Recently in Theater Category

A pig, a spider and a lamb walk into a barn…

I’m so excited to see the play CHARLOTTE'S WEB at Youth Theatre Northwest on Mercer Island, running August 1 to August 10.

Based on the classic book by E. B. White about a little pig named Wilbur with a strong will to live, and a very talented spider, it is a perfect summer play for the whole family.

Of course, I'm a wee bit biased, since my daughter Trinity is in the play! She's the Lamb, as well as a Spectator and a Fair-Goer. They're in pretty seriously intense rehearsals right now and they open next Friday.

CHARLOTTE'S WEB is the second show in YTN's summer series. Next up is Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical CINDERELLA running August 22- 31.

On a special note, this is Youth Theatre Northwest's 25th Anniversary and they have quite the line up planned for the season including INTO THE WOODS, WIZARD OF OZ and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF!

For tickets to CHARLOTTE'S WEB call 206-232-4145, or visit their website.

BroadwayWorld has some excellent photo coverage of Bailey Hanks' curtain call and after party for her first performance on Broadway as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical on July 23!

From the article on Playbill:

Say Something: A Spoken Word Salon, an evening featuring spoken word performances from a mix of writers and actors, will be presented Aug. 15 at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

The 6 PM performance at the West 42nd Street venue will boast the talents of Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Phil Geoffrey Bond, Paul Cavalconte, Donna Lynne Champlin, Christine Lavin, Carl Kissin, Christine Pedi and Kate Shindle.

The artists, according to press notes, will offer "new work as well as excerpts from some of their favorite texts."

Hunter Bell and Susan Blackwell are the current stars of the new Broadway musical [title of show]. So get ready for this cool event! I won't be able to attend, but everyone else should. =P

Shout out to my friend Seth Weinstein, who wrote the music for HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD AND FIND TRUE LOVE IN 90 MINUTES. I met Seth when he did a fabulous job musical directing my show PLANE CRAZY at NYMF in 2005. I loved HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD AND FIND TRUE LOVE when I saw it in New York. I saw Hollie Howard (who played Holly Banks in PLANE CRAZY) in the role of Violet Zipper and she was amazing. It's really a great show, so go get your copy today!

From an article on Playbill.com:

A cast recording of How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes, which played Off-Broadway's New World Stages/Stage 5 Nov. 4-Dec. 31, 2006, is now available.

The recording features the original Off-Broadway company, including Michael McEachran as Miles Muldoon, Anika Larsen as Julie Lemmon and Nicole Ruth Snelson as Violet Zipper with Stephen Bienskie, Natalie Joy Johnson and Kevin Smith Kirkwood as The Greeks.

The CD, which was recorded January 2, 2007, at Avatar Studios in Manhattan, also features conductor Seth Weinstein on keyboards, Jonnah Speidel on piano, James Bettincourt on bass and Greg Germann on drums.

The complete track listing for How to Save the World follows:

Prologue


Love or Fear


I'm Afraid of Everything


The Country Song


The Melon Ballet


Why Are All the Good Men Unconscious?


The Voices in My Head


I'm in Love With a Terrorist


Who I Am Matters Not (I)


Love Is Violet


Yoga Class/Fifteen Minutes


I Want to Know You/Read My Mind


He's a Pussy


When the Music Played


We Can Save the World and Find True Love


Save the People


Who I Am Matters Not (II)


Oh, God The Company


Read My Mind

With book and lyrics by Jonathan Karp and music by Seth Weinstein, How to Save the World. . ., according to press notes, is set at the United Nations and concerns "a cowardly bookshop clerk, a sexy diplomat and an idealistic slacker [who] confront their deepest fears when an office romance leads to international crisis."

Christopher Gattelli directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway run. The creative team comprised Beowulf Boritt (set design), David Murin (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design) and Peter Hylenski (sound design).

The CD, priced $14.95, includes a 16-page color booklet with lyrics and photos. For more information visit www.howtosavetheworldandfindtruelove.com.

Last night was the season finale of Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods, and Bailey Hanks was selected as the next Elle Woods on Broadway in Legally Blonde! Rhiannon was eliminated at the beginning of the episode, leaving Autumn and Bailey as the last contestants in the competition. The final audition required the girls to perform three numbers from the musical with real Legally Blonde cast members, sets, costume, and orchestra! Plus, Jerry Mitchell was added to the panel of Paul Canaan, Heather Hach, and Bernard Telsey.

Okay, so I'm really happy for Bailey, and she definitely is Elle Woods. Her performance was genuine and easy to watch. However, I enjoyed Autumn's much more. Autumn has the better voice by far. Sorry Bailey, but at times you're a little flat :S Autumn still brought the character to life, but her voice was quite amazing. Maybe after Hanks has finished her run, Autumn will be next in line...

