Sweeney Todd Will Soon Be FleetingOver the weekend, it was announced that the stunning revival of
Stephen Sondheim's
Sweeney Todd will close September 3 -- nearly three months sooner than
originally expected. Having opened on November 3, 2005 to rave reviews, it will have played a total of 349 performances by the time things wind down at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
The original 1979 production of
Sweeney Todd with
Len Cariou and
Angela Lansbury at the
Uris Theatre (renamed in 1983 as the George Gershwin Theatre) won 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The original ran for a total of 557 performances, opening on March 1, 1979 and closing on June 29, 1980.
Nearly one decade later, the first revival of
Sweeney Todd with
Bob Gunton and
Beth Fowler opened at the
Circle in the Square Theatre on September 14, 1989, running for 188 performances before closing on February 25, 1990. That incarnation received four Tony nominations, but no awards.
I was very disappointed that the current revival never managed to attract and sustain the audiences it so richly deserved -- despite its critical acclaim, it has often hovered near the bottom of the weekly list of Broadway grosses (last week, the musical attracted 53.6% capacity). I also was quite disheartened when it failed to win the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical; while it earned six Tony nominations, it only won in the Best Direction of a Musical (
John Doyle) and Best Orchestrations (
Sarah Travis) categories.
But don't expect September 3 to be the last of this
Sweeney Todd -- a touring production is now very likely.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Sweeney Todd's Close Shave: LuPone and Cerveris to Stay Put Through Thanksgiving (June 27, 2006)
O-Kaye Given to Temporary LuPone Replacement (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd
I Am My Own Wife (The SOB Review) - The Jungle Theater, Minneapo- lis, MN**1/2 (out of ****)I'm not sure whether I simply waited too long to see
I Am My Own Wife or if it was overhyped from the beginning, but I found
Doug Wright's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play to be more than a just little disappointing and only somewhat captivating when I saw it last night. The one-man show centers on the story of Lothar Befelde, a German transvestite who assumed the identity of Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf and lived through the Nazi and Communist eras of Germany.
While Minnesota-based actor Bradley Greenwald certainly gave Befelde-cum-Von Mahldorf his all despite a few flubbed lines, he seemed a bit miscast for the pivotal role. From the moment he first appears -- complete with his discernible five o'clock shadow, it becomes difficult to imagine the real Von Mahlsdorf ever passing herself to Nazi and Communist authorities as anyone more than a man in a dress. Greenwald was more well-suited for many of the play's other 34 characters including Wright himself, although his posture seemed to incorrectly convey the wrong role more than once while alternating between characters.
As for the implied danger, the audience learns early on that Nazi authorities asked the teenage Befelde whether he was a boy or a girl. Befelde admitted to being a boy and was subsequently surprised that his life was spared. Not exactly the gripping anecdote I had come to expect -- I had expected a depiction of how one transvestite miraculously eluded Nazi (and later Communist) persecution for being gay by convincingly assuming the identity of a woman. But according to Wright, the only actual danger ever faced by this real-life transvestite was from Befelde's father late in World War II and a latter-day neo-Nazi after the Berlin Wall had come down (surprisingly, our hero/heroine was the one who inflicted the harm in response to both threats).
Most intriguing is that more than half of the play delves deeply into Von Mahlsdorf's unholy alliance with the East German Stasi. But distracting from the principal storyline is Wright's self-absorbed tangent in which he desperately wanted to believe that Von Mahlsdorf was something she was not. Unfortunately, by weaving himself into the play, he threatens the very fabric of the story he already has. We don't get a well-rounded characterization of Befelde/Von Mahlsdorf or gain a deep appreciation for who this individual really was or what motivated her actions during Communist rule. Instead, we're left wondering what the fuss is all about since the Nazis and Communists were depicted more as the "live and let live" types than the brutal regimes they truly were. While marginally gripping, we never get a true story of survival.
Eschewing a full-blown national tour, the
original Broadway production played only a handful of U.S. venues before taking a West End detour, which failed to ignite the level of interest and critical acclaim it enjoyed stateside. While Tony-winning Best Actor in a Play
Jefferson Mays is now touring with the play in Melbourne, Australia, American audiences are instead seeing local regional productions.
While the production values of this Minneapolis version helmed by Joel Sass were outstanding -- including his exceptional set design (that included a mansion-turned-armoire in the middle of oversized Stasi filing cabinets) and perfect sound design by C. Andrew Mayer and Sean Healey (that effectively depicted everything from the Edison player to bombardments during World War II) -- I couldn't help but wonder whether I would have been more impressed with the actual story had I seen it with Jefferson Mays. Unless he reprises his role in the United States, I guess I'll never know.
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Click here for tickets. The Jungle Theater production was originally set to close on July 30, but has been extended through August 6.http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
Labels: I Am My Own Wife, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Play, The SOB Review
Christine Baranski RSVPs for MTC's Regrets OnlyGreat news for New Yorkers who had been banking on seeing
Christine Baranski this year. The Tony-winning actress has been officially confirmed for
Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere mounting of
Paul Rudnick's comedy,
Regrets Only.
Hopes were dashed earlier this summer for her titular turn as
Mame to reach Broadway, but
Baranski had indicated last month that she was in talks with MTC for a role in the
Christopher Ashley-helmed vehicle. Finally, Baranski will be back where she belongs: on the New York stage.
Regrets Only is described as a:
"...comedy of Manhattan manners, exploring the very latest topics in marriage and friendship. The setting: a Park Avenue penthouse. The players: a powerhouse attorney, his deliriously social wife and their closest friend, one of the world’s most staggeringly successful fashion designers. Add a daughter’s engagement, some major gowns, the President of the United States, and stir."
Regrets Only begins previews on October 19 and opens November 14 at MTC's City Center Stage I. Joining Baranski will be
Diane Davis (
Festen)
, Tony-winner
George Grizzard (
A Delicate Balance),
Jackie Hoffman (
Hairspray),
Siân Phillips (
Marlene) and
David Rasche (
Speed-the-Plow).
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Labels: Christine Baranski, First Word On New Show, Mame, Off-Broadway, Play, Regrets Only
Barely Trotter? Daniel Radcliffe Set for Equus MountingApparently determined to shed more than just his "
Harry Potter" movie image, 17 year old actor
Daniel Radcliffe has officially been announced for the leading role in the new West End revival of
Peter Schaffer's
Equus due to open February 27, 2007. Radcliffe will portray Alan Strang, a psychotic young stable boy who blinds horses with a spike, only to ride them while performing sexual acts in the all-together. Radcliffe will be joined by
The History Boys'
Richard Griffiths as psychiatrist Martin Dysart -- the two performed together in four of the "Harry Potter" movies.
