Brutus Forcimus?Giving a new edge to method acting,
this just in from Aspen's
Hudson Reed Ensemble presentation of scenes from William Shakespeare's
Julius Caesar.
After accidentally injuring himself, the company's namesake founder/actor/director reportedly excused himself saying, "I seem to have stabbed myself." Reed received stitches and the show will go on.
And all this time, I thought all prop knives were dull.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Aspen, Colorado, props, Scenes From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare
Is Little Mermaid Major Disney Misstep?This morning's column by Michael Riedel of New York Post casts a long shadow of doubt on Disney's future on the Great White Way....not only because of the
sinking review by Variety 's David Rooney of the Denver tryout of
The Little Mermaid, but also because of Disney chief Robert Iger's apparent lack of affinity for all things Broadway.
So how endangered is this latest production before it even gets to the Big Apple? The $20 million tuner has amassed $10 million in advance sales, but the buzz coming out of Denver isn't great, especially with its "artsy" ethereal look and feel of both set and costume designs. Riedel notes, "What little girls from Scarsdale who carry
Little Mermaid lunchboxes will make of it is anybody's guess."
In his review, Rooney said, "What are those giant baroque corkscrews that keep appearing? And while we're on that track, did no one at any point worry that the designs for this show are just plain ugly? While director
Francesca Zambello is new to Broadway... (she) has allowed emotion, charm and enchantment to be drowned in a sea of bewilderingly over-stylized designs....
Doug Wright's book for
Mermaid joins the dots well enough but it constantly struggles against the visual conception, which distracts from the story's essence and makes it hard for the audience to lose themselves in the underwater environment....much of the humor falls flat. What's surprising is how underwhelming the movie's most delightful numbers are here."
Riedel hints that rumors are flying that Disney may seek a new director, but the House of Mouse denies that.
As noted previously, I'll be in Denver a couple weeks from now to check out
The Little Mermaid myself.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway).Related Stories:Updated: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post (August 24, 2007)
A Tale Of Two Tryout Cities (August 23, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Disney, Film, Michael Riedel, Musical, The Little Mermaid
High Anxiety Over What Follows Young Frankenstein?With
Young Frankenstein nearly ready for prime time on the Great White Way, what will
Mel Brooks & Co. do for an encore?
Many have assumed that a stage adaptation of "Blazing Saddles" would be next. Not so fast.
In a
New York magazine profile on Brooks, Boris Kachka says of the comedic genius, "More ambiguous is his reaction when I tell him that I’ve heard he’s considering adapting the broader, bawdier
Blazing Saddles."
Indeed, in a
Bloomberg story by Philip Boroff, Brooks collaborator
Thomas Meehan says, "It could be
'High Anxiety'....That's the leading candidate."
Hat tip to regular SOB reader Esther, for pointing me toward the two stories.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Blazing Saddles, Broadway, High Anxiety, Mel Brooks, Musical, Thomas Meehan, Young Frankenstein
2009 To 5?Among all the films currently being developed for stage musical treatment,
9 To 5 is the one that you want most to see, according to your votes in my recent SOB Poll. Now it's looking likely to bust out on Broadway in 2009.
Earlier this summer, I posed the following via my SOB Poll: "A musical version of
9 To 5 is the latest stage treatment for a popular film. Which previously announced stage adaptation of a movie would you most like to see on Broadway?"
A very strong 40.9% of you indicated that it would indeed be your top choice. That was way ahead of the second top response: "Enough already with turning films into musicals!" at 18.2%.
Already the subject of plenty of press attention,
9 To 5 has all the makings of a double-barreled hit with
Dolly Parton handling the score,
Joe Mantello at the helm and a cast that could conceivably include
Allison Janney,
Stephanie J. Block (who's about to return to
Wicked),
Megan Hilty,
Bebe Neuwirth,
Marc Kudisch and
Andy Karl -- that is, if the recent reading was any indication.
Now, according to
Playbill, the musically-endowed
2006 Kennedy Center Honoree has told listeners to
Go Country 105.1 in Los Angeles that the tuner will hit the Great White Way in 2009:
People ask if I'm gonna be in the play. I say, "No, I think I'm a bit over the age of wantin' to be a secretary. But they asked me to write all the music for it, so I have written all the music. And it's supposed to open on Broadway in the spring of 2009. I believe they're gonna be doin' a workshop out here at the Shubert in the fall of next year.
No matter that Parton most likely meant "tryout" rather than "workshop," I'm actually looking forward to see this one play out.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 9 To 5, Andy Karl, Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Dolly Parton, Film, First Word On New Show, Joe Mantello, Los Angeles, Marc Kudisch, Megan Hilty, Musical, Stephanie J. Block, Tryout
A New Kid On The BlogIf you haven't already visited Eric at
Man In Chair, you're missing out on a great new compendium of information from throughout the theatre blogosphere, as well as from regular news sources.
Inspired no doubt by
The Drowsy Chaperone's very own
Bob Martin, this self-professed lifelong theatre geek is dishing out the news faster than just about anyone, including me. No doubt, he'll soon vacate his chair to claim the throne of theatre blogging.
