Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[Silver Raven]

Playbill's preview of what's coming to Broadway in 2018:

http://www.playbill.com/article/the-winter-2018-broadway-preview

[aradia22]

Escape to Margaritaville: About the same place as On Your Feet for me. Except I like Gloria Estefan and know zero Jimmy Buffet songs. I'll see it when I see it.

Carousel: I will probably see it but I'm not hype yet. I'm waiting to hear what everyone thinks about direction, staging, performances, etc. because the only person I find reliably good is Joshua Henry. I know, controversial hot take. 

Lobby Hero: I want to see it because... Chris Evans. *swoon* 

Mean Girls: I hope it's another Legally Blonde. I will probably see it regardless because there's not a ton grabbing my attention this season.

My Fair Lady: Already have my ticket. Thanks, Linctix. I will be lowering my expectations in the coming months accordingly given the casting and by the time I see it, I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise. 

Summer: Eh. This one hasn't been on my radar much so I don't have thoughts. Similar to Escape to Margaritaville but better because I like Donna Summer? 

Frozen and Pretty Woman aren't on the list but I'm not hot on those two, at least not without some casting shake ups.

This should leave me plenty of budget room to see Anastasia and Waitress with Sara Bareilles and take my parents to see Hello Dolly with Bernadette Peters and Victor Garber. So as of now, I'm totally cool with this being the season. 

[Silver Raven]

One reviewer calls out the Off-Broadway production of the Cruel Intentions musical for its gay jokes.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-cruel-intentions-musical-needs-to-lose-the-gay-insults?ref=home

Edited December 29, 2017 by Silver Raven

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Daniel Breaker (Aaron Burr on Broadway) discusses Hamilton:

Aaron De Jesus, Nicolas Dromard, Mark Edwards & Cory Jeacoma discuss Jersey Boys:

[Silver Raven]

Today I saw Something Rotten! at Broadway Sacramento.  I was not expecting a lot, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  The dancing was outstanding, with lots of tapping.  And it starred Rob McClure and Adam Pascal (as Shakespeare).  It also included Josh Grisetti as Nigel, Maggie Lakis as Bea, Blake Hammond as Nostradamus, and Autumn Hurlbert as Portia.  Josh Grisetti has a really great singing voice, though his acting wasn't outstanding. The scene where they sing "A Musical" is a major hoot.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

14 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Today I saw Something Rotten! at Broadway Sacramento.  I was not expecting a lot, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  The dancing was outstanding, with lots of tapping.  And it starred Rob McClure and Adam Pascal (as Shakespeare).  It also included Josh Grisetti as Nigel, Maggie Lakis as Bea, Blake Hammond as Nostradamus, and Autumn Hurlbert as Portia.  Josh Grisetti has a really great singing voice, though his acting wasn't outstanding. The scene where they sing "A Musical" is a major hoot.

I saw the same production/cast when the tour was in San Francisco a few months ago and loved it. My friend got to see it in Los Angeles when they were doing Broadway Cares so Adam Pascal came out after the curtain call for several nights to sing One Song Glory. There's a video of it on the previous page if you want to check it out.

It's definitely a musical for people who love musicals. There are so many references and homages to other musicals so it's really fun. I probably could have seen it two or three more times just to catch all the different references to other musicals. Some of them just zinged by so quickly.

Fun fact: Rob and Maggie are married in real life! Rob did a web series for Broadway.com for about the first six months of the tour and it was a good blend of backstage stuff and seeing what the cast does in their off time. I posted it a few pages back if you want to watch. I love behind the scenes stuff so I really enjoyed it.

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

Today I saw Something Rotten! at Broadway Sacramento.  I was not expecting a lot, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  The dancing was outstanding, with lots of tapping.  And it starred Rob McClure and Adam Pascal (as Shakespeare).  It also included Josh Grisetti as Nigel, Maggie Lakis as Bea, Blake Hammond as Nostradamus, and Autumn Hurlbert as Portia.  Josh Grisetti has a really great singing voice, though his acting wasn't outstanding. The scene where they sing "A Musical" is a major hoot.

I'll be seeing this in DC next month.  Looking forward to it!  Glad it's a good production.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ham4Ham for the London opening:

 

Behind the scenes of Ham4Ham:

[Silver Raven]

17 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Fun fact: Rob and Maggie are married in real life!

I thought that might be case since he says in the program that she's been his partner for twelve years, but I wasn't sure if that was life or acting partner.

