Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going...Gone!Charles Isherwood's downright
nostalgic piece in this morning's edition of
The New York Times serves as an excellent reminder that today's your last chance to see nine of the thirteen Broadway shows slated to close during January 2009.
Boeing-Boeing. Going. But a
45-week national tour is planned for take-off sometime this year.
Dividing The Estate. Going. But subtracting
Elizabeth Ashley from the cast, the ensemble will transfer to the
Hartford Stage in Connecticut come May.
Grease. Going. But the ongoing
North American tour with
Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel is about to play Chicago's Auditorium Theatre.
Hairspray. Going. But the Award-winning
London staging is going strong. Oh, and there's the sticky
non-Equity tour that's about to play such markets as Terre Haute (IN), Kalamazoo (MI) and Wabash (IN) for one nights only, but it does not share the Broadway credits (including direction, choreography or elaborate set designs) or talent.
Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Going. But producer
Kevin McCollum "
would love to bring the show back to Broadway" in the future, and the show will continue to live on during future holiday seasons throughout North America.
Liza's At The Palace...! Going. What?! You expected
more?! After two extensions??
Slava's Snowshow. Going.
13. Going. But there's "much interest in a
national and international tour," according to lead producer
Bob Boyett.
Young Frankenstein. Going. But
a tour is planned for this fall.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 13, Boeing-Boeing, Broadway, Closings, Dividing The Estate, Grease, Hairspray, Liza's At The Palace, Slava's Snowshow, White Christmas, Young Frankenstein
Getting The Grease Out: And Another One DownWhat is it with this economy and Broadway shows? They don't seem to go together these days.
Today,
Playbill.com announced that
Kathleen Marshall's revival of
Grease is closing January 4, 2009. It will have played 554 regular performances.
Regular readers will recall that
I didn't have very many nice things to say about the show that had its dubious beginnings in a 2007 reality television show called, "
You're The One That I Want." The low-rated program launched
Max Crumm and
Laura Osnes into their fifteen minutes of fame. They were replaced this past July by runners-up
Derek Keeling and
Ashley Spencer.
Despite a bit of a boon at the box office last week, when its capacity skyrocketed to 85.6% -- no doubt thanks in part to the Thanksgiving holiday -- the show has been hovering, appropriately enough, between the mid-fifties to mid-sixties in other recent weeks.
For fans of
Grease, there's always the national tour, which launched just yesterday at the
Providence Performing Arts Center with
Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Ashley Spencer, Broadway, Closing Notices, Derek Keeling, Grease, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival, Taylor Hicks, Touring Production
Your SOB "Who Knew?" FlashbackChicago's Tony Award-winning
Steppen-wolf Theatre Company, co-founded in 1974 by
Terry Kinney,
Jeff Perry and
Gary Sinise, has long been known for its edgy to inspiring innovative fare.
But who knew that the second production ever mounted by Steppenwolf back in April 1974 was
Grease?!
I guess
there are worse things Steppenwolf
could do.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Chicago, Gary Sinise, Grease, Jeff Pery, Musical, Steppenwolf, Terry Kinney
Why Grease Was The Word This Morning...If you were like me, you may have wondered whether the
Tony Nominating Committee had blinders on or a different set of glasses altogether when the current revival of
Grease was on the lips of those announcing this year's nominees in the otherwise rarefied category of Best Revival of a Musical.
Earlier this morning, it was announced that
Grease was nominated alongside such breathtaking and deserving efforts as
Gypsy ,
South Pacific and
Sunday In The Park With George.
As it turns out, the nominating committee had no choice.
Thanks to one of my in-the-know friends, who is far more knowledgable than I, I now know that if there is an insufficient number of candidates -- or just
barely enough -- to fill out the obligatory number of spots in any particular category, then
all candidates in that category
must be nominated.
Thankfully, that usually matters only in a very few categories.
But this year, since only four revivals of musicals were produced, all four are nominated regardless of merit. I've been told that this is done so that the commercial theatre won't be embarrassed by the impression that there's an insufficient number of quality shows.