On
Radcliffe's Web site, the young actor is quoted as saying:
"I'm really excited to be part of this production. I'm thrilled to be working with Richard Griffiths again. This is obviously a huge departure for me as an actor, but Equus is such an amazing play that this really was an opportunity not to be missed. Rehearsal starts in January and I'm very much looking forward to working with Thea Sharrock who is an incredibly talented director and only hope I do the role justice!"
The original Broadway production of
Equus opened at the
Plymouth Theatre (now the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre) on October 24, 1974 and ran for 1209 performances before closing -- at the
Helen Hayes Theatre -- on October 2, 1977.
Peter Firth won a Tony for his portrayal of Strang, but he subsequently retreated from the American stage with the exception of a replacement role as Mozart in
Amadeus.
Equus' stellar original cast included
Anthony Hopkins,
Roberta Maxwell,
Marian Seldes and
Frances Sternhagen. Overall, the play was nominated for five Tony Awards and in addition to Firth's win,
Equus was named Best Play of 1975, while the late
John Dexter won for Best Director.
The deeply disturbing and controversial
Equus has never been remounted on the Broadway stage, although it was translated to film in 1975 with Firth reprising his role opposite
Richard Burton -- both were Oscar nominated.
Perhaps not since
Julie Andrews exposed herself in the film "
S.O.B." has there been a larger attempt to break away from such a wholesome image. The big question is whether Radcliffe will be up for the challenge.
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Labels: Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, London, Play, Revival
Pirate Queen to Sail Into Broadway's Hilton TheatreScratch
my speculation over whether
Curtains will take over Broadway's
Hilton Theatre early next year. Today it was announced that
The Pirate Queen will gain that coveted 2007 berth, which has the most seats of any venue on the Great White Way. The tuner is expected to open March 22 after an initial out-of-town tryout this fall at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre.
As
I've previously mentioned, the new
Alain Boublil/
Claude-Michel Schönberg swashbuckler musical will star the bewitching
Stephanie J. Block in the title role. As storied as
Miss Saigon and
Les Misérables are in the annals of theatrical history -- and as lovely a performer Block has been in Broadway's
The Boy From Oz as
Liza Minnelli and in the touring cast of
Wicked as Elphaba -- I have a two-fold trepidation over this production.
First, it will be helmed by
Frank Galati, whose previous direction has left me bored and befuddled with such works as
Seussical,
After The Quake and
Loving Repeating. Second, the musical is produced by
Riverdream, which is primarily known for its tired
Riverdance (although I profess that I've never seen it, its reputation has kept me far away).
Perhaps I'm being completely unfair here (and don't be afraid to tell me if I am), but those two points will give me pause in deciding whether or not to see this show.
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Click here for tickets to performances in Chicago.Related Stories:Curtains' Calling on Broadway? (July 24, 2006)
The Pirate Queen Musical to Sail Into Chicago This Fall (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
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Labels: Broadway, Curtains, Musical, The Pirate Queen, Tryout
The Hills Were Almost Alive with the Sound of JohanssonToday’s issue of
The Times of London includes
a fascinating, inside look by Adam Sherwin on how young movie starlet
Scarlett Johansson was very close to taking on the role of Maria for
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s upcoming West End revival of
The Sound of Music.
Of course, now that plum leading role will be filled by an unknown to be chosen by the most gimmicky of casting calls: the dreaded reality show. Dubbed “Nun Idol,” the winner will be chosen by television viewers of the program, “
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” that will be hosted by the ever-amusing
Graham Norton; Webber will actively participate in the show.
According to the story, Webber thought at one point that he had sealed the deal with Johansson. He is quoted as saying, “We had a hysterical lunch which ended in the early hours of the morning. We were at the top of the Peninsula Hotel and she sang in front of everyone, which was fantastic. She can really sing. I said to her, ‘Do you want to do
Sound of Music?’ She said ‘yes’. We started planning things.”
But apparently that’s when Johansson’s keepers stepped in and decided that doing a London stage gig for a paltry £10,000 per week didn’t measure up to the $10 million she could earn for a movie. Webber lamented, “It was annoying because I think she really wanted to do it.”
Webber’s revival of the classic
Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein II musical opens this November at the storied London Palladium.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Music to London Palladium's Ears (May 17, 2006)
Labels: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, London, Musical, Revival, Television, The Sound Of Music
Gavin Creel's World Turned Upside-Down by Mary PoppinsStarting tonight, Ohio native
Gavin Creel takes to the rooftops of London as cockney Bert in the unbelievably excellent Olivier Award-winning production of
Mary Poppins. Creel is making his West End debut, and right about the moment I am writing this, I'm imagining him dancing upside-down, thanks to
Matthew Bourne's breathtaking choreography.
I've truly enjoyed watching the rise of this budding star. Not only did I see Creel's Tony-nominated work in the thoroughly enjoyable
Thoroughly Modern Millie back in 2002, but I was also among the relatively few who had a chance to see him in the world premiere of the short-lived
Stephen Sondheim/
John Weidman musical
Bounce opposite
Richard Kind and
Howard McGillin at Chicago's
Goodman Theatre in August of 2003.
As regular readers may recall,
Mary Poppins ranks as my absolute
favorite show of the 2004-05 Theatrical Season, but
La Cage Aux Folles -- the second regular Broadway show to feature Creel and winner of the 2005 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical --
was on my honorable mention list for the same year. I'm pleased to see Creel take on this exciting role. To learn more about Creel's first-hand experience, you may want to
visit his official blog.
Perhaps once
Gavin Lee -- who originated the role of Bert in London -- concludes his upcoming run in the stateside version of
Mary Poppins, the
American Gavin might make a triumphant and welcome return to the Great White Way as the world's favorite chimney sweep.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Rejoice! Gavin Lee to Cross Atlantic for Mary Poppins on Broadway (May 8, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Bounce, Film, Gavin Creel, La Cage Aux Folles, London, Mary Poppins, Musical, Stephen Sondheim, Thoroughly Modern Millie
We Had It Coming: Chicago's Starry 10th AnniversaryAs previously noted, November 19 marks the 10th anniversary for the celebrated, stunt-casted, Tony-winning revival of
Chicago -- arguably the most enduring, if not endearing, musical ever written by
John Kander and
Fred Ebb. While I've lamented some of the show's recent casting choices, there is a silver lining to the show's longevity....
Perhaps in what amounts to the
best stunt coup of the year, the producers have announced that they'll be bringing back the principals from the original revival cast -- including
Bebe Neuwirth (Velma Kelly) and
Ann Reinking (Roxie Hart).
James Naughton,
Joel Grey and
Marcia Lewis will also be on hand for the special celebration on November 14. For their efforts in
Chicago, Neuwirth took home the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical and Naughton won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical while Reinking won the the Tony for Best Choreography.
