Is the Revival Race Over Already?

Heaven, and readers of this blog, knows that I am certainly not short on opinions about shows. While I try to remain positive and optimistic about each and every show, I still tell it like I see it. After all, I can't like everything, right? And even more, I realize, especially since I started writing this blog, that when I like something a lot, I talk about it a lot. If you've followed this for any length of time, you know that I really like next to normal, Aaron Tveit, Memphis, Chad Kimball and Angela Lansbury. I, like you out there, am a theatre fan, not an expert. But I have had years of experience onstage, backstage and in the house, so perhaps the best description for me would be "educated consumer/participant of/in theatre."

So it irks me when honest to goodness experts make certain things crystal clear and make broad declarations before all of the evidence of something is presented. It is especially hard to take when it is an expert whom I personally look up to and respect. In this case, I'm talking about Peter Filicia, who writes a thrice weekly article/commentary/blog for Theatermania.com, is a critic for a New Jersey paper, a published author on the subject and, above all, a true theatre fan. 99% of the time we agree; it's that 1% that has reared its ugly head for the first time in some time.

Today's column, "Welcome Home, Ragtime!" is an unabashed valentine to that show which opened yesterday at the Neil Simon Theatre. It is abundantly clear that he is a huge fan of both this version and the original, and that he has great disdain for The Lion King, which he cleverly never names, but quotes and barbs at throughout the piece. I enjoyed The Lion King and was vastly disappointed in the original Ragtime, feeling that the Tonys it got were the ones it deserved and nothing more. (Oddly enough, the man I rarely agree with, Ben Brantley of the New York Times, described my feelings for the original production almost verbatim from my head, in his review of the revival.) But that is not where Mr. Filicia disagree - I can understand his points about the Disney show.

Toward the end of his article, he writes, "Ragtime will be one of the six of musicals that first lost the Best Musical Tony but eventually won the Best Musical Revival Tony. (Sweet Charity, Gypsy, Chicago, Into the Woods and Hair are the others.) I’d say it’s the revival of the century, but there are 91 years to go." While he is clever in incorporating a play on the lyrics of the opening number, I take exception to his declaration that it will win the Tony.

It may very well do just that. But we aren't even half way through the 2009-2010 season. True, if Ragtime's only competition were the only other musical revivals to open so far, the critically ravaged Bye Bye Birdie, and the well-reviewed but hardly spectacular Finian's Rainbow, it would probably be a no-brainer. But there are at least two more major revivals to open this season: the critically acclaimed London import A Little Night Music - never count out Trevor Nunn, Stephen Sondheim, Angela Lansbury or the Broadway debut of a major star (Catherine Zeta-Jones) separately, let alone together like this - and what could be the little engine that could of the season, Promises, Promises starring America's sweetheart, Kristin Chenoweth.

Now, I haven't seen Ragtime yet. And I'll be seeing Finian's Rainbow this week, so I 'll have a little more knowledge on the subject. And whether I love or hate it, and I will have my say about it, I still won't say anything more that what I've said before: "I wouldn't be surprised if X gets a Tony nomination from this." And it really isn't in Mr. Filicia's character to be so decisive and smug. Maybe he's right. Maybe not. But it hardly seems fair to declare the race for Revival Tony glory over before every show gets its day.

On the Radar: Wonderland

The other day, I blogged about Frank Wildhorn's new musical, Bonnie and Clyde, which began its first public viewing this past week. A second Wildhorn show, Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure begins previews early next month in Tampa, with another engagement in Houston after the first of the year. While I am not looking forward to this one as much as B & C, there are many reasons to keep this one "on the radar."

Alice in Wonderland, which seems to pop up regularly as a property "newly musicalized," is, at least here, taking the familiar and bringing it up to date, with an adult Alice returning to Wonderland to save her daughter from the evil Queen of Hearts. One thing that makes this an interesting choice for Mr. Wildhorn is that it doesn't seem ripe for the power ballads he so enjoys - maybe one or two; Alice worried, Alice having and epiphany, Alice and daughter reunited. On the other hand, it does seem like a vehicle for his more catchy side, so maybe there will be a cool "Facade"-like number or two.