Instead, however, it results in shows of dubious quality being nominated. But since those are the rules adopted by the Administration Committee by which the Tony Nominating Committee must abide, we can't blame the latter group. Yet it's an arcane rule that diminishes the import and integrity of the process itself, not to mention the awards and the more distinguished nominees.
Thus, we get a
Grease stain to further sully the reputation and honor of theatre's most prestigious awards.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Labels: Best Revivals of Musicals, Broadway, Grease, Gypsy, Musical, Revival, South Pacific, Sunday In The Park With George, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations, Tony Rules
Amy Adams And The "Cadillac Of Dinner Theatres"Thanks to a renewed subscription to
Entertain-ment Weekly, I learned that the
enchanting
Amy Adams was
recently on "
The Late Show with David Letterman."
During Adams' appearance,
Letterman asked her how she got her start. She replied, in part:
I worked at a place called Chanhassen (Dinner Theatres)...which is like the Cadillac of dinner theatres. And I've workd in the Pinto of dinner theatres, so I know.
Those Pintos must
really be awful. I've
been to that so-called Cadillac a couple times, and let me just say it's sorely in need of a tune-up, oil change, realignment and perhaps even a new chassis. Incidentally, it's also the same theatre where
Laura Osnes -- the "You're The One That I Want" star of Broadway's current revival of
Grease -- originally portrayed Sandy.
At least the talent is decent.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Amy Adams, Chanhassen, Dinner Theatre, Grease, Late Show With David Letterman, Laura Osnes, Musical, Television
Show Deals: Breaking The CodeSo you want to see a show? For less?
Here are some current deals -- and the best part is you don't have to wait in the TKTS line to take advantage of them:
The Show:
Grease (
Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 35% with select select orchestra/front mezzanine seats priced at $71.50 per ticket for performances on Tuesdays, Wednesdays (matinee only), Thursdays, Fridays and Sunday evenings.
The Code:
Click
here and use code
PLAY or call 212.307.4100 and use same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer valid on select orchestra and front mezzanine locations and subject to availability and prior sale; not valid on prior purchases; cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions. Not valid February 15-17, 2008 and Saturday matinees or evenings or Sunday matinees. This offer can be revoked at any time. Limit 8 tickets per order. No refunds or exchanges. Telephone and Internet orders are subject to standard service fees. All prices include a $1.50 facilities fee. Offer valid through Friday, March 14, 2008.
The Show:
Hairspray (
Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 40% on performances through April 13 with tickets for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays priced at $65 (orchestra/front mezzanine) and $55 (mid mezzanine). Tickets for Fridays, Saturdays (matinee only) and Sundays priced at $70 (orchestra/front mezzanine) and $65 (mid mezzanine).
The Code:
Click
here and use code
TMEB2 or call 212.307.4100 using same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer not valid for Saturday evening performances, February 15-17 or March 20-23. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. Applicable only to specified performance dates and times. Not valid on previously purchased tickets and may not be combined with any other offers. All sales final; no refunds or exchanges. Cast subject to change. Blackout dates may apply. Telephone/Internet orders subject to standard Ticketmaster service fees. Limit 8 tickets per order. Offer may be revoked at any time. Expires April 13, 2008.
The Show:
Is He Dead? (
Lyceum Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 50% off tickets, priced at $55 (orchestra), $45 (mezzanine) and $40 (balcony) for all performances.
The Code:
Click
here and use code
IHPBX55 or call 212.947.8844 and use same code.
The Fine Print:
All prices include a $1.50 facilities fee. Offer valid on select seat locations through March 16, 2008. Blackout dates may apply. Subject to availability and prior sale. Normal service charges apply to phone and Internet orders. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts and not valid on prior purchases. Offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. All sales final -- no refunds or exchanges.
The Show:
Rent (
Nederlander Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 50% with orchestra seats priced at $65 and front row mezzanine seats priced at $55.
