Broadway Injuries

Broken bones on Broadway aren’t a new phenomenon. It’s not a pleasant thing by any means, but in live performance there is the potential for injuries and illness, one of the few unfortunate aspects of the experience. There are explicit union instructions and regulations in place to help protect actors. For instance, whenever stage combat is required – whether it’s blow by blow or a sword fight – actors are required to attend what is known as fight call. It takes place about an hour before the show and involves the actors in the scene reviewing the fight choreography in slow motion, then a second time in regular motion. When I was in college, there was a specific flight call before a dance event for a main dancer to test the harness which would be sending him soaring through the air as a part of the choreography.

It was revealed in Michael Riedel’s column on Friday that actor Kevin Aubin of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark broke both of his wrists at a recent event for ticket brokers and group sales representatives. The show’s technical display is among the most complicated and expensive in the history of live theatre. It makes for additional fodder in the press, which has had a field day because of the show’s troublesome gestation and expense. Everything about the show is under the microscope and The environment staging of the show, which required the gutting of the Foxwoods Theatre, has been promoted as one of the most dazzling technical displays of our time. Most shows in general involve a traditional proscenium staging. Director Julie Taymor and her team have created some eye-popping effects, with actors flying out from all areas of the theatre. Riedel takes his requisite glee at these troubles, but raises the legitimate question as to whether or not the safety of the audience has been taken into consideration as well.

While everything in plays and musicals is carefully planned and executed – particularly dances, stage combat and aerial maneuvers, sometimes things go wrong. There have been cases where actors have wandered too far downstage and fallen in the pit. When Lisa Kirk did it in 1947’s Allegro, she got up without missing a beat and received a big laugh. She almost lost her job recreating the moment at the next performance. At that same performance, one of the dancers from the show got his tap caught in the stage track, tearing the ligaments and tendons in his legs. He had to be carried into the wings screaming. When a dancer fell offstage in Anyone Can Whistle in 1964, the pit musician on whom he fell died. In Mary Martin’s autobiography, she talked about taking flight in Peter Pan and due to the rudimentary technology would find herself being flown into sets and walls. Barbara Cook decided not to come to Broadway in Carrie when the malfunctioning set almost decapitated her on opening night.

One of the great disappointments is arriving at the theatre to discover that the star will be out. Gwen Verdon, the Tony-winning above the title star of Redhead, was well aware of this. When she was forced to miss the August 1, 1959 performance due to a severe sprain, the star came to the theatre and made the understudy announcement herself: “I’m sorry for the accident, but at least this will give me my first chance to see the show. I hope you’ll stay and see it with me.” She then made her way to a seat on the aisle and sat with the audience for the evening. According to Peter Filichia’s cast album liner notes, “only a handful did.”

Most shows deal with injury on a regular basis, which is also why some of the bigger dance shows have the confetti of understudy inserts in the Playbills. Sprained ankles, tumbles and falls are a part of the dancer’s life, most vividly brought to life by the character Paul in A Chorus Line. There have been many occasions where stars have gone on in spite of their injury, the audience none the wiser. (Carol Channing once performed Hello, Dolly! on tour from a wheel chair following a foot injury). However, there are many instances where that’s just not possible. Karen Olivo was forced to withdraw early from West Side Story after breaking her ankle. Fela! was forced to cancel a performance last fall when there were too many injuries and the understudies weren’t ready to go on. More recently, an actor in the Donmar revival of Passion suffered an eye injury when a pistol containing blanks misfired during a performance.

The most recent incident that made major headlines involved actor Adrian Bailey while the veteran was appearing in The Little Mermaid. The Disney musical was choreographed on heelies and with an intricate design. While running through various scenes before the show, the actor fell through a trap door in the set which sent him falling forty feet to the stage. Mr. Bailey suffered two broken wrists, a broken foot, several broken ribs, a fractured sternum and also broke his back and a shattered pelvis. His medical injuries required extensive surgery and rehabilitation. A lawsuit against Disney was filed and is currently in litigation.

As for Spider-Man, this production is going to be unlike anything we’ve seen before. According to producer Michael Cohl, safety is a top priority. That said, from a physical element, everything that is done in the theatre will have to meet city and state regulations. While I know the intent is to wow the audience with its spectacle, I do hope they remember the safety of their actors, and in this case, the paying audience as well.

Recap: “The Sound of Music” on Oprah

For those who missed it, here is the The Sound of Music cast on Oprah. It was my first time watching a full episode of the talk show and was surprised by how galvanized the audience was, and by Ms. Winfrey’s bombastic energy. She is less a talk show host than a motivational speaker or preacher along the lines of Elmer Gantry. I can’t say that there was anything revelatory about this particular gathering. Most of the anecdotes and stories have been well chronicled in various interviews, books and documentaries. However, it was interesting to get more of rakish Christopher Plummer’s perspective, especially as he wasn’t the biggest fan of The Sound of Music. All in all, it’s great to see everyone together – and especially lovely seeing how the seven Von Trapp children have remained close friends – practically family – over the last 46 years

The way the show is set up and edited there are lots of video clips and montages throughout and just as the conversation gets started, Oprah cuts to a commercial and they move into another segment. I would have enjoyed seeing a segment with just the actors who played the children as they’ve led lives that are not as well known as the film’s stars. But the good news is they will be releasing a book of their experiences. It was good seeing everyone, but it felt rushed. (Oprah you can afford to do with a few less sponsors…). There were clips from Rosie O’Donnell as well as fans, talking about the impact of the film on their lives. The most moving was the story of the deaf woman whose first sound was The Sound of Music following a cochlear implant.

However, I didn’t agree with the advertising that proclaimed it a reunion of the entire cast. The guests featured on Oprah made up the film’s family Von Trapp, but there were still key players missing. Peggy Wood, Portia Nelson and Anna Lee have all passed away, but two other major cast members do survive: Eleanor Parker, who brilliantly played Baroness Elsa Schrader  and Daniel Truhitte, who played Rolf. Ideally, it would have been nice seeing them in the studio or a taped segment letting the audience know how they are doing. Ms. Parker is 88 and lives in Palm Springs, CA. Mr. Truhitte, from what I understand, lives and works in North Carolina. I’d be curious to know what their thoughts are on the film and its legacy.

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“Nine”: the Movie Musical

I’m a year late to the party, but I finally caught up with Rob Marshall‘s film adaptation of Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit‘s Nine. The stage musical, which opened under the wire in 1982 to win Best Musical over early favorite Dreamgirls, is loosely based on Fellini’s 8 1/2, which tells the story of an acclaimed Italian film director who retreats to a spa – and his memories and fantasies – when he hits a rut in his personal and professional lives. The Fellini film and the musical inspired by it are both unusual, abstract and ultimately compelling. It took years for Nine to get a big screen adaptation, something that was green lit when the movie musical came back into favor this past decade. Unfortunately, it’s one of the worst stage to screen adaptations I have ever seen.

Onstage, Nine opens itself up to theatrical invention and with the right director, such as Tommy Tune or David Leveaux, the concept musical works wonders. In both Broadway incarnations, the show has been a major success winning acclaim and awards. Both directors gave the musical its own personality which made it something different from the film upon which it was based. When it came to the film it seems that they picked people who hate the musical to write and direct it. Everything about the film, especially its marketing, attempts to turn Nine into 8 1/2: the Musical which it is not and cannot be.

It’s hard to care about music in a film when there is no reason for anyone to be singing about anything. The songs come out of nowhere, add nothing and do nothing for the show’s reputation. Some film critics were quick to dismiss the music, but I wonder if they realized how many great numbers were lost in the shuffle. Yeston’s full score is impressive, especially a 12 minute mini-opera that is the centerpiece of the second act. Too many important songs have been dropped; and the score’s second act is mostly gone. Maury Yeston wrote three news songs for the film, none of which are very good. The worst is Kate Hudson’s period shlockfest “Cinema Italiano” which becomes an unintentional spoof of the 1960s.

The musical’s master stroke was that there is only one man in the cast, the roles around him are all women, including his antagonists and his formidable film producer. Onstage Liliane LeFleur’s “Folies Bergere” came out of a desire to have Contini direct a musical for her. Whether it was Liliane Montevecchi wrapping herself in 30 foot boa or Chita Rivera lifting her leg onto Antonio Banderas’ shoulder in a tango, the number also showed that a woman of a certain age could be both powerful and sexy. But in the film, she’s a costume designer and confidante. Gone is the powerful, alluring businesswoman and in her stead is a dowdy side kick and shoulder support. The number has no place in the world of the film. Making Contini’s producer a man may seem more naturalistic, but it is a direct defiance of the musical.

