Road Show (The SOB Review) - The Public Theater, New York, New York
*** (out of ****)Just when you may have thought everyone either loved or hated the latest revision to
Stephen Sondheim's ever-gestating musical, currently called
Road Show, I'm here to tell you that I merely liked
John Doyle's interpretation.
But that's infinitely better than where my own personal journey began with this
Road Show. Just over five years ago, I took in the overbloated
Goodman Theatre production of the tuner's precursor of
Bounce in Chicago, which included a major love storyline barely hinted at in the streamlined
Public Theater staging.
With
John Weidman's book and Sondheim's
Assassinsesque score substantially whittled, Doyle's decidedly darker direction ironically gives
Road Show its, er, bounce. It doesn't hurt that the largely comic verve in Chicago has been replaced by a more serious, sinister examination of
Addison and
Wilson Mizner, the real-life brothers who sought fame and fortune (the former was credited with launching a "Florida Renaissance" via his architecture in Palm Beach and Boca Raton, while the latter wrote three Broadway shows staged between 1909 and 1912). Set against another troubling economic time, Doyle mines the material to maximum cautionary impact, including through his own ingenious scenic design.
In the single best performances I've yet to see from frequent Sondheim interpreters
Michael Cerveris and
Alexander Gemignani, the actors offer measured portrayals of Wilson's greedy self-destruction and Addison's yearning to rise above it, respectively. While Gemignani wrings pathos from his Addison, Cerveris' Wilson is purely and perfectly pathetic ... and highly entertaining.
Will
Road Show someday find its place among the most revered in Sondheim's canon? While it's nowhere near that, yet, it's certainly come a long way.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alexander Gemignani, Bounce, John Doyle, John Weidman, Michael Cerveris, Musical, New York City, Off-Broadway, Public Theater, Road Show, Stephen Sondheim, The SOB Review
Catered Affair Issues Final RSVP DatesAs I learned last Sunday at the wonderful Tony soirées, all good parties must come to an end. And so it goes with
A Catered Affair, which posted its closing notices last evening.
The final performance at Broadway's
Walter Kerr Theatre will come on July 27. The show will have played a total of 116 regular performances.
Leave it to the tuner's librettist and star to sum it all up
via Michael Riedel this morning.
Harvey Fierstein says:
We set out to do something different, and we did it. We wrote a show that is for the real theater audience, not for the audience that watches "You're The One That I Want" -- not that there's anything wrong with that! But we're not a summer show for the tourists. After July, we go off the cliff.
Riedel quotes Fierstein further on what might have been...
...had we gotten one of those f***ing breaks. Like a Tony. Or a critic who had a social life and an emotional life. That would have helped.
But instead we have those critics who have never had a boyfriend. Or a date since 1912. They don't know what love is. They go to the theater every night. How do they get laid?
Ouch! Of course, in reality, several critics offered
positive notices, including
New York Post's Clive Barnes with his four star review,
USA Today's
Elysa Gardner and
Variety's
David Rooney. And
I loved it, ranking it as
my second favorite new musical of the last theatrical season.
Based on
Paddy Chayefsky's kitchen sink film "
The Catered Affair" starring
Bette Davis,
Ernest Borgnine,
Debbie Reynolds and
Rod Taylor,
A Catered Affair features a score by
John Bucchino.
John Doyle directed the musical, which stars Fierstein along with
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer.
As luck would have it, I ran into a very stunning Leslie Kritzer the other night at the
August: Osage County affair and had an opportunity to talk with her about how absolutely moved I was by
A Catered Affair. Mark my words, this is one gracious, gifted actress whose star will shine brightly in the Broadway spotlight.
Alas, the time of Prince, Wopat and Fierstein in
A Catered Affair's won't be much longer. Catch it while you can.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Top Ten Of The Year (June 2, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals (May 29, 2008)
A Catered Affair (The SOB Review) (May 16, 2008)
A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Closing Notices, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Michael Riedel, Musical, Tom Wopat
A Catered Affair (The SOB Review) - Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY
**** (out of ****)Like a rare vintage wine that deserves to be sipped and savored, the seriously sublime
A Catered Affair opens up across the tastebuds into a glorious bouquet. That is, if only you open up your mind and your heart and let it permeate all your senses.
