Will [show] Be Re[title]d?In case you missed
Chris Caggiano's
excellent interview with
[title of show] co-creator/co-star
Hunter Bell over at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, seems as though there's a real possibility that the little tuner that could may very well come back in time for the Tonys.
My only question would be whether they'd incorporate the return engagement into the production itself.
Here's to Chris for scooping the rest of the media with his essential theatre blog. Bravo! (If you're not already reading
EIKILFM, you really should!)
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Chris Caggiano, Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, Hunter Bell, Interview, title of show
[notice of closing]Late Friday came word that Broadway's little tuner that could soon can't.
[title of show] is now set to close after its October 12 performance, which
ModFab duly notes is the same day that a more prodigious cult, camp hit
Xanadu will shutter. Helmed and choreographed by
Michael Berresse,
[title of show] is a musical starring co-creators
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen, along with
Heidi Blickenstaff and
Susan Blackwell.
When
[title of show] departs Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre, it will have played 102 regular performances there. Given the
wildly mixed critical response, which -- with all due apologies to
A Tale Of Two Cities -- really
was the best and worst of times, the closing notice is not surprising when you factor in the overall sinking fortunes of the Great White Way during these softening economic times.
Indeed, as Chris Caggiano has so adeptly described over at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, "I've been watching the
weekly grosses for
[title of show] since it opened in July, and frankly I've been cringing." Last week, the show only managed to attract a capacity of 30.4%, down 1.5% from the week before.
Personally, I have not seen the current mounting (I took in one of its last performances at the Vineyard Theatre two years ago) and am not certain I'll have an opportunity to take in Bell and Bowen's latest installment of their chronicles of mounting a musical. As much as I enjoyed the show two years ago, I've been ambivalent about plunking down my money for a ticket, especially in light of rising ticket prices coinciding with an economic downturn. Sad to say, like others in the vast Broadway audience, I'm being a bit more judicious in my selections.
Had
[title of show] been my favorite musical of 2006 as opposed to, oh, say my ninth favorite, perhaps I'd have already gone. Still, I'm sad to see this chapter come to an end so quickly.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Closing Notices, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Susan Blackwell, title of show
What Did Critics [tos] At Title Of Show?Last evening, the Broadway incarnation of that downtown favorite
[title of show] opened at Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre.
Helmed and choreographed by
Michael Berresse,
[title of show] is a musical starring co-creators
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen as Hunter and Jeff, respectively. The duo are reteamed yet again with their original castmates
Heidi Blickenstaff (as Heidi) and the handsome
Susan Blackwell (as Susan).
Theatre critics' reviews spanned from huggable huzzahs to visceral boos.
Toasting
[tos] as a "peculiar and quite adorable musical,"
The New York Times'
Charles Isherwood glows yet again: "[A]s performed by Mr. Bowen, Mr. Bell, and Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff, the talented girlfriends they rope into their makeshift, make-it-up-as-we-go-along opus, it is genial, unpretentious and far funnier than many of the more expensively manufactured musicals that make it to Broadway these days. Consider
[title of show] the class clown of Broadway.... But like all class clowns, it wins you over by making fun of the big shots and bursting with its own distinctive personality."
Praising
[tos] as "a sweet, raunchy, and just about irresistible portrait of how and why we tell stories,"
The New York Sun's
Eric Grode is largely enthusiastic: "But Mr. Bell's book and Mr. Bowen's lyrics, along with Michael Berresse's empathic but relatively inconspicuous direction, have worked hard to make the writers-in-a-room dialogue palatable to everyone.... Best of all, the totemic significance of maybe — just maybe — making it to Broadway gives audiences the feeling of being present at not just a very funny musical comedy but at the triumphant end of a fraught and fulfilling road."
Calling
[tos] "a clever and often adorable little invention about writing a musical,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer ultimately, reluctantly laments: "Everyone in Michael Berresse's production is quick and charming.... How I wish I could love the show. I wish I didn't feel that I was being manipulated by long-struggling talented people on a guilt trip. Most of all, considering the risk, I wish the offbeat and low-budget show belonged on Broadway -- not incidentally, at the same ticket price as the magnificent and massive
South Pacific."
