Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Ahmanson announced their 19-20 season:

9/5-10/20 John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons

10/23-11/2 Mike Birbiglia's The New One

12/3-1/5 Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

1/14-2/16 Sting's The Last Ship

2/18-3/29 Book of Mormon

4/7-5/10 Once on This Island

Edited March 2, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[aradia22]

@ElectricBoogaloo Weird. You can always watch Leguizamo on Netflix. I can't remember if I posted here but I think The New One is a good time but totally skippable. There's better stand up out there and the weak material is carried by Birbiglia's delivery. Of course I realize sometimes you just want a fun night out.

The Last Ship feels very irrelevant. Is Once Upon This Island part of a tour? 

Oh, also I made all my choices for my 2019-20 opera season. I may or may not check in next year. It kind of depends how I'm feeling after a long night out. Sometimes I'm energized and feel like posting and sometimes I'm totally satisfied with the experience or just too exhausted. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

14 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

@ElectricBoogaloo Weird. You can always watch Leguizamo on Netflix. I can't remember if I posted here but I think The New One is a good time but totally skippable. There's better stand up out there and the weak material is carried by Birbiglia's delivery. Of course I realize sometimes you just want a fun night out.

Is Once Upon This Island part of a tour?

Yeah, I didn't get these two either. Not only is Latin History for Morons on Netflix, but it's been touring for over two years now. I saw it at Berkeley Rep back in 2016 before it went to Broadway (and I know it was at the La Jolla Playhouse before Berkeley). I guess since it was nominated for a Tony, they're hoping they can still make some money touring the show?

And Birbiglia has been touring The New One since 2017 (I skipped it when it was at Berkeley Rep because it looked okay but not must see) so you'd think everyone who wanted to see it would have already seen it by now. I checked online and the Broadway version closed in January so I guess, like Latin History, they're going to try to sell tickets for one more tour by billing it as a Broadway show.

The Ahmanson mostly has national tours, so I'm guessing Once on This Island is going to do a national tour. The Ahmanson announcement says, "you won't want to miss the 2018 Tony Award winning revival of Once on This Island."

Quote

I may or may not check in next year. It kind of depends how I'm feeling after a long night out. Sometimes I'm energized and feel like posting and sometimes I'm totally satisfied with the experience or just too exhausted. 

I'm pretty bad about posting here after I see shows. Usually I forget until someone else mentions something tangentially related and then I'm like OH YEAH, I SAW THAT SHOW LAST MONTH!

Edited March 2, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Spartan Girl]

Once on this Island starts touring in the fall. My theater's new season won't be announced until maybe next month but I'm crossing my fingers!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Musical adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees

BOOK BY LYNN NOTTAGE
MUSIC BY DUNCAN SHEIK
LYRICS BY SUSAN BIRKENHEAD
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SUE MONK KIDD
DIRECTED BY SAM GOLD

LINDA GROSS THEATER

MAY 12 – JULY 7, 2019

A world premiere musical written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat), with music by Tony and Grammy Award winner Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), lyrics by two-time Tony nominee and Drama Desk winner Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam), and directed by Tony winner Sam Gold (Fun Home); based on the best-selling novel by Sue Monk Kidd.

Casting info:

Tony Award winner LaChanze, currently on Broadway in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Tony nominee Saycon Sengbloh, and more will take the stage in the world premiere of The Secret Life of Bees, a musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s novel.

Sengbloh (Eclipsed, Hair) will star as Rosaleen, a Black caretaker who embarks on a pursuit with the young Lily, played by Elizabeth Teeter (The Audience, The Crucible), to uncover the mystery of Lily’s mother’s death against the backdrop of 1960s South Carolina.

LaChanze (a Tony winner for The Color Purple) will play beekeeper August Boatwright, with Eisa Davis (Kings) as June, Tony nominee Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd) as T-Ray, Brett Gray (On My Block) as Zach, and Anastacia McCleskey (Waitress) as May.

[aradia22]

@ElectricBoogaloo I don't remember if I knew the casting the last time I posted about it. I'm planning to see it anyway because any excuse to see LaChanze and Saycon. I still have reservations about Duncan Sheik but hopefully everything else around him will make him less bad.

Edited March 10, 2019 by aradia22

[theatremouse]

This

BOOK BY LYNN NOTTAGE

makes me hopeful it'll be good, but this

MUSIC BY DUNCAN SHEIK

makes me suspect it will not.

[aradia22]

I think I posted on here when I saw the CSC Mother Courage with music by Duncan Sheik. If he knows how to write music for anyone but the whitest of characters (Spring Awakening, American Psycho) I have seen no evidence of it. Also, regardless of whether he writes the lyrics or someone else does they are almost always a meaningless mush of faux-poetic nonsense so I'm putting that on him. 

