance interlude that brings in the Irene Malloy scene (starting at 3m50s) before vanishing into the ether. Very remniscent of the girls at the barre appearing during "At the Ballet". And the staging of the parade proper (begining at 5m) is actually fairly conceptual. We don't get a linear parade, we get disparate elements gradually filling the stage until Dolly herself leads the winding parade around the pit, blurring the lines between the pedantic parade that much of Act I anticipates, and some sort of limbo in Dolly's mind (before such a thing existed in CABARET).

Watching this number makes me think that perhaps a DOLLY revival should be eminent, though I do have greater concerns over who should play Gower than who should play Gallagher-Levi.

More About The Judy Garland Show

2009-07-20T14:09:00.003-04:00

Still reading the book about the Judy Garland show I mentioned earlier, and, as I assumed, shit has started to hit the fan. Judy was more openly hitting the sauce, stopped coming to the set until a day before (or the day of) taping, then most of the producers and writers were fired (with no other than Norman Jewison being brought on to finish off the season as Executive Producer). The week Liza was to make her first appearance, Judy was wildly enthusiastic...about Liza. When Mel Tormé (author of the book and writer of the musical material for the show) tried to teach Judy a snazzy version of "Put on a Happy Face, " Ms. Garland said "give it to Liza." And they did. I have yet to see a production number from a variety show that I didn't think was super-weird, and this is no exception, but Young Liza really is a sight to behold. The video starts off with mother and daughter singing "Together Wherever We Go". Then Judy leaves Liza, who acts forlorn as the stage revolves to reveal a bunch of white globes on sticks with painted smiles and bowler hats (like I said, WEIRD). Then Liza--still "sad"--says, "here goes nothing," does a spin and starts singing and dancing her face off. The musical arrangement is actually a lot of fun with new A-section (or "verse"?) which really sounds like it was written for Judy and a jazzy choral arrangement of the familiar tune as Liza dances with a bunch of boys in white sweaters over striped gondolier shirts. Did I mention variety-show production numbers are weird?

Watch LIFE AFTER TOMORROW

2009-07-17T22:05:00.002-04:00

Among the litany of recent theater-related documentaries is a gem called LIFE AFTER TOMORROW. The subject: former Annies (and other orphans) from the original Broadway production and associated tours. Though they do not interview Ms. McArdle, Sarah Jessica Parker (along with many others you haven't heard of) give extensive interviews detailing the highs of the ANNIE experience and the lows of coming down. I was not really aware of the extent to which ANNIE was a national phenomenon (I can't think of anything even remotley equivilant today), and the idea that this kind of insane over exposure (even for later-in-the-run Annies) fell upon 10 year old girls, I'm surprised they didn't all become drug addicts. Perhaps they did. Of course, ANNIE is a show you love to hate and hate to love, and the idea that the 2nd squeaky-cleanest show of all time (falling behind SOUND OF MUSIC) has a dark side is inherintly alluring. I hadn't yet realized how powerful an insitution ANNIE had been, to create an entire culture and workforce that was an island into itself, requireing girls with no other opportunities available for them. Now with shows like 13 and SPRING AWAKENING there's a bit of an intermediary step between ANNIE and waiting for adulthood to begin, but for the most part these ANNIE alumns had no choice but to return to normal life. Other shows simply did not exist--certainly not in numbers large enough to employ the number of girls kicked off the ANNIE bus. The movie is quite effective and entertaining and ideal for lazy mornings while you wait for the Excedrin to do its magic.

You can watch the movie for free online (with some annoying commercial interruptions) here, or you can probably catch it on Ovations, rent it, or find it elsewhere on the interwebs.

This is Bizzare

2009-07-17T12:28:00.002-04:00

This strange 1980s miniseries of ALICE IN WONDERLAND came up in conversation last night, specifically Ms. Channing as the White Queen. Though I generally remember the movie, I really didn't have any specific memories of this scene. I think I must have blocked them out, because this is simply too weird to be forgotten. But, as weird as she is, I can't help but think how fantastic she must have been to see live in HELLO, DOLLY!

