Quote of the Day, plus a Book Recommendation

“It hits me: Life should be like musicals: along with the sentimental ballads and the sadness hiding in the shadows, laughs, lots of laughs, and dancing always. I think I understand that now.

You can write the pain (God knows there’s enough of it), or you can let loose with the joy.

Why did I remember half this stuff? Because it’s a memoir, pal.

But it’s not. It’s a musical comedy.”

– Charles Strouse, from his memoir Put on a Happy Face

If you’re itching for something to read, I highly suggest Mr. Strouse’s memoir. I got it last night and finished it early this afternoon: it’s engaging, honest and always entertaining (and occasionally dishy). There are many other amusing anecdotes and quotes, but you have to read the book in order to get some of those (Arthur Laurents, how could you? oh wait… we remember).

You get his perspective on the many shows of his career, from his summer revues at Green Mansions all the way up to Marty (which according to a photo caption in the book recorded a cast album last year with John C. Reilly and Carolee Carmello) and The Night They Invaded Minsky’s (which will be mounted in LA at the Ahmanson in late 2009, with Bob Martin as the new librettist). Lots of colorful characters along the way. Mr. Strouse seems like a very congenial, approachable gentleman who has supplied us with several standards of the canon like Bye Bye Birdie and Annie, hits like Applause and Golden Boy, but also with several misfires, such as Rags, Annie 2, Bring Back Birdie, to name a few. I knew he and his frequent collaborator Lee Adams wrote the iconic “Those Were the Days” for All in the Family. What I didn’t know was that the presentation with Jean Stapleton and Carroll O’Connor was Strouse’s idea (stemming from a lack of budget and a nostalgic homage to his own parents). The only complaint? I wish the book were more in depth.

Florida Educator Terminated for Appearing in "The Full Monty"

Emil Steiner in the Washington Post blogs.

Is an educator responsible for the content of extra-curricular activities, (or pertaining to this incident: when appearing in a community theatre production of The Full Monty)?

Given the nature of the show, the nature of the production and the nature of the situation, I think that the school is overreacting. It’s not as if the students were forced to participate in the event; it just doesn’t seem fair. I hope someone finds this man a job – and soon.

It’s an honor and a joy…

I did four shows in one week. I think that could be a personal record. August on Tony Sunday. Gypsy first post-Tony. Then Friday evening I took in the Roundabout revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Sunday afternoon Curtains.

When I go to the theatre alone, it’s very much a gamble the sort of audience experience I will have. I was most fortunate that my mezzanine seat was traded in for a center orchestra spot. I had the most wonderful conversation with a very classy, middle-aged couple who love the theater immensely and go as often as they can, whether together or alone. We discussed everything about the current season, the Tonys, what we were most looking forward to the coming year. It was akin to our blogger brunches, deep common bond stemming from a genuine enjoyment of the live theatre experience. I greatly enjoyed my twenty minutes spent with this witty, urbane couple prior to the show. Plus the engaging 15 minutes intermission (I was asked if I wanted anything from the bar. God, I love manners).

Then the houselights dimmed and the curtain came up on Ms. Laura Linney looking resplendent in period costumes and a surprisingly drab set. (Roundabout, you gave Old Acquintance an applause worthy second act set, you had to skimp on an opulent period production?) Les Liaisons, which first played Broadway in 1987 with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan (that must have been some production) is adapted from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos by Christopher Hampton. My connection with the story goes back to an 18th century literature course I took in college. Truth be told, I didn’t care for it when I read it, studied it or when we watched the 1988 film adaptation of Hampton’s play Dangerous Liaisons with all its Oscar nominated glory and Glenn Close. This let to some trepidation from me upon spending the money to see the show, but I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to see Laura Linney onstage. That was the sole reason for going.

