Wednesday, October 31, 2012

JKTS Contest: NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT PRIZE PACK

It is an embarrassment of riches this week, readers!  On Monday, the contest for tickets to Golden Boy started (click HERE to enter that one, by Friday, November 2nd).  And today, I'm thrilled to be able offer a   second contest.  This time, it's more than tickets to a show!

That's right!  Not only can you win a pair of tickets to see Broadway's "S'Wonderful" hit musical, Nice Work If You Can Get It, but you'll also win a copy of the show's Original Broadway Cast Recording to remember the show forever!  (The OBCR is available at stores now, too, if you can't wait!)


ABOUT THE SHOW AND CAST RECORDING


The cast album for the hit Broadway comedy NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT is out and it features 28 classic songs including “Sweet and Lowdown,” “I’ve Got to Be There,” “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off,” “Someone to Watch Over Me” and more.


Matthew Broderick (The Producers) and Kelli O'Hara (South Pacific) star in this sparkling tale of playboys, politicians, bootleggers and leggy chorus girls, all running loose in a glorious Long Island mansion in the rip-roaring 1920s. Featuring Tony® winners Judy Kaye (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and Michael McGrath (Best Featured Actor in a Musical). Let the fun begin!

Don’t miss the high-stepping new musical comedy extravaganza from Kathleen Marshall, the Tony®-winning director/choreographer of The Pajama Game who turned Anything Goes into last year’s most effervescent delight, and Joe DiPietro, Tony®-winning writer of Memphis.




To listen to tracks and to purchase the cast album on iTunes, click here:






THE DETAILS
  • 1 lucky reader will win 2 tickets to Nice Work If You Can Get It at Broadway's Imperial Theatre PLUS a copy of the Original Broadway Cast Recording
  • Good for performances outlined on the prize voucher.  The winner will be notified of the choice of dates, generally midweek performances.  Blackout dates and prior sales may effect ticket availability.
  • The contest winner is responsible for following all of the guidelines on the prize voucher.
THE GAME

Answer the following 3 questions.  Put the answers (Letter AND Answer, Ex. B. Angela Lansbury) in an email with NICE WORK CONTEST in the subject heading and send it to jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.  Include your name and location.  Entries will be accepted until NOON on Wednesday, November 7.  One entry per email address. Duplicates will be disqualified.

1.  Matthew Broderick was either nominated for or won the Tony Award for all of the following EXCEPT:
     a.  Brighton Beach Memoirs
     b.  Biloxi Blues
     c.  The Producers
     d.  How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

2.  Gershwin music provides the score all of these musicals EXCEPT:
     a.  On Your Toes
     b.  Porgy and Bess
     c.  Crazy for You
     d.  My One and Only

3.  Nice Work If You Can Get It director Kathleen Marshall DIRECTED all of the following productions EXCEPT:
     a.  The Pajama Game
     b.  Wonderful Town
     c.  Anything Goes
     d.  Seussical: The Musical
    
A FEW MORE DETAILS:
  • The winner will be selected from all entries that follow the above guidelines and have the correct answers.
  • The winner will be notified sometime Wednesday evening, November 7.  
  • JK's TheatreScene is not responsible for lost or unreceived emails, for the availability of tickets or their location, or for cast member absences.  
  • If the winner does not follow the instructions on the prize voucher, it will be null and void.

Before you go...
...have you voted in this week's HOT or NOT: THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD ENSEMBLE EDITION?  CLICK the show logo on the upper left column of the page!
...have you ENTERED to WIN tickets to GOLDEN BOY?  CLICK that show's logo in the left column to enter by Friday, November 2!
...have you met this week's FACE OF THE FUTURE?  She's a real headline-maker!  CLICK her picture in the right hand column to find out more about this Newsies gal!

