Broadway Preview: All My SonsThe way recent news reports have been dissecting the upcoming Broadway revival of
Arthur Miller's seminal classic
All My Sons, you could be forgiven for thinking this was
all about Mrs.
Tom Cruise. Seems tickets just aren't selling to average Joes the way ticket brokers anticipated.
Indeed,
Katie Holmes, who has to her credit earned such dubious honors as an MTV Movie Award and a
Razzie Award, is making her much discussed Broadway debut. Alas, she's no
Nicole Kidman.
But if you ask me, the real news in this
Simon McBurney-helmed revival is that three of the stage's brightest stars are taking on some of the meatiest roles in their careers.
Three-time Tony and four-time Emmy Award winner
John Lithgow is taking on the play's shamefully conflicted father Joe Keller. Try as this character might, he's hardly your average Joe. This will mark Lithgow's 20th Main Stem production. I've had the pleasure of seeing Lithgow in a number of roles that demonstrate his incredible range, including his Tony-winning turn as J.J. Hunsecker in the underappreciated dark musical
Sweet Smell Of Success (2002); as a detached husband named Edward opposite
Eileen Atkins' Alice in
The Retreat From Moscow (2003-04); and most recently in his Tony-nominated role as suave con man Lawrence opposite
Norbert Leo Butz's Tony-winning turn as Freddy in
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005-06).
Portraying Joe Keller's wife Kate will be two-time Oscar and one-time Emmy Award winning actress
Dianne Wiest, whom I last saw in
Estelle Parsons' 2003 Rialto revival of
Oscar Wilde's
Salome alongside
Al Pacino,
David Strathairn and
Marisa Tomei.
All My Sons serves as Wiest's eighth Great White Way production.
Finally, two-time Tony nominee
Patrick Wilson will assume the role of Joe and Kate's son Chris. I've seen Wilson tread the Broadway boards in both of his nominated roles: first as Jeff Lukowski in the Americanized musical version of
The Full Monty (2001) and then as Curly in the 2002 revival of
Oklahoma! All My Sons will be Wilson's fifth credit in a full-fledged Broadway production.
As for the play itself,
All My Sons ranks as my personal favorite Arthur Miller work, and certainly would be on my list of all-time favorite stage shows. In fact, when
All My Sons was first produced on Broadway sixty-one years ago, Miller won the Tony for Best Author. Helmed by
Elia Kazan (who would win the Tony for this work), that production starred
Ed Begley,
Arthur Kennedy and
Karl Malden. That incarnation would run for 328 performances.
The only other time
All My Sons was ever revived on Broadway was in 1987 at the
John Golden Theatre. Although it would only enjoy 31 regular performances, the production went on to score the Tony for Best Revival of a Play, while its star
Richard Kiley also earned a Tony nomination.
Previews for the new revival of
All My Sons begin on September 18 at the
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, with opening night scheduled for October 16. The limited run is slated to end January 11, 2009. Almost in spite of Katie Holmes, I'm making this revival a priority to see.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
All My Sons Revival Bound For Broadway (September 7, 2007)
Redford Ready To Return For Right Role? (October 20, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Labels: All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Broadway, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Katie Holmes, Patrick Wilson, Play, Revival, Simon McBurney
All My Sons Revival Bound For BroadwayOne of my personal all-time favorite plays will be revived on Broadway in the spring.
According to New York Post's Michael Riedel,
Arthur Miller's
All My Sons will return for only its second revival there, starring
John Lithgow as Joe Keller.
When last revived in 1987 at the
John Golden Theatre,
All My Sons earned the Tony for Best Revival of a Play, while
Richard Kiley received a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Joe. The one and only revival was quite short-lived with only 31 regular performances.
All My Sons first appeared on the Great White Way all the way back in 1947 and had such luminaries as
Ed Begley,
Arthur Kennedy and
Karl Malden in its cast. Miller would win that year's Tony for Best Author, while notorious director
Elia Kazan would win for Best Director. All totaled, the first production would enjoy 328 performances.
When
Riedel last discussed a possible Broadway revival back in October, he mentioned
Robert Redford had been offered the lead, which he presumably turned down, or this is a different revival altogether. Now, Riedel's devoted his snarky comments to the
Vanity Fair exposé that Miller kept his Down syndrome child in an institution. No word on whether this is the same revival as the one mounted in London. Too bad.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Broadway, First Word On New Show, John Lithgow, Play, Revival
All My Sons (The SOB Review) - Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York, NY** (out of ****)There's an insidious little secret in
Simon McBurney's revival of
Arthur Miller's
All My Sons.
No, it's not that Joe Keller (
John Lithgow) may or may not have purposely sold faulty plane parts to the U.S. military during World War II. Instead, it's that McBurney has layered on the histrionics so high that the brilliance of Miller's original script is largely obscured and only peeks through near the end.
All natural elements of surprise are removed, thanks in no small part to the sound design offered by
Christopher Shutt and
Carolyn Downing. Their underlying music betrays the production with its impending sense of doom.
With the staging itself, McBurney seems to be going for an
Our Town motif. Yet it screams small town theatricality (think "
Waiting For Guffman") or even satire. It's exacerbated whenever its female leads,
Dianne Wiest (as Joe's wife Kate) and
Katie Holmes (as Ann, the fiancée of Joe and Kate's MIA son), take to the stage.