The current production is decidedly uneven. Clocking in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, it makes for a rather long evening. And though she proved fascinating to watch on stage and was giving 110%, Linney felt miscast as the Marquise de Merteuil. The reason to see it surprisingly enough turns out to be English actor Ben Daniels in his Broadway debut as Valmont. The word that springs to mind most to describe him onstage would be fearless. An engaging, witty and foppish presence, the play loses steam whenever he isn’t around. (The audience gasped en masse when he dropped his robe in the forced seduction scene). The scenes he has with Linney are the most interesting and compelling, everything else feels like waste. Mamie Gummer (aka Meryl Streep’s daughter) is making her Broadway debut as the virginal Cecile and Sian Philips has the choice supporting role of Madame de Rosemonde. Well, actually the entire supporting cast was underwhelming. I couldn’t help but think how interesting this story would be as a mere two-hander, akin to the style of the original novel. I was glad for the opportunity to see the two actors, but I still don’t like it.

Things were much more entertaining at Curtains. Now, for whatever reasons (financial or otherwise) I’d held off on seeing the Kander and Ebb musical, though my desire to see it was never in question from the first announcement of its out of town tryout. I saw the original cast of Spamalot the week before the Tonys, and I thought David Hyde Pierce was the most Tony worthy of the three stars, yet the only one overlooked for a nomination! His “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” was a colossal showstopper, and he proved himself a successful – if unlikely – musical comedy star.

Curtains isn’t a perfect musical comedy. There are incredible flaws, but I’m assuming that stems from the unfortunate fact that both bookwriter Peter Stone and lyricist Fred Ebb passed away while the musical was still in development. While John Kander continued the project, bringing Rupert Holmes on board to finish. The story is a murder mystery set at the Colonial Theatre during the out of town tryout of a 1959 musical. The leading lady, who is atrocious, is killed during her curtain call and everyone in the company is kept in the theatre while the affable Detective Cioffi, a big theatrephile alternately solves the crime and helps turn the show into a hit. There is a great deal of charm and heart to the show, which is probably why I admired it. The book’s structure could have used some work, especially the first twenty minutes or so. Also, there were issues to be had with some of the lyrics – mostly in the show-within-a-show’s songs. In particular, the big production number “Thataway,” the word “bitch” or the lyrics “what’s that stirring in my pants” are two lyrics that would never have been considered for a stage musical, especially in 1959 Boston (where things were too often banned for being too salacious). (It has to be Rupert Holmes contribution as Kander and Ebb would have been aware of what would fly and what wouldn’t).

David Hyde Pierce provided the lone upset at the 2007 Tony awards with his win over Raul Esparza (much to the chagrin of many Company enthusiasts). Truth be told, I enjoy a good upset, so it made me almost hit the floor when Bernadette Peters shouted out his name as the winner. You could also tell that he was just equally shocked through his extraordinarily gracious and humble acceptance. His performance was stellar; a musical comedy turn that was funny, offbeat and surprisingly touching. Plus, he had one of the most convincing Boston accents I’ve ever heard. Karen Ziemba was everything I wanted her to be and more – a winning performer giving her all. And at 50, she shows no signs of slowing down or aging. Seriously, the woman looks like she’s in her late 30s, early 40s. And dances like she’s 20. “Thataway” stopped the show. Debra Monk was out, but Patty Goble was on, giving a strong performance as the ballsy producer Carmen Bernstein, reminiscent of a broad Andrea Martin. Jason Danieley’s tenor soared on the lovely “I Miss the Music.” Noah Racey and Megan Sikora were superlative dancers. Edward Hibbert got the best lines and the most laughs from his wry lines as the flamboyantly acerbic British director. Erin Davie has yet to shirk off her Little Edie-isms, and that distracted from her performance. I think out of the score, the only song that felt like a total dud was “The Woman’s Dead.” It wasn’t funny, it didn’t work and only provided amusement in conductor David Loud’s reprise “The Man is Dead” at the top of the second act. Aside from that, “Show People,” “Music,” “It’s a Business” – it was a tuneful musical comedy score. I haven’t been able to get the infectious melody for “Thataway” out of my head.

