Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Catered Affair Issues Final RSVP Dates

Catered Affair Issues Final RSVP Dates

As I learned last Sunday at the wonderful Tony soirées, all good parties must come to an end. And so it goes with A Catered Affair, which posted its closing notices last evening.

The final performance at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre will come on July 27. The show will have played a total of 116 regular performances.

Leave it to the tuner's librettist and star to sum it all up via Michael Riedel this morning. Harvey Fierstein says:

We set out to do something different, and we did it. We wrote a show that is for the real theater audience, not for the audience that watches "You're The One That I Want" -- not that there's anything wrong with that! But we're not a summer show for the tourists. After July, we go off the cliff.

Riedel quotes Fierstein further on what might have been...

...had we gotten one of those f***ing breaks. Like a Tony. Or a critic who had a social life and an emotional life. That would have helped.

But instead we have those critics who have never had a boyfriend. Or a date since 1912. They don't know what love is. They go to the theater every night. How do they get laid?

Ouch! Of course, in reality, several critics offered positive notices, including New York Post's Clive Barnes with his four star review, USA Today's Elysa Gardner and Variety's David Rooney. And I loved it, ranking it as my second favorite new musical of the last theatrical season.

Based on Paddy Chayefsky's kitchen sink film "The Catered Affair" starring Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds and Rod Taylor, A Catered Affair features a score by John Bucchino. John Doyle directed the musical, which stars Fierstein along with Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Matt Cavenaugh and Leslie Kritzer.

As luck would have it, I ran into a very stunning Leslie Kritzer the other night at the August: Osage County affair and had an opportunity to talk with her about how absolutely moved I was by A Catered Affair. Mark my words, this is one gracious, gifted actress whose star will shine brightly in the Broadway spotlight.

Alas, the time of Prince, Wopat and Fierstein in A Catered Affair's won't be much longer. Catch it while you can.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Top Ten Of The Year (June 2, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals (May 29, 2008)
A Catered Affair (The SOB Review) (May 16, 2008)
A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Closing Notices, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Michael Riedel, Musical, Tom Wopat

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, June 20, 2008 2 comments

SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Top Ten Of The Year

SOB’s Best Of 2007-08: Top Ten Of The Year

Over the past week and a half, I've offered up my "Best Of" lists for each of the five major stage categories observed by the Tony Awards, including Best Special Theatrical Events, Best Musical Revivals, Best Play Revivals, Best New Musicals and Best New Plays.

Now, before I launch into which Broadway shows would get my Tony vote if I could actually vote and my own prognostications on who will win, here’s how the best of the best rank in my personal countdown of the “10 Best” theatrical productions I saw over the course of this exciting 2007-08 Theatrical Season:

10 - From Up Here

Venue: Off-Broadway's New York City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, NY

Top 10 Worthiness: Liz Flahive's poignant, yet darkly funny From Up Here provided a heaping healthy dose of what troubled teens need more than anything else: hope.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Tobias Segal and Julie White.

Status: Closes June 8. Go see it. Now!

SOB Review Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)


9 - The Seafarer

Venue: Broadway's Booth Theatre, New York, NY

Top 10 Worthiness: Conor McPherson's chilling, mesmerizing and often funny The Seafarer was one helluva good morality play that came up all aces.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Jim Norton and Conleth Hill.

Status: Closed, but look for regional theatre companies, including Chicago's Steppenwolf, to mount productions over the next year.

SOB Review Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)


8 - South Pacific

Venue: Broadway's Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York, NY

Top 10 Worthiness: From the moment Ted Sperling cues his 30-piece orchestra, commencing the initial swells from the overture for one of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's most beloved musical scores, it's clear that this Bartlett Sher-helmed South Pacific is going to be a truly majestic revival.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Paulo Szot and Kelli O'Hara

Status: Originally slated for limited run through June, but has since become an open-ended run. National tour is in the works.

SOB Review Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)


7 - Dreamgirls

Venue: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA

Top 10 Worthiness: Two words ... Jennifer Holliday reprising her quintessential Effie Melody White in Atlanta's glorious revival of Dreamgirls, which offered up some truly magical and electrifying performances from start to finish.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Jennifer Holliday and David Jennings.

Status: Closed.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)


6 - Cymbeline

Venue: Broadway's Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York, NY

Top 10 Worthiness: Lincoln Center's starry revival of William Shakespeare's celestial Cymbeline sent an unexpected, yet definable chill of delight shooting down my spine, thanks to Mark Lamos' brilliant, sparkling vision.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Martha Plimpton, John Cullum and Paul O'Brien.

