Whine & Cheese

Sweeney Todd

Well, this week has become a bit of Musical Theater Week here at W&C... there were a couple of posts about Andrew Lloyd Webber night on Idol and today we have slightly overdue post about seeing Sweeney Todd (the stage version) this past Friday night. 

Going from Webber to Sondheim (well, actually it's the other way around), is an interesting contrast.  Theater... now how can I put this ... "purists" will tell you Sondheim is the man when it comes to modern musical theater.  Webber is more often than not dismissed as pedestrian, appealing wildly to the simple-minded masses with flash and bombast.  So, in that way, ALW and Idol was a perfect marriage.  Last night, I joked with Todd in that SAT Verbal "analogy" would be:  ALW is to Musical Theater as American Idol is to... Television.

My take on ALW?  I find that each musical contains at least one brilliant song, but generally have some issue with the entire work.  But that's typically the case for 95% of the musicals I have seen, ALW or not.  And I have seen a lot of them, I've updated my Musicals Seen Page... and Sweeney Todd is... ready for this... the 66th (different!) musical in my lifetime.

... and despite that number... shockingly enough, it was the 1st time I had seen a Stephen Sondheim musical... so I have to 'fess up to having just some very general familiarity/knowledge of his work (Is that the gay police that I hear knocking on my door to revoke my gay card?). 

Sweeney Todd had me worried pretty much within the first minute (btw, never did see the Johnny Depp movie version)... it just seemed incredibly odd and I just wasn't getting it.  And if I was thinking that, I knew I was in deep trouble with Todd.  I don't know if this has always been the case... but I know in this most recent Sweeney incarnation on Broadway (and had been done with the recent revival of Sondheim's Company), the cast was also the orchestra.  The cast is always on the stage (and a small one) and sometimes just appearing to randomly walk around.  So it took a quite a bit of soaking it all in... and the story is not exactly My Fair Lady... with the psychopathic titular barber returning to London and ultimately partnering with Mrs. Lovett, a no less psychopathic baker who brainstorms a way to deal with an escalating body count, while giving a little extra zing to her meat-pie business.

While I offered to Todd and contemplated an intermission exit, ultimately I think we were glad we stuck with it.  Granted it won't rank up there on our list of all-time faves, but it wasn't bad... and we did end up appreciate the staging and even the quite odd story.  David Hess as Sweeney and Judy Kaye as Mrs. Lovett (pictured above) were quite good... though with Kaye, my initial reaction was... "Great!  We're going to see Karen Walker (from Will & Grace) in a musical!?"  Though the more I thought about it, the more I thought that that wouldn't have been such a bad thing... ha!

An interesting night of theater, that's for sure.  And it proved to be an inspiration for one my dinners this past week... imagine Todd's surprise when I told Todd we were having "meat pie"!   But since, I've gone on way too much already (wasn't anticipating that whole ALW digression), I'll just tease it for another post... so stay tuned!

Express Lane: Issue 48

'Brothers & Sisters' Star Comes Out - Coming out stories are always good, but have to admit I would have been more surprised if Luke Macfarlane (Kevin's BF Scotty) had announced he was straight. (4/16/08)

Does TiVo Predict 'Idol' cast-offs? - If rewinding or fast-forwarding is correlated to the voting, David A is in great shape and Syesha maybe be waving goodbye tonight.  Update:  Wrong!  Michael Johns went home in arguably the first "shocker" elimination of the season. (4/10/08)

Joey Fatone, Mel B. to Co-host TLC Show - The DWTS alums set to head a show that sounds like 'Idol' meets 'The Office.'  (4/7/08)

'Idol' Download Rankings Appear On iTunes - It's the second time the "to remain anonymous" sales rankings have leaked... and once again it is good news for the guys ... David A, Michael, David C, and Jason were the highest pre-orders for Dolly week. (4/4/08)

Mariah Carey surpasses Elvis in No. 1s - Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this one of the signs of the apocalypse? (4/2/08)

"Rent" Extension - Due to high ticket demand, the Broadway hit gets one more season of love as closing night shifts from June 1 to September 7. (3/26/08)

Our Broadway 2008-09

Even though we just passed the midpoint of our 2007-08 Broadway Across America season, we got an envelope in the mail happily proclaiming "Renewal Enclosed!" ... while I am always curious to see what shows are coming to town next season, given how much $$ they're asking for (which granted still pales to NYC Broadway ticket prices) they could do without the exclamation point!!

So here's the line-up for next season:

A couple of repeats for me... A Chorus Line (actually saw that on Broadway back in my college days) and The Lion King, which was the big show here a few years back and gets another month-long run.

I am not sure The Rat Pack (which sounds more like a Vegas review) or Happy Days (yes, it's the Cunnighams and Fonzie and the rest of the gang) ever had Broadway runs... and I do have memories of the film version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from my youth and do seem to recall a fairly recent but relatively short Broadway run (a quick wiki shows just under 300 performances on the Great White Way in 2005).   So these have me a bit underwhelmed, though I hold out the most hope for the Rat Pack... which, ironically enough, may stave off the usual Vegas trip for my birthday.

So I am most excited for Frost/Nixon -- more so since I know Todd will enjoy it.  We considered seeing it when we were NY last year, so was glad to see it on the tour list... lately they've been throwing us one play a season and that is certainly a nice change-up from all these musicals... and Stacy Keach doesn't seem as much as a C-lister as we usually get.   But it should come as no surprise, that I am most excited about Spring Awakening... from what I hear folks seem to love it or hate it, but I sense I'll be the former... and apparently it is risque enough that they're offering subscribers to opt out of this show due to "mature themes, sexual situations, strong language"... so that makes me think I'll like it even more, I like the edgy stuff!

If all this isn't enough... there are 4 bonus shows... Stomp! (the swap-out show for Spring Awakening), Cats (ugh!), and Wicked -- which, like Lion King, makes a return to the Valley with a nearly one-month engagement (most shows are here for a week, or two weeks tops).   The one bonus show I will definitely be interested in is Rent... yes, I've seen it up-teen times (hey, only 3 times!)... but we're one of the stops that will feature the original Broadway (and film) Mark and Roger, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal... so that seems certainly reason enough to see it again!

The Color Purple (#7)

This post is a two-fer... a "book" post and a "musical theater" post... how exciting, huh?!   Given the special circumstances, you'll also have to forgive me for jumping my book queue... I still owe you book #6, but we'll get back it... I promise!  (Are those cheers or groans I am hearing off in the distance!)

I decided to read (actually re-read, but since I originally read it in the 1980s it pretty much doesn't count) Alice Walker's The Color Purple in preparation of seeing the musical again.  We had seen it on Broadway while in NYC last June and the show is currently in the middle of a two-week stint here in AZ.

I won't spend too much time talking about the book.  If you haven't read it, I am sure many folks are familiar with the film version... but I would certainly rank it as a contemporary classic.  I think published in 1982 and "in my lifetime" qualifies as contemporary.  It is a quick and easy read as the story is told via prayers to God or letters between protagonist Celie and her sister Nettie.  While the film and stage versions do their best to bring this aspect of the novel into their medium... one of the things that makes the book great is this method, which can only be achieved through reading... or perhaps even listening to the audio book (I assume there is one).   

Onto the musical... which we saw again this past Friday night.  We loved it on Broadway, so was curious to see how it would stand up on a second viewing and without the reason we saw it the first time... the "born to play the role" Fantasia as Celie. 