Concluding that "much of its offbeat appeal ('not that there's anything wrong with fluff') has evaporated in the move uptown,"
Variety's
Marilyn Stasio is negative: "
[title of show] stands pathetically naked on Broadway.... [S]tripped of satirical edge for its heavy Broadway date, the backstage show by Hunter Bell (book) and Jeff Bowen (score) is revealed in all its narcissism, flaunting its shallow aesthetic values and taking unseemly pride in its inflated ambitions.... [O]n a fresh viewing, the substance of the musical emerges with far greater clarity -- and loses whatever charm sustained it downtown."
Damning it as "a piece of -- oh, let's call it garbage,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes musters up only one half star: "Originality isn't what it used to be. Take
[title of show], a Broadway musical -- 95 minutes long, top ticket price $111.50 -- about people writing about people writing a Broadway musical. These [people] -- who doubtless love [people] -- must be the luckiest [people] in the [world]. Let me set the scene for you. Well, actually, there's not much of a scene to set: This is minimalism shoved down to the vanishing point.... [T]he self-conscious and terminally cute and the pixie-like fey are all mixed up with self-congratulatory smugness..."
Panning the show as "proving that if you have a feel for the lowest common denominator, you can scale unmerited heights," Bloomberg's
John Simon is so downright nasty, he even criticizes the audience as having "zero taste" and digs deep: "Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, who upon dubious credentials fancy themselves book-and-song writers, decide to write a musical about two self-proclaimed gay men trying to write a musical. They enlist the help of `all our friends'' (two, actually): the equally unappealing Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff (everyone here uses real names on stage). Together they proceed to the parturition of 90 minutes' worth of unremitting torture for anyone with a shred of good taste, discernment and normal eardrums."
Can Isherwood's review do for
[title of show] what
his did for
Xanadu? Well, his positive notice, plus lots of enthusiasm from the blogosphere, along with younger audiences dismissing decidedly old school critics like Barnes and Simon, may just provide this
[show] with a future.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Opening Night: On With The [show] (July 17, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
[title of show] To Headline Broadway (April 4, 2008)
[title of show] (The SOB Review) (October 2, 2006)
Making a Name for Itself: [title of show] Extends (August 16, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Susan Blackwell, title of show
Opening Night: On With The [show]Attention all [tos]sers! Tonight is your night!
After four long years of gestating, the little
[show] that could is proving its ongoing magnificent metamorphosis by opening this evening at Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre. After
having seen its last incarnation, I can tell you that
[title of show] is a truly original, unique theatrical experience unlike any other.
But don't just take my word for it. Here's how the official
[title of show] site describes the ever-evolving work:
You're reading the official blurb, or short summary, of [title of show]. Blurb. That's a funny word. We spent a lot of time on this blurb so please read the whole blurb. [title of show] is a musical about two nobodies named Hunter and Jeff who decide to write a completely original musical starring themselves and their attractive and talented ladyfriends, Susan and Heidi. Their musical, [title of show], gets into the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and becomes a hit. Then it gets an off-Broadway production at the Vineyard Theatre, and wins three Obie Awards! Then (drumroll if you've got a drum) it's announced that their musical is going to Broadway (hooray!) and people start seeing this blurb everywhere! They read that The New York Times called [title of show] "DELECTABLE ENTERTAINMENT! A postmodern homage to the grand tradition of backstage musicals like Babes in Arms, Kiss Me, Kate and A Chorus Line." Fully intrigued, those people snatch up tickets and help make Hunter and Jeff's life-long dream come true!
Once again directed and choreographed by
Michael Berresse,
[title of show] stars co-creators
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen as Hunter and Jeff, respectively. The duo are reteamed yet again with their original castmates
Heidi Blickenstaff (as Heidi) and the handsome
Susan Blackwell (as Susan).
How will this ultimate little show fare with the critics?
At this point, who cares?
The blogosphere has already been abounding with outright raves, including from Sarah B. at
Adventures In The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment (she's now seen the Broadway show
twice and met
The New York Times' Charles Isherwood, who will be providing the Grey Lady's official review tomorrow), Chris Caggiano at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals and Gabriel at
Modern Fabulousity.