Jeff
4.061
Comments? Questions? @jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (Email); or leave a comment below and check a box!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

JKTS Chat: An Interview with Chaplin's Wayne Alan Wilcox (Part 1)

Over the past six years or so, Broadway and off- Broadway fans have had several chances to see the talents of  Wayne Alan Wilcox, who currently stars in Chaplin as Sydney Chaplin, brother of Charlie.  Maybe you caught him off-Broadway with Blythe Danner in Suddenly Last Summer or most recently in Carrie. If you haven't seen Chaplin, perhaps you saw him in The Normal Heart or Priscilla Queen of the Desert or in his Broadway debut in Coram Boy.

Fortunately, you 'll get the chance to get to know him even better, whether you've seen him perform or not!  Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Wilcox and ask him all about his career so far.  As you'll see, he's funny, thoughtful and open.  And it's one of the best interviews I've ever had to pleasure to do!  Here is the first half of that conversation - including a few of the questions some of you submitted.

JEFF KYLER (JK): What great two years or so you’ve had, huh?  It sounds to me like an actor’s dream!
WAYNE ALAN WILCOX (WW)Thanks, man!  That’s quite a compliment.

JK: How has it been to go from the all-star revival of The Normal Heart to the highly-anticipated revival/revised and notorious Carrie, and now a major supporting role in Chaplin?
WW: This is the easiest thing to answer.  Ready?  All I’ve ever wanted to do as an actor is have a career that allows me to play as many different, varied, opposite roles as I can think up.  I thought I was lucky when I first graduated from Boston University and I got a play.  Then it was a musical, and then a few more plays and musicals.  Then I got a television show, and I thought, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I want to do this, too!”  I mean, when I discovered that I COULD do more than just one thing, that I wanted to be more than just one character type or genre type… Is that even a thing, a “genre type”?  I guess it is.  There are models that do runway, and other models that do beauty ads, right?  Why not?  I digress. Then I got hungry to see how many different things I could do.

That TV show was Gilmore Girls.

He played Marty, otherwise known to fans as "Naked Guy."

JK: Considering how vastly different the shows and your roles in them are, how do you adjust?
WW: Adjusting is the fun part.  Getting excited about all the new challenges and study (and, with a couple of parts, new diets and workouts), from one project to the next is why I decided I wanted to make acting and art my life.  Change is good; adjusting is always eye-opening.  As an actor, and as a person, we need it. How I adjust is by taking on the new role, new medium, new project by diving in from the start.  I’m not really afraid of doing something new.  I want to do it.  I want to learn it.  That’s how I adjust.

Suddenly Last Summer (Far Left)
with Gale Harold, Blythe Danner and Carla Gugino

Coram Boy: That's Wayne, center stage, with his back to us

JK: Unfortunately, I missed your Broadway debut in Coram Boy. From what I’ve read, despite its short Broadway run, everything about it was epic.  Was your debut everything you dreamed it would be? 
WW: You know, when I found out I got Coram Boy, I was already in and off-Broadway production of Suddenly Last Summer at the Roundabout, and I thought I was lucky but that it wouldn’t last.  Before that, I had been bar tending for awhile, and I was beginning to think that was gonna be my life.  I thought, “Yeah, I’m going to own and run my own bar.”  I was in a relationship that was not the best thing for my heart and my spirit, and I was trying to make that work.  It didn’t.  When we got to rehearsal for Coram Boy, there was a giant turntable in the rehearsal studio, and our director, Melly Still, started getting us into the world of that play.  It was this giant theatrical event, and I felt like a little boy again, like I got to play in this giant sandbox.  All of a sudden, I knew I wasn’t just lucky, that I had worked hard for this moment, and that I wasn’t going to run a bar. (I’d be terrible at it, I know.  I’d just want to give too many free drinks away.  I think everyone needs a free drink once in awhile.)  So, yeah, Coram Boy was a dream come true.  I knew that I was home.

JK: What did you take away from that production that stays with you to this day?
WW: From that show, I learned to trust my instincts.  Like I said, I understood completely that I wanted to do this for a living, and that I had earned that role.  I continued to trust myself, and it led me to a much more fulfilling and honest and thoughtful performance.  I call Coram Boy my little growth spurt because I felt like I came into my own a bit there.

