Sure, the sophisticated Stephen Sondheim tuner had only been selling tickets through January 9, 2011, anyway. But with the celebrated replacements Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch originally scheduled only through November 7, coupled with the revival's previous plans to close last June 20, I couldn't help but hope the producers could pull a fifth and sixth rabbit out of their stylish hat in terms of its headlining cast.
Instead, the producers announced today a hat trick of another kind. While confirming the show's closure for the second time (and presumably final) time, they simultaneously announced that Peters and Stritch have extended their contracts through the closing date of January 9.
A Little Night Music will have enjoyed a remarkable Rialto run of 425 regular performances, after first wowing the critics across the pond. Trevor Nunn's production captured my heart when I first saw it nearly two years ago in London where his vision worked exceedingly well in the Menier Chocolate Factory's thimble-sized theatre.
Having seen that incarnation and knowing what to expect with Nunn's spare staging, I wasn't at all let down in quite the way many of my colleagues were by the time the show turned up on Broadway. However, I was every bit as genuinely disappointed by Catherine Zeta-Jones's brassy performance as I was genuinely moved by Angela Lansbury. Yet when Peters and Stritch took over as replacements, I couldn't help but believe I had just witnessedthe definitive portrayal of Desiree as manifested in "Send In The Clowns."
Was this a perfect revival? Certainly not. But it surely has provided audiences with a wonderfully rare opportunity to hear some of Sondheim's very best music back on the Broadway stage. And you know what? It sure was rich.
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.
Last Sunday evening while I was stilling coming down from this, Fox season premiered "The Simpsons." Now ranking as American television's all-time longest running comedy series, "The Simpsons" is now in its 22nd season.
As arguably prime time television's premier satirists, the writers for "The Simpsons" used Sunday's episode to send up Broadway in one fell swoop, thanks to Lisa Simpson and her friends. Practically faster than you can say "Great White Way," Mame,Angels In America- Perestroika (yes, Perestroika specifically), Betty Comden, Elaine Stritch and Andrew Lloyd Webber are all conjured up in a few blissful moments that any Broadway fan should appreciate.
Is it just me, or are we starting to see a true renaissance of Broadway references included in the Hollywood-branded pop culture?
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.
Talk about the difference between night and, well, Night.
What was once a rare champagne in London when I first caught Trevor Nunn's effervescent little revival of A Little Night Music at the cozy Menier Chocolate Factory had merely become just an amiable sparkling wine when it finally transferred to Broadway late last year.
Fizzy and fun, to be sure, but mass market nonetheless.
All the striations of intimacy I experienced at the Menier had seemingly been dispensed with in attempts to broaden its box office appeal as widely as possible. But given last season will best be remembered as the one in which the Great White Way was overrun with Hollywood stars, it seemed to be the price we had to pay for seeing A Little Night Music back on Broadway's boards after a 35 year absence.
The revival succeeded primarily on the backbone of the indefatigable Menier holdover Alexander Hanson (who continues to astound as Frederik Egerman) and the enormous strengths of Angela Lansbury (who miraculously made fig newtons out of figs). Say what you will about Jason Carr's spare orchestrations, David Farley's simple scenic design and Hartley T. A. Kemp's dim lighting, but I believe if you have a transcendant Desiree, any issues with them fade away. But because this revival first opened with one who was not, the problematic elements seemed to take center stage.
After a brief hiatus for the show after the departure of its two previous leads, I'm happy to report that what once was figs, is now a sumptuous feast on Broadway (and yet again for those of us fortunate enough to see the Menier production). A Little Night Music's holdover cast seems immensely more assured as they've grown tremendously into their roles since the show first opened in 2009. They exude enormous confidence even if their characters do not. And that's half the battle.
But more significantly (and blessedly), the entirely intoxicating Bernadette Peters demonstrates how richly textured and sparkling Desiree Armfeldt can ... no, should .... be.