Where the women reign supreme in the current revival of
The Seagull, it's the men of
All My Sons who are left to do the heavy lifting. Lithgow and
Patrick Wilson as the Kellers' son Chris offer affecting, nuanced performances. Sad to say, there's nothing subtle about Wiest's surprisingly over-the-top performance. As for Holmes, well, she's a decent enough actress, but when Ann should be demure, Holmes is full-throttled and stays in the same gear throughout.
All My Sons still ranks as one of my all-time favorite plays. Maybe someday, we'll have another chance to see a production that just lets the story unfold more naturally.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Broadway, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Katie Holmes, Patrick Wilson, Play, Revival, Simon McBurney, The SOB Review
Did Critics Think Sons Offered Its All?Last evening, Broadway's second revival of of
Arthur Miller's
All My Sons opened at the
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Helmed by
Simon McBurney, the productions stars
John Lithgow,
Dianne Wiest,
Patrick Wilson and
Katie Holmes.
Most critics were taken with the high-concept approach offered by McBurney, with one notable exception.
Praising the show as a "striking new production,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News awards four out of five stars: "Lithgow is outstanding as the conflicted family man whose self-interest proves his undoing. He seems to evoke every stage of grief as Keller's life crumbles before him. As his devoted wife, Wiest marvelously conveys steel beneath Kate's soft-focus eyes and deep-set denial, while Wilson shows he's more than just apple-pie handsome in his highly emotional and physical performance in the shattering showdown. Holmes, a TV and film vet, makes a fine Broadway debut."
Heralding
All My Sons as "a commanding illustration of the power of theater and a searing drama,"
Variety's
David Rooney also praises: "McBurney acknowledges those diverse traditions as well as more experimental forms. He shows us the tricks and mechanics of theater, uses film devices like underscoring and projections to intensify drama or foster evocative connections, and coaxes layered interpretations from the actors that embrace grandiose, melodramatic theatricality on the surface while scratching away underneath to uncover the characters' wounded humanity in painfully real terms. There's no playing it safe here on any level, yet the complex approach feels organic -- every unconventional touch serves to break open the drama, not simply to embellish it. Some no doubt will find the treatment overwrought, but like it or not, this is far more interesting than another reverential remount."
Saying "This really shouldn't work, but it does,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer joins in the positive notices: "John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest are shattering as Joe and Kate Keller.... The real news, however, is the high-concept rethinking by director Simon McBurney. This should be a stylistic hodgepodge, but, miraculously, the fusion honors the Ibsen-inspired moral authority of early Miller, the distancing modern techniques of Brecht and the special effects of an old-time Hollywood melodrama. We are warned from the prologue, which Miller never wrote."
Citing McBurney's staging as "unexpectedly effective,"
Clive Barnes of
New York Post offers two and a half stars: "A starry cast has been assembled to yell their lungs out.... The fault lies not with them but with the play.... [T]oo much of the acting is two-dimensional, at best. Lithgow starts in a sunny, benign fashion, but eventually finds himself screeching alongside Holmes, looking tough under a glossy wig, and the all-American Wilson. In all of this emotional clutter, the finest performance comes from Wiest, a silent pool of grief in a most touching portrayal of woe."
Calling McBurney's work an "intriguing but disconnected interpretation,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times is a bit more incisive: "The preview performance I saw of this one left me stone cold, despite some electric moments from a very fine Mr. Lithgow and Mr. Wilson. The very different leading actresses -- the stage veteran Ms. Wiest and the neophyte Ms. Holmes, in her Broadway debut -- are sad casualties of Mr. McBurney’s high-concept approach.... Mostly this vaunting interpretation falls into that same limbo between intention and execution where so many of Miller’s baffled American souls find themselves."
After carefully reading each of these reviews, I must say that I've never agreed more with Ben Brantley than I have in his critique. You'll find my own SOB Review by clicking
here.
This limited run of
All My Sons is currently slated to close on January 11, 2009.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Ben Brantley, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Katie Holmes, Patrick Wilson, Play, Revival, Simon McBurney
My Year On Broadway: Most To LeastOf the 44* new Broadway shows and revivals that opened on the Great White Way during the 2008-09 Theatrical Season, I saw 28 of them.
The number increases to 31 if you count my previous viewings of
Billy Elliot - The Musical (2005) and
God Of Carnage (2008)
in London and
White Christmas in St. Paul (2006), and even 32 if you count my earlier Off-Broadway viewing of
[title of show](2006).
The productions I never had a chance to see before they closed include
Cirque Dreams,
A Tale Of Two Cities,
A Man For All Seasons,
American Buffalo,
Dividing The Estate or
Soul Of Shaolin. Of the current shows, I most likely will not see
Irene's Vow,
The Philanthropist or
Accent On Youth, but I already have post-Tony Award tickets to see both
Mary Stuart and
Waiting For Godot. I'm still hoping to get to
Joe Turner's Come And Gone.
While I'll write shortly about the best and worst shows I've seen over the past year -- with some topping my lists from Off-Broadway or London -- I thought I'd rank all the Main Stem shows I've seen during the 2008-09 Theatrical Season beginning with those I liked the most to the least (you may click on each to see my full SOB Review).
* Please note that I count the three individual installments of
The Norman Conquests separately, since each can certainly stand on its own. However, for the sake of this ranking, you'll see that I've placed all three portions of
The Norman Conquests together as my favorite Broadway experience of the year.