Here's to much success, Eric!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Blogs, Broadway, Man In Chair, Special Messages
Grease (The SOB Review) - Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York, NY*1/2 (out of ****)Turns out the reality show casting of
Max Crumm and
Laura Osnes was the least of
Grease director
Kathleen Marshall's problems.
Given the fact that the stage version of
Grease is really more of a vignette-heavy ensemble piece with nominal leads, the truth is, Crumm and Osnes are just fine.
While their talent suggests that they could very well be more than just a flash in the pan, the accompanying
Grease has lost its sizzle and relevancy.
Yes, Marshall has tried her best to give this a fresh kick. Her trademark choreography helps, especially in frenzied, spirited numbers like "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightning" and "Born To Hand Jive."
But in an age when messages are emanating throughout Broadway about the importance of being true to yourself and embracing who you are -- whether through the green power of Elphaba in
Wicked or the triumphant self-love of Celie in
The Color Purple or even in the omigod girldom ode of Elle in
Legally Blonde (not to mention throughout theatres nationally via the highly successful
High School Musical tour) -- the underlying message in
Grease sets women back fifty years.
And the worst part of all this? It's clearly being marketed as a
family musical. The SRO audience during my performance was about half pre-tween.
No matter that
Grease was written by
Jim Jacobs and
Warren Casey in the pre-AIDS hedonistic halcyon days -- Rydell High's students are freely imbibing, chain-smoking, graffiti-desecrating and backseat-carhopping without any consequence (in stark contrast to this year's Tony-winning Best Musical
Spring Awakening). Sure, there's the moment where Betty Rizzo thinks she's preggers, but it turns out to be a false alarm. When originally penned, the tuner was aimed squarely at those who lived through the period. Now it's aimed at those who aren't yet capable of having one.
There are worse things the show can do, and it does. It tells the prepubescent girls in attendance that if you want to keep your guy, you must conform to your boy's ideal as epitomized when Sandy relents to peer pressure in becoming the antithesis of
Sandra Dee. What may have seemed satirical just a few short years into the
women's liberation movement when
Grease first debuted on Broadway back in 1972, now rings hollow.
Contrary to
Ben Brantley's brilliantly funny review, the show doesn't look as cheap as he claims (
Derek McLane's set design is much more innovative than that offered in Kathleen Marshall's acclaimed retelling of
Wonderful Town, and the costume and lighting designs created by
Martin Pakledinaz and
Kenneth Posner, respectively, serve to enhance the production). It's just that the characters actually are. Cheap, that is. They're all drawn so narrowly that nuance is most definitely not the word for the show.
The largely capable cast does what it can given the material. That includes Crumm and Osnes, who at least look like they could be high school students and hold their own among a sea of decidedly grown-up, standout faces, including
Jenny Powers (Rizzo),
Matthew Saldivar (Kenickie),
Kirsten Wyatt (Frenchie) and
Robyn Hurder (Marty).
As noted above, the original
Grease was written as more of an ensemble piece. I dare say that without the additions of the film's score -- "Sandy," "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "You're The One That I Want" -- the characters of Danny and Sandy would essentially have been marginalized.
Regardless of those additions,
Grease just doesn't seem worthy of being revived. And that's the word from SOB.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.Related Stories:How To Get Out Grease (August 24, 2007)
Grease: Slimed By Critics (August 20, 2007)
Tonight, Grease Is The Word (August 19, 2007)
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Film, Grease, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival, The SOB Review
How To Get Out GreaseEver wonder how shows generating only so-so critical success suddenly overcome with their own hype in hand? Why, they take certain liberties with critics' quotes and make all seem right with the world. Even if it's not right in any sense of the word.
And since lots of recent hype has been saying again that
Grease is once again "the word" -- that is, with the exception of most critics -- it's curious that the print ad (left) created for the much-maligned musical was allowed to run in the first place. It went even further than most deceptive ads with its fundamentally specious tone.
New York'
Daily News theatre critic Joe Dziemianowicz, for one, has had it. The ad audaciously included his publication's graphic, along with those of several other media outlets ranging from
New York magazine to
USA Today. The implication, of course, was that as "The One That I Want!" screamed above each outlet name, critics from each one had provided a glorious review.
Dziemianowicz rightly proclaims, "Deceit is the word."
Shame on Serino-Coyne (a theatre advertising agency),
Grease producers (
Paul Nicholas,
David Ian,
Nederlander Presentations, Inc. and
Terry Allen Kramer) and theatre publicists at Barlow-Hartman for creating the extremely deceptive $10,000 ad. Thankfully, it was pulled almost as fast as it appeared. Now one wonders whether the stage show will suffer the same fate.
Hat tip to
Playgoer.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Advertising, Best Revival of Plays, Broadway, Deceptive Practices, Grease, Musical, New York Daily News
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets OldThe first official "mainstream media" review of
Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein is out from
Misha Berson of The Seattle Times.
You may recall from my "preview" that I gleefully credited "Brooks and
Thomas Meehan for embracing all of the signature lines and hysterical bits from the
film and running with them."
Apparently, Berson is having none of that.
