Broadway Boys: Mr. September 2014: Tony Yazbeck

Mr. September 2014

Tony Yazbeck

WHY HE'S MR. BROADWAY: Well, he's a true triple-threat as evidenced in his entire Broadway career to date.  Sing-dancer-actor in Gypsy, A Chorus Line, White Christmas and Chicago.  But it goes way beyond that, with a wide variety of roles in regional theatres, too.  Serious drama in Sycamore Trees, song and dance man in My One and Only, and zany antics in Animal Crackers, just to name a few.  Then, too, there's his charity work, including Broadway Backwards.  He's worked his way up through the ranks from childhood (a was in Gypsy as a Newsboy with Tyne Daly in the early 90's) to understudy to ensemble member to featured roles and as a star, currently headlining On the Town.  And that's why Tony Yazbeck is Mr. Broadway!

HEAD SHOTS AND CANDIDS

(Left) with Smash co-star, Ann Harada

(Right) with wife (and A Chorus Line co-star) Jessica Lee Goldyn

BROADWAY BACKWARDS

"A Boy Like That" (with Arron Lazar)

"Buddy, Beware"

REGIONAL SHOWS (My One and Only, Anthony and Cleopatra, Sycamore Trees)

My One and Only

Anthony and Cleopatra

Sycamore Trees

BROADWAY (Gypsy, A Chorus Line, White Christmas, Chicago, On the Town)

He's a Newsboy in Gypsy!

He's Tulsa in Gypsy!

A Chorus Line - "Sing!" 

and backstage with the boys

ACL's opening night, with

the original "Al"

Chicago - "Razzle Dazzle" and

celebrating with the girls

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

On the Town

(Barrington Stage production photos)

Jeff

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HOT or NOT Round 2: On the Town

THE POLL HAS CLOSED! THANKS TO ALL WHO VOTED.  THE CANDIDATES YOU SELECTED FOR THE FINALS CAN BE SEEN BY CLICKING THE "HOT OR NOT" TAB AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. 

UP NEXT: THE LAST SHIP EDITION! CHECK BACK SOON!

It's been a few weeks, but HOT or NOT is back!  Next up: the much talked about revival of On the Town!  Lots of singing, lots of dancing, and a generous helping of classic musical theatre - and all performed by some of Broadway's biggest current stars, a few genuine classics, and a gigantic ensemble.  But who among them is the hottest of the hot or the nottest of the not?  Your votes decide! 

For the 2014 - 2015 season, I've made a change to the way things will be done, and I hope they make it even easier for you to cast your vote!  As you consider each cast member, all you need to do is click either "HOT" or "NOT".  That is it! Of course, you think is hot or not is up to you.  Is it all just about looks?  Or is it also about talent? Performance? Potential?  To me, it's probably all of these things combined.  BUT THIS IS ALL UP TO YOU!

The top "HOT" vote-getters in each category will move on to the end-of-the-year finals. (In categories where there is only one potential finalist, they will only go on if they receive more "HOT" votes than "NOT" votes.)  In May 2015, together we will decide who is in THE HOTTEST BROADWAY MUSICAL CAST OF 2014 - 2015!

I've included a few pictures below so you can see them in action.  Below the pictures is a button for you to click. A pop-up window with the poll in it will appear.  After the introduction, click "START SURVEY," cast your votes (there are pictures of each cast member there), and be sure to click "FINISH SURVEY " to make your votes count.

THIS POLL WILL CLOSE AT NOON ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30!

(POLL BUTTON APPEARS AFTER THE PHOTOS)

The Principals 

The Principals 

The Company

The Company

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VOTE!

HOT OR NOT: ON THE TOWN

Jeff

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Haven't I Seen This Before? J Lo Channels Fosse

Did any of you catch Fashion Rocks the other night?  I saw maybe six minutes or so, and all of it by pure coincidence.  I was flipping channels, and all of a sudden... there was Jennifer Lopez with a pair of tuxedo-clad, smoking (literally and figuratively) guys! Something about it sure looked familiar...

I'm thinking it's a whole lotta "The Aloof," with a nice touch of "The Heavyweight."  You may know those better as "The Rich Man's Frug" from Sweet Charity as choreographed by one of my heroes, Bob Fosse.

What a nice reminder that Bob and Booty are timeless.  :-)

Jeff
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TBT: Sally Marr...and Her Escorts

It seems appropriate with the passing and laying to rest of Joan Rivers to take a minute or two to remember her biggest Broadway achievement - her Tony-nominated turn in a play she also co-wrote, Sally Marr...and Her Escorts.  Despite its somewhat short run, I actually saw it, which was practically by mistake.  I took the place of an ailing co-worker in a long-planned weekend in the city.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  I went into it knowing two things: Lenny Bruce was in a Bob Fosse film, All That Jazz, and that Ms. Rivers was playing Bruce's mother.  I came away laughing with friends about how funny the play was, and agreeing with the whole group of us that as funny as she was, Joan was even more compelling in the dramatic moments.

That was the one and only time I got to see the comic genius in person.  And I am all the better for it.

Side rant: Better late than never, Broadway League.  What a shame that it took a vigorous Twitter campaign and public outrage to make you do the right thing.  Somehow, I think she'd have loved all the craziness, and turned her hurt into a scalding hot and very funny bit for her act.

Take a bow, Joan

Jeff
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Broadway on TV: This Is Our Youth

The ad campaign for the play This Is Our Youth, which opens tomorrow, reminds me a lot of the ad campaign for RENT, from the street ad motif (right down to the duct tape and irreverent "placement") to the angst-filled moodiness of the characters they depict. The production photos also support this similarity.  Now, I haven't seen the play, but from the look of everything that has come out about it, I'll assume it is going for the same audience - 20-somethings, full of self-importance and a sad disenchantment with life that love to see themselves and laugh.

The biggest selling point of this production has to be its star, Michael Cera (and to a lesser extent Kieran Culkin, whose older brother is more famous).  Mr. Cera's career to date is largely made up of late teen/early 20's angst-ridden, plain-guy-is-awkward-and-therefore-cute roles.  The TV spot for the play in which he and his cast mates will be making their Broadway debuts plays up this forlorn and goofy quality throughout.  A very wise move - fans of Cera and his type of films (read college students and recent grads) will flock to the Cort Theatre.  I'm guessing that they are throwing in the critical acclaim quotes to legitimize the decidedly un-just-out-of-college ticket prices (money is tight for a lot of this group, after all.)

For those of you who this show is being marketed to that can afford it, this looks like it could be pretty good.  If the show is a well presented as the ad, it'll be a winner.  Of course, they're struggling to get bigger houses and the gross potential percentage is low so far, so maybe the target audience isn't coming.  And maybe their parents, who can afford it, aren't interested.

(I hope my pseudo-negative sarcasm, with a tinge of angst and a disheartening dose of reality comes across.  Get it?)

Grade: A

Jeff
6.007

LOGOS: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Tomorrow marks the first preview of the New York incarnation of the London smash hit play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  So today seems the logical time to look at the show's logo.  I suppose I should start by admitting two things: I know almost nothing about this play, and I am stoked to be seeing it. (And none of this takes into account fans of the internationally acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon.)

Since I don't know a whole lot about the play - or the novel upon which it is based, for that matter - why am I so excited to see this?  Well, the title says it all.  I am curious.  And isn't there something intriguing about the word "incident"?  Something ominous, polite, but foreboding.  Then I get to "dog," and I'm thinking, "wait.  What?  Dog?"  More intrigue.  And what is more mysterious than "night-time?"  (Side note: I'm also an absolute Anglophile, and, go figure, the whole thing is a British enterprise: author, playwright, production company.  Even the title is a quote from Sherlock Holmes!)

Interestingly, the logo plays directly into what interests me.  It is mostly title.  And I think it works.  First, the background is a brighter blue color, which should draw the eye to it, no small achievement considering the visual cacophony that is the theatre district.  Once the eye is drawn, you see that the most emphasized words are also the most interesting.  "Curious Incident" are the two biggest words and also stand out with a yellow-orange color, glowing like fire maybe, or is it something else?  The next biggest words, all in white, are "dog" and "night-time."  It adds to the intrigue - "am I reading that right?" passers-by should be thinking.  And it makes you re-read the whole thing and then you notice all the words, and maybe the star-filled sky, too.  Bingo! You have stopped long enough to think about what you are seeing, a very good thing for a show logo. The font is also a good choice - sleek and modern means no stodgy drama here.  And you gotta love the pointy "n"s.  Are they fangs? Knives? Something curious, for sure.

Then there's the image - a black and white photo (makes it stand out and has a sort of documentation-like feel) of a young man staring up at the sky, oblivious to the fact that he's standing on an outline of a dog - an outline like at murder scene.  Notice, too, that the glow from above shines down in a yellow pool like a blood stain on that outline.  Talk about an incident! It makes my mind - and hopefully ticket buyers' minds, too - ask a ton of questions.  In short, it makes me curious about Curious.

Will it get people in the seats?  I hope so.  The logo alone makes me glad I'm seeing the show!

Grade: A+

Jeff
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2014 - 2015 (Mini) Trends: Curiosities

Broadway may have its odd-balls off stage, from chat-worthy misfits (uhh...Shia, anyone?) to the freakishly talented (I'm looking at you, Audra!).  But the real oddities will be appearing onstage this season.  This fall, three shows will put a variety of unusual "curiosities" front and center.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The word is even in the title!  The play, based upon the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, tells the story of a teenage savant and his involvement in the mysterious murder of a dog.  The fantastical staging takes us into the boy's unique mind so that we may see what he sees.  Broadway newcomer Alexander Sharp and Matilda's Taylor Trensch alternate in the role of the savant.  It sounds - and looks - amazing.

The Elephant Man

This highly anticipated revival centers around the true story of John Merrick, a severely disfigured man, shunned by society, studied by science, and forced onto the freak show circuit.  told largely from Merrick's point of view, Bradley Cooper stars in the title tour-de-force role.  The central conceit of the staging is that a physically attractive man, nearly naked, transforms into physically deformed man before our eyes without the aid of make up or prosthetic attachments.  It's a beautiful story that forces the audience to use its imagination and to take a hard look at itself.

Side Show

The beloved cult favorite musical is getting its first Broadway revisal, and unlike The Elephant Man, Side Show employs some stunning make up, costume and visual effects to bring a large menagerie of "attractions" (I love that play on words!) to life.  The story of the real-life Siamese twins, Daisy and Violet Hilton, the show takes its audience on an emotional journey about what makes all of us different and, ultimately, what makes all of us one.  Erin Davie and Emily Padgett star as the twins.

The opening number, "Come Look at the Freaks," implores us to "come inside, curiosity satisfied."  These three shows look like the perfect triptych to spark our imaginations and open our hearts and mind.  In interesting trend, to say the least.

Jeff
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