So here's my most to least favorite list of the Broadway shows I've seen over the past year:
The Norman Conquests ****Speed-The-Plow ***1/2next to normal ***1/29 To 5 ***1/2Impressionism ***1/2Hair ***reasons to be pretty ***33 Variations ***Blithe Spirit ***13 ***Shrek The Musical ***Liza's At The Palace...! ***Pal Joey ***The American Plan ***West Side Story **1/2Equus **1/2Exit The King **1/2The Seagull **1/2The Story Of My Life **Desire Under The Elms **All My Sons **Hedda Gabler **Guys And Dolls *1/2Rock Of Ages *1/2To Be Or Not To Be *1/2You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush *What were your most and least favorite Broadway shows of the past year?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Favorite Shows, Musical, Play, Revival, The Norman Conquests, The SOB Review
Broadway Preview: 13Last time
I checked in with a report on
Jason Robert Brown's new musical
13 was just over 13 months ago.
At the time, I noted that the tuner about thirteen 13 year olds was being prepped for a Broadway bow sometime in early 2008. Of course, that time frame came and went.
But since then, the show was presented by
Goodspeed Musicals' Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut from May 9 through June 8. And the show has been announced for a Broadway berth.
Originally directed on year ago January by
Todd Graff at the
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, a significantly revised version produced at Goodspeed was directed by
Jeremy Sams and choreography from
Christopher Gattelli.
Dan Elish wrote
13's book.
On
Jason Robert Brown's own blog, the award-winning composer takes note of how dramatically
13 evolved from its final performance on the Left Coast to its first on the East Coast:
The show is substantially different, in every respect, from the version produced in Los Angeles last year. First of all, just in terms of the writing itself, we've replaced more than half of the songs, re-focussed the story, added a half-hour of running time (and with it, an intermission), and probably changed every single line of the book except for four really good jokes. Paradoxically, the show is longer because it's leaner and tighter, and there is now a much straighter line from the beginning to the end. A lesson I learned this year with both 13 and the London revision of Parade is that it's all too easy to let a secondary character hijack the show. I know we solved it in Parade by cutting down Britt Craig's role; I think we've now solved it in 13.
Brown also discusses the difference a director makes:
Most importantly, we have a new director, Jeremy Sams, who has been invaluable both in his ability to cut the fat away from the story and in his understanding of the way music functions in the show. The fact that Jeremy is a formidable musician in his own right doesn't hurt. In fact, Jeremy is a terrifying polymath; a quick look at his résumé shows that he has directed successful plays and musicals on Broadway and the West End, as well as having written film scores, lyrics and books of musicals, and translations and adaptations of classic and obscure plays (from several different languages, all of which he speaks fluently). Dan and I are convinced that in the event of some horrible catastrophe, Jeremy is perfectly equipped to take over any and all jobs on the show, ours included.
Brown acknowledges the show's most unique aspect: casting child actors and a "kid band":
None of that would matter if we didn't have the talent onstage to bring this show to life, and I'm over the moon about the cast and band that we hired. Assembling the cast took a long time, and the final group that's going into rehearsal in two weeks comes from all over the country -- New York and the tri-state area, of course, but also Los Angeles, Texas, and Florida -- and while some of the kids have résumés longer than mine, others have never done a professional production before.
The band is an equally amazing group, and the band audition day was the most fun I've had in a long time; sixty-five awesomely gifted teenagers showed up and made glorious music together for seven hours. The hardest part was figuring out who to send home; all of the grownups in the room felt that we could have randomly picked five kids at any given time and ended up with a superb band. Needless to say, the five that made it to the end are exceptional. I know that kid musicians are not as used to the arbitrary and bizarre process of auditioning as kid actors are, so I wanted to take this space to thank all the musicians for coming out and playing so beautifully and rolling with the experience. Having a "kid band" is a huge experiment for a Broadway musical, but I know it's going to pay off handsomely.
Of course, that blog post was all the way back on March 24. Although
13 has been announced for Broadway's
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with previews tentatively slated to begin September 16, there's been precious little additional information out there regarding the show.
Is that unlucky? Only for the countless Jason Robert Brown fans like me who can't wait to finally see this talented composer's next effort. The good news is that folks like Chris Caggiano (
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals) had decent things to say about the Goodspeed mounting (Chris called the tuner "promising").
I'm looking forward to our collective fortunes improving in the weeks ahead as more information is announced.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: Speed-The-Plow (July 8, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Not Unlucky: 13 Headed To Broadway (May 25, 2007)
Was 13 Lucky With Critics? (January 9, 2007)
Jason Robert Brown + Mark Taper Forum = 13 (January 7, 2007)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
"13" Reasons to Take in LA Theatre This Winter (May 5, 2006)
Labels: 13, Broadway, Christopher Gattelli, Easter Parade, Goodspeed, Jason Robert Brown, Musical
A View From The Bridge (The SOB Review) – Cort Theatre, New York City, New York
**1/2 (out of ****)A view from a bridge can deceive the eyes. It can be akin to admiring a
Monet from afar.
The elements for a masterpiece may all be there. But when examining them up close, the effect can be downright confounding as they are not necessarily what they seem. What had seemed like flowing images can suddenly become jarring and disparate.
Such is the case, on more than one count, with the respectable, yet oddly distant new Broadway revival of
Arthur Miller’s classic
A View From The Bridge, which opened Sunday evening at the
Cort Theatre. From a distance, all the elements are there that make it abound with promise.