[methodwriter85]

I read that there's a Muriel's Wedding adaption bandying about, which doesn't surprise me, but apparently they bubblegummed the ending. Just...why? The ending is perfect as is.

[aradia22]

I think it depends on how the ending is bubblegummed. If she ends up happily married to the Olympian swimmer (?) then no, that's too fluffy. That's like a Wicked Elphaba/Fiyero ending. (Though that's far from the most egregious book --> stage change in Wicked.) vjbk ,mIf they just end on a more hopeful note, I don't think that's too terrible as commercial musicals tend to avoid downer endings. I mean, arguably even Sweeney Todd has a happy ending of sorts with the "bad" people getting punished and the "good" people getting away. 

[aradia22]

Did NOT see this coming.

[Silver Raven]

John Legend is Jesus?  Or Judas?

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I think it depends on how the ending is bubblegummed. If she ends up happily married to the Olympian swimmer (?) then no, that's too fluffy. That's like a Wicked Elphaba/Fiyero ending. (Though that's far from the most egregious book --> stage change in Wicked.) vjbk ,mIf they just end on a more hopeful note, I don't think that's too terrible as commercial musicals tend to avoid downer endings. I mean, arguably even Sweeney Todd has a happy ending of sorts with the "bad" people getting punished and the "good" people getting away. 

 

Someone went on a very long rant about it. You can read about it here.

The musical does seem to be getting some pretty good reviews, so you can take that with a grain of salt.

Spoiler

I'm really, really bothered at the decision to make the Olympic swimmer a gay man who realizes it after he has sex with Muriel. I liked that after he and Muriel had sex, he realized he might be interested in more with her, while Muriel realized that she felt nothing for him, and physical attraction plus her Cinderella Complex wasn't enough of a reason to stay married to the guy. That was a wonderful, nuanced way to look at the Cinderella complex, and the musical instead decided that Muriel doesn't get to reject him because he's gay? The hell?

Edited January 9, 2018 by methodwriter85

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Cast for Berkeley Rep's Angels in America announced

Quote

Angels in America Tony winner Stephen Spinella will return to Tony Kushner’s two-part drama, this time taking on the role of Roy Cohn. Spinella made his Broadway debut in 1993 as Prior, winning a Tony that year for Millennium Approaches and another in 2014 for Perestroika.

Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Tony Taccone, currently celebrating his 20th anniversary season, will direct.

The cast will also include Caldwell Tidicue, known more commonly as RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner Bob the Drag Queen, as Belize, marking his first major stage production outside his drag career.

Rounding out the company are Randy Harrison (Queer as Folk) as Prior, Danny Binstock (Broadway’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s) as Joe Pitt, Randy Danson (Venus Off-Broadway) as the Angel, Benjamin T. Ismail as Louis Ironson, Bethany Jillard as Harper Pitt, and Carmen Roman as Hannah.

The California production will run shortly after the Broadway transfer of the recent National Theatre revival opens at the Neil Simon Theatre with a cast that includes Nathan Lane, Andrew Garfield, Lee Pace, and Denise Gough.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Thoroughly Modern Millie reunion concert on February 12

I saw the pre-Broadway run at the La Jolla Playhouse and loved it! Most of the cast transferred to the Broadway show (the most notable exceptions: Pat Carroll as Mrs. Meers, Tonya Pinkins as Muzzy, Jim Stanek as Jimmy, and Sarah Uriarte Berry as Miss Dorothy).

Quote

A 15th anniversary reunion concert of the 2002 Tony-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie will be presented February 12 at the Minskoff Theatre to benefit The Actors Fund.

The 7:30 PM concert will star Tony Award winners Sutton Foster, Gavin Creel, and Harriet Harris, reprising their respective roles as Millie Dillmount, Jimmy Smith, and Mrs. Meers.

Joining the trio will be many other original cast members, including Marc Kudisch, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Francis Jue, and Anne L. Nathan. Megan McGinnis, who appeared in the original production as a replacement, will also take part.

Original creative team members Michael Mayer (director), Rob Ashford (choreographer), and Michael Rafter (musical director) will helm the evening.

Thoroughly Modern Millie was the 2002–2003 season's most celebrated show, nominated for 12 Tony Awards and winning six, including Best Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Foster), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Harris), Best Costume Design (Martin Pakledinaz), Best Choreography (Ashford), and Best Orchestrations (Doug Besterman and Ralph Burns).