In fact, the review explicitly states, "[I]t has not yet escaped the looming shadow of its celluloid model and come into its own. Staged by (
Susan) Stroman with impressive fluidity given its heft,
Young Frankenstein has a cast of expert merry-makers, shtick galore, winning dance numbers, elaborate sets by
Robin Wagner that are marvels of seamless stage technology, and all the explosions, fog, and wowie lighting effects (by
Peter Kaczorowski) a rumored $20 million budget can buy. But the humor is choppy, and the one-liners repeated from the film script (by Brooks and
Gene Wilder) can fall flat. The musical is freshest and funniest in the second act, when it stops doggedly aping the film, and lets the actors concoct their own comic chemistry."
Of the cast,
Christopher Fitzgerald (Igor) is deemed "terrific," exuding "much goofy verve of his own" and the "incomparable"
Andrea Martin gets well-earned praise ("her brooding Frau Blucher is a wacko joy").
However, the leads aren't registering with Berson.
Roger Bart is "the actor most burdened" who "overworks the exasperated shrieking he borrows from Wilder's Frederick. One hopes Bart finds his own groove soon."
Megan Mullally "is amusing, but not virginal -- which undercuts the joke of Elizabeth's sexual awakening."
Sutton Foster is "a fine singer, a champion yodeler, and a dexterous dancer. But she barely registers a personality."
In summary, I'll leave the final word to Berson, who concludes: "And though it may well draw crowds in any case, a less clonelike
Young Frankenstein would be a better justification for all the expense and talent lavished on this celluloid spin-off when it lurches onto Broadway."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Seattle).Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Broadway).Related Stories:Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Film, Mel Brooks, Musical, Seattle, Tryout, Young Frankenstein
UPDATED: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post Earlier today, I reported that one of Denver's two newspapers had weighed in with a review of Disney's
The Little Mermaid. It came from
Lisa Bornstein of Denver's Rocky Mountain News. Let's just say that from her vantage-point, things didn't go so swimmingly.
Bornstein provided the Broadway-bound tuner that opened last night at the
Denver Center for Performing Arts Ellie Caulkins Opera House a passing grade of B-. High marks were given to
Sierra Boggess ("spunk and sparkle") as Ariel and
Sherie René Scott as a "rivetingly wicked" Ursula, whom she says creates "an original character who pulls the first genuine laughs of the show."
Bornstein also says, "The profound and the prosaic clash uncomfortably throughout
The Little Mermaid...It's no
Lion King or even
Beauty and the Beast, but the show does have its moments of glimmering magic....Unlike other Disney fare,
The Little Mermaid remains solidly a children's show with little of the sly humor that appeals to adults."
But, and it's a
big but here, I just received
Denver Post critic
John Moore's primarily favorable three out of four star review of what he calls an "intoxicating spectacle."
Moore has acknowledged the seemingly requisite shortcomings that come with an out-of-town tryout. Yet, he praises the show for being true to the film and zeroes in on the acting:
"What's good about
Mermaid is very, very good, starting with diminutive Denver native Sierra Boggess as the animated Ariel virtually come to life. Boggess simply inhabits the headstrong, 16-year-old princess who defies her well-meaning but ill-equipped single father. Bet on it: This tiny kid's gonna be a big Broadway star....The casting is impeccable. Boggess and Scott could be destined for Tony Award nominations."
Of its Broadway readiness, Moore says, "Despite its flaws, (
Francesca) Zambello's staging would likely be a hit even if it opened tomorrow just based on audiences' sheer love for the story, and for its positive exploration of a now complex and interesting father-daughter relationship. The emotional power of the tale of a girl learning to stand on her own two feet is not only preserved but enhanced."
Look for my own SOB Review in early September after I take in one of the final performances in the Mile High City.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway). Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
TKTS BSCSEver want to know the basics of how
TKTS really works?
There's a quick encapsulation at
Playbill that explains how a show may offer up tickets as well as the "why" behind how many. TKTS, of course, offers up greatly discounted seats for both Broadway and Off-Broadway shows the day of a performance.
TKTS is run by the
Theatre Development Fund (TDF), a non profit organization serving the performing arts. The Theatre Development Fund was founded in 1968, the same year it began providing subsidies for students wishing to see the Tony-winning Best Play of 1969
The Great White Hope, which including Tony-winning turns by
Jane Alexander and
James Earl Jones.
In just 39 short years, TDF has become the United States' largest performing arts nonprofit. During its years in operation, it has supported over 900 musicals and plays and "returning upwards of $1.5 billion in revenue to thousands of Broadway, Off-Broadway and off Off-Broadway music and dance productions."
Five years into operation in 1973, TDF opened its first TKTS booth in Father Duffy Square. A second TKTS booth opened on William Street in Lower Manhattan one year later in 1974.
A British version began operations in 1980 at Leicester Square.
In 1983, the Lower Manhattan TKTS booth was moved to the World Trade Center. This booth would be moved temporarily after the 1993 World Trade Center bomb explosion, and then again after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Shortly after the attack, TKTS operated out of Bowling Green Plaza and then moved to the South Street Seaport in 2002.
