November 2009 Archives
We're Pigs!
A production of the musical THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND (book and lyrics by moi, Suzy Conn, and music by Mitchell Kitz) just finished at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri. They performed for over 4,600 during their week of productions for the public and area elementrary schools.
THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND, adapted from the Beatrix Potter book, tells the story of a young pig who is forced to find his way in the world - a classic coming of age pig story! And remember: Always cross that bridge when you come to it!
Eric Yazell, the director of the show (he is also the Speech & Theatre Instructor at The Stauffacher Center for the Fine Arts at State Fair Community College) sent me some wonderful pictures of the production:
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Clang, clang, clang went the Trolley!
Last night I had my walk-on role in Village Theatre's production of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. Last May when I bid and won the walk-on role at the Village Theatre Gala, the show seemed so far away. Suddenly it was November and time for me to face the music.
A couple of weeks ago I went for a costume fitting and wig fitting. I was to be dressed in a beautiful coral and creme dress, big hair, big hat and lace up boots.
The wonderful and talented Bobbi Kotula was my contact throughout all this organizing dates, fittings etc. Paulette Buse, the stage manager, was my backstage contact and the one who scheduled my "put in rehearsal" for 6:30pm last night. Louise Kincaid was my "wrangler".
I arrived at 6:30 pm thinking I would just be shown when to walk across the stage and wave. Never assume anything!
Steve Tomkins welcomed me with a warm handshake and went about fitting me into the finale. The entire finale. I even had choreography and music to sing! Luckily I'm very well aquainted with both The Trolley Song, and Meet Me In St. Louis, and generally never need much convincing when asked to sing.
I enter with the cast on the trolley, sitting smack in the middle and singing my little heart out! "The day was bright, the air was sweet..." etc. Then I get escorted off the trolley and back to chat with Henry Nettleton and Bill Williams, also in the cast. Then it's back on the trolley, holding on for dear life as it goes off stage. Then grab an ice cream and run on with Bobbi to look at the World's Fair and see the fireworks and sing the last line - "So won't you Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair!"
I even got to take a bow with the female ensemble members! And then with the rest of the company! Woot Woot!
I was able to watch Act 1 in the audience with my family and then I went backstage at intermission to get dressed, and get my wig on. I had my own little space in the women's dressing room. Waiting for me was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I got dressed and chatted with everybody and waited for the finale.
My performance went off without a hitch! I even got to watch some scenes in Act 2 from the wings with Bobbi. After the show they took picture of everyone in the cast, and moi, on the trolley. Then off to meet my fans (my family) backstage. Rave reviews all round!
Then the clock struck midnight and my carriage once again turned into a pumpkin. Back to life "behind the scenes" as a writer!
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is a fabulous show (even when I'm not in it) and the cast is wonderful. Go get your tickets now!
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I went to see the first preview of EQUIVOCATION at the Seattle Rep last week, (thanks Kathryn!). I loved it!
EQUIVOCATION, written by Bill Cain and directed by Bill Rauch, had its world premiere at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and will be running at The Seattle Repertory Theatre until December 13.
The Seattle Rep has put together a fabulous "know before you go" pamphlet also available on line which gives you some background on the plot, the times, historical figures and the plots of MACBETH and KING LEAR in 30 seconds:
What's EQUIVOCATION about?
It's London, 1605. William Shakespeare (in the play spelled Shagspeare, or Shag) has just been made an offer he can't refuse: King James I wants him to write a play about the recently foiled Gunpowder Plot. Shagspeare is leery: it's dangerous for playwrights to write about current events. Robert Cecil, the king's ruthless chief advisor, gives Shag the sanitized version of events, telling him to just add some dialogue -- and witches. The king wants witches. The rest of Equivocation is about Shagspeare's struggle to write a play that will please -- or at least not offend -- the king.
EQUIVOCATION stars Anthony Heald as Shag, Richard Elmore as Richard, Jonathan Haugen as Nate, John Tufts as Sharpe, Gregory Linington as Armin and Christine Albright as Judith, Shag's daughter. They are a brilliant.
The actors play different roles in the play, as well as characters in the play within the play. But fear not, Bill Cain's writing is so clear that the intricacies of the play flow seamlessly. Bill Cain's contemporary writing is brilliantly woven with threads of KING LEAR and MACBETH. And EQUIVOCATION manages to be incredibly humorous, despite the hanging, drawing and quartering.
Despite EQUIVOCATION clocking in at 2 hours and 55 minutes, I'm not equivocating when I say I want to go see this play again!
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SEE A SHOW ON BROADWAY
Monthly Archives
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Blogger bio
My name is Suzy Conn and I am a musical theatre composer, lyricist, and librettist. I make may home in Seattle (actually, Mercer Island to be specific) and I am a graduate of the Theatre Building Chicago, Musical Theatre Writers' Workshop.
