SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #21 - My Fair Lady (2001, Drury Lane Theatre Royal, London, UK)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties. When director
Trevor Nunn teamed up with producer
Cameron Mackintosh for a 2001 revival of
Alan J. Lerner and
Frederick Loewe's masterpiece
My Fair Lady in London, right around the corner from the musical's opening scene at Covent Garden, who would have predicted it would be so exhilarating and sublime? Not only did they make beautiful music together, but with
Matthew Bourne's innovative choreography that could have danced all night, their incarnation soared.
This revival also marked my first-ever opportunity to see the magnificent
Jonathan Pryce on stage. Watching him as Henry Higgins was truly a master class in acting. Teamed with a thoroughly excellent cast, it hardly mattered that understudy
Alexandra Jay was performing -- exceptionally, I might add -- in the role of Eliza Doolittle.
While a touring company brought Nunn's
My Fair Lady to North American audiences, it failed to materialize as it should have on Broadway. Thankfully, with a little bit of luck, my memories of that London mounting will remain fresh as a flower for years to come.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for this performance.Labels: Alexandra Jay, Cameron Mackintosh, Jonathan Pryce, London, Matthew Bourne, Musical, My Fair Lady, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties, Understudy
Curse Of The Understudy - Part IVSo yesterday, I took in the savagely reviewed musical version of
Gone With The Wind in London. Although the show opened here just two nights ago, its Scarlett O'Hara
Jill Paice is already gone with "a severe throat infection."
In her place was her
Vivien Leigh-looking understudy, the appropriately named
Savannah Stevenson (pictured). The actress received a standing ovation for getting through the tough slog of a show (clocking in around 3 hours and 40 minutes) with little preparation and blessedly no prompting. Good on ya, mate.
My SOB Review of the show itself, however, will be coming soon.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is London's GWTW Already Went With The Wind? (April 14, 2008)
GWTW Composer: Knowin' Somethin' 'Bout Birthin' Babies (September 27, 2007)
Curse Of The Understudy - Part III (July 23, 2007)
Frankly My Dears... (July 1, 2007)
Gone With The Wind The Musical? (February 22, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II (January 15, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Labels: Curse of the Understudy, Gone With The Wind, Jill Paice, Savannah Stevenson, Understudy
End Of Purple Reign?I really hate to say
I told you so (and I truly mean that), but I
told you so way back in July -- Hat tip to
The Playgoer).
Where are the
true professionals of the theatre, anyway? They're working hard on virtually every other show on Broadway.
On any other show, the grueling eight performances would be handled with great aplomb and professionalism by a performer without any excuses.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Coloring The Town Purple With Discounts (December 1, 2007)
The Color Purple (The SOB Revisit) (August 11, 2007)
Curse Of The Understudy - Part III (July 23, 2007)Winter Blues For Color Purple (February 5, 2007)The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)Labels: Broadway, Fantasia, Musical, The Color Purple, Understudy
Longoria To Formally Assume Lead In Jersey BoysThere is a God. When
John Lloyd Young leaves the incredibly popular
Jersey Boys this, the immensely talented
Michael Longoria -- who regularly plays Joey (as in
Pesci) "and others" -- will succeed him as
Frankie Valli.
According to a
bulletin I received from Longoria via MySpace:
I know many of you have been patiently awaiting the news as to what the deal is regarding my future with Jersey Boys. So here is the official news. I will take over the role of Frankie Valli in Broadway's Jersey Boys starting November 27th, 2007. Thanks for all the love you guys and gals have sent my way on my comments page for the last year... I hope those of you who didn't get a chance to catch my Valli during the matinees this past year will come see me at night now!
As I've previously mentioned in
one of my semi-regular "Curse of the Understudy" columns, I found myself disappointed one Friday night when I took in a performance of
Jersey Boys -- before it even won the Tony for Best Musical, -- because John Lloyd Young was out. Little did I know that I'd be wowed by his truly amazing understudy, Longoria, in the role of Frankie Valli. I subsequently purchased the original cast CD, and I can tell you that Longoria's voice is actually much better suited to Valli's full range than Young's. Quite the crowd-pleaser, Longoria was definitely the best thing about the show.
Earlier this past June, while Longoria was filling in once again for Young, Frankie Valli himself saw the young actor portray him.
