tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27435033674687586012024-03-12T20:40:52.014-04:00Stage RushFor the underdogs of Broadway, on and off stageJesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-39206902083340790752010-05-17T10:39:00.001-04:002010-06-10T08:43:30.973-04:00We've moved!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEwPQ9VcjlzbaHLLn1vW_CnOUQ0PZD5TmmTw_qCcznzbGjiHC6xu9Axo3E3SrIeLKFkRS4XDhz2J1KiFzv9tDU_L7PPOk33TZxx-3Bb6nyOhtwRniOmNZWh7pZtDHLmKwlnVqTHFY8qUH/s1600/redesign+thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEwPQ9VcjlzbaHLLn1vW_CnOUQ0PZD5TmmTw_qCcznzbGjiHC6xu9Axo3E3SrIeLKFkRS4XDhz2J1KiFzv9tDU_L7PPOk33TZxx-3Bb6nyOhtwRniOmNZWh7pZtDHLmKwlnVqTHFY8qUH/s400/redesign+thumb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Hey Rushers! Stage Rush has moved! Didn't you know? This site is no longer active. For all your Stage Rush features and news, please visit <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com./">www.stage-rush.com.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesse North </span>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-24573406916520041882010-05-14T08:41:00.000-04:002010-05-14T08:41:25.053-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 13<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_ad998cf7" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/ad998cf7/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/ad998cf7/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_ad998cf7"></embed></object><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/05/broadway-brain-red-set-designer.html"><i>Red </i> set designer Christopher Oram</a> kicks off Stage Rush’s Tony series!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The cast of <i>White’s Lies</i> somehow enjoys themselves, despite the horrific writing</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139419-Broadway-Grosses-May-3-9"><span style="font-size: small;">Broadway grosses</span></a></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Have you seen <i>Red</i>? What did you think of Christopher Oram’s set? Did you find <i>White’s Lies</i> as embarrassing as I did? Leave your questions, thoughts, and suggestions in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-87278681808182922852010-05-13T00:03:00.000-04:002010-05-13T00:03:16.480-04:00Broadway Brain: 'Red' set designer Christopher Oram doesn’t like color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW_XeJa0YEwyPUmMqxx19bUEcIHAIgeDfkvrVLgkGXYqXzyKO63RNd7xgwEiY6hDTLbDKPCjxN3LXJNkB7VlSwfVjR6skU7JjPvlFQ20jUKG7V0ZAbEescpfXf7woFW6HtHjW_BrbfybB/s1600/Christopher+Oram+HS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW_XeJa0YEwyPUmMqxx19bUEcIHAIgeDfkvrVLgkGXYqXzyKO63RNd7xgwEiY6hDTLbDKPCjxN3LXJNkB7VlSwfVjR6skU7JjPvlFQ20jUKG7V0ZAbEescpfXf7woFW6HtHjW_BrbfybB/s320/Christopher+Oram+HS.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Few artists get the chance to recreate artwork that has had an effect on their own craft. British set designer Christopher Oram, who is nominated for a Tony for his work in <i>Red</i>, got to do just that with the Mark Rothko murals intended for (yet which never became a part of) New York’s Four Season’s restaurant. The play features Alfred Molina as the American painter who squares off with his young assistant (played by Eddie Redmayne) over the elements of art, as well as the struggle for student and teacher. The minimalist production, which is up for seven Tony awards, including Best Play, rests on the shoulders of two actors and the massive canvases on display in Rothko’s Bowery studio. In a phone interview from London, Oram (who pulls double duty as the show’s costume designer) told Stage Rush about the building sets in one week, the luxury of being picky about projects, and keeping tabs on a show once it’s opened.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What were your thoughts or reaction when you found out you were nominated?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Very excited.<b> </b> I wasn’t expecting it at all. I don’t consider my work to be flashy like [the work that the Tonys tend to recognize]. What I do is make the play work, and that’s good enough or me. When it gets recognized, that’s good for me too.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What does the Tony nomination mean to you?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I haven’t done a good amount of work in United States. To work on Broadway is a major achievement, as is to be recognized at this high level. The play itself has been successful in connecting with audiences. I believe in it, and in the writing. When it was offered to me, I felt it was an important and exiting play and wanted to be a part of it very much. As a set and costume designer, you read a new play and you try to asses if you like it and if the audience will like it. It’s difficult with new works, because with works of Shakespeare, you know there will always be an audience for it. <i>Red</i> is unique and has no history as a piece. You’re looking to create an audience for it that will be interested in the subject matter. It’s great to find a play that makes a connection.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are some of the responsibilities of set designing?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Design is a discipline and it covers everything about the piece. These days, there are fewer boundaries to each person’s work. The crossover between lighting affects video designers, which affects set designers. I worked very closely with <i> Red</i>’s lighting designer, Neil Austin. The description of Mark Rothko’s studio was key about how he controlled life. I knew I had to have close dialogue with Neil about how I would design the space, how he would light the play.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCY4shxn7CYJGhjj-pRhmmzAfXgP3iPW4XgzYgRL6xktK9KBBagGwDtenkRXn5MZm_WrPtaEyJ13PO3WFSl4VuGnF1ffzdm8tYepo4oqAXk4MDrWxMXO2CsTyEovn_72ELuMy159mCr-rd/s1600/Red+scene+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCY4shxn7CYJGhjj-pRhmmzAfXgP3iPW4XgzYgRL6xktK9KBBagGwDtenkRXn5MZm_WrPtaEyJ13PO3WFSl4VuGnF1ffzdm8tYepo4oqAXk4MDrWxMXO2CsTyEovn_72ELuMy159mCr-rd/s400/Red+scene+01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are your goals when you begin designing?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The boundaries of making scenery are holistic—it’s about entering the world of the play. Sometimes it doesn’t mean you have to do a complicated set. That’s an American trend. These days, it’s not quite as clear-cut as that. I think the cost of building scenery has become more prohibited. You can’t continue to build castles. There are two types of shows: there’s the huge <i> Shrek</i> shows and there’s the <i>Spring Awakening</i>-style shows. One is old fashioned and scenic, while the other is a more modern approach. I think a lot of audiences want to pay a lot of money and see a lot of scenery. Get more bang for their buck.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Take me through the process of set designing. What’s the first step?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The contract. [laughs] It starts with the author. You get the play, you read it, and you decide if you have a response to it. I do a fair amount of work. I don’t have to take everything I get offered. I can choose my projects and that’s important. If you do something because you have to, you don’t necessarily do the best work you can. You have to want to do it and do it well. I have an innate response and I have something to give to it. You have to have a gut instinct, a need to explore that piece.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How much time is spent at the actual theater, as opposed to in a studio where the sets are built?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes the sets are simple to make. It usually takes four or five weeks for build time. When we put up <i>Red</i> in New York, it was a very quick turnaround. We had already done the production in London, but it made sense to keep the energy alive, keep it flowing, instead of sitting on ours hands. I was there for about a week and a half. My year was already booked when we got the news that <i>Red</i> would transfer. I didn’t stay for the opening. I’d gotten to see the first preview, but I was already on to my next project, which is <i>Madame Butterfly</i> at the Houston Grand Opera.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What do your duties consist of once the show opens?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You set it up and you leave it in the hands of people that run the show. For any show I’ve worked on that’s running, I receive the show report every day. It includes how long the show ran that night, if anything went wrong, and any local reports. When there was the bomb scare in Times Square, that was included in the show report. My job is to have a good relationship with the crew so that they know how to look after it when I’ve left.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>By being commissioned to design the costumes as well, does that make your work harder or easier (since you have control over another aspect of the play)?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Easier, but it depends on the play. In a Broadway sense, <i>Red</i> is non-costume. They’re very real work clothes. The actors do all that physical work and they have to get dirty. I wouldn’t design something that makes the actor feel uncomfortable. If an actor wins Best Actor, it means everyone involved won, because everything naturally worked. You all got it right.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You’ve done quite a few productions where you’ve served as both set and costume designer. Which do you consider yourself first?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I would never separate the two. I was recently offered something that wasn’t the costumes and only the set, and I didn’t want to do it. For me they’re intrinsic. Dressing the human form is as exciting as carving a three-dimensional space.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztagqUUa8sZXBA2oQU_V3gofVrvB4fViayXEVjSS0yOKg3Qoej6iPFCf1hP2HvdtXlobL7SjnB3mFGL7M752IeQ0G7DAyMmCHSUiOfIVoo3U8eGe8EuuL089MXvKqngSFx2hsjeq8Tm7g/s1600/Red+scene+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztagqUUa8sZXBA2oQU_V3gofVrvB4fViayXEVjSS0yOKg3Qoej6iPFCf1hP2HvdtXlobL7SjnB3mFGL7M752IeQ0G7DAyMmCHSUiOfIVoo3U8eGe8EuuL089MXvKqngSFx2hsjeq8Tm7g/s400/Red+scene+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>I know there’s Broadway magic and everything, but it seems these two guys get your set pretty messy through the course of the 90 minutes. How does it get cleaned, and how did you design it so that it could be cleaned easily?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I didn’t. It is what it is. It gets mucky—so did Rothko’s studio. The show is short, but the evening goes on. The crew mops the floor down, takes the canvases down, and prepares the paint for the next day. They’ve got it down to a fine art. Nothing in the play is contrived. It’s real paint, real pigment, it gets heated up as proper artists do. That’s why it’s so exciting. It smells of fresh paint when you walk into the theater. It’s a real working studio.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How close is your set to Rothko’s actual studio?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It didn’t matter that it was an exact replica. I didn’t have to recreate the actual footprints. What we needed to achieve what the sense of it being hermetically sealed, that it was slightly claustrophobic. It’s a bare pit with the two characters in it.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How did it feel having the task of recreating Rothko’s paintings exactly?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those paintings have existed in London since I was a kid. They are extraordinary. They effuse extreme physical presences. Viewing them was a very profound experience. It remains with me always. This production allowed me to explore something that was my own experience.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The growing trend of projections and video in theater blurs the lines between scenery and lighting. Can you talk about your collaboration with projection/video designers?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With <i>Frost/Nixon</i> on Broadway, we used video, not projection. It was a play about the media—it was in its genes, so it had to use video. All the TV monitors on the back wall were kept at mid shot the entire play, and then at the end when it gets closer closer and closer, you got what the TV got and what the play was driving at—that Richard Nixon was brought down by TV and the media. In the right context, video and projection can be great. It can also muddy things visually. You have to have the lighting and projection working closely in harmony. It can be genius when it works well. 3D movies like <i>Avatar</i>, where 3D is at the heart of what it is—that works. Other films that stick the 3D effects in at the last minute—you’re just using that because you think you’re making your project juicier. Projection could be like that too. I would only want to use it where I felt it was appropriate.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What’s next for you?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">National Theatre doing <i>Danton’s Death</i> in July. <i>Passion</i> at the Donmar Warehouse in September. Houston Grand Opera to do <i>Madame</i> <i>Butterfly</i> in<i> </i> October. <i>King Lear</i> at the Donmar in December.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Any word on what’s happening with the rumored transfer of the West End’s <i>Evita</i> to Broadway?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You probably know as much as I do. I hope we get to do it. It’s very dear to my heart and I’d love to reexplore it. They’ve been talking about it. Rumors are as true as rumors are.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>So many British productions came to Broadway this season and received Tony nominations, including <i>Red</i>, <i>Hamlet</i>, which you were also involved in<i>, La Cage aux Folles</i>, <i>A Little Night Music</i>, and <i>Enron</i>.<i> </i>Why do you think British productions have such success on Broadway?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s hard to know, isn’t it? If the show is good, it will work on Broadway or Patagonia. There is no magic recipe that makes it all happen. <i>Red</i> is about a New York artist. It’s an intelligent play; it’s not an easy ride. I imagine that’d appeal to a New York audience.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are your thoughts on the surprising failure of <i>Enron</i> on Broadway?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s a piece unique unto itself. It’s not really for me to say. I can understand why American audiences wouldn’t take to it. It’s kind of exiting, its success in UK and not in the US. Same language, two cultures.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>In <i>Red</i>, Rothko and Ken go back and forth in the play about what red means to them. What does red mean to you?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s at the heart of what I do—with color. I don’t choose to work with color a lot. I’m a monochromist at heart. I have red hair. It’s at the heart of <i> me</i>—it’s in my genes.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photos, top to bottom: Courtesy of Boneau/Bryan-Brown; Johan Persson, Johan Persson</span></span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-69367820550257177552010-05-07T00:00:00.000-04:002010-05-07T00:00:04.042-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 12<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_7b6288fe" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/7b6288fe/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/7b6288fe/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_7b6288fe"></embed></object></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span><br />
