TheatreScene: June 20 - 26

BE SURE TO VOTE IN THE POLL TO YOUR RIGHT!

 

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?  BECOME A "FOLLOWER"!

 

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED!

• June 20: Drawing Broadway: One Line at a Time
• June 21: Broadway Games: A Logic Puzzle
• June 22: Broadway Bares XXI: Masterpiece: Record-Setting Fun!
• June 23: Looking Forward to Summer
• June 24: LEGEND: Harold Prince
• June 25: The Post-Tony Drop Off

The answer to the Broadway Logic Puzzle appears at the end of this blog.

 

TOPS AND BOTTOMS (June 13 - 19):

• Top Gross: Wicked ($1.77M)
• Top Attendance: The Book of Mormon (102.6%)
• Bottom Gross: Born Yesterday ($203K)
• Bottom Attendance: Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (44.5%)
• $1M Club: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Wicked
• SRO Club: War Horse, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Anything Goes, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

 

NOW PREVIEWING ON BROADWAY:

• Master Class: Previews: June 14; Opening: July 7

 

CONDOLENCES:

• To the entire company of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying who lost a crew member just before the 8PM curtain on June 22.  The young man, just 29 years old went into cardiac arrest.  The circumstances of his death are still being investigated.  In what I am sure was a difficult and emotional speech, both Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette addressed the audience to explain why that performance would not go on.  It would have been the show's 100th Broadway performance.  The show continued the following evening, though without much celebration, I can only guess.
• To the family and friends of stage, TV and film actor Peter Falk.  Best known as TV's Columbo, he appeared on Broadway in three shows, Diary of a Scoundrel (his Broadway debut), Saint Joan, and Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue.  He was 83 years old when he passed away June 23.

 

COMINGS AND GOINGS:

Casting:

• Chris Sullivan of Lombardi fame began performances June 20 as Amos Hart in Chicago.
• Michael Park, currently in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Serial Drama for his role as Jack in As the World Turns.  His was the last Emmy to be won by that now defunct program.
• Oscar nominee Angela Bassett will join Samuel L. Jackson in The Mountaintop this fall on Broadway.
• Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan will be Bonnie and Clyde, respectively, when it opens on Broadway this fall.

• Marlo Thomas, Julie Kavner and Steve Guttenberg are among the initial cast members announced for Relatively Speaking.
• Patrick Mulvey will take over the role of Tony on July 15 over at Billy Elliot.  Will Chase leaves the show July 10.

• Christopher Seiber began performances on June 23 as Billy Flynn in Chicago.  He was to have joined the show last spring, but instead closed La Cage aux Folles with Harvey Fierstein.
• Charlotte d'Amboise began performances on June 24 as Roxie Hart in Chicago.

Shows:

• The Prince of Broadway, a new musical revue celebrating the works of theatre legend Harold Prince was announced for the fall of 2012, to be helmed by Prince and Susan Stroman.
• The hopefully Broadway-bound show Tales of the City got its third extension at A.C.T in California.
• Bonnie and Clyde will play the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre this fall, opening December 1.
• Lysistrata Jones is apparently shopping for a Broadway home this fall, looking at the Kerr and Broadhurst, officially, though it is rumored that the Golden is where it will set up shop.
• A trio of one act plays by Woody Allen, Elaine May and Ethan Coen will play Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre this fall.  The show is called Relatively Speaking.

Milestones:

June 20:

• Broadway Bares XXI: Masterpiece announced its record-breaking total of $1,103,072 raised for BCEFA!
• The American Theatre Wing will receive a $40,000 grant from the NEA, it was announced today. It will be used for programs that help emerging theatre artists.

June 22:

• Billy Elliot celebrated its 1.5 millionth patron today. Ms. Caty Dougherty of Philadelphia and seat Q13 was that patron.

June 23:

• Sister Act's show tonight was a Whoopi Goldberg-sponsored fundraiser for the re-election of President Obama. The President spoke after the show and met with cast and crew members.

June 25:

• The House of Blue Leaves closes tonight at the Walter Kerr Theatre, after 21 previews and 72 performances.
• Jersey Boys becomes the 26th longest-running Broadway show following its 8PM performance this evening. At 2,328 performances, it passes Abie's Irish Rose to claim that ranking.

