At This Performance: Diego Rodriguez in Sunset Boulevard

 At This Performance

of

Sunset Boulevard - The role of Joe Gillis will be played by 

Diego Rodriguez

This time seeing Sunset Boulevard we knew ahead of time that we'd be seeing an understudy in the role of Joe Gillis, usually played by Tom Francis. Having seen the announcement of social media that he would be on vacation, we weren't taken by surprise when we found this white slip of paper in our Playbill:

Ever since he announced that he would be on, I was excited to see Diego Rodriguez in the male lead of one of my favorite shows. He was a true stand out as Artie the first time I saw the revival. At the time, I wrote of his performance: "Artie Green (the dashing Diego Andres Rodriguez, who delivers by far the most interesting version of the otherwise forgettable character I've seen) is seen crying when he realizes the betrayal of his fiance and of his best friend." Could he be just as amazing as Artie's best friend?

Within seconds of his first entrance (spoiler alert: he emerges center stage from a body bag) I had my answer. Yes. Here was a new, vibrant take on a role that until I saw Mr. Francis I felt lacked much depth. In Mr. Rodriguez's more than capable hands, Joe Gillis maintained that depth, and also found new intriguing facets.

Immediately, it is clear that he reads much younger than Francis, which at first allows his Joe to be youthfully cocky and arrogant as only a 20-something can be. From his dealings with his studio friends to the way he outruns the re-po men, he is both reckless and blasè. And yet, he endears. This perfectly sets up a new dynamic between Joe, Norma (Nicole Scherzinger) and Max (David Thaxton).

 

This Joe is not intimidated, Norma smells fresh meat easy to bend to her will, and Max sees someone that will be the next in a long line of husbands. With this much younger take, both Norma and Max underestimate Joe's skill at manipulation. Of course, the story doesn't change - Joe still gets sucked into Norma's drama, Max still runs interference. But there seems to be slightly more sexual tension and a sharper sense of desperation all around.

As the power in these relationships shifts, Rodriguez's performance evolves in wonderful ways. Even the way he sings evolves, with a more mature sound as the boy matures. In act two, it is immediately obvious that his Joe has grown up with his bold take on the title number. Later, his duet with Betty (the lovely Grace Hodgett-Young) works in ways that it never has for me before - it still is a problem for me in terms of tone and style - but here we see a young man growing up enough to be worthy of a contemporary. In turn, all of this heightens the stakes for how it all fleshes out. 

Whether intentional or not, watching him during the Act Two overture sequence, we see Diego, relishing his time in the lead. Yes, he goes through all the same moments as Tom, but I got the sense that there is a bigger difference between each of them and their respective Joes, and so he endears in a nice way - his smile (the only time we get to see it) is the wattage of the entirety of Times Square. But watching him snap into character the second the music starts for "Sunset Boulevard." What an exciting thing to witness.

He's a University of Michigan grad with a
BFA in Musical Theater and an award-winning playwright 

During his post-curtain BCEFA speech, David Thaxton referred to Mr. Rodriguez as "Broadway's hottest young corpse." He was joking, of course, but he wasn't wrong. As this is his professional debut, one hopes that this is the start of a long, successful career. What an absolute thrill to have been here for the beginning of it all. 

At This Performance: Sydney Jones in Sunset Boulevard

 At This Performance:

Sydney Jones as Betty Schaefer in Sunset Blvd.

Let's be honest, Betty Schaefer is not the big draw of Sunset Boulevard, and in this revival she's pretty far down the list of reasons to visit the St. James. Between the epic (and much bally-hooed) Nicole Scherzinger performance, the transfer of the principal cast from London to Broadway, and, of course, the radical re-vision of the piece by Jamie Lloyd. 

And so, when the understudy slip fell out of my Playbill announcing that Joe Gillis' would-be lover would not be played by Grace Hodgett Young, I didn't think much of it. I was sure whoever would be in the role would be fine.

Then the show started...

Hair pulled into two jaunty braids, knee high, white striped black athletic socks, and an outfit one might see on a Hollywood spin class teacher, Betty Schaefer made her entrance and I was enthralled instantly. Her name in real life is Sydney Jones, and she has that ever elusive "it" thing that everyone hopes to have. Singer? Check. Actress? Check. And given the concept of this austere, stone-faced staging, this is saying a lot. Her chemistry with Tom Francis is palpable, and Jones' strength makes her a legit threat to the fragile egomania of Nicole's Norma Desmond. Plus, the camera loves her. What more could you ask for?

According to her bio, Sunset is not her Broadway debut - that was just across 44th Street as a swing in A Beautiful Noise - and she has created roles in two Broadway-bound shows, the soon-to-open Boop!and the potential future musical version of The Karate Kid. With 12 seasons at The Muny, and a BFA from the University of Oklahoma, her experiences seem to have primed her for a big career on the stage.

