Touring Productions: What's Fair And EquityThanks to Google alerts, I get theatre-related news from throughout the United States that I would never get elsewhere.
Take Alabama's
The Huntsville Times review of the current touring production of
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, in which critic Jon Busdaker eviscerates the show:
Beware. The box office is swindling hard-earned dollars from people expecting a Broadway-style show.
Keep your money close so you don't accidentally spend it on a ticket, because someone's playing the ol' "bait and switch."
I thought Busdaker was about to blow the lid off the fact that the
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that's currently masquerading as the tour of the Broadway original is not only
not directed by the Rialto production's
Jack O'Brien, nor choreographed by
Jerry Mitchell, but the tour is strictly
non-equity and directed instead by
Philip Wm. McKinley and choreographed by
Vince Pesce.
The bait is advertising the show as the legit progeny of the Broadway original and switching it with a bastardized version that doesn't even have the guts to admit its use
anywhere of a non-equity cast.
While the show leaves Huntsville this afternoon for Fort Lauderdale, I see
nothing on any of the sites suggesting that this is anything but the real deal. What's more, at the
Broward Arts Center, they are still charging $65 for the show's top ticket. Perhaps not much compared with Broadway, but in line with ticket prices for other legitimate Great White Way tour offerings across the country.
As
I've cautioned previously with the touring production of
Hairspray, it's strictly
caveat emptor. Or, if you regularly check
Actors Equity's Web site, you can see that the following tours are but pale imitations of the Broadway originals:
Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsHairsprayThe ProducersThe Wedding SingerDirty and rotten? Absolutely, especially when
they con unsuspecting audiences in each city by not telling the dirty, rotten truth upfront about these shows.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Touring Hairspray Caught In Sticky Net (April 26, 2007)
Labels: Actors Equity, Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Fort Lauderdale, Hairspray, Huntsville, Musical, Touring Production
Going: Three for ThreeIn the midst of this past Labor Day weekend, three Broadway shows concluded their runs on September third.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,
Sweeney Todd and
The Lieutenant Of Inishmore were each successful either as popular favorites or for critical acclaim.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels seemed to fit squarely into the first camp, although once
Jonathan Pryce signed-on, it seemed to catch favor with critics taking a second look. Of course, no one had anything but praise for
Norbert Leo Butz, who took home a Tony for his extraordinary efforts. Personally, I loved the show from the get-go and
ranked it among my top five shows from the 2004-05 Theatrical Season. All totaled,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels played 666 regular performances at the
Imperial Theatre.
While critically-acclaimed,
Sweeney Todd couldn't sustain public interest despite the fact that it had a superb cast (
Michael Cerveris and
Patti LuPone) throughout its 349 regular performances at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Personally, I enjoyed immensely the unique staging of this
Stephen Sondheim masterpiece in which each of the cast members did double duty as the orchestra. I was a bit disheartened that it never really caught fire as well as its failure to win the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical. Overall, with its inspired direction, wonderful orchestrations and excellent cast, I
ranked it among my top ten for the 2005-06 Theatrical Season.
Finally, the one show that closed that I didn't have an opportunity to see was the dark comedy
The Lieutenant Of Inishmore, which closed at the
Lyceum Theatre after just 142 regular performances. Despite the critical buzz, it was completely ignored on Tony night in favor of
The History Boys, which for the time being now stands as the only
play left on Broadway.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, of course, lives on and is already touring.
Sweeney Todd will soon follow. No word yet on the afterlife for
The Lieutenant Of Inishmore, but don't be surprised to see regional theatres resurrecting it for local productions.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels tour tickets.Related Stories:Lieutenant of Inishmore to Lay Down Arms September 3 (August 24, 2006)
The Latest "Dirt" From the Road (August 21, 2006)
Which Broadway Musical Will Depart Next? (August 21, 2006)
The Reckoning: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to Close in September (August 17, 2006)
Down and Dirty in Seattle (August 4, 2006)
Sweeney Todd's Close Shave: LuPone and Cerveris to Stay Put Through Thanksgiving (June 27, 2006)
Star Rising: Nicole Van Giesen (June 26, 2006)
Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (June 21, 2006)
Butz and Pryce Flee the Scene on July 16 (June 5, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Lucie Arnaz Plays Omaha Chic in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May 23, 2006)
O-Kaye Given to Temporary LuPone Replacement (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
Three Critics' Blood Pressure Soars in Reviews of The Lieutenant of Inishmore (May 4, 2006)
Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore Completes Broadway Transfer (May 3, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musical, Play, Revival, Sweeney Todd, The Lieutenant Of Inishmore
High Fidelity Tunes In To High Capacity ImperialFor all those musicals
I've described as circling the Great White Way like vultures, one has officially found its prey in the
Imperial Theatre. With previews set for November 20 and opening night on December 7,
High Fidelity (based on the
2000 film) will replace the exiting
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at this 1417 seat venue.