[HazelEyes4325]

This past weekend, I saw the Portland Center Stage production of "Tiny Beautiful Things."  I will admit I went out of curiosity--I like Cheryl Strayed and Nia Vardalos--but I didn't know how they could turn a series of advice columns into a play.  In the end, this became one of the most transformational plays I've ever seen.  I'm not sure how widely this show is performed (I've only heard about productions in NYC and PDX), but it is amazing and one I would highly recommend.

[dbklmt]

3 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

This past weekend, I saw the Portland Center Stage production of "Tiny Beautiful Things."  I will admit I went out of curiosity--I like Cheryl Strayed and Nia Vardalos--but I didn't know how they could turn a series of advice columns into a play.  In the end, this became one of the most transformational plays I've ever seen.  I'm not sure how widely this show is performed (I've only heard about productions in NYC and PDX), but it is amazing and one I would highly recommend.

It's playing at the Old Globe in San Diego right now till March 17th.  Nia Vardalos has been active with this production.  I had been thinking of seeing this and thanks to your post I'll be making a trip to see it.

https://www.theoldglobe.org/

[HazelEyes4325]

2 minutes ago, dbklmt said:

It's playing at the Old Globe in San Diego right now till March 17th.  Nia Vardalos has been active with this production.  I had been thinking of seeing this and thanks to your post I'll be making a trip to see it.

https://www.theoldglobe.org/

I hope you enjoy it!  I was almost finished listening to the audiobook when I saw the play, so the book was very fresh in my mind and I think they compliment each other quite well.

https://www.pcs.org/tiny

(Oh, I read my earlier post and it sounds like Nia Vardalos was *in* this production...she wasn't.  I was referring to her playwriting.  You probably knew that, but I just wanted to be clear...)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Britney Spears musical "Once Upon a One More Time" sets pre-Broadway run in Chicago

Quote

A new Broadway-bound musical comedy based on classic fairy-tale stories and set to the smash-hit music of Grammy-winning superstar Britney Spears will have its world premiere this fall at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago. Titled Once Upon a One More Time, the musical will begin previews on October 29 with an opening night of November 13 for a limited engagement through December 1, before heading to Broadway.

"I'm so excited to have a musical with my songs—especially one that takes place in such a magical world filled with characters that I grew up on, who I love and adore," said Spears. "This is a dream come true for me!"

In Once Upon a One More Time, Cinderella, Snow White and the other fairytale princesses gather for their book club when a rogue fairy godmother drops The Feminine Mystique into their corseted laps, spurring a royal revelation.

The musical features an original book by Jon Hartmere (The Upside, Bare) with direction by Tony nominee Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages) and choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid (Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself"; "World of Dance").

[aradia22]

@ElectricBoogaloo Head Over Heels: The Sequel? This is different from that Max Martin musical, right? I like Britney and I can see how you can fit some of her songs into a narrative (Lucky, Hit Me Baby (One More Time), Toxic, Womanizer, etc.) but there are still limitations and I don't know if there are rights issues. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

59 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

This is different from that Max Martin musical, right?

Yes, it’s different. The Max Martin musical is supposed to open in the UK this fall before moving to the West End and will use songs from his entire catalogue (not just the songs he did for Britney).

The show is called & Juliet and is about what might have happened if Juliet hadn’t died with Romeo (she goes to Paris with Nurse and her BFFs). Miriam-Teak Lee has been cast as Juliet. Other cast members: 

Cassidy Janson (Leading Ladies, Chess, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical); Oliver Tompsett (Kinky Boots, Wicked); Arun Blair-Mangat (Leave to Remain, Angels in America); Melanie La Barrie (Wicked, Matilda);Jordan Luke Gage (who starred in the lead role of Strat in Bat Out of Hell), and Tim Mahendran (Spring Awakening)

More info is available at the show’s official website. The press releases have named a handful of songs that they’re planning to use including Baby One More Time (you can listen to Miriam-Teak Lee singing it on the website), so I don’t know if Once Upon a One More Time will be allowed to use the same songs that are in Juliet. If I were Max Martin, I wouldn’t care about both shows using some of the same songs because money is money, man!

Edited March 14, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Spartan Girl]

Did everyone hear Hugh Jackman is doing the Broadway revival of The Music Man in 2020? I may have to go back to NYC just for that!

I'm seeing Miss Saigon on Sunday. It will be something to finally see it after all this time.

[Silver Raven]

What happened to the Norm Lewis The Music Man?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

What happened to the Norm Lewis The Music Man?

The Norm Lewis one was a one week production at the Kennedy Center last month.

The Hugh Jackman one is a Broadway revival which is scheduled to open next year (right now they're saying previews in September 2020 with an official opening in October). Jerry Zaks is directing and Warren Carlyle is choreographing (the same team behind the Hello, Dolly! revival).

Hugh said it was the first musical he ever performed in!

Quote

The first musical I was ever part of was the phenomenal The Music Man. The year was 1983, and I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me.

