A State Of Honorable ConfusionThis morning,
The New York Time's
Campbell Robertson writes about all those shows that
New York Post's Michael Riedel and others have promised were Broadway bound.
The much heralded list includes:
13 - "more likely at this point"
Farragut North - "opening on Broadway in the fall. Doug Hughes directing. 'Exciting people' in the cast"
Guys And Dolls - "pretty much a dead letter"
Pal Joey - "will probably make it here, perhaps next year"
Porgy And Bess - "more likely at this point"
Stalag 17 - "producers postponed the production to the fall of 2008"
The Female Of The Species - now "scheduled for...Broadway in the spring of 2009"
The Wiz - into the abyss
The laundry list of shows many thought would already be performing on Broadway helps explain why Rocco Landesman of Jujamcyn says:
Delays are a normal part of the process.... When a date is announced as an opening date, it’s really a hoped-for date. When a show arrives perfectly on schedule, that’s actually more anomalous.
Or as producer Jeffrey Richard describes the delay of Farragut North:
There was a state of honorable confusion.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 13, Broadway, Farragut North, Guys And Dolls, Pal Joey, Porgy And Bess, Stalag 17, The Female Of The Species, The Wiz
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).
Related Stories:Grandage Guys And Dolls Set For Great White Way (June 6, 2007)
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
London Porgy And Bess Soon To Be Gone, Gone, Gone
So extraordinary was the reworking of
Porgy And Bess that the show was Olivier-nominated for Best
New Musical earlier this year; the production would lose to
Caroline, Or Change. Peters and Hughes were also nominated for their performances.
Porgy And Bess is reportedly still being readied for a Spring 2008 transfer to Broadway. And speaking of transfers, the show's early departure from the Savoy provides a West End opening for the transfer of
another musical revival, this time from Northern England's
Sheffield Crucible Theatre.
Personally, as a huge fan of Porgy And Bess' classic score, I'm looking forward to seeing it once it makes the journey "home" to America.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Fiddler On The Roof tickets. Click here for Porgy And Bess tickets. Labels: Closing Notices, Fiddler On The Roof, First Word On New Show, London, Musical, Porgy And Bess, Revival, Transfer, Trevor Nunn
Nunn Finds His Porgy And BessI'm officially
ecstatic now that casting has been announced for the upcoming
Trevor Nunn revival of
Porgy And Bess.
Clarke Peters and
Nicola Hughes will take on the title roles in the
Gareth Valentine-helmed production set for a November 9 opening.
While fairly unknown to American audiences, Hughes received an Olivier nomination in 2001 for her performance in the British mounting of
Fosse.
Peters is best known to American audiences for his turn as Lester Freamon on television's "
The Wire," but theatrical audiences know him for his Tony nominated book for
Five Guys Named Moe back in 1992, as well as his subsequent Broadway roles as Billy Flynn in the current
Chicago revival and as Joe Mott alongside
Kevin Spacey in the critically-acclaimed revival of
The Iceman Cometh in 1999.
While my appetite has already been whetted for
Porgy And Bess, it's Clarke's inclusion that makes this a must-see event for me. That's because of my fond, vivid memories of his outstanding nuanced performance in the captivating 1988 London mounting of
Driving Miss Daisy.
In it, Peters was paired with theatrical legend and Academy Award-winning actress
Dame Wendy Hiller in the titular role (Hiller was one of
George Bernard Shaw's favorite actresses for which she was rewarded with leading roles in
Pymalion and
Major Barbara). This excellent, small-scale production of
Driving Miss Daisy was wowing London's Apollo Theatre audiences one year
prior to the Academy Award-winning
movie version with
Morgan Freeman and
Jessica Tandy.
I now look forward to having Peters wow me again.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Trevor Nunn's West End Porgy and Bess Will Transfer to Broadway (July 25, 2006)
Nunn Better: Porgy and Bess Set for London Revival (June 30, 2006)
Labels: Clarke Peters, Driving Miss Daisy, London, Musical, Porgy And Bess, Revival
Nunn Better: Porgy and Bess Set for London RevivalNearly 71 years ago, George and Ira Gershwin's greatest masterpiece
Porgy and Bess made its debut on the Broadway stage with Todd Duncan and Anne Wiggins Brown in the titular roles. Now, one of the theatrical world's greatest impresarios and directors, Trevor Nunn, is moving forward with a West End revival, transforming what is typically presented as a 4-hour opera into a 2-and-a-half hour musical. Nunn's
Porgy and Bess will premiere at London's Savoy Theatre on November 9.
The estate of the Gershwins has provided its blessing to the transformation, which uses the 1925 source novel for the newly revised book. But the grandeur of this $5 million piece will be readily apparent with a company of 60, including 40 cast members and a 20-piece orchestra. In 1993, Nunn previously directed a full-length
Porgy and Bess for Glyndebourne Opera; that version was captured on DVD (picture includes link).
Before the latest revival is even cast, producers are already talking about a Broadway version sometime during the 2007-08 theatrical season. The last time
Porgy and Bess played on the Great White Way, it garnered 6 Tony nominations and was awarded the 1977 Tony for Most Innovative Production of a Revival.
As much as I've adored the music from
Porgy and Bess, I've never had the opportunity to see it live on stage. I'm excited by the prospect of finally seeing what was -- in its time -- one of theatre's most revolutionary productions, in this case for its groundbreaking portrayal of African-Americans.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: First Word On New Show, London, Musical, Porgy And Bess, Revival