</div><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/05/2010-tony-awards-nominations-reactions.html">Tony nominations announced</a>: predictability and disappointment</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Collected Stories</i>: another well-developed Donald Margulies relationship</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Stuffed and Unstrung</i>: foul-mouthed, hysterical puppets without a script</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i>’s producers act hastily and close the show</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139240-Broadway-Grosses-April-26---May-2"><span style="font-size: small;">Broadway grosses</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? What are your reactions to the Tony nominations? Do you think the Best Score category should have been eliminated this year? Do you think <i> Memphis</i> is a worthy opponent for <i>Fela</i>? Do you think the producers of <i>Enron</i> are acting too fast by closing the show? Leave your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-73483584542682150882010-05-04T10:21:00.001-04:002010-05-05T08:36:59.498-04:002010 Tony Awards: Nominations & Reactions<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Well, here they are folks. And just like Christmas morning, we’re excited about some things, and disappointed about others. Check out the list of the 2010 Tony Award nominees below, where you’ll also find what predictions of mine were incorrect (not too many!) and my take on the categories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/01/in-next-room-or-vibrator-play.html"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></a> by Sarah Ruhl</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/03/review-next-fall.html"><i>Next Fall</i></a> by Geoffrey Nauffts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Red</i> by John Logan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/01/time-stands-still.html"><i>Time Stands Still</i></a> by Donald Margulies</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Predictable category. Tonys got it right. Note though how few nominations <i>Next Fall</i> received, including getting shut out of the acting categories.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgvf07JdAXKu1qLQ0ro5erFDrMa7D6Yj8Djr4NMmqEucpWF03t5R8eLhnDm7tMcVl4ye40ZbIU7o9E8adRgbvkGUyb1WBrcWSx_H2o08JOV7yArSvKiDA0fUBqYiLpdHO92VpYq42Kinw/s1600/Tony+Best+Musical+noms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgvf07JdAXKu1qLQ0ro5erFDrMa7D6Yj8Djr4NMmqEucpWF03t5R8eLhnDm7tMcVl4ye40ZbIU7o9E8adRgbvkGUyb1WBrcWSx_H2o08JOV7yArSvKiDA0fUBqYiLpdHO92VpYq42Kinw/s400/Tony+Best+Musical+noms.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Musical</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/review-american-idiot.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/11/fela.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/10/memphis.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/review-million-dollar-quartet.html"><i>Million Dollar Quartet</i></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess:<i> Everyday Rapture</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Surprised <i>Million Dollar Quartet</i> made it in here, particularly with so few nominations. At least it wasn’t <i> The Addams Family</i>.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUGxqnZVDhyphenhyphenz6qLgm2m8H5S5xyRZlaYG-9TNA6bhF1kX15u4z4awyttoFfT7LsNIsHEzFemBCNaA6us16iZVHq86tinRQHBwCNSuYXG3LDMvl5v4fR5_C0MyYGFlxpQUMxlZVIq8o2qte/s1600/Tony+Play+Revival+predictions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUGxqnZVDhyphenhyphenz6qLgm2m8H5S5xyRZlaYG-9TNA6bhF1kX15u4z4awyttoFfT7LsNIsHEzFemBCNaA6us16iZVHq86tinRQHBwCNSuYXG3LDMvl5v4fR5_C0MyYGFlxpQUMxlZVIq8o2qte/s400/Tony+Play+Revival+predictions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Revival of a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i> by August Wilson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Lend Me A Tenor</i> by Ken Ludwig</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Royal Family</i> by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/02/review-view-from-bridge.html">A View From The Bridge</a> </i> by Arthur Miller</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaVqeDD938eNtlwwxFC7isBpPGZa6hxfbjHf0lbUBOCA1oY6NQvaWTlEgXBHAYdFdlMURofG8QbHAzRhysaFzzyEF72k8a5WUGi1emXMbWXZ25VffhOAl5FhwY6F-0hDAyYABcD2dob85/s1600/Tony+Musical+Revival+predictions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaVqeDD938eNtlwwxFC7isBpPGZa6hxfbjHf0lbUBOCA1oY6NQvaWTlEgXBHAYdFdlMURofG8QbHAzRhysaFzzyEF72k8a5WUGi1emXMbWXZ25VffhOAl5FhwY6F-0hDAyYABcD2dob85/s400/Tony+Musical+Revival+predictions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Revival of a Musical</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/01/finians-rainbow.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Finian’s Rainbow</i></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>A Little Night Music</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Ragtime</i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Jude Law, <i>Hamlet </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Alfred Molina, <i>Red</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Liev Schreiber, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Denzel Washington<i>, Fences</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Christopher Walken, <i>A Behanding In Spokane</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: Daniel Craig, <i>A Steady Rain</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Predictable category, and the addition of Jude Law makes sense. I thought the Tonys would give some recognition to the massive success of <i>A Steady Rain</i>, and I expected it to be in this category. Alas, no love in any category for <i>Rain</i>.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Viola Davis, <i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Valerie Harper, <i>Looped</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Linda Lavin, <i>Collected Stories</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Laura Linney, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Jan Maxwell, <i>The Royal Family</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: Abigail Breslin, <i> The Miracle Worker</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Predictable category. Not surprised Breslin wasn’t recognized, as <i>Miracle Worker</i> didn’t manage to receive any nominations, and the play wasn’t regarded well during its run. Maxwell’s inclusion makes sense, as <i>Royal Family</i> received numerous nominations.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Kelsey Grammer, <i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Sean Hayes, <i>Promises, Promises</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Douglas Hodge, <i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Chad Kimball, <i>Memphis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Sahr Ngauja, <i>Fela!</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">John Gallagher Jr., <i>American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Nathan Lane, <i>The Addams Family</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">This is probably the most surprising category (which isn’t saying a lot). I expected Grammer might push in, but I still think his merely capable performance in <i>La Cage</i> is unfortunately edging out more fierce performances in other musicals. I felt sure that the Tonys would show allegiance to Lane and his heavy lifting in <i>Addams</i>. In light of the poor reception <i>Promises</i> is receiving, Hayes’ nomination is a shock.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Kate Baldwin<i>, Finian’s Rainbow</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Montego Glover, <i>Memphis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Christiane Noll<i>, Ragtime</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Sherie Rene Scott<i>, Everyday Rapture</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Catherine Zeta-Jones, <i>A Little Night Music</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Called this category shot for shot. It’s interesting to see Zeta-Jones stick out like a sore thumb in this group, among mainstream no-names. Very happy for Kate Baldwin.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">David Alan Grier, <i>Race</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Stephen McKinley Henderson, <i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Jon Michael Hill, <i>Superior Donuts</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Stephen Kunken, <i>Enron</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Eddie Redmayne, <i>Red</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Eric Bogosian, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Russell Hornsby, <i>Fences</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">This is a category filled with second guesses for me. I considered David Alan Grier, but thought better of it since I didn’t think <i>Race</i> would receive any other love (and it didn’t). I also considered Stephen Kunken and Gregory Itzin from <i> Enron</i>, thinking another <i>Fences </i> actor would get it. In the end, it ended up being Kunken.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Maria Dizzia, <i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Rosemary Harris, <i>The Royal Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Jessica Hecht, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Scarlett Johansson, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Jan Maxwell, <i>Lend Me A Tenor</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Marin Ireland, <i>After Miss Julie</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Alicia Silverstone, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Got two wrong here, but not really surprised. I know there’s a lot of love for <i>Royal Family</i> and Rosemary Harris. I’m half surprised and half not by Scarlett Johansson’s nomination. She was great in the role, but I sometimes sense that big-name stars that come to Broadway are greeted with snarkiness by the critics, so I figured Johansson might be left out. This is a very strong category.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Kevin Chamberlin, <i>The Addams Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Robin De Jesus, <i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Christopher Fitzgerald, <i>Finian’s Rainbow</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Levi Kreis, <i>Million Dollar Quartet</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Bobby Steggert, <i>Ragtime</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Hunter Foster<i>, Million Dollar Quartet</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Tony Vincent, <i>American Idiot</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">This ended up being probably the most exciting category with shockers and strong contenders. All these nominees are fantastic choices, but I am excited and saddened by the surprises. I loved Robin De Jesus’s performance in <i>La Cage</i>, but didn’t think the role was big enough to get him nominated. Levi Kreis was the only actor of <i>Quartet</i>’s quartet to warrant a nomination, and he got it (I <i>so</i> wish Hunter Foster had been included). And I am absolutely heartbroken that Tony Vincent from <i>American Idiot</i> didn’t make it in. I felt sure that had he been nominated, he actually would have won.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Barbara Cook, <i>Sondheim On Sondheim</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Katie Finneran, <i>Promises, Promises</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Angela Lansbury, <i>A Little Night Music</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Lillias White, <i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Karine Plantadit, <i>Come Fly Away</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Rebecca Naomi Jones,<i> American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Terri White, <i>Finain’s Rainbow</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">This turned out disappointing. I haven’t yet seen <i>Sondheim On Sondheim</i>, but from what I’ve heard, Barbara Cook uses a Teleprompter, which to me doesn’t warrant a Tony nomination. I also always like to see new talent being included, and instead of nominating the theater vet, the likes of Rebecca Naomi Jones and Terri White could have been given a first shot at the Tony. Because while she’s great, Angela Lansbury doesn’t do all that much in <i>A Little Night Music</i>.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Direction of a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Michael Grandage, <i>Red</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Sheryl Kaller, <i>Next Fall</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Kenny Leon, <i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Gregory Mosher, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: Daniel Sullivan, <i> Time Stands Still</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">I’m shocked that Daniel Sullivan didn’t get nominated for <i>Time Stands Still</i>, as it’s nominated for Best Play, and <i>Next Fall </i> did get recognized. It seems clear though that the Tonys were trying to spread some love in this category, by giving it to <i>Fall</i>. Still, this seems like a “they got it wrong” instance.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Direction of a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Christopher Ashley, <i>Memphis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Marcia Milgrom Dodge, <i>Ragtime</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Terry Johnson, <i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Bill T. Jones, <i>Fela!</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Michael Mayer, <i>American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Trevor Nunn, <i>A Little Night Music</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Am I really seeing this? Am I? Michael Mayer did not get nominated for <i>American Idiot</i>? I must have fallen into a parallel universe where absolutely nothing makes sense. Almost every nomination for <i>Memphis</i> (besides Kimball’s Best Actor nod) is a case of ‘Well, we needed a fourth nominee.’ Why nominate a tepid, unoriginal musical, as well as one that completely failed at the box office (<i>Ragtime</i>)? This is the biggest oversight of the Tony nominations this year. This is a shame.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Choreography</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Come Fly Away</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Promises, Promises</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: <i>American Idiot</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">No real surprises. I thought <i>Idiot</i> had a choreography style unlike any other show this season and should have been included, but I’m not surprised it wasn’t.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Book of a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Everyday Rapture</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Million Dollar Quartet</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess:<i> Sondheim On Sondheim</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">I think <i>Quartet</i> is lucky to be in this category. The book was weak as can be.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Original Score Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Not surprised at all, and this remains one of the most interesting categories of the bunch this season, by its default. In a stronger year, none of these pieces would have been nominated. Yet they’re all up for Tonys. Way to think outside the box, Tony Awards! No one should have been nominated this year.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Orchestrations</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Promises, Promises</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Sondheim On Sondheim</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Scenic Design of a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Red</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Present Laughter</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Royal Family</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Collected Stories</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">I clearly didn’t do well predicting this category. Excluding <i>Enron </i> is a mistake. The production elements of the show were perfect and innovative in every way.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Scenic Design of a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folle</i></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">s</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Costume Design of a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Royal Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Lend Me A Tenor</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess:<i> A View From The Bridge</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Costume Design of a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Ragtime</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>A Little Night Music</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">No argument here besides <i>Addams</i>. <i> The New York Times</i> had a fantastic <a href="http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/04/08/theater/1247467562906/beyond-black.html">audio slideshow with co-director Julian Crouch</a>, in which he described the avoidance of the obvious black in the show, using other darker colors to match the Addams’ traditional styles. This production element of <i>Addams</i> seemed worth nominating.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Lighting Design of a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Hamlet</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Red</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: <i>A Steady Rain</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Lighting Design of a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Ragtime</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: <i>The Addams Family</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Sound Design of a Play</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>A View From The Bridge</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Red</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guess: <i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><b>Best Sound Design of a Musical</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>A Little Night Music</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Sondheim On Sondheim</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">My wrong guesses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><i>Come Fly Away</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Again, not my best category.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Did your favorites get nominated? Are you outraged about Michael Mayer’s snub like I am? Did any of the acting categories take you by surprise? Did you think it was adorable when Lea Michele said during the webcast, “"I'm standing on an apple box. I might fall off!”? Leave your Tony-frenzied thoughts in the comments!</span>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-35262999137738054612010-05-03T17:29:00.007-04:002010-05-03T18:31:41.266-04:002010 Tony Awards: Nominee Predictions<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s been a Broadway season dominated by straight plays and Hollywood names adorning marquees. It’s also been a weak year for the original musical, with only two entries (<i>The Addams Family </i>and <i>Memphis</i>) having original scores. Nevertheless, the Tony nominations are upon us. Before Lea Michele and Jeff Daniels announce the 2010 Tony Award nominations Tuesday morning over a live webcast on <a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/">the Tony website</a>, check out Stage Rush’s predictions on which names will make the cut and will be seen at Radio City Music Hall on June 13.