In spite of the all-star cast, there is very little here for anyone to play. Marion Cotillard shines in spite of everything around her as Luisa, the director’s wife. Her “My Husband Makes Movies” is the film’s high point. The nadir comes in the misguided strip tease “Take It All” which inexplicably replaced the far superior dismissal “Be On Your Own.” Penelope Cruz received an Oscar nomination as the lover Carla, but the character as scripted is merely a shell of what she was in Kopit’s libretto. Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman and Fergie are reduced to glorified cameos. (For the record, Fergie offers a stunning “Be Italian” but is undone by flashy, distracting edits). The second act of the musical has been completely jettisoned for what seems to be all smoke and mirrors.

Nine hinges on the central performance of its Guido Contini. Though he’s one of our most brilliant film actors, Daniel Day-Lewis is terribly miscast. Even though Contini is selfish, immature and sleeping with half the town, he’s supposed to be at least someone likable. Casting Day-Lewis and making Guido ten years older only serves to further alienate the audience. His singing isn’t terrible, but he only sings “Guido’s Song” and “I Can’t Make This Movie” which makes him seem even more narcissistic and less sympathetic. Contini is supposed to be an immature 40 year old, with a playful charm that attracts these women even more than his talent or stardom. Day-Lewis has none of those qualities, sulking silently like a self-centered cold fish and most criminally lacks any spark of passion for film making or the women surrounding him.

The screenplay by Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella is just pitiful. The enjoyable libretto has been completely replaced by some of the most cliche-ridden, idiotic dialogue I’ve heard in years. Every movie or sex related line is rehashed here. The structure doesn’t allow any sort of organic flow from scene to scene. Transitions are awkward, abrupt. There is no attempt at any dramatic through line.

Marshall has created a dazzling series of images and scenes, but there is no link between them. There isn’t much plot to begin with – and I’m amazed it was even possible – but somehow he has made the film even more dramatically inert than the stage show. His musical numbers have the look of half-baked ideas leftover from Chicago. I realized a few minutes into the film that it was going nowhere pretty fast, but I made the conscious decision to watch it until its inexplicably ambiguous and unsatisfying end. There are homages to the original film throughout, which only proves his lack of originality. Fellini he ain’t…

Ultimately, Nine is all style and no substance. Even for a train wreck, it’s just plain boring. I can only hope the powers that be keep Rob Marshall far away from the rumored film adaptation of Follies.

DVR Reminder: “The Sound of Music” cast on Oprah

For the first time in my life, my father and I will be tuning into Oprah tomorrow afternoon. Why? To check out her hour-long reunion special for The Sound of Music. In honor of the show’s 45th anniversary there has been the theatrical reissue of the film and other events like this TV appearance which will culminate in the November 2 Blu-ray release of the film. A special 45th anniversary edition of the soundtrack will also be released.

There have been various reunions and retrospectives every five years or so, with requisite talk show appearances. Stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer will be joined by Charmian Carr (“Liesl”), Nicholas Hammond (“Friedrich”), Heather Menzies-Urich (“Louisa”), Duane Chase (“Kurt”), Angela Cartwright (“Brigitta”), Debbie Turner (“Marta”) and Kym Karath (“Gretl”). It marks the first time that all nine actors have been reunited since the film’s release in 1965. They will be talking about memories of the film and its impact on the world and their lives, among other anecdotes. (I have to admit, I’m  quite curious how Eleanor Parker is doing and what she thinks about the film’s iconic status).

The episode was originally scheduled for Friday, October 29, but that has since been changed to Thursday, October 28 (tomorrow). Be sure to check your local listings to find out when the episode will be airing.

Hat’s Off! Additional Kennedy Center “Follies” casting announced

Whenever a major production of Follies is announced, it immediately becomes an event. The casting news, the production team, the venue – everything about the show is manna for the most die hard Sondheim fanatics. When the show was announced for Encores! four years ago, I remember there were some who felt it wasn’t an appropriate choice for the venue, but that didn’t curb audience enthusiasm. The production sold out its entire weekend run, with such a demand that they added an extra performance. Talk about a Broadway transfer came about, but it wasn’t to be.

