The folks over at Avenue Q got wind of that Muppets music video turned viral sensation of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Not to be outdone, the gang at New World Stages (including Mrs. T!) have made their own music video using “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” This kinda makes me want to go back and visit the Q again. Enjoy.
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Quote of the Day: Ben Brantley on Jan Maxwell
Speaking of the “Royal Family,” I’m especially heartened that Jan Maxwell was nominated for best actress for her smart, delicate and eccentrically witty performance in that play, as well as for her supporting work in “Lend Me a Tenor.” Ms. Maxwell is one of the best and most undervalued actresses we now have in the New York Theater, and if this helps keep her in our line of vision, I’m all for it. And I hope she wears a really terrific dress to the Golden Globes – I mean, the Tonys. Psst, Ms. Maxwell, I know somebody who works at Chanel.
– Ben Brantley, in his Tony nominations round-up
The City Center Encores! 2010-2011 Season
Bells Are Ringing
Music: Jule Styne
Book & Lyrics: Betty Comden & Adolph Green
November 18-21, 2010
Lost in the Stars
Music: Kurt Weill
Book & Lyrics: Maxwell Anderson
February 3-6, 2011
Where’s Charley?
Music & Lyrics: Frank Loesser
Book: George Abbott
March 17-20, 2011
Tony Awards 2010 – And they’re off…
There are many things about this year’s award nominations with which I am pleased. There is love for the long closed Ragtime, Finian’s Rainbow and The Royal Family. The estimable Jan Maxwell is a double nominee for two superlative comic turns. Christiane Noll and Bobby Steggert, the heart and soul of Ragtime are in contention. It’s also nice to see that Jon Michael Hill’s supporting turn in Superior Donuts, the talk of Broadway this fall, was not overlooked. And of course, there is Lansbury’s 7th nomination as she sets her sights on a record sixth award (if she doesn’t get it, you can be assured that Julie Harris Harriet-Waltered her). But the one nomination that makes me truly smile is the one for the lovely, incandescent Kate Baldwin, who is next in the line of our great leading ladies. She’s also the first Tony nominee that I’ve known personally, so I am just thrilled for her – she is as lovely, gracious and exceptional as she seems. Team Kate!
Here is the full list of this year’s Tony nominees:
Lynn Redgrave (1943-2010)
Lynn Redgrave, esteemed actress and vivacious presence in film and theatre, has died after a seven year battle with cancer. She was 67. One of the many talents in the Redgrave acting dynasty, Lynn was the younger sister of Vanessa and Corin, aunt to Natasha and Joely Richardson, daughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.
Of her extensive film and television credits, she is probably best remembered for her Golden Globe winning, Oscar nominated star turn in Georgy Girl, as the well-educated, charming lower class working girl who finds herself facing love and parenthood (in very unusual circumstances). She also received a Golden Globe and Oscar nom for her performance in Gods and Monsters. While Georgy was tall, plump and awkward, Ms. Redgrave was lithe, gracious and striking, with piercing blue eyes and a warm disposition.
Redgrave made her Broadway debut in 1967 in the Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy/White Lies. She would receive Tony nominations for Mrs. Warren’s Profession, The Constant Wife and her solo tribute to her father Shakespeare for My Father. She won a Drama Desk Award for a 2003 off-Broadway production of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads.
Her most recent credit was Nightingale for MTC, a solo show she’d written as a tribute to her late mother. Her illness became a topic of conversation, as Redgrave revealed she was at stage IV and would be on script for her performance. The actress was very open about her cancer struggle, releasing the book Journal: A Mother and Daughter’s Recovery from Breast Cancer, in which the star – with her daughter, photographer Annabel Clark, documented her experiences with diagnosis, mastectomy and recovery.
She is survived by three children from her marriage to actor John Clark, as well as her sister Vanessa. Her brother Corin died less than a month ago, also a victim of cancer. Her niece Natasha was tragically killed over a year ago in skiing accident. The lights of Broadway will be dimmed in her honor on May 4. But for now – how I’ll always remember the delightful actress – here’s Georgy Girl:
The Times Square Bomb Scare
Last evening, at around 6:30PM, some dimwit parked a dark green Nissan Pathfinder on 45th Street between the Minskoff Theatre and Marriott Marquis Hotel early last evening in a failed attempt to detonate a crude car bomb. The identity of the individual, as well as his motive are at this time unknown.
