Memory Of Two AnniversariesToday marks a major milestone for Steve On Broadway (SOB). I’m celebrating an anniversary! (Make that two, to be precise!)
Exactly 25 years ago today, I set foot for my very first time into a Great White Way house to see a Broadway show. It was
Cats’ matinee performance on the afternoon of Saturday, June 8, 1985. And what a lasting “Memory” it remains.
By that time, I was still a relatively recent college graduate living in Wausau, Wisconsin, of all places, with a decent career-oriented job. I was making more money than I thought possible -- a mere $17,000 per year! -- and it seemed like I was finally earning enough to do something truly special and memorable for my beloved parents, who were living in suburban Milwaukee at the time.
As a wedding anniversary gift, I decided to do something completely different -- something
extravagant -- not because they were marking a milestone of their own (it was their 28th year together), but just because I felt I finally could.
Because my mother had never previously visited New York City and my father had last visited when he was just a child, the idea of sending them there for their wedding anniversary seemed like a natural, especially with so many sightseeing and entertainment options from which to choose. So I told them to reserve the weekend of their anniversary because I was sending them packing to the Big Apple.
Not only did I have a friend who was able to get them tickets to see the “Phil Donahue Show,” but as it turned out, my mother’s best friend’s niece
Anna McNeely (pictured) was in the cast of
Cats. As Broadway’s original Jennyanydots, Anna was still in the production nearly three years into its Tony Award-winning
Winter Garden run.
My mother got in touch with Anna, who graciously made arrangements to provide my parents with house seats for the Saturday (June 8) matinee performance. My mom was thrilled and couldn’t wait to tell me.
Within seconds, my reaction went from expressing “How cool!” to thinking, “Wait a minute! Maybe
I could fly to New York and surprise my parents and see the show, too.”
So I contacted my mother’s best friend, made her my accomplice in telling her what I had in mind. In turn, she provided me with Anna’s telephone number. Then I called Anna with details of my plan and asked if she’d be able to arrange a house seat for me, too. Not only was she up to becoming my co-conspirator, but she was sure to nab a seat right next to my parents for me. And her lips remained sealed, even after making subsequent arrangements with my parents to meet up for a bite to eat after the performance.
Once in New York, my parents navigated their way through everything from
42nd Street to a
hotel workers strike, although
their hotel still managed to deliver the flowers I had sent to mark their anniversary as a ruse.
On that magical Saturday afternoon, I planned my entry carefully. I had flown in the night before and stayed with a friend, but I could hardly contain my excitement, not only in finally seeing a real-live Broadway show, but especially in pulling off this parental surprise.
Because I knew my mom and dad would be very punctual and arrive well before the show started, I arrived at the Winter Garden with enough time to have the initial shock of my “Broadway entrance” fade a little bit before
Cats actually began.
When I arrived at the designated row, my parents were about halfway down. My mom looked up and saw me coming down toward their seats. I could see the light bulb of recognition turn on and almost immediately transform into one of complete shock. The two of them were virtually speechless, even after we hugged and kissed. The moment was truly enchanting for all three of us. And as the house lights came down for the beginning of
Cats, I can still vividly recall the gentle hand of my mother's clutching mine in a wonderful mix of excitement and loving tenderness.
This being my very first Broadway show on Broadway itself, I found myself mesmerized by the stagecraft that went into everything from the set design to the costumes. I was also impressed by the individual performances, including Anna's turn in "The Old Gumbie Cat." And I was also thrilled by my recognition of Grizabella’s “Memory.” While it was no longer being performed by
Betty Buckley, it was a stirring piece of theatre nevertheless.
After the performance concluded, we met Anna at the appointed stage door (another first) and walked down 7th Avenue to a little restaurant she had in mind for a nice, light dinner. En route to the restaurant, we walked right by
Matthew Broderick, whom I knew from "
War Games," but didn't have a clue he was appearing then on Broadway as Eugene Jerome in
Biloxi Blues. I found myself starstruck, and it only added to the overall experience of feeling like we were really taking a huge healthy bite out of the Big Apple.
Once our delightful early meal was over, Anna excused herself to get back to the theatre, and I walked my parents back to their hotel and said my own goodbyes before heading back to La Guardia to fly home.