Reinking's choreography was, of course, largely styled after that of her former partner
Bob Fosse, who choreographed the original version of
Chicago. Running at the
46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers) for just over two years and 936 performances, that version of
Chicago received 11 Tony Award nominations in 1976, but was completely shut-out from winning any. That compares with the revival's 8 Tony nominations and 7 wins. (Incidentally, it's also interesting to note that Reinking had served as replacement in the original version for Roxie Hart.)
A post-performance gala will benefit
Safe Horizon, a New York based organization devoted to providing support, preventing violence, and promoting justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities. Tickets for the event start from $500 per person. For benefit information, call 212.577.7749.
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Click here for Chicago tickets.Related Stories:Chicago to Usher in New Billy Flynn (July 14, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Chicago The Musical, Musical, Revival
Keeping Them in Stritches for 60 YearsWhile she may not possess the universal household name enjoyed by movie actresses, stage veteran
Elaine Stritch is among theatre's most venerable, vulnerable stars of the past century. Just ask any student of 20th Century American theatre who they'd name among the greatest musical theatre actresses of the past 100 years, and the 81 year old Detroit native would likely be named alongside such greats as
Fanny Brice,
Gertrude Lawrence,
Ethel Merman,
Mary Martin,
Gwen Verdon,
Dorothy Loudon,
Angela Lansbury and
Chita Rivera.
Indeed, when you consider that her very first Broadway show was 60 years ago in the 1946 production of
Loco and included turns in such renowned productions as
Pal Joey (1952),
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1963, as a replacement for
Uta Hagen), and 1994's
Showboat revival (my first, wonderful opportunity to see Stritch perform live), it's easy to understand why she has few peers.
Now, according to
Variety's David Benedict, Stritch's legendary star will be shining in the spotlight yet again with a newly announced London production by Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group. The show will be based upon the celebrated writings of
Nöel Coward, who first worked with Stritch in the 1961 production of
Sail Away for which Stritch received a 1962 Tony nomination. The new production will reportedly be built entirely around Stritch. After a December debut in the West End, it will then transfer to Broadway.
Remarkably enough, aside from the Best Special Theatrical Event Tony bestowed on her captivating autobiographical show
Elaine Stritch At Liberty in 2002 (for which she was famously cut-off in her televised remarks), Stritch herself has never won a Tony. She has been nominated a total of four times:
Bus Stop (1956), the aforementioned
Sail Away,
Company (1970) and
A Delicate Balance (1996).
I believe theatre lovers should make every attempt to witness important actors and actresses whenever there's an opportunity (and before it's too late). I can guarantee you that I'll make every effort to see Elaine Stritch once again.
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London's Last 5 Years Opens TonightTonight marks the official opening of the first United Kingdom staging of
Jason Robert Brown's
The Last 5 Years at Mernier's Chocolate Factory. The two-handed tuner told in one act is scheduled through September 30. Matthew White directs Damian Humbley as Jamie and Laura Pulver as Cathy in this breathtaking gem of a musical that moves backward (via Cathy) and forward (with Jamie) over the span of a five year relationship.
I absolutely adored this show when I saw it in 2003 on the Philadelphia stage with
Nicole Van Giesen and
Wayne Wilcox (who will appear in the new musical
Triangle at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Music Theatre Conference) as Cathy and Jamie, respectively. But the big question is how this decidedly American musical will translate to the British stage and whether fussy critics there will warm to it.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Star Rising: Nicole Van Giesen (June 26, 2006)
The Last 5 Years Announced for London (June 21, 2006)
Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (June 21, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 24, 2006)
Labels: London, Musical, Opening Night, The Last Five Years
Trevor Nunn's West End Porgy and Bess Will Transfer to BroadwayBefore Trevor Nunn's London revival of
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess has even been cast comes news that the show will definitely transfer to Broadway, although firm dates and venue are yet to be announced. The West End revival is set to begin at London's Savoy Theatre on October 25; opening night is November 9.
As
I've previously reported, the Gershwin estate approved the reworking of the theatrical masterpiece that uses the 1925 source novel for a newly revised book. The $5 million production will feature a company of 40 cast members along with a 20-piece orchestra. I'll keep you posted on the all-important casting.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Nunn Better: Porgy and Bess Set for London Revival (June 30, 2006)
The Wiz Cast Set to Ease On Down the RoadA great cast has been announced for
Des McAnuff's upcoming reimagining of
The Wiz at the
La Jolla Playhouse in California.
The Wiz will begin easing its way down the road on September 26 with an October 8 opening at La Jolla's Mandell Weiss Theatre.
David Alan Grier, perhaps best known for his ensemble role on television's "In Living Color," takes on the titular role.
Wayne Brady, whose many turns as Billy Flynn in Broadway's
Chicago has earned him much-deserved acclaim, will portray the Scarecrow.
Michael Benjamin Washington, who was one of the best things about the recent Broadway revival of
La Cage Aux Folles, will star as the Tinman.
Rounding out the leading roles will be
Nikki M. James (
All Shook Up) as Dorothy,
Titus Burgess (
Jersey Boys) as the Lion, E. Faye Butler as Evillene (the wicked witch) and
Valarie Pettiford (Tony nominated for
Fosse) as Glinda. For the first time, a human will take on the role of Toto -- dancer Albert Blaise takes on the role in the tuner by Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown.
Aside from a
very brief Broadway revival in 1984 with just 13 performances, it's been 27 years since the Great White Way truly experienced the groundbreaking, all-black version of the beloved L. Frank Baum classic, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The original version of
The Wiz won the 1975 Tony for Best Musical, along with awards for Best Book (Brown), Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (the late
Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (
Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder), Best Choreography (George Faison), and Best Direction of a Musical (Holder).
The Wiz was such a success that it lasted an amazing 1672 performances before closing in January, 1979.
If McAnuff's track record is any indication, it's quite likely that this version of
The Wiz may itself be on the road to a Broadway berth. It would make quite a unique bookend to the other Baum-based musical currently reigning at the Gershwin Theatre:
Wicked.
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Will It Play in Peoria? How About Iowa?Going all the way back to the days of vaudeville circuits, a common refrain to measure broad-based success -- particularly among podunk* towns -- was to ask, "
Will it play in Peoria?" With today's broad communications ranging from television to Internet to, yes, the touring companies of Broadway shows, our world is smaller than ever. Yet, I profess to being surprised whenever I learn just how broad-based the appeal of Broadway actually is.
Fast forward to this past Saturday and a mere 209 miles north-northwest of Peoria, Illinois to the quaint small town Decorah, Iowa, where I attended a good old-fashioned farm-family wedding. Much to my pleasant surprise, my dinner table discussion drifted to which Broadway shows were worth seeing -- and no, I did
not initiate the topic!
Now, it should be noted that there is an interesting pedigree on the young groom's side of the family.
