Results tagged “Plays” from Blogway Baby
The name says it all.
I am so excited to see Anne Allgood at COCKTAIL NUTS with your host Rich Gray on Monday September 28. Anne is the consummate performer. She has appeared on Broadway, national tours, every major theatre in Seattle, and now...COCKTAIL NUTS!
I first saw Anne onstage in THE WOMEN at ACT (see the picture below, that's Anne in the blue hat). She was hilarious. And then I saw her in MEMPHIS and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at The 5th Avenue Theatre, and most recently in DAS BARBECU at ACT Theatre. Anne can sing anything - from Sondheim to country and western! She'll make you laugh and then tear your heart out. Ouch!
And not only is Anne an amazing performer, she is an incredible voice coach.
The Bullitt Cabaret at ACT Theatre is a wonderfully intimate cabaret space, so COCKTAIL NUTS tickets are going fast. So get yours now!
Here's more on COCKTAIL NUTS with your host Rich Gray:
For an unforgettable evening of music, comedy, gourmet snacks and cocktails, come join our host Rich Gray as he celebrates "Landing The Gig" with:
Anthony Fedorov (from The 5th Avenue Theatre's upcoming JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, and AMERICAN IDOL)
Anne Allgood (from ACT Theatre's upcoming ROCK 'N' ROLL)
Jessica Skerritt (from Village Theatre's upcoming CHASING NICOLETTE)
The NightClub Gentlemen (the "almost" Rat Packers)
Also featuring appearances by Bill Robison and Myrna Conn
Tickets for this incredible night of entertainment are only $35.00 which includes complimentary gourmet snacks. And there will be a cash bar featuring an original COCKTAIL NUTS cocktail -- all cocktail and food service is by VESSEL, our neighborhood nightspot that Esquire magazine calls one of the “Best Bars in America.”
WHEN
Monday September 28, 2009
Door: 7pm for cocktails and complimentary gourmet snacks
Show: 8pm to 10pm
WHERE
Bullitt Cabaret
Union and 7th, downtown Seattle
TICKETS
For tickets, call the ACT box office at (206) 292-7676 or visit the COCKTAIL NUTS ticket page at acttheatre.org
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Chasing Jessica...all the way to COCKTAIL NUTS!
Jessica Skerritt, currently appearing as Gwendolyn in The Village Theatre's production of CHASING NICOLETTE, will make her COCKTAIL NUTS debut on Monday September 28.
I first saw Jessica perform in MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at The Village Theatre, where she played Dyanne, Elvis's voluptuous girlfriend. I remember thinking, wow, it's not fair that somebody with that face and that body should also have that amazing voice! (No, I'm not bitter)
Then, after I saw Jessica play Phoebe in STUNT GIRL and Corrie in BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (again at The Village Theatre), I thought, wow, it's not fair that somebody with that face and that body and that voice should also be funny!
Well good news folks. Jessica Skerritt is bringing that whole package to COCKTAIL NUTS with your host Rich Gray.
The Bullitt Cabaret at ACT Theatre is a wonderfully intimate cabaret space, so COCKTAIL NUTS tickets are going fast. So get yours now!
Here's more on COCKTAIL NUTS with your host Rich Gray:
For an unforgettable evening of music, comedy, gourmet snacks and cocktails, come join our host Rich Gray as he celebrates "Landing The Gig" with:
Anthony Fedorov (from The 5th Avenue Theatre's upcoming JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, and AMERICAN IDOL)
Anne Allgood (from ACT Theatre's upcoming ROCK 'N' ROLL)
Jessica Skerritt (from Village Theatre's upcoming CHASING NICOLETTE)
The NightClub Gentlemen (the "almost" Rat Packers)
Also featuring appearances by Bill Robison and Myrna Conn
Tickets for this incredible night of entertainment are only $35.00 which includes complimentary gourmet snacks. And there will be a cash bar featuring an original COCKTAIL NUTS cocktail -- all cocktail and food service is by VESSEL, our neighborhood nightspot that Esquire magazine calls one of the “Best Bars in America.”
WHEN
Monday September 28, 2009
Door: 7pm for cocktails and complimentary gourmet snacks
Show: 8pm to 10pm
WHERE
Bullitt Cabaret
Union and 7th, downtown Seattle
TICKETS
For tickets, call the ACT box office at (206) 292-7676 or visit the COCKTAIL NUTS ticket page at acttheatre.org
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Eeyore is going to steal the show!
I'm very excited to see WINNIE THE POOH at Youth Theatre Northwest because my youngest daughter Trinity will be playing Eeyore!
Opening night is next Friday July 10, so get your tickets now!
From the Youth Theatre Northwest Press release:
Youth Theatre Northwest (YTN) commences it’s 26th Season and Summerstock program with a magical adventure into the lush 100 acre woods with a stage adaptation of the beloved story Winnie-the-Pooh.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a fat little bear who would like to drift peacefully through life, humming tunes and stopping frequently to eat “a little something.” However, he finds himself involved in all sorts of franctic adventures with his friends Eeyore, Piglet, and Rabbit. Pooh’s intentions are always the best, but his passion for honey and condensed milk keeps getting him into trouble. When friend Piglet gets roped into Kanga’s house and Kanga starts bathing him (with soap!), Pooh wants to fly to the rescue, but he’s had so many snacks he gets stuck in the door. Can his dear friend Christopher Robin help him now?
Adapted by Kristen Sergel from the popular children’s book by A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh’s wit and special understanding of young people make this one of the most successful and endearing plays for children.
Winnie-the-Pooh is the first production in Youth Theatre Northwest’s Summer Stock 2009 lineup. Paying tribute to classic stories, YTN will also produce Annie (July 31 – Aug. 9) and Pajama Game (Aug. 21 – 30).
Performance Schedule: Winnie-the-Pooh performs July 10th through 19th, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm with Matinee performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Weekday matinee performances will also be held July 14, 15, and 16 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) at 2:00 pm. Youth Theatre Northwest is located at 8805 SE 40thStreet, Mercer Island, WA 98040.
Details: Friday, July 10th at 7pm
Saturday, July 11th at 2pm and 7pm
Sunday, July 12th at 2pm
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (July 14, 15 and 16) at 2pm
Friday, July 17th at 7pm
Saturday, July 18th at 2pm and 7pm
Sunday, July 19th at 2pm
Tickets for Winnie-the-Pooh are $17 for Adults and $15 for Seniors and Youth (under 18) for the July 10th opening night Gala (which includes an intermission dessert). Tickets for the remaining performances are $15 for Adults and $13 for Seniors and Youth. Discounted group rates are available. For tickets or information, call (206) 232-4145, ext. 109, or visit YTN online at www.youththeatre.org.
Production: 18 students, ages 8 to 13, from Mercer Island, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Newcastle, Medina, Kirkland and Seattle.
Direction and Design: Adapted by Kristen Sergel and based on the book by A.A. Milne. Directed by Meghan Arnette, set design by Brian Jackson, costume design by Kim Tepe, lighting design by Rob Ward, and props by Stephanie Merrow.
