How To Succeed In 2011We can now move a show from the "
Definitely Maybe" column over to the "
Confirmed" side among Broadway shows planned for the 2010-11 Theatrical Season.
Yesterday, the producers of the new revival of
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying announced that the musical would begin previews at the
Al Hirschfeld Theatre on February 26 and open March 27. As far away as those dates are, tickets will go on sale
today to American Express cardholders.
Rob Ashford will direct and choreograph this second Broadway revival of
Frank Loesser's nearly 49 year old tuner. This production is particularly noteworthy because
Daniel Radcliffe will make his Main Stem musical debut.
The original
1961 musical not only earned Loesser and
Abe Burrows (book) the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but also that year's Tony Award for Best Musical. Additional
How To Succeed did just that by earning six other Tonys including for
Robert Morse (Best Actor) as J. Pierrepont Finch and
Charles Nelson Reilly (Best Featured Actor) as Bud Frump. The illustrious cast also featured
Rudy Vallee and very young
Donna McKechnie in her Broadway debut. The production closed at the
46th Street Theatre (later renamed the Richard Rodgers Theatre) on March 6, 1965, after 1,417 performances.
Just over 30 years later, on March 23, 1995, the very
first Great White Way revival would open at the same, albeit renamed, theatre as the original.
Matthew Broderick, who was born six months into the original production's run, would win the show's sole Tony for his portrayal of Finch. Other notable castmembers included
Megan Mullally,
Victoria Clark and
Lillias White. That production would last 548 performances before closing on July 14, 1996.
When Ashford's latest arrival opens nearly 15 years to the day after the last revival did, will its J. Pierrepont Finch make it three for three in winning a Tony for that role? If Radcliffe can sing and dance, he may just be in it to win.
Talk about succeeding on Broadway, but I'll bet no one will accuse him of not trying.
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: Broadway, Daniel Radcliffe, First Word On New Show, Frank Loesser, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Musical, Revival, Rob Ashford
SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #19 - Guys And Dolls (2005, Piccadilly Theatre, London, United Kingdom)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties. After this year's
lackluster Broadway revival, don't believe for a minute the prevailing theory out there that no new incarnation of
Frank Loesser's beloved
Guys And Dolls could ever top the Great White Way’s celebrated
1992 incarnation. Unfortunately for Broadway audiences, that superior sexy
mounting from
Michael Grandage in London never materialized stateside
as planned.
By the time I saw this West End hit,
Guys And Dolls already ranked as one of my all-time favorite tuners. Yet never before had I been so thoroughly captivated by Loesser's inherent wit, charm and music as much as I was via Grandage’s sparkling staging. Certainly, the star power of
Ewan McGregor further illuminated his stellar take on Sky Masterson, complete with Brooklyn accent and heavenly singing voice.
Thanks to
Rob Ashford’s enthralling choreography, McGregor also demonstrated a charismatic gift for dance as well. As the token American in the production,
Jane Krakowski was delightfully ditzy and charming as Miss Adelaide. British thespians
Douglas Hodge (soon to make his Broadway debut in
La Cage Aux Folles ) and
Jenna Russell worked magic as Nathan Detroit and Sarah Brown, respectively. The four actors together transformed Grandage’s exhilaratingly fresh take into something truly enchanting.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for this performance.Labels: Douglas Hodge, Ewan McGregor, Frank Loesser, Guys And Dolls, Jane Kraskowski, Jenna Russell, London, Michael Grandage, Musical, Revival, Rob Ashford, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties
38 Down, One To Go (Plus One)Even if I wasn't so enamored by the current revival of
Guys And Dolls, it did afford me the opportunity of crossing another Broadway theatre off my list. Thirty-eight down,
one more to go ... if you don't count that
"new" theatre coming to a Broadway near you in September.
It may be heresy to other theatre lovers, but up until seeing
Guys And Dolls during one of its last previews prior to opening, I had never set foot inside the wonderfully restored
Nederlander Theatre (pictured here, photo by Matthew Blank). That's right, I never saw its previous occupant
Rent there, even though it squatted at the Nederlander through 5,123 performances. Fear not,
Rent-heads, I actually took in the very first "Angel" touring company of
Rent during its initial stint in Boston (way back in 1996), as well as a later tour of St. Paul (2000).
