The Giants have won the Super Bowl!!!!!! That was one hell of a game, I gotta say. I got so into it, my blood pressure skyrocketed and I went buck wild after that last touchdown. Think Mary Louise Wilson’s acceptance speech times ten. And with more explicitly jubilant language.
Anyway… this was a 20 question survey posted on All That Chat for those who wouldn’t be watching the game tonight. Well, since I missed the boat as I was glued to the game, I thought I’d fill it in here and now….
1. The first musical I ever saw on Broadway was Miss Saig0n (March, 15, 2000)
2. The musical I would most like to see would be the original production of any of my favorites: this includes Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Mame, Pacific Overtures, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, She Loves Me, High Spirits, Kismet, Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific, et al, et al, et al.
3. The musical I would most like to see again is The Light in the Piazza and/or Grey Gardens.
4. The musical I never want to see again is Cats.
5. The best performance in a Broadway musical by a woman I’ve ever seen is Victoria Clark in The Light in the Piazza (honorable mentions to Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald & Bernadette Peters).
6. The best performance in a Broadway musical by a man I’ve ever seen is Hugh Jackman in The Boy From Oz (what a star turn; what a shit show) and Carousel (wowowow, what a night). Honorable mention to David Hyde Pierce, who made Spamalot more enjoyable than it should have been.
7. The person I wish they never cast was Christine Baranski in Follies.
The person they should have cast was Angela Lansbury (yes I know she’s a bit old for the part, who cares?) or Patti LuPone or someone who could sing it on pitch at least.
8. My favorite Broadway choreography was in the show La Cage Aux Folles
9. The lyric/line that always brings a lump to my throat is – many of Sondheim’s great works “Children and Art,” “Finishing the Hat,” “Sunday,” “Move On,” “Send in the Clowns,” “Liaisons,” “Another Hundred People,” Not a Day Goes By” (I’ve just decided that I’m going to dedicate an entire post to my favorite Stephen Sondheim lyrics), some of Hammerstein’s, some of Guettel’s even, though I know people look down on him as a lyricist…. too many indeed…
10. The stupidest lyric/line I’ve ever heard is “I’m a priest and I cannot love her” – that’s the hook – the cleverly titled “I’m a Priest” from Notre Dame de Paris. There are others, but this one always stands out in my mind as it was just so god-awful.
11. The first musical I had to go back and see twice was The Light in the Piazza (I started my own trend).
12. The first musical I ever walked out of was – I have never walked out of a show.
13. The most under praised and overly deserving show in my opinion is; well it was technically a play with a lot of music, but it fits: Coram Boy.
14. The most overly praised and under deserving show in my opinion is, even though I enjoyed it, Spring Awakening.
15. The song show tune I’m most likely to sing while I’m dancing around at home is”Not on Your Nellie” Darling of the Day or “A Little Priest” (both parts)Sweeney Todd or whatever catches my ear at the moment.
16. If I could recast any role in a current Broadway musical with a performer of the past it would be Barbara Cook fifty years ago as Clara or thirty years ago as Margaret in The Light in the Piazza. Patricia Routledge in a London Piazza. Kaye Ballard, Susan Johnson or Dolores Gray as Carmen in Curtains.
17. If I could recast current actor in a Broadway musical that was before their time it would be Victoria Clark in Darling of the Day and Street Scene, Donna Murphy in Lady in the Dark. Audra McDonald in
18. The show they should never change a word of because it is already perfect is She Loves Me.
19. The show I’d most like to get my hands on and rewrite is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
20. The role I was born to play on Broadway is Georg in She Loves Me (I feel like he’s my musical alter ego) . Not realistically, probably Alice Challice in Darling of the Day (those songs sit right in my comfort zone, isn’t that sad?).
I would love to see what your answers would be…