JK's TheatreScene: Song and Dance

Showing posts with label Song and Dance. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2024

One That Got Away: Song and Dance

During the 1985-1986 Broadway season, my heart belonged to The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and I was interested in little else. Ah, the blissful ignorance of youth! I was still so new to the world of Broadway. That year, Bernadette Peters won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical, but I didn't really know who she was, or how important she would become in my ever-expanding theater fandom. The show was Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance, and I simply was not interested.

One That Got Away:

Song and Dance

Then, Miss Peters left the show, and Betty Buckley, my beloved Edwin Drood, took on the role. Needless to say, I got a ticket as fast as I could! But it was not to be. My ticket - 3rd row center for the matinee on Wednesday, November 12, 1986 - was no good. The show closed the previous Sunday, and became my very first One That Got Away show. I'm still not over it.

As it turns out, I didn't exactly miss out on Song and Dance after all. The 1st National Tour came to Baltimore in the summer of 1987. It starred Melissa Manchester, and featured many of the Broadway company including Bruce Falco, Cynthia Onrubia, Scott Wise and Valerie C. Wright, plus Broadway regulars Mindy Cooper and Eugene Fleming. It was worth the wait! What a delightful story, and it has some of my favorite Lloyd Webber songs in it - "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad," "Take That Look Off Your Face," "Unexpected Song," and "Tell Me On a Sunday." And the dance part of the show features the epic "Variations." So this one got away from me, but I caught up!

Song and Dance began previews at the Royale Theatre on September 4, 1985. After 17 previews, it opened on September 18, 1985. Following 474 performances, the show closed on November 8, 1986. Nominated for 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, and Best Direction. Bernadette Peters won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Friday, May 24, 2024

Friday 5: 5 Replacements I Missed

5 Replacements I Missed

Since you asked, we are bringing back our Friday 5 feature! Broadway Games fans, not to worry, we'll have those on alternating Fridays.

This week, I'll get things going again with a look at five replacement performances I am still regretting!

1. Betty Buckley in Song and Dance

Any time I get to see her perform, I always leave the theater better off than when I arrive. I was particularly smitten with her in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, so when she left that show to replace Bernadette Peters in Song and Dance, I knew I had to get tickets. I mean, I was sure her "Tell Me On a Sunday" and "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad" would be epic and life changing. Well, I had tickets for the first Saturday after the show closed...

2. Darren Criss in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

As a huge fan of this musical, and this production, I had to see it again, and when he was announced to replace Daniel Radcliffe and make his Broadway debut, I had to be there! Well, a short run (less than 3 weeks) and bad weather at home scrapped those plans, and I missed him...

3. Nick Jonas in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

Okay, so I missed Darren, I couldn't miss Nick! Heck, I saw him on Broadway before he was anyone famous...he was just a little boy when I caught him as Chip in Beauty and the Beast. In the intervening years, he got a wee bit more famous, so I knew he'd be great as J. Pierpont Finch. Apparently, a lot of others did, too, since tickets were hard to come by...

4. Reba McEntire in Annie Get Your Gun

My love for Reba has been a long affair. Her TV comedy is still one of my comfort shows, and I enjoy her music, too. I am not a fan of Annie Get Your Gun, per se, but videos of her now legendary turn as Bernadette Peters' replacement really have me kicking myself for missing her...

5. Lola Tung in Hadestown

So, I discovered her in the series The Summer I Turned Pretty, where she is quite a charming and captivating actor. When it was announced she'd be in Hadestown, I was very curious. Nothing from her show indicated that musical theater might be part of her repertoire, but why not? Alas, her pretty short run and a crowded season of new shows to see conspired against my return to the Walter Kerr Theatre...

Share: What are some replacements you regret missing? Did you see any of the above, and if so, did I miss out? Tweet me, IG me, Threads me! (all @jkstheatrescene)

Friday, July 6, 2018

The Friday 5: Five Favorite Betty Buckley Performances

She's one of my favorite performers of all time. Like many people of my generation, I was first introduced to her by TV's Eight Is Enough, and was shocked to hear her gorgeous voice belting out "Memory." Over the years, I've seen her live many times, and even had the pleasure of meeting her. (I'm sure she doesn't remember that, but I'll never forget it!). In honor of her recent birthday (July 3rd), I offer up my 5 favorite performances by the great Betty Buckley.

THE FRIDAY 5:

JEFF'S 5 FAVORITE PERFORMANCES BY

BETTY BUCKLEY

One That Got Away: Emma - Song and Dance

I had tickets - front row! - to see Betty in this show. Saturday, November 15, 1986. The show closed on Saturday, November 8, 1986. I was very disappointed and grouchy the whole week, and down right ugly on November 15th. Ask my sister...

5. Hesione - Triumph of Love

I had front row seats - think the same ones as above, actually - for this one. It didn't last long, but I loved it nonetheless. And every person in the cast was either already a star, or about to become one! And let's face it, "Serenity" is la Buckley in top form.

4. Margaret White - Carrie

If everyone who says they saw this on Broadway actually did, Carrie would still be running. Like just about everyone else, I saw this via bootleg, and she was terrifying and fierce. "And Eve Was Weak" may be one of the greatest Broadway arias ever created.

3. Grizabella - Cats

No one sings "Memory" like she does. Peerless, really.

2. Edwin Drood - The Mystery of Edwin Drood

I've made no secret of my profound love for this show. And that last note in "The Writing On the Wall"... damn, Betty! Best of all she got to be funny, too. Her "Dick Datchery" was a RIOT!

1. Norma Desmond - Sunset Boulevard

I've seen several Normas over the years, but, seriously, she was by far the greatest star of all. My God, she was sexy, scary, fragile...sometimes all at once. And at the very end, when she's completely mad, and I saw her younger self girlishly giggling on the screen behind her, I lost it. The tears flowed and I was heartbroken for her.

I'm hoping her Dolly Levi will make this list!

Thanks for some amazing memories, Miss Buckley!
Jeff

Friday, October 31, 2014

Broadway Ladies: Ms. October 2014: Charlotte d'Amboise

Ms. October 2014

Charlotte d'Amboise

WHY SHE'S MS. BROADWAY: You know I love a real Broadway baby. Ms. October is the real thing. She's originated roles; she's been a replacement. She's been in the ensemble, and she's been the lead. Flops or hits, she's done it all. She got her start as the mysterious Siamese cat, Cassandra, in Cats, and went on to show off her triple-threat skill set in such shows as Song and Dance (with her brother, Christopher) and the infamous Carrie. She earned her first Best Actress Tony Award nomination when she played, among other things, Peter Pan and Anita, in Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and her second for A Chorus Line in the iconic role of Cassie. In between nods, she took on three revivals and a Best Musical - Damn Yankees (a very becoming Lola), Company (Kathy in 1995), Chicago (many, many, many times as Roxie Hart) and Karen Ziemba's replacement in Contact. I have to say I really admire her for being a true pro and trouper when she took over as Charity Hope Valentine so that the revival of Sweet Charity could keep going while its star was healing a broken foot. These days, she's still kicking high and seducing audiences with her sexy smile and sultry Fosse moves in the Tony-winning revival of Pippin. And being married to another Broadway baby, Terrence Mann, doesn't hurt either. No wonder Charlotte d'Amboise is Ms. Broadway!

IN PHOTOS
Candids and Head Shots