Steve On Broadway (SOB)

SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Special Theatrical Events

SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Special Theatrical Events

In addition to all musicals and plays I've taken in during the 2007-08 Theatrical Season, there are a number of concerts, readings, individual performances and spectacular stagings that defied narrowly-defined categories. Since the Tony Awards define those types of shows as "Special Theatrical Events" (even though there are no nominees in that category this year), I do the same.

In my personal "5 Best" list of the greatest special theatrical events of the past year, you'll notice a vast and eclectic array of acclaimed talent and showmanship. Here's the list:

5 - Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY)

Unapologetically celebrating the true meaning of Christmas, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular practically dared the kid-at-heart in everyone to come out. Celebrating its 75th anniversary in style, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular offered a dazzling 90-minute variety show that simply refused to slow down. With one old-fashioned magical moment after another, it managed to make me feel like a kid again, and was a welcome respite from the nasty scrooges one long New York block away responsible for keeping the stagehands strike going. At the famed music hall, however, it was peace on earth and jingle all the way.

4 - Jon Stewart (Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN)

He may be America's premier purveyor of "fake" news, but comedian Jon Stewart and his uniformly funny stand-up routine were 100% genuine and clearly from the heart. Stewart delivered an authentic 95-minute performance with incredible humanity and compassion. In essence, he has become a de facto "Every Man" for our 21st Century. Stewart wisely used his stage performance to burnish his growing reputation as America's most articulate, thoughtful and stimulating humorist since the days of Will Rogers. With a certifiably hopeful eye on the future, Stewart's routine made me stand up... and cheer.

3 - Maria Friedman: Re-arranged (Menier Chocolate Factory, London, United Kingdom)

The British have their own national treasure in Maria Friedman, an amazing pillar of fortitude and grace. Headlining her own triumphant show Maria Friedman: Re-arranged, the actress/singer provided a series of fully-realized vignettes, masterfully telling complete stories through her expressive eyes and beautiful voice. The remarkable fervent clarity with which Friedman comported herself on each and every song left me on quite an emotional high.

2 -Euan Morton: Here And Now (The Oak Room, The Algonquin Hotel, New York, NY)

The incredible musical instrument known as Euan Morton took to The Algonquin Hotel's intimate Oak Room Cabaret for a brief cabaret stint giving smart New Yorkers (and others) a first hand opportunity to be charmed by this delightful golden-throated tenor. In his Oak Room appearance, he effortlessly belted out tune after tune, reaching every note with incredible ease and precision. Morton offered an eclectic mix that flowed perfectly, whether he was breathing new life into gorgeous old standards like George Gershwin's classic "Someone To Watch Over Me" or offering his own fresh interpretations on more contemporary tunes like Roy Orbison's giddily romantic "You Got It," and Paul Simon's haunting "American Tune." Morton displayed a healthy dose of self-effacing humor, along with friendly and witty repartee with his audience. His performance brought a huge smile to my face.

1 - The Beatles Love (Love Theatre, Mirage, Las Vegas, NV)

Although it had premiered one year before I saw it, the excellent The Beatles Love was more than worth the wait. Talk about a mind-blowing, sensory overload event that more than effectively serves as the ultimate showcase for the catalogue of The Beatles. Barely settling down long enough to let you catch your breath, the Fab Four's tunes are magically brought to life, incorporating the themes and emotions behind each one. I was entranced throughout the entire production, but renditions of "Rock And Roll Run," "Help" and "Revolution" certainly epitomize who these four lads from Liverpool were and what they came to represent. This was by far the best Cirque du Soleil production I have yet to witness. And for that, it not only rates as the best special theatrical event I've seen all year, it's in a class all by itself -- it's the only reason why I want to return to Vegas.

What were the best special theatrical events you saw over the past year? I invite you to join the conversation by sharing your theatre experiences with me.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Related Stories:
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08 (May 23, 2008)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2007-08 Theatre Season (May 22, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals (May 22, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Plays (May 21, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 16, 2007)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)

Labels: Euan Morton, Jon Stewart, Maria Friedman, Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, SOB's Best Special Theatrical Events, The Beatles Love

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, May 24, 2008 0 comments links to this post

The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08

The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08

As noted yesterday, I've been extremely fortunate to take in 84 different performances of 81 various productions during the course of the 2007-08 Theatrical Season.

Since I'm not given freebie tickets, instead paying for them all out of my own pocket, you can bet that I'm hoping beyond hope to be entertained by every single one of them. Even though there's really no such thing as a bad night at the theatre -- after all, you have to see some real dogs (my apologies to my pooches Henne and Fargo) to truly appreciate the best -- I've still managed to see some downright awful shows.