It was 1988 when the larger TKTS booth was installed in Times Square. Just over ten years later in 1999, a design competition for a new TKTS booth was announced called the TKTS2K Competition. Last year, the Times Square TKTS booth moved temporarily to the base of the
New York Marriott Marquis so that ground could be broken on the Duffy Square renovation, which is ongoing.
To take a look at what shows were offered on the TKTS board just last week, click
here. If you'd like to show your appreciation to the Theatre Development Fund for helping make theatre affordable and accessible to everyone by making a donation toward TDF's noble efforts, click
here.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Photo above by Stephanie Wien.
Labels: Broadway, Musical, Play, TDF, Theatre Development Fund, Ticket Prices, Tickets, TKTS
A Tale Of Two Tryout CitiesTwo of the 2007-08 Theatrical Season's most anticipated shows are opening this evening during their out-of-town tryouts:
Young Frankenstein at Seattle's
Paramount and
The Little Mermaid at Denver's
Center for Performing Arts Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
Both represent ultra high-profile, high-stake mega-million gambits on former
big screen favorites revamped as big Broadway musicals.
For
Mel Brooks, the pressure's on in the Pacific Northwest to prove that he's not a one-hit wonder for his Rialto adaptation of
The Producers (Brooks' other three outings on the Great White Way were
way back in the
fifties and
sixties).
Just across the Rocky Mountains,
Disney Theatrical Productions is out to prove that magic can strike twice via the
very property that completely reinvigorated its languishing animation division; now, Disney sorely needs a
critical Broadway smash.
Although blogosphere chatter (including
here) has already reviewed both shows in advance of the openings, now comes the first test from the mainstream media as they'll now be able to weigh-in with their first official reviews.
Any bets on what we'll hear?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway).Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Seattle).
Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Broadway).
Related Stories:Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Disney, Film, Mel Brooks, Musical, Opening Night, The Little Mermaid, Tryout, Young Frankenstein
Prayer For My Enemy (The SOB Review) - Intiman Theatre, Seattle WA** (out of ****)It's no secret that the biggest world premiere to hit Seattle theatre in years is
Young Frankenstein. However, barely a mile away, another world premiere production is currently playing, this time from critically-acclaimed playwright
Craig Lucas.
I've been quite clear in this space how riveting I've found Lucas' previous works. His haunting
Small Tragedy ranks as one of my favorite plays. Talk about a drama that shook me to my core.
So it was with great anticipation, perhaps
too much, that I visited the
Intiman -- Seattle's leading, Tony Award-winning regional theatre -- to discover Lucas' latest work,
Prayer For My Enemy. Unfortunately, the production under
Bartlett Sher's direction feels incomplete and as unfocused as each character's out-of-body psycho-babbling thought processing.
That's not to say that parts of the overly ambitious dual story lines aren't intriguing.
First, there's the tale of a young gay man named Billy, who's in denial about his sexuality. Billy is portrayed by an all-too strapping Daniel Zaitchik, who comes across more as the quintessential boy next door. Seems he's so tired of the taunts from his own alcoholic father Austin (a prickly
John Procaccino) that he enlists in the military just to prove he's a real man.
Immediately before heading to Iraq, Billy has a chance encounter with his first love Tad (
James McMenamin), who's since gone into a slightly delusional tailspin after divorcing his wife. Billy invites Tad to his bon voyage send-off where the latter becomes reacquainted with Billy's sister Marianne (Chelsey Rives).
While in Iraq, Billy suffers a serious head injury, but it doesn't cut nearly as deep as the discovery that Tad and Marianne are now having a baby, forcing the young soldier to rethink whether he can really be true to himself and Tad. Meanwhile, Tad's trying to fit into his new surroundings by ingratiating himself with Austin and his wife Karen (Cynthia Lauren Tewes -- yes,
that Lauren Tewes).
Concurrently, there's the story of the frazzled middle-aged woman Delores (Kimberly King) who's practically come undone in determining how to care for her ailing mother. Delores regales with her own frustrated tales of living in the Big Apple. She's just plain miserable and alone. Even the staging of Delores' soliloquies underscore how bleak her life has become.
In anticipating a major payoff when the two very separate threads finally come together, they're not so much woven together as they are mismatched. The chance manner in which they're tied together is less than satisfying, unless the point is to show how unperfectly random life is.
In my humble estimation, that's quite atypical of Lucas' other work. What's riveted me most in his unique storytelling is how well he usually enables his strange twists to make sense. Here, it just seems like pure happenstance.
That's not to say that there aren't some sobering moments. It's particularly poignant that the most despicable character in the entire play -- Billy's father -- also turns out to be the surprising source for the show's title, a man who isn't afraid to get down on his knees to pray for America's enemies.
Of all the spare design elements, the one that struck me most was the arresting sound design provided by Stephen LeGrand, including the subtle beeping of the ATM machines where Billy and Tad first reunite.
Prayer For My Enemy certainly aspires to be thoughtful and thought-provoking, yet in its current state, it's strangely deficient. Whether it will be shored up before heading to Long Wharf Theatre next month remains to be seen.