When I reviewed Sunset, I said of her performance, "Similarly, a heartbroken Betty Schaefer, in solitude, sheds a single dramatic tear before she makes her final exit. At this performance, the role was played by a star in the making, Sydney Jones; she is simply divine." If you get to see her in the show, trust that you are in excellent hands. In a role that is a meal, she's a whole banquet!

JKTS Chat: "Understudyness" by DROOD's Eric Sciotto

From Eric's Gotta Dance feature on Broadway.com
Photo by Matthew Murphy

When word got out a few weeks ago that Andy Karl would be out of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and that Eric Sciotto, the "Twitterverse" lit up like a Christmas tree.  In what speaks volumes for the love and respect so many of us have for Mr. Sciotto, those Tweets were universally positive - well-wishes, votes of confidence, and, myself included, many disappointed-I-can't-be-there notes of encouragement.

So, many of you wrote to ask if I could do another interview with Eric all about his experience that night.  I had imposed upon him to do three segments of "JKTS Chat," and I wasn't sure if I should impose again.  Thankfully, he is a very generous, giving guy.  I noticed (and I'm sure you did, too) that not only is he passionate about his profession, but he is a passionate fan of theatre just like us.  Then I got to thinking, going on for a role is such a whirlwind of activity, thinking, and emotion, that trying to tell all about the whole experience might be more interesting as a narrative rather than trying to answer specific questions from someone who has never had a similar experience.  Well, despite a very busy schedule - doing the show, getting through the whole holiday season and raising a family with two small children - Eric really, REALLY came through for us.  What follows is his account of that fateful day when he played Neville Landless!

"Understudyness"

So... I love to understudy, and I love to go on for the role!  Not to say there aren't nerves involved, but it's "why I'm there" and doing the role is why I put in all that work...

My philosophy on understudying - and being a good one - is to be as ready as possible as soon as possible in the rehearsal process... I don't wait for formal understudy rehearsals to begin; I don't wait for people to teach me stuff.... I basically say "If [the person I cover] were out TODAY, could I do it?!" And I work from there... I tell myself to "know what I know and to know what I don't know" and I keep a little list... "If I were thrown on NOW, what questions would I need to ask...."  And assume no one's gonna teach me anything. (That's not the case, but if I work like that, it's all up to me and I take responsibility for it all) In the moment, when someone's sick or hurt, or out, do I want to say, "Sorry, I don't know it yet" or "I can do it?" , I choose "I can do it."

Valerie Wright

I have to tell this story: My first Broadway show ever was Annie Get Your Gun, and Bernadette Peters actually was sick when we started rehearsals.  She was there and she fought it, but she was battling a nasty cold or a flu or something.... At one point, like two weeks in or so (foggy memories) we were to show everything we'd completed thus far to the design team.... a no-pressure run of the show...which (of course) means "performance mode" and BP called out that day...she was losing the fight with said cold.... Our director, Graciela [Daniele], addressed the group and said, "Bernadette is too sick to be here, so we'll just show you a few numbers that don't involve her, and we'll reschedule this...." And a small voice peeped up: "Graci... if you want to do the run through, I can do it."  It was Valerie Wright.  Valerie was playing her own role of Dolly Tate, AND finishing up the run of Redhead at Goodspeed, I think.... and she was also Bernadette's cover.... so... finishing a job, learning her own role, and covering.... got it?

Graciela said, "Valerie, thank you, but I can't ask you to do that, we've given you no rehearsal, and it's really not fair to you...."  Valerie confidently said, "I can do the role if you want to do the run-through."  Graci then said, "Let's do the run!"

And we did.  And Valerie delivered a stunning performance that had the whole place captured by her brightness!  She was funny and sad and dreamy and amazing and everybody laughed and cried... she had everyone in the palm of her hand.  It was revelatory!

The fitting for my Tick
"Uluru" costume (Priscilla)

I learned "how to understudy" from her on that day... and I've never forgotten that moment.

I do my work.  I do whatever it takes to be ready....

And so it was with Neville.... now, my life is more complex than it once was... I have two kids at home...  and I can't sing 'til all hours of the night, or [during] naps, because I'll wake people... and when I'm home, I'm in dad-mode... So preparing for the role of Neville (and Jasper) has been brought to you by the NJ Transit.... I worked on every commute possible, and when walking to or from the bus, I was singing the songs... I worked on breaks.  And in rehearsal, I just watched and watched and watched and prayed that a lot of it would “osmosis itself” into my brain.

When we started rehearsing Drood, Andy was still doing Jersey Boys... so every Weds and Sat, he'd run off to his matinee, and if they were doing any Neville stuff, I'd jump in... this is like a gift from the Oprah to have that chance.... by the time we went into previews, I'd done all but ONE number (I think) with the actual principal cast! That's unheard of and was deeply appreciated and not taken for granted... each time I had that opportunity, I went full tilt!  Tried everything as big and real as possible, made mistakes, screwed things up, and learned from it all!!