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRDNjx2x46DWVLN2cHAhBw93PcQzeCP3jzvLtJ-KWczWUr2seoxZl7IwSmhYNwYwm_3dV5SHYasZjQKDVnhxVDTxfUAkKKk5WLOmQv5TxGUHqdpbaZ914MVAWuTQyttSly8sCZYb3mLsK/s1600/Tony+Best+Play+predictions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRDNjx2x46DWVLN2cHAhBw93PcQzeCP3jzvLtJ-KWczWUr2seoxZl7IwSmhYNwYwm_3dV5SHYasZjQKDVnhxVDTxfUAkKKk5WLOmQv5TxGUHqdpbaZ914MVAWuTQyttSly8sCZYb3mLsK/s400/Tony+Best+Play+predictions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Play</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i> by Sarah Ruhl</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Next Fall</i> by Geoffrey Nauffts</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Red</i> by John Logan</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Time Stands Still</i> by Donald Margulies</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHCMme2TyH42dKevystKhRWcE2twnhKV2r1O5xXL-f4Mo1P4igw-_dWO3GtkEgKU6I44quRbccu-vj84ppe11wgYLrD7-zlEOWVdNTdbi2TWPyTJ0vuEcNgOfZphnearRlVsaOJq0lyu6/s1600/Tony+Best+Musical+predictions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHCMme2TyH42dKevystKhRWcE2twnhKV2r1O5xXL-f4Mo1P4igw-_dWO3GtkEgKU6I44quRbccu-vj84ppe11wgYLrD7-zlEOWVdNTdbi2TWPyTJ0vuEcNgOfZphnearRlVsaOJq0lyu6/s400/Tony+Best+Musical+predictions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Everyday Rapture</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBSLIATbcXsGdqUxJXBppieX0_p40__P3Sm7BHKyOip5x6BjVcGdBPSq6LuZbCSiRdUspVqXmtNikQnDmO6qbzQwcCLH8cOQMS2pJrXOb1IFalpAU2Ftivm2EJchYLoe9ec03p33wPJM4/s1600/Tony+Play+Revival+predictions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBSLIATbcXsGdqUxJXBppieX0_p40__P3Sm7BHKyOip5x6BjVcGdBPSq6LuZbCSiRdUspVqXmtNikQnDmO6qbzQwcCLH8cOQMS2pJrXOb1IFalpAU2Ftivm2EJchYLoe9ec03p33wPJM4/s400/Tony+Play+Revival+predictions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Revival of a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i> by August Wilson</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Lend Me A Tenor</i> by Ken Ludwig</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Royal Family</i> by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A View From The Bridge </i> by Arthur Miller</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81UiM5kk1mmHI9cEMGX99qGuCl1ueFntx1F0x4P1ayRt0R-WQE2QjZe7-RGPw8IaCT51bgpka_NKOM0nn1kVig1tYs9Stput7qwK680xHbOr0iVgCCAvzdG0FMWWK6up7AOXeXtlCEDFz/s1600/Tony+Musical+Revival+predictions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81UiM5kk1mmHI9cEMGX99qGuCl1ueFntx1F0x4P1ayRt0R-WQE2QjZe7-RGPw8IaCT51bgpka_NKOM0nn1kVig1tYs9Stput7qwK680xHbOr0iVgCCAvzdG0FMWWK6up7AOXeXtlCEDFz/s400/Tony+Musical+Revival+predictions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Revival of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Finian’s Rainbow</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A Little Night Music</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ragtime</i></span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel Craig, <i>A Steady Rain</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alfred Molina, <i>Red</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Liev Schreiber, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Denzel Washington<i>, Fences</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Christopher Walken, <i>A Behanding In Spokane </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Abigail Breslin, <i>The Miracle Worker</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Viola Davis, <i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Valerie Harper, <i>Looped</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Linda Lavin, <i>Collected Stories</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Laura Linney, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">John Gallagher Jr., <i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Douglas Hodge, <i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chad Kimball, <i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nathan Lane, <i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sahr Ngauja, <i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kate Baldwin<i>, Finian’s Rainbow</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Montego Glover, <i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christiane Noll<i>, Ragtime</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sherie Rene Scott<i>, Everyday Rapture</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Catherine Zeta-Jones, <i>A Little Night Music</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eric Bogosian, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stephen McKinley Henderson, <i> Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jon Michael Hill, <i>Superior Donuts</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Russell Hornsby, <i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eddie Redmayne, <i>Red</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maria Dizzia, <i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jessica Hecht, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marin Ireland, <i>After Miss Julie</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jan Maxwell, <i>Lend Me A Tenor</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alicia Silverstone, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kevin Chamberlin, <i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christopher Fitzgerald, <i> Finian’s Rainbow</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hunter Foster<i>, Million Dollar Quartet</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bobby Steggert, <i>Ragtime</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tony Vincent, <i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Katie Finneran, <i>Promises, Promises</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rebecca Naomi Jones,<i> American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Angela Lansbury, <i>A Little Night Music</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lillias White, <i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Terri White, <i>Finain’s Rainbow</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Direction of a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Grandage, <i>Red</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kenny Leon, <i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gregory Mosher, <i>A View From The Bridge</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel Sullivan, <i>Time Stands Still</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Direction of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Terry Johnson, <i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bill T. Jones, <i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Mayer, <i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trevor Nunn, <i>A Little Night Music</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Choreography</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Come Fly Away</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Promises, Promises</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Book of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Everyday Rapture</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sondheim On Sondheim</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Original Score Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Note the lack of four nominees in the Best Original Score category. The only musicals eligible for a nomination are The Addams Family and Memphis. And although they are straight plays, Enron and Fences both have extensive scores specifically written for these productions and the Tony Awards Administration Committee has deemed them eligible for nomination. I don’t foresee the Tony Nominating Committee leaving this category shy of four nominations, although in light of this season’s dismal entries in this category, it would be admirable (and dramatic, to say the least) if the category was left devoid of nominations.</span></i><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Best Orchestrations</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sondheim On Sondheim</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Scenic Design of a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Collected Stories</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Red</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Scenic Design of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Costume Design of a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Royal Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A View From The Bridge</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Costume Design of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A Little Night Music</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Memphis</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Lighting Design of a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Red</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A Steady Rain</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Lighting Design of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>La Cage aux Folles</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Sound Design of a Play</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enron</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fences</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In The Next Room (or the vibrator play)</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Red</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Best Sound Design of a Musical</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Addams Family</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>American Idiot</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Come Fly Away</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fela!</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Do you agree with my predictions? What do you think I got wrong? Who do <i>you</i> think will be nominated? Leave all your Tony excitement in the comments!<i> </i></span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-44245473388950825492010-04-30T02:43:00.000-04:002010-04-30T02:43:18.330-04:00Review: Everyday Rapture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixInwL4bMQ5g2vI5Eoge7hpnY0PNg3o00VPXFbGw6KA2H3QfEJ1l01GbNFLE82rwfsYBHVmN7c1eYj1m4gq6u1pxH7I8mfF0y_J5z_2tGDC_Gu9nrBHe8zQIiIlwys0aR8pugnDdyiyLxX/s1600/Everyday+Rapture+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixInwL4bMQ5g2vI5Eoge7hpnY0PNg3o00VPXFbGw6KA2H3QfEJ1l01GbNFLE82rwfsYBHVmN7c1eYj1m4gq6u1pxH7I8mfF0y_J5z_2tGDC_Gu9nrBHe8zQIiIlwys0aR8pugnDdyiyLxX/s320/Everyday+Rapture+poster.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We all know that Broadway and hamminess go hand in hand. One is just a part of the other as peanut butter is to jelly. Yet the level of obnoxiousness that Sherie Rene Scott reaches in her one-woman show <i>Everyday Rapture</i> is downright off-putting.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a last-minute replacement for <i>Lips Together, Teeth Apart</i>, (the play that Megan Mullally unprofessionally ditched), causing the show to cancel) the Roundabout Theatre Co. rustled up <i>Everyday Rapture</i>, which performed at the off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre last May. Written by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott, the one-woman show (with backup vocalists and a brief character role, so… kinda sorta) focuses on Scott’s journey from oppressed childhood in Kansas to her self-proclaimed semi-stardom on Broadway.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most know Scott from her Tony-nominated turn in <i>Dirty Rotten Scoundrels</i> and for playing Ursula in the Broadway production of <i>The Little Mermaid</i>. In addition, she and her husband Kurt Deutsch founded S-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, which is one of the largest Broadway record companies that publish cast recordings. Scott is by no means short of talent or artistic ability. That’s actually not my issue with <i>Rapture</i>—it’s the manner in which the material is presented.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Speaking in an irritating, childlike voice for the duration of the show (a very odd acting choice), Scott rambles and muses on her desire to be in the spotlight since early childhood. The audience enters Scott’s world, which is definitely intended, since the set (designed by Christine Jones) seems to emulate an “in-between” solar system, which we can only assume is in the Scott Galaxy. Yet—and I’m sorry to make this comparison—the whole writing and delivery feels a bit, you know, spacey. Sitting in the American Airlines Theatre, I felt as if there was giant inside joke on stage that I was not a part of.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scott’s narrative is difficult to follow. The childhood portion of her tale is easy enough. There are close-minded townspeople and more churches than houses on her block (she grew up in a Mennonite neighborhood). The most charming introspection into Scott’s craving for stardom is when she admits to enjoying only one aspect of her church upbringing—participating in the choir. However, solos were not allowed; hence, little Sherie was not permitted to take the spotlight.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then we follow Scott to her arrival in the Big Apple, a segment that is like a dozen other small-town-girl-in-the-big-<wbr></wbr>city stories. The story drags until Scott is struggling with her Broadway fame, and an immensely grating bit with Eamon Foley comes into play as a super-Sherie fan who challenges her authenticity when she reaches out to him through the Internet. As we sense the show is wrapping up (OK, she’s going to tie this together and make it make sense, I know it!), Scott rubs it in the audience’s face that she and her husband have a summer home in Connecticut, and rambles about her young son finding a four-leaf clover on his first attempt. (Curtain down. So, I guess she’s not going to sum this show up in an encore?)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I get that the show is about fulfilling a destiny and also reaching an inner peace and happiness with one’s life. (Find the rapture in every day. ::wink, wink::) The message is very Buddhist, Kabbalist, <i>The Secret</i>, etc. I love the notion of living life to the fullest. However, Scott gets to this point through such a self-indulgent way, I am turned off to her and her message by the end of it. I’ve discussed this issue with a few friends. <a href="http://www.pataphysicalscience.blogspot.com/">Linda of Pataphysical Science</a> countered, “Aren't all solo shows self-indulgent?” No, they’re not. As my friend Kym (<a href="http://twitter.com/fakeplasticreep">@fakeplasticreep</a>) pointed out, Colman Domingo’s solo show <i>A Boy and His Soul</i> was all about his childhood and how soul music interlaced with so many moments in his life. Domingo’s story all about his development from boy to man, and yet it reminded so much of each of our own personal childhoods and carried with it so many heartwarming values of family and love. Scott’s story left me feeling none of that.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For a show pinch-hitting for <i> Lips Together, Teeth Apart</i> in such short notice, it’s amazing that the production value of <i>Everyday Rapture </i> is so good. Although there isn’t much needed here, Jones crafts a whimsical and attractive galaxy of Scott’s mind (as previously mentioned), with polygonal shapes and lines against a glossy black stage and walls. Kevin Adams’ lighting (more reminiscent here of <i>Spring Awakening </i> and <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/07/next-to-normal-s-1-4.html"><i>Next to Normal</i></a> than his work in <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/review-american-idiot.html"><i>American Idiot</i></a>) compliments Jones’ set well (his <i>Spring </i> and<i> Idiot</i> collaborator), as the colorful dots printed on the stage are embodied in luminescent form on the set’s frame. Interestingly, Michael Mayer directs the show, which means <i>Everyday Rapture</i> share most of its creative team with that of <i>American Idiot</i>. It’s strange how one director’s production like <i>Idiot</i> could make me feel so much, and his other make me feel so little.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The rush</b>:</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Everyday Rapture</i> has a general rush policy, which offers two tickets per person for $21.50 when the box office opens. Yet I didn’t get my ticket that way. I saw on Twitter that Roundabout was offering $10 tickets to <i>Rapture</i> through the use of a discount code on their website. I clicked over to <a href="http://roundabouttheatre.org/" target="_blank">roundabouttheatre.org</a> and learned that for every Roundabout production, $10 tickets in the mezzanine are available for the show’s first four previews. Fantastic deal! You can read more about the policy here at <a href="http://roundabouttheatre.org/access/">the Roundabout’s website</a>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play: <b>D</b> / Discount: <b> A</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw40OpHBrRjCvG8o0r85RT0wMn2FYssCZVGZWHoJPoq4jBEbyml7-dvcxYPsO6hk531ENh7zG6nT8CF2HXFAiJXuZOZ6oB8rJtwugP0Yi5lOPqjFlcVB8nOp_FEKGBUD5hGZBNmTzF0sow/s1600/Everyday+Rapture+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw40OpHBrRjCvG8o0r85RT0wMn2FYssCZVGZWHoJPoq4jBEbyml7-dvcxYPsO6hk531ENh7zG6nT8CF2HXFAiJXuZOZ6oB8rJtwugP0Yi5lOPqjFlcVB8nOp_FEKGBUD5hGZBNmTzF0sow/s400/Everyday+Rapture+scene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-4918689946723040612010-04-30T02:34:00.000-04:002010-04-30T02:34:23.154-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 11<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_3edcdeb2" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/3edcdeb2/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/3edcdeb2/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_3edcdeb2"></embed></object></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Seeing <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/review-american-idiot.html"><i>American Idiot</i></a>, during Green Day’s surprise appearance</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/understudy-hall-carnages-charlotte.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Interviewing God of Carnage standby Charlotte Maier</span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Charlotte gives Stage Rush a video tour of her dressing room at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139045-Broadway-Grosses-April-19-25"><span style="font-size: small;">Broadway grosses</span></a><br />