The
Walter Bobbie-helmed musical boasts a book by
David Lindsay-Abaire (
Rabbit Hole) and original score by
Tom Kitt and
Amanda Green. The cast includes
Will Chase (
Lennon),
Jenn Collela (
Urban Cowboy) and
Christian Anderson, among others). The show will begin its
Boston tryout next month at the Colonial Theatre.
Now that
High Fidelity has found its Broadway berth, where will
Curtains land? Although there's been considerable speculation that
Curtains was circling over the
Al Hirschfeld Theatre (current home to
The Wedding Singer), 1215 seats would seem to be much too small to successfully accommodate this unusually large production. So
I again throw out the possibility that
The Producers' days may be numbered. Time will tell.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, High Fidelity, Musical
Which Broadway Musical Will Depart Next?This is shaping up to be a major year for the Broadway musical. If you include the musicals that have already opened --
Martin Short: Fames Becomes Me and
Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway -- there are thirteen shows that have been confirmed for the 2006-07 theatrical season. Plus, there are still many more tuners circling like vultures in need of a theatre. Which raises the question: Which
current musical(s) will go the way of
Sweeney Todd and
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in seeing an early demise?
Much of the guessing has centered on
The Wedding Singer. True,
Laura Benanti's temporary departure and weekly capacities in the 60+ percent range haven't quelled the speculation, yet reports of its impending death may be greatly exaggerated. The show continues to take in a half million dollars each week, and rumors abound about upcoming cast changes. One rumor was just confirmed in the case of
Matthew Saldivar's replacement: "
American Idol" finalist
Constantine Maroulis. Still, there's no doubt that many a show would love to land at the 1215 seat
Al Hirsdhfeld Theatre.
Then there's the most celebrated musical this decade:
The Producers, which has never been quite the same after the departure of its original stars
Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick. The musical comedy attracted only 59.5% of its capacity last week. Sure, it's still taking in over $500,000 each week, but its glory days have long since passed. The question is, are its producers willing to pull the plug just yet? With 1510 seats at the
St. James Theatre, its departure could pave the way for a large-scale production to take its place.
The rest of Broadway's musicals are enjoying about 80% or better in terms of capacity so it appears very doubtful that we'll see any of them close anytime soon.
The current slate of original (non-revival) and/or transferred productions includes, in chronological order:
Announced musical revivals include:
So what's looming out there?
First and foremost, there's the last collaboration of John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains, which seems assured of a Broadway mounting this fall or early 2007. However, it is desperately in need of a large house to help producers recoup high costs associated with the production.
Without being specific, book writer Rupert Holmes has told The Journal News' Peter Kramer: "[T]his show in particular is a big show and there are only a few theaters that it can go into that will allow it to make back its investment. It's not a matter of being greedy. It's math. There are some shows where, even if you sell out, you still can't make money because of the expense of the show. that only a couple Broadway theatres are suitable." Is the 1417 seat Imperial Theatre -- being vacated by Dirty Rotten Scoundrels -- the appropriate size? Or would it require the even larger St. James?
Curtains ' show-within-a-show "Robbin' Hood" is a pre-Broadway production set at Boston's Colonial Theatre. Ironically, an actual pre-Broadway tryout is set for the very same Colonial this September with the Walter Bobbie-helmed High Fidelity, based on the film of the same name from 2000. With tunes by Tom Kitt and Amanda Green and book by David Lindsay-Abaire, High Fidelity has everything it needs in place (including cast: Will Chase, Jenn Collela and Christian Anderson, among others) except for a Broadway stage. Still, the show is still expected to land there as early as November. This appears to be a relatively small musical that wouldn't necessarily require a large house.
Less certain are adaptations of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" and Frances Hodgson Burnett's "A Little Princess." While it's previously been announced that Jill Santoriello's musical adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities had a choreographer and design team in place, it certainly won't be ready as originally promised for a October 2006 bow on Broadway. While Princesses -- with book by Bill and Cherri Steinkeller and original score by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel -- had its world premiere at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre last year, its last major movement toward a Broadway berth was its March 9 reading at New York's Dodger Stages. No word on theatres for either one.
Among revivals, a revival of The Wiz has been in the works for over three and a half years. Originally planned by Des McAnuff for a Broadway mounting in 2004, his production will finally see the light of day at the La Jolla Playhouse this September 26, but there's been no definitive word on a Broadway transfer.