Then once in previews, we went into formal understudy rehearsals, which are usually once a week, and I was able to keep working and get some repetition and finally belt out a few of the numbers I'd mostly rehearsed quietly....

Neville make-up test (before I lost the beard)

So, by the time Andy was actually sick and called out, there wasn't much more I could do without just DOING IT!

He'd been battling a cold or flu, and so I was on "high alert" in my brain... and watching him like a hawk.... and so, when I got the call Sunday morning, I was fine and ready to go!

The biggest challenge, was that I'd never done the makeup.... the makeup designers did a test on me, and so I knew what I should look like, but I hadn't applied it myself.... and I'm not really sure what happened, but the makeup went on SOOOOO dark that I basically looked like I was doing blackface... It was funny and shocking... See, I hoped I'd have the luxury of taking my time to make sure I looked right, but an understudy is also in the business of making everyone feel comfortable with the fact that you're on... so when the stage manager says that they called the principals in to run a bunch of scenes and numbers... that takes up your prep-time.  Also, often, you'll have a last-minute fitting....

So - when you think "oh good, I'll just calmly prepare and do what I need to do" THINK AGAIN!  

I did try to get in really early, and have a little time to myself (makeup, script, last minute questions) but was quickly pulled in a million directions.  It's honestly very frustrating, and, in my opinion, counter-productive.  But I'm clearly alone in this thought.  I'd rather think of everything ahead of time and deal with everything ahead of time, so when the moment comes, we're all cool and ready. But most departments work under the "when it happens, we'll deal with it" rule.

I had to learn years ago to get over it.  So part of my prep-work in preparing for a role includes reminding myself that when the time actually comes, I will not get a moment to myself first... so BE READY.

K... so... Jessie Mueller (Helena Landless) was AMAZING.  I respect her and trust her immensely.  She was AMAZINGLY insightful and helpful... don't forget, I have my own track in the show, so I can't always see everything that Neville does... and things morph and change and evolve, and there was some blocking that changed in previews, that I never could see because I'm quick-changing in a stairwell... so, she talked me through that, but more importantly, let me know that whatever I did, she'd go with it.  Also, after the opening number, Jessie actually went and darkened her makeup, to make us more twin-like.  (What a lovely and generous and thoughtful lady!)

Which brings me to: "a good company will always conspire to make the swing or understudy right."  And this company is the BEST!  They were all so present and available to differences and nuances and adaptable if anything was different or wrong.  (Reminded me of Sherie Rene Scott and John Hickok, who were SOOOOO incredibly open to differences when I was on for Radames in AIDA.)

That said, as a cover, it's MY job to do what they're used to so that they don't feel like anything is different in terms of blocking and staging, and then within THAT framework, deliver my own performance that fits in with theirs....

Luckily, I LOVE LOVE LOVE what Andy is doing with the role of Neville.  He's been a GREAT model and someone who has taken a smallish role and made a SHOW-STEALER out of it.  He's wonderful and I happily worked within the bubble of his shtick-filled brilliance and felt great out there.  It was a blast, and I can happily report that all the laughs and responses were there, which kept the timing relatively the same, and the rest of the cast were more than congratulatory and complimentary and even the crew went out of their way to pat me on the back and say how much they loved my choices, my characterization, my confidence/command, and my overall work!  SO - I was happy.

I was nervous, but VERY sure of myself.  I'll have to fix the makeup if I ever do it again, but Andy is strong-like-bull, and so I don't foresee it happening much, if ever!

E-Daddy and family

I'm VERY happy to have done it once.  Quite simply, it means the work was not in vain.  I did it.  I felt great.  People loved it.  Fans have been so lovely and kind and celebratory of my performance.  And best of all, my partner decided to take a chance and bring our 4 year old, Samson, to see his E-daddy and to see his first Broadway show ever.

So, knowing Sammy was out there was mind-blowing for me.  He apparently was SUPER interested and really watching and really listening and asked a ton of questions about tiny details in the lyrics that really proved that he was listening... and he was so excited afterwards! Proud of me and proud of himself for being so good and for seeing his first show!

That made it all SUPER SPECIAL!!!!!

K... a few specifics:  

PRE-SHOW:  I have never worked that area... and my own section is small and easy to address... so I just wandered about and made a bunch of self-deprecating jokes about my "subtle" make-up application....  And I talked to my Sammy.

"THERE YOU ARE": Funnily enough, in my own track there's a section of lyrics that I never sing, because I'm busy dealing with (and talking to) an audience member... so when it came time to sing it, I was not as "on it" as I'd hoped... but everyone is singing them too, so I jumped right back in....

"NO GOOD CAN COME FROM BAD":  Went great!  Very fun!  I may or may not have crushed Stephanie J. Block's hand during the "menacing handshake" and she may or may not have said" that's enough! that's enough!" out of the corner of her mouth....  And I also do a fancy twirl of the cane at the end... which got gasps, I'm pretty sure... I felt cool.