In his MySpace blog, Longoria wrote:
Well, it finally happened. The real Frankie Valli came to see me play him in Jersey Boys on Broadway this past week. I've dreamt of this moment for almost 2 years, but it didn't turn out quite as I had imagined. The audience was so alive! Maybe cause they saw Frankie in the theatre, or maybe cause everyone in the show was so fierce that show. He brought two of his sons who were given the option of seeing the film "Oceans 13" or Jersey Boys...They chose JrzyByz. Frankie inroduced me by saying, "this is the guy who played dad today...". Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined I'd be spending time with this musical legend, portraying his life. I was in awe, thanking God that I didn't know he was there and had a great show. We chatted a little, I thanked him for coming and was moved when he told me he thought I was "f------ sensational". What a guy!
Congratulations to a real trouper. While I never did have a chance to see John Lloyd Young perform (except on television), I can tell you that Longoria will be worth the price of admission.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Honorable Mentions: SOB's Singular Sensations Of '06 (December 30, 2006)
Longoria Back To The Peak As Valli (October 20, 2006)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Jersey Boys' Valli Understudy Gets Spotlight (June 15, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Casting Changes, Jersey Boys, John Lloyd Young, Michael Longoria, Musical, Understudy
Curse Of The Understudy - Part IIIForget
Fantasia.
Who needs her when
Saycon Sengbloh is living up to her
own name by blowing the roof off the
Broadway Theatre as Celie in
The Color Purple?!
In the wake of all the great reviews the former American Idol star has garnered, I revisited
The Color Purple in hopes of seeing yet another
Reba McEntire-like performance where the replacement star was actually better than the original. And although Fantasia was a no-show -- creating havoc outside the theatre as scores of disappointed fans demanded their money back -- the audience that hung around was treated to exactly that: a bravura performance by an absolutely gorgeous actress who is making a name on Broadway as its most dependable standby.
I first caught Sengbloh a couple years back when I returned to
Wicked on Broadway. At that time, my heart sank when I found that dreaded slip in my program that carried the words, "At this performance, the role of Elphaba will be played by..." The name attached was Saycon Sengbloh, who not only managed to lift my heart with her touching performance, but made it soar.
So as much as I was naturally disappointed last night when I learned that Fantasia was out, after I saw that
other unusual name on the board, I reassured my friend that all was not lost. And by the time the last strains of the pivotal "I'm Here" was sung, Saycon Sengbloh had not only won over my heart once again, she brought tears to my eyes. She triumphed over the audience as well.
I certainly hope we'll be seeing this gifted young actress in a role of her own. Enough standing by, already. This lady's deserving of the real deal!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II (January 15, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Curse of the Understudy, Fantasia, Musical, Saycon Sengbloh, The Color Purple, Understudy
The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II
In case you've read my review of
The Apple Tree and wondered why there were absolutely no references to the performance of
Marc Kudisch, there's a simple rationale: He was out when I saw the show.
Fortunately for me, I've had the opportunity to see Kudisch perform elsewhere before. But it's always a disappointment whenever one of the lead actors in any show is out for whatever reason. To be honest, I was very surprised that he was already absent for a production that had only officially opened one month earlier to the day.
However, much to my pleasant surprise, Kudisch has a stellar understudy. Although he regularly plays the second act's Tiger, as well as handling ensemble duties,
Sean Palmer (pictured) -- perhaps best known to television audiences for his portrayal of Stanford Blatch's long-suffering boyfriend Marcus on "
Sex And The City" -- expertly assumed Kudisch's responsibilities. What a revelation!
Yes, I knew that this Reno native had once portrayed Tony Manero in the stage version of
Saturday Night Fever, and yes, I recall seeing him in the film version of "
Chicago," but I had no idea just how talented he really is...until now. With a wonderful set of pipes, suave dance moves and seductive acting style, Palmer more than holds his own opposite
Kristin Chenoweth and
Brian d'Arcy James.
Here's hoping that Palmer's star is only begining to truly shine.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Curse of the Understudy, Marc Kudisch, Musical, Revival, Sean Palmer, The Apple Tree, Understudy
Longoria Back To The Peak As ValliRegular readers will know that I found the best part of my
Jersey Boys experience last spring to be
Michael Longoria, who regularly plays Joey (as in
Pesci) "and others."
