Broadway Games: Tony Awards Stats Acrostic-ish Puzzle

A Broadway Acrostic-ish Puzzle:

Tony Awards Stats

Figure out the Broadway-related answer to each clue below. Then, transfer each letter to the grid to reveal an interesting Tony Award stat. The numbers are color-coded to help you quickly locate the corresponding clue. (NOTE: * denotes a space between words.) 

Good luck!

75  2  84  25  *  49  14  39  46  * 54  9  27  66  16  55  97  15  *  36  101  * 62  42  78  *  61  89  1  44  34  100  70  18  *

67  73  32  20  63  59  85  *  6  37  *  82  86  40  * 

56  30  87  10  *  41  95  45  * 57  24  48  60  77  99  4  *

50  68  *  28  79  29  96  13  *  38  76  21  74  69  *  

5  90  22  98  53  *  64  35  23  47  17  88  *  12  31  72  *

11  58  94  93  81  33  *  92  83  52  65  26  3  8  *  

51  91  80  19  71  43  102  7  *

A Curtis Brother:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7 

           

Illinoise composer:  8  9  10  11  12  13

They're Mary!:  14  15  16  17  18  19  

      

Imelda plays her on the West End:  20  21  22  23  24

"Everybody ____!": 25  26  27  28

Wildhorn flop: 29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38

Kimberly Lovaco's best friend (2 wds): 39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48

Dean Jones/Larry Kert role: 49  50  51  52  53

Jo's Little Women mom: 54  55  56  57  58  59

[_____] of Show:  60  61  62  63  64

George McFly's nemesis:  65  66  67  68

The Jets "Take it slow _____":  69  70  71  72  73  74

Popular Shenandoah tune:  75  76  77  78  79  80  81

Herman flop The Grand ____:  82  83  84  85

How Some Like It: 86  87  88

"Tommy, look to the ______": 89  90  91  92  93  94

The Music Man's last name:  95  96  97  98

EGOT legend Moreno: 99  100  101  102

STOP SCROLLING NOW

UNLESS YOU ARE READY 

TO SEE THE ANSWERS!

F  O  U  R  *  B  E  S  T  * M  U  S  I  C  A  L  S  *  A  T  * T  H  E  *  I  M  P  E  R  I  A  L  *

F  I  D  D  L  E  R  *  O  N  *  T  H  E  * R  O  O  F 

*  T  H  E  * M  Y  S  T  E  R  Y  * O  F  *  E  D  W  I  N  *  D  R  O  O  D  * B  I  L  L  Y  *  E  L  L  I  O  T  * A  N  D  *

J  E  R  O  M  E  *  R  O  B  B  I  N  S  *  

B  R  O  A  D  W  A  Y  *

A Curtis Brother:  P O N Y B O Y 

           

Illinoise composer:  S U F J A N

They're Mary!:  E S C O L A  

      

Imelda plays her on the West End:  D O L L Y

"Everybody ____!": R I S E

Wildhorn flop: W O N D E R L A N D

Kimberly Lovaco's best friend (2 wds): S E T H W E E T I S

Dean Jones/Larry Kert role: B O B B Y

Jo's Little Women mom: M A R M E E

[_____] of Show:  T I T L E

George McFly's nemesis:  B I F F

The Jets "Take it slow _____":  D A D D I O

Popular Shenandoah tune:  F R E E D O M

Herman flop The Grand ____:  T O U R

How Some Like It: H O T

"Tommy, look to the ______": M I R R O R

The Music Man's last name:  H I L L

EGOT legend Moreno: R I T A

Play It Again: La Cage aux Folles' "I Am What I Am"

Play It Again: 

La Cage aux Folles' "I Am What I Am"

For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast recordings. Wherever possible, I’ll link to the songs on YouTube, where I listen to most of them myself.

This week I consider four recordings of “I Am What I Am” from Jerry Herman’s groundbreaking musical La Cage aux Folles. Sung by Albin just after he learns his partner Georges has signed on to a scheme to hide the couple’s gay identity to appease his son’s bigoted future in-laws, this song provides singer-actors of a certain age the delicious opportunity to execute a tour de force built from fierce emotions, rising from despondence to defiance.

