Grammy HeightsLast evening, 2008's Tony Award-winning Best Musical,
In the Heights earned another top entertain-ment honor -- its second of the big four. Its
original cast recording won a
Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.
Kurt Deutsch,
Alex Lacamoire, Andrés Levin,
Lin-Manuel Miranda (also composer of the score), Joel Moss and
Bill Sherman were honored as producers of the recording.
In The Heights beat out
Gypsy,
South Pacific,
The Little Mermaid and
Young Frankenstein. As much as I preferred
Gypsy and
South Pacific on stage, I have to admit that
In The Heights really does sound much better on CD.
Congratulations to Lin-Manuel Miranda for another huge win. Although given the thousands of Grammy categories, I'm sure even he can appreciate how dubious these awards truly are.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Grammy Awards, Gypsy, In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda, South Pacific, The Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstein
Time Picks Billy Elliot As Year's BestCalling it a "show that that really earns its cheers and tears," even though "the cast and production don't quite measure up to the brilliant London original,"
Time magazine's theatre writer Richard Zoglin names
Billy Elliot - The Musical as the year's number one musical or play. (Meanwhile, the Associated Press'
Michael Kuchwara also included
Billy Elliot on his top ten list.)
Below are Zoglin's other picks and my running commentary:
2.
Hair -- I missed the Central Park version, but hope to catch it come February at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld.
4.
The Visit -- Hurrah!
I loved this production last Memorial Day while at the DC area's Signature Theatre. When will it finally receive a well-deserved New York City run?
5.
Black Watch -- This ranks as my biggest disappointment of the year, not because I didn't like it, but because I was unable to see it. Shame on me.
8.
Blasted -- Blasted! I missed this one, too! But it's still playing at the SoHo Rep.
10.
Farragut North -- Hey, I tried to get tickets, but the show sold out on me!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Best Of Lists, Billy Elliot The Musical, Black Watch, Blasted, Farragut North, Hair, Reasons To Be Pretty, South Pacific, The Little Mermaid, The Visit, Time
Early Tony Handi-cappingTwo of Steve On Broadway's favorite "Must Read" blogs --
Full Force Theatre Musings and
ModernFabulousity -- have already begun handicapping the 2008 Tony Awards.
FFTM's CaraJoy, of course, first posted her mid-season musings
in 2007 and
last mentioned her early betting in January.
Last week, ModFab's Gabriel began
his discussion on plays and revivals of plays and
continues it today with the betting on musicals, new and otherwise.
ModFab picked up on
a comment I made last week in posting the news (
now confirmed) that
Glory Days would be heading to Broadway from the DC Area's
Signature Theatre (not to be confused with the Off-Broadway
Signature on West 42nd Street). I said that given the Main Stem's "disappointing big musicals" (
read: critical drubbing of both
Young Frankenstein and
The Little Mermaid), "this is quickly becoming the year of the little musical with oversized hearts." ModFab was quick -- and right -- to point out that two "big" tuners,
Cry-Baby and
A Catered Affair, have yet to open.
While I would never want to count either one out, let's just say that how ever fair or unfair, the initial buzz I've been hearing on
Cry-Baby is not terribly favorable, and
A Catered Affair is further challenged both by the
stinging tryout review by
The Los Angeles Times 's Charles McNulty and the subsequent
kerfuffle, as well as the initial capitalization necessary for the Broadway incarnation.
Personally, I have high hopes for both.
As a big fan of
John Waters, I'm champing at the bit to see if
Cry-Baby can replicate some modicum of
Hairspray's universal success. I'm also rooting for
Harvey Fierstein and know that
he's pouring every last ounce of energy into making
A Catered Affair a complete delight. I hope both succeed.