(I'll be providing the critical response tomorrow anyway.)
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
[title of show] To Headline Broadway (April 4, 2008)
[title of show] (The SOB Review) (October 2, 2006)
Making a Name for Itself: [title of show] Extends (August 16, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Opening Night, Susan Blackwell, title of show, Transfer
Broadway Preview: [title of show]
OK, all you [tos]sers!
I know there's plenty of you out there who are every bit as anxious as I am to see how well
[title of show] translates to the Broadway stage, the very place this littlest of little shows has always aspired to be.
This July 5, many theatre lovers' favorite show (as opposed to their ninth favorite show) will finally begin previews for its Great White Way run at the cozy
Lyceum Theatre. The tuner is set to open there July 17.
Helmed by
Michael Berresse,
[title of show] chronicles every conceivable thought (including this one? yes, including this one) that goes into putting on this very show. Co-creators
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen will once again reprise their roles as Hunter and Jeff, respectively, and will once again be joined with their Off-Broadway castmates
Heidi Blickenstaff (as Heidi) and the handsome
Susan Blackwell (as Susan).
No doubt, if you don't count the lack of scenery, there will be much more to this gem of a show than what
I saw back in September of 2006, which was immediately before its celebrated run at New York's Vineyard Theatre came to an end. That's because this is a musical that builds and builds, quite literally with each charted step it takes toward potential Tony recognition.
And that, my friends, is a show worth looking forward to.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
[title of show] To Headline Broadway (April 4, 2008)
[title of show] (The SOB Review) (October 2, 2006)
Making a Name for Itself: [title of show] Extends (August 16, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Off-Broadway, Susan Blackwell, title of show, Transfer
36 Down, 3 To GoLast week, Chris Caggiano over at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals was musing about how he'd finally get inside Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre now that
[title of show] is headed there this summer. He mentioned how that would leave just three Rialto theatres in which he's never stepped foot.
His post got me to pondering whether I've been in all 39 Broadway theatres that are currently functioning, and like the geek I am, I systematically went through the
Internet Broadway Database's encyclopedic history on each venue and discovered that I've now been in all but three myself. And those three might actually surprise you.
First, the theatre housing Broadway's all-time longest running show is the
Majestic Theatre. Is it heresy for someone purporting to be "Steve On
Broadway" to admit he's never actually seen
The Phantom Of The Opera on the Great White Way? Sure, the show's been running for 20 long years, but since I first caught the London production about the time the Main Stem incarnation was first being performed, I didn't feel compelled to go to see it at the Majestic. Oh sure, I've seen it again -- thanks to freebie tickets 10 years ago in Los Angeles, and then again for kicks and giggles just last year in the truncated
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular -- but suffice it to say that as long as
The Phantom Of The Opera is playing the Majestic, I won't be going there.
Second is the
Nederlander Theatre, home to the musical
Rent since 1996. I've seen
Jonathan Larson's landmark tuner twice, just never in New York. In fact, the first time I saw it was when the first touring company swung through Boston during the winter of 1996-97, and I saw it again in St. Paul in 2000. Unlike
Phantom, I actually enjoyed this profoundly moving show, and I had even considered (at the last minute) to get tix for the Broadway version when
Adam Pascal and
Anthony Rapp reprised their turns as Roger and Marc, respectively, just last year. But alas, the show was sold out the first time I tried and only had back row seating available the next. With the departure of
Rent from the Nederlander now imminent, coming in September, I suspect that I'll finally get into that theatre sometime in the next year.
Finally, I have never been to the
Neil Simon Theatre, host to current occupant
Hairspray since 2002. Through a little bit of serendipity, I actually saw and loved
Hairspray with its original cast, but it was when I was passing through Seattle during its tryout performances there. And I also enjoyed seeing the first touring production when it passed through Minneapolis. While its current cast is appealing, I am probably not inclined to go see it, saving my theatregoing dollars for other shows.