There are apparently only three legitimate cast recordings of La Cage aux Folles: the original Broadway and Australian casts, and the most recent Broadway revival cast. I also found a sketchy-looking studio recording (check out the bizarre photo on the cover!) attributed to “The London Theatre Orchestra & Cast.” Strangely, I was unable to track down any detailed information about this recording, including the name of the singer who performs the part of Albin. Nonetheless I included it in the discussion.

My overall favorite version is marked with two stars (**); one star (*) is used to indicate that a particular version stands out in terms of singing, orchestra, sound, or other miscellaneous qualities.

ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST (1983) - YouTube

Albin: George Hearn

SINGING: Hearn’s interpretation of this song really does live up to that term “tour de force,” embodying a range of viscerally felt emotions: the chilling, whispered beginning leads to a very vulnerable middle section, culminating in some breathless yell-singing as his Albin stakes his claim to his own identity. It was a tough call not to give this one the star, but in the end I found that Hodge’s more restrained, more musical vocal performance made for a better audio recording. (Having seen Hodge but not Hearn on stage, I make no claim as to whose performance came off better in the theater.)

ORCHESTRA: This version uniquely begins with a soft timpani roll, soon accompanied by gentle woodwinds and harp; the brass joins in as the rhythm becomes more regular, leading to the thrilling tutti at the song’s climax. 

SOUND: There’s a fairly good balance between orchestra and vocals, maybe favoring the former a bit too much; the texture is generally clear except for the loud, somewhat muddled finale.

MISCELLANEOUS: As the song requires, the tempo is quite slow at the beginning but then moderate for most of the song.

ORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN CAST (1985) - YouTube

Albin: Jon Ewing

SINGING: Ewing follows Hearn’s approach fairly closely, so most of the things I said above apply here, too, although Ewing can’t quite match his predecessor’s sense of delicacy and vulnerability.

*ORCHESTRA: Though the basic build-up of the orchestration follows the same pattern in each version, this one seems the fullest of the four. The unaccompanied beginning section soon leads to a very gentle arrangement for winds and piano; later on, the string and brass fills seem more vivid and active than the original. The vibrant harp and tuned percussion instruments lend this version a particular warmth.

SOUND: The sound is fine, with perhaps too much emphasis on the voice over the orchestra, and a rather “flat” stereo sound.

MISCELLANEOUS: This version has a super-slow beginning section, but the second half is probably the fastest of the four.

LONDON STUDIO CAST (2002) - YouTube

Albin: ?

SINGING: The vocal style here is much more heterogeneous, lacking in personal touches and any real sense of build-up, but it’s actually pretty good as a straightforward delivery of the melody and lyrics.

ORCHESTRA: This track begins with a strange “thunder” effect, and things don’t get much better from there. The music is heavily synthesized, and if there are real instruments (I suspect at least some of the brass is acoustic) it gets lost in the turbid electronic texture.

SOUND: The voice is mostly clear, but the accompaniment is muddled throughout, and the loud finale sounds like a mess.

MISCELLANEOUS: The tempo is consistently moderate, lacking the extremes of the other versions.

**BROADWAY REVIVAL CAST (2010) - YouTube

Albin: Douglas Hodge

*SINGING: Hodge’s approach differs from his theatrical predecessors in a couple of ways. His Albin never seems despondent, even at the beginning of the song; rather, his build-up is from a wounded strength to an angry strength. Perhaps relatedly, his performance relies more on vocal technique than actorly touches. I think his pop-tinged style and his higher range work well for this song; he is the only one who options up for the final note. (As I noted, it’s a close call for me between Hodge and Hearn; choosing between them is a matter of the listener’s taste rather than the performer’s talent.)

ORCHESTRA: Pretty similar to the original; it’s a little thinner, but the orchestrations do some nice things with what’s available. In particular, the clarinet is prominent and lovely in the first half of the song, and there are some nice, pointed brass flourishes later on.

*SOUND: The sound is great here, with orchestral details perfectly clear throughout the song, and the vocals have a very warm feel to them.

MISCELLANEOUS: The tempo is again moderate; the beginning isn’t as slow as some of the other versions.

 

The 2023 - 2024 Broadway Top 40 Voting Part 1

As we begin the new Broadway season, and now that we've all had a chance to get familiar with the new, original scores from last season, we are looking to create a countdown of your favorite songs of the 2023 - 2024 season!