The Broadway Company of The Normal Heart

Wayne with co-director Joel Grey

Opening Night of The Normal Heart

The Normal Heart: Talk back with Jim Parsons, Luke
MacFarlane, Lee Pace and Wayne Alan Wilcox

JK: I remember the energy and raw emotion in the house throughout The Normal Heart.  Could you feel that from the stage? 
WW: The Normal Heart was the most engaging play I had done up to then.  I mean, as soon as we came out on stage, from the first preview, you could feel everyone in the audience lean forward in their seat.  By the time we got to the end of Act 2, we all felt like we were carried through on the waves coming from the audience, and then they got to cry it out.  We heard sobs every night – not just whimpers, but big, grown man I-don’t-cry sobs.

JK: Considering the constant intensity of the piece, how did the audience help (or hinder) the company in getting through it so many times each week?
WW: The audience didn’t hinder anything.  (Except the ones trying to take pictures and bootleg videos.  Shame on you!  It’s live for a reason.) They were with us the whole time and their energy was electrifying.  They carried us through.

JK: The Normal Heart had a pretty swift birth on Broadway.  How was it having to get the show on its feet so quickly? 
WW: Well, everyone showed up pretty much off book on the first day, to say the least.  George Wolfe is incredibly talented, and all of his energy was focused on getting the play up well and right.  He wanted us to do it well and right, too.  The short time that we had to do it in wasn’t really a factor once we all adopted his focus.  I mean, I’m sure the designers were tearing their hair out.  But the cast just knew we could do it, because George told us we could.  So, we did it.

The Cast of Priscilla Queen of the desert

JK: How was it to be a part of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
WW: Oh, Priscilla.  Never in a million years did I think I would do that.  I always wanted to, but never thought I would.  Again, I wanted to stretch myself and play that different role.  And I got it.  And I did it.  And I loved it.

JK: The show looked like a TON of fun to do.  Was it as fun as it looks? 
WW: Yes, it’s a TON of fun.  Everyone had a good time in that show.  And Tony Sheldon gave me a great gift for Chaplin.  He’s a gentleman and a scholar, and I hope we get to work together again.

JK: How does a guy from Tennessee find his inner-Aussie, and in drag no less? 
WW: You can take the kid out of Tennessee, but you can’t take the Aussie drag queen out of the boy from Tennessee… [That was a] lame joke that should be saying I always had an inner Aussie drag diva in me.  I’m glad she came out and said, “hello.”  I hope everyone gets to let their drag diva out.

Talk about versatile!  He works out AND walks on high-rise ledges!

SHORT ANSWERS FOR READER QUESTIONS
Before I interviewed Mr. Wilcox, I Tweeted my followers asking for some short answer questions, and here are a few of them, from silly fun to pressing fan questions!

Mounds or Almond Joy?  Plain or Peanut MandMs? Fruit or vegetable?
Almond Joy.  Peanut.  BOTH! At least 3 servings every day.

Here's that make-up in "real life" light

The make-up in Chaplin: is it creepy to see backstage or is it as cool as it looks from the house?
It’s cool.  We all get a kick out of it.

If you could play any role in Chaplin besides your own, what would it be and why?
Charlie.  He gets to do so much cool stuff.

Wayne Wilcox: Bowler.  Tea drinker.

Chaplin: "Brothers" on Opening Night.
Who is taller?

If your cast mates had to describe you in 5 words or less, what do you think they’d say?
Tall.  Eats.  Bowls.  Teacup.  Saucer.

How tall are you?  You look so much taller than Rob McClure!
I’m 6’2”, not that much taller than Rob.  I look really tall on stage, I think.

(If you want to ask questions to Broadway folks in the future, be sure to “follow” me on Twitter and watch for the question request!) 

Click the Chaplin logo in the left column to get a discount on tickets to see the show!

Look for Part 2 of this interview, including Chaplin dish and more of your questions, next week!