The Code:Click
here and use code
PBILL08 or call 212.307.4100 using same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer valid for all performances except Saturday evenings from February 2, 2008-March 23, 2008. Tickets must be purchased by February 15, 2008. Limit 8 tickets per order. All sales are final -- no refunds or exchanges. Blackout dates may apply. Offer is subject to availability and prior sale. Not valid in combination with any other offers. Offer may be revoked at any time.
The Show:
Sunday In The Park With George (
Studio 54, Broadway)
The Deal:Save 40% on performances through February 20 with tickets priced $22.25-$73.25. Or save 30% on performances for February 22-April 27 with tickets priced at $25.75-$85.25.
The Code:
Click
here and use code
SPPBOL2 or call 212.719.1300 using same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer valid on select seating for performances through April 27, 2008. Must order by February 21, 2008. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount and is not applicable to previously purchased tickets. Limit six tickets per order. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Offer subject to availability and includes a $1.25 facilities fee. Normal phone and Internet service charges apply. Offer may be modified or revoked at any time without notice.
Enjoy!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Grease, Hairspray, Is He Dead?, Rent, Special Offers, Sunday In The Park With George, Ticket Prices
August: Best Time Of The YearThe more appropriate title for this story really would be
August: Osage County is
Time's "Best of the Year," but no matter.
The point is that the theatre critic for the venerable news magazine has selected my personal favorite show of the past year as
his top choice for theatre. I couldn't agree more.
But the list itself is a bit suspect to be honest. I know everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, including Richard Zoglin, but c'mon.
I'll give Zoglin a pass on
The Farnsworth Invention and I may even agree with him on
Pygmalion, but how could the Broadway revival of
Grease possibly make any discerning critic's list? Zoglin says, "Even with reality-TV stars, a stylish, happy, underappreciated revival."
Still, it's in his top
ten?
Do
Grease and
best go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong?
Zoglin's full top ten list for 2007 includes:
#1 -
August: Osage County#2 -
Journey's End#3 -
Fuerzabruta
#4 -
The Overwhelming#5 -
Wooster Group's Hamlet
#6 -
Pygmalion
#7 -
Grease#8 -
The Farnsworth Invention#9 -
Eurydice#10 -
Intimate ExchangesOf these shows, only the Broadway shows,
Fuerzabruta and
The Overwhelming remain open
(Pygmalion's limited run closes tomorrow).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: August Osage County, Best Of Lists, Broadway, Grease, Pygmalion, The Farnsworth Invention, Time
Grease (The SOB Review) - Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York, NY*1/2 (out of ****)Turns out the reality show casting of
Max Crumm and
Laura Osnes was the least of
Grease director
Kathleen Marshall's problems.
Given the fact that the stage version of
Grease is really more of a vignette-heavy ensemble piece with nominal leads, the truth is, Crumm and Osnes are just fine.
While their talent suggests that they could very well be more than just a flash in the pan, the accompanying
Grease has lost its sizzle and relevancy.
Yes, Marshall has tried her best to give this a fresh kick. Her trademark choreography helps, especially in frenzied, spirited numbers like "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightning" and "Born To Hand Jive."
But in an age when messages are emanating throughout Broadway about the importance of being true to yourself and embracing who you are -- whether through the green power of Elphaba in
Wicked or the triumphant self-love of Celie in
The Color Purple or even in the omigod girldom ode of Elle in
Legally Blonde (not to mention throughout theatres nationally via the highly successful
High School Musical tour) -- the underlying message in
Grease sets women back fifty years.
And the worst part of all this? It's clearly being marketed as a
family musical. The SRO audience during my performance was about half pre-tween.
No matter that
Grease was written by
Jim Jacobs and
Warren Casey in the pre-AIDS hedonistic halcyon days -- Rydell High's students are freely imbibing, chain-smoking, graffiti-desecrating and backseat-carhopping without any consequence (in stark contrast to this year's Tony-winning Best Musical
Spring Awakening). Sure, there's the moment where Betty Rizzo thinks she's preggers, but it turns out to be a false alarm. When originally penned, the tuner was aimed squarely at those who lived through the period. Now it's aimed at those who aren't yet capable of having one.
There are worse things the show can do, and it does. It tells the prepubescent girls in attendance that if you want to keep your guy, you must conform to your boy's ideal as epitomized when Sandy relents to peer pressure in becoming the antithesis of
Sandra Dee. What may have seemed satirical just a few short years into the
women's liberation movement when
Grease first debuted on Broadway back in 1972, now rings hollow.
Contrary to
Ben Brantley's brilliantly funny review, the show doesn't look as cheap as he claims (
Derek McLane's set design is much more innovative than that offered in Kathleen Marshall's acclaimed retelling of
Wonderful Town, and the costume and lighting designs created by
Martin Pakledinaz and
Kenneth Posner, respectively, serve to enhance the production). It's just that the characters actually are. Cheap, that is. They're all drawn so narrowly that nuance is most definitely not the word for the show.
The largely capable cast does what it can given the material. That includes Crumm and Osnes, who at least look like they could be high school students and hold their own among a sea of decidedly grown-up, standout faces, including
Jenny Powers (Rizzo),
Matthew Saldivar (Kenickie),
Kirsten Wyatt (Frenchie) and
Robyn Hurder (Marty).
As noted above, the original
Grease was written as more of an ensemble piece. I dare say that without the additions of the film's score -- "Sandy," "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "You're The One That I Want" -- the characters of Danny and Sandy would essentially have been marginalized.
Regardless of those additions,
Grease just doesn't seem worthy of being revived. And that's the word from SOB.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.Related Stories:How To Get Out Grease (August 24, 2007)
Grease: Slimed By Critics (August 20, 2007)
Tonight, Grease Is The Word (August 19, 2007)
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Film, Grease, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival, The SOB Review
How To Get Out GreaseEver wonder how shows generating only so-so critical success suddenly overcome with their own hype in hand? Why, they take certain liberties with critics' quotes and make all seem right with the world. Even if it's not right in any sense of the word.
And since lots of recent hype has been saying again that
Grease is once again "the word" -- that is, with the exception of most critics -- it's curious that the print ad (left) created for the much-maligned musical was allowed to run in the first place. It went even further than most deceptive ads with its fundamentally specious tone.
New York'
Daily News theatre critic Joe Dziemianowicz, for one, has had it. The ad audaciously included his publication's graphic, along with those of several other media outlets ranging from
New York magazine to
USA Today. The implication, of course, was that as "The One That I Want!" screamed above each outlet name, critics from each one had provided a glorious review.
Dziemianowicz rightly proclaims, "Deceit is the word."
Shame on Serino-Coyne (a theatre advertising agency),
Grease producers (
Paul Nicholas,
David Ian,
Nederlander Presentations, Inc. and
Terry Allen Kramer) and theatre publicists at Barlow-Hartman for creating the extremely deceptive $10,000 ad. Thankfully, it was pulled almost as fast as it appeared. Now one wonders whether the stage show will suffer the same fate.
Hat tip to
Playgoer.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Advertising, Best Revival of Plays, Broadway, Deceptive Practices, Grease, Musical, New York Daily News
Grease: Slimed By CriticsThe second Broadway revival of
Grease opened yesterday to dismal reviews. Most critics took shots at the way in which the tuner was cast: via
a television reality series.
Proclaiming this a "mixed bag," the Associated Press'
Michael Kuchwara offers perhaps the most positive review: "As Danny,
Max Crumm gives a cautious performance, vocally OK but short on swagger and sex appeal.
Laura Osnes nicely gets Sandy's transformation, morphing with enthusiasm from good girl to bad babe. Check out her skintight outfit in the last scene, courtesy of designer
Martin Pakledinaz. Osnes also sings well and throws herself into (
Kathleen) Marshall's spirited choreography."
Charitably calling it "likable but lackluster entertainment,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News strives to find the good: "Crumm and Osnes' chemistry is more sibling than sizzling. He holds his own singing and dancing, but is short on the sexiness and swoony swagger that's part of Danny's DNA. Osnes might be the prettiest Sandy ever, and she can belt. But she's a limited actress, even playing a cardboard character....Chills don't start multiplying, antsiness does."
Citing the "lack of wit, charisma or original presence on the stage,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times is anything but charitable: "With
Grease...you sit through more than an hour of a musical set in a high school that feels like a musical put on by a high school -- and I don’t mean a high school of performing arts....But there’s the numbing sense of performers of undeveloped talent conscientiously doing what they have been told to do and failing to claim their parts as their own....(Osnes) approaches Sandy the good girl with the earnestness of a first-year acting student doing Juliet....Every time Danny pulls up the collar of his leather jacket in a cooler-than-thou gesture, it feels as if Mr. Crumm is actively remembering this is something he needs to do."
Labeling this
Grease "a rickety revival,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun also dismisses: "The overall impression, then, is of a 10-year class reunion at a performing arts high school, one where the seasoned alumni strut their stuff in the solo scenes, then take breathers during the group numbers. And as a bonus, the top male and female seniors at the school get to join in as the leads, no less....Ms. Osnes offers all the cleavage and high kicks she can muster, while a delighted Mr. Crumm holds on for dear life."
Arguing that the reality show has done "little to validate the democratic election process,"
Variety's
David Rooney zeroes in on Crumm and Osnes: "[T]hey're unprepossessingly innocuous, which is not a great quality in musical theater leads. What's more, they have less-than-zero sexual connection. In a regional theater production -- which is what this one resembles -- Crumm and Osnes might be the toast of the town; the latter's vocals, especially, are lovely and she handles the high notes with admirable ease. Basically, they're two talented kids who would be fine on the support team but have no business carrying a Broadway show. They also have the kind of tiny bodies and small, telegenic features that don't communicate beyond row C of the orchestra."
Saying that "this crass musical makes
Legally Blonde seem like
West Side Story" in his one-star review,
New York Post's
Clive Barnes blasts: "All told, I've seen worse -- but then, I've been attending the theater for more than 65 years, so 'worse' is a very well-thumbed comparative. This is where the TV show hits the Broadway fan. The main trouble with the elected stars, Osnes and Crumm -- she being a great deal better, especially in spandex, than he -- seems that the kind of chemistry between them could well discourage hydrogen from getting together with oxygen to make water."
Will all these reviews matter, given the estimated $15 million advance in ticket sales? Or will those sales dry up more quickly than spilled grease?
I'll be in the audience for this tuner on Sunday and will provide my own review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.Related Stories:Tonight, Grease Is The Word (August 19, 2007)
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Grease, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival
Tonight, Grease Is The WordThirty-five years ago,
Grease -- a slightly raunchy little musical about high school lovin' -- opened at Broadway's now defunct
Eden Theatre. Now, a second revival is about to open on the Great White Way at the
Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
This is no longer the same
Grease as the one that opened nearly two generations ago. While the major difference getting the most attention is the method used to cast the 2007 incarnation via a reality television show ("
You're The One That I Want"), the larger departure from the original is its incorporation of music written especially for the
1978 film version.
Among the musical additions are three major hit songs from the summer of '78: "Grease," "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "You're The One That I Want."
The latter two tunes were written by
John Farrar, who's suddenly enjoying quite a summer on Broadway. While he never had a Rialto credit to his name prior to this year, earlier this young theatrical season, he literally scored success with his contributions to
Xanadu.
But as noted, expect most of the critical response to focus on
Grease's unconventionally cast Danny (
Max Crumm) and Sandy (
Laura Osnes), as well as whether director/choreographer
Kathleen Marshall suffered a major misstep or engineered a stroke of genius. It was just over a year ago when it was first announced that the
Grease revival would be cast via a reality show.
Stay tuned as I provide a critics' capsule tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.Related Stories:Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Grease, John Farrar, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Opening Night, Reality Television, Revival, Televsion, You're The One That I Want
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You WantThe second Broadway revival of
Grease may be opening this Sunday, yet suddenly the spotlight is falling on several "
You're The One That I Want" reality show contestants who coveted the roles of Danny and Sandy, but didn't quite make it.
The reason? They've been cast elsewhere.
First among them,
as I noted two days ago, is
Ashley Spencer. While she may have lost to Laura Osnes in the NBC television show, she ultimately
technically beat Osnes to the Great White Way with the plum role of Amber von Tussle in
Hairspray. On the very night Osnes began previews in
Grease, Spencer began performing in the long-running Tony Award-winning musical.
Then yesterday came word via
Playbill that
Derek Keeling has been cast as Charles Darnay in Jill Santoriello's musical version of
Charles Dickens' classic
A Tale Of Two Cities -- a $12 million show with an eye toward a 2008 Broadway berth that will premiere this October at Sarasota's Asolo Repertory Theatre.
Then today,
Playbill carried the announcement that
Chad Doreck would replace Matthew Buckner in the long-running Off-Broadway favorite
Altar Boyz beginning September 3. Up til now, Doreck's major claim to fame has been the voice of "Crackle" for
Rice Krispies. Hopefully, his voice won't summarily follow in the role of Matthew.
Finally, apart from
participating in the weekly "
After Party" at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in May,
Austin Miller -- the actor/singer most likely to succeed, although he failed to garner more votes than
Max Crumm -- has yet to announce any major theatrical gig. But he was pretty awesome as Link in the
original touring production of
Hairspray alongside
Carly Jibson and
Bruce Vilanch; while Jibson and Vilanch eventually appeared in the Broadway version, Miller never had the opportunity and quite frankly, I never understood why.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Altar Boyz ticket information.Click here for A Tale Of Two Cities tickets.Click here for Grease tickets.Click here for Hairspray tickets.Related Stories:Hairspray's Stunt Casting Sticks (August 14, 2007)
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The Skids (August 7, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Altar Boyz, First Word On New Show, Florida, Grease, Hairspray, Musical, Off-Broadway, Television
Broadway Grosses: Greasing The SkidsSay what you want about the dubious manner in which
Grease cast its Danny (
Max Crumm) and Sandy (
Laura Osnes), but it doesn't seem to matter at the box office.
Last week, for the second week in a row, the tuner -- which is still in previews -- was nearly sold out. Reaching 99.3% capacity,
Grease also had the second highest average ticket price at a whopping $104.21 -- second only to longtime champ
Jersey Boys. In total, the musical earned a very respectable $887,564, up about $5K from the week before.
Presumably, producer
David Ian is laughing all the way to the bank, while distinguished director/choreographer
Kathleen Marshall -- whose reputation is on the line -- is enjoying a laugh at all the naysayers' expense.
But will she also enjoy the
last laugh? Find out after
Grease opens at the
Brooks Atkinson Theatre on August 19 when many expect critics to inveigh with their reviews.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Behind The Grease Paint (March 24, 2007)
Grease: The Ones That I Want (March 22, 2007)
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster (January 9, 2007)
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Grease, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See?Now that the 2007 Tony Awards are history, I'd like to cordially invite you to vote in my latest SOB Poll (found on the right-hand margin) for each of the the upcoming Broadway musicals -- already slated for the 2007-08 Theatrical Season -- that you plan to see.
Feel free to vote for as many of the ten selections of new musicals and revivals as you want. Your choices include:
After voting, feel free to share why each of the shows you've selected pique your interest.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Not Unlucky: 13 Headed To Broadway (May 25, 2007)
Off-Broadway Hit Seeks Greater White Way Heights (May 23, 2007)
Sunday In The Park With Daniel And Jenna (May 7, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
Broadway Can-Du? (December 18, 2006)
Trevor Nunn's West End Porgy and Bess Will Transfer to Broadway (July 25, 2006)
Labels: 13, A Catered Affair, Broadway, Grease, Guys And Dolls, In The Heights, Musical, Porgy And Bess, SOB Poll, Sunday In The Park With George, The Little Mermaid, Xanadu, Young Frankenstein
Max And Laura Go Together
As I revealed last Thursday, the
two were my personal picks for the upcoming $10 million
Kathleen Marshall-helmed
Grease revival that will land at the
Brooks Atkinson Theatre on July 24; opening night is currently set for August 16. For once, it appears that a production of
Grease will enjoy near age-appropriate talent -- for the first time, I'm actually considering buying a ticket for the show.
What do you think? Are you now compelled to visit Broadway this summer to see Max and Laura? Or will you avoid the show altogether? I invite you to vote in my latest SOB Poll on the right hand column of this site and then weigh-in with your comments.
So what were they saying in the hometowns of the dynamic duo this morning? Here are links to today's
Arizona Republic (Phoenix) and
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) stories.
Beyond the announcement of who captured the most votes to win the roles, one of the more interesting aspects of last night's show was the introduction of the new cast members. Unfortunately, we were only told the cast members' character names, so I'm still waiting to see the list of bona fide actors/chorus members who have been selected.
But a nice touch was showing the new stars their names in lights over Times Square. I'm genuinely excited by the selections of Max and Laura. Congratulations to you both!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Broadway, Grease, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Musical, Revival, Television
Behind The Grease Paint
As you might expect, local media from the contestants' hometowns are providing plenty of coverage of their favorite sons and daughters. Here are links to local stories that have been written about each of them on the eve of the big evening that will propel two of them to a Broadway stage this summer:
- Max Crumm, Arizona Republic (Phoenix) first and second stories, March 24.
- Laura Osnes, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), March 23, and Pioneer Press (St. Paul), March 19.
- Austin Miller, Houston Chronicle, March 22, and The Facts (Brazoria County, TX), March 8.
- Ashley Spencer, The Independent (Masillon, OH), March 18, and Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 18.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Grease, Kathleen Marshall, Laura Osnes, Max Crumm, Revival, Television
Grease: The Ones That I Want
OK, so the television show that's about to select Broadway's new
Grease stars -- Sandy and Danny -- was not quite the
electrifying experience I had hoped for. But I did find myself tuning in whenever I happened to be home.
And when I did tune in, I found myself rooting for the underdogs. I must not have been alone.
Max Crumm and
Laura Osnes have transformed themselves from longshots into finalists.
Sure,
Austin Miller is a great entertainer. His status as a veteran musical actor has been unquestioned from the start of the show. Indeed, he played the romantic lead role of Link in the original touring production of
Hairspray; when I saw the show, I was struck by his terrific on-stage presence. Yet his sparkle never quite translated through television.
And sure,
Ashley Spencer possesses that certain
Meg Ryan girl-next-door look. She even has pretty decent pipes on her.
But my votes go to Max and Laura.
Simply put, Max
looks and sounds like Danny Zuko. Plus he's age appropriate. I think he's the reality show's ultimate find and has the greatest potential for moving viewers to actually buying tickets to see
Kathleen Marshall's stage production.
As for Laura, she may not have Ashley's blonde mane, but she more than makes up for it in charm and innocence that her competitor just can't touch. Maybe it's the fact that she's not from LA. To me, Laura epitomizes Sandy.
Now, I realize that all this is a moot point for many of you. According to my recent SOB Poll, 38.2% of you either refused to watch any of "
Grease: You're The One That I Want" or it simply wasn't of any interest to you in the first place.
But to the 55.9% of you who either watch the program regularly or at least on occasion, as well as the additional 5.9% of you who said you'd finally succumb to watching when it came down to the final four, I'll be interested in hearing whether your picks match mine. And more importantly, do you see yourself buying a ticket to the revival that opens this summer?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Broadway, Grease, Hairspray, Kathleen Marshall, Musical, Revival, SOB Poll, Television
Whither Goeth Chenoweth?
But with a potential starring gig on an ABC television series called "Pushing Daisies," what will happen to the looming
Young Frankenstein scheduled to replace
The Producers at the St. James Theatre later this year? The Tony-winning actress had earlier assumed the coveted
Madeline Kahn role of Elizabeth in last year's vaunted reading of the new
Mel Brooks tuner.
