More Than In Spirit: Ebersole Will Be Back On BroadwayWith the nation, let alone the world, holding its collective breath as our do-nothing Congress apparently has yet to grasp that the entire global economy is on the line, it was a relief to read a
welcome message providing some modicum of escape.
Christine Ebersole is returning to the Great White Way in an improbable farce:
Blithe Spirit. Ebersole will portray the eponymous ghost named Elvira.
This will mark the second Broadway revival for
Noël Coward's three act farce, which made
its Rialto debut on the cusp of America's entry into World War II on November 5, 1941. It was a celebrated and -- given the time, no doubt -- a most welcome success that not only lasted 657 performances at both the
Morosco Theatre and
Booth Theatre, but managed to enjoy a
return engagement of another 32 performances at the Morosco with four of its original principals --
Mildred Natwick,
Philip Tonge,
Clifton Webb and
Peggy Wood -- intact.
Leonora Corbett portrayed Elvira in the first incarnation, while
Haila Stoddard haunted the latter.
The
first revival of
Blithe Spirit was mounted at the
Neil Simon Theatre in March 1987. Under
Brian Murray's direction, the production lasted a mere 104 performances. In a bit of serendipitous casting, the production starred
Blythe Danner as the Blithe Spirit, alongside such talent as
Richard Chamberlain,
Judith Ivey and
Geraldine Page, who received a Tony nomination.
While the rest of the cast has yet to be announced,
Michael Blakemore is set to direct the production that will begin previews on February 26 and open in March at a Shubert Theatre "to be determined."
Any chance I have to enjoy a little mirth during a time of crisis sounds good to me, and even better, I can't wait to see Ebersole perform again. My only question here is this. Whatever
did happen to those
announced plans to mount
Grey Gardens in London?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Blithe Spirit, Broadway, Christine Ebersole, First Word On New Show, Michael Blakemore, Noel Coward, Play, Revival
Equus (The SOB Review) - Broadhurst Theatre, New York, New York**1/2 (out of ****)Such microscopic detail has been given to
Daniel Radcliffe's first full frontal stage outing via
Equus that all focus on the revival's dubious storyline has been obfuscated.
At its very core,
Peter Shaffer's disturbing play -- about a young stable boy trading his love for Jesus with his worship of horses, only to gouge their eyes out when he can't engage in normal human contact -- gives enormous credit to psychobabble quackery while ironically attempting to discredit deeply held religious beliefs. Shaffer's preachy, provocative work merely trades one set of beliefs with another.
Nevertheless,
Thea Sharrock's taut reins provide a highly stylized, theatrical, and yes homoerotic mounting that is visually astonishing. As the designer of both set and costumes, it's clear that
John Napier's focus was on the latter, especially given this revival's sensually strapping stallions played by
Lorenzo Pisoni (Nugget),
Marc Spaulding,
Collin Baja,
Tyrone Jackson,
Spencer Liff and
Adesola Osakalumi.
In a stunning departure from his beloved portrayal of Harry Potter, in which the world has watched him grow up, Radcliffe draws a line in the sand with his chingle-changle, letting the world know that he is most definitely an adult. In taking on the difficult role of Alan Strang, Radcliffe not only rises to the challenge, but triumphs over ever being typecast in the future. One can only hope that Radcliffe will continue in that great British tradition of balancing his acting career between movies and the stage.
Radcliffe certainly benefits by playing opposite
Richard Griffiths as Alan's psychiatrist Martin Dysart. With a performance marked with soft-spoken subtlety, especially given his character's ultimate descent into his own delusions, Griffiths once again proves a master of the stage. (However, I would add here that whenever this Tony-winning actor was facing away from me
and speaking, I could barely register what he was saying. A deficiency perhaps in
Gregory Clarke's sound design?).
Can I enthusiastically recommend this mounting of
Equus? Because of the subject matter itself, my response, unfortunately, is "Neigh." But for anyone wishing to see sheer stagecraft at its best, by all means see it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Harry Potter, John Napier, Peter Shaffer, Play, Revival, Richard Griffiths, The SOB Review, Thea Sharrock
Mourning The Loss Of Paul Newman (1925-2008)
I was extremely saddened this morning to learn that legendary actor and humanitar-ian
Paul Newman has died. The stage and film icon lost his battle with cancer on Friday.
Newman's Academy Award-winning career on the silver screen is very well known by audiences, who enjoyed his on-screen work beginning in 1956 with "
Somebody Up There Likes Me" right through his Oscar nominated turn in "
Road to Perdition" (2005).
