Hi Hi Birdie For First Time In Nearly 50 YearsBye Bye Birdie, that longtime staple of high school musicals, is finally back on Broadway after a nearly 50 year absence.
With a book by
Michael Stewart and score by
Charles Strouse and
Lee Adams,
Bye Bye Birdie enjoyed boffo box office during its
initial --- and until recently, its only -- Rialto run that began April 14, 1960 at the
Martin Beck Theatre (now the
Al Hirschfeld Theatre) and ended 607 performances later at the
Shubert Theatre on October 7, 1961.
The original
Birdie was directed and choreographed by the great
Gower Champion. That incarnation earned eight Tony nominations including for Best Musical, as well as for Best Featured Actor in a Musical,
Dick Van Dyke (as Albert Peterson), who was catapulted to superstar status.
Chita Rivera (as Rose Alvarez) received her first of nine Tony nominations for her work. Van Dyke and Rivera reunited during the run of her
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life to relive a bit of
Birdie when they sang "Put On A Happy Face."
Other major actors involved in the original cast included
Paul Lynde (as Harry MacAfee),
Kay Medford (as Albert's mother Mae) and
Charles Nelson Reilly (as Mr. Henkel). Then, of course, there was
Dick Gautier, who portrayed pop idol Conrad Birdie. The role may have been fashioned after
Elvis Presley, but the name was a direct play on
Conway Twitty's, who had initially been slated to play Conrad Birdie but dropped out of the production before it was ever seen by the public.
As
I've previously noted, while a revival never made it to Broadway before
Roundabout Theatre Company's new effort, there was an attempt to bring back
Birdie via the ill-fated 1981 sequel
Bring Back Birdie, which closed on Broadway after only four regular performances. Not even the combined star power of Chita Rivera and
Donald O'Connor (as Albert -- Van Dyke's role redux) could keep that open, but the legendary actress did manage a Tony nod yet again.
Now,
Robert Longbottom becomes the first to revive
Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway. The director/choreographer is also the first to mount a show at the newly restored
Henry Miller's Theatre where previews for
Birdie began September 10. Headlined by
John Stamos as Albert and
Gina Gershon as Rose, the cast also boasts
Bill Irwin as Harry,
Jayne Houdyshell as Mae,
Nolan Gerard Funk as Conrad Birdie,
Allie Trimm as Kim MacAfee and
Dee Hoty as Mrs. MacAfee.
Earlier,
it was reported that the tune "Shriner's Ballet" was dropped like a hot fez from the show. Gershon told
New York Daily News theatre critic
Joe Dziemianowicz that the dance number previously thought to be benign enough for countless high school productions suddenly "seemed a little too gang rape-y" for the Broadway revival. Many wags summarily suggested that perhaps the bigger problem might be that Gershon wasn't up to the challenge of filling Chita Rivera's distinguished dance slippers.
Whatever the case may be,
Bye Bye Birdie is already saying hello to packed houses in previews, filling up Henry Miller's Theatre close to 95% capacity. While last week's earnings of $533,736 may seem on the low side, as a non-profit theatre, Roundabout has a huge subscriber base so the number is a bit deceptive. And although the show is only slated to run through January 10, 2010, don't be surprised to see an extension if reviews are favorable after its October 15 opening. Look for my SOB Review shortly after as well.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Allie Trimm, Bill Irwin, Broadway, Bye Bye Birdie, Charles Strouse, Gina Gershon, Jayne Houdyshell, John Stamos, Lee Adams, Michael Stewart, Musical, Nolan Gerard Funk, Revival, Robert Longbottom
Oleanna: You’ve Come A Long Way Baby
Seventeen years after first premiering at
David Mamet’s
Back Bay Theatre Company (Cambridge, MA), the playwright’s short-use drama
Oleanna is making its debut on Broadway.
Short? Its running time is among the briefest of plays, clocking in at mere 75 minutes. Fuse?
Oleanna has been described as akin to a powder keg being ignited. And that's just in the audience.
In
Oleanna, Mamet weaves a two-hander tale of a haughty college professor named John, who sexually harasses Carol, one of his female students. Or has he?
That is the long-burning argument audiences have been debating over this highly controversial work ever since
Oleanna first premiered with frequent Mamet collaborator
William H. Macy facing off with
Rebecca Pidgeon, initially in Cambridge and then Off-Broadway in 1992. It’s no accident that the play first appeared in the wake of the incendiary
confirmation hearings for
Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas in which
Anita Hill’s explosive testimony nearly ended his high court aspirations.