This tender tale of a mother's revelatory determination to use her fallen son's military
death gratuity toward her daughter's wedding will never be confused with fizzy champagne delights served up as a musical comedy.
Nor does it have the tasteless buzz of flat day-old beer like some of this year's lesser efforts. Yet, when all is said and done, this beautifully-acted, earnest chamber musical is intoxicating nevertheless.
Granted, as many an oenophile can attest, not everyone can fully appreciate a dry tannin as it's absorbed by the tongue's epithelium. It's an acquired taste.
The same is most certainly true of taking in a tuner, rich with integrity, daring to wear its dry dignity on its sleeve, right alongside its huge beating heart. But those who have the palette for the introspection of 1950s humanity will love
A Catered Affair almost as much as I did. In fact, while the show itself may be dry, it left me in tears.
That's in part because of the incredible compassion with which
Harvey Fierstein has vividly crafted his genuinely touching book (and he certainly has a knack for imbuing his carefully drawn characters with appropriate, almost poetic language evocative of its time). Fierstein's libretto has been wondrously blended with
John Bucchino's stirring score.
John Doyle's understated direction strikes the right balance between the many trials and inner demons the musical's principal characters face and the often hidden gentility each possesses.
Chief among them is Aggie Hurley (
Faith Prince in the performance of her career), the aforementioned grieving mother who has recently lost her beloved son in the Korean Conflict. Having invested all her hopes and dreams in him, only to have them dashed by his death, she's had a late-breaking epiphany in realizing she's largely ignored her daughter Jane (
Leslie Kritzer, a pure revelation). That's in spite of the fact that the self-effacing Jane has placed her own dreams on the backburner so she could pitch in to help her financially struggling parents, including her complex cabbie father Tom (an impressive
Tom Wopat), make ends meet.
That is, until she's met the well-bred Ralph Halloran (
Matt Cavenaugh). The two announce that they plan to be wed in a civil ceremony to keep things simple with only immediate family invited to attend. No matter that Jane's Uncle Winston (a fantastic Fierstein) sleeps on the Hurley's living room couch, although the fact that he is a "confirmed bachelor" may have something to do with the slight as a way of appeasing Ralph's uppercrust family.
Dejected by the slight, Winston drowns his sorrows with alcohol and shows up soused at the dinner meeting between Hurleys and Hallorans, becoming unassailably uncorked. If it's true that people speak the truth when they drink, Uncle Winston's pronouncements, however crude, have reached the pinnacle of honesty that would make
Paddy Chayefsky -- known for his workmanlike realism -- very proud. And to think that even today, some fifty plus years later, there are still some superciliously selfish families, who would turn their backs on their own loving and giving brothers and uncles simply because they were born gay.
Completely devastated by the thought that she's betrayed her own brother, Aggie has a second epiphany when she receives a check from the military for her son's demise. She decides that she's going to put on a lavish affair with all the trappings she never enjoyed herself (her own wedding was of the shotgun variety), and Aggie enlists Winston to provide his expertise in making the wedding an event Jane will never forget. This despite Tom coveting the dollars to finally own his share of the cab company.
In telling the story, Doyle excels in creating an awe-inspiring authenticity -- from the breathtaking, nuanced portrayals offered by his impeccable cast right down to subtle flourishes like Aggie making real scrambled eggs for Tom on a working oven (thanks to
David Gallo's simple, yet serviceable set design) -- steadily building to a splendid finish.
This slice of fifties Bronx is brought to life further by
Ann Hould-Ward's spectacularly unspectacular costumes and
Zachary Borovay's inspired projection designs. And while some may think
Brian MacDevitt's lighting is a tad heavy-handed, particularly when the Hurley son's casket flag is highlighted, I found its use highly effective and respectful, particularly given the ongoing sacrifices American troops continue to make in wars far from home.
If even half of Broadway had as humungous and unpretentious a heart as Harvey Fierstein, the theatre world would never be viewed quite as cynically by those looking at it from the outside as irreflective of society. For that and more, I proudly raise a glass to toast Harvey & Co. on one of the best shows I've seen on Broadway or anywhere else over the past year.
For anyone who has a palate worthy of the best reserve,
A Catered Affair is a must-see.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, The SOB Review, Tom Wopat
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics?Last evening,
A Catered Affair -- the latest
film turned stage musical -- opened at Broadway's
Walter Kerr Theatre under
John Doyle's direction.
Written by
Harvey Fierstein and
John Bucchino, the tuner stars
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer, as well as Fierstein himself.
Even though this show was set very simply in the Bronx, the critic's reviews were practically all over the map.
Advising his readers to "hug it to your heart,"
Clive Barnes of
New York Post offer a four-star review: "Under John Doyle's expert, discreet direction, it emerges less like a musical and more like a play with music: lovely, urban chamber music.... But it's
(Paddy) Chayefsky's spirit that dominates the scene, and Fierstein has captured his 1950s, working-class milieu to perfection. This Bronx tale, with its interlocking, underlining and quietly beautiful music and lyrics by John Bucchino, skims along the edge of sentimentality to find honest sentiment in this story of a young soldier's death, a wedding and a taxi.... It's simply a musical with an honest heart, and that's enough."
Calling it a "small but satisfying drama,"
Variety's
David Rooney is largely positive: " The odds that
A Catered Affair will find mainstream acceptance may be slim, but the show commands respect by further challenging standard preconceptions of how the Broadway musical should sound, function and feel.... There are deep psychological nuances to be mined here, and Fierstein and Bucchino meticulously excavate the feelings of characters for whom suppressed emotion and sacrifice are an ineluctable part of life.... But the show resonates due to its modesty, grace, gentleness and emotional integrity -- qualities not often front and center in musicals."
Lauding the show she says is "ultimately a celebration of life,"
Elysa Gardner of
USA Today offers a glowing three-star review saying
A Catered Affair has "an emphasis on characters drawn with passion and compassion, and handled with that most quaint of virtues: dignity.... Harvey Fierstein, who co-stars as Winston, Aggie's big-hearted brother, has fashioned a witty, wise, moving script. John Bucchino's score is similarly thoughtful and heartfelt, though less accessible.... Doyle, Bucchino and Fierstein have a fine interpreter in Faith Prince, whose Aggie emerges as a sort of antithesis to
Gypsy's Mama Rose.... Prince makes Aggie's conflicting emotions palpable and haunting. And her relationships with Fierstein's wisecracking Winston, Tom Wopat's worn Tom and Leslie Kritzer's touching Janey are completely believable."
Labeling the show "a disappointment -- one so intelligently staged and performed, however, that at times you can almost believe the show is as good as its production,"
The Wall Street Journal's
Terry Teachout neatly tallies what he sees as the production's shortcomings: "Mr. Fierstein was right to think that Mr. Vidal's screenplay had the stuff of a musical in it, but he made three big mistakes in adapting it for the stage. The first was to put an anachronistically contemporary spin on his book by turning Aggie's brother, played in the film by Barry Fitzgerald, into a more or less openly gay florist, and the second was to play the part himself.... Mistake No. 3 was to invite Mr. Bucchino to write the score.... The problem is that his songs, with their pastel harmonies and introspective lyrics, have nothing in common with the working-class setting of
A Catered Affair."
Dismissing "the undramatic new musical drama of disappointed lives,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times is flat-out negative: "A short (90 minutes) but slow depiction of the family-fracturing pressures of planning an expensive wedding,
A Catered Affair is so low key that it often seems to sink below stage level. From Mr. Bucchino’s trickling, self-effacing score to the tight-lipped stoicism of its leading performances, from
David Gallo’s tidy tenement-scape set to
Zachary Borovay’s tentative photographic projections, this show is all pale, tasteful understatement that seems to be apologizing for asking for your attention. (Well, except for Mr. Fierstein’s character, but you could have guessed that.)... No one is given to extreme reactions in
A Catered Affair, except Uncle Winston and the gossiping chorus of tenement housewives (Ms.
(Lori) Wilner,
Heather MacRae and
Kristine Zbornik) who lean out their windows in a conceit that was stale even in the mid-1950s."
Concluding that he had dashed hopes "this would have been an
Affair to remember," Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News -- who now gives out stars on a five-point scale -- provides just two: "The show, which opened last night, seems well-intentioned but doesn't deliver enough story, substance or satisfaction. It's about poor people, yes, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't have meat on the bone and icing on the cake.... Fierstein stays close to the sources, but still manages to veer in places. Chiefly, he's made the uncle who lives with the family openly gay -- and put himself in the role. Unfortunately, the character and performance are distracting.