But like so many great American actors of his time, Newman had his start on the Broadway stage. In fact, Newman received a 1953 Theatre World Award for his portrayal of Alan Seymour in
William Inge's
Picnic. After his 1964 turn in
Baby Want a Kiss, Newman would be absent from the Great White Way until 2002, when he would return in his Tony-nominated role as the Stage Manager in the Rialto revival of
Our Town.
Personally, I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have seen this giant among giants, both in that production -- where my front row seat gave me a unique perspective of this actor as he towered directly over me through much of the performance -- and in an early 2007 benefit entitled
Come Be My Love...Love Spoken Here for the Westport Country Playhouse. At the time, I wrote:
Miraculously amassed for this one-time-only event, Joanna Gleason, Charles Grodin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Eartha Kitt, Paul Newman, Chris Sarandon and Joanne Woodward offered their own unique, individual voices on the ecstasy and agony that arguably make love life’s ultimate affection. Wow!
To call this breathtaking would be a major understatement. With the megawatt cast’s refrains reverberating throughout the theatre, this audience member was left reeling as though Cupid had shot another arrow through his heart. Alternately laughing and misty-eyed, I couldn’t help but ponder just how truly blessed I am to have found the love of my life, my own true love.
At the time, I had no idea, of course, that this would likely be one of Newman's last public performances. In fact, looking back at my notes, I mentioned how "it’s a little heartbreaking to know that this night will never again be repeated for wider audiences."
Count me among the heartbroken that we've forever lost this great actor and philanthropist. But I will always cherish my opportunity to have reveled in his amazing presence, and continue to honor his contributions by giving to the Hole in the Wall Camps he helped create.
UPDATE (October 2, 2008, 7:25 p.m.) - As is customary whenever any Broadway great dies, Great White Way theatres will briefly go dark tomorrow in his memory.This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here to donate to the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps founded by Paul Newman.Labels: Come Be My Love...Love Spoken Here, Hole In The Wall Camps, In Memoriam, Our Town, Paul Newman
No Horsing Around With Equus Critical ResponseLast evening, the second Broadway mounting of
Peter Shaffer's
Equus opened at squarely the
Broadhurst Theatre. The
Thea Sharrock-helmed transfer from London stars
Daniel Radcliffe and
Richard Griffiths. Overall, the critics were enamored with Radcliffe's turn, even if they found the material dated.
Concluding that Radcliffe's "delivery here is as confident and compelling as his febrile physicality -- whether fully clothed and wary or naked and defenseless,"
Variety's
David Rooney asserts that the performances eclipse the material: "Daniel Radcliffe significantly helps overcome the fact that Peter Shaffer's 1975 Tony winner doesn't entirely hold up. The play is an astute career move for the 'Harry Potter' frontman as he confidently navigates the transition from child stardom to adult roles -- and Radcliffe's performance provides
Equus with a raw emotional nerve center that renders secondary any concerns about its wonky and over-explanatory psychology."
While noting that Sharrock's direction "in many respects lacks the power that flowed through John Dexter's original staging,"
Clive Barnes of
New York Post heaps praise on Radcliffe in his three out of four star review: "Despite his almost total lack of stage experience ... Radcliffe, with his luminously intense eyes and fragile but wiry body, looks wonderfully right as Alan, the 17-year-old British boy besotted by everything equine. His acting, beautifully understated and withdrawn, has just the right manner for this horribly mixed-up adolescent, at the prey of a wayward religiosity and a twisted sexuality cemented together with suburban hypocrisy."
Deeming this an "oddly arid revival,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times delivers praise for the performers, while casting doubt on the show's premise: "Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Radcliffe ... are delivering utterly credible and often affecting performances. And I was always thoroughly engaged by their scenes together, which generate the genuine tension of clashing minds longing to meld. The problem with such well-considered acting is that it throws a clear and merciless light on the hokum of the play as a whole."
Ultimately proclaiming the production "haunting and powerful,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News applauds the performances, but also takes issue with the script in his three out of five star critique: "Yes, (Radcliffe)'s terrific and gives a passionate performance as Alan Strang, the 17-year-old stable hand who worships -- and blinds -- six horses. Yes, he's nude in a scene, but not gratuitously. And yes, he's (at least partially) in good company in the revival of Peter Shaffer's play, which intrigues but shows its age.