Status: Closed.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)


5 - A Catered Affair

Venue: Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY

Top 10 Worthiness: Like a rare vintage wine that deserves to be sipped and savored, the seriously sublime A Catered Affair opens up across the tastebuds into a glorious bouquet making this beautifully-acted, earnest chamber musical, rich with integrity, very intoxicating.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Faith Prince, Leslie Kritzer and Tom Wopat

Status: Open-ended run.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)


4 - The Beatles Love

Venue: Love Theatre, Mirage, Las Vegas, NV

Top 10 Worthiness: I blew my mind out with the excellent The Beatles Love, which roundly serves as the ultimate showcase for the catalogue of The Beatles via the best Cirque du Soleil production I have yet to witness.

Exceptional Standout Performances: The entire troupe from Cirque du Soleil and those Four Lads from Liverpool.

Status: Open-ended run.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)


3 - Passing Strange

Venue: Broadway's Belasco Theatre, New York, NY

Top 10 Worthiness: Passing Strange was not only the year's most cosmic, most unusual and most unexpected new musical, it was also real, full of heart and simply the best new tuner to hit Broadway all year.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Stew and Daniel Breaker.

Status: Open-ended run.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)


2 - Gypsy

Venue: Broadway's St. James Theatre, New York, NY

Suddenly, highfalutin words like "excellent," "superb" and "top-notch" just don't seem sufficient enough to adequately describe the unique, exhilarating experience of seeing Arthur Laurents' incredible and thoroughly entertaining revival of Gypsy, which is most definitely a performance for the ages. This is the best musical, period, of the year.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines.

Status: Open-ended run.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)

1 - August: Osage County

Venues: Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL;
Broadway's Imperial Theatre, New York, NY;
Broadway's Music Box Theatre, New York, NY (present)

Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece August: Osage County rates as the best-written, best-acted play I've ever seen at Chicago's Steppenwolf and among the top five plays I've ever seen performed anywhere, anytime. Anna D. Shapiro's direction has made this a razor-sharp, whip-smart American classic. Without a doubt, this is the best show of the year, and it will win the Tony for Best Play.

Exceptional Standout Performances: Deanna Dunagan, Amy Morton, Rondi Reed and Francis Guinan.

Status: Open-ended run, now playing the Music Box Theatre on Broadway.

SOB Review Rating: **** (out of ****)


What shows would be on your top ten list? Do you think I've completely missed the boat, or would your choices largely mirror mine? I invite you to join the discussion and post your comments here.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Related Stories:
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Plays (May 30, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals (May 29, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 28, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 27, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Special Theatrical Events (May 24, 2008)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08 (May 23, 2008)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2007-08 Theatre Season (May 22, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals (May 22, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Plays (May 21, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 16, 2007)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)

Labels: A Catered Affair, August Osage County, Broadway, Cymbeline, Dreamgirls, From Up Here, Gypsy, Passing Strange, SOB's Best of 2007-08, South Pacific, The Beatles Love, The Seafarer

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, June 02, 2008 15 comments

SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals

SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals

During the 2007-08 Theatrical Season, I've enjoyed the opportunity to see 13 new musicals. Perhaps "enjoyed" isn't quite the right word since that number proved a bit unlucky with three of these tuners turning up on my "Worst 5" list.

The past year was not a particularly great one for new musicals with the vast majority of them falling a bit flat with me. But fortunately, there were some notable exceptions, enough to register, resonate and score on my personal "5 Best" list for the past twelve months:


5 - Queens Boulevard (Signature Theatre Company at the Peter Norton Space, New York, NY)

While a certain neighborhood in the upper reaches of Manhattan has helped launch this season's mainstream ethnic musical sensation, those who ventured to Queens Boulevard were treated to something quite otherworldly. Charles Mee's rendition of the melting pot known as Queens was a varitable feast for the senses with the most beguiling first twenty minutes I've ever seen in a stage show. Queens Boulevard centers on a bride (Michi Barall) and groom (Amir Arison) whose respective Japanese and Indian cultures come rhythmically together -- think Bollywood film with a Japanese accent. As a musical, Queens Boulevard operated more like a quirkier New Age "Moulin Rouge" with an eclectic fusion of tunes spanning the globe and some of the most mesmerizing choreography of the year.

Ironically enough, Mee has created a distinctly American fairy tale, and with multitude of cultures he's stuffed into his work, it really couldn't happen anywhere else but here.


