Month: June 2009

Quote of the Day

“The Guild objects in the strongest possible terms to the exclusion of this award from the live broadcast. We have received assurances in the past that the Tony producers recognize that this is an important award and that they would reinstate it in the show that everybody sees.

“As writers we understand that the television show needs to be entertaining in order to attract and hold its audience. And the Guild recognizes that many of its members’ brother and sister artists, from designers to choreographers to orchestrators, will be similarly disadvantaged on Sunday night.

“Nevertheless, the theatre is always spoken of as ‘The Writer’s Medium,’ as was even said in last year’s broadcast. So it seems especially ironic that the awards show that purports to represent the theatre gives less recognition to writers than the motion picture industry’s Academy Awards.

“We strongly urge that the Best Book Award be put back where it belongs. Live, on the air.”

-Stephen Schwartz, composer, lyricist & President of the Dramatists Guild of America

Bravo, Stephen!

While we’re on the subject of omissions, I am incensed that for the second year in a row Best Revival of a Play is being relegated to the webcast awards. Four different playwrights (living and dead) with unique voices and exemplary writing are present in a category stronger than Best Musical or Musical Revival. Perhaps the producer and not the playwright does receive this particular award, but it is an insult to drama and the legacies of these authors to push them aside so audiences can be treated to such innocuous fare as the national tours of Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia and the tribute to Jersey Boys.

Over the past few years, the awards ceremony has become a three hour commercial for Broadway. To celebrate achievement in live theatre, which is the most collaborative of the performing arts, it’s rather ironic that the telecast is selecting which awards are important enough to air in the national telecast. But get with it Tony Awards people because we’re on to you.

Kate Baldwin to Croon Lane & Harburg Favorites


The effersvescent Kate Baldwin will be heading into the recording studio today to start work on her very first solo album. Baldwin, who recently starred in the well-received Encores! revival of Finian’s Rainbow, will celebrate the music of Burton Lane and the lyrics of Yip Harburg, consisting of songs they wrote together and separately. A track list is pending, but hopes are high for an early fall release.

According to the article at Playbill, Baldwin will be collaborating with Jason Robert Brown, Sam Davis, Joel Fram, Joshua Rosenblum, Georgia Stitt and Joseph Thalken, all supplying arrangements. Rob Berman, musical director for Encores!, will serve in the same capacity on the record. Tommy Krasker will produce the album for PS Classics.

I never got around to talking about Finian’s last March, but there was one of those supreme moments of joy when Kate sang the first phrase of “How Are Things in Glocca Mora?” The vibrancy of her vocal tone is innervating, like the sudden warmth of a hearth on a cold winter’s evening. She found considerable depth and yearning in the familiar standard that I felt that I was hearing the song for the very first time. Playing opposite the legendary Jim Norton and the charismatic Cheyenne Jackson, she was the epitome of loveliness as Sharon, a role that the actress has found herself revisiting quite a bit in her career.

Baldwin been seen on Broadway in The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town, She’s amassed a great deal of regional credits, starring in Huntington’s She Loves Me, PaperMill’s Hello, Dolly! as Irene and Guys and Dolls as Sarah Brown, Katharine in the NJ Shakespeare’s Henry V, various engagements of White Christmas Off-Broadway, she performed in Bush is Bad, and has also sung from the Sondheim catalogue on several occasions, including Opening Doors at Carnegie Hall and at Wall to Wall Sondheim for the master’s 75th birthday.

Finian’s Rainbow starts previews this August at the St. James Theatre in the first Broadway revival of the musical in 49 years. For me, there is one reason and one reason alone for this production: to give this gracious and lovely leading lady the Broadway stardom for which she is so inevitably destined.

Quote of the Day

“This is boneheaded, outrageous, infuriating and insulting not just to everyone who has worked so hard on these productions, but to the entire theater community. It is another example of the systematic chipping away, for financial gain, of what the Tonys are supposed to be about. Plays make up something like 43 or 44 percent of the box office on Broadway — and they would make up even more if more people heard about them from the Tony Awards.”

“The Tonys should be produced by theater people. Mike Nichols should be the director. The show should be on PBS and everyone should get their award, and then we don’t have to give a f – – k about ratings.”

– Kevin Spacey on the decision to relegate the Best Revival of a Play Tony, among others, to pre-telecast in favor of performances from the national tours of Mamma Mia, Legally Blonde and various companies of Jersey Boys in today’s Michael Riedel.

Chita and the Rockettes

In 1986, following a performance of Jerry’s Girls, Chita Rivera was seriously injured in a car accident, breaking her leg in 12 places, requiring surgeries and extensive rehabilitation. Two years later, after a significant recovery, Chita was back onstage headlining an international tour of Can-Can, accompanied by the Rockettes and Ron Holgate. Here is a clip (note this particular stop is being performed in the round):

Summer Play Festival at the Public

The Summer Play Festival announced today that tickets are now on-sale for the annual theater festival. For the second year, SPF will be held at The Public Theater on Lafayette Street in New York City. The festival runs from Tuesday, July 7th – Sunday, August 2nd 2009.

