The view is better from the edge.

Artattack is proud to make its Seattle debut with the Seattle premiere of Annie Weisman's hilarious satire, Be Aggressive, one of our favorite and most successful past productions. Read the 2003 review

Founded in 2001 in Ashland, Oregon, Artattack has produced over twenty-five plays including numerous world, west coast and American premieres.

In recognition of bold and innovative theater, Artattack has received many awards and grants including: The Lambda Award, Best of Ashland Awards, The Collins Foundation, The Meyer Memorial Trust, the Equity Foundation and others.

Artattack is happy to join the thriving Seattle theater scene, where we can continue our mission to produce brave productions that challenge ourselves and our audience.

Theater professionals interested in contributing their talent to the Seattle ensemble please email us.

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It's Transylvania Mania!

 

How would you like a chance to win a YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN poster, signed by Mel Brooks, or a YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN t-shirt, or even a YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN hat?

 

You've come to the right place! The folks over at Mammoth Advertising and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN have decided to offer up some choice swag (2 signed posters, 2 tees, and 2 hats) to Blogway Baby to give away to a select group of lucky loyal readers. All you have to do is comment on this post and you are entered into the contest! If you are selected you will be notified by e-mail.

 

This monster of a giveaway closes February 29 (ooh -- scary Leap Year), 2008 at midnight.

 

Here's the 411 on the show (as if you didn't already know) from the press release:

Robert F.X. Sillerman and Mel Brooks present The New Mel Brooks Musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, a new musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smash THE PRODUCERS, opening on Broadway November 8th 2007 at the Hilton Theatre (213 W 42nd St).

The production stars Roger Bart (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein), Megan Mullally (Elizabeth), Sutton Foster (Inga), Shuler Hensley (The Monster), Andrea Martin (Frau Blucher), Fred Applegate (Inspector Kemp/Hermit), and Christopher Fitzgerald (Igor).

The company of 27 also includes: Heather Ayers, Jim Borstelmann, Paul Castree, Jennifer Lee Crowl, Jack Doyle, James Gray, Amy Heggins, Eric Jackson, Kristin Marie Johnson, Renee Feder, Matthew LaBanca, Kevin Ligon, Barrett Martin, Linda Mugleston, Christina Marie Norrup, Justin Patterson, Brian Shepard, Sarrah Strimel, Craig Waletzko, and Courtney Young.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN features a book by three-time Tony Award winner Mel Brooks and three-time Tony Award winner Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Brooks. Young Frankenstein is directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. Musical supervision is by Glen Kelly.

The YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN cast boasts four Tony Award winners in Bart, Foster, Hensley and Martin.  Cumulatively, the production's creative team and cast have garnered a staggering 28 Tony Awards and 55 Tony Award nominations.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN played its pre-Broadway engagement at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre August 7th to September 1st.

Tickets for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN are available at Ticketmaster.com or at (212)307-4100. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN will play Tuesday evenings at 7pm and Wednesday to Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinee performances on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm.

Based on the Oscar-nominated smash hit 1974 film, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is the wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of Mel Brooks. When Frederick Frankenstein, an esteemed New York brain surgeon and professor, inherits a castle and laboratory in Transylvania from his grandfather, deranged genius Victor Von Frankenstein, he faces a dilemma.  Does he continue to run from his family's tortured past or does he stay in Transylvania to carry on his grandfather's mad experiments reanimating the dead and, in the process, fall in love with his sexy lab assistant Inga?

Unfolding in the forbidding Castle Frankenstein and the foggy moors of Transylvania Heights, the show's raucous score includes "The Transylvania Mania", "He Vas My Boyfriend" and the unforgettable treatment of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On the Ritz".

Released in 1974 to unanimous critical acclaim, the film received two Academy Award nominations, including one for Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder's script, also nominated for a Writer's Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Young Frankenstein was also the recipient of the two highest honors accorded films of science fiction: Winning The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and The Nebula Award, given by The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, for Best Dramatic Writing. Since its release, the film has become part of the national consciousness: in 2000, it was selected as #13 on AFI’s 100 Funniest American Movies of All Time and in 2003, Young Frankenstein was chosen for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

The production team includes three Tony Award-winning designers of THE PRODUCERS: Three-time Tony Award-winning set designer Robin Wagner, five-time Tony Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long and Tony Award-winning lighting designer Peter Kaczorowski. Jonathan Deans is the sound designer. Two other Producers alumni complete the music department: Tony-award-winning orchestrator Doug Besterman and musical director Patrick Brady.

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LES MIS is my youngest daughter's favorite musical and she is currently in the process of memorizing the entire score. When she heard there was going to be a concert version at the Hollywood Bowl she simply said "we're going" and went upstairs to finish memorizing.
 