Best Dollar Ever Spent

2009-07-15T11:35:00.004-04:00

At a great used bookstore near Waterford, I discovered THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW WITH JUDY GARLAND ON THE DAWN PATROL by Mel Tormé. Yes, I've gotten some flack for carrying around the GAYEST BOOK EVER (if the title weren't enough, check out the cover):
But it is turning out to be a fascinating read. Though I've enjoyed all the Judy things I've seen, I've never really been a fan of her, with any knowledge I have of her coming from my friend-since-childhood Marissa and a couple of Bio-musicals I came across during my days as a script reader for Barrington Stage. But this book appealed to me because it focused on Tormé's trials and tribulations working on THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW--think DIARY OF A MAD PLAYWRIGHT, but about Judy Garland instead of LEGENDS!. Thus far I'm only 50 pages in (they have just finished taping the first episode, episode two will be delayed a week, a few minor Garland outbursts), and Tormé proves to be a good writer and the book offers invaluable insight not only into Ms. Garland, but into the weird and wonderful world of the 1960s variety show, and Hollywood in general. Not being all that up-to-date on Garland-lore, I stand to be genuinely surprised as to what happens and the book progresses (though I realize it will be something devastating or tragic or whatnot). To keep some element of surprise, I am resisting the temptation to watch EVERY CLIP of the show I can find on YouTube, only allowing myself to seek out that which is explicitly mentioned in the book. I anticipate posting about more about Garland in the future. Here is Judy Garland singing "Old Man River" as part of a "trunk" segment at the end of the first episode.

A peerless song + a peerless singer =

Perviously at The O'Neill

2009-06-30T07:22:00.002-04:00

My friend Lowy (also at The O'Neill with me) directed me to this video on IN THE HEIGHT's time here. Pretty interesting if you have even a passing interest in the show (or The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford CT)

from the info section:

This video is for the Heights superfans. Here are some home videos of our two weeks developing In The Heights at the O'Neill Theater Center in July 2005.

Some choice nuggets of cut songs, and old friends.

Our cast at the O'Neill:

Usnavi . . . Javier Munoz
Nina . . . Natalie Cortez
Benny . . . Chris Jackson
Vanessa . . . Sheena Ortiz
Kevin . . . Rick Negron
Camila . . . Nancy Ticotin
Daniela . . . Monica Salazar
Carla . . . Janet Dacal
Abuela Claudia . . . Doreen Montalvo
Sonny . . . Robin DeJesus
Graffiti Pete/Piragua Guy . . . Matt Saldivar

and Huey Dunbar as the late, great Lincoln!

Also appearing: Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, Quiara Hudes, Thomas Kail, Doug Hinrichs on drums.

Um...

2009-06-20T15:49:00.003-04:00

This is the type of thing I would expect to see on an old Ed Sullivan show clip (if they hadn't all been taken off the internet). But it's from the Bonnie Hunt show and au current. An A Capella rendition of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" performed by "Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix". I suppose when you're old and rich you can do anything. My mother has proselytized Van Dyke my entire life (and most of hers), so there's usally something conforting about seeing him do anything. But this is actually a bit bizarre and unsettling. But I kinda like it. I mean, really, you have to be made of stone to not get some enjoyment out of this silly song.

Happy Song: Saturday 20-June

2009-06-20T10:55:00.001-04:00

"Nobody's Side" from CHESS is most certainly one of my favorite songs of all time. I fell in love with the Elaine Paige version one night when I was up late working a set model for D&P, and I listened to the song on repeat for a couple of hours. When the Idina Menzel concert version came out, I knew that was the only track I really needed--the rest of the show really doesn't do much for me. I really like Idina's version (particularly the bit she adds to the bridge at 2m25s). If, watching the video, one is shocked that they are watching a Tony Award winning "Actress," she really does sing the shit outta this.