Celebrating it’s 26thyear, Youth Theatre Northwest “nurtures the intellectual, artistic and personal development of children and youth through drama, education, performing opportunities and live theatre experiences.” YTN is both theatre and school, providing a wide range of classes and programs designed to further theatrical learning, initiate creative play and stimulate intrapersonal development for children and young adults age 3-18. At it’s 200 seat theatre home on Mercer Island, YTN produces 10 annual plays. Additionally, YTN offered 109 classes to Puget Sound students and offers outreach programs to schools and libraries throughout the region.
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Be still my heart.
Broadway's upcoming season will hereafter be known as the Season of Hunks! First, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig will be appearing in A STEADY RAIN.
And now Johnny Lee Miller will be on Broadway this fall.
I have been a huge fan of Mr. Miller since I saw him in the films Mansfield Park and Afterglow. And nobody was as crushed as I was when they cancelled his television series Eli Stone (well, except for the writers...).
From Playbill.com:
Roundabout Theatre Company, in association with Sonia Friedman Productions and Ostar Productions, announced on June 10 that Jonny Lee Miller, of "Trainspotting" and the ABC series "Eli Stone," will be Sienna Miller's co-star in the fall production of Patrick Marber's After Miss Julie.
Sienna Miller will play Miss Julie, and Jonny Lee Miller will play John. Both will make their Broadway debuts in the American premiere of this updated (to the 1940s) version of August Strindberg's classic play Miss Julie, directed by Mark Brokaw.
After Miss Julie will begin preview performances Sept. 18 and open officially Oct. 22 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street). This is a limited engagement through Dec. 6.
What could possibly top this? Nathan Fillion in a revival of LI'L ABNER!
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BELOW THE BELT at ACT, A Contemporary Theatre!
We used the first of our “Year of Theatre” tickets last Saturday night at ACT to see BELOW THE BELT by Richard Dresser. BELOW THE BELT is directed by Pam Mackinnon, featuring Judd Hirsch, John Procaccino and R. Hamilton Wright.
BELOW THE BELT is being performed in the Allen Theatre, the same “in-the-round” theatre where I saw Sean Griffin as Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL last December. Normally, I'm a bit wary of in-the-round theaters because I usually feel, no matter where I sit, that I'm missing something. But both BELOW THE BELT and A CHRISTMAS CAROL worked really well in-the-round, and I never got the feeling I wasn't "seeing" what was going on.
From the ACT website:
Below The Belt is a farcical skewering of globalized corporate culture. Somewhere, in an anonymous factory cranking out units of some unnamed product, three men try to maintain some semblance of humanity and self despite a crushingly conformist and hypermasculine bureaucracy. Cross the sitcom The Office with Samuel Beckett, and the results might look like something like this—darkly funny, and disconcertingly familiar.
To be honest, I was originally interested in this play because Judd Hirsch was in it. My hubbie and I are big Judd Hirsch fans, and loyal followers of his tv shows, Taxi, Dear John and George and Leo. But we loved the play, and having spent a few years of my own in a large corporate setting, can say that it rang hilariously true! And it sounds like a case of art reflecting real life for the playwright:
(From an interview with Richard Dresser in the Encore Program)
Q: In an interview about why you became a playwright, you addressed your time working as a plastic molder at a plant. Did that experience shape the characters of the factory workers?
RD: My own experience working in factories - I worked at a lot of factories in New England - certainly shaped my conception of the industrial compound and the workers. One of my first factory jobs involved making the thighs of G.I. action figures. In another factory I found myself operating a plastics molding machine which produced white cones in twenty second intervals. The foreman came over the first day to see if I had any questions. My first question involved the procedure for turning off the machine, and he made it clear that was never to happen under any circumstances, even if no one came to relieve me on the next shift. My follow-up question was, "What are we making in this factory?" He stared at me and cautioned me not to be a wiseass.
You just can't make that stuff up!
Judd Hirsch was wonderful, as were R. Hamilton Wright and John Procaccino. I really enjoyed John Procaccino as Willie Stark in ALL THE KINGS MEN (at Intiman) where he was directed by Pamela MacKinnon. He just has a way of owning the stage when he enters. As the boss, Merkin, he is able to utter riduculous things, and make them honest.
BELOW THE BELT is totally worth a second viewing for us before it closes. Next up in our "Year of Theatre" odyssey, A THOUSAND CLOWNS at Intiman.
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Someone bring me my smelling salts -- I just fainted!
Okay, maybe I am a little disappointed that Hugh Jackman isn't returning to Broadway in a musical, but this will do!
From an article on Playbill.com :
Two major Hollywood box-office draws will join forces in the fall for a new Broadway play.
The New York Post reports that Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) and Daniel Craig (James Bond) will co-star in Keith Huff's A Steady Rain.
No official announcement about the production has been made; however, should it come to pass the drama will likely be the hottest ticket of the fall season.
Barbara Broccoli, who was a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang producer, will produce the Broadway outing.
A Steady Rain tells of two seasoned cops whose lifelong friendship is severely tested when a seemingly routine domestic disturbance call results in the death of a young boy. When the horrific truth of the situation is revealed, one of the two must take the blame for the fatal mistake.
A Steady Rain would mark Craig's Broadway debut. His film credits include "Defiance," "Quantum of Solace," "Flashbacks of a Fool," "The Golden Compass," "The Invasion," "Casino Royale," "Infamous" and "Renaissance," among others.
Jackman, who was recently seen on screen in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," earned a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical The Boy From Oz.He is also known for his film roles in the "X-Men" trilogy, "Someone Like You," "Swordfish," "Kate and Leopold," "Van Helsing" and the recent "The Fountain" and "Happy Feet" (in voice). His stage credits also include Trevor Nunn's staging of Oklahoma! at Britian's National Theatre and award-winning work in productions of Sunset Boulevard and Beauty and the Beast in his homeland.
A Steady Rain played a six-week sold-out engagement at Chicago Dramatists in fall 2007. The cast and artistic team, headed by director Russ Tutterow, remained intact for the 2008 run at Chicago's Royal George Theater.
Playwright Keith Huff is the recipient of a Drama-Logue Award, the Cunningham Prize, the John Gassner Award, the Berrilla Kerr Award, and three Illinois Arts Council Playwriting Fellowships. He has developed plays at American Repertory Theater, The O'Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights Conference, Steppenwolf, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, and The Public Theater. His plays have been produced nationally and Off-Broadway.
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THE CHRISTIAN DUHAMEL SONGBOOK RELEASE PARTY!
Well, I know where I’m going to be on Monday June 8 at 11pm! No, not happily sleeping in bed, but at Martin’s Off Madison in Seattle, happily listening to local artists singing the music from Christian Duhamel’s new songbook, HERE WITH ME. Yes, I know I need my beauty sleep, but this is more important!
Christian Duhamel is an extremely talented Seattle-based actor, singer, dancer, writer, musician, director, musical director and teacher. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Christian on my Adventure Musical Theatre musical THE MERCER GIRLS – Christian was involved in the very first workshop and is now touring with THE MERCER GIRLS cast as “the man of many hats” (and voices), piano player and musical director. Christian also appeared in The 5th Avenue’s production of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS as one of the high-kicking and high-jumping suitors!
I was first aware of Christian’s great songwriting talent when I went to see his musical A BEAUTIFUL END at the Freehold Theatre in Seattle this past January.
From the Release Party facebook page:
Join us to celebrate the release of "Here With Me - A Collection of Songs By Christian Duhamel". A concert of local artists singing the music of Christian Duhamel will begin at 11:00 p.m. Tickets will be sold in advance for $5 and a $5 bar/food minimum is required. Martin's Off Madison's Happy Hour will be in effect so come join us for food and drinks prior to and during the concert. Songbooks (including an accompaniment CD) will be available at the concert and can also be purchased in advance for $25. Contact Charissa Bertels at charissa.bertels@gmail.com to purchase tickets and/or songbooks.
Get your tickets now. I hear they are going like “hotcakes”!
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ROBERT MCKEE Story Seminar in New York City!
Aka “Shut up and listen!”
When I realized I hadn’t been back east for almost two years since I moved to Seattle, I decided a trip to New York was in order. And what better reason to fly 5 hours than to attend Robert Mckee’s famous “Story” seminar. Yes, I had read his book, aptly named “STORY”, but I wanted to experience it first hand since I had heard so many great things about his seminars. So my husband and I signed up, and started packing!
From the website:
Over three intense days, McKee's Story Seminar effectively demonstrates the relationship between story design and character. Quality story structure demands creativity; It cannot be reduced to simple formulas that impose a rigid number of mandatory story elements. Robert McKee's course teaches you the principles involved in the art and craft of screenwriting and story design, and proves the essence of good story is unchanging and universal. Whether on the big screen, on television, in novels, on stage and in ALL creative work, everything works in the shadow of classic story design.
The seminar ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9am -8:30pm. Yikes! I haven’t sat for that long in a long time. And it didn’t leave much time to see any shows! I did manage to squeeze in a matinee of EXIT THE KING (Geoffrey Rush is amazing!) and the last 30 minutes of TOXIC AVENGER!
I thoroughly enjoyed the seminar, and having Robert Mckee basically talk us through the book really helped solidify the concepts and ideas in my mind. And he runs these workshops with a iron (and grumpy) fist. No questions allowed except at break time (by then, you’re too scared to ask!) and no cell phones at all. If your cell phone rings by mistake, you have to pay him ten dollars. If it happens again, he kicks you out. And he loves to go off on tangents (aka rants) on the current sad state of movies, and various political topics. Perhaps his grumpiness had something to do with the fact that he had just badly hurt his back playing golf and had to sit the entire time.
One of my favorite parts of the seminar was the screening and anaylsis of CASABLANCA (the seminar really is geared towards the cinema, but the fundamentals of story apply to other mediums as well, such as musical theatre). Plots, subplots, text, subtext all unfolded before us. Interestingly, I don’t remember CASABLANCA being so funny! I chuckled constantly throughout the film. That is until the iconic farewell scene as the last plane out is about to take off. It was then that I realized, to my horror, that I had left my cell phone on from the last break! Oh no! What to do, what to do? And my cell phone sounds like a jet engine when you turn it on or off!
I thought about making a run for the door, but then in a moment of pure genius, I waited until the screen was full of loud, rotating airplane propellers and I pressed the off button. The jet engine sound of my phone was muffled by the movie! Robert Mckee remained blissfully unawared of my cell phone situation, and I watched the last few minutes of the film peacefully (ignoring the disgusted glare from my husband who couldn’t believe what had just happened!).
Mckee does this story seminar around the world, as well as single days devoted to genres (love, comedy etc.) .I would highly recommend his seminar to anyone who is in the business of telling stories.
The end.
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When I read the words "children's jazz puppet show", I just had to post this press release that I got!
Culture Project Presents The Cat Who Went To Heaven,
Captivating Jazz Puppet Show at The Harlem School of The Arts
with Music And Lyrics By Nancy Harrow
Based On The Newbery Award-Winning Book By Elizabeth Coatsworth
Directed By Will Pomerantz
Six Special Performances Begin Wednesday, May 13, 2009 (suggested donation $10)
New York, NY, April 13, 2009 — Culture Project (Allan Buchman, Artistic Director), who brought to the stage the successful, seven season run of the children’s show Maya the Bee, has announced a special, six-performance run of the acclaimed children’s jazz puppet show The Cat Who Went to Heaven at The Harlem School of the Arts Theater (647 St. Nicholas Avenue @141st Street). Directed by Will Pomerantz, with music and lyrics by Nancy Harrow (creator of the Maya the Bee production), this delightful show is based on the 1931 Newbery Award-winning children’s book by Elizabeth Coatsworth.
The Cat Who Went to Heaven features notable instrumentalists Clark Terry, Kenny Barron, Frank Wess and the voice of Grady Tate. The delightful tale is about the intertwined fates of a struggling Japanese artist, his housekeeper, a Buddhist priest from the local temple and an inspirational cat named Good Fortune. The story’s timeless message of compassion for all beings resonates with people of all ages.
The Cat Who Went to Heaven brings together contemporary jazz and the traditional Japanese art of “Bunraku” puppetry. The full cast includes the singing voices of Ms. Harrow (as the title cat), Grady Tate (as the Artist), Anton Krukowski and Daryl Sherman, with Kameron Steele as the narrator. The puppeteers include Matt Brooks (as the Artist), Melissa Creighton (as the Cat), with Anna Sobel, Lara MacLean, Kate Katz and Eric Wright.
The full design team includes Jane Catherine Shaw and Amanda Maddock (puppet design and construction), Amanda Maddock (costume design) and Joseph Silovsky (set design).
“The show is a perfect introduction to jazz for children,” said Allan Buchman, Artistic Director, Culture Project. “For more seasoned jazz lovers, the show is an opportunity to enjoy Harrow’s beautiful score while soaking in the visual feast of Japanese Bunraku Puppetry.”
The six performances will take place at The Harlem School of the Arts Theater, 647 St. Nicholas Avenue between West 145th and 141st Streets, New York, NY 10030 as follows:
Suggested donation is $10. Reservations can be made at 212-479-0829.
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Congratulations Trinity! She was so fantastic as the Lamb in Youth Theatre Northwest's summer production of CHARLOTTE'S WEB, which opened last Friday, August 1, and runs until this Sunday, August 10. It was quite fabulous! I loved every moment of it, although I loved the moments that Trinity was on stage a lot more. =)
The sets were really fantastic, especially the web which Charlotte and the baby spiders had to climb on... Goodness gracious! Everybody in the cast did a really good job, and did I mention Trinity Conn was super fantastic?? It was so much fun, and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good night/afternoon of theatre for a reasonable price. Which is kind of everyone... :D
To buy tickets, visit Youth Theatre Northwest's website here or call the box office at 206-232-4145. Get ready for an awesome time :D
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Complete casting has been announced for the Broadway revival ofEquus, which co-stars the previously announced Daniel Radcliffe, Tony and Olivier Award winner Richard Griffiths and stage and screen veteran Kate Mulgrew.
The limited engagement of Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play is scheduled to begin previews Sept. 5 at the Broadhurst Theatre prior to an official opening Sept. 25. The production will run through Feb. 8, 2009.
Radcliffe and Griffiths — who played to sold-out crowds in the London Equusrevival — will reprise their work for Broadway audiences. Radcliffe will star as Alan Strang with Griffiths as Dr. Martin Dysart. Ever-busy stage and screen actress Mulgrew will play Hesther Saloman, the role created on Broadway by Marian Seldes in 1974.
Newcomers to the cast include Anna Camp (The Country Girl), Carolyn McCormick (The Dinner Party, "Law & Order"), Lorenzo Pisoni (Henry IV), T. Ryder Smith (Dead Man's Cell Phone, She Stoops to Comedy), Graeme Malcolm (Translations, Aida) and Sandra Shipley (Pygmalion, Retreat from Moscow) with Collin Baja, Tyrone Jackson, Spencer Liff, Adesola Osakalumi and Marc Spaulding.
So this looks interesting. I mean, everybody loves Daniel Radcliffe. Pshaw! =D It's nice that they're sharing the London Equus revival love with the American audience in New York. However, this Broadway revival starts pretty soon and only plays until February 8, 2009, (okay that's a pretty long run, but time goes by quite quickly these days) so if I were you I'd get my ducks in a row... :-)
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La Jolla Playhouse, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions, will present a developmental run of Peter and the Starcatchers, billed as a prequel to the story of Peter Pan, in winter 2009.
The new play by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and co-directed by Alex Timbers, will be part of La Jolla Playhouse's Page to Stage program, the same program that launched The Farnsworth Invention, Zhivago, the Tony Award-winning 700 Sundays and I Am My Own Wife, which went on to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Based on the popular novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers will play La Jolla Playhouse's Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, in California, from Feb. 13-March 8, 2009. No cast has been announced.
I remember reading and loving Peter and the Starcatchers. It's a really good book, you all should pick it up today. So, I am pretty psyched to hear about this. I wouldn't mind seeing it. Tickets go on sale in September. To buy tickets, we're going to have to probably click here or call (858) 550-1010.
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For those of you who have been waiting for hours for the past three days, refreshing the BlogwayBaby home page every 5 minutes in the hopes that a new post would appear, I'm very sorry. My mother and I went to San Jose to see Wishful Drinking (post to come), Carrie Fisher's one-woman show about her life and such. 'Twas excellent.
We stayed at the Fairmont San Jose, which was the best hotel ever. It was across the street from both the San Jose Museum of Art and the Tech Museum of Innovation. It was also walking distance from many restaurants and stores and such. There was a Starbucks 2 minutes (walking) away, and the San Jose Repertory, where the show was, was probably 4 minutes (walking) away. I definitely recommend this hotel if you plan on staying in San Jose, and want to have a good time.
We got room service by the pool (delish chicken and cheese quesadilla) and read historical fiction novels about the Tudors... :D Plus, we definitely saw Carrie Fisher. Like at the pool. No jokes. So we stared at her as she walked into her hotel room which had a patio that opened out onto the 4th floor pool. Mark Hamill/Marie Osmond moment...... for Suzy Conn =O
So, I will be posting again this week. I know you missed me >:-)
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Wow, that was really cool.
On Sunday I went to the 8pm showing of 14/48 - the world's quickest theater festival. The two-hour event included 7 plays that all fell under the same theme: Off the Deep End. That morning was when the directors, actors, and design were selected. Each show was scored, teched, and premiered in the same day. Saturday followed the same procedure (however, the theme was revenge). Therefore, by the end of the weekend, this ensemble of performers, directors, theatre people, etc. had produced 14 brand new plays in 48 hours.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire experience was really cool, and all around the plays were very well-written. The actors were all very talented, and I was surprised at how complete the sets were considering each play had only been written the night before. I would have to say my favorite pieces were The Story of Bacon (written by Alex Harris) and Deep Blue (written by Celene Ramadan, and also in which my Last Exit director and Urinetown choreographer, Kathryn Van Meter, performed - holla! =P). In between each play the 14/48 band performed songs relevant to the evening, previous play, or next play.
14/48 will be happening again next weekend, July 26-27, at the Seattle Center House Theater. I recommend buying tickets in advance, because then you're set (yes, there was a pretty good crowd there) and they're cheaper. Visit brownpapertickets.com for details. Just because it happens real fast, doesn't mean it isn't real theater!
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Reality tv comes to the theatre!
I got an email from my friend and fabulous choreographer Stas Kmiec, about THE ATRAINPLAYS. Stas is one of the choreographers involved in this benefit for the off-broadway community.
Six teams create six 10-minute theater pieces while traveling the entire route of the A train and then present the work (fully costumed, body-miked and with orchestra) in just over 24 hours! This sounds nuts - I love it! And I certainly hope they are filming the process.
Here is the press release:
theAtrainplays, vol. XXII
A CELEBRATION BENEFITING THE OFF-BROADWAY COMMUNITY
ONE NIGHT ONLY - WEDNESDAY JUNE 20TH
New York, NY – June 15, 2007 – theAtrain plays, a celebration of New York, created by six teams while traveling the entire route of the A train (from 207th Street & Broadway to Far Rockaway and back) returns to Off-Broadway on Wednesday, June 20 at 8:00 pm at The New World Stages.
In what sounds like the next "reality TV show," writers, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, and performers will team up to produce six separate 10-minute theater pieces, and present the work - fully costumed, body-miked and with orchestra in just over 24 hours!
Produced by Lawrence Feeney, Valley Theatre League, and The Off-Broadway Brainstormers, theAtrainplays began in 2002 at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Performers scheduled to appear will include Emy Baysic (Miss Saigon), Todd Buonopane (Spelling Bee), Stephanie D’Abruzzo, (Tony Award nominee, Avenue Q), Kevin Daniels (Ladder 49), Darius de Haas (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Natalie Douglas (6-time MAC Award winner), Ryan Duncan (Altar Boyz), Lawrence Feeney (My Super Ex-Girlfriend), Adam Fleming (Hairspray), Eric Michael Gillett (Kiss Me, Kate), Blythe Gruda (Of Thee I Sing, Encores!), Cristin Hubbard (Pirate Queen), Cady Huffman (Tony Award winner, The Producers), Timothy Johnson (A Chorus Line), Donovan Patton (“Blue’s Clues”), Thom Sesma (The Times They Are A Changin’), Darcie Siciliano, Robin Skye (Parade), Tracie Thoms (Rent film, “Cold Case”), and Melanie Vaughan (Ring of Fire), among others to be announced.
The creative team includes writers P. Seth Bauer, Barbara Hammond, Michael Lazan, Shawn Nacol, Stephen O’Rourke, and Erica Silberman; lyricist-composers Gaby Alter, Joe Iconis, Brian J. Nash, and Brandon Patton; directors David Brind, Edie Cowan, Michael Duling, David Hilder, Mark Lonergan, and Tony Stevens; and choreographers Wendy Seyb and Staś Kmieć.
On Tuesday evening, June 19th, four librettists will hop on the A train at 207th Street and begin writing the books for four 15-minute musicals, all set on the A train. Before each of the teams begins their journey, they pick a number between 3 and 5 to set the number of characters, then they choose headshots from a blind draw to determine who is in each piece. When the librettists reach the Far Rockaway stop, they randomly select, through another blind draw, their collaborative lyricists, composers, directors and choreographers, who have been awaiting their arrival at a nearby McDonald’s with two playwrights joining them and just beginning their journey.
Two directors will meet the creators of the now finished plays at 207th Street and they all proceed to Columbus Circle where they meet the pre-selected pool of actors, decipher their scribbles, copy the scripts and begin rehearsals. They have until show time THE NEXT DAY, Wednesday night, June 20th at 8:00PM to develop these works into six exciting new musical experiences to be shared with the audience at New World Stages on the set of the hit musical Altar Boyz.
Also involved are Alec Berlin (Musical Director), Andrea ‘Spook’ Testani (Production Supervisor), Andrew Donovan (Original Scenic Designer), and Carol A. Sullivan (Production Stage Manager).
Tickets for this ONE NIGHT ONLY event benefiting the Off-Broadway community are $50 for the performance, $100 for premium seats, and $20 for the post-show benefit party with the cast and creative team. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.telecharge.com, by calling 212-239-6200, or in person at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.
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I'm intrigued!
I got an email from my friend Randall David Cook, who wrote SAKE WITH THE HAIKU GEISHA (see my previous post ), who has written a new play called FATE'S IMAGINATION which is being produced by Gotham Stage Company.
Here is the info from the email:
Hello there!
I'm sending this notice out later than I had intended, but I wanted to let you know about the new play I have opening Off-Broadway. It's a sexual and political drama titled "Fate's Imagination," and previews start this Friday (May 25th) and the show opens officially next Thursday (May 31st). Right now the play is scheduled to run through June 17th (with a possible extension to June 30th).
The cast is great, the director's done a wonderful job, and the designers are first-rate. (The sound designer, in fact, won an Obie two nights ago!)
This play is quite a departure from "Sake with the Haiku Geisha," and I'm very excited to be presenting such different work to the theater-going community. I feel very fortunate to be having my second Off-Broadway show open just a year after the first, and one reason that is happening is because so many of you, my friends and supporters, came to see the show and talked about it with your friends. Word-of-mouth helped sell out the last week of the run of "Haiku Geisha," and once again I am hoping that the play being presented will be worthy of discussion.
Below is all the basic information about the play, but I'd like to specifically invite you to two important performances next week: Tuesday, May 29th and Wednesday, May 30th. Those nights are critics' nights, so it's imperative to have a decent-sized house so reviewers can see and feel how an audience responds to a work. So if you can come next week on one of those two performances, please do so!
At the end of this e-mail I've provided $20 discount codes for all preview performances and $30 for all tickets thereafter. A limited number of $45 tickets are also being sold for opening night, and those tickets include invitations to the opening-night party for cast and crew and friends.
Many, many thanks! Hope to see you at the theater!
Much affection,
Randall David Cook
PS. The play contains strong sexual situations and nudity, so better not to bring any child who hasn't at least reached puberty!
Gotham Stage Company presents The World Premiere of FATE'S IMAGINATION
A limited engagement running May 25-June 17 *****
LILAH: I'm old enough to be your mother.
BROCK: I know.
LILAH: Does that turn you on?
*****
A Presidential candidate on the verge of making history… A young reporter on a path of discovery… And a teacher desperate to escape from self-imposed isolation
Three unique individuals, three different paths, one point of intersection
Last year Gotham Stage Company teamed up with playwright Randall David Cook for its inaugural production, "Sake with the Haiku Geisha," resulting in a bold production embraced by audiences and critics alike. Now Gotham is back Off-Broadway with another daring play by Cook. A searing sexual and political drama, "Fate's Imagination" is directed by Hayley Finn. The talented cast includes: Donna Mitchell ("Mona Lisa Smile", "Syriana", "Pollock", "The Ice Storm"), Elizabeth Norment ("A Touch of the Poet" and "Plenty" on Broadway, last year's Off-Broadway critical darling "Dead City") and Jed Orlemann (Jack O'Brien's Tony-winning "Henry IV" at Lincoln Center and "The Normal Heart" at the Public).
--Please note: This play contain strong sexual situations and nudity.--
Where: The Players Theatre 115 MacDougal Street New York, NY 10012 (West side of MacDougal Street, between West 3rd Street and Minetta Lane)
By subway: Closest subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, Q to West 4th Street. Walk south on 6th Avenue to West 3rd Street, then east to MacDougal Street, then south to the theatre.
Showtimes: Tuesday-Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.
Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission
To purchase tickets: Please call 212-352-3101 or visit www.gothamstage.org
Discount codes and specials: Preview week (May 25-May 30): use GSC1 for $20 tickets Opening night (May 31): $45, includes invitation to opening night party June 1-June 17: use RDC01 for $30 tickets to any show
Congrats Randolph and Break a leg!
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Well, I completed my off-Broadway trilogy last night by seeing SAKE WITH THE HAIKU GEISHA, a play written by Randall David Cook, at The Perry Street Theatre. I really enjoyed this show, and it has inspired me to see more off-Broadway productions.
From the review in The New York Times:
Randall David Cook's new play, "Sake With the Haiku Geisha," a collection of five anecdotes inspired by the playwright's own experience as an English-language teacher in Japan, is an often observant, witty evening about the ways in which other cultures can unexpectedly impinge on our own individual experience.
This elegant and precise production by the Gotham Stage Company, staged by Alex Lippard, combines Western realistic and Japanese Noh theater techniques. It is at its best in the first half of the 100-minute, intermissionless evening, as three 20-something English-language teachers are invited to share their stories on the last night of their visits to Japan. The uptight British graduate of Oxford, the gay but virginal American Southerner, and the hostile and sarcastic Canadian woman reveal small epiphanies that have affected their ways of dealing with loss, isolation and death, epiphanies that have their origins in the confusing culture in which they find themselves.
The three instructors are in Japan because they are "running from themselves," but the grace of the playwright's language and observations happily obscures this pedestrian insight. The other two anecdotes of the evening are less fortunate. As the Japanese host tells the story of his own family's decision to embrace English as a second language, Mr. Cook's powerful description of the effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs becomes lost in a vague if well-intentioned plea for communication. The anecdote about the Haiku Geisha herself, a traditional hostess who speaks only in the poetic form most associated with Japanese culture, turns out to be a predictable tale of true love confronting the threat of an arranged marriage.
As a hostile and sarcastic Canadian woman myself (tee hee), I enjoyed the bizarre, funny, and touching honesty of the westerner's vignettes.
The actors were incredible as well, playing a wide range of characters, all completely believable. I love it when a piece is written so you are not only entertained, but you get the feeling that you are getting a glimpse behind the closed door of personal experiences.
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A moment of silence please!
Four Broadway shows are closing today, Sunday June 26! Brooklyn, La Cage Aux Folles, On Golden Pond and Mark Twain Tonight! are all making their final performances today. Too bad they couldn't hold on until after the holiday weekend...
Also closing today is the hit touring company ofThe Producers...
According to this article in Playbill:
After June 26, there will only be one company of The Producers playing in North America.
Following its last performance in Fort Worth, TX, on June 26, the second national tour of the smash Mel Brooks-Thomas Meehan musical will leave for a three-week Tokyo run and then shut down.
According to a statement, "As The Producers...is such a significant property, Mel Brooks and Susan Stroman want to personally supervise the creation of the next incarnation of the touring production. In doing so, the caliber of the show will be maintained while being able to meet the physical demands of the upcoming route. The scheduled tour has been delayed one year to accommodate the schedules of Mr. Brooks and Ms. Stroman, both of whom are committed to completing and promoting the film version of the musical..."
Hmm...
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I'm in training for theLOTR musical!
I went to the TKTS line in New York on Friday in the blazing heat and sun and thankfully most of the tourists were absent, the smarter ones staying cool in theHershey Times Square store or Virgin Megastore. I was able to quickly score a ticket for Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Longacre Theatre on 48th.
The play stars Bill Irwin (who won a Tony for leading actor in a play) as George; Kathleen Turner (who was nominated for a Tony for leading actress in a play) as Martha; Mireille Enos as Honey; and David Harbour as Nick.
This was my first play that had three Acts with two 12-minute intermissions! Act 1 is "Fun and Games", Act 2 is "Walpurgisnacht" and Act 3 is "The Exorcism".
Wow was it ever long -- it started at 8 pm and ended at 11 pm (way past my bedtime...). I kept myself alert and awake by changing seats after each intermission until the last hour found me in the Second Mezzanine with a handful of other people (it was cooler up there for some reason) with my legs comfortably draped over the empty chair in front of me. Those New York theaters are a bit hard on long-legged knob-kneed gals like me!
Don't get me wrong -- I loved it! The whole cast was great. My favorite was Bill Irwin -- he has such great body language that he uses to define a character, and so many levels of intensity -- you are always working to see if he is being jolly, sarcastic, furious or whatever, as you would if you were meeting someone for the first time, as his guests in the play were. My second fav was Mireille Enos. Honey is the smallest role as the somewhat proper wife of Nick, who gets drunk on Brandy and spends a fair bit of time vomiting in the bathroom. My guess is it's a hard role to play (doing drunk realistically is never easy) and make an impression amidst Irwin and Turner, but she did.
Kathleen Turner was great, a real powerhouse. But I found she sort of blustered through at one level of intensity.
Although the play is long, it doesn't feel draggy. There is a lot of repetition in Albee's dialogue but it doesn't feel repetitive. Instead, it feels natural, the way people would actually talk to one another. Especially between the the old married couple George and Martha.
In the Playbill programme, Bill Irwin describes it this way:
Edward Albee is an alchemist. If his scripts were to show up without his name on them at a regional theatre, the dramaturg would probably say, "This is a talented guy, but we've got to get him to cut back." He repeats himself. But an alchemic magic happens. You feel it onstage. There's mundane back and forth language, and then it will elevate -- and then suddenly some storytelling revelation has taken place.
If you get the chance, go see Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf -- soon.
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Apparently, Broadway is contributing to a rosy economic picture in the U.S.
An article in the Money section of USA Today (Economic Picture Comes Up Rosy in Fed's "Beige Book", Thursday, June 16, 2005) featured a picture of Sara Ramirez performing at the Tony Awards. According to the article:
The Federal Reserve's "beige book" says the U.S. economy continued to expand in April and May. Job markets across the USA improved, and New York's Broadway theaters even tallied a 10% increase in attendance.
Give my regards to Broadway...
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There's a new man in my life: "The Ticket King of Broadway". He's opening my eyes to all sorts of new experiences -- cheap ticket buying experiences, that is...
Quite frankly, Broadway tickets have been a bit of a mystery to me over the years. Here's what I've learned from the "King":
1. You've gotta follow the release of house tickets like the stock market;
2. Wait for house tickets to be released, then book them instantly;
3. Use discount codes from "Broadway Box" to get the best price on tickets; and
4. Buy the tickets at the theater to avoid service charges.
Now, can the "Ticket King of Broadway" get me closing night tickets to La Cage Aux Folles? Inquiring minds want to know...
The Broadway Box site is UNBELIEVABLE. What a find! I'll never pay full-price again...here's a great link to the press section of their site. According to USA Today:
For years, New York's "I can get it for you wholesale" boast rarely applied to Broadway theater tickets. Apart from a few longstanding discount options, an out-of-towner's chances of scoring an orchestra seat at balcony prices were about as slim as a chorus girl's waistline.
But the Internet, helped by a floundering economy, a post-Sept. 11 tourism slump and a growing reluctance to plan vacations months in advance, is fueling a greater reliance on the airline model of demand-driven pricing -- and a growing number of theater discount sites aimed largely at bargain-hunting travelers...
The traditional, and most popular, way to nab a Broadway or off- Broadway discount is still by standing in line for a same-day show at one of New York's two TKTS booths, located at Times Square and South Street Seaport (which also offers matinee tickets for next- day performances). Operated by the non-profit Theatre Development Fund, the 30-year-old TKTS program sells seats at 25% or 50% off face value, plus a $3 per-ticket service charge.
But the hassle factor can be formidable. Payment is by cash or traveler's checks only, and the average wait ranges from 15 to 30 minutes but can often stretch more than an hour. Theatergoers intent on seeing a specific show may be disappointed: As the Theatre Development Fund's Web site notes, "changes in availability can occur on an hourly basis as cooperating theatres supply or withdraw tickets, depending on box office demand."...
By contrast, travelers who want to nail down a show before they leave home can browse among more than a dozen Internet sites that supply coveted discount codes -- theater-issued deals of 25% to 50% off.
Armed with the codes (typically a combination of letters and numbers), they can then buy through Telecharge or Ticketmaster, or at the theater box office when they arrive, thus avoiding service fees and handling charges when purchasing online or by phone...
Among those generating the biggest buzz is BroadwayBox.com, a reader-driven effort that collects and posts advance-purchase discount codes of up to 50%. This week, the site listed 22 discounted Broadway shows and 22 off-Broadway shows, from Mamma Mia! (tickets for $75 at select performances in September, down from $98.75) to Forbidden Broadway: 20th Anniversary Celebration ($20 or $32 per seat through October, vs. a published price of $55 to $57.50).
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This article from the official Tony Awards site is a nice summary of some of the stuff that happened off camera.
What they don't mention is that a certain 11-year old girl named Myrna Conn (that's MY Myrna) yelled out, 15 seconds to air in one of the commercial breaks "I LOVE YOU" to Hugh Jackman, who responded with "I love you too!" Hugh's reply was caught on air, so if you noticed a moment in the later part of the show where Hugh seems to be talking and smiling to someone in the audience, that's MY DAUGHTER HE'S TALKING TO...w00t!
A Night of Surprises
By Randy Gener
At the 2005 Tony Awards, everything is a surprise--the identities of the winners, the number of producers who will file onstage to receive a best play or best musical awards, the words the winners will say once they accept their trophies.
But, aside from who wins, there are other surprises that turn the annual ceremonies into a can't-miss event. And this year was no exception.
One surprise was that Billy Crystal, who won a 2005 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event for his one-man show Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, turned out not to be the host of this year's ceremony. Although it was widely known that Hugh Jackman is actually this year's emcee, some audience members at Radio City Music Hall were briefly puzzled when Crystal was the one who appeared at the top of the show began announcing that all the musical numbers this year "will be sung by Beyonce--in French".
Jackman soon returned to his place in center stage, and another unexpected happening occurred when Christina Applegate, the Tony-nominated star of Sweet Charity, twirled around an onstage lamppost and toppled over into a pit. It turned out to be an elaborately choreographed--and very funny--bit leading in to Applegate's presentation of the Tony Award for Best Choreography.
Later in evening the Reverend Al Sharpton made an unexpected appearance as a spelling-bee contestant. He put on a numbered placard and took his place on stage, joining the very young and very multicultural cast of The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee. When his name was called, Sharpton approached the microphone and was asked to spell the word "dengue."
"Can you give me a definition please," Sharpton asked. And the reply was the dengue is a kind of hemorrhagic fever, caused by a virus, transmitted by mosquitoes and causing infected victims to feel skin rashes, headache, nausea and vomiting.
When the former presidential candidate failed to spell "dengue" correctly, the Spelling Bee cast escorted their bemused guest, in song, back to his seat.
A couple of other Tony surprises were improvised or choreographed moments that involved Hugh Jackman entertaining the Radio City Music Hall audience during TV commercials.
In one bit, Jackman publicly apologized to Matthew Broderick for Jackman's onstage antics when he danced with Broderick's wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, at the 2004 Tony ceremony.
Later Jackman took requests from the audience. Someone from the audience suggested that he sing "I Go to Rio" from The Boy from Oz, the show for which he won a Tony Award--and he did.
And to the delight of the Radio City audience, Jackman asked a couple of spectators (including a spirited female friend and a young man who sang from The Fantasticks) to come on stage. He gave them a chance to show their stuff. "Come on, go do it" Jackman suggested, egging the two on. "This house is full of Broadway producers."
Speaking of Jackman's irrepressible hosting antics, Radio City Music Hall audiences were amazed to find out, during a commercial break, that his well-received opening "Gotta Dance" solo number was written and arranged by composer Michael John LaChiusa, directed by George C. Wolfe, and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. That's a lot of Broadway heavy-hitters.
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Well, I'm still flying high from the Tony Awards last night...although I'm crushed that Sweet Charitydidn't win anything: They was robbed! In fact, having seen bothLa Cage and Sweet Charity, I would respectfully submit that the Tony voters made a mistake:Charity was a much stronger show.
Anyway, I've got a ton of things to report on last night's festivities, but let me start with a round-up of the winners and nominees:
So here's a quick look at the nominees and winners of the 2005 Tony Awards, which were presented June 5 at Radio City Musical Hall in New York City.
Winners below are indicated by boldface type and an asterisk:
BEST MUSICAL
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
*Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
BEST PLAY
Democracy
*Doubt
Gem of the Ocean
The Pillowman
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
*Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
*Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sutton Foster, Little Women
Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
*Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
*Bill Irwin, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brían F. O'Byrne, Doubt
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
*Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
*La Cage aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
*Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
Jack O'Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza
BEST THEATRICAL EVENT
Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance!
Laugh Whore
*700 Sundays
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
*Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza
*Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
*Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
*The Light in the Piazza
Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Monty Python's Spamalot
Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle; Lyrics: Eric Idle
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics: William Finn
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
*Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Craig Lucas, The Light in the Piazza
Eric Idle, Monty Python's Spamalot
*Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Mireille Enos, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
*Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
*Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
*Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
John Lee Beatty, Doubt
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
*Scott Pask, The Pillowman
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Pat Collins, Doubt
Donald Holder, Gem of the Ocean
Donald Holder, A Streetcar Named Desire
*Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
*Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
*Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
*Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
*Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE
Edward Albee
REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD
Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Minneapolis, Minnesota
****
The total number of awards received by each production:
Monty Python's Spamalot - 3Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - 1
The Light in the Piazza - 6
Doubt - 4
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 1
Glengarry Glen Ross - 2
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - 2
The Pillowman - 2
La Cage aux Folles - 2
The Rivals - 1
700 Sundays - 1
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Oh boy, oh boy, am I ever excited...Tony Awards here I come! And my oldest daughter, Myrna, is going as well, all pretty in pink and looking like Sarah Jessica Parker!
According to this article in Playbill, the peformance line-up for Sunday night is going to be fantastic! Make sure you watch it on TV to catch a glimpse of moi!
Aretha Franklin, Jesse Martin and Bernadette Peters to Perform at Tonys
By Andrew Gans
In addition to the nominated musicals, the 2005 Tony Awards will feature other performances as well.
Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters, Grammy Award winner Aretha Franklin and original Rent star Jesse Martin will all lend their talents to the 59th Annual Tony Awards broadcast.
The 59th Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards will be broadcast on CBS-TV Sunday, June 5 from 8-11 PM ET. For the third consecutive year, Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman -- on Broadway last season in The Boy From Oz -- will host.
Visit www.tonyawards.com for more information.
*
Monty Python's Spamalot -- the Eric Idle-John Du Prez musical at the Shubert Theatre -- will perform "Find Your Grail." The song features Tony nominees Sara Ramirez and Tim Curry and the entire company of the musical, which has been nominated for 14 Tony Awards.
The revival of La Cage aux Folles -- the Jerry Herman-Harvey Fierstein musical at the Marquis Theatre -- will offer its title tune, "La Cage aux Folles," which spotlights the talents of Les Cagelles.
The Light in the Piazza -- the Adam Guettel-Craig Lucas musical at the Vivian Beaumont Theater -- will perform their opening number, "Statues and Stories," which features Victoria Clark, Kelli O'Hara and the Piazza company.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels -- the David Yazbek-Jeffrey Lane musical at the Imperial Theatre -- will offer "Great Big Stuff," which features Norbert Leo Butz, John Lithgow, Gregory Jbara and members of the Scoundrels ensemble.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -- the William Finn Rachel Sheinkin Rebecca Feldman musical at Circle in the Square Theatre -- will offer portions of two songs: their opening number, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," and "Prayer of the Comfort Counselor."
The revival of Sweet Charity -- starring Christina Applegate at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre -- will perform a medley of songs from the Cy Coleman Dorothy Fields-Neil Simon musical.
Pacific Overtures, which played Studio 54 this past summer and was nominated for a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, will not be performing at the upcoming awards program.
Like the 2004 Tony Awards telecast, the opening number of the 2005 Tony Awards will feature host Hugh Jackman and cast members from most of the season's nominated musicals and musical revivals. The company of Spamalot will perform a portion of the song "Camelot" and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will perform part of the "Dirty Rotten Number," among others.
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According to this article in Playbill (and my TV) the 2004-2005 Tony Award nominations were announced this morning by Alan Cumming, Lynn Redgrave, Kate Burton and Brian Stokes Mitchell at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Not surprisingly, best musical nominations included Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, Monty Python's Spamalot, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I have been anxious to see The Light In the Piazza ever since I read about it when it was playing at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
Although Chitty and Little Women were not nominated in this category, both Erin Dilly and Sutton Foster, respectively, were nominated for best performance for a leading actress in a musical.
Christina Applegate was also nominated for the best performance for a leading actress in a musical (Sweet Charity was nominated as best revival of a musical). Maybe she should have also been nominated for the "Show Must Go On" award, given she is currently performing with a foot brace!
The full list of nominations is:
Best PlayDemocracy
Author: Michael Frayn
Doubt
Author: John Patrick Shanley
Gem of the Ocean
Author: August Wilson
The Pillowman
Author: Martin McDonagh
Best Musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
Bill Irwin, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brían F. O'Byrne, Doubt
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sutton Foster, Little Women
Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Mireille Enos, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza
Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot
Best Direction of a Play
John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross
Best Direction of a Musical
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
Jack O’Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza
Best Choreography
Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot
Best Orchestrations
Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
The Light in the Piazza
Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Monty Python's Spamalot
Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle; Lyrics: Eric Idle
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics: William Finn
Best Book of a Musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Jeffrey Lane
The Light in the Piazza, Craig Lucas
Monty Python's Spamalot, Eric Idle
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Rachel Sheinkin
Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, Doubt
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
Scott Pask, The Pillowman
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza
Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Pat Collins, Doubt
Donald Holder, Gem of the Ocean
Donald Holder, A Streetcar Named Desire
Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot
Best Special Theatrical Event
Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance!
Producers: Creative Battery, Harley Medcalf and Boxjellyfish LLC
Laugh Whore
Producer: Showtime Networks
700 Sundays
Producers: Janice Crystal, Larry Magid, Face Productions
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show
Producers: Mike Nichols, Hal Luftig, Leonard Soloway, Steven M. Levy, Tom Leonardis, Eric Falkenstein, Amy Nederlander
Best Revival of a Play
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men
Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Edward Albee
And from TonyAwards.com:
Productions with Multiple Nominations
14 - Monty Python's Spamalot
11 - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
11 - The Light in the Piazza
8 - Doubt
6 - Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
6 - Glengarry Glen Ross
6 - The Pillowman
6 - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
5 - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
5 - Gem of the Ocean
4 - La Cage aux Folles
4 - Pacific Overtures
3 - A Streetcar Named Desire
3 - Sweet Charity
3 - Twelve Angry Men
2 - On Golden Pond
2 - The Rivals
Best of luck to all the nominees - and hey, it's an honor just to be on stage with Hugh Jackman!
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I was wondering whether to see the revival production of Glengarry Glen Ross that just opened on Broadway at the Royal Theatre, playing through August 28.
Well, if this review in the Chicago Tribune is any indication, it's a "Must See".
First of all I'm biased: Liev Schreiber is one of my fav actors. I loved him in A Walk On the Moon and RKO 281 and of course Kate and Leopold with Hugh Jackman (sorry, couldn't resist), although I've never seen him on stage.
Liev stars as hotshot real estate salesman Richard Roma, and Alan Alda stars as Shelly "The Machine" Levene. Tom Wopat also joins the cast, described as "a long and skillfully schlumpy way from The Dukes of Hazzard". I saw him in Annie Get Your Gun, proving that there is life after TV!
The review holds high praise for Schreiber, while slightly less ecstatic about Alda's performance (although he admits having Alda issues. Alda issues? I never knew such a thing existed!). The article goes on to say:
Broadway these days is not a brave new world for drama. Revivals of plays that have been summer-stocked to death, such as "On Golden Pond" and "Steel Magnolias" come back like cheery zombies. Occassionally comes along a play of a higher order, such as "Glengarry". And you don't mind seeing and hearing it again.
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I was in Chicago this past weekend and saw The Story at theGoodman Theatre (I just couldn't work up enough enthusiasm to see Les Mis again...).
It is a play by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Chuck Smith. As usual, the theater was packed and the crowd was dressed up. I've noticed that New York audiences talk during theater and Chicago audiences chew gum...and Toronto audiences stay home. But I digress...
I enjoyed the play -- it was an OK story (inspired by an article the playwright read about Janet Cooke, the Washington Post reporter who lied about a story).
The play was about a reporter who has faked her resume and in her blind ambition to get ahead, ends up fingering an innocent girl in a murder case. But I really enjoyed how it moved along and the staging techniques used. The central character would have two conversations at once with two different people, the second conversation commenting on the first, and taking place at a later time. It wasn't at all confusing the way it was written. Apparently she was inspired by Tony Kushner's Angels in America where four characters are in two different scenes and their dialogue is overlapping and the meaning of the dialogue is overlapping. It made me want to use that technique in a musical.
Next month I see Floyd and Clea under the Western Sky which is having its world premiere at the Goodman. Stay tuned.
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Wow, this is kewl. The Barenakeds themselves getting into musical theater...maybe it really is a new renaissance. If I can think of one pop group that could work in the genre, it would be these guys.
From Playbill:
"If you had a million dollars, would you have ever bet that the Canadian pop group Barenaked Ladies would provide a musical score to a Shakespeare play at the prestigious Stratford Festival?
It would've turned out to be a good bet. The band that gave the world "If I Had a Million Dollars," "Jane," "Be My Yoko Ono" and "One Week" will be writing five song settings and incidental music for the 2005 production of As You Like It, directed by Antoni Cimolino, executive director of the world-renowned Shakespeare festival in Stratford, Ontario.
The group will record the instrumental music and festival actors will sing the songs during performances, which begin April 27 at the flagship Festival Theatre and continue to Oct. 30. Opening is June 4.
Tony Award-winner Santo Loquasto will design the production.
"This offers us an opportunity to present the audience with a marriage between recorded and live music," said Steven Page, lead singer for Barenaked Ladies, in a statement. "As You Like It has more songs built into it than any other of Shakespeare's plays, and they help to propel the plot and characters. More importantly, they serve to create the mood and the setting. It's very exciting to work as a team with Antoni and Santo to make their vision of Arden come to life."
Director Cimolino said, "As You Like It is a play that explores many kinds of love from the viewpoint of the young. In the spirit of youthful rebellion, the characters drop out of the envious and sophisticