Ever Had A Front Row Seat?Last week's
discussion on where you prefer to sit when taking in live theatre got me to reminiscing about all the shows I've seen from a front row vantage point.
Among the Broadway shows:
Spring Awakening (
Lilli Cooper practically sang to me),
Our Town (
Paul Newman as the narrator towered directly over me for a significant portion of the show),
The Boy From Oz,
Rent,
Xanadu (I could have reached out and touched
Kerry Butler and
Cheyenne Jackson as they were perched on the edge of the stage) and
Long Day's Journey Into Night (
Robert Sean Leonard's off-stage gaze seemed to be staring straight through me) .
Topping them all was when I took in the excellent 2004 revival of
Assassins. My front row center seat at
Studio 54 literally placed me face to face with
Neil Patrick Harris, who looked straight into my eyes as he sang part of one of the show's tunes. Talk about riveting.
While I'm sure there's more, those are the ones that sprang to mind. My positioning certainly made a difference in how I viewed each show literally and figuratively.
How about for you?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Where's Your Best Seat In The House? (September 26, 2007)
Xanadu (The SOB Review) (July 11, 2007)
Spring Awakening (The SOB Review) (March 3, 2007)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Labels: Assassins, Broadway, Front Row Seats, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Neil Patrick Harris, Our Town, Paul Newman, Rent, Robert Sean Leonard, Special Messages, Spring Awakening, The Boy From Oz, Xanadu
Jackman Receives Hero's Welcome HomeNow that
Hugh Jackman has returned home to his Aussie roots with his arena-style performance as
Peter Allen in
The Boy From Oz, what have the critics said?
Sandra McLean of
The Courier Mail effuses that this was: "[A] virtuoso performance that ended in a standing ovation and confirmed that this guy is disgustingly talented."
Martin Ball of
The Age gushes: "[W]hat a wizard of a show it is. What began life eight years ago as a musical has now become an arena spectacular, and while Allen and his songs are the ostensible reason, this is really The Hugh Jackman Show."
In the
North Shore Times, critic
Catherine Zuill states: "A powerful presence on stage, Jackman was clearly very much in command and confident that this dazzling musical production originally written by
Nick Enright for a much smaller stage, could work on a larger scale."
The
Sydney Star Observer's Martin Portus notes: "Tickets aren't cheap but, in short, Jackman delivers in spades and so does the show....If Peter Allen would have had any complaints, it might have been that Jackman gets more billing than his story. It's really Jackman's own cabaret show, resting on his effortless charisma, engagement and skills. He holds every minute of our attention."
Who can blame the Australian media for getting caught up in the frenzied celebration of one of their country's best-loved current stars? Perhaps the most unbiased point of view came from the outside looking in -- from
Variety's David Rooney, who, instead of fawning all over Jackman's Australian homecoming, delivers a fair perspective: "It's as much a concert platform for a returning local boy made good in Hollywood as it is a life story of Peter Allen. And that's no bad thing....While Jackman is clearly playing a part, mincing and cavorting and flirting up a storm, there are equal parts of his own persona at play with Allen's. The strong sense of an international star acknowledging his roots, eager to give something back to the country he came from will ensure this show an enthusiastic welcome across Australia."
While
The Boy From Oz was not, in and of itself, a great show on Broadway, and while the
gay subtext has been dumbed-down for the supposedly open-minded Australian masses, there's no mistaking the brilliant performance by its Tony-winning star, Hugh Jackman. And that alone would be worth the price of admission back home Down Under.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Boy From Oz Goes Home Tonight (August 2, 2006)
He's Back! The Boy from Oz Returns Down Under (July 5, 2006)
Labels: Australia, Critics' Capsule, Hugh Jackman, Musical, The Boy From Oz
The Boy From Oz Goes Home TonightIf you've ever had a chance to travel Down Under, you'll know that the trip seriously messes with your mind when it comes to time. Even though it's still August 2 stateside, my friends are long since up in Melbourne and Sydney, going about their Thursday. In that spirit, I want to remind them that tonight
their time marks the triumphant return of
The Boy From Oz to Australia -- this time with confirmed Broadway star
Hugh Jackman in tow.