Nobody's Side

Pearl and Carol

2009-06-19T13:41:00.002-04:00

Long story short, but "Elegance" from HELLO DOLLY came up (because I brought it up), and I thought it seemed an appropriate Recessionista song of the musical theater variety. The clip I found from the (terrible) movie version disabled embedding, which led me to search more, which led me to this hoakey gem of a variety show featuring Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey singing, among other things, "Elegance" and that insipid title song. It is beyond indulgent--decadent, really. But something we're not likely to see Idina Menzel, Stephanie J. Block, Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinoza and Julia Murney doing anytime soon (though I kinda wish they would)

NIGHT MUSIC Casting Game

2009-06-14T07:07:00.002-04:00

So it looks like this NIGHT MUSIC revival is actually happening, and it's about freakin' time. Of course, my ideal A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC revival would be directed by Bartlett Sher at presented at Lincoln Center, or even Circle in the Square...some sort of thrust space. I, in fact, have a few reservations about a Trev-Trev production. But at the very least, the mere announcement of its arrival allows us to play "Who should be in it?" God, how disheartening would it be if they pulled a SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and brought over the capable but unknown British cast?

So, to begin, I think it's safe to assume that Alex Gemignani is going to be in it. Because he gets to be an any NY Sondheim production. Is he too old for Henrick? Too young for Fredrick? Would he be willing to play a Leidersinger? I don't know. But he'll be there.

As for possible Fredricks, I would love to see Mark Jacoby in the role. Or Michael Cerveris. James Barbour? (Though, is he legally allowed to be around a Fredricka-aged actress?) I actually think Victor Garber is really boring, but people like to cast him, because he was on ALIAS. Or Gregg Edelman/Rene Auberjenois.

Mark Kudish has to play Count-Magnus

The SWEENEY revival's Benjamin Magnuson seems a decent Henrick, since we know he can already play the cello. Or some recent musical theater BFA.

For some reason I'm assuming Ashley Osnes is going to play Anne, and, provided she has the top notes, she'll be fine. Laura Benanti's too old, right?

Leslie Kritzer as Petra!!!!!!!!! *see note below

I would give just about anything to have Angela Lansbury play Mme. Armfelt. If that doesn't pan out, Carole Shelly would be great. Does Elizabeth Ashley sing? Because she could be interesting. Or what abut Phylicia Rashad? Harriet Harris, or is she too young!

I wish I had seen Randy Graff's Charlotte a few years back at Kennedy Center. Would it be a demotion for Allison Janney? Probably, but she'd be great. Maybe this is where Harriet Harris should go, or is she too old? Nancy Opel? Hows about Alice Ripley?

But who will be Desiree? Michelle Pawk would actually be my first choice, but she usually is (and there she shall remain until it actually happens). Toni Collette would be suitably amazing. Donna Murphy, natch. Christine Ebersole might lack a certain gravitas I associate with the role, but I would love to hear her asides in "You Must Meet My Wife". Christine Baranski? (I'm actually kind of over her, but maybe this could change my mind again).

I could play this game forever, and possibly will, or at least until I get further update from playbill.com

Everything Was Possible And Nothing Made Sense

2009-06-12T21:52:00.002-04:00

This may perhaps be the most inspirational theater site I've ever seen.

AbandonedTheaters.com is essentially a slide show of pitctures (by Julia Solis) taken "over the course of several years" of stages in disrepair--be they in old movie theaters, cafeterias and probably some vaudeville theaters or something. The point is, each space seems so ripe with potential and possibility. I wish captions were included indicating where they were.

Belated Tony Lessons

2009-06-10T10:11:00.006-04:00

The Tonys are over. Rock of Love's nose has begun to heal, the sound designer's fired, and the non-winner's closing notices are up. But what did we learn from this year's Tony Awards Ceremony?