So which theatre have I been to the most? That distinction goes to what is arguably Broadway's worst venue: the
Booth Theatre. Always one for prestige productions, I've been going there since 1992 when the acclaimed revival of
The Most Happy Fella enjoyed a 229 performance run. Almost in spite of how lousy this theatre itself is, including some of the least desirable seating
(read: tightly crammed), some of my best Broadway memories came from this house, where visions of
Paul Newman,
Dame Edna,
Vanessa Redgrave and others still dance in my mind. And I'm absolutely looking forward to returning next month to see
Laurence Fishburne in
Thurgood. I'm just not looking forward to being uncomfortable.
Finally, my very first Broadway theatre
ever was none other than the
Winter Garden where I caught
Cats near the beginning of its 18 year run. Fortunately, as much as I disliked that show, it has not deterred me from coming back to the Great White Way for performance after performance.
I just wonder how many more years it will take for me to check the Majestic off my list....
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Broadway Venues, Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, Hairspray, Musical, Rent, The Phantom Of The Opera, title of show
[title of show] To Headline BroadwayHuge tip of the hat this morning to
Modern Fabulousity for being the first (last night) to herald the exciting news that Off-Broadway favorite
[title of show] is headed to the Great White Way! According to
Playbill, the show will open this July 17 at the
Lyceum Theatre.
Even better, for anyone who has already come under the considerable spell of this little musical about co-creators
Hunter Bell (
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and
Jeff Bowen's attempts to put on a show, they'll be joined by original cast members
Heidi Blickenstaff (
The Little Mermaid) and
Susan Blackwell, while
Michael Berresse will once again direct.
By the time I first caught it, the
little tuner that could was nearing the end of its Vineyard Theatre run. But boy was I glad I had a chance to see it.
Here's what
I had to say about it then:
...I so thoroughly enjoyed such a delightful, decidedly small tuner with an enormous heart.
[title of show] is ostensibly about two friends who embark on writing a musical to enter into the New York Musical Theatre Fest in just under a month and then succeed in bringing it to life exactly as they wrote it against all odds. The engaging and endearing Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen essentially play themselves (and true to its premise, they wrote the actual book, music and lyrics, too). Along the way, they invite two female friends -- the effervescent Heidi Blickenstaff and the "handsome" Susan Blackwell -- to help shape the show.
Clever dialogue and a terrific score -- along with Michael Berresse's lovingly precise direction -- keep the 90+ minute show moving at a quick pace that's never dull and largely entertaining, particularly when they're dishing on some of Broadway's most renowned guilty pleasures or being interrupted via voicemail by some of the Great White Way's most acclaimed female stars. Best of all, they remain true to themselves and their vision.
In re-reading my original review, I stunned myself that I had the foresight to even take note (based on hope) that something bigger would be afoot for the show:
...something tells me this is not last we'll see of this earnest show, particularly since I'll bet that this musical likely rates as the favorite of at least nine people.... If it reopens, one can only hope that each of these talented actors will reprise their roles. [title of show] deserves a much wider audience.
This gets a major "Yay!" from me.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:[title of show] (The SOB Review) (October 2, 2006)
Making a Name for Itself: [title of show] Extends (August 16, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Off-Broadway, Susan Blackwell, title of show, Transfer
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals
During the 2006-07 Theatrical Season, I've enjoyed the opportunity to see 16 new musicals.
While some were decidedly cutting-edge, others took a more traditional approach. Still others sought to transform beloved films into equally adored stage versions, usually (but not always) with limited success.
Overall, there are more than a handful of tuners that I enjoyed enough that they've made my personal "5 Best" list of musicals covering the past twelve months:
1 - Grey Gardens (Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY)
If I were a Tony voter,
Grey Gardens would easily be my choice for Best Musical, if not the most sublime show of the year. This unconventional yet completely satisfying tuner is a triumph of the first order.
The incredibly talented
Christine Ebersole has more than proven she's at the height of her career. Her virtuoso performance in
Grey Gardens is one that I'll never forget. Ebersole more than masterfully channels both Edith and Little Edie Bouvier Beales of the funny-if-it-weren’t-so-tragic
seventies documentary of the same name. She luminously inhabits mother Edith in act one and then incredibly suspends any disbelief that you are watching anyone but the real Little Edie in the second act. Right before your eyes, a radiant and breathtaking Ebersole becomes Little Edie.