</li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Were you one of the lucky audience members to experience Green Day at <i> American Idiot</i>? Were you in the audience during either of the two performances that Charlotte Maier went on in <i>God of Carnage</i> last February? Can you believe the amazing view Charlotte has of the Imperial Theatre from her dressing room window? As always, leave your thoughts and questions in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-66059774262148656392010-04-27T00:00:00.002-04:002010-04-27T14:27:14.530-04:00Understudy Hall: ‘Carnage’’s Charlotte Maier doesn’t need vomiting lessons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAYWjgDQqdsDPE_62cnO96-c3u0O4KixtJp0aAiJKodihPA6EmXCM1eEE5mdtJJ5hmH_fEbFsr9zoR9Id59Jpq_VbXzXwCtz5aeq49Q1Z62DzfgPzkivzgE4Y99ypyhEQrS4y46rbe0Bc/s1600/Charlotte+Maier+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAYWjgDQqdsDPE_62cnO96-c3u0O4KixtJp0aAiJKodihPA6EmXCM1eEE5mdtJJ5hmH_fEbFsr9zoR9Id59Jpq_VbXzXwCtz5aeq49Q1Z62DzfgPzkivzgE4Y99ypyhEQrS4y46rbe0Bc/s320/Charlotte+Maier+headshot.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Imagine being trained to do a job and then having to wait a year to apply it. That’s how long Charlotte Maier had to wait to unleash Annette’s projectile vomit and tackle her on-stage husband as Veronica as the female standby in the Tony-winning play <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/06/god-of-carnage.html"><i>God of Carnage</i></a>. The life of a standby (different from an understudy, in that there isn’t even an ensemble role to play) is a true waiting game. Yet in between mystery novels and balancing her checkbook backstage, Maier says she’s received master classes in acting by observing the actors she covers.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Chicago native, Maier began her career at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She moved to New York and started a family while appearing in Broadway plays in understudy and standby roles since 1993. She has acted in films with Steve Martin, Sandra Bullock, and Drew Barrymore, and <i>Carnage</i> marks her tenth Broadway production. The producers of <i>Carnage</i> announced Monday that the Tony winner for Best Play would close on June 27. Of this news, Maier remarked that the cast and crew felt lucky to run for a season and a half—a rare feat for a straight play. “Now we pass it on to the next cast in the next city.” Despite this news, Maier remains grateful—and why shouldn’t she? She learned how to vomit with the use of a hose.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How many times have you gone on in <i>Carnage</i>?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Twice. Fifty-two weeks had passed and I knew I was going to go on for Christine Lahti, but Annie Potts had broken her rib in the show somehow. So Thursday night, February 11, I went on for Annie after being with the show for a year. Two days later, I went on for Christine. Didn’t go on before and haven’t gone on since.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What was that first performance like?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That’s the part of Annette, the one who throws up. Technically speaking, that’s a very difficult part. For the vomit trick, you’re hooked up to a hose and there’s a hookup in the couch. I had never had a rehearsal doing that.</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">***<b>VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP: Charlotte Maier talks vomiting sensations and James Gandolfini's cast gift that got mysteriously destroyed</b>.***</div><a name='more'></a><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_88eeef0c" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/88eeef0c/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/88eeef0c/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_88eeef0c"></embed></object><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Never once did anyone say, “Would you like to try it out?”</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We never did it on stage ever. But we did it in a sink off stage once before. So that night, we tried it in the sink again, but that’s nothing compared to what it’s like in front of a thousand people. With this play, if that trick doesn’t work, that’s a big problem. That made me nervous.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Did it make you, you know, want to throw up?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It made me want to throw up! It did, it did! It made me so nervous, which actually fed the part beautifully.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Has the vomit trick ever not worked?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, it has not gone off. I guess each cast has had a night or two where it hasn’t worked.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What do they do?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s very disconcerting and it’s really hard. The actress playing Annette does have a backup vomit in her purse, if it doesn’t work. But it’s very hard to get at and it’s complicated.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You’re understudying some pretty recognizable actresses. How does that make you feel?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think it is a little intimidating, but in a very good way. Whoever you act with, it makes you a better actor. When I did scenes with Steve Martin in <i>The Pink Panther</i>, it made me a better actor because he’s so incredibly good at what he does. That’s how I feel with all these people. But you always have that moment where you wonder, “Is the audience going to ask for their money back if somebody’s out?” But that didn’t happen to me. It does goes through your head though. Will they be terribly disappointed? Will I have to win the audience over?</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>People are usually disappointed when understudy cards fall out of a <i>Playbill</i>. What are your thoughts on that?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I feel like, “Come on guys. I’m going to be good in this. It’s OK.” After two seconds, the audience is calm and it’s fine. But there is no doubt in your mind that that makes it harder. The women I am standing by for now—definitely, people have come to see them, and not the play, necessarily. It is hard, psychologically.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What does your family think of your standby status?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My 13-year-old son said to me, “Well, you’re as good. You just never got your big break.” That’s how he puts it, which is sweet. It’s really hard to make a living by acting. My husband is very grateful that I’m willing to do this, because you could say, “I don’t want to be an understudy. I want to do it myself.” There are moments when I feel like that. I feel very [groans] “I want this part to be mine.” But you make a living. There’s something incredibly liberating about it being a job, instead of it being about me and my value. I say, OK, that’s what I’m here for. I’m here to keep the curtain up.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Do you have nights where you’re feeling really good and you think, “I am SO in the mood to KILL IT tonight!”?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today, we had rehearsal, and it was a great rehearsal. To have rehearsal today and to have completely figured out a whole other aspect of the play, I do feel tonight like, “I would like to go on now. I want to try this.” And… I’m not going to. It makes me want to do the play somewhere else. This play is probably going to have a very wide regional life. It makes me want to say, “I want to do my own run.”</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What do you do when you’re not on? What’s the standby life like?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You have to come every day pretty much prepared. You never know whether or not something will happen. Ken Stott, who was part of the second cast, has asthma. Bruce McCarty, the male standby, is probably one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with in my life. There were days when he was there and it was five minutes to curtain, and management was like, Bruce, you’re going to go on.” You really have to come every day thinking, “This is it.” Then you get there and you realize, “This is not it.”</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m really lucky. For one, it’s interesting to watch the play. The backstage people are spectacular. They’re people you love to talk to. It’s just great. You can knit. You can read books. Suddenly, it’s like, “Wow, I can have an hour and a half that I didn’t plan on having!” It’s actually pretty OK. Also, the squawk box is on, so you hear the play throughout the entire backstage. It’s piped in everywhere, including my dressing room. Sometimes I do think, “Oh damn. I would have liked to have done it tonight.” And then other nights you’re like, “Phew! God, I had a terrible day. I’m not feeling well.” Because we can’t get sick. We really can’t!</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What happens if you’re really sick?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don’t know. It’s never happened, that I know of. You just make yourself go on.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You’re in the business of Murphy’s Law. You’re line of work is to be prepared for the “who knows?”</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Things happen all the time. People put their contact lenses in and scratch their corneas. They can’t go on. Crazy things that you just can’t predict. Like Annie breaking her rib. Who in the world would have thought, someone’s going to break their rib? Things happen. There have been moments when people have started the play not feeling well, having the flu and thinking, “I’m not sure if I’m going to make this performance.” There was actually a performance where I sat completely dressed—hair, makeup, everything—in case the actress couldn’t get through the show. They were going to make the announcement, “Excuse me. We’re going to start over,” and I would have just walked out and done it.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You went on for the first time 52 weeks into the show’s run, and from the routine you just described, that’s a lot of down time.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For a while when I was doing this play with the original cast, those people were so good and they really weren’t going to miss, I just thought, “This is crazy. I’m getting paid all this money—why?” And somebody said to me, “Do you know how much money they’d have to give back if you weren’t here?” It is so worth it, to hire somebody of a high caliber. Because when I went on, I knew they were exactly right. We standbys really are essential, because the curtain will not stay up without us.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Have you ever felt like your talent was going to waste?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wouldn’t put it like that. No. There are particular skills you need to be an understudy. I have a lot of those. How I see it is: I don’t have to leave New York. I’m not a big star. But I have a family. I get to live in the city that I love with my husband and my son. And I make a very good living. I don’t see it as I’m being denied. Instead of having to be a waitress, I use all of my acting skills all the time. And I get paid very well. I also learn so much from watching people. I am a better actor because I have had a master class in acting from everyone from Helen Hunt to Jill Clayburgh to Janet McTeer.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What kind of relationships or connections do you have with the actors you understudy?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marcia Gay Harden and I definitely talked about the role of Veronica. She was unbelievably forthcoming about it. I’ve definitely talked to other people about it, but I did the most with her. She’s somebody who never ever stops. Literally, the last week she was in the play, she was still taking notes and figuring out moments. She would say to me, “What do you think about this? You’ve been rehearsing it. How do you feel about this moment?” And that was really nice; I felt like it showed a great respect for me.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Today’s understudies are tomorrow’s Broadway stars. What are your thoughts on this notion?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don’t know if that’s true. [laughs] But I have never stopped liking the work that I do. I’m not going to stop now. What I do is very specific and necessary. Take <i> Mary Stuart</i>, <i>Lend Me A Tenor</i>, <i>Collected Stories</i>—those are four plays where women my age are expected to step up and be a star. You can be a really good actor but not know what that is. I know what that is, to have that energy and move into that play.</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-85657450661974602192010-04-23T03:26:00.002-04:002010-04-23T03:57:43.884-04:00Review: American Idiot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY__5SeXnjpzEL9NEg2duP2Zac_7ahY7z5Tj8EUSMsliZPhLWwAQbB213CPK7oYbnVqxrTW6DyEafbrp5y03IRmCT_2JrWktw23dsMJFUD2BJdkmw8wVAXcB4WWq1CQYEzeLnwOkMNz-r/s1600/American+Idiot+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY__5SeXnjpzEL9NEg2duP2Zac_7ahY7z5Tj8EUSMsliZPhLWwAQbB213CPK7oYbnVqxrTW6DyEafbrp5y03IRmCT_2JrWktw23dsMJFUD2BJdkmw8wVAXcB4WWq1CQYEzeLnwOkMNz-r/s320/American+Idiot+poster.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Mayer has a knack for making us remember some of our worst memories. In <i>Spring Awakening</i>, he helped us recall our yearning teenage years. Now in <i>American Idiot</i>, he reminds us of the uncertain and melancholy times that followed 9/11. Mayer’s marriage of visionary theatrical direction and Green Day’s passionate music make for a haunting and indelible production.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s hard to believe the last show that played the St. James Theatre before <i>American Idiot</i> was <i>Finian’s Rainbow</i>. Although a stellar production, it couldn’t be a further cry in style and tone from this musical by Green Day. That’s just the point—everything is a far cry from this production. <i>American Idiot</i> adds a new layer onto the ever-growing popular genre of rock musicals. This is a punk rock opera.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Simple in story to allow for even greater conceptual depth, <i>American Idiot</i> follows three greatly unsatisfied suburban youths who flee their hometown for a less-restrained life in the city. But the three friends’ plans quickly fall apart. Will (Michael Esper) remains at home because his girlfriend is pregnant, Tunny (Stark Sands) joins the army and is deployed to Iraq, and Johnny (John Gallagher Jr.) becomes swept up in a whirlwind of drugs. The three men’s downfalls are spurred by political disillusion, media saturation, and lack of faith in society’s day-to-day rituals.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>***</i><b>VIDEO after the jump: Green Day makes a surprise appearance and performs at the April 22 performance. Here, they perform their classic hit “Basket Case.”</b>***</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_6a503d99" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/6a503d99/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/6a503d99/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_6a503d99"></embed></object></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gallagher brings the same passion to Johnny that he did to his Tony-winning performance as Moritz in <i> Spring Awakening</i>. With every guitar riff, his body and face convulse with an anger and defiance that no other actor currently brings to the stage. His vocals, equally equipped as his acting, are perfectly suited for Green Day’s score. Sands gives Tunny a piercing, bewildered stare, as he is first entranced into the armed forces, and then a hollowed-out gaze as he is wounded and lies in an infirmary. With few scenes to devote to his experience in Iraq, Sands fills the gaps of his incurred traumas with a broken presence. Esper gets the most underdeveloped character with Will, but sets the tone for the apathetic dad. Without much fuss, he turns Will’s couch into his prison of disinterest. Although more could have been devoted to this third of the trio, Esper shapes a sufficient character out of what little he is given.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the supporting cast, Tony Vincent gives perhaps the strongest performance in the company, playing Johnny’s demonic, drug-dealing alter ego. Devilishly good, Vincent slinks around the stage, the heroin-dolling, tattooed spirit to Johnny’s Ebenezer Scrooge. He boasts some of the strongest vocals in the cast, and his grotesque, emaciated appearance creates an outrageous, memorable character. <i>Passing Strange</i>’s beautiful and affecting Rebecca Naomi Jones is unfortunately underused as Johnny’s exotic love interest, Whatsername. Yet with spotlight moments with “21 Guns” and “Letterbomb,” she shines in all the right ways.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is probably the best show on Broadway to be an ensemble member (or is this one of the best new ensemble’s on Broadway?). Every company member is active on stage at all times. And these kids work for the money, risking broken bones and necks during every song. Mayer and choreographer Steven Hoggett push these performers to their limit, but it pays off in jaw-dropping ways. Leaping from platforms, dangling from the top of the stage, and flying on wires, the actors commit to every stunt and make it look as easy as in a video game. The wild acrobatics they’re forced to perform perfectly match the intense rock score they’re set to.