Peters offers a spellbinding master class in highly stylized nuance that is at once completely winning, enchanting and altogether shattering. As a valiant trouper and schemer who thoroughly understands that her weekend in the country may very well prove to be her last true opportunity in finding peace within herself and love in the man she's always loved, Peters' Armfeldt has every subtle shading necessary to effectively balance Desiree's lust for life with her darkest fears. After witnessing her heartwrenching rendition of "Send In The Clowns," you can't help but contemplate, "So this is how it's done."
Assuming the mantle as Desiree's mother, Madame Armfeldt, Elaine Stritch cackles a cacophany of delight and crackles with charm, even as she sometimes cracks from the untold pressure of hastily learning her lines. While her "Liaisons" could easily be dubbed liaisons and on and on, Stritch recovers well and soldiers valiantly on, managing to effectively offer her own unique and endearing interpretation of the lady who's been with kings and seen some things that a lady ought not to see. Still, you can't help but wonder if this Madame Armfeldt had considered herself a Bohemian in her own youth.
It's impossible to walk away from this newly fermented A Little Night Music without marveling at how definitively rich and absolutely ingenious Stephen Sondheim's glorious musical truly is. Finally, with a Desiree for the ages, A Little Night Music has aged into the first-rate vintage bubbly we've been thirsting for.
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.
The week immediately following the Tony Awards often tends to be one of transitions. Often, nominated shows and/or original cast members take their final bows.
This year is no different as the just crowned Tony-winning Best Actress in a Musical Catherine Zeta-Jones and her Tony-nominated co-star Angela Lansbury offer their final performances in A Little Night Musicthis Sunday. (Leave it to my dear friend SarahB for snaring coveted house tickets to be a part of it all.)
While A Little Night Music had previously posted its closing notice when its producers seemed to have long given up on finding suitable replacements, along came a new buzz of rumors that the ultimate dream pairing in Great White Way replacements were actually in negotiations: Broadway legends Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.
Some (including me) were even swooning at the idea that they could be lured into taking over the juicy roles of Desiree and Madame Armfeldt. In particular, many were thinking Ms. Peters could finally provide the nuanced performance we'd been waiting for (click here for my SOB Review to see what I thought of the Tony winner she's replacing).
Then on June 7, theatre lovers rejoiced at the news. While the show would remain dark for three weeks commencing immediately after this Sunday's final performances by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, the musical would resume on July 13 with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. The dynamic duo are contracted through this November; however, tickets are now on sale through the first full week of 2011.
In addition to A Little Night Music, what other major shows are bringing in replacements?
Even though I wasn't a very big fan of this work, I thought Spader and Grier acquitted themselves very well, thus I find the casting of Izzard and Haysbert (in his Broadway debut) rather intriguing. But the one problemetic original cast member, Richard Thomas, somehow remains in the cast.
The big news over the last couple weeks for next to normal should have been that Alice Ripley was leaving the show for which she earned her 2009 Tony Award to tour with the production nationally and that real husband-and-wife actors Jason Danieley and Marin Mazziewill take over the roles of this show's couple beginning July 19.
Instead, a flipplant Facebook remark by Ripley rippled like an electroshock wave through the gay community. Ripley has since apologized.
When Mazzie and Danieley succeed Ripley and Brian d'Arcy James, it will be first time this married duo will ever have been in a Broadway show together. As for the once "criminally underused" d'Arcy James, he not only created next to normal's Dan Goodman Off-Broadway and came "full circle" in returning to the role as a Broadway replacement himself for J. Robert Spencer, but now he is departing to perform once again in the next show on my list.
next to normal remains an open-ended run (meaning no closing date has been posted).
Because time doesn't stand still, only three of the four original Broadway principals -- Laura Linney, Brian d'Arcy James and Eric Begosian -- will return to the production. But the fourth, Alicia Silverstone (who had also been in the world premiere mounting of the play on the West Coast) will not be joining them. She will be replaced by film actress Christina Ricci in her Broadway debut.
Time Stands Still resumes performances at the Cort on September 23 with a second opening night slated for October 7. The limited engagement is currently scheduled through January 23, 2011.