The music by
John Bucchino, a popular cabaret composer, fails to add much dimension, or fire many emotions."
Lamenting "How sad that the results are so glum,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer tries to be kind, but offers a critical assessment: "[T]his is a colorless little piece of '50s social realism about a Bronx family that isn't so much emotionally repressed as emotionally deficient.... Composer John Bucchino, better known for cabaret songs, has written meandering, conversational melodies baked by innocuous accompaniments.... Fierstein, the quadruple Tony Award winner and perpetual force of nature, both gives and takes away in his adaptation and his performance."
Citing how "this admirably spartan staging ultimately feels like as much of a contrivance as the standard bells-and-whistles approach,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun wonders aloud what he think went wrong: "It wears its virtues on its threadbare sleeve, and the vaguely medicinal taste goes a long way toward negating Mr. Fierstein's terse, insightful libretto and a pair of emotionally stripped-down performances by, as the pressured daughter and regret-steeped mother, Leslie Kritzer and an atypically somber Faith Prince. The show's missteps are understandable and often heartening in their own right, but they are missteps nonetheless.
Did these critics really all see the same show? I'll be taking in a performance of this musical in a couple weeks and will provide my SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, Tom Wopat
A Catered Opening NightFifty-two years after
Paddy Chayefsky's kitchen sink film "
The Catered Affair" starring
Bette Davis,
Ernest Borgnine,
Debbie Reynolds and
Rod Taylor first appeared, Tony winner
Harvey Fierstein hooks up with
John Bucchino to present a musical adaptation that opens on Broadway tonight.
A Catered Affair, under
John Doyle's direction, features Fierstein along with
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer in this five-handkerchief tuner.
The show received some
positive reviews during its San Diego tryout last fall. However, it took a major hit from
The Los Angeles Times, which may not have received nearly as much play had it not been for
Fierstein's fierce rebuttal.
In the best of all worlds, this might be
the musical to beat in the annual Tony derby given its pedigree. But in the year of the decidedly smaller show, will
A Catered Affair prove to be too much of a feast for the critics? Stay tuned as I present my critics' capsule tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Faith Prince, Film, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, Opening Night, Tom Wopat
Television Makes Decent CompanyDid you happen to tune in last evening to PBS' "
Great Performances" program featuring
John Doyle's recent Broadway revival of
Stephen Sondheim and
George Furth's
Company?
This was the very production that earned last year's Tony for Best Revival of a Musical shortly before closing. I have to say that I enjoyed reliving the experience I had last year -- additionally, I was a bit surprised in re-reading my
three-star SOB Review from almost exactly one year ago to see that I still completely agree with my initial assessment.
Watching the televised performance was an opportunity to see the show from all angles, including the back of the stage. While Doyle's production is good, it isn't quite great. It's rather uneven, and that's exemplified in the disparity between the unqualified thrill offered by
Raúl Esparza's smoldering Bobby and the overly flat performance by
Barbara Walsh as Joanne.
One plucky delight whom I had not previously mentioned is
Angel Desai as Marta. Seeing her shine once again has me hoping this spitfire will be treading Broadway's boards sometime soon.
If you caught the performance on television, please let me know what you thought.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Getting Rid Of Unwanted Company (June 12, 2007)
Ratings Down, Box Office Up (June 12, 2007)
TONYS: SPRING HAS SPRUNG WHILE COAST REALIZES UTOPIA (June 11, 2007)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote (June 6, 2007)
In The Company Of Underperforming Shows (March 27, 2007)
Company (The SOB Review) (March 2, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Did Critics Find Doyle's Latest Revival In Good Company? (November 30, 2006)
Another Company Opens For Business Tonight On Broadway (November 29, 2006)
Apple Tree In Good Company Among SOB Readers (November 6, 2006)
Labels: Barbara Walsh, Broadway, Company, George Furth, Great Performances, John Doyle, Musical, PBS, Raul Esparza, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, Television
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair?On Sunday, the out-of-town tryout for the
John Doyle-helmed
A Catered Affair opened at San Diego's
Old Globe Theatre.
With book by
Harvey Fierstein and score by
John Bucchino, the Broadway-bound tuner received two positive reviews, as well as one flat-out pan. But Broadway veteran
Faith Prince earned accolades throughout.
Calling it an "assured chamber musical,"
San Diego Union-Tribune's
Anne Marie Welsh celebrates: "Fierstein, Bucchino and the actors explore the characters with a tact and depth beyond that of most contemporary musicals....Prince's beautifully restrained, carefully calibrated and thoroughly unsentimental performance should earn her accolades and awards this spring when the show opens in New York....Doyle's measured direction in the emotional turning points is near perfect....Fierstein and company have already achieved in this artful piece far more than most hard-selling musicals aspire to: They've created real struggling human beings whose deepest feelings are beyond words -- and therefore find true expression in song."
Noting how "John Doyle sets the songs flowing seamlessly out of the dialogue,"
Variety's
Bob Verini is also positive -- mostly: "Much is verbalized in Harvey Fierstein's gritty slice-of-life dialogue and John Bucchino's sensitive lyrics, but the use of silence -- sometimes for as long as 30 seconds -- is remarkable: Few tuner directors would conceive of those quiet moments, and even fewer would dare attempt them....Prince internalizes Aggie's bitterness and self-pity, blossoming beautifully when Winston challenges her to imagine her own ideal wedding in the lovely 'Vision.' (
Tom) Wopat is a gruff and powerfully dormant presence on the periphery, and (
Leslie) Kritzer pulls off show's toughest assignment in seeking to establish a sense of self while alternately resisting and encouraging the wedding hoopla. Fierstein's reconfiguration of the uncle role, from
Barry Fitzgerald's asexual imp to an explicitly gay shop owner whose relationship is on the skids, is problematic."
Deeming the affair "a pointless enterprise," the
Los Angeles Times'
Charles McNulty mostly pans: "Should we really be trawling for such mediocre source material without a sharp revitalizing vision? (
Paddy) Chayefsky's expiration date passed long ago, yet Fierstein serves up the saga as though it were fresh milk....But not even Doyle's boldness can rescue an idea that's inherently at cross-purposes with itself. Does the show want to be stark or saccharine? Brutally honest or comically consoling? Courageously untraditional or only conveniently so?"
Regardless of that last critique,
A Catered Affair has extended its San Diego run until November 4. Look for the show to land at Broadway's the
Walter Kerr Theatre on March 25.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, California, Critics' Capsule, Faith Prince, Film, Harvey Fierstein, John Doyle, Musical, Paddy Chayefsky, San Diego
San Diego Opening Is Catered AffairWhile significant media coverage has centered on the two Broadway-bound musicals due to open this fall (
Young Frankenstein and
The Little Mermaid)
, A Catered Affair has been quietly unfolding in San Diego. Tonight, the world premiere of this other film-based tuner opens at the city's
Old Globe Theatre.
A Catered Affair finds its roots in the
Paddy Chayefsky teleplay for the 1955 broadcast of "
The Philco Television Playhouse" (starring
Pat Henning,
Thelma Ritter and
J. Pat O'Malley) and subsequent
1956 feature film written by Chayefsky and
Gore Vidal (starring
Bette Davis,
Ernest Borgnine,
Debbie Reynolds,
Rod Taylor and
Barry Fitzgerald).
The new musical version is helmed by
John Doyle -- minus his earlier conceit of having actors double as musicians -- and includes a book by
Harvey Fierstein and music by
John Bucchino. The only double duty on display comes from Fierstein via his starring role as Uncle Winston. Other cast members include
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer.
Set in the 1950s,
A Catered Affair centers on how "Bronx family ties are strained when a couple decides to give their daughter the grand wedding they never had." Self-described as "stunning...funny, heartwarming and uplifting for audiences of all ages," the musical is already accomplishing the kind of positive buzz via
New York Post's Michael Riedel that all other comers could only hope for: "Possible sleeper here for the Tony Awards, especially if the industry sours on Brooks' $450 tickets for
Young Frankenstein."
While I won't be able to travel to San Diego to catch the world premiere running through October 28, I'm looking forward to feasting on Fierstein's latest feat on Broadway, due at the
Walter Kerr Theatre on March 25.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Bette Davis, Broadway, Buzz, Faith Prince, Film, Harvey Fierstein, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Cavenaugh, Michael Riedel, Musical, San Diego, Television, Tom Wopat
The Most Farfetched Tony BounceLess than one week after his production of
Company won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical,
John Doyle is himself a hot property.