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <i>American Idiot</i> cast stomps, kicks, and jerks their way all over the stage of the St. James, up and down, left and right. Never before have I seen a stage fully utilized, every square inch of it (and I’m talkin’ the air above it). Set designer Christine Jones has staircases, scaffolding, and windows scaling the towering set, which the actors tear up, climb over, and leap out of. And if the performers can’t climb it, they’ll just fly up. For the poetically staged number “Extraordinary Girl,” Mayer has Sands and Christina Sajous perform a high-flying act that’s better than any I’ve ever seen. Unlike most sequences, the actors don’t look inhibited by the wires. Just another aspect proving that if it’s in this show, the team has committed to doing it 100 percent.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Illumination is one of the most prevalent facets of <i>American Idiot</i>, and it appears to be a perfect collaboration between set designer Jones, lighting designer Kevin Adams, and video/projection designer Darrel Maloney. The high walls of Jones’ set have flatscreen TVs of varying sizes embedded in them. Maloney’s video montages of news and entertainment clips flash on them, as do graphics of cartoon grenades and bleeding hearts. Jones’ concert poster-covered walls are light enough to allow Maloney’s vibrant projections to engulf the stage. During “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” a twinkling city skyline pans behind Johnny as he sings, and during “Extraordinary Girl,” an EKG read becomes an incredibly vibrant backdrop to Tunny’s well-coordinated flight. Kevin Adams (noticeably missing his neon-bulb lighting that was so present in <i>Spring Awakening</i>, <i> Passing Strange</i>, and <i>Next to Normal</i>) makes plentiful use of floodlights in this production, bathing sections of the stage and walls in sharp greens and reds. The collaboration between Adams, Maloney, and Jones is evident throughout, as none of their areas drown out the other.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like the creative team, the actors converge tightly to build this efficient machine of a production (they kind of have to, or else someone would surely lose a limb). Mayer’s vision of <i>American Idiot</i> is portrayed so clearly, and it’s nothing short of astounding since he’s pushing the actors and technical features to their limits in this 90-minute roller coaster. Yet despite flying, leaping, and punk music that nearly blows out the speakers, Mayer sets the show’s tone with precision. At the musical’s opening, the curtain rises and a cacophony of sound bites and clips play on the television sets. As the cast gazes at the screens, President George W. Bush appears and delivers the chilling statement that we all heard so soon after the September 11 attacks, “Either you are with us, or with the terrorists.” I heard the words that frightened me back then and they still frightened me now. And <i>BAM</i>—I’m suddenly ready to take that ride with <i>American Idiot</i>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Editor’s note: I bought a ticket the old-fashioned way to </i> American Idiot<i>, although it does have a ticket lottery. Names can be entered two hours prior to the performance and winners are drawn a half hour later. Two tickets per person for $27. Seats are located in the first and second rows of the orchestra.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play: <b>B+</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7u4YTfiNYplAMr4tlx9e5g352ZIpPwoHOzHFNKigVvzoSPcVDkVzix5fU0dK1FVSRhO-a79reHFGp0NwR1Xm11vOpgDoEU_92I1kFO43KhV7l1Bn0rmrlLLu8YWlPNDNp0dV7aY3q041S/s1600/American+Idiot+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7u4YTfiNYplAMr4tlx9e5g352ZIpPwoHOzHFNKigVvzoSPcVDkVzix5fU0dK1FVSRhO-a79reHFGp0NwR1Xm11vOpgDoEU_92I1kFO43KhV7l1Bn0rmrlLLu8YWlPNDNp0dV7aY3q041S/s400/American+Idiot+scene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: Alessandra Mello</span><b><br />
</b></span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-85267275313599360642010-04-23T00:22:00.001-04:002010-04-23T00:26:59.314-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 10<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_d118658" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/d118658/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/d118658/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_d118658"></embed></object> <b><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Brian d'Arcy James to return to <i>Next to Normal</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The four shows I saw this week… in 30 seconds: <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/review-million-dollar-quartet.html"><i>Million Dollar Quartet</i></a>, <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/07/next-to-normal-s-1-4.html"><i>Next to Normal</i></a>, <i> La Cage aux Folles</i>, and <i>Everyday Rapture</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/understudy-hall-at-this-performance.html"><i>At This Performance</i> concert</a> inspires with stellar understudy talent</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138836-Broadway-Grosses-April-12-18"><span style="font-size: small;">Broadway grosses</span></a></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Are you beaming that Brian d’Arcy James will be coming back to <i> Next to Normal</i>? Did you see him in the show’s off-Broadway run? What did you think of the four shows I saw this week? Did <i>Million Dollar Quartet</i> make you leave smiling? Did you find <i>Everyday Rapture</i> to be a bummer, like I did? Have you been to an <i>At This Performance</i> concert? As always, leave it in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-11774575190641382632010-04-21T23:55:00.000-04:002010-04-21T23:55:31.722-04:00Review: Million Dollar Quartet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfN8lUrkqln6nSX59HG7W2OZiQwppZgNg2nODgTyex4i9h0m8kdqwn2plmBd6bbmd5HyFtWHRDjWrn_hH7_H-FgyxJ6iZA_RH89_P_MDip4Y8V-0mBDNcsx1cxKa-FyCYWBQ0PhxUN_NB/s1600/Million+Dollar+Quartet+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfN8lUrkqln6nSX59HG7W2OZiQwppZgNg2nODgTyex4i9h0m8kdqwn2plmBd6bbmd5HyFtWHRDjWrn_hH7_H-FgyxJ6iZA_RH89_P_MDip4Y8V-0mBDNcsx1cxKa-FyCYWBQ0PhxUN_NB/s320/Million+Dollar+Quartet+poster.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The fact that two musicals have opened on Broadway this season that focus on 1950s rock and roll in Memphis speaks greatly to the current creative drought in musical theater. Or maybe it speaks to the gatekeepers of Broadway and their resistance to take creative chances. Either way, <i>Million Dollar Quartet</i>, trailing the first rock and roll musical of the season—<i>Memphis</i>, is a play-it-safe show that employs some incredibly smart strategies to escort its audience out of the theater grinning. These choices, I’m sure, will make the production a commercial success.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The story takes places over the course of just a few hours on December 4, 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. The true backstory is that Sun Records founder Sam Phillips has invited Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis for a recording session. It would be the only time these four rock and roll gods would ever play together. Eighty percent of the show is this jam session with some light (and I do mean <i>light</i>) banter and relations between the musicians. For the show’s only dramatic backbone, Phillips, who has recently sold Presley to RCA to keep his fledgling record company afloat, is preparing to resign Cash for another three years. What Phillips doesn’t know is that Cash is on his way to break the news to him that he’s already signed with Columbia Records.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The main aspect of this show is the simulated performances of these rock and roll greats, and that part is right on the money. The four actors who play Presley, Cash, Perkins, and Lewis (Eddie Clendening, Lance Guest, Robert Britton Lyons, and Levi Kreis, respectively) are the show’s orchestra. Their instrumentals and vocals are incredibly strong. Their performances of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Hound Dog,” and “See You Later Alligator” are fire-breathing rock and roll spectacles. <i>Quartet</i> holds up as well as it does because of the acute musical talent of these performers. It doesn’t have a lot else to ride on.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The most interesting (and unexpected) aspect of the show is Hunter Foster’s portrayal of Phillips. Foster, a Tony-nominated actor for <i>Little Shop of Horrors</i> has starred in numerous other musicals like <i>The Producers</i>, <i>Urinetown</i>, and off-Broadway’s <i>Ordinary Days</i>. This is a gifted <i>musical theater</i> actor—why he would accept a non-singing role in a musical was beyond me when I learned of his casting. However, Foster takes the role of Phillips from what could be a stale narrator and gives him hefty character and heart. Most of the play, Foster plays Phillips as a stubborn, curt business man—his impatience and frustration with his company’s finances showing on his face in a tight-lipped grimace. Yet Foster gives Phillips heavy sentiment at the play’s conclusion, when the real-life photograph of the four musicians huddled around the piano is shown. It might be a tad schmaltzy, but Phillips says to the audience, “I just wish my boys had a bit more happiness in their lives.” It’ll pull at your heartstrings (it pulled at mine). Foster can expect a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical… for a non-singing role!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So you’re watching a show with blazing musical performances peppered with clunky dialogue (Presley calls Phillips “the father of rock and roll.” He wouldn’t have known to say this back then, nor would have been likely to say it at all.). The actors do the curtain call and that’s it, right? Wrong. The quartet comes back out, donning bedazzled jackets, and the set raises up to reveal a new scene, featuring a wall of gigantic flashbulbs. The quartet performs a handful of closing numbers about five times more raucous than any done during the show. The crowd is out of their seats, dancing in delight, and just as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” ends, the gang forms a closing tableau with Presley on his knees, leaning back parallel with the stage and Perkins standing on a bass (<i>standing on a bass!</i>). The audience is ecstatic and files out of the Nederlander Theatre grinning from ear to ear. And I’m standing there thinking, “This director Eric Schaeffer is one smart man.” No matter what any individual in that audience thought of the show, that rock-‘em-sock-‘em finale is genius audience manipulation. Give ‘em a spectacle to take away as the departing memory of the show and that will be their lasting impression.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Million Dollar Quartet</i> has going for it the same winning formula that <i>Jersey Boys </i> has: a <i>Behind-The-Music </i>style story and a roster of beloved songs. There’s no book or story to get in the way. There’s just sheer performance value. This is not a creative piece of theater, but it’s popcorn entertainment that pleases (if popcorn was allowed in a Broadway theater). I expect its crowd-pleasing factor to be acknowledged at the Tonys this year, along with definite box office success.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Editor’s note: I was invited to see </i>Million Dollar Quartet<i> and did not rush it. There is a ticket lottery for this production. The drawing is two hours prior to curtain, two tickets per person at $31.50 a piece.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play: <b>B-</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhn1rNlPxrlUyTVIyFptkz-PFv5tqa7h94OY0ME5lDifnK8o9XYkThtXMIG8eOhjklV9UI8R91rQApd_gqmnP0lGeZDKQX5EtdeE0plVT9YgpUR2Zougr5lMZayRKgOp94g_KGL_5DlfR/s1600/Million+Dollar+Quartet+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhn1rNlPxrlUyTVIyFptkz-PFv5tqa7h94OY0ME5lDifnK8o9XYkThtXMIG8eOhjklV9UI8R91rQApd_gqmnP0lGeZDKQX5EtdeE0plVT9YgpUR2Zougr5lMZayRKgOp94g_KGL_5DlfR/s400/Million+Dollar+Quartet+scene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Photo: Joan Marcus</div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-84083891034278006042010-04-19T08:56:00.000-04:002010-04-19T08:56:32.170-04:00Understudy Hall: 'At This Performance': Spring 2010<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before the actors took the stage for the penultimate performance of the spring series of <i>At This Performance</i> concerts Sunday night, Musicals Tonight! artistic director Mel Miller delivered the bittersweet introduction. “These are among the most talented and underappreciated performers on Broadway,” he said. And therein lies what is so brilliant about this concert series that features Broadway understudies—for this night, the spotlight is on them; they are the headliners. Little white slips of paper be damned!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_3975e76b" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/3975e76b/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/3975e76b/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_3975e76b"></embed></object></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunday night’s lineup featured actors currently appearing in <i>The Addams Family</i>, <i>Hair</i>, <i> Lend Me A Tenor</i>, <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, and the recently closed <i>Ragtime</i>. Each performer took the stage, looking thrilled to be there, and ebulliently performed their prepared numbers. A barebones stage allowed the audience to focus solely on these (most likely, new) performers’ talents. Singing with only a piano accompanist (Eugene Gwozdz), the setting had an “audition feel” to it, which felt relevant to these performers’ stories.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frank Mastrone sang a hyper-emotional “Bring Him Home” from <i>Les Miserables</i>. Mykal Kilgore performed an octave defying “Aquarius” from <i>Hair</i> (he understudies the female role of Dionne?? Interesting!). And Mamie Parris gave a heartbreaking rendition of “Back To Before” from <i>Ragtime</i>. In addition to impressive vocals, many of the actors’ performances displayed infectiously likeable personalities. Briana Carlson-Goodman of <i>Hair</i> performed a comedic song from a musical workshop she was involved with, where she sings of her love for her piano accompanist, and <i>Lend Me A Tenor</i>’s Donna English displayed a multitude of hilarious facial expressions during “The Killer Soprano,” a song featured in <i>Forbidden Broadway</i>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Setlist:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Briana Carlson-Goodman (<i>Hair</i>, u/s Sheila and Chrissy)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Easy To Be Hard” and the in-love-with-accompanist tune</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Donna English (<i>Lend Me A Tenor</i>, standby Maria and Julia)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” and “The Killer Soprano”</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mary Illes (<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, u/s Madame Giry)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Yes, It’s Love” and “Go Little Boat”</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Morgan James (<i>The Addams Family</i>, u/s Wednesday Addams and Alice Beineke)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Pulled” and “Ohio, 1904”</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mykal Kilgore (<i>Hair</i>, u/s Dionne)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Aquarius” and “Don’t Let The Sun Get You Crying”</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frank Mastrone (<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, u/s Monsieur Andre and Piangi)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The dress rehearsal of ‘Hannibal’ (from <i>Phantom</i>), “Bring Him Home” and “Those Were The Good Old Days”</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anastacia McClesky (<i>Hair</i>, u/s Dionne)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“White Boys” and “Stormy Weather”</span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mamie Parris (<i>Ragtime</i>, u/s Mother)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Back To Before” and “Perfect”</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The spring dates of <i>At This Performance</i> (which also takes place in the fall) has been playing on scattered Sunday and Monday evenings since February 28. Today is the final performance, and tickets can be purchased for $25 online or at the box office. Further information can be found at <a href="http://musicalstonight.org/" target="_blank">musicalstonight.org</a>.</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-5126914524970802402010-04-17T17:20:00.000-04:002010-04-17T17:20:56.083-04:00Review: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGC_9vyC_Y58Fnm_59EmWPXHZi5l3yeQNsGcXpC_VIMicXAQM4KYKB82Glukd1A6-RgMHP1VmEXVYpHRbT5b0Kql6TyWGLmoMUtMKNPFT66iNr4YF8dMa2YPMDvnA9d0tvgI1ACszZNga/s1600/Bloody+Bloody+Andrew+Jackson+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGC_9vyC_Y58Fnm_59EmWPXHZi5l3yeQNsGcXpC_VIMicXAQM4KYKB82Glukd1A6-RgMHP1VmEXVYpHRbT5b0Kql6TyWGLmoMUtMKNPFT66iNr4YF8dMa2YPMDvnA9d0tvgI1ACszZNga/s320/Bloody+Bloody+Andrew+Jackson+poster.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Being that I was an AP History student in high school, I’m embarrassed to say this: going into <i> Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson</i>, I couldn’t remember a thing about this particular president. It’s a good thing there’s nothing like a loud rock musical to pound the facts into your head.