The idea of bringing The Music Man back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years. When Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill.

[aradia22]

RE: Hugh Jackman Music Man

This both makes the most sense and seems like undeniable casting... while being incredibly boring to me. Open to feeling differently. Bette Midler in Hello Dolly was great but I wasn't as thrilled as others were. I did appreciate the strength of the production and casting around her and I think ultimately I preferred the show with Donna Murphy.

[bosawks]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

RE: Hugh Jackman Music Man

This both makes the most sense and seems like undeniable casting... while being incredibly boring to me. Open to feeling differently. Bette Midler in Hello Dolly was great but I wasn't as thrilled as others were. I did appreciate the strength of the production and casting around her and I think ultimately I preferred the show with Donna Murphy.

I think the success will depend on the Marian.

Hugh has charisma in spades and he needs a Marian that’ll take some of that spotlight not just absorb it.  They need a Barbara Cook, Rebecca Luker type homerun again.

Bernadette and Victor Garber were fantastic in Dolly.  Bette was great at being Bette but Bernadette was great at being Dolly in my opinion.

I didn’t see Donna but I would have loved to.

Edited March 15, 2019 by bosawks

[aradia22]

Tickets probably would have been impossible but I am PAINED that I'm missing Derek Klena reprising his role in Dogfight. At least it's not with Lindsey.

https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/derek-klena-micaela-diamond-natalie-walker-dogfight-concert_88124.html

[Spartan Girl]

I saw Miss Saigon today, and I was not prepared for how many lyric changes there were. I mean I used to listen to the OBC all the time, so it was startling.

Anyway, it was good though intense. Emily Bautista was wonderful but the real scene stealer was Red Concepcion as the Engineer. He was a riot!

Man it was hard to watch the opening bar sequence without thinking MeToo. I guess that it shouldn't have been shocking to see those soldiers grope and manhandle the women like that. Still, I winced. A nice little touch was Gigi and the other girls at first bullied Kim when she first shows up, but after she gets roughed up by the soldiers in "Movie in My Mind" they rally beside her. It was like some twisted initiation: "okay, now you know what it's like here, you're one of us, so we'll stick together." 

And I couldn't help side-eyeing the hell out of John. We first see him pawing and smacking around around the Vietnamese women, then cut to three or four years later, he's all about helping the Bui-Doi children. I know people can change and it was probably a form of penance for him, but still...

Also, I know hindsight is 20/20, but Chris, why the hell did you leave Kim to go pack instead of just taking her straight to the Embassy?! Saigon was falling and everything was in chaos, did you really think you could squeeze in two trips?! Idiot.

Poor Kim. She deserved so much better. Had Chris and Ellen done the right thing and gotten her out of the country with Tam, she could have gotten therapy and gone to school and salvaged a good life (despite the awkward custody arrangement) BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOO...

[Silver Raven]

I saw Falsettos today. Probably the saddest play I have ever seen.

And what a stellar cast.  Every one of them had an outstanding voice.

Max von Essen as Marvin.

Nick Adams as Whizzer

Eden Espinosa as Trina. 

There are two boys listed in the playbill as Jason.  I think the one we saw was named Jonah Mussolino.  He was really good.

Nick Blaemire as Mendel

Bryonha Marie Parham as Charlotte

Audrey Cardwell as Cordelia.

Spoiler

It's interesting that presumably Whizzer dies of AIDS, but they never say that word.

"Unlikely Lovers" is a beautiful song, and all of the voices blended perfectly.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I saw Miss Saigon today, and I was not prepared for how many lyric changes there were. I mean I used to listen to the OBC all the time, so it was startling.

Anyway, it was good though intense. Emily Bautista was wonderful but the real scene stealer was Red Concepcion as the Engineer. He was a riot!

Man it was hard to watch the opening bar sequence without thinking MeToo. I guess that it shouldn't have been shocking to see those soldiers grope and manhandle the women like that. Still, I winced. A nice little touch was Gigi and the other girls at first bullied Kim when she first shows up, but after she gets roughed up by the soldiers in "Movie in My Mind" they rally beside her. It was like some twisted initiation: "okay, now you know what it's like here, you're one of us, so we'll stick together." 

And I couldn't help side-eyeing the hell out of John. We first see him pawing and smacking around around the Vietnamese women, then cut to three or four years later, he's all about helping the Bui-Doi children. I know people can change and it was probably a form of penance for him, but still...

Also, I know hindsight is 20/20, but Chris, why the hell did you leave Kim to go pack instead of just taking her straight to the Embassy?! Saigon was falling and everything was in chaos, did you really think you could squeeze in two trips?! Idiot.

Poor Kim. She deserved so much better. Had Chris and Ellen done the right thing and gotten her out of the country with Tam, she could have gotten therapy and gone to school and salvaged a good life (despite the awkward custody arrangement) BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOO...