While I agree wholeheartedly with ModFab that inevitably, the Tony focus turns to what shows can sell tickets on tour, if either of these shows is torpedoed by bad reviews, the Tony race just may become one big Cinderella story for this year's little shows. But I'm prepared to withhold my glass slipper fitting until
Cry-Baby and
A Catered Affair have had the opportunity to open.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Glory Days Yet To Come This Broadway Season? (March 19, 2008)
Heights Opens: Did Critics Offer High Marks? (March 10, 2008)
Did Critics Provide Passing Grades To Passing Strange? (February 29, 2008)
Did Little Mermaid Find Its Legs Among Critics? (January 11, 2008)
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick? (November 8, 2007)
Did Critics Offer Xana-Dos Or Don'ts? (July 11, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Blogs, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Full Force Theatre Musings, Glory Days, Modern Fabulousity, Musical, The Little Mermaid, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations, Young Frankenstein
Did Little Mermaid Find Its Legs Among Critics?Last month, after 50 preview performances,
Disney's stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid opened at Broadway's
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Helmed by
Francesca Zambello, the
Alan Menken,
Howard Ashman and
Glenn Slater tuner stars
Sierra Boggess,
Norm Lewis,
Sherie René Scott and
Tituss Burgess.
Apparently the critics weren't biting.
Opening with "Loved the shoes. Loathed the show,"
The New York Times ' self-proclaimed exaggerator
Ben Brantley nevertheless pans in his one absolute must-read review. It's
that funny: "Directed by Francesca Zambello, this
Little Mermaid burdens its performers with ungainly guess-what-I-am costumes (by Tatiana Noginova) and a distracting set (by George Tsypin) awash in pastels gone sour and unidentifiable giant tchotchkes that suggest a Luau Lounge whipped up by an acid-head heiress in the 1960s. The whole enterprise is soaked in that sparkly garishness that only a very young child -- or possibly a tackiness-worshiping drag queen -- might find pretty....Coherence of plot, endearing quirks of character, even the melodious wit of the original score (supplemented by new, substandard songs by Mr. Menken and the lyricist Glenn Slater) have been swallowed by an unfocused spectacle, more parade than narrative, that achieves the dubious miracle of translating an animated cartoon into something that feels like less than two dimensions."
Noting how the show "begins to bloat by the end,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun offers a more mixed assessment: "So Disney has turned
Mermaid into the latest of its high-gloss screen-to-stage projects -- and the result is almost exactly half as clever and touching and tuneful as the film....Ms. Zambello's embellishments, for the most part, are not particularly welcome ones....Doug Wright has added backstory galore and a handful of grin-worthy puns ("As long as you live under my reef, you'll obey my rules!") but allows the action to bog down well before the final chorus....(Choreographer) Stephen Mear, takes the reins here, and the results are largely successful."
Citing "plastic, plastic everywhere, enough to lead you to drink,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes gives the show just one star: "Underneath all this baroque ornamentation was a tiny, tinny little musical struggling for its life....The music is sort of perkily lugubrious....The lyrics fade away either in a miasma of romantic fatuity or a haze of grimly dull jokiness....Yet throughout the long-littleness of the show, Mear's more than competent choreography shines out, as they say, like a good deed in a naughty world....There isn't much I can say of the cast -- all swimming upstream with a kind of grinning gallantry."
Assessing it as a "doggedly conventional, well-performed, middling bore of a show,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer is similarly uncharitable: "[T]he most amazing part of Disney's latest musical is its amazing shortage of originality -- not to mention magic or cross-generational wit....[D]irector Francesca Zambello and set designer George Tsypin -- both from the progressive wing of grand opera -- appear to have toiled mightily to come up with almost nothing new....Newcomer Sierra Boggess has both the creamy-voice lyricism and spunky spirit of a fine Disney heroine. Sean Palmer is suitably dashing, if a little mature for her, as Prince Eric."
Citing a bit of an improvement over the Denver tryout,
David Rooney of
Variety still offers a negative review: "The massive brand power of the beloved 1989 animated feature might make disappointment over the show's diluted charms irrelevant. But the impression remains that this is a case of winning material hitched to the wrong creative team....Sierra Boggess' Ariel is a perfectly lovely, vocally accomplished lead, but Doug Wright's book somehow loses the fundamental quality that made Disney's update of the
Hans Christian Andersen tale so captivating onscreen."
