A Little Less Night Music Come January
Sure, the sophisticated
Stephen Sondheim tuner had only been selling tickets through January 9, 2011, anyway. But with the
celebrated replacements
Bernadette Peters and
Elaine Stritch originally scheduled only through November 7, coupled with the revival's
previous plans to close last June 20, I couldn't help but hope the producers could pull a fifth and sixth rabbit out of their stylish hat in terms of its headlining cast.
Instead, the producers
announced today a hat trick of another kind. While confirming the show's closure for the second time (and presumably final) time, they simultaneously announced that Peters and Stritch have extended their contracts through the closing date of January 9.
A Little Night Music will have enjoyed a remarkable Rialto run of 425 regular performances, after first wowing the critics across the pond.
Trevor Nunn's production
captured my heart when I first saw it nearly two years ago in London where his vision worked exceedingly well in the
Menier Chocolate Factory's thimble-sized theatre.
Having seen that incarnation and knowing what to expect with Nunn's spare staging,
I wasn't at all let down in quite the way many of my colleagues were by the time the show turned up on Broadway. However, I was every bit as genuinely disappointed by
Catherine Zeta-Jones's brassy performance as I was genuinely moved by
Angela Lansbury. Yet when Peters and Stritch took over as replacements, I couldn't help but believe
I had just witnessed the definitive portrayal of Desiree as manifested in "Send In The Clowns."
Was this a perfect revival? Certainly not. But it surely has provided audiences with a wonderfully rare opportunity to hear some of Sondheim's very best music back on the Broadway stage. And you know what? It sure
was rich.
This is
Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. Labels: A Little Night Music, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Closing Notices, Elaine Stritch, Stephen Sondheim, The House Of Blue Leaves, Trevor Nunn
A Little Night Music (The SOB Review) – Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, New York
*** (out of ****)A funny thing happened on
A Little Night Music's way to Broadway.
As regular readers will recall, in November 2008,
I found myself absolutely swept away by
Trevor Nunn's revival of
Stephen Sondheim's glorious
A Little Night Music at London's tiny
Menier Chocolate Factory. I was swooning. I even wistfully wrote how I wished this production would find its way to the Great White Way.
Well, not
quite like this. Be careful what you wish for.
This nearly replicated staging, which worked extraordinarily well in that tiny black box in London, hardly fills the stage of the
Walter Kerr. While the show is still good and very much worth seeing, the quaintness across the pond could have --
should have -- been scaled appropriately upward from enhanced orchestrations (
Jason Carr) to set design (
David Farley) in order to fit its new venue with the luster it deserves.
What I had really wished was that the Broadway transfer would bring with it
Hannah Waddingham as Desiree and
Maureen Lipman as her mother Madame Armfeldt. Instead, the only actor who has made the journey across the pond is
Alexander Hanson, whose exceptional rendering of Desiree's one-time love is as tender and heartfelt as ever.
As truly enchanting as the initial Menier incarnation was, what made it all the lovelier was its superb cast headlined by Waddingham. While the incandescent
Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't hold a candle to Waddingham's nuanced portrayal, her megawatt star power does light up the stage, albeit with a similarly forced "I'll prove to them I'm up to the challenge" moxie she demonstrated in "
Chicago." You can't help but admire her for trying, but subtlety is not one of her strongest suits.
Fortunately, the replacement of Lipman with
Angela Lansbury works infinitely better. While
Hugh Wheeler's book relegates Madame Armfeldt to a wheelchair, Lansbury commands the stage every time she's on it, whether in song or in her humor-filled chiding. It's pure bliss to see her return to Broadway in a musical role.
Then there's the splendid music. While not fully orchestrated for ultimate impact, Sondheim's score must be among his most beautiful. Coupled with Wheeler's ingenious storyline, it is what really makes this Broadway revival sing, even if not nearly as rhapsodically as it did in London.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: A Little Night Music, Alexander Hanson, Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Musical, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, The SOB Review, Transfer, Trevor Nunn
Just One More Little Night Before Music
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Just One More Little Night Before MusicLast Thanksgiving weekend, I treated myself to one of the best theatrical experiences I had all year.