June 26:

• Born Yesterday closes this afternoon at the Cort Theatre, after 28 previews and 73 performances.
• The Importance of Being Earnest closes this afternoon at the American Airlines Theatre, after 30 previews and 189 performances.
• Bebe Neuwirth played her final performance as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family. Brooke Shields assumes the role on June 28.
• Jersey Boys becomes the 25th longest-running Broadway show following its 3PM performance this afternoon. At 2,329 performances, it passes the original production of Man of La Mancha to claim that ranking.

THE ANSWERS TO THE BROADWAY LOGIC PUZZLE:

Stephen and Angela...

...took a taxi...

...to see War Horse...

...and then went to Junior's for cheesecake after the show.

• Stephen and Angela took a taxi to War Horse, and then went to Junior's for Cheesecake after the show.
• Oscar and Donna arrived at The Book of Mormon by rickshaw, and went to Splash for a BCEFA benefit after the show.
• Peter and Edie arrived at The Normal Heart by limo, and went to Times Square to people watch after the show.
• Richard and Charlie walked to Catch Me If You Can, then returned to the Marriott Marquis and went to sleep.
• Tom and Bebe took the subway to see Anything Goes, and went to Bowlmor Lanes after the show.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.302

The Post-Tonys Drop Off

Tomorrow marks two weeks since the Tony Awards, and the usual purging of theatres has begun as shows that are Tony-less limp off into history.  That is not to say that the picture is all bleak - the Tony winners seem to be doing OK, as is the first new show of the 2011 - 2012 season.

Naturally, there is always some post-Tony nominations drop off to get the ball rolling.  This year, it was limited to just one: Wonderland.  This was no surprise, really, considering the critical drubbing it got and the subsequent lack of audience interest.  It is a little surprising, though, that not one element of the show was deemed Tony nomination worthy.

This whole season has been full of limited-run plays and play revivals, and given that so many were/are star-driven vehicles, it looked like it would be a repeat of last season.  Then, a hue and cry went up from Broadway stage actors bemoaning the fact that these shows were doing the "grab it and go" thing, jacking up ticket prices so only the elite could attend, and loading them with TV and movie stars who get Tonys and leave, never to return, and having the show close before anyone could see it.  Yes, this season looked pretty much the same on paper.  But a funny thing happened on the way to repeat land.  The critical acclaim, if there was any, went largely ignored; the rest got uneven notices. 

But this year, the audience wasn't to be the fool.  No, this year audiences seemed to decide for themselves, ignoring the acclaim and letting their tastes (and limited pocket books, I'm sure) dictate which shows would stay or go.  (Ask the star-less but acclaimed shows Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and The Scottsboro Boys tell you all about that!)  I'll bet no one was more surprised than the producers of That Championship Season and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo that they weren't hot tickets.  Chock full of assumed box office gold in the likes of Robin Williams and Kiefer Sutherland, I'll bet they were all ready for Tony glory and pockets full of dough.  Instead, just one Tony nod between the two (for an unknown actor, mind you), and both shows have/will have finished their limited engagements with a whimper instead of a bang.  Add the much touted, audience ignored revival of Arcadia to the leave-on-time-but-who-even-noticed list.

So far, two limited runs have announced early closings, too.  Jim Belushi's debut vehicle, Born Yesterday, may have made a Broadway name for its female co-star, Nina Arianda, but it will be gone weeks early, closing tomorrow.  Tonight will be the closing performance of the three star (Ben Stiller, Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh) revival of The House of Blue Leaves, again closing weeks early.

Two shows that started as limited runs that got extended also announced closing this week: The Importance of Being Earnest and RAIN: The Beatles Experience on Broadway.  The former will cut its last extension by a week, while the former, which had been selling tickets into January, will now close September 4.  While neither got a Tony boost this season, neither could be called a flop by any definition, though.

The Motherfucker with the Hat went the conventional route, struggling, as most plays do, at the box office, despite a stellar cast, but becoming a sensation after a media blitz and several Tony nods.  The show would have closed today, but ticket demand was such that it extended through July 17.

And there are two other star vehicles we can deem a success, and even lament that they must close: John Leguizamo's one man show, Ghetto Klown , which twice extended, will end on July 9, and this year's Best Revival of a Play, The Normal Heart, will close as scheduled (so far, at least) on July 10.  To be fair, neither show was a hot ticket, playing to heavily discounted, decent attendance figures, but both shows, The Normal Heart especially, got box office bumps from the Tony telecast.  And it looks like plans are afoot for a tour and London engagement of the latter.

Things aren't much better over in London, either, with two high profile shoes announcing closings this week or so.  Love Never Dies will not be living up to its title or its predecessor, closing in August. You know what sucks about that?  The cast found out on the news like the rest of the public!  Priscilla Queen of the Desert went the more kind, gentle way, telling its cast that it will probably close at the end of the year, though no firm date has been chosen.  At least they can stay employed and look for future work, right?

Speaking of that show, it isn't doing boffo box office here, either, which is a shame, since it is probably the most fun show on Broadway at the moment, a feel good, heart-warming story, amazing spectacle and tunes they encourage you to sing and dance to.  You have to give them credit, though, for really trying - their ads are touting a Best Costumes Tony Award like it was a Best Musical win.  Good for them!

Of course, shows come and go, it is the Broadway circle of life.  Bonnie and Clyde and Follies wouldn't have homes, right?


Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.301

LEGEND: Harold Prince

This time next year, if all goes according to plan, we'll be looking forward to Prince of Broadway, a musical revue celebrating the hits (and maybe a few flops, too) of legendary producer/ director Harold Prince.  The 21 time Tony-winner is preparing to direct the revue with the help of no less than Susan Stroman (Prince collaborator on Show Boat) and Jason Robert Brown (Prince collaborator on Parade).

He has done it all his 60+ year career: assistant stage manager, stage manager, producer, director, and, briefly, even a performer!  Prince has worked with all of Broadway's best, including a legendary apprenticeship with the great George Abbott.  Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kander and Ebb, Bock and Harnick are all among his collaborators.  He has directed such Broadway acting legends as Angela Lansbury, Zero Mostel, Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera, Joel Grey, Ben Vereen, Michael Crawford, Liza Minelli, Barbara Cook, Glynnis Johns, Lem Cariou, Donna Murphy and Alexis Smith.  And though the revue will feature material from his musicals, Prince has also directed plays, most recently the short-lived, but critically acclaimed Hollywood Arms.

Even his flops have proven to be a part of the enduring American Theatre canon:  Merrily We Roll Along, Baker Street and Flora, the Red Menace among them.  But it is his hits that have changed the face of musical theatre: Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd and the longest-running musical in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera.

Below is a survey of his musicals.  A "hit" means either long-running and/or critically acclaimed.  ASM - Assistant Stage Manager; PSM - Production Stage Manager; PRO - Producer; DIR - Director; CON - Conception; ** - Prince, himself, a Tony-winner.

A Scene from Grind and the Playbill from Parade

FLOPS

• Debut - Tickets, Please  ASM
• A Family Affair - DIR
• Flora, the Red Menace - PRO
• "It's a Bird!... It's a Plane!...It's Superman!" - PRO, DIR
• Merrily We Roll Along - PRO, DIR
• A Doll's Life - PRO, DIR
• Grind - PRO, DIR
• Roza - DIR
• Candide (1997 Revival) - DIR
• Parade - DIR, CON
• LoveMusik - DIR

MODERATE SUCCESS

• Tenderloin - PRO
• She Loves Me - PRO, DIR
• Baker Street - DIR
• Zorba - PRO, DIR
• Pacific Overtures - PRO, DIR
• On the Twentieth Century - DIR
• Cabaret (1987 Revival) - DIR

Joel Grey in the 1987 revival of Cabaret;

Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in The Phantom of the Opera

HIT SHOW

• Call Me Madam - ASM
• Wonderful Town - PSM
• The Pajama Game - PRO **
• Damn Yankees - PRO **
• New Girl in Town - PRO
• West Side Story - PRO
• Fiorello! - PRO  **
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - PRO **
• Fiddler on the Roof - PRO ** + Special Tony
• Cabaret - PRO **, DIR **
• Company - PRO **, DIR **
• Follies - PRO, DIR **
• A Little Night Music - PRO **, DIR
• Candide (1974 Revival) - PRO, DIR ** +Special Tony
• Side by Side by Sondheim - PRO
• Sweeney Todd - DIR**
• Evita - DIR**
• The Phantom of the Opera - DIR **
• Kiss of the Spider Woman - DIR
• Show Boat (1994 Revival) - DIR **

Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence in

West Side Story

Show Boat and Sweeney Tood

No matter how you look at it - hits, flops, ground-breaking productions, working with the very best in Broadway history - Harold Prince is a legend.

(Source: Broadway Internet Database)
Comments? Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene, or Tweet me.@yahoo.com
Jeff
2.300

Looking Forward to Summer

Save for the occasional late August Broadway opening, summer is usually a dry spell in professional theatre.  This year, however, the period between June and August, is somewhat exciting.  Especially exciting is the potentially strong summer of openings off-Broadway.  Here are the shows I am looking forward to:

Lysistrata Jones at The Gym at Judson (off-Broadway)

Actually, I saw this hilarious musical already, and it closes tomorrow.  But I include it here to mark the start of the season, and because of its rumored Broadway transfer this fall.  Although I have my doubts about how it would play in a larger house (the Helen Hayes and the ideal Circle-in-the-Square are taken, and it seems they aren't looking at the Golden) I think this funny, smart show could tap into the same audience that embraced Xanadu.  of course, with a book by Douglas Carter Beane and direction/choreography by Dan Knechtges, it isn't much of a stretch. Still, given the basketball court setting, and having seen it on an actual basketball court, I can't help but wonder how it would translate to a traditional stage setting.  Good luck to all involved in whatever the future brings.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark at the Foxwoods Theatre

At long last, I will be seeing the final, official version of this property!  Having seen it in its infancy (preview five) and its adolescence (the first show after its last announced opening that did not happen) I can't wait to see its all grown-up, finished version.  I am particularly looking forward to seeing how much of Julie Taymor's vision remains.  The one thing I feel confident about is the principal cast, having thoroughly enjoyed and respected the work done by Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano, Patrick Page, T.V. Carpio and Matthew James Thomas, the Peter Parker/Spider-Man alternate.  We'll see about the score...

Death Takes a Holiday at the Laura Pels Theatre (off-Broadway)

What do you get when you cross a classic play (and several film versions of the same story), a musical theatre dream team, and a cast full of acclaimed theatre stars?  Women on the Verge Death Takes a Holiday the musical, that's what.  Peter Stone, Thomas Meehan, Maury Yeston (a who's who of musical writing) and Alexandra Socha, Jill Paice, Max von Essen are but 6 reasons to look forward to this show.  That, and a compelling story.

RENT at New World Stages, Stage 1 (off-Broadway)

I'm the first one to wonder if it has been too soon to bring this show back.  And having seen the unparalleled original cast, I doubt anything will come close the phenomenon of the 90's.  Still, with the promise of a new staging by Michael Greif, a smaller up close theatre, and a cast full of young actors on the cusp of career explosions, including one of my all-time favorite young actors, Adam Chanler-Berat as Mark, I am definitely interested.  Will this version spawn a new crop of Idinas, Daphnes, Tayes, Adams and Anthonys?  Will this Tony-winning Best Musical join the other Tony-winning Best Musical, Avenue Q, as a long-running off-Broadway hit?  Will the RENTheads embrace or shun this version?  Time will tell...

Follies at the Marquis Theatre

I've never seen a production of Follies, a hard thing for this Sondheim fan to admit.  Harder still is the admission that I don't really care for the score.  I'm told that I really need to see the show in order to appreciate both the score and the phenomenon that is Follies.  OK, Bernadette Peters and Jan Maxwell really up the ante, too.  And we all know about my need to see every new musical each season.  looks like I'll finally see what all the fuss is about.



What shows are you looking forward to this summer?  Let me know...
Leave your comment here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me.
Jeff
2.299

Broadway Bares 21: Masterpiece: Record-Setting Fun

WARNING!  SOME PICTURES ARE NOT WORK SAFE!

Congratulations to producer/creator Jerry Mitchell, director Josh Rhodes and everyone involved onstage and behind the scenes at Broadway Bares XXI: Masterpiece.  After pre-show fundraising, dozens of strip-a-thon pledge drives, and two sexy, action-packed performances, this artful event raised a record-setting $1,103,072 for the benefit of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  The event which combined burlesque, striptease and the world of fine painting and sculpture, beat last year's record by over $87K! 

Here are some pictures and videos of the event:

The Broadway Cares "Preview" Video



CELEBRITY HOSTS AND GUESTS:

Baby, It's Beth Leavel!

David Hyde Pierce enjoying the, um, art!

Patina's other "act"!

BCEFA Supporter and Tony-nominee Judith Light

with founder Jerry Mitchell and a MAC spokesman.

MAC donated $200,000.00!

The Normal Heart's Jim Parsons and

The Book of Mormon's Rory O'Malley

BACKSTAGE WITH THE DANCERS

AND NOW, THE ART!

American Gothic Comes to Life!



Washington Crossing the Delaware

Featuring Joshua Buscher as the Father of Our Country.

Oh, Daddy!

AND MORE MASTERPIECES!

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

The Last Supper

Photo by Chris Fore

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.298