[aradia22]

I love Thoroughly Modern Millie... aside from the Asian characters

[DisneyBoy]

I love Millie! Wish I could attend that show. Harriet Harris all the way!

I was trying to think of 10 iconic Tony Awards performances but I came up short. Wanna help me out?

For my money, Betty Buckley singing Memory and Jennifer Holliday singing And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going are pretty much the benchmarks. I think Andrew Rannells singing I Believe is awesome and worthy of inclusion but after that I start to get into what I consider to be great but not iconic performances. I love Sutton Foster singing Anything Goes with the cast of the show but the number is truncated and skips the awesome opening. Patti LuPone singing A New Argentina with the cast of Evita is incredible but the number is more of a group number and I kind of wish they had just let her sing Rainbow High. Her singing Everything's Coming Up Roses was great but divorced from the start of the scene where she realizes she's being abandoned by her daughter June as well as the other chorus boys, it loses something.

Oftentimes I hear people talking about Idina Menzel and Wicked, but that really wasn't one of her better performances.

I loved the performance from the cast of Xanadu, but there were some mike problems and I don't really know if I would consider that number iconic so much is thoroughly entertaining and good.

Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner singing I Will Never Leave you is certainly worthy of inclusion even though I don't think the song is that brilliant.

Unfortunately, the Next To Normal performance was marred by tempo issues.

Are there ones from the 70s 60s 50s and 40s that I'm just not thinking of?

Edited January 14, 2018 by DisneyBoy

[Rinaldo]

4 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Are there ones from the 70s 60s 50s and 40s that I'm just not thinking of?

The Tonys weren't televised (not nationally at least) until 1967, and even for a few years after that they didn't always feel an obligation to do anything from the nominated musicals, so lots of potentially memorable performances were lost. Of those we got to see, my list would be:

• Barbara Harris in "Movie Star/Gorgeous" from The Apple Tree (from that first telecast)
• Ruby Keeler and ensemble in "I Want To Be Happy" from No No Nanette (a year after its nominations -- see above)
• Ben Vereen and ensemble in "Magic To Do" from Pippin
• The whole cast in "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line
• The cast in "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar" from Big Deal (Fosse's last work)
• Michael Jeter and Brent Barrett in "We'll Take a Glass Together" from Grand Hotel

That brings it up to the 1990s, so I'll stop there. The last one on my list is my candidate for all-time top: it turned the show from an impending flop into a hit, and in my course on musicals, it gets the biggest reaction of anything we watch all semester.

[bosawks]

I’d go “Ring of Keys” from Fun Home by Sydney Lucas.

Edited January 14, 2018 by bosawks

[choclatechip45]

I saw Spongebob a few weeks ago through TDF. I really enjoyed it. If you like Spongebob you will enjoy it. Ethan Slater is very good. I was very impressed by him. He really is a human version of Spongebob.

[DisneyBoy]

In hindsight, I'm really bummed Pink was never performed at the Tony's. Easily one of the best songs of its season and the best War Paint number by far.

[bosawks]

Random thought Friday:  It will be a tragic missed opportunity if there isn’t a “Ragtime” revival during the current administration.

[aradia22]

Heads up to the opera fans. I've finally got at least one date to set the DVR for. Norma airing has been announced.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/Great-Performances-At-The-Met-Kicks-Off-2018-With-Bellinis-NORMA-20180109

[aradia22]

Popular music (I'm including pop, country, R&B, etc.) sounds miserable and tired these days so I decided to treat myself to Nat King Cole's My Fair Lady album. It sounds gorgeous. Of course it sounds gorgeous. But you can definitely hear the effect of smoking and illness on his voice. He still sounds better than most people but he's got less control and it isn't as emotive as his best recordings. Still, some very fun arrangements and well worth a listen. The parts that work are magic. I love Nat King Cole. 

[aradia22]

Quick rundown of shows I've seen lately. 

XIVariete... skip it. It's like a grab bag/talent show. More titillation than talent this time. Their fairy tale shows are better. The magician? Unnecessary. The stripper contortionist? Didn't do anything for me.