Since I paid for every last ticket and still take no paid advertising, I'm taking advantage of my right to free speech by offering up my third annual list of the "5 Worst" shows I saw. I may as well unleash all my inner negativism now before moving on to all the wonderful shows that have made my "Best of" lists.

And so, without any further ado, here are the SOB Five Worst of 2007-08:

5 - Cry-Baby (Marquis Theatre, New York, NY)

Is it fair to count a performance of Cry-Baby when it was just three weeks into previews among my worst? Well, if they can charge me to see a bad show, I can include it on my list, and there was nothing about it that made me want to return once the show opened. I can only hope it actually improved, given its Tony nominations. Despite its multi-million dollar budget, this new musical quite incredibly comes across as a poor man's Grease with its tired good girl gone gaga for bad boy premise. Sadly, the latest John Waters-inspired Broadway musical Cry-Baby is trashy fun. Without the fun.

4 - Gone With The Wind (New London Theatre, London, UK)

A flop of epic proportions, I understand that they're still chiseling away at this show a month after it opened in hopes of avoiding all their capitalization from becoming Gone With The Wind. Although purely unintentional, this ranks as one of the year's funniest laugh-out loud musicals. Simply put, writer/sociologist Margaret Martin and director Trevor Nunn fail to deliver a compelling musical that can stand on its own. Their efforts have added nothing to the art of live theatre except endless exposition. Do we really need a narrator to telling us that Miss Scarlett is about to look at herself in the mirror when we can see that for ourselves, or worse, having her step over dying soldiers rolling around on the stage who suddenly rising up to tell us they're all dying? Funny, yet sad at the same time.

3 - The Ritz (Studio 54, New York, NY)

The flaccid revival of Terrence McNally's The Ritz was low on shock value, except for how dull and lifeless it was. Ranking as one of director Joe Mantello's most disappointing efforts yet, the only real highlight came near the end of the first act when its whacked-out Googie (Rosie Perez) took to the stage of The Ritz baths to sing an insipid, if it weren't so inspired, medley of tunes slapped together from the deviously clever mind of Seth Rudetsky. For one brief enjoyable moment, The Ritz thrilled before reverting back to the facile facscimile it was.

2 - Glory Days (Circle In The Square Theatre, New York, NY)

In retrospect, I was far too kind to the subpar, threadbare 90-minute Glory Days that dared to call itself a Broadway musical. The show vanished immediately after opening night. If not for the worst show of the year, the ill-fated Glory Days ironically would have achieved that dubious distinction. Coming across as not even quite half-finished, this is not the type of show that should have so easily or quickly been catapulted directly to the Broadway spotlight from a regional theatre. The show could easily have been mounted by an Off Off-Broadway house and attracted an appropriate youthful audience it was clearly targeting without having the audacity to charge $100 or more per ticket. No glory there.

1 - Triple Espresso (Music Box Theatre, Minneapolis, MN)

Bad to the very last drop, Triple Espresso was an inexplicably long-running musical revue about an eponymous comedy trio reuniting after 25 years. After running over a decade, it apparently had been percolating so long, it lost all its taste. The warmed-over schlock simultaneously tasted like it had been on the burner way too long without ever having been fully brewed to begin with.

So, there you have them: SOB's choices for the "5 Worst" shows I endured during the 2007-08 Theatrical Season. As I've stated in previous years:

Of course, this is all in the eye of the beholder. You may vehemently disagree or wonder whether I even have a clue as to what is artistic and what is not. But since my goal in life is to enjoy it rather than simply being a dilettante, I’m going to tell it like I see it by naming the five productions that I enjoyed less than any others.

If you saw any of these shows, let me know what you thought. And please feel free to share the worst shows you sat through (or walked out of) during that past year!

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Related Stories:
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2007-08 Theatre Season (May 22, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2006-07: Best Special Theatrical Events (May 23, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals (May 22, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Plays (May 21, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 16, 2007)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)

Labels: Broadway, Cry-Baby, Glory Days, Gone With The Wind, London, Minneapolis/St. Paul, SOB Best of 2007-08, SOB Five Worst of 2007-08, The Ritz, Triple Espresso

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, May 23, 2008 4 comments links to this post

SOB's Best & Worst Of 2007-08 Theatre Season

Labels: Broadway, Musical, Play, SOB Best of 2007-08

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, May 22, 2008 5 comments links to this post

The Country Girl (The SOB Review)

The Country Girl (The SOB Review) - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York, NY

** (out of ****)

For all the pre-opening fuss about flubbed lines, it's more than just a little ironic, if not downright disconcerting, to discover that's exactly what Clifford Odet's The Country Girl is really all about.

