August To Launch Summer Tour In DenverSomehow, this little piece of
news from Sunday escaped me.
Guess I was still a little verklempt from
Patti LuPone's
showstopping performance of "Rose's Turn" to take notice (
New York Post's Michael Riedel
writes about extreme phototaking today).
But if you're looking forward to seeing a leg of the upcoming
national tour of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Play
August: Osage County, it's worth noting that the Playbill story is
already obsolete in announcing that the tour will launch in San Francisco this August.
It won't.
According to the
A:OC Web site, the August 11 - September 6 San Francisco dates at the
Curran Theatre will actually be
preceded by the official tour launch in Denver at the lovely
Ellie Caulkins Opera House on July 24.
Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play is scheduled to run there through August 8.
Casting for the tour has yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, if you're one of my readers from Down Under, it's worth noting that the
Melbourne Theatre Company will be staging its own version of
August: Osage County beginning May 23, 2009 through June 27. As far as I know, this will mark the first time the show is not being produced in association with the original Steppenwolf mounting.
Former
Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director
Robyn Nevin will star as Violet Weston. American audiences may recall that she directed
Cate Blanchett in the excellent 2005
Brooklyn Academy of Music mounting of
Hedda Gabler.
Nevin will be joined by Jane Menelaus, Robert Menzies, Deidre Rubenstein and Michael Robinson, among others. This production will be directed by Kellie Jones with
Simon Phillips serving as creative director. Take a look at the theatre company's promotional design for the show above -- they've certainly captured the essence of the play in the above artwork.
Finally, no
Chris, I have no plans to fly to Australia.
Yet.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: August Osage County, Australia, Denver, Melbourne, Play, San Francisco, Touring Production, Tracy Letts
Little Mermaid Finally Lands Opening NightNearly one month after it was originally scheduled to open on Broadway (those plans were jettisoned due to the Broadway stagehands strike),
Disney's stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid finally opens this evening at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Under
Francesca Zambello's direction, the tuner features a book by
Doug Wright, along with a score by
Alan Menken,
Howard Ashman and
Glenn Slater.
Sierra Boggess lands her first major Broadway lead as Ariel, while
Norm Lewis portrays her father King Triton.
Sherie René Scott takes on the role of King Triton's sister Ursula, and
Tituss Burgess plays Sebastian.
I caught the show last September during its out-of-town Denver tryout. While
I gave good marks to the cast, whom I believe did their best with the material they were given, I found that it lacked the requisite Disney magic.
Is it possible that all that has been turned around during its unusually lengthy period of 50 previews? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:All Of Great White Way Gleams Tonight (November 29, 2007)
Little Mermaid Opening Delayed (November 20, 2007)
Riding In On A White...Mouse? (November 16, 2007)
The Little Mermaid (The SOB Review) (September 15, 2007)
Is Little Mermaid Major Disney Misstep?(August 31, 2007)
Updated: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post (August 24, 2007)
A Tale Of Two Tryout Cities (August 23, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Francesca Zambello, Musical, Opening Night, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, The SOB Review
The Little Mermaid (The SOB Review) - Ellie Caulkins Opera House, The Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver, CO**1/2 (out of ****)When its entire considerable empire and reputation is built on
magic (heck, even
one of its cruise ships has been so christened), it's expected that everything bearing Disney's name will have a deft magic touch. But in
The Little Mermaid, Disney has allowed its good name to go adrift.
When
George Tsypin's set designs of everything from an underwater kingdom to ships sailing above to an earthly palace all resemble garishly cheap plastic pieces from a
My Little Pony revue, or when
Tatiana Noginova's costume designs look like
Julie Taymor rejects, or when
Alan Menken and
Glenn Slater's derivative tunes sound more like a bizarre hybrid of
Cabaret and
The Lion King,
The Little Mermaid swims into decidedly unenchanted waters.
Much has been made of director
Francesca Zambello's misguided decision to forego much of magic and for good reason. Instead of using either water or wires, she clearly chose to rely on the score, book and performances to capture the audiences' attention. But this
is Disney, isn't it?!