Which of Broadway's current 39 theatrical venues have I visited the most? That would be the
Booth Theatre -- home to countless prestige shows and arguably the Great White Way's most uncomfortable seats -- beginning with the 1992 revival of
The Most Happy Fella and as recently as its current occupant,
next to normal. Which brings me full circle:
Frank Loesser wrote the scores to both
Guys And Dolls and
The Most Happy Fella , while
Michael Greif directed both
Rent and
next to normal.
So, dear readers, how many Broadway theatres have you visited? And do you think I should just bite the bullet and finally see that
last remaining show (even though I
have seen it in London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas) to round out my overall Rialto experience?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Booth Theatre, Broadway, Broadway Venues, Frank Loesser, Guys And Dolls, Michael Greif, Nederlander Theatre, Next To Normal, Rent, The Most Happy Fella
Guys And Dolls (The SOB Review) – Nederlan-der Theatre, New York, New York
*1/2 (out of ****)Don't believe for a minute the prevailing theory out there that no new revival of
Frank Loesser's beloved
Guys And Dolls could ever top Broadway’s celebrated
1992 incarnation. Unfortunately,
that superior sexy
mounting from
Michael Grandage in London never materialized stateside
as planned.
Instead, we're stuck with
Des McAnuff’s impossibly dull and benign production of the classic story of how gambling loses to love around the fringes of the Great White Way. What particularly depressed me was how this revival falls flatter than the giant screen capturing
Dustin O'Neill's frequently more captivating projection design.
Any production in which Nathan Detroit (an ineffectual
Oliver Platt) becomes a tertiary character -- not only competing here with
Tituss Burgess' 11th hour heights as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, but also a
Damon Runyonesque character essentially aping “
Where’s Waldo” -- proves that even this gem of a show can be completely misdirected.
Fortunately, there’s no mistaking Loesser’s glorious score or
Mary Testa's trademark brilliance (albeit in cameo form) as General Cartwright. Small consolation for one of the worst musical revivals I’ve ever seen (and full disclosure:
Guys And Dolls is my all-time second favorite tuner.).
Oh well.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Des McAnuff, Frank Loesser, Guys And Dolls, Michael Grandage, Musical, Oliver Platt, Revival, The SOB Review
Lucky Sixes? Des McAnuff Rolls Dice Opening Sixth Broadway Guys And DollsLater today, the ultimate Broadway-based musical fable
Guys And Dolls will open for the sixth time on the Great White Way. Helmed by
Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys), this fifth revival opens at the newly refurbished
Nederlander Theatre, a block south of 42nd Street.
This
Guys And Dolls will be noteworthy, not necessarily because of it cast -- including
Craig Bierko as Sky Masterson,
Lauren Graham as Miss Adelaide,
Kate Jennings Grant as Sarah Brown, and
Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit -- but because of McAnuff's incorporation of
Dustin O'Neill's elaborate video projection design, as well as the introduction of the creator of the stories upon which
Guys And Dolls' stories and characters were based,
Damon Runyon himself (played by
Raymond del Barrio) .
Way back in 1950,
Abe Burrows and
Jo Swerling took Runyon's stories and transformed them into
Guys And Dolls' beloved book, while
Frank Loesser wrote the timeless score. The trio took home the
1951 Tony Award fro Best Musical.
Of course, many Broadway audiences -- myself included -- still fondly recall the glorious
1992 revival that took home four Tony Awards, including for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Director (
Jerry Zaks) and Best Actress in a Musical (
Faith Prince as Miss Adelaide). In addition to Prince, that wondrous incarnation also starred
Peter Gallagher as Sky Masterson,
Nathan Lane as Nathan Detroit, and
Josie de Guzman as Sarah Brown.
Will McAnuff's gimmicks be enough to make this revival erase 17 year old memories of the last
Guys And Dolls mounting? Find out tomorrow as I not only provide my own SOB Review, but also share my regular critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Abe Burrows, Broadway, Craig Bierko, Damon Runyon, Des McAnuff, Frank Loesser, Guys And Dolls, Jo Swerling, Kate Jennings Grant, Lauren Graham, Musical, Oliver Platt, Opening Night, Revival