Calling this a "more than serviceable Broadway revival" that's "directed here a bit too flashily,"
The New York Sun's
Eric Grode offers a mixed review: "It is ironic and a bit unfortunate, then, that Mr. Radcliffe's performance is by far the more controlled and Mr. Griffiths's the looser.... In general, however, Mr. Radcliffe accentuates the strains of evasion and scorn common to all adolescents without slighting the deeper veins of unrest. And even though Mr. Griffiths falls back on rumpled-academic shtick here and there -- with much rubbing of the eyes and scratching of the head as he ruminates -- he also gives Dysart a welcome burst of energy whenever his assumptions are jostled."
UPDATE (September 27, 2008, 11:10 p.m. EDT): Calling the "work a team effort, a triumph even,"
Back Stage critic (and
Clyde Fitch Report blogger) Leonard Jacobs writes: "Sometimes theatre professionals and audiences recall great original productions with an 'I was there, you weren't' mentality that excludes the unfortunate and the unborn.... [I]t's inevitable that director Thea Sharrock's stirring revival of Peter Shaffer's
Equus will be compared with John Dexter's original 1974 staging of the play, for which Dexter and Shaffer won Tonys. But how wrong-headed it would be for this brooding, marvelous play and this revival's gifted lead actors to be viewed on anything but their own well-deserved terms.... As the play delves ever deeper into Strang and his psyche, Radcliffe visibly churns with the feelings erupting inside him. Here, too, Griffiths is gracious, almost loving toward his co-star."
I'll be taking in a performance over the next couple days and will let you know whether I share any of the critics' sentiments.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Play, Revival, Richard Griffiths, Thea Sharrock, Transfer
Equus' Barn Door Opens
Equus' Barn Door OpensThis evening, all of Broadway's eyes will be squarely focused on Rialto's
Broadhurst Theatre as the first Great White Way revival of
Peter Shaffer's
Equus finally opens.
What makes
Thea Sharrock's mounting of particularly compelling interest is that it pits
Daniel Radcliffe, as psychotic stable boy Alan Strang, against
Richard Griffiths, as the psychiatrist attempting to help him.
The original Broadway production of
Equus opened at the
Plymouth Theatre (now the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre) 31 years ago. This first revival comes galloping to the Main Stem boards after first opening at London's Gielgud Theatre early last year to
mixed reviews.
Will New York critics respond similarly? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Opening Night, Play, Revival, Richard Griffiths
Fizzled BlondeOh! My! God! Another Broadway musical is about to bite the dust.
Legally Blonde - The Musical, based on the infinitely superior
2001 film, has posted its closing notice.
The
Jerry Mitchell-helmed and choreographed tuner will shutter after its final
Palace Theatre performance on October 19. It will have played a total of 595 regular performances when it closes.
Despite the fact that the show is still pulling a capacity crowd of over 60%, the average ticket price last week of just $52.13 hints at a deeper issue: the effect that the worrisome economy may be having on Broadway as a whole. Not even a dose of stunt casting via an MTV reality series could keep a substantial number of tickets from being sold at TKTS.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde, Musical
Gypsy: A Novel $4.60 IdeaHow is this for a coincidence?
About a month or so ago, I finished reading
Gypsy - Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper -- the novel that launched what I personally believe to be
the greatest musical of all time. I was about to post an item when, lo and behold, Chris Caggiano of
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals was reporting that he had just read the book. Great minds?
Well, I would be very interested in knowing just how far sales spike for this autobiography every time a new Broadway revival opens. Currently, Amazon ranks the book as its 183,511th best seller, although it is listed as 15th best selling memoir by a dancer.
No matter. After years and years of seeing production after production, some good, some bad, I decided it was finally time to get the "real" story on the world's most famous ecdysiast, even if it may be somewhat apocryphal. And what an entertaining story it is, replete with Mama Rose,
June Havoc,
Louise and cow ("moo-moo-moo-MOO") all hoofing it across the country, even if there was no one named Herbie every step of the way.
But what the musical only touches upon, the book delivers: a highly successful vaudeville act, forged by a scheming and entrepreneurial, if somewhat daft mother. Indeed, there was a whole lot happening on that Orpheum Circuit as they performed to cheering, adoring crowds alongside such notables as
Fanny Brice. In fact, I was stunned by the level of success that the act actually enjoyed. In the "Musical Fable," their success is significantly muted, getting short shrift during the tuner's "Baby June and Her Newsboys" number that suddenly transforms the action from Baby June to Dainty June.