I've always wanted to go to the Hollywood Bowl. It just sounds so old Hollywood! I'm excited to see who is going to be in this concert -- would it be too much to hope for to have Patti Lupone play Fantine?
 
According to this article in Playbill:
 

Three performances of the epic musical Les Miserables will be presented in concert this summer at the Hollywood Bowl.

Les Misérables in Concert is scheduled to play the famed outdoor venue Aug. 8 and 9 at 8:30 PM and Aug. 10 at 7:30 PM, according to the Bowl's official website. Neither casting nor a creative team has been announced for the production, although the Bowl says, "An all-star cast and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra will bring you this sweeping story of love, passion and redemption.

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Mint Julep's all 'round!
 
I remember when I was a kid, we learned the title song from MAME in choir. You know, "you make the cotton easy to pick, Mame…you give my old mint julep a kick, Mame". Of course I always wondered what a Mint Julep was, and why kicking it was a good thing. Was it like a mule? Or a dog? It didn't matter. I loved the song, and have always wanted to see the show. Even though I have been familiar with various songs from the show (especially "We Need A Little Christmas") I have never seen a professional production of MAME. That's why I'm so excited to see the production at the 5th Avenue Theatre, running February 9 - March 2 2008.
 
The movie version with Lucille Ball made in 1974 takes an amazing musical and sucks the life right out of it. Lucille Ball can't sing her way out of a paper bag and the whole film drags. Even Robert Preston looks like he'd like to be somewhere else…like in The Last Starfighter for example!
 
MAME is based on the novel "Auntie Mame" by the eccentric and wonderfully talented Patrick Dennis. At the incredible MAME Spotlight Night (free!) that was hosted by 5th Avenue Artistic Director David Armstrong, I learned that after Patrick Dennis became a very successful author, he decided he wanted to know what it was like to be a butler. He proceeded to be Ray Kroc's (of McDonald's fame) butler for years, without Kroc ever knowing he had a famous author as a butler! See, you can be eccentric without shaving your head!
 
MAME has music and lyrics by one of my favorite musical theatre composers, Jerry Herman, who also wrote HELLO DOLLY. You can hear Jerry Herman's tunes just once, and you will leave the theatre humming --  just as it should be in musical theatre.

This production is directed by David Armstrong, and stars Dee Hoty as Auntie Mame. Dee Hoty is known for her Broadway turns in FOOTLOOSE, BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC, and WILL ROGERS FOLLIES -- all three earned her Tony Award nominations. Other credits include Broadway's CITY OF ANGELS, MAMMA MIA!, ME AND MY GIRL, BIG RIVER, and Off-Broadway's THE AUDIENCE, PERSONALS, VANITIES, and FORBIDDEN BROADWAY.
 
I'm already planning to go see MAME a couple of times at least (a preview and opening night). So go get tickets now -- indulge in the Banquet of Life, and wash it down with a Mint Julep!

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Or, "Harry Potter Makes The Worst Pies in London".

This movie is rated R. After seeing it I can honestly say that the "R" stands for RRRRGGHGHRRHGHH!. That is the sound that Sweeney's victims make after he slits their throats in bleeding Technicolor. There was a surprising amount of blood, even for a musical.
 
Going into this movie I was skeptical. After all I had read that Tim Burton who directed the movie, doesn't actually like musicals. Go figure. And I was suspicious of the casting -- mostly amateur singers. But the call of Johnny Depp on screen for two hours was like a siren song, so off we went. Yes, I took my daughters, thereby solidifying my position as "Bad Mother of the Year".
 
Johnny Depp plays Sweeney Todd and Helena Bonham Carter plays Mrs Lovett. She played the bad witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies (in what appeared to be very similar make up), and is joined by other Potter alumni -- Alan Rickman (Snape) as Judge Turpin, and Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) as Beadle Bamford.

Despite not having the pipes of a George Hearn or Michael Cerveris, Johnny Depp delivers a great Sweeney. I can't say the same for Mrs Lovett. Athough I love Helena Bonham-Carter's acting, her singing just sucked the life out of her role. I couldn't help but hear Angela Lansbury and Patti Lupone's voices in my head. The other "non-singers" deliver fine performances, I guess, but I wasn't moved by any of them. Perhaps "doesn't suck" is the new goal of movie musical performances.
 
Strangely enough, I ended up liking this film. Not nearly as much as when I've seen it on stage, but it felt like a fun movie that was enhanced by some music, as opposed to a movie musical. I never got swept away emotionally by a musical performance. I enjoyed the visuals, the Burton-esque "by the sea" shots of Sweeney and Mrs Lovett. I also appreciated the way the characters just burst out into song -- nobody was "imagining" their musical number. But I never got scared or moved the way I do watching the Lansbury / Hearn DVD version. But I certainly was grossed out!
 
So, let's summarize. I would watch the movie again, but I will never buy the CD cast recording.
 