In what is being billed as
"a brand new production of the original musical especially designed for the arena stage," The Boy from Oz will tour Australia and feature Chrissy Amphlett as
Judy Garland and Angela Toohey as
Liza Minnelli, as well as a supporting cast of 40 and a 25-piece orchestra.
If you missed the New York run of
The Boy from Oz, this may be your final chance to see Hugh Jackman in the role that added "Broadway star" to his growing curriculum vitae. OK, so the show may not have been the greatest I've ever seen, but Jackman really proves why he was so deserving of his Tony.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:He's Back! The Boy from Oz Returns Down Under (July 5, 2006)
Labels: Australia, Hugh Jackman, Opening Night, The Boy From Oz, Transfer
He's Back! The Boy from Oz Returns Down UnderAugust 3 marks the triumphant return to the Australian stage by one of its favorite sons, Hugh Jackman. The actor will be reprising his Tony-winning title role in
The Boy from Oz as another favorite Aussie, Peter Allen, in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne during a limited tour running through September 16.
Back in October of 2003, I was thrilled to see
The Boy from Oz on Broadway, just two days after it opened to mixed reviews. One thing was undeniable, even to the critics: Hugh Jackman is a magnificently talented actor, dancer and singer. On that last note, to authentically capture his character, he sang in the rather nasally style for which Allen was known, rather than belting out the tunes with his own gorgeous voice -- something audiences from Sydney to London have been able to enjoy thanks to his Olivier-nominated portrayal of Curly in
Oklahoma! back in 1999.
In what is being billed as
"a brand new production of the original musical especially designed for the arena stage," The Boy from Oz will feature Chrissy Amphlett as Judy Garland and Angela Toohey as Liza Minnelli, as well as a supporting cast of 40 and a 25-piece orchestra.
If you missed the New York run of
The Boy from Oz, this may be your final chance to see Hugh Jackman in the role that added "Broadway star" to his growing curriculum vitae. The show alone would be worth the trip Down Under!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Australia, Broadway, Musical, Opening Night, The Boy From Oz
Casting Call (Week Ending May 21, 2006)
Although theatrical news over the past two weeks has largely been devoted to late 2005-06 season openings, as well as award nominations and wins, there has also been a significant number of announcements pertaining to upcoming productions and their casts.
While the casting news that may have received the most buzz has been that surrounding Hugh Jackman and his participation in the Taylor Hackford-helmed workshop of
Leap of Faith (based on the 1992 movie with Steve Martin), perhaps the most noteworthy report surrounds recently-minted Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s return to the stage in LAByrinth Theater’s
Jack Goes Boating. I last saw Hoffman in the haunting semi-autobiographic Broadway portrait of Eugene O’Neill’s family in
Long Day’s Journey Into Night a few years ago in which Hoffman co-starred alongside Tony Award-winners Brian Denehy, Vanessa Redgrave and Robert Sean Leonard. In
Jack Goes Boating, beginning this winter, Hoffman will be joined by John Ortiz and the always delightful Daphne Rubin-Vega.
As for Jackman, it’s clear that his participation is much in demand as he’s also been rumored to be sought for a new Joe Mantello-helmed Broadway revival of
Pal Joey, as well as
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off. Celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne’s name has also been attached to the
Pal Joey revival. As Jackman demonstrated through his triumphant, Tony Award-winning portrayal of Peter Allen in
The Boy From Oz, he can turn even the most dubious of roles into a tour-de-force performance. He was absolutely remarkable. The only drawback in that show was that he was compelled to impersonate the nasally Allen rather than using his glorious, natural voice. Regardless of which production he’s ultimately attached to, I’m looking forward to once again enjoying this gifted performer.