Jonas Kaufmann at Carnegie Hall... Meh. I was supposed to see him I think with Opolais in Manon Lescaut but he was out so this is the first time I saw him live. Very competent singing, not much more than that. Rather emotionally flat. He did a Schubert piece about a miller. First of all, so tediously German. I wasn't in the mood for it (I hadn't looked up the program). But he only really "acted" during the jealousy portion. For some reason "happy" and "in love" were emotions that were beyond him. His vocals had a lot of dynamics (loud/quiet) but his voice wasn't very emotive either.

The Bobby Darin Story starring Jonathan Groff at 92Y... Groffsauce! Loved it. I'm not saying it was perfect. They put these things together very quickly. But given that, they did something different with this concert. Instead of having a lecture interspersed with songs, they told his life story more like a play with actors reading quotes/anecdotes, etc. and then performing a related song. This worked exceptionally well with Elena Shaddow playing his "mother." If they wanted to, they could expand this to some kind of off-Broadway play. I think Groff held back a little instead of going hard the whole time but there was still plenty of sass and charm. He had a bit of patter with the audience. There was some dancing. And he took some moments to show off that killer voice. I wasn't crazy about Stephanie Styles (really question whether that Roman Holiday musical should come to Broadway with her as the lead) and George Salazar was very enthusiastic but his voice was a little lacking. David Pittu was solid with a fun George Burns impression. I don't know Burns well enough to how accurate it was but the crowd ate it up. I'm not sure if this was Groff or Alex Timbers or Ted Chapin but if this is a sign of how Ted Chapin is going to be running things from now on, I'm excited.

Edited January 23, 2018 by aradia22

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Chilina Kennedy & Evan Todd discuss Beautiful:

[Silver Raven]

Santino Fontana is going to star in Tootsie on Broadway.  I'd love to see that.

[DisneyBoy]

So the Phantom's 30th Anniversary performance this week featured a curtain call where Sarah Brightman nailed the title song while being backed by the School of Rock kids (who were great - especially the guitarist!) Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed that. I found the video on YT - I guess they livestreamed it, which is appreciated.

They also brought back the " Class of '88 " ....though it only looked like about a dozen people showed. They took a bow and sang Masquerade for a moment. I really wish past performers were given more of a chance to shine during anniversaries like this. It never feels like they get to do more than make a quick cameo while the producers talk about themselves.

The best thing was Hal Prince showing up a week away from his 90th birthday. What a trooper!

I was reading somewhere, though, that this was only part of a "week of celebrations.' What else is the show doing to celebrate its 30th? I saw that there was a light show at the top of the Empire State Building but that all happened the same night as this Gala performance. So what else are they doing to mark the occasion...?

 

Edit: A Today Show appearance & other meh stuff.

Edited January 29, 2018 by DisneyBoy

[aradia22]

Did anyone see this Muhammad Ali musical Buck White? Or Rex or The Glorious Ones. I do love the Tudors and I'm curious if there could ever be a more serious take Henry VIII. More Passion (Sondheim) than classic musical theater though even that romanticizes to some degree. I guess it would be tough to have Henry VIII hanging around as this villain without trying to redeem him in some way. And even Fun Home has its moments of levity. As for The Glorious Ones, I feel like I'm constantly discovering Ahrens and Flaherty shows I've never heard of. I still need to listen to A Man of No Importance and Dessa Rose. They're on my computer, I'm just waiting until I'm in the right mood. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kind of an update on the In the Heights movie adaptation from Lin-Manuel Miranda at BroadwayCon:

Quote

In 2016, it was reported that The Weinstein Company was developing a film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit In the Heights, with a screenplay written by the musical’s book writer, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Jon M. Chu lined up to direct.

Since then, however, Harvey Weinstein was fired from his studio in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Miranda said in October that he was “appalled and repulsed” by the Weinstein news, and supported Hudes’ call for The Weinstein Company to drop the film. (Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.)

Over the weekend, after a panel at BroadwayCon marking the 10th anniversary of Heights’ Broadway bow, Miranda told EW that’s still where things stand for the project. When asked if there was any update on the status of the film adaptation, he said, “I think that company is getting their ducks in a row and we’ll see what happens. We made our position very clear, and there’s sort of no news yet.”

[Silver Raven]

Head Over Heels, a new jukebox musical of Go Gos music, is heading to Broadway.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Andrew-Durand-Jeremy-Kushnier-Rachel-York-More-Will-Star-in-HEAD-OVER-HEELS-Opens-on-Broadway-This-Summer-20180129

[aradia22]

I'm excited about Rachel York and Bonnie Milligan but I can't see this doing well. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I've had the San Francisco run of Head Over Heels on my calendar for a few months and was waiting for tickets to go on sale. The Curran (which has been billing this show as the pre-Broadway run from the beginning) just announced their first subscriber season last week so I got tickets for Head Over Heels, Dear Evan Hansen, Soft Power* (which is playing at the Ahmanson in LA first), and Taylor Mac: Holiday Sauce.