There are also persistent rumors of an imminent Broadway transfer of the critically-acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factory production of Sunday in the Park With George. While the show has already closed in London, a 2007 Broadway mounting is widely considered to be a fait accompli. But again, there's no news regarding where it will land.
Certainly, as movement occurs, I'll be reporting on it. In the meantime, my anticipation is already building for many of these musicals.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musical, Sunday In The Park With George, Sweeney Todd, The Producers, The Wedding Singer
The Latest "Dirt" From the RoadNow that the Broadway mounting of
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is set for a September 3 closing, all eyes appear to be focused on the touring production that got its start earlier this month in Seattle and is now enjoying a two-week run at Los Angeles'
Pantages Theatre (next stop is just down the road in Orange Country, August 29-September 10). With actor
Norbert Leo Butz continuing his Tony-winning turn as Freddy Benson (for the first six legs of the tour), how are the critics responding?
During the tour's first stop, the
Seattle Times' critic
Misha Berson was kind overall, saying: "[T]his stage remake of the movie "
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" sports a shrewd, zesty book by
Jeffrey Lane and an equally zesty score by
David Yazbek, whose clever lyrics are almost worth the price of admission. And if you're in the mood for a rib-tickling diversion with absolutely no redeeming social value, this tuner's a hoot."
While dismissing much of the show, the
Seattle Post Intelligencer's
Joe Adcock seemed to revel in Butz's on-stage antics: "With
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, now playing at the Paramount Theatre, we're....relying on a sensational star. The show is mildly cute at best and intensely irritating at worst. But ... there's Norbert Leo Butz....an amazing comic actor."
During the tour's second leg, there has been even greater disparity among the reviews ranging from the gushing
F. Kathleen Foley of the
Los Angeles Times -- "Those who haven't had the opportunity to see it yet would be well advised to beat a path to the Pantages Theatre box office. If there were a theatrical Richter scale measuring entertainment value, this show would register a tectonic 10" -- to the Los Angeles
Daily News'
Evan Henerson's decidedly rotten review: "
Scoundrels coughs and wheezes. Why? Because, plotwise, there genuinely is no earthly reason to be interested....A discerning audience shouldn't be buying."
Much of what Henerson had to say seems to be a rehash of the original review by
The New York Times' Brantley. At least I'll say this for Brantley --
when he went back to re-review the show after
Jonathan Pryce entered the tuner, he seemed to experience an epiphany. A return visit clearly didn't do the same for Henerson, who claimed to have seen the pre-Broadway run in San Diego: "Compared to the
Scoundrels (with Butz and [
John] Lithgow) I first caught two years ago in San Diego, this show feels perfunctory. A wicked black sensibility I could stomach gratefully. By-the-numbers diffidence is another matter."
One can only wonder what the critics will have to say after Butz take his final bow in Dallas in October.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Reckoning: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to Close in September (August 17, 2006)
Down and Dirty in Seattle (August 4, 2006)
Star Rising: Nicole Van Giesen (June 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Film, Musical, Touring Production
The Reckoning: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to Close in SeptemberBrace yourself for lots of stories proclaiming, "It was a ball, it was a blast, it's a shame it couldn't last" with the announcement today that
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels simply couldn't last on Broadway without
Norbert Leo Butz. While Butz is currently helping the
touring production produce great big laughs in Los Angeles, the Great White Way version is set to close shop on September 3 after 666 regular performances.
I was really fortunate to see this hilarious Broadway show with its original cast just a couple days after it opened last year, and as I've mentioned in earlier postings, I even made the return trip to the
Imperial Theatre to catch
Jonathan Pryce in his deliciously devious take on Lawrence Jameson.
But I also confess that as infinitely inspired as I found Pryce's casting, I was conversely disappointed that
Keith Carradine and
Brian d'Arcy James supplanted Butz and Pryce in the two key male roles. I have nothing against either of them -- I know how celebrated Carradine was in 1991's
The Will Rogers Follies, and I truly enjoyed d'Arcy James' loutish portrayal of Sidney in the all-too-short-lived
Sweet Smell of Success (2002). But I could never wrap my mind around them -- particularly Carradine -- in
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
It appears that I'm not alone. Since the departure of Butz and Pryce, the weekly box office grosses have slumped to the 60+ percent range, although it did bump up to 70.8% this past week. Still, with many hotly anticipated Broadway-bound musicals still searching for a home, the decision apparently has been made to pull the plug early, and that can only benefit the tuner's touring production. However, it should be noted that Butz will pull out of that tour after its October 22 performance in Dallas.
So what's next for the 1,417 seat Imperial Theatre? Could it be the perfect home for a fall debut of
Curtains? Stay tuned!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Broadway tickets.Click here for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels tour and ticket information.Related Stories:Down and Dirty in Seattle (August 4, 2006)
Star Rising: Nicole Van Giesen (June 26, 2006)
Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (June 21, 2006)
Butz and Pryce Flee the Scene on July 16 (June 5, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 24, 2006)
Lucie Arnaz Plays Omaha Chic in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Film, Musical, Touring Production
Down and Dirty in SeattleAt long last, the touring production of the hit Broadway musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels begins tonight at
Seattle's Paramount Theatre, complete with
Norbert Leo Butz reprising his celebrated Tony Award-winning portrayal of con man Freddy Benson. The show will be in the Emerald City through August 12 before heading next to Los Angeles'
Pantages Theatre.
Butz is scheduled to be with the tour during its first six stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, Tempe, Houston and Dallas. When the show lands in Columbus,
Timothy Gulan will take over the role of Freddy.
Stepping into the touring role of Benson's mentor Lawrence Jamison -- originally created by
John Lithgow -- is
Tom Hewitt.
Laura Marie Duncan will fill the role of "soap queen" Christine Colgate, which was created by the effervescent
Sherie René Scott; Duncan dutifully served as Scott's understudy on Broadway.
Despite the initial mixed reviews this
David Yazbek tuner received when it debuted on Broadway in the spring of 2005, it ultimately became an audience favorite thanks to the groundswell of positive word-of-mouth along with Butz's star-making turn.
Few Broadway shows have elicited the kind of belly laughs from me as much as
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; in fact, I made sure that I saw this wildly raucous, funny musical for a second time when
Jonathan Pryce made his heralded return to Broadway earlier this year when he replaced Lithgow. Fortunately, many of the critics took a second look and came away with dramatically better reviews and a newfound appreciation for the show.
I'll be anxious to see whether the positive buzz continues to build for this truly hilarious musical as it winds its way throughout the United States.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Star Rising: Nicole Van Giesen (June 26, 2006)
Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (June 21, 2006)
Butz and Pryce Flee the Scene on July 16 (June 5, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 24, 2006)
Lucie Arnaz Plays Omaha Chic in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musical, Opening Night, Touring Production
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
Star Rising: Nicole Van GiesenIf you've never heard of Nicole Van Giesen, you're probably not alone. But she's quite the delectable discovery when you've seen her act and sing.
I was first introduced to this gorgeous actress when I caught her in
The Last Five Years three years back in Philadelphia. Portraying Cathy, Van Giesen gave such an enormously touching and believable performance that I decided that I'd continue to scan cast lists so that I could see her again.
It's taken nearly three years, but alas, her name is now included among those in the touring company of
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which begins performances in Seattle just a little more than a month away. Although I don't know for certain which role she'll portray, something tells me that she's likely to serve as the understudy for the Christine Colgate role originated on Broadway by Sherie René Scott. After all, Van Giesen -- who was last seen on Broadway back in 2000 in
The Wild Party (as an understudy) and
Cabaret (as a replacement player in the role of Frenchie) -- was Scott's understudy in the Off-Broadway production of
The Last Five Years and then went on to take the lead once the show hit Philly. Rest assured, this talented actress can hit all the right notes.
When
The Last Five Years ran in Philadelphia,
Inquirer Theatre Critic Douglas J. Keating raved about this charming actress, glowing "Van Giesen is superb. She makes the songs for Cathy appear so natural to her character that she seems to have written them herself." Amen. Hopefully, audiences for
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will have an opportunity to see her in the spotlight where she belongs.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for ticket information for the touring production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.Related Stories:Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (June 21, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 24, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musical, The Last Five Years, Touring Production
Great Scott...She's Back! Sherie René Scott Returns to Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsAfter four months away from Broadway's funniest comedy today, Sherie René Scott returned to
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last evening in the role of Christine Colgate. Scott had been temporarily replaced by the sensational Rachel York while she took a brief sojourn to Signature Theatre Company's critically-acclaimed production of John Guare's
Landscape of the Body Off-Broadway.
Scott will enjoy a few more weeks with original castmates Norbert Leo Butz and Gregory Jbara, as well as the more recent addition of Jonathan Pryce, before each of them bids the production a fond farewell. Scott is one of my personal favorite musical stage performers today. I first caught Scott as Amneris in the recent Broadway production of
Aida. Scott nearly stole the show with her proudly flamboyant strut in the number "My Strongest Suit." She subsequently soared in the two-handed musical
The Last Five Years (also with Butz) and was Tony nominated for the role to which she now returns.
If there was ever a time to see
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with the final
Broadway performances by Tony winner Butz -- who heads out on the road soon -- and key original cast members intact, this would be it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Butz of Dirty Jokes Around the Nation (June 9, 2006)
Butz and Pryce Flee the Scene on July 16 (June 5, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Lucie Arnaz Plays Omaha Chic in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Aida, Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musica, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott, The Last Five Years
Casting Call (Week Ending June 7, 2006)
As we near the Sunday finish-line for the 2005-06 Theatrical Season with the 60th Annual Tony Awards, many in the theatrical world no doubt have their sights set on next year’s plethora of award opportunities as more productions have announced casting. While I’ve already described the stellar leading roles for the upcoming revival of
Les Misérables, several other exciting casting decisions have been announced both on and Off-Broadway, as well as far away from the Great White Way.
Some
previous casting decisions that are now opening include celebrated actress Tovah Feldshuh, who begins her reign tonight as the irrepressible Dolly Levi in New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse production of the Jerry Herman musical
Helly Dolly! Feldshuh, of course, delivered a breathtaking, bravura performance as Golda Meir in
Golda’s Balcony back in the 2003-04 Broadway season. In Los Angeles, Laurence Fishburne opens this Sunday in Alfred Uhry’s new play
Without Walls at the Mark Taper Forum. And of course, the very busy Jill Clayburgh began her run last night in Keith Bunin’s
The Busy World is Hushed at Playwrights Horizon in New York.
Speaking of Playwrights Horizons, Sigourney Weaver has now been announced for the lead role in its world premiere production of A.R. Gurney’s
Crazy Mary….Keith Carradine reportedly will take the place of Jonathan Pryce’s Lawrence Jameson while Brian d'Arcy James will takeover Norbert Leo Butz's Freddy Benson this July in the deliciously decadent Broadway production of
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Imperial Theatre; Richard Kind will assume the role of Andre from Gregory Jbara….Brothers Adam and Matthew Arkin will team up with Jan Maxwell and Michele Pawk in the Jerry Zaks-helmed comedy
Losing Louie at Broadway’s Biltmore Theatre in September….Kathy Bates, Jane Fonda, Marcia Gay Harden, and Marian Seldes are among those participating in a June 12 benefit performance of
Necessary Targets by Eve Ensler for Until the Violence Stops: NYC, New York at Studio 54....the brilliant Rebecca Luker will assume the role of Mrs. Banks in the Broadway mounting of
Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theatre….and finally, a Nathan Lane-less Matthew Broderick will team up again with playwright Kenneth Lonergan in the supposedly Broadway-bound
The Starry Messenger come January at San Diego’s venerable Old Globe.
I’ll keep you posted on other exciting casting news in the weeks ahead.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Hello Dolly! tickets.
Click here for Without Walls tickets.
Click here for The Busy World Is Hushed tickets.Click here for Necessary Targets tickets.
Related Stories:
Casting Call (Week Ending May 21, 2006) (May 21, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Crazy Mary, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Golda's Balcony, Hello Dolly, Les Miserables, Losing Louie, Mary Poppins, Off-Broadway
Butz and Pryce Flee the Scene on July 16 Bittersweet news has been announced regarding the future of one of the flat-out funniest Broadway shows around. Word comes this afternoon that Norbert Leo Butz and Jonathan Pryce will depart
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels effective July 16. The hilarious pairing of Butz and Pryce has been, well, priceless and garnered
praise from critics like The New York Times' Ben Brantley, who had previously been left unimpressed (with the notable exception of Butz).
With replacement casting yet to be announced, there's no denying that the departure of Tony-winner Butz could spell a similar type of box-office slide that
The Producers experienced after Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick left (last week,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels played to 71.4% capacity with an average ticket price of $69.28). Butz is an incredibly gifted actor with a superb singing voice and excellent comic timing, and he has placed an indelible stamp on the character of Freddy Benson. Similarly, he was the best part about the touring company of
Cabaret I saw back in 2000, and I've made a point of trying to see him in every show he's been in since. But the loss of the multi-talented Pryce will also be staggering.
Meanwhile, the touring company of
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is gearing up for its debut in Seattle this August, but don't expect either Butz or Pryce to recreate their roles.
With Butz and Pryce, "It was a trip, it was a ball, it was a kick, I loved it all!"
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Lucie Arnaz Plays Omaha Chic in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Musical, The Producers, Touring Production
Touring Productions: What's Fair And Equity