It came after the
West End Whingers advised me to do myself a favor and take in the
Menier Chocolate Factory's stunning revival of
Stephen Sondheim and
Hugh Wheeler's
A Little Night Music in London.
In some pre-trip prep work, SarahB at
Adventures In The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment helped push me over the edge. I've yet to come back, and that's a good thing.
In my subsequent
SOB Review, I waxed rhapsodic in my praise:
Isn't it rich?!
Who would have thought that a show staged in a style so deceptively simple could be so sublime, not to mention utterly romantic. Rich, indeed.
Now, if you're not a romantic at heart, you need not bother. But for the
rest of us, Trevor Nunn's gorgeous revival of A Little Night Music is pure heaven.
So smitten was I that I closed my review rather wistfully:
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!
A little more than two months later,
it was announced that the revival would indeed transfer to a West End berth. Then, just two months ago,
came confirmation that the musical would be produced on Broadway with
Catherine Zeta-Jones making her Great White Way debut in the coveted role of Desiree Armfeldt alongside
Angela Lansbury as her mother, Madame Armfeldt.
Now, finally, we're but 24 hours away from the first preview and I know I'm not alone in anxiously awaiting my turn to see it fresh on the Main Stem after a long absence of more than 35 years.
Welcome back,
A Little Night Music! This Thanksgiving, we're giving thanks that you're back on Broadway.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Little Night Music, Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, London, Menier Chocolate Factory, Musical, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, Transfer, Trevor Nunn
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
Twittering The TonysBy now, you already know that
Billy Elliot - The Musical won the most Tonys during last evening's ceremony (click
here to view a full list of all of this year's Tony Award winners).
Billy Elliot earned 10 Tonys in all ... or
12 if you count
David Alvarez,
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish individually for the joint Tony they received as "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical" -- a topic I'll circle back to shortly.
The evening started out surprisingly enough as
Martin Koch (
Billy Elliot - The Musical) and
Michael Starobin and
Tom Kitt (
next to normal) were both declared winners in a tie for Best Orchestrations.
But it all ended up seeming so, well, mostly predictable. While I accurately predicted 19 out of 27 categories, I was dead-on in almost every one of the major categories.
The predictabity was OK, not just because I liked most of the shows and performances that won, but also given the wonderfully witty
11:00 number offered up by host
Neil Patrick Harris, which only needed a
few last-minute changes from
Marc Shaiman and
Scott Wittman. The only things completely unpredictable were the excrutiatingly painful headbanging poor
Bret Michaels endured or the embarrassing mics that seemed to not work more often than they did.
Unlike last year, when I enjoyed the Tony Awards from a great orchestra seat at Radio City Music Hall, I was in the comfort of my own living room offering up my Tony tweets via
Twitter. It was a totally unique experience for me, but one that I have to admit enjoying primarily because of the banter with other theatre Twitters.
The only downside was that during the first hour of the televised awards, I hit Twitter's limit on the number of tweets any one individual can post in any given hour. Who knew? I certainly didn't! Fortunately, after being sidelined for over a half hour, I was able to get back on, although I ended up being a bit more judicious in what I posted.
Now, coming back full circle on the awards, the only winner I still can't wrap my head around is giving all three Billys the Tony for Best Performance by
a Leading
Actor in a Musical. Don't get me wrong, I am sure they are each very talented. Yet, how can the four other nominees who give 8 performances each week compete with three actors who perform 3 times tops per week? And to say that they are all equally worthy? Well that thinking's akin to the way they give away soccer trophies just so no one's feelings will get hurt.
Yes, I know about the bizarre Tony precedents.
In 1960, all of the young actors portraying the von Trapp family children in the original production of
The Sound Of Music --
Lauri Peters,
Kathy Dunn,
Evanna Lien,
Mary Susan Locke,
Marilyn Rogers,
William Snowden , and
Joseph Stewart -- were nominated
together in the category of Best Featured
Actress in a Musical. Wonder if Snowden and Stewart ever fully recovered from
that!
This year's Tony winning Best Performance by a Leading Actress
Alice Ripley had to share a joint nomination for the same award with
Emily Skinner for
Side Show back in 1998 simply because they were portraying conjoined twins Violet and Daisy, respectively. I always thought conjoined twins had their own individual personalities.
There used to be a rule that whoever opened in the show was eligible for the Tony. Just ask
Frank Dolce, who alternates with Tony nominee
David Bologna as Michael in
Billy Elliot - The Musical. Same show, different rules apparently apply. Maybe it was their rousing ode to individuality called "Expressing Yourself" that did them in.
I'll get off my soapbox long enough to admit how pleased I was with the rest of the results overall -- in fact, I plan to finally see both
Billy Elliot and
God Of Carnage on Broadway after having first seen them in London.
I was downright thrilled (sorry David Bologna) when
Gregory Jbara -- one of Broadway's nicest actors -- won for his role in
Billy Elliot. I got goosebumps when
Angela Lansbury earned her fifth acting Tony. And I was giddy with delight that
The Norman Conquests rightfully won Best Revival of a Play during prime time where it belonged (although I thought director
Matthew Warchus deserved to win for that effort over his other
God Of Carnage).
So, dear readers. What did you think of this year's Tony Awards? And how many of the winners did you get right?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alice Ripley, Angela Lansbury, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, David Alvarez, God Of Carnage, Gregory Jbara, Kiril Kulish, The Norman Conquests, Tony Awards, Trent Kowalik, Twitter
Blithe Spirit (The SOB Review) - Shubert Theatre, New York, New York*** (out of ****)Talk about truth in advertising. With a virtuoso performance by one of the greatest stage actors of our time,
Noël Coward's
Blithe Spirit certainly lives up to its name.
Any chance to see
Angela Lansbury tread the boards is more than worth the effort. But as Madame Arcati, the legend effortlessly demonstrates the merry agility and grace of someone half her age. Lansbury packs more acting into her seemingly simple expressions and nimble, free-spirited movements than many actors exhibit in a lifetime.
Fortunately, Lansbury shares the stage of
Blithe Spirit with a top drawer cast, including
Rupert Everett (in his dashing Broadway debut as novelist Charles),
Jayne Atkinson (hilarious as his second wife Ruth) and
Christine Ebersole (luminous as Charles' deceased wife Elvira, who's not only been summoned from the dead by Madame Arcati during a seance, but she refuses to leave).
Initially, Coward's comedy made its West End debut a mere two months after the infamous Nazi
Blitz on the United Kingdom had ended. Britain had suffered through nine devastating months of bombings that killed more than 43,000, half of them in London. No wonder audiences at the time were so eager to embrace such a mirthful show, even one that used the dead to liven spirits.
Fast forward 68 years to the current production.
Michael Blakemore's steady direction has polished the "improbable farce" up nice and shiny. And with its sterling cast, the resurrected
Blithe Spirit sparkles anew for today's audiences needing a perfect escape.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit, Christine Ebersole, Jayne Atkinson, Michael Blakemore, Noel Coward, Play, Revival, Rupert Everett, The SOB Review
"It's Like The Golden Globes For Theatre!"Last Friday, the
75th Annual Drama League Awards were presented to honor the best on Broadway and off.
Award winners included:
Distinguished Revival of a Play:
Blithe SpiritDistinguished Revival of a Musical:
HairDistinguished Production of a Play:
God Of CarnageDistinguished Production of a Musical:
Billy Elliot - The MusicalDistinguished Performance:
Geoffrey Rush -
Exit The KingUnique Contribution to the Theatre Award:
Angela LansburyDistinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre:
Sir Elton JohnThe Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing:
Arthur LaurentsAfter attending last year's Tony Awards -- certainly
Broadway's equivalent to the
Academy Awards -- I was thrilled to attend the Drama League Awards.
Shrek The Musical star
Christopher Sieber, one of the
71 nominees for distinguished performance, quipped to me, "It's like the
Golden Globes for theatre!"
And so it was with nearly all of the nominees assembled for a wine-filled luncheon on a three-tiered dais that reminded one nominee of a large "
Match Game" set (it looked more to me like a celebrity telethon minus the telephones).
The glory of the Drama League Awards is that while there are all those nominees ranging from the
famous Oscar-
winning stars to the actors who've just experienced their first major breaks Off-Broadway, they all have an equal opportunity to say a few words. And they do it with such a welcome flourish.
Despite the fact they were all vying for one award, the sense of community they shared as actors was palpable. It was truly incredible and one of the best celebrations of the theatrical art form I've ever enjoyed.
Founded in 1916, the Drama League bills itself as "America's best-kept secret for theatre lovers." Click
here for more information on how you, too, can become a Drama League member.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Arthur Laurents, Awards, Billy Elliot The Musical, Blithe Spirit, Drama League, Elton John, Geoffrey Rush, God Of Carnage, Hair
RIP Bea Arthur (1922-2009)
So sorry to learn of the death of Tony Award-winning actress Beatrice Arthur today. Arthur lost her battle with cancer early this morning.
Long before she forever changed television as a Golden Girl or as the paradigm-shifting Maude, Arthur was a Broadway star. The actress was featured in the original 1964 Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. as the memorable Yente. She topped that performance with her 1966 award-winning turn as Vera Charles alongside Angela Lansbury as the eponymous Mame. Vera Charles epitomized Mame Dennis' mantra of "live, live, live." So I have little doubt that I'm not alone in mourning the loss of Ms. Arthur.
What better way to remember her stage talent than to revisit a reprise of "Bosom Buddies" from the great Bea Arthur and legendary Angela Lansbury once more. Rest in peace, Bea Arthur.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB)
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur, Broadway, Fiddler On The Roof, In Memoriam, Mame
Casting Couched In RumorsI love my friends.
They know I don't normally traffic in gossip, but they keep sending rumors my way anyway.
RUMOR:Angela Lansbury will defy her own self-imposed stage retirement by taking on the role of Madame Arcati in the upcoming Broadway revival of
Noël Coward's
Blithe Spirit.
TRUTH:While no further casting has been announced beyond
Christine Ebersole and
Rupert Everett (in his Broadway debut),
Variety's original September 29 story on the revival
stated:
No further casting has been announced, although Angela Lansbury and Rupert Everett are said to be on the wish list.
Given that director
Michael Blakemore managed to snag Everett since that initial report, spirits (and hopes) are running high that it's only a matter of time before Lansbury says yes.
UPDATED (10/14/08, 9:30 a.m.): According to Playbill (hit tap to SarahB), Angela Lansbury will
return to the Broadway boards in Blithe Spirit. It is true!RUMOR: Cheyenne Jackson's first post-
Xanadu ride across a Broadway stage will be as Sky Masterson in the
upcoming Broadway revival of
Guys And Dolls, which has already cast
Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit.
TRUTH:Sure, the
message boards on Broadway World are fanning the flames, no doubt fueled in part by
Michael Musto's August dreamcasting of Mr. Jackson as Sky, as well as a little dish from
Perez Hilton, who says:
Other cast members have not yet been announced, but we're hearing hottie Cheyenne Jackson will be part of the revival.
But to date, there's really nothing to substantiate the rumor, nor is there anything to negate it.
RUMOR: Teen heartthrob
Zac Efron will replace
Daniel Radcliffe in the current Broadway revival of
Equus. TRUTH:
Efron tells
People:
No. I think it's a great role but I was not approached.... (But) I think it's important to always diversify, change it up and play different characters.... I think doing musicals all the time would get stale.
TALLY:One rumor is
true, another is squelched and the third remains just that for the time being.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit, Broadway, Cheyenne Jackson, Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Guys And Dolls, Rumor, Zac Efron
Deuce (The SOB Review) - Music Box Theatre, New York, NY
*** (out of ****)
There's a line near the end of
Deuce offered up by an adoring fan (
Michael Mulheren) of tennis legends Midge Barker (
Marian Seldes) and Leona Mullen (
Angela Lansbury) in which he implores the audience to "Look at them. You will not see their likes again."
From the moment the curtain was raised on this
Michael Blakemore-helmed play by
Terrence McNally, I did exactly that...no prompting necessary. I relished the opportunity to sit in the presence of these two theatrical treasures, both of whom delivered their lines flawlessly and from the heart. I realize that this was a moment to cherish.
While the play itself is no great shakes, the performances offered by these two leading ladies of the stage far transcended the mediocre material they were given, enough to make for an enjoyable -- and yes, entertaining -- evening at the theatre.
While less accomplished actresses may have double-faulted with the material, these two kept the volley of conversation ranging from past loves to the indignities of growing old mostly in bounds -- save for the occasional jokey utterance of a four letter word.
Without question, Deuce offers one of McNally's slightest pieces of work: a story of a celebrated yesteryear tennis doubles team who together nearly had it all -- including a near grand slam -- during an era preceding one when the game provided giant payouts and endorsement deals to its female stars. Thirty-some years after they retired, the two champions are reunited at a present-day tennis tournament where they're about to be honored.
Seated throughout most of the show, Midge and Leona reminisce about what was and might have been, as well as what had long been misunderstood. Their repartee is punctuated throughout the ninety-five minute performance by a daft, egocentric pair of ESPN-lite sportscasters who provide additional details on their backstory.
While the audience never sees what's happening on the court, a brilliant video and projection design by
Sven Ortel, coupled with
Paul Charlier's sound design, enables the audience to see what little action there is in the stands.
Naysayers will charge that there is no action or dramatic tension. Make no mistake, this is more of a star vehicle than one built for major awards. But I for one enjoyed an opportunity to take in these great actresses' back and forth banter -- a sometimes funny and often moving conversation between old friends. Maybe it's wise not only to look at the likes of these legends, but also to listen.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Deuce, Marian Seldes, Play, Terrence McNally, The SOB Review
Did Critics Call Deuce A Winner?
Calling it a "wisp of a play,"
Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press is probably the most upbeat: "The reason we are at the Music Box Theatre, where
Deuce opened Sunday, is to see Lansbury and Seldes, and McNally supplies them with enough witty lines and rueful insight to keep the audience content during the play's 90 or so minutes....The chief problem with
Deuce is that it doesn't go anywhere. Dramatically, it marks time. Unlike
Love! Valour! Compassion! or
Master Class, both McNally Tony winners, there aren't any fireworks."
Complaining that the show is "deucedly unexciting," Bloomberg's
John Simon finds some good things to say: "Michael Blakemore has directed expertly, Peter J. Davison's set is ingenious and Ann Roth's costumes, like Mark Henderson's lighting, are up to snuff. And you couldn't ask for better principals than Marian Seldes (Midge) and Angela Lansbury (Leona)....Sorely missing is a plot. Two women attending a tennis match might work as a snappy revue sketch; stretched out into an evening's entertainment it is both too much and not enough."
Lamenting that the "script is one long feathery tease that never delivers,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley pans: "No, the true tension in
Deuce arises from the fight between two valiant, vibrant actresses against a swamp of a play that keeps trying to suck the life out of them. And even a director as assured as Mr. Blakemore, who has done so brilliantly by the plays of
Michael Frayn, can’t make us pretend otherwise....
Deuce feels lazy. It’s a grab bag of synthetic scraps of sentimental truisms and grumpy-old-broad humor.
Criticizing the show as a "criminal waste of talent" in her two star review,
Elysa Gardner of
USA Today says: "Most of the banter is numbingly trite, whether the subject is the indignity of old age or the proliferation of lesbians in pro tennis, a topic that McNally milks with a fascination and fervency you'd expect from an old Borscht Belt comedian....Watching the leading ladies try to breathe life and wit into these near-caricatures, you're torn between marveling at the actresses' transcendent grace and wondering what led them -- particularly the long-absent Lansbury -- to take on this project."
Derisively calling the show "a double fault,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes deadpans: "So what happened? Unfortunately, nothing! Nothing happened. The 81-year-old Lansbury and the 78-year-old Seldes could read the proverbial Forest Hills or even the Flushing Meadows telephone directory and make it sound like . . . well, like something more than just a telephone directory....McNally, 67, normally one of our best and certainly one of our most reliable playwrights, may have written a worse play, even one with such minimal plotting and languid, desultory writing, but I can't recall it."
Referring to it as a "moldy new comedy,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun is dismissive: "During 95 intermissionless minutes, the well-born Margaret 'Midge' Barker (Ms. Seldes) and the blue-collar Leona Mullen (Ms. Lansbury) tell Viagara jokes, get trembly-lipped about mortality, and drop the sort of four-letter words that would have sent dear Jessica Fletcher -- the gumshoe played by Ms. Lansbury on '
Murder, She Wrote' -- hurtling over the handlebars of her bike. That these exchanges generate even a tiny handful of laughs has everything to do with the formidable pair of actresses and virtually nothing to do with Mr. McNally or director Michael Blakemore, who appears to have staged the play when he had a few hours to kill one afternoon."
Despite the reviews, one could probably correctly assume that this show would be critic-proof from the point of view that fans wishing for one more chance to see legendary actresses will turn out regardless. I'll be sharing my own SOB Review shortly.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Deuce, Marian Seldes, Play, Terrence McNally
Deuce: Opening Night Served
This evening marks not only the Broadway opening for
Terrence McNally's
Deuce, but also the return of the legendary
Angela Lansbury to a Great White Way stage after an absence of nearly a quarter century.
Making it even more of an event is that theatre great
Marian Seldes stars opposite Lansbury. The limited run of
Deuce is slated for performances through August 19 at the
Music Box Theatre.
Directed by
Michael Blakemore,
Deuce is described as, "The story of two former doubles stars who reunite at a championship tennis match after many years...
Deuce follows this duo as they remember past successes, rehash old rivalries and reveal astonishing secrets."
For the most part, the blogosphere buzz over the show has actually been more of a noisy racket -- reviews of the previews have been anything but positive. Whether or not the show has been adequately whipped into shape by Blakemore will soon be known as critics render their verdicts.
Having seen the show myself just last evening during its last preview, I'll be providing my own SOB Review along with a round-up of critics' reviews, sometime tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Deuce, Marian Seldes, Opening Night, Play, Terrence McNally
Deuce Tickets Now On Pre-Sale
So much for best laid plans.
More than a month ago, I marked my calendar for January 14 as
the date that tickets for
Terrence McNally's new play
Deuce would go on pre-sale. This is the hotly anticipated show that teams up beloved stage actresses
Angela Lansbury and
Marian Seldes; it also marks Lansbury's first regular Broadway role in more than a quarter century.
Earlier today, I confirmed that pre-sale date through a posting on
Playbill's Web site. But something must have happened late this afternoon or early evening. When I happened to check for more information about the pre-sale, I learned that it had actually begun, apparently today -- four days earlier than originally announced. Even more confounding was that the
Playbill story now indicates that tickets are on pre-sale.
What happened?
Whatever! Since Lansbury is one actress I would move mountains to see treading the boards, I bought my tickets immediately and will now be in the audience on the evening of May 5 when most of the critics will be there on the eve of the production's official opening. If you're like me and wait with baited breath for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to see your favorite actors perform live, you'll understand my disappointment in learning that the pre-sale date was accelerated. But you'll also appreciate my relief in finding out now instead of Sunday.
As it turns out, I landed a third row seat. I'm looking forward to seeing the legendary Lansbury and superb Sendes together in what could very well be the hottest ticket of the year. If you've also been waiting for Deuce tickets to go on pre-sale (the pre-sale is open to American Express Gold Card holders, while the regular sale begins on January 27), now you know!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Deuce, Play
Legendary Acting Ace Angela Lansbury To Star In DeuceA week ago yesterday, it was practically in passing that
I mentioned Angela Lansbury would be making a long hoped for return to Broadway this spring in
Terrence McNally's new play
Deuce. But that hardly does justice for one of theatre's true legends, whose last regular Great White Way appearance was in the ill-fated revival of
Mame back in 1983.
In addition to the British-born actress' amazing film career (my favorite was her sinister turn as Mrs. Iselin in 1962's riveting "
Manchurian Candidate"), as well as her long tenure as Jessica Fletcher on television's "
Murder She Wrote," Lansbury is one of the most accomplished actresses of the stage.
Sure she was twice nominated
more than 60 years ago for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress -- as Nancy Oliver in
George Cukor's "
Gaslight" (1944) and as Sibyl Vane in "
The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1945) -- and she holds the dubious record of most Emmy nominations
ever without winning, but it's arguably her four-for-four track record with Tony that has brought her the most acclaim of all.
She has become synonymous with each role for which she's received Tonys, including as the original
Mame (1966), as Countess Aurelia in
Dear World (1969), as Broadway's second Mama Rose in
Gypsy (1974) and then as the very first Mrs. Lovett in
Sweeney Todd (1979). All totaled, Angela Lansbury trod Broadway's boards ten times in actual full-scale productions, starting in 1957's
Hotel Paradiso. Deuce will mark this superstar's 11th regular performance on the Great White Way, and she'll have great company in another Broadway stalwart:
Marian Seldes, a Tony-winner in her own right for her role in Edward Albee's
A Delicate Balance (1967).
I fully expect that this will become
the most coveted ticket of the current theatre season, if only to have an opportunity to see these remarkable actresses together. Personally, I can hardly wait.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Deuce, First Word On New Show, Play
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30While I’ve spent considerable time – perhaps too much -- this past week focusing on the two Broadway musicals that received mixed to negative reviews, my underreported story of the past week is the rousing success enjoyed by British import
The History Boys. In fact, I didn’t report on it at all, but really should have.
Alan Bennett’s hit is the likely front-runner for this year’s Best Play Tony. For me, the show would be worth the price of admission just to see the talented Frances de la Tour perform live; de la Tour is primarily known to American audiences for her role as Madame Olympe Maxime in the latest big screen incarnation of Harry Potter. Personally, I loved her fine understated performance in “Love Actually,” which was completely edited out (fortunately, it still lives on DVD among the deleted scene selections).
The History Boys also marks yet another milestone along the already shining track record for director Nicholas Hytner, who helmed everything from
Miss Saigon in the 80s to
Jumpers two years ago.
Rent celebrated its tenth anniversary on Broadway this past week with a star-studded concert that featured its original cast. Among them was Idina Menzel, who will be returning to her Tony Award-winning green roots to once again play Elphaba as
Wicked shoots for a September opening on London’s West End. Also heading to London will be
Spamalot’s Christopher Sieber, who will reprise his role as Sir Galahad (and others) along with Tim Curry, who will once again play King Arthur.
Off Broadway, the critically-acclaimed
Stuff Happens – which had previously sold out at the Public Theater – has extended again, this time to June 25. The historical drama centers on the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq.
Perhaps the most exciting news of the past week is that four-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury may be ready to tread the boards once again on Broadway. When contemplation turns to reality, you can bet that I’ll be reporting on it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Approaching One Year, Chicago's Wicked Continues to Captivate (May 23, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Tony Award Nominations Announced (May 16, 2006)
Broadway Season Nears Finale (April 30, 2006)
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Broadway, Play, Rent, Stuff Happens, The History Boys, Wicked