Now rumors of this 2011 Kennedy Center revival have been stirring for about a year now, with various names being tossed about as possible contenders for the wide range of available roles. Those same folks who busted down the doors to get into the City Center are now gearing up to take on DC next spring. Already, the production has been extended and will be running at the Eisenhower Theatre from May 7 – June 9, 2011.

The first name to be officially announced sent ripples of excitement through the theatre world: Bernadette Peters will be playing Sally. BroadwayWorld announced that joining her would be John Dossett as Ben, Danny Burstein as Buddy and Kim Cattrall as Phyllis. Casting for those two leading man roles is still yet to be made public, however, Cattrall will not be a part of the production. Instead, the formidable Jan Maxwell – who is one of the great theatre actresses of our time – will be playing the aloof Phyllis, who cuts loose in “The Story of Lucy and Jessie.”

Additional cast members include Elaine Paige, making her first stateside appearance in a musical since her acclaimed 2004 run in NYCO’s Sweeney Todd, will be Carlotta and will belt out the showstopper of showstoppers, “I’m Still Here.” Tony winner Linda Lavin takes on Hattie Walker and “Broadway Baby” in the montage. Terri White, who stopped the show nightly in the all-too-brief revival of Finian’s Rainbow last season, is Stella Deems and will lead the ladies in “Who’s That Woman?”

Susan Watson, one of the foremost ingenues of the 1960s, will be playing Emily Whitman. Watson made her Broadway debut fifty years ago as the teenage Kim McAfee in the original company of Bye Bye Birdie. She also appeared on Broadway in Carnival, Ben Franklin in Paris and No No Nanette. Florence Lacey, whose thrilling belt graced Broadway in Hello, Dolly! and The Grand Tour, will be Sandra Crane. Régine will be Solange La Fitte. Also joining the cast will be opera singer Rosalind Elias as Heidi, Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman and David Sabin as Dimitri Weissman. Additional casting is pending.

Eric Schaeffer is directing. Warren Carlyle will choreograph. James Moore (of my beloved Ragtime revival) will serve as musical director, conducting the Kennedy Center’s 28 piece orchestra using Jonathan Tunick‘s original orchestrations. Derek McLane will design the set, Gregg Barnes will design the costumes and Natasha Katz will design the lighting.

Tickets go on sale to Kennedy Center members on January 24 and to the general public on January 30. It appears I may just have to clear my entire schedule for the lusty month of May. If you want me, you can find me at the Kennedy Center. And I can tell you I won’t be alone…

“The Third Man”

British director Carol Reed won an Oscar for the 1968 film adaptation of Oliver! But for my money, I think if there’s a film for which he deserved to win it was The Third Man. (Reed did win the 1949 Palm D’Or for this noir classic). Written by Graham Greene, it’s an astounding cold war suspense thriller starring Joseph Cotten as hack American writer Holly Martins who arrives in Vienna to work for his childhood friend Harry Lime. Upon his arrival, he learns that Lime is dead. There’s something suspicious about the whole affair and Martins sets about getting to the bottom of the truth.

To say I love this movie would be an understatement. If I had to pick a favorite, this would probably be it. Reed’s direction is superlative; Robert Krasker won an Oscar for his master class in cinematography. Then there’s the musical score, which is one of the most unusual and most effective scores ever written for a film. Anton Karas (with whom I share a birthday) composed the theme using only the zither. The theme actually became a pop hit and was given a fair amount of radio play in the early 1950s.

This is one of those films that if I stumble upon it on TV, I watch it through to the end. It’s also the only film to make the AFI and BFI 100 movies of all time. If I was forced to pick a favorite film of all time, this would probably be it.

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“It’s Better with a Band”

Of all the albums Barbara Cook has released over the years, her second Carnegie Hall recording “It’s Better with a Band” from 1980 ranks as my personal favorite. I’ve own and enjoy all of them, and have had the opportunity to see the star in her Mostly Sondheim concert. But there’s something about this particular live set from that one night only concert that’s just perfection. From her voice, her deep understanding of a lyric and her warm Southern personality, the Tony-winning soprano has long been one of my favorite performers.

When Broadway roles started to become scarce in the early 70s, Cook turned to the concert stage and reinvented herself becoming one of the most acclaimed cabaret artists working today. She returned to Broadway this year in Sondheim on Sondheim, but the star  – who turns 83 today – is still in demand for her intimate, warm solo engagements. Her first appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1975 was a major return for Cook, who sang many of her signature songs from her various musicals and its accompanying live album was a huge success. It would be five years before she would return to the venue.