Same here! I have the original cast recording so all the changed lyrics were jarring.

Chris leaving Kim behind to pack always bothered me because it was either Chris being a complete dumbass (despite John's earlier warning) or just plain old plot device. Either way, it was glaringly stupid. Then again, I'm all about efficiency so I will always choose one trip instead of two when possible.

Another thing that bothered me about Chris is that, whatever you may think of his speedy romance with Kim, their relationship was mutual, not one-sided. When he was at the embassy gates trying to find her, he called her his bride (and she refers to him as her husband), which implies a serious commitment. But he obviously made it sound like their relationship was just a fling when he described it to Ellen. When Ellen described her encounter with Kim, she says, "[Kim] still thinks she's married to you," as Kim is the crazy one for not finding finding a new husband as soon as she popped out a GI's kid. I get that Chris moved on, but it seemed like he was being deliberately obtuse about Kim still being in love with him.

I agree that John's redemption arc was pretty abrupt. In the first act, the only person he is even remotely nice to is Chris, but in the second act he's suddenly this kind, empathetic man who suddenly gives a shit about all these kids. I know we're supposed to believe that he's grown and he feels guilty about Vietnam, but we don't see that. We're just told that it happened and to accept it. I always found it unintentionally funny when John goes to see Kim in Bangkok and he says, "I'm not here as a friend. I have a job to do." Uh, you never acted like her friend (you bought her for your friend to fuck, called her a whore and a liar, and then told Chris that maybe it's best this dream gets smashed), so I don't think that explanation is necessary!

You bring up an interesting point though. I wonder what Kim's life would have been like if she'd gotten some therapy for the massive amount of PTSD she must have had and if she'd had time to come to terms with Chris being married to Ellen. At the very least, if she'd been able to get to the United States and live a life where she wasn't being threatened by her cousin or the Engineer or forced to work in seedy bars to keep a roof over Tam's head, she might have been able to feel safe and secure and eventually find some happiness.

[Spartan Girl]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Chris leaving Kim behind to pack always bothered me because it was either Chris being a complete dumbass (despite John's earlier warning) or just plain old plot device. Either way, it was glaringly stupid. Then again, I'm all about efficiency so I will always choose one trip instead of two when possible.

Another thing that bothered me about Chris is that, whatever you may think of his speedy romance with Kim, their relationship was mutual, not one-sided. When he was at the embassy gates trying to find her, he called her his bride (and she refers to him as her husband), which implies a serious commitment. But he obviously made it sound like their relationship was just a fling when he described it to Ellen. When Ellen described her encounter with Kim, she says, "[Kim] still thinks she's married to you," as Kim is the crazy one for not finding finding a new husband as soon as she popped out a GI's kid. I get that Chris moved on, but it seemed like he was being deliberately obtuse about Kim still being in love with him.

I'll take "Chris is a dumbass" for 200, Alex.  Seriously, though, everything we saw about him in the show stacked up to him being an impulsive, oblivious idiot.  And maybe that's why he later reflected that what he felt for Kim three years ago wasn't so much true love as it was compassion mixed with lust.  Hence, why he moved on so quickly.

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I always found it unintentionally funny when John goes to see Kim in Bangkok and he says, "I'm not here as a friend. I have a job to do." Uh, you never acted like her friend (you bought her for your friend to fuck, called her a whore and a liar, and then told Chris that maybe it's best this dream gets smashed), so I don't think that explanation is necessary!

Yup.  But to give credit where credit is due, he was the only one that called out Chris and Ellen for their stupid decision to just pay to support Kim and Tam in Bangkok and pretend it was for the best interest for the child when it was really just about keeping Kim and Tam away so they can move on with their lives.  "Tam can go to American schools in Bangkok" my ass.

I know critics write Kim's suicide off as unnecessary and melodramatic, but I don't blame her for it.  She was already emotionally damaged, suffering from guilt for killing her cousin (even though it was 100 percent justified), and I think she was ready to join her family a long time ago.  The only thing that kept her going was Tam and reuniting with Chris.  Even if Chris and Ellen had willingly taken Tam to American as she begged, she might have still done it -- what else would she have done, get pimped out by the Engineer for rest of her life?

[angora]

@Silver Raven,

Spoiler

since the second act of Falsettos is set in 1981, they wouldn't have had the word "AIDS" yet.  The show was originally written as two separate one-acts, the first of which was initially staged in 1981 at the very start of the crisis; William Finn recalls friends coming to see the show and afterwards discussing this "gay cancer" they'd been hearing about.  He wrote the second act almost 10 years later, after the crisis had of course escalated, but it's still set in those very early days.  As Dr. Charlotte sings, "We see a trend, but the trend has no name."

[ElectricBoogaloo]

22 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

But to give credit where credit is due, he was the only one that called out Chris and Ellen for their stupid decision to just pay to support Kim and Tam in Bangkok and pretend it was for the best interest for the child when it was really just about keeping Kim and Tam away so they can move on with their lives.  "Tam can go to American schools in Bangkok" my ass.

True - John was the voice of reason, first when he warned Chris that Saigon was about to fall and again when Chris and Ellen thought their brilliant solution would work and John's respone was, "Uh, no, guys. Guys? Hello? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

As for Kim, I agree that Tam was the one thing that kept her going (and the thought of one day being reunited with Chris). She saw her parents die in front of her. She felt betrayed when her cousin switched sides. She was forced to seek work as a prostitute to survive. She fell in love with a guy who then disappeared. Her cousin/fiance, who claimed to love her, had her beaten and threatened to kill her son. She lived through a terrible war. She had to murder someone who she once loved in order to save Tam. In Bangkok, she was still working as a bar girl to keep him fed and clothed and she was still under the Engineeer's thumb. Finding out that Chris was alive but married to someone else was the last straw. I mean, she had a really terrible life. It's not surprising that she was willing to sacrifice herself in order to give Tam a better life, but given her prospects and how much she'd been through in her very short life, she had nothing left. She lost her parents, her cousin, countless friends and family members, the American who she thought was her husband, and her son. How much can a person take before they break?

[Silver Raven]

Corey Stoll has been cast as Lieutenant Schrank and Brian dʼArcy James as Officer Krupke in the Steven Spielberg West Side Story.

https://deadline.com/2019/03/corey-stoll-brian-darcy-james-join-steven-spielbergs-west-side-story-1202578409/

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 3/17/2019 at 7:29 PM, Silver Raven said:

I saw Falsettos today. Probably the saddest play I have ever seen.

And what a stellar cast.  Every one of them had an outstanding voice.

Max von Essen as Marvin.

Nick Adams as Whizzer

Eden Espinosa as Trina. 

There are two boys listed in the playbill as Jason.  I think the one we saw was named Jonah Mussolino.  He was really good.

Nick Blaemire as Mendel

Bryonha Marie Parham as Charlotte

Audrey Cardwell as Cordelia.

  Reveal spoiler

It's interesting that presumably Whizzer dies of AIDS, but they never say that word.

"Unlikely Lovers" is a beautiful song, and all of the voices blended perfectly.

I'm seeing Falsettos in three weeks so I'm glad you warned me that it was sad! When I see musicals that I'm familiar with, I know when to have the tissues ready for crying, but when it's my first time seeing a show I usually blithely expect it to be a happy show.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I saw Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses at Berkeley Rep last night. Four of the ten cast members were from the original 2002 Broadway production (and three of those four were from the 1999 Berkeley Rep production). I loved Greek mythology in elementary school, so I was familiar with most of the stories. The set was simple but beautiful.

One of the articles in the program was about how the various theaters have dealt with the pool and the effects of having all that water/humidity in the theaters, especially in the earlier productions. The practical side of me was thinking about how much work it must be for the wardrobe department to wash and clean all of those costumes after every show.

[aradia22]

I saw Hatefuck tonight. I think it's a play that's definitely worth engaging with but it's very hard to wrap your arms around it. I like this theater. I usually see plays that are pretty compelling here. Even if they don't work, they're going for something. At first I thought I had a handle on it. I thought the female character was just written as the strident, idealistic and uncompromising progressive crusader. We were meant to sympathize with her so the playwright gave her dialogue that was so sharp and quippy that it came across artificial, because even if you were quick enough for those comebacks, no one would talk like that. In trying to write her as so superior, she flattened as a character. And I thought the male character was far too shallow to the point where the playwright couldn't have him name one good deed he'd done (even though he was in no way portrayed as a monster aside from how his novels dealt in harmful stereotypes) and he had a particularly bad reaction to a later incident of sexual harassment (like always, but particularly in light of the #metoo movement). I've definitely seen these types before in heterosexual relationships in fiction, particularly in more recent romance novels. The female character is this feminist harpy who is "right" in her ideals but goes about (anachronistically in historical fiction) trying to bludgeon people into supporting her POV and the male character is more moderate or even on the opposite side of the debate but he has a point about her behaving like a lunatic and in the wrong way if she's actually trying to get things done. And it's always weird because the heroine is a professional person (in this play she's a professor at a college) and/or incredibly smart and yet never seems to realize that her behavior is rude, unprofessional, abrasive, etc. She's never like this radical who doesn't care about doing things the "nice" way. She seems genuinely oblivious to how unacceptable her behavior is. And those things were true... but they weren't all that was there. Part of what's difficult about this play is that at times the characters have shallow arguments and seem like mouthpieces for a debate the playwright wants to have. And then there are glimmers of real humanity. And the debate itself also shifts with different layers constantly being shuffled. I think it's fair to criticize it for trafficking in its own stereotypes and avoiding some tough questions but I can't say there wasn't something genuine there. 