Only I didn't see Longoria as most theatregoers see him -- on the Friday evening I took in the show, Tony-winner
John Lloyd Young was out and Longoria was in as
Frankie Valli. Longoria was absolutely breathtaking and genuine in his portrayal of the iconic Four Season. It was hard to believe I was seeing an understudy!
Why am I sharing this now? Well, if you hold tickets to the Saturday matinee thinking you're going to see Young in his Tony-winning role, I have a news flash for you directly from Longoria himself. I just received a bulletin board message from this gifted actor-singer saying:
I play Frankie Valli this Sat Mat! Hope you can make it. Student Rush and Standing Room are sold the day of. Also Cancellation Line!!! Hope to see some of you there.
Disappointing as it may initially seem to those hoping to see the original star, trust me when I say that Longoria alone is worth the price of admission for this sold-out performance. He will have you believing he
is Frankie Valli.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Jersey Boys' Valli Understudy Gets Spotlight (June 15, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Jersey Boys, John Lloyd Young, Michael Longoria, Musical, Understudy
The Curse Of The UnderstudyHave you ever purchased a ticket for a show, long in advance of the performance, only to be disappointed with the words, “In the role regularly played by [insert name here], tonight’s performance of [insert character’s name here] will be played by [insert name of understudy/standby/swing here]”? Has that frustration only been compounded knowing it was the star or one of the stars whom you specifically paid to see in the first place?
If your answers to either or both those questions were yes, I invite you to share with me the name of the show and the performers who skipped the performance. I also invite you to share what your reaction was to that news and whether you thought the understudy/standby/swing adequately measured up to your expectations of the show….that is, aside from your initial disappointment.
Why do I ask? Well, my reasons are twofold.
One is that it used to be the mark of a consummate professional if the thought of missing a performance was anathema to the actor's fundamental make-up. There is plenty of lore about very ill stars who heeded the call that “The show must go on.”
Ethel Merman certainly comes to mind as one trouper who'd never miss a performance -- in fact, the great
Elaine Stritch worked a vignette into her eponymous one woman show (
Elaine Stritch: At Liberty) about her role as Merman’s standby during the run of
Call Me Madam back in 1950. So confident was she that Merman would never let anything keep her away from performing that Stritch confidently took on a concurrent role in another show at the same time all the way up in Connecticut.
My second reason is that I finally took in a performance of
The Drowsy Chaperone this past weekend only to learn that
Sutton Foster was temporarily out. I inquired why she was out and learned that she had just married actor
Christian Borle (
Monty Python's Spamalot) a week or so earlier. While I’m certainly thrilled for Foster, I wasn’t thrilled by the fact that
this was not the only time I had paid to see this Tony-winning actress perform only to be disappointed when I arrived at the theatre.
Shortly after she won her 2002 Tony for
Thoroughly Modern Millie, I made tracks to the very same
Marquis Theatre to see her perform. I even bought a ticket for a sure-to-be-there Friday night performance. But when I arrived, she was out and her understudy was in. While I enjoyed the show, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have enjoyed it more with Foster.
Fast forward to March 2005 when I went to see
Little Women. My desire to see the show was completely founded on the hope I’d be able to see Sutton Foster finally perform (OK, I also wanted to see the incomparable
Maureen McGovern). But when I arrived, I learned once again that Foster was a no-show (in her defense, I later learned that she was ill). Regardless of the reason for her absence, I was underwhelmed by the show. However, when Foster was subsequently nominated for her second Tony, I couldn’t help but feel cheated in missing this rising star once more.
So it was with a bit of trepidation that I entered the Marquis Theatre on Sunday afternoon. I knew that Sutton Foster was portraying Jane Roberts/ Janet Van De Graaff and had earned a
third Tony nomination for the role. So when I saw those dreaded words on the board, “In this performance, the role of Janet Van De Graaff will be portrayed by…” my heart sank. I had even joked in advance about the possibility of her being out. At the Marquis, I was told that she and Borle tied the knot and were now vacationing for two weeks in Hawaii.
The additional irony is that Foster's character in
The Drowsy Chaperone is contemplating leaving the stage to marry her beau, Robert Martin. I couldn't help but wonder if that irony wasn't lost on Foster.
Now, I don’t necessarily hold Foster responsible -- I mean she did get married, after all. Yet when you’re paying good money to see a thrice Tony-nominated star only to find her away from each of the shows for which she was nominated and for which you’ve paid
specifically to see her, I think you can be forgiven for starting to wonder what the deal is with her or the show or the ticketing companies.