CHITA:  She gave me a sly look halfway through and said, "well allllright!" (You’d have to hear the tone of voice... I can't really describe it...) It was the perfect vote of confidence and spoke volumes!

DATCHERY: My night on was the ONE AND ONLY time ROSA was DATCHERY!!!!  Cool!!! 

LOVERS: Helena was picked, and so I had to do the old "please don't pick me" take which is fake because OF COURSE I wanted to do lovers with my sister... but it didn't happen...  

And MURDERER... was..... ummmm... Puffer!  Right... 

...So, yes, it'd have been fun to be chosen for something... and I wanted that, but I was also relieved... it was my first time out there... I was happy to have made it through and have it go so successfully... I didn't need more to think about....

Hope you enjoyed my epic account of what it's like to cover and perform the role of Neville!

Eric Sciotto

Twitter: @E_DaddySciotto

Thank you, readers, for your continued support and interest!  And thank you, Eric, for being so helpful, generous and thoughtful.

To read the first 3 installments of JKTS Chat with Eric Sciotto by clicking the icons to your right, or click the "JKTS CHAT: The Interviews" tab at the top of the blog!

DO NOT MISS ERIC AND THE REST OF THE CAST OF THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD BEFORE THEY ARE GONE!  THEY'RE AT STUDIO 54 UNTIL MARCH 10TH!

All photos, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of Mr. Sciotto.

Jeff

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BLOGJACK: Actors Replaced Mid-Show

• HAVE YOU...EMAILED ME WITH QUESTIONS FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH GODSPELL AND ALLEGIANCE'S TELLY LEUNG?  SEND THEM TO ME AT jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 24!
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• HAVE YOU...TAKEN THIS MONTH'S THEATRE POLL? SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE AND LOOK OVER TO YOUR LEFT!

The other day, I was looking through some pictures on BroadwayWorld.com, and the Message Board list caught my eye.  Tried as I might, I couldn't resist clicking on one of the topics: "Have you ever been at a show where someone had to leave mid-show?"  I couldn't tell if it meant audience members getting up and leaving, or if it meant performers leaving mid-show.  I have experienced both, and though I hoped it meant the latter (I love live theatre stories like that - you don't get that at the movies); I knew if it was the former, I'd probably get a few laughs (bitchy stories of hating a show everyone else adores, tales of rude behavior, reactions of the house staff, etc. are always a good read...).  As it turns out, the original poster meant performers, not audience members, but the thread was full of both kinds of stories.  I was thoroughly entertained.

So I thought that today, I'd write about my experiences with that.  On my own blog, I can write what I want, and not be crucified for having an original opinion or be dismissed for "being too new to posting."  How elitist!  But I digress.

I was sure someone would mention the more famous ones - Idina Menzel falling through a trap door at Wicked and, I think, Eden Espinoza finishing the show.  Or the "big fall" at Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which stopped the show completely.  They were there.  But I have to admit I was SHOCKED to find out that it happens so much at Wicked that fans have a name for it - "the witch switch!"

As for myself, I've seen some pretty interesting switcheroos.  In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a performance of Cats where the entire cast that started the show was the same one at the curtain call.  Dance injuries were plentiful for the felines.  The third time I saw it on Broadway (don't judge me), 3 performers changed at intermission - and I don't mean a chain reaction caused by one actor leaving - 3 separate roles!

The most famous Broadway injury of all was played out thousands of times in A Chorus Line, when Paul, who just poured out his heart and soul, re-injures his knee, and has to be carted off to the hospital.  When they line up one last time, and Morales leaves a space where Paul was, I bet that hit home for many a dancer.  But in the dozens of times I've seen that show, quite a few had some mid-show switches.  I remember one in particular.  The actor playing Mike was really going full blast with "That I Can Do" when he started to do his slide across the stage and ended up getting caught on something and doing a very awkward split.  He literally screamed in pain and the entire cast and audience gasped as one.  Zach ran up on the stage, and they improvised a scene to get Mike back in place and to assess the damage.  The trouper finished his bit, stood there in line for what must have felt an eternity, and finally got to leave the stage during "Hello, Twelve." At the end of that number, when they all go back to the line, we in the audience, finally realized that a "new" Mike was on the line, and Mike (old and new) got a spontaneous round of applause!

But my favorite experience with such a switch happened at Avenue Q.  Not that I wish any performers ill, but I hope that if /when it happens to other performers, the transition can be a smooth and professional as what happened one day at the Golden Theatre.  There I was, in the 3rd row, watching intently.  I was really enjoying Barrett Foa as Princeton and Rod - he's a terrific singer and his voices were a riot.  But being that close, as you probably know, allows you to sometimes see details you don't necessarily want to see.  I noticed that Mr. Foa's t-shirt was gaining some pretty serious wet patches of sweat.  "No big deal," I remember thinking, "they do A LOT of running around."  But then, as the act continued, more and more of his shirt was darkening, and I saw that he was getting pretty pale - and he's pretty fair-skinned to begin with. It was really obvious that he wasn't feeling all that good, though I can not stress enough that his performance was top-notch, and I'm pretty sure not many people around me even noticed.