Currently, of those four shows, I already have tickets to see A Little Night Music and am contemplating a revisit to Time Stands Still. How about you? Will any of these new names lure you back to see what these replacements can do?
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.
Endgame (The SOB Review) – Harvey Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY
*** (out ****)
Admittedly, appreciation for modernist playwright Samuel Beckett’s existential body of work is an acquired taste.
But fortunately, for anyone venturing across the East River into the heart of Brooklyn to see Andrei Belgrader’s stirring and often witty revival of Endgame , they lay claim to having enjoyed nothing less than a certified must-see event.
Certainly, part of the allure is one of the year’s most impeccable casts -- including John Turturro (a natural born Hamm if there ever was one, Max Casella (who is nothing short of a revelation providing an inspired and nuanced Clov), Elaine Stritch (Hamm's mother Nell) and Alvin Epstein (one of Beckett’s foremost interpreters over the last fifty plus years as Nagg). There is no star-turn, to be sure. Instead, there's a playful patter among these wretched characters who aren't Waiting For Godot, but simply waiting for the inevitable end.
What a joy then to watch Epstein, one of Beckett's earliest Clovs, not so much chewing the scenery as gumming what little he can from his garbage-can duplex. His banter about the good old days with wife Nell is priceless, as is Stritches deadpan delivery of her line, "Nothing is funnier than unhappiness." Whether stuck in a rut, or immobilized by a trash bin existence, this creepy family underscores why every moment deserves to be lived to its fullest.
I had the good fortune to be seated next to a proud Beckett aficionado, who professed to seeing many varying productions of Endgame. Upon the final curtain, he was thrilled to tell me that this was by far the best he’d ever seen. It was a bit surprising when this psychologist asked me why I was there. He figured that I must be like him: an English lit major.
But I was there because as a theatre fan, I wanted to be tested. And certainly this theatre of the absurd is like cramming for an exam as it demands your most minute attention to every little detail to unravel Beckett's sketchy intentions, which don't come easily.
Coincidentally, that same fan informed me that one of the worst productions of Endgame he had seen was devoid of any humor, essentially something sure to make you want to slit your wrists. Fortunately, Belgrader and his superb cast mine the depths of this Beckett work in which essentially nothing happens other than the long tortuous slog toward that only other thing in life that is as certain as taxes.
But by plumbing every word with what can only be described as a natural rhythmic fashion, Belgrader's cast succeeds in finding all of its ironic humor and humanity, making this a less cumbersome trial.
Well, I finally saw your production, which, by the way, has some of my favorite Sondheim tunes, and I can tell you I was mesmerized. Your show deserves a much larger audience than it's currently attracting.
Bobby, of course, is Company's pivotal player -- literally and figuratively -- in a series of vignettes with the people in his life. Some of the chapters focus on his inability to commit to any one of his trio of girlfriends. Others center on Bobby's coupled friends, each of whom is either married, about to be married or soon to be divorced. While everyone expresses their desire for Bobby to settle down, George Furth's book explores how true emotions for Bobby actually range from envy by the men to personal lust from the women.
I was struck by the inventive and symbolic ways you isolate Bobby, played by a breathtakingly realRaúl Esparza, who sings angelically. Even the elegant simplicity of David Gallo's set design with its ingenious ice cube boxes underscores the cold reality of Bobby's isolation. Nowhere is the irony of that isolation emphasized better than in the "Side By Side By Side" number where you strike up your merry band of actor/musicians as they sing "What Would We Do Without You?" even though the beautiful music about Bobby specifically excludes him.
While many of your actors are accomplished musicians first, as evidenced via Mary Mitchell Campbell's plucky orchestrations, they create an astonishingly cohesive ensemble. Unfortunately, the one sour note comes from an unlikely source: Barbara Walsh, who in her failed effort to channel Elaine Stritch's landmark performance as Joanne, ends up just sounding flat. We know she's capable of more, but in this case, less is simply less.