And while I never detected any mispoken dialogue from Morgan Freeman as alcoholic actor Frank Elgin, his muffled voice is all too often imperceptible. In fact, this undeniably gifted Academy Award-winning favorite frequently sounds as though he's mumbling.

Method acting? Perhaps, but when Frank's lines are so intrinsic to this backstage story, it is truly a shame we can hardly make out what he's saying in his desperate gambit to reach the pinnacle of Broadway fame one more time after practically losing it all because of his bout with the bottle.

Among his continuing potential losses is his long-suffering wife Georgie (a sadly miscast Frances McDormand), whom he calls by her eponymous moniker -- whether affectionately or derisively is never really clear. Early in Act One, with bags nearly packed, Georgie's willful resoluteness in escaping her nightmarish existence is trumped when Broadway director Bernie Dodd (an effective Peter Gallagher) offers Frank a dream come true: a major comeback role. Bernie enlists her aid in making sure Frank stays on the wagon and learns his lines while the play is being tried out in New England.

Not only does Georgie go with Frank to the out of town tryout, but she acts as his biggest protector against the two primary forces that could plunge her husband headlong back into the alcoholic abyss: Bernie and the show's producer Phil Cook, portrayed by an exceptional Chip Zien, who singlehandedly transports us back to the fifties.

In maintaining the 1950s milieu, director Mike Nichols imbues this production with an utterly dissembling, anachronistic feel. Sure, the scenic and costume designs by Tim Hatley and Albert Wolsky, respectively, evoke the fifties, but the actors themselves seem like they're from another time. McDormand, in particular, comes across as far too sophisticated and self-assured for a woman who's not only supposed to be from farm country, but also from the middle of the 20th Century.

The more perplexing issue is just how much direction Nichols actually offered. It's as if he's directing several different shows at once, with each of his major stars serving as the center of their own unique solar system. Yes, they're all powerful in their own right, but rarely during the rather inert first act do their stars collide in a way that would make an astronomer sit up and take notice. Instead, these actors are left orbiting around one another, missing opportunities to display what this revival sorely lacks -- passion and chemistry.

Fortunately, all is not lost as the second act provides unexpected twists, which at least place the three principals in the same general trajectory. And make no mistake, at its root, Odets has provided a pretty compelling story that practically begs for the assembled star wattage to shine brightly.

For one brief, triumphant moment near The Country Girl's climax, they finally twinkle with all the brilliance you'd have every right to expect throughout.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
How Well Did Critics Believe Country Girl Has Matured? (April 28, 2008)
Country Girl Hits Big Apple (April 27, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Country Girl To Return To Big City (September 28, 2008)

Labels: Broadway, Clifford Odets, Frances McDormand, Mike Nichols, Morgan Freeman, Peter Gallagher, Play, Revival, The Country Girl, The SOB Review

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, May 22, 2008 3 comments links to this post

Boeing-Boeing (The SOB Review)

Boeing-Boeing (The SOB Review) - Longacre Theatre, New York, NY

*** (out of ****)

Looking for the funniest, laugh-out-loud comedy currently on the Great White Runway?

Look no further than Broadway's Longacre Theatre where almost in spite of itself, Boeing-Boeing has touched down for what looks to be a lengthy layover. It's a mostly fantastic, high-flying farce.

In a season already filled with plenty of this genre, from the frivolous (The Ritz) to the fraught (November) to the fanciful (Is He Dead?), one would be forgiven for thinking audiences would have had enough of the fare. And to be frank, I wondered how New Yorkers would respond to a revival of such a dated show, which originally closed on Broadway almost as quickly as it opened back in February 1965.

But with Claire van Kampen's groovy selection of sixties tunes setting the mood, supplemented by Rob Howell's ingenious red, yellow and blue set and costume designs that are artfully augmented by Hugh Vanstone's complementary lighting, it's clear from take-off that this is going to be a first-class flight.

Written by Marc Camoletti (translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans), Boeing-Boeing has a fairly simple, silly plot. Bernard (Bradley Whitford) is a swinging American bachelor living in Paris who's simultaneously balancing three stewardess, er, flight attendant fiancées -- Kathryn Hahn as TWA's Gloria, Gina Gershon as Alitalia's Gabriella and Mary McCormack as Lufthansa's Gretchen -- all with the help of a good old-fashioned OAG (yes, they still print them). Bernard relies on the OAG's schedules to help him keep track of when his ladies would be in and out of his love nest.

Fortunately for Bernard, he has a cunningly complicit French maid Berthe (Christine Baranski). In a delightful shellgame, whenever it's time for a shift change, Berthe wheels out a special cart with three color-coded boxes to ensure that there's no trace of the last female companion left for the next one to find.