First, his great-great uncle was writer Philip Stong, who penned the best-selling, Iowa-based "State Fair" novel from 1932.
"State Fair" was such a proven success that it became the basis for a top movie in 1933 with
Janet Gaynor,
Will Rogers and
Lew Ayres; the film earned two Academy Award nominations including for Best Picture.
Then in 1945, to capitalize on the unparalleled success that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II enjoyed through
Oklahoma!, "State Fair" was translated into a movie musical in 1945, starring
Jeanne Crain,
Dana Andrews,
Dick Haymes and
Vivian Blaine; that silver screen version won Rodgers and Hammerstein their first Academy Award for Best Original Song, "It Might as Well Be Spring." (My mother, who's
completely unrelated to the aforementioned farm family, once told me that this was the very first movie she ever saw, and she remembers it fondly.)
In 1962, a remake of
"State Fair" landed at cinemas across the country with
Pat Boone,
Bobby Darin and
Ann-Margret. And finally, in 1996, a Broadway incarnation of
State Fair finally blossomed with John Davidson, Kathryn Crosby (wife of the late Bing Crosby), Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie. While the tuner received two Tony nominations -- including, incredibly enough, for Rodgers and Hammerstein in the Best Original Score category despite the fact that the music was not specifically written for the stage -- the show was no match for the season's light-years-ahead contemporary
Rent.
State Fair closed after a mere 110 performances at the Music Box Theatre.
Another part of the groom's interesting pedigree is his grandmother. She's the modern-day folk hero Norma "Duffy" Lyon, who's perhaps better known as
The Butter Cow Lady for making life-sized sculptures out of butter for nearly 50 years at the very same Iowa State Fair mentioned above. Not only has she been featured on NBC's
"Today" show and
David Letterman, but she was also on
"To Tell The Truth." It was during that appearance some 40 years ago that regular guest panelist
Kitty Carlisle Hart correctly guessed who she was after asking, "Which type of cow is the only one to have brown eyes?" Duffy Lyon answered, "Jerseys."
So with a "six degrees of separation" scenario dancing in my head, I shouldn't have been taken aback that there would be such genuine interest in theatre
even in Iowa, despite the crowd and locale. We talked at length about
Cats (with the exception of one lone
Cats lover, the show was universally panned by this unlikedly group of critics),
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (my seat mate told me how she had gone to Broadway to see
Mamma Mia! only to find it sold-out, so she took the recommendation of a friend and saw the show with
Norbert Leo Butz and
John Lithgow instead and
loved it), and invariably
Wicked and
Rent.
Most telling was when my seat mate told me how addictive she found live theatre and how each performance she takes in makes her want to go see yet another show. If there's this much enthusiasm for the art of theatrical performances in small town, "fly-over" country, Broadway producers should be able to sleep a little easier knowing that there is a such vast market for what they do that movies and television can never take away.
As for the old line, "Will it play in Peoria?" The answer appears to be a resounding, "Yes!"
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* The etymology of Podunk actually comes from the name of a small village in Massachusetts as well as a locality in Connecticut.Labels: Broadway, Cats, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Mamma Mia, Musical, Oklahoma, Rent, Special Messages, State Fair
Curtains' Calling on Broadway?One day before the "new" John Kander/Fred Ebb musical
Curtains is set for its world premiere at
Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles comes renewed word that the musical's producers have their sights set on a possible Broadway bow this fall.
The
theatre's Web site notes that "Ahmanson audiences will be the first to see this brand new musical wonder before it heads off to New Yorkfor a Broadway run." A
Variety story confirms the planned trajectory, although reporter Phil Gallo notes that the producers are willing to wait until next spring if a suitable (read:
large) venue isn't available until then. The enormous 1815 seat
Hilton Theatre, which
Hot Feet vacated yesterday, might be available after a seasonal run of
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas - The Musical passes.
Curtains is described as:
"a backstage murder mystery and musical comedy set in the 1950’s Boston. After the leading lady’s mystifying curtain call demise, Frank Cioffi (David Hyde Pierce), homicide detective and musical theatre aficionado, is on the case!
He’s got a tough job as the bodies pile up, the ensemble dwindles, and everyone is a suspect. And that second act needs work! Can Cioffi solve the murders and save the show before it reaches Broadway? Curtains is both a classic whodunit and classic Kander and Ebb.
Scott Ellis will be directing
Curtains, which -- in addition to Hyde Pierce -- stars
Debra Monk,
Karen Ziemba and
Edward Hibbert (on temporary leave from
The Drowsy Chaperone). I'll be taking in the Los Angeles production and will certainly let you know how Broadway-worthy I find the new show.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Kander and Ebb's Curtains Set to Rise in LA This Summer (May 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, California, Curtains, Los Angeles, Musical, Tryout
Jaaku or Neikan? Wicked Set for Japanese TranslationNeed further proof that the musical phenomenon known as
Wicked is going global? Look no further than Japan where Universal Studios -- producer of the Broadway show -- has launched "Land of Oz" at its theme park there.
"Land of Oz" opened on July 12 at Universal Studios Japan and features "Munchkin Town," which is described as "
the land filled with fun and playfulness that appears in the original story, the sparkling 'Emerald City' and the 'Yellow Brick Road leading to it will all appear, filling this area with motifs from the 'Wizard of Oz!'" Alongside a show called "Toto & Friends" is an abbreviated English language
"special version (of Wicked) packed with famous stirring scenes" concluding with "Defying Gravity." I always thought the song "One Short Day" was perfectly suited to a theme park commercial, but I never expected it to land in Japan first. (Don't expect Universal Studios in California or Florida to feature
Wicked vignettes anytime soon.)
(
Jaaku)
According to Variety, the tuner is also being completely translated into Japanese with all but 30% already finished for a regular theatrical run
beyond Universal Studios.
Wicked -- "jaaku" or "neikan" in Japanese -- is being readied for a 2007 opening. If Japan's thirst for American culture holds sway and makes
Wicked a true worldwide success (together with the hotly anticipated September launch of the West End version), then perhaps we're one step closer to a silver screen version of this truly
popular musical.
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Click here for Universal Studios Japan information.Related Stories:Julia Murney: Worth the "Waiting" (July 20, 2006)
Five Times More Wicked (July 17, 2006)
Rejoicify and Festivate! Chicago's Wicked Celebrates First Anniversary (June 16, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Approaching One Year, Chicago's Wicked Continues to Captivate (May 23, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Worldwide Wicked Casting News (May 5, 2006)
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30, 2006 (April 30, 2006)
At Long Last, Is Linda Eder Finally Broadway-Bound Once More?With the exception of two separate Holiday concert stints in 2001 and 2004, Broadway's most exquisite singing voice since Barbra Streisand may very well be on track to return to the Great White Way for the first time since her only acting role as Lucy in 1997's
Jekyll & Hyde musical. Eder will star in a reading of the first act of a completely original tuner,
The Seduction of Sheila Valentine by Jack Murphy (
Swing! and
Civil War) and Vincent Marini. The reading will take place at 8:00 pm, Saturday, August 19 at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, New Jersey.