You can find my review of the Denver tryout by clicking
here.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Ben Brantley, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Disney, Film, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, Sierra Boggess, The Little Mermaid
Little Mermaid Finally Lands Opening NightNearly one month after it was originally scheduled to open on Broadway (those plans were jettisoned due to the Broadway stagehands strike),
Disney's stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid finally opens this evening at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Under
Francesca Zambello's direction, the tuner features a book by
Doug Wright, along with a score by
Alan Menken,
Howard Ashman and
Glenn Slater.
Sierra Boggess lands her first major Broadway lead as Ariel, while
Norm Lewis portrays her father King Triton.
Sherie René Scott takes on the role of King Triton's sister Ursula, and
Tituss Burgess plays Sebastian.
I caught the show last September during its out-of-town Denver tryout. While
I gave good marks to the cast, whom I believe did their best with the material they were given, I found that it lacked the requisite Disney magic.
Is it possible that all that has been turned around during its unusually lengthy period of 50 previews? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
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Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:All Of Great White Way Gleams Tonight (November 29, 2007)
Little Mermaid Opening Delayed (November 20, 2007)
Riding In On A White...Mouse? (November 16, 2007)
The Little Mermaid (The SOB Review) (September 15, 2007)
Is Little Mermaid Major Disney Misstep?(August 31, 2007)
Updated: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post (August 24, 2007)
A Tale Of Two Tryout Cities (August 23, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Francesca Zambello, Musical, Opening Night, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, The SOB Review
Riding In On A White...Mouse?Apparently, if there's any organization to thank for yesterday afternoon's announcement that
The League of American Theatres and Producers will finally go back to the bargaining table with
Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.), it's
Disney.
The House of Mouse holds a 99-year lease on Broadway's
New Amsterdam Theatre, which as the current home to
Mary Poppins remains one of the eight houses still open for business during the stagehands strike. But with
The Lion King and
The Little Mermaid languishing unperformed at the
Minskoff and
Lunt-Fontanne Theaters, respectively, Disney is losing a lot of money. Missing just four performances last week, Disney's gross on
The Lion King alone was down more than one half million dollars.
Compounding the strike issues, Disney had just begun previews for its fragile
Little Mermaid production, while scuttling its long-planned November 11 gala performance to celebrate
The Lion King's 10th anniversary on Broadway, widely credited with helping revitalize Times Square and 42nd Street.
According to
New York Post's
Michael Riedel and Kaili McDonnough, Disney's worried about the other shoe to drop -- the
all-important touring productions that could be potentially struck.
Riedel and McDonnough write:
The entertainment giant is dispatching its top labor lawyers to the table for the talks, which are scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. The meeting will be the first between the union and theater producers since the work stoppage went into affect over the weekend.
The stagehands consider Disney a good employer and believe it would be a neutral mediator in their battle, the sources said.
"We trust and respect Disney," a union source said.
Meanwhile, the producers also welcome Disney's involvement and think the company to bridge the wide gap between them and the stagehands.
Say what you want about Disney, but if they can truly help broker a deal, I say, give
The Little Mermaid a critical pass.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Finally, Back To The Table (November 14, 2007)
Will The Strike Go On Tour? (November 12, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Disney, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, League of American Theatres and Producers, Local One, Lockout, Refunds, Stagehands, Strike, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (The SOB Review) - Ellie Caulkins Opera House, The Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver, CO**1/2 (out of ****)When its entire considerable empire and reputation is built on
magic (heck, even
one of its cruise ships has been so christened), it's expected that everything bearing Disney's name will have a deft magic touch. But in
The Little Mermaid, Disney has allowed its good name to go adrift.
When
George Tsypin's set designs of everything from an underwater kingdom to ships sailing above to an earthly palace all resemble garishly cheap plastic pieces from a
My Little Pony revue, or when
Tatiana Noginova's costume designs look like
Julie Taymor rejects, or when
Alan Menken and
Glenn Slater's derivative tunes sound more like a bizarre hybrid of
Cabaret and
The Lion King,
The Little Mermaid swims into decidedly unenchanted waters.
Much has been made of director
Francesca Zambello's misguided decision to forego much of magic and for good reason. Instead of using either water or wires, she clearly chose to rely on the score, book and performances to capture the audiences' attention. But this
is Disney, isn't it?!