If you’re wondering about the unusual name of the play,
Oleanna is
the name of a Norwegian folk song about a 19th Century couple --
Ole Bull and Anna (thus,
Oleanna) -- who set out to create a utopian community, but whose dream had not counted on rocky and infertile soil.
Doug Hughes helms this first Broadway production of
Oleanna with
Bill Pullman as John and
Julia Stiles as Carol. While both are reprising their roles from Los Angeles’
Mark Taper Forum, Stiles has the longer history with the piece, having appeared in an earlier 2004 West End production in which she co-starred with
Aaron Eckhart under
Lindsay Posner’s direction.
Oleanna begins previews tonight at Broadway’s
John Golden Theatre and opens there October 11. I'll wade into the fray with my own SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Bill Pullman, Broadway, David Mamet, Doug Hughes, Julia Stiles, Oleanna, Play, Revival
More Broadway Bows For Royal FamilyWhen I first learned that theatrical royalty
Rosemary Harris would take part in
Doug Hughes’ Great White Way revival of
The Royal Family this season, I felt more than just a little twinge of excitement. In fact, a tidal wave of thrills cascaded over me.
It wasn’t just because Harris’ casting heralded her long overdue return to Broadway after ten long years (and with it, my first time to see this stage legend tread the boards). It was also in knowing that I’d see Harris performing -- for the second time in her lengthy Broadway career -- as a member of the fictional, first family of theatre created by
George S. Kaufman and
Edna Ferber in 1927, and thus, creating a little added stage history in the process.
The English-born Harris first appeared in a Rialto production all the way back in 1952's
The Climate of Eden and has since appeared in 23 other productions. Nominated for eight Tony Awards through the years, Harris earned her one and only honor portraying Eleanor in
The Lion in Winter (1966).
The latest incarnation of
The Royal Family being staged, this time at the
Manhattan Theatre Club’s
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, marks the fourth Main Stem outing for the Cavendish clan. What’s truly remarkable about Harris’ participation is that she now lays claim to being in two of those four productions, having earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in
the last revival produced at the
Helen Hayes Theatre during the final hours of 1975 and first seven months of 1976.
Then, under former husband
Ellis Rabb’s Tony-winning direction, Harris took on the role of Julie Cavendish, daughter of Fanny as portrayed by
Eva Le Gallienne. Julie’s brother Tony, Aunt Kitty and Uncle Herbert were played by, respectively, the late great
George Grizzard,
Mary Louise Wilson and
Joseph Maher. Rabb’s revival lasted 233 performances.
Now, in the 2009 revival, Harris takes on the play’s matriarch Fanny to
Jan Maxwell’s Julie,
Reg Rogers’ Tony,
Ana Gasteyer’s Kitty and
John Glover’s Herbert.
Tony Roberts,
Larry Pine and
Freddy Arsenault are also in the cast.
The
initial revival for
The Royal Family clocked in at 15 performances at the
City Center in January 1951. Its cast included
Ruth Hussey as Julie,
Ethel Griffies as Fanny,
John Emery as Tony,
Olive Blakeney as Kitty,
Bernard Nadell as Herbert and even a younger
Ossie Davis as Jo.
As noted above,
The Royal Family was originally mounted on the Great White Way back in 1927 -- the same year motion pictures became “talkies” – opening at Broadway’s
Selwyn Theatre on December 28, 1927. Under
David Burton’s direction, the thee act play starred
Ann Andrews as Julie,
Haidee Wright as Fanny,
Otto Kruger as Tony,
Catherine Calhoun Doucet as Kitty and
Orlando Daly as Herbert. The play was such a tremendous success that it ran for 345 performances through October 1928.
Could it be that this latest revival will be a
Royal flush with success? With Harris leading a superb ensemble, as well as reportedly lavish scenic and costume designs from
John Lee Beatty and
Catherine Zuber, respectively, perhaps it’s no wonder the initial buzz I’m hearing from previews is already extraordinarily favorable.
The limited run for
The Royal Family opens October 8, and I’ll provide my SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Ana Gasteyer, Best New Plays, Broadway, Doug Hughes, Edna Ferber, George S. Kaufman, Jan Maxwell, John Glover, Reg Rogers, Revival, Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family, Tony Roberts
Sydney Theatre Company Formally Announces August: Osage County For August 2010
American theatre lovers! You
heard it here first.
Way back in July, I first reported that
the original August: Osage County would be trekking Down Under to Sydney, Australia. Now, the
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has made it truly official.
STC Artistic Directors
Cate Blanchett and
Andrew Upton have
now said:
This monster of a production from Steppenwolf cleaned up at last year’s Tony Awards, taking five gongs including Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Leading Actress and Best Featured Actress. This is a unique opportunity to see the legendary American ensemble deliver what might well be the next American classic.
While casting is yet to be announced (more on that in a moment), the original stateside creative team will be Australia bound. The limited run is now slated to begin previews on August 13, 2010, with an opening scheduled for August 17.
August: Osage County will run through September 25, 2010.
As for the cast, in addition to the above notes from Blanchett and Upton, the official
STC Web site adds that this production will be "Featuring Steppenwolf ensemble members from the Chicago and Broadway companies." Expect to see most of the familiar names you know and love recreating their roles in Sydney.
I'll reiterate my question from nearly four months ago: Anyone game for going Down Under?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Andrew Upton, August Osage County, Cate Blanchett, Play, Steppenwolf, Sydney, Sydney Theatre Company, Transfer
Hamlet: 66 And CountingThere are precious few plays that have graced a Broadway stage as many times as
William Shakespeare's
Hamlet.
While it's not known precisely when Shakespeare wrote
Hamlet,
historians believe The Bard wrote this play circa 1601, and it's known that the work was mounted in New York City as early as the following century.
According to the
Internet Broadway Database (IBDB), my go-to source for all things Rialto-related, this tragedy has been previously presented in New York City at least 65 times. IBDB's earliest recorded performance took place back in November 1761 with
Lewis Hallam as the Danish prince. That
Hamlet was mounted at the
Chapel Street Theatre, which stood on the corner of what is now Beekman and Nassau Streets in lower Manhattan.
Most of the other recorded 65 revivals have been staged in Broadway theatres.
The last, performed at the
Belasco Theatre as recently as 1995, earned a Tony nomination for Best Revival. Its
Hamlet,
Ralph Fiennes, took home a Tony for Best Actor in a Play.
Other noteworthy Broadway
Hamlets through the years have included
Stephen Lang (
1992),
Sam Waterston (
1975-76), Tony-nominated
Richard Burton (
1964),
Raymond Massey (
1931),
Leslie Howard (
1936) and
John Gielgud (
1936-37). Many actors have portrayed
Hamlet on more than one occasion, including
Maurice Evans (
1938-39,
1939-40,
1945-46,
1946), the legendary
John Barrymore (
1922-23,
1923), and of course, the premier American actor of the 19th Century,
Edwin Booth (
1864-65,
1870 and
1891).
Hamlet has been so popular through the years, that there have been several instances when competing revivals were produced on Broadway at the same time, including the aforementioned ones with Howard and Gielgud, as well as
the 1931 Broadhurst Theatre revival with Massey competing directly with the
1931 Royale Theatre mounting produced by the
Chicago Civic Shakespeare Society.
Much more recently, two separate Main Stem productions narrowly missed being staged at the exact same time. The
1969 Lyceum Theatre revival with
Ellis Rabb as
Hamlet ended April 26, a mere five days before
the 1969 Lunt-Fontanne Theatre production starring
Nicol Williamson opened.
Now, for at least the 66th time,
Hamlet is being revived in Manhattan. Once again, Shakespeare's tragedy is being staged at the
Broadhurst Theatre, this time via the transfer of a highly acclaimed production from the formidible
Donmar Warehouse in London. Directed by the estimable
Michael Grandage, this revival stars
Jude Law as the eponymous prince who exacts revenge for his murdered father.
Personally, I've only seen
Hamlet performed once on stage, and tedium set in quite quickly. Same went for my experience in watching the Academy Award-winning
Best Picture of 1948, even with the late, great
Laurence Olivier as the prince. So while I am sincerely looking forward to seeing Grandage's interpretation of this work, I'll go in with just a little trepidation as I normally do
whenever I see Shakespeare.
Whether audiences share my apprehension remains to be seen. Or not to be seen.
This limited run of
Hamlet opens October 6 and is currently slated to close December 6.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Edwin Booth, Hamlet, John Barrymore, Jude Law, Laurence Olivier, Maurice Evans, Michael Grandage, Play, Revival, Transfer, William Shakespeare
Memphis Seeks To Turn The Dial While Turning Up HeatA couple theatrical seasons ago,
I decried the color-blind revival of
Come Back, Little Sheba for missing an opportunity to highlight the immense struggles mixed race couples had for their very existence back in the 1950s.
Now, with the dawn of the 50s-themed
Memphis musical that begins previews tonight at Broadway's
Shubert Theatre, perhaps audiences will now have a chance to grasp just how truly difficult it had to have been. With book and lyrics by
Joe DiPietro and music by
David Bryan,
Memphis appears poised to do some of the heavy lifting that all too many well-intentioned, color-blind period revivals choose to ignore or sweep under the rug. In this new tuner, a steamy romance develops between African American singer Felicia Farrell (
Montego Glover) and white DJ Huey Calhoun (
Chad Kimball) against the unmistakable backdrop of segregation.
Directed by
Christopher Ashley and choreographed by
Sergio Trujillo,
Memphis comes to Broadway by way of both San Diego's
La Jolla Playhouse (last year) and Seattle's
5th Avenue Theatre (earlier this year). The cast also includes
Derrick Baskin,
J. Bernard Calloway,
James Monroe Inglehart,
Michael McGrath and
Cass Morgan.
Memphis is officially described as follows:
Turn up that dial! From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, by way of hit runs at the La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre, comes a hot new Broadway musical - inspired by actual events -- with heart, soul and energy to burn.
He's a young, white radio DJ named Huey Calhoun, whose love of music transcends race lines and airwaves. She's a black singer named Felicia Farrell, whose career is on the rise, but who can't break out of segregated clubs. When the two collaborate, her soulful music reaches radio audiences everywhere, and the Golden Era of early rock 'n' roll takes flight. But as things start to heat up, whether the world is really ready for their music -- or their love -- is put to the test.
A thrilling theatrical event that combines Broadway splendor with the roots of rock, Memphis features an original story by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and a brand-new score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan. Directing is Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreography is by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).
Get ready to experience all the exuberance and the emotion...the beauty and the controversy...of a wondrous, defining time in our history.
You're tuning in to Memphis.
While I have never before seen Glover perform, I have seen Kimball ... sort of. Last time I saw him on a Broadway stage was in his debut as Milky White, the cow in the 2002 revival of
Into the Woods. Can Glover and Kimball anchor a Broadway show together? Well, count me among those positively intrigued.
Memphis is slated to open at October 19. I've booked my trip to
Memphis less than a week later.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Chad Kimball, Christopher Ashley, David Bryan, Joe DiPietro, Memphis, Montego Glover, Musical, Sergio Trujillo
Send In The CrowdsToday, at long last and after what seems like months of endless speculation came confirmation that what is arguably
Stephen Sondheim's greatest lifetime triumph --
A Little Night Music -- is finally coming back to Broadway after a long overdue 35 year absence.
I'm truly not sure what is more remarkable about this
Trevor Nunn-helmed import from London.
On the one hand, you have Academy Award-winning actress
Catherine Zeta-Jones making her Broadway debut in the coveted role of Desiree Armfeldt. While a Rialto novice, a very young Zeta-Jones
made her West End debut in
Annie. She also appeared in the London production of
42nd Street -- incredibly, she was cast in the leading role of Peggy Sawyer after both the regular actress and understudy already filling the part fell ill! The rest, as they say, is history. After wowing us as Velma Kelly in the film production of "
Chicago," Zeta-Jones indicated shortly thereafter that she would someday love to tackle a musical on Broadway. That day is soon to come.
On the other hand -- and this is a mighty huge hand -- you have the legendary
Angela Lansbury. The beloved five-time Tony-winning veteran of 11 Great White Way shows over the last 52 years is defying all odds by agreeing
once more to one last crack at a Main Stem stage. This time, she'll be portraying Madame Armfeldt. Could it be that she'll earn her sixth Tony?
Also particularly noteworthy is that this production marks only the very first time
A Little Night Music will have been revived on Broadway. Hard to believe for a musical that inspires swoons from virtually all comers who have ever seen it performed.
Regular readers will note that even I was swept away. After seeing Nunn's earliest incarnation of
A Little Night Music in London last November, I summed up
my rapturous SOB Review by pining:
There's little doubt that the bewitching allure of this excellent revival will follow other Menier productions to the West End, but how about to Broadway?