For starters, estimable director
Gregory Mosher is at the helm. Rather than resort to the histrionics employed by
Simon McBurney in last year’s overwrought Miller revival of
All My Sons, Mosher wisely opts for a more authentic and natural approach.
John Lee Beatty's scenic design effectively evokes the Brooklyn neighborhood filled with Italian immigrants, and
Peter Kaczorowski’s moody lighting appropriately haunts the play, serving as a harbinger of the portentous tragedy.
Additionally, this revival boasts an unusually competent cast.
As Italian-American Eddie Carbone, the ever-formidable
Liev Schreiber portrays a tough 50s-era longshoreman, who demands respect first and foremost. As Eddie’s wife Beatrice, the impressive
Jessica Hecht once again loses herself in yet another New York City neighborhood role (she’s fresh off the closed-too-soon revival of
Brighton Beach Memoirs and this production is fortunate to have her).
A View From The Bridge also marks the impressive Broadway debut for film actress
Scarlett Johannson as Catherine, the demure, yet blossoming teenage daughter of Eddie’s deceased sister. And
Michael Cristofer effectively portrays the play’s one-man Greek chorus, albeit as Italian immigtant attorney Alfieri, with whom Eddie seeks counsel.
Then there’s the story itself, which on the surface appears to center on Eddie, a seemingly gracious man who had not only promised his dying sister he’d look after her only daughter, but also has clandestinely arranged to have his wife Bea’s Italian cousins smuggled into the country, providing them sanctuary and security.
But as with other Miller plays, upon closer examination -- and it's important to note that the playwright initially called this work "An Italian Tragedy" -- it soon becomes clear that an ominous undercurrent is threatening. (During my performance, it seemed as though a musical underscore had begun to swell right from the start, spelling impending doom. As the strange buzzing sound never abated, it became apparent that there was either something amiss with
Scott Lehrer’s sound design or there was some other annoyance backstage detracting from the play.)
The abstract Miller has painted in
A View From The Bridge is further hued with none too subtle shades of incest, as Eddie’s protection of Catherine becomes untenable, and homosexuality, as Eddie suggests that Bea’s cousins “ain’t right,” even as one of them -- Rodolpho (
Morgan Spector) is threatening his grasp on Catherine. Heady themes to be sure, particularly considering they were much too controversial to be vividly painted by name at the time the play was originally produced.
Yet, somehow, even with all these essential elements present on the canvas,
A View From The Bridge fails to coalesce into a deeply satisfying motif. It never really came completely together, leaving me to wonder if Miller had really intended this work to be viewed from afar all along.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations 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.Labels: A View From The Bridge, Arthur Miller, Gregory Mosher, Jessica Hecht, Liev Schreiber, Michael Cristofer, Morgan Spector, Play, Revival, Scarlett Johansson
Third Generation Sons Opening TonightThis evening, the third Broadway revival of of
Arthur Miller's seminal classic
All My Sons opens at the
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
Directed by
Simon McBurney, this latest incarnation of the post-war play -- which
originally graced a Main Stem stage in 1947, just two years after the close of World War II -- stars
John Lithgow as Joe Keller,
Dianne Wiest as his wife Kate,
Patrick Wilson as their son Chris, and
Katie Holmes as the fiancée of their other son.
Will critics take to this latest retelling? Find out tomorrow as I provide a snapshot of their reviews in my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Broadway, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Katie Holmes, Opening Night, Patrick Wilson, Play, Revival, Simon McBurney
Broadway Preview: West Side StoryAs if to prove that nonagenarians have more fun, or infinitely more insight into Broadway’s biggest and best classics,
Arthur Laurents is ready to take on his second major Broadway mounting in two years.
First, of course, came his definitive direction for the best musical of all time,
Gypsy -- an American original for which he wrote the timeless libretto. Now, he’s ready to recreate another musical that includes his book:
Stephen Sondheim and
Leonard Bernstein’s 1957 masterpiece
West Side Story, a show that was ahead of its time in terms of critical acceptance.
Technically only the second Great White Way revival of the modern New York update of
William Shakespeare's
Romeo And Juliet,
West Side Story will open at a Nederlander Theatre in March 2009 after beginning previews on February 23, shortly after its out-of-town tryout (December 16, 2008 – January 17, 2009) at Washington’s National Theatre.
While the new incarnation will recreate
Jerome Robbins’ original Tony-winning choreography, look for the
West Side Story revival to be bilingual for added authenticity, along with a cast of 37 and orchestra of 30. However, casting has yet to be announced.
Laurents has stated, “This show will be radically different from any other production of
West Side Story ever done. The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to have authenticity. Every member of both gangs was always a potential killer even then. Now they actually will be. Only Tony and Maria try to live in a different world…"
The original 1957 production first played the
Winter Garden Theatre before moving to the
Broadway Theatre for a couple months in 1959, and then back to the Winter Garden, where it closed in June 1959. All totaled, the original
West Side Story enjoyed 732 performances.
But that “original” production didn’t simply end there. Less than one year later, a “return engagement” reopened at the Winter Garden Theatre for another 249 performances.
While a City Center version of the show came along just a few years later, it wasn’t until February 14, 1980, that the first and only full-fledged Broadway
revival opened at the
Minskoff Theatre, where it played through November of that year for 333 performances.
