The Friday 5: 5 Shows I'm Surprised I Did See

A couple of weeks ago, The Friday 5 was about 5 shows I'm surprised I've never seen. This week I thought I'd list 5 shows I'm surprised I actually did see! Maybe they were short running shows or maybe they were shows that aren't something I'd usually see. Maybe they were both. Either way, it's a surprise to me that I was in the audience!

(Answers to last week's Friday 5 Quiz are at the bottom of this article!)

The Friday 5:

5 Shows I'm Surprised I Saw

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

1. Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1995): The shocker of this show is that it ran for almost exactly 2 months in the middle of the summer, including previews. And in that brief period, I saw it THREE times. I almost didn't see it at all. I didn't care for the novel it is based on when I read it in college. But it was fascinating from start to finish. And because I saw it, I could say I saw every Best Musical nominee that season! Bonus: It was my introduction to Michael John LaChiusa and my first time seeing Tonya Pinkins.

High Fidelity

2. High Fidelity (2006): I was lucky I got to see this show.  I really liked it a lot; the score and set were excellent. And I loved the cast. Mostly, though, I was lucky because I got to see it at all. With 18 previews and 14 performances total, my opportunities were few! Bonus: It started my love affair with Will Chase, Jenn Colella and Tom Kitt!

In My Life

3. In My Life (2005): The show only made it through 61 performances, but I had to see it. Why? Because it was lone of the first shows I heard about through chat rooms.  I had to see just how bad it was. I mean, dancing with skeletons!? Well, it wasn't so bad as much as it was a messy vanity project. Bonus: The show put Christopher J. Hanke and David Turner on my radar, and it gave Jonathan Groff his Broadway debut!

Leap of Faith

4. Leap of Faith (2012): As with all of these shows, it's a miracle that I saw it all, given the short amount of time it was actually around (25 previews, 19 performances). But I'm glad I did. I am a huge Raul Esparza fan and had to see it. Bonus: I got to see some of my favorite new Broadway talent, including Ann Sanders, Jessica Phillips and a pre-Hamilton Leslie Odom, Jr.. 

The Story of My Life

5. The Story of My Life (2009): Because I loved him in High Fidelity, I made sure to get a ticket to this show with Will Chase, and I'm a fan of Malcolm Getz, too. No brainer, right? Well this one is probably my favorite "get." Not only did I love it, but I saw one of its five performances! FIVE! Bonus: The only thing better would be the ability to say I saw a show that opened and closed on the same night!

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

Answers to last week's Friday 5 Quiz!

Broadway Jeopardy!

$200: What is Les Miserables?

$400: What is Moulin Rouge!?

$600: What is South Pacific?

$800: What is Slave Play?

$1000: What is Grand Hotel: The Musical?

Final Jeopardy: What is Pacific Overtures? 

#2273

Broadway Boys: Mr. July 2013: First Date's Bryce Ryness

Mr. July 2013

Bryce Ryness

WHY HE'S MR. BROADWAY: He's been a Broadway favorite since his Drama Desk Award nominated turn as Woof in the revival of Hair. (He made his debut in Legally Blonde.) Since then, he's made a big splash in regional and off-Broadway circles, originating roles in such shows as See Rock City and Dangerous Beauty and Sleeping Beauty Wakes, and taking on roles in such classics as Cabaret and Floyd Collins.  Most recently, he played the leading role of Philias Fogg in off-Broadway's Around the World in 80 Days; in fact, he left that show to join the cast of this season's first new musical, First Date.  Sounds like the perfect reason to name Bryce Ryness Mr. Broadway for July 2013!

FUN FACTS:

• He's 32 years old.
• He married his college sweetheart, Meredith, and they have a daughter named Mercy Jane.
• Like his First Date co-star, Zachary Levi, Bryce voiced a character - one of the pub thugs - in Disney's Tangled.
• Tangled was not his first brush with the House of the Mouse - he was part of a vocal group that entertained at Disney's California Adventure.
• He belongs to a band called, appropriately enough, RYNESS.  They have 2 albums available on iTunes.

IN PHOTOS

HEAD SHOTS AND CANDIDS:

With wife, Meredith Ryness

MUSIC - HIS BAND AND CONCERT APPEARANCE

At 54 Below

DISNEY'S TANGLED

REGIONAL, ON TOUR AND OFF-BROADWAY

Dangerous Beauty

RENT Tour

Sleeping Beauty Wakes

See Rock City

Floyd Collins

Cabaret

Hair in Central Park

Around the World in 80 Days

BROADWAY

Hair

Opening Night of 

Leap of Faith

First Date

ON VIDEO

"Stranger Things" from Pump Up the Volume

(with Emily Padgett)

Jeff

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One Trend Ends...