Before you go...
...have you voted in this week's HOT or NOT: THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD ENSEMBLE EDITION?  CLICK the show logo on the upper left column of the page!
...have you ENTERED to WIN tickets to GOLDEN BOY?  CLICK that show's logo in the left column to enter by Friday, November 2!
...have you met this week's FACE OF THE FUTURE?  She's a real headline-maker!  CLICK her picture in the right hand column to find out more about this Newsies gal!

Jeff
4.060
Comments? Questions? @jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (Email); or leave a comment below and check a box!

Monday, October 29, 2012

JKTS Contest: WIN Tickets to GOLDEN BOY

THE WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED!  THANKS FOR PLAYING.  THE CORRECT ANSWERS ARE HIGHLIGHTED BELOW.

Another Monday (Sandy be damned!), another ticket giveaway from JK's TheatreScene!  This week, I've got two tickets to the star-studded revival of Golden Boy, set to begin previews on Broadway on November 8th.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Golden Boy stars Danny Burstein (South Pacific, Follies, "Boardwalk Empire"), Danny MastrogiorgioSeth Numrich (War Horse), Tony Shalhoub (Lend Me A Tenor, "Monk") and Yvonne Strahovski ("Chuck," "Dexter"). The play opens on December 6. 

Meet the Bonaparte family: Seth Numrich, Tony Shalhoub,
Dagmara Dominczyk and Michael Aronov (Photo by David Gordon
Set in the vivid world of prizefighting’s past, Golden Boy, Clifford Odets’ most popular play, is the story of Joe Bonaparte, a promising young violinist who forsakes his family and artistic dreams for the lure of fame and fortune in the ring.  Bartlett Sher directs this 75th Anniversary production in the very same theater in which it premiered!

SHOW AD and SOCIAL MEDIA


(Video from Broadway.com)


Website: http://www.lct.org/
Twitter page: @LCTheater

THE DETAILS
  • 2 tickets to Golden Boy on Broadway
  • Good for any performance November 8 through December 13.  Performances are Tuesday - Saturday at 8PM; Wednesday and Saturday at 2PM; and Sunday at 3PM (Tuesday, December 11 at 7PM).  Blackout dates and prior sales may effect ticket availability.
  • The contest winner is responsible for following all of the guidelines on the prize voucher.

THE GAME

Answer the following 3 questions.  Put the answers (Letter AND Answer, Ex. B. Angela Lansbury) in an email with GOLDEN BOY CONTEST in the subject heading and send it to jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.  Include your name and location.  Entries will be accepted until 6PM on Friday, November 2.  One entry per email address. Duplicates will be disqualified.

1.  Which of these Golden Boy stars has won a Tony Award?
     a.  Danny Burstein
     b.  Tony Shalhoub
     c.  Seth Numrich
     d.  Anthony Crivello

2.  This revival will be playing at the same theatre where the original production had its Broadway debut.  That theatre is:
     a.  the Belasco
     b.  the Lyceum
     c.  the Cort
     d.  the Longacre

3.  Golden Boy director Bartlett Sher helmed all of the following Lincoln Center Theater productions EXCEPT:
     a.  Awake and Sing!
     b.  South Pacific
     c.  War Horse
     d.  Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
    
A FEW MORE DETAILS:
  • The winner will be selected from all entries that follow the above guidelines and have the correct answers.
  • The winner will be notified sometime Friday evening, November 2.  
  • JK's TheatreScene is not responsible for lost or unreceived emails, for the availability of tickets or their location, or for cast member absences.  
  • If the winner does not follow the instructions on the prize voucher, it will be null and void.

Before you go...


... DROOD fans!  Check out the running results of the voting!  Scroll over the colors in the pie charts to see the statistics!
... have you checked out the NEW Ms. Broadway, BETSY WOLFE?  CLICK her pic in the right hand column!
... have you voted in the 1st HOT or NOT poll for THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROODCLICK the Drood logo in the left column!