Since I greatly admire Craig Lucas, I'll say a little prayer.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Bartlett Sher, Craig Lucas, Intiman, Prayer For My Enemy, Seattle, Small Tragedy, The SOB Review
This October, Letts' "August" Begins On BroadwayEarlier this week,
I waxed rhapsodic about the current Steppenwolf production of
Tracy Letts' (pictured) masterpiece,
August: Osage County.
It's now official: the entire production is being transferred to Broadway's
Imperial Theatre, beginning October 30, with a November 20 opening.
The show will enjoy a 16-week run.
In a statement to Steppenwolf ensemble, staff and trustees last evening, Artistic Director
Martha Lavey said:
We are enormously proud of our artists and delighted that they will have the opportunity to represent our theater to a wider audience.
We are also deeply proud of our staff for the years of diligence and commitment to making Steppenwolf a home for the creation and production of new work.
With an artistic department that shepherds through the artists in the development of new work, that makes available the finest casting possible, that engages the audience in a dialogue about the work on a nightly basis; with the best production team in the country (hands down); with a marketing and audience services staff that reaches out to and serves our audience with intelligence and care; with a fund-raising staff that understands and is committed to the work and the artists and finds appropriate partners for our vision and values; with trustees who give tirelessly in time and treasure, we feel fortunate beyond belief.
Moving August: Osage County to Broadway is a tribute to the collective vision and passion of all of you. Thank you, all, for your commitment to Steppenwolf.
August: Osage County will make its Broadway premiere direct from Steppenwolf’s sold-out world premiere run in Chicago. According to Steppenwolf, the Great White Way production will remain true to the original with the same outstanding cast and creative team that made it the must-see event of Chicago theatre this summer.
While I regret that I was tardy in posting my review -- which certainly didn't leave any time for most to see Steppenwolf's production before it closes this Sunday (and all remaining performances are sold out) -- I'm thrilled that a wider audience will now have the opportunity.
Expect plenty of Tony Award nominations for this excellent play -- I'm hoping Letts earns a Pulitzer.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Labels: August Osage County, Broadway, Chicago, First Word On New Show, Martha Lavey, Play, Steppenwolf, Tracy Letts, Transfer
Billy Elliot Set To Make Imperial Leap Across PondOne of the West End's top tuners,
Billy Elliot, will play Broadway's
Imperial Theatre beginning September 17, 2008, as posters in the storied Shubert Alley
have revealed.
It seems like ages ago since I last reported on the
Lee Hall/
Elton John musical. In fact, it was last October 20 when
I noted that a casting notice was finally posted. At that time, February 2008 was the anticipated date for commencement of rehearsals.
As longtime readers may recall,
Billy Elliot - The Musical ranked eighth on my list of the best shows I saw during the 2005-06 Theatrical Season. But you also may recall that
I'm worried that the Broadway producers will find it necessary to tinker with this intrinsically
British show.
Casting has yet to be announced, but expect that announcement to make a huge splash no matter which side of the pond you're on.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for London tickets.
Related Stories:Billy Elliot Leaps One Step Closer To Broadway Bow (October 20, 2006)
Which British Hits Will Be Broadway-Bound? (September 20, 2006)
Billy Elliot Set for 2008 Broadway Bow? (September 6, 2006)
Remembrances of London’s 7/7 (July 7, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Film, First Word On New Show, London, Musical
Are Blogs Making The Time-Honored Preview Obsolete?Remember the "good old days" of theatre when bad news traveled at such a snail's pace that a stinker show could go through an out-of-town tryout and few in the Big Apple would pay any serious attention?
Time was when producers, directors, writers and the actors could work out all the kinks on the road, or at least during the all-important lead-up to the big Broadway opening night.
But no more.
Now, thanks to the blogsphere, the buzz (or its antithesis) begins almost as instantly as one audience member begins acting as scribe, letting friends and readers far and wide know exactly what he or she thought. Essentially, shows can run, but they can't hide, in part due to the global proportions of blogging.
For example, last week, I posted my
SOB Preview of Young Frankenstein. It's the first time I've ever blogged about a show that had not yet opened -- including during its trial run in a city far, far away from the bright lights and glare of the Great White Way. Yet, simply because I could, I did. And my regular readers, along with those googling "Young Frankenstein Seattle Review," could easily find out my take on the unfinished product. Indeed, my statcounter has shown that this has been one of my top-viewed postings of late.
Already, according to a cursory search on
Technorati, there are well over 100 individual reviews of the same show. This, despite the fact that it hasn't even opened yet in Seattle, let alone New York.
The net effect? It's further threatening the relevance of mainstream news media outlets all the more, as
Seattle Times theatre critic
Misha Berson all but acknowledges in her thought-provoking piece on why she's not able to weigh-in on the show. No matter that the Internet is already full of reviews -- both good and bad -- by amateurs like myself. It reduces venerable news sources to being also-rans.
I suspect that the other effect is far greater. Could it force productions to significantly pare back previews or scuttle them altogether? Ironically, in the aforementioned good old days, the typical number of previews prior to opening night was miniscule or non-existent.
Can you believe that the original production of
Oklahoma! never had a single Broadway preview prior to its 1943 opening night? Contrast that with the
most recent production -- which was imported from the British stage in 2002 -- that had 25 previews. That's up substantially from the
1979 production, which had a mere nine previews.
Consider that the original 1975 production of
A Chorus Line, which transferred directly from the Public Theatre, had no previews. Yet the
current production, known for being staged ostensibly the same as the first one, had 18 previews.
If you're thinking that a transfer mitigates the need for lengthy previews, think again. This year's Tony Award winning Best Musical
Spring Awakening, which transferred from a highly successful run at the Atlantic Theatre (albeit with further refinements), still required 28 previews.
In fact, if you were to add up all the preview nights of all 21 shows currently running on Broadway, you'd have a grand total of 566 nights of previews, or just over 26 per show. That ranges from the inexplicably low 14 previews of
Mamma Mia! to the outrageously long gestation period for
Xanadu, which clocked in a whopping 49 previews thanks to injuries.
Even recent runs of acclaimed plays were close to the average in terms of previews.
Frost/Nixon had 23 previews on Broadway, despite its critical success in the United Kingdom with the same two principals.
The History Boys, which had the exact same cast as its heralded National Theatre and West End runs, apparently still needed its 10 previews on the Great White Way.
Or did it?
In the age of the blogosphere, are previews now living past their shelf date? Since bad news travels faster than ever, almost with glee if the show's particularly awful (read:
The Pirate Queen), would producers at the very least be wise to reconsider their liberal use of the preview?
You tell me! Vote in my latest SOB Poll and then weigh in with your point of view below.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Chorus Line, Blogs, Broadway, Frost/Nixon, Mamma Mia, Oklahoma, Previews, Spring Awakening, The History Boys, Tryout, Xanadu, Young Frankenstein
Lithgow Avoids Being Tasered By "Anti-American Stun Gun"Yesterday's entertainment and arts section of London's venerable
Sunday Times included a fascinating story on five-time Tony nominee and two-time winner
John Lithgow, entitled "
The Accidental American."
In it, Jasper Rees rightly applauds the thespian's far-reaching credentials, but snidely sniffs: "Following the example of almost every big theatre in London, the
RSC has the star of a popular American sitcom leading the cast of its latest
Twelfth Night," a show that will be presented in repertory at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon beginning on August 30.
Yes, Mr. Rees, having had several opportunities to see Mr. Lithgow perform, I quite agree that he is an exceptionally gifted stage actor. But thanks to the magic of a little entity called the Internet, even those of us on the other side of the pond are quite capable of reading your anti-American-tinged bilge.
Here's to John Lithgow and a successful run.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: John Lithgow, Play, Revival, Royal Shakespeare Company, Twelfth Night, United Kingdom, William Shakespeare
Grease: Slimed By CriticsThe second Broadway revival of
Grease opened yesterday to dismal reviews. Most critics took shots at the way in which the tuner was cast: via
a television reality series.
Proclaiming this a "mixed bag," the Associated Press'
Michael Kuchwara offers perhaps the most positive review: "As Danny,
Max Crumm gives a cautious performance, vocally OK but short on swagger and sex appeal.
Laura Osnes nicely gets Sandy's transformation, morphing with enthusiasm from good girl to bad babe. Check out her skintight outfit in the last scene, courtesy of designer
Martin Pakledinaz. Osnes also sings well and throws herself into (
Kathleen) Marshall's spirited choreography."
Charitably calling it "likable but lackluster entertainment,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News strives to find the good: "Crumm and Osnes' chemistry is more sibling than sizzling. He holds his own singing and dancing, but is short on the sexiness and swoony swagger that's part of Danny's DNA. Osnes might be the prettiest Sandy ever, and she can belt. But she's a limited actress, even playing a cardboard character....Chills don't start multiplying, antsiness does."
Citing the "lack of wit, charisma or original presence on the stage,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times is anything but charitable: "With
Grease...you sit through more than an hour of a musical set in a high school that feels like a musical put on by a high school -- and I don’t mean a high school of performing arts....But there’s the numbing sense of performers of undeveloped talent conscientiously doing what they have been told to do and failing to claim their parts as their own....(Osnes) approaches Sandy the good girl with the earnestness of a first-year acting student doing Juliet....Every time Danny pulls up the collar of his leather jacket in a cooler-than-thou gesture, it feels as if Mr. Crumm is actively remembering this is something he needs to do."
Labeling this
Grease "a rickety revival,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun also dismisses: "The overall impression, then, is of a 10-year class reunion at a performing arts high school, one where the seasoned alumni strut their stuff in the solo scenes, then take breathers during the group numbers. And as a bonus, the top male and female seniors at the school get to join in as the leads, no less....Ms. Osnes offers all the cleavage and high kicks she can muster, while a delighted Mr. Crumm holds on for dear life."
Arguing that the reality show has done "little to validate the democratic election process,"
Variety's
David Rooney zeroes in on Crumm and Osnes: "[T]hey're unprepossessingly innocuous, which is not a great quality in musical theater leads. What's more, they have less-than-zero sexual connection. In a regional theater production -- which is what this one resembles -- Crumm and Osnes might be the toast of the town; the latter's vocals, especially, are lovely and she handles the high notes with admirable ease. Basically, they're two talented kids who would be fine on the support team but have no business carrying a Broadway show. They also have the kind of tiny bodies and small, telegenic features that don't communicate beyond row C of the orchestra."