Congratulations Bailey! I hope that your experience as a leading lady on Broadway is as magical and fulfilling as you've always dreamed it to be! Bailey starts her run on Broadway on July 23. For tickets, visit here.

Wow, that was really cool.

On Sunday night, I went to the 8pm showing of 14/48 - the world's quickest theater festival. The two-hour event included 7 plays that all fell under the same theme: Off the Deep End. That morning was when the directors, actors, and design were selected. Each show was scored, teched, and premiered in the same day. Saturday followed the same procedure (however, the theme was revenge). Therefore, by the end of the weekend, this ensemble of performers, directors, theatre people, etc. had produced 14 brand new plays in 48 hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire experience was really cool, and all around the plays were very well-written. The actors were all very talented, and I was surprised at how complete the sets were considering each play had only been written the night before. I would have to say my favorite pieces were The Story of Bacon (written by Alex Harris) and Deep Blue (written by Celene Ramadan, and also in which my Last Exit director and Urinetown choreographer, Kathryn Van Meter, performed - holla! =P). In between each play the 14/48 band performed songs relevant to the evening, previous play, or next play.

14/48 will be happening again next weekend, July 26-27, at the Seattle Center House Theater. I recommend buying tickets in advance, because then you're set (yes, there was a pretty good crowd there) and they're cheaper. Visit brownpapertickets.com for details. Just because it happens real fast, doesn't mean it isn't real theater!

Last Saturday, I saw the matinee performance of the first student production that the Village Theatre in Issaquah has put on so far this summer. It was called The Spitfire Grill, and was presented as part of Village Theatre's KIDSTAGE's Summer Independent program. "Summer Independent" means that the entire show was produced, designed, and directed by young artists ages 20 and under. Professional mentorship was provided by Village Theatre artists and staff, including Kathryn Van Meter, R.J. Tancioco, Kristin Culp, Brian Healy, Jessi Wasson, Jim Henderson, and Skyline High School.

The Spitfire Grill is the story of a young woman named Percy, and her journey as she rejoins the human race after 5 years in prison. To start anew, she travels to the little town of Gilead, Wisconsin, and is employed at the only restaurant in the area: The Spitfire Grill. What ensues is a story of community, love, and renewal.

The cast was amazing. This production starred Eliza Palasz as Percy Talbott, Heather Nobis as Shelby Thorpe, Julia Bicknell as Hannah Ferguson, Danny Kam as Caleb Thorpe, Colin Hartman as Sheriff Joe Sutter, Rachael McLachlan as Effy Krayneck, and John McDevitt as The Visitor. The extremely strong ensemble included Daniel Arteaga, Rachel Beck, Jim Blackett, Sawyer Mittelstaedt, Kendyl Morris, Sarah Oates, Cassie Smith, and Ellen Washburn. Everyone was talented and committed on stage, but I'd like to give a special shout-out to Julia, Rachael, Kendyl, Cassie, and Sawyer, my fellow Last Exit castmembers!

I thought that Justine Stillwell did an excellent job of directing this piece, and I really loved the set. It was detailed enough that you could picture the Grill accurately, but not too elaborate - a very delicate balance when it came to this show. The music was soulful and hummable, and the storyline was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Overall, I had a very good time!

As you read this blog, if you live in the Issaquah/Sammamish/Seattle/Bellevue/Kirkland/Mercer Island/basically anywhere in that area, you should buy tickets NOW by calling the box office at (425) 392-2202. The last performances are THIS WEEK people, so make sure you get tickets for the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evening shows, or the Saturday and Sunday matinees. You won't regret it, and it'll be the perfect addition to your summer! =D

Here are some excerpts from reviews about [title of show]'s Opening Night on Broadway!!!

From an article in the New York Times:

As a performer, Mr. Bell has a cuddly, golly-gee manner that is endearing. In contrast Mr. Bowen takes a more businesslike approach, which includes an obsessive need to correct his friend’s every grammatical lapse. Ms. Blackwell’s idiosyncratic humor is a distinct asset. Learning that the authors have earned a lot of attention from an Internet video promoting the show, she cracks, “I’m gonna go onYouTube and announce that I want a golden pony.”

The cheery Ms. Blickenstaff is the strongest singer in the cast, and the only one to have appeared on Broadway previously, mostly as an understudy. If “[title of show]” has a purpose larger than mere diversion, it is to expose the obstacles — internal and external — that artists on the fringes of the business claw past every day to keep their aim true and their egos from imploding. Ms. Blackwell keeps having to remind her friends that she can’t be hanging out brainstorming or rehearsing all day because she actually has to earn a living as an office manager. Later she leads a funny, pointed song, “Die Vampire, Die!,” about the specter of self-doubt that visits all struggling artists in the wee hours — and the not so wee ones, too.

From an article on Newsday.com:

Created and performed by two self-described "nobodies in New York," the first entry of the new season is a clever and often adorable little invention about writing a musical about two nobodies writing a musical while performing the musical. Got that?

The title is what composer Jeff Bowen and author Hunter Bell - both show-biz obsessives - called this meta-project while filling out the application form for the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2004. The men and their two self-described "secondary characters" - Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell - were a hit at the festival and Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 2006.

Their inside-baseball humor, their sardonic attitude and their Cinderella story arrive at the creators' mainstream fantasy fulfillment with a passionate fan base, nurtured on the Internet by a come-on-along YouTube series about the show.

Everyone in Michael Berresse's production is quick and charming. The setup - four mismatched chairs, street clothes and a grimy rehearsal room - has a prepossessing anti-spectacle ordinariness. The show-tune pastiche - think Laura Nyro as interpreted by William Finn - is accompanied by the amusing Larry Pressgrove on a lone keyboard.

From an article in the Daily News:

The production's greatest asset remains its score. Bowen's melodies and harmonies are gems, and his bright lyrics offer insight into everything from self-doubt ("Die, Vampire, Die!") and friendship ("What Kind of Girl Is She?") to integrity ("Nine People's Favorite Thing").

The performers are great fun to hang out with for 90 minutes and as idiosyncratic as the title — especially the irresistibly offbeat Blackwell. Blickenstaff has girl-next-door charm, and her gorgeous voice soars on the soulful show-stopper "A Way Back to Then."

Michael Berresse's stage and dance experience shows in his vibrant direction and choreography, which puts imaginative spin on each number.

Way to go [title of show]! Check out the opening night greeting that In the Heights sent to [title of show] here -- which is extremely similar to the one [tos] sent In the Heights here.

Or, [title of show] is opening on Broadway tonight peeps!!

Goodness gracious, I fell in love with this show the first time I saw it at the Vineyard Theatre in 2006 (so long ago, goodness). It was so creative, funny, and original, with fantastic talent and heart. Now, I can't believe that it's opening on Broadway. Holy peanut butter. I mean, oh my god.

I feel so happy for everyone involved in [title of show], especially Hunter, Heidi, Jeff, and Michael who accepted my Facebook friend request. =D Just kidding, everyone who has made this show what it is now rox. I couldn't find Susan on FB, so props to her. She rox extra hard. :D

I've read the blog every day for the past forever, which has kept me interested and excited about the show and its future. There's a really cool article here about [title of show]'s evolution through the Webnets... Check it out.

There's also a nice article about the opening on Playbill.com, here. It talks about the show's history, and what the show is "about." And stuffs like that.

So, just wanted to give a shout-out to everyone at [title of show] (=P). Have fun tonight, and congratulations!

From an article on Playbill.com:

Complete casting has been announced for the Broadway production of Billy Elliot—The Musical, which will begin previews at the Imperial Theatre Oct. 1 with an official opening scheduled for Nov. 13.

As previously announced, young actors David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik will alternate in the musical's title role.

Haydn Gwynne, who created the role of dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in the show's original London cast, will repeat her work for Broadway audiences. Also cast are Gregory Jbara as Dad, Tony winner Carole Shelley as Grandma and Santino Fontana as Tony. David Bologna and Frank Dolce will alternate in the role of Billy's friend Michael with Stephen Hanna as Billy's Older Self, Joel Hatch as George, Leah Hocking as Mum, Thommie Retter as Mr. Braithwaite and Erin Whyland as Debbie.

The ensemble will comprise Juliette Allen Angelo, Tommy Batchelor, Kevin Bernard, Grady McLeod Bowman, Heather Burns, Maria Connelly, Samantha Czulada, Kyle DesChamps, Eboni Edwards, Brianna Fragomeni, Greg Graham, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Eric Gunhus, Meg Guzulescu, Izzy Hanson-Johnston, Keean Johnson, Aaron Kaburick, Donnie Kehr, Cara Kjellman, Kara Klein, David Koch, Jeff Kready, Stephanie Kurtzuba, David Larsen, Caroline London, Merle Louise, Marina Micalizzi, Mitch Michaliszyn, Matthew Mindler, Tessa Netting, Daniel Oreskes, Jayne Paterson, Liz Pearce, Corrieanne Stein, Jamie Torcellini, Grant Turner and Casey Whyland.

I saw Gregory Jbara originate the role of Andre Thibault in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway (with John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott, and Joanna Gleason). He was quite fantastic. I haven't listened to the Billy Elliot soundtrack yet, but I am interested in seeing the show. I mean, they don't even have to put the name on the poster.......