I saw Rachel York in the national tour of Kiss Me Kate a million years ago and I remember liking Peppermint on RuPaul's Drag Race

The Curran used to be part of SHN but split off a few years ago. They've still had shows there but they were all stand alone shows (I saw the national tour of Bright Star there last year). The awesome thing about their first subscriber season is that they are allowing people to choose their own seats! As much as I like getting season subscriptions to the San Francisco Ballet and Berkeley Rep, I am too much of a control freak to like having someone else pick my seats and then inform me where I'll be sitting months later. I almost got a season subscription to SHN last year so I would be guaranteed seats to Hamilton but I ended up getting much better seats by buying individual tickets. It was a madhouse to do it, but totally worth it!

* Soft Power is a new musical by Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Aida) and Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Violet, Caroline or Change, Fun Home). The show is a joint production with . It will be directed by Leigh Silverman (Violet, From Up Here) and choreographed by Sam Pinkleton (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Grammy news!

Dear Evan Hansen won Best Musical Theater Album. No big surprise there. The other nominees were Come From Away and Hello, Dolly!

Lin-Manuel Miranda won Best Song Written for Visual Media for How Far I’ll Go from Moana. Other nominees were City of Stars (La La Land), I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Freed), Never Give Up (The Lion), and Stand Up for Something (Marshall)

Leonard Bernstein – The Composer won Best Historical Album.

[aradia22]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lincoln-Center-Theater-Announces-Full-Casting-For-MY-FAIR-LADY-20180131

@ElectricBoogaloo Please report back!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 1/26/2018 at 11:42 AM, DisneyBoy said:

So the Phantom's 30th Anniversary performance this week featured a curtain call where Sarah Brightman nailed the title song while being backed by the School of Rock kids (who were great - especially the guitarist!) Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed that. I found the video on YT - I guess they livestreamed it, which is appreciated.

They also brought back the " Class of '88 " ....though it only looked like about a dozen people showed. They took a bow and sang Masquerade for a moment. I really wish past performers were given more of a chance to shine during anniversaries like this. It never feels like they get to do more than make a quick cameo while the producers talk about themselves.

The best thing was Hal Prince showing up a week away from his 90th birthday. What a trooper!

I was reading somewhere, though, that this was only part of a "week of celebrations.' What else is the show doing to celebrate its 30th? I saw that there was a light show at the top of the Empire State Building but that all happened the same night as this Gala performance. So what else are they doing to mark the occasion...?

 

Edit: A Today Show appearance & other meh stuff.

 

Just in case anyone wants to watch some of the 30th anniversary Phantom stuff:

The Empire State light show:

Non-Phantom actors at the Broadway community matinee (aka when a Broadway show does a performance just for other Broadway casts):

Very short snippets from original Broadway cast members (love that they talked to so many chorus/ensemble members!):

 

30th anniversary Broadway curtain call with Sarah Brightman and the School of Rock kids:

Edited February 2, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[aradia22]

Totally forgot about the Musicals in Mufti series. I feel like there's so much of that in the city. Either small productions or concerts. If it's not Encores it's hard to keep track. And it's always tough to know if I'm going to be able to justify the ticket price when I could easily just spend that money on any TDF ticket and see a fully staged, excellent production. 

Anyway, they're doing Hallelujah Baby (last performance tomorrow) and Subways are for Sleeping. I might listen to the Hallelujah Baby OBC album tonight and see how I feel. I'm already seeing Cruel Intentions at night (have to pick up the tickets at 6pm) so it would be cutting it close if I decided to go. Not impossible but it'd be a lot of theater in one day all at once. 

[aradia22]

So... Hallelujah Baby. I think there's always going to be some awkwardness in a white creative team trying to tell the story of a nonwhite group, even if they have the best of intentions. I love Ragtime and Once on This Island but even they have some awkwardness. I can feel the creators trying for an incisive critique on songs like "The Slice" and "Smile, Smile" but it doesn't totally work. First of all, aside from standouts like "My Own Morning" I'm a bit indifferent to the score. But also, a classic musical theater score like this works against the meaning which is why the songs that are the most typical ("My Own Morning" the I Want song, romantic/relationship songs like "Watch My Dust" and "I Wanted to Change Him") work better than the ones trying to say something. I can see the glimmers of The Scottsboro Boys here in the irony between music and content but it doesn't quite go for it. And Scottsboro Boys wasn't even entirely successful. It was also notable to me that there was no real attempt to use an African or African American musical traditions. It was very classic musical theater, vaudeville, and maybe a little big band. Not even jazz. I guess the exception is "Hallelujah, Baby!" which seems like an attempt at a gospel song but it's more like a "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" revival song. Some lovely vocals from Leslie Uggams though. I can hear where Lena Horne would have also sounded fantastic in those extended phrases. Where perhaps other singers were showier, Lena had amazing control.

So yeah... I've decided to not see this production. I think it would take notable performers to make it worthwhile because the material doesn't really interest me.

Edited February 4, 2018 by aradia22

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Broadway.com's latest vlog series is with Ali Ewoldt who is currently playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera. I always love watching behind the scenes/backstage stuff so I love that Broadway.com does these vlogs. The first four (of eight) episodes have been posted.

Of note: Ali is the first Asian-American actress to play Christine on Broadway! Yay for more diversity on Broadway!

Week 1:

Week 2 (I was fangirling over Lea Salonga too!) - the international episode with actors from the Philippines, Mexico, Sweden, Holland, and Australia plus snippets from actors who have performed the show in Germany and Canada (!). It was also fun to see how many of the current Broadway cast have performed different roles in other productions of the show.

Week 3 - backstage tour!

Week 4 - 30th anniversary stuff and Sierra Boggess!

Edited February 4, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[aradia22]

As we've discussed, it takes me a million years to write proper reviews so here's a quick one for Cruel Intentions. If you're thinking about seeing it and you think you're the right audience, I would do it. I found it was surprisingly funny and clever. Without having to turn my brain off I did make the conscious decision to try and enjoy the night instead of snarking or cataloguing the show's faults. And if you go in knowing what it is, I think you might enjoy it too. It's definitely for a similar crowd to Heathers. But since the musical was written recently and this jukebox musical adheres very much to the movie script with 90's hits, Heathers feels more contemporary. This is like Heathers' big sister recalling her glory days and not trying as hard to be cool or relevant. And also, she fully admits she doesn't have the budget for a real set. It's a good blend of earnestness and irony. Like, let's have fun with these songs you genuinely love. But let's also be a bit irreverent with the song choices and play around with choreography. I saw an understudy for the Sebastian part which I think affected my enjoyment of the show but only a bit. Overall, I think I would have had the same issue. Which is that on the whole the show is really great and funny for what it is but the Annette/Sebastian romance does not work. Part of it was the show's fault in giving them a lot of songs that didn't fit their scenes as well (part of the joy of the show is both recognizing familiar songs and seeing how surprisingly well they fit the plot) as the rest of the songs in the show. But part of is the same problem as in the movie which is that they're too self-serious and angsty and frankly boring. It's especially notable in a show like this where compared to the movie, the other dramatic plots are played much more for laughs. Where the movie is intense, this show goes for outright comedy. Except when it comes to Annette/Sebastian. Which feels tiresome and honestly, I'd rather have the villain win in the end. Also, because Lauren Zakrin is glorious and the show is abbreviated, she comes across as more sympathetic and the manipulated characters don't seem all that hurt in the end so you're not really rooting for her to get her comeuppance. It's in contrast to something like Jawbreaker where Rose McGowan's character is so awful that even if her schemes are fun, you want her to get her just desserts. The cast was pretty talented on the whole. Zakrin was the standout but the actor playing Cecile was fantastic even if she didn't look the part. The actor playing Ronald has a great voice with some nice resonance. I can see him getting cast in a breakout part later on. Alex Boniello was so effortlessly good it might not even register how good he was. I also liked the actor that played the jock. They were very cute together. I understand the complaints about the gay characters but I don't think the show is any more offensive than the original movie and it's actually less offensive in a way because they stay together (as stated, this show mostly goes for comedy which lessens the stakes). The staging is a bit awkward because they use the stage but also a raised platform in the back and so sometimes you're needlessly swerving back and forth (for example, to watch two characters talk to each other). I get that they have to manage entrances and exits but I'd rather have an extended blackout because it seemed a bit pointless and distracting.

[Silver Raven]

So John Legend has been cast as Jesus in JC Superstar.  The show airs in something like seven weeks, and they still haven't cast Judas?

[aradia22]

I put on the OBC album of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever. Gorgeous overture. I like the song but I don't really like the John Cullum version of the title song. The lyrics are... interesting. Sometimes they are outright bad. Sometimes they skate the line where on one side they're Sondheim, or maybe more Cole Porter cleverness and on the other side of the line they're just forced rhymes. I'm thinking of "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here" which is a pretty melody with lyrics that are charitably cutesy and uncharitably corny and cheesy. "Don't Tamper With My Sister" was a real headscratcher. "She Wasn't You" is another gorgeous song. It's one of those songs that makes me wish there was more recycling of songs from shows that didn't work the way there used to be. I know it from the Brent Barrett album of Lerner songs. I do like that version better than the OBC. Any other good recordings? "When I'm Being Born Again" was bonkers like someone had just dropped in a Zorba song. I thought Spotify had switched to shuffle. "What Did I Have That I Don't Have" was a pretty solid 11 o'clock but it didn't make a big impression on me. "Wait Till We're Sixty-Five" wasn't brilliant but it was pleasant and charming. I'm surprised people don't perform it more often. "Come Back To Me" is great. I know the Shirley Bassey version which is fabulous. 

If the stage version wasn't well received, why did they make a movie version? 

Also, did anyone catch the most recent revival? 

Also, Encores Hey Look Me Over! is up on TDF for $37.50 with fees. In spite of the starry cast I've already decided to skip it. I like the concept of "Man in Chair" from Drowsy Chaperone narrating but I'm not excited about the selection of shows. 

http://deadline.com/2018/02/ryan-murphy-series-the-politician-netflix-ben-platt-cast-barbra-streisand-gwyneth-paltrow-in-talks-to-star-1202278255/

[aradia22]

Decided to listen to the Barbra Streisand/movie version of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever too. She's full on Barbra for this one. I can't say I dislike it. It doesn't do the best job of conveying the story but it sounds great. Having such a distinctive voice like Yves Montand is interesting but again, I don't hate it. It reminds me of all the old albums with guys with strong accents (South Pacific, Do I Hear a Waltz). I love how Barbra is suddenly singing most of the score. 

[aradia22]

I forget who the Chess fan was but here you go... 

Either the acoustics are bad or the voices are too big. I can't understand what the hell anyone is singing. I miss Judy Kuhn. 

Side note: Does anyone know where I can find the Judy Kuhn version of Chess? The only copy at the NYPL is for use in the library. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

More Chess rehearsal footage:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SHN SF announced their 2018-2019 season today:

Miss Saigon 10/9-11/4
A Bronx Tale 11/27-12/23
Come From Away 1/8-2/3
Hello, Dolly! 2/19-3/17
Falsettos 3/19-4/14
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 4/16-5/12
Anastasia 9/3-9/29

Renewing members can buy tickets for Hamilton (2/26-5/12) immediately. Hamilton tickets are $678 for premium center orchestra center (rows E-T), $210 for other orchestra and mezzanine, and $110 for balcony.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Michael Luwoye (current Hamilton on Broadway) discusses Hamilton:

 

Morgan Marcell, Lexi Lawson (current Eliza on Broadway) & Jess Dannhauser discuss The Eliza Project, a philanthropic organization founded by Morgan Marcell & Phillipa Soo (original Broadway Eliza in Hamilton). It gives students from Graham Windham, the orphanage Eliza Hamilton created, an opportunity to own their own stories through art workshops taught by Broadway artists. The 10-minute documentary, "Sharing Our Stories: The Eliza Project," is Marcell's directorial debut.

[aradia22]

Any thoughts on Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero? Surprisingly given Chris Evan's involvement, there are still a bunch of good $40 tickets available. I'm wary after learning there's only one female character and the play is supposedly very relevant on issues of gender and race despite being written by a white playwright over 15 years ago. I've been burned too many times. 

[bosawks]

RIP Jan Maxwell, who I was lucky enough to see bring Phyllis to life in “Follies” where she gave full justice to lines like this:

Could I live through the pain on a terrace in Spain? Would it pass? It would pass! Could I bury my rage with a boy half your age in the grass? Bet your ass!

Edited February 12, 2018 by bosawks