The production was solid. Great orchestrations, clever choreography and good staging. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Destry Rides Again when looking at the scenes from Robbin’ Hood. (A western musical on Broadway in 1959, yeah, it was bound to happen). It felt like I was watching a Golden Age show. Not necessarily one of the top-tier, but a solid B musical. For a contemporary musical comedy it was especially wonderful in that it wasn’t overtly tongue in cheek or self-referential, which has become the norm these days. It wasn’t perfect, I readily admit that. But if it provides a genuine, grin-inducing, feel-good experience, who cares? After leaving the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (last time I was there it was the Martin Beck), I couldn’t help but be pleased that in a few years this show will reach the high school realm. For educational theatre, particularly on the high school level, it will provide a great male lead for those unlikely to be considered for similar roles in classic titles. The show closes this coming Sunday, so hurry if you can.

While I didn’t make any acquaintances at the Hirschfeld, on the train ride home, I encountered an elderly couple that had attended Chicago. The cue was “I hear Gypsy is excellent.” Of course I had to corroborate their source. It led to an engaging conversation that lasted for the entire train ride. Again, the common bond was the love of the theatre. The husband recalled his first Broadway experience, which was the original production of The Diary of Anne Frank with Joseph Schildkraut. The wife immediately one-upped him by recounting her experience seeing The King and I with Gertrude Lawrence. She even went on to tell how the night she went, the Queen of the Netherlands was in attendance, making it all the more special for her. When I mentioned that I wished I was there, she told me ‘You’re young. When you’re older, you’ll hear the same thing from the younger generations when you tell them you’re story. It evolves like that and that is part of what makes it so special.”

And I think with those sage words, I bid you a good night!

My Fair Kelli

This weekend’s issue of Parade magazine features an article by Kevin Sessums about the darling of the NY stage, Ms. Kelli O’Hara. It’s becoming quite clear that O’Hara is on her way to musical theatre stardom with her Tony nominated turns in The Light in the Piazza, The Pajama Game, and currently the smash-hit Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific. Well, aside from being delightful, charming and gracious, the actress discusses future prospects, such as her desire to be a mother and well, let me just quote the article here:

“But the buzz is that producers are competing to put together a full-fledged production of My Fair Lady centered around her recreating yet another iconic role: Eliza Doolittle.”

Out of many of the classic musical theatre roles, I feel that Eliza is the pitch-perfect role for this versatile singing actress. She already played the part last year to considerable acclaim in concert with the NY Philharmonic, and would be most ideal in a full-scale revival – moreso than other current soprano on the boards. I would go so far as to think that this could be the show that potentially nets her the coveted Tony award she so richly deserves. (Her Tony experience is starting to remind me of Kate Winslet at the Oscars – stellar performance, but just not her year).
The last time My Fair Lady, one of the sturdiest pillars of the Golden Age canon, was revived on Broadway was fifteen years ago in a Weissler-produced production at the Virginia (now August Wilson) that starred Richard Chamberlain and Melissa Errico and closed after 165 performances.

I feel that the musical should be given its due – the 50th anniversary came and went without much fanfare and from what I understand, NY producers are wary of the Cameron Mackintosh production due to its incredible size and expense. Frankly, I would prefer that the show be given the respect it deserves, with a full-scale revival utlitizing the original orchestrations by my friend and yours, Robert Russell Bennett. (Which our friends at Lincoln Center could do…) Also, I don’t like when people feel the need to tamper with the book. Take for instance the recent Mackintosh revival that played in London for two years and on tour in the US. The original climax of act one is when Higgins unexpectedly dances Eliza into the arms of Zoltan Karpathy, the ultimate gamble, as Karpathy’s expertise will prove whether or not Higgins and Pickering succeeded. (Case in point, your act finale leaves the audience hanging as to what will happen in order to bring them back for the second half). It is not when she leaves for the ball – in fact, it’s rather anticlimactic to have her go to the ball, break for interval, then come back for a ball scene. It would make more sense just to cut the “Embassy Waltz” than bastardize Lerner’s near-perfect libretto. And in my Dismounting the soap-box…

Now kids, who would you like to see in a revival opposite O’Hara? We’ve got a Higgins, Pickering, Freddy, Mrs. Pearce and Mrs. Higgins to fill. Aaaaaand go…