The 23/24 Broadway Top 40 Part 1:

Here Lies Love, Back to the Future & Harmony

  

HOW IT WORKS: Over the next several weeks, we'll post surveys that list the songs from 3 shows, and you'll vote for up to five from each show. All original songs from last season will be eligible (no pre-existing songs!). After voting is completed for all of them, we'll compile a Top 40 Countdown, based on your most selected choices. Your vote will be counted as soon as you tap the "Submit" button!

NOTE:

• When you look at the poll below, you may see your email listed, with a hyperlink to the chance to change addresses. We cannot see your address, only you can, and we are NOT collecting any data on you.
• You may vote once per email address each week. 

This poll will end at 5 pm (Eastern) on Friday, September 6th.

REVIEW: Once Upon a Mattress

Review of the Wednesday, August 21, 2024 matinee performance at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Starring Sutton Foster and Michael Urie with Brooks Ashmanskas, Will Chase, Nikki Renee Daniels, Ana Gasteyer, David Patrick Kelly and Michael Olaribigbe. Music by Mary Rodgers. Lyrics by Marshall Barer. Book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller. Adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino. Scenic design by David Zinn. Costume design by Andrea Hood. Lighting design by Justin Thompson. Sound Design by Kai Harada. Orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin. Physical comedy and effects by Skylar Fox. Choreography by Lorin Latarro. Direction by Lear deBessonet. 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission.

Who knew a 65 year-old unabashedly old fashioned musical would be as fresh (or fresher) than most of Broadway's newest shows? Yet here we are in 2024, celebrating the return of 1959's Once Upon a Mattress, now enjoying a critically-acclaimed revival. Add this critic to the list of "acclaim-ers!"

On paper, this piece would seem like just the sort of thing I'd avoid - I suffer from fairy tale musical fatigue, after all. Add to that the show's wholesome reputation - I like my shows with some bite. Interestingly enough, it's these very things that this Encores! transfer embraces that makes it work so beautifully. 

The book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller is definitely of its time - central characters, a "B" couple, colorful featured roles, front-of-curtain scene change dialogues and musical reprises. But this production has the benefit of the clever Amy Sherman-Palladino as its adapter, she of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fame. She knows her way with strong women in various time periods. While I am completely unfamiliar with the original, I've come to understand that she tightened it up, condensed characters and spruced up some of the outdated lines. Sure, there are some empowerment slogans, and modern era-tinged references, but they never really interfere with the show's central purpose: joy and laughter. Mattress has both in mass quantity.

Much of that joy stems from the lovely score by Mary Rodgers (music) and Marshall Barer (lyrics). Rodgers clearly inherited her father's gift of tuneful ear worms in a variety of tempos, and Barer, while no Hammerstein, clearly has a knack for word play and a sense of humor. For me, the stand out numbers of this classic were "Many Moons Ago," a cheeky prologue, "In a Little While," a tender duet for the "B" couple, and, of course, "Shy," a belty character number that really establishes the star. Finally, there's the very clever, wordy "Happily Ever After," which had to be on Sondheim's mind when he was creating Into the Woods. Though certainly not a crown jewel of the Golden Age, this gem of a score holds up all these years later.

Though she seems to have a love or hate her reputation among the theater fandom, I find Lear deBessonet to be a fine director, who makes a meal out of the snack that creating for Encores! allows. Here, as with Into the Woods, she mines the comedy from the given text, and knows just how to get the most out of her cast without giving in to excess. Here (aided by Skylar Fox - credited as "physical comedy and effects by") she leans into the inherent silliness that this take on a fairy tale affords, all while insuring that the heart and sweet romance of it all are never far behind. The show (and its current staged concert lineage) practically mandates an overtly presentational staging, but she seems to have elevated even that here, making the audience feel a part of it all somehow. If I had to make any qualm about this Broadway transfer staging, it is that choreographer Lorin Lattaro didn't spruce up and tighten the dance numbers. They still look like they were crafted with a two week time crunch, fine for City Center, somewhat lacking for Broadway. This is no slight to the delightful ensemble; they are all aces. Therein lies the rub: they are clearly better than the numbers they perform. You can almost sense that they want to break out and let themselves go.