Will Laurents’ respected renaissance prove to be no fluke? After being mesmerized by
Gypsy, I have included this toward the top of my list of Broadway shows I’m most looking forwarding to seeing throughout this new Theatrical Season.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: 9 To 5 (July 16, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Mary Stuart (July 15, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The American Plan (July 14, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Shrek The Musical (July 13, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Waiting For Godot (July 12, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Pal Joey (July 11, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Dividing The Estate (July 10, 2008)
Broadway Preview: 13 (July 9, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Speed-The-Plow (July 8, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Musical, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story
Flashback: Best of 2002-03As I count down my SOB Best of 2005-06, here’s a flashback to my personal best list for the 2002-03 theatrical season, as well as my honorable mentions and what I believe was the absolute worst show I saw that season.
My SOB Best of 2002-03 includes:
#1 –
La Bohème (Broadway Theatre, New York, NY) – Credit Baz Luhrmann with the spellbinding genius for making one of the most enduring of operas into an accessible and excellent theatrical event. Not since Dorothy landed in Oz have I witnessed as glorious a transformation from black and white to full blown color as I did during this amazing production. In this case, it occurred when love was in full bloom. I only hope that Luhrmann won’t stay away from Broadway too much longer.
#2 –
The Last Five Years (Plays & Players Theatre, Philadelphia, PA) – While I didn’t have a chance to see the original or Off-Broadway versions of this captivating two-handed musical, that literally and effortlessly tells the story of lost love backwards and forwards, I was mesmerized by this remarkable Philadelphia production with Nicole Van Giesen and Wayne Wilcox as Cathy and Jamie, respectively. I can honestly say that this was indeed the very best small show I saw over the last five years.
#3 –
Dreamgirls (Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA) – Reprising her career-making role as Effie, Jennifer Holliday returned to her theatrical roots one last time and brought the house down with one of the most satisfying, yet gut-wrenching performances of her signature song, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” There was not one dry eye in Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox Theatre. And the rest of the production was every bit as excellent.
#4 –
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Plymouth Theatre, New York, NY) – One of the most deservedly acclaimed productions of its year, this Robert Falls-helmed revival of Eugene O’Neill’s seminal, semi-autobiographical classic more than captured his family’s deep descent into hell. Its stellar cast included Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Dennehy at their finest, along with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert Sean Leonard.
#5 –
Nine (Eugene O’Neill Theatre, New York, NY) – While the sensually seductive Jane Krakowski earned a Tony for this wonderful revival, it was Chita Rivera who literally stopped the show with a breathtaking performance that sealed her legendary status forever. Never before have I seen a standing ovation immediately after a production number, but Miss Rivera more than earned it scoring a "12." On top of everything else, Antonio Banderas was brilliant in this tale of a playboy entering middle age.
Honorable Mentions:Hairspray (5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, WA) with Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winoker in the
pre-Broadway engagement.
Purple Heart (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) with Laurie Metcalf and Christopher Evan Welch.
The Breath of Life (Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London, UK) with Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench.
All My Sons (Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN) with a virtuoso performance by Peter Michael Goetz.
Worst of 2001-02:Stones In His Pockets (Ordway Theatre, St. Paul, MN) – This touring production clearly lost something in its translation from the British stage and didn’t help that Americans, including the overacting Bronson Pinchot, had assumed the Irish roles.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Vanessa Redgrave to Make Broadway Return as Joan Didion (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Atlanta, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Chita Rivera, Dreamgirls, Jennifer Holliday, La Boheme, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Nine, Play, Revival, SOB's Best of 2002-03, The Last Five Years
When Stage Classics Tread Broadway Boards AgainTo see, or not to see?
That is my question for you dear readers, particularly as so many stage classics are once again treading across the boards of the Great White Way this year. I'm curious to know whether you rent a film version DVD of plays to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the show in advance or do you prefer being completely surprised?
Among the revivals that will treading the boards this season:
All My Sons - the
original 1947 production was the basis for the
1948 film.
A Man For All Seasons - the
original 1961 production was the basis for the Academy Award-winning
Best Film of 1966.
American Buffalo - the
original production was the basis for the
1996 film.
Pal Joey - the
1951 revival was the basis for the
1957 film.
West Side Story - the
original 1957 production was the basis for the Academy Award-winning
Best Film of 1961.
One revival that will be trotting across is
Equus, starring
Richard Griffiths and
Daniel Radcliffe. By the time the
original 1974 production closed in 1977, the
film version was just opening in cinemas.
While I've long been familiar with the general, disturbing themes of
Equus, I have never seen it. Nor had ever seen the silver screen incarnation -- that is, until this past weekend.
I decided I wanted to see the movie for a couple reasons. First, since the play is set in England, I wanted to be sure I could thoroughly understand the dialogue in the event that heavy accents might be employed during its Broadway run. Second, since I didn't want to be shocked by the content when I finally see the show later this month, I decided viewing the flick would be the surest way to avoid that. But in the process, I've sacrificed letting a plot naturally unfold before my eyes for the very first time.
So I ask you, dear readers, if you've never seen either the stage or film versions of a show you intend to see performed live, do you rent the movie first? And why or why not?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Man For All Seasons, All My Sons, American Buffalo, Broadway, Equus, Musical, Pal Joey, Play, Revival, West Side Story
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The MusicalAfter first taking London's West End by storm just over three years ago, the
Lee Hall/
Elton John tuner
Billy Elliot - The Musical is set for its Great White Way debut.
(Interestingly enough, I was supposed to see the show three years ago tonight, but the
performance was canceled due to the 7/7 terrorist bombings that brought London to a standstill. It wasn't until that November when I was finally able to see the musical.)
