SOB's Least Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #3 - Harvey (2003, Moulton Theatre, The Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, CA)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm not only pleased to present my list of my top 25 favorite plays and musicals of the Noughties, but also a simultaneous countdown of my five least favorite shows out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years. As
Steven Spielberg seems to have recently discovered, sometimes it's wise to avoid taking a crack at an old chestnut.
Tony Award namesake
Antoinette Perry may have fashioned a huge fat Broadway hit out of
Mary Chase's
Harvey back in the 40s, but director
Charles Nelson Reilly failed to pull a rabbit out his hat, even with
Charles Durning as Elwood P. Dowd and a cast that featured
Joyce Van Patten and
Dick Van Patten.
This stilted production was so frustratingly awful that it was hardly surprising that this revival never reached its intended destination on Broadway. This was more than enough to make me wonder who had really been delusional.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new 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. I paid my own way for this performance.Labels: Antoinette Perry, California, Charles Durning, Charles Nelson Reilly, Dick Van Patten, Harvey, Joyce Van Patten, Mary Chase, Play, Revival, SOB's Least Favorite Shows Of The Noughties
Adam Lambert: Broadway Beckons
While the American Idol won't be among what is sure to be Adam Lambert's lengthy list of credits through what I expect to be a highly lucrative and super-successful career, let's remember that he honed his amazing presence in live theatre, including his stint as Fiyero on the Left Coast in Wicked.
No matter what happened last evening, Lambert will surely be dancing through the rest of his life. I'm just hoping it includes a swing through Broadway in the not-too-distant future.
Congratulations to both Lambert and Kris Allen! They're both winners in my humble opinion.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Adam Lambert, American Idol, Broadway, California, Wicked
He's No Theatre QueenSacramen-to's
Califor-nia Musical Theatre -- which is currently presenting the lesbian-themed
The Color Purple and is slated to run the gay-friendly
Avenue Q early next year -- found itself in a firestorm of controversy when
it was exposed earlier this week that its artistic director
Scott Eckern had financially supported the state's
Proposition 8.
That measure, which narrowly passed in last week's election, strips away the right to marry for the state's gay and lesbian population.
Of course, it didn't seem to matter to the majority of Californians that
straight people have long been undermining the institution of marriage or that the biggest proponent for the measure was a
church that formerly embraced polygamy or that the world
didn't end when the state's gays and lesbians began marrying or that voters were taking granted rights away from a select group of people who they deem not good enough to be allowed to marry, yet they're more than OK when it comes to paying taxes.
According to the Sacramento Bee, after Eckern's support for the measure was revealed, "Gay and lesbian artists called Monday for an artistic and audience boycott of California." Undoubtedly, that is what led California Musical Theatre Executive Producer Richard Lewis to convene an emergency meeting of the board of directors and issue the following statement:
Any political action or the opinion of Scott Eckern is not shared by California Musical Theatre. We have a long history of appreciation for the LGBT community and are truly grateful for their longstanding support.
By yesterday, Eckern, who had been with the California Musical Theatre for 25 years and professes to have a lesbian sister, resigned in midst of the maelstrom.
According to the Bee, the embattled artistic director released a statement in which he "said that he 'honestly had no idea' that the contribution would spark such an outrage and made the donation to act on his belief as the traditional definition of marriage be preserved."
His statement also said, in part:
...after prayerful consideration to protect the organization and to help the healing in the local theatre-going and creative community.... I support each individual to have rights and access, and I understand that in California domestic partnerships come with the same rights that come with marriage.... I definitely do not support any message or treatment of others that is hateful or instills fear.... This is a highly emotional issue and the accusations that have been made against me are simply not true.... I am disappointed that my personal convictions have cost me the opportunity to do what I love the most which is to continue enriching the Sacramento arts and theatre community.
Now, as regular readers know, I am completely and unabashedly a vigorous proponent of our First Amendment right to Free Speech. Make no mistake, I will defend Mr. Eckern's right to donate as he chooses, however misguided I happen to believe he was (I mean
really! What was he thinking?! Doesn't he realize he's biting the hand that has fed him for the past 25 years, as surely many within musical theatre's base are gay, including his top subscribers, donors, artists, casts and crews?!?!)
Having said that, I also must defend those who were exercising their right to vote with their pocketbooks against the theatre by boycotting it. Why would any of them want to continue supporting an organization that had as its artistic director, the individual whose vision is supposed to be open to all the possibilities, someone who would cash in on his gay base and essentially saying, "We'll take your dollars, including for shows like
The Color Purple and
Avenue Q, but you'd better not be married!"
In retrospect, in reaping what he has sown, Mr. Eckern was probably not best suited for the occupation he has abruptly left.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Avenue Q, California, California Musical Theatre, First Amendment, Musical, Proposition 8, Sacramento, Scott Eckern, The Color Purple
Berkeley Rep: Theatre's New Left Coast Guard?In recent years, it's seemed as though three primary West Coast not-for-profits lead the pack when it comes to producing future Broadway fare, and they're all in Southern California: the
Old Globe (San Diego),
La Jolla Playhouse (just to the north of San Diego) and
Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles).
I've ventured to all three over the last few years to take in various shows in their pre-Broadway engagements and was struck by just how much they emulated big commercial theatres rather than the nonprofits they purport to be. And is it no surprise given some of the major Rialto hits they've produced? In late January, Isaac Butler at Parabasis had a
great post on the double-edged sword this "enhancement" effect has on not-for-profits that's most definitely worth reading.
In part through
Jack O'Brien's artistic leadership, the Old Globe helped shepherd
Into the Woods,
The Piano Lesson,
Two Trains Running,
Damn Yankees,
The Full Monty and
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, among other shows to the Great White Way.
At the nearby La Jolla Playhouse, under
Des McAnuff's guiding hand, shows like
Thoroughly Modern Millie,
I Am My Own Wife,
700 Sundays,
Jersey Boys and the upcoming
Cry-Baby first came to life prior to Broadway.
And up in the city that's known more for its devotion to film than live theatre, Center Theatre Group has earned its stripes under
Michael Ritchie's leadership by producing two highly successful Main Stem musicals:
The Drowsy Chaperone and
Curtains. It's also where the current
Come Back, Little Sheba revival got its start.
I don't begrudge any of them the commercial success they've achieved, but given that success, are each of these theatres really completely deserving of their 501(c)(3) status?
Interestingly enough, as
Joy Goodwin points out in this morning's
The New York Times, the Bay Area's 40 year-old Tony Award-winning
Berkeley Reperatory Theatre is slowly but surely staking its own claim in Manhattan, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. The latest, perhaps greatest show it's had a major hand in producing is
Passing Strange, which opened last week to major critical buzz.
While the other three theatres offer fare that's arguably more commercially viable, it's refreshing to see a nonprofit doing what you'd hope a nonprofit would do -- taking greater risks in stretching the boundaries of artistic expression. If the result continues to be shows like
Passing Strange, I just may consider making a donation there as a way of demonstrating my solidarity and enthusiastic support for their vision and mission:
Berkeley Repertory Theatre seeks to set a national standard for ambitious programming, engagement with its audiences, and leadership within the community in which it resides. We endeavor to create a diverse body of work that expresses a rigorous, embracing aesthetic and reflects the highest artistic standards, and seek to maintain an environment in which talented artists can do their best work. We strive to engage our audiences in an ongoing dialogue of ideas, and encourage lifelong learning as a core community value. Through productions, outreach and education, Berkeley Rep aspires to use theatre as a means to challenge, thrill and galvanize what is best in the human spirit.
When it gets right down to it, isn't that really what live theatre is all about?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Berkeley Rep, Broadway, California, not-for-profit, Parabasis, Passing Strange
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe TheatresOn 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
Harvey FiersbackIn my PR world, I've always lived by the mantra that you never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.
But I've got to hand it to
Harvey Fierstein for having the courage to
fire back at his critics, particularly Charles McNulty of the
Los Angeles Times for his
savage review of
A Catered Affair during its pre-Broadway engagement in San Diego.
On his
MySpace blog, Fierstein also takes aim at those who had issues with what they viewed as his anachronistic characterization of a gay man living in the 1950s:
In A Catered Affair I have been accused, by a few well meaning critics who loved the show, of creating a gay character that is "post-Stonewall" and not true to the period of the piece. Once again I ask: What makes them so sure? Did they do any of the research that I did? Did they interview gay men who lived through the period as I have? Did they view documentaries telling stories of what it was like to be gay in 1953 as I did? Did they read books or personal accounts of gay life in 1953 as I did?
I doubt that one of those critics took the time to be sure they were correct before telling me that I was incorrect. Still they blithely and boldy state in print that I am wrong and they are right!!! I say that is simply outrageous. And I tell you ON RECORD that I did my research and I firmly stand behind my portrayal of that character as true and real. The funny part is that these opinions, like most advice, were not given to harm, but to help me make a better piece. So,I thank them for their advice, but encourage them to know whereof they speak before prescribing cures.
MAYBE I'M CRAZY, BUT...
...I go to the theater hoping that I will learn something new. I go praying that the playwright will inform my world, change my opinion, enlighten me, cause me to think, open my mind and heart. But it seems that some critics go to the theater only to validate their own predetermined opinion. What a loss for them! And what a loss for their readers.
One thing you can't accuse Harvey Fierstein of being is a wimp or a coward.
While I regret not having the opportunity to see this show in San Diego, now I'm
really looking forward to seeing it on Broadway.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories: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, Blogs, Broadway, California, Charles McNulty, Critics' Capsule, Film, Harvey Fierstein, Los Angeles Times, Musical, Paddy Chayefsky, San Diego, Tryout
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair?On Sunday, the out-of-town tryout for the
John Doyle-helmed
A Catered Affair opened at San Diego's
Old Globe Theatre.
With book by
Harvey Fierstein and score by
John Bucchino, the Broadway-bound tuner received two positive reviews, as well as one flat-out pan. But Broadway veteran
Faith Prince earned accolades throughout.
Calling it an "assured chamber musical,"
San Diego Union-Tribune's
Anne Marie Welsh celebrates: "Fierstein, Bucchino and the actors explore the characters with a tact and depth beyond that of most contemporary musicals....Prince's beautifully restrained, carefully calibrated and thoroughly unsentimental performance should earn her accolades and awards this spring when the show opens in New York....Doyle's measured direction in the emotional turning points is near perfect....Fierstein and company have already achieved in this artful piece far more than most hard-selling musicals aspire to: They've created real struggling human beings whose deepest feelings are beyond words -- and therefore find true expression in song."
Noting how "John Doyle sets the songs flowing seamlessly out of the dialogue,"
Variety's
Bob Verini is also positive -- mostly: "Much is verbalized in Harvey Fierstein's gritty slice-of-life dialogue and John Bucchino's sensitive lyrics, but the use of silence -- sometimes for as long as 30 seconds -- is remarkable: Few tuner directors would conceive of those quiet moments, and even fewer would dare attempt them....Prince internalizes Aggie's bitterness and self-pity, blossoming beautifully when Winston challenges her to imagine her own ideal wedding in the lovely 'Vision.' (
Tom) Wopat is a gruff and powerfully dormant presence on the periphery, and (
Leslie) Kritzer pulls off show's toughest assignment in seeking to establish a sense of self while alternately resisting and encouraging the wedding hoopla. Fierstein's reconfiguration of the uncle role, from
Barry Fitzgerald's asexual imp to an explicitly gay shop owner whose relationship is on the skids, is problematic."
Deeming the affair "a pointless enterprise," the
Los Angeles Times'
Charles McNulty mostly pans: "Should we really be trawling for such mediocre source material without a sharp revitalizing vision? (
Paddy) Chayefsky's expiration date passed long ago, yet Fierstein serves up the saga as though it were fresh milk....But not even Doyle's boldness can rescue an idea that's inherently at cross-purposes with itself. Does the show want to be stark or saccharine? Brutally honest or comically consoling? Courageously untraditional or only conveniently so?"
Regardless of that last critique,
A Catered Affair has extended its San Diego run until November 4. Look for the show to land at Broadway's the
Walter Kerr Theatre on March 25.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories: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, California, Critics' Capsule, Faith Prince, Film, Harvey Fierstein, John Doyle, Musical, Paddy Chayefsky, San Diego
One Short Day, In Universal's Emerald CityEver since first hearing the strains of the song "One Short Day" from the mega-hit musical
Wicked, I figured it would eventually end up in a commercial for the tuner's financial backer
Universal Studios. After all,
Stephen Schwartz's zippy song sounds more like an advert jingle tailor-made for a theme park than a Broadway showtune.
Now, Universal Studios Hollywood has announced that beginning tomorrow, it is launching
Wicked Wednesdays.
Carol Kane, who currently plays Madame Morrible in the LA cast of
Wicked, will take to the Blues Brothers stage for an "exclusive performance" as part of the special summer series that also features autograph-signing sessions, photo opps with the cast, face painting, karaoke contests and sale of its ubiquitous
Wicked merchandise and tickets.
Clearly, as the
Wicked franchise continues to grow both domestically and
internationally, the added attention will not only drive demand for even more tickets, but it will also create more momentum as Universal undoubtedly moves toward a film version.
No word yet on whether "One Short Day" is being used to advertise
Wicked Wednesdays.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Universal Studios Hollywood tickets. Click here for Wicked Broadway tickets.Click here for Wicked Chicago tickets.Click here for Wicked London tickets.Click here for Wicked Los Angeles tickets.Click here for Wicked - Die Hexen Von Oz Stuttgart tickets.Click here for Wicked Tokyo ticket information.Click here for Wicked U.S. Tour ticket information.Related Stories:Wicked To Finally Land In Oz During 2008 (May 16, 2007)
Wicked (The SOB Revisit) - London (April 17, 2007)
Theatre For A New Age (April 8, 2007)
Wicked World (March 19, 2007)
Were London Critics Mourning West End Wicked? (September 28, 2006)
West End Wicked Opens Tonight (September 27, 2006)
Wicked Witch of the West End Takes Flight Tonight (September 7, 2006)
Five Times More Wicked (July 17, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Worldwide Wicked Casting News (May 5, 2006)
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30, 2006 (April 30, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, California, Los Angeles, Musical, Stephen Schwartz, Universal Studios, Wicked
Altar Boyz (The SOB Review) - Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA*** (out of ****)Ultimately, all resistance was futile. I’m now a confirmed believer.
You see, I’ve studiously avoided seeing
Altar Boyz -- one of Off-Broadway’s biggest musical hits in years -- only to find myself finally taking in the touring production while in San Diego. I have seen the error of my ways and am now ready to sing its praise: Hallelujah for this harmonious, heaven-sent hit!
Altar Boyz is a musical that plays like a genuine boy band concert (not that I have any
firsthand knowledge of such things). Only, this downright divine singing group is all Christian, with the exception of their lone Jewish member.
Between catchy yet treacly tunes by
Gary Adler and
Michael Patrick Walker that sound like they’re ripped from the set list of any number of circa 1999 boy bands like the
Backstreet Boys,
*NSync or
98 Degrees (or
Boyzone and
Take That for my European guests),
Altar Boyz tells the story of how Matthew (
Matthew Buckner), Mark (
Ryan J. Ratliff), Luke (
Jesse JP Johnson), Juan (
Jay Garcia) and Abraham (
Ryan Strand) came together in the name of G.O.D.
The entire cast in this touring production is nothing short of excellent. These five not only have the acting chops, but they sing angelically all while dancing like the devil (thanks to the exhilarating choreography by
Christopher Gattelli).
Buckner’s Matthew is the group’s driving force and leading, yet virginal heartthrob. Ratliff’s Mark is the boy who not only wistfully swoons over Matthew, but dares to come out of the closet…as Catholic. Johnson’s boisterous Luke has just emerged from rehab for…exhaustion. Garcia’s Juan provides some spice and the show’s most poignant moment when his search for his long lost parents comes to an end.
But it’s the delicious irony in Strand’s Abraham, the group’s sole Judeo member, who really galvanizes this show. Not only is Abraham the most divinely inspired when it comes to crafting the group’s trusty tunes, but he’s unwittingly the glue that keeps this quintet together. And incredibly enough, Strand has just recently been added to this amazing cast. You’d think he was part of this group from day one (or is that "The First Day"?).
Altar Boyz provides mostly witty, sometimes subtle and often hilarious observations on faith without resorting to heavy-handed, self-loathing mockeries of what many hold sacred. While it may not rank among the best musicals ever -- and it certainly doesn’t 'spire to be one --
Altar Boyz is one entertaining joy to behold. Thank God!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Altar Boyz, California, Musical, Off-Broadway, San Diego, The SOB Review, Touring Production
Toxic: Jersey Boys Will Be Boys
At issue is a
February 14 Chronicle story meant to
celebrate the first, lengthy leg of
Jersey Boys' national tour. McAnuff, clearly a legend in his own mind, is thus featured and quoted:
Director Des McAnuff explains why there are only three actresses playing so many roles. When writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice approached McAnuff with the idea for Jersey Boys, there was no script, just the idea.
"I didn't like it very much," McAnuff recalls by phone from San Diego, where he's in rehearsals for Aaron Sorkin's new play, The Farnsworth Invention, at the La Jolla Playhouse. "Marshall and Rick were very gracious about the rejection. And even after I turned them down twice, they were very persistent. So we came up with the outline together. I helped them with the structure.
"And at one point, they came up with a chorus of 16 Jersey girls. Frankly, I didn't think it worked. It was ridiculously extravagant considering the blue-collar nature of the group. So, simply put, the reason we have three girls is because I said we could have three girls -- and that's it."
Not so, says Brickman, who has been honored with Oscar nomination
s, even winning one for his screenplay of "
Annie Hall." Apparently not one to sit idly by while being trashed by the director, Brickman fired back, in part:
We can finally put to rest any lingering doubts about who is responsible for the success of our little offering, Jersey Boys, currently at the Curran Theatre. It is, of course, the director. Le spectacle, c'est lui. I see him now, goose quill in hand, fingers raw, eyes bloodshot from his tireless restructuring of our 72-page "idea."
Would that I had known him years ago so he could have restructured the screenplays for "Sleeper" and "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" and "Simon" and "Lovesick" and "The Manhattan Project" -- they might have won awards and gained some critical acclaim. Or instructed William Shawn in the proper restructuring of my New Yorker pieces.
But I was naive then and didn't know enough to be persistent. Twice we offered him the crown and twice he refused it, it says. Sheer modesty. We offered it to him 139 times. Only after we doused ourselves with gasoline and lit a match did he agree to interrupt his restructuring of the book for Dracula, The Musical to heed our pleas and, as a bonus, instruct us in the niceties of the musical theater: how to arrive fashionably late, how to humiliate the cast, how to create an atmosphere of collegiality rivaled only by a board meeting at Hewlett-Packard, how to give interviews that, for sheer fantastic invention, rival anything out of Lewis Carroll.
But why be churlish? I owe the man. He wrote our show, ate my dinner, married my wife and fathered my children. For all I know, he may have even written this letter.
Marshall Brickman
Co-author of
Jersey Boys
New York City
No word yet on whether McAnuff intends to claim songwriting credits for any of the Four Seasons' tunes used in the show.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, California, Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys, Jukebox Musical, Marshall Brickman, Musical, San Francisco, Touring Production
For Good: Wicked Wins LA Critical PraiseLast week,
Wicked officially conquered Los Angeles as the fourth sit-down mounting of the mega-hit musical opened at the
Pantages Theatre. Perhaps there's something in Hollywood's water, but the critics largely liked the show.
Noting how this production will be "one tough ticket," the
Los Angeles Times'
Charles McNulty brilliantly demonstrates a keen understanding for the innate popularity of
Wicked in his review -- those insights have proven elusive to countless other critics. McNulty praises the show stating: "The witchcraft is as fresh as it has ever been, thanks to the two splendiferous leads,
Eden Espinosa and
Megan Hilty....But an even more impressive feat is the way their harmonious incantations redeem the fun of this familiar blockbuster. Who knew the spell could still work so well?...The experience is like stepping back into childhood and being reintroduced to one's earliest friends by a puckish yet psychologically forgiving guide."
Orange County Register's
Paul Hodgins also gets why audiences are making it a must-see show: "After barely three years in the public consciousness,
Wicked seems poised to replace
The Phantom of the Opera as America's must-see musical....Why does everybody like
Wicked so much? Because it delivers everything we expect of a big-ticket musical theater experience -- spectacle, anthemic songs, a cathartic story -- and makes the most of an irresistible theme: the indelible bond of friendship....There's an added incentive to see this
Wicked. It stars Orange County's Eden Espinosa as Elphaba, the green teen who transforms into the queen of mean. And she's worth the trip."
Laurence Vittes of
The Hollywood Reporter declares that
Wicked "...scores on virtually all entertainment levels and is everything you would expect it to be.... It's no wonder its run at the Pantages is open-ended....Best of all, every one of the main roles is a tour de force, and each is performed with mostly unforgettable charisma, charm and virtuosity, and lit into with unbridled glee. Hilty's Glinda steals the show."
In his two-and-a-half-star review,
Evan Henerson of Los Angeles'
Daily News says somewhat derisively: "But you can't loathe something so slick and technically vibrant as this is. All those great voices, all that impassioned singing ... it's like trying to fault Disneyland....Heck, it's no small achievement to get a hungry audience applauding pretty much the second the lights go down.
Wicked is nice that way. And it's a hit. Likability sells. Go figure."
With ticket sales going through the roof, it looks like this sit-down production is in for the long haul.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for LA tickets.
Related Stories:
Hollywood Becomes Wicked Were London Critics Mourning West End Wicked? (September 28, 2006)
West End Wicked Opens Tonight (September 27, 2006)
Wicked Witch of the West End Takes Flight Tonight (September 7, 2006)
Jaaku or Neikan? Wicked Set for Japanese Translation (July 24, 2006)
Five Times More Wicked (July 17, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Worldwide Wicked Casting News (May 5, 2006)
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30, 2006 (April 30, 2006)
Labels: California, Critics' Capsule, Eden Espinosa, Los Angeles, Megan Hilty, Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera, Wicked
Hollywood Becomes Wicked
Not since
Mamma Mia! became a global phenomenom (or to many, the world's guiltiest pleasure) has a theatrical show grown as fast as
Wicked. With a loyal and burgeoning fan base that now extends from London to Los Angeles and beyond, the musical that twists the beloved "
Wizard Of Oz" inside out opens in the latter this evening.
Making its home at Hollywood's glorious
Pantages Theatre,
Wicked already has a robust advance box office, assuring the production of being a hit no matter what the critics might say. Indeed, according the the
LA Wicked Web site: "A second block of tickets, which extends the show through early spring, 2008, will go on sale to the general public on March 4, 2007. A pre-sale of those tickets to American Express cardholders is in process."
Which leads me to wondering where this musical juggernaut might land next. While a film version would seem more likely now that Wicked is becoming a fixture in the movie world's hometown, I've heard word that a silver screen incarnation is unlikely until its global appeal can be cemented.
My guess is that before the year is over, an announcement will be made that Wicked will be ready to conquer Oz. Given the largely Australian cast in the West End production and the appeal of the original movie Down Under, surely a Sydney berth is not out of the question. I can just imagine the marketing campaign now.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for LA tickets. Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, California, Chicago, Film, London, Los Angeles, Musical, Opening Night, Touring Production, Wicked
Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews
Two nights ago in San Francisco, the Broadway-bound musical version of
Legally Blonde opened. Critics were generally positive, if not ecstatic.
In his three and a half star review,
Chad Jones of the
Oakland Tribune is almost giddy: "With expectations riding high,
Legally Blonde shoots out of the gate like a prize, Prada-clad stallion and races toward that elusive goal of Broadway immortality....[T]his one has blood pumping in its veins. And that blood is a bright shade of pink....For a just-hatched show, this
Blonde is in awfully good shape, though (not to disparage blondes in any way) it doesn't have a whole lot going on in its pretty head. And that's OK."
Variety's
Dennis Harvey offers nothing but praise: "The good news is it does that -- thoroughly, delightfully so. The bad news? Actually, there is none. This fuchsia fluffsicle, socked over by choreographer-turned-director
Jerry Mitchell, might not win over those opposed on principal [sic] to the Hollywoodization of Broadway. But its S.F. tryout is already a genuinely likable, splashy crowd-pleaser that could prove grumble-proof come its May Rialto launch....Among the show's many appealing aspects is how it manages to swim in broadly amusing shallows most of the time while avoiding heartlessness."
Proclaiming
Legally Blonde "a crowd pleaser," with a three star review,
The Examiner's
Leslie Katz is mostly upbeat: "[T]he joie de vivre spirit of that (opening) tune remains throughout the show’s two and a half hours, and it’s that tone that makes this lightweight story of a not-so-dumb sorority girl who 'finds herself,' by way of
Harvard Law School, so appealing....Like the film, it’s a crowd pleaser. The jokes are genuinely funny, its young actors are good-looking and energetic, the dancing rivals what’s popular on TV, and the costumes and sets flash and dazzle to just the right extent....But hopes and dreams, and memorable melodies, are lacking in
Legally Blonde, which hits many of its jokes...but misses its heart."
Calling it "a buoyant blend of comic invention, captivating performances, bright design and knock-'em-dead dance numbers,"
San Francisco Chronicle's
Robert Hurwitt offers a mostly positive review: "[I]t loses momentum at key moments, about two-thirds of the way through each of its two acts. (Jerry) Mitchell('s) given
Blonde a remarkably fluid, cinematographic incarnation that succeeds in making the musical look not only larger than life but bigger than film....Mitchell takes advantage of every opportunity to inject similarly animated production numbers, while keeping the plot and clever interchanges of
Heather Hach's faithful book crystal clear.The dynamic opening "Omigod You Guys" -- one of songwriters
Laurence O'Keefe and
Nell Benjamin's catchier tunes -- is a whirlwind of uncontainable sorority excitement...Where the composers run into trouble is with the songs that have to move the plot forward."
Assuming all the kinks of the San Francisco tryout will be worked out before hitting the Great White Way in April, Jerry Mitchell may very well have the makings of a huge hit with a built-in audience on his hands. So why do I have this nagging feeling that
Ben Brantley still won't like it?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, California, Critics' Capsule, Legally Blonde, Musical
Coming Of Age: Legally Blonde Opens In San Francisco
What's particularly noteworthy is that Tony-winning choreographer and onetime performer
Jerry Mitchell is making his directorial debut. Mitchell won his Tony for choreographing the 2004 revival of
La Cage Aux Folles, although he actually got his first Broadway break more than a quarter of a century ago as a member of the dance company in the 1980 revival of
Brigadoon.
A true Broadway Baby, Mitchell has certainly more than endeared himself to New York's theatre community, thanks in no small part to his leading role as creator of
Broadway Bares, the sexy, annual fundraising event that has raised millions of dollars for
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS since its 1992 inception.
The tryout at the
Golden Gate Theatre ends February 25, when it will head to the Big Apple. Opening night at Broadway's
Palace Theatre is currently slated for April 29.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for San Francisco tickets. Click here for Broadway tickets. Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, California, Film, Legally Blonde, Musical, Tryout
Was 13 Lucky With Critics?
Proclaiming
13 "sheer bliss" and a "celebration of the kind of teen spirit that soars rather than smells,"
Variety's
Robert Verini heaps on the most praise: "It's actually pretty refreshing to have the everyday angst of the teen years taken so seriously. If
13 leaves out the harsher realities of adolescence, the realities it does confront are resonant, nowhere more so than in Jason Robert Brown's score. A less ambitious but no less tricky assignment than his Tony-winning
Parade, songs remain true to the kids' argot and emotional core while granting aud a Broadway sound that makes us tap our toes and cheer."
Finding the show "sometimes predictable...fresh, funny and sometimes touching," the
LA Weekly's
Neal Weaver provides a mostly upbeat review: "This engaging, fast-moving musical (book by Dan Elish, songs by Jason Robert Brown), with its all-teenage cast, is all about being cool....And it provides ample opportunity for Brown’s high-spirited songs, and dances by
Michele Lynch. But it’s the terrific teenagers, singing, playing and dancing up a storm, who make it all worth while."
Saying that
13 is "like an '
Afterschool Special' staged with superlative artistry and verve," the
Los Angeles Times'
Charles McNulty offers a mixed review: "Directed by
Todd Graff...the production, hampered by a hackneyed book, features a mostly delightful teen cast that compensates for the work's obvious deficiencies....The story whitewashes experience in order to reassure us that we all see ourselves as different at some point....Brown's music, bubblegum rock performed by a live garage band perched on a platform above the action, serves mostly as a convenience for the plot-pushing lyrics. But to its credit, the canned guitar sound helps create the feeling of the pressurized cabin that Evan and his peers frenetically inhabit."
Noting how the "paper-thin story" is "more notable for its newbie-teen context -- 13 songs delivered by 13 actors, average age 13 -- than its content," Bloomberg's
Michael Janofsky laments that Brown: "has delivered a generic show long on pubescent energy but short on substance. Apart from a passing reference to
Paris Hilton and R-rated movies, it lacks any discernible links to contemporary youth culture....The joy of
13 comes from watching energized performances from so many young talents making the most of an opportunity to work under accomplished professionals like Todd Graff....It's just too bad the actors were not given more inspired material. This show will need some reality checks if it has any hope of competing on Broadway."
Will all this critical attention mean much to its target audience? Or will the $55 cost per ticket prove unlucky for 13? Other theatres nationally will no doubt be paying close attention during the weeks ahead as this show in scheduled to perform through February 18.
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Labels: 13, California, Critics' Capsule, Los Angeles, Musical
Jason Robert Brown + Mark Taper Forum = 13This afternoon marks the world premiere opening for
13,
Jason Robert Brown's new musical about teenage life in Appleton, Indiana. Boasting an all-teenage cast and band,
13 is scheduled to play the
Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center in Los Angeles through February 18.
This is an exciting development for Brown fans, who once were told by the composer that he wasn't quite sure he would write again, despite outstanding efforts on such works as
Parade -- for which he won a Tony -- and his intensely personal
The Last Five Years.
Michele Lynch, whose choreography can currently be seen on Broadway in
The Coast Of Utopia, handles the same responsibilities for
13.
We'll find out tomorrow whether Brown still has the magic touch as critics weigh-in. I'll provide a capsule on Monday.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets. Related Stories:"13" Reasons to Take in LA Theatre This Winter (May 5, 2006)
Labels: 13, California, Los Angeles, Musical, Opening Night
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #5: Kitty Carlisle Hart
Introduction: Throughout the course of 2006, I've had many incredible opportunities to see some of the best actors, singers and dancers of our time perform live on the stage. Rather than recap the best shows of the year (which I'll do at the close of the 2006-07 Theatrical Season), I'm devoting the last six days of the calendar year to those live performances that have stayed with me throughout the year.One of my favorite evenings spent this year was the one spent in August in the presence of
Kitty Carlisle Hart -- American theatre royalty if there ever was. And such a class act, too! As hard as it was to believe, there she
stood on the stage telling personal anecdotes and remembrances about some of the greatest luminaries in 20th Century American theatre including George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, among others.
Here is
what I had to say about Kitty Carlisle Hart's performance last August:
I was thrilled to be able to sit in the presence of the doyenne of Broadway society for most of the 20th Century: Kitty Carlisle Hart, an astonishing film, stage and television figure whom I’ve admired from the days of her long stint as a panelist on TV’s “To Tell the Truth” during my childhood. In the sold-out An American Icon, the nearly 96 years young Mrs. Moss Hart remains sharp as tack, graceful as American theatrical royalty and the epitome of class and sophistication. There she stood, poised on the stage of North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre for more than one hour, regaling the enthusiastic audience with an erudite cross-section of her illustrious, captivating life.
Here's a toast to you, Kitty Carlisle Hart -- and here's to many more years!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:An American Icon: Kitty Carlisle Hart (The SOB Review) - El Portal Theatre, North Hollywood, CA (August 7, 2006)
Labels: California, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Play, SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06
Can Porter's Can-Can-Do Spirit Fill Pasadena Playhouse's National Ambitions?According to
Phil Gallo of
Variety, the Left Coast's
Pasadena Playhouse is feverishly trying to cement a national reputation as the perfect home for gestating Broadway shows.
While it already counts
John Patrick Shanley's
Doubt as one of its own -- and it's looking to
Sister Act to make it a habit -- Gallo is reporting that the Pasadena Playhouse's Artistic Director
Sheldon Epps now has his eyes set on reviving
Cole Porter's
Can-Can for the Rose Bowl's hometown and beyond.
It's been 53 years since
Can-Can made its Broadway debut. The Parisian-themed musical was a rousing success in 1953 through 1955, winning Tonys for the legendary
Gwen Verdon and choreographer
Michael Kidd. The production lasted 892 regular performances at the
Shubert Theatre (the
only Broadway
revival in 1981 lasted a scant five performances).
Not only has Epps already secured the rights, along with necessary cash, to move forward with his "re-envisioning" of
Can-Can, but he's also engaged
David Lee to write its new libretto (Lee wrote 41 episodes of television's "
Frasier"). Apparently, the only thing left for Epps to do is find a second theatre willing to help launch this revival to national prominence -- something his
Sister Act production has already achieved. That current Pasadena Playhouse production, which has extended performances through December 17, is slated to transfer this January to Atlanta's
Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff, the theatre that launched
The Color Purple last year.
Rest assured I'll be following the progression of
Can-Can, along with Sheldon Epps' can-do spirit.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Sister Act tickets at Pasadena Playhouse.Click here for Sister Act tickets at Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff.Related Stories:Did Critics Think This Sister Had Its Act Together? (November 6, 2006)
Labels: California, Can-Can, Cole Porter, First Word On New Show, Los Angeles, Musical, Revival, Sister Act
Variety: Revisited Wiz A WinnerLast evening at the
La Jolla Playhouse just north of San Diego,
Des McAnuff's reimagined revival of
The Wiz opened received at least one outstanding review (as of this writing, neither the
San Diego Union Tribune or the
Los Angeles Times had posted their verdicts).
Variety's
Robert Verini gushed, "To call the La Jolla Playhouse production of
The Wiz a mere revival is to understate the accomplishment of helmer Des McAnuff and his production team. They have rethought, rescaled and reshaped an uneven musical play of historical importance but modest virtues into a joyful, stunningly entertaining circus of spectacle, soul and heart....[D]on't be surprised to see it ease on down the interstate to a hearty Gotham welcome sometime soon."
That's a great harbinger of critical and popular success. I'll have more details once more reviews are posted.
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Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Two High Flying Broadway-Bound Shows Begin Tonight (September 26, 2006)
Which Broadway Musical Will Depart Next? (August 21, 2006)
The Wiz Cast Set to Ease On Down the Road (July 25, 2006)
Labels: California, Critics' Capsule, Musical, Revival, San Diego, The Wiz
Curtains Meets the Critics Curtains, the final collaboration between musical theatre genii
John Kander and the late
Fred Ebb opened last evening at Los Angeles'
Ahmanson Theatre, and the critical reviews have begun to be filed. They're unanimous in their praise for
David Hyde Pierce's turn as Detective Frank Cioffi with many touting him as an early Tony pick.
Perhaps the best review comes with 3 1/2 stars from the
Los Angeles Daily News' Evan Henerson, who writes, "As both mystery and musical,
Curtains is hugely delightful, thanks in large part to a quite-savvy cast and the winning choreography of
Rob Ashford."
While
Los Angeles Times' Charles McNulty took issue with some aspects of the show, he clearly enjoyed the final product saying, "Consider the tuner doubly vaccinated against boredom.
Indeed,
Curtains...does what musicals rarely do anymore: entertain....[I]t has an addictive quality that makes
Curtains irresistible."
An overall upbeat
Jeff Favre of the Daily Breeze opines: "It may not be the best in the Kander and Ebb canon, but under the direction of
Scott Ellis, and with a performance by David Hyde Pierce that likely will earn him a Tony nomination when the show goes to Broadway,
Curtains harkens back to an era when musicals were meant to be nothing more than spirited fun....
Curtains echoes an era when musicals were meant simply to be fun. And there's nothing wrong with that."
On the whole, the
Orange County Register's Paul Hodgins gives a generally positive review: "[T]he star-studded Ahmanson staging is a giggly pleasure, and in its best moments -- when those razor-edged Ebb lyrics work in tandem with one of Kander's breezy, disjunct melodies --
Curtains carries a healthy hint of something greater than the present sum of its disparate parts....If an evening of hearty laughs and impressive star power is what you're after,
Curtains is the perfect product. But those who hold Ebb and
(Peter) Stone to a special standard might be disappointed."
I'll keep you posted as other reviews come in, but this is a great start for the tuner, particularly since any perceived clunky material can be smoothed over en route to an anticipated Broadway run.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Curtains (The SOB Review) – Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, Los Angeles, CA (August 10, 2006)
Curtains Set to Rise on Curtains Tonight in LA (August 9, 2006)
Curtains Pulls Advance Buzz (August 1, 2006)
Curtains' Calling on Broadway? (July 24, 2006)
Kander and Ebb's Curtains Set to Rise in LA This Summer (May 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, California, Curtains, Los Angeles, Musical, Tryout