I am in the writing and workshop process with a number of different musicals, including:
PLANE CRAZY: A Broadway-style musical about feminism set against the backdrop of glamour and innocent sex appeal of the swinging '60s Jet Age, where women learn to "Pilot Your Own Destiny™" (productions in New York, Toronto, Oklahoma City).
Beatrix Potter's THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND (with Mitchell Kitz): A 45-minute children's musical based on the classic Beatrix Potter story (productions in Chicago and Toronto).
THE MERCER GIRLS (for The 5th Avenue Theatre's AMT program)
DAISY THE FIRECOW and LARRY GETS LOST IN SEATTLE (part of Northwest Bookshelf 2 for The 5th Avenue Theatre's AMT program)
FRANKENBOOGER (with Mitchell Kitz): The new tween musical that tells the cautionary tale of nose picking gone terribly, terribly wrong. Our heroine learns to "Pick Your Friends, Not Your Nose™".
Prior to focusing exclusively on musical theatre, I spent 10 years writing in Toronto and Nashville where I co-wrote or wrote hundreds of country and pop songs and commercial jingles. As a result, I have numerous U.S., international, and Canadian cuts, and several of my songs hit #1 on the international country charts. I have also won a number of songwriting awards, including the prestigious SOCAN Advanced Writer's Workshop Award.
I am a proud member of the Association of Canadian Librettists, Composers, and Lyricists (ACLCL), SOCAN, ACTRA, Toronto Musician's Association (Local 149, A.F. of M.), Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriters Guild of America (SGA), Dramatist's Guild of America, and the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC).
Thanks for listening!
Suzy's Favorite Sites
Maximum Broadway Radio
This is a FANTASTIC Broadway site that broadcasts Live 365.com Internet Radio with 24/7 showtunes! It's a BROADWAY RADIO STATION! I've got it running on my laptop now, and forever. Also includes links to a library of songs, theaters across America and a News section, which includes yours truly...
Internet Broadway Database
IBDB provides a comprehensive database of shows produced on Broadway, including all "title page" information about each production. IBDB also offers historical information about theatres and various statistics and fun facts related to Broadway.
42nd Street Moon Blog
A GREAT musical theater blog, with a Blogway Baby-style fanatical devotion to Broadway. It's published by a theater company focused on "Classic Broadway in Concert", based in San Francisco. I wish I'd known about these guys when I lived in Palo Alto!
Mermaniac
Mermanic, "A Show Tunes Weblog", has an excellent blogroll which has been divided into the signs of the zodiac...Blogway Baby is under the sign of Cancer.
Jorge's Place
This seems like the ultimate Broadway fan site. Nicely designed too!
Yahoo! Entertainment
A fantastic movie musical link database: All the big stars are in here.
Playbill.com
The classic, the original, the only. Playbill: Following theater since there was theater...
Talkin' Broadway
Nice gossip site on Broadway. Interface is weird and difficult to use, but solid content.
Backstage Magazine
The actor's resource to upcoming audtions and casting sessions across the US of A.
Variety Magazine
The grandpappy of theater...check out the "Legit" section.
Broadway.com
The definitive resource on Broadway. Get your tickets, your hotels, and your Broadway plans at Broadway.com
Myrna's Page
My daughter's home page. Isn't she cute?
BoingBoing
The world's greatest blog, EVAR.
Broadwayworld.com
A great resource for Broadway and Off-Broadway reviews.
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The one, the only, New York Musical Theatre Festival: The world's premier musical theater event.
Northern River Arts and Entertainment
A great and comprehensive archive of Canadian musical theater history.
Musical Theater Giants
Richard Adler (b. 1923) Lyricist Richard Adler is best recalled as part of the team of composer Jerold Ross and Adler. Best known for The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Adler was unable to reproduce these successes after the death of Ross in 1955.Lionel Bart (b. 1930 / d. 1999) Composer/Lyricist Lionel Bart parlayed a massively successful '50s pop-song writing career into musical theater. He succeeded with Oliver! and Blitz!, and was personally and financially ruined by the flop Twang!.
Irving Berlin (b. 1888 / d. 1989)
Leslie Bricusse (b. 1931)
Cy Coleman (b. 1929 / d. 2004)
Betty Comden
Fred Ebb (b. 1933 / d. 2004)
Adolph Green (b. 1914 / d. 2002)
Jerry Herman (b. 1933)
John Kander (b. 1927)
Alan Jay Lerner (b. 1918 / d. 1986)
Frank Loesser (b. 1910 / d. 1969)
Frederick Loewe (b. 1901 / d. 1988)
Anthony Newley (b. 1931 / d. 1999)
Cole Porter (b. 1891 / d. 1964)
Gerry Ross (b. 1926 / d. 1955)
Arthur Schwartz (b. 1900 / d. 1984)
Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948)
Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)
Charles Strouse (b. 1928)
Association Sites
Association of Canadian Librettists, Composers, and Lyricists (ACLCL)
Toronto Musician's Association (Local 149, A.F. of M.)