Based on the highly successful worldwide smash
film from 2000, the stage incarnation begins previews at Broadway's
Imperial Theatre on October 1, with opening night set for November 13.
Stephen Daldry, who directed the movie also helms this musical. It should also be noted that Lee Hall, who is credited with writing the original screenplay, not only wrote the stage show's lyrics, but he also serves as its librettist.
While most casting is yet to be named as they
dig deep beneath the Imperial Theatre to properly house
Ian MacNeil's enormous corkscrew stage design, the three alternating Billys have been announced. They include
David Alvarez,
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish.
Longtime readers will recall that
Billy Elliot - The Musical ranked eighth on my list of the best shows I saw during the 2005-06 Theatrical Season. You may also recall that
I previously worried that the Broadway producers might find it necessary to dumb down this intrinsically British show for American audiences. Yet, by all accounts (including
Michael Riedel's), this will essentially be the same production I enjoyed in London in late 2005. Riedel noted:
There's been a lot of talk that Billy Elliot -- which is set in a mining town in the north of England and pulls no punches in its left-wing politics - would have to be watered down for Broadway. The working-class British accents would be too hard to understand; the brutal anti-Thatcher, anti-Reagan, anti-capitalism stance might offend Americans; the overall grittiness might be too intense for Broadway audiences doped out on feel-good stage cartoons.
I'm happy to report that John, Daldry and producer Eric Fellner said they decided not to mainstream the musical for Broadway.
The show New York is going to get is the one that's been playing to packed houses in London for the past three years.
Taboo it ain't. That, plus the exceptional score by Hall and John, should help ensure a giant leap in advance ticket sales.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Billy Elliot Set To Make Imperial Leap Across Pond (August 21, 2007)
Billy Elliot Leaps One Step Closer To Broadway Bow (October 20, 2006)
Which British Hits Will Be Broadway-Bound? (September 20, 2006)
Billy Elliot Set for 2008 Broadway Bow? (September 6, 2006)
Remembrances of London’s 7/7 (July 7, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, David Alvarez, Elton John, Kiril Kulish, Lee Hall, Michael Riedel, Musical, Stephen Daldry, Trent Kowalik
Broadway Preview: Speed-The-PlowAmong all the plays that have been announced for the 2008-09 Theatrical Season, few are more enigmatic than
David Mamet's
Speed-The-Plow, a work about the cut-throat nature of the Hollywood's film industry.
For example, while the Tony-nominated original production made its debut at Broadway's
Royale Theatre on April 9, 1988, it was only because Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theatre proved too small to accommodate demand. And that clamor wasn't to see
Joe Mantegna or
Ron Silver, who would go on to win a Tony for Best Actor that year.
No, it was the pre-
Kabbalah Madonna, who was causing a commotion by taking on her one and only Gotham legit stage appearance. While most critics inevitably found Madonna's participation ironic due to the play's subject matter,
Frank Rich of
The New York Times was rather gracious:
Madonna is the axis on which the play turns -- an enigma within an enigma, in the manner of the Lindsay Crouse heroine in "House of Games.'' It's a relief to report that this rock star's performance is safely removed from her own Hollywood persona. Madonna serves Mr. Mamet's play much as she did the Susan Seidelman film "Desperately Seeking Susan,'' with intelligent, scrupulously disciplined comic acting. She delivers the shocking transitions essential to the action and needs only more confidence to relax a bit and fully command her speaking voice.
Speed-The-Plow would open May 3, 1988 and run through December 31 of the same year.
Another more recent example is that earlier this year,
Jeff Goldblum joined with
Kevin Spacey in a wildly
popular production across the pond at the
Old Vic. The two American actors were joined by
Laura Michelle Kelly, who achieved lasting fame in London as the stage's first
Mary Poppins (although she may be better known to American audiences for her role as the Beggar Woman in the 2007 film
Sweeney Todd). Given the success of the London revival, the mystery here is why Spacey wouldn't just transfer it to Broadway.
The third example is that while a Rialto revival was
announced in April, this time starring
Jeremy Piven in his Main Stem debut, little else is known other than the fact the production is supposedly slated to open October 23.
With the clock ticking, it's a puzzlement to be sure. But you can be sure I'll try to fill in the missing pieces as they come in.
UPDATE (7.8.08, 9:25 a.m.): Thanks to Esther at Gratuitous Violins for providing me with a link to a February Michael Riedel piece that notes why the Kevin Spacey version wouldn't make it to Broadway:
Mamet gave (Jeffrey) Richards the rights to Speed-The-Plow, a comedy about two sleazy Hollywood producers and their secretary, long before the Old Vic secured the play for a London run.
Mamet also has promised his loyal lieutenant, Neil Pepe, the opportunity to direct the play on Broadway. Pepe runs Mamet's off-Broadway theater, the Atlantic, and occasionally appears in bit parts in his movies.
Well, that's at least one
mystery solved.UPDATE (7.11.08, 9:45 a.m.) Hat tip to Modern Fabulousity for pointing out that Raúl Esparza has now been cast as Charlie Fox in the upcoming revival that's still due this October. Yet another part of the mystery is solved. All that's left is the casting of Karen and a theatre to house the production.This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, David Mamet, First Word On New Show, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Spacey, Madonna, Play, Revival, Ron Silver, Speed-The-Plow
Broadway Preview: GodspellDay by day, I keep waiting for additional news to surface regarding the planned Broadway revival of
Stephen Schwartz's seminal work
Godspell.