Here it must be noted that while the score was surprisingly lame (case in point: "Positoovity" comes off sounding more like a rip-off of "Hakuna Matata") with most of the high points coming directly from the original film score by Menken and
Howard Ashman,
Doug Wright's book at least propels the story into greater depths. He explores Ariel's choices and empowers her via a brave emancipation from her overprotective father. Yet there's not enough of the trademark Disney dual-edged wink and nod humor to keep it interesting for the adults. And I'm still baffled by how some of the sea creatures could be next of kin.
More importantly, the cast headed by a sweet
Sierra Boggess as Ariel the mermaid and a formidably fun
Sherie René Scott as the wicked Ursula is what provides the production its true iridescence. Thankfully, there's plenty of heart here.
Other standouts include a charming
Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, a chiseled
Norm Lewis as Ariel's father King Triton and audience favorite
Titus Burgess as Sebastian the crab. There's also a breakout star in the making as the young
J.J. Singleton steals key moments of the show as Flounder. But as Flotsam, Disney and
Altar Boyz fave
Tyler Maynard can't seem to shake the stereotypically fey roles he's perfected.
As much as most of those performances enhanced the show, along with
Stephen Mear's zippy choreography (courtesy of
Heelys),
The Little Mermaid is unfortunately bereft of one major essential element: Disney magic. When
Aida proves more interesting in the enchantment department, Zambello appears to be in over her head.
And while my Denver audience cheered enthusiastically once the would-be spectacle was over -- no doubt largely due to the top drawer cast, I can't help but believe New York audiences will leave disappointed unless Zambello seriously rethinks how to deliver the goods most Disney fans expect and demand. I know I did.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is Little Mermaid Major Disney Misstep?(August 31, 2007)
Updated: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post (August 24, 2007)
A Tale Of Two Tryout Cities (August 23, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Francesca Zambello, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, The SOB Review
Becoming SOLI've often said, "If I never go back to Las Vegas, it's too soon."
However, for me, it's best to never say never, especially since I do public relations in the travel industry where my fellow Americans have made this city the top domestic destination... by
choice.
Alas, Monday is my day of reckoning when I'll once again be traveling to Vegas for work, as opposed to play. I don't gamble, so I don't really have to worry much about my luck. That is, unless I get punched in the head like I did the last time I was there in a completely unprovoked attack directly outside one of the
Strip's top hotels.
Since most of my trip will be spent working, the fanciful idea of being a high roller won't be entertained. However, I do plan on
being entertained by taking in three of Vegas' top shows:
The Beatles Love,
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular, and
Mystère. Soon thereafter, you can expect to get a full rundown of each show.
And lest I forget, expect to see two additional reviews in this space over the next week: the Off-Broadway world premiere of
100 Saints You Should Know and Disney's
The Little Mermaid during its second-to-last tryout performance in Denver.
This is Steve On Las Vegas, er, Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 100 Saints You Should Know, Broadway, Las Vegas, Love, Musical, Mystere, Off-Broadway, Phantom The Las Vegas Spectacular, Play, The Beatles, The Little Mermaid
Is Little Mermaid Major Disney Misstep?This morning's column by Michael Riedel of New York Post casts a long shadow of doubt on Disney's future on the Great White Way....not only because of the
sinking review by Variety 's David Rooney of the Denver tryout of
The Little Mermaid, but also because of Disney chief Robert Iger's apparent lack of affinity for all things Broadway.
So how endangered is this latest production before it even gets to the Big Apple? The $20 million tuner has amassed $10 million in advance sales, but the buzz coming out of Denver isn't great, especially with its "artsy" ethereal look and feel of both set and costume designs. Riedel notes, "What little girls from Scarsdale who carry
Little Mermaid lunchboxes will make of it is anybody's guess."
In his review, Rooney said, "What are those giant baroque corkscrews that keep appearing? And while we're on that track, did no one at any point worry that the designs for this show are just plain ugly? While director
Francesca Zambello is new to Broadway... (she) has allowed emotion, charm and enchantment to be drowned in a sea of bewilderingly over-stylized designs....