1) Actually, Broadway is NOT just about New York. There was much hullaballoo about creative awards being shunned to a cybercast to make room for performances from touring productions of MAMMA MIA, LEGALLY BLONDE, and JERSEY BOYS. But the point was made--Broadway is about theater for a national--and international--audience. Yes, the shows START in New York, but if they become hits (and win Tonys) they take to the road, so the rest of the nation can watch. And them what run these roadhouses are Tony voters. Which is why NEXT TO NORMAL (which seems to have more limited touring potential) really didn't stand a chance of pulling an AVE Q-style upset. The purpose of televising the TONY Awards isn't really to get people to come to New York and see shows after all. It's to get them excited about next year's Broadway Series at the Cleveland Palace. Perhaps New Yorkers feeling territorial about their theatrical experiences should invest more in making Off-Broadway, which (with some notable exceptions) is more geared towards a predominately local crowd, a fiscally strong creature.

2) Being "Well Written" doesn't make you "Great" (and it certainly doesn't make you popular). BILLY ELLIOT really isn't a very good musical, but it's a great musical. It's faults: There are major inconsistencies in tone amounting to what is more or less an identity crisis (Bawdy musical hall? Lis Miz-esque Popera? Hal Prince-esque political metaphor? Sean O'Casey drama? Flashdance?). It's over-long and light on plot and music. The "central" conflict of the miner strike, is explained either through a cop-out video, and note in the program, or not at all. (I'm still unclear as to why the strike breaking was a bad thing or why it broke in the first place). Many plot devices and entire characters were shoe-horned for cheap tears (Grandma, dead mum). But the moment Billy does his first perfect ballet move is a fantastic moment in the theater. The very essence of theater (especially musical theater) lies in an unpredictable live, emotional connection and response between the material, the artisans onstage, and the audience. So yes, I could--and have--pick apart BILLY for every inconstancy, pointless plot point, and cheap lyric, but the fact of the matter is, what it offers (a little boy achieving his dream, improbably as both the achieving and the dream itself may be) is inherently moving and wonderful, and to be against it would make me as bad as Maggie Thatcher.

3) Nice guys don't always finish last, or, If at first you don't succeed... There are plenty of Tony Winning composers who have also had shows that closed 10 days (or less) after they opened. But the Tony part usually comes first...unless you're Tom Kitt. What was most impressive was not the fact Mr. Kitt managed to turn his luck around, but that he did it with a show that seemed perhaps MORE doomed for ridicule and scorn. Take risky/tricky subject matter, add mixed (at best) reviews Off-Broadway, throw in a seemingly hasty Broadway transfer from a generally well received regional theater that nonetheless hastily laid a rotten egg on Broadway (GLORY DAYS) the previous summer, bake in an economic crisis and win. And, to top it all off, the powers that be actually saw fit to TELEVISE his award? It makes me all warm and fuzzy just to think about it.

And now we have a whole year see what will happen next...

Happy Song: Saturday 6-May

2009-06-06T10:17:00.002-04:00

I discovered this song a few years ago when I was on a big choral music kick, which bled into an brief fascination with the Swingle Singers. This seems to be one of their more "obscure" songs (as in, it's not on YouTube as far as I can tell), a Peruvian folk song from a 2005 album. Use it as distraction from TONY angst (which I have, even though I'm not, you know, nominated, just because the thought of BILLY sweeping the night makes me sick, but more on that later). Just press play, and let the (brief) song unfold. Then listen to it 25 more times.

"Cachapaya" by The Swingle Singers

Something about the TONYS

2009-06-05T13:10:00.002-04:00

Neil Patrick Harris (an inspired choice for host this year) doing the Top Ten list on Lettermen. "Top 10 Signs You've Hired a Bad Tony Awards Host." Glad to see CBS do something interesting to promote their broadcast. I'm also impressed that Lettermen manages to keep the Top 10 list concept witty and fresh after all these years. (I remember cracking up with my mom and my brother as I read a compilation of Top 10 lists while driving to Bowling Green, KY to visit my grandparents...16 years ago).