This production also reunites him with much of his Civil War crew, namely Jack Murphy (lyrics) and Gregory Boyd (book and direction). I loved The Civil War, despite its brief stay on Broadway. Wonderland also features the choreography of Marguerite Derricks (Hot Feet). And a cast full of Broadway veterans and Broadway newcomers has also been assembled, which definitely speaks to both the potential quality of this try-out and to the seriousness with which we should take it. Cast members include: Janet Dacal (In the Heights), Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, Sunset Boulevard), Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde, A Chorus Line - tour) and Jose Llana (Spelling Bee, The King and I)


Finally, this property seems to be close to how the authors envision it, as a "concept" recording has already been made and will be for sale shortly. Many of Wildhorn's works have received such treatment, including Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Civil War. All had their definite pluses, but only The Civil War came close to what eventually made it to the stage, and The Scarlet Pimpernel to some extent. Jekyll and Hyde, the concept recording, in my opinion far exceeds what eventually came to pass, both in quality, interest, and orchestration.

The reason I'm not as excited about this project is likely more to do with personal taste than anything. Alice in Wonderland never appealed to me as a book, an animated film, a mini series or even as a theme for Broadway Bares. And yet, I've tried them all, searching for what makes it so appealing to everyone else. And should it come anywhere near home or New York, I'm sure I'll try it again.

Thoughts? Let me know by leaving a comment!

Jeff

Logos: Appropriately Inappropriate

You may have read my short blog on the steam heat being given off off-Broadway these days in The Understudy and Loaded. Both shows have done some pretty extensive ad campaigns for off-Broadway plays, and both seem to really know their target audience. Pictures and casting combine to make both shows clear as to content. The Understudy features an all-star cast shown in pictures that depict a theatrical setting. The chemistry between the three is evident even in the photographs, and from them (and the title, now confirmed) one can tell that evening will probably deal with actors and understudies literally. And of course, that show benefits from having actual production photos.

Loaded, on the other hand, has posed cast pictures in advance of production stills that also clearly show what the audience can expect: an older man and a younger man, both naked (at least from the chest up) have an intimate and not familial relationship, as evidenced by how they are holding each other. A clearly gay situation, aimed squarely at a gay audience, which also puts into question what exactly the title means. Is it a double, triple or quadruple entendre? Lest there be any confusion, however, the ad people came up with a logo/advertising art combination that clearly tells us to leave the kids and the sexually squeamish at home!

The logo, above, uses the "male" symbol as the "o" in Loaded, and takes it further by having two of the same paired. We know for sure this play has gay themes. But just how sexual might it be? Well, the background art, below, clears that up, for both gays and straights with any kind of sexual education. In the background we see a jock strapped, chiseled man with, um, a suggestion that he is endowed and another man, equally chiseled in boxers sitting at eye level with said jock strap. And the style of the art is that of those charcoal/pencil drawings found in all varieties of pornographic magazines, or, for the more scholarly, it resembles drawings found in the acclaimed volumes The Joy of Sex and its sister publication, The Joy of Gay Sex. One can assume, then from the pictures and the logo that this production will also have sexual themes, perhaps more forthright than generally performed onstage. But it is clever and "thinking man" enough to also suggest that while it might be graphic in tone, it will still be tasteful and provocative. And don't miss the tag line...

I believe that is the intent, for sure, of all involved, but then I saw the animated logo ad in the sidebar of a theatre website that has the "o" in motion. First one symbol fades in, then the other. Both wiggle a bit and the second symbol rather blatantly penetrates the rear end of the first. I literally LOLed. Let there be no question about it. Loaded will be hot, provoking and has what appears to be a sense of humor.

For the audience they are after, I think the producers got more than their money's worth for advertising.

What do you think? Have you/are you going to see the show? Let us know!

Jeff

Bits and Pieces for 11.13.09

Watch out for black cats and walking under ladders! It is Friday the 13th! Short column this week...



What You Might Have Missed This Week:

• The November Poll is up and running. To your right... vote!
• Glee Makes a Point with "Defying Gravity"
• Off-Broadway Heats Up with 2 New Plays
• Bonnie and Clyde is On the Radar
• The Colors of Broadway
• Sports on Broadway
• And check out the "Blog Archive", too!
  

Another Op'ning, Another Show

Today, Friday the 13th, Irving Berlin's White Christmas opens at the Marquis Theatre. I guess since they already know they have hit on their hands, why be superstitious?

Lots of other shows have opened on the 13th of the month. Going back 15 years to 1994, 5 other musicals opened on the 13th - 3 of them in November: Billy Elliot (2008), Taboo (2003), and The Lion King (1997), and 2 in April: A Year with Frog and Toad (2003) and The Wild Party (2000). The most noteworthy play that I could find that opened on the 13th was The Little Dog Laughed (2006), and that was in November, too! 3 years flies by, huh?

Coming up one month from today: A Little Night Music opens Sunday, December 13. Let's hope that show has the luck of Billy Elliot and The Lion King.