Of course, as one would expect of any farce, all these best intentions come perilously close to crashlanding. Soon after Bernard's friend Robert (Mark Rylance) unexpectedly comes calling from Wisconsin, the women in Bernard's life, quite predictably, all end up back at the Paris apartment at the same time. Not even a schedule manifest can predict turned-around and canceled flights.

As absurd as the storyline is, Matthew Warchus portentously propels this Boeing-Boeing to a new altitude with a turbocharged cruising speed that left me breathless from laughing. Much of the marvelous mirth comes from watching Rylance do his best to create diversions for his buddy Bernard's girlfriends, finding himself mirroring his friend's lust for life just a little too closely. It's hard to believe that this Shakespearean actor could be so capable of slapstick comedy, but in his Broadway debut, he's proving to be a worthy master. This is truly his show.

Nearly as wonderful is Baranski's wickedly funny take as Berthe. In her first Broadway outing since 1991's short-lived Nick & Nora, this talented actress demonstrates a propensity for broad comic relief, whether it's with an exaggerated roll of her eyes or via her deadpan, droll response.

Regrettably, I can't say the same for Whitford. As a man wrestling to maintain his harem, he certainly gets all of the agitated nerves down pat. Yet they come along just a bit too soon, almost as if he's never flown before. And if you're going to have the testicular fortitude to balance three fiancées at once, you'd better have more than a bag full of nuts and nerves of steel before ever taxiing down the runway.

Among the array of assembled space waitresses, McCormack plays her Gretchen so over the top, I half expected oxygen masks to drop. As shockingly funny as she often is, I just wasn't buying her as a bona fide love interest for Bernard. Hahn's gumsmacking American is played much more credibly, but it's Gershon who wins the day with her glorious Gabriella -- this is the best I've ever seen her and it's hard not to fall for her.

Despite the wildly mixed performances, Boeing-Boeing is about the wildest ride on Broadway. Fasten your seatbelts!

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Boeing-Boeing Have Critics Flying High? (May 5, 2008)
Opening: Boeing-Boeing Lands On Great White Way (May 4, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Boeing-Boeing To Touch Down On Great White Way (September 17, 2007)
Was De La Tour's Latest A Tour De Force With Critics? (February 17, 2007)
London's Boeing-Boeing Flies Into Opening Night (February 15, 2007)

Labels: Boeing-Boeing, Bradley Whitford, Broadway, Christine Baranski, Kathryn Hahn, Mark Rylance, Mary McCormack, Matthew Warchus, Play, Revival, The SOB Review

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, May 21, 2008 8 comments links to this post

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (The SOB Review)

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (The SOB Review) - Mystic Showroom, Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake, MN

*** (out of ****)

What could be better than the stage musical fascimile of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons now known the world over as Jersey Boys?

Why, the real deal, naturally.

Over 190 seasons may have come and gone -- literally and almost figuratively -- since Frankie Valli and his first musical partners Tommy DeVito, the late Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio first appropriated the name of a bowling alley (that turned them down after a failed audition) and went on to legendary fame as they scored 40 top 40 hits, sold over 100 million records and became fodder for one of Broadway's most successful shows of the past five years.

Quite incredibly and almost impossibly, the man born 74 years ago in Newark, NJ as Francis Castelluccio still hangs on to what he's got with that amazingly high falsetto. I went in expecting to hear him sing an octave or even two below what he's known for. Even if his vocal instrument isn't quite as powerful as it once was or if he moves a tad slower than he used to, he still solidly nails every high note.

(But note to Mystic Lake's on-site camera team: the split second delay in beaming the live images up to your giant screens ill-served your talent and audience as it almost appeared as though Valli was lip-syncing.)

While the composition of The Four Seasons is a quintet, including Valli and four young men who likely were born long after the group scored its last number one hit "December, 1963" back in early 1975, they built from a slow start to exciting finish with plenty of flash and unwavering pizzazz. Blending nearly flawless vocals with exhilarating spot-on choreography, it was easy to turn back the clock, if only in my mind, and imagine this was how the original foursome dazzled their earliest fans. I can't help but wonder whether the producers of Jersey Boys are considering tapping their talent.

But in the end, it's Frankie Valli the crowd is there to see, and if he no longer has the energy of a man half his age, he most certainly has the voice of one. Once he gets revved up, he gladly and quite proudly delivers. With plenty of affectionate banter with the audience, including gladhanding with the entire front row, no less, Valli remains a master showman with no signs of slowing down.

If there's one disappointment, it's the time devoted to his current album, "Romancing the 60s." While Valli and his band offer spirited new covers of old classics like "Spanish Harlem," "My Girl/Groovin,'" and "Call Me," among others, the real reason why the audience is there is to hear the singer steer them through the valley of familiar Four Seasons terrain.

Fortunately, this icon doesn't seem to tire of the chart-topping catalog that placed him and his Four Seasons forever on the cultural landscape. He practically does them all, from the group's first hit "Sherry" all the way to his last solo number one "Grease."

One moment that truly sent shivers down my spine was listening to this living legend sing his signature tune "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." To call it magical would be an understatement, but it underscores just how much better it is to see the real McCoy in person any day over a rough fascimile.

Oh, what a night, indeed.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: Concert, Frankie Valli, Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons, Jersey Boys, Minneapolis/St. Paul, The SOB Review

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, May 20, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Flex And Flexing

Flex And Flexing

Back in March, I took issue with the stunt-casting of Broadway's current revival of A Chorus Line with Mario Lopez.

Then on May 7, New York Post's Michael Riedel used his column to dish about the "Disease of the Vain" in the revival's sudden battle of the biceps:

Lopez, who just took over the role of Zach, the exacting director of A Chorus Line, is mighty proud of his biceps. So proud, in fact, that he refused to wear Zach's costume, a tan sweater with long sleeves.

It's an iconic outfit, based on that worn in real life by A Chorus Line creator Michael Bennett, and it's been worn by countless Zachs in productions of A Chorus Line all over the world for the past 30 years.

But "Flex" Lopez wanted to wear a brown shirt with short sleeves so that he could show off his biceps.
***
The only trouble is, Flex is sharing the stage with a pair of biceps larger than his. They belong to Nick Adams, who plays Larry, the assistant choreographer.

Larry's iconic costume is a navy blue tank top with the number 17 on it. For A Chorus Line nerds, that number is significant -- there are 17 performers auditioning for the eight spots in the chorus.

Flex, sources say, was concerned that Adams' biceps would upstage his, so he requested that Adams wear a hoodie over his tank top, which Adams does whenever he's next to Flex.

In response to Riedel's request for feedback on who has the bigger biceps, I'm sure he was surprised upon receiving a thoughtful letter, which placed this entire kerfuffle into perspective, particularly on how the show was meant to be performed. That letter, which Riedel quoted last Friday, came from the original production's Richie, Ron Dennis (pictured, front row, third to left, with other members of A Chorus Line's original cast at the opening of the revival).

Currently making his home in California, Dennis now teaches dance at the Hollywood Dance Center in Los Angeles, instructing adult actors/dancers "who are still loving dance as their form of exercise and craft," and he frequently subs at the performing arts schools. How fortunate all those students should feel.

Dennis tells me, "I've not been on stage to perform since the STAGE benefit from 3 years or so ago when the music of Marvin Hamlisch was part of the composer being honored that year, and we did a mini-cut version of A Chorus Line."

Given the integral role Ron Dennis played in shaping the beloved original production of A Chorus Line -- which still ranks as one of the longest running Broadway shows of all time -- he has granted me permission to share the full contents of his letter to Riedel:

Hello Michael:

I'm Ron Dennis the original "Richie" in A Chorus Line, and I also had the unclaimed fame of writing the "Gimme The Ball" song in the 3rd montage of the show that so few are aware that it was not Marvin Hamlisch who wrote my song. Michael Bennett took me aside a week before previews Off-Broadway, and in that rehearsal room with Fran Liebergall our pit and rehearsal pianist and drummer Bobby Thomas, we sat in the room as Michael gave instructions on how he wanted the tempo to go with the song with his very Joe Cocker-like vocals, although not nearly as tuneful. Michael was not a singer.

I went home that night and channelled my favorite vocalist, Aretha Franklin, voice only, not her clothes, as my inspiration for the melody that I wrote for "Gimme The Ball."

When I attended the October, 2006 opening of this revival along with the majority of my other original castmates, there were several changes in this revival that were "tinkered" with. The guitar passages in "Gimme The Ball" had been changed to big horn sounds, which were not what Michael originally had orchestrated for the song, and this was validated by my conversation with Donald Pippin, our original Conductor, at the opening night post-show dinner, who brought up his disappointment with this big horn change in the song that has virtually taken all the "funk" out of the song as originally sung by me and orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick, back then was my understanding.

So the "Flexing" of muscles has been ongoing with this revival from the beginning with the tinkering that you write about in your article about Mario Lopez, ie: "Flex" and his biceps.

Bob LuPone, our original Zack, had no need to have biceps since his character was about the dancing, which Bob did as brilliantly as the rest of us along with his brilliant acting too, I'd like to add.

It appears that the "powers that be" have to do whatever they need to do to keep butts in the seats to keep this revival up and running and making money. The fact that they are allowing Mr. Lopez to flex his "star muscles" in order to flex his vanity muscles for a show that is about "Dancers, Dancing and how dancing is metaphoric for anything one does for love," does a great disservice to the memory and brilliant directorial decisions of the late Michael Bennett.

Michael would not have let Mr. Lopez be this preening Zack with the arms and body to distract the character line of the Zack as the director hiring the 17 of us on that line.

Mind you, the late Clive Clerk, did have muscled arms but not the pumped ones you talk about in your article, as did the also late Roy Smith who was our Larry when the show moved to this coast after our less than a full year on Broadway as a "complete, original company."

Not any of the various Zacks that had that role during my 2 years and 8 months with the show wore a tank top, nor did the topic come up about biceps being revealed. It was always about the acting/dancing -- the relationship Zack had with those of us "On The Line" auditioning for that needed job, and certainly with Cassie as the other drama through-line in our show then.

So much for honoring the Pulitzer Prize winning show that all of the original members of A Chorus Line helped to create along with our talent and those of our original powers that be in 1974.

Would a revival of Porgy And Bess have a "Sporting Life" in a tank top just because he had impressive biceps to show off? I think not!

Some things just should not be tinkered with, period, in my opinion. Tinkering leads to more tinkering and we all know that tinkering is exponential. A Chorus Line has been tinkered with since the time the show left Broadway in 1976 and bombarded the world with the show I knew so well, with adjustments to dance steps that have been altered over the years and not for the better in too many ways.

It's a different show and the tone has changed and not with the same original message.

The seats would be filled if our "original" message was intact as the audience and ticket buyers were being moved as they were back then in 1975 when the show first opened. Theater folks are savvy and know and expect to be moved in a theater setting. This is a simple fact.

Put the sweater back on Mario, and work to be a better dancer and director as Zack. The world can google your muscles if we care to view them, and after watching your dancing on "Dancing With The Stars" last night with your fellow cast dancers, you are not up (to) their par as a dancer and your muscles did not distract my dancer eyes from your shortcomings as a Broadway trained dancer, and all of this Internet chatter about your muscles may fill some seats but that novelty will wear off very soon.

Where are the trained and accomplished dancer men who could have and should have been cast as the new Zack in A Chorus Line. I know several who'd fit the bill.

I bet you could name quite a few dancers, Mr. Riedel, that would have been a sensational addition to this revival, too?

This is not my sour grapes, but if one is going to reinvent math at least make it as good along with the better, not just different.

The tour opens here on May 22nd and we LA-based originals will be attending and hopefully this production will have gone back to a more accurate representation of what A Chorus Line was back in the day, where the muscles came from the dancing and not the gym and heavy weights.

Sincerely,

Ron Dennis

Thanks so much, Ron, for sharing not only your personal insights into what made the original production the vaunted show it was, but also for being so candid regarding the current revival's shortcomings.

It's been said that vanity kills. If that is the case, it appears that vanity is killing the spirit of this hallowed classic, if not the show itself.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
A Chorus Line: From Priscilla To Mario Lopez (March 5, 2008)

Labels: A Chorus Line, Mario Lopez, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Bennett, Michael Riedel, Musical, Nick Adams, Revival, Ron Dennis, Stunt Casting

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, May 19, 2008 3 comments links to this post

More August Honors

More August Honors

There's just no stopping the August: Osage County juggernaut.

But then again, who'd want to, anyway?

While Tracy Letts' popular play earned seven well-deserved Tony Award nominations last week, including for Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize-winning work has already won several other awards over the past week.

A week ago today, August: Osage County was named Best Play by the Outer Critics Circle, up against Rock 'N' Roll, The Seafarer and The 39 Steps. The Outer Critics Circle is the official organization of writers on the New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media beyond Broadway.

Also one week ago today, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (NYDCC) named August: Osage County as its pick for Best Play of the 2007-08 Theatrical Season, offering Letts a cash prize of $2,500 by a grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation. According to Playbill, the NYDCC is comprised of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, and wire services based in the New York metropolitan area, including (with pictures!): Adam Feldman of Time Out New York; Eric Grode of The New York Sun; Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's Daily News; Hilton Als of The New Yorker; Clive Barnes of New York Post; Melissa Rose Bernardo of Entertainment Weekly; David Cote of Time Out New York; Michael Feingold of The Village Voice; Robert Feldberg of The Record (Bergen County, NJ); Elysa Gardner of USA Today; John Heilpern of The New York Observer; Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press; Jacques le Sourd of Gannett Newspapers; Jeremy McCarter of New York; David Rooney of Variety; Frank Scheck of New York Post; David Sheward of Back Stage; John Simon of Bloomberg News; Michael Sommers of The Star-Ledger/Newhouse Newspapers; Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal; Linda Winer of Newsday; and Richard Zoglin of Time.

