The Boys of Broadway: Mr. January 2010

What better way to start the New Year with some talented Broadway beefcake? I think a great way to start off 2010 is with a guy with a great reputation (whether he's in a hit or a flop), a growing resume, clear talent and handsome, matinee idol looks. Whether he is sporting his natural curly locks or a sexy revolutionary ponytail, Mr. January makes the ladies sigh and the men... well, let's just say, he's the kind of guy all men wish they were friends with.

These days, his hair is a smidge shorter, but he has a stylish beard befitting the count he plays in the starry revival of A Little Night Music - he is one of several stars in the show. And, I understand he spends at least some of the show shirtless (artistic, I'm sure). I'll let you know when I see the show...

All kidding and playfulness aside, I think Aaron Lazar is the perfect choice for Mr. January 2010! Enjoy!

In black and white...

...or in color, Aaron Lazar is one good looking man!

And just look at how talented he is:

The show that brought him national recognition

via a PBS airing of The Light in the Piazza.

Viva la Revolution! Aaron as Enjorlas in the Les Miserables revival.

Besides joing The Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma! on Broadway,

Aaron (center) also found time to star in a London production of On the Town.

Men in uniform...

Promoting his show for the Broadway Flea Market.

Looks good in a t shirt and jeans...

Aaron (left) with James Barbour in A Tale of Two Cities.

From the French Insurrection to the French Revolution, Aaron has style!

Aaron with Tony Yazbeck at Broadway Backwards. Nice bicepts!

Aaron at a Night Music press event. LOVE the beard!

Comments? Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.
Jeff

One That Got Away... and Came Back!

Have you noticed that even the biggest flop shows are getting major attention post-closing? The Story of My Life has since since produced a cast recording and a children's book based on the song "The Butterfly." (I bet that song is in MANY an audition book!) Glory Days has also produced a cast recording and has generated not one but TWO major events... concert/reunion/CD signing parties in NY and where it started, the Signature Theatre in Virginia. Two parties for a show that ran one night! Not bad...

Now comes a media blitz usually only reserved for the most "artsy" of musicals (any production of Passion, a Rodgers and Hammerstein event, or a British concert). But this time it is for a flop Broadway musical by an unknown writer: A Tale of Two Cities by Jill Santorello, who either leads a charmed life, has untold wealth or friends in high places. No matter how it happened, it did.

This was one of those shows I really wanted to see, but couldn't get to NYC fast enough. And it all has to do with the title. The novel, by Charles Dickens, is one of my all time favorites, and I pretty much enjoy any version of it, including several miniseries. Still, the music I had heard from it wasn't all that impressive, the cast was mildly interesting, though I have to admit James Barbour is one of those people I just don't see the appeal of (but that is another blog altogether), and it, from all appearances looked like a Les Miz retread. I am really weary of those. All of that said, it was still on my list of "need to sees." (And cutie Simon Thomas makes this concert a "must see"!)

Well, here we are, several months later, and an all-star, American/British cast has been assembled for a grand concert version to be shown multiple times on PBS, a Cast Recording is coming out and a DVD, too, of this concert. I haven't seen this much attention paid to a new show since Chess. But that's another one that got away and keeps coming back!

What do you think? Send me a comment! Jeff

(Photos by Catherine Ashmore: James Barbour; Brandi Burkhardt and Simon Thomas; The Company.)