FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Cry-Baby

I was shocked to find out that Cry-Baby closed SEVEN years ago this week!  Shocked!  For me, that realization was one of those "what? only seven years? it seems so much longer than that!" moments.  The truth is, I really liked that show, especially the cast and the score.  And it was witty on all fronts.  It, fairly or not, was bound to suffer in comparison to the nearly perfect Hairspray.  And it saddens me that this 4-time Tony Award nominee (Best Musical, Best Book, Best Choreography and Best Score) wasn't recorded - or if it was, it was never released commercially.

Cry-Baby played 45 previews and 68 performances at the Marquis Theater.

Notable Cast Members included: Harriet Harris (It Shoulda Been You), Elizabeth Stanley (On The Town), James Snyder (If/Then), and some of my favorite Broadway gypsies and co-stars: Nick Blaemire, Cameron Adams, Charlie Sutton, Spencer Liff, Colin Cunliffe, and my buddy, Eric Sciotto.  And then there's Ryan Silverman, who made his debut in the ensemble - he went on to ply Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Billy Flynn in Chicago, and starred in the revival of Side Show. no crying for him!

The Great Harriet Harris commands the stage!

Elizabeth Stanley and the oh-so-wholesome Whiffles

The bad guys are, um, cool?

"Cry-Baby"( James Snyder) and Allison (Elizabeth Stanley)

When the squares and the scabs met, they get married!

One of the best dance numbers ever!
 Tapping on license plates!

"Girl, Can I Kiss You?" with lots of tongue!

Jeff

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Ruthie Ann Miles in Here Lies Love

It isn't just the distance between the Public Theatre and Lincoln Center that tells just how far Tony-winner Ruthie Ann Miles has come in just a couple of years.   Before she made her groundbreaking Broadway debut as Lady Thiang, she made some serious waves Off-Broadway in her breakthrough role.  She was Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love, and she won herself both a Lortel Award and a Theatre World Award!  Whatever comes next for her, I'll bet it'll be awesome!

Here's a look back:

You gotta give it to George, right?

Jeff

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: 15 Years Ago: Jane Eyre

Marla Schaffel and James Barbour

Jane Eyre, based in the novel of the same name, was the third of the four nominees for Best Musical 15 years ago that I've talked about.  What really sets this one apart from the others is that it really signaled the end (or at least the slooow death) of the epic musical so popular on Broadway the previous two decades.  It was even directed by one of the "greats" of that era - he had his hand in Les Miserables. Perhaps, it was the comparatively small scale of it.  Or the darkness.  Or that "new fangled" computer-generated scenery.  It also featured Marla Schaffel, who, at the time, was expected to become a huge Broadway and beyond star.  She hasn't been back since.

It wasn't a complete failure, I suppose.  It generated a cast recording and earned 5 Tony Award nominations - Best Book, Score, Actress in a Leading Role, Lighting Design and, of course, Best Musical.  It went home empty-handed, and closed one week later, on June 10, 2001.

36 previews, 207 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre

Note the "new fangled" computerized scenery

Stars at the time:

• John Caird (Book, Direction) - He wrote and/or helmed two of the biggest hits in Broadway history: Les Miserables and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Tony nomination: Best Book of a Musical.
• John Napier (Scenic Design) - Also a part of Les Miserables and Nickleby, he also designed Equus, Cats, Starlight Express, Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard.  This was his only flop. 
• Andreane Neofitou (Costume Design) - a Tony nominee for the original Les Miserables, she also designed the current revival, and... you guessed it... Nicholas Nickleby.

Jane and Rochester get emotional

Stars Were Born:

• James Barbour (Rochester) - Barbour had appeared in several shows prior to this one, but from here on, he took on other starring roles in A Tale of Two Cities and the revival of Assassins.
• Several members of the ensemble - Stephen R. Buntrock, Mary Stout, Bill Nolte and Jayne Paterson - have continued to have successful careers as replacements and show gypsies.

Was the artwork better than the show?

The 2015 Connection:
James Barbour (Rochester) - He's the current Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera.
Gina Ferrall (Mrs. Reed/Lady Ingram) - She's a standby in It Shoulda Been You.
Don Richard (Mr. Brocklehurst) - He was the Lizard Man and Tod Browning in Side Show.
Bradley Dean (Swing) - He was in both The Last Ship and Dr. Zhivago.  I saw him in the title role of the latter, and he did a nice job under difficult circumstances.

Next week: The BIG show of 15 years ago...