Thanks to a potent mix of intriguing fact and supposition by
Doug Wright, the musical telling of their story provides plausible answers to the question of how the once mighty could have fallen so far. What makes this theatre of the absurd so intoxicating is not just the flawless execution of replicating key passages of the original film, but also the way Little Edie is continually haunted by the specter of the life she could have had. This musical transforms into a poignant, modern tragedy, where pathetic dismissal gives way to empathy. Credit
Michael Greif's brilliant direction,
Mary Louise Wilson’s powerful Edith and Ebersole’s heartwrenching Little Edie.
Click here for The SOB Review of Grey Gardens.2 - Curtains (Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, Los Angeles, CA)
Thank goodness for a real honest-to-goodness old-fashioned backstage musical! Complete with stirring overture,
Curtains possesses one show-stopping number after another, invigorating choreography, sharp dialogue, intelligent book and genuinely marvelous cast. This show is exceedingly smart, exceptionally funny and a thrilling theatrical finale for the legendary songwriting team of
John Kander and the late
Fred Ebb. In a word, it’s fun.
Rob Ashford’s brilliant choreography has once again enabled a leading man not typically known for his dancing prowess to shine (see my notes on
Guys and Dolls and
Ewan McGregor), particularly on the lovely dream sequence of “A Tough Act to Follow” that pairs
David Hyde Pierce (playing Lieutenant Frank Cioffi with gusto and comic precision) and the exquisite
Jill Paice. For the rest of
Curtains’ troupe -- including the wonderful
Debra Monk, who consumes the stage with her portrayal of the brash, yet cunning producer/stage mother Carmen Bernstein -- it becomes a breathtaking ride through the unusually large number of rousing and memorable numbers.
This valentine to Broadway certainly is a fitting way to send off two of the Great White Way’s most proficient songwriting duos during the last forty-five years. It all adds up: murder + mayhem + music = must-see!
Click here for The SOB Review of Curtains.3 - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, Chicago, IL)
OK, by the time I finally took in this wonderful little musical early last summer, it probably could have been called the "26th Annual." No matter, since I completely fell for its charms, even if I spelled it N-O-N-S-T-O-P L-A-U-G-H-T-E-R. This excellent musical gem, complete with superb ensemble, absolutely delights with a little tale of one of those uniquely American displays of educational prowess: the lowly spelling bee.
In
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, director
James Lapine finds surprising depth and heart in each of his spelling bee contestants. With an exquisitely written book by
Rachel Sheinkin (she won a Tony Award in 2005 year for her effort) and blissfully funny score by
William Finn, the audience is treated to an unexpectedly strong set of back stories that set up how each of the kids made it to the competition.
But there's nothing quite like the contest itself, which is moved along by the adults played by James Earl Jones II,
Bill Larkin and
Lucia Spina and includes requisite audience participation. Yet, ultimately this is a struggle among the kids, fabulously portrayed by Eric Roediger, Cristen Paige, Jen Sese,
Derrick Trumbly,
Brad Weinstock and
Christine Werny. The members of this highly-charged ensemble expertly capture the essence of their characters. The result is a fresh, exuberant musical that moves by almost as fast as a spelling bee lightning round.
Click here for The SOB Review of The 25th Putnam County Spelling Bee.4 - Spring Awakening (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY)
You didn't really think I was
not going to mention this electrifying musical based on a 116 year old German play by
Frank Wedekind, did you? While
Spring Awakening is not exactly your grandfather’s musical, credit
Michael Mayer’s expert direction for enabling this show that grapples with 19th Century German teen angst to motor on at a brisk, riveting pace.