What's next? Ah yes, Penelope Cruz in the upcoming movie of the musical NINE…

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You'll wish you were a kid again!

I'm thrilled to be writing for the 5th Avenue Theatre's "Adventure Musical Theatre" (AMT) Program. AMT takes a troupe of 5 amazing actors to schools across Washington State (I believe something like 90 schools, with 100 or so performances) where they perform an original, fresh, and professionally developed 50-minute musical.

Sometimes it's done in the school's theatre, or gym, or even cafeteria! Last year they did an amazing show about the gold rush called KLONDIKE. This year they are doing a show called NORTHWEST BOOKSHELF 2 which is the musicalization of six picture book written by Pacific Northwest authors -- DAISY THE FIRECOW (by Viki Woodworth); LARRY GETS LOST IN SEATTLE (by John Skewes); THE NIGHT I FOLLOWED THE DOG (by Nina Laden); COYOTE AND THE FIRESTICK (by Barbara Diamond Goldin); THE FUNGUS THAT ATE MY SCHOOL (by Arthur Dorros (Author) and David Catrow (Illustrator)); and SARAH'S SECRET PLAN (by Lynda Johns). Rich Gray is directing and choreographing the show, and Danny Sullivan is musical director.

I adapted DAISY THE FIRECOW and LARRY GETS LOST IN SEATTLE into short 10 minute (or less!) musicals. It was so much fun taking these wonderful books and turning them into real musicals:

I enjoyed turning DAISY THE FIRECOW into a musical because the clear narrative of the original story is structured in this very traditional Broadway style. Specifically, Daisy "wants" to become a firecow; Daisy faces bigotry in pursuit of that dream; and Daisy overcomes the bigotry by demonstrating her effectiveness. In DAISY THE FIRECOW the story-driver is a talking (and singing) cow, so I felt that the music had to have a "larger than life" feel throughout the piece. To accomplish this, I used the exaggerated emotions and actions of a "silent movie", and kept the musical styles obvious and straightforward. Additionally, in going from "page to stage", I highlighted the issue of "cow-ism" in order to make the overall stakes higher for Daisy.

The adaptation of LARRY GETS LOST IN SEATTLE represented a unique challenge. Specifically, the original story has spectacular illustrations by John Skewes, but I knew they would be absent from the musical staging. Moreover, the narrative of the original story was missing a traditional dramatic structure -- to keep the audience engaged, Pete needed a reason to be chasing his dog Larry across so many Seattle locations. To create the "reason", I decided to let Pete concoct a "tall tale" as an excuse for incomplete homework. I also set it in the classroom, which accomplished two goals: It demonstrated the benefits of an impromptu learning opportunity, and it allows the piece to be performed with minimal sets. Musically, I created the "Larry Got Lost in Seattle" motif that is repeated throughout the piece, weaving it together and building excitement, while allowing for style variations suitable to each location. Overall the music has a pop flavor (with a little rap thrown in for fun!) to fit with the student characterizations.

From the 5th Avenue Web site:

Since 1994, The 5th Avenue Theatre has brought the wonder and joy of live musical theater to schools through the Adventure Musical Theatre (AMT) Touring Company. This unique program has inspired and delighted over 200,000 kindergarten and elementary-school students in Washington State.

Created by local writers and composers, AMT performances are designed to enhance your school’s existing curriculum. Our educational and entertaining shows feature a lively combination of music, song and dance.

Northwest Bookshelf 2: The Stories Continue
February 4-May 30, 2008

This delightful musical tells the tale of six children who visit their local library searching the shelves for the perfect book. What they discover are shelves filled with books by authors from the Pacific Northwest. With witty lyrics and exciting music, the stories come to life. The audience zigzags along on a musical journey, meeting wacky characters, exploring the world from new points of view, and discovering the rich history of the Pacific Northwest. These original, mini musicals range from touching to just plain wacky, and are sure to delight and spur every child’s imagination. Recommended for grades K-5.
 
To schedule a performance
The AMT Touring Company visits schools throughout Western Washington, and in select locations throughout Central and Eastern Washington. For more information and to book a performance, please call 206.625.1418 or email educationprograms@5thavenue.org. Available dates fill fast, so we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible.

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As part of our Christmas theatre going extravaganza, we included an evening with the Canadian Brass at Benaroya Hall. It was so wonderful to hear the Canadian Brass play again at Christmas after about a decade absence from their Christmas concerts (hey, I got busy!), and to bring our two daughters for the first time. Benaroya Hall is absolutely exquisite -- it is beautiful and the acoustics are awesome. We sat in a Founders Box which was a delight (truly scrumptrulescant!).

The Canadian Brass and I go back a long way. Growing up in the in Toronto and playing the trumpet in music class at school, The Canadian Brass were a huge phenomenon during my late '70s/early '80s high school years.