But with my first Broadway experience coupled with pulling off my special surprise for two of my favorite people on earth, I left New York feeling like the cat who ate the canary. What a “Memory.”
I don't know if I ever adequately thanked Anna McNeely for being my partner in crime 25 years ago today, but Anna, if you're reading this ... I thank you
now and forever for making June 8 1985 so incredibly special, as well as for "introducing" me to Broadway!
Happy (53rd) Anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you both.
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: Anna McNeely, Anniversary, Broadway, Cats, First Time, Musical, My Parents, Special Messages
Les Mis Revival Nears End Of The DayIt may be the
longest running musical in the history of London's West End -- achieving that feat on October 8 with 8,732 performances over the last 21 years -- but the current Broadway revival of
Les Misérables will close on January 6, 2008 after 479 regular performances.
Not bad, considering that the revival was originally slated to run as a six-month limited engagement, but was extended more than once. But it is slightly baffling, given that the box office grosses just over a week ago were still pretty solid with the showing selling to 92.5% of capacity, although the average ticket price was just below $65.
The
original Broadway version enjoyed 6,680 performances that stretched from March 12, 1987 all the way to May 18, 2003. After the revival opened,
there was considerable carping that the revival merely copied the original staging.
Although the revival's casting initially appealed to me, to be honest, I never did get around to seeing the revival since I found the original to be so overwrought. It ranks right behind
Cats -- another overproduced longtime box office champ from
Cameron Mackintosh --
on my personal least-liked musicals of all time. But clearly, with its worldwide success, I'm in a small minority.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Critics: Les Misérables Round Two (November 10, 2006)
The Turntable Spins Again: Les Misérables Revival Opens On Broadway (November 9, 2006)
Apple Tree In Good Company Among SOB Readers (November 6, 2006)
Casting Call (Week Ending June 7, 2006) (June 7, 2006)
Les Misérables' Broadway Revival to Boast Must-See Cast (June 5, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Cameron Mackintosh, Cats, Closing Notices, Les Miserables, London, Musical, Revival
Phantom Sequel: So Much For Writing On Otto-Pilot?Did you hear the one about
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
cat destroying his entire score to the sequel of
The Phantom Of The Opera? There's no punch line, but that hasn't stopped the, ahem, catterati over the possibly exaggerated antics of
Otto the cat (pictured)
here,
here and
here.
You may have thought the cat had my tongue in not writing about this earlier, but alas,
Webber's spokesperson Peter Brown has subsequently stated that there really isn't a there there: "It was nothing significant...It was said in jest.''
I'm certainly glad I refrained from making catty comments that could only come back to haunt me.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Phantom Of The Opera tickets.Related Stories:The Phantom Of Manhattan? (March 12, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Blogs, Cats, Otto, Sequel, The Phantom Of The Opera
The Phantom Of Manhattan?It looks like the world will have another phantom to kick around. That’s right, just as
I raised that specter a few weeks ago,
Andrew Lloyd Webber is now officially set to resume writing a sequel to Broadway’s longest running show,
The Phantom Of The Opera.
According to Sir ALW himself, the action will move from Paris to Gotham City. Maybe instead of a plummeting chandelier, he’ll simulate a drop of the New Year’s Eve ball.
Years ago, the knight was collaborating with
Frederick Forsyth on a sequel. But after that effort failed, Forsyth published a novel called “
The Phantom Of Manhattan.” No word on whether the new stage sequel will be based on said book.
The Phantom Of The Opera is perhaps the last of a certain dying breed of European mega-musicals where spectacle and song thrill audiences the world over. I remember seeing the original London production back in what seems a lifetime ago, and I even admit that I enjoyed it, despite having undoubtedly the worst seat in the house.
But I hardly consider
Phantom to be Lloyd Webber’s best work. Personally, my favorite from his canon is
Evita. I also much prefer both
Jesus Christ Superstar and
Sunset Boulevard over
Phantom. Still,
Phantom is much better than
Starlight Express or my least favorite of his, the interminable
Cats.
While
Chris Caggiano reminds us that there have indeed been decent sequels to big, beloved musicals, it’s hard to believe the odds favor lightning striking twice on something so universally loved (or reviled) as
The Phantom Of The Opera. When I put my SOB Poll question -- “Do you think Andrew Lloyd Webber should move forward with a stage sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera?” -- to you just a couple weeks ago, the overwhelming majority (85.7%) of you voted thumbs down.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether Sir Andrew can triumph again. You can bet I’ll be watching developments closely.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
SOB Readers Produce Results For Pulling Plug (November 7, 2006)
Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sequel, SOB Poll, Starlight Express, The Phantom Of The Opera
Will It Play in Peoria? How About Iowa?Going all the way back to the days of vaudeville circuits, a common refrain to measure broad-based success -- particularly among podunk* towns -- was to ask, "
Will it play in Peoria?" With today's broad communications ranging from television to Internet to, yes, the touring companies of Broadway shows, our world is smaller than ever. Yet, I profess to being surprised whenever I learn just how broad-based the appeal of Broadway actually is.
Fast forward to this past Saturday and a mere 209 miles north-northwest of Peoria, Illinois to the quaint small town Decorah, Iowa, where I attended a good old-fashioned farm-family wedding. Much to my pleasant surprise, my dinner table discussion drifted to which Broadway shows were worth seeing -- and no, I did
not initiate the topic!
Now, it should be noted that there is an interesting pedigree on the young groom's side of the family.
First, his great-great uncle was writer Philip Stong, who penned the best-selling, Iowa-based "State Fair" novel from 1932.
"State Fair" was such a proven success that it became the basis for a top movie in 1933 with
Janet Gaynor,
Will Rogers and
Lew Ayres; the film earned two Academy Award nominations including for Best Picture.
Then in 1945, to capitalize on the unparalleled success that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II enjoyed through
Oklahoma!, "State Fair" was translated into a movie musical in 1945, starring
Jeanne Crain,
Dana Andrews,
Dick Haymes and
Vivian Blaine; that silver screen version won Rodgers and Hammerstein their first Academy Award for Best Original Song, "It Might as Well Be Spring." (My mother, who's
completely unrelated to the aforementioned farm family, once told me that this was the very first movie she ever saw, and she remembers it fondly.)
In 1962, a remake of
"State Fair" landed at cinemas across the country with
Pat Boone,
Bobby Darin and
Ann-Margret. And finally, in 1996, a Broadway incarnation of
State Fair finally blossomed with John Davidson, Kathryn Crosby (wife of the late Bing Crosby), Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie. While the tuner received two Tony nominations -- including, incredibly enough, for Rodgers and Hammerstein in the Best Original Score category despite the fact that the music was not specifically written for the stage -- the show was no match for the season's light-years-ahead contemporary
Rent.
State Fair closed after a mere 110 performances at the Music Box Theatre.
Another part of the groom's interesting pedigree is his grandmother. She's the modern-day folk hero Norma "Duffy" Lyon, who's perhaps better known as
The Butter Cow Lady for making life-sized sculptures out of butter for nearly 50 years at the very same Iowa State Fair mentioned above. Not only has she been featured on NBC's
"Today" show and
David Letterman, but she was also on
"To Tell The Truth." It was during that appearance some 40 years ago that regular guest panelist
Kitty Carlisle Hart correctly guessed who she was after asking, "Which type of cow is the only one to have brown eyes?" Duffy Lyon answered, "Jerseys."
So with a "six degrees of separation" scenario dancing in my head, I shouldn't have been taken aback that there would be such genuine interest in theatre
even in Iowa, despite the crowd and locale. We talked at length about
Cats (with the exception of one lone
Cats lover, the show was universally panned by this unlikedly group of critics),
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (my seat mate told me how she had gone to Broadway to see
Mamma Mia! only to find it sold-out, so she took the recommendation of a friend and saw the show with
Norbert Leo Butz and
John Lithgow instead and
loved it), and invariably
Wicked and
Rent.
Most telling was when my seat mate told me how addictive she found live theatre and how each performance she takes in makes her want to go see yet another show. If there's this much enthusiasm for the art of theatrical performances in small town, "fly-over" country, Broadway producers should be able to sleep a little easier knowing that there is a such vast market for what they do that movies and television can never take away.
As for the old line, "Will it play in Peoria?" The answer appears to be a resounding, "Yes!"
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
* The etymology of Podunk actually comes from the name of a small village in Massachusetts as well as a locality in Connecticut.Labels: Broadway, Cats, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Mamma Mia, Musical, Oklahoma, Rent, Special Messages, State Fair
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06Over the past twelve months, I’ve seen several truly excellent productions, the best of which stay with me even today. But remarkably, like a bad song you simply can’t get out of your head, the shows I liked the least still haunt me, too.
As previously noted, the vast majority of the 54 stage productions I’ve seen during the 2005-06 theatrical season were at least enjoyable, if not inspiring and thought-provoking. However, there were more than a handful that I felt fell far short of the mark, some with little or no redeeming value. Of course, this is all in the eye of the beholder. You may vehemently disagree or wonder whether I even have a clue as to what is artistic and what is not. But since my goal in life is to enjoy it rather than simply being a dilettante, I’m going to tell it like I see it by naming the five productions that I enjoyed less than any others.
5 – Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL)
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hackneyed production
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat unfortunately seems to enjoy more dreaded lives than
Cats, continually resurfacing in touring production after touring production. This version -- with the buff Patrick Cassidy in the lead role -- didn’t seem to know whether it wanted to be played straight or as camp. It also contained the season's worst case of deliberate child exploitation, using local school children for an onstage chorus interacting with the show's “American Idol” narrator, no doubt to ensnare their families and friends to fill up the theatre.
4 – Koogoomanooki (Sandbox Theatre, Minneapolis, MN)
It’s a fact that some people sell their souls to get to the top of the corporate ladder, but this ridiculous, one-dimensional play about character Gil Salvatore’s date with professional destiny by playwright Ryan Hill sorely lacked any nuance or soul. This is ironic since Hill’s poorly conveyed message appeared to be that we must be true to ourselves rather than any “fat cat,” which was literally on display. I’ve always enjoyed the talent of actor Nathan Surprenant, who here played a co-worker left behind on a lower rung of the ladder. But even he couldn’t save this mind-numbing production from itself.
3 – Grand Hotel (Drury Lane Water Tower Place, Chicago, IL)
Everything I’d previously heard about this musical during its 1990 Broadway incarnation was extremely positive. After all, a Tony Award-winning show with Jane Krakowski and the late Michael Jeter couldn’t be all bad. Unfortunately for Chicago audiences, the talent on view was nowhere near as grand as that assembled on the Great White Way. This version, with overacting, poor choreography and terrible sound quality, seemed better suited for a third-rate dinner theatre.
2 – Loving Repeating, A Musical of Gertrude Stein (About Face Theatre, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL)
What can can I say say? What, what can I, can I, say, say, say? Say, say, say, “Cow!” No, what you’ve just read are not typos, nor are they the ravings of a mad man. Instead, it’s the repetitive style ad nauseum of relentless dialogue exhibited from start to finish in the tedious production helmed by Frank Galati. Despite the actors giving it their all, a surprisingly beautiful score by composer Stephen Flaherty, and Galati’s own personal abiding love for his source material – which I confess to finding downright condescending – it just wasn’t enough to make a broader audience appreciate Stein’s work that tries to milk sexual innuendo from all things bovine.
1 – After The Quake (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL)
As you’ll eventually see when I tally up my favorite productions of the year, Steppenwolf Theatre packs one of the most consistent emotional and satisfying punches anywhere. I saw virtually every one of their shows during the past year (and, in fact, I proudly serve on their Auxiliary Council Board of Governors). With that in mind, it pains me to report that the play I enjoyed least throughout the entire year was its production of
After The Quake. I’m not sure if director Frank Galati and I are simply on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of personal tastes (see above with
Loving Repeating), but it seems very curious that he could have directed the very two shows of the last year I disliked most. I harbor no ill-will toward Galati; in fact, I enjoyed his Broadway direction of
Ragtime in the 90s and recognize that he has enjoyed Tony Award-winning success with
The Grapes of Wrath in 1990. While this odd story about the emotional distresses manifested by the Kobe, Japan earthquakes could have packed a jolting wallop, instead it was severely limited by incredibly stilted acting, nonsensical dialogue and a mysterious green frog. All I could do was scratch my head mystified by what was passing for riveting imagery. Yes, it was completely lost on me. Forgive me, Martha Lavey!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: After The Quake, Cats, Frank Galati, Grand Hotel, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Koogoomanooki, Loving Repeating, Martha Lavey, SOB's Worst of 2005-06, Steppenwolf, Touring Production