4 - Xanadu (Helen Hayes Theatre, New York, NY)

You've just gotta love a show that doesn't take itself too seriously. And in the case of Xanadu, how could it? Rather than take a straight approach, literally and figuratively, this Xanadu revels and luxuriates in the extremely dubious nature of its source material about an Australian-accented mythical goddess who's brought to life by the clueless chalk-bearing mortal who drew her, while she flirts with her own mortality by falling in love with him. Indeed, this is the campiest, most outrageous fun I've had all year long. Douglas Carter Beane's super silly, yet surprisingly engaging book, which is simply too preposterous to describe, offers copious amounts of winking and nodding. As the muse Clio/Kyra, Kerry Butler proves a formidible force with a gorgeous voice coupled with plenty of comic timing. Cheyenne Jackson more than ably glides on his rollerskates with charm to spare. Together as Clio's conspiring sisters, Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa conjure up laughing spells that soar so beyond the top I found myself doubled over in fits of glee.

Is Xanadu a great musical? Of course not, and fortunately, it doesn't aspire to be. But if you go into the show with an open mind, don't be surprised if you find this show working its way into your heart.

3 - The Glorious Ones (Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York, NY)

Who said nice things come in small packages? Well, in the case of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's The Glorious Ones, you might instead say naughty things come in small packages. Though it may not exactly have risen to the exalted heights of all things glorious, the accomplished tunesmiths' latest work was certainly good -- if not-so-clean -- fun. With Graciela Daniele's deft touch and Ahrens and Flaherty's comedic and at times compelling score, The Glorious Ones was a debauched little diamond in the rough shining bright with a devilishly funny cast led by Marc Kudisch as the charismatic 16th Century leader of a fledgling band of actors in the commedia dell’arte (comic tradition).

Steeped in vulgarity and slapstick, this little frippery may not have been glorious. But it certainly was delightful fun.


2 - A Catered Affair (Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY)

Like a rare vintage wine that deserves to be sipped and savored, the seriously sublime A Catered Affair opens up across the tastebuds into a glorious bouquet. When all is said and done, this beautifully-acted, earnest chamber musical is intoxicating. Rich with integrity, Harvey Fierstein has vividly crafted a genuinely touching book that dares to wear its dry dignity on its sleeve, right alongside its huge beating heart. Fierstein's libretto has been wondrously blended with John Bucchino's stirring score. John Doyle's understated direction strikes the right balance between the many trials and inner demons the musical's principal characters face and the often hidden gentility each possesses, including Faith Prince in the performance of her career.

With a workmanlike realism, this slice of fifties Bronx offers a humungous and unpretentious heart. For anyone who has a palate worthy of the best reserve, A Catered Affair is a must-see.


1 - Passing Strange (Belasco Theatre, New York, NY)

The year's absolute best, most cosmic musical was also the most unusual and unexpected, and yet somehow real. Passing Strange succeeds in taking the Great White Way in an entirely new, infinitely intelligent direction. Its trajectory brilliantly takes a bohemian base and infuses gospel, rock, punk and soul music into a delicious, simmering hot, heterogeneous bouillabaisse, compliments of a musician named Stew. This exacting artist takes us on a wild trip in quasi-strolling minstrel style, expertly telling the story of his own formative adult years with such humor, passion and grace that I found myself tearing up many times over as chills shot down my spine.

Stew's storytelling alter ego, Youth, is played with awkward charm by Daniel Breaker, a sensationally expressive new stage star in an astonishing breakthrough role. Breaker has been duly honored (as I had predicted) with a well-deserved Tony nomination.

Often veering toward the existential when it's not reminding you of "The Wizard Of Oz," Stew's ethereal odyssey isn't as much about saying "there's no place like home" as it's reassuring you that you actually can go home again. I couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with this smoke-hazed tale. Far from strange, I look forward to passing this way again.


What were the best new musicals you saw over the past year? I invite you to join the conversation by sharing your theatre experiences with me.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Related Stories:
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 28, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 27, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Special Theatrical Events (May 24, 2008)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08 (May 23, 2008)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2007-08 Theatre Season (May 22, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals (May 22, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Plays (May 21, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 16, 2007)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Musical, Off-Broadway, Passing Strange, Queens Boulevard, SOB's Best of 2007-08, The Glorious Ones, Xanadu

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, May 29, 2008 27 comments

A Catered Affair (The SOB Review)

A Catered Affair (The SOB Review) - Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY

**** (out of ****)

Like a rare vintage wine that deserves to be sipped and savored, the seriously sublime A Catered Affair opens up across the tastebuds into a glorious bouquet. That is, if only you open up your mind and your heart and let it permeate all your senses.