The original group was started by trombonist Gene Watts and Tuba player Chuck Deallenbach in Toronto in 1970, and was a big deal at Earl Haig Secondary School. They even inspired a group called Brass With Class, made up of band geeks in the year ahead of me -- Norm Seli and Jeff Engel on trumpet, Andrew Fullerton on trombone, Ron Cockburn on tuba and Michael Cook on French Horn (please forgive me if I've gotten some of that info incorrect!). I wanted to be in that group so badly, which made me a band geek wanna-be -- ouch.

They made classical music cool and so much fun. They've always had a great performance style and rapport with the audience. Let's face it, we band geeks are the fun loving goofy ones. The string players are always so darned serious -- they never even crack a smile. And the choir members, well, who are we kidding. Your voice? Puleez, get a real instrument.

Just kidding, some of my best friends are vocalists…actually it's only people who can't sing well who make fun of singers, so no nasty letters or death threats. Our band was always playing practical jokes and doing goofy things at concerts. And some things never change. At my daughter's middle school Christmas concert the orchestra played beautifully, albeit seriously. On the other hand the band had one of their own (the tuba player of course) dress up like the Grinch and act out "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch" while the band played the piece. Of course!

Needless to say in addition to spectacular musicianship, the Canadian Brass displays a great sense of humor ("'70s band humor", as my husband calls it). The whole audience was set a-chuckling right from the get go. I always love it when Chuck melts during Frosty the Snowman! And ending the evening with Hornsmoke, an opera for brass quintet, well, it doesn't get any better than that.

The current quintet is made up of Gene and Chuck as well as Jeff Nelson on French Horn (and magic tricks), Joe Burgstaller on trumpet, and for the first time ever a female member -- Manon Lafrance, also on trumpet. They sound brass-tastic! And check out their awesome website -- canadianbrass.com -- where they have an online store, concert listings, past member info and lots of cool pics!

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Nothing says Christmas like Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's festive JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. I remember listening to JCSS on Christmas day when I was a kid and the album first came out in 1970. I was only seven and those opening electric guitar strains totally freaked me out (they still do).

So this Christmas, to get our kids in the holiday mood, we took the kids to see this wonderful holiday classic at The Paramount. I was especially excited since the first time I saw this musical on stage was back in '93 in Toronto when I was pregnant with my first child. She kept kicking during the show, so I thought it was only fair that she see it from the outside this time.

I was delighted to find out that Ted Neeley was once again playing Jesus. He was Jesus in the Toronto production I saw back in '93, and of course in the Norman Jewison 1973 film. Incredibly, he is 67 years old and can still wail like, well, like the son of God. He is so wonderfully calm and majestic on stage, and beautifully takes his time with each lyric. It turns out that Ted Neeley has spent much of his career playing Jesus:

From this Wikipedia entry:

"Ted Neeley is best known for his vocal range and his role in Norman Jewison's 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar. In the Broadway version of the stage musical he was the Christ understudy, and in the Los Angeles stage version he played the title role of Jesus Christ. In 1969 Mr. Neeley played the lead role of Claude in both the New York and Los Angeles productions of Hair.

Ted Neeley released a solo album in 1974, called "1974 A.D.". He was a frequent musical guest star on network variety programs and as a guest actor in network dramas during the 1970s and 1980s.

Twenty years after first playing the role, Mr. Neeley gained renewed success, and a new generation of fans, in the lead role of Jesus Christ in the 1990s touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar. This modernized version of the original production included a day-glow temple scene, and a glass crucifixion cross that elevated above the stage and was lit from within. From 1992 to 1997, the hugely successful tour criss-crossed the nation multiple times.

As of 2007, Neeley is in the middle of yet another critically acclaimed production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Billed as his national "farewell" tour of playing the role of Jesus Christ, this new production is a stripped down version with staging and set limited to a few risers."

We all came prepared with earplugs, but the sound on this production was good -- not too loud. It was a fairly sparse production, but that didn't take away from the music and the performances. Tiffini Dodson as Mary Magdelene was terrific and the supporting cast was great.

However, I didn't love Aaron Fuksa's (King Herod) mugging or his breaking the fourth wall, although the audience did seem to love it. And I can't say I loved Corey Glover as Judas. He is famous for being the lead singer of the band Living Color, but spent way too much time riffing away from Lloyd Weber's melodies, and didn't seem quite desperate enough. Of course, in all fairness, I'll never get the amazing rendition of Judas done by Carl Anderson in the movie out of my head.

Needless to say Jesus ascended to heaven after the crucifixion. However, everytime I see actors lifted up on wires the only thought that goes through my mind is: "Oh God don't let them fall, Oh God don't let them fall". Thankfully, He didn't let me down.

We spent the rest of the afternoon singing songs from the show while doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in Pacific Place.

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I went to see the review LOVE IS LOVE at The Village Theatre First Stage. LOVE IS LOVE is a new musical revue conceived and directed by Martin Charnin (yes, he of ANNIE fame!). It was written by Catherine Lloyd Burns, Martin Charnin, Larry Doyle, Martha Moffett, Ellen Pall, Richard Reiss, Debra Spar and Ayelet Waldman, with music and lyrics by Richard Gray and Martin Charnin.

This is an entertaining musical review about the different aspects of love, the different forms it takes, and what we'll do to get it. LOVE IS LOVE stars an incredibly talented cast of four women: Shelly Burch, Ann Evans, Charity Parenzini, and Maggie Stenson. Apparently, the show has been already been through two test-runs at The Village Theatre, and one at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, and have re-worked and re-vamped and re-sequenced the material for over a year.

When you read Martin Charnin's bio in the program, you'll find yourself thinking about how little you've done with your own life! This is what appeared in the program and it's frikkin' incredible:

Originated the role of "Big Deal" in the Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY, singing "Gee, Officer Krupke" for 1,000 performances. Subsequently, he has been the director, lyricist, composer, librettist, or combination of the aforementioned for over 100 production sincluding ANNIE WARBUCKS, JOAN OF ARC, LOOSE LIPS, IN PERSONS, THE FLOWERING PEACH, CAN-CAN, CAFÉ CROWN, MIKE, THE FIRST, ON THE SWING SHIFT, A LITTLE FMAILY BUSINESS, MATA HARI, THE NATIONAL LAMPOON SHOW, LENA HORN: THE LADY AND HER MUIC, I REMMBER MAMA (Music by Richard Rodgers), STRIKE UP THE BAND, and in London, BAR MITZVAH BOY, three productions of ANNIE, and a revival of BLESS THE BRIDE. His Tony Award-winning ANNIE, which he wrote the lyrics for, created and directed, is the 21st longest-running musical in Broadway history. He has directed ANNIE's nine national companies as well as companies in Amsterdam and Australia. He has collaborated with and directed among others, Peter Allen, Harold Arlen, Marvin Hamlish, Alan Jay Lerner, Fred Astaire, Ann Margaret, Danny Kaye, Johnny Mathis, Bill Murray, Bebe Newirth, Bernadette Peters, Sarah Jessica parker,Gilda Radner, Chita Rivera, Susan Sarandon, Joan Rivers, Jon Stuart, Shirley MacLaine, Barbra Streisand, Carol Burnett, and even Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Molly" in the first London production of annie in 1978). He has conceived and directed seven musical-variety television programs, including Anne Bancroft in THE WOMEN IN THE LIFE OF A MAN, GEORGE M, 'S WONDERFUL, 'SMARVELOUS, 'S GERSHWIN, COLE PORTER IN PARIS, GET HAPPY, DAMES AT SEA, and THE ANNIE CHRISTMAS SHOW. He has received two Tony Awards, six Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, three Gold Records, two Platinum Records, six Drama Desk Awards, the Peabody Award for Broadcasting and another Grammy Award for Jay-Z's rap album Hard Knock Life. His writing a musical (Score by the late Harold Arlen), ROBIN HOOD, with Thomas Meehan and Peter Sipos, and a one-woman musical for his wife and former ANNIE "Star-to-Be", Shelly Burch, THERE'S ALWAYS ONE MORE SONG TO SING. In the Pacific Norhwest, where he now resides, in 2007 he directed SHADOWLANDS at Village Theatre, and Rodgers & (a concretized tribute to his former collaborator).

Whew!

I particularly like the title number, LOVE IS LOVE, and the hilarious "Share our Joy" monolgoue by Larry Doyle, which involves both Lamas and cocaine. 'Nuff said.

I do hope the show continues to have a life. I did have one question, and that is why aren't there any men in the show? Why just the female perspective? I'd love to be able to ask Martin that! Maybe we'll meet up for coffee in Issaquah…

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OK, forget what I said about Seattle audiences not responding to the Jersey-isms.

Last night's audience went nuts at every Jersey reference. And, I had to fight hundreds of women for the "most embarrassing arms waving and screaming" award during the show.

All I can say is it was a party!  The cast was in exceptional voice as well and were really "on", feeding off the audience energy.

Run out and buy a ticket before they are all gone. You won't be sorry -- my hand to God!

Opening night at the 5th Avenue Theatre was the fourth time I've seen JERSEY BOYS. My "first time" was November 2005. It hadn't been open for too long so I was able to get a really good ticket on the day of the show. The crowd must have been entirely from New Jersey because every time there was a reference to "Jersey" there was huge applause and woohooing.