It was at 6:34PM that one of the t-shirt vendors on that particular corner noticed there was smoke coming from the vehicle. He proceeded to tell one of the mounted officers in the vicinity. Officer Wayne Rattigan assessed the situation and took immediate action bringing in the FDNY and NYPD. In the backseat of this vehicle were suspicious items that turned out to include three propane tanks, two gasoline cans, consumer grade fireworks, two clocks with batteries, wire and what appeared to be an empty gun locker. The bomb squad was called in, and the robot was used to detonate the hood of the car and explore the interior contents.
It was a bit of chaos as the perpetually busy Times Square was forced to come to a halt due to the need for safety and security. Broadway shows were forced to hold their curtains while weighing whether or not they should cancel performances. People found themselves being removed from various restaurants in Times Square as police cordoned off the area between 44th & 46th Street, bringing the center of Manhattan into lock-down.
Because of the safety precautions there were folks unable to get back to their hotel rooms or make it to their shows on time. There were reports on twitter that certain shows, specifically The Lion King, which happens to be playing the Minskoff. It appears that all shows had a performance, though some took 30-45 minutes to get under way. Crowds started milling around the perimeter of the crime scene as tourists wondered when they could get back to their rooms, while the natives wanted to see what was up.
According to ATC poster “TheGuy,” who was at the Saturday evening performance of Lend Me a Tenor, once the show ended the police retained the entire audience until they could figure out a safe way to get the audience out. In the meantime, the police also questioned theatregoers to see if anyone might have seen something pre-show. He elaborated in his post: “The police then led us, single file, through a back exit of the Music Box that leads to an alley behind the Richard Rodgers and into their exit alley. We all then had to go west to 46th street, where there were police barricades not letting people in but, thank goodness, letting us out!”
As the evening progressed and shows let out, more and more people began to show up on the street, possibly from the coverage on the local newscast. According to Tom Llamas, who was reporting for NBC4 New York, that it seemed as though 90-95% of the people didn’t know what was going on. The police called for the perimeters to be expanded as the evening progressed, with a final block from 43rd to 48th Streets and 6th to 8th Avenue being blocked to all traffic. News sources started releasing unconfirmed information regarding the nature of the elements of the car.
Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly had been in Washington, DC where they were attending the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. According to the reports throughout the evening, it was learned that Bloomberg, Kelly and President Obama were regularly briefed on the incident throughout the evening. As soon as the President finished speaking, Bloomberg and Kelly immediately returned to NY where they continued to be briefed. At approximately 2:15AM, they spoke in a press conference with other city officials and Governor Patterson in attendance – a mere block from where the incident took place.
Bloomberg answered what questions he could, but stressed that they hadn’t a clue as to who did this and why. He recounted, in brief, what the Mayor’s office knew in regards to the facts at hand. He said that the device was amateurish, and that the explosive elements had been contained by the NYPD bomb squad. He also said that they were going to be letting folks back into the area soon. More tourists who had flown in had taken to sleeping in the streets. The south tower of the Marriott was evacuated, and those residents of the hotel were staying in one of the auditoriums.
Kudos to the wonderful men and women of the NYPD, FDNY, etc who did a brilliant job of evacuating everyone, securing the area and keeping citizens safe (even if they hadn’t a clue what was going on, or the gravity of the incident, as evidenced by a fleet of morons behind NBC’s Tom Llama during live coverage). Everyone from the street vendor right on up to the Mayor were on their A-game. It’s a miracle that not a single person was harmed throughout this whole ordeal. I know those displaced tourists are far from thrilled at the turn of events and the inconveniences. But it’s something they’re going to dine out on for years.
The Sunday matinee shows are expected to continue as scheduled, but if you have tickets you’d best check in to make sure everything will be going on as scheduled. It’s a stroke of incredible luck that this attack failed, and it just goes to show you that sometimes a hokey catchphrase like “If you see something, say something” can do the world a lot of good. If you might have any information regarding the bomb scare, you are encouraged to call 1.800.577.TIPS.
Thank God everyone is safe.