On Friday, August: Osage County won Distinguished Production of a Play honors during the 74th Annual Drama League Awards over Eurydice, The Farnsworth Invention, November, Rock 'N' Roll, The Seafarer, Thurgood and The 39 Steps. According to Playbill, "the Drama League is an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to 'encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre's premiere service organization.'"

Finally, last evening, August: Osage County was named Outstanding Play at the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards over Intimate Exchanges, Horizon, From Up Here, Dividing the Estate and Rock ’N’ Roll. According to Playbill, "the Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors all areas of New York theatre, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway" that has a nominating committee comprised of Barbara Siegel of TalkinBroadway.com and TheaterMania.com; Dan Bacalzo of TheaterMania.com; Robert Cashill of New York Theater News and Live Design; Celia Ipiotis of Eye on the Arts; Gerard Raymond of Back Stage and The Advocate; and Richard Ridge of broadwaybeat.com.

And while the Theatre World Awards honor only actors, Deanna Dunagan of August: Osage County was singled out last Thursday as one of the "performers, casts or others who have made a particularly lasting impression on the New York theatre scene." She has most certainly done and more with her amazing portrayal of the pill-popping Violet Weston, a role that has now earned her Chicago's prestigious Jeff Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award. Last December, I said, "Deanna Dunagan in particular offers perhaps the single most important Broadway debut in recent memory. Her performance will surely be recalled as one of the best on the boards in years." Will she soon be adding a Tony to her ever-crowded mantle?

Next stop is the 62nd Annual Tony Awards on June 15 where virtually everyone, including yours truly, expects August: Osage County to make it a clean sweep.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
An August Award (April 7, 2008)
Today's The Day ... Or Maybe Not (April 7, 2008)
Producer's Perspective Is Sneak Peek (March 24, 2008)
Fantasy Casting Calls (February 26, 2008)
Dennis Letts - RIP (February 24, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (February 20, 2008)
August: Osage County Will Extend Again, Moving To Music Box (February 15, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Hot, Hot, Hot August Just Got Longer (January 14, 2008)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #1: Deanna Dunagan (December 31, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
ModFab: The Jury Is In (December 28, 2007)
August: Best Time Of The Year (December 15, 2007)
Sorkin "No Tracy Letts" (December 14, 2007)
More Than One Critic Letts August Esteem Show (December 5, 2007)
August Heat Fires Up December Opening (December 4, 2007)
Cold Opening Possible For August: Osage County? (November 16, 2007)
Finally, Back To The Table (November 14, 2007)
Add August To The List? (November 14, 2007)
An August Work (October 30, 2007)
Steppenwolf Letts "Juicy" August Move Forward (September 15, 2007)
This October, Letts' "August" Begins On Broadway (August 22, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)

Labels: August Osage County, Awards, Deanna Dunagan, Play, Tony Nominations, Tracy Letts

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, May 19, 2008 4 comments links to this post

The Pajama Game (The SOB Review)

The Pajama Game (The SOB Review) - Schneider Theater for the Performing Arts, Blooming-ton Civic Theatre, Blooming-ton, MN

*** (out of ****)

"Seven and a half cents," as the song from Richard Adler and Jerry Ross' 1954 musical The Pajama Game duly notes, "doesn't buy a hell of a lot."

But just try telling that to the nearly flawless cast of 27 and 17-piece orchestra members from Minnesota's Schneider Theater for the Performing Arts' production of The Pajama Game. Their indomitable spirit has joined forces with John Command's nearly pitch-perfect direction to make this roundly enjoyable revival practically as good as a Broadway show, but coming in at a fraction of a Rialto budget.

It never ceases to astound me when I take in a small regional production that bundles boundless energy and determination to make for an entertaining evening at the theatre, worthy of what "the professionals" of the Great White Way do. And that, my friends is exactly what you'll get by taking in this delightful bit of bliss, just six miles or so southwest of the Mall of America.

To be candid, while I'm quite familiar with Adler and Ross' enjoyable score and I understood that George Abbott and Richard Bissell's story centered on the love affair and conflict between pajama factory manager Sid Sorkin and female union member Babe Williams, I had never before seen a live stage production until now. (I found myself disappointed that the short-lived 2006 Tony-winning revival starring Harry Connick, Jr. as Sid opposite Kelli O'Hara as Babe was sold-out every time I tried getting my hands on some tickets.)

The Pajama Game itself is not necessarily one of the greatest or most groundbreaking musicals of all time. Indeed, it feels like a quaint, nostalgic little throwback to the fifties even with its attempts to highlight the disparity between white and blue collar workers. It also contains a number of tunes that, truth be told, fail to advance the story, shoe-horning in numbers like the more or less unrelated "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway" merely to showcase the choreography initially provided by Bob Fosse (and recreated here quite well by Command).