In New York, whenever they talked about "...we put Jersey on the map...", or a "...Jersey Contract...", the crowd went wild. And when Bob Gaudio talks about how their fans weren't wearing flowers in their hair or trying to levitate the Pentagon, but were flipping burgers, shipping out, or pumping gas, the crowd went wild. It was quite something to see that 'hood reaction!

Seeing it in Seattle was slightly different.

Don't get me wrong, by the end of the show everyone is dancing and screaming and loving it. But understandably, some of the Jersey-isms were met with a more understated reaction. Perhaps because the Seattle audience members were the people who had tried to levitate the Pentagon!

This is a great production! I loved it and was so glad to get a chance to see the show again. It really is well crafted and runs like clockwork. Everyone in the cast is terrific -- Christopher Kale Jones as Franki Valli (just curious, is it a requirement that the actor who plays Franki Valli must have a triple barrel name?), Deven May as Tommy Devito, Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio and Erik Bates as Nick Massi.

The ensemble is fabola as well and they all play multiple roles (it's hard to believe that there are only three women in the cast). I especially liked John Altieri as Bob Crewe. And all the Jersey Boys were so friendly at the opening night party, taking time to chat with fans such as myself. And the original Broadway Jersey Boys were the same way -- really friendly and down to earth and willing to take pictures with fans and chat. Must be a Jersey thing.

However, I have to agree with Misha Berson's review in The Seattle Times that the sound was a tad loud at times, which is unusual for the 5th Avenue Theatre which aways has great sound.  As she mentioned in her review, "...with the volume cranked up high (on a few tunes, make that assaultively high), this music struts along to a pugnacious beat."

I'm off to see it again tonight (that makes five times)! Hurry and get your tickets, 'cuz if you don't see it you'll find out that Big Girls Do Cry!

Okay, this looks like the most amazing frikkin' concert ever. Daniel Reichard, classic American Songbook songs, Black and White television Christmas specials…these are a few of my favorite things!
 
I loved Daniel Reichard in JERSEY BOYS (which I saw three times in New York), and had a super blast at his NYMF midnight Kegger concert , so I can't believe I'm going to miss his Black and White Christmas concert again. I think I'm going to ask Santa for tickets to next year's concert!
 
From the Broadwayworld.com article:
 

Daniel Reichard, who stars as Bob Gaudio in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys, will appear in his own concert entitled "Daniel Reichard: Christmas in Black and White" at The Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd St., between 5th & 6th Ave) on Monday, December 17 at 9:30 PM.

"Christmas in Black and White" brings us back to the unforgettable music of the Great American Songbook.  Backed by a chamber band wearing only their finest black and white threads, Daniel will sing his favorite tunes by Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hart, and others! The show reflects on the feeling you would get from watching those classic black-and-white Christmas specials.  As the evening progresses, the show turns to color, and a celebration of the holiday season will begin.

Tickets to "Christmas in Black and White" are $30.00 each plus a 2 beverage minimum. Reservations can be made by calling The Metropolitan Room at 212-206-0440.

 Boy, I miss New York.

My favorite Sondheim show!

INTO THE WOODS is the show that got me loving Stephen Sondheim. The first time I saw it was in Toronto, in a production starring Louise Pitre as the Witch. It was love at first sight. Not only were his words masterful (duh!) but the melodies really swept me away.

I laughed, I cried, I tried to keep up! After that I've seen the DVD of the Broadway production starring Bernadette Peters as the Witch, oh, about a thousand times.

Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife is incredible (she won a Tony for her performance). And Bernadette was truly fantastic. Yes she could be humorous at times, but she always portrayed a weightiness that made what she said matter to the other characters and to the audience, whether she was ugly or beautiful.

I saw the 5th Avenue Theatre-produced INTO THE WOODS on Opening Night, which was very exciting (duh!). What a great show, with great production values. The whole cast was fabulous, the music was fabulous, and it had a fabulous set, creating the perfect "woods" effect. (After all, these guys spend a fair bit of time running in, out, and about the woods!).

In this production, Little Red Riding Hood was cast as a young girl (the extremely talented Ireland Woods. Boy, she has the most amazing name ever!) instead of a girl on the verge of womanhood. The audience loved her, but it did add some new dimensions to her scenes with the Wolf, and with Jack. I've always seen Jack and Red as sort of the same age, both verging on adulthood, and then coming together to help one another at the end of the show.

Also new to me was Milky White being played by a real person (Eric Brotherson). I loved this! It added so much more to the whole quest, and Eric was amazing on all fours for the whole show!

Congrats 5th Avenue!

THE WOMEN -- is that the name of the play, or a description of the audience?
 
That absolutely fabulous play, THE WOMEN written by Clare Boothe Luce, and directed by Warner Shook, is playing at ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) in Seattle until December 16. See this great gallery of videos, here.

