Natasha Richardson And The MediaWhile the world anxiously awaits definitive news on the state of
Natasha Richardson, who earned a Tony in 1998 for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in
Sam Mendes' brilliant revival of
Cabaret, I want to express two thoughts.
First and foremost, my heart goes out to Ms. Richardson's family and friends as we all wish for the best.
Second, I'm absolutely disgusted by the media's irresponsible rush to proclaim anything until the family is ready. Particularly grievous was yesterday's despicably premature pronunciations by
Time Out New York, followed by Michael Riedel's
New York Post declarations.
In the ensuing rush to get a scoop, including
capturing photos of the shocked and devastated family, the worst within the media have pushed the boundaries of decency by debasing this news into the most unseamly of realms. Is it no wonder Americans have
such a distaste for the news media?
Media: Give it a rest. Let the family and friends of Ms. Richardson cope this this tragedy in peace. Let them make any official statements on their own timetable without adding to the pain. Afford them the same courtesies you'd want if you were in their shoes.
UPDATE (3.18.09, 11:47 p.m. EDT): Earlier this evening, it was announced that Natasha Richardson has succumbed to her traumatic injuries from a skiing accident. Ms. Richardson was 45. My sincere condolences to this winning actress' family and friends on their immense loss.This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: In Memoriam, Natasha Richardson, Rumor, Tragedy
Going, Going, Going ... Gone (Part II)One week ago today,
I took note of Charles Isherwood's bittersweet
story that almost served as a plea to get out and see your favorite shows before they close. That same day, nine Broadway shows closed.
Today, we'll bid adieu to yet another three Main Stem productions, including
one that earned the Tony for Best Musical just four years ago and
another that earned its
three principal cast members Tonys for their exceptional acting.
Today is your last chance to see the following three shows:
All My Sons. Going. No word yet (as of this writing) on whether a tour will ensue.
Gypsy. Going. While rumors had run rampant that a West End transfer might take place -- at least for its star
Patti LuPone -- there's been no official word as of late. For that reason alone, I revisited the
St. James Theatre last night to catch the second to last performance on the Great White Way. WOW!
I will discuss just a little later how Ms. LuPone stopped the show twice -- once when the audience gave her a standing O upon the conclusion of her rendition of "Rose's Turn," but also
during the same tune when she stopped the orchestra because some idiot in the audience had the bad manners to be taking at least three photos (by her count) of her performance.
After rebuking the offender by saying, "How dare you?" among other fourth wall-breaking chastisements, Ms. LuPone had the jerk kicked out and then started the tune all over, to great applause. This marked the first time I had ever seen an artist stop a show because of an audience member's complete lack of manners.
If you're attending Sunday's final performance and think you can get away with taking a photo, be forewarned!
Monty Python's Spamalot. Going. And if you were toying with traveling to London to see the
West End mounting, you'll have to rethink that strategy as the show closed there on January 3 (the abbreviated
Las Vegas staging already closed last summer). But the
North American tour continues. You can catch its last
South Bend (IN) performance today; from there, the tour moves on to
Peoria (insert your
obvious joke here) and then to
Chicago.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Broadway, Closings, Gypsy, Monty Python's Spamalot, Patti LuPone, Rumor, Touring Production
Casting Couched In RumorsI love my friends.
They know I don't normally traffic in gossip, but they keep sending rumors my way anyway.
RUMOR:Angela Lansbury will defy her own self-imposed stage retirement by taking on the role of Madame Arcati in the upcoming Broadway revival of
Noël Coward's
Blithe Spirit.
TRUTH:While no further casting has been announced beyond
Christine Ebersole and
Rupert Everett (in his Broadway debut),
Variety's original September 29 story on the revival
stated:
No further casting has been announced, although Angela Lansbury and Rupert Everett are said to be on the wish list.
Given that director
Michael Blakemore managed to snag Everett since that initial report, spirits (and hopes) are running high that it's only a matter of time before Lansbury says yes.
UPDATED (10/14/08, 9:30 a.m.): According to Playbill (hit tap to SarahB), Angela Lansbury will
return to the Broadway boards in Blithe Spirit. It is true!RUMOR: Cheyenne Jackson's first post-
Xanadu ride across a Broadway stage will be as Sky Masterson in the
upcoming Broadway revival of
Guys And Dolls, which has already cast
Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit.
TRUTH:Sure, the
message boards on Broadway World are fanning the flames, no doubt fueled in part by
Michael Musto's August dreamcasting of Mr. Jackson as Sky, as well as a little dish from
Perez Hilton, who says:
Other cast members have not yet been announced, but we're hearing hottie Cheyenne Jackson will be part of the revival.
But to date, there's really nothing to substantiate the rumor, nor is there anything to negate it.
RUMOR: Teen heartthrob
Zac Efron will replace
Daniel Radcliffe in the current Broadway revival of
Equus. TRUTH:
Efron tells
People:
No. I think it's a great role but I was not approached.... (But) I think it's important to always diversify, change it up and play different characters.... I think doing musicals all the time would get stale.