Here it must be noted that while the score was surprisingly lame (case in point: "Positoovity" comes off sounding more like a rip-off of "Hakuna Matata") with most of the high points coming directly from the original film score by Menken and
Howard Ashman,
Doug Wright's book at least propels the story into greater depths. He explores Ariel's choices and empowers her via a brave emancipation from her overprotective father. Yet there's not enough of the trademark Disney dual-edged wink and nod humor to keep it interesting for the adults. And I'm still baffled by how some of the sea creatures could be next of kin.
More importantly, the cast headed by a sweet
Sierra Boggess as Ariel the mermaid and a formidably fun
Sherie René Scott as the wicked Ursula is what provides the production its true iridescence. Thankfully, there's plenty of heart here.
Other standouts include a charming
Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, a chiseled
Norm Lewis as Ariel's father King Triton and audience favorite
Titus Burgess as Sebastian the crab. There's also a breakout star in the making as the young
J.J. Singleton steals key moments of the show as Flounder. But as Flotsam, Disney and
Altar Boyz fave
Tyler Maynard can't seem to shake the stereotypically fey roles he's perfected.
As much as most of those performances enhanced the show, along with
Stephen Mear's zippy choreography (courtesy of
Heelys),
The Little Mermaid is unfortunately bereft of one major essential element: Disney magic. When
Aida proves more interesting in the enchantment department, Zambello appears to be in over her head.
And while my Denver audience cheered enthusiastically once the would-be spectacle was over -- no doubt largely due to the top drawer cast, I can't help but believe New York audiences will leave disappointed unless Zambello seriously rethinks how to deliver the goods most Disney fans expect and demand. I know I did.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is Little Mermaid Major Disney Misstep?(August 31, 2007)
Updated: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post (August 24, 2007)
A Tale Of Two Tryout Cities (August 23, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Francesca Zambello, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, The SOB Review
UPDATED: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post Earlier today, I reported that one of Denver's two newspapers had weighed in with a review of Disney's
The Little Mermaid. It came from
Lisa Bornstein of Denver's Rocky Mountain News. Let's just say that from her vantage-point, things didn't go so swimmingly.
Bornstein provided the Broadway-bound tuner that opened last night at the
Denver Center for Performing Arts Ellie Caulkins Opera House a passing grade of B-. High marks were given to
Sierra Boggess ("spunk and sparkle") as Ariel and
Sherie René Scott as a "rivetingly wicked" Ursula, whom she says creates "an original character who pulls the first genuine laughs of the show."
Bornstein also says, "The profound and the prosaic clash uncomfortably throughout
The Little Mermaid...It's no
Lion King or even
Beauty and the Beast, but the show does have its moments of glimmering magic....Unlike other Disney fare,
The Little Mermaid remains solidly a children's show with little of the sly humor that appeals to adults."
But, and it's a
big but here, I just received
Denver Post critic
John Moore's primarily favorable three out of four star review of what he calls an "intoxicating spectacle."
Moore has acknowledged the seemingly requisite shortcomings that come with an out-of-town tryout. Yet, he praises the show for being true to the film and zeroes in on the acting:
"What's good about
Mermaid is very, very good, starting with diminutive Denver native Sierra Boggess as the animated Ariel virtually come to life. Boggess simply inhabits the headstrong, 16-year-old princess who defies her well-meaning but ill-equipped single father. Bet on it: This tiny kid's gonna be a big Broadway star....The casting is impeccable. Boggess and Scott could be destined for Tony Award nominations."
Of its Broadway readiness, Moore says, "Despite its flaws, (
Francesca) Zambello's staging would likely be a hit even if it opened tomorrow just based on audiences' sheer love for the story, and for its positive exploration of a now complex and interesting father-daughter relationship. The emotional power of the tale of a girl learning to stand on her own two feet is not only preserved but enhanced."
Look for my own SOB Review in early September after I take in one of the final performances in the Mile High City.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway). Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
Little Mermaid Begins TonightAs noted last Saturday, the out-of-town tryout for Disney's
The Little Mermaid begins this evening at the
Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
While I won't be in the Mile High City audience until September, I'm looking forward to seeing how director
Francesca Zambello's vision transports this fairy tale from the big screen to the stage.
In his
Personal Canon #98 of his top 100 movies
he thinks about when he thinks about the movies, Nathaniel R. from
The Film Experience Blog details his adoration for the silver screen treatment of "
The Little Mermaid." Nathaniel incisively points out:
"The Little Mermaid" is justly credited with reviving interest in the animated film but it's less often mentioned in discussions of the rebirth of the musical and there it also proved pivotal. In the dark ages of the movie musical (that'd be the 1980s, people) nearly every live action musical failed financially and artistically.
Say what you will about Disney (I am generally inclined to enjoy their stage productions), but they also must be credited with contributing enormously to the rebirth of the stage musical as well. No wonder I'm looking forward to my September visit to Denver.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Denver tickets.Click here for Broadway tickets.Related Stories:Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Blogs, Broadway, Denver, Film, Musical, The Film Experience Blog, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The BoardsDespite the box office mojo
Disney has enjoyed with each of its
five Broadway musicals, it hasn't received uniformly lavish praise since its stage adaptation of
The Lion King hit the boards of the
New Amsterdam Theatre an astounding ten years ago this fall.
Much has changed during that time. With few exceptions (like
Wicked) large-scale spectacles are most definitely passé, tending to create a bit of a critical backlash, even if throngs of the theatregoing public takes it in. The Tony success of
Spring Awakening,
Avenue Q and even
Jersey Boys serves to verify that point.
Against that sea change comes Disney's
The Little Mermaid, which must either swim against that tide or ride the current. As yesterday's
Variety reports, Disney is all too aware of the obstacles around which they must navigate. Indeed,
Francesca Zambello is helming this expensive ship of a production without the use of some of the magic one might have expected in the retelling of the Disney film that was instrumental in restoring the House of Mouse's animation legend. Zambello is eschewing both water and wires and apparently will rely on the book, score and performances to capture the audiences' attention.
Will the simple, yet hardly inexpensive (thanks in part to various prototypes for what ultimately became a transluscent set design), approach satisfy not only the audiences who expect nothing less than bona fide Disney magic, but also the Big Apple critics? Sight unseen, the tuner -- which opens at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on December 6 -- has already raked in an $8 million advance at the box office with virtually no advertising.
With its Denver out-of-town tryout beginning Thursday, the buzz will begin soon enough. I'll be in the audience at the
Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House for the production's second-to-last performance prior to swimming off in October to that island known as Manhattan -- I'll let you know whether this
Little Mermaid has legs.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Denver tickets.Click here for Broadway tickets.Related Stories:Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
Mermaid Casting Anything But LittleSherie René Scott is among the big Broadway names that will be attached to the upcoming stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid, which makes its debut in Denver this summer prior to heading toward the Great White Way. The tuner will make its bow on July 26 at Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; the
production's premiere gala takes place August 24.
As previously noted, Scott is by far one of the few younger actresses of the stage who I'll go out of my way to see perform live. And she possesses one of the most exquisite singing voices to be found in musical theatre today. In
The Little Mermaid, she'll take on the role of the eponymous character's nemesis Ursula (portrayed in the
1989 animated film by the incomparable
Pat Carroll). Previously announced for the title role (a/k/a Ariel) was
Sierra Boggess.
In addition to Scott, I'm thrilled that
Sean Palmer has been cast as Prince Eric. As noted in my
SOB Review and "
Curse of the Understudy, Part Two," Palmer was terrific when taking over
The Apple Tree roles originally filled by
Marc Kudisch. This former "
Sex And The City" cast member has a great singing voice and certainly offers tremendous stage presence.
Other cast members include
Norm Lewis (currently with
Les Misérables),
Tituss Burgess (
Jersey Boys),
Eddie Korbich (
The Drowsy Chaperone) and Disney favorite
Tyler Maynard (
Mary Poppins).
With songs from the original film by
Alan Menken and
Howard Ashman, along with new ones penned by Menken and
Glenn Slater, the
Francesca Zambello-helmed
Little Mermaid is set to make a splash at Broadway's
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 3; opening night is scheduled for December 6.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid