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chronicling the childhood and political rise of Andrew Jackson, our country’s seventh president (I learned this from the show!), this creation of Alex Timbers (book writer and director) and Michael Friedman (music and lyrics) is a random, wild-child piece of genius. Billed as an “emo rock musical,” <i> Andrew Jackson</i> strips the characters of any dense, political verbiage and colonial form. Instead, a rock star ensemble screams a hilarious rock score of the president that is both adored for being a “people’s president” and loathed for genocidal acts against the Native Americans.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Timbers, Friedman, and the rest of the creative team have dedicated themselves to the show’s “look,” and it’s that commitment that makes <i>Andrew Jackson </i> such a standout piece. Upon entering the theater, the audience’s experience begins. Scenic designer Donyale Werle and lighting designer Justin Townsend have strung distressed gold and red chandeliers on the ceiling, extending over the audience to the back row. Single-color decorative string lights pass over the chandeliers, and long neon bulbs (a la Kevin Adams’ designs for <i>Spring Awakening </i> and <i>Passing Strange</i>) hang on the sidelines. I felt as if I had walked into a grungy New York rock hall. The stage bears the same rock-grunge motifs, as well as wilderness clutter, to reflect Jackson’s Tennessee upbringing. There are so many details to look at on the stage that it’s frustrating to realize you can’t catch them all.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m sure the entire cast hugs costume designer Emily Rebholz every day for making them look sexy. The actors wear fantastic looking costumes that are a rock star-colonial fusion. The men wear jeans and colonial-style coats (with guyliner, naturally), while the women wear boots, frontier-inspired dresses and revealing tops. Benjamin Walker as Andrew Jackson is appropriately dressed the best. Playing a rock star president, Walker is outfitted in skin-tight black jeans, tightly fitted undershirt and an attractive white colonial coat. As a final touch, the leather gun holster strapped around his waist sets him up perfectly to reign as the outrageous first Democratic president.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Walker earns his presidency as Andrew Jackson. Amping up the confidence to a staggering level, Walker struts around the stage and screams into his wireless mic just as convincingly as any of today’s men of rock. Yet Walker lets the confidence give way to scenes of appropriate whininess. Faced with tough times and even tougher decisions, Walker portrays Jackson as an immature young adult, bewildered by his circumstances of political scrutiny and standoff with the Native Americans. (He comes off as a more charming Ashton Kutcher.)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ensemble balances Walker’s Jackson perfectly. Each of the actors gets their own moments to shine and delight. The ensemble carries much of the show’s comedy, and they execute it winningly. <i>Andrew Jackson</i> is hilarious, not just for its content, but for its mood and delivery. Some quips are over the top and hilarious and some are dry and cutting. The cast commits to the show’s tone just as well as the creative side has to its aesthetic aspects. This is one well-running machine of a show.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The beauty of <i>Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson</i> is in its unexpectedness. It’s a random story to tell in a random form of storytelling. I didn’t know we needed a rock musical about President Andrew Jackson, but when the story is told through a modern vehicle, it shows present-day relevance. Nicer still is that <i> Andrew Jackson</i> does take a break from the hilarity and hits some sentimental notes. It nicely rounds out a production that is completely entertaining and amazingly original.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The rush:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Planning how to rush <i>Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson</i> was more difficult than actually doing so. The production is a limited run until May 9 and it’s selling extremely well. There are general rush tickets available for $20 (two per person) an hour before the performance, based on availability. Yet there is also a student rush available for $25 (one per ID) available at any time, even in advance (doesn’t even have to be the day of the desired performance). There were almost too many plans of attack on how to get the tickets. By just taking a risk and seeing what was available, I showed up at 3 p.m. on the day I wanted to see the show and asked if there was availability for student rush tickets. There were a few seats still available for that night and I picked one up. The seats were in the third-to-last row, but the box office attendant said the student rush seats are merely located wherever there is still availability. The Public Theater is small, so any seat is a good one. Not bad for a price that’s a little more than a Jackson.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play: <b>A-</b> / Rush: <b> A</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDDDzCoOB-kE8m94MAf5qVVMt1yYfNQ3eovORLnHqzJNykEhokSLm48tP_8VRb1aO1nyI5RK_ndE1zlCypc9vF_uSZAu3shaucEHcc7qy0YPIx6SdM2ZwrtCBGaGWXDYkUUgP_Cxlq_8z/s1600/Bloody+Bloody+Andrew+Jackson+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDDDzCoOB-kE8m94MAf5qVVMt1yYfNQ3eovORLnHqzJNykEhokSLm48tP_8VRb1aO1nyI5RK_ndE1zlCypc9vF_uSZAu3shaucEHcc7qy0YPIx6SdM2ZwrtCBGaGWXDYkUUgP_Cxlq_8z/s400/Bloody+Bloody+Andrew+Jackson+scene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Photo: Joan Marcus </span></span><b><br />
</b></span>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-71200472409849623762010-04-16T02:03:00.003-04:002010-04-17T00:38:07.647-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 9<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Whisper House</span></i><span style="font-size: small;">'s Holly Brook introduces! </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson</i> gets EMOtional</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Seeing <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/review-anyone-can-whistle.html"><i>Anyone Can Whistle</i></a> from a mile away</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/ensemble-watch-chicago-part-2.html"><i>Chicago</i>’s ensemble talks stunt casting</a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138674-Broadway-Grosses-April-5-11http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138674-Broadway-Grosses-April-5-11">Broadway grosses</a>: Why <i>American Idiot</i> isn’t a sellout</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Have you seen <i>Andrew Jackson</i>? Does it deserve to get an open-ended off-Broadway run? Did you pay for better seats to <i>Anyone Can Whistle</i> than I did? Do you think I’m right about the people who are buying tickets for <i>American Idiot</i>? Leave it in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-25668842590019076682010-04-12T01:05:00.000-04:002010-04-12T01:05:12.446-04:00Ensemble Watch: 'Chicago,' Part 2In this second part of Ensemble Watch, Melissa Rae Mahon and James T. Lane of <i>Chicago</i> discuss stunt casting, learning numerous versions of choreography for numbers, and perform their favorite dance steps from the show.<br />
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<a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/ensemble-watch-chicago-part-1.html">(If you missed Part 1, catch it here)</a><br />
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Did what Melissa and James said about knowing numerous versions of musical numbers surprise you, Rushers? How do you feel about some choreography being "watered down" for certain stars?Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-69711929936440559052010-04-10T01:05:00.000-04:002010-04-10T01:05:16.852-04:00Review: Anyone Can Whistle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwxyA2-GHIlkoexrlebPJuFpxsglvtoBDoQ-UGcQljtTFDK_NUGazKcxcvM0QQNpFi5bax5tQILlTVsOWrZCYcl2js6KlwBdFZPz7yFEb79cYwG7odVNhJqv0Lyn9WDj5Ea0rnqJwTKc-/s1600/Anyone+Can+Whistle+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwxyA2-GHIlkoexrlebPJuFpxsglvtoBDoQ-UGcQljtTFDK_NUGazKcxcvM0QQNpFi5bax5tQILlTVsOWrZCYcl2js6KlwBdFZPz7yFEb79cYwG7odVNhJqv0Lyn9WDj5Ea0rnqJwTKc-/s320/Anyone+Can+Whistle+poster.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/07/rushing-12-nights-in-advance-state-of.html">Since I was a fool and missed Raul Esparza’s last mind-blowing on-stage pairing</a>, it was even more exciting to see him co-star in a musical with Broadway’s leading lady, Sutton Foster. That man is a fantastic dramatic actor, but he really needs to do more musicals.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The show is City Center Encores!'s production of <i>Anyone Can Whistle</i>. This i<span id="goog_2016202773"></span><span id="goog_2016202774"></span>s a rarely performed Sondheim show, and it's got a collect-'em-all factor for fans.<br />
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To summarize this play would be missing the point. If you don’t understand it (which I didn’t), there is still fun to be had. But for a primer, it's about a plotting mayor, played by Donna Murphy, who rules over a destitute town. A rock starts spouting water and people flock to the town to see it and the “mayoress” charges them for it. Suddenly, Raul Esparza arrives to sort out the town crazies and the mayor is out to arrest Sutton Foster for questioning the validity of the lucrative miracle.<a name='more'></a><br />
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Murphy is enraptured in her role as Mayor Cora Hoover Hooper. She emits classic Broadway ham and it's delightful. She is having the most fun of anyone on stage.<br />
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Foster could not be cuter as Fay Apple, who is playful as a faux French spy one moment, and then singing the heartbreaking titular number the next. Her deadpan-delivered jokes strike the hardest, and Foster’s voice soars with Sondheim's score. She is truly an actress who has it all.<br />
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Esparza is in different form than usual, taking on a light, comedic role. Despite his talents for drama, he is adorable as J. Bowden Hapgood, and wears his silliness just as well as he does his handsome suit.<br />
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There is some great choreography by Casey Nicholaw (who also directed), and what's even more incredible is how swiftly the cast and creative team had to throw it all together (it’s a only a five-performance run, stretching from Thursday to Sunday). The ensemble is sprite and colorful, and they get down with the leads, which is pleasant to watch.<br />
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Part of what made this a great theatrical experience was the audience's response. Being such a short run, the massive, 2,750 seat (!!) City Center theater is jam-packed with people who are dying to be there. Everyone was elated upon each individual entrance of Murphy, Foster, and Esparza. That sort of anticipation and thunderous reception can't help but boost the mood of an evening.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Editor’s note: <a href="http://www.nycitycenter.org/content/tickets/students.aspx">City Center has a student ticket policy</a>, only for certain events. The Encores! productions sell out, so student tickets to </i> Anyone Can Whistle<i> are unlikely. However, tickets to the show sold for as low as $25—a fantastic price for a truly special night of theater, considering the stars and the authorship of the work.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play: <b>B+</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu5sAzyfztyFZR3IaP1QUxLh64-LMk3M9oXCKeZqKGpEgobfxaXgYDLRSLF2WYlRpI6epAYgw7He3jxU8c_iWLelGdrrVh_s2VUYDYb59KODl4IemJV3PX0H6PULDapvM7BfLiB_4i9OK/s1600/Anyone+Can+Whistle+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu5sAzyfztyFZR3IaP1QUxLh64-LMk3M9oXCKeZqKGpEgobfxaXgYDLRSLF2WYlRpI6epAYgw7He3jxU8c_iWLelGdrrVh_s2VUYDYb59KODl4IemJV3PX0H6PULDapvM7BfLiB_4i9OK/s400/Anyone+Can+Whistle+scene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: Joan Marcus</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-44162315924198755942010-04-09T00:11:00.000-04:002010-04-09T00:11:30.355-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 8<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_4e418226" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/4e418226/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/4e418226/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_4e418226"></embed></object></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/ensemble-watch-chicago-part-1.html">Interviewing Chicago ensemble members</a> Melissa Rae Mahon and James T. Lane on the stage of the Ambassador Theatre</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Loss #2 at the <i>American Idiot</i> ticket lottery</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="goog_386596957"></span>Broadway grosses</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <span id="goog_386596958"></span></span></a></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please leave your thoughts, questions, suggestions in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-82335357565132606952010-04-08T00:00:00.003-04:002010-04-12T01:06:31.587-04:00Ensemble Watch: 'Chicago,' Part 1<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kicking off Ensemble Watch, the series that highlights ensemble actors in Broadway's hottest companies, </span>Melissa Rae Mahon and James T. Lane dish on life in the classic musical <i>Chicago</i> and how they stay fit for those revealing costumes.<br />
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A sneak peak at <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/ensemble-watch-chicago-part-2.html">Part 2</a>.<br />
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Rushers, have you seen Melissa open <i>Chicago</i>? Did you catch James when he was in <i>A Chorus Line</i>? Are you surprised that these two didn't describe a rigorous workout routine for the show? Leave it in the comments! Be sure to check back at Stage Rush for <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/ensemble-watch-chicago-part-2.html">Part 2</a> of my interview with Melissa and James!Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-52872138397378152652010-04-02T05:50:00.000-04:002010-04-02T05:50:49.677-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 7<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_413de2ae" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/413de2ae/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/413de2ae/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_413de2ae"></embed></object> <b><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><ul><li><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/03/understudy-hall-memphiss-bryan-fenkart.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Interviewing Chad Kimball’s understudy, Bryan Fenkart, from <i>Memphis</i></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Loss #1 at the <i>American Idiot</i> ticket lottery</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/04/million-dollar-quartet-previews-songs.html"><i>Million Dollar Quartet</i> rocks out at a private jam session</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138284-Broadway-Grosses-March-22-28"><span style="font-size: small;">Broadway grosses</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have you seen Bryan Fenkart go on for Huey in <i>Memphis</i>? Have you won the <i>American Idiot </i> ticket lotto yet? Do you plan on trying your luck at it? Do you think Hunter Foster should not have taken a non-singing role in a Broadway musical? Please leave any questions or suggestions for topics in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-9558747390371016762010-04-02T00:02:00.001-04:002010-04-02T12:59:51.190-04:00‘Million Dollar Quartet’ previews songs at invited jam session<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgRe6EfuHx5Mx_nN8F_NI0aG0nfBKuhyphenhyphensG9-bXjQx2kaNC1iISF-jOf6YQZiTiPRPZBRIjCgjSYf1nkDJH356H0x_Jq7xorT9r-zSRiW2r9zhHljaBEktLTdKTu_b-yXtY3M1LkErPHwR/s1600/Million+Dollar+Quartet+jam+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgRe6EfuHx5Mx_nN8F_NI0aG0nfBKuhyphenhyphensG9-bXjQx2kaNC1iISF-jOf6YQZiTiPRPZBRIjCgjSYf1nkDJH356H0x_Jq7xorT9r-zSRiW2r9zhHljaBEktLTdKTu_b-yXtY3M1LkErPHwR/s320/Million+Dollar+Quartet+jam+01.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Attention classic rock and roll buffs! The closest you’re going to get to seeing Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins creating music history together is by watching the video below. On Thursday, the new Broadway musical <i> Million Dollar Quartet</i> (currently in previews, opening April 11) played a handful of numbers from the production to an invited crowd at the Nederlander Theatre.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The musical spotlights the December 4, 1956 recording session at Sun Records studios, organized by Sam Phillips (Hunter Foster) that brought together Cash (Lance Guest), Lewis (Levi Kreis), Perkins (Rob Lyons), and Presley (Eddie Clendening).</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While the on-stage interviews seemed forced, the music flowed from these actors like whiskey in a Memphis bar. Much like John Doyle’s recent revivals of <i>Sweeney Todd</i> and <i>Company</i>, the actors in <i>Quartet</i> are the orchestra. These strong-voiced guys played just as well as they sang. (Lyons even stood on a bass, for wild closing-number pose!!) Oddly, Tony-award nominated musical theater actor Hunter Foster is relegated to the non-singing role of Phillips, who (from what I could tell by the preview) acts mostly as a narrator. Seems like a strange role choice for such an acclaimed actor, but I’ll reserve judgment until I actually see the full show.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Watch the video for a medley of performances, featuring “Let’s Have A Party,” “Wild One,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.”