Jeff
4.059
Comments? Questions? @jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (Email); or leave a comment below and check a box!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Face of the Future: Newsies' Laurie Veldheer

Fansies know this Face of the Future!  But if you aren't a Fansie or haven't seen that awesome show yet, you need to add this young lady to your list of Broadway people to get to know.  She's Laurie Veldheer, and in Newsies she's one of just four females in the cast.  And she gets plenty of stage time...as a nun, as Pulitzer's assistant Hannah, and even as a newsie!  Even as she dons the garb of several different roles, she manages to make quite an impression, which is really saying something in THAT cast!

A graduate of Penn State University, with a BFA, she's also been seen in Paper Mill's Hairspray (as well as on National Tour in the same show) and in Milwaukee Rep's production of next to normal (she played Natalie).

Her future, and Broadway's, looks pretty bright!

A scene from Penn State's She Loves Me

Hairspray (2nd from left)

Hairspray (far right)

next to normal "Superboy and the Invisible Girl"

next to normal "Henry can't stay, Dad!"

next to normal "Sing a Song of Forgetting"

next to normal "Hey"

Newsies Opening Night with
Kara Lindsay

With Kara Lindsay gettin' ready for the show

Just another day backstage at Newsies




Before you go...

... DROOD fans!  Check out the running results of the voting!  Scroll over the colors in the pie charts to see the statistics! (You need Google Chrome and/or advanced Windows to see it.)
... have you checked out the NEW Ms. Broadway, BETSY WOLFE?  CLICK her pic in the right hand column!
... have you voted in the 1st HOT or NOT poll for THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROODCLICK the show logo in the left column!

Jeff
4.058
Comments? Questions? @jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (Email); or leave a comment below and check a box!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

A Gal Named Sandy

Not since Irene has the Broadway community been so a-buzz about a storm (click HERE to read about her!), again another "perfect storm," en route to devastate the East Coast.  This huge storm (and that's no lie - look at that picture!) will bring wind, rain and water swells to a lot of people.  Her name is Sandy, and to lighten the mood, let's look at other Sandys who have impacted Broadway in more pleasant ways!



Sandy (Actresses)

Two of the biggest have been Sandy Dennis and Sandy Duncan!  Ms. Dennis starred in several Broadway plays, including Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and Any Wednesday.  To the public at large, the late actress is  probably best known for winning an Oscar for her performance as Honey in the film version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  Ms. Duncan, film, TTV and Vegas star has wowed the Broadway crowd with her landmark turn as Peter Pan, and a few years ago as Roxie Hart in the revival of Chicago.






Sandy (Characters)

Arguably the two most famous Sandys on Broadway have to be Sandy Dumbrowski from Grease and that adorable pooch, Sandy from Annie.  Grease and Annie have both been on Broadway three times, the originals in the 70s, the first revival in the 90's, and the most recent in this century.  Here's a look back at Sandy on Broadway!

The original Sandy, Carole Demas

The "newest" Sandy meets the "original."
Laura Osnes and Carole Demas

Tony Winner Randy Graff played Sandy in the original
Broadway production

Sandy was played by Susan Wood in
the 1994 revival


Laura Osnes in the 2007 revival

Ashley Spencer in the 2007 revival


The Original Sandy

The First Four Sandys


Sandy in 1997

Sandy in 2012

Trivia fans!  Sutton Foster played Sandy in the 1994 
revival of Grease, AND she co-starred with Sandy
in a regional production of Annie

Seriously, to any of you who may be in Sandy's path, stay safe.

Before you go...

... DROOD fans!  Check out the running results of the voting!  Scroll over the colors in the pie charts to see the statistics! (You need Google Chrome and/or advanced Windows to see it.)
... have you checked out the NEW Ms. Broadway, BETSY WOLFE?  CLICK her pic in the right hand column!
... have you voted in the 1st HOT or NOT poll for THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROODCLICK the show logo in the left column!

Jeff
4.057
Comments? Questions? @jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (Email); or leave a comment below and check a box!


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