#TBT: Xanadu: The Book (Seriously!)

Like many young kids in the early 80's, I played the soundtrack to the movie Xanadu to death, and I knew every lyric, pause and audible breath on the Olivia Newton-John side. And I played, if I do say so myself, a mean air guitar and air keyboard, to every song on the E.L.O. side. It was also (around the 100th time I sang along to "Magic") that I first, finally, admitted to myself that it wasn't a straight crush I had on Olivia, but my first gay crush on someone who would become an amazing gay ally.

So, imagine my delight to find out that Xanadu was being made into a musical. Everyone around me was predicting disaster and a fast flop. I bought a ticket anyway, and went in thinking, "well, at least we can say we saw it and laugh about it after." Neither Mike nor I expected what we saw, and we didn't expect to love it. But we did, and ended up seeing it several more times, including from onstage. I've got all the different Playbills, including my coveted first edition including James Carpinello above the title (I didn't see him, but I did see Cheyenne Jackson's first credited performance), the cast recording, as well as both versions of the window card, plus an autographed copy, too.

Which brings me to today's Throwback Thursday memorabilia, the coffee table book, Xanadu: The Book! I love everything about this tome, from its irreverent send up of other such books - the audacity of publishing it in giant soft cover!

There's a lot packed into these 80+ pages: dozens of full color production photos, interviews with the producers and Douglas Carter Beane (book), and a fun questionnaire with director Christopher Ashley. There are also great articles about each design element, along with photos of those things that inspired the designs. One of the funniest things is the interview with the screenwriter of the movie!

If you can get your hands on a copy of this, grab it up, put on your leg warmers, put on the cast recording, and get to reading!

Here's a look back at the show that inspired the book - seriously!

FUN FACTS ABOUT XANADU:

• The show began previews at the Helen Hayes Theatre on May 23, 2007, and opened on July 10th after 49 previews. The show closed after 512 performances on September 28, 2008.
• Olivia Newton-John came to see the show and loved it!
• Whoopi Goldberg played the part originated by Jackie Hoffman for several weeks during the run.
• The show was nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
• Several of today's most popular Broadway people were in the show: Kerry Butler (Mean Girls, Beetlejuice), Cheyenne Jackson (Finian's Rainbow), Jackie Hoffman (On the Town, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Addams Family), Mary Testa (Queen of the Mist), Kenita R. Miller (Once on This Island), Anika Larson (Beautiful), Curtis Holbrook (SpongeBob SquarePants, West Side Story), Marty Thomas (King Kong), and Andre Ward (Rock of Ages). Patti Murin (Lysistrata Jones, Frozen) and Annie Golden (The Full Monty, Violet) were understudies. The national tour included Elizabeth Stanley (On the Town, Company, Jagged Little Pill) and Max von Essen (Evita, An American in Paris, Anastasia).

The National Tour

(Click on the pictures to enlarge!)

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Thankful Thursday

Every day, the world becomes more and more technology dependent. A lot of good things come from that, but one bad thing (I think) that comes from that is a lack of human to human connection. Texting has replaced conversation, for example. Heck, even when we are together, our ears are plugged and our attention is fully on our device screen.

So far, theater remains one place where we still have direct connection with each other. People are watching other people play out stories about the human experience. But there are other people involved in this exchange that make it all possible.  It is for these people that I offer my gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day.

The box office staff: These people have the patience of Job. I can't imagine answering the same questions over and over. "Will Ben Platt be in the show on Wednesday evening, March 3rd, 2020?" "What do you mean I can't get tickets for tonight's show? I didn't think Hamilton was that popular still." "Where is the best place to sit?" "Are these prices for real?" They go into superhero mode when they have to make exchanges when Glenda Jackson calls out. Thank you, box office staff!

The cleaning crew: I don't know about you, but I personally have almost fallen flat on my face more than once after slipping on a Playbill left on the floor. And how about those wet, sticky sippy cups with wine left in them? Unfortunately, I guess that's to be expected. People are pigs. Add to that every show that shoots confetti, party streamers or snow into the audience and you have a mess on your hands. Enter the cleaning crew who gets every piece of trash, pesky piece of glitter and every nasty spill off the floor, aisles, steps and seats. Then imagine doing that on a two-show day. Thank you, cleaning crew!

The merch staff: This is one area I can speak about with some authority, having worked merch for two different national tours. It is largely a fun job, actually. You get to meet people with the same enthusiasm for theater. Most people are really nice. But you also get to see the uglier side of people. People pushing and shoving, complaining about prices ("Do you know how much I've already spent to bring my family to see this!!??"), not moving out of the way when they are done, and the one that has caused actual fist fights: butting in line. What ever happened to class? I was fortunate to work behind spacious booths. I really feel for those folks who stand pressed against a wall in a puny Broadway lobby, next to what amounts to a microwave cart. Thank you, merch people!

The security team: It is a sad state of affairs that security teams are even necessary. I am glad we have people willing to do the job. Even if all it does is offer a small peace of mind, I'm glad for it. I take some further solace in the knowledge that there is more security in place than we are aware of. Thank you, security team!

The ushers: Another area that I have first-hand experience with. The unsung heroes of the live theater experience. Most patrons are kind and excited to be there. But then there are the ticket holders who arrive late and blame you because you can't seat them until 15 minutes into the show (or later), or the people who complain when you tell them they can't drape their coat over the balcony and then blame you when their coat starts smoking because it's on a hot light (true story, hand to God). And contrary to popular belief, an usher can't simply remove a patron for talking, taking pictures or recording.  That is someone else's job (for the most part). There's a lot more to the job than handing out Playbills and pointing out seats. It's basically a ratio of 1 usher to every 150-200 patrons. Thank you, ushers!

I'd like to give personal thanks to a particular usher at the Golden Theatre. For the past three shows I've seen there, she's been stationed at the top of the first set of steps from the lobby to the mezzanine. She is the best. Knowledgeable, friendly and genuinely enthusiastic about the show she's working. When we went to see The Waverly Gallery, she told us to be sure to come back for the next show, "by that nice young playwright, Lucas Hnath!" The Shuberts are getting their money's worth with this gem of a lady.

Have a wonderful holiday, readers. I'm so thankful for every single one of you.
Jeff

#1945

#TBT: Playbill: Into the Woods: October 1987

I don't think I could name all of the different productions of Into the Woods I've seen over the years, and I'm positive that I couldn't give you an exact number of times I've seen the show, but it's in the dozens. And that doesn't include the movie version! Clearly, it connects with me. And while I will own up to occasional Woods fatigue, I still love the show. Before you ask, no, it isn't my favorite Sondheim show. (That honor goes to Sweeney Todd.)

There's always a first time, and mine was great with this show. I saw it in early previews in the 4th row, dead center at the Martin Beck Theatre. I was so excited.  It was my first time seeing any show in previews, first time seeing a Sondheim show, and my first time seeing Bernadette Peters! I remember absolutely adoring act one and being intrigued, if not a little bored at the second act. A lot of slower songs and repetitive dialogue, but I knew it was powerful overall. And I finally understood what people meant about a show needing changes during previews. What a great experience for a still relatively new Broadway fan!


Here's a look inside the Playbill from a previewing Into the Woods:

October 1987

Into the Woods
Martin Beck Theatre
43 previews, 756 performances
October 1987 Cast: Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, Kim Crosby, Robert Westenberg, Tom Aldredge

Things don't change that much:
people still ask about movies to musicals,
tapes of the Tony Awards, and the
Cosette/Eponine Les Miz logo debate...

No, it isn't your eyes.
This page is actually blurry.

Song List:
Notice the song "Just Like Last Night" in Act One
"Boom Crunch!" in Act Two became "Last Midnight"
(You can still hear some of the former in the latter.)
The Act Two Prologue was re-titled "So Happy."

This was another great time to see shows: great plays including Broadway Bound, Burn This, Fences and I'm Not Rappaport; classic musicals including A Chorus Line, Cats, Cabaret and 42nd Street. Imagine a time when Les Miserables  and Into the Woods were new, and The Phantom of the Opera wasn't on Broadway yet. Of course there were flops - Roza and Late Nite Comic  were days away from having their posters hung at Joe Allen's. (I saw Starlight Express the same weekend!) But the real thing of note are the major titles playing off-Broadway! Can you believe it?