Orchestrators on Orchestrating
What exactly are orchestrations? The word gets bandied around quite a bit, particularly when discussing musical revivals. You have shows that re-orchestrate to accommodate revisals (like those of the late 90s), those that re-orchestrate for economy (the Menier Chocolate Factory imports) and then there are those which tout the full, original orchestra like Gypsy and West Side Story. The Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific has a pit of 30 that was cause for rejoicing all around; whereas the current A Little Night Music has a chamber orchestra of 9 which has proven divisive among musical theatre fans.
Many of my friends and fellow bloggers know that I am a stickler for orchestrations. For me, there is nothing more fulfilling than the sound of a full orchestra playing the hell out of Rodgers or Bernstein or Sondheim, et al. Perhaps I’m too much of an old soul to adapt to the thinner orchestras, or the result of years of musical education. Maybe a combination of both. But it’s my personal preference. I don’t mind a small orchestration if it fits the scope of a show, but I am loathe to reductions for cost-cutting “chamber” productions. If I’m shelling out my hard earned clams, I want the works, plus a cherry on top.
The following excerpts are printed in the foreword to The Sound of Broadway Music by Steven Suskin, the columnist, scholar and critic. Suskin’s new book is a substantial contribution for those curious to understand the function of the orchestrator vs. composer. I’ve only just begun reading it, and it’s going to be a bible of sorts for me over the next couple of months, as this is the first in a series of posts.
Robert Russell Bennett (Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, Show Boat, South Pacific):
“You are engaged to work with a composer and put his melodies into shape for a performance in the theatre. Your task is to be part of him – the part that is missing. He may be capable of doing the whole score himself or he may not know a G clef from a gargoyle. Your job is to bring in whatever he doesn’t, and make it feel like it belongs there.”
Ralph Burns (Darling of the Day, Funny Girl, No No Nanette – 1971, Sweet Charity):
“Orchestrators are like good, high-priced whores. You’re paid to make people look good. You may think of a better idea, but you try the best way that you can to do it their way and make them look good.”
Philip Lang (Annie, Carnival, Li’l Abner, Mame, My Fair Lady):
“Like the construction manager, you get the right instrumentation; you understand the limits of the artisan and the technology; and you build something that lasts.”
Hans Spialek (Anything Goes, The Boys from Syracuse, On Your Toes, Pal Joey):
“An artist, having an idea for a painting, draws first a sketch before putting the actual picture in all its contemplated color harmonies and combinations on canvas. Painting a musical picture follows the same procedure, with the exception that in musical theatre one man (the composer) furnishes the sketch from which another man (the arranger) paints the musical picture an audience actually hears. While the painter works either in oil, pastel or watercolors, the arranger uses the tone colors of the individual orchestra instruments.”
Don Walker (Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me, The Most Happy Fella, The Music Man):
“Orchestration is the clothing of a musical thought, whether original or not, in the colors of the musical instruments and/or voices. The Composer creates the basic themes of a composition. The Arrangers develops the basic themes into the desired form. The Orchestrator adjusts the arrangements to fit the size and composition of whatever orchestral combination has been selected.”
The Fantasticks 50th Anniversary Festivities
I don’t think anyone in 1960 would have remotely thought that The Fantasticks would become one of the most popular musicals in the world. The original off-Broadway production ran for 42 years; a run of 17,162 performances at the Sullivan Street Theater. By popular demand, a revival was mounted a mere four years later, one that is still running at the Jerry Orbach Theater (named in memory of the beloved star of the original cast) in the Snapple Arts Center on 50th Street & Broadway. The little musical that could is celebrating its fiftieth birthday in high style with a weekend-long golden celebration:
– Saturday, May 1 at 5PM: The Fantasticks will host a rare screening of the 1964 Hallmark Hall of Fame version of the show at The Snapple Theater Center. This obscure print, which hasn’t been released since 1964, features a cast including Bert Lahr, Ricardo Montalban, Susan Watson, Stanley Holloway and John Davidson. It will be screened complete with original commercials and will be introduced by film historian Phil Hall, author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies. Following the one-hour screening, there will be an audience Q&A with Fantasticks lyricist/librettist Tom Jones and one of the film’s stars, Susan Watson. Admission is free.
– Saturday, May 1 at 8PM: The Fantasticks will celebrate “The Sullivan Street Legacy”. At curtain call, a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of over 50 Fantasticks actors from the show’s original run on Sullivan Street from 1960 to the present will come on stage to sing a special song to commemorate the occasion.