I am happy to report it stood up just fine as it was quite a good cast... often with these touring productions we get C-listers at best... but not so here... as Celie, Jeannette Bayardelle understudied the role on Broadway.... the original Broadway Sofia, Felicia Fields was quite the crowd pleaser... and the show boasted two household-ish names... LaToya London as Nettie (one of my faves from Season 3 of American Idol) and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child as Shug Avery.  For us, Bayardelle was in an impossibly tough position of the night... there was little (or I should say... nothing) she could do in our eyes to eclipse Fantasia... but she took the role/songs in different directions and did quite a good job... but it's a pretty darn good role for anyone... even the original (pre-Fantasia) Broadway Celie, LaChanze, won the lead actress in a musical Tony.

So simply put... read the book... see the show if it comes through your town (it recently ended its Broadway run)... and if the rumored movie musical comes to be, make sure to catch that as well!

2008 1-2-3-4-5 Reading Challenge: + 287 Pages (Total: 2,560 pages - Finished: 3/10/2008)
91 pages ahead of pace (-85 change in pace since last book).

Express Lane: Issue 46

Will Fantasia Star in Film of 'The Color Purple' Musical? - Yes, according to Fantasia... who says the movie turned musical to be turned movie musical will get underway once she wraps a new album and tour. (3/7/08)

Mario Lopez Will Be A Chorus Line's Next Zach - This Broadway debut seems kinda of a waste -- particularly in the adorable dimple department -- as the role is described as "mostly-unseen god-like director (heard on mic for most of the show)." (3/4/08)

Phoenix Strip Club: 'Idol' Once Danced Here - Blogosphere rumblings of David Hernandez's 3-year stint as a stripper for "mostly male" clientèle hits the mainstream media today... will be interesting to see how Idol handles this one. (3/4/08)

Pascal and Rapp Will Tour in 'Rent' in 2009 - With the show soon ending its 12 year run on Broadway, the original (and film versions of) Roger & Mark are taking their act out on the road. (2/29/08)

NBC, ABC Tussle Over 'Scrubs' - Wasn't I just thinking the show wouldn't have a SERIES finale due to the writers' strike... now it seems the ratings-challenged show may have another season on a new network. (2/29/08)

Montecito Resort Closes Its Doors - There goes my steady Josh Duhamel fix!  NBC folds on any post-strike episodes for its kitschy "Las Vegas"... the show ends just short of 5 seasons and with a "to be continued" cliffhanger... I guess we'll never know the fate of Danny & Delinda's unborn baby. (2/27/08)

Photo Gives Face to Anne Frank's "one true love" - Definitely have renewed interest in Anne and her diary ahead of our trip to Amsterdam which will very, very likely include a visit to the Franks' house. (2/27/08)

Adam fired for "[causing] tremendous damage to" the United Autism Foundation - The Big Brother 9 contestant finds himself out of a job after telling his fellow hamsters (on Day 1 no less!) that he works with 'retards.' (2/26/08)

Express Lane: Issue 43

Broadway's 'The Color Purple' Will Close Feb. 24 - The show comes to an end after a 2 1/2 year run... guess Fantasia really was a big box office draw. (1/24/08)

Amazing Race 12's Jen and Nate are Still Together - Well, knock me me over with a feather!  After a post-Race break, the two say things have "never been better" (though that's was a pretty low bar). (1/16/08)

Clinton Chooses Dancing Over Singing - Asked by Tyra Banks what reality show she would prefer to compete on, Clinton chooses 'Dancing With the Stars' - now once I know where Obama and Edwards stand on this issue, I think I will finally be able to make up my mind. (1/15/08)

Oprah Winfrey Getting Her Own TV Network - Perhaps ticked that Ellen Replaced Her As Favorite TV Star the Discovery Health channel will become her OWN... OWN as in Oprah Winfrey Network.  Yes, that's the name... not making this stuff up! (1/15/08)

Woman Who Made Hillary Cry Votes Obama - A pretty funny footnote... ok, I'll give you "emotional moment," but frick sake she didn't cry! (1/9/08)

'Big Brother' Returns to Showtime - Wasn't sure 'After Dark' would return for the first non-summer BB edition... sinc the premium channels are hurting for programming like the networks, but the wildly addictive (and unedited) 3 hour nightly block returns to ShoToo. (1/8/08)

Viva La Vie Boheme!

Normally I would put this kind of thing as a sidebar item in the "Express Lane," but this one deserved its own post.

Dearly Beloved
We Gather Here To Say Our Goodbyes

Here She Lies
No On Knew Her Worth
The Late Great Daughter Of Mother Earth
On This Night When We Celebrate The Birth
In That Little Town Of Bethlehem
We Raise Our Glass - You Bet Your Ass To -
La Vie Boheme

(commence shoulder bobbing)

Broadway's 'Rent' Will Close in June

While it's sad news, I can't say I didn't see it coming.  Being a geek (in more ways than one - theater and stats), a few times a month I find myself checking the weekly Broadway grosses over at the Playbill website and I was recently telling Todd that Rent's prospects were not looking too good.  While it got a nice financial bump this past fall with the return of original cast members, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal... since then, the show has been hovering at a sketchy 50% capacity... and I'm guessing the recent strike didn't help much either.

Though never having seen it on the Great White Way, we have seen the show three times, most recently last February.  Funny enough, the Mark and Roger from that tour (who were quite good!) are currently on Broadway (along with American Idol's Tamyra Gray).  While I was crazed about Les Miserables for a good while, I have to say that Rent is probably my all-time favorite.  Just last week, in a rare instance of channel surfing, we stumbled upon the movie version on were hooked into it for far longer than we planned... and I even added Seasons of Love to our Holiday iPod playlist... as it seems a perfect song to end the year.

Debuting on Broadway in April 2006 and shortly after the shocking death of its creator, 36-year old Jonathan Larson, Rent will notch just over 5,000 performances and end its run as the 7th longest run on Broadway (with the still running and supremely stunt-casted revival of Chicago breathing down its neck).

While the show may have been showing its pre-Millennium age of late (a recent London/West End "update" of the show didn't fare well), let's hope the spirit of the show lives on...  in our busy lives, take a breath and remember to "measure your life in love" and "forget regret or life is yours to miss"....

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today
No day but today

UPDATE:  Thanks to Jeff and Jen (keep 'em coming!) for their very cool RENT-centric memories.  Jason Clark posted his Top 5 Memories over on EW's PopWatch Blog... and #2 certainly echoed my most memorable moment, though it was on my first time to the show: 

This show turns grown men into wusses. My third trip was with my mom, who observed that both I and the giant, 6'4" football player-type dude to her left, sobbed like babies when rock 'n' roll Roger sang "Your Eyes" to a dying Mimi.

Express Lane: Issue 41

Osmonds Headed to Sin City? / Midler Names Show - Donny and Marie rumored to replace Toni Braxton in a multi-yr headliner gig at the Flamingo... while the Divine Miss M dubs her Caesars production "Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On."  (12/6/07)

Will 'Color Purple' Return to the Screen as a Musical? - Oprah confirms that she's thinking about it, and I think it's a pretty good idea...  of course, would love to see Fantasia get the lead. (12/6/07)

Whatever happened to Melinda Doolittle? - Sadly one of the 'Idol' standouts from last season, Mindy Doo, still does not have a record contract... unlike... ummm... Phil Stacey?  Tragic. (12/4/07)

CBS Sets 'Jericho,' 'Big Brother' Returns - I guess CBS doesn't see an end in sight for the writers' strike.  A lot of new show news and  BBro, the summer's guiltiest pleasure, getting an extra edition and a Feb 12th premiere! (12/3/07)

Ballas injured during DWTS finale; Maks says he's "moving on" - Mark rushed to the hospital with a severe shoulder injury (torn labrum?) and Maks sulks that it may be time to pick up his toys and go home. (11/28/07)

DWTS Champ Calls Off Engagement - Helio may have won the mirror ball trophy, but the wedding is off... and I am quite sure the rumors have just begun! (11/28/07)