Well, we get to the scene right before "Mix Tape," and Foa, as Princeton, comes into Kate Monster's place. He gets to the line about needing to use the bathroom and exits.  When Princeton came back out of "the bathroom," it wasn't with the soon-to-be NCIS:LA star.  It was with Howie Michael Smith, who was just as excellent.  They never missed a beat.  And they never announced the change verbally, though I'm sure there was a sign posted outside in the lobby.  I know for sure that the majority of the audience didn't realize two actors played the same role that day since the people around me up close to the stage were oblivious to the change.  Not ONE person mentioned it at intermission!  Sure it was pretty slick and definitely painless (except for poor Barrett Foa) for the audience.  But I have to applaud the entire company... they were the very definition of professional.


Jeff
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When the Show Goes On, But the Star Doesn't

Recently, fellow blogger and friend, Esther of Gratuitous Violins, posted a blog (click here to read her full explanation, and several responses) explaining her disappointment in a system where she found out well in advance that Kelsey Grammer would be out of La Cage aux Folles the night she would be attending, and was not informed of such by Telecharge. I will leave it to you to read her blog, but I thought I’d talk a bit about that subject here.

It is always a risk, of course, with live theatre that the cast members may, for whatever reason, be out for a given performance. It is particularly regrettable when the performance has been critically acclaimed and/or award-winning. And it is even worse when it is someone of a certain status that would make missing said actor a long-term disappointment. No offense to their understudies, but I’d feel extremely disappointed if Angela Lansbury or Bernadette Peters or Patti LuPone were out when I had a ticket. So I can totally understand Esther’s disappointment about Mr. Grammer (especially since I think his is the performance that makes the show, not the odd Douglas Hodge, who only impresses me in Act Two).

All of that said, I have over the years encountered the upset of understudies, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed, and in most cases leave the theatre thinking, “is so-and-so really that much better?”, and in one case, I actually preferred the understudy.

In previous blogs I’ve mentioned some of these folks, so please forgive the repetition!

I have managed to miss Gavin Creel in both shows I went to see him in specifically! That’s right, I saw his understudy - a young guy named Brandon Wardell - in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Mr. Wardell was terrific. But my most pleasant surprise was during one of the first previews of Hair, when his understudy took the stage for the very first time - and apparently before he ever had a put-in rehearsal. That young man, Jay Armstrong Johnson, was superb. Do I regret missing Creel’s Tony-nominated performance? Sure. But I am really glad I saw this great new talent, and with a cast extra energized and pulling for him!

Alice Ripley in a Hollywood revival of Tommy, as Mrs. Walker

Back in the 90’s, shortly after it opened, Marcia Mitzman began to miss performances in The Who’s Tommy. The matinee I attended was one of them, and the understudy was so new to it that they had to hand us slips with her name on them; they weren’t even inserted in the Playbill! Sure, she seemed a touch young for the part to look at her, but the minute she opened her mouth, she WAS Mrs. Walker! Her name was Alice Ripley and the rest is history.

Interestingly, this past year, I went to the city to specifically see Kyle Dean Massey in next to normal, who at that point, was just a temporary replacement for Aaron Tveit, so the urgency was there. It turned out even better than I thought, though, when I saw that Alice Ripley would be out and Jessica Phillips (left) would be on. I was crushed, as I loved Ripley’s performance. So I texted a good friend and complained, and he convinced me to stay, reminding me that Ms. Phillips could turn out to be a great new discovery, and that they wouldn’t hire just anyone to cover a Tony-winner. And besides, I was there for Mr. Massey. So I sucked it up and went in. I’ve never been so glad I stuck with it. Ms. Phillips was mesmerizing, and played the role so well and so differently. I was moved, as with Alice, but in a much different way. I got to meet her after the show, and I told her how glad I was to have seen her. The look on her face made it all worth it.

Esther is going to see Christopher Hoch (at the top of this blog) as Georges in La Cage, and he was another of my understudy “finds.” I am a huge Christopher Sieber fan - I’ve never missed a show he was in, until this one. And aside from really wanting to see Sutton Foster in Shrek: The Musical, Mr. Sieber was the draw for me. So, I was terribly disappointed to find that nasty little white square of paper in my Playbill announcing that “at this performance…” Sieber was out and Hoch was in. You know what? He is a great actor/singer! And the audience ate him up. Glad I saw him, too!

And so, the show must go on, even if the star doesn’t. Most of the time, it has been a great experience for this theatre-goer.