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#TBT: CD Review: OBCR: Something Rotten

Okay, so this isn't too far back for a throwback, but roughly three and a half years ago, a rarity opened on Broadway: an original musical based on an original idea with a completely original score. I fondly remember Something Rotten as a fun, clever show, full of delicious puns and smart quips that this English major geeked out to for two and a half hours.

The geeking continues with the terrific cast recording, featuring a tuneful score by the Kirkpatrick brothers, who brought their first score to the Big Time. Maybe "Tuneful" doesn't quite capture it...maybe earworm-ful score is more like it. Whenever I listen to it, it takes days to get "Welcome to the Renaissance" out of my head.

"Welcome to the Renaissance"

It is also great to revisit this little gem because it preserves some great work by a number of Broadway favorites, including Brian d'Arcy James, John Cariani, Brooks Ashmanskas, Heidi Blickenstaff, Kate Reinders, Brad Oscar, and Tony-winner Christian Borle. And the ensemble (especially as eggs) is top-notch, both on stage - triple-threats, all - and vocally on this recording.

For me, the stand out numbers include Blickenstaff's tour-de-force, "Right Hand Man," both of Borle's ego-driven romps, "Will Power" and "Hard to Be the Bard," and d'Arcy James/Cariani's numbers "God, I Hate Shakespeare" and "To Thine Own Self." But the most fun to listen to, without the need for visuals is the awesome "A Musical." It's the ultimate meta "in joke" for theater geeks. I love the lyrics (all so true) and picking out all the lyric and musical references to great musicals.

And there are worse things than humming "Welcome to the Renaissance," I suppose.

Grade: A

FUN FACTS ABOUT SOMETHING ROTTEN:

• The show ran for 32 previews and 708 performances, opening April 22, 2015 at the St. James Theatre, closing there on January 1, 2017.
• Something Rotten was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning one - Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, Christian Borle (Shakespeare).
• The show was conceived, written and composed by American brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, with the book co-written by Englishman John O'Farrell.
• To date, this is the only Broadway show that features Nostradamus as a character.

Here's a look back at the show:

(Left) John Cariani, Briab d'Arcy James

(Right) Brooks Ashmanskas, Kate Reinders

Heidi Blickenstaff, Brian d'Arcy James

Shakespeare! Christian Borle and the Men

"A Musical"
Brian d'Arcy James, Brad Oscar and Company

#1925

#TBT: Playbill: RENT: May 1996

Sometimes when you see a brand new show you can tell it is going to be a success. Other times - rarely - you can just tell a brand new show will be a game-changing phenomenon. When I saw RENT the first time, it was only a few performances old. It wasn't sold out; there was no stand-by line; there was no lottery line. But I still knew that what I was seeing was going to change musical theater as we knew it.

How could I possibly know that? Well, it was so...different...the sound...the subject matter...the passion of the cast...the staging. All of it felt risky and not a sure thing at all. But i just knew. I think it had something to do with forgetting to blink. Or breathe. It was positively electric. And that cast full of unknowns. I remember distinctly being most impressed the Sarah Jessica Parker's brother was in it.

Of course, hindsight is 20-20. So many cast members became superstars. Musicals moved away from those 80's mega-musicals. Social consciousness as musical subject matter was back in style. Gay content moved beyond drag queens "putting on a show." The low-cost lottery system was born. And the show and score and its creator have become legend.

I am so grateful to have had this amazing experience.

(Click the images below to enlarge.)

May 1996

RENT

Nederlander Theatre

16 previews, 5,123 performances

May 1996 Cast: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Idina Menzel, Fredi Walker, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Gwen Stewart

Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Directed by Michael Greif

The original cast title page
(And nothing says "RENT" like an ad for Bermuda, right?)

Wow! They sure look young...

The Song List

Talk about a good time to see shows on Broadway... 3 Andrew Lloyd Webber shows (Cats isn't listed, but it was still playing.), Les Miz and Miss Saigon? And with tickets starting at $15!? Plus a chance to see two Rodgers and Hammerstein shows and Show Boat!? And a Sondheim show!? Plays by Albee, McNally and Wilson... 3 (soon to be 4) Pulitzer Prize winners, and one finalist... Let's not forget the star power, too... Nathan Lane, Elaine Stritch, George C. Scott, Charles Durning, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zoe Caldwell, Carol Burnett, Philip Bosco, Betty Buckley, Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri and Rachel York. Good times!

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