But all that is basically a moot point, given the endearing appeal of the talented cast. As Sid, the lanky Michael Kaup scores in capturing the compartmentalized Sid, who's easily able to separate his professional and personal relationships with Babe. Stephanie Anderson imbues her Babe with a savvy, revolutionary verve, never forgetting or betraying her bond with fellow union members, but always a charmer nonetheless. Together, the two have great chemistry blending their voices toward an ultimately harmonious conclusion.

They're buttressed by strong supporting players, including the exceptional loose-limbed Edward Williams, Jr. as the local union Prez and the gorgeous Timmy Hays as one of his many objects of affection Gladys. But most of all, the sensational David Ulrich ignites the show with his Broadway-caliber performance as Sleep Tite's foreman Hines. Ulrich's terrific sense of timing and comedic skills, along with fancy footwork, grabbed hold of my attention right from the start and assured me I was about to see a fantastic production.

Credit also goes to Robin McIntyre for an unusually complex stage design that's most definitely on par with the Great White Way, as well as Ed Gleeman's costume design, which succeeds in evoking the styles of the fifties.

It's true that good things can come in small packages. And for the relatively small package price of just $25 per top ticket, this Pajama Game is most definitely a good thing worth trying on for size.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.

Labels: David Ulrich, Edward Williams Jr., Jerry Ross, John Command, Michael Kaup, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Musical, Revival, Richard Adler, Stephanie Anderson, The Pajama Game, The SOB Review, Timmy Hays

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, May 17, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Thurgood (The SOB Review)

Thurgood (The SOB Review) - Booth Theatre, New York, NY

*** (out of ****)

As I've professed in this space many a time, I love history. Not necessarily because I'm particularly fond of what I've learned, but because of the sense of discovery in finding out the who, what, why and how for events that have changed the course of human existence.

My affinity for learning about our past came about by a stroke of luck back in the sixties during my second grade year, thanks to the classroom configuration my school used. It was at that time that my class shared a school room with first and third graders. Curiously, whenever the third graders were receiving their history lessons, I found myself sitting up and taking notice. In fact, I couldn't wait until the following school year when I, too, could take the class.

Of course, during that same decade, a gifted Baltimore attorney had risen to the top court in the United States. Thurgood Marshall was continuing to help shape the annals of our collective American experience just as he had in the early fifties when he overcame all expectations in successfully arguing the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education before the Supreme Court.

But in 1967, two years before I sat up and took notice of the concept of history itself, President Lyndon Johnson took notice and made history by appointing his then Solicitor General to the highest court as its first African American member; Marshall would go on to serve on the Supreme Court until two years before his death in 1993.

Now, fifteen years later -- as we approach the centenary of Marshall's birth -- a fairly powerful and ever thoughtful examination of this powerhouse attorney-turned-leading jurist has come to the Broadway stage. In the one-man show Thurgood, written by George Stevens, Jr. and directed by Leonard Foglia, Laurence Fishburne becomes Marshall in his twilight years lecturing before an assembly at Washington's Howard University about his many contributions to American jurisprudence.

The focus of Stevens' script is primarily devoted to Marshall's exposition over the key cases he's argued. While these personal anecdotes provide an often riveting array of the seemingly insurmountable and harrowing -- even life-threatening -- odds he faced, there are few insights into his personal life beyond scant references to meeting his first wife Vivian "Buster" Burey and her untimely death in 1955 -- which he concedes was devastating to him -- along with his subsequent marriage to Cecilia Suyat.

Fishburne expertly nails the demeanor of Thurgood Marshall, even resembling him at times. This fine actor lends a gentle sense of humor and gravitas to the man who arguably had the biggest hands-on impact in the battle for equality and civil rights among all Americans during the 20th Century. If there is a quibble with Fishburne's solo performance -- at least during the one I took in last Sunday afternoon -- it's that he frequently stumbles over his lines. Nevertheless, and more importantly, Fishburne captures the essence of Marshall and ensures that this American patriot will not soon be forgotten.

As George Santayana once said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” As a student of history, I'm thrilled that this inspiring Thurgood is bringing together black and white audiences in one place not only to share in learning from our collective past, but also so that we'll never forget from whence we came.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Critics Render Verdicts On Thurgood (May 1, 2008)
Fishburne Marshalls In Broadway Opening Night For Thurgood (April 30, 2008)
36 Down, 3 To Go (April 12, 2008)
Seafarer Set To Sail Out Of Broadway Berth (January 30, 2008)

Labels: Broadway, George Stevens Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Leonard Foglia, Play, The SOB Review, Thurgood, Thurgood Marshall

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, May 17, 2008 2 comments links to this post