Gypsy Rose Lee certainly knows how to tell a great story, but one dramatic departure from the tuner is her expressed desire from an early age to be on the stage. That song "If Mama Was Married" may have been sung as a heartfelt plea for their mother to settle down, but neither June nor Louise would be caught desiring to be taken off the road or away from the stage.
And as for that dream of Mama Rose? Well, both Lee and Havoc went on to be exactly what their mother always dreamed they'd be: Broadway stars. The musical
Gypsy ensures that future audiences will always know their names, even if they'll be forgiven for thinking that only Gypsy Rose Lee, who passed away in 1970, enjoyed all the fame.
You see, lest anyone forget, the star of June Havoc has also shined brightly on the Great White Way. Born as Ellen Evangeline Hovick, the actress enjoyed a Rialto career spanning 45 years, beginning with her role as Rozsa, of all names, in the 1936 production of
Forbidden Melody. She was featured or starred in ten additional Main Stem productions as an actress, and she received a Tony nomination for the 1963-64 production of her self-penned
Marathon '33, based on her own memoirs
Early Havoc. The legendary
Julie Harris was Tony-nominated for her portrayal of June in that production.
June Havoc last trod Broadway's boards back in 1982 as a replacement for Miss Hannigan in the original production of
Annie -- the show that served as the springboard for my own great, unyielding love for the theatrical art form. But it was June Havoc herself who apparently served as the great springboard for Gypsy Rose Lee penning her memoirs in the first place. Lee described a meeting between the two as each was enjoying success, saying:
The waiter hovered over us, check in hand. I made a move for my purse and June stopped me. "I want to pay it," she said. "I want this to be my night, right down the line. I'll put it in my diary as the night I found a direction in life for my big, fat sister."
I scooped up what was left of the Lobster Cantonese and divided it into the two containers the waiter had brought us. June divided what was left of the roast pork and put that on top. "But if you don't write the story," she said, "you owe me four dollars and sixty cents."
So as June Havoc prepares to celebrate her 95th birthday on November 8, I'd like to salute this trouper of troupers and her $4.60 threat for inspiring what has ultimately become the greatest Broadway show of all time.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Book, Broadway, Gypsy, Gypsy Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee, June Havoc, Musical
[notice of closing]Late Friday came word that Broadway's little tuner that could soon can't.
[title of show] is now set to close after its October 12 performance, which
ModFab duly notes is the same day that a more prodigious cult, camp hit
Xanadu will shutter. Helmed and choreographed by
Michael Berresse,
[title of show] is a musical starring co-creators
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen, along with
Heidi Blickenstaff and
Susan Blackwell.
When
[title of show] departs Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre, it will have played 102 regular performances there. Given the
wildly mixed critical response, which -- with all due apologies to
A Tale Of Two Cities -- really
was the best and worst of times, the closing notice is not surprising when you factor in the overall sinking fortunes of the Great White Way during these softening economic times.
Indeed, as Chris Caggiano has so adeptly described over at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, "I've been watching the
weekly grosses for
[title of show] since it opened in July, and frankly I've been cringing." Last week, the show only managed to attract a capacity of 30.4%, down 1.5% from the week before.
Personally, I have not seen the current mounting (I took in one of its last performances at the Vineyard Theatre two years ago) and am not certain I'll have an opportunity to take in Bell and Bowen's latest installment of their chronicles of mounting a musical. As much as I enjoyed the show two years ago, I've been ambivalent about plunking down my money for a ticket, especially in light of rising ticket prices coinciding with an economic downturn. Sad to say, like others in the vast Broadway audience, I'm being a bit more judicious in my selections.
Had
[title of show] been my favorite musical of 2006 as opposed to, oh, say my ninth favorite, perhaps I'd have already gone. Still, I'm sad to see this chapter come to an end so quickly.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Closing Notices, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Susan Blackwell, title of show
Critics Mostly Find Musical Tale As Worst Of TimesLast spring, London had its inglorious over-the-top literary-derived flop with
Gone With The Wind - The Musical. Apparently, now it's Broadway's turn, as critics gleefully dug and twisted their knives into
A Tale Of Two Cities - The Musical, which opened last evening at the
Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
Critics had a dickens of a time with the show, with their reviews taking direct aim at
Jill Santoriello, whom many noted began writing the book and score 22 years ago. Helmed by
Warren Carlyle,
A Tale Of Two Cities is the first -- and one presumes it will long remain the only -- stage musical adapation of
Charles Dickens' classic 1859 historical novel opens.