TALLY:One rumor is
true, another is squelched and the third remains just that for the time being.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit, Broadway, Cheyenne Jackson, Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Guys And Dolls, Rumor, Zac Efron
Hairspray: You Can Stop The Beat?You know those bells
Hairspray's Tracy Turnblad has heard since the show made its Broadway debut in July 2002? Well, an appropriate question may now be "For whom the bells toll?"
According to
Playbill,
Hairspray :
...is expected to close in mid-January 2009, but not before welcoming back the Mother of All Ednas -- Harvey Fierstein.
With an unidentified spokesperson from the show characterizing the announcement for shuttering of
Hairspray as "imminent," could it be that the economic tea leaves are suggesting that this will be one long, cold winter at the box office?
Recent grosses for the six year old Tony-winning Best Musical of 2003 are not bad, but they're not necessarily great, either. For the past three weeks, the tuner has attracted a capacity crowd in the 60% range. However, if you look at the
average ticket price -- which this past week was $57.20 -- it's clear that advance sales are down to the point they're sending an awful lot of seats over to TKTS. With all the news about the economy, theatregoers are likely to be more selective about the shows they see and may not readily return to those they've already taken in.
Giving
Hairspray a royal send-off with Fierstein reprising his Edna will most definitely put the lilt back in the musical. Personally, I'd love to see them bring back
Marissa Jaret Winokur as Tracy for one last hurrah as well. Those visions of Fierstein and Winokur together are, ahem, timeless to me.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Hairspray, Harvey Fierstein, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Musical, Rumor
Will Drowsy Chaperone Be Put To Sleep?Did anyone else catch
Michael Riedel's little slip that
Cry-Baby hopes "to slip into New York's
Marriott Marquis Theatre in March"?
Granted, I wasn't exactly thrilled by
The Drowsy Chaperone's rather lame stunt-casting of
Bob Saget as the new Man In Chair (not to be confused with
Eric at Man In Chair), but the tuner
still played last week to 71.9% of capacity and grossed $605,832.
Does Riedel know about some impending closing notice? More importantly, do
you?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Drowsy Chaperone tickets.Related Stories:Putting London's Drowsy Chaperone To Bed (July 26, 2007)
Go East, Young Musical, Go East (July 27, 2007)
Did Chaperone Keep London's Aging Critics Awake? (June 19, 2007)
West End Drowsy Chaperone: Another Great Paige Turner (January 19, 2007)
The Drowsy Chaperone (The SOB Review) (October 3, 2006)
Mixed Reviews Tire The Drowsy Chaperone (May 2, 2006)
Labels: Bob Saget, Box Office, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Michael Riedel, Musical, Rumor, Stunt Casting, The Drowsy Chaperone
Passing Strange To Broadway?I'm hearing through the grapevine that Mark Stewart (aka
Stew) and
Heidi Rodewald's rock musical
Passing Strange is heading for Broadway in February 2008 and that an announcement is imminent.
Passing Strange -- a collaboration between
The Public Theater and the
Berkeley Rep -- played New York this past summer and was extended by four weeks before moving on to the Left Coast.
The autobiographical piece centers on Stew, "a young black bohemian in search of self and home who charts a course for 'the real' through sex, drugs, and rock and roll."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Berkeley Rep, Broadway, First Word On New Show, Passing Strange, Public Theater, Rumor, Stew
Is Johansson's South Pacific Journey Just Happy Talk?
For the second time in as many years, silver screen starlet
Scarlett Johansson is rumored to be in the running for a leading role in a revival of a
Rodgers and
Hammerstein classic.
Still no word on whether Miss Johansson actually has the appropriate voice for the role.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Kelli O'Hara, Musical, Reese Witherspoon, Revival, Rumor, Scarlett Johansson, South Pacific, The Sound Of Music
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein
I had been told earlier this week that Mullally signed for the show. I've also heard that the producers have decided against casting the venerable
Cloris Leachman, who created the Frau Blücher role on the silver screen. The rumblings I've heard not only deem her too old (Leachman is, in my opinion, a remarkably young 80), but also indicate that
Young Frankenstein can really only begin anew if it's completely recast. Somehow, those neighing horses will never be the same.
Having said that, another of my fave actresses, the redoubtable
Andrea Martin, has supposedly been in the running to assume the role of Frau Blücher. But like Chenoweth, she's reportedly mulling over her own potential television deal. Same goes for
Roger Bart, who played Igor in the much-ballyhooed reading of
Young Frankenstein last October.
One thing that does seem certain is that the out of town tryout will be in Seattle this summer. Personally, I'm already planning a trek to America's Emerald City to see whether this Broadway bound tuner measures up, regardless of who's cast (although
it sure would be nice to finally see Sutton Foster...).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Andrea Martin, Broadway, Cloris Leachman, Kristin Chenoweth, Megan Mullally, Musical, Roger Bart, Rumor, Seattle, Shuler Hensley, Sutton Foster, Tryout, Young Frankenstein