While stunningly shut out of the Tony nominations for her
Jekyll & Hyde turn, Eder received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and won a 1997 Theatre World Award. Although Eder has widely toured in concert throughout the country (and I loved all three performances I caught), sadly, she has not been back on Broadway where she belongs. In fact, Eder fans were apoplectic when
Camille Claudel -- her last musical that was
supposed to land her on Broadway -- fizzled in 2003 after its only staging at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut. Not long after that, she separated from husband Frank Wildhorn, who had written both
Jekyll & Hyde and
Camille Claudel.
Fast forward to the summer of 2006 and
The Seduction of Sheila Valentine:
Eder will portray one of two once-famous actresses approaching middle age
"who find themselves too 'seasoned' to play the young romantic leads and too vain to play anyone else" and end up performing in a knock-off of
Oklahoma called
"My Oh My Oh Iowa."
While the second act isn't ready for this musical, Eder's second act on the Great White Way is long overdue. I'm hoping this materializes into something special for the Minnesota native.
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Click here for tickets.Labels: Broadway, Camille Claudel, Jekyll And Hyde, Linda Eder, Musical, The Seduction Of Sheila Valentine
Kiki & Herb Spice Up Broadway This SummerComing a long way from their storied cabaret roots, the irreverent, unconventional duo
Kiki & Herb are set to spice up the already sizzling summer on Broadway by bringing their decidedly downtown act to Midtown Manhattan.
Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway will star Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman in the campy roles that have taken New York -- including a highly-regarded stint at Carnegie Hall -- by storm over the past thirteen years. Performances run August 11-September 10 at the Helen Hayes Theatre.
Last December, I finally had an opportunity to see
Kiki & Herb for my very first time as they toured with
Kiki & Herb: Jesus Wept at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. The no-holds-barred performance had "septuagenarian" Kiki (Bond) gleefully taking shots at everyone from the President of the United States to unruly plane passengers all while getting royally soused on stage as Herb (Mellman) tickled the ivories, occasionally interrupted by Tourette's-style outbursts.
While
Kiki & Herb are certainly not everyone's cup of tea, they're highly entertaining if you enjoy pointed barbs and biting humor blended with your social commentary.
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Click here for tickets.
Julia Murney: Worth the "Waiting"There have been many Elphabas filling the cape and pointy hat -- first donned by Tony Award-winning actress Idina Menzel -- in the three current incarnations of
Wicked (Broadway, Chicago and the touring production), but few have the angular look and solid Margaret Hamiltonesque-delivery that Julia Murney imbues into the lead role touring the country.
I confess that I've now seen
Wicked nine times, including with such wonderful Elphabas as Menzel, Stephanie J. Block, Ana Gasteyer and Kristy Cates,
among others, and I loved them all. But just when you think you have Elphaba all figured out, along comes Murney with a fresh interpretation.
In fact, when I saw
Wicked yet again last evening in Minneapolis, I was also delighted by Kirk McDonald's take on Boq. For the first time, I saw an actor fully realize the comic potential of this Munchkin character with the forlorn crush on Glinda. Additionally, I was thrilled to see K. Todd Freeman (a Steppenwolf ensemble member who directed last year's amazing revival of
"MASTER HAROLD"...And The Boys) more than ably fill the hooves of Dr. Dillamond.
After the performance, I attended a benefit for the
Hennepin Theatre Trust where many of the actors mingled with the public. Murney, McDonald and Freeman were all there adding to the buzz of the evening. Murney was particularly gracious and
wickedly funny in talking to well-wishers, posing for photographs and signing everything from programs to bottles of "green elixir" (I believe it was actually some lime soda); she also signed her latest CD -- pictured above -- for Peter Rothstein, the creative driving force behind Minneapolis' celebrated Theater Latté Da.
Although I had previously met Freeman prior to a performance of
"MASTER HAROLD" at Steppenwolf last fall (he was quite serious upon that meeting where he discussed the play's Apartheid-era subject matter), he was very charming and amiable in last night's decidedly more relaxed atmosphere.
As for Murney's music, well,
I'm not waiting any longer. I'm off right now to
purchase her CD for myself.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Wicked tour tickets.Related Stories:Five Times More Wicked (July 17, 2006)
Rejoicify and Festivate! Chicago's Wicked Celebrates First Anniversary (June 16, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Approaching One Year, Chicago's Wicked Continues to Captivate (May 23, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Worldwide Wicked Casting News (May 5, 2006)
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30, 2006 (April 30, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Julia Murney, Musical, Steppenwolf, The SOB Revisit, Touring Production, Wicked
Doubt's Touring Cast is CertainAs previously reported, Tony-winning actress Cherry Jones -- who is currently treading the boards in Broadway's revival of
Faith Healer -- will reprise her acclaimed role as Sister Aloysius in the touring production of John Patrick Shanley's
Doubt. It has now been announced that Adriane Lenox, who won a Tony for her portrayal of
Doubt's conflicted mother Mrs. Muller, will be joining Jones for the first three legs of that tour (Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre, September 22-October 29; San Diego's Civic Theatre, October 31-November 5; and San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre, November 7-December 3).
Additionally, Chris McGarry and Lisa Joyce will tour as Father Flynn and Sister James, respectively. McGarry is finally getting his chance in the spotlight, having served as Brían F. O'Byrne's understudy during
Doubt's Broadway run. Joyce was recently seen in Adam Rapp's Off-Broadway/Steppenwolf production of
Red Light Winter.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:All Doubt Is Erased on Broadway Today (July 2, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Cherry Jones, Doubt, Play, Touring Production
How Sheik: Spring Awakenings To Receive Broadway TransferSinging songwriter Duncan Sheik may be best known for his 1996 hit "Barely Breathing," but having shown an initial prowess for musical scoring with his recent Atlantic Theater Company success
Spring Awakening, it looks like he's breathed an exciting new chapter into his life. In fact, his pulse must be racing now that
Spring Awakening -- already extending its Off-Broadway run through August 5 -- has officially been announced for a Broadway transfer. Dates and theatre are yet to be announced.
The Michael Mayer-helmed
Spring Awakenings tells the story of tragic young love. Based on an 1891 play by Frank Wedekind that was banned for 70 years, the musical
"depicts how young people navigate the thrilling, confusing and mysterious time of their sexual awakening." Sheik supplies the music to the book and lyrics written by Steven Slater.
The tuner has been regularly selling out during its Atlantic Theater run. With all the critical raves it has been reaping, could this be one of the major contenders during the 2006-07 Tony Awards next spring? We'll have to stay awake and find out.