Deriding it as a "lumpish musical adaptation,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley pans: "This stolid poperetta, which features book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello and is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, is one of those unfortunate shows that are neither witty in themselves nor able to inspire wit in others. To say it could have been worse -- i.e., gloriously, hilariously bad -- is not a cause for rejoicing."
Deeming
Tale as a "middling Masterpiece Musical, a paint-by-numbers throwback,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer provides a somewhat middling review: "It has lots of nice period costumes and good actors singing their lungs inside out on material that all sounds the same.... The results, especially considering the relative inexperience of the creators, are surprisingly solid. The show is less bombastic than some examples of the musical-potboiler genre, less foolish than some others. If this sounds like a recommendation, you know whom you are."
Lamenting that
Tale Of Two Cities "is so formulaic it feels recycled and reused, but not refreshed,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News is more critical in his two and a half (out of five) star review: "The book, lyrics and music are by newcomer
Jill Santoriello, who's been working on the project for 20 years. The inexperience is evident from the borrowed moments and characterizations from other shows.... The music should fill emotional gaps, but like stealthy revolutionaries, songs drift in and out without rousing much attention, even anthems belted at maximum volume.... Classics will always have a place on Broadway. The lesson of
A Tale of Two Cities is that they need imagination and innovation."
Suspecting that "any show that boasts more producers than leading actors must be suspect,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes musters up a one and a half star (out of four) review: "Jill Santoriello's book clings closely to Dickens' own, with some nips and tucks, but her lyrics are unimaginative and her music sounds like
Les Miz and dishwater.... Here is an attempt at an epic musical with no superstructure to support it.... Helping this low-rent musical rise even to one and a half stars are
Tony Walton's ingenious skeletal settings and impressionistic backcloths,
David Zinn's stylish costumes and
Richard Pilbrow's imaginative lighting."
Calling the "hammy ending" "inexcusable," Bloomberg's
John Simon eviscerates the show: "Santoriello's tunes could give 'familiar' a very bad name, although some of them avoid embarrassing indebtedness by virtue of being tuneless. Worse yet are her lyrics, whose inspiration must have been the rhyming dictionary, and a skimpy, pocket-size one at that. As for her book, there is the template of Dickens's tawdry and melodramatic novel, famous for its first line ... and its last ... and for nothing of note in between."
Criticizing "Jill Santoriello's pell-mell pageant of bad wigs, worse lyrics, and a handful of decent melodies,"
The New York Sun's
Eric Grode clearly demonstrates he's seen far, far better shows: "Ms. Santoriello -- who has been working on the score, lyrics, and book since 1986, the heyday for pop-opera treatments of this ilk -- and director/choreographer Warren Carlyle get bogged down in finding room for all the heroism and squalor and vengeance. By the end,
Two Cities chugs along like a student scrambling to finish the assigned reading before the test, dragging its hard-working cast along."
So folks, any guesses on just how soon we'll see the closing notices posted?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Book, Broadway, Charles Dickens, Critics' Capsule, Jill Santoriello, Musical, Warren Carlyle
A Tale Of One Opening Night
A Tale Of One Opening NightThis evening, the very first Broadway musical version ever of
Charles Dickens' classic 1859 historical novel opens. Helmed by
Warren Carlyle,
A Tale Of Two Cities comes to life as a tuner with a book and score by
Jill Santoriello.
The cast includes
James Barbour as Sydney Carton and
Aaron Lazar as Charles Darnay, along with
Broadway stalwart
Gregg Edelman as Dr. Alexandre Manette and one of my favorite touring musical actresses,
Natalie Toro as Madame Therese Defarge.
Will critics find the best in this show? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule of the reviews for
A Tale of Two Cities.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Aaron Lazar, Book, Broadway, Charles Dickens, Gregg Edelman, James Barbour, Jill Santoriello, Musical, Natalie Toro
Xanadu: Trading "The Fall" For "All Over The World"Despite the fact it's still playing to nearly two-thirds capacity crowds,
Xanadu is now set to hang up its Broadway roller skates. Nominated for four Tony Awards earlier this year,
Xanadu will skate across the
Helen Hayes Theatre stage one last time on October 12 before finally closing.