The freedom from excess mandated by its earlier incarnation also goes for the design elements. The simplicity here actually adds to the proceedings; the story and its players are not overshadowed by what could under normal circumstances be the desire to over-embellish everything. Instead, scenic designer David Zinn keeps it light with more of a suggestion of a kingdom and its palace than a literal translation. This is not to say that what we see isn't wonderful - it is, with enough little surprises and nifty set pieces to keep our eyes glued to the stage. Colorful and royal in shape and accouterments the set is quite nice. The colorful lighting, designed by Justin Thompson, adds a technicolor wash to the whole thing, and Kai Harada's sound design is perfect - clear as a bell and never too much. The balance with the onstage orchestra is also perfect. But it is the costumes, designed by Andrea Hood, that really bring it all together visually. A rainbow of colors race through each scene as the performers gather and disperse; they are a visual representation of diversity and optimism. Naturally, they look "royal" (think 21st century meets Disney's Sleeping Beauty), and yet somehow, they seem modern and relatable. They also, smartly, resemble a whole puppet kingdom, a nod to the opening number and Mister Rodger's Land of Make Believe. Lessons are learned, but it's never too scary.

The cast, full of Broadway regulars and newcomers alike, is terrific and all on the same page with the performing style required by this staging. To a person, they seem to be having the time of their lives, and that sweeps across the footlights and grabs the willing audience. Like I said, joy pervades the Hudson. Special shout outs to the ensemblists who played Princess Number 12 and "Kevin." Both stood out in all the right ways throughout the performance.

At our performance, the Jester, normally played by Daniel Breaker, was played by Michael Olaribigbe, an actor clearly put on at the last minute, and not fully rehearsed in the role at this point in the run as evidenced by his use of script pages in act two. Well, let's just say that he saved the day! For the first act, you'd never have known he was doing this for probably the first time. He was so smooth, and quite charming. And when he pulled out the script for the first time, You could forget it was even there, so excellent and in character were his line readings. It was likely no small comfort to him that his primary scene partner at the end was Brooks Ashmanskas, seasoned pro that he is, and as delightful as always.

As King Sextimus the Silent, David Patrick Kelly was adorably animated, wordlessly conveying all the things he couldn't say hilariously. His "Man to Man Talk" was charming, delighting a young audience member who giggled loudly throughout, blissfully unaware of the birds and the bees content of the song. Ana Gasteyer, new to the production, is a twisted combination of over the top entitlement, and a self-serving need to never let her son find happiness. Her delivery is comically blistering, and her amazing belt of a singing voice and full characterization serves each number of hers splendidly.

With the perfect amount of old-school vocal styling, and just short of camp portrayals, the secondary couple is in more than capable hands with Will Chase and Nikki Renee Daniels on the case. He nails the vacuous bravado and ego (think Gaston as a nice guy) of a knight, while she raises the soprano ingenue trope to a new level of sophistication; this Lady Larken has agency, and Ms. Daniels works it like a charm.

The male part of the central pairing, Prince Dauntless is played with a wonderful blend of wide-eyed childlike innocence, and a smart awakening of more grown up feelings by Michael Urie. He is clearly relishing this performance - he exudes confidence and joy as he dives head first into creating a fully rounded character from material that is a bit light. I found that, like the rest of the principals, his use of character-driven vocal affectation really makes the whole thing much more enjoyable. If there's any show that does not need the American Idol treatment, it is this one. He also shares amazing chemistry - no small feat - with his leading lady.

Let's face it. This Broadway run (and subsequent L.A. run) exists purely because of Sutton Foster. Frankly, if she weren't already a celebrated stage star, this vehicle would make her one. We've been fortunate enough to see her in a variety of roles, utilizing a variety of her gifts as a musical actress. Here, Ms. Foster is a wonder of physical comedy prowess and what appears to be a deep well of energy. She's completely committed, fearless, in fact. One supposes she must sleep a lot on her off days. Like the rest of the company, her performance is one of character over self-indulgence; from her singing to her scene work, from her dancing to her physicality, everything seems so organic and natural, yet without overkill. Being so early in the season, and with a limited run to boot, one hopes the awards circuit doesn't forget that she came, she saw and she conquered this behemoth of a role.