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Click here for tickets.Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Musical, Off-Broadway, Spring Awakening, Transfer
Cast Set to Sail On Golden Pond TourMore than a year has passed since the Tony-nominated revival of
On Golden Pond closed -- although it had only attracted a meager audience, its numbers dropped precipitously after its star James Earl Jones was befallen by illness. Now, as promised, a touring company will take the Broadway show out on the road, albeit with a decidedly different cast. The tour begins in earnest August 22 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota and is currently scheduled to run through next March.
Two of television's all-time favorite "parents" -- Tom Bosley of "
Happy Days" and Michael Learned of "
The Waltons" -- are set to portray Norman and Ethel Thayer. Additional casting includes Kate Levy as Chelsea, Evan Pappas as Billy Ray, Craig Bockhorn -- recreating his Broadway role -- as Charlie Martion, and Shadoe Brandt as Billy.
While Learned is perhaps best known for her TV role as Olivia Walton, I've had two opportunities to see her shine on the stage. First, I saw her in the excellent 2000 Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's
The Best Man when she played the wife of the late Spalding Gray's Secretary William Russell, and then again last year is Lee Blessing's compelling
A Body of Water opposite Edward Herrmann. Learned's presence alone could make this touring production worth seeing.
But I'm also excited by the prospect of once again enjoying a performance by Pappas, who first delighted me in the very short-lived Broadway musical version of
My Favorite Year back in 1993. I also saw him in 2002 in a great adaptation
The Canterbury Tales at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater. He's a terrific addition to an already fine cast.
On Golden Pond tour stops currently include:
St. Paul, MN -- August 22-September 2, 2006 (Main Hall, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts)
San Antonio, TX -- September 12-17, 2006 (Majestic Theatre)
Nashville, TN -- September 19-24, 2006 (Andrew Jackson Hall, Tennesse Performing Arts Center)
Philadelphia, PA -- October 31-November 5, 2006 (Merriam Theater)
Birmingham, AL -- November 28-December 3, 2006 (BJCC-Concert Hall)
Tampa, FL December 5-10, 2006 (Carol Morsani Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center)
Salt Lake City, UT -- January 16-21, 2007 (Kingsbury Hall)
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Click here for On Golden Pond ticketing for St. Paul.Labels: On Golden Pond, Play, Revival, Touring Production
Hot Feet Inches Toward ClosingFrom the "What took so long?" file comes news that
Hot Feet -- the jukebox musical filled with Earth, Wind & Fire songs -- will finally close on July 23. Never catching, er,
fire,
Hot Feet was one of the worst reviewed shows of the last Broadway season and rarely attracted more than 40% of the Hilton Theatre's cavernous 1,813 seat capacity -- that's four
more seats that the Gershwin currently holds for
Wicked.
In fact, the only week that it was filled to exactly 50% of its capacity was during its original week of previews. Last week,
Hot Feet attracted a mere 5,442 audience members (compare that with 14,472 for
Wicked), translating to a capacity of 37.5%; however, with a significant chunk of seats most likely coming from TKTS sales, its weekly gross was a paltry $273,533 (compared with $1,438,835 for
Wicked).
Notwithstanding the excellent music, it's a mystery to me how this show has clung on this long.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Hot Feet Get Cold Shoulder (May 1, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Hot Feet, Musical
A Place Where Nobody Dared To Go...Until Now: They Call It XanaduPerhaps with the plethora of movies-turned-musicals, ranging from the
possibility of a Batman tuner to the confirmed
Legally Blonde (scheduled for Broadway's Palace Theatre early next year), it was only a matter of time until someone mined Olivia Newton-John's thin movie repertoire for inspiration. With apologies to Cole Porter, it seems that
anything goes today. While many films have translated well to theatrical musicals (
The Producers,
Hairspray,
Beauty And The Beast), many have been critically drubbed (
Sweet Smell of Success,
Tarzan,
Lestat). Yet they keep on coming!
Now, the 1980 film fiasco "Xanadu" --
that famously received a one-sentence review: "In a word, Xana-don't" -- is about to get its second musical reading treatment on August 3. Surprisingly, the cast isn't too shabby. Jane Krakowski is set for the Newton-John role (Kira), Ben Vereen will take on the role established on celluloid by Gene Kelly (Danny), and Broadway babies like Cheyenne Jackson, Annie Golden and Mary Testa will also participate.
While the movie didn't fare very well, its soundtrack was a huge hit, marrying tunes by Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne with fare by John Ferrar, who wrote a large cross-section of Olivia Newton-John's hit catalogue. Those songs will be included in the score for the stage adaptation.
Xanadu will be directed by Christopher Ashley and feature a book by Douglas Carter Beane (critically-acclaimed for his Off-Broadway sensation,
The Little Dog Laughed, which will transfer to the Great White Way this fall).
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Labels: Broadway, Film, Legally Blonde, Musical, The Little Dog Laughed, Workshop, Xanadu
Five Times More WickedThe theatrical phenom known as
Wicked continues to defy gravity, not only in terms of continuing sold-out performances at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre and Chicago's Oriental Theatre, but also everywhere its national tour flies (including this week at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre).
Even before the much-anticipated West End incarnation opens this September in London comes official word that Los Angeles will become the third U.S. city to host an open-ended sit-down production at the exquisite Pantages Theatre. While casting has yet to be announced, performances will begin February 9, 2007. That will make for a total of five
different Wicked productions.
Despite the fact that
Wicked was underwritten by Universal Studios, the hit show's producer Marc Platt has been notoriously mum on the prospects for a movie version. But with no end in sight toward becoming even more
popular, it has to be only a matter of time -- including a successful West End debut and an Australian bow -- before the studio is convinced of its truly Universal appeal.