</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_fc057818" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/fc057818/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/fc057818/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_fc057818"></embed></object></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you think, Rushers? Does seeing these guys jam out make you want to see <i>Quartet</i>? Are you disappointed Hunter Foster won’t be singing in the show? Does watching this video put you in the mood to re-watch <i>Walk the Line</i> at all? (Because it does for me!)</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-38873786409718538382010-03-31T13:28:00.000-04:002010-03-31T13:28:33.796-04:00Understudy Hall: ‘Memphis’’s Bryan Fenkart is worth teaching how to dance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fuzDNc6BkpA1efwe1usvBslK_Z_WgChzxJc-BexXJHUXlCuuv59v2A8IdIOcAbiCLAvLWVFWlVp1x226KejlKww3ii4KctapxEwlE8TYXNMc6_ymalIY69LqqnE-IIHdOAxFGEXSgXRL/s1600/Bryan+Fenkart+headshot+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fuzDNc6BkpA1efwe1usvBslK_Z_WgChzxJc-BexXJHUXlCuuv59v2A8IdIOcAbiCLAvLWVFWlVp1x226KejlKww3ii4KctapxEwlE8TYXNMc6_ymalIY69LqqnE-IIHdOAxFGEXSgXRL/s320/Bryan+Fenkart+headshot+crop.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While Chad Kimball builds Tony buzz for his exhaustive lead performance as Huey Calhoun in the new musical <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/10/memphis.html"><i>Memphis</i></a>, his understudy Bryan Fenkart is making a very visible Broadway debut. Having performed the role a handful of times since the New Year, the New Jersey native is getting his chance to bask in the spotlight of one of Broadway’s flashiest male roles.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Growing up in Midland Park, Fenkart wasn’t set on acting. He joined his first high school production on the terms of a lost bet. Yet after the interest took, he studied acting at Rutgers moved to New York. With a three-year stint as a doorman for the Times Square comedy club Carolines behind him, the 30-year-old has made his way to a different Broadway venue and is learning the lessons of performance-induced amnesia and even how to dance. Yes, <i>after</i> being cast in the role.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You’re making your Broadway debut understudying the male lead in a new musical. How does that make you feel?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is really an honor. I didn’t train in musical theater, but I do love it and everything I’ve seen. Coming in for <i>Memphis</i>, I fell in love with the part of Huey. It’s everything that you would want, as an actor. It’s a very distinct physicality that’s different from my own. It’s got an accent. He’s got a drinking problem by the second act. Even as an understudy, to be able to have the opportunity to do that is a great thing. Also, to have somebody like Chad Kimball do the role and watch him every night is pretty awesome. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he brings to that part. He fully immerses himself in it and I love what he does. To be able to watch that and then change it on my own is pretty awesome.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>***VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP: Bryan Fenkart would get "beat up" if he wore Huey's clothes outside the theater.***<a name='more'></a></b><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_fc69dd7b" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/fc69dd7b/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/fc69dd7b/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_fc69dd7b"></embed></object></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What does it feel like when you’re in your moment as Huey, whether it’s in your favorite scene or taking your final bow?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taking the final bow for my first performance as Huey was pretty surreal. I remembered being in the auditorium of Midland Park High School, seeing my parents in the second row and taking a bow. To flash forward 10 or more years and see my parents still in the second row and I’m taking my final bow at the Shubert Theatre after carrying the show was pretty surreal. Especially since the Shubert was where I saw my first Broadway show, <i>Crazy For You</i>. I got very choked up and teary with that first one.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What is the longest period you’ve gone without performing the role of Huey?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first time I went on was in January—we opened in October. Since then, I’ve gone on almost once every two or three weeks. I’ve gone on for a couple of stretches—three shows here, four shows there, for a grand total of 13 now. The longest I’ve gone without performing the role since I’ve started is two or three weeks.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What’s the shortest notice you’ve been given before performing?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An hour and a half. Luckily, I had gone on before. The first time I went on, I knew the night before. That was a blessing and a curse, because I didn’t sleep. The hour and a half one wasn’t as scary. I had gone on five or so times before that. I knew Chad wasn’t feeling well; he had sounded a little scratchy. Sure enough, at 6:30 p.m., I got the call saying I was going to go on as Huey. If that had been the first time for me though, that would have been terrifying.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tell me about your first performance as Huey.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The cliché of getting shot out of a cannon is accurate. It felt like getting shot <i>by</i> a cannon. When we rehearse as understudies, we’re rehearsing with folding chairs and stage management. We don’t have the other actors, we’re not surrounded by 29 dancers on the stage flailing around, moving columns and a radio booth that comes out of the stage. Going into a set that huge was very difficult and intimidating. The costumes changes are so fast, and we didn’t get a chance to rehearse those either. Luckily, my dresser is an angel and was saying under his breath, “Do the pants first. Now do the shirt,” in my ears. It’s amazing how much even the order of getting changed is something you have to think about. I got off stage after the first performance and stage management asked, “How’d it go?” and I said, “I have no idea what just happened!” I felt like I had lost two and a half hours of my life. Somehow all the words came out and all the costume changes happened. I didn’t kill anyone, so it worked somehow. But it was complete and total amnesia.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had a second show to do that day, so I forced myself to get more comfortable. There’s a scene where Huey is in the radio booth and Bobby, his friend, is squeegeeing the booth window, and he’s inside doing a commercial. I as just trying to get comfortable, and I leaned my arm outside the window that he was squeegeeing, and in my head I was saying, That’s glass, don’t do that. You’re in a soundproof radio booth; keep your wits about you!</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>People are usually disappointed when understudy cards fall out of a <i>Playbill</i>. How do you feel about that?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can understand. I’ve had that experience when I’ve seen shows. I get it. Taking nothing away from Chad and Montego [Glover], but I think I’m lucky to be in a show where people aren’t coming to see Alec Baldwin or whomever. People aren’t paying for the names; they’re paying to see this show that’s been getting a lot of great reviews and a lot of word of mouth. I have the benefit that most people aren’t as much coming to see Chad Kimball as they are coming to see <i>Memphis</i>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What does your family think of your understudy status?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">They love it. My parents are just happy to see me on stage. But I’m a star in their eyes, so they are always asking me questions like, “Do you get to take over the role when Chad leaves?” I say, “I don’t know! I don’t know how it works! The show might close, God forbid!” They’re always asking questions I can’t answer.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Do you have nights where you’re not scheduled to go on, but you’re feeling really good, and you think “I am <i>so</i> in the mood to KILL IT as Huey tonight!”?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Almost every night, I would rather be doing that part. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with feeling that, because it’s an amazing role and I love performing it. It’s something I feel like I do well. It’s the reason I got cast in the show. They had to teach me to dance at the rehearsals, because it’s something I didn’t have to do at the auditions. Huey doesn’t dance in the show. I came into the show to understudy and my second job is to be in the ensemble. My primary job is to understudy Huey. Do I want to be playing that part every time I go to the theater? Yeah, absolutely! But could I? I don’t even know how Chad does it eight times a week. It’s a monster. He’s superhuman for being able to act it as often as he does.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Explain your ensemble role.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I dance a little bit. They made a considerable effort to remove me from most of the major dance numbers. They knew that I wasn’t a dancer. I’ve never taken a dance class. I certainly was not offended by that. It’s a Broadway show; there’s no such thing as ‘good enough.’ I dance in two or three songs, and even then it’s minimal. They knew what they were getting into. I’m clunky; I do what I can. I do backup vocals and any time a guy comes out and steals Felicia’s purse or rips a speaker off the wall—a bunch of the random, racist white dude [antics].</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who understudies you?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charlie Williams is the white male swing; he covers all those ensemble parts. There was a time when I went on for Huey and someone else in the ensemble was out, and they were able to cut my track for the most part. Most of the stuff they have me doing in the ensemble isn’t integral; they could have anybody do it. It’s not a difficult track by any means. They either just filled in the gaps with somebody else, or took my part out entirely.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Do you find you have a special connection with the person you understudy, Chad Kimball?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He’s become one of my closest friends in the show. He’s been helpful in ways I think most other actors wouldn’t have been. Because I didn’t get a chance to work on the character so much during rehearsals, I had to ask him a lot of questions about his motivations as the character and what brought him from points A to B in a scene. He was always very helpful with trying to help me reach the emotional life of the character. He’s just such a funny, quirky dude. It’s fun to go out and get a beer after the show—sometimes we will talk shop and sometimes we won’t.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Today’s understudies are tomorrow’s Broadway stars. What are your thoughts and hopes regarding that notion?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe that. I have no doubt that I will get there. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could. I’m not somebody who ended up here by accident. A lot of people will say, “You’re so lucky to be where you are,” and I say, “I don’t believe in luck.” I don’t believe that I’m lucky; I believe that I worked my ass off to get where I am, and I will continue to work my ass off, because this is where I want to be and there are many more rungs above me where I want to get to. For me, this is a lily pad—a very important and large one, the biggest one I’ve jumped to yet—but there are many more in front of me.</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-77415657672689247462010-03-26T05:00:00.001-04:002010-03-26T05:00:03.710-04:00Stage Rush TV: Episode 6<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_ae9eca71" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/ae9eca71/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/ae9eca71/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_ae9eca71"></embed></object> <b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Talking points:</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/03/broadway-brain-music-director-lynne.html">Interviewing Broadway music director Lynne Shankel</a>, juggler extraordinaire.</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/03/review-all-about-me.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Seeing <i>All About Me</i></span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The short-lived Henry Miller’s Theatre is renamed after Stephen Sondheim</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138061-Broadway-Grosses-March-15-21"><span style="font-size: small;">Broadway grosses</span></a></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What did you find most surprising about my interview with Lynne Shankel? Have you seen <i>All About Me?</i> Did you think Michael Feinstein held his own, or was he just one of Dame Edna’s props? Please leave any questions or suggestions for topics in the comments!</span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-35362830247816866892010-03-25T01:03:00.000-04:002010-03-25T01:03:19.758-04:00Review: All About Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7w5b830Eus8tz_YRNH_hC0w4xCC3dVA4JJJr5wfK9mAema25X2vxHe8XWLbYuOKtlfzYUZpAqi5LMu3kuAGolG3xHiy0KwMfvKRw1k61x4FjevvvoodF_OyTBFEgKS_mWqS4I_ga9yYa/s1600/All+About+Me+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7w5b830Eus8tz_YRNH_hC0w4xCC3dVA4JJJr5wfK9mAema25X2vxHe8XWLbYuOKtlfzYUZpAqi5LMu3kuAGolG3xHiy0KwMfvKRw1k61x4FjevvvoodF_OyTBFEgKS_mWqS4I_ga9yYa/s320/All+About+Me+poster.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not every good idea has to make sense, initially. <a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2010/02/odd-couple-dame-edna-and-michael.html">When I first heard that Dame Edna Everage and Michael Feinstein would be co-headlining a Broadway show</a>, I thought, Who wants to see that? Dame Edna has already had two Broadway shows—isn’t her shtick old? And Michael Feinstein is stuck in the 1930s with his cabaret act—how is he relevant to today’s paying audience?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well last night, all these performers had to do to convince me was open their mouths.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Played by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries, Dame Edna’s comedy is sharper than ever. Her improvised routine of honing in on grinning audience members and humiliating them never gets boring. What’s so effective about her delivery is that Edna never appears to be insulting intentionally—every caustic quip is delivered in a tone that would sound the same if she were saying she loved you. Edna is miraculous, because she is a short-sighted, self-absorbed, politically incorrect snob—yet you can’t help but <i>love her</i>! She commands the stage of the Henry Miller’s Theatre (soon to be the Stephen Sondheim Theatre) using her usual staples of gladiolas, muscular male dancers, and boas. Edna also looks blindingly glittery in her wild costumes, designed by Stephen Adnitt. One particular bedazzled frock displayed a massive collar that was the Sydney Opera House, with Edna’s head poking out through the middle of the famed building. It was a design fit for Lady Gaga, which isn’t too shabby for the 76-year-old dame.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It would be too easy to fall to the wayside, when positioned next to all of Edna’s glittery costumes and on-stage boisterousness. Feinstein, the noted pianist and owner of Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, is placed in an awkward position. In addition to appearing quite wee next to the giant Edna, a cabaret singer of American songbook classics seems like a pretty uneven deck of cards against riotous comedy. Lucky for Feinstein, he’s armed with a voice that is wildly powerful and emotionally evocative. He performs his solo numbers with such strength that I was taken aback. In addition to the wonderful quality of his voice, there is a real pleasure in watching a person talk about something they are so passionate about. Before performing tunes penned by Gershwin, Porter, or the team of Rodgers and Hart, Feinstein introduces each with the song’s background. He speaks so lovingly of the work—his passion isn’t only detected in his voice, but in his face as well. When someone truly cares about what they’re doing, no matter what it is, it’s difficult as an audience member not to feel magnetism toward it.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, Edna and Feinstein have been staged in a fumbling conceit where they are both unconvincingly surprised to discover the other’s spotlight-stealing presence in “his”/“her” show, and they waste precious time vying for it. There’s an unnecessary stage manager character (Jodi Capeless) and the bantering and soft-balled insults are near embarrassing. If I had to see one more dramatic headshake from Feinstein to display the emotion of befuddlement to the audience, I would have checked to see that I hadn’t walked into my old high school for a production.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even though the two entertainers learn to share the stage by the play’s end, Edna and Feinstein are both better when enjoyed separately. Now, I know I previously stated that this dual-show concept was a good idea. It <i>is</i>, only for the fact that we get to witness these two massive talents in one sitting. When they blend together, it isn’t so much a meeting of the minds, as it is an insult to theirs.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Editor’s note: I was invited to see </i>All About Me<i>, and did not rush it. There is a student rush policy in effect for two tickets per ID at $26.50 a piece, on sale when the box office opens.</i> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play: <b>B-</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3z6BVlp96aTD1vk15yE39Hk1rNXgXG3x8_EzAt31RGGBQLAyF0AAgJUcdn_N5Bc3ijvKKB9CzKSBwvHWpXAHzRWBUB4CKmT6zWGCCcWVa_9x6SD7pM3G8jEgpmiI6gEa_DNHGTGfQI48/s1600/All+About+Me+scene.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3z6BVlp96aTD1vk15yE39Hk1rNXgXG3x8_EzAt31RGGBQLAyF0AAgJUcdn_N5Bc3ijvKKB9CzKSBwvHWpXAHzRWBUB4CKmT6zWGCCcWVa_9x6SD7pM3G8jEgpmiI6gEa_DNHGTGfQI48/s400/All+About+Me+scene.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: Joan Marcus </span><i><br />
</i></span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743503367468758601.post-76558178178330204392010-03-22T04:27:00.000-04:002010-03-22T04:27:23.155-04:00Broadway Brain: Music director Lynne Shankel risks the Broadway crapshoot, sexifies Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr4GD0GM6TkHxy-gsR1GUSxRyAUpY-6mBlR8YLU7xf83CEmptSDQaoQ6aAsQ2Z8xUpghIYaqEyRJsJo9cA25IsZzIQivT6RSc6pD_RtowyOkI_4vP9TG4N7C9JmoRyp5TUrFApzK-eJBm/s1600-h/Lynne+Shankel+head+shot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKr4GD0GM6TkHxy-gsR1GUSxRyAUpY-6mBlR8YLU7xf83CEmptSDQaoQ6aAsQ2Z8xUpghIYaqEyRJsJo9cA25IsZzIQivT6RSc6pD_RtowyOkI_4vP9TG4N7C9JmoRyp5TUrFApzK-eJBm/s320/Lynne+Shankel+head+shot.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I</span><span style="font-size: small;">f</span></span> Raul Esparza is making audiences swoon with a Spanish rendition of “O Holy Night” or a boy band causes an audience to crack up with their humorous religion-infused pop music, it means Lynne Shankel is doing her job. As a music director, Shankel is in charge of shaping a production’s music into the correct tone, style, and interpretation. Having worked on Broadway (<i>Company</i>, <i> Cry Baby</i>), off (<i>Altar Boyz</i>), and on countless concerts at venues like Joe’s Pub (<a href="http://www.stage-rush.com/2009/12/new-york-city-christmas.html">ASTEP’s New York City Christmas</a>) and benefits around the country, Shankel is a go-to musician for producers and performers who want their shows and showcase concerts to hit the right notes.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Kansas City native studied piano performance at the University of Michigan, but much to the chagrin of her professors, she soon drifted from her classical studies and gravitated toward the theatrical. Playing piano in numerous college productions, which involved future Broadway stars Hunter Foster and Jennifer Laura Thompson, as well as <i>Vanities</i> composer David Kirshenbaum, Shankel’s passion for musical theater was established. She moved to New York in 1993 and has been working ever since.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shankel kicks off Stage Rush’s Broadway Brain series, focusing on the behind-the-scenes masters of New York theater. The 39 year old opens up about Broadway’s triumphs and disappointments, nursing a show’s score from start to finish, and keeping the creative juices flowing.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Explaining it to me as if I’m a 3 year old, what does a music director/supervisor do?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first thing you do as a music director is you work with the cast before you even start with the musicians. You teach them the vocals for the piece. I work on tons of new pieces. When you’re working on something new, it’s not like putting together <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, where the actors have heard the cast recording and they know how it’s supposed to sound. With a new piece, the score is constantly changing and developing. Even before that, you work with the creative team to develop the piece. For a new show, I develop it through as many readings as we decide to have. Once we get past that point, I work with the composer, director, and choreographer intensely to figure out what the piece is, musically. What is the style we’re going for? From there, we hone in on the vocals and work on not only the sound and the style, but also the interpretation of the lyrics. A big part of what I do is coaching the actors through a song so that it not only has a musical arc, but a dramatic arc as well. Once I get through working with the cast, then it’s time to add in a band. If it’s an original piece, then I also work with an orchestrator, because the music hasn’t been played before. Sometimes there can be a bit of trial and error, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. I work out the dynamics, style, and articulations, so that we have a piece that feels cohesive. Then we get into the theater and it’s a whole other ball of wax with technical elements and conducting the show.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">***VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP: Lynne Shankel describes her strangest day working in the theater***<a name='more'></a><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="370" id="viddler_95108dd9" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/95108dd9/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/95108dd9/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_95108dd9"></embed></object></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What’s the difference between music supervising and music directing?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It depends on the piece. In New York, often a music supervisor and music director are the same person. Sometimes there will be a music supervisor who is not the person who is conducting the show nightly. The person who conducts the show every night is the music director. That is the person who takes care of the show on a daily basis. The music supervisor can be someone who comes in every few weeks and just gives a global checkup to the show. But sometimes they are one and the same person. Pretty much every show I’ve done, I’ve been the music director and the music supervisor. On <i> Company</i>, I was working with Mary-Mitchell Campbell, who is actually my best friend. She’s conducting <i>The Addams Family</i> right now. She did the orchestrations for <i>Company</i> and brought me on as the supervisor. On <i>Company</i>, nobody was conducting that show, because the actors were playing the instruments on stage. Somebody needed to be there on a nightly basis to make sure nothing was going crazily awry. That was my job. I had to get the understudies ready and note the show on a daily basis. For <i>Cry Baby</i>, I was conducting the show every night.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What’s the difference between working on a revival (<i>Company</i>) and an original show (<i>Cry Baby</i>).</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Company</i> was totally different from what it’s normally like working on a revival, because the orchestration was completely different. The original was completely brilliant, but it was very much based in the 1970s, musically. Mary-Mitchell took out the whole 70s-rhythmic element of it and made it more of a chamber piece. It was a very different sound. That was fun for me to do, because I seem to end up doing more rock and pop shows. I am a classical person, that’s my background. So it was great to be able to work on something juicy like Sondheim.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What was it like meeting Stephen Sondheim?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I ended up conducting the cast album for <i>Company</i>. On a recording session, it’s kind of different—you can’t just let everybody play the music themselves. So there I am conducting and I’m thinking, Holy crap, I’m conducting and Stephen Sondheim is in the control room. What an amazing experience.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL5_opFCxLQVWRgroGLCTPR1mOdG0MwrkWC80f7kPEzZzRBBq2dtjaN86Xa8Z5lSl5EGSg184sqqmYx1q7hylEd_F6aCqhTWMiA2-_l2-a1AGY8AeMYDKWGruC8VZEiCx5ia8qWYtxZ4N/s1600-h/Lynne+Shankel+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL5_opFCxLQVWRgroGLCTPR1mOdG0MwrkWC80f7kPEzZzRBBq2dtjaN86Xa8Z5lSl5EGSg184sqqmYx1q7hylEd_F6aCqhTWMiA2-_l2-a1AGY8AeMYDKWGruC8VZEiCx5ia8qWYtxZ4N/s320/Lynne+Shankel+03.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What is the Broadway schedule like? We hear actors talk about it all the time, but never those behind the scenes.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s grueling. It’s eight shows a week, and if you’re the music director for the show, not only are you showing up every night to conduct the show, but there are understudies that have to be trained, people get hurt, people could call out at a moment’s notice. You have to be ready for that. It ends up not being something that just goes from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. I think it can sound to people from the outside, How fun and easy, because all you have to do is show up for a couple hours each night. It’s really not the case. It’s tricky to keep a show fresh that you do every night. Everything I do, I try to put myself in it every night so that I’m always in it and on every night. It’s really important for the energy of the cast and the energy of the musicians, because they’re very effected by what the conductor is doing. If the conductor’s just like (waves arms dully), that’s what you’re going to get.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What’s the difference between working on Broadway and off Broadway?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ha! You work just as hard, but you get paid less. There’s no difference in quality; you’re just working at a venue that has less than 500 seats. It requires the same kind of time and commitment that Broadway does. It’s not easier, it’s just cheaper. What’s really great about off Broadway is that so many interesting pieces get produced. Especially now, since Broadway has become so commercial in recent years, you find that most off-the-beaten-path, interesting shows happen off Broadway. It’s so expensive to do a Broadway show, and if a producer doesn’t feel like it’s going to be commercial, it’s really hard to do something that’s not a movie or that doesn’t have a movie star in it. It’s really <i>really</i> hard.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How do you feel about getting back to Broadway? Is it a ‘<i>must do</i>’, is it something you’d simply ‘like’, or ‘if it happens, it happens’?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There’s no sense in trying to predict it, because all I can do is choose work that I’m attracted to. Broadway is the greatest crapshoot. I’ve been involved with many pieces that were supposed to go to Broadway and haven’t, and I’ve been involved with pieces that went to Broadway, like <i>Cry Baby</i>, and then don’t run very long. There’s no sense in feeling like, Broadway— this is it! I love it, and whenever it happens next, that’s fantastic.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You’re part of the group that shapes the show. What’s it like collaborating with the director, producers, and all the other behind-the-scenes players?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love collaborating with people. For me, putting a show together is the most fun part of the process. It’s more fun than running the show on a nightly basis, because the part that I love is the creative aspect. That’s where the magic happens.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What do you think of being behind the scenes? Your work is seen, but you are not.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If I had wanted to be an actor, then I suppose I would have been an actor, but I was never drawn to do that. I enjoy performing very much, and if I’m conducting a show, I’m still performing—the people’s focus just isn’t on me.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Altar Boyz</i> lasted a very long time—five years. How long were you involved with it?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was involved with it for years. We opened in 2005, but we started doing readings around 2002 or 2003. Once it opened, I left after about a year and a half into the run. At that point, I wasn’t involved on a daily basis anymore. When you’re doing readings of pieces, you’re doing a million things at the same time. During the time we were working on <i>Altar Boyz</i>, I did <i>The Thing About Men</i> off Broadway and I took a leave of absence to go do a new musical called <i>Princesses</i> in Seattle. I try to always work on two or three projects, because you never know what’s going to happen. It’s good to diversify and keep the creative juices flowing.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobwrKrUktakazJMaYyWuR6JmMeZxJDVrE_Dmz51cReho-WluNfKnkYdaUUo2Ska2EX53gdOzdDzYhViVma_E_JQsRFB8nle7M8ljrcUgVdrezzo3yta3c8y_tjagQC_qCcrjDyLYwLCC2/s1600-h/Lynne+Shankel+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobwrKrUktakazJMaYyWuR6JmMeZxJDVrE_Dmz51cReho-WluNfKnkYdaUUo2Ska2EX53gdOzdDzYhViVma_E_JQsRFB8nle7M8ljrcUgVdrezzo3yta3c8y_tjagQC_qCcrjDyLYwLCC2/s400/Lynne+Shankel+04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Lynne Shankel accompanying Bonnie Raitt at a Hole In The Wall Gang Camp benefit in San Francisco in fall 2008.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></i></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Neither <i>Company</i> or <i>Cry Baby</i> lasted very long. What are your feelings regarding the length of those runs?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Company</i> was a great critical success. Unfortunately, most Sondheim shows don’t run that long because they’re not commercial. It’s hard to get your average Joe Tourist to want to come and see something like that, as much as all us theater folk know that it’s a completely brilliant piece. With <i> Company</i>, it’s a fun evening, but it has a lot of stillness. It’s not a show that has chandeliers dropping to the floor or helicopters landing on stage. It’s not for everybody. It had as long of a run as any of us could have imagined. <i>Cry Baby</i>, honestly, was kind of the opposite. It was something I still feel is very commercial. It’s hard to say why it didn’t run longer, because our audiences loved it. People always remember <i>The New York Times</i>’ [negative] review, but we got great reviews from many papers. That’s why I say you never know. I worked on <i>Cry Baby</i> for two years, and then it ran for eight or 10 weeks. Who knows? It’s a bummer; that’s all you can say.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What projects are you working on now?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m doing a lot of orchestrating now, which I’m really enjoying. I’m orchestrating a new show for Goodspeed called <i>Band Geeks</i>, which is a comedy that’s opening there this spring. I’m working on a show called <i>Wanda’s World</i>, that I’m orchestrating and music directing. That’s looking to come to New York either this fall or next spring. I was just down at band rehearsal for a show that I did up at Williamstown Theatre Festival a couple years ago called <i>Party Come Here</i>, which is by David Kirshenbaum and Daniel Goldfarb. They’re doing a production of it at NYU. It’s only been done once before. That’s kind of the front-burner stuff right now.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We just did our first reading of many for <i>Allegiance</i> two weeks ago. It’s a new piece I’m writing arrangements for and music directing. It’s a really interesting piece about the Japanese internment during World War II. It’s a subject that hasn’t been dealt with in the theater. Lea Salonga has been involved with it for a while, and George Takei from <i>Star Trek</i>.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m also working on a piece that kind of came out of the ASTEP concert. Lindsay Mendez, who sang at that concert, and I are putting together a big concert of all Lindsay. We’re gearing toward late summer, early fall. I’m writting all the arrangements and the orchestrations. There’s not a fake bone about Lindsay and she can sing the phone book. She and Chester Gregory, whom I adore; they’re my favorite muses. I know their voices so well and I know what I can write for them that will make them sound amazing. Writing for people like them is like a candy store for someone like me. Their gifts are so extreme, it’s so much fun. That’s the kind of stuff I really love to do, and that’s what was so great about the ASTEP concert and the album.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Give me the dirt on Raul Esparza.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Raul is the greatest guy in the world. He’s an absolute doll and an absolute professional. He’s always working to be the best that he can be, to do the best job for the show. Personally, I owe him a lot for coming to sing for ASTEP. He’s a dream. It don’t hurt to look at him either.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tell me about your arrangement of “O Holy Night,” which he sang at the ASTEP concert.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For everyone in the concert, their song ended up being personal. When I got together with everyone, I asked them what spoke to them, what songs, what styles. With Raul, we talked about doing something to show off his Cuban heritage. “O Holy Night” was his favorite Christmas song ever. I said to myself, I think I can meld these things together. We sang through it, put the second bridge in Spanish, he came up with some great stuff, and it’s one of my favorites on the album. When we went into the studio, he literally sang it twice and he was done. He told me that when he sang it, he was thinking about his grandmother and how much she would have loved to see him do this. That’s where that performance came from. Done. Brilliant.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photos: (Top to bottom) Jesse North / Courtesy of Lynne Shankel / Courtesy of Lynne Shankel </span></span></div>Jesse Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04728251200890721917noreply@blogger.com3