Hodge Podge

It was announced today that joining Stockard Channing and Christian Hoff in the Roundabout revival of Pal Joey would be none other than that songbird of the stage Martha Plimpton. Wait. Martha Plimpton? Martha “I Hate Mouth” Plimpton from The Goonies is going to be in a musical? I’m not thinking that it won’t be interesting – I just renewed my Roundabout subscription (with a free upgrade to center row A mezz seats) for the coming year, but you gotta admit, it’s a tad bit surprising. However, I think Plimpton will provide an amusing interpretation of Gladys Bumps. What worries me more is that Richard Greenberg has revised the libretto, changing characters and through-lines, and reassigning songs. For instance, Plimpton’s Gladys is going to be delivering “Zip,” the cameo show-stopper for the wise-cracking Melba that Elaine Stritch revisited in At Liberty. However, I’m thinking the script revisal is more of an excuse for Roundabout to commission the inevitable “new” orchestration that will feature a piano, a violin and a kazoo.

Cry-Baby was the first Tony casualty. The show ends its brief run at the Marquis Theatre this Sunday, June 22 after 45 previews and 68 performances. After seeing the lifeless production number with the license plates, I’m not surprised…

Well, it seems that Delta Burke’s – or rather – Faith Prince’s (oops! my bad) pitch-wary performance on the Tony awards didn’t help A Catered Affair’s advance. The show, in spite of its addition of a Thursday matinee for the middle-aged female crowd who has reportedly taken to the piece, will end its run at the Walter Kerr on July 27 after 27 previews and 117 performances. My first thought is, “Wow, Matt Cavenaugh is going to experience some major deja vu.” (As Grey Gardens closed the same weekend at the same theatre last year). That’s gotta be a weird experience for an actor, you know?

There will never be a dancer who epitomized beauty, elegance and poetry in motion like Cyd Charisse. When the world lost her this week at the age of 86, another glorious legend was lost to all but our cinematic conscious. Do yourself a favor – watch The Band Wagon or It’s Always Fair Weather or Silk Stockings or rewatch Singin’ in the Rain for her cameo in the “Broadway Melody” sequence. She was one of a kind – and when she dances, it’s ethereal. If it’s got Cyd, it’s got class. Charisse realized her dream of appearing on Broadway in the early 90s when she assumed the role of Elizaveta Grushinskaya, the aging ballerina in Grand Hotel. She is survived by her husband Tony Martin – yes the MGM musical star, to whom she was married for sixty years. He is currently 95 and still performing. She is also survived by her two sons and her niece Zan, who is most noted for her turn as Louise opposite Angela Lansbury in her London and Broadway productions of Gypsy.

Quote of the Day

“In the 29 years since I won my last Tony [for Evita], I’ve worked with a lot of incredible people, and I wanted to thank all of them. I actually don’t even know where the old speeches are. I have to say, if I had lost this award, I would’ve been disappointed, but like with the others, I would have gotten over it. But with this part, because it’s so much better than any other part in a musical, if you lose the Tony, maybe you feel like you just didn’t do a good job or people don’t like you.”

– Patti LuPone to theatremania.com on winning Sunday night

"Flower Drum Song" – Original Cast

Wouldn’t it be nice to get a show that would showcase the musical theatre like this? Just think of it, a complete medley. Narrated by the late Miyoshi Umeki, the original cast traipses through several of the big numbers. More charm in this brief video clip than the entire bloated film adaptation or the 2002 revisal. Umeki is a delight, even her goof is charming. Ed Kenney and Juanita Hall sing “You Are Beautiful.” Pat Suzuki sings “I Enjoy Being a Girl. ” Arabella Hong delivers “Love, Look Away.” Suzuki and the very Asian Larry Blyden present the eleven o’clock number “Sunday” complete with Carol Haney’s original choreography. The entire dance break isn’t present on the Original Broadway Cast Recording, but is on the London recording, which is now out of print, but an interesting supplement for the additional dance material. Notice how the Fosse shoulders appear to have made their way into Rodgers & Hammerstein.

I’m currently reading the original novel by C.Y. Lee, which is fascinating. It’s a brisk, easy read. Quite fascinating to see how the creators adapted it for a stage musical. By the way, how awkward is Ed Sullivan with those twin girls?