Well, maybe next year ... or so we can hope!
According to the announcement made today, my complete wish is coming true.
A Little Night Music will begin previews at the
Walter Kerr Theatre on November 24. Opening night is currently scheduled for December 13.
While complete casting has not been announced, we do know that
Alexander Hanson will reprise his London role as Fredrik Egerman. Lansbury, Zeta-Jones and Hanson will be joined by
Erin Davie (Countess Charlotte Malcolm),
Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (Henry Egerman),
Leigh Ann Larkin (Petra),
Aaron Lazar (Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm) and
Ramona Mallory (Anne Egerman).
The first Broadway production of
A Little Night Music was directed by the great
Harold Prince. The musical opened February 25, 1973, at the
Shubert Theatre. Not only would the show earn a whopping 12 Tony Award nominations, but it would reap of six of the top honors including Best Musical, Best Original Score (Sondheim), Best Book of a Musical (
Hugh Wheeler), Best Actress in a Musical (
Glynis Johns), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (
Patricia Elliott) and Best Costume Design (
Florence Klotz - a Tony that I have had the thrill of holding myself).
Just seven months after first opening, the tuner transferred to Broadway's
Majestic Theatre, where it played until August 3, 1974. All totaled,
A Little Night Music enjoyed 601 regular performances on the Great White Way.
While I for one would have loved to have seen both
Hannah Waddingham and
Maureen Lipman recreate their roles from the London stage, you can bet that as the casting of Zeta-Jones and Lansbury will make this one of Broadway's most sought-after tickets of the year, I will be cueing up enthusiastically. To put it simply -- I can't wait.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Little Night Music, Alexander Hanson, Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Wheeler, London, Musical, Stephen Sondheim, Transfer, Trevor Nunn
Playbill Turns 125When it comes to Broadway, I rarely if ever buy souvenirs.
Yet there is one prized possession -- aside from memories of the performances themselves -- I proudly take home from each show: my essential
Playbill.
Today, the venerable Playbill organization turns
125 years old.
Through the years, I've amassed hundreds, if not thousands, of these priceless keepsakes from my favorite and not so favorite shows. No matter. I keep them all.
Aside from providing me with all the credits from each performance I've seen in a neat little time capsule, the thing I love best is that they're absolutely
free, something American audiences have come to take completely for granted.
Sure you can buy a souvenir program for some of the hottest shows that feature slick pictures and profiles. But elsewhere, like in the United Kingdom, audiences actually have to pay for their programmes, no matter how flimsy or spare.
So next time your usher hands you a Playbill, keep it as a treasured memento of your theatre experience and even consider get it autographed by the cast. Most of all, place it as I do in a safe place where you can go refer to it in years to come only to discover you have bragging rights to seeing certain performers long before they became famous.
Here's to the venerable Playbill. And here's to another 125 years!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Anniversary, Broadway, Playbill
8,999 Plus One Donut HoleTonight marks Broadway history as
Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic
The Phantom Of The Opera celebrates its 9,000th performance on Broadway. The production opened at Rialto's
Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988.
Even though I've seen
The Phantom Of The Opera twice (three times if I count
my 2007 visit to
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular), I've never seen it on Broadway. Is that heresy?
I first saw what is now the Great White Way's longest running show in London in 1988, as well as during its 1998 Los Angeles run
when I was provided a free ticket.
As I've said before, I've never truly understood the lasting appeal of
The Phantom Of The Opera. Some have said that it has essentially become a tourist attraction, while I view it as the very first entry level Broadway or West End show for the tens of millions who have seen one incarnation or another.
So in order to say I saw the show before it hits that magic 9,000 number tonight, as well as to finally scratch the last Broadway theatre off my list of venues I've never visited, I'm taking in today's matinee, which happens to be its 8,999th performance.
And as
POTO fans gather for the evening's milestone performance, I'll be just a block away ... toasting the very
first preview of
Tracy Letts'
Superior Donuts. While this latest import from Chicago's
Steppenwolf most certainly won't go the distance of 9,000 performance, something tells me that it will be a whole lot more satisfying.
UPDATE (9.17.09): Imagine my surprise at yesterday's matinee for
The Phantom Of The Opera when it was announced immediately prior to the performance that this would mark the 9,000th record setting milestone. I had read elsewhere, earlier, that #9,000 would occur that same evening.