BE SURE TO VOTE IN THE SEMI-FINALS OF "HOT/HOTTER" 

AND THIS MONTH'S THEATRE POLL!  BOTH ARE TO YOUR LEFT!

Americans are a trendy people to be sure.  Things are "in" then "out" at a rapid clip.  Though somewhat slower than most areas of our culture, Broadway is no stranger to such trends.  Over the past couple of seasons, there has been one major trend in shows making it to the Great White Way: religious themed musicals.  And over the past week, it is clear that the trend is at an end; audiences, it seems, have had their fill of God on the boards.

THE FLOPS

Leap of Faith
The God Connection: Slimy tent revival "preacher" seeks to bilk another down-on-its-luck town for its last pennies.  "Preacher" meets sheriff, beds her, has epiphany in field.  Finds God and happiness.
Church Is Out: Word of mouth (and impossibly cheap seats) weren't enough to keep this going in the face of particularly vicious criticism from the press.  And an impossibly sexy over-the-title Raul Esparza wasn't enough, either.
In The End: Closed May 13, 2012 after 25 previews and 19 performances

Jesus Christ Superstar
The God Connection: It's about the last days of Jesus Christ. This time with a foreboding tone - 2012 is The End of Days, blah blah blah.  Throw in some blue satin and a nagging Mary Magdalene, and, apparently you get the production of the show its authors always dreamed it could have.  Right.
Church Is Out: Have we finally had enough of this dated, yet always "of our times" show?  Wasn't it on Broadway a year or two ago?  Or maybe it just wasn't the "arena rock style" blow out that was promised.  Or maybe is just a tad too slick?  I'm going with a little bit of all of the above.
In The End: Producers warn of a July 1 closing without a surge in sales.  When it closes July 1, it will have played 24 previews and 116 performances.

THE MODERATELY SUCCESSFUL 

Godspell
The God Connection: It's about the last days of Jesus Christ. This time with a playful tone - 2012 is The End of Thinking, have fun while you can, blah blah blah.  Throw in a vacuous smile, a baseball jersey, some fake carnations and a nifty mid-stage pool of water, and, apparently you get the production of the show its authors always dreamed it could have.  Well, it was timely, fun and creative.  But maybe too silly for its own good.
Church Is Out: Audiences seemed to love it.  They all but gave it away for free.  And still nobody showed. The built a Beautiful City and no one saw it.  I'm not sure why.  OK, maybe I can think of a few reasons, but why kick a good guy when he's down.
In The End: The Tonys appearance didn't give it the needed BO bump, and producers announced a June 24 closing.  When it closes, the production will have played 30 previews and 264 performances.  And there's a good cast recording of it so we won't forget it entirely.

Sister Act
The God Connection: Bad girl on run from mob hides with nuns, turns their church around with some glitter and jazz hands, and finds that religion can be almost as fun as show biz.  Almost.
Church Is Out: Don't let the longish run fool you.  The show struggles most weeks at the BO.  Seems the one-two punch of movie-turned-musical-but-not-different-enough plus the absence of Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith was enough to keep the throngs away.
In The End: Despite a better than average book overhaul by Douglas Carter Beane and a better than average score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, there just wasn't enough magic (or Raven-Symone) to keep the show going.  When the show closes on August 26 (if it makes it that long), it will have played 28 previews and 561 performances.


THE HIT


Anything Goes
The God Connection: Its main characters are a phony evangelist lounge singer and Public Enemy # whatever, posing as a priest.  The score includes "Blow, Gabriel, Blow."  OK, so it is marginally religious, but so is Leap of Faith.
Church Is Out: Though not my taste at all, this show has had an identical run to Sister Act, the difference being that it is Tony Award-winning: Best Actress, Best Choreography and Best Revival of a Musical.  And people are still coming, mostly.
In The End: 3 extensions and 3 Tonys does make a hit.  When it closes on August 5, it will have played 32 previews and 561 performances.




If only the actual show was this much fun!  Cool sailors, a shower scene and Stephanie J. Block and Joel Grey cutting loose... LOVE IT!!

WHAT IS LEFT: THE MEGA HIT

The Book of Mormon
The God Connection: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a religion.  Jesus has a cameo and so does Satan.  And those cuties in white short sleeves and black ties make me a believer.
Church Is Out: Its a love/hate take on the Mormons as a religion, and half the characters have a definite anti-God slogan-turned-production-number.  Religion is the subject matter, but that's not what it is really about.  Maybe that's the trick to religious mega hitting on Broadway.
In The End: 7 Tonys, SRO crowds, a $185 average ticket price, and so many lottery losers that the producers are giving free performances to make them feel better... the end of days is not anywhere nearby for this show.