In addition to having already lined up a directing gig for the new Broadway-bound
Harvey Fierstein musical
A Catered Affair, which will world premiere at San Diego's
Old Globe Theatre this September, Doyle is "likely" to stage a
Public Theater mounting of
Stephen Sondheim's
Bounce next spring,
according to New York Post's Michael Riedel.
In his story, Riedel duly notes the troubled past of the tuner, but explains:
Sondheim and (John) Weidman (who wrote the show's book) have been unwilling to let Bounce die. They get together fairly often at Sondheim's Turtle Bay townhouse to work on the show, and last year the Public staged a private reading of their latest draft. Weidman recently told friends that he and Sondheim believe they've finally solved the show's problems, and that Bounce deserves a New York production.
Riedel says a Broadway transfer is eyed if the reviews are favorable.
I may be one of the few who actually saw the last incarnation of
Bounce, taking in its 2003 Chicago
Goodman Theatre mounting with
Hal Prince at the helm. To be honest, while not exactly the best Sondheim work I've ever seen, it certainly wasn't as bad as its notoriety has made it out to be. Its factually-based story on the rise and fall of Addison and Wilson Mizner held plenty of promise.
Two summers ago, while at Chicagoland's
Ravinia Festival for a special concert performance of Sondheim's
bona fide Broadway flop
Anyone Can Whistle (Ravinia's terrific staging included
Patti LuPone,
Audra McDonald and
Michael Cerveris), I was heartened by a pre-performance discussion with the great composer himself in which he indicated that the saga of
Bounce was far from over. He indicated that he was working to bring the troubled tuner back to his original vision.
If today's Riedel column is any indication, perhaps
Bounce is finally ready to be propelled to theatre's main stage on Broadway. Let's hope so.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Catered Affair, Anyone Can Whistle, Bounce, Broadway, Chicago, Company, Goodman Theatre, John Doyle, Off-Broadway, Public Theater, Ravinia, Stephen Sondheim
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick
According to
Michael Riedel of the
New York Post, Tony winner
Harvey Fierstein is planning a return to Broadway via a musical version of
Paddy Chayefsky's "
The Catered Affair." In addition to starring in the new tuner, Fierstein has written the book.
John Bucchino is penning the score, while
John Doyle is reportedly set to direct, although don't expect to see Mr. Fierstein playing any instruments. Fierstein is quoted as saying, "I told him, I ain't playing no damn tambourine. I'm very pro-union. I ain't taking no jobs from musicians."
"The Catered Affair" was originally a 1956 teleplay starring
Bette Davis,
Ernest Borgnine,
Debbie Reynolds and
Rod Taylor. Reputedly, it was Davis' personal favorite role.
Look for the musical to arrive on Broadway sometime during the 2007-08 Theatrical Season.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Bette Davis, Broadway, Film, First Word On New Show, Harvey Fierstein, John Doyle, Musical, Paddy Chayefsky, The Catered Affair
A Matter Of TasteThe latest issue of
Forbes includes
its annual listing of "The Tastemakers" for "affecting the way we read, eat, listen and live."
Fortunately (no pun intended, of course), the publishers know their well-heeled demographic includes a higher number of theatre lovers per capita, so they've devoted
one of their top ten lists to those individuals whom they deem as having had the most impact on Broadway.
While the selection process may seem a bit dubious -- they "chatted with producers and professors, critics and industry experts; studied media coverage; and looked to see who lined their bookshelves with the most awards" -- the results are certainly interesting:
- Scott Sanders, Producer (The Color Purple)
- Harry Connick Jr., Actor (The Pajama Game)
- Des McAnuff, Director (Jersey Boys)
- Judy Craymer, Producer (Mamma Mia!)
- Duncan Sheik, Composer (Spring Awakening)
- John Doyle, Director (Sweeney Todd)
- Bob Crowley, Designer (The History Boys)
- Christine Ebersole, Actress (Grey Gardens)
- Oprah Winfrey, Producer (The Color Purple)
- Bob Martin, Actor and Author (The Drowsy Chaperone)
Does it really matter that exactly 40% of the above list walked home with Tony Awards last year? Or that the producer (
Marc Platt) behind last year's biggest and ever-expanding hit
Wicked was excluded? Or that the playwright (
Tom Stoppard) of the year's most talked about drama
The Coast Of Utopia was nowhere to be found? Or that the producers (
Barry and Fran Weissler) of the
Chicago revival that celebrated its tenth anniversary weren't even provided an honorary mention? Of course not. It's
Forbes' list and their editors can write it up anywhere they please.