As for the touring company, here's where it's currently scheduled:
Minneapolis, MN -- Orpheum Theatre (July 12-22, 2006)
San Diego, CA -- San Diego Civic Theatre (July 26-August 6, 2006)
Costa Mesa, CA -- Orange County Performing Arts Center (August 9-20, 2006)
Tempe, AZ -- Arizona State University’s Gammage Auditorium (August 23-September 3, 2006)
Portland, OR -- Keller Auditorium (September 6-17, 2006)
Seattle, WA -- Paramount Theatre (September 20-October 1, 2006)
Toronto, ON (Canada) --
Return Engagement -- The Canon Theatre (October 6-November 26, 2006)
Providence, RI -- Providence Performing Arts Center (January 3-21, 2007)
Baltimore, MD -- Hippodrome Theatre (January 24-February 18, 2007)
Tampa, FL --
Return Engagement -- Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center (February 21-March 11, 2007)
Miami, FL -- Miami Performing Arts Center (March 14-25, 2007)
Houston, TX --
Return Engagement -- Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (March 28-April 15, 2007)
Dallas, TX --
Return Engagement -- Music Hall at Fair Park (April 18-May 6, 2007)
Denver, CO --
Return Engagement -- The Buell Theatre (May 16-June 3, 2007)
Oklahoma City, OK -- Civic Center Music Hall (June 6-17, 2007)
Columbus, OH -- Ohio Theatre (June 20-July 8, 2007)
East Lansing. MI -- Wharton Center for Performing Arts (July 11-22, 2007)
Philadelphia, PA --
Return Engagement -- Academy of Music (July 25-August 19, 2007)
Boston, MA --
Return Engagement -- The Opera House (September 12-October 14, 2007)
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Click here for Wicked Broadway tickets.Click here for Wicked Chicago tickets.Click here for Wicked London tickets.Click here for Wicked tour tickets.Related Stories:Rejoicify and Festivate! Chicago's Wicked Celebrates First Anniversary (June 16, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Approaching One Year, Chicago's Wicked Continues to Captivate (May 23, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Worldwide Wicked Casting News (May 5, 2006)
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30, 2006 (April 30, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, California, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Musical, Touring Production, Wicked
Cattrall Cast in CryptogramBorn 50 years ago next month in the United Kingdom, Kim Cattrall is perhaps best known for her sexed-up roles as Samantha Jones in television's "Sex And The City" and as Honeywell (aka "Lassie") in the silver screen's "Porky's." But these days, Cattrall clearly is set on demonstrating a more serious and mature acumen in her acting by tackling the West End stage.
She made her debut in London earlier this year in the revival of Brian Clark's
Whose Life is it Anyway? and she's just been announced for the upcoming season at London's prestigious Donmar Warehouse. Cattrall will take the lead as Donny in a revival of David Mamet's
The Cryptogram -- a story about the breakdown of a family. The dramatic play opens October 17 and runs through November 25.
Perhaps if she proves a solid dramatic stage success on the other side of the pond, she'll consider a return to Broadway -- her only sojourn to the Great White Way occurred nearly twenty years ago when she portrayed Sofya in the short-lived
Wild Honey alongside Ian McKellen and Kate Burton.
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Click here for tickets.Labels: Cryptogram, First Word On New Show, Kim Cattrall, London, Play, Revival
Great Gatsby! Guthrie's Main Stage Makes Debut TonightTonight, the Wurtele Thrust Stage at Minneapolis' heralded new Guthrie Theatre will see its first regular performance as the world premiere of Simon Levy's new adaptation of F. Scott Fitgerald's
The Great Gatsby begins previews. It's fitting that a vaulted work by a favorite son of neighboring St. Paul would figure into Guthrie's debut season at its new facility. The production will open on July 21 and run through September 10.
Helmed by David Esbjornson,
The Great Gatsby will feature Lorenzo Pisoni in the title role, along with Heidi Ambruster, Matthew Amendt, Christina Baldwin, Raye Birk, Cheyenne Casebier, Bob Davis,
Kate Eifrig, Erik Heger and Mark Rhein. The one standout performer I'm looking forward to seeing is Kate Eifring, an Indiana native who has been percolating under the surface of the Twin Cities theatrical scene for several years -- I had an opportunity to see her shine as Isobel in
An Experiment With An Air Pump at St. Paul's Park Square Theater in 2003, and she blew me away.
The Great Gatsby marks Eifrig's Guthrie debut.
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Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Minnesota's Guthrie Theater Sets Stage for Its Second Act (June 24, 2006)
Chicago to Usher in New Billy FlynnAs Broadway's
Chicago nears its 10th anniversary -- the revival opened November 19, 1996 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre but has since moved twice, now occupying the Ambassador Theatre -- the tuner is among the most proficient shows for stunt casting.
With such luminaries as Melanie Griffith, Huey Lewis and George Hamilton doing tours of duty in the long-running musical, it's no surprise that the streak will continue with the announcement that R&B heartthrob Usher will assume the role of Billy Flynn beginning August 22 through October 1.
Now I don't mind an inspired choice of replacement actors every now and then -- take Reba McEntire in the titular role of
Annie Get Your Gun -- but with visions of seasoned veterans Jerry Orbach or James Naughton or even Richard Gere having provided gravitas to Shyster Number One, it's hard to imagine a young 28 year old crooner having the chops to effectively handle such a manipulative role. (By the way,
Erica from the Mid Hudson Valley Theater Blog has a fascinating, in-depth look at how the entire
Chicago story evolved through the years, including the
real story of the merry murderesses.)
Maybe I'll be proven wrong in this instance, but stunt casting usually just detracts from the shows by turning them into a pop star vehicle. I loved
Chicago the first time I saw it, but I'd much rather see this classic close in a dignified manner rather than keeping it on an ill-suited life support system. All the producers seem to care about is profit.
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Walken Away from Public CourageDue to scheduling conflicts, Christopher Walken will not play opposite Meryl Streep as originally announced in The Public Theater's upcoming Shakespeare in the Park performances of
Mother Courage And Her Children. Instead, Kevin Kline will take Walken's place in Bertolt Brecht's tragic play that has been reimagined by Tony Kushner (
Angels in America). Performances begin August 8 with an August 21 opening.
Mother Courage And Her Children reunites Streep and Kline who previously performed in the 2001 Shakespeare in the Park revival of
The Seagull. Streep and Kline have also been seen on the silver screen in such films as "Sophie's Choice" and the recent "Prairie Home Companion." Kline will also return to The Public this fall to perform in the James Lapine-helmed
King Lear.
Tickets for all Shakespeare in the Park offerings are free. Tickets must be picked up on the day of the performance beginning at 1 pm at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, or from 1 to 3 pm at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street, just south of Astor Place. There is a limit of 2 tickets per person.
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Click here for more ticket information.Related Stories:Public Theater's 2006 Shakespeare in the Park Officially Starts (June 30, 2006)
The Public Theater at 50 (June 5, 2006)
Guthrie's The Real Thing Attracts Real TalentWhen Tom Stoppard's
The Real Thing opens on the all-new Guthrie Theatre's McGuire Proscenium Stage on August 11, it will be directed by Joe Dowling and include some exceptional acting talent including Jay Goede, Kathryn Meisle, Lee Mark Nelson and Guthrie favorite Sally Wingert. The Guthrie is located in Minneapolis, MN.
While I'm most familiar with Wingert, who has a wonderful knack for portraying uniquely idiosyncratic characters in countless Guthrie productions, Meisle possesses a sterling Broadway pedigree that includes her Tony-nominated work in
Tartuffe as well as two shows on the Great White Way last season:
The Constant Wife and
A Touch of the Poet. Goede also has been seen many times in both New York and Minneapolis; I caught him in the tour of
Cabaret in 2000 and later in
A Year With Frog and Toad. He has also appeared in both Broadway installments of
Angels in America.
When
The Real Thing first debuted on Broadway back in 1985, it won a slew of Tony Awards, including for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Mike Nichols), Best Actor in a Play (Jeremy Irons), Best Actress in a Play (Glenn Close) and Best Featured Actress in a Play (Christine Baranski). And then during its Broadway revival in 2000, it continued its winning ways by receiving Tonys for Best Revival of A Play, Best Actor in a Play (Stephen Dillane) and Best Actress in a Play (Jennifer Ehle).
A critical favorite, will
The Real Thing remain the real deal in Minneapolis?
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Click here for tickets.Labels: First Word On New Show, Guthrie, Jay Goede, Kathryn Meisle, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Play, Revival, The Real Thing, Tom Stoppard
Pajama Game Only To Be Played On The RoadThe recent, critically-acclaimed revival of
The Pajama Game that stunned much of the theatre community with its Best Revival of a Musical Tony win last month is going to tour in 2007-08. The tuner that provided Harry Connick, Jr. with his Broadway debut alongside Kelli O'Hara closed mid-June as part of a limited Roundabout Theatre Company run at the American Airlines Theatre.
While the Kathleen Marshall-helmed musical was expected to reopen at another Broadway venue this fall, that scenario is now unlikely due to the dearth of available space. Details of the tour will be divulged at a later date.
The Pajama Game was the one musical of the 2005-06 season that I really wanted to see, but couldn't get tickets for. It was a sell-out smash hit. Now I find myself disappointed yet again that I simply won't be able to see this incarnation on Broadway and will have to see it on tour.
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Labels: Broadway, Musical, Revival, The Pajama Game, Touring Production
Houdyshell Itching to Reprise Steppenwolf Role Off-BroadwayAs previously reported, the Bruce Norris play
The Pain And The Itch -- first produced last year at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre -- is set for its New York debut beginning September 1 at the Mainstage Theater of Playwrights Horizons. The official opening of this emotionally-charged comedy that centers on class and race relations is set for September 26.
The great news is that the outstanding Jayne Houdyshell (Tony-nominated this year in
Well) is set to reprise her memorable role as the concerned mother/grandmother. Anna D. Shapiro will once again direct. Not only did Houdyshell win Chicago theatre's Jefferson Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in
The Pain And The Itch last year (see photo), but the production itself was nominated for Best New Play.
The Off-Broadway cast will also include Mia Barron, Aya Cash, Peter Jay Fernandez, Reg Rogers and Christopher Evan Welch, as well as Ada-Marie L. Guitierrez and Nora Markus alternating in the role of the play's seemingly endangered child.
Houdyshell alone makes this a production worth seeing, but I've also been delighted by the talented Welch, first catching him as a troubled Vietnam vet in another Norris play (
Purple Heart at Steppenwolf in 2002), and then again Off-Broadway in Woody Allen's
Writer's Block during 2003. His creepy characterizations are an artform all unto themselves.
I'm thrilled that this show is finally getting the New York audience it deserves.
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Click here for ticket information.Related Stories:The Pain And The Itch Slated for New York Run (June 7, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 24, 2006)
Labels: Off-Broadway, Play, Steppenwolf, The Pain And The Itch, Well
The Unmentionables (The SOB Review) - Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL**** (out of ****)Once again exposing the wide gap between how many Americans prefer to perceive themselves versus their actions, playwright Bruce Norris' brilliance is weaved throughout his compelling tale very much worth
mentioning in
The Unmentionables, which enjoyed its world premiere Sunday evening at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre.
Like so much of Norris' previous work, things are never exactly what they seem. His very humorous, explosive play forces the audience to look in the mirror he so deftly holds up to them, with a dare to closely look at themselves, confront prejudices and ponder how they'd behave in the midst of panic or crisis. Even as the booming off-stage voice instructs the audience to silence their cell phones, a menacing, cocky young man named Etienne (Jon Hill, pictured above left) saunters down the aisle looking as if he might not belong before finally calling out to the audience that they should not bother staying for this show. Of course, it's all a ruse, but it's clearly designed to set the stage for the play and challenge some pre-conceived notions about race and appearance even before the performance begins.
With an unnamed bleak Western African "democracy" as a backdrop,
The Unmentionables draws a dubious distinction between altruistic Americans and those fellow countrymen who exploit and plunder. The play unfolds in the well-guarded, ostentatious home of ethically-challenged American businessman Don (Rick Snyder) and his Mensa-member wife Nancy (Amy Morton), who open their home to a couple of other Americans, the very "familiar" Jane (Shannon Cochran, pictured above right) and her Christian missionary fiancé Dave (Lea Coco) when the former takes ill. They're visited by The Doctor (Kenn E. Head) -- who treats Janes while questioning her "made-up" affliction along with Dave's virginity -- and local political hack Aunt Mimi (Ora Jones), who's investigating allegations made with respect to Etienne. With a blind eye to her husband's local dealings, Nancy wonders aloud why Americans aren't being treated better in the aftermath of 9/11.
When Dave goes missing in the middle of the night, fears for his relative safety are expertly exploited by Aunt Mimi for purposes of questioning Etienne. Straddling the line between complicity and compassion, Jane is forced to make an instantaneous decision for answers, defying what she believes are her defining characteristics. The many twists are expertly helmed by Anna D. Shapiro, particularly in the layered dialogue that exposes the sanctimonious frauds Norris believes all too many Americans are.
The cast is absolutely superb and includes: Cochran channeling her best Laurie Metcalf (Metcalf was originally slated for the role of Jane); Coco providing Dave with an all-too believable conviction as the Bible-thumping missionary with a secret; Snyder giving a very nuanced performance as Don, demonstrating that even shady business people are capable of questioning what they've done do get what they have; Jones very capably portraying the politico with a bankrupt view of democratic rule; Head convincingly imbuing his Doctor with a dash of Pontius Pilate when he essentially washes his hands clean of the decisions made by the Americans over Dave's absence; and Morton showing just how incredibly versatile
and funny she can be with her boozy, sex-deprived wife who simply can't keep quiet (think of the airline passenger from hell who just won't shut up) -- this is the best performance I've seen from her since she portayed Nurse Ratched on Broadway in Steppenwolf's
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest back in 2001.
There may be some who think Norris has overreached in his portrayal of hypocritical Americans. But on a world stage where that view is probably more the rule than the exception, Norris forces his audience to face the mirror
The Unmentionables provides -- and if audience members are a bit discomfitted by what they see, it's all the more reason why they should to take a close look through this excellent play.
(As a point of full disclosure, I proudly sit on Steppenwolf's Auxiliary Council Board of Governors.)
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Click here for tickets.Labels: Chicago, Play, Steppenwolf, The SOB Review, The Unmentionables