It had originally
been announced that this Great White Way revival, first mounted two years ago at New Jersey's
Paper Mill Playhouse, would begin sometime this month. Now, from checking
Telecharge's ticketing information, the tuner won't begin previews until September 29, with its opening set for October 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Still, it's a little unsettling that more information isn't available other than that
Gavin Creel is set to return to Broadway as the musical's Christ-like figure. Fortunately, Creel himself wrote the following on
his own blog just this past Monday:
so the news is out:
Godspell has found it’s [sic] home: the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 47th street in NYC.
previews begin: sept 29
official opening: oct 23
IT’S EXCITING! I’m really starting to gear up and so is this amazing creative team. the stuff I have heard about the show so far sounds really thrilling. I don’t want to speak to [sic] soon but...I have a feeling some pretty beautiful/powerful/fun energy is coming to Manhattan in the fall. prepare ye...
That’s the first bit of news and more scoop coming. (i.e. who else is gonna be up there playing on that stage) ...but that’s all I can report right now. soon...
Absent from the Great White Way for three years, Creel has returned from his stint as Bert in the London stage version of
Mary Poppins. I caught both of Creel's previous Broadway credits including his Tony-nominated 2002-03 turn as Jimmy Smith in the Tony-winning Best Musical
Thoroughly Modern Millie and his portrayal as the selfish son Jean-Michel in the 2004-05 Tony-winning Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage Aux Folles.
While
Godspell initially enjoyed a long Off-Broadway run from 1971-76 at the Cherry Lane Theatre,
it didn't land on a Rialto stage until 1976. Nevertheless, Schwartz earned a Tony nomination for Best Original Score. Perhaps the best-known performer in that mounting was
Paul Shaffer ("
Late Show With David Letterman") on keyboards. Once there, the show played 527 performances.
The creative team for the revival includes direction from
Daniel Goldstein, choreography by
Christopher Gattelli (
Altar Boyz), scenic design by
David Korins, costume design by
Miranda Hoffman and lighting design from
Ben Stanton.
So what are the prospects for success for this first revival of
Godspell to hit Broadway? Given the continued, immense popularity of Schwartz's current hit
Wicked, I have little doubt that
Godspell will score all for the best.
Group tickets are currently on sale via
Telecharge.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Gavin Creel, Godspell, Musical, Revival, Stephen Schwartz, Transfer
Gerald Schoenfeld (1924-2008)One of the tough things about being away on vacation is that you don't have the opportunity to sit down and write stories the way you'd prefer, especially when important and/or sad news breaks. Such was the case on both counts last week, when I had already pre-written each post here before leaving for a week in London.
During my week away, I learned that 84 year old theatre impresario extraordinaire
Gerald Schoenfeld died Tuesday of a massive heart attack. He passed away not long after taking in the premiere of the film "
Australia."
A 50 year veteran of the Shubert Organization, including 36 as its leader, Schoenfeld was so beloved within the Broadway community -- after all, he helped save the Great White Way from ruin -- that this Runyonesque figure (
as called by The New York Times) became one of those rare figures who had a Main Stem theatre named after him. In 2005, the Plymouth Theatre officially became the
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Personally, it has been a sincere privilege seeing both
Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life and the current revival of
All My Sons, knowing I was seated in a theatre named in his honor.
Affectionately known as "
The Chairman," Schoenfeld helped usher in a new era of Rialto theatre after taking over the reins of the Shubert Organization 36 years ago with
Bernard B. Jacobs. Together, they produced hundreds of shows, including the three credited with rescuing Broadway:
Pippin (1972-1977),
Equus (1974-1977) and that singular sensation
A Chorus Line (1975-1990). After Jacobs' death in 1995, Schoenfeld ran the Shubert Organization in a solo capacity, using what
The New York Times'
Bruce Weber characterizes as "combativeness and charm."
Schoenfeld's enormous contributions to Broadway, as well as to his enduring vision for live theatre, will be missed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Chorus Line, Broadway, Equus, Gerald Schoenfeld, In Memoriam, Pippin
Broadway Preview: 9 To 5As regular readers will recall,
I've sounded some squeals of delight at the prospect of
Dolly Parton writing a musical for the Great White Way. What a way for her to make a living!
As previously noted, her musical stage adaptation of
9 To 5 is a go for September 2008 mounting Los Angeles'
Ahmanson Theatre. But now it's been announced that the tuner will play Broadway's
Marquis Theatre beginning March 24, 2009, with an opening slated for April 23.
The cast, of course, will include
Stephanie J. Block as Judy Bernly,
Allison Janney as Violet Newstead and
Megan Hilty as deluxe Dolly doppelgänger Doralee Rhodes.
Marc Kudisch will play that evil boss man.
Helmed by
Joe Mantello, the musical's book will be provided by the
film version's screenwriter,
Patricia Resnick. Choreography comes from recent Tony Award winner
Andy Blankenbuehler (
In The Heights).