Doug Wright's book for
Mermaid joins the dots well enough but it constantly struggles against the visual conception, which distracts from the story's essence and makes it hard for the audience to lose themselves in the underwater environment....much of the humor falls flat. What's surprising is how underwhelming the movie's most delightful numbers are here."
Riedel hints that rumors are flying that Disney may seek a new director, but the House of Mouse denies that.
As noted previously, I'll be in Denver a couple weeks from now to check out
The Little Mermaid myself.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway).Related Stories:Updated: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post (August 24, 2007)
A Tale Of Two Tryout Cities (August 23, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Disney, Film, Michael Riedel, Musical, The Little Mermaid
UPDATED: One Rocky Review For The Little Mermaid; One Favorable Post Earlier today, I reported that one of Denver's two newspapers had weighed in with a review of Disney's
The Little Mermaid. It came from
Lisa Bornstein of Denver's Rocky Mountain News. Let's just say that from her vantage-point, things didn't go so swimmingly.
Bornstein provided the Broadway-bound tuner that opened last night at the
Denver Center for Performing Arts Ellie Caulkins Opera House a passing grade of B-. High marks were given to
Sierra Boggess ("spunk and sparkle") as Ariel and
Sherie René Scott as a "rivetingly wicked" Ursula, whom she says creates "an original character who pulls the first genuine laughs of the show."
Bornstein also says, "The profound and the prosaic clash uncomfortably throughout
The Little Mermaid...It's no
Lion King or even
Beauty and the Beast, but the show does have its moments of glimmering magic....Unlike other Disney fare,
The Little Mermaid remains solidly a children's show with little of the sly humor that appeals to adults."
But, and it's a
big but here, I just received
Denver Post critic
John Moore's primarily favorable three out of four star review of what he calls an "intoxicating spectacle."
Moore has acknowledged the seemingly requisite shortcomings that come with an out-of-town tryout. Yet, he praises the show for being true to the film and zeroes in on the acting:
"What's good about
Mermaid is very, very good, starting with diminutive Denver native Sierra Boggess as the animated Ariel virtually come to life. Boggess simply inhabits the headstrong, 16-year-old princess who defies her well-meaning but ill-equipped single father. Bet on it: This tiny kid's gonna be a big Broadway star....The casting is impeccable. Boggess and Scott could be destined for Tony Award nominations."
Of its Broadway readiness, Moore says, "Despite its flaws, (
Francesca) Zambello's staging would likely be a hit even if it opened tomorrow just based on audiences' sheer love for the story, and for its positive exploration of a now complex and interesting father-daughter relationship. The emotional power of the tale of a girl learning to stand on her own two feet is not only preserved but enhanced."
Look for my own SOB Review in early September after I take in one of the final performances in the Mile High City.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway). Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
A Tale Of Two Tryout CitiesTwo of the 2007-08 Theatrical Season's most anticipated shows are opening this evening during their out-of-town tryouts:
Young Frankenstein at Seattle's
Paramount and
The Little Mermaid at Denver's
Center for Performing Arts Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
Both represent ultra high-profile, high-stake mega-million gambits on former
big screen favorites revamped as big Broadway musicals.
For
Mel Brooks, the pressure's on in the Pacific Northwest to prove that he's not a one-hit wonder for his Rialto adaptation of
The Producers (Brooks' other three outings on the Great White Way were
way back in the
fifties and
sixties).
Just across the Rocky Mountains,
Disney Theatrical Productions is out to prove that magic can strike twice via the
very property that completely reinvigorated its languishing animation division; now, Disney sorely needs a
critical Broadway smash.
Although blogosphere chatter (including
here) has already reviewed both shows in advance of the openings, now comes the first test from the mainstream media as they'll now be able to weigh-in with their first official reviews.
Any bets on what we'll hear?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Denver).Click here for The Little Mermaid tickets (Broadway).Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Seattle).
Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Broadway).