– Sunday, May 2: The Fantasticks will be honored at the 25th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards at Terminal 5. Edward Watts, the show’s current El Gallo, will sing “Try To Remember” and a photo montage will recount the show’s amazing 50-year history. Tom Jones, the show’s co-composer, will present the final award of the evening, to the winner of Best Musical.
– Monday, May 3: The evening of the show’s actual 50th anniversary will bring together members of the theater community together to celebrate the milestone. All audience members at the historic 8PM performance will receive a complimentary commemorative program including a reproduction of the show’s opening night program from May 3, 1960. *A select number of remaining tickets for this performance only are currently on sale for the special anniversary price of $50 each. This offer is available by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862. It is not available via Ticketmaster.
"Collected Stories"
Yesterday afternoon I found that a good friend had written a short story inspired by something I had told her about myself. There are few parallels between the protagonist in the story and myself, but I was amazed that someone found something I did was interesting enough to spark her creativity. I read the story, and loved it. There are only a few threads that connects her protagonist and myself, but she has tapped into her imagination to create this poignant, wistful story. I don’t remember the last time I have felt so flattered or honored.
When something similar happens to Ruth Steiner in Donald Margulies’ two-hander Collected Stories, the NY based writer and professor doesn’t handle it quite nearly as well. The idea of artistic responsibility and ownership comes to the forefront of the debate between her and her former student/assistant turned fellow writer. Unfortunately, the potential remains woefully unfulfilled in a play which tries to be a literary All About Eve but winds up a rote, by the numbers dramatic exercise that is rarely compelling.
The play has its moments whenever Professor Steiner is holding court. She’s given the best zingers and one liners and is easily the audience favorite. After the play, I found myself having a spirited talk with friends and strangers alike outside the Samuel Friedman Theatre where Margulies’ 1997 play is having its Broadway premiere. The play follows six years in the lives of the teacher and student, as the latter becomes a noted literary figure and the surrogate mother-daughter relationship that forms between the two. I was amazed at the breadth of our conversation, as it was far a more interesting dissertation on the questions raised by the play than the play itself.
The relationship comes to a head when a wistful, and decidedly private anecdote Steiner tells Lisa about a relationship with poet/short story writer Delmore Schwartz becomes the source of inspiration for Lisa’s first novel. The mentor-pupil, mother-daughter dynamic is shattered, as the younger writer is accused of stealing Ruth’s story. Margulies makes an interesting case for both characters in the argument but might have made it stronger if the showdown wasn’t something that could be predicted in the middle of act one.
At the center of the play – its heart and soul – is a captivating turn from Linda Lavin, in the role originated by the indomitable Uta Hagen. Ms. Lavin’s Professor Steiner is the perfect embodiment of New York; she’s gruff, sardonic and likely to push you out of her way when walking down 7th Avenue. Ruth spends a great deal of the evening ruminating on her past and her literary position and is not one to suffer fools; there is very little that changes about her character, save for the subtle physical effects of an unnamed terminal illness. Lavin’s performance is fearless, funny and quite touching, particularly when she lets down her guard to Lisa and especially in the play’s final moments. It’s one of the acting highlights of an already impressive season of non musical performances and is poised for recognition from the various awards committees.
Sarah Paulson is the protege turned antagonist. Lisa’s the one with the arc, but in the way she’s written feels more like a stock character. The audience sees her transform from a gawky sycophant to sophisticate, but it’s like watching an automaton changing a dress. Paulson is barely able to turn Lisa into a credible human being. It was my first time seeing Paulson and I’d like to think that she, who is tauted as one of the more prominent New York theatre actors, has been better served by other plays and productions.
One of the main problems I had with the play is that the deck is stacked in Steiner’s favor. Had there been a more level playing field the characters’ conflict might have had more credence. When Lisa reads from her novel, it becomes evident to the audience that she is actually quite a horrible writer, while Ruth has already been established as a well-respected and well-regarded author. The play as is might be better served as a Lifetime or Hallmark movie than play.
The production is staged with great simplicity and clarity by Lynne Meadow, MTC’s artistic director supplemented by another winning set design from Santo Loquasto. But if you want to get into the debate over what accounts for artistic ownership you’d be better off skipping the play and just diving into a spirited talk. Then again, you’d be missing Linda Lavin giving one of the most memorable performances of the season.