Almost in spite of the fact that it's based on a movie, this, my dear friends, is the new musical of the 2008-09 Theatrical Season I'm most anxiously awaiting. I'm placing this squarely in the top three shows I want to see over the next year.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for 9 To 5 Los Angeles tickets.Related Stories:Broadway Preview: Mary Stuart (July 15, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The American Plan (July 14, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Shrek The Musical (July 13, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Waiting For Godot (July 12, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Pal Joey (July 11, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Dividing The Estate (July 10, 2008)
Broadway Preview: 13 (July 9, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Speed-The-Plow (July 8, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Workin' 9 2--8 (November 16, 2007)
2009 To 5? (August 29, 2007)
Labels: 9 To 5, Broadway, Dolly Parton, Film, Joe Mantello, Los Angeles, Marc Kudisch, Megan Hilty, Musical, Nine To Five, Stephanie J. Block, Tryout
Waiting For GodotIt's been over 51 years since
Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic
Waiting For Godot was last performed on Broadway. And to date, there have only been 65 actual performances on the Great White Way of one of the stage's more uniquely famous titles.
While the
Seattle Repertory Company's upcoming revival of
Waiting For Godot isn't even due in the
Emerald City until January 2009, that hasn't stopped the producers from waiting to announce that they're officially waiting for a Broadway berth soon after.
Helmed by Tony Award-winning director
Garry Hynes (
The Beauty Queen of Leenane) and starring Tony Award winning actor
Bill Irwin (
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), the Seattle Repertory Theatre
describes its new revival:
On its way to Broadway, this production features acclaimed film, television, and stage actor Bill Irwin under the direction of Tony-award-winning director Garry Hynes. Considered by many to be the most significant English language play of the 20th century, this absurdist comedy places two Charlie Chaplin-like tramps in the middle of nowhere to await the mysterious Godot. Don’t miss the chance to see this vaudevillian masterpiece.
First presented on Broadway in
59-performance run (April 19-June 9, 1956) at the
John Golden Theatre,
Herbert Berghof directed
Bert Lahr,
E. G. Marshall,
Alvin Epstein (who appeared in the recent
Brooklyn Academy of Music revival of Beckett's
Endgame),
Kurt Kasznar and
Luchino Solito de Solis.
The very next year, Berghof assumed the helm once again for its one and only revival at the
Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Lasting a mere 6 performances, the 1957 run had a twist. It included a cast that was entirely black, including
Bert Chamberlain,
Geoffrey Holder,
Earle Hyman,
Rex Ingram and
Mantan Moreland.
Now, all these years later,
Waiting For Godot is back. Will it actually be worth the wait?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: Pal Joey (July 11, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Dividing The Estate (July 10, 2008)
Broadway Preview: 13 (July 9, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Speed-The-Plow (July 8, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Broadway Estate Planning (March 17, 2008)
Labels: Bill Irwin, Broadway, First Word On New Show, Garry Hynes, Revival, Seattle, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Transfer, Waiting For Godot
Broadway Preview: Mary StuartAfter getting wind yesterday that acclaimed British actress
Janet McTeer would be returning to Broadway for her first time since earning a Tony Award for Best Actress in 1997 for her turn as Norma Helmer in
A Doll's House, I couldn't help but think, "How wonderful that she'll be reprising the her
absolutely brilliant portrayal of Véronique Vallon stateside in
God Of Carnage."
Yes, McTeer
is coming to the Great White Way in Spring 2009, and she
will be reprising a West End role. But it won't be in
God Of Carnage. Yet.
According to
Variety, McTeer's Rialto return will be as
Mary Queen of Scots. She'll be starring in a transfer of
Donmar Warehouse's 2005-06 hit revival of German playwright
Friedrich Schiller's
Mary Stuart.
Harriet Walter, whose only Main Stem credit came 25 years ago in a revival of
All's Well that Ends Well, will reprise her West End portrayal of
Queen Elizabeth I.
Peter Oswald's adaptation of
Mary Stuart will be directed by
Phyllida Lloyd of
Mamma Mia! fame.
Now perhaps it's because Americans aren't as engaged in British history as, oh, say the
rest of the world, but
Mary Stuart has only seen two previous Rialto incarnations.
The first came in 1900 at the
Fifth Avenue Theatre when it played in repertory with
Macbeth,
Marie Antoinette,
Much Ado About Nothing,
The Ladies' Battle and
Twelfth Night.
The next revival of the work wouldn't come for another 71 years, when
Mary Stuart was produced at
Lincoln Center's
Vivian Beaumont Theatre in late 1971. Clocking in at a mere 44 performances, the
Jules Irving-helmed play pitted
Salome Jens' Mary versus
Nancy Marchand's Elizabeth, and featured
Philip Bosco as Robert Dudley.
While you might think that they'd stage this new adaptation of Schiller's
Mary Stuart at one of Broadway's not-for-profit venues, it will instead be housed in one of the commercial theatres owned by the
Shubert Organization.
Whether New York audiences will enjoy rediscovering
Mary Stuart is a big question mark. Yet given the renewed thirst for royal entertainment, thanks in part to
Cate Blanchett's breathtaking turns as the first Queen Elizabeth, as well as
Showtimes' "
The Tudors," the time might very well be as right as can be. And the opportunity to see McTeer should be worth the ticket itself.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: The American Plan (July 14, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Shrek The Musical (July 13, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Waiting For Godot (July 12, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Pal Joey (July 11, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Dividing The Estate (July 10, 2008)
Broadway Preview: 13 (July 9, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Speed-The-Plow (July 8, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The Musical (July 7, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Godspell (July 6, 2008)
Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
God Of Carnage (The SOB Review) (May 2, 2008)
Labels: Donmar Warehouse, First Word On New Show, God Of Carnage, Harriet Walter, Janet McTeer, London, Mary Stuart, Phyllida Lloyd, Play, Revival, Transfer