Related Stories:Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Little Mermaid Begins Tonight (July 26, 2007)
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Disney, Film, Mel Brooks, Musical, Opening Night, The Little Mermaid, Tryout, Young Frankenstein
Little Mermaid Begins TonightAs noted last Saturday, the out-of-town tryout for Disney's
The Little Mermaid begins this evening at the
Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
While I won't be in the Mile High City audience until September, I'm looking forward to seeing how director
Francesca Zambello's vision transports this fairy tale from the big screen to the stage.
In his
Personal Canon #98 of his top 100 movies
he thinks about when he thinks about the movies, Nathaniel R. from
The Film Experience Blog details his adoration for the silver screen treatment of "
The Little Mermaid." Nathaniel incisively points out:
"The Little Mermaid" is justly credited with reviving interest in the animated film but it's less often mentioned in discussions of the rebirth of the musical and there it also proved pivotal. In the dark ages of the movie musical (that'd be the 1980s, people) nearly every live action musical failed financially and artistically.
Say what you will about Disney (I am generally inclined to enjoy their stage productions), but they also must be credited with contributing enormously to the rebirth of the stage musical as well. No wonder I'm looking forward to my September visit to Denver.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Denver tickets.Click here for Broadway tickets.Related Stories:Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The Boards (July 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Blogs, Broadway, Denver, Film, Musical, The Film Experience Blog, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
Little Mermaid: No Treading Water Before The BoardsDespite the box office mojo
Disney has enjoyed with each of its
five Broadway musicals, it hasn't received uniformly lavish praise since its stage adaptation of
The Lion King hit the boards of the
New Amsterdam Theatre an astounding ten years ago this fall.
Much has changed during that time. With few exceptions (like
Wicked) large-scale spectacles are most definitely passé, tending to create a bit of a critical backlash, even if throngs of the theatregoing public takes it in. The Tony success of
Spring Awakening,
Avenue Q and even
Jersey Boys serves to verify that point.
Against that sea change comes Disney's
The Little Mermaid, which must either swim against that tide or ride the current. As yesterday's
Variety reports, Disney is all too aware of the obstacles around which they must navigate. Indeed,
Francesca Zambello is helming this expensive ship of a production without the use of some of the magic one might have expected in the retelling of the Disney film that was instrumental in restoring the House of Mouse's animation legend. Zambello is eschewing both water and wires and apparently will rely on the book, score and performances to capture the audiences' attention.
Will the simple, yet hardly inexpensive (thanks in part to various prototypes for what ultimately became a transluscent set design), approach satisfy not only the audiences who expect nothing less than bona fide Disney magic, but also the Big Apple critics? Sight unseen, the tuner -- which opens at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on December 6 -- has already raked in an $8 million advance at the box office with virtually no advertising.
With its Denver out-of-town tryout beginning Thursday, the buzz will begin soon enough. I'll be in the audience at the
Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House for the production's second-to-last performance prior to swimming off in October to that island known as Manhattan -- I'll let you know whether this
Little Mermaid has legs.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Denver tickets.Click here for Broadway tickets.Related Stories:Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, The Little Mermaid, Tryout
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)
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Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
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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
Mermaid Casting Anything But LittleSherie René Scott is among the big Broadway names that will be attached to the upcoming stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid, which makes its debut in Denver this summer prior to heading toward the Great White Way. The tuner will make its bow on July 26 at Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; the
production's premiere gala takes place August 24.
As previously noted, Scott is by far one of the few younger actresses of the stage who I'll go out of my way to see perform live. And she possesses one of the most exquisite singing voices to be found in musical theatre today. In
The Little Mermaid, she'll take on the role of the eponymous character's nemesis Ursula (portrayed in the
1989 animated film by the incomparable
Pat Carroll). Previously announced for the title role (a/k/a Ariel) was
Sierra Boggess.
In addition to Scott, I'm thrilled that
Sean Palmer has been cast as Prince Eric. As noted in my
SOB Review and "
Curse of the Understudy, Part Two," Palmer was terrific when taking over
The Apple Tree roles originally filled by
Marc Kudisch. This former "
Sex And The City" cast member has a great singing voice and certainly offers tremendous stage presence.