I am so glad I gave this chestnut of a show a chance. I left the Hudson on a cloud of absolute happiness with a goofy grin plastered on my face. What a great feeling! This is one not to miss!

📸: J. Marcus

At This Theater: The Booth

Opening in 1913 with the play, The Great Adventure, The Booth Theatre  was named for American actor Edwin Booth, not the other one. Interestingly enough, a revival of Our American Cousin did play there, but that's another story... 

Located on the corner of 45th Street and Shubert Alley, the venue has been home to a variety of plays and musicals. Among them were several Pulitzer Prize winners including You Can't Take It With You, The Time of Your Life, That Championship Season, Sunday in the Park with George and Next to Normal. Other notable productions include Come Back Little Sheba, Butterflies Are Free, Blithe Spirit, Once On This Island, For Colored Girls... (original and revival), I'm Not Rappaport (original and revival), and The Elephant Man (original and revival), and most recently, the Tony Award-winning Kimberly Akimbo. 

Several world famous Thespians have trod the boards here as well, including Shirley Booth, Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne, Helen Hayes, Mildred Natwick, Walter Matthau, William Shatner, Solo shows from Lily Tomlin, Laurence Fishburne, Bea Arthur, and Bette Midler. Musical theater fans could have seen Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, LaChanze, Alice Ripley, Aaron Tveit and Victoria Clark.

Though we've only seen a handful of shows here, we've been to the Booth several times, and it remains one of our favorite houses. There really aren't any bad seats there.

At This Theater:

The Booth

Number of Shows We've Seen There: 7

    

      

Shows We've Seen There: Hand to God, Kimberly Akimbo, Next to Normal, Other Desert Cities, The Boys in the Band, The Glass Menagerie (2013), The Story of My Life

Our 5 Favorite Shows There: While it is true that we enjoyed all seven shows that we've seen at the Booth, five of them really stood out. And in fact, four of the five on our list are shows we saw multiple times at the venue.

5. The Story of My Life: I consider myself very fortunate to have seen this short-lived musical. I found it charming and very cathartic - I cried like a baby. Stars Will Chase and Malcolm Getz gave amazing performances, and it contained one of my all-time favorite musical theater songs, "The Butterfly." The song even spurred on the creation of a children's book! Not bad for a show that ran for 5 performances!

4. Other Desert Cities: We've only seen a handful of plays more than once (and two of them played the Booth!), and we saw this one twice. Stockard Channing and Judith Light were forces of nature, of course, but this production was the perfect example of how different actors can effect a role and, in this case, change the meaning of the entire ending with a simple pause in a line reading. But that was the case when we first saw Rachel Griffiths and then Elizabeth Marvel play Brooke - a pair of thrilling star turns!

  

3. The Glass Menagerie: The other play we saw more than once was this bold, riveting revival of my favorite classic. All four actors were simply brilliant: Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Brian J. Smith. The dream-like staging by John Tiffany - set in pools of light, smoky shadows and water - and some jaw-dropping movement (Ms. Bolger's first exit haunts me still) made this memory play memorable.

 

2. Kimberly Akimbo: Ah, this lovely musical! We laughed, we cried. And we saw the beginning of several new Broadway careers - including Tony-nominee Justin Cooley, and even more actors at the top of their game - including Tony-winners Bonnie Milligan and Victoria Clark. There was further proof that Jeanine Tesori is this generation's Sondheim.

1. Next to Normal: I will never forget the first time I saw this life-changing show. I literally ran out of the theater to call Mike to tell him he had to see it! (We ended up seeing it more than half a dozen times between us.) I've loved the work of Alice Ripley for years, and she was no less than brilliant here. And here's where I got my first look at three actors - Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat and Aaron Tveit - who I've actively followed ever since, so much of a fan I've become. It was this show that also began my love affair with the musical work of Tom Kitt.

The Booth Theatre Playlist: The songs that live on from the new musicals the played there...

• From Kimberly Akimbo: "Anagram," "Better," "How to Wash a Check," "Great Adventure"
• From Next to Normal: "Super Boy and the Invisible Girl," "I Miss the Mountains," "My Psychopharmacologist and I," "Song of Forgetting," "I'm Alive"
• From The Story of My Life: "The Butterfly," "1876," "Independence Day"