I was lucky enough to see it yesterday in great seats (second row of the balcony…although my vertigo acted up a bit). We took the kids as well (tickets for students are only ten dollars!) and all had a wonderful "Jungle Red" time. And I could count the number of men in the audience on one hand!
 
My first memory of THE WOMEN was, of course, reading the MAD Magazine movie parody when I was young. I always remembered that one, so I jumped at the chance to see it live! Also, my oldest daughter's vocal coach, Anne Allgood plays Edith Potter in the play. Edith spends the entire show pregnant, or nursing, but that doesn't stop her from smoking and drinking. After all it is 1936! There's a hilarious bit when Edith blows ash off her newborn's nose. 'Nuff said!
 
This was an amazing show with amazing talent. This show brought together some of Seattle's finest female actors, including Anne Allgood as Edith Potter, Suzanne Bouchard as Mary Haines, Julie Briskman as Sylvia Fowler, Emily Cedergreen as Peggy Day, Deborah Fialkow as Miriam Aarons, Peggy Gannon as Maid, Elizabeth Huddle as Mrs. Morehed, Elise Hunt as Jane, Suzy Hunt as Countess de Lage, Laura Kenny as Miss Fordyce, Jennifer Lyon as Crystal Allen, Marianne Own as the Spa girl, and Anne Kennedy as part of the ensemble. Many of the women played mutiple roles as well.
 
And shout out to the scenic designer (Mathew Smucker) and the costume designer (David Zinn). The sets and costumes were unbelievable. Everyone even had a special "Jungle Red" curtain call outfit!
 
What intrigued me was how "not dated" the play felt, and how engaged the audience was. You could hear gasps, oohs and ahhs, cheers, and of course, laughter. I guess love, and war, are timeless!
 
Hurry up and get tickets before it closes!

 

Here they go again! My, my how can I resist it?

I just heard on the radio today about the impending movie musical version of MAMMA MIA! The following article came out in April, so I'm a tad behind the times:

Mamma Mia! First the musical, now a movie
Independent, The (London), Apr 20, 2006
by Louise Jury Arts Correspondent

When Abba fan Judy Craymer persuaded Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus to let her turn their back catalogue into the musical Mamma Mia!, no one predicted it would become a multi-million-pound international hit.

And now the blockbuster show is set to win an even wider audience on the big screen, after it caught the imagination of the actor Tom Hanks and his production business partner Gary Goetzman. Their company, Playtone, has signed a deal with Craymer and the Abba songwriters for a film version, scheduled for release late next year.

Catherine Johnson, who was an impoverished single mother when she wrote the original script, is to produce the screenplay, which will stick closely to the stage plot, Variety magazine reported yesterday.

The show tells the story of a young woman who, on the eve of her wedding, invites three men from her mother's past, any one of whom could be the father she has never known, back to the Greek island where she has been brought up. In a riotously entertaining evening, a couple of dozen Abba hits including "Dancing Queen" and "Take a Chance on Me" propel the narrative along.

Tom Hanks! Go figure! I'm betting Playtone will do a great job ("That Thing You Do" is one of my all-time favorite movies). And what is it with impoverished single mothers from England? First J.K. Rowling and now Catherine Johnson!

I was a humongous ABBA fan in high school, but didn't fall in love with the musical when I saw it in Toronto. The cast, including Louise Pitre, was great, but perhaps the ear-splitting volume dampened my enthusiasm. Maybe I just missed hearing ABBA sing their hits. Who knows? But I’m willing to give the movie version a chance to win me over...as long as they don't cast Uma Thurman as Donna!

Another new feature here at Blogway Baby: YAG.

That's right -- we'll be going back into the Blogway Baby archives and re-posting articles from the past. You'll see YAG, 2YAG, and 3YAG posts on a regular basis.

Back to the future, baby!

The League of American Theatres and Producers and Union One, the stagehand union) have reached a tentative agreement (no details have been made public, but I believe somebody has to give up their firstborn…).

Although the deal is not completely ratified yet, the stagehands have gone back to work, which means Broadway is open for business! Yeah, we finally have someone to draw the curtains!
 
To celebrate this momentous occasion, a free concert starring a myriad of Broadway stars was held at The Marquis Theatre at noon on Friday, November 30.
 
From this article in Playbill:

"A hush fell on the capacity crowd, who were all admitted free-of-charge, as the lights dimmed for the beginning of the celebratory event, which was simply titled Broadway's Back!

From the darkness came the familiar Drowsy Chaperone line, "I hate the theatre." Drowsy's Man in Chair (who, of course, loves the theatre) spiced his opening monologue with references to the strike, noting that Sophocles never had to worry about load-in costs, that he'd rather have been in the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for the new Tom Stoppard play (Rock 'n' Roll) than home watching "Heroes" and that the 19 days without Broadway were the "worst three weeks of my life." He concluded by announcing — to wild applause — "Broadway's long, dark night is over!" The lights came up to reveal Bob Martin, one of the Tony-winning creators of Drowsy Chaperone's creators and its original Man in Chair.

