January 2008 Archives

MAME at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre

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MAME at the 5th Avenue TheatreMint 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.

Dee Hoty as MAME in 5th Avenue's new productionThis 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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By Suzy Conn on January 31, 2008 11:53 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SWEENEY TODD -- THE MOVIE MUSICAL

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Sweeney Todd the MovieOr, "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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By Suzy Conn on January 30, 2008 11:19 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Adventure Musical Theatre at the 5th Avenue Theatre

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Northwest Bookshelf 2You'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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By Suzy Conn on January 28, 2008 12:14 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Canadian Brass at Benaroya Hall

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The new Canadian BrassAs 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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By Suzy Conn on January 4, 2008 1:01 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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