The 2009 Festival will feature seven new plays and one new musical. The productions include:

The Chimes by Kevin Christopher Snipes, directed by Adam Immerwahr
Departure Lounge by Dougal Irivine, directed by Christopher Gattelli
The Happy Sad by Ken Urban, directed by Trip Cullman
Reborning by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Kip Fagan
The Sacrifices by Alena Smith, directed by Sam Gold
Tender by Nicki Bloom, directed by Daniella Topol
We Declare You A Terrorist by Tim J. Lord, directed by Niegel Smith
Whore by Rick Viede, directed by Stephen Brackett

Tickets are available at The Public Theater box office, 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, on Sunday and Monday from 1PM-6PM and Tuesday through Saturday from 1PM-7:30PM (212-967-7555). Tickets also are available for purchase online at the Summer Play Festival website. All tickets are $10.

Founded by Arielle Tepper Madover (producer of such shows as Broadway’s Mary Stuart, Frost Nixon, Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Pillowman, A Raisin in the Sun, and Freak), the non-profit organization The Living Room for Artists, Inc provides emerging writers, directors, designers and producers an opportunity to work on their craft in a protected environment, guided by established professionals at no cost to them.

Music & Theatre Events @ Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center

Barnes & Noble/Lincoln Triangle June Calendar of Events Related to Music and Theater
Barnes & Noble/Lincoln Triangle
1972 Broadway @ 66th St

All events are free and open to the public. For large events, we give seating priority to those who have purchased the promoted book or CD.

Tuesday, June 2 at 5:00 pm
Live at Lincoln: The Story of My Life
Performance/Signing
Broadway stars Will Chase and Malcolm Gets share highlights from this unique musical about friendship, literature and imagination.

Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Jill O’Hara
Performance/Signing
Come and be Alone Together with Jill O’Hara, the original Broadway star of Promises, Promises who returns with a brand new CD of great standards.

Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30 pm
Lewis J. Stadlen
Reading/Signing
The veteran Broadway performer (Minnie’s Boys, Laughter on the 23rd Floor) comes to us with a wonderful new memoir, Acting Foolish.

Thursday, June 4 at 6:00 pm
The Sound of Broadway Music
Discussion/Signing
Theater historian Steven Suskin examines the role of orchestrators in Broadway musicals. Joining Steven are two of the greatest: Sid Ramin (Gypsy, West Side Story) and Jonathan Tunick (Follies, Titanic).

Saturday, June 6 at Noon
Reasons to Be Pretty
Performance/Discussion
Director Terry Kinney discusses and cast members perform a scene from this newly published and Tony-nominated show. (Adult subject matter and language)

Monday, June 8 at 6:00 pm
Cool Mondays: Joan Crowe
Performance/Signing
The wonderful, sassy, and very funny jazz vocalist offers up a unique collection of songs In the Key of Comedy.

Monday, June 8 at 7:30 pm
Ute Lemper
Performance/Signing
The internationally renowned singer takes us on a new journey with a collection of songs she wrote herself in her new album, Between Yesterday and Tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 9 at 5:30 pm
Lynda Carter
Performance/Signing
The television icon has created a whole new identity for herself as a wonderful singer, and now she is coming to perform at B&N at last.

Wednesday, June 10 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Chester Gregory
Performance Signing
The musical theater performer (Tarzan, Shrek) takes us on a personal journey as he goes In Search of High Love.

Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30 pm
Lieber & Stoeller
Discussion/Signing
The legendary song writing team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, along with their co-author David Ritz, celebrates the release of their autobiography, Hound Dog.

Thursday, June 11 at 4:30 pm
Live at Lincoln: West Side Story
Performance/Signing
The cast of the thrilling new Broadway production performs songs from the show and sign copies of the newly released cast recording.

Monday, June 15 at 6:00 pm
Cool Mondays: Carol Fredette
Performance/Signing
Everything in Time is the title of this delightful jazz singer’s newest CD, and happily it is time for her to offer some highlights to our customers.

Wednesday, June 17 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Simavi
Performance/Signing
Our guest first fell in love with American music in his native Turkey, and now offers his own take on the songs of Sinatra, Bennett and others on his album, Memories of You.

Thursday, June 18 at 6:00 pm
Stonewall + 40: The Writers
Performance/Discussion/Signing
Perry Brass, Francine L. Trevens, Doric Wilson and other notable authors celebrate the best in gay literature over the past four decades.

Monday, June 22 at 6:00 pm
Irene Gomez
Performance/Signing
The lovely classical guitarist offers up selections from her beautiful CD, Imagenes/Images, romantic and fiery by turns.

Tuesday, June 23 at 6:00 pm
NY Philharmonic
Discussion/Performance
WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon hosts this monthly series featuring guest performers with the Philharmonic. Tonight’s guest: clarinetist Stanley Drucker.

Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Jeff Ide
Performance/Signing
The enchanting cabaret performer Jeff Ide offers up a personal selection of songs that reveal what is happening Within the Heart of Me.

Thursday, June 25 at 5:00 pm
Live at Lincoln: The Toxic Avenger Musical
Performance/Signing
Here’s the chance to catch highlights from this weird and wonderful new off-Broadway smash hit based on the cult sci-fi movie.