Saying that "this crass musical makes
Legally Blonde seem like
West Side Story" in his one-star review,
New York Post's
Clive Barnes blasts: "All told, I've seen worse -- but then, I've been attending the theater for more than 65 years, so 'worse' is a very well-thumbed comparative. This is where the TV show hits the Broadway fan. The main trouble with the elected stars, Osnes and Crumm -- she being a great deal better, especially in spandex, than he -- seems that the kind of chemistry between them could well discourage hydrogen from getting together with oxygen to make water."
Will all these reviews matter, given the estimated $15 million advance in ticket sales? Or will those sales dry up more quickly than spilled grease?
I'll be in the audience for this tuner on Sunday and will provide my own review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.Related Stories:Tonight, Grease Is The Word (August 19, 2007)
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Grease, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) - Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL**** (out of ****)As regular readers know, I employ a four-star system to rate the live stage productions I see. Four stars are strictly reserved for the best of the best.
However, if I could defy my own rules, I'd give
August: Osage County five stars. Under the exceptionally sure and steady guiding hand of
Anna D. Shapiro, it's that hot of a show. And the direction isn't the only thing that's sweltering on the stage.
By far the best-written, best-acted play I've
ever seen at Chicago's
Steppenwolf -- and that's no small feat --
August: Osage County is ensemble member
Tracy Letts' masterpiece.
It's mesmerizing.
To say it's the most excellent stage production I've seen this year would be a gross understatement.
While it would be far too easy to think of this as some modern-day version of
Eugene O'Neill's
Long Day's Journey Into Night, the three-hour, 20-minute family saga is at once chilling
and funny. Letts, an Okahoma native, ingeniously paints a picture of life that's both bleak and vital in the immense, rural area to the northwest of Tulsa where temperatures easily soar in the eighth month of each year.
August: Osage County centers on a heavy-drinking poet Beverly Weston (
Dennis Letts, the playwright's father, in a subtle poignant portrayal who haunts the play long after his lone appearance) and his venomous drug-addled wife Violet (a breathtakingly potent
Deanna Dunagan, pictured, in
the single most important performance I've seen yet this year).
Despite Violet's often delusory state, she manages to retain an iron grip on the roost, lording over her three daughters -- Ivy (
Sally Murphy oozing neuroses), who yearns to break free of her mother's tight tether by skipping town with cousin Little Charles (
Ian Barford at his most complex); Colorado-based Barbara (
Amy Morton at her most deliciously high-strung), whose visit home is complicated by her rocky relationship with husband Bill (Steppenwolf co-founder
Jeff Perry in a wonderful welcome return); and Miami-based Karen (
Mariann Mayberry , glorious in her vulnerability) whose pronouncements that she's living in the here and now, complete with the specious declaration that she no longer lets anything get her down, come across more as protestations of the "too much" variety.
Violet's tentacles also suck in her own seemingly clueless sister Mattie Fay (
Rondi Reed in a delectable departure from portraying Madame Morrible in Chicago's
Wicked) and her husband Charlie (a wonderfully obtuse
Francis Guinan).
My first twinge in realizing just how excellent this production would be was in the opening scene. Beverly is not so much interviewing Johnna (Kimberly Guerrerro), a mysterious young native American woman, for a housekeeping position as much as he's preparing her for the tumult she's about to face in the wake of his departure. He's long-since resigned to losing his battle with the bottle and his wife's addictions to the many drugs she takes, yet he wants to leave Violet in caring hands. During their conversation, Violet makes her first incoherent drug-hazed entrance, and it becomes clear that Johnna will have her hands full.
Once Beverly is gone, the rest of the family descends on the home, which is fraught with bombshell after bombshell, which of course are impossible to sweep under the rug. But the biggest revelation is just how handily this superb ensemble moves from humor to pathos.
Ann G. Wrightson's creative lighting design illuminates everything
unseen from the television that various characters use in trying to escape their hellhole to the flashing lights of a squad car that arrives with news of Beverly.
Richard Woodbury, who ironically worked on the last Broadway revival of
Long Day's Journey Into Night, offers a sound design that heightens the tension. And Todd Rosenthal's three-story set design turns this home into the powder keg it actually is while offering its characters no real isolation from each other -- with the notable exception of Johnna's third-floor sanctuary.
I've already heard rumor that this Steppenwolf world premiere play is already being touted for consideration by the Pulitzer Prize committee and that
a Broadway transfer may be a real possibility. However, my strong recommendation is to do everything you can to see this modern-day, sure-to-be classic with its impeccable current cast.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Amy Morton, Anna D Shapiro, August Osage County, Chicago, Deanna Dunagan, Play, Steppenwolf, The SOB Review, Tracy Letts
Tonight, Grease Is The WordThirty-five years ago,
Grease -- a slightly raunchy little musical about high school lovin' -- opened at Broadway's now defunct
Eden Theatre. Now, a second revival is about to open on the Great White Way at the
Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
This is no longer the same
Grease as the one that opened nearly two generations ago. While the major difference getting the most attention is the method used to cast the 2007 incarnation via a reality television show ("
You're The One That I Want"), the larger departure from the original is its incorporation of music written especially for the
1978 film version.
Among the musical additions are three major hit songs from the summer of '78: "Grease," "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "You're The One That I Want."
The latter two tunes were written by
John Farrar, who's suddenly enjoying quite a summer on Broadway. While he never had a Rialto credit to his name prior to this year, earlier this young theatrical season, he literally scored success with his contributions to
Xanadu.
But as noted, expect most of the critical response to focus on
Grease's unconventionally cast Danny (
Max Crumm) and Sandy (
Laura Osnes), as well as whether director/choreographer
Kathleen Marshall suffered a major misstep or engineered a stroke of genius. It was just over a year ago when it was first announced that the
Grease revival would be cast via a reality show.
Stay tuned as I provide a critics' capsule tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.Related Stories:Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Grease, John Farrar, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Opening Night, Reality Television, Revival, Televsion, You're The One That I Want
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?New York Post theatre gossip wag Michael Riedel's been having lots of fun with
Young Frankenstein and its Seattle tryout by quoting a "Deep Abby Normal."
Although he says today that
he hinted last week who his mole is, in re-reading that column, I couldn't detect a trace of whom that might be. But his column today would suggest it's none other than
Christopher Fitzgerald, or at least that's what I surmise by "I already hinted at this, but I'll refresh her (
Susan Stroman) memory: He lives in Transylvania, and he has a hump."
By the way,
Playbill has some halfway decent initial pics of the show, including one of Fitzgerald more than capably filling Marty Feldman's shoes as Igor. In case you missed my comments the other day, I said, "If there is just one Tony nominated performance from
Young Frankenstein -- and I personally believe there could very well be at least four or five -- it will be Christopher Fitzgerald. He (is) exceptional."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Seattle).Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Broadway).Related Stories:Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Christopher Fitzgerald, Film, Michael Riedel, Musical, Seattle, Susan Stroman, Tryout, Young Frankenstein
Little Sheba To Come Back To BroadwayIt's been 57 years since
William Inge's seminal
Come Back, Little Sheba was presented on a Broadway stage.
That one and only Rialto production provided both
Sidney Blackmer and
Shirley Booth with Tony Awards for their portrayals of Doc and Lola, respectively. Booth even copped an Academy Award in 1952 when she recreated the role for the big screen.
Now,
Come Back, Little Sheba is set to come back to the Great White Way early next year. With
Michael Pressman at the helm,
S. Epatha Merkerson will star in the
Manhattan Theatre Club production at the
Biltmore Theatre. In June, Pressman and Merkerson teamed up for the play on the Left Coast at
LA's Kirk Douglas Theatre -- the show received
mixed reviews. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced, although
Alan Rosenberg portayed Doc in Los Angeles.
Look for the new Broadway incarnation to open January 24. Time will tell whether this show's worthy of a comeback.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Come Back Little Sheba, First Word On New Show, Los Angeles, Manhattan Theatre Club, Play, Revival, S. Epatha Merkerson, William Inge
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You WantThe second Broadway revival of
Grease may be opening this Sunday, yet suddenly the spotlight is falling on several "
You're The One That I Want" reality show contestants who coveted the roles of Danny and Sandy, but didn't quite make it.
The reason? They've been cast elsewhere.
First among them,
as I noted two days ago, is
Ashley Spencer. While she may have lost to Laura Osnes in the NBC television show, she ultimately
technically beat Osnes to the Great White Way with the plum role of Amber von Tussle in
Hairspray. On the very night Osnes began previews in
Grease, Spencer began performing in the long-running Tony Award-winning musical.
Then yesterday came word via
Playbill that
Derek Keeling has been cast as Charles Darnay in Jill Santoriello's musical version of
Charles Dickens' classic
A Tale Of Two Cities -- a $12 million show with an eye toward a 2008 Broadway berth that will premiere this October at Sarasota's Asolo Repertory Theatre.
Then today,
Playbill carried the announcement that
Chad Doreck would replace Matthew Buckner in the long-running Off-Broadway favorite
Altar Boyz beginning September 3. Up til now, Doreck's major claim to fame has been the voice of "Crackle" for
Rice Krispies. Hopefully, his voice won't summarily follow in the role of Matthew.
Finally, apart from
participating in the weekly "
After Party" at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in May,
Austin Miller -- the actor/singer most likely to succeed, although he failed to garner more votes than
Max Crumm -- has yet to announce any major theatrical gig. But he was pretty awesome as Link in the
original touring production of
Hairspray alongside
Carly Jibson and
Bruce Vilanch; while Jibson and Vilanch eventually appeared in the Broadway version, Miller never had the opportunity and quite frankly, I never understood why.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Altar Boyz ticket information.Click here for A Tale Of Two Cities tickets.Click here for Grease tickets.Click here for Hairspray tickets.Related Stories:Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Altar Boyz, First Word On New Show, Florida, Grease, Hairspray, Musical, Off-Broadway, Television