Watch this...

2009-06-05T08:17:00.004-04:00

...when no one is around to watch you LOVE it. Here's an a capella choir from Slovenia singing "Africa" (a song, though fairly ubiquitous, I'm fairly certain I have never heard from start to finish before). It starts off with the members creating a thunderstorm using their hands. It then explodes into a very satisfying arrangement which is only missing the context of being performed bu a bunch of misfits who find out about life by singing, thanks to the expert tutelage of some famous actor. It starts with a slightly pitch 1st verse, 2nd verse adds a great descant, then there's a fun bridge after the 2nd chorus, a cute guy around 5min, and it ends with a soloist offering an empowered response to the chorus in the tradition of the meek "Cherish him" singer in SISTER ACT. And then a little more "rain" for shits.

So I was just going to link to the below, but after watching it I realized it deserved a more featured status. I have serious doubts about the musical version of SISTER ACT (which is set in the 1970s‽) now playing in the West End. Because this number is so perfectly executed (thanks to the brilliant arrangement by Marc Shaiman), I can't imagine an original--disco infused‽--song by Alan Menkin doing the trick. The way it manages to incorporate the quirks of the featured nuns, the way its relative simplicity makes the premise seem plausible, the way it ingratiates itself into your head upon listening...who could ask for anything more?

Documentary, My Dear Watson

2009-06-04T13:21:00.003-04:00

So, what's with the sudden onslaught of musical-theater related documentaries? First was the excellent EVERY LITTLE STEP, then came the recent CHASING BROADWAY DREAMS (which I haven't seen in spite of my deep affection for IN THE HEIGHTS, and coming up is the Hal Prince documentary (airing this weekend on Ovation and giving me plans for Saturday night), and, airing in July, a documentary about the original broadway production of HAIR. I admit, I don't have a lot of commentary to offer on the subject, but thought it was worth pointing out.

Even more prevelant than documentaries about musicals are blog posts about twitter. Today I came accross this article about a man who was robbed after he announced on Twitter that he was on vacation. I also came accross the following image on a design blog.

Get Out and Stay Out!

2009-06-03T12:40:00.003-04:00

Today's Reidel report focuses on how CBS, in an attempt to draw better ratings to the TONY AWARDS Broadcast, will not air design awards, choreography, book of a musical, and, perhaps most shockingly, Best Revival of a Play. In place of these awards, CBS is putting on musical numbers from hit shows currently on Broadway, and, inexplicably, LEGALLY BLONDE. (I actually have a great deal of fondness for BLONDE, but am seriously confused as to why it is being promoted...for the tour? The West End production? DVD release of LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL, THE SEARCH FOR THE NEW ELLE WOODS?) Regardless, this is hardly a new development...CBS has been pulling this shit for years. The most effective solution was, when LION KING was out, to have the creative awards telecast on PBS where they padded out the segment with behind the scenes looks and the process of the respective designers. It was awesome (and much more memorable television than the actual broadcast...or any awards broadcast for that matter).

I think the issue is not that shows literally irrelevant to a celebration of Broadway (BLOND) are being broadcast instead of these awards--these awards have not been overlooked by CBS for the better part of a decade. I think the issue is simply the fact that this continues to be an issue. That CBS somehow thinks they will have a ratings winner on a Sunday night in June if "fix" the awards. That CBS believes there is a market made up of people who want to see musical numbers from Broadway shows, but otherwise would never watch the Tony awards. That CBS has something better to do, and wouldn't just run reruns of COLD CASE and WITHOUT A TRACE which people could watch on TNT anyway.