Smoking Allowed

Caught this in an article from The Washington Post after googling Cate Blanchett in A Streetcar Named Desire. Seems that the actors on stage are all smoking real tobacco cigarettes, even though the Kennedy Center has a strict no smoking policy. Apparently, the rule does not apply to theatrical productions where the characters smoking is historically or thematically accurate. Even more interesting is that what the actors smoke is up to them, and this cast chose the real thing over herbal smokes. I bet the front rows love this!

Out with the Old...

I try not to be negative, but I take the departure of director Francesca Zambello from "Broadway-aimed" The First Wives Club as a good thing. Positive, if you will. While I am certain she has earned the critical praise she has gotten for her work in the international opera scene, she made a mess of Disney's The Little Mermaid, which closed after 2 years, good for most musicals, but not so much for Disney. I found that production absolutely boring to watch, and uncreative in getting the "under the sea" movement feel. I mean wheelies are great if you are a sand dweller, but fish and mermaids swim on all planes in the ocean, right? Someone should have taken her to see Finding Nemo: The Musical, a full-out Broadway show playing several times A DAY at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Her departure sounds like it could be their loss and, ultimately, their gain. And I'm super glad to see that another Rupert Holmes show might make it to Broadway, after all.

Extension Fever

Some good news on the theatre front: two shows announcing that they have been extended! And it couldn't happen to nicer, cooler people than Julie White, Justin Kirk, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Carrie Fisher. Both The Understudy and Wishful Drinking were extended two weeks to January 17th

Have a great weekend! And please send in your comments! I love hearing from you and posting your thoughts - even when we don't agree! Jeff

(Photo from The Washington Post On Line)

On the Radar: Bonnie and Clyde

Occasionally, I'll be blogging about shows that are just getting started, their Broadway sights set, but the future uncertain.

First up is a new show by none other than Frank Wildhorn (The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War, Jekyll and Hyde), who is prolific if not as frequently produced as he once was. I guess Dracula and a divorce will cool down even the hottest of writers. Broadway and this writer have had a love-hate relationship with the guy. Broadway snobbery holds that he is too "poppy", too "commercial." I have no problem with either if the entertainment value is there. I mean I saw Pimpernel at least four times, and I loved (truly, I did) the moving, soaring The Civil War. Oddly enough, I really disliked the Broadway version of Jekyll and Hyde, much preferring the original concept album to the final version. That said, "Facade" remains one of my absolute favorite Broadway tunes ever. Man, is that catchy!

Well, the man with a thousand shows up his sleeve (will Havana ever come to life?) has not one, but two shows going up this month and next, both with reported "Broadway-aimed" status. And considering the talent rallying around each, I wouldn't be surprised to see one or both on the Main Stem in the next year or two.

Bonnie and Clyde began previews Tuesday, with an opening on the 22nd, and running through December 20 at The LaJolla Playhouse. This one intrigues me because I tend to gravitate toward the darker shows and usually find them more perplexing and satisfying than a fluffier piece. Not based on the film, but on real-life accounts, the show chronicles the affair and doom of one of America's most famous criminal couples, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. I think this line from the press release says it all: "This seductive and cinematic new musical examines how a troubled Texas teen and a love-sick waitress became America's most infamous couple, with a thrilling new score that combines rockabilly, blues and gospel music." The words "seductive," "cinematic," "troubled," "love-sick," "infamous," and "thrilling" set off all the goosebumps my theatre loving skin can take! It is an Assassins flashback, I tell you!

I am also excited by the lead casting - the dashing, and younger-looking as every year passes Stark Sands (Journey's End) and the definitely proving she's no reality show flash in the pan Laura Osnes (Grease!, South Pacific). You can sometimes tell a lot about a show from its publicity shots. Look at these! See what I mean about Mr. Sands? Look at the chemistry! What comes to mind here? Seductive, cinematic, troubled, love-sick, infamous and thrilling!

Then there is the creative team: Wildhorn's music, Tony winner (Sunset Boulevard) Don Black's lyrics, Ivan Menchell's book - he of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame, and Jeff Calhoun's direction and choreography - he of Deaf West's Big River and Tommy Tune's Grease! fame.

This is one show I am definitely going to keep an eye on!

Jeff

(Photos of Bonnie and Clyde by Craig Schwartz.)

Coming soon: the other Wildhorn show opening soon, Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure.

Defying Convention: Glee Makes a Point

Like just about every theatre buff I know, I, too, am addicted to Glee. I was so happy that a new episode came on tonight!

(THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD, SO IF YOU MISSED THE NOVEMBER 11 EPISODE, "WHEELS," YOU MAY WANT TO STOP HERE.)