Personally, I track sites like
Playbill and
Broadway.com on a daily basis, not only for the latest theatrical news, but also to ensure I’m not disappointed when I step foot into the theatre and learn that a star is out. It would have informed my decision when I purchased my ticket on June 15 if her absence had been announced or if Ticketmaster had listed key dates when Foster would be absent from the production (of course, that’s assuming that the impending Foster/Borle nuptials were already set). I certainly would have planned appropriately.
Fortunately, I have found myself disappointed only a few other times:
John Lloyd Young was out of
Jersey Boys one Friday night in advance of the Tony Awards. I thought his understudy
Michael Longoria was excellent. But
not seeing the much ballyhooed star of the show certainly dampened my appreciation for what was ultimately named Best Musical.
Another huge disappointment was when
Nathan Lane began his serial absences from
The Producers in early 2002, reportedly due to strained vocal chords. Of course, I had purchased my tickets for that show way back in May 2001 and anxiously awaited my turn in seeing the dynamic duo of Lane and
Matthew Broderick. They were
the reasons why I wanted to see the acclaimed show (as good as
Brad Oscar was, it wasn't the same). Fortunately, in early 2004, I finally got to see the real deal Lane/Broderick team as they celebrated their triumphant return to the show.
Did Sutton Foster’s absence make me enjoy
The Drowsy Chaperone any less? Well, yes, strictly from the point of view that I’ve yet to be able to see her perform. I keep hearing how great she is, but I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone with my own first-hand knowledge. Thankfully, she has an exceptional understudy in
Andrea Chamberlain, who is very ably filling her shoes (my personal review will be posted soon). But will it give me pause the next time Foster’s in a show when I decided whether or not to see it? You bet.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets, and hopefully you’ll have better luck in seeing Foster! Related Stories:Jersey Boys' Valli Understudy Gets Spotlight (June 15, 2006)
Is It Just Me, Or... (June 14, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Curse of the Understudy, Elaine Stritch, Ethel Merman, Jersey Boys, John Lloyd Young, Nathan Lane, Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Producers, Understudy
Is It Just Me, Or......Are there more theatre afficionados out there now than ever before? Broadway topped the 12 million attendance mark for the first time in its long, storied history. Grosses for the year grew 12% to $861.6 million. CBS estimates that its Tony Awards television audience attracted 7.79 million viewers, up 1.29 million from last year and it's the second consecutive year with an increase. Each of the major winning productions received sizable bumps in box office success as of Monday morning. What's more, even touring productions have enjoyed a successful year overall.
...Were Bruce Vilanch and Allee Willis (pictured above) separated at birth? I've met and love them both. But after seeing Willis -- nominated for a Tony as part of the songwriting team for
The Color Purple -- on the Tony Awards, I was struck by just how much she resembles a beardless Vilanch. Just curious!
...Would you send a note to a performer prior to buying tickets to see if he/she is actually planning to be in his/her role the night you're planning to attend? I'd really like to see
The Drowsy Chaperone but am nervous that Sutton Foster will stiff me for the third time (she was a no-show just a couple weeks after she won her Tony in
Thoroughly Modern Millie and then again last year when I saw
Little Women).
...Isn't Barbra Streisand being just a tad bit greedy asking $350 and $750 for tickets to her tour?
...Don't Tony Awards count for anything? Months after it was announced that John Travolta got Harvey Fierstein's Edna Turnblad role in the new movie version of "Hairspray," I'm still scratching my head, especially since Travolta hasn't had a decent film since his
last comeback in "Pulp Fiction." It's a shame that Hollywood couldn't stick with Fierstein, who made us all but forget Divine from the original movie version and earned a Tony to boot.
...Didn't Sunday's Tony clip of Jennifer Holliday and the commercial for the movie version of "Dreamgirls" get you excited to see this show on the silver screen later this year?
...Isn't it a little insulting to American audiences when London productions get rewritten for the Broadway stage? I saw
Taboo and
Bombay Dreams on the West End and thought they were great, but then saw them desecrated here. Why must producers mess with success? I shudder to think what they'll do to poor
Billy Elliot - The Musical!
Tell me what you think!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Allee Willis, Bruce Vilanch, Dreamgirls, Jennifer Holliday, Sutton Foster, Television, The Color Purple, The Drowsy Chaperone, Tony Awards, Understudy