Maks says unlike Marie, DwtS cast did not "burden people with our personal issues" - Mel B's partner Maks is never one to mince words.  The truth or just sour grapes?  I'll go with a little bit of both. (11/26/07)

Express Lane: Issue 38

This week in Celebrity Drunk Driving: 48 Days in Jail for '24' Star Sutherland and Ex-'Lost' Star Rodriguez Gets 6 months. (10/11/07)

Lindsay Lohan says rehab was `sobering' - Ummm...  "pardon the pun"? (10/9/07)

`Sopranos' regulars join `Chicago' cast - 'Janice' (as Mama Morton) and 'Big Pussy' (as Roxie's husband Amos) are the latest to sign up for what is increasingly the stunt casting musical of all-time! (10/9/07)

Broadway 'Rent' Gets New Mark and Roger - Here's a switch!  Saw both these guys the last time 'Rent' came through town on the national tour.  Congrats to Broadway debutantes, Declan and Harley... well deserved! (10/4/07)

Paula Abdul refused to do more 'Hey Paula!' which she says was "disturbing"; wants a child - I agree with the first half (it was pretty much 'trainwreck'), but not so sure about that second half. (10/1/07)

Jersey Boys

This past Friday night, I headed off to catch the first show of our 2007-08 Broadway Across America season... though it was a bit of a nailbiter! 

First, I had a late afternoon appointment to get Toby his pre-boarding shots, next one of my West Coast clients had pretty typical post-5pm on a Friday tizzy fit that I had to deal with, and since Todd wasn't around (he arrived home safely on Saturday night!) I just gulped down some dinner before heading off to the show. 

I am one of those chronically "get there early" people.  I am trying to be better about it.  But it is not unusual, if I have control of the situation, that we are in our seats for at minimum a half hour before a show.  I planned to arrive about a half-hour before showtime.  I did, but the theater lot was full and I had to head over to an alternate parking garage, which everyone was headed to at this point.  To make a long story short... breathlessly made it to my seat 10 minutes before showtime (and likely due to the later-arriving crowds, the show started 10 minutes late).

Onto the show... Jersey Boys -- the 2006 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical (+ 3 more).  Now I had my doubt.  It is one of those "jukebox musicals" that are increasingly littering Broadway -- where a show is crafted around the music of one artist/group.  Typically, they are pretty weak in the plot department.  However, the recognition and popularity of the music make them instant crowd-pleasers.  It's similar to being at a concert, with the crowd going nuts when they hear the opening notes of a beloved song.

Thankfully, Jersey Boys wasn't burdened with a bad plot... since it was the true story of the rise and fall of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  But that begged the question, would I care?  Valli slipped in with only one hit song into my memory bank of my youth... granted a pretty big one, the title song of the movie version of Grease (not performed in the show)... but otherwise he was not of my generation.   But as I have aged, I have a greater appreciation of music from before "my time"... and it was a losing battle not to get swept up hearing the pure pop genius of songs like Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like A Man... and they kept on coming... December 1963 (Oh What A Night), My Eyes Adored You, Let's Hang On, Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, Working My Way Back To You, and Who Loves You.

Near the end of the show, one of the original members of the Four Seasons addresses the audience asking "Is this a f&cking time warp, or what?!"

And given the crowd reaction, you would think we had been transported back to the 1960s and the young version of Valli and the Four Seasons had been magically re-incarnated right in front of our very eyes. At the end of those above hit songs, the crowd simply erupted... stopping the show on more than a couple of  occasions.  At times, the ovations were a tad too crazed for my taste, but I'll admit that some extended applause was deserving.  I have read that it is quite vocally-taxing task to replicate Frankie Valli's signature falsetto... and all credit and kudos to "our Frankie," Christopher Kale Jones, who very ably captured it.

Now, as a former Jersey Boy myself... the show does not do a good job at all erasing any stereotypes of my home state.  For the record, in my 20 years living there, I never (knowingly) knew anyone who was in the mob... and a morning conversation in our house did not include something like: "Ey Ma!  Quit your yappin' and shut your pie-hole and get me another f&ckin' cup of caw-fee!"   Okay, I'll give you the classic "caw-fee" dialect.. but that's all!

Overall, a very good and well-done show.  Unless you have a real aversion to that particular era (or style/sound) of music, I would recommend catching it if the tour comes through your town... or if you are headed to NYC.  Two years into its Broadway run, it is one of the few shows regularly at full capacity.. and a Vegas version is scheduled to open in April 2008 (though doubtful it will be at its "full"/current 2.5 hour run time... casinos do not seem to be willing to have folks sitting still and not spending money for more than 90 minutes).

Express Lane: Issue 37

Chaka Khan, Bebe Winans and LaKisha Jones to Join Broadway's Color Purple - This may be worth a trip back to NYC!  Chaka and Bebe to play Sophia and Harpo with last season's 'Idol' standout "Kiki" as the church soloist who opens the show --  but also subbing for Khan as Sophia for matinée performances. (9/26/07)

Kiefer Sutherland arrested on DUI in LA - The following took place between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. (9/25/07)

Carrie & Co. Kick Off "Sex" Shoot - I'm not the only gay guy who's been salivating over a slew of production pix that have already hit the Web since filming on 'SatC: The Movie' began filming this week on the streets of NY. (9/21/07)

'24' Plans Premiere Date, Shocking Resurrection - SPOILER ALERT:  Do NOT click the link if you don't want to know who is surprisingly still alive tho never got the "silent clock" treatment. The show returns on January 13th with the action shifting from LA to DC. (9/19/07)

HBO Is 'Reclaiming History' - Me thinks we'll be watching this 10-part mini-series debunking JFK conspiracies. (9/18/07)

Stupid Feud of the Week: Manilow vs. Hasselbot - 'The View' will just have to smile without Barry as the crooner skips the ABC gal chat-fest due to Elisabeth's "dangerous and offensive" political views.  (9/18/07)

Emmys Backstage: Stars Get Sassy - Lots of good stuff here, but if you're wondering what happened during the cutaway during Sally Field's acceptance speech it was this line: 'And let's face it, if the mothers ruled the world, there would be no goddamn wars in the first place' (9/17/07)

Musical Mania

Shortly after getting back from NYC, I threatened to list all the musicals I have ever seen... and given the lack of an original thought this morning, today is that day!   (Are those groans I hear off in the distance?!?)

But it kind of makes sense to compile this list right now.  I recently had a "full circle" musical theater moment.  My very first musical was Evita in 1980 at the Broadway Theater in NYC... and my most recent one was this past summer... The Color Purple at the Broadway Theater in NYC! 

In between those... and over the course of some 27 years... there have been 62 others!   

That's 64 different musicals folks!  I know, I know... gay stereotype freak flag is flying high... but, believe it or not, that figure even surprised me!   These days, I don't live anywhere near NYC and, when I did, it wasn't as an adult that could afford Broadway shows!   The number I did think was going to be higher was the number of musicals I have seen more than once... only 10 of those.

Now, there's a possibility I am leaving some out!   Don't think I did this all from memory.  While my brain does tend to retain this kind of very important data (vs. say, where I put the darn car keys!), a huge help was Playbill.com's Long Runs On Broadway listing... .and, as I have 'fessed up to this in the past, I do keep ticket stubs... so a quick run through of the ticket "bag" proved quite handy as well.

Blame (or credit) for getting into the 60s is the many, many years of season tickets to the Broadway Across America series.  I would guess there are at least a good dozen (or two) shows that I likely would not have gone to if they were not part of a pre-paid season ticket package.  Occasionally I am pleasantly surprised, but more often my instincts are right... but the bad/so-so ones certainly make you appreciate the good ones.  That said, there's no good explanation for why I have seen Starlight Express three times!