Other recent and noteworthy casting includes. . . . Disney’s announcement that Donny Osmond -- often the perennial Joseph in various productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat -- will soon be the new Gaston in the long-running Broadway hit
Beauty and the Beast. I’ll be interested in learning whether Osmond has seriously bulked up or will simply use padding to play Belle’s dim suitor . . . . Tony Award-winner Chuck Cooper will join 80s pop idol-turned-Broadway actress Deborah Gibson in Van Hill Entertainment’s production of
Saint Heaven, a spiritually-toned musical love story that begins performances at the Stamford (CT) Center for the Arts, June 1-11. I last saw Gibson in the role of
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella opposite Eartha Kitt’s fairy Godmother several years ago. . . . Jeremy Kushnier, Andy Karl and his real-life wife Orfeh will star in the musical version of
Bright Lights, Big City. Karl, whom I originally saw in
Disney’s On the Record in 2004, has made quite a name for himself over the past year, particularly with his Off-Broadway role in the much-lauded
Altar Boyz, as well as his lead role in
Slut.
Bright Lights, Big City -- the new adaptation of the famed Jay McInerny novel -- will descend on Philadelphia’s Prince Music Theater, beginning June 14 for a limited premiere engagement. . . . and finally, Linda Gray leads the casting in the stage adaptation of
Terms of Endearment, which has already been announced as part of the upcoming season in both Houston and Hartford in 2007. Gray is undoubtedly best known for her years portraying Sue Ellen Ewing on television’s “Dallas.” But more recently, she assumed the role of Mrs. Robinson in the stage version of
The Graduate.
Expect more exciting casting news in the weeks ahead.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Jack Goes Boating/LAByrinth ticket information.
Click here for Beauty and the Beast (Broadway) tickets.
Click here for Saint Heaven tickets.
Click here for Bright Lights, Big City tickets
Click here for Terms of Endearment (Houston Alley) ticket information.
Related Stories:Casting Call (Week Ending June 7, 2006) (June 7, 2006)
Labels: Beauty And The Beast, Casting Changes, Donny Osmond, Hugh Jackman, Jack Goes Boating, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Pal Joey, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Stunt Casting, The Boy From Oz
The Pirate Queen Musical to Sail Into Chicago This FallIf you are like me -- one of the millions of theatre-goers worldwide who enjoyed two of the biggest, global theatrical spectacles of the past twenty years,
Les Misérables and
Miss Saigon -- you may want to find your way to the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago this fall as
The Pirate Queen is set to enjoy its world premiere. The latest Broadway-bound Alain Boubil/Claude Michel Schönberg musical is a fictionalized account of an actual Irish woman, Grace O’Malley, who became a legend thanks to her life as a pirate. The sensational Stepanie J. Block has been cast in the lead role.
Audiences who caught
The Boy From Oz will remember Block for her portrayal of another real life legend, Liza Minnelli, while fans of the touring
Wicked production may have thrilled to Block defying gravity as its first Elphaba. Personally, I loved Block in both roles, which she imbued with enormous style and grace, as well as her amazing vocal range.
If you read my blog last Friday, you may understand that my trepidation regarding this production comes in the form of its direction. Frank Galati will helm the large cast of forty. I saw two of his shows from the last theatrical season, and they ranked at the bottom of my list among all 54 productions I saw during that time. Could the third time be the charm? Or could it be three strikes and he's out?
Another reason for my apprehension is that the producers of
Riverdance -- perhaps aptly named Riverdream -- are behind
The Pirate Queen. I have never seen
Riverdance, but given the cliché it's become, I have my doubts about what this all adds up to.
Minus a revolving stage or helicopter, I'll have to hope for the best with Stephanie Block on board. Tickets for
The Pirate Queen go on sale on May 19 for performances running from October 3 through November 26.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Broadway, Chicago, First Word On New Show, Musical, The Boy From Oz, The Pirate Queen, Tryout