I rather enjoyed this tuner, even though it was far from great. The best thing about it was that it never aspired to be anything more than what it is: a wickedly funny take on one of the
worst films of all time.
Xanadu's brilliant cast -- including
Kerry Butler,
Cheyenne Jackson,
Jackie Hoffman and
Mary Testa -- certainly conjured up a magic spell, making all the difference in ensuring its success as a campy cult classic.
By the time the show shutters, it will have enjoyed 528 regular performances. But if you're lamenting
Xanadu's closing, fear not the end. The show is already performing overseas -- in Seoul, South Korea of all places. Not only will it play in other Southeast Asia venues, along with plans to mount the show from London to Australia, but a North American tour will roll into the San Diego area's
La Jolla Playhouse this November.
They don't call it
Xanadu for nothing.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Musical, Touring Production, Xanadu
Phantom 2In revealing that the long gestating sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera will be entitled
Love Never Dies, Sir
Andrew Lloyd Webber lamented to
Playbill.com:
Everyone is going to call it Phantom 2, whether we like it or not.
So, dear readers, who among you plans to see
Phantom 2?
Personally, as I've said countless times before, I'm not really looking forward to
Phantom 2.
In fact, I don't really care if I ever see
Phantom 2 at all.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway, Musical, Sequel, The Phantom Of The Opera
When Stage Classics Tread Broadway Boards AgainTo see, or not to see?
That is my question for you dear readers, particularly as so many stage classics are once again treading across the boards of the Great White Way this year. I'm curious to know whether you rent a film version DVD of plays to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the show in advance or do you prefer being completely surprised?
Among the revivals that will treading the boards this season:
All My Sons - the
original 1947 production was the basis for the
1948 film.
A Man For All Seasons - the
original 1961 production was the basis for the Academy Award-winning
Best Film of 1966.
American Buffalo - the
original production was the basis for the
1996 film.
Pal Joey - the
1951 revival was the basis for the
1957 film.
West Side Story - the
original 1957 production was the basis for the Academy Award-winning
Best Film of 1961.
One revival that will be trotting across is
Equus, starring
Richard Griffiths and
Daniel Radcliffe. By the time the
original 1974 production closed in 1977, the
film version was just opening in cinemas.
While I've long been familiar with the general, disturbing themes of
Equus, I have never seen it. Nor had ever seen the silver screen incarnation -- that is, until this past weekend.
I decided I wanted to see the movie for a couple reasons. First, since the play is set in England, I wanted to be sure I could thoroughly understand the dialogue in the event that heavy accents might be employed during its Broadway run. Second, since I didn't want to be shocked by the content when I finally see the show later this month, I decided viewing the flick would be the surest way to avoid that. But in the process, I've sacrificed letting a plot naturally unfold before my eyes for the very first time.
So I ask you, dear readers, if you've never seen either the stage or film versions of a show you intend to see performed live, do you rent the movie first? And why or why not?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Man For All Seasons, All My Sons, American Buffalo, Broadway, Equus, Musical, Pal Joey, Play, Revival, West Side Story
As Public Hair Recedes From Central Park, It Will Grow Anew On BroadwayIf you're like me and simply won't have the opportunity to take in the
Public Theater's free
Shakespeare in the Park production of
Hair, you'll be happy to know that you'll have a second chance to see it in 2009. But this time, it will cost you.
Just three days before its final September 14 performance at
Central Park's
Delacorte Theatre, it's been
announced that the revival of the "American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" will shift to Broadway early next year. No word yet on casting, but I'm sure it's hoped that
Jonathan Groff will once again reprise the role of Berger.
CORRECTION: Groff (briefly) had the role of Claude. Thanks to readers for pointing that out.Originally produced Off-Broadway, the show by
Gerome Ragni,
James Rado and
Galt MacDermot rocked the Great White Way quite literally when
it was transferred to Rialto's
Biltmore Theatre in April 1968. With a cast that featured
Diane Keaton,
Melba Moore and the late
Paul Jabara, the original production only received two 1969 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical (it would lose to
1776). But the production would enjoy 1,750 performances until it shuttered on July 1, 1972.
The only
Broadway revival opened a mere five years later at the same theatre, but only lasted 43 performances.
I've only seen one production of
Hair, and it seemed stuck in a time warp. While the show was downright shocking to 1968 mores, I confess that by the time I saw it, there was no urgency left to any of its messages (of course, I venture that I may have seen it differently against today's backdrop of the Iraq War).
Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing why this particular incarnation enjoyed extension after extension. Let the sunshine in, indeed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Public Theatre's ticket information for remaining Central Park performances. Labels: First Word On New Show, Hair, Jonathan Groff, Musical, Public Theater, Revival, Shakespeare In The Park, Transfer
Rent ClosesIt's not every day I write about a Broadway show that's just closed, but then
Rent was not your average Broadway show.
After 5,124 performances, the late
Jonathan Larson's little tuner that infused the Main Stem with an amped up downtown mojo finally closed at the
Nederlander Theatre Sunday evening. Credit the cast with dedicating their final performance to Larson.
All is not lost for those mourning the loss of
Rent from the Great White Way. First, there's the
2005 film version that forever immortalizes most of the original Broadway cast on celluloid. Then, there's a
Sony Pictures'
The Hot Ticket film version of the final performance that will be shown in select movie theatres for a special limited engagement September 24, 25, 27 and 28.
And then there's the
touring production of
Rent that begins anew this January in Cleveland. Headlined by
Adam Pascal and
Anthony Rapp in a bit of a farewell victory lap, the tour will crisscross the United States for 30 weeks before heading to Japan's Akasaka Act Theatre and then to South Korea.
The Tony-winning Best Musical of 1996 is now history. But I'm sure it will live again another day.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Broadway, Closings, Japan, Musical, Rent, South Korea, Touring Production
To Quote "Annie""The sun'll come up tomorrow."
Well, actually on Monday. But after three long weeks, Steve On Broadway (SOB) will really be back. Betcher bottom dollar.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Special Messages
Political Theatre, Part IIFolks, as I said last week, I haven't forgotten about you or Steve On Broadway or live theatre.
But I offer a reminder that aside from theatre and traveling, my other great passion in life is politics. So just as I got caught up in last week's Democratic National Convention, please forgive me for watching the drama unfold at this week's Republican National Convention.
Regardless of which party has the floor, I believe it's our responsibility as Americans to listen in to both political conventions to know what each candidate for the highest office -- along with all their surrogates -- is saying.
Hopefully, you're every bit as interested in the future direction of our nation and are tuning in to both.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Elections, Special Messages
Rick Duplantier Finally Responds Via BlackBerryAs you may recall from my posting on Sunday, I was still awaiting word, any word, that my college friend
Rick Duplantier was safe.
Little did I know that he would be weathering
Hurricane Gustav from his home in New Orleans -- the same home that was severely damaged by the flooding from
Hurricane Katrina. I guess if I had remembered he had posted the above sign on his property, I should have known where he'd be.
Rick texted me via his BlackBerry this morning:
Working with a blackberry battery that is going to run out. Yes, I stayed in my house and it was a very interesting event. We built this new house to make stand and we did.Plan to help with clean-up today so we are back to normal by Wednesday.
I am in the City of New Orleans. No real damage, and although there is wind and tree damage it appears minor. Our evacuation procedures and levees worked as planned. The only issue now is minor inconveniences of clearing debris and lack of power.
Our office should be up in New Orleans tomorrow, but all other offices fully operational. You can try and reach my via blackberry which seems to be working now but will be volunteering so may not have time to respond right away.
Go Saints!!
While I'm not sure I would or could have made the same decision to stay, I'm beyond relieved he is safe. And my hat is off to him for already plunging headlong into volunteer efforts. In case you haven't already figured this out, Rick is quite a guy.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Hurricane Gustav, New Orleans, Rick Duplantier, Special Messages
WHEW!As Hurricane Gustav gave way to
Tropical Depression Gustav, that huge collective sigh America heard was one of immense relief that New Orleans didn't experience a catastrophic repeat of
Hurricane Katrina.
The levees held, even as water sloshed over their tops, and while the worst of the storm has passed,
flood watches along Lake Pontchartrain remain in effect until 10 a.m. CDT.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
has promised that "re-entry is only days away, and not weeks."
UPDATE (9/2/08, 12:50 p.m.):MSNBC is reporting:
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said he has received reports of widespread damage across three parishes — Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary — near where the eye of the storm hit. Helicopter crews were expected to search the area for anyone injured or killed.
With millions still displaced from their homes, as well as damage in the wake of Gustav requiring attention, including from relief agencies like the American Red Cross, I strongly encourage you to join me in giving to this organization. To donate, simply click
here.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Charitable Organizations, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Special Messages
More Than In Spirit: Ebersole Will Be Back On Broadway