Jeff

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Broadway on YouTube: The 2012 Tony Nominees: Leap of Faith and Newsies

Now that the Tony Award nominations have been announced, just how are the producers of the nominated shows using that prestige to entice potential audiences?  Here is a look at two of the Best Musical nominees and the ads they are currently using.


Leap of Faith




So far, the folks over at Leap of Faith have not capitalized on their coveted Best Musical nomination in their ad.  I'm sure they have other pressing matters to worry about right now.  And their ad isn't bad as it is.  With the title song as background, people just listening to it will get the tenor of the show's style - rousing, gospel-infused tunes sung by an excellent, soulful choir.  And the visual gives a terrific impression of the show.  One wonders what they were anticipating would be their critical strengths and/or nominees.  One aspect that shows up frequently in these fast-paced 45 seconds is Sergio Trujillo's spectacular dancing.  To see this commercial, you'd have to wonder why his name isn't on the nominee list.  Note, too, that many of the supporting characters  - Leslie Odom, Jr., Kecia Lewis-Evans, Kendra Kassebaum and Jessica Phillips - are all given solo time.  And they squeeze in some story - tender moments with the kid in the wheelchair, the romance with the leggy redhead.  But mostly, they focus on the guy above the title (and really the show's biggest asset) Raul Esparza.  And even in that brief 45 seconds, you can see why he's the lead: charisma as he leads to company in a gospel number, charisma in a dance number, charisma with the kid, the lady and that famous disco ball jacket!  I bet they are all surprised that he isn't a nominee.  I am, too.  Still, this montage spot celebrates all of the show's strengths, doing just what an ad should do.  It sells the show. (A)

Disney's Newsies 




Leave it to one of the giants of advertising their own product, Disney, to create a slick 30 seconds that manages to hit every button a potential audience member might have when deciding to buy a ticket.  Start with the sexy leading man singing a power ballad, then cut to some serious dance moves performed by sexy young guys.  Then throw in some drama - boy slams the desk of grown-up in power, feisty girl joins the rallied troops - and some more Broadway razzle dazzle - tap dancing on tables and in kick lines.  Then top it all with a voice over reminding us that it is a major contender for ALL of the awards and end it with a montage of "#1" "4 stars!" and "Winner!" and people all over the country should be picking up their phones and going online to buy tickets for their 'tween girls, boys who hate  musicals but see buff guys that look like them doing the show (not to mention all the gay guys smitten with Jeremy Jordan).  Short, to the point.  Plot, relevancy and awards.  The perfect commercial for a commercial hit show. (A)

COMING UP: A look at the ads for Nice Work If You Can Get It, Once and the nominees for Best Musical Revival, Best Play and Best Play Revival.

Jeff

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Broadway Boys: Mr. May 2012: Leslie Odom, Jr.

Mr. May 2012

Leslie Odom, Jr.

WHY HE'S MR. BROADWAY:  With his presence and confidence on stage, you'd think Leslie Odom, Jr.  was a Broadway veteran.  Actually, he made is Broadway debut less than a week ago in the critically dismissed (mostly) musical, Leap of Faith.  Regardless of what the scribes thought, audiences have been showing this guy their love.  Of course, some of that love may be coming from that feeling they know the guy already.  He's also making quite a splash in the Broadway-centric TV show Smash, as chorus boy/love interest for one Christian Borle!  And he is no stranger to TV land, having had recurring roles in House of Lies (Showtime) and CSI: Miami (CBS).  Oh, and there's the film on his resume... Steven Spielberg's Red Tails.  Not bad for a young guy, and no wonder he's May's Mr. Broadway!


OTHER INFORMATION:
AGE: He was born on August 6, 1981, which makes him 30!
EDUCATION: Graduate of Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama; Princess Grace Award winner for acting.
WHERE ELSE YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM: Broadway: Leap of Faith; Film: Red Tails; Television: Smash, CSI: Miami, House of Lies, Supernatural, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS: Los Angeles.

IN PHOTOS:


Head Shots

Smash

Sam (Odom, Jr.) and Tom (Borle)

Love Triangle: John (Bledsoe), Tom (Borle) and Sam (Odom, Jr.)

Notice that they are outside the St. James Theatre

where Leap of Faith currently plays

The Triangle goes Bollywood!

In Bombshell with Rebeca (Uma Thurman)

House of Lies

Steven Spielberg's Red Tails

Leap of Faith

Out of Town: Ida Mae (Lewis-Evans) and Ricky (Odom, Jr.)

On Broadway: Isaiah (Odom, Jr.) and Ida Mae (Lewis-Evans)

Family Offstage and On:

Krystal Joy Brown, Kecia Lewis-Evans, and Odom, Jr

Leap of Faith Opening Night on Broadway

ON VIDEO:

Dance On Interview

Jeff

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