This tender tale of a mother's revelatory determination to use her fallen son's military death gratuity toward her daughter's wedding will never be confused with fizzy champagne delights served up as a musical comedy.

Nor does it have the tasteless buzz of flat day-old beer like some of this year's lesser efforts. Yet, when all is said and done, this beautifully-acted, earnest chamber musical is intoxicating nevertheless.

Granted, as many an oenophile can attest, not everyone can fully appreciate a dry tannin as it's absorbed by the tongue's epithelium. It's an acquired taste.

The same is most certainly true of taking in a tuner, rich with integrity, daring to wear its dry dignity on its sleeve, right alongside its huge beating heart. But those who have the palette for the introspection of 1950s humanity will love A Catered Affair almost as much as I did. In fact, while the show itself may be dry, it left me in tears.

That's in part because of the incredible compassion with which Harvey Fierstein has vividly crafted his genuinely touching book (and he certainly has a knack for imbuing his carefully drawn characters with appropriate, almost poetic language evocative of its time). Fierstein's libretto has been wondrously blended with John Bucchino's stirring score. John Doyle's understated direction strikes the right balance between the many trials and inner demons the musical's principal characters face and the often hidden gentility each possesses.

Chief among them is Aggie Hurley (Faith Prince in the performance of her career), the aforementioned grieving mother who has recently lost her beloved son in the Korean Conflict. Having invested all her hopes and dreams in him, only to have them dashed by his death, she's had a late-breaking epiphany in realizing she's largely ignored her daughter Jane (Leslie Kritzer, a pure revelation). That's in spite of the fact that the self-effacing Jane has placed her own dreams on the backburner so she could pitch in to help her financially struggling parents, including her complex cabbie father Tom (an impressive Tom Wopat), make ends meet.

That is, until she's met the well-bred Ralph Halloran (Matt Cavenaugh). The two announce that they plan to be wed in a civil ceremony to keep things simple with only immediate family invited to attend. No matter that Jane's Uncle Winston (a fantastic Fierstein) sleeps on the Hurley's living room couch, although the fact that he is a "confirmed bachelor" may have something to do with the slight as a way of appeasing Ralph's uppercrust family.

Dejected by the slight, Winston drowns his sorrows with alcohol and shows up soused at the dinner meeting between Hurleys and Hallorans, becoming unassailably uncorked. If it's true that people speak the truth when they drink, Uncle Winston's pronouncements, however crude, have reached the pinnacle of honesty that would make Paddy Chayefsky -- known for his workmanlike realism -- very proud. And to think that even today, some fifty plus years later, there are still some superciliously selfish families, who would turn their backs on their own loving and giving brothers and uncles simply because they were born gay.

Completely devastated by the thought that she's betrayed her own brother, Aggie has a second epiphany when she receives a check from the military for her son's demise. She decides that she's going to put on a lavish affair with all the trappings she never enjoyed herself (her own wedding was of the shotgun variety), and Aggie enlists Winston to provide his expertise in making the wedding an event Jane will never forget. This despite Tom coveting the dollars to finally own his share of the cab company.

In telling the story, Doyle excels in creating an awe-inspiring authenticity -- from the breathtaking, nuanced portrayals offered by his impeccable cast right down to subtle flourishes like Aggie making real scrambled eggs for Tom on a working oven (thanks to David Gallo's simple, yet serviceable set design) -- steadily building to a splendid finish.

This slice of fifties Bronx is brought to life further by Ann Hould-Ward's spectacularly unspectacular costumes and Zachary Borovay's inspired projection designs. And while some may think Brian MacDevitt's lighting is a tad heavy-handed, particularly when the Hurley son's casket flag is highlighted, I found its use highly effective and respectful, particularly given the ongoing sacrifices American troops continue to make in wars far from home.

If even half of Broadway had as humungous and unpretentious a heart as Harvey Fierstein, the theatre world would never be viewed quite as cynically by those looking at it from the outside as irreflective of society. For that and more, I proudly raise a glass to toast Harvey & Co. on one of the best shows I've seen on Broadway or anywhere else over the past year.

For anyone who has a palate worthy of the best reserve, A Catered Affair is a must-see.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, The SOB Review, Tom Wopat

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, May 16, 2008 4 comments

A Snubbed Affair

A Snubbed Affair

Although I have yet to post my SOB Review of the absolutely exquisite Broadway musical A Catered Affair, I was shocked, really shocked, that the tuner got aced out of a Tony nomination for Best Musical by Cry-Baby.