One big flaw in this production is that, at least to me, I didn't buy the romantic relationship. It was very Slap Slap Kiss. A scene would often consist of the two characters (it's a two hander) having a fight and then making out and disappearing into the "bedroom" which helped transition to the next scene. But I didn't buy that in the moment they were that swept up by passion (either sexual or animosity). It was almost always an awkward thing that the playwright seemed to be pushing from their very first hookup where the female character goes on this insane monologue about how she won't be satisfied until she sexually humiliates/dominates the male character (see: dialogue no person would ever say, especially to a stranger). There's always just weirdness in the personal relationship outside of their ideological differences. Like, yes it is weird that she saw his movie 10 years ago and has been thinking about him for so long even if he is a popular and local novelist and so in the public consciousness, especially as a representative of her community. And yes, if we think about how their relationship started and progressed, you could see something weird about how she sets things up. It's also weird that for something that comes across as a fairly feminist-leaning play, the female character spends a good chunk of the middle of the play trying to encourage the male character like some kind of blend between muse and angry manic pixie dream girl. 

Though, I think part of the problem there is that because it's a two hander, it becomes very he said-she said and there's no one there to mediate and point more clearly to the playwright's POV because any information introduced has to be filtered through the POV of either character and their motives are somewhat suspect. They both call each other out on their BS and to some extent, they're both right most of the time and everything gets murky but some big things happen and then it's easy to pick sides but doing so means sidestepping some of the more challenging questions of the play. I feel like this is one where the humanity and relationships of the characters need to be set aside to engage with the arguments. This is one play where I'd like to have the text in front of me because I felt like there was so much back and forth with the personal drama that it obscured the thread of the argument. Also, super shallow but Sendhil Ramamurthy is wildly attractive in person. Like, proper fit. 

It's a very tense 90 minute play. And then it ends very depressingly. There is lots of humor throughout but it's usually in the form of banter and angry banter and the come down is hard. Without spoiling anything specific, they don't end up compromising and their lives then play out naturally with them both getting what they wanted (sort of) but being unsatisfied with the results. Going along with the debate in the play itself, I'm conflicted. On the one hand, it represents an idea of what it is to be human which is to be flawed and uncompromising. And so in that sense it is "human" and "realistic" if you buy that worldview. And it isn't any creative person's obligation to imagine a tidy solution or happy ending. But if a solution can be reached, I do think it's courageous to try to conceive of it, even in fiction. I think it's worthwhile to engage with all the complications and find a way to the other side rather than have two characters just yell at each other a bunch. 

I will continue thinking some more about this though as I get farther away from when I saw the play, more details of their back and forth debate slip from my mind and I just remember the performances and relationship stuff. 

[Stuffy]

On 3/15/2019 at 2:11 PM, bosawks said:

I think the success will depend on the Marian.

Hugh has charisma in spades and he needs a Marian that’ll take some of that spotlight not just absorb it.  

Marian is Sutton Foster. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/news/sutton-foster-star-opposite-hugh-jackman-music-man-1194655?__twitter_impression=true

Edited March 25, 2019 by Stuffy

[bosawks]

8 minutes ago, Stuffy said:

Marian is Sutton Foster. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/news/sutton-foster-star-opposite-hugh-jackman-music-man-1194655?__twitter_impression=true

Well, now I am really am interested in this!

[Stuffy]

13 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Well, now I am really am interested in this!

This is one of those times I’m heartbroken because I’ll never see it. I adore Sutton and really like Hugh. Maybe they’ll record it and when the run is over put it up on a streaming service somewhere. I grew up watching The Music Man movie every time it was on tv. 

I wish more shows would record the original cast and then when the production ends sell it to a streaming service. It’s the only way I get to see broadway productions on my teacher salary. 

Speaking of teacher’s salary, bell rang so back to work. 

[bosawks]

44 minutes ago, Stuffy said:

This is one of those times I’m heartbroken because I’ll never see it. I adore Sutton and really like Hugh. Maybe they’ll record it and when the run is over put it up on a streaming service somewhere. I grew up watching The Music Man movie every time it was on tv. 

I wish more shows would record the original cast and then when the production ends sell it to a streaming service. It’s the only way I get to see broadway productions on my teacher salary. 

Speaking of teacher’s salary, bell rang so back to work. 

If it wasn't for the TKTS booth and gift certificates I get from family and friends going would be problematic for me and my non-profit salary.  I also love BroadwayBox and the volume of coupon codes that they generate.  And sometimes you just have to do rear mezz and resign yourself to squinting for three hours.

But all that ancillary stuff adds up in a hurry: tolls, parking, etc.....

[aradia22]

I don't think of Sutton as a Marian. She could probably do it but it's kind of like Jessie Mueller doing Carousel. I think of her more as a mezzo/belter what with Millie and Reno Sweeney. Still, they're going for a very safe, starry production (at least to theater fans). 