Other cast members include
Norm Lewis (currently with
Les Misérables),
Tituss Burgess (
Jersey Boys),
Eddie Korbich (
The Drowsy Chaperone) and Disney favorite
Tyler Maynard (
Mary Poppins).
With songs from the original film by
Alan Menken and
Howard Ashman, along with new ones penned by Menken and
Glenn Slater, the
Francesca Zambello-helmed
Little Mermaid is set to make a splash at Broadway's
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 3; opening night is scheduled for December 6.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Beauty Out On Broadway (January 17, 2007)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Denver, Disney, Film, Musical, Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid
Beauty Out On Broadway
If you polled most Broadway pundits on the musical most likely to depart its boards to make room for another production by the same creative team, I'd wager that most would respond, "
The Producers." After all,
Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein is already eagerly anticipated and expected to take over the former's berth at the
St. James Theatre.
But today, the folks at Disney announced they're going to finally put a fork in
Beauty And The Beast, making room at Broadway's
Lunt-Fontaine Theatre for their stage adaptation of their animated screen feature
Little Mermaid.
Beauty And The Beast, of course, was based on the
only all-animation film to ever be Academy Award nominated for Best Picture (1991). However, "
Little Mermaid" is largely credited as
the flick that in 1989 helped rejuvenate Disney's credentials in a declining genre.
I have to be candid. I thoroughly enjoyed the magic of
Beauty And The Beast not long after its 1994 debut at the
Palace Theatre, but when I revisited the show a couple years ago at the Lunt-Fontaine, I was a bit embarrassed by how tired, if not shoddy, the tuner had become.
In recent years, the production has heavily relied on stunt-casting, including the recent turn by former teen idol
Donny Osmond as Gaston, and they actually have an actor worth seeing now that
John Tartaglia (
Avenue Q) is portraying Lumiere. To its credit, the musical still managed to draw a capacity of 80.3% last week for a take of $590,259. But the production looked so thoroughly exhausted when I last saw it, I wished that they would have put this
Beast out of its misery and let it die with dignity long ago.
When Beauty And The Beast finally closes on July 29, it will have had 5,464 regular performances, enough to make it one of the Great White Way's longest running hits -- number 6, to be precise.
The Little Mermaid will make its first splash just a few days before
Beauty And The Beast closes -- July 26 -- at Denver's
Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Opening night on Broadway is currently scheduled just in time for the Holidays on December 6.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Beauty And The Beast, Billy Elliot The Musical, Box Office, Broadway, Closing Notices, Disney, Film, First Word On New Show, Stunt Casting, The Little Mermaid
Disney Moves from Continent to ContinentDespite the almost universal critical drubbing of Disney's
Tarzan, the musical is still raking it in at the box office with over 94% of last week's seats being sold. Apparently, the reviews also are not detering Disney from taking the show across the Atlantic, though rather than a West End bow, the Phil Collins tuner will instead be mounted first in the Netherlands during 2007 and then in Germany.
The musical that may get the next shot in London for Disney could be a stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid.
Playbill is reporting that six UK-based performers will take part in a one week lab there during mid-June for the Alan Menken musical with book by David Ives.
And finally, flying from the rooftops of London to New York is the long-anticipated arrival this fall of the Disney collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh,
Mary Poppins. Having already seen this excellent adaptation in London in 2004, I can tell you it's practically perfect in every way, but dramatically different than the movie version. And since I've already purchased my tickets, I can tell you that there are a variety of presales currently available including to Visa Signature Card holders, Disney Visa Cardholders and those who have signed up for Disney e-mails. I found my best bet was in obtaining premium seats for January, 2007 by using Disney's special code MPMM. It landed me in the third row. This is sure to be the most celebrated show of the 2006-07 season so best get your tickets now!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Mary Poppins (Broadway) tickets.Click here for Mary Poppins (London) tickets.Related Stories:Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Most Critics Find Tarzan Less Than D’Vine (May 11, 2006)
Tarzan Swings Into Broadway Tonight (May 10, 2006)
Rejoice! Gavin Lee to Cross Atlantic for Mary Poppins on Broadway (May 8, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, London, Mary Poppins, Musical, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid
