Results tagged “Canada” from Blogway Baby

You've got to be carefully taught...

If you need a good laugh, check this out.

Happy long weekend!

Here's to Canada, eh!

And a special shout out to musicals (not an exhaustive list by any means) written by Canadians - TWO PIANO FOUR HANDS, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and of course, PLANE CRAZY!

Okay, and a special shout out to one of my favorite Canadians -- Wolverine!

Elicia Mackenzie is the winner of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, the Canadian reality show in which contestants were voted on by the Canadian public for the chance to be Maria in The Sound of Music in Toronto (hometown shout-out). You can see one of her performances here.

If you remember from my previous post, Elaine Overholt, my vocal coach, was on the judge's panel and Janna Polzin was one of the contestants in the show. She survived until the last week (congrats!) and you can see one of her performances here.

From the article on Playbill:

On television July 28, after months of competitions, 23-year-old Vancouver actress Elicia MacKenzie was revealed to be the top vote-getter and will jump into rehearsals as the novice who wins over a chilly Austrian family in the famed Rodgers & Hammerstein musical.

MacKenzie will join rehearsals in the Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and David Mirvish production of The Sound of Music, which begins previews Oct. 3 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto.

"I'd like to thank Canada for their votes and the judges who saw something that could get me this far," MacKenzie stated. "This has truly been the experience of a lifetime and I'm so very grateful."

After studying everything from vocal training to mountaintop twirling, Canadians voted for their favorite Maria.

The Canadian series mirrored an earlier series in the U.K. that sought to cast the West End revival of the show, produced by Lloyd Webber.

Congratulations both Elicia and Janna, who made it so far. Tickets are now on sale for the show, and you can obtain them here. Performances begin October 3.

This is the most amazing story, as told by Richard Ouzounian in Thursday'sToronto Star: How Adam Brazier, on a tryout for The Woman in White in New York was chosen byAndrew Lloyd Webber to star in The Likes of Us, the new (old) musical that is re-uniting Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. What a great business!

Show about Dr. Barnardo reunites feuding partners

By RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
THEATRE CRITIC

From buffed boy-toy to Victorian social reformer in one short year.

It was only 12 months ago that Unionville-born Adam Brazier was playing the naughty title role in the Shaw Festival's hit Pal Joey. And on Monday he started rehearsals in London for The Likes of Us by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

The musical about Dr. Thomas Barnardo is actually the first show ever written by the world-famous team behind Jesus Christ, Superstar and Evita. It was never produced, but the duo is revisiting it now, nearly 40 years later, to help mark the centenary of Barnardo's death.

Barnardo is the man who attempted to improve the lot of nearly 60,000 impoverished street children in 19th century London by sending them off to homes he established around the world -- including one in Peterborough.

"My head is still reeling," says the 30-year-old Brazier from his hotel in Covent Garden. "Two weeks ago, I would have thought this was impossible. Whose life did I steal?"

It started on June 15, when Brazier flew down to New York to audition for the romantic lead in the Broadway version of The Woman in White, Lloyd Webber's current London hit.

He obviously made an impression because a few days later, he got a call from the Really Useful Group, Lloyd Webber's producing company, asking if he was free to play the central role in The Likes of Us.

"This was a Monday," recalls Brazier, "and I asked them when I had to leave. They said Sunday, and I was like, 'Why not?'"

Brazier will be taking part in the central event of the annual Sydmonton Festival, a private arts festival that Lloyd Webber holds each summer at his country estate 85 kilometres southwest of London, where he is officially known as Baron Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton.

Workshops here have launched such shows as The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard. Lloyd Webber invites an audience made up of the élite of the British theatrical profession, and their opinions of the production often determine whether or not it will continue.

The festival always attracts major interest, but it will be higher than usual this year, because this marks the first time in over 25 years that Lloyd Webber and Rice have worked on a show together.

After their trio of initial amazing successes (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ, Superstar and Evita), they parted acrimoniously.

An attempt to reconcile them during Cats ended even more bitterly when Rice submitted a lyric for "Memory," only to have it rejected.

The show business world is wondering how the two former chums and partners will get along after all this time.

All of this is pretty heady stuff for Brazier, whose first performing memories centre around entertaining the crowds at the CNE who flocked to his father's Tiny Tom Donuts stand.

Brazier graduated from George Brown theatre school in 1996 and went straight into the Stratford Festival for two seasons. After that, he dabbled in film and TV before landing the highly coveted role of Sky, the young bridegroom, in Mamma Mia!

Brazier starred in the show's original Toronto production in 2000 and then went on tour across North America.

A stint on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revival of Into the Woods followed, as well as starring roles in the last two Ross Petty Christmas pantomimes.

Brazier and the company will rehearse in London for two weeks before moving on to Sydmonton and the gala performances on the weekend of July 8.

After that, nothing is set, but Brazier will admit that the casting people for The Woman in White have ordered him to take no other jobs until they make their final decision.

"I'm sitting here in my hotel room," says Brazier, "listening on my tape recorder to a few of the songs I get to sing being banged out on a piano. These are songs no one has ever heard, written by two of the most important figures in the world of modern musicals. I am bewildered by my good fortune and every night I count my many blessings."

Unlike the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the Toronto Fringe Festival is not jury selected. It is done by chance, by lottery. There's always tons of variety, some great, some not so great. But hey, for $10, who's complaining? The Toronto Fringe Festival runs July 6-17, 2005.

Unfortunately, lady luck didn't smile upon me and I didn't get picked for a spot in the Fringe, but two of my musical theatre associates did...

Brock Simpson, a fellow member of the ACLCL is producing his show at the Fringe this year. Here's the info he sent to me:

Brockspeare Productions Presents
LUST'S LABOUR'S LOST: A ROCK MUSICAL
World Premiere at Toronto Fringe!

TARRAGON THEATRE MAINSPACE, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto

Thurs, July 7 at 8:15pm
Fri, July 8 at 1:30pm
Sun, July 10 at 5:45pm
Mon, July 11 at 6:15pm
Tues, July 12 at 9:45pm
Fri, July 15 at 10:30pm
Sun, July 17 at 3:15pm

Ticket Prices: $10. For More Info Call the Fringe Hotline at 416.966.1062
or www.fringetoronto.com

I also got the following message from Michael Coady who played Sam Crenshaw in the 2004 workshop of Plane Crazy at the Poor Alex. He is appearing in a musical in the Fringe:

OZ RECALLED: A Musical Comedy about a Middle-aged Dorothy

directed by Timothy French
written by Jesse Stewart
choreography by Marc Kimelman
assistant directed by Elenna Mosoff

featuring Sharron Matthews

Also featuring: James Quigley, Michael Coady, Jesse Stewart, Lena Palermo, Peter Windrem, Sedina Fiati, Labe Kagan, Julia Harper, Laura Azahar, Catherine Braund, Patty Burchell, Julia Feldman, Allan Gillespie, Lindsay Kramer, Robert Laughton, Rob Sutherland

VENUE: The Walmer Centre Theatre
in the Walmer Road Church, 188 Lowther Ave.

Visit Website for map, etc. www.OzRecalled.com

SHOW SCHEDULE: (90 minute runtime)
Wednesday July 6 @ 8:00pm
Thursday July 7 @ 8:00pm
Friday July 8 @ 8:00pm
Saturday July 9 @ 4:00pm
Wednesday July 13 @ 8:00pm
Thursday July 14 @ 8:00pm
Friday July 15 @ 8:00pm
Saturday July 16 @ 4:00pm
Tickets: $10

Whatever happened to Dorothy after her first turn through Oz? What became of her friends in the sometimes merry -- sometimes scary Land of Oz? Would a mid-life crisis, combined with being electrocuted on a 'B' movie-set, be a good time for Dorothy to check-in with Oz again? And what's a big Broadway style dance-musical, with live band, doing in the Fringe Festival anyway?

"A funny, raucous, exuberant romp with clever dance numbers and catchy melodies." -- Kingston Whig Standard

Break a leg guys!

According to this article in Playbill:

Colm Feore, the respected stage and screen actor who played Cassius in Broadway's recent Julius Caesar, will play Fagin in Oliver! in 2006 at the Stratford Festival, his artistic home in Canada.

Stratford artistic director Richard Monette announced a partial list of 2006 plays on June 27.

Oliver!, at the mainstage Festival Theatre, will be directed by Donna Feore, a Stratford veteran who, like husband Colm, has worked 14 seasons at the famed festival in Ontario.

First I see Colm Feore's mug on my Globe and Mail TV guide, and then last night after a long day I turned on the TV and caught the last 10 minutes of Colm Feore as Julius Caesar in the wonderfully swishy Senate stabbing scene of EMPIRE. Hey, nice alliteration!

Not as much blood as I hoped for (maybe it was all absorbed by the bedsheets they were wearing...) but still engaging. And his final death position on the floor was nicely art directed.

And now Stratford! I wonder how the whole husband/wife thing will work out. I'm used to telling my husband what to do and say, so maybe it will work out well for the Feores!

"I'm reviewing the situation..."

Drowsy strikes again!

According to this article in Playbill:

Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster is in discussions to star in the American premiere of the new musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone for the Ahmanson Theatre, Playbill.com has learned.

Foster, who won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her alternately daffy, plaintive and heartfelt work as Thoroughly Modern Millie, would again be able to show off her comic side: The Drowsy Chaperone is a fractured musical spoof of 1920s musicals.

Foster, recently a Tony nominee for Little Women, would play Janet, the bride, in the show-within-a-show by Bob Martin & Don McKellar (book), Greg Morrison (music) and Lisa Lambert (lyrics).
Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot) will direct and choreograph the musical for the pre-Broadway Ahmanson run in Los Angeles November 8 to December 24. A New York City reading/workshop is planned for July. Casting for other parts is ongoing, although author Robert Martin will play Man in Chair, the musical comedy maven and narrator who introduces us to the plot and backstage tales of his favorite (fictive) musical, 1928's The Drowsy Chaperone.

The suspense is killing me!

I'll be with them in CD Blossom Time! Boy does this sound like an absolute BLAST ! I just got this email inviting me to:

SWING ROSIE's CD Release SWING DANCE PARTY!

You are invited to a special celebration:

The Mod Club Presents

SWING ROSIE's CD Release and Swing Dance Party!

Tuesday, July 5th

Dance to the girls' signature three-part harmony swing with Guest Star Christopher Plock and the Swingin' Outlaws

Tickets $10
Doors at 8pm
722 College St. W.
416-588-4663

We'll have lots of great music to dance to on that big dance floor, starting with a solid hour of swing featuring Guest Star Christopher Plock and his Swingin' Outlaws, and then of course, the main event: SWING ROSIE in concert! Invite all your friends and every Swing Rosie fan you know, to help us celebrate this great occasion and for ONE NIGHT ONLY, you can take home Sing Cool, Swing Hot for just $10. Don't miss it! Come and Dance the night away!

I've already said how great their CD is in a previous post and now -- what a bargain -- only $10! Check out Swing Rosie's website atwww.swingrosie.com and then jive on down to the Mod Club on July 5!

See you all you hep cats there!

For the last 24 hours Myrna has been the 'bliss child'...and she is overwhelmingly excited at winning the role of Annie in the upcoming City Youth Players production ofAnnie Warbucks.

Annie Warbucks continues the story of Little Orphan Annie...and in fact the first bar of the musical picks up where the last bar of Annieended.

Written by the original Annie team of Thomas Meehan (Book), Martin Charnin (Lyrics), and Charles Strouse (Music), Annie Warbucks opened July 6, 1993 and ran for 200 performances and 38 previews, all Off-Broadway. Although it wasn't the blockbuster of the originalAnnie which opened April 21, 1977 and ran for 2,377 performances, Annie Warbucks was favorably reviewed and has had a great second life in licensing because smaller regional theaters like to put Annie and Annie Warbucks on back-to-back, like an old-fashioned serial.

In the story, the action picks up right where Annie leaves off, when Child Welfare Commissioner Harriet Doyle arrives on the scene to inform Daddy Warbucks he must marry in sixty days so the newly adopted Annie can have a proper mother. In the end, Daddy Warbucks' whirlwind search for a fitting bride uncovers not only a plot by Doyle and her daughter to strip him of his fortune, but also his true feelings for Grace Farrell.

Full of peppy melodies, plenty of laughs, marvelous choreography, smart sets, bright lights and snappy costumes"
--The New York Times

"ANNIE WARBUCKS is an enormously entertaining evening!"
--The New York Daily News

"Surefire family fun! Charles Strouse's tunes are charmers. Well worth catching"
--New York Magazine

The production will be staged in late November at the Vaughn City Playhouse...stay tuned to Blogway Baby for dates and ticket information!

Hey this sounds like fun! A union party! From an e-mail I received today:

Come out and support the Blue Man Boycott! Sunday, June 19, 5 pm, Panasonic Theatre on Yonge Street (south of Bloor at St. Mary)

Canadian Actors Equity, Toronto Musicians and IATSE need our help. The New York based Blue Man Group refuses to operate under the collective agreements of our sisters and brothers in the theatre community. Please come out to the opening night information picket and support the fight for fair wages and decent working conditions. The event will feature live entertainment and special guests. For more information on the Blue Man boycott go to www.bluemanboycott.com

Seriously, this is completely out-of-control. How could Blue Man Group let this get so out-of-hand? Check out the now quite amusing Blue Man Boycott site...I'm especially amused by the "Anti-Blue Man Experience" show that is going to happen Sunday, June 19 at 5:00 pm OPPOSITE THE PANASONIC THEATRE and featuring live entertainment and special guests. And Blue Man Group actually tried to quash this, which is so unbelievably naive it makes my teeth hurt. Check out this press release from the Blue Man Boycott site:

Sunday on Yonge Street: "Anti-Blue Man Experience" opening night rally to go ahead despite legal challenges by Blue Man Group

A major Yonge Street rally sponsored by the Blue Man Boycott Coalition will go ahead this Sunday, June 19, at 5:00 p.m. despite efforts by Blue Man Productions Inc. to legally quash it. A permit to hold the event on Yonge St. near the Panasonic Theatre has been issued by Toronto police.

"The Anti-Blue Man Experience" will coincide with the official premiere performance of the Toronto production of Blue Man Group being held at the Panasonic Theatre. The event will feature live musical entertainment headlined by the all-female all-star band, Blue(s) Woman Group, along with several special guests from the Canadian performing arts and political communities.

Last Thursday, Blue Man Productions Inc. applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for an injunction against the June 19 event. It asked the board to forbid picketing activity anywhere within two city blocks from the theatre, in all directions. A consultation on the application has been called by OLRB Chair Kevin Whitaker for Friday.

"We have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on our side despite Blue Man's efforts to silence us," says Susan Wallace, Executive Director of Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA), one of the Coalition partners. The Toronto Musicians' Association (TMA) and Locals 58 and 822 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) are the other partners.

"So besides this event being about the growing boycott of this rogue production, it is now also a celebration of the Charter, which turns 23 this year. It's great to be Canadian."

EVENT: The Anti-Blue Man Experience
DATE: Sunday, June 19, 2005
TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: Yonge & St. Mary (south of Bloor)

For more information or to arrange interviews with spokespersons for the Coalition, contact: Victoria Lord - 416.484.9047 x 224 or 647.519.8577. Additional contact: Bill Reno - 416.223.7366

Honestly, this has been so incompetently handled by Blue Man Group that SOMEONE SHOULD BE FIRED...and a sacrificial lamb may not be a bad strategy at this point...

OK, that's enough on the Tonys...for now...

Back to my latest favorite obsession:My Fur Lady. I now have a couple of albums whisking my way, I can't wait to hear it and give everyone my feedback. I'm also looking forward to re-aquainting myself with my turntable...I hope it still remembers how to turn!

A Blogway Babyreader also sent methis link to more material on My Fur Lady in the McGill Archives. Good for the McGill Archives...it's important to preserve this kind of stuff.

I love reading about the behind the scenes stuff of Broadway andthis article onPlaybill talks about performers first auditions. It's very heartening to know famous stars had less-than-illustrious first auditions!

My first high school audition for a leading role was greeted the comment: "Are you sure you don't want to try out for the chorus? You're such an animated chorus member. We really need you there..."

My first university audition (for Gladys Hotchkiss in The Pajama Game) went much better. Wearing my Commerce 86 jacket I overacted and undersang my way through "Adelaide's Lament" for the director (Michael Stotts) and the choreographer (David Ivey). I even brought a book (a prop!) to read from. They smiled and applauded -- bless their hearts. And I got the part.

Gary Beach who is now up for a Tony Award for his performance as Albin inLa Cage aux Folles had his first audition described by Playbill:

Gary Beach, the drag-diva old-married of La Cage aux Folles, drove up from school in North Carolina in the late '60s for his first audition when he read that Lincoln Center was reviving Oklahoma! "I walked into a cattle call and waited around for hours. Finally I had to use the facility so I went to the men's room. I was standing at the urinal whistling, for some strange reason, 'Pore Jud Is Daid,' and I looked to my left and there was Richard Rodgers staring me in the face, like, 'Have you lost your mind?' Needless to say, I didn't get into the show. My fate, you could say, was met there at the urinal at Lincoln Center."

Wow, the news just keeps getting better for Drowsy!

This show has been bouncing around Toronto for six years...what suddenly happened?

Note this key paragraph from this article inPlaybill:

The musical had a starry presentation in the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in October 2004. Producers and money people have been circling ever since, and Ahmanson's artistic director Michael Ritchie snagged the show for the U.S. premiere.

New York's the place to be, honey. In fact, New York is where I'd rather stay. I get allergic smelling hay. I just adore a penthouse view. Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue...

Here's the whole article...GO DROWSY:

A New York City reading of The Drowsy Chaperone, anticipating the November American premiere of the musical at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre, will be directed by 2005 Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw, Playbill.com has learned.

The choreographer of Monty Python's Spamalot will direct and choreograph the summer reading and fall staging of the musical spoof, about a rabid musical theatre maven who retells the story of his favorite musical, 1928's fictive obscurity The Drowsy Chaperone. It plays the Ahmanson Theatre Nov. 8-Dec. 24.

A Broadway run is expected to follow Los Angeles, but no dates or theatre have been announced for its New York commercial future following the (Equity LORT A) run in late 2005. The Ahmanson bills the run as a "pre-Broadway engagement."

The musical by Bob Martin & Don McKellar (book), Greg Morrison (music) and Lisa Lambert (lyrics) was a cult sensation in stagings in Toronto in recent years.

A July reading is planned for Manhattan. Casting is ongoing but star names are expected to be attached to both the reading and the fall production. Rehearsals begin in October.

In a casting notice, the show's author Robert Martin has been mentioned to play Man in Chair, the neurotic, precise musical theatre enthusiast who narrates the show (from an easy chair). Georgia Engel has been mentioned to play Mrs. Tottendale, a "dotty middle-aged (or older) socialite" who plays the ukulele.

Other characters include a groom, a bride, gangsters, an aviatrix, a best man, a Latin lover, a chorine, a producer, a butler and more. Wild specialty turns from the characters will punctuate the show.

The musical had a starry presentation in the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in October 2004. Producers and money people have been circling ever since, and Ahmanson's artistic director Michael Ritchie snagged the show for the U.S. premiere.

The Drowsy Chaperonewas created by award winning Second City authors and was the sleeper hit of the 1999 Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival. After selling out at the Fringe, the show quickly transferred to Theatre Passe Muraille (an Off-Broadway-style theatre in Toronto), again to critical and audience acclaim. In 2001, Mirvish Productions realized a full staging at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre where it was lauded by critics.

Fans of the cult hit in Toronto characterized it as a sort of postmodern musical comedy -- dry, darkly funny, melodic, daffy and slightly bitchy. In the work's opening monologue, a narrator longs for the days when theatre was fresh, original and exciting -- when it was entertaining.

The musical within the musical involves a wedding, one of the staple events of frivolous musical comedies of the 1920s and '30s.

The title character is a middle-aged lady in the mold of Eve Arden -- "boozy, sexy, jaded" with a dead pan and wisecracking way about her. Think Eve Arden.

Here's how the Ahmanson Theatre bills the show: "This pre-Broadway musical is a deliciously silly and affectionate love letter to the great musicals of the gay 1920s -- a time when the champagne flowed, the caviar chilled and all the world was a guilty pleasure. This fabled 1928 Gable & Stein musical classic tells the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to marry. Her producer sets out to sabotage the nuptials or it's curtains for him. Enter the chaperone, the debonair groom, a dizzy chorine, the Latin lover, and a couple of gangsters. Ruses are played. Hi-jinks occur, and the plot spins completely out of control!"

Director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw is nominated for a 2005 Tony Award for Best Choreography for Monty Python's Spamalot. The show marked his Broadway debut as a choreographer. His New York credits include Sinatra: His Voice, His World, His Way featuring the Rockettes (Radio City Music Hall); Bye Bye Birdie (City Center Encores!); Can-Can (musical staging, City Center Encores!); and Candide (New York Philharmonic, PBS "Great Performances").

Regionally he's choreographed many original musicals including The Road to Hollywood (Goodspeed Musicals), Lucky Duck (Old Globe) and The Prince and the Pauper (5th Avenue Theatre, the Ordway).

Anonymous Commenter"Canadian" says:

My Fur Lady was fabulous! Knew all the songs, had the LP; now want a DVD or video of it, but alas no-one was thinking such devices then. Anybody know if a film was made, and if so whether it's been made available electronically?

My Fur Lady had an LP!?! Does anyone have a copy out there? We've gotta dig this on up an put it online...

It looks like there's a copy in theMcGill Archives, who describe it as "...an LP recording from the wildly popular 1957 theatrical production of My Fur Lady..."

But I can't find hide nor hair (sorry, couldn't resist -- you'll understand in a minute) of a used LP anywhere...

And I don't know who did the poster, but it's INCREDIBLE. Me wantey too!

Just for those who haven't been following the saga of My Fur Lady, it's a long-lost Canadian musical with Music by James Domville, Harry Garber and Galt MacDermot; Book and Lyrics by Timothy Porteous, Donald MacSween and Erik Wang and produced as a McGill University Student Production, 1957 (Premiere).

My Fur Lady originated with the McGill Red and White Revue. The Revue consisted of a new, student-produced play each year, whose general goal was to parody university life at McGill. In 1956, the task of writing the show fell to a group of law students, Donald MacSween, Timothy Porteous, and Erik Wang. They wrote a musical satire of Canadian culture and politics as seen by an outsider -- an Inuit princess -- and titled it My Fur Lady, a pun on the Broadway musical popular at the time.

The students mounted the play at Moyse Hall in February of 1957, and its original run sold out nearly instantly. They decided to put it on again in May of the same year, planning sixteen performances; but demand for the show was such that they ran for six weeks! The company was then invited to play at the fringe of the Stratford Theatre Festival, where their expected run was again doubled because of My Fur Lady's huge popularity. The show then embarked on a tour throughout Eastern Canada, including performances at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre in Montreal, and a special gala in Ottawa, attended by several of the government officials who were lampooned in the play!

If you read the Music credits carefully, you will notice the name "Galt MacDermot", who is of course the world-famous composer of Hair.

He is also wrote the Tony Award-winning score for Two Gentlemen of Verona.

In fact, MacDermot's work spans the gamut of performing arts; musicals (Hair, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Human Comedy), ballet scores (La Novela, Salome), film scores (Cotton Comes To Harlem, Fortune and Men's Eyes, Mistress), chamber music (Wind Quintet), the Anglican Liturgy (The Mass in F), poetry (The Thomas Hardy Songs), drama accompaniments (The Sun Always Shines For The Cool, The Shooting of Dan McGrew), and band repertory.

The son of a Canadian diplomat, Mr. MacDermot was born and raised in Montréal. After attending Bishop's University, he received a more extensive musical education at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and then moved to New York in 1964.

Apparently, Galt MacDermot's recordings can be obtained through Kilmarnock Records, New York. Here's the contact info:

12 Silver Lake Road
Staten Island, NY 10301
1-800-497-1691
fax 718-815-9323
macdermot@aol.com
Outside the USA
718-816-8239

I'm going to drop Mr. MacDermot some mail to see if he's got a copy of My Fur Lady on hand...stay posted...

Hmm, this might be a better expression of what I was ranting about last night regarding Equity membership and this whole Blue Man Group dust-up.

Elisa C weighs in nicely with some examples of why it's offensive to describe unionized actors as "greedy", as Paul Denton at Ravishing Light so ignorantly proposed the other day.

Elisa comes from an honest space, since she was a working actor for a time. She knows what she's talking about!

And just so everyone knows: I don't belong to Equity because I'm not an actor. I hire actors: And I always prefer to hire union because of their higher level of professionalism and training.

Here's a highlight from Elisa C's post:

When I lived in New York there were plenty of actors who I thought of as successful. Actors doing Shakespeare in the Park with Joe Papp. Actors in long-running, stable Off-Broadway shows. Those actors all had "real" jobs too to make ends meet. Why? Because the first tier of Equity contract that actually provides a living wage is probably the Broadway Chorus contract and above. The Off-Broadway contract won't do it. The Special Production contract won't do it. Many regional and summer stock contracts don't really do it. Actors who make a ton of money? They represent the very tip-top <1% crowd. The vast majority of actors make bupkes. But they pay their dues (yes, the actors pay union dues, and pay a percentage of income over a certain threshold too) and take their Equity contracts that make bupkes...why?

Because the non-union contracts are even worse. And they don't pay into even the possibility of a pension or health plan. And they don't have any rules to prevent them from working you 4 straight hours without even a 10 minute break. And they don't put any reserve aside so they're able to give severance (or airfare home if out on tour) if a show closes early. And they have no channel by which a cast member can complain about unsafe conditions and actually have some leverage. [If you don't think it happens, it does. Years ago at AMT SJ a show was delayed because the Equity members got together and expressed their fear for their lives over some unstable set machinery!]

According toRavishing Light:

I don't quite see how this is "blinking" on the part of the Blue Man Group, having taken out a full-page ad in the Globe & Mail this past Saturday, defending the use of non-union labour in their Toronto production.

I've never found the Blue Man Group particularly compelling - their presence in the running gags of Arrested Development aside - but if I was in Toronto and had the opportunity, I'd buy a ticket purely because they're showing some backbone in standing up against union goons, concerned only with their own sinecures and claims of entitlement. If the fact that the cost of union dues isn't necessarily being passed on to the end consumer means tickets might be a few dollars cheaper, that's a bonus.

Suzy Conn of Blogway Baby notes - pretty glibly, I think - "Methinks they've left out a few important details, which is the answer to the question: 'Why they can't use Equity members?'" I would suggest there's a fairly straightforward reason for the BMG's actions spelled out in the third paragraph of their open letter

...

If union members are individually best qualified for a job, great; if not, they'll hire non-union technicians and support staff. Union labour is not sacred; membership is often not to an individual's benefit, nor is the lack of union membership a guarantee of poor treatment. The one union job I've had, I was paid (and treated) worse than when working for Wal-Mart. I can understand precisely where the Blue Man Group is coming from: they're railing against the supposition that there's something inherently immoral or shameful about refusing to submit to the demands of those soak-the-rich socialists who tend to rise to union leadership positions, no matter the trade. Good on 'em.

OK, even though I'm over my eyeballs with stuff this week, I'm compelled to respond.

And if you think that you're the first person to call me glib, you'll have to get in line, honey.

First of all, since you obviously don't know anything about the structure of this business and unions, I can totally understand where you might be misled in your musings.

First of all, employers don't pay union dues. Union members pay union dues. Employers pay salaries. And I'm sure you didn't really mean that getting employers to pass on the savings of cheap labor to the customer (for example, say, our enjoyment of cheap clothes made by 10-year olds in Third World countries) is always inherently a good thing. Convenient, practical, and a reality, perhaps, but certainly nothing I would take a righteous stand on.

But that assumes that Equity scale is a lot of money, which it isn't. I made more right out of college picking my nose as a brand assistant at Procter & Gamble than most Equity performers do after 25 years in the business!

There is an imbalance of power in the entertainment business. What other business can you be equally skilled as another potential employee and lose the job because you're not pretty enough, or if they don't like the sound of your voice, or if you just don't "look right"? And it's perfectly legal! What about the extras in a film who are not union and are treated like cattle and work in horrible conditions?

I understand producers are under time and budget pressures, but checks and balances need to keep the situation from spiralling out of control.

Working conditions are often the issue, not salary, and in the heat of a production it is easy to let standards drop until they become dangerous. For example, during All Shook Up in the Chicago tryouts, the catwalks and bridges the cast had to dance across in high heels were too slanted to be safe. Without a union, the actors have no representation and could break an ankle (or worse) and then they are out of a job, perhaps forever.

I guess you could make the argument that if you don't like the conditions, find another line of work. But performers give their all and love what they do, and if they stopped acting we would all suffer in the long run.

Acting gigs can be few and far between and there isn't any "seniority" system in Equity.

As for the quality issue, it is my experience and the experience of others in the business who work with actors, that generally speaking, you get higher quality with Equity members. These are people who are committed to a career in the business, hone their skills on a regular basis and make the sacrifices necessary to stay in the business their whole careers.

In New York, Equity even makes allowances for struggling writers like myself by allowing me to pay actors showcase rates, which amounts to paying subway fare. Metropass and greed don't really belong in the same sentence. I want to use Equity actors because I know I will learn from them as well as gettting a great performance.

Unions can be a pain in the ass, and management can be a pain in the ass. But shouldn't it at least be a fair fight?

So Blue Man Group is now on the offensive. They've published "An open letter to the community from Blue Man Group" on page R5 of today's Globe and Mail.

Methinks they've left out a few important details, which is the answer to the question: "Why they can't use Equity members?"

Here's the text of the ad in the Globe:

An open letter to the community from Blue Man Group

Much has been written about us since we arrived in Toronto, and most of it has been accurate and extremely positive. The theatrical union leadership's attempt to create controvery surrounding our production has certainly taken us by surprise. We offer this letter of introduction so that you may get to know a little more about us.

Over the course of our 17-year history, we have thoughtfully and carefully built an organizational structure that supports our employees as well as our projects. We are a unique organization; our employees are collaborative contributors to our various artistic endeavours, which include theatrical shows, touring concerts, albums, film and TV scores, commercials, short films and more. To our knowledge, there are no other business models that support the kind of creative company that we have developed.

For our Toronto production, we have hired Canadian actors and musicians, a Canadian crew, as well as Canadian management and support staff. Some of these individuals are members of unions, and some are not. We respect their decisions either way. We are an equal opportunity employer and have always been open to all qualified personnel. It is an employee's choice to join a union -- not an employer's place to require it.

Despite assertions to the contrary, we have met with theatrical union leadership in Toronto. In total, 10 meetings or conversations have occurred between our respective representatives from January 21 through May 16. Our goal has been to establish an amicable relationship with the unions. However, this objective was made difficult, if not impossible, by their leadership's threats, questionable rhetoric and coercive tactics.

We disagree with union leadership's assertion that only productions staffed completely by union members are "professional." Blue Man Group has performed for close to 10 million people in 100 cities in five countries with touring concerts and permanent productions. We have a Gold record, a Platinum DVD and a Grammy award nomination. We have won Drama Desk and Obie awards, as well as Audience and Critic's Pick awards, and have appeared in hundreds of national and international television programs. We prefer to let the audience be the judge of our production values and professionalism.

Throughout our history, we have continually valued and supported our artists, crew, management and staff. Without any agreement with a union or association, we have always offered salaries that typically exceed union norms, as well as competitive benefits. We offer superior job security, conflict resolution, employee development, and health and safety committees in each of our theatres, and we do so by choice. Our people, many of whom have been with us for more than 10 years, are the lifeblood of our company. Our long-term success and the high calibre of talent that we have been able to attract are ample evidence that our employees are well-paid and well-treated.

With the exception of the theatrical union leadership, we have felt enthusiastically welcomed by the people of Toronto and Canada, who are excited about a new show and opportunities within their community. They have embraced and show support for what we are bringing to Toronto:

* An internationally acclaimed show specifically retooled to reflect our new Toronto home

* A new, state of the art theatre built by Clear Channel and Panasonic on Yonge Street, adding to the economic health of the surrounding area

* 70 Canadian jobs for performers, musicians, production, management and theatre staff

Blue Man Group chose to develop work in Toronto because of its historically sophisticated and intelligent theatrical audience, and we look forward to becoming active contributors to this vibrant cultural scene. The best and brightest from Canada's vast talent pool have an open invitation to join us in creating an outstanding theatrical production. And we now invite the people of Toronto to experience the most exciting Blue Man Group production to date when we begin previews on June 7th.

Sincerely,

Blue Man Group

Thanks, Blue Man Group, for blinking first...

On Wednesday night I took the whole fam-damily to see Ain't Misbehavin' at the Bluma Appel Theatre. What a great show! I saw it originally about 20 years ago when it was first making the rounds and became an instant fan of the revue. Back then, I had already been familiar with much of the music, but wasn't familiar with Fats Waller.

The Toronto production stars Jackie Richardson, Kim Richardson, Divine Brown, Starr Dominique, Doug Eskew, and David Lopez. What a great cast!

They all had such great voices and really knew how to use them -- a little thing I like to call "dynamics". The two men were fabulous -- one moved like has was made of rubber (David Lopez) and the other played a great Fats Waller character (Doug Eskew). Great numbers included "Black and Blue", "Honeysuckle Rose", "The Joint is Jumpin'", "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Lounging at the Waldorf".

The band was great too. The kids loved every minute of the show (even if they didn't quite get the "Viper" song, which was a real highlight of the show...) and joined in heartily during "Fat and Greasy"!

I know it was a Wednesday night, but the house wasn't very full. In fact the four of us snuck into one of the boxes for Act 2. Did I mention how much I LOVE boxes? I saw Urinetown in a box and it feels like they are putting on the show just for you.

Parents: Go out and buy tickets to this show and bring the whole gang. It's a great night of great music and great performances.

And don't forget: Get some cash for your trash!

As the Toronto opening of Blue Man Group draws ever closer, the unions are laying down the law!

Equity (check out their billboard), the Toronto Musicians Union and IATSE have started a ticket boycott campaign ofBlue Man Group, opening in June at the Panasonic Theatre. This is because, according to ACTRA:

Blue Man Group still refuses to negotiate union agreements or hire union performers, musicians and crew.

In an e-mail I received today from ACTRA, it said:

ACTRA Toronto supports the boycott and will be joining our sister unions in rallies and other events to pressure Blue Man Group to come to the table.

I guess the unknown variable here will be whether the public in general cares about this wholeBlue Man Group versus the unions thing. Will they join in the boycott? Or will they buy tickets anyways? Perhaps if Blue Man Group incorporated some ABBA music into their production they could ensure themselves a sold-out crowd...

I was in New York this weekend and watching the NYC promo channel. They always do a bit on the current Broadway shows and show footage from the shows. It was Sunday and they were featuringMamma Mia!, and showing shots of all the different productions going on around the world (Korea, Japan, Australia and so on...) and they said there are currently 14 productions of Mamma Mia!going on around the globe. Wow! Then I remembered, they need to revise that and make it 13.

On Sunday May 22 the Toronto production finally met its "Waterloo".

That's right, according to an article in the Toronto Star (O Mamma, Such A Fine Run by Richard Ouzounian, Saturday May 21, 2005) Mamma Mia! is leaving after 5 years, 2,044 performances, and $200 million in box office receipts.

Wow. Considering I was shunned in high school for being a huge ABBA fan, that's amazing.

And Toronto was key to launching the show worldwide. According to Judy Craymer, a producer on the show, "In many ways Toronto has been responsible for Mamma Mia! Its success here gave us the confidence we needed to take the show around the world"

The original Donna, Louise Pitre, went on to open the show, along with her young co-starTina Maddigan, on Broadway. Louise went on to earn a well-deserved Tony nomination.

Inexplicably, I've never been a fan of the show (which is odd since, like I said, I LOVED ABBA in high school). But maybe I got off on the wrong foot. I saw it in Toronto when it first opened with Louise Pitre. She was great, but I had purchased seats right underneath the speakers. It hadn't even dawned on me that this being more of a rock and roll show than traditional musical, it would be HEAVILY ampliphied. So my husband, daughter and I watched most of the show with our fingers in our ears to keep them from bleeding. Now maybe they adjusted the sound over the years, and maybe if I had been in the front row balcony, I would have been standing and cheering. But that's all water under the bridge now.

Cheers to everyone involved with the Toronto production of Mamma Mia! over the years! As Richard Ouzounian said in his article, "And, best of all, it made a lot of people happy."

I went to the most beautiful concert on Thursday night with the whole family.

I was called The Song Is You! The Life and Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II, and it was a Benefit for the Daily Bread Food Bank,North York Harvest Food Bank, Ontario Association of Food Banks, and the Canadian Association of Food Banks.

I told you to go a couple of weeks ago in this post, so if you missed it, you've only yourself to blame!

It was held at The Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts, and was produced by Milton Zysman and GrandNight Productions.

It starred the amazing vocal talents of Elizabeth Beeler, Fred Love, Charlotte Moore, Marcus Nance (who blew my mind with his rendition of "Old Man River"), and Noel Edison and the Mendelssohn Singers.

The arrangements and musical direction were brilliantly done by David Warrack, and the highlight of the evening was the direction and narration by Richard Ouzounian who took what would have been a special evening and made it truly magical.

As the title promised, the evening was all about Oscar Hammerstein II. Richard Ouzounian narrated the Oscar Hammerstein II story, which was incredibly engrossing. I'm assuming Richard wrote it: It was fantastic. I hope he posts it online somewhere.

One thing I found very interesting is that Oscar Hammerstein II had a "barbell" career. At one end, in 1927, he created Show Boat, the first "book" musical and the source of a number of timeless classics. After a few more line drives, he went through a TEN YEAR DROUGHT of flops. That must have been HARD. It wasn't until 1943, paired with Richard Rodgers, that he created Oklahoma!, generally regarded as one of the most influential musicals of the 20th century. Along with Rodgers, he went on to create some of the greatest classics of musical theater, including Carmen Jones, State Fair, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Me and Juliet, Cinderella, Flower Drum Song, and, of course his masterpiece, The Sound of Music, which he didn't live long enough to see succeed.

One particularly stirring moment of the show was Richard's narration of the story of the song "Edelweiss", from The Sound of Music. Apparently, "Edelweiss" was Oscar's final song, before he died of stomach cancer. The combination of the narration and the beauty of the song was haunting, and it had every hair on my body standing, and again now as I write this.

I was particularly intrigued at how an event like this came into being, especially in Toronto. Now, I don't mean to criticize my birthplace, but let's face it: Toronto is a rock 'n' roll town. Our musical theater business, such as it is, primarily caters to tourists. As an aside to any former Torontonian tourists reading this post: Please, please come back. We're sorry about all those mean things we said about you. The people are friendly, the water is safe -- just don't eat the meat...

Well, as is true with most things, it looks like The Song Is You! The Life and Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II is the brainchild of one very unique individual named Milton Zysman. Here's a really interesting piece on the genesis of the show from the GrandNight Web site:

A brief note on Milton Zysman, our Producer

"The Song Is You" is the brainchild of Milton Zysman, 68, a Toronto inventor, film producer, author of scholarly papers on catastrophism, manufacturer of mattress handles, and man about town. Visually handicapped since his early 30's, Milton came to the food bank cause by helping a friend, Bob Spencer, former Executive Director of The Ontario Association of Food Banks. Bob needed a plan to raise money for a food-processing kitchen. Milton helped organize a number of dinners, but soon became bored with this shop-worn technique. His brother Simon explains what happened next:

"Milton lives on Mars, actually; he visits Toronto once in a while. While here in the summer of 2003, my brother set himself up as Grand Night Productions, and borrowed $20,000 from the bank. Setting out to raise at least $750,000 for the food banks by touring Canada, he pitched the idea of a gala performance - an original musical revue celebrating the words of Oscar Hammerstein II. It would be presented to capacity audiences paying top dollar in the biggest venues in Canada. Where did he get the idea that it could be done? It's just something Milton thought he'd enjoy attending himself! That's Milton. Where would the development and performance budgets come from? From everywhere! That's Milton again."

He approached the food banks, and The Mendelssohn Singers. They signed on. After sending a draft script to New York in March 2004, Milton found to his delight that The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization were sympathetic; they have since become his most important backer. Their grand rights licence carries only a token royalty, a benefit worth more than $200,000 to the Canadian tour. With that, a lot of chutzpah, and help from our many other supporters to date, there's going to be a show on May 19th.

They're calling it the Canadian MUSIC Hall of Fame.

Not the Canadian ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame or the Canadian COUNTRY Music Hall of Fame. And according to an article in today'sToronto Star ("The Envelope, Please: T.O. Wins Music Shrine" by Jordan Heath-Rawlings, Toronto Star Tuesday May 17, 2005) it's scheduled to open in June 2007 in a brand new $38MM building at Yonge and Dundas.

Plans for the physical hall include a three-foot main area, featuring interactive exhibits, administration offices on the top floor and two stores, some featuring the "Oh What A Feeling" brand used to market popular compilations of Canadian music.

The Canadian Music Hall of Fame started inducting artists in 1978 but it existed only as photographs on a wall at the academy's headquarters. Currently it's housed online at the Juno Award site.

So why no mention in the article of any planned Musical Theater exhibits?

After all, the article does say that Bobby Gimby's trumpet (he wrote the 1967 centennial song Ca-na-da) will be there and Glenn Gould's peaked cap, scarf and finger gloves will be there. So it sounds like it will profile more than just that crazy rock and roll that the kids love so much!

I'm willing to grant that the article may not be completely thorough as to the detailed plans, but I have a sinking feeling that musical theater (writers, producers, performers) will be completely overlooked. For crying out loud, we don't even have a category at the Junos, unlike theGrammys...

What about Brent Carver who won a Tony for The Kiss of the Spider Woman? Or Louise Pitrewho started this whole Mamma Mia! phenomenon in Toronto? Or Leslie Arden? Or Garth Drabinsky? Or Anne of Green Gables? Billy Bishop Goes To War? Or Galt MacDermot who wrote the music for Hair? Or Plane Crazy?

If you visit Jim Bett's Web site you'll see that Canadian Musical Theater is alive and well! Would it kill them to devote just a teensy weensy corner to it?

The article goes on to say:

I think if we had a different location that wasn't quite as sexy as Yonge and Dundas, it might be more of a challenge.

Now I have many words to describe the corner of Yonge and Dundas but "sexy" isn't one of them...

The other night we went to see theCharActors Senior Elite performance of Bye Bye Birdie at the York Woods Library Theatre.

Not only was my daughter Myrna in the show, playing Randolph McAfee, but I was going to see the building that my dad, Thomas Ibronyi, had designed!

The library is a gorgeous building in the middle of a nondescript area. The lobby of the theater is circular with wonderful attention to detail in the theater (every seat is a good one!). Surprisingly, even the women's washroom is roomy! Wonderful job, Dad!

Myrna was her usual brilliant self. She was one of two grade 5 students amongst the grade 7 and 8 students (the other was a boy who played Conrad Birdie). She knew her marks, every move, every line of dialogue. Her voice in "Ed Sullivan" and "What's The Matter With Kids Today (Reprise)" was amazing! Wonderful job Myrna!

A real family affair!

My husband got the following message fromAir Canada today. He's an Elite member, so this is his "special offer" (err, he received the same message three times...NOTE: Get your act together ThinData!):

I am pleased to offer you an exclusive opportunity to be first in line to purchase tickets for the Toronto World Premiere theatrical production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Only Air Canada, as a principal sponsor of the first major stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, can offer our Top Tier members this exceptional opportunity to order tickets before anyone else.

Tickets go on sale to the public on May 15, 2005. However, as an Air Canada Top Tier member, you'll be among the first to experience the biggest, most ambitious theatre production ever staged by ordering your tickets on May 14, 2005 beginning at 9 AM (ET).

Performances for THE LORD OF THE RINGS begin on February 2, 2006 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto.

J.R.R. Tolkien's book trilogy has sold over 200 million copies. The award winning three-film adaptation broke box office records. And now, an international creative team directed by critically acclaimed Matthew Warchus has combined all three books into one extraordinary stage event.

To order your tickets on May 14 at 9 AM (ET), before they go on sale to the public, call 1-800-461-3333 (in Canada and the Continental U.S.) or (416) 872-1212 (in Toronto), or click here to buy online. Please have your Aeroplan number ready. For more information about this great show, visit www.lotr.com.

With a thrilling score, a spectacular design, and an ensemble of over 65 actors, singers and musicians, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is destined to be the stage event of the year. I truly hope you can take advantage of this exclusive opportunity and enjoy the show.

Sincerely,


George Reeleder
Senior Director, Marketing
Air Canada

Someone needs to explain to the agency that you should only have two spaces after a period with non-proportional fonts (like Courier, and on typewriters). With proportional fonts, only one space is required after a period. Koff, koff, bush league, koff, koff. I have gone to the trouble of correcting the double spaces, at no charge!

What a great Mother's Day!

Last night the whole fam-damily went down to the REX to see Swing Rosie at their first "May at the Rex" performance, and the launch of their first CD, named Sing Cool, Swing Hot

It was great to see Swing Rosie in concert again: Composed of Kira Callahan, Shannon Butcher, and Chantelle Wilson.,

Here are some quick bios:

Toronto jazz singer Kira Callahan is the founder of Swing Rosie. As a solo artist, Kira has performed on stages from Toronto to Paris and her CD Kira Callahan Live at Glenn Gould Studio can be heard on CBC Radio, Jazz FM 91.1 and CIUT 89.5. Kira brings passion and a natural soulful swing to the trio. Her warm mezzo tone is the perfect fit for the songs of the Andrews Sisters era. Visit Kira Callahan's website at www.kiracallahan.com.

Shannon Butcher is a graduate from the University of Toronto's Music Faculty, and she is a regualr solo performer in Toronto's jazz scene. Shannon's youthful and energetic persona, along with her versatile soprano voice help bring to life Swing Rosie's playful and intricate harmonies. Visit Shannon Butcher's Website at www.shannonbutcher.com.

Chantelle Wilson can be found performing around the world on cruise ships, and singing, dancing and acting in productions both on screen and on stage. Chantelle brings her rich alto vocals and charismatic stage presence, as well as her talents as a choreographer to the trio.

The new CD is fantastic! We listened to it all the way home...and again the next day. It's a fresh Jazz CD with a live performance sensibility. Plus, it's classic The Andrews Sisters style with fresh arrangements of classic songs. Where else are you going to find that today?

Here's my wishlist for the next CD: "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)", "Elmer's Tune", and "Pennsylvania 6-5000".

Swing on, girls!

While I was in TheatreBooks picking up a copy (finally!) of Reading Lyrics by Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball (a collection of more than a thousand of the finest lyrics from 1900 to 1975), I picked up a flyer for"The Song Is You": The Life and Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II.

On May 19, for one night only at the Hummingbird Centre, Richard Ouzounian will narrate and direct a show dedicated to the memorable classics penned byHammerstein. With musical direction by David Warrackof the Canada Pops and soloists Elizabeth Beeler, Fred Love, Charlotte Moore (whose CD Friends of Mine I have raved about in a previous post) and Marcus Nance. Also featured will be conductor Noel Edison and the 60 voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers.

Go to www.ticketmaster.ca for tickets.

What a wonderful way to nourish your spirit, while helping to nourish thousands of children and adults struggling with hunger in Toronto!

Or...don't try this at home kids!

All through high school, when I was stuck in the chorus, my opening night celebrations tended to include rushing home to catch the last 15 minutes of Love Boat or Fantasy Island.

So at university, when I finally landed a major role as Gladys Hotchkiss in Queen's Musical Theatre's production of The Pajama Game(directed by Mike Stotts who now works as Managing Director of the Long Wharf Theatre in Connecticut) I wanted to do opening night a little differently.

We opened at the Grand Theatre in Kingston on a February Friday night in 1984 so of course Kingston was cold and very snowy. (And of course I wore a Laura Ashley shirt with shoulder pads to the opening night party).

I was taking a Commerce degree at Queen's University so when I joined Queen's Musical Theatre, I had finally found a place where I fit in and felt like me (even though I was the only Commerce student in the production!). Mike Stotts had been worried about my performance as Gladys and I had to have some extra rehearsals. I tended to be a performer who (not on purpose) holds back in rehearsal and really comes alive in front of a live audience. So on opening night (according to audience members) I had really done a bang-up job as Gladys and landed my funny lines and created some good onstage business. Needless to say I was flying high, even before the party started.

I don't...umm...remember much of the party...umm...but I do remember walking home through the snowbanks with a couple of cast members, still wearing my character shoes (hey, they were black and went with my party outfit!). I also remember arriving at Chown Hall residence with only one shoe on. I had lost my shoe in a snowbank! Worse than that I had lost one of my dancing character shoes in a snowbank! Part of my costume was gone! And I had a show the next night, which my parents would be attending!

Now, back in the 1980s in Kingston, character shoes were hard to come by. I had bought my size 9s at Malabar in Toronto. I was totally freaked out (as only a hung over university student can be...). How was I going to do "Steam Heat" without my trusty character shoes?

So I screwed up my courage and called my mother first thing Saturday morning. I told her I was missing one shoe, so she just had to rush down to Malabar and get a pair of size 9 black character shoes before she and my father hit the highway to drive to see me that night. "How did you lose your shoe," she asked.

I believe my answer was sufficiently vague and guilty sounding that somehow she understood. She couldn't guarantee anything but she would try. So I waited in agony all day -- would I have shoes to dance in? Would my theatrical career end before it had even started? And worse, how was I going to break it to Mike Stotts? He would be none too pleased...

Well, the theater Gods smiled upon me that day and my parents showed up just in time at the stage door with a brand new shiny pair of size 9 black character shoes and I sang and danced my way to a standing ovation (well, at least my mom and dad were standing!). I even got a smile out of Mike. But I never found the missing shoe.

As for the closing night party...let's just say, I remember it well.

My daughter Myrna's CharActors Senior Elite Musical Theater class (she's part Hungarian so of course her class would be elite!) is performing Bye Bye Birdie at the York Woods Library Theatre at 1785 Finch Avenue West on Thursday, May 12. She is playing Randolph McAfee, her second male role in a month, after Mr. Bumble!

This is interesting in its own right, but what makes it fascinating is that during the course of research for theLost Land John Malkovich post, I discovered that one of the buildings my father designed was the York Woods Library! Get outta town! How cool is that?

If only he was around to see one of his granddaughters sing and dance in one of his buildings! My father was a brilliant architect whose taste for mid-century modern design I seem to have inherited.

And I say to myself, it's a wonderful world...

...But it just occurred to me: In the last week, I've published a post on Roger Bart, and a post on Lionel Bart.

Bart, Bart...coincidence? I think not!

It reminds me of The Canadian Conspiracy: Lorne Greene, the Canadian actor. Green Card, the ticket to U.S. work for Canadian actors.

Greene, Green... coincidence? I think not!

And to top it off, this year I got my Green Card...when does coincidence turn into divine intervention?

My daughter's class did excerpts from Oliver! at her music night last night and they left us wanting more! They did two numbers: "Food Glorious Food" and "Oliver!" and Myrna played Mr. Bumble.

She was fantastic! What a star! And I am going to take credit for assembling an awesome Bumble costume and pinning a large pillow into her costume (w00h00 Mom!). She was wonderfully portly. Actually the whole night was musical theater -- the grade 4s did "Summertime" from Anne of Green Gables and the grade 6s did "Sunrise Sunset" and "Wedding Dance" from Fiddler on the Roof, complete with a bottle dance!

Minimal sets, but great costumes and wonderful piano playing by the music teacher -- way to go Mrs M!. The kids really loved doing the musical theatre numbers because the music is so great and it gives them a chance to be dramatic and and discover a different world than their own. (and also because dressed as orphans they got to wear bare feet and ripped clothes!)

There was also a wonderful performance by the grade 5 and grade 6 string ensembles. (Myrna is in grade six strings.) It was so cute with all the girls dressed in their orphan rags playing the violin! Way to go Mrs C!

Bravo Myrna! Encore! Encore!

Last night I went to see DECIDE, which defiantly bills itself as "THE Urban Musical".

It is written, directed, and produced by Stuart Knight, a 30-year old motivational speaker.

Stuart also acts in it alongside five other actor/singers. It plays every Saturday night in a loft on Queen Street West. It's a musical revue about deciding to be the master of your own life, making changes, relationships, connectivity, sensitivity, nativity, and hyperactivity (sorry, I can't seem to stop rhyming ever since I walked out of the show...). It combined dialogue scenes with songs and hip hop poetry. Lots of hip hop poetry.

Here is Stuart's explanation of the show's theme, from the Web site:

Why Did I Write This Show?

It's 2am in the morning and I've just been asked to come up with text explaining why I wrote this show. The answer is simple, turn on your TV at 2 am in the morning, channel surf for 5 minutes, and you'll know why.

When people ask me where I want to take this show, I am reminded of interviews of big time television executives. Almost always in those interviews, you'll hear a sentence saying "I want to take this to every household in the country." I'm always bothered by those kinds of lines because it assumes that people want you in their personal space. Does the idea of having my material rooted in every home in the country excite me? Of course it does; but, only if I'm invited. It's like a relationship, there's nothing worse than being with someone that you know does not want to be with you. So, when people ask me, where do I want to take this show? I want to be able to walk down the street and see nothing but open doors.

If you find that confusing, keep reading. If that makes perfect sense to you, stop reading now and go see the show next Saturday by reserving a seat off the Web site at www.decideshow.com.

Here's my quick summary: When the cast was talking I wished they were singing; and when they were singing I wished they were talking. And then I wished it would end.

First of all let me say that I applaud Stuart for doing it. He's out there doing live theater every Saturday and people are paying money ($20) to see it. So kudos for that. And the cast are extremely committed and gave it their all. So kudos for that too.

But overall it was a self-indulgent, preachy, pretentious, cliche-ridden show. Imagine a musical written by Tony Robbins, and you'll get a pretty good idea of last night's experience.

In my opinion the music and lyrics were amateurish. Every song was wailed a la American Idol to signify its emotional importance.

And Stuart likes to talk...a lot. I can't help but think that, as the writer, if he was really worried about the quality of the show he would get off the stage, cast another actor to play his roles and sit in the audience and watch it.

But I think the show has a bigger purpose. It is designed as a show and an after party where you mingle with the other members of the audience. You're invited to wear a Snuggle button if you wish to be approached for conversational purposes (a technique from Stuart's "Art of Conversation" workshop, we are told).

It is also designed as a springboard for Stuart's motivational workshops and other party venues (we were also invited to head over to the big hip hop party he was throwing on King Street that night). As a former marketer I really like this whole concept of using a show to market other stuff, but as a result I'm not sure the show itself receives top priority.

With all that being said, the audience (an urban, late '20s, early '30s crowd) loved the show, seemed to be having a good time, and they gave the show a standing ovation at the end.

Me, I stood up to leave.

My daughter is appearing as Mr. Bumble from Oliver! in her school play this week, so I've been spending some time thinking about Oliver!'s composer/lyricist, Lionel Bart (b. 1930 / d. 1999).

The comparative inactivity of Bart for many years tended to cloud the fact that he was one of the major songwriters of twentieth-century popular song. The former East-End silk-screen printer, was at the very hub of the rock 'n' roll and skiffle generation that came out of London's Soho club scene in the mid-'50s. As a member of the Cavemen with Tommy Steele he later became Steele's main source of non-American song material. In addition to writing the pioneering "Rock With The Cavemen" he composed a series of glorious singalong numbers, including "A Handful Of Songs", "Water Water" and the trite but delightfully innocent "Little White Bull". Much of Bart's work was steeped in the English music-hall tradition, diffused with a strong working-class pride, and it was no surprise that he soon graduated into writing songs for full-length stage shows. Lock Up Your Daughters and Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be were two of his early successes, both appearing during 1959, the same year he wrote the classic "Living Doll" for Cliff Richard. "Living Doll" was a fine example of simplicity and melody working together perfectly. Bart could mix seemingly incompatible words such as "gonna lock her up in a trunk, so no big hunk can steal her away from me", and they would come out sounding as if they were meant to be together. Bart was also one of the first writers to introduce mild politics into his lyrics, beautifully transcribed with topical yet humorously ironic innocence, for example: "They've changed our local Palais into a bowling alley and fings ain't wot they used to be."

As the '60s dawned Bart unconsciously embarked on a decade that saw him reach dizzy heights of success and made him one of the musical personalities of the decade. During the first quarter of the year he topped the charts with "Do You Mind' for Anthony Newley, a brilliantly simple and catchy song complete with Bart's own finger-snapped accompaniment. The best was yet to come when that year he launched Oliver!, a musical based on Dickens' Oliver Twist. This became a phenomenal triumph, and remains one of the most successful musicals of all time. Bart's knack of simple melody, combined with unforgettable lyrics, produced many classics, including the pleading "Who Will Buy", the rousing "Food Glorious Food" and the poignant "As Long As He Needs Me" (also a major hit for Shirley Bassey, although she reputedly never liked the song). Bart was a pivotal figure throughout the swinging London scene of the '60s, although he maintained that the party actually started in the '50s. Bart befriended Brian Epstein, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, became an international star following Oliver!'s success as a film (winning six Oscars), and, although he was homosexual, was romantically linked with Judy Garland and Alma Cogan. Following continued, although lesser, success with Blitz! and Maggie May, Bart was shaken into reality when the London critics damned his 1965 musical Twang!!, based upon the life of Robin Hood. Bart's philanthropic nature made him a prime target for business sharks and he lost much of his fortune as a result.

By the end of the '60s the cracks were beginning to show; his dependence on drugs and alcohol increased and he watched many of his close friends die in tragic circumstances -- Cogan with cancer, Garland through drink and drugs and Epstein's supposed suicide. In 1969, La Strada only had a short run in New York before Bart retreated into himself, and for many years maintained a relatively low profile, watching the '70s and '80s pass almost as a blur, only making contributions to The Londoners and Costa Packet. During this time the gutter press was eager for a kiss-and-tell story but Bart remained silent, a credible action considering the sums of money he was offered. During the late '80s Bart finally beat his battle with alcohol and ended the decade a saner, wiser and healthier man. His renaissance started in 1989 when he was commissioned by a UK building society to write a television jingle. The composition became part of an award-winning advertisement, featuring a number of angelic children singing with Bart, filmed in pristine monochrome. The song "Happy Endings" was a justifiable exhumation of a man who remained an immensely talented figure and whose work ranks with some of the greatest of the American "musical comedy" songwriters.

In the early '90s his profile continued to be high, with revivals by the talented National Youth Theatre of Oliver!, Maggie May, and Blitz! (the latter production commemorating the 50th anniversary of the real thing), and the inclusion of one of his early songs, "Rock With The Caveman", in the blockbuster movie The Flintstones, in a version by Big Audio Dynamite. In December 1994 Lionel Bart's rehabilitation was complete when producer Cameron Mackintosh presented a major new production of Oliver! at the London Palladium, initially starring Jonathan Pryce. In a gesture rare in the cutthroat world of showbusiness, Mackintosh returned a portion of the show's rights to the composer (Bart had sold them during the bad old days), thereby assuring him an "income for life". With Oliver! set to make its North American debut in Toronto, Bart died in April 1999 shortly after overseeing the first major revival of Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, in England. He spent his last few years living alone in his apartment in Acton, West London and died after losing his battle with cancer. He had been able to experience a just and well-deserved reappraisal during his last years, with Oliver destined to continue in perpetuity.

The theme for the 2005 Stratford Festival is "Saints and Sinners".

Wow that was fast! Just a couple of days ago in my post on the Theatre Building Chicago Mini-Musicals I mentioned that we were given the theme of "Saints and Sinners" for our 10-minute musicals! So then Stratford comes along and steals that idea! Have they no shame? Well anyways, it's a weird coincidence. As part of the 2005 season they are staging my favoriteSondheim musical, Into The Woods, which starts in previews this week.

Here's the article from Playbill:

The Stratford production of Into the Woods is directed by Peter Hinton. Musical direction is by Berthold Carrière. The set and costume designer is Dany Lyne, the lighting designer is Robert Thomson and the sound designer is Jim Neil. Movement is by Julia Sasso and fight direction is by John Stead.

Into the Woods features Marion Adler as Lucinda, Thom Allison as Cinderella's Prince/Wolf, Kyle Blair as Jack, Peter Donaldson as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Bruce Dow as the Baker, Barbara Dunn-Prosser as Cinderella's Mother/Giant's Shadow, Barbara Fulton as Jack's Mother, Susan Gilmour as the Witch, Christina Gordon as Cinderella's Stepmother, Stephanie Graham as Snow White, Lawrence Haegert as the Steward, Martha Henry as the Voice of the Giant, Laird Mackintosh as Rapunzel's Prince, Mary Ellen Mahoney as the Baker's Wife, Jodi-Lynn McFadden as Florinda, Dayna Tekatch as Cinderella, Jennifer Waiser as Little Red Ridinghood, Amy Walsh as Rapunzel, Heather E. Wilson as Sleeping Beauty and Barrie Wood as Cinderella's Father/Granny. Understudies are Mark Huculak, Phillip Hughes (also dance and fight captain), Robin Hutton, Chad McFadden and Valerie Stanois.

Opening is set for June 3. For ticket information, call (800) 567-1600 or visitwww.stratfordfestival.ca.

I was also pleased to read that Jennifer Waiser is playing Little Red Ridinghood. I first saw Jennifer Waiser at an M. Rubinoff Productions Cityscapes Cabaret (which I hear will be starting up again soon: Yeah!) and I was really impressed.

She went on to play Little Sally in the Canstage production of Urinetown last summer and was tremendous.

Hello Dolly! is also a part of the line-up. Boy I haven't seen that on stage since I saw my sister in the chorus of an Earl Haig production back in the 1970s -- it's not easy to sing, walk and twirl a parasol at the same time! Should be a great season!

There was a huge full-page ad in this weekend's paper for a new one-woman musical coming to Toronto called The Blonde In The Thunderbird, starring Suzanne Somers.

It will be playing at The Princess of Wales Theatre from June 16 to 26 in a pre-Broadway run. I'm guessing that it's before they start renovating for the LOTR musical which will open in The Princess of Wales next spring. Either that or Suzanne will get an unexpected chorus ofHobbits as her "back-up boys". Nasty.

Playbill also ran this article on the production, which runs down the pre-production history:

The Blonde in the Thunderbird at the Brooks Atkinston this summer will be none other than "Three's Company" star Suzanne Somers. The "one woman musical show" will play a limited run July 8-Sept. 3.

In the show, written and directed by Ken and Mitzie Welch, Somers will talk "intimately and honestly about her journey to become the successful and well-known performer and entrepreneur she is today, just as she did in her best-selling autobiography, `Keeping Secrets.'" She will also sing, her repotoire including well-known songs and tunes of her own composition.

The title refers to the role that first brought Somers attention: a mysterious blonde pursued by a young Richard Dreyfuss in the film "American Graffiti." She went on to much greater fame in the sitcom "Three's Company," in which she played the ditzy sexpot Chrissy Snow, one of two women sharing quarters with John Ritter.

Prior to coming to New York, the show will play an engagement at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, June 16-26. Blonde had its world premiere at the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego, CA, in January 2004.

Like I said, I'm intrigued. I was in a bookstore the other day and there was Suzanne on a video screen making some sort of healthy dessert custard from one of her zillion cookbooks, and I thought to myself "you go girl".

She's managed to keep her profile up over the years in a positive, friendly way. When I saw the ad for the show I said "hey, that sounds like fun" -- not, "ick, sounds creepy".

So we'll see. I hope it does better than Farrah's show!

This Blue Man Group vs four Toronto theatrical unions feud is like bad case of genital herpes -- it just won't go away. Not that I'd know anything about genital herpes...it's just what I've read...

Another article in The Globe And Mail on Saturday April 16, 2005 ("Tangled Up In Blue" by James Adams) describes the participation and ticket buying boycotts of various Toronto unions and their affiliates (and U.S. Actors' Equity!) against the Blue Man Group, which is opening in June in our fair-ish city.

I can't say I was that excited about seeing Blue Man Group in the first place. After seeing the ads, watching excerpts on late night talk shows and hearing a friend of mine who saw it in New York describe the show in detail, I had no great desire to see it. Just not my cup of tea, that's all.

Blue Man Group has started its advertising campaign. The unions are lighting their torches. So which way is this thing gonna go? Will the union bring the Blue Meanies to their Blue Knees? Or will Torontonians, so desperate for some real blue theater (tired of just Baby Blue CityTV!), cross the picket-ticket line?

Will our mayor David Miller be able to resist the free opening night tickets and VIP limo service? Stay tuned.

Life is a City Youth Players Cabaret, Old Chum!

I had the great pleasure of going to the first annual City Youth Players Fundraising Cabaret held at the Vaughn City Playhouse. This was CYP's first year and they staged two wonderful productions: HONK! and Footloose with a very talented group of under 25 year old performers. My daughter has the distinction of being the youngest member of CYP!

The Cabaret included 21 numbers, from HONK!, Footloose and other solo acts as well as a couple of group performances care of CharActors Travelling Troupe (who perform regularly with Judy and David).

The solo acts also included pop tunes, ballet, jazz and ballroom dancing. I've always been a huge fan of ballroom dancing so it was fun to watch. They also had a silent auction at which a good friend of mine managed to score some Blue Jays/White Sox baseball tickets (thanks Lisa!).

Each act was so joyful, refreshing, energetic and fun that the time flew. Of course, the highlight of the evening was the duet my daughter Myrna sang with John-Michael Scapin. They did an amazing performance of "For Good" from Wicked. Of course, Myrna sang the part of Elphaba, the naughty witch!

And although I've always been a bit of a Rent curmudgeon, I shed a tear during the finale of "Seasons of Love", sung with slide show of the kids over the past season. Pass the tissues please!

Next season they are mounting Annie Warbucks, which I'm not familiar with, and Chicago. Hey, maybe I can make a comeback as Velma Kelly...

In all the hubbub of launching the Plane Crazy Web site, I've forgotten that Plane Crazy isn't my first stage show!

About a million years ago, when I worked at Procter & Gamble, a group of us long-haired creative types decided to "Old Spice up" the fall dinner dance with an employee stage show.

What started out as a small talent show quickly blossomed into a full-fledged musical revue called Fiscal Follies (insert groan here). I was one of the writers who took well-known songs and wrote new, P&G relevant lyrics.

I also performed in the show, singing and dancing in the final number (dressed in black tights and a tuxedo jacket -- how incredibly professional!) which was the Michael Jackson song "Man in the Mirror", but rewritten to inspire organizational change.

We even had the president of P&G at the time, Doug Grindstaff, come up on stage to join with me to say "Make That Change!" (insert groan here).

But my two favorite numbers, which I wrote, were "Summer Intern" about summer business school interns sung to the tune of "Summer Lovin'" from Grease, and "Olestra Lightning", about P&G's new fat substitute, sung to the tune of "Greased Lightning", also from Grease (duh).

What made the former special was that I sang it, but what made the latter even more special was that two senior managers, Tim Penner and Mike Kehoe, sang it -- dressed as '50s greasers. Tim Penner has gone on to become the President of P&G Canada (27 years with the company -- Wow!). Mike Kehoe has also gone on to fame and fortune as the leader of the Crest White Strips introduction.

Actually what brought this all back to me was when I saw a big pic of Tim in the business section of the The Globe and Mail last week, costumed up for P&G's Cultural Diversity Day. Yikes...I was soooooooo not right for P&G: I can't believe I lasted four years. And I've been a full-time songwriter ever since I left.

To top it off we videotaped the entire Fiscal Follies and I still have the videotape. I'm prepared to sell the last remaining copy of this incriminating tape to the highest bidder...eBay here I come!

This is so weird. I go for a swim, almost every day. It's a great time for me to meditate...I usually write lyrics while I'm in the pool. Today, I was thinking, "Gee, I wonder what Louise Pitre is doing these days..." (nice site BTW).

I was recalling a TV news piece from a few years ago when Louise first hit Broadway and was up for a Tony (Best Actress, Mamma Mia!, 2002). She walked into the famous Colony Records store on Broadway and pointed out her album on the shelf and she talked about finally fulfilling her dreams of Broadway stardom. It was cool to see this Canadian girl being celebrated as the toast of Broadway, and relatively late in her career too.

I'd seen Louise in tons of Toronto shows before she finally became the toast of Broadway, including I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and Mamma Mia! in Toronto.

Well, no sooner than I had said "Doo doo doo doo", I ran across this article in Playbill on Louise Pitre's next gig. She's coming back to Toronto for a month to star in Annie Get Your Gun.

Canadian actress Louise Pitre will trade the tunes of ABBA for those of Irving Berlin in her next stage outing, Annie Get Your Gun.

The award-winning singer-actress, who opened the Broadway company of Mamma Mia!, is set to play Annie Oakley in a month-long run of the Berlin classic this summer in Toronto. The Toronto Star reports that Pitre will play opposite the Frank Butler of country music star Paul Brandt in the mounting of the musical at Toronto's Massey Hall.

Like the acclaimed City Center Encores! series, Annie Get Your Gun will be presented on a stage filled with a 25-piece orchestra. There will be lights and costumes but no additional scenery. Donna Feore will direct and choreograph the musical about the sharp-shootin' Oakley; Rick Fox will conduct the onstage orchestra.

Annie Get Your Gun will begin performances in early August. Dates and ticket information will be announced shortly.

For her performance as Donna in the Canadian, Broadway and touring companies of Mamma Mia!, Louise Pitre received the Dora Mavor Moore Award, the San Francisco Critics Circle Award, the U.S. National Broadway Award as well as a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Her numerous theatrical credits include roles in Piaf; Les Miserables; The World Goes 'Round; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Pitre's solo recordings are titled "Songs My Mother Taught Me" and "All of My Life Has Led to This." Pitre was also recently involved in the world-premiere production of the late Cy Coleman's The Great Ostrovsky.

The original production of Annie Get Your Gun -- featuring a score by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields -- opened at the Imperial Theatre in May 1946, playing 1,147 performances before closing Feb. 12, 1949. Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton starred. The most recent Broadway production -- March 1999 to September 2001 -- cast Bernadette Peters as Annie Oakley. Peters won her second Tony Award for her performance opposite Tom Wopat's Frank Butler. The Berlin score features such classic tunes as "There's No Business Like Show Business," "They Say It's Wonderful," "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" and "I Got Lost in His Arms."

I saw Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun...twice. Louise has big (well, small in size, but you get my meaning) shoes to fill.

I get a great weekly newsletter from the ACLCL that has all sorts of great tidbits on Canadian musical theater.

In this week's issue they talk about DUDDY, a musical based on Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which was abook (1959), then the movie (1974) that launched the career ofRichard Dreyfuss, and then the Canadian musical in 1984. Or, was it the off-Broadway musical by Alan Menken in 1987? Or is it this onefrom 1997 with lyrics by Edward Gallardo? Or is it this one, also from 1997, with lyrics by Eyal Bitton? How many musical versions of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz are there?!?

From the ACLCL Newsletter:

DUDDY was a musical based on the book and the movie The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. April 7, 2005 marked the 21st anniversary of the opening night of DUDDY at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton in 1984. This past Monday night, many of the cast members had a wonderful reunion party at Grano's Ristorante on Yonge St. in Toronto. And a wonderful time was had by all.

DUDDY was a unique experience mostly because the cast became a family on the first day of rehearsal as we went around the room introducing each and every member of the company. And stellar company it was, starting with writer Mordecai Richler, and working through the cast to David Gale who introduced himself as playing "3rd Jew from the left". They came from all across Canada plus a few from New York. The family survived the loss of its original director, a de-moralizing re-rehearsal period, cancellations of the promised major tour, and an early closing in Ottawa. We bonded on that first day and the love and friendship continues.

Many attended the reunion party and those who couldn't, sent greetings or phoned because they couldn't make it in person. No one forgot. Our special surprise was the presence of Lonny Price, the star of the show (and the heart and soul of it too), who took the time to fly up from New York for the event.

Sadly we have lost some of our family*, but I would like to remember everyone here, because it's important to remember our history. This seemed an appropriate place since everyone on this e-list cares about musical theatre. La Chaim!

The company/family of DUDDY included: Wendy Abbott, B. J. (Judy) Armstrong, Ted Beniades, Jim Betts, Sal Bienstock, Marshall Borden, Jay Brazeau, Howard Cable, Faye Cohen, Ed Connell, Louise Currie, Diane Fabian, Jan Filips, Donald Finlayson, Dom Fiore, Robert Fox*, David Gale, Sam Gesser, Marcy Anne Goldman & Benjy Gutkin, Rosanne Hopkins, Don Horsburgh, Scott A. Hurst, Howard Jerome, Reid Jones*, Judith Lee, Jerry Lieber, Brian Macdonald, Sam Malkin, Larry Mannell, J. Gordon Masten, Clarice McCord, Suzanne Mess, Peter Messaline, Jack Northmore*, Marlane O'Brien, Ted Pearson*, Marshall Perlmuter*, Lonny Price, Max Reimer, Nicholas Rice, Mordecai Richler*, Jason Ross, Stephen Ross, Joey Shulman, Philip Silver, Anna Starnino, Mike Stoller, Vinetta Strombergs, Anne Wootten and "Broadway Joe" Shoctor*.

DUDDY -- The great Canadian musical experience that never made it to Broadway. But those who went through the experience just refuse to forget what a wonderful time it was. May you all have the good fortune of being a part of something so special.

OK, this is a plug for a performance featuring my oldest daughter. She is appearing in the City Youth Players 1st Annual Fundraising Cabaret this Wednesday, April 13, 2005.

The fundraiser is described as:

A wonderful evening of entertainment at the City Playhouse Theatre featuring a silent auction and great performances from the talented cast members of Honk! and Footloose. One night only: Wednesday, April 13, 2005.

Myrna is doing a duet from Wicked. It will be fantastic!

Now, I know that there are lots of theater-loving Blogway Baby fans out there...and some of you live in Toronto. This is a great organization that is keeping musical theatre alive for our children: Please buy a ticket and come out for a great eveneing of entertainment, while contributing to a good cause. Mention that you heard about the fundraiser from Blogway Baby, and you will get a free Plane Crazy t-shirt.

Tickets are only $20, and can be ordered at 905.882.7469.

According to this article in Playbill, The Drowsy Chaperone is headed for LA!

I remember when I saw The Drowsy Chaperone at Theatre Passe Muraille in 1999 as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. I've only seen it once, but I still remember how much I loved the book and the clever story-telling device. Specifically, the narrator puts on an old record and then the action unfolds, representing what's on the record. This created many comical situations where he put on the wrong record and a whole new bunch of characters came onto the stage before he realized his mistake.

I don't remember being especially impressed by the songs, but I only saw it once and that was a while ago so I'd be willing to listen again. After all, they must have made some changes before the full production at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre. I also heard it had a successful showcase last fall at NAMT's producer festival, and I'm guessing that's probably how it got picked up for L.A.

Break a leg Drowsy!

From Playbill:

The Drowsy Chaperone (Nov. 8-Dec. 24): The American debut of this musical with music by Greg Morrison, lyrics by Lisa Lambert and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar is being billed as a "pre-Broadway engagement." The musical-within-a-musical finds the biggest fan of musical theatre presenting his favorite 1928 Gable and Stein show featuring a plotline that finds a Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to marry. Her scheming producer enlists a chaperone, a dizzy chorine, the Latin lover and a couple of gangsters to keep her from the debonair groom.

The work played to sold out crowds at the 1999 Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival then transferred to a full production at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre.

Well, when there is an official Web site to promote the boycott of your show, you know you've pissed someone off.

Actors' Equity is spearheading a boycott launch of the Blue Man Group production, set to open in Toronto this spring.

ACTRA is also encouraging its members to joinCanadian Actors' Equity Association, The Toronto Musicians' Association and IATSE at the launch of their boycott campaign of the non-union productionBlue Man Group.

Show your support of the boycott. Come to the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on Tues. April 5 at 1:00 p.m. 27 Front St. East.

And if you go into the Web site you can read letters of support from other union groups. I mean even the ETT (Elementary Teachers of Toronto) are getting into the act and everyone knows that bunch is one tough bunch of hombres!

Stay tuned, this isn't over yet...

Finally after 40 odd years the Conn Curse has been lifted by my daughter Myrna! What is the Conn Curse? Well before I got married it was called the Ibronyi Curse.

Whatever the name, it meant that no matter how exceedingly talented (and modest) I was I could never ever get cast in a major part in any theater production throughout my school years. Through my elementary, junior high and high school years no matter how many times I auditioned I always got stuck in the chorus!

It wasn't until university when my true brilliance in performing was noticed and I was cast as Gladys Hotchkiss in The Pajama Game and Velma Kelly inChicago.

Well, it seemed as if my daughter had inherited a similar fate. Now, she is a hundred times more talented than I ever was and it seemed that for the last six years of her elementary schooling she was always mysteriously overlooked. It was a mystery 'cuz she was getting cast in commercials and productions outside of school. Hence the Conn Curse. Well no more my friends! Myrna has been cast as Mr. Bumble (the lead part available) in her class's "Reader's Digest" version of Oliver! for music night! Congrats Myrna!

So I admit I was a bit pissed at Mirvish Productions for screwing up the run of The Producers and Hairspray in Toronto and plastering Mamma Mia ads everywhere I turned in this fair-ish city. In my opinion, their past productions (The Lion King, The Producers,Hairspray, Miss Saigon) have had a pretty spotty casting track record. And to top it off, I thought they were turning into purely spectacle producers with the Lord of the Rings extravaganza coming next spring.

If you're announcing a theatrical playbill full of huge hopes and optimistic dreams, who better to help introduce it than Mary Poppins?

Obviously that's what David Mirvish had in mind when he brought out Dame Julie Andrews as the star attraction to launch his biggest-ever subscription season yesterday morning at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

The 69-year old star of My Fair Lady, Camelot and The Sound of Music actually brought many in the crowd of 400 media types to their feet in a spontaneous standing ovation when she made her entrance.

Andrews managed to combine cool elegance and friendly warmth as she discussed her production of The Boy Friend, which will be one of the shows in next year's Mirvish season, as previously revealed in The Star.

"I look on this as a labour of love," said Andrews in describing the 1920s spoof with which she made her Broadway debut at the age of 19, some 50 years ago. "It's as elegant and beautiful as a piece of lace, but it's also an awful lot of fun."

The 42nd Mirvish subscription season will feature seven shows, a record number for the organization. Mirvish himself attributed his daring to "a sense of optimism that's sweeping through the