Fortunately, before she can bring down the entire production, Esparza's Bobby comes to a cathartic realization empowering him to soar to spine-tingling new musical heights. While finally taking a seat at the piano, he's ready to join the human race in a way he's never before experienced. Ultimately, Esparza's finely calibrated performance helps melt his way into my heart.
What has lingered in the aftermath of seeing Company is the gnawing question of whether we can ever really measure up in the relationship department. But even more importantly, how can we possibly know if we don't ever allow ourselves the chance to be loved in the first place.
So thank you, John Doyle. And here's to you, your Company and the ladies who lunch -- I just hope that they at least take in a matinee of your show.
Have you ever purchased a ticket for a show, long in advance of the performance, only to be disappointed with the words, “In the role regularly played by [insert name here], tonight’s performance of [insert character’s name here] will be played by [insert name of understudy/standby/swing here]”? Has that frustration only been compounded knowing it was the star or one of the stars whom you specifically paid to see in the first place?
If your answers to either or both those questions were yes, I invite you to share with me the name of the show and the performers who skipped the performance. I also invite you to share what your reaction was to that news and whether you thought the understudy/standby/swing adequately measured up to your expectations of the show….that is, aside from your initial disappointment.
Why do I ask? Well, my reasons are twofold.
One is that it used to be the mark of a consummate professional if the thought of missing a performance was anathema to the actor's fundamental make-up. There is plenty of lore about very ill stars who heeded the call that “The show must go on.” Ethel Merman certainly comes to mind as one trouper who'd never miss a performance -- in fact, the great Elaine Stritch worked a vignette into her eponymous one woman show (Elaine Stritch: At Liberty) about her role as Merman’s standby during the run of Call Me Madam back in 1950. So confident was she that Merman would never let anything keep her away from performing that Stritch confidently took on a concurrent role in another show at the same time all the way up in Connecticut.
Shortly after she won her 2002 Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie, I made tracks to the very same Marquis Theatre to see her perform. I even bought a ticket for a sure-to-be-there Friday night performance. But when I arrived, she was out and her understudy was in. While I enjoyed the show, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have enjoyed it more with Foster.
Fast forward to March 2005 when I went to see Little Women. My desire to see the show was completely founded on the hope I’d be able to see Sutton Foster finally perform (OK, I also wanted to see the incomparable Maureen McGovern). But when I arrived, I learned once again that Foster was a no-show (in her defense, I later learned that she was ill). Regardless of the reason for her absence, I was underwhelmed by the show. However, when Foster was subsequently nominated for her second Tony, I couldn’t help but feel cheated in missing this rising star once more.
So it was with a bit of trepidation that I entered the Marquis Theatre on Sunday afternoon. I knew that Sutton Foster was portraying Jane Roberts/ Janet Van De Graaff and had earned a third Tony nomination for the role. So when I saw those dreaded words on the board, “In this performance, the role of Janet Van De Graaff will be portrayed by…” my heart sank. I had even joked in advance about the possibility of her being out. At the Marquis, I was told that she and Borle tied the knot and were now vacationing for two weeks in Hawaii.
The additional irony is that Foster's character in The Drowsy Chaperone is contemplating leaving the stage to marry her beau, Robert Martin. I couldn't help but wonder if that irony wasn't lost on Foster.
Now, I don’t necessarily hold Foster responsible -- I mean she did get married, after all. Yet when you’re paying good money to see a thrice Tony-nominated star only to find her away from each of the shows for which she was nominated and for which you’ve paid specifically to see her, I think you can be forgiven for starting to wonder what the deal is with her or the show or the ticketing companies.
Personally, I track sites like Playbill and Broadway.com on a daily basis, not only for the latest theatrical news, but also to ensure I’m not disappointed when I step foot into the theatre and learn that a star is out. It would have informed my decision when I purchased my ticket on June 15 if her absence had been announced or if Ticketmaster had listed key dates when Foster would be absent from the production (of course, that’s assuming that the impending Foster/Borle nuptials were already set). I certainly would have planned appropriately.
Another huge disappointment was when Nathan Lane began his serial absences from The Producers in early 2002, reportedly due to strained vocal chords. Of course, I had purchased my tickets for that show way back in May 2001 and anxiously awaited my turn in seeing the dynamic duo of Lane and Matthew Broderick. They were the reasons why I wanted to see the acclaimed show (as good as Brad Oscar was, it wasn't the same). Fortunately, in early 2004, I finally got to see the real deal Lane/Broderick team as they celebrated their triumphant return to the show.
Did Sutton Foster’s absence make me enjoy The Drowsy Chaperone any less? Well, yes, strictly from the point of view that I’ve yet to be able to see her perform. I keep hearing how great she is, but I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone with my own first-hand knowledge. Thankfully, she has an exceptional understudy in Andrea Chamberlain, who is very ably filling her shoes (my personal review will be posted soon). But will it give me pause the next time Foster’s in a show when I decided whether or not to see it? You bet.
An American Icon: Kitty Carlisle Hart (The SOB Review) - El Portal Theatre, North Hollywood, CA
***1/2 (out of ****)
As a student of history, I’ve cherished unique opportunities over the last several years to see living theatrical legends take to the stage to tell the story of Broadway from their distinct vantage points. I was struck with emotion by the naked honesty as told through the Tony-winning Elaine Stritch At Liberty. I laughed at the bawdy, yet disjointed recollections shared by Carol Channing. And I was mesmerized by the historic dancing and timeless beauty provided by Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life.
But Saturday, 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.
While she was introduced with a montage of video clips primarily culled from “To Tell the Truth,” she thankfully devoted her performance to vivid recollections of her friendship with a veritable “Who’s Who” of the Great White Way’s Golden Age: Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe, and of course, the great playwright and director whom she’d marry in 1946 until his death in 1961, Moss Hart -- and each fascinating vignette included a song or two.
Her personal anecdotes also covered her time in Hollywood, including with the Marx Brothers (she had a starring role as opera star Rosa Castaldi in their classic movie from 1935 “A Night at the Opera”). She elicited one her biggest laughs when she referred to legendary Broadway director George Abbott who lived to be 107 -- “I no longer think that’s very old,” she said.
Although the passage of time can make it difficult for those of advanced age to sing, she wowed the audience with her determination to reach for the high notes. Perhaps most touching was Mrs. Hart’s rendition of the Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson classic “September Song.” One couldn’t help but wish she was merely in the September of her life. But true to her classy form, she’s not going to let the years rob her of further opportunities to entertain -- this incredible national treasure announced that she's already slated to be back at Feinstein’s at the Regency next month to officially mark her 96th birthday, which falls on September 3.
Kitty Carlisle Hart's descriptions of her personal relationships with the legends who made Broadway such a powerful medium are testament to the amazing life she herself has led. I was honored to have the opportunity to bask in her continued glow -- I feel all the richer for the experience.
Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles Limited run extended through May 31, 2011 (Show will go on hiatus starting January 15 and reopen at Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 8)
Rock Of Ages - Open-ended run (Show will go on hiatus starting January 9 and reopen at Helen Hayes Theatre in March)
As someone who has been involved in both politics and public relations, it's no wonder I love watching theatre. Good or bad, it's the raw energy of seeing a live performance that gets my adrenaline pumping. From the moment I saw my very first Broadway show ("Annie" in London in 1979), I was hooked. Now I see as many as 70 shows each year ranging from soaring musicals to two-hander plays. And these eyes just may be in an audience near you!
A Little Less Night Music Come January
Sure, the sophisticated Stephen Sondheim tuner had only been selling tickets through January 9, 2011, anyway. But with the celebrated replacements Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch originally scheduled only through November 7, coupled with the revival's previous plans to close last June 20, I couldn't help but hope the producers could pull a fifth and sixth rabbit out of their stylish hat in terms of its headlining cast.
Race
next to normal