As I've said elsewhere, the nominators chose a crass act over a class act.

And I dare say that Cry-Baby will never be one for the ages, although it admittedly may be one for the lesser stages -- especially in the short-term as theatres across the country may view it as the better draw among potential touring productions. How very sad.

I know I wasn't alone yesterday in professing my surprise at the unexpected nods to Cry-Baby. The news reverberated throughout the theatre blogosphere with cries of "robbed," "outrage," "at a loss," "fooled" and "kinda funny" along with others stunned by the news.

Of course, leave it to New York Post's Michael Riedel to really put things into perspective:

The nominators appeared to go out of their way to ignore (Harvey) Fierstein's A Catered Affair, about a working-class couple struggling to make ends meet while planning a fancy wedding for their daughter.

The show only got three nominations, including two for leads Faith Prince and Tom Wopat.

"Oh, those wacky Tony nominators -- can you believe they didn't kiss me first?" Fierstein, who wrote the script and appears in the show, says, laughing.

"You don't have to buy me dinner, but at least kiss me first!"

The team behind A Catered Affair took the bad news in stride: After the nominations were announced, they repaired to Esca for a boozy lunch.

Like I said, a class act through and through.

Note to Harvey: It was great meeting you again on Saturday, and I'll be toasting you and your gem of a show very shortly.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Best New Musicals, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Harvey Fierstein, Michael Riedel, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, May 14, 2008 7 comments

And The Tony Nominees Go To...

And The Tony Nominees Go To...

This morning, the nominations for the American Theatre Wing’s 62nd annual Tony Awards ceremonies.

Whoopi Goldberg will host the 2008 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 15. The CBS broadcast will air beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.

Here are the nominees:

Best Play
August: Osage County - Author: Tracy Letts
Rock ‘N’ Roll - Author: Tom Stoppard
The Seafarer - Author: Conor McPherson
The 39 Steps - Author: Patrick Barlow

Best Musical
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

Best Book of a Musical
Cry-Baby - Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan
In The Heights - Quiara Alegría Hudes
Passing Strange - Stew
Xanadu - Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Cry-Baby - Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger
In The Heights - Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid - Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Passing Strange - Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Lyrics: Stew

Best Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth

Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Sunday In The Park With George

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Daniels - Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne - Thurgood
Mark Rylance - Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell - Rock ‘N’ Roll
Patrick Stewart - Macbeth

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best - The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan - August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood - Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson - Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton - August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans - Sunday In The Park With George
Lin-Manuel Miranda - In The Heights
Stew - Passing Strange
Paulo Szot - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Tom Wopat - A Catered Affair

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler - Xanadu
Patti LuPone - Gypsy
Kelli O’Hara - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Faith Prince - A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell - Sunday In The Park With George

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale - Mauritius
Raúl Esparza - The Homecoming
Conleth Hill - The Seafarer
Jim Norton - The Seafarer
David Pittu - Is He Dead?

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cusack - Rock ‘N’ Roll
Mary McCormack - Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf - November
Martha Plimpton - Top Girls
Rondi Reed - August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker - Passing Strange
Danny Burstein - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Robin De Jesús - In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald - The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines - Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
de’Adre Aziza - Passing Strange
Laura Benanti - Gypsy
Andrea Martin - The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz - In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Peter McKintosh - The 39 Steps
Scott Pask - Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Todd Rosenthal - August: Osage County
Anthony Ward - Macbeth

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network - Sunday In The Park With George
Anna Louizos - In The Heights
Robin Wagner - The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Costume Design of a Play
Gregory Gale - Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell - Boeing-Boeing
Katrina Lindsay - Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter McKintosh - The 39 Steps

Best Costume Design of a Musical
David Farley - Sunday In The Park With George
Martin Pakledinaz - Gypsy
Paul Tazewell - In The Heights
Catherine Zuber - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams - The 39 Steps
Howard Harrison - Macbeth
Donald Holder - Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson - August: Osage County

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington - Sunday In The Park With George
Howell Binkley - In The Heights
Donald Holder - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Natasha Katz - The Little Mermaid

Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker - Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork - Macbeth
Ian Dickson - Rock ‘N’ Roll
Mic Pool - The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners - In The Heights
Sebastian Frost - Sunday In The Park With George
Scott Lehrer - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier - Gypsy