Chenoweth, of course, is performing her last couple weeks in the Great White Way revival of
The Apple Tree. In addition to her leading role in that show, she recently made her acclaimed operatic debut with New York's
Metropolitan Opera.
Needless to say, the ABC pilot has yet to be picked up, and much can happen between now and the time Young Frankenstein comes to fruition. But if she's now going West, who might replace her?
According to one of my favorite personal sources,
Megan Mullally is rumored to be ready to take Chenoweth's place. Mullally has not been on Broadway since 1995's celebrated revival of
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Her only other stint there was in the 1994 revival of
Grease. Ironically, I just spotted Mullally
in the audience at a recent performance of the new
Company revival (stay tuned for a review of that show to come shortly).
While I have to admit that I'd be sad to see the promising new Brooks musical move forward sans Chenoweth, Mullally is one of the few other comedic actresses with the apropos chops to make Kahn's former role her own. Stay tuned!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Grease, Kristin Chenoweth, Megan Mullally, Revival, Television, The Apple Tree, The Producers, Young Frankenstein
Apparently Grease Is The Word At Ticketmaster
The chills are no doubt multiplying at
Nederlander as tickets for the organization's upcoming yet-to-be-cast revival of
Grease are already moving like, well, greased lightning. Ever since Sunday evening's debut of "
Grease: You're The One That I Want" reality series on
NBC, advance box office for the Broadway revival have skyrocketed.
Selling at a brisk $1.3 million over past 48 hours, the buzz is already translating into solid interest in the outcome of the show's casting of the next Sandy and Danny. In the process, it all but guarantees some happy summer nights for the producers once the musical debuts this July.
But it certainly says nothing of the casting process itself or whether the show is any good. I was struck by the kitschy nature of the first episode that squarely focused on the absurdity of it all. We barely got a look at the would-be stars who actually made it through the first cut in Los Angeles and Chicago. Instead, we got the supposed drama and silly commentary from Billy Bush, along with the ridiculous cadre of individuals who are either truly delusional or wanted their (less than) fifteen minutes of fame.
Will I watch the show again? Of course. But it doesn't mean that it's the one that I want (to watch).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want? (January 6, 2007)
The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Grease, Musical, Revival, Television
Sandy And Danny: Who Are The Ones You Want?The inevitable theatre reality show has finally arrived in America. Tonight marks the official ninety minute network debut of "
Grease: You're The One That I Want" at 8:00 pm (7:00 pm CST) on
NBC.
Given the show's name, it seems more than a little ironic that it's being hosted by First Cousin
Billy Bush (onetime Roxie Hart
Denise Van Outen shares in the hosting duties).
Tonight's episode includes the silver screen Sandy herself,
Olivia Newton-John. That's entirely apropos given that much of the score from the movie never was heard on Broadway. Yet, the upcoming
Kathleen Marshall-helmed
Grease revival
will include those tunes popularized in the flick like "Grease" and "You're The One That I Want."
Unlike "
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" that selected a complete unknown to play Maria for the West End revival of
The Sound Of Music, this program is set to pick the next Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko through an open casting call, meaning
established actors can tryout for the upcoming Broadway revival alongside those with absolutely no theatrical experience or talent.
And to capitalize on the show's network premiere, tickets for the new
Grease are already on sale for performances beginning on July 24, despite no cast and no slated theatre. It will be interesting to see how this show unfolds over the weeks to come. I for one intend to be in tonight's home audience just to see whether they're truly on to something (after all,
The Sound Of Music received major critical acclaim last fall). There are worse things I could do.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grease tickets.
Related Stories:The Sound Of Praise (November 16, 2006)
It's A Reality: The Sound Of Music Revival Comes Alive In London Tonight (November 15, 2006)
I've Got Chills, They're Multiplying: NBC Reality Show to Cast Grease (August 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Grease, Musical, Revival, Television