Jeff

Flashback Friday: 15 Seasons Ago: The Full Monty

There are a lot of similarities between the 2000 - 2001 Broadway season and the one just ended.  There are similar performers and creative types aplenty.  And it's fun to look back at where some of my favorites were in their careers 15 years ago, as well as seeing where some of today's stars got their start.

The first musical I'll look at was my personal favorite of the season, The Full Monty.  I still maintain that, despite the record-breaking number of Tonys The Producers won, history will show that the superior show was, in fact, Monty.

35 previews, 770 performances at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre



Stars at the time:

Andre De Shields and Kathleen Freeman

Emily Skinner and Annie Golden (center) and the ladies

• Emily Skinner - (Vicki) had Jekyll and Hyde, Side Show (Tony nominee), and James Joyce's The Dead on her resume
• Andre De Shields - ("Horse") had a lengthy Broadway career prior, including starring as the original Wiz in The Wiz, and Ain't Misbehavin'
• Kathleen Freeman - (Jeanette) probably most famous for many TV roles including appearances on The Lucy Show, and films including Singin' in the Rain.
• Jane Connell - (Jeanette) among her most famous Broadway roles were Gooch in Mame and one of the Countesses in Dear World; Connell joined the show first as a replacement during Freeman's vacation, and then again just about a month later following Freeman's unexpected passing
• Annie Golden - (Georgie) always a Broadway favorite, she had appeared in the revivals of Hair and On the Town, as well as Leader of the Pack

Stars were born:

Patrick Wilson (center) and the guys

• Heidi Blickenstaff  (Susan) made her Broadway debut in the show as a replacement/understudy
• James Moye made his Broadway debut in the show as replacement stripper Teddy Slaugher
• David Yazbeck (Composer-Lyricist) made his Broadway debut as composer-lyricist with the score for Monty; it was the first of three consecutive Tony nominations he's received for full scores 
• Patrick Wilson - (Jerry) Although not his debut, The Full Monty pretty much marked the beginning of his Broadway and subsequent TV career with a much-deserved Tony nomination.

The 2015 Connection:

Heidi Blickenstaff in Something Rotten!

Patrick Wilson, John Ellison Conlee and Denis Jones
in The Full Monty

• Terrence McNally (Book - Tony nomination) is a Tony nominee for his book for The Visit.
• John Ellison Conlee (Dave - Tony nomination) is the proud father (Celia Keen-Bolger, his wife, is the mother) of future Broadway star William Emmet Conlee, born April 29, 2015.
• Jason  Danieley (Malcolm) is a co-star in The Visit.
• Denis Jones (Buddy "Keno" Walsh) choreographed Honeymoon in Vegas.
• Heidi Blickenstaff (Susan) is a co-star in Something Rotten!
• James Moye (Teddy) famously went on for an ailing Peter Gallagher in On the Twentieth Century.
• David Yazbeck (Composer-Lyricist) wrote the original music for Fish in the Dark.
• Howell Binkley (Lighting) designed the lighting for Honeymoon in Vegas, Doctor Zhivago and Hamilton.

Next week: A look back at A Class Act and Jane Eyre.

Jeff

Flashback Friday: The King and I - 1996

One of the biggest hits of the season is the wonderful revival of The King and I at Lincoln Center.  I found it to be wonderfully directed and acted.  Bartlett Sher proves again that he is a master at the classics and utilizing the difficult space at the Vivian Beaumont.  Kelli O'Hara is her usual terrific self, and Ruthie Ann Miles creates a riveting and complex Lady Thiang.  I'm pretty sure this is the revival to beat come June 8th.

But, as much as I enjoyed it, this is not my favorite visit with Anna and the King.  That honor goes to the Tony-winning revival of 1996, starring Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips.  Both created complex, compelling portraits of people caught up in the clash of East meeting West.  Murphy, a Tony-winner for her efforts, and Phillips, a controversy-free nominee, commanded the stage with a ferocity reminiscent of a boxing match, going toe-to-toe with passion and, more importantly, chemistry.  They were utterly charming and the romantic tension between them was palpable.

The King and I now (above) and then (below)

It was also a complete King and I, with whole sections of dance numbers and text fully restored - most famously, The Procession of the White Elephant.  And the design was breathtaking from curtain to curtain with sumptuous (and Tony-winning) costumes and sets from Roger Kirk and Brian Thompson, respectively.  As nice and fitting as the current designs are, the 2015 version just doesn't hold a candle to what was onstage 19 years ago.  As wonderful as today's revival is, the 90's revival has it beaten on just about every point.

Let me know what you think - especially if you saw both productions, too! (Tweet me at @jkstheatrescene, or e-mail me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or leave a comment below!)