Are You Effable?If you're among those who read Steve On Broadway (SOB) on a regular basis, you know that I'm not one to let the F-Bombs drop on this site. So perhaps you've wondered whether I was intentionally trying to titillate with that title.
While "effable" is no longer commonly used in Americanized English, the word actually means "Capable of being uttered or explained; utterable."
There's an organization straddling Manhattan and Brooklyn that seeks to capitalize on theatrical expressibility called
Effable Arts. They've just announced their premiere production
Stop, Collaborate & Listen: 20Nothings. With a nod and a wink to what you
may have thought effable meant, they're promising, "A cherry-popping weekend of twentysomethings and celebrity 'survivors.'" With a title inadvertently inspired by
William H. Macy, the production will play in two parts on September 5 and 6 at The Producer’s Club Grand Theater at 358 West 44th Street in New York.
Stop, Collaborate & Listen: 20Nothings is billed as "a collection of original one-acts, monologues, dance, music and art depicting the hilarity and horrors of twentysomething-ness in 2009. Presented in two parts by artists age 23-27, this collaborative production throws a spotlight on mid-twenties purgatory with riotous, touching and insightful results."
According to the release I received, the Effable Arts production "also features an exclusive exhibition of advice for twentysomethings from 'Survivors' of their own transitional twenties, including not only the aforementioned Macy, but also Tony Award winners
Rondi Reed (
August: Osage County,
Wicked),
Laura Benanti (
Gypsy, Broadway’s upcoming
In the Next Room) and
Gregory Jbara (
Billy Elliot,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels);
Will Swenson (
Hair);
Will Chase (
Billy Elliot,
Rent); and
Seth Rudetsky (
The Ritz ); along with the requisite "many, many more."
Part One on September 5 will begin at 8 p.m. EDT. "Audiences discover the true meaning of the term
20Nothings through a vibrant cast of characters, including a writer who must choose between his art or
Snakes on a Plane: The Musical!, an urban warrior trapped on the losing end of a battle with vermin, a young woman racing the hourglass of chronic illness, a pair of foul-mouthed sisters smacked in the face by formal 'adulthood,' two singles attempting to mate in the Facebook era and a set of friends who may have accidentally crossed from twentysomething purgatory right into Hell."
Part Two on September 6 begins at 7 p.m. EDT; it "explores the deeper side of Generation Y, showcasing the hope, fear, hurt and pride of an age-group just beginning to recognize its power. Through dance and song, artists remember the historic Stonewall Riots while emphasizing the fight is not yet over, examine the unstable nature of young relationships, use Dante’s famed Inferno as a metaphor for life’s daily struggles and remind everyone that even the bleakest of days can be cured with peanut butter and a little hope."
Both performances will feature letters and advice from the successful artists outlined above who also reflect on their own "youthful missteps."
Tickets for
Stop, Collaborate & Listen: 20Nothings are $15 each or $25 for a two-night pass. Please call the Effable Arts box office at 917.576.4149 to reserve seats; note that tickets must be paid in cash only at the door.
Since Effable Arts is a non-profit organization, they'll gladly accept your tax-deductible donations when you click
here like I just did. And you know what? For the first time in my life, I'm feeling a little effable.
This is Steve On Broadway.
Labels: Effable Arts, Gregory Jbara, Laura Benanti, Off-Broadway, Play, Rondi Reed, Seth Rudetsky, Stop Collaborate and Listen: 20Nothings, Will Chase, Will Swenson, William H. Macy
Spider-Man Musical: Is Riedel Spinning Web Of Deceit?To read only
New York Post columnist
Michael Riedel, one might assume that the new Julie Taymor-helmed musical
Spider-Man - Turn Off The Dark has completely spun out of control and was squashed before it ever had an opportunity to fully develop.
Over the past two weeks, Riedel has devoted three columns to
Spider-Man. The first appeared the morning after
Variety reported on August 6 that:
Rumors have spread among legiters that the production sked for incoming mega-musical Spider-Man - Turn Off the Dark may be threatened.