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

Jeff

Bits and Pieces for 02.21.2010

Welcome!  Thanks for taking a few minutes to check out my blog!

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK!

• Monday: Broadway Ladies: Ms. February 2010!
• Tuesday: Logos: The Artistry of FRAVER
• Wednesday: Logos: Come Fly Away
• Thursday: Broadway Theatres, Part 3
• Friday: A Blogs I Follow Blog
• Saturday: 6 Degrees of Broadway: The Wicked Edition

JK'S THEATRESCENE UPGRADES

You might have noticed that little by little, I have tweaked the old blog to keep it fresh and easier (I hope) to manage.  I really want to call your attention to two new aspects.  First, you'll notice at the top, just above today's blog, there are page links.  Clicking on those will give you a separate place to look for specific topics, rather than having to scroll around the archives.  For example, one click on "Reviews" will give a list (and link) of each show, book, CD and DVD I've reviewed;  one click on "Broadway Boys" will give you a list (and link) of each hot guy chosen to represent the New York theatre scene each month.

Secondly, and sort of related to this first thing, you'll see a link to a page called "About JK's Store."  There I explain in detail why I have chosen to advertise hand selected items from Amazon.com for you to purchase.  Mostly, it goes like this:  you cick on the store link directly from this site, and buy an item or two from my store.  My account gets credit for your purchase, and every time I earn $10.00, I get a check from Amazon.com.  But I'm not going to keep the cash, I am going to donate each check to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  Please be sure to check it out, and buy something!  You get the same great price you'd get, anyway, and a great charity gest much needed money.  Thank you in advance for even considering it.

HAIR RE-CAST

Did ANYONE from that publicity stunt non-Equity casting call that made national news even get cast?  The cast looks interesting, I guess.  I'm surprised at the number of tribe members NOT going to London (including Vanessa Ray, above), and I'm not surprised that we are getting more American Idol rehashing in Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, though to be fair, at least they are attempting actual Broadway careers.  Good for them.  I guess showing off his pale little ass in Spring Awakening was enough nudity for Kyle Riabko; as the new Claude, he is the one tribe member not to go the full monty.

Smartly, the Hair  people are revamping the ad campaign for the show with the new cast coming in.  Here is a link to a sneak peek from Broadway.com.  Notice the quick look at the mock ups for the new print ads...they do look nice.

BLIND ITEM: NEXT TO NORMAL UNDERSTUDY ALERT

UNCONFIRMED RUMOR:  Looks like Alice Ripley will be taking a short vacation starting March 12 and through March 21.  I hear her understudy, Jessica Phillips (above) will be on for the role of Diana for all of those dates, except the matinees on the 13th & 14th.  (You might ask the box office to confirm, as this is a well-sourced rumor.  Who goes on each night is never set in stone until the curtain goes up.)  Several months ago, I had the great fortune of seeing Ms. Phillips in the role, and she is simply amazing, and completely different in her approach to the role than Alice.  If you are a fan of the show, and/or want to see a star in the making, get tickets and see Jessica.  I hope to do just that myself, and if I do, of course, I'll write about it!  If you go, let us know what you think!

BROADWAY BY THE NUMBERS

• Today, February 21, Disney's The Lion King will pass RENT and become Broadway's 8th longest running show in history.  This will be performance number 5,124.
• It was announced this week that Lincoln Center Theater's production of South Pacific (above) will close on August 22, 2010 after 1,000 performances.  This revival is the longest running of any Rodgers and Hammerstein revival.  The original production ran nearly twice as long, though, with 1,925 performances.  The revival will take its place on the long run list between The Will Rogers Follies - 983 performances and Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 1005 performances.

And Happy Birthday this past week to:

02/14: Florence Henderson (Broadway Bound again!)
02/15: Christopher McDonald
02/16: John Tartaglia
02/17: Barry Humphries
02/18: Christopher Sieber
02/19: Hugh Panaro
02/20: Sandy Duncan





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

Friday's Bits and Pieces for 11.05.09

THIS WEEK (or so) at JKTS!

In case you are new to this blog, or in case you haven’t been here in awhile, this past several days, I’ve blogged about:

• The show that started my love of theatre
• Reviewed the show Rock of Ages and the CD for Shrek
• Named Mr. November: Chad Kimball
• New Poll: Favorite Theatre News Site.

Vote in the poll, then scroll down the right side of the page to see a list of articles you might be interested in.

And please, leave comment, question and suggestions!
Jeff


SIGNATURE THEATRE IN VIRGINIA HONORS ANGELA LANSBURY

My beloved Angela Lansbury has made more news in 2009 for 2010! Signature Theatre of Arlington, Virginia, the Tony winning regional theatre, is known for presenting the works of Stephen Sondheim (among others). In fact, they have the record for the most different Sondheim productions by one theatre company – 18. This season, they are reviving Sweeney Todd with Norm Lewis in the title role.

Last year, they established the Stephen Sondheim Award, to be given to individuals whose careers have been influenced by involvement with the master’s works. Angela Lansbury will be the first to be honored with this award.

It makes sense. She made her musical theatre debut in Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle, a legendary performance in a famous flop. She won two of her five Tony Awards for being in his shows Sweeney Todd and Gypsy. And she is headlining the revival of A Little Night Music this season on Broadway.

Brava, Ms. Lansbury! Bravo, Mr. Sondheim!


KIDS NIGHT ON BROADWAY

When I was a kid, I knew nothing about Broadway, other than I remember seeing the number “One” from A Chorus Line performed all over the place on TV shows. We, as a family, simply did not go to the theatre. That has, fortunately, changed in the years since I grew up. Even my dad goes occasionally!

These days, if you live close to the city, or can plan a short vacation in advance, the theatre community makes it much easier to bring the kids to experience live theatre, with Kids Night on Broadway (which also includes a few off-Broadway shows, and several touring shows). The tickets for this event go on sale November 9, and the dates for the event are February 2, 3 and 7, the latter being Super Bowl Sunday. The deal is good. Kids aged 6 – 18 are free with a paying adult. The age range is key here, because not all of these shows are suitable for 6 year olds like Next to Normal or Hair, or maybe for 18 year olds who wouldn’t be caught dead at Mary Poppins.

In my fantasy family life, my mom would have taken my little sister to The Lion King, while my dad took me to see Avenue Q… then I could have told him that I really understood where Rod was coming from…LOL.

What is really cool is that in addition to the ticket deal, there are pre-show parties, parking and restaurant discounts and each kid gets a special Playbill for the occasion.

Participating New York shows include:
ALTAR BOYZ, AVENUE Q, BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL, BYE BYE BIRDIE, CHICAGO, FELA!, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, HAIR, IN THE HEIGHTS, MARY POPPINS, MAMMA MIA!, MEMPHIS, NEXT TO NORMAL, OLEANNA, RAGTIME, THE LION KING, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, SOUTH PACIFIC, STOMP, SUPERIOR DONUTS, WEST SIDE STORY and WICKED.

Go to KidsNightonBroadway.com for full details. Use discount code KNOB2010 at http://www.broadwayoffers.com/ or http://www.ticketmaster.com/ (depending on the show) starting November 9.

AT THIS PERFORMANCE

I know people shudder when those little slips of paper fall out of their Playbills announcing that “at this performance” you favorite actress is out and someone you’ve never heard of is in.

Well, At This Performance, two shows on November 8 and 9 celebrate the talents of those very people, who, most of the time do excellent work. The shows cost a mere $20.00, available at 212-579-4230 or iSeats.net. The shows will be at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre on 76th Street. Understudies from Hair, Finian’s Rainbow, Bye Bye Birdie, Wicked and Shrek, among others will be performing.

Remember, today’s stars are yesterday’s understudies. If you go, let me know! Man, I wish I lived closer to the city!

MEMPHIS, AGAIN?

After the tragic closing of The Neil Simon Plays on Sunday, theatre owners for The Nederlander Theatre wasted no time in announcing its next tenant, Million Dollar Quartet, a musical that takes place in Memphis in the 1950’s. It concerns a recording session at Sun Records that featured Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.

Can Broadway sustain two musicals about the birth of rock and roll what with Memphis at the Shubert and Million Dollar Quartet at the Nederlander? I haven’t seen or heard much about the latter, but I can say that Memphis is worth you theatre-going dollar.

MDQ, already a hit in Chicago, will have the later in the season opening advantage (April 2010), but Memphis will, hopefully, capitalize on its reviews, strong word-of-mouth and a CD due out by year’s end. I can heartily recommend Memphis, and will let you know what I think about Million Dollar Quartet.

Working against MDQ is its location… RENT not withstanding, 41st Street feels like miles away from Times Square to the average tourist. Plus musicals that used the music of Johnny Cash (Ring of Fire) and Elvis Presley (All Shook Up) were both fast flops, as was another recording studio/biography musical, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. I saw that show on tour and enjoyed it, and I also personally enjoyed All Shook Up. All I’m saying is both shows have some work to do to stay in the limelight and generate ticket sales. I wish them both well.

XANADU RE-DO

I LOVED Xanadu – saw it seven times! And so it is good news that the national tour is starting up this December in California and is all over the place until at least May 2010. The first part of the tour that went to Asia after a sit down in Chicago, starred cutie-pie Elizabeth Stanley and cutie-pie Max von Essen, but no cast has been announced for this leg yet.

If you get the chance to see it, go! You will laugh your ass off, and the music is awesome!

SPIDEY UPDATE

Well the public sale of tickets for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark didn’t happen on Halloween as announced (another reason to hate that date!), and producer are publicly clinging to the February 25, 2010 1st preview date. But it doesn’t look good when there is a mile-long list of producers that doesn’t include Disney Theatricals, and they can’t come up with the needed funding.