Martin went to his onstage refrigerator to see what he could offer the audience to drink, but it wouldn't open, so he called for help, which arrived from the wings — two stagehands (more applause). They were able to open the uncooperative appliance, which revealed two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters inside.

Peters sat Martin back in his chair as she belted out "There's No Business Like Show Business" from Annie Get Your Gun (Peters performed that show on the Marquis stage a few years back). The fridge opened again, and (almost) all of Broadway poured forth, including cast members from A Chorus Line, Rock 'n' Roll, Spamalot, Young Frankenstein, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Chicago, Jersey Boys, Hairspray, The Phantom of the Opera, Avenue Q, Rent, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Mamma Mia!, The Seafarer, Xanadu, Grease, The Drowsy Chaperone, Spring Awakening, Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Wicked.

Cheyenne Jackson, Jonathan Groff, Max von Essen, Laura Bell Bundy and eventually the whole ensemble joined Peters in the Irving Berlin show-biz standard as a giant "Broadway's Back!" sign was displayed.

Man in Chair then took a few moments to chat with the folks filling his apartment. He spoke with the Jersey Boys about their first show back with a new Frankie Valli (Michael Longoria) and with Seth Fisher of Rock 'n' Roll about this season's plethora of plays. Martin was then interrupted by a knock at the door.

In walked Bob Saget, Drowsy's current Man in Chair, who said he'd heard music the other night, liked it and wondered if he could borrow the recording. "You can't just come over to someone's apartment and ask to borrow their Gypsy without specifying which one," Martin said. He finally ushered Saget out the door with a Linda Lavin bootleg, turned around and was interrupted by another knock ("David Hyde Pierce, David Hyde Pierce," fingers crossed).

The knock, however, came from none other than four-time Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury, who'd come to sing Mame's "We Need a Little Christmas" to give Broadway's holiday season a boost. Lansbury, in wonderful voice, began the classic tune and was then joined by Kerry Butler, Stephanie J. Block, Lea Michele and the whole ensemble, finishing with "Broadway's back in business now" as confetti fell through the entire theatre."

Boy, I miss New York.

Technorati tags: Broadway Musicals Musical Theatre Musical Theater Movie Musicals Theatre Theater American Theatre American Theater New York City The Fabulous Invalid Times Square

 

So, at this point I think the whole Internet has written about the Greenpeace "Mr. Splashy Pants" phenomenon.

Quick summary: Greenpeace started a "name the whale" poll: They included a list of glorious whale names, including the usual list of suspects and Hawaiian Sea Gods:

Aiko, Mira, Kaimana, Aurora, Shanti, Amal, Manami, Malaya, Sedna, Talei, Veikko, Cian, Anahi Echo, Paikea, Kigai, Yarrindi, Babu, Moya, Suzuki, Bumi, Gana, Nurani, Madiba

They also included the name "Mr. Splashy Pants".

Guess who the Web voted for? Yep, we can't elect a President, but boy -- we can name a whale "Mr. Splashy Pants" in two seconds flat.

Here are the current voting stats:































So, here's my contribution to the Mister Splashy Pants phenomenon -- Mr. Splashy Pants: THE MUSICAL! Here's the opening:

(Sung to the tune of "Fly Me To the Moon")

Mister Splashy Pants,
You need a name to call your own,
Humphrey, Libertad, Kaimana,   Shanti or Jerome,
In other words,
Who you are,
'Cause babycakes,
You're a star!

or

(Sung to the tune of "There's Nothing Like a Dame")

There ain't nothin' like a whale,
Nothing in the world,
Not a ferret, nor a quail,
No, there's nothing quite like a whale.

Technorati tags: Broadway Musicals Musical Theatre Musical Theater Movie Musicals Theatre Theater American Theatre American Theater New York City The Fabulous Invalid Times Square

We need PLANE CRAZY now more than ever!

So I'm driving my kids to school in the morning, listening to non-stop holiday music (yes, already) on the radio when an ad for Addition Elle bras comes on. I'm paraphrasing a bit, but here's the exchange between the mother and the teenage daughter:

Daughter: Mom, if this were the sixties, would you be a feminist?

Mom: If by feminist you mean celebrating my curves and embracing my femininity, then yes.

Daughter: So you'd burn your bra?

Mom: Oh no! I'd never burn my Addition Elle!

Egads! What were they thinking? So this is what the women's movement has accomplished in the past 40 odd years? However you have to admire the unabashed tacky exploitation of feminism to sell product! That's what I love about advertising, and why the ad guys are such an "upstanding bunch" in PLANE CRAZY.

I'm just thankful they're not advertising on TV...The Venus Flytrap anyone?