Like most shows of quality, Glee and its writers manage to entertain us while engaging our minds and accessing our hearts. Tonight's episode, not without its share of controversy from the handicapped sector, was all about acceptance of difference, amongst other things. Be it accepting a Downs Syndrome child into an elite cheerleading squad, or learning that by living a day in someone else's shoes, we can better understand the barriers others live with on a daily basis. Or perhaps, it is realizing that accepting one's child unconditionally comes with its own share of extra problems, and realizing that parental acceptance has its own set of problems, too.

Regardless of how you personally feel about any of that - and I'm pretty sure I've only scratched the surface of what tonight's show was really about - Glee did what Glee does best, ultimately: it puts life's lessons in the context of the songs they perform. Well, I'm pretty sure you have heard that in the spirit of true diversity acceptance, Kurt (Chris Colfer) was allowed to audition for the lead vocal on "Defying Gravity," from Wicked, in a "diva-off" against Rachel (Lea Michele). No matter how that turned out, a serious point was made. Songs written for women or men can still have meaning for the opposite sex. I think that song choice was perfect for the show (everyone in the country has at least heard of Wicked, if not that song) and for the point it was making (that it is ok, important, in fact to challenge convention and become a better person for it).

Now, understand, I am all for non-traditional casting where it makes sense to the history of the piece, and/or where the message of the piece isn't hurt by changing the casting requirements as set by the playwright. Does an all-white The Wiz even make sense? Or does it matter? I'd say the latter. I've even seen a version of the show that was wonderfully cast with a mix of races, go figure. But would Hairspray even make sense if Tracey Turnbladt was African-American? No. But in a cabaret act, I'd love to see what Audra McDonald could do with "I Can Hear the Bells!"

In the case of Wicked, I firmly believe that the songs that progress the themes of the piece - primarily "Defying Gravity" and "For Good" - are universal enough, that out of context it doesn't matter who sings them. But staging and story-wise, I think most people might take issue with male Elphabas and Glindas. My boyfriend sang "For Good" to me on our anniversary, and I bawled like a baby. The meaning and our private context maybe even added to the song. But I'm not sure I want to see Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp dueling each other in "What is This Feeling?" in the actual show! And what about those charity cabaret shows they do where Broadway stars of one sex sing songs traditionally sung by the opposite sex? Broadway Backwards has been doing that for some time now!

Finally, back to Glee. I wonder if it was done just to make it easier to understand for the audience at large why Kurt lost the "diva-off." I mean they rearrange every song for group dynamics, anyway. Didn't anyone think that they could have rearranged the song in a lower key?

What do you think? Send your comments!

Jeff

Broadway: Sports Center?

The impetus for today's blog is really two things: I was reacquainting myself with the OBCR of Promises, Promises, which is soon to be revived, and later, I was watching Dancing with the Stars, which, tonight, included a send up of ESPN's Sports Center. While the powers that be continue to haggle over whether ballroom dancing should be considered an Olympic sport - it looks athletic to me, especially considering that figure skating and ice dancing in particular ARE Olympic sports. Anyway... Promises, Promises features the great number, "She Likes Basketball!" and that's what got me thinking...

I started to think about which Broadway plays and musicals feature a sport. Now, mind you, the level at which they are portrayed varies, and I am including recreational sport as well. And I am NOT including movie musicals - though Grease 2 does have a spiffy bowling sequence...

Aerobics: The Goodbye Girl; Legally Blonde: The Musical; Carrie: The Musical

Archery: Shogun: The Musical

Baseball: Damn Yankees (of course); Falsettos; Take Me Out

Basketball: Promises, Promises; Disney's High School Musical (the stage version); A Chorus Line

Boxing: Billy Elliot: The Musical

Bull Riding (Mechanical): Urban Cowboy: The Musical

Cheerleading: Grease

Cricket: Blood Brothers

Dodge Ball: Hairspray

Double Dutch: Memphis: The Musical

Fencing: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Fishing: Mamma Mia!

Football: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; the new Vince Lombardi play

Ice Skating: Meet Me in St. Louis

Lawn Games (Bowling and Croquet): Me and My Girl

Pouncing: The Lion King

Roller Skating: The Rink; Xanadu

Scuba Diving/Snorkeling: Mamma Mia!

Shooting: Annie Get Your Gun

Soccer: The Beautiful Game aka The Boys in the Photograph
Surfing: Good Vibrations

Swimming: Sunset Boulevard (LOL)

Tennis: Doubles; Deuce

Track and Field: Grease

Can you think of others? Send 'em in! Jeff