Steven Sater's collaboration with tunesmith
Duncan Sheik on the score is anything but predictable. The songs are about as fresh, smart and downright infectious as anything I’ve seen on Broadway over the past five years (even if the words don't always quite rhyme). The music effectively amplifies every scene and revs up each actor. Chief among them is the sensational
Jonathan Groff as the bad boy with brains Melchior. He holds what the show’s “adults” (
Christine Esterbrook and
Stephen Spinella, both excellent) view as an indecent corrupting influence over mediocre student Moritz played by the breathtaking
John Gallagher, Jr. in a sharp, stunning departure that I believe will earn him a richly deserved Tony.
While the show is anachronistic and a little too self aware of how cool it's striving to be (not to mention that much of
Steven Sater’s storyline on the sexual maturation is telegraphed throughout), ultimately this astounding, astonishing musical is highly entertaining.
Click here for The SOB Review of Spring Awakening.
5 - [title of show] (Vineyard Theatre, New York, NY)
Perhaps it wasn't my absolute favorite musical from the past year, but it should matter that it wasn't my
ninth favorite! With nothing derivative about the wonderful little musical
[title of show], I can honestly say that not since
The Musical Of Musicals-The Musical have I so thoroughly enjoyed such a delightful, decidedly small tuner with an enormous heart (a key element lacking in
Spring Awakening).
The engaging and endearing
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen essentially play themselves -- and true to its premise, they wrote the actual book, music and lyrics, too -- as two friends who embark on writing a musical to enter into the New York Musical Theatre Fest. They succeed in bringing it to life exactly as they wrote it against all odds. Along the way, they invite two female friends -- the effervescent
Heidi Blickenstaff and the "handsome"
Susan Blackwell -- to help shape the show.
Clever dialogue and a terrific score -- along with
Michael Berresse's lovingly precise direction -- kept the 90+ minute show moving at a quick pace that was never dull and largely entertaining, particularly when they dished on some of Broadway's most renowned guilty pleasures or were interrupted via voicemail by some of the Great White Way's most acclaimed female stars (including Christine Ebersole). Best of all, they remained true to themselves and their vision.
Click here for The SOB Review of [title of show].Honorable Mentions:Two musicals I saw over the past year are deserving of special nods. The first is a show that actually opened on Broadway last season (but I finally saw it in September), while the other is perhaps the best musical based on a film that I saw all year. Here are those honorable mentions:
- The Drowsy Chaperone (Marquis Theatre, New York, NY) -- By no means is The Drowsy Chaperone a perfect musical. Bad puns abounded. But thankfully, more often than not, our narrator "Man In Chair" -- deliciously played as the ultimate theatre queen by Bob Martin, who also co-wrote the libretto with Don McKellar, offers up disarming and downright hysterical comments suggesting many of the show's elements are labored or nonsensical. You can't help but think you've been played all along and that the joke is actually on you. (Click here for The SOB Review of The Drowsy Chaperone)
- Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (Lyric Theatre, Sydney, NSW, Australia) -- Based on the 1994 film, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical is a sexy, silly, sometimes incoherent, über-campy, often tasteless and crude, completely over-the-top musical if there ever was one. Yet it's ultimately irresistible. And with many of the key motion picture elements roundly being eagerly anticipated and cheered upon delivery -- including the infamous ping pong scene -- the musical itself is, well, a ball. Just when you think that the book (by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott) is teetering dangerously close to the brink of excess, you're either suddenly lurching back to some semblance of reality or finding yourself cheerfully going along for the ride wondering just how far into fantasia this tuner will dare to go. (Click here for The SOB Review of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical)
What were the best new musicals you saw over the past year? I invite you to join the conversation by sharing your theatre experiences with me.
Also, don't forget to vote for the shows you believe will win in each of the four major Tony Award categories: Best Musical, Best Play, Best Revival of a Musical and Best Revival of a Play. You'll find all four polls on the right-hand side of Steve On Broadway.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Curtains tickets.Click here for Grey Gardens ticket information.Click here for Spring Awakening tickets.Click here for The Drowsy Chaperone tickets on Broadway; here for London.Click here for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ticket information on Broadway, Chicago, Los Angeles and the North American tour.Related Stories:SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Plays (May 21, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 16, 2007)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Best New Musicals, Broadway, Curtains, Grey Gardens, SOB's Best of 2006-07, Spring Awakening, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, title of show