Immediately after yesterday's matinee, countless television cameras and still photographers filled the aisles to capture the celebration as Andrew Lloyd Webber,
Harold Prince and
Gillian Lynne all appeared on stage to join in the festivities, with each delivering remarks. For his part, Webber announced that the sequel,
Phantom: Love Never Dies will debut in London next spring and land on the Great White Way in November 2010.
Now that the dust has settled on yesterday's momentous occasion, I did some additional research.
According to the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB),
The Phantom Of The Opera had played 8,995 performances as of this last Sunday. Although the show is one of the few Broadway shows with a Monday performance, that one added to Tuesday's and the two on Wednesday only add up to 8,999, so my title of this piece is inaccurate as well.
Webber's
Really Useful Productions indicates that the actual 9,000th performance comes this evening, but for some reason, the powers that be decided to celebrate at Wednesday's matinee.
So even though I got the photo opp yesterday, if you're seeing
The Phantom Of The Opera at the Majestic on Thursday, September 17, you truly have the bragging rights to #9,000!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway, London, Los Angeles, Milestone, Musical, Play, Steppenwolf, Superior Donuts, The Phantom Of The Opera, Tracy Letts
Avenue Q: The Road From East 15th To 50th StreetAvenue Q has long been a little musical about firsts.
First musical to mount a serious (and successful) campaign to win the Tony for Best Musical.First musical to immediately forego the national tour route in favor of a sitdown (and not so successful) Las Vegas production.
First musical to offer "full puppet nudity," as well as puppet sex.First musical to present its version of a presidential debate, dubbed "Avenue Q&A" in which Rick Lyon and Jennifer Barnhart operated George W. Bush and John Kerry puppets, respectively.First musical to host an online contest to change lyrics (President Barack Obama's inauguration necessitated a change from the show-closing line "George Bush is only for now").Now, in perhaps the biggest firsts of them all,
Avenue Q will be the
first hit* Broadway musical to ever transfer to an Off-Broadway venue.
During yesterday's Broadway closing, producer
Kevin McCollum made the surprise announcement that the little tuner that could would in fact move just a tad more than five blocks from the Great White Way's
John Golden Theatre at 252 West 45th Street to Off-Broadway's
New World Stages at 340 West 50th Street. According to
The New York Times:
[T]he Off Broadway production would likely use a smaller group of musicians, as when it was performed at the Vineyard Theatre in 2003, and that some reorchestration of the music might be needed. Otherwise, it will use the same sets (and same puppets), and the show’s creative team, including its director Jason Moore and book author Jeff Whitty, will remain with the show. Casting for the Off Broadway production was not announced.
It should be noted that by vacating the Golden Theatre,
Avenue Q was already leaving one of Broadway's smallest theatres, which has a capacity of 805. But for fans, this was very welcome news.
While
Avenue Q made its initial debut during the 2002
National Music Theater Conference at Connecticut's
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, the show's first New York production came in March 2003 at the tiny 120 seat Vineyard Theatre on East 15th Street. Just four months later,
Avenue Q made the highly successful leap to Broadway, opening on July 31, 2003. Talk about a quick ride to the Great White Way.
Later that same fall, I saw
Avenue Q and enjoyed myself, even though I have to admit being caught a little off-guard by the level of delight the show took in "Schadenfreude." But the original cast --
John Tartaglia,
Stephanie D'Abruzzo,
Ann Harada,
Jordan Gelber, Lyon, Barnhart and
Carmen Ruby Floyd as Gary Coleman (
Natalie Venetia Belcon was out the night of my performance) -- possessed such a sweet sincerity that I rolled along with it. It wasn't until
I took in the first national tour in early 2008 that I was really put off by its overly cynical, mean-spiritedness. In retrospect, I chalk it up to being in too large of a venue with a cast that could not deliver irony quite the way the original did.
At least with
Avenue Q's transfer to the intimate New World stages, its producers won't have to worry about it becoming lost in too large a house. The question will be whether its too-be-announced cast can deliver the goods.
* Thanks to Alicia for correcting me. Apparently there was another musical to go from Broadway to Off-Broadway, but it was no Broadway hit.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Avenue Q, Broadway, Closings, Firsts, Jennifer Barnhart, John Tartaglia, Musical, Off-Broadway, Rick Lyon, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Touring Production, Transfer
Hi Hi Birdie For First Time In Nearly 50 Years