Every year the threat looms: if numbers don't improve, CBS will drop the broadcast. But the threat is meaningless, as the numbers have never improved (and in fact worsened) and CBS has not dropped the broadcast. I've counseled enough friends/parents through damned relationships to know when it's time to pull the plug. The relationship between CBS and Tony has grown too comfortable, even in its dysfunction. It isn't growing. They're each forcing the other to be something they're not instead of appreciating each other for who they are. Tony needs to be strong, assert her needs, and leave her controlling, domineering and spiteful bastard-of-a-boyfriend once and for all. Because as tough as Les Moonves (pictured above) may think he is, he'll never have the cohones to do it himself. And Tony will feel so much better than before.

All the morning glories on the FEEEEZ

2009-06-01T13:00:00.003-04:00

I've posted this before, but Imma repost, just because it's June (June, Juuuuuuune)

Interesting Article About PL Travers

2009-05-31T10:10:00.003-04:00

In reading a piece about a new documentary coming out about the Sherman Brothers (who wrote the music for MARY POPPINS among other things), I stumbled upon an anecdote detailing PL Travers' (author of the POPPINS books) dissapproval of the Disney movie. A few googleseconds later I was at an article from the NEW YORKER, published shortly after the stage version opened in London. Why struck me most about the article was how much of an empresario and visionary Walt Disney was. I wish this kind of producing still existed--where someone knows the property they want to develop, how it should develop, and who should develop it. I also want to see this Sherman Brothers movie. Those guys wrote some great music over the years (I'm particularly partial to their music for BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS), and if I don't necessarily think they're one of the greatest song-writing teams in the lexicon, they're prolific, and deserving of reconition.

Now for a PETE'S DRAGON tell all...

Happy Song: Saturday 30-May

2009-05-30T09:41:00.002-04:00

GODSPELL is a weird show. I still don't really know what possessed anyone to make a clown version of the book of Mark. But boy am I glad they did. If, as a general rule, I am a "original cast only" purist when it comes to cast recordings, the recording made of the York Theater Company's end-of-the-millenium-revival is a favorite of mine. It's a fantastic cast (all of whom were basically unknown at the time) with people like Barret Foa, Leslie Kritzer, Capathia Jenkins, Chad Kimbell and Miss Sassafrass herself, Shoshana Bean. Here is Ms. Bean having the time of her life with "Bless the Lord My Soul"

Bless the Lord My Soul, from GODSPELL

This Never Should Have Happened, or A Trio of Anitas

2009-05-29T09:27:00.003-04:00

LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY decided to do a piece on the current revival of WEST SIDE STORY. Sure, I would rather they talk about NEXT TO NORMAL (which would be awfully relevant to the housefraus watching, dontcha think?), but whatever, WEST is popular, people know it, yada yada yada. But did they need to do a segment wherein Kelly learns the choreography to "America"? And did we then need to see her perform said choreography on the show? And did we need to keep cutting away from the fabulous Karen Olivo to focus on Kelly's "acting" moments? The good news is, Ms. Olivo is so darn likeable, and you do get to see her perform "America". And any national media coverage devoted to Broadway is a good thing. But still, this is ridiculous.

In better news, here's Debbie Allen doing "America" from the 1980 revival. Bitch. Is. FIERCE. Don't get me wrong, because I love me some Karen Olivo, but this is what I'm talking about. This is the West Side Fucking-Story.

And here's Charlotte D'Amboise (who, after seeing EVERY LITTLE STEP, I love, great job movie) and the company of JEROME ROBBINS BROADWAY. I didn't notice in EVERY LITTLE STEP that Ms. D'Amboise's legs are 13 feet long, but I guess they are. She is SUCH a ballerina, and this is the lightest, ariest "America" I've seen. Sure, it's about as Latina as I am, but this is really about the dance. (In fact, this version is slightly rearranged, cutting a few verses, but keeping all the dance.)

Now go and watch the movie version, because I know you can actually watch this number 5 more times.

REASONS TO BE PRETTY, BILLY ELLIOT, AND UNIVERSAL ROBOTS TAKE TOP HONORS IN FIRST EVER THEATER BLOGGER AWARDS

2009-05-28T14:14:00.012-04:00

The Independent Theater Bloggers Association (http://www.theaterbloggers.com/) is thrilled to announce the winners of the first annual ITBA Awards for Excellence in Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theater.