Best Direction of a Play
Maria Aitken - The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson - The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro - August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus - Boeing-Boeing

Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Buntrock - Sunday In The Park With George
Thomas Kail - In The Heights
Arthur Laurents - Gypsy
Bartlett Sher - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford - Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler - In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Knechtges - Xanadu

Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr - Sunday In The Park With George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman - In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald - Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick - A Catered Affair



I'm beyond ecstatic for the cast and crew of August: Osage County. When I first saw the show last August in Chicago, I knew this was something very, very special. The show has earned 7 nominations including for the stellar performances by Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton in the Best Actress in a Play category and the effervescent Rondi Reed in the Best Featured Actress in a Play category. Of course, it has also earned nods for Best Play for Tracy Letts and Best Direction for Anna D. Shapiro.

On the musical side, my big question is, "Where is A Catered Affair?" To think that nominators chose the tacky Cry-Baby in several key categories over the lovely chamber musical has me reeling. And nominators, just because you have four open slots in a category doesn't mean you actually have to fill them ... how else to explain the nod to Grease for Best Revival of a Musical, alongside such gems as Gypsy, South Pacific and Sunday In The Park With George?

I'll provide more commentary later.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: A Catered Affair, August Osage County, Cry-Baby, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, May 12, 2008 9 comments

Catching Up On Reading...

Catching Up On Reading...

Since I'm just back from vacation and catching up on a mountain of work, as well as all the latest theatre news, I thought I'd use today to pause and let you know what I'm reading:

The eternally effervescent Sarah at Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment offers an illuminating piece on the organization responsible for the Tony Awards: The American Theatre Wing.

New England's finest bloggers Chris Caggiano (Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals) and Esther (Gratuitous Violins) tell us how The Drowsy Chaperone is faring on its Boston tour stop. Chris comes at it from the perspective of a long-time fan, while Esther has seen it for the first time.

Broadway Undercover was fortunate to get into the actual catered affair for A Catered Affair and snapped a few photos in the process. Meanwhile Modern Fabulousity tells us to ignore Big Ben's take on the musical and just go see it. I will, ModFab, in about a week, and given all those Drama Desk nominations, I'm really looking forward to it.

And finally, a reminder from my new best friends Andrew and Phil of the West End Whingers that there really have been worse musicals than Gone With The Wind (read: Carrie). Last Thursday, I spotted a story delineating the 10 worst musicals of all time as endured by London's Telegraph.

Happy reading!

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: A Catered Affair, Blogs, Carrie, Gone With The Wind, The Drowsy Chaperone, Tony Awards

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4 comments

Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics?

Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics?

Last evening, A Catered Affair -- the latest film turned stage musical -- opened at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre under John Doyle's direction.

Written by Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino, the tuner stars Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Matt Cavenaugh and Leslie Kritzer, as well as Fierstein himself.

Even though this show was set very simply in the Bronx, the critic's reviews were practically all over the map.

Advising his readers to "hug it to your heart," Clive Barnes of New York Post offer a four-star review: "Under John Doyle's expert, discreet direction, it emerges less like a musical and more like a play with music: lovely, urban chamber music.... But it's (Paddy) Chayefsky's spirit that dominates the scene, and Fierstein has captured his 1950s, working-class milieu to perfection. This Bronx tale, with its interlocking, underlining and quietly beautiful music and lyrics by John Bucchino, skims along the edge of sentimentality to find honest sentiment in this story of a young soldier's death, a wedding and a taxi.... It's simply a musical with an honest heart, and that's enough."

Calling it a "small but satisfying drama," Variety's David Rooney is largely positive: " The odds that A Catered Affair will find mainstream acceptance may be slim, but the show commands respect by further challenging standard preconceptions of how the Broadway musical should sound, function and feel.... There are deep psychological nuances to be mined here, and Fierstein and Bucchino meticulously excavate the feelings of characters for whom suppressed emotion and sacrifice are an ineluctable part of life.... But the show resonates due to its modesty, grace, gentleness and emotional integrity -- qualities not often front and center in musicals."

Lauding the show she says is "ultimately a celebration of life," Elysa Gardner of USA Today offers a glowing three-star review saying A Catered Affair has "an emphasis on characters drawn with passion and compassion, and handled with that most quaint of virtues: dignity.... Harvey Fierstein, who co-stars as Winston, Aggie's big-hearted brother, has fashioned a witty, wise, moving script. John Bucchino's score is similarly thoughtful and heartfelt, though less accessible.... Doyle, Bucchino and Fierstein have a fine interpreter in Faith Prince, whose Aggie emerges as a sort of antithesis to Gypsy's Mama Rose.... Prince makes Aggie's conflicting emotions palpable and haunting. And her relationships with Fierstein's wisecracking Winston, Tom Wopat's worn Tom and Leslie Kritzer's touching Janey are completely believable."

Labeling the show "a disappointment -- one so intelligently staged and performed, however, that at times you can almost believe the show is as good as its production," The Wall Street Journal's Terry Teachout neatly tallies what he sees as the production's shortcomings: "Mr. Fierstein was right to think that Mr. Vidal's screenplay had the stuff of a musical in it, but he made three big mistakes in adapting it for the stage. The first was to put an anachronistically contemporary spin on his book by turning Aggie's brother, played in the film by Barry Fitzgerald, into a more or less openly gay florist, and the second was to play the part himself.... Mistake No. 3 was to invite Mr. Bucchino to write the score.... The problem is that his songs, with their pastel harmonies and introspective lyrics, have nothing in common with the working-class setting of A Catered Affair."

Dismissing "the undramatic new musical drama of disappointed lives," Ben Brantley of The New York Times is flat-out negative: "A short (90 minutes) but slow depiction of the family-fracturing pressures of planning an expensive wedding, A Catered Affair is so low key that it often seems to sink below stage level. From Mr. Bucchino’s trickling, self-effacing score to the tight-lipped stoicism of its leading performances, from David Gallo’s tidy tenement-scape set to Zachary Borovay’s tentative photographic projections, this show is all pale, tasteful understatement that seems to be apologizing for asking for your attention. (Well, except for Mr. Fierstein’s character, but you could have guessed that.)... No one is given to extreme reactions in A Catered Affair, except Uncle Winston and the gossiping chorus of tenement housewives (Ms. (Lori) Wilner, Heather MacRae and Kristine Zbornik) who lean out their windows in a conceit that was stale even in the mid-1950s."

Concluding that he had dashed hopes "this would have been an Affair to remember," Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's Daily News -- who now gives out stars on a five-point scale -- provides just two: "The show, which opened last night, seems well-intentioned but doesn't deliver enough story, substance or satisfaction. It's about poor people, yes, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't have meat on the bone and icing on the cake.... Fierstein stays close to the sources, but still manages to veer in places. Chiefly, he's made the uncle who lives with the family openly gay -- and put himself in the role. Unfortunately, the character and performance are distracting.
The music by John Bucchino, a popular cabaret composer, fails to add much dimension, or fire many emotions."

Lamenting "How sad that the results are so glum," Newsday's Linda Winer tries to be kind, but offers a critical assessment: "[T]his is a colorless little piece of '50s social realism about a Bronx family that isn't so much emotionally repressed as emotionally deficient.... Composer John Bucchino, better known for cabaret songs, has written meandering, conversational melodies baked by innocuous accompaniments.... Fierstein, the quadruple Tony Award winner and perpetual force of nature, both gives and takes away in his adaptation and his performance."

Citing how "this admirably spartan staging ultimately feels like as much of a contrivance as the standard bells-and-whistles approach," Eric Grode of The New York Sun wonders aloud what he think went wrong: "It wears its virtues on its threadbare sleeve, and the vaguely medicinal taste goes a long way toward negating Mr. Fierstein's terse, insightful libretto and a pair of emotionally stripped-down performances by, as the pressured daughter and regret-steeped mother, Leslie Kritzer and an atypically somber Faith Prince. The show's missteps are understandable and often heartening in their own right, but they are missteps nonetheless.

Did these critics really all see the same show? I'll be taking in a performance of this musical in a couple weeks and will provide my SOB Review shortly thereafter.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, Tom Wopat

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, April 18, 2008 5 comments

A Catered Opening Night

A Catered Opening Night

Fifty-two years after Paddy Chayefsky's kitchen sink film "The Catered Affair" starring Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds and Rod Taylor first appeared, Tony winner Harvey Fierstein hooks up with John Bucchino to present a musical adaptation that opens on Broadway tonight.

A Catered Affair, under John Doyle's direction, features Fierstein along with Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Matt Cavenaugh and Leslie Kritzer in this five-handkerchief tuner.

The show received some positive reviews during its San Diego tryout last fall. However, it took a major hit from The Los Angeles Times, which may not have received nearly as much play had it not been for Fierstein's fierce rebuttal.