Here are my "multiples":

6 times

3 times

2 times

I'll put the "one-timers" in after the jump since I've already entered "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" territory.

Though I am taking advantage of TypePad's relatively new "page" feature and creating a Musicals Page with the intention of updating it as we go along... Musical #65 is just a couple of weeks away! 

I may have created a monster... perhaps this is just the start of a new W&C list feature... I love lists!

UPDATE:  Just a response (or two) from the comments.   As Scott mentioned, and to confirm, these are professional production only, no high school musicals.  Yes Gail, NO "South Pacific"... we were supposed to see with our season tix, but ended up being out of town (which tend to happen, we missed "Sweet Charity" while we were in Colorado last month).  I am sure there are some other glaring omissions.  As mentioned in my "threat" post, I am most shocked that I have yet to see a stage production of "Grease."

Express Lane: Issue 36

Kanye: MTV exploited Britney for ratings - Too bad MTV didn't have a "No Shit Sherlock" Award... I think we'd have a winner. (9/11/07)

Davenport plays first singles match in almost 1 year ... 3 months after giving birth (!!!) ... and easily defeats a Top 40 ranked player!   Mamma Mia, indeed! (9/11/07)

Emmys will censor Kathy Griffin's "suck it, Jesus" speech - Kath must be loving this!  The AP won't even print what she said, E! will censor her speech when they televise the Creative Arts Emmys, and the Catholic League is demanding an apology!  (9/11/07)

Jennifer Hudson moves to "Sex and the City" movie - From 'Dreamgirl' to Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, sounds like a demotion... but probably not too bad of a gig for the Oscar winner. (9/11/07)

MTV Sets Broadcast Date for 'Legally Blonde' - Pretty unusual... a TV broadcast of musical currently on Broadway (and at a decent 80%+ capacity)... and someone other than PBS doing it.  (9/10/07)

Kathy Griffin wins Emmy - After last year's profanity-laced losing tirade last year, Kathy tells Jesus to "suck it" in this year's acceptance speech as the Queen of the D-List takes home the prize for Outstanding Reality Program (Non-Competition). (9/10/07)

Avenue Q/Larry Craig Video Mega-Mix

I know the whole Larry Craig thing is old news (even Jon Stewart was none too pleased that it hit at the start of his two-week vacation break)...and I am sick of hearing about it as much as the guy in the next stall next guy... I am also aware that it has made the rounds on other blogs... but just wanted this You Tube handy here on W&C... IMHO, it's the best thing that came out of the whole mess... and if by chance you haven't seen it...  enjoy! 

Express Lane: Issue 35

Marshall Confirms Cast for "Nine" - A pretty impressive cast for 'Chicago' director Rob Marshall's film version (Dec 2008 release) of the musical "Nine"... Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Sophia Loren. (9/7/07)

Edie Falco Rolls to '30 Rock' - The 'Sopranos' star will appear in three episodes... perhaps I'll have to get over my dislike of Alec Baldwin and give the sitcom another shot. (9/6/07)

'Office' Star Jenna Fischer, Filmmaker Husband Split - Sad 'real world' news for our Pam... but this has got to be the most adorable joint divorce press announcement ever. (9/6/07)

Open-American media turn on "classless" Serena Williams - The NY Times uses the "C"-word on Serena, who gave typical credit to her vanquisher, Justine Henin, saying "she made a lot of lucky shots"... yes, it takes A LOT of VERY lucky shots to win a 6-1 final set. (9/5/07)

NBC Downloads Get Unboxed - After failing to reach an agreement with iTunes, NBC moves its shows over to Amazon... no change in the $1.99 price per episode.  (9/5/07)

Changing the world one loan at a time - The weekend edition of 'Today' had a very nice piece on Kiva.org, here's the accompanying online version. (9/4/07)

'Dancing' Partners Get Hitched - I get quite a few search hits asking about this one, and now it's official. Congrats to Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo, married in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend! (9/4/07)

CBS defends decision to cancel all BB8 interviews until after the finale -  Ironically it's a "good person" like Amber -- thanks to some not so nice in-house anti-Semitic chatter -- that halts pre-sequester press interviews for the first time ever in BB history.  (8/31/07)

Time right for Garofalo on "24" - The former Air America host stays in TV politics but  moves from left to right, "The West Wing" to joining forces with Jack "What Geneva Convention?" Bauer. (8/21/07)

"Grease" Revival Is Not The One That We Want - Laura ("fine singing voice and sweet charm") is fairing a bit better than Max ("singularly lacking in magnetism") but early reviews of the NBC cast Broadway show are not very electrifyin'... this one is not much better... and here's more. (8/20/07)

Express Lane: Issue 34

'Conchords,' 'Entourage' Keep Flying - In the post-Sopranos world, no huge surprise that HBO renews these two critically acclaimed comedy series -- look for more "sometime next year." (8/17/07)

Derek to "Tales" and Chad to "Boyz" - Contestants from NBC's "Grease: You're The One That I Want" continue land some decent theater gigs. (8/16/07)

Casting: 'Housewives' Get New Neighbors - It was only a matter of time before Wisteria Lane had a gay couple, I can vouch for one half of the couple - Tuc Watkins - who is a quite fun actor to watch given his work on the ABC soap 'One Life To Live.' (8/15/07)

Dr. Will: ''I'm the P.T. Barnum of reality TV'' - An EW interview with the delightfully self-loving and original "Evil" of Big Brother... and find out which BB8 houseguest is a Chilltown plant.

Kelly Osbourne to join cast of `Chicago' - Has stunt casting on this show finally gone too far... even if it is for the London production?  But don't worry too much, she's not playing Roxie or Velma... but the admittedly more appropriate Mama Morton. (7/30/07)

Non-elimination legs dropped from Amazing Race 12 - It's going to be a more streamlined (aka shorter) TAR season with a "tough" and "younger" group of contestants.  TAR is NOT on the fall schedule, but will return mid-season (or more likely when a new show tanks). (7/25/07)

My Regards To Broadway

Since we got back from our NYC trip, I found myself regularly checking out (mostly via Playbill and Broadway.com) what's going on on Broadway.  Walking around the theater district, my head was swimming... so many shows, so little time!   

We do see quite a bit of live theater here in Arizona.  Our Broadway Across America season tix gives us 5-7 shows a season, though not of our choosing.  Granted the big shows always get here... but most seasons we are lucky if there are 2 or 3 shows that we are genuinely excited about seeing.  We are pleasantly surprised by a show that was not on our "list" every now and then, but more often than not we're usually right.

But I am still a bit jealous of "on demand" viewing of Broadway... seeing what you want, when you want to... and even seeing something again with a new cast/star. 

Here are a couple of shows we would likely be checking out:

If you are a regular reader, you know we ended up seeing American Idol champ Fantasia in The Color Purple and were thrilled with our choice... but we also were heavily considering checking out Idol Season 1 stand-out Tamyra Grey as Mimi in Rent.  Rent is one of our all-time favorites, but we had just seen it earlier this year for the 3rd time, so at our one shot at Broadway this year we figured it was best to see something new and different.  However, we might have been swayed a bit more if were in town right now as the original leads, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (pictured above left w/ Tamyra), are back in the show for a limited run. Or even more intriguing, news that a newly reworked version of Rent is opening in London this fall.  The show is being updated for the "digital age"..."we've kept the vocal melodies, but the sound is completely different."  While I am usually not a fan of fixing what ain't broke, I would love to see what they're doing to it.

Over to the right, reality fans might recognize Max Crumm and Laura Osnes from NBC's talent search Grease: You're The One That I Want.  The latest revival of Grease (believe it or not, I have never seen on stage!) recently started preview performances as the ready the show for its August 19th opening night.  I meant to get a picture of Max and Laura's huge Times Square billboard (what's not huge in Times Square?!?) but never got around it... but I think they look just as adorable in this photo shoot.  In a pretty lengthy interview over at Playbill with "Small-Town Sandy," we learn that Laura did get married in May...  that our hometown guy Max and Laura are committed to the show for a year and, pretty interesting but not surprising, after that "NBC still kind of owns (us)."  (For a pretty good Q&A with Max, click here)

I guess my next project should come up with a list of all the musicals I've seen... yikes, that might take awhile!

The Color Purple

Since we weren't rushing around as much on our 2nd trip to NYC, we had some time to plan some activities.  On Tuesday night we went to Shea to see the Mets and Wednesday it was off to Broadway.  Quite the straight-gay itinerary... and not that unusual to see two guys sitting next to each other in the crowd.

We didn't plan it that way, but our hotel ended up being just around the corner from the theater.  We could even see edge of the marquee from our window... was a quick walk to The Color Purple... so a sharp contrast to our crowded, standing the whole way 35-minute subway trek on the 7 Train to Shea... now that was interesting.

Another coincidence was going to this particular theater... the Broadway Theater.  Which is slightly confusing when you are trying to have a conversation with someone not familiar with the Great White Way.  It turns into a "Who's On First?" type of verbal exchange.  Which theater is the show at?  The Broadway Theater.  I know, it's a Broadway show, but what's the theater's name?  The Broadway Theater, etc, etc). 

It was one of those full circle moments. This was the very first Broadway theater I ever went to (Evita in 1980) and now here I was, nearly 30 years later, taking my boyfriend / partner / significant other to his first Broadway show (well, Broadway show on Broadway... at the Broadway Theater).  Also, pretty neat in that time span that I made it down from the upper reaches of the balcony down to the 8th Row.

Anyhow, as you may remember the main reason we chose this show was to see something we haven't seen before and to see a "star"... in this case, it was American Idol Season 3 Winner Fantasia Barrino.   While stunt-casting is common these days on Broadway (Chicago: The Musical has turned into grad school for Dancing With The Stars "stars"... Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna jumped in after Joey Lawrence's recent stint)... in this particular instance, it seemed like Fantasia was, as they say, "born to play" the lead role of Celie... the poor, abused, young, unwed, awkward looking mother who rises from the ashes.  She had some big shoes to fill as well since the original star of the show won the Tony for the role... but Fantasia, in a limited 6-month run, has won raves for her Broadway debut and gave the box office a multi-million dollar boost.

Ok, so what did we think of the show?!   Well, we loved it.  I wondered whether I was just giving some slack to show since it was "Broadway"... but I honestly don't think it got any bump just because we were seeing it in NYC.  Having seen so many national tours, we did seem to think everyone was just incredible... as 'Ole Blue Eyes sang "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere"... and that certainly seemed to be the case.  We felt even one of the supporting players from this show could easily be a lead in a touring production.

Besides the cast, the whole show was very high quality (sets, lighting, costumes)... that we really  wondered how this show could have possibly not won the Tony for Best Musical (quick research shows it lost to Spamalot... so I'll reserve judgment until I have seen that one).  Although neither of us are terribly religious, we do tend to like shows/entertainment that have the feel of going to "church"... and this one had our toes tappin' and smiles on our face from the opening number.

And Fantasia certainly didn't let us down either.  I would say "a star is born"... but again, this just seems like a case where the stars and planets aligned perfectly for a singer/actress and a role... but she certainly is not hurting her chances of more stage and screen work in the future.  I have already mentioned how much I was moved by her performance of Purple's show-stopper "I'm Here" on talk shows and at this year's Tony Awards... so what a thrill to hear her sing it live... and just a few rows away.  Folks were cheering in the middle of the song... and dare I say, there likely wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time she finished it.  An electrifying moment of live theater... ain't nothing better!

So if you are in NYC or plan to go, I highly recommend the show... and by all means would suggest getting there to see Fantasia (she started in April, so October-ish would be the end of her six-month run).  We are certainly looking forward to seeing the show again when it hits Arizona in March 2008... if anything, just to compare/contrast it with the Broadway version.

All Shook Up!

This past Friday night we were off to our final show of our 2006-07 Broadway season (well, technically there is one more show... but we already know we are going to miss it)...

... as you can see it's All Shook Up!  If you think about it for about 2.3 seconds, you probably have figured out it is one of those "songbook" musicals ala Mamma Mia! (what's with all the exclamation points!!), where a "story" is crafted around the music of an artist or group... again, you don't win a prize if you figured out this one is all about the music of Elvis Presley!

I wasn't expecting much out of this one.  I knew the music would be entertaining, but these type of musicals tend not to be the shining example of a "best book of a musical."  My expectations were so low that even before it started I told Todd that I already had my opening line of my blog...

All Shook Up?  They should have called it Return To Sender!

How's that for catty theater queen?  (Sidenote: surprisingly enough, Return to Sender was not one of the 24 Elvis songs of the night)  But honestly, it was not too bad... again, it really couldn't go too wrong with Elvis music, which I have to admit I have grown quite fond of over the past several years. That said, I can also see why it didn't even last a year on the Great White Way.  It suffers a bit from multiple personality syndrome.  A little bit Happy Days (the lead character Chad is more Fonzie than Elvis)... a little bit Footloose (young man tries to change uptight town that doesn't allow kissing or dancing in public)... a little bit Shakespeare (girl dresses up as boy to win boy's affection)... and a little racial drama (interracial romance blooms in 1950s small town America).

Also, it couldn't quite decide whether to take itself seriously or not... a few times the show gave a wink at the audience before they burst into the Elvis song... and the songs started with quite the straight face.  As you can gather, I was a fan of the former.

Overall, the cast was pretty good.  We had an understudy for the lead of Chad, but wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't the pre-show announcement (though, again a warning to you Fantasia... we're going all the way to NYC to just see you!).  Our D-list "celebrity" for the touring production show was Susan Anton as the sexy, older woman Miss Sandra.  I give credit to the show for being smart enough to include one thing that usually never disappoints (at least in my eyes)... and that's a curvacious black woman... and Jannie Jones as Sylvia was certainly a bright spot.

The rousing high note of Burning Love closed the show, so I left with a pretty good taste in my figurative musical mouth and a spring in my step... ultimately, not award-winning or wow-inducing... but a solid, no-brainer night of entertainment.

Fantasia - I'm Here

With our NJ/NYC trip quickly approaching, I was thinking tuning into the Tonys maybe was not such a good thing.  With just two quick nights in Manhattan, we only had time for one Broadway show.  It was a struggle ot pick that one show... so throughout the telecast, I was wondering if we made a mistake... should it have been Spring Awakening or Grey Gardens or Frost/Nixon?!?

Thankfully, any iota of doubt flew out the window when Fantasia took the stage to sing I'm Here, the big number from The Color Purple.   In promoting her 6-month stint in the lead role of Celie, I have seen Fantasia perform this number a few times already... and she has yet to leave me without a chill up my spine or a lump in my throat.

Here's a YouTube of Fantasia bringing down the house at the Tony Awards:

Now she better not call in sick or anything on our night... or else you are going to have to very grumpy guys!

Journey's End

Just a mixed bag of TV stuff from over the weekend... including a little bit about The Sopranos finale, so if you are somehow managing to dodge all the talk about the finale skip the end of this post.