Then you read articles in the LA Times and the New York Times that use phrases like unconfirmed reports and anonymous sources, and figures like $52 million dollars needed, including theatre restoration costs, and weekly operating costs of $1 million, and it is no wonder. One paper says that the creative team is meeting with producers today. Maybe they are talking about ways to slash the budget?

I look forward to seeing how this web of intrigue plays out… including naming the star of the show, Peter Parker/Spiderman. I keep hearing the name of a current Disney Channel star…

Remember: Vote in this month's poll and leave a comment or two!

Jeff

At This Performance...

I don't know which would be worse: understudying a star-turn role or being a replacement for a popular actor. Understudies are a part of the business. It would be unrealistic to believe that any actor could go months without a day off for whatever reason. But when one understudies a role and performer that have taken on mythic proportions, the task must be harrowing to say the least.

Let's take a moment to salute the understudies who valiantly went on even after half the audience asked for a refund or simply groaned at the pre-curtain announcement. One had to feel especially bad for Lenora Nemitz (a seasoned professional with a sterling reputation) who had the "luck" to understudy Patti LuPone as Rose in Gypsy. She valiantly went on, suffered through a rocky performance, and another understudy was hired. Talk about your double-whammy!

A more recent understudy "event" happened at the very next performance of next to normal after Alice Ripley won the award for her universally praised performance. That performance had Ms. Ripley out and her understudy, Jessica Phillips in as Diana. The chat rooms were abuzz, naturally, with reports as widely varied as "the theatre cleared out and half the audience demanded a refund," to "She sucked!" to "I thought she was brilliant!" I mean, I understand the disappointment, but really, must we assassinate poor Ms. Phillips' reputation. And the performance, I understand, was nearly full - hardly a stampede out of the Booth.

That night at next to normal, another inevitable phenomenon happened when Kyle Dean Massey took over the role of Gabriel from the red hot (as performer and sex symbol) Aaron Tveit. People caught unaware, I am sure, were disappointed, though in this day and age of BroadwayUnderstudies.com, Twitter, etc., I'm not sure how anyone could have missed the long planned for departure of Mr. Tveit. (He returns to the show Tuesday night, by the way.)

As it would happen, I had the opportunity to sample both the understudy and the replacement this summer. I had purchased my ticket for the purpose of seeing Mr. Massey in particular, as he is an up and coming actor that I admire greatly. I was not disappointed, and neither, it seems, was the audience, as he was greeted with enthusiastic applause at curtain. I enjoyed his performance because he did things with the role that Mr. Tveit does not, which I love. Seeing different interpretations of the same role can be thrilling (Billy Elliott, anyone?). Massey may have lacked sheer vocal power - he simply doesn't belt out "I'm Alive" like Tveit. But what he lacks in power, he sure makes up in nuance. He interprets the words to the songs, adding layers of meaning both to the plot, outright, and to the symbolic nature of the role. I look forward to seeing Aaron again, though, because I missed the evil, menacing edge he brings to the role.

Imagine my surprise upon opening my Playbill and out drops the little slip of paper that strikes fear into every theatergoer. "At the performance, the role of Diana will be played by Jessica Phillips." As someone who must travel to the city with a certain amount of pre-planning, I was not in a position to ask for a refund or exchange. And I was curious to see what anyone could do in the face of a legendary performance, like Ms. Ripley's. There were the malcontents, demanding to know why more notice wasn't given. One rather rude lady announced loudly from her 6th row center orchestra seat, "I didn't pay $150.00 to see the second string!" ($150.00, really?) A little snooping after the show, aka kissing up to the head usher, got me some interesting information: at that performance only 6 people asked for a refund/exchange. Even more interesting: nearly everyone of the others who complained to management came back to say they were glad they stayed!

I sure am glad I stayed, too. Ms. Phillips was excellent! What a voice - her "I Miss the Mountains" was amazing. What an actress! She played the role very differently - she was actually very funny at the start, almost like we were seeing a sitcom. But what made it work was the way she played off each laugh, like she was being funny to protect her family. Her face after every joke betrayed a woman fully aware that she is sinking fast. The result was an immediate bond between Diana and the the audience, which made for very different reactions as she begins her descent. The difference is that with Ms. Ripley, Diana takes up the majority of the show, so huge and powerful her performance. With Ms. Phillips, Diana is a huge part, after all, she is the focus, but she also allows us more of a chance to know the rest of the family. Ultimately, the result with both actresses was the same: you feel deeply for this woman. So, the next time you are at a show and the little white paper comes sliding out, don't think the worst! Who knows? You might just see a star of tomorrow.

Share your understudy experiences! Add a comment below.

Jeff

(Photos: Production photos from next to normal by Joan Marcus. Photo of Jessica Phillips is a candid from a Broadway in the Park concert, Summer 2009.)