Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsAfter four months away from Broadway's funniest comedy today, Sherie René Scott returned to
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last evening in the role of Christine Colgate. Scott had been temporarily replaced by the sensational Rachel York while she took a brief sojourn to Signature Theatre Company's critically-acclaimed production of John Guare's
Landscape of the Body Off-Broadway.
Scott will enjoy a few more weeks with original castmates Norbert Leo Butz and Gregory Jbara, as well as the more recent addition of Jonathan Pryce, before each of them bids the production a fond farewell. Scott is one of my personal favorite musical stage performers today. I first caught Scott as Amneris in the recent Broadway production of
Aida. Scott nearly stole the show with her proudly flamboyant strut in the number "My Strongest Suit." She subsequently soared in the two-handed musical
The Last Five Years (also with Butz) and was Tony nominated for the role to which she now returns.
If there was ever a time to see
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with the final
Broadway performances by Tony winner Butz -- who heads out on the road soon -- and key original cast members intact, this would be it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Butz of Dirty Jokes Around the Nation (June 9, 2006)
Butz and Pryce Flee the Scene on July 16 (June 5, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Lucie Arnaz Plays Omaha Chic in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Aida, Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musica, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott, The Last Five Years
Flashback: Best of 2000-01As I count down the SOB Best of 2005-06, I thought it might be fun to look back and provide you with those shows that made my personal 5 best lists in each of the last five years, especially for posterity's sake. After all, I only started Steve On Broadway (SOB) this year. For 2002-2005, I'll even clue you into my honorable mentions and choices for worst shows.
My SOB Best of 2000-01 includes:
#1 -
The Lion King (New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, NY)* -- the original Elton John Broadway musical and Disney's second is still going strong nearly nine years after first opening on Broadway.
#2 -
An Inspector Calls (Garrick, London, UK) -- an amazing cast and innovative stage with a real rainstorm gets its true edge from the story of how a wise detective explores the pathos of a troubled family.
#3 - Gore Vidal's
The Best Man (Virginia Theatre, New York, NY) -- timed against the 2000 presidential elections, this examination of politics included one of the best casts I've ever seen: Charles Durning, Elizabeth Ashley, Chris Noth, Christine Ebersole, Michael Learned, Ed Dixon and the last Broadway performance by Spalding Gray.
#4 -
Aida (Palace Theatre, New York, NY) -- Heather Headley's star-making, Tony-winning title role and Sherie René Scott's featured role made this Elton John musical a delight.
#5 -
O (Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV) -- Franco Dragone's revolutionary, groundbreaking and awe-inspiring Cirque du Soleil spectacle is still on display at one of Vegas' favorite hotels.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Lion King tickets.Click here for O tickets.Related Stories:Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
* I caught The Lion King in the summer of 2000, nearly three years after the show first opened on Broadway.Labels: A Kind Of Alaska, Aida, An Inspector Calls, Broadway, London, Play, SOB's Best of 2000-01, The Best Man, The Lion King
Lestat Opens on Broadway TonightIt's been 12 years since Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" opened in movie theatres. Tonight,
Lestat, the much-anticipated Sir Elton John-Bernie Taupin collaboration on the Broadway musical version opens at the Palace Theatre, which was home to Sir Elton's last New York production,
Aida. Despite being denied a 2000 Tony nomination for Best Musical,
Aida earned Elton John his first Tony for Best Original Score (he was previously nominated for his work on
The Lion King in 1998).
What should be noted on
Lestat is that the John-Taupin collaboration went into high gear after a less-than-celebrated world premiere in San Francisco at the close of 2005. The hit songwriting duo -- who had never previously worked together on a stage effort -- were forced back to the drawing board to rework Rice's novel. With three bona fide stage hits under Sir Elton's belt already (
Aida,
The Lion King and
Billy Elliot - The Musical, the amazing retelling of the 2000 British film that currently may only be seen at London's Victoria Palace Theatre), can his proven flair for musical staging be reaffirmed once again? We'll see what the critics say tomorrow morning!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Critics Sink Their Teeth Into Lestat (April 26, 2006)
Labels: Aida, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Elton John, Lestat, Musical, Opening Night, The Lion King