The ITBA (Independent Theater Bloggers Association) was formed in 2009 by a group of the most passionate theater bloggers on the World Wide Web (partial list below). The members of the Association blog about all aspects and all varieties of both commercial and non-profit theater, from big Broadway musicals performed in Times Square, to the most unique forms of entertainment performed off-off Broadway on the Lower East Side, as well as productions all over the country and all over the world. Together they see thousands of productions, and, without being paid or prodded, they write about them.
Ken Davenport, founder of the ITBA, said, “The Association was formed out of a desire to provide structure to the quickly growing theatrical blogosphere, as well as to give the new media voices a chance to recognize excellence in three of the very distinct theatrical markets that make up the New York City theatrical landscape: Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway.”

In true “new media” style, there will be no live awards ceremony for the ITBA Awards. Instead, there will be a virtual awards ceremony, with video acceptance speeches for the winners posted electronically in the coming weeks on ITBA’s website, http://www.theaterbloggers.com/.

This year’s winners of the ITBA Awards are as follows:

BROADWAY

BEST BROADWAY PLAY
Reasons To Be Pretty

Written by: Neil Labute
Directed by: Terry Kinney
Produced by: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Ted Snowdon, Doug Nevin/Erica Lynn Schwartz, Ronald Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Kathleen Seidel, Kelpie Arts, Jam Theatricals, Rachel Helson/Heather Provost and Scott M. Delman

BEST BROADWAY MUSICAL
Billy Elliot

Music by: Elton John
Lyrics by: Lee Hall
Book by: Lee Hall
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
Produced by: Universal Pictures, Working Title, The Old Vic Company, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene

BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Hair

Music by: Galt MacDermot
Lyrics by: James Rado, Gerome Ragni
Book by: James Rado, Gerome Ragni
Directed by: Diane Paulus
Produced by: The Joseph Papp Public Theater / New York Shakespeare Festival, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick and Jujamcyn Theatres

BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A PLAY
The Norman Conquests

Written by: Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by: Matthew Warchus
Produced by: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Thomas Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian and Richard Winkler

OFF-BROADWAY

BEST OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Fela!

Book by: Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones
Directed by: Bill T. Jones
Music and Lyrics by: Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Add'l Music by: Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean
Add'l Lyrics by: Jim Lewis
Produced by: Ruth and Stephen Hendel and Roy Gabay

BEST OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Ruined

Written by: Lynn Nottage
Directed by: Kate Whoriskey
Produced by: Manhattan Theatre Club and Goodman Theatre

BEST OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL (PLAY OR MUSICAL)
Our Town

Written by: Thornton Wilder
Directed by: David Cromer
Produced by: Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Ted Snowdon, Eagle Productions, Dena Hammerstein/Pam Pariseau, The Weinstein Company, Burnt Umber Productions,

BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY PLAY
Universal Robots

Written by: Mac Rogers
Directed by: Rosemary Andress
Produced by: Manhattan Theater Source

BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
Suspicious Package

Written by: Gyda Arber & Aaron Baker
Directed by: Gyda Arber
Produced by: The Fifth Wall as part of The Antidepressant Festival

CITATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN OFF-OFF BROADWAY THEATER
Flux Theatre Ensemble

Members of the ITBA include:

Bill Brown

http://www.creatingtheater.com/

Linda Buchwald
Pataphysical Science
http://www.pataphysicalscience.blogspot.com/

Donald Butchko
Me2ism?
http://www.me2ism.blogspot.com/

Chris Caggiano
Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals
http://www.ccaggiano.tyepad.com/