In the best of all worlds, this might be the musical to beat in the annual Tony derby given its pedigree. But in the year of the decidedly smaller show, will A Catered Affair prove to be too much of a feast for the critics? Stay tuned as I present my critics' capsule tomorrow.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Faith Prince, Film, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, Opening Night, Tom Wopat

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, April 17, 2008 0 comments

Harvey's Turn: Everything's Coming Up Noses

Harvey's Turn: Everything's Coming Up Noses

How's this for serendipity?

Given the official opening for Harvey Fierstein's latest Broadway musical A Catered Affair is coming up roses (hopefully) tomorrow evening, coupled with the riproaring success of the revival of Gypsy, it seems like kismet that one of my faithful readers would provide me with this delightful little nugget from "Sesame Street."

Harvey seems to have a nose for this kind of thing. Eat your hearts out, Sarah and Kari!

Break a leg, Harvey!

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Gypsy, Harvey Fierstein, Musical, Sesame Street

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, April 16, 2008 2 comments

Early Tony Handicapping

Early Tony Handi-capping

Two of Steve On Broadway's favorite "Must Read" blogs -- Full Force Theatre Musings and ModernFabulousity -- have already begun handicapping the 2008 Tony Awards.

FFTM's CaraJoy, of course, first posted her mid-season musings in 2007 and last mentioned her early betting in January.

Last week, ModFab's Gabriel began his discussion on plays and revivals of plays and continues it today with the betting on musicals, new and otherwise.

ModFab picked up on a comment I made last week in posting the news (now confirmed) that Glory Days would be heading to Broadway from the DC Area's Signature Theatre (not to be confused with the Off-Broadway Signature on West 42nd Street). I said that given the Main Stem's "disappointing big musicals" (read: critical drubbing of both Young Frankenstein and The Little Mermaid), "this is quickly becoming the year of the little musical with oversized hearts." ModFab was quick -- and right -- to point out that two "big" tuners, Cry-Baby and A Catered Affair, have yet to open.

While I would never want to count either one out, let's just say that how ever fair or unfair, the initial buzz I've been hearing on Cry-Baby is not terribly favorable, and A Catered Affair is further challenged both by the stinging tryout review by The Los Angeles Times 's Charles McNulty and the subsequent kerfuffle, as well as the initial capitalization necessary for the Broadway incarnation.

Personally, I have high hopes for both.

As a big fan of John Waters, I'm champing at the bit to see if Cry-Baby can replicate some modicum of Hairspray's universal success. I'm also rooting for Harvey Fierstein and know that he's pouring every last ounce of energy into making A Catered Affair a complete delight. I hope both succeed.

While I agree wholeheartedly with ModFab that inevitably, the Tony focus turns to what shows can sell tickets on tour, if either of these shows is torpedoed by bad reviews, the Tony race just may become one big Cinderella story for this year's little shows. But I'm prepared to withhold my glass slipper fitting until Cry-Baby and A Catered Affair have had the opportunity to open.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Related Stories:
Glory Days Yet To Come This Broadway Season? (March 19, 2008)
Heights Opens: Did Critics Offer High Marks? (March 10, 2008)
Did Critics Provide Passing Grades To Passing Strange? (February 29, 2008)
Did Little Mermaid Find Its Legs Among Critics? (January 11, 2008)
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick? (November 8, 2007)
Did Critics Offer Xana-Dos Or Don'ts? (July 11, 2007)

Labels: A Catered Affair, Blogs, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Full Force Theatre Musings, Glory Days, Modern Fabulousity, Musical, The Little Mermaid, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations, Young Frankenstein

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, March 25, 2008 8 comments

Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres

Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres

On the Left Coast, the tragic news consuming the media is the voracious wildfires burning out of control.

According to separate Playbill stories, both the La Jolla Playhouse (which is currently dark) and the Old Globe Theatres (currently home to the Broadway-bound A Catered Affair) are closed.

Apparently, while the fires are not currently posing a direct threat to either beloved theatre, the La Jolla Playhouse staff was evacuated yesterday and office remain closed today. Performances at the Old Globe for this evening were cancelled.

It's my understanding that due to road closures and appeals to keep routes open to emergency traffic, everything from schools to parks in the San Diego area have closed. Emergency officials are asking for food and water for evacuees and told those still in their homes to cut electrical use so the power grid is not strained.

Wildfires have already destroyed an estimated 1,300 homes and threaten another 72,000.

To learn more about what you can do to help, click here.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in San Diego, as well as throughout Southern California.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: A Catered Affair, California, Cancellation, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, Wildfires

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, October 23, 2007 2 comments