[bosawks]

I loved her in Violet so I think she can pull this off.

[Rinaldo]

Yeah, I don't see Sutton Foster as Marian at all. Maybe she's been hiding an operatic-quality soprano voice all this time, but if so she's done a superb job of hiding it completely. With all the actual legit sopranos around Broadway either who either don't get hired or leave half their voice unused while shredding their cords on the rest... this seems an unusually perverse choice. (And I say that as a great admirer of Sutton Foster, I think she's a terrific performer. But nobody is suited to absolutely every role.)

[aradia22]

Quote

Yeah, I don't see Sutton Foster as Marian at all. Maybe she's been hiding an operatic-quality soprano voice all this time, but if so she's done a superb job of hiding it completely. With all the actual legit sopranos around Broadway either who either don't get hired or leave half their voice unused while shredding their cords on the rest... this seems an unusually perverse choice. (And I say that as a great admirer of Sutton Foster, I think she's a terrific performer. But nobody is suited to absolutely every role.)

Do you think they would lower the keys for her? I know The Music Man score but I don't know it well off the top of my head (the Kristin Chenoweth version dominates in my brain) to remember if it's written in a high register or if I just associate it with an operatic soprano tone. So the actual music vs. quality of the voice. Hugh Jackman is 50 so yeah, there are lots of legit sopranos they could have cast against him. (Speaking of Scott Rudin, like OMG Kate Baldwin.) Sutton also doesn't give off the vibe of semi-spinster librarian. But whatever, this will definitely move tickets.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

Do you think they would lower the keys for her?

I think they'd better, if they don't want a train wreck. 🙂 (In other words, clearly this production is not about musical integrity.)

"My White Knight" has tons of phrases that sail over the F at the top of the staff, and then finishes on a big high A flat.

I recall with pleasure my favorite thing that Sarah Jessica Parker ever said. She was being interviewed alongside her husband Matthew Broderick, who had just been announced to star in a Music Man TV movie. Someone asked her if she'd be playing Marian, and Ms. Parker immediately responded, "I'm sorry, have you heard Barbara Cook?"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

A musical version of The Princess Bride is in the works

Quote

Disney Theatrical Productions has confirmed that a new musical based on the late William Goldman's 1973 novel and subsequent 1987 film is in development from a trio of writers currently lighting up Broadway. The Band's Visit Tony Award winner David Yazbek (Broadway's upcoming Tootsie) will pen the score, with Tony winner Bob Martin (The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone) and Rick Elice (The Cher Show, Jersey Boys) collaborating on the book.

...

Goldman had initially teamed up with The Light in the Piazza's Adam Guettel on an adaptation, though the two parted ways in 2007. Rob Reiner, who directed the movie, subsequently approached a host of songwriters from theatre and beyond. Disney Theatrical announced its continued commitment to bringing the story to life, in collaboration with Walt Disney Studios' Alan Horn, in 2013.

Edited March 27, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[aradia22]

Ooh, I've come around on The Light in the Piazza but Guettel is kind of an asshole so I'm totally open to David Yazbek taking over. Not sure about Rick Elice but a Bob Martin Drowsy Chaperone-style romp feels like the right tone for The Princess Bride. The production can be high fantasy and the actors can play it straight but there should be a lot of humor. They just have to avoid what happened with Ever After, but I don't think that will be a problem with this creative team.

 

Quote

Lizzie Borden is the original good girl turned bad. Her story has become legendary, and her name is infamous. Now, she’s telling her own tale with a killer new voice. Starring Carrie Cimma, Shannon O’Boyle, Ciara Renée, and Eden Espinosa, LIZZIE presents a brand-new Lizzie Borden: a hair-raising, hard-hitting rock star. As secrets in the Borden household reach a boiling point, Lizzie’s rage explodes, and she finds herself considering the unthinkable. You may know the poem, but you only know half the story. Featuring four powerhouse actresses at the top of their game, LIZZIE is the cutting-edge new musical you’ll be dying to see.

I'm out of the loop. I haven't been following theater news for a while. Anyone hear about this?

I doubt anything's going to top Christina Ricci as Lizzie Borden but with Ciara and Eden I expect some high belting. However, based on this description this could either be very fun or tedious and excruciating. I've seen enough "modern" takes on old or historical material to know that it can really go either way depending on the execution.

[dbklmt]

5 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Quote

Lizzie Borden is the original good girl turned bad. Her story has become legendary, and her name is infamous. Now, she’s telling her own tale with a killer new voice. Starring Carrie Cimma, Shannon O’Boyle, Ciara Renée, and Eden Espinosa, LIZZIE presents a brand-new Lizzie Borden: a hair-raising, hard-hitting rock star. As secrets in the Borden household reach a boiling point, Lizzie’s rage explodes, and she finds herself considering the unthinkable. You may know the poem, but you only know half the story. Featuring four powerhouse actresses at the top of their game, LIZZIE is the cutting-edge new musical you’ll be dying to see.

I'm out of the loop. I haven't been following theater news for a while. Anyone hear about this?

I doubt anything's going to top Christina Ricci as Lizzie Borden but with Ciara and Eden I expect some high belting. However, based on this description this could either be very fun or tedious and excruciating. I've seen enough "modern" takes on old or historical material to know that it can really go either way depending on the execution.

This musical has been around for awhile outside of the U.S where it originated.  Eden has been involved with it since 2016 when she starred in the 1st English European production in Denmark  

https://vimeo.com/200798340

before it moved to London at the Greenwich, an off-West End Theatre hoping for a West End transfer which never materialized.  Here's the trailer for the show in London in 2017 and it will give you a taste of what to expect when it comes to NYC.  Your use of the word "excruciating" best describes its musical sound. 

It has played regionally in theatres nationwide over the years.  One production just ended on March 3rd where I live in the OC at the Chance Theatre in Eden's hometown of Anaheim Hills.  I love Ciara Renee and Eden Espinosa, but there's no way I would travel to NYC to see this musical.   

Edited March 28, 2019 by dbklmt
Edited to embed videos

[aradia22]

@dbklmt Oh boy... thanks for that. Yeah, I think I'll skip this. Eden sounds great though.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SHN (San Francisco) announced their 2019-2020 season today (heh, there’s only one show that’s in 2019 though)

12/3-12/29 Summer

2/12-2/16 Spongebob

2/18-3/15 The Last Ship

3/31-4/26 Book of Mormon

5/26-6/21 The Band’s Visit

6/30-8/2 Mean Girls

8/5-8/30 My Fair Lady

Everything will be at the Golden Gate Theater, which is kind of weird because Hamilton will return to Los Angeles in March 2020 which should free up the Orpheum. Then again, I just assumed that, like the Angelica tour, the And Peggy would head to LA after San Francisco and I could be totally wrong about that. Maybe they plan on having a different tour cast go to LA. 

No Frozen tour for us! I was hoping it would come here after it leaves LA in February. 

[aradia22]

I was rewatching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade performance of Summer recently. It seems like it would have been at least equally as fun as On Your Feet. But it was never going to be a show I paid full price for and I wasn't motivated enough to see it when I heard there was no real set.

I'm still not motivated to see Mean Girls either. Once in a while there's a flutter of interest because of the cast but never because of any songs I hear from the show. 

I wonder who will be in the touring cast for My Fair Lady.

--------------------

I still need to buy my tickets for Shoshana/Jeremy in Waitress and Laura in My Fair Lady. But I've very lazy/cautious about buying tickets in advance now. I also don't have my next work assignment set and I don't want there to be a conflict. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I skipped On Your Feet when it came through SF because although I could definitely name at least a handful of Gloria Estefan/Miami Sound Machine songs, I don’t looooove them. I’m sure that there are jukebox musicals that have cohesive stories but I’m not really motivated to see them unless I really like the music. It’s the same reason I skipped the Meatloaf musical. I probably know as many Donna Summer songs as I do Gloria Estefan songs but I can’t decide if I would enjoy a two hour disco party of covers. 

My interest in Mean Girls is just nostalgia for the movie. I’m never sure if adding music to a movie I already like will improve things or make me wish I’d stayed home and just watched the movie. 

My Fair Lady is definitely not one of my favorite musicals, mostly because I never understood why Eliza fell in love with a man who spends most of the show yelling at her. 

Spongebob is an extra show that doesn’t come with the season subscription. If not for the internet, I would have assumed that I wouldn’t want to see it. But thanks to so many people saying that it was a fun show, I’m going to take a chance on it!

But like @aradia22, I will be really interested to see who gets cast in these shows. 

There are a few big monthlong holes in Frozen’s tour schedule so theoretically it could still stop here next year. One of my friends loves Once on This Island, so for her sake I was hoping that might be one of next season’s shows. Maybe it will come through Sacramento or San Jose instead!

Edited March 29, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[allonsyalice]

ooohhh, the Bands Visit is visiting my city as well. Along with Anastasia and Waitress, and a rather popular rap musical i cant remember the name of (and has made it really hard for me to get a subscription lmao.) I'm desperate to see TBV. My friend saw it three times and its all she ever talks about, Im eager to see it. 

[Irlandesa]

Tootsie is starting previews today on Broadway.  I went to see it when it was in Chicago and it was hilarious so I hope people who see it on Broadway like it.  I thought Crazy Ex-Girlfriend showcased most of Santino's singing range but Dorothy showed off new range. 

The only downside is that I wish Santino Fontana had been available for the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. 

[bosawks]

It’s Hadestown day for us!!!!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sara Bareilles and Ben Platt carpool karaoke! You can watch the full episode at http://www.apple.co/_CarpoolKaraoke219