Over a month after our margarita-heavy Cinco de Mayo viewing of the first half of PBS' The Mormons, we finally got around to part two... c'mon, it's pretty tough for us to block out two hours of non-commercial television and be in documentary mode.  As in any religion, I know there are varying degrees and you can't put everyone in the same box... but I still think it's pretty odd... from shedding it's racist and polygamist past, now it seems like they just have to be enlightened about gays and women, the latter who seemed to be trapped in 1950s subservient housewife role (of course, woman are allowed to have jobs... but must keep up with the family and church duties).  The overall secrecy, schoolyard-like "must be accepted" to gain entry to the temple, missionary life, and financial and time commitments to the church... among other things, all continue to be a bit headscratching to me as well.... different strokes!

Interesting Big Brother news.... Live Big Brother 8 feed will air on Showtime.   Whille there has always been the live Internet feed, I always thought it would be cool if there was a PPV channel... which, go ahead and judge, I would probably subscribe to... but now, we'll get that (sorta) via Showtime.  ShoToo will air 3 hours a night of the live feeds... what feed you will see is at a producer's discretion, but nudity (doubtful) and foul language (very likely) will be part of Big Brother: After Dark.  Julie Chen and a new gang of houseguests return July 5th... which shows airing Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Okay... onto two of the reasons for the title of this post...

Watched a bit of the Tonys last night ... the recently closed Journey's End did win Best Revival of a Play, otherwise it just seemed like Spring Awakening and The Coast of Utopia were taking turns winning awards.   While I do enjoy watching the performances, I have to admit that even being a theater lover it is hard to get really get into the show since the nominees are for performances I'll never see.   This morning one of the local TV morning guys said he watched a bit of the show and that it was "pretty flamboyant"... which was his nice way of saying "gay"... at first I was a bit offended, but then I kind of had to agree.  Todd noted that he didn't think there was a straight guy in the house... and I certainly questioned a time or two when someone thanked his wife... huh?!

*** SOPRANOS SPOILER ALERT ***

Finally... onto that Sopranos season finale.  We decided to forgo the HD and watch the East Coast HBO feed "live" since we knew it was likely there was no way we can avoid it today... and boy were we right!  Whatever your thoughts, the final episode is certainly the buzz this morning

... however, it will likely forever make me skip Don't Stop Believin' by Journey (Journey's End and a Tony too!) any time it should happen to come up on my iPod.  After reading every one and their mama's (or guma's?!) guesses on what would happen, I was preparing myself for lack of closure... and after the action-packed previous episode, it didn't take too long into the finale to gather we were headed into some foggy territory.  Again, I could have lived with it, but the abruptness just ticked us (and apparently quite a few others) off. 

I think David Chase was laughing his ass off thinking of all the folks reaching for their remotes to figure out what had gone "wrong" with the screen... and that made it just too cute-sy of a technique to end the series.  But there are plenty in the "David Chase is god" camp, he can do no wrong... our local newspaper critic, who is nothing less than masturbatory about the show, admitted it wasn't a satisfying conclusion but ultimately give it his blessing... but continuing on that theme, I thought the last scene in the diner was masterful... the increasing tension making me literally squirm... I just wish it didn't leave me with a case of figurative blue balls! 

The Light in the Piazza

Last week, it was pretty heavy on reality TV here at W&C... so let's try to start this week off with a bit of high(er) culture... though no promises for the remainder of this season finale week!

Friday night we were off to thea-tah... and I have to give props to Todd for going with little resistance.  You see, it was a must-win Game 5 for the Sus in the NBA Playoffs.  His gay gene crosswires/potential short-out is that in many instances he would choose watching a sporting event over a night of musical theater... heck, even I could understand the game outweighing the show in this instance. 

We didn't know a whole lot about this show going in. Todd had concerns it was going to be too romantically mushy... while I was kind of thought the same, I expected a bit more given its impressive Tony Award resume... 11 nominations and 6 wins (it did win best score, but lost best musical to Spamalot).

To make a potentially long review short(er)... and not that we expected otherwise... but Piazza is not landing on our "best" list.

(Plot spoilers ahead.... )

The story takes place in the 1950s... a upper-ish class mother (Margaret) and daughter (Clara) from North Carolina are vacationing in Florence... when in a chance encounter, the daughter meets a young and handsome (and non-fluent in English) Italian (Fabrizio)... it's love at first sight and they almost immediately wish to get married.  The complication: we learn the child-like Clara is actually developmentally challenged after a childhood accident with a pony.

While that storyline had some potential we found it just a bit lame... though there is no faulting the performance of the actress portraying Clara... she was quite good balancing a mix of innocence and confusion.  Eerily enough, at intermission, both of us agreed that the gal who was "Spiritual Sandy" in NBC's Grease: You're The One That I Want would be perfect for this role. 

However, the show hinges more on the role of Margaret... and neither of us were feeling her all that much.  I assume she is supposed to be a sympathetic character... her life squashed with a "slow" child and a loveless marriage.... but I don't think either of us ended up liking her all that much... there was a snobbish quality about her (that granted was part of the character), that just never pushed her into a positive... well... light.  This was only punctuated by the curtain call... with the actress doing a big 'ole dramatic (and gag-inducing) curtsy.   Perhaps, I/we just missed something.  I know the actress who originally played the role  won the Tony and many other theater awards that season.

Oh, I should add that the actor who played Fabrizio was quite pleasant to look at ... so that was a certainly a plus...  though, as a group, the Italian accents among the Naccarelli family ventured into Italian cartoon character territory.   Also, showing "saving" for us were the wonderful sets and lighting... both of which, we would agree, were deserving Tony wins.

Alas, we didn't find the music all that memorable... and it was a bit difficult to hear/understand the lyrics (our theater is often criticized for poor acoustics... go figure... though I usually don't have a problem)... but that said, we've seen worse.  The production certainly had a "quality" feel to it... but after seeing dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of shows... it's getting more difficult to impress us.

Altar Boyz

It was a hetero/homo kind of weekend for us... Diamondbacks baseball on Friday night and musical theater on Saturday night... quite funny what one does and does not assume about a male "couple" at each place.  Our usual Broadway subscriber night is Friday, but since this was a "bonus" show we shifted over to Saturday night.

Something was strange as we approached the theater (we are fortunate enough to see these shows in a Frank Lloyd Wright design, I should tell you about it some time)... no one was there... and just about a half hour before the curtain!.  Often when attending a Saturday evening show, we can't even get into the regular parking lot.

Sadly, the Altar Boyz weren't drawing much of a crowd.  The show is a satiric look at boy bands and, as you can probably guess, religion.  Apparently a show without a good slice of demographics.  You could probably hear echos if you shouted out in the theater... Ricolaaaa!   I am likely being kind to say that it was at 20% capacity... something that I have never seen at this theater in 10+ years. 

It's a Christian boy band... the boyz are (from left to right in the picture)... Luke, Mark, Matthew, Abraham, and Juan.  Matthew is the lead singer with the rest of the boyz filling pretty much every other politically incorrect stereotype... white boy rapper (Luke), flaming gay (Mark), Abraham (token Jew), and Juan (Lation lothario)... but all cute in their own special way (just like real boy bands).

The show was a 90-minute (intermission-less) "concert" to save souls.  One of the running gags was a "soul sensor" tote board that would count down as "burdened souls" were relieved by the inspirational music... and there was some fun music with lyric toting that "God put the rhythm in me" (imagine the double entendre with gay Mark!) and that "church rulez".   

My favorite songs were Mark's "coming out" song called "Epiphany"... which builds, appropriately enough , to a Dreamgirls/Effie-ish "And I Am Telling You" crescendo and a hilarious love song about abstinence called "Something About You (Makes Me Want To Wait)":

So I hope you’ll understand my love
When I sing you this refrain
I believe in God, and so I must abstain

And I know that there is something about you, baby
Something I can’t even say what it is
But there’s something about you, baby
Girl, you make me want to wait

Now this wasn't the best show ever... but they dance, they sing, and really work up a sweat... and it is a fun and entertaining show... so if the Altar Boyz make a stop in your town go out and give them some love... they certainly deserve to save a few more "souls" than they did here in Arizona.