To their credit, the
Forbes editors were careful to note Broadway's banner year that attracted nearly 12 million theatregoers who collectively shelled out a total of $906 million. That's an average ticket price of $75.50.
But it's more than the Great White Way's big money that's attracted the magazine's attention. The writers of the "Tastemaker" list provide an appropriate nod to theatre's intrinsic and lasting allure: "[W]hatever the thrills of the small and big screens, there is a special magic and immediacy of live performance that continues to draws theatergoers to the hushed houses on Broadway." I can certainly live with that definition of taste.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Bob Martin, Broadway, Christine Ebersole, Des McAnuff, Forbes, Harry Connick Jr., John Doyle, Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders
Company (The SOB Review) - Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, NY*** (out of ****)Dear Mr.
John Doyle:
From the bottom of my heart, I apologize.
I'm truly sorry for
suggesting that your inventive theatrical device in which your actors double as musicians has already become excessive even
before I saw
Company, your latest Broadway revival of a
Stephen Sondheim musical.
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
real Raúl 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.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Did Critics Find Doyle's Latest Revival In Good Company? (November 30, 2006)
Another Company Opens For Business Tonight On Broadway (November 29, 2006)
Apple Tree In Good Company Among SOB Readers (November 6, 2006)
Labels: Barbara Walsh, Broadway, Company, Elaine Stritch, John Doyle, Musical, Raul Esparza, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, The SOB Review
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II)...Do we
really need a sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera? I thought
Cats were supposed to have nine lives, but isn't two phantoms one too many? What can
Sir Andrew possibly do for an encore? Implode the opera house?
You can weigh in via the new SOB Poll found on the right-hand side of the site.
...Wasn't it a relief that temperatures finally began to warm up and
inspire more people to go to the theatre last week? And how about
Spring Awakening's amazing bump up at the box office! Not only has the tuner finally scored a capacity of over 90%, but it's also among the top five Broadway shows in that category. The great word of mouth is finally catching up with the show.
...Isn't the prurient interest in all things
Daniel Radcliffe just a little bit unseemly for someone who's still 17 years of age? If I have to see one more picture of his bare bum, I'm going to turn myself in.
With talk that his full frontal turn in
Equus might transfer to the States, hopefully Radcliffe will have the temerity to first celebrate a birthday before an official Broadway mounting.
...Don't all those
Olivier Awards for
Sunday In The Park With George make you wish that its Broadway transfer were sooner than later? And wasn't it amazing how two Tony Award-winning Best Musicals --
Avenue Q and
Monty Python's Spamalot -- were snubbed in honor of
Caroline, Or Change, which despite being Tony-nommed, it ultimately lost to
Avenue Q.
...Can the already announced
Xanadu musical really find the appropriate mix of tongue-in-chic relevance with
Kristen Bell, now that
Jane Krakowski won't be riding her roller skates across a Broadway stage this spring? Thankfully, we can still see the latter on "
30 Rock" -- arguably the most hilarious show on television.
...Isn't Rocco at
What's Good/What Blows In New York Theatre just about the funniest theatre blogger around? Today's entry on "What My Mom Says About..." is priceless. Rocco, I think our mothers would get along just fine (and by the way, that's a great wide-eyed photo, presumably of you!).
...Why do directors and/or producers think that a novel winning formula for one show will work for another?
John Doyle has already been burned for attempting to parlay his success from
Sweeney Todd in requiring his actors to double as musicians one too many times (
read: Barnum) even after the novelty wore off with critics via
Company. But now,
Doug Hughes appears to be copying
Spring Awakening's unique onstage audience seating formula for his upcoming revival of
Inherit The Wind. Still, I guess it would be rather cool to be able to say you were on stage with
Brian Dennehy,
Christopher Plummer and
Denis O'Hare, now wouldn't it?
Tell me what you think!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Is It Just Me, Or... (June 24, 2006)
Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Box Office, Broadway, Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Inherit The Wind, Is It Just Me, John Doyle, SOB Poll, Spring Awakening, The Phantom Of The Opera