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
Songwriters Guild of America (SGA)
From Hollywood to Broadway
They say it's the hot trend in musicals today -- adapting a popular movie to the stage -- but while The Producers (2001), adapted from The Producers (1968) and Hairspray (2002), adapted from Hairspray (1988) grab all the attention, the trend has actually been around for a while. Here's a sampling of a list that seems to grow every day.
David Merrick, the legendary impressario, actually loved to adapt film material and he became famous with some of these productions:
42nd Street (1933) became 42nd Street (1980)
Marcel Pagnol's Marseilles Trilogy (1929) became Fanny: A New Musical (1954)
The Apartment (1960) became Promises, Promises (1968)
Some Like It Hot (1959) became Sugar (1972)
Destry Rides Again (1939) became Destry Rides Again (1959)
State Fair (1945) became State Fair (1996)
And here's a bunch more non-Merrick examples:
Mary Poppins (1964) became Mary Poppins (2004)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) became Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002)
Meet Me In St. Louis (1945) became Meet Me In St. Louis (1989)
Singin' in the Rain (1952) became Singin' In The Rain (1996)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) became Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1985)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) became The Wizard of Oz (1988)
High Society (1956) became High Society (1998)
Swing Time (1936) became Never Gonna Dance (2003)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) became Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) (though little of the original score was used)
Beauty and the Beast (1991, Animated) became Beauty and the Beast (1994)
The Lion King (1994, Animated) became The Lion King (1997)
All About Eve (1950) became Applause (1970)
Woman of the Year (1942) became Woman Of The Year (1981)
Nights of Cabiria (1957) became Sweet Charity: A New Musical Comedy (1966)
Smiles Of A Summer Night (1957) became A Little Night Music (1973)
Sunset Boulevard (1950) became Sunset Boulevard (1994)
It (1927) became The It Girl (2001)
8 1/2 (1963) became Nine (1982)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) became Sweet Smell of Success (2002)
The Captain's Paradise (1953) became Oh Captain (1958)
The Night of the Hunter (1955) became The Night Of The Hunter (1998 Concept Cast) (also a literary source but best known as a film)
Billy Elliot (2000) became Billy Elliot: The Musical on the West End (2005)
And continuing into the future, stay tuned for White Christmas, based on the 1954 movie of the same name.
Reader favorite posts
Here are some of Blogway Baby's favorite posts, as voted by Blogway Baby readers:
+ The Lyrics to Sarah Jessica Parker's GAP Ad, "I Enjoy Being A Girl"
+ Rosie O'Donnell's Haiku Blog
Nudie Musical Themes
+ More Nudie Musical Goodness
+ I Always Wondered About That Title
+ Playboy: The Musical
+ G-Spot: Canadian Sex in the City based in L.A.
+ The Pajama-less Game
+ It's Naked Week at Blogway Baby!
+ Bring Back Oh! Calcutta!
The "Ultimate Entertainment Niche" Series
+ Part II
+ Part I
The SF :: Broadway Connection
+ Part IV: Reader Contributions
+ Part III: How Could I Have Missed This One?
+ Part II
+ The SF :: Broadway Connection
+ SF / Musical Theater Mash-up
+ A Long Time Ago, In A Theater Far, Far Away
Flops I Missed
+ Part II: Nick & Nora
+ Part I: Carrie
The "Great Tortured Stephen Sondheim" Series
+ "Songs I Wish I'd Never Written"
+ Wall-to-wall Stephen Sondheim
+ Part III
+ Part II
+ Part I
Top Ten Movie Musicals
10: An American in Paris / Gigi because France in the '50s is simply irresistible;
9: There's No Business Like Show Business because of Ethel Merman...'nuff said?;
8: West Side Story, because even though they dubbed Natalie Wood they retained the energy of the original staging;
7: Guys and Dolls, and not everyone likes this one because of Brando's singing, but I just love the sets, the times, and Frank is simply perfect;
6: Flying Down to Rio / Gay Divorcee / Roberta / Top Hat / Follow the Fleet and Swing Time / Shall We Dance / Carefree / The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle / The Barkleys of Broadway because this list wouldn't be complete without Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who kept me company afternoons that I used to skip out of school to watch these musicals on TV;
5: Oliver! because it had a huge impact on me as a child: It was the first time that I'd seen someone get killed in a musical. And each time I see it, I still think there's a chance she'll get away;
4: Funny Girl because of two words: Barbra Streisand;
3: Jesus Christ Superstar because of Norman Jewison's incredibly inventive filmography, the energy, the '70s...the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience;
2: It's a tie between White Christmas because of "Sisters": One of the most important songs in my life and Holiday Inn because despite the cringe-worthy blackface routines and racist stereotyping, it has one of the best dance numbers ever with Fred Astaire and a pocketful of firecrackers;
...and most importantly...
1: Singin' in the Rain because of Donald O'Connor's "Make 'em Laugh" (even though it was blatantly ripped off of Cole Porter's "Be A Clown") and "Good Morning", our daily refrain in the Conn household.