The Dancer's Life

Keeping with the dancing theme today...

This past Friday night was yet another trip to the theater... this time to see The Dancer's Life.  Fortunately for us, there were no major cast substitutions... with the role of Chita Rivera played by Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero... or perhaps, you know her better as... the Chita Rivera.

For that slice of my readership who are not be theater queens, Chita is a Broadway living legend.  A two-time Tony winner (and nominated 7 other times), she is best known for originating the roles of Anita in West Side Story and Velma Kelly in Chicago... neither of which won her a Tony (those would be The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman)... but would win Rita Moreno and Catherine Zeta-Jones Oscars for those same roles in the movie versions (Chita seemed particularly miffed for being passed over for West Side Story).

As you have likely surmised, the show is a retrospective of Rivera's impressive career on stage and screen.  In what will be the production's "full circle" moment, we meet Chita in 2002 as she is about to receive a Kennedy Center Honor, the first for a Hispanic woman... before she starts to recall (via the words of famed playwright Terrence McNally) stories from her life and perform her greatest hits.

Now this is where it gets a bit dicey. The show is called The Dancer's Life, which as you can guess, requires dancing.  This is a good time to tell you that Rivera is 74 years old!   As you can see in the official show picture, she looks incredible... scratch that... amazing (those legs)!   But, while age does not affect one's singing or acting... dancing is a whole other thing... and the phrase "... for her age" often seemed to be tacked on to much of my internal monologue.  Again, I feel horrible for even bringing it up... hell, at just over half her age I have trouble getting out of bed some days... so I can't possibly throw stones... but the Rivera's dancing, while surely competent, had to be just a shadow of its former self.

Now it's never sad or cringe-inducing... just the opposite, it is quite inspirational... but still I wondered if there was a little bit of Norma Desmond syndrome on stage.  Did the theater diva think she still has it... were the lights, applause and music all delusions of grandeur and former glory?

Whatever the case, I still got goosebumps as Rivera donned a top hat and closed the night with Chicago's opening number... All That Jazz... whether my Norma comparison is accurate or not... there's no doubt that Chita was very much ready for her close-up.

Rent #3

I will have some "breaking news" for you later today, so stay tuned!  (If you are a "regular" here, your guess is probably correct)... but in the mean time, I figured I better get this entry in the books...

This past Saturday night was the third of our 3 shows in 4 weeks stretch...

... and if your eyes tend to do the walking, you can already see it was Rent... one of our all-time favorites. This was one of the "bonus" shows for the season and for a while I wondered whether it was indeed the musical that was headed to town. Of late, the show has been marketed as "Rent Live" or "Rent Now."  Was it a concert version of the show?  No worries... it is the "traditional" show, perhaps it is just to avoid confusion with the movie version (though would folks really think they were paying $50+ for prime seats to see a movie??).

As the post title suggests, this was our third time 'round for Rent (if you're curious, my all-time "record" is Les Miz at 6 times). The first time was particularly memorable.  I bawled at the end of the show... quite embarrassing.  Now, I've been know to "lose it" on occasion in the privacy of our own home (i.e. a few times during those last episodes of Six Feet Under), but to do so in public was (and remains to this day!) quite unprecedented.  But now I am so hyper-aware of it, that I am more prepared for the more emotional moments... no tears, but still a lump (or two).

Anyhow... onto this performance.  As mentioned, it was a "bonus" show, but a bit odd, it was only in town Fri-Sun... most touring shows come in the week (Tue-Sun).   But it worked out quite well.  Without the often geriatric and/or stodgy season "thea-tah" ticket holders, it was a wildly enthusiastic audience... cheering like crazy, anticipating what lie ahead, and, if you are familiar with the show... mooing with Maureen... it was like being at a concert, very cool!

The cast was wonderful!  For an 11-year old show and one that has come through town 3 times, that's really saying something.  The Roger on this tour, Declan Bennett, is from the UK and you could certainly detect the Brit in him, pictured above, he had a punk-rock edge to him... and brought a real anger to the role... which totally worked.   His counterpart Mark was a delight.  We certainly detected that this was by far a much cuter Mark (in spite of the dorky glasses and clothes) than we had ever seen before.  A trip to Harley Jay's website confirms... but he had added a lot of little extras to the role that we certainly had not seen done before... and was clearly having great fun on the stage.  Mimi played by Krystal Brown was totally hot (and for a gay guy to notice, that's saying something!), too!

So that's probably enough rambling on... but if the show and particularly this cast comes through your town (Costa Mesa, Fresno, Seattle, and Albuquerque are stops in April and May), run out and get yourself some tickets... you won't be disappointed!   You know have I have complained about shows being too long, well this nearly 2.5 hour show just flew by (though the mental editor in me would probably still make some adjustments).   

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

This past Friday night, was our second of three shows in four weekends of live theater (vs. that considerably less engaging "non-live" theater... duh) extravaganza.  I had hinted that I thought this one would "bee" good.  Ironically enough, that was not a misspelling as our show was... The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.   

Some quick research, shows that this one is still playing on the Great White Way and, this spring, will celebrate its 2nd anniversary.  If a show manages to stick around that long in the competitive and costly concrete jungle of NYC, you know there must be something to it!

However, let's get the "eh" stuff out of the way.  We were pleased to read in the Playbill that the show would performed without an intermission. This usually signals a pretty quick show and if you have been been reading my W&C theater reviews of late, you know I think most shows are too darn long.  While it did clock in at under 2 hours, I have to admit it still dragged for me at times. 

I think part of the blame goes was the music... with not many of the songs being engaging or memorable.  And for a "musical," that's a bit of an issue. (Okay, one song about... ahem... male anatomy standing at attention was both amusing and memorable).

Sounds like a disaster, huh?  Not really.  It really was an entertaining and quite fun night at the theater.   The cast was a delight, channeling their inner child and each quite amusing with their own spelling bee "nerd" quirk.  Our favorite contestant was the surfer dude-ish Leaf Coneybear (upper left, blue long sleeves in the above picture -- btw, that picture is of our cast... the national touring cast). Though... surprise, surprise... we also though the actor who played Leaf, Michael Zahler, was pretty cute too (confirmed by a visit to his website).

As I suggested, the funniest stuff often was not musical... the cast members spelling the words or particularly the hilarious one-liners from the judges when the contestants would ask "Can you use it in a sentence please?"

Also, they allowed "real" people to participate in the show.  Four contestants are pulled from the audience (don't worry it's not random, you have to sign-up for it)... and, from what I am gathering, local "celebrities" are often participants.  These folks do participate in the spelling... though it is quite obvious when each needs to be eliminated to keep the show moving... though this does guarantee a slightly different show every night. 

Fortunately on Friday night we had one of those local "stars" ... Alison DuBois.

Funny... I had this very strange feeling that she would be at night's performance... haha!

For those of you who are not familiar with her, Alison is the real-life inspiration for the NBC drama Medium about a psychic who assists in police investigations.   

No surprise that Alison was the last remaining "real" contestant.  They came up with some great lines for her introductions as she approached the mike...  "Having lost 20 lbs since the last year's bee, Ms. DuBois now wears a happy medium"  or "Ms. DuBois was kicked out of last year's spelling bee after telling other contestants three of their words prior to the competition."  Her first word was "cow"... good humored Alison, asked to have the word used in a sentence... to which the judge replied "Spell the word 'cow'."

So while it was not one of the best shows ever... it was a nice and entertaining night out. 