The extensive work being done to prep for the technically demanding show ... is said to have stopped this week.
Variety's Gordon Cox went on to state that representatives from the tuner said that the show would go on. Cox also said that despite concerns,
Spider-Man was "generally expected to become the sales juggernaut of the 2009-10 season."
The following morning,
Riedel lashed the show with his first salvo:
The $45 million Broadway musical -- otherwise known as "The Show Produced By People Who Have No Idea What They Are Doing" -- is in deep, deep trouble.
But a Spider-Man spokesman insists: "The production is scheduled to begin previews on Feb. 25, 2010, as previously announced."
If that happens, I'll eat my young.
Just five days later,
Riedel gleefully struck again, sticking a fork in a show he was all but calling dead:
When it comes to the greatest supervillain of them all -- The Riedeler -- Spidey has met his match.
The $45 million Spider-Man, directed by Julie Taymor and written by Bono and The Edge, is caught in my net, and I can report today that escape is virtually impossible.
Mwahahaha!
The Web (as in World Wide) was immediately on fire with one news organization after another piling on. The situation was exacerbated further when
Riedel took his fork and began twisting with one more August 14 shot at bringing down the show:
Hello Entertainment, the company run by twisting-in-the-wind Spider-Man producer David Garfinkle, continues to issue press releases insisting that this $45 million fiasco, which has suspended production, will start up again once "cash flow issues have been resolved" and begin previews Feb. 25 at the Hilton Theatre.
Hello Entertainment (which I suspect we'll soon be calling Goodbye Entertainment) might want to tell that to Evan Rachel Wood, who's playing Peter Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane.
Wood, a charming actress, turned down a couple of movie roles to do the show. This week, her agents have been scrambling to get those offers back on the table.
"As far as they're concerned, it's over," says a source. "She's available for other work."
But hold on a minute.
Lost in all his columns and in the torrent of coverage from reporters too lazy to do their own digging was that
tickets remain on sale for a show that isn't even scheduled to begin previews for
another six months.
What's more, American Express, which is sponsoring the advance ticket sales, is still advertising the show with videos on major online news sites like
The New York Times. I found the video campaign while perusing the Grey Lady's
Culture & Arts - ArtsBeat Blog.
Finally, for those reporters worth their salt who have actually done a little digging like
New York Daily News' Laura Scheffler, you get a different picture:
Despite cash-flow problems, the Spider-Man musical is on track,with its stars still caught in the Broadway show's web. Evan Rachel Wood is "100% committed - she didn't pull out," says a rep for the actress, who plays Spider-Man's love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Alan Cumming is still on board to play the Green Goblin, and sources say that Spidey himself has finally been cast: relative newcomer Reeve Carney has reportedly accepted the plum role. The actor's management didn't respond to calls for comment.
So is Michael Riedel spinning a Web of deceit? Is
Spider-Man really back on track?
Stay tuned. We're bound to see many more stories before we know for certain.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alan Cumming, Bono, Broadway, Evan Rachel Wood, Julie Taymor, Michael Riedel, Musical, Reeve Carney, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark, The Edge
Broadway Preview: Wishful DrinkingFrom a post-traumatic galaxy, far far away (or at least as far as a Beverly Hills ranch home) comes perhaps the 2009-10 Theatrical Season's most unlikely entrant:
Carrie Fisher's
Wishful Drinking.
As if to prove she can never quite shed her Princess Leia persona, Fisher uses that imagery to great effect with her one woman show. Witness the cover to her
2008 memoir (left), which is also being used by the
Roundabout Theatre Company to promote
Wishful Drinking.
While you might think that this theatrical piece
had its origins in the December 2006
world premiere at the
Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Fisher herself might argue that one can really trace its beginnings to the role from the
Star Wars stint that made hers a household name. Her downward spiral into addiction and depression -- along with her relationships with her famous parents
Debbie Reynolds and
Eddie Fisher -- became the stuff of legends, thanks in part to her semi-autobiographical book-turned-film "
Postcards From The Edge."
Fisher herself once remarked, "If my life weren’t funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable." Will Broadway audiences accept funny Fisher with open arms? The wishful thinking begins at
Studio 54 on September 22 and runs through January 3, 2010.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Book, Broadway, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, Film, One Woman Show, Star Wars, Wishful Thinking
Billy Elliot - The Musical (The SOB Revisit) - Imperial Theatre, New York, New York
***1/2 (out of ****)Third time was most definitely the charm for me in seeing
Billy Elliot - The Musical, this time (finally) on Broadway.
For the third time in four years and across three continents, I've seen how the miles on a show can either
infuse electricity or
take it away. In the case of
Stephen Daldry's soaring Broadway mounting, he's achieved a breathtaking kinetic wattage to behold.
Triple threat
Kiril Kulish, who portrayed Billy during my performance, offers the most electrifying take on the eponymous role I've now seen. He's not only born to boogie, but he also possesses a star quality I've rarely seen in someone so young. His talent is pure joy to witness
During my performance, I was disappointed to learn that the key role of Michael would be played by understudy
Keean Johnson. But once he expressed himself with his natural-born stage presence, I was left wondering why he doesn't perform the role on a regular basis. He is exceptional and has a great future ahead of him.
As pivotal as Billy and Michael are, the supporting cast is every bit as vital in ensuring the requisite electricity. In the role of his lifetime, the incredibly talented
Gregory Jbara is spot-on as Billy's father, whose eleventh hour epiphany is powerfully moving without being overly sentimental. The wonderful
Haydn Gwynne reprises the role I saw her brilliantly create in London. And the lovely
Carole Shelley offers one of the year's top scene-stealing performances as Billy's Grandma.
Thanks to Daldry's invigoratingly taut direction and
Peter Darling's inventive choreography, the cast abounds in endless energy. They infuse
Lee Hall and
Elton John's score -- which strikes a deeper and infinitely more poignant chord with each listen -- with all possibility that individuality really represents, particularly during these financially troubled times.
If you're going to see
Billy Elliot anywhere, make this the one.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Carole Shelley, Elton John, Gregory Jbara, Haydn Gwynne, Keean Johnson, Kiril Kulish, Lee Hall, Musical, Peter Darling, Stephen Daldry, The SOB Review
Burn The Floor (The SOB Review) - Longacre Theatre, New York, New York
**1/2 (out of ****)Burn The Floor? More like burn the calories.
Possessing what is surely Broadway's lowest body fat quotient per cast,
Burn The Floor's intensely high level of energy makes
Jason Gilkison's dazzling ballroom choreography breathtaking (read:
exhausting) to watch.
Perhaps Gilkison is tapping into some pent-up demand for dance extravaganzas on Broadway. After all, it's been nearly one full decade since the debut of
Contact, the last in a considerable string of choreography-heavy shows that threatened to forever redefine what constituted a Great White Way "musical" -- fortunately, they did not.
For his effort, Gilkison has added one part "
Strictly Ballroom," two parts "
Dancing With The Stars," another part "
So You Think You Can Dance," filtered out any story line and celebrity judging, then shaken it up for a fizzy concoction so intensely under pressure that it's no wonder the cork on his bottle shoots off in an explosive pop.
Speaking of those television shows, "Dancing With The Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance" appear frequently among the credits for many of this unmistakably sexy cast. In fact,
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and
Karina Smirnoff from the former are billed as "special guest stars" as if from some hokey television show (they are set to depart the show on August 16). However, they're made a bit superfluous by the rest of
Burn The Floor's joyous troupe, which is at its passionate and effervescent best in the show's high octane numbers.
Yet tunes like the
Peter Cetera/
Cher hit "
After All" quickly transform whatever's chic to cheesy, giving
Burn The Floor less a whiff of the bold, new direction that Broadway has enjoyed during the last ten years than a faint stale scent from a second-tier Las Vegas showroom.
But I dare you to sit through this show and not be awed by the assembled talent and their intoxicating moves. Think "tastes great, less filling."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Burn The Floor, Jason Gilkison, Karina Smirnoff, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Musical, The SOB Review