Zack Calhoon
Visible Soul
http://www.zackcalhoon.blogspot.com/

Jodi Schoenbrun Carter
http://www.off-stage-right.com/

Corine Cohen
Corine's Corner
http://www.corinescorner.com/

Kevin DalyTheatre Aficionado at Large
http://www.theatreaficionado.com/

Ken Davenport
The Producer's Perspective
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/

Ryan J. Davis

Ryan J. Davis Blogs
http://www.ryanjdavis.blogspot.com/

Jeremy Dobrish

Jeremy’s Green Room
http://www.jeremysgreenroom.com/

Donelle Foreman

The DJF
http://www.thedjf.blogspot.com/

Michael Gilboe

Broadway Bullet
http://www.broadwaybullet.com/

Dan Gilloon

One NYC StageHand
http://www.onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/

Diana Glazer

Lezbehonest
http://www.lezbehonest.tumblr.com/

Byrne Harrison
http://www.stagebuzz.com/

Leonard Jacobs

The Clyde Fitch Report
http://www.cyldefitch.blogspot.com/

Patrick Lee

Just Shows to Go You

http://www.justshowstogoyou.blogspot.com/

James Marino

Broadway Stars

http://www.broadwaystars.com/

Tulis McCall

Usher Nonsense

http://www.ushernonsense.com/

Jesse North

Stage Rush

http://www.stagerush.blogspot.com/

Aaron Riccio

That Sounds Cool

http://www.thatsoundscool.blogspot.com/

Sarah Roberts

Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment

http://www.sarahbsadventure.blogspot.com/

Michael Roderick

One Producer in the City

http://www.oneproducerinthecity.com/

Adam Rothenberg

Adaumbelle’s Quest

http://www.adaumbellesquest.com/

David Spencer

Aisle Say

http://www.aislesay.com/

Ethan Stanislawski

Tynan's Anger
http://www.tynanasanger.com/

Gil Varod

Broadway Abridged
http://www.broadwayabridged.com/

Kim Weild
http://www.kimweild.com/

Is this really news?

2009-05-27T14:51:00.005-04:00

the NYT just published an "article" titled "Forget the Ingenues; Cue the Grown-Ups", which is about the abundance of women of a certain age (over 40) on Broadway. It was a nice excuse to feature this photo (which is missing Jane Fonda because...?):

but is it really news? The Diva has ALWAYs fueled Freudian mommy complexes (hate to take it there, but it's true). What makes anyone think this wasn't the case last year, or for the past decade? Let's look at the past decade of winners (in both categories) and their ages the year they won. (*)Indicates winner played a matriarch of some sort. Mind you this list is just the WINNERS, not the nominees (which the article is ostensibly about).

Best Actress in a Play

2008 Deanna Dunagan*, aged 68

2007 Julie White, aged 46

2006 Cynthia Nixon*, aged 40

2005 Cherry Jones, aged 49

2004 Phylicia Rashad*, aged 56

2003 Vanessa Redgrave*, aged 66

2002 Lindsay Duncan, aged 52

2001 Mary-Louise Parker, aged 37

2000 Jennifer Ehle, aged 31
1999 Judi Dench*, aged 65

Best Actress in a Musical
2008 Patti LuPone*, aged 59
2007 Christine Ebersole*, aged 54 Christine is only a mother in Act 1, but I DIDN'T count Cherry Jones as a mother for DOUBT, so I feel like it's fair...enough
2006 LaChanze*, aged 45
2005 Victoria Clark*, aged 46
2004 Idina Menzel, aged 33 (but Tonya Pinkins* was 42)
2003 Marissa Jaret Winokur, aged 30 (which is twice as old as the character she played. also, Harvey Firestein* was 51)
2002 Sutton Foster, aged 27
2001 Christine Ebersole, aged 48
2000 Heather Headley, aged 26
1999 Bernadette Peters, aged 51

Since 1999, there have only been 2 actresses UNDER 40 to win a Tony for "Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play", though the musical counterpoint has yielded 4 in the same time frame (though the young'uns were all prior to 2005). So it seems like the Ingenues have done been forgotten.