Show Time

I know you are just dying to know whether I am reading Oprah's next book club selection.  Well, it's still 3 hours before the show airs here, but I knew the Internets would "spoil" the surprise before the show. 

Winfrey chooses Sidney Poitier memoir

Bleh!  I am sure Poitier's memoir is very good... but it's just not something that I see myself running out to get and curl up with at night.  The book club announcement proved one of my favorite adages... the anticipation of the event is often greater than the event itself.  One thing I like about the O's book club is that you do feel part of this communal experience.  So onward with my own reading list!  And I am sure it's just a coincidence that Poitier is going to be interviewed (by Jamie Foxx) on Oprah's Oscar-ish primetime special.

But onto, the main subject of this post... we're going to be quite the busy theater-goers... 3 shows between tomorrow night and February 17th... yikes!

We have season tix to the Broadway series and this year they offered 3 "bonus" shows...  just in case shelling out the $$$ for 5-6 shows just was not enough.  These extra shows are often returning engagements or something that might not appeal to the usual demographic (in our locale  that would be middle-aged women who drag their husbands to the shows).  Often we'll pick up an extra show, but this time I coerced tricked drugged Todd was happy to go to all three... 2 of the extras are during this time period and sandwiching a regular season ticket show.

What's nice about the bonus shows is that we are often able to purchase tix before they go on sale to the non-season ticket holders... and also that we are able to go on a Saturday night.  Our season tickets are on Friday night... and in a true sign that we are getting old... it has been really difficult lately  to get excited to go anywhere on a Friday night... now granted we always eat out on Friday nights, but that does not require much of a attention span.

Stay tuned... I am sure the shows will be future blog material, especially since [gasp!] I have felt a bit of an "idea drought" of late... ok, a few hints.. the first is a celebrity one-man show, the second one we haven't seen but it should bee good, and the third is one of our all-time favorites (which we will be seeing for a 3rd time).    

A (Long) Night at the Theater

Another "finally getting around to it" post.  Last Friday night, I went to see the first show of our 2006-07 Broadway Across America season... Dirty Rotten Scoundrels... a quick turn-around from the end of the 2005-06 season when we saw Wicked just a couple of weeks ago.

Not this is not that unusual... we are at the mercy of when shows roll through town... so we can see two shows in one month... or have a 4-month break between shows.  What was a little odd was that there were two "big" shows back-to-back.  Every season, there is one show that is  featured prominent... "last" season it was Wicked, this season it was Scoundrels.   

Now this post really won't end up being a review of Scoundrels... it was pretty good, but if this is the "best" show of the season I think we're in trouble.  What saved the night was that we had the original and Tony (and every major theater award) winner Norbert Leo Butz playing Freddy.  Now this is very rare that we get an original cast member, let alone a Tony winner in a touring production... usually the best we can hope for is a C-list celebrity (Yes, I'm looking at you Molly Ringwald, who we'll see later this season in Sweet Charity). 

But arriving home nearly 3 hours after the showtime, I was trying to figure out (a) if I'm getting old, or (b) I have A.D.D. or (c) Both.  With these "newer" musicals, more often that not I am thinking that they are waaay too long.   Both Wicked and Scoundrels clocked in at around 2 hours and 45 minutes... with the first act of Wicked nearly 2 hours long.  Now, I know some stories need the time (i.e. the "epic" Les Miserables), but with these more recent shows I find myself doing mental editing on the spot... unnecessary numbers and/or subplots that could have been trimmed or removed all together. 

With escalating ticket prices, I am guessings shows are longer so people think they are "getting their money's worth."  I certainly thought the production value of both the shows -- the sets, costumes, etc -- was very high... would I have minded, noticed, cared if the show was 30-45 minutes shorter... heck no!

I think Vegas might have the right idea.  In Sin City, you will rarely see a hotel-casino production that goes beyond 90 minutes.  Now, this is for purely selfish reasons... if people are sitting in a theater they are not putting money in machines, chips on the table, eating at a buffet, or shopping. 

Now some folks think it's sacrilege that Vegas has winnowed down Broadway shows to fit this time constraint...  the Venetian just opened a version of Phantom of the Opera that is nearly half the length of the original production... heck, even the show's name has been reduced to merely Phantom.   But they pulled out all the stops... a stunning theater... a schmancy chandelier... and all the show's "greatest hits" remain.   Sounds good to me.

I hate to think I am turning into a crabby old theater queen... but they are just not "making them like they used to"... and more is certainly not necessarily better.

Wicked Weekend

It was quite the whirlwind weekend here... we had a full house with Todd's sister, parents, and canine sibling visit for the weekend.   His sister and mom headed off to see the country blockbuster duo of Tim McGraw & Faith Hill on Saturday night... and we headed off on Friday night...

... to see our last Broadway show of the 2005-06 season, Wicked.

This was the "big" show of the season... it is so big, that it has an extra week's stay... and ticket sales have been through the roof... as the entire run sold-out in very quick fashion.  Despite it not quite being a critical darling, the show has clearly won over the masses.  And that was certainly on display on Friday night... with the audience erupting into thunderous applause many times during the show ... including the first on-stage appearance of The Wicked Witch of the West... an ovation usually reserved only when it is a well-known "name" actor taking the stage.

So what did I think?  Well, I thought it was a fun show and definitely impressive in its sets and costumes... but I was still taken slightly aback by the wildly enthusiastic response it received from the crowd.  I think most of the credit probably deserves to go to the original work... the novel by Gregory Maguire (which has been on my reading list radar years before it ever became a Broadway musical).  I really enjoyed the revisionist history of the story that most of us know all so well, The Wizard of Oz.  We meet Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch)...  "learn" that Elphaba was really just highly misunderstood and Glinda is not quite as good as she comes across.  In this prequel, we also find out the origins of the flying monkeys and the other soon-to-be famous Oz inhabitants just as a never-seen Dorothy arrives on the scene. 

While all this works on a pure entertainment level, as with the original work/movie, there is a lot of allegorical stuff going on.... Elphaba is a societal outcast just yearning to be accepted and to succeed in a non-green world ... so take that as any minority group you choose to it to be.   And regarding Oz and the infamous Wizard, there are certainly parallels to corrupt leader who bend the truth for their own purposes... hmmm.  So that kind of stuff I liked very much.

However, I didn't find the music to be all that inspiring... wasn't humming any of the songs as I walked out the theater.  Elphaba ends up being so "good" that, dare I say, she ends up being a tad vanilla... Glinda is by far the more interesting character... definitely the "sink your teeth into" role of the show, which was a bit of a surprise.  I would have loved to seen the original Broadway cast... Rent's Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.  Also, I think the show could use some cuts... including a 15-minute intermission it runs nearly 3 hours... including a whopping 90 minute first act. 

But more positive than negative for sure... it's definitely ambitious and I definitely give it credit.

Our "cultural" adventures continue tomorrow night... we're seeing a concert on tomorrow night... but I'll let you in on who we're seeing later in the week... that's if I recover from going out on a school night... not as young as I use to be!

tags:  wicked

Swans, Witchhunts and Birdies... Oh My!

We had quite the event-packed weekend... here are the highlights:

On Friday night, as part of our Broadway Across America season ticket package, we saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake.  And this definitely was not your grandma-ma's Swan Lake...

As you may know, it was the groundbreaking take on the classic ballet... but the "swans" are male!  So think of it more as Brokeback Lake... as it turned out to be the a homo-erotic crossfire worthy of the OK Corral! 

So you are probably thinking this was a slam-dunk, "loved it" from us... well, not exactly.  I have to admit that the "high brow" arts (see also: "foo foo" or "la-ti-da") arts are not exactly my cup of tea.  So put b