Cook’s set was eclectic, combining old standards with contemporary favorites, show music with original showcases, such as the sharp “The Ingenue” (“And movie roles you live to play/They give to Shirley Jones to do”) and the title song. Her longtime accompanist Wally Harper did the sublime musical arrangements and led the orchestra from the piano.  Cook is in stunning voice throughout, from the opening  (Irving Berlin’s “I Love a Piano”) to her plaintive final encore (Noel Coward’s “If Love Were All”) singing in that lovely soprano that was her trademark. She sings a lush “Lullaby in Ragtime,” gives Jerry Herman’s “Marianne” from the short-lived The Grand Tour a second chance and gets her jazz on with a spirited “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Cook also sings an astounding 10 minute medley of Leonard Bernstein with material from Mass, West Side Story and On the Town. And for those who only know “Sing” from its countless renditions on Sesame Street will be delighted to hear Cook sing it here, with her trademark “Sing a Song with Me” (in both French and English!). It’s an album I would bring to the proverbial desert island.

To promote the album’s release, Cook made several appearances around the world. These clips are from a 1980 concert televised on PBS. The first is Cook giving a revisionist look at “Them There Eyes,” the jazz favorite accompanied by a tuba and banjo (she also busts out an instrument of her own). The tubist is Sam Pilafian.

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The second is an original piece, sort of the eleven o’clock piece of her set. Written by Harper, with lyrics by David Zippel, the song is a tribute to the instruments of the orchestra and builds to a thrilling climax, complete with coloratura flourishes.

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Happy Birthday, Barbara!

Showstopper: Carol Channing in “Hello, Dolly!”

The success of Hello, Dolly! is one for the record books. Jerry Herman‘s second Broadway musical – and his first for infamous producer David Merrick – suffered a tortuous out of town experience. Originally, the show had the rather unmusical title of Dolly! A Damned Exasperating Woman. That was tossed out the window when Merrick heard Louis Armstrong’s iconic cover of the song “Hello, Dolly.” Reviews in Detroit and Washington, D.C. were disappointing, Merrick threatened firings and closings and tried to bring in other writers. However, director Gower Champion was able to bring it together for the opening night in New York. Dolly opened to unanimous raves and settled in for a 7 year run at the St. James Theatre. The musical held the record for most Tony wins (10) for almost 40 years, until The Producers came in and snatched up 12. Carol Channing hadn’t had a Broadway smash since Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which opened in 1949.

It almost wasn’t to be. Herman and librettist Michael Stewart adapted Thornton Wilder‘s The Matchmaker (already a hit play with Ruth Gordon and a film with Shirley Booth) with Ethel Merman in mind. However, following Gypsy she was no longer interested in originating any musical comedy roles and passed on the project (though she later closed the show). Channing was given the gift of a lifetime. She played the show for two years in New York and basically traveled the world with the show for the next thirty years. Her first Broadway return came in 1978, opposite Eddie Bracken. Then following an appearance in the famous red dress at Jerry Herman’s Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl, interest was renewed in yet another tour of Dolly. Channing took it out on the road and brought it back to Broadway in what was her final appearance in the role. Between the original production and her final tour, she clocked in over 5,000 performances.

Like we saw with Angela Lansbury and “Mame” a couple weeks ago, the company sings and dances a paean to the leading lady. The number even builds similarly, with parallels in the way the dance break and two pullbacks are situated in the vocal score. It was a showstopper; Mrs. Levi promised return in the stirring act one finale “Before the Parade Passes By” and here in the middle of the second act delivers it, promenading down the stairs of the Harmonia Gardens in that famous red dress.

What follows is a clip of the 73 year old Channing from her farewell tour. However, to see a clip of Channing in her prime, you can click through here to see video footage of the original cast appearance at the Johnson White House in 1965. The video is black and white and silent, dubbed over with the original cast album but it’s extraordinary to see. Channing also recorded a specialty cover for the 1964 Presidential election with new lyrics called “Hello, Lyndon!”

There has never been a production of Hello, Dolly! on Broadway that hasn’t used Champion’s original staging. Like Mame, I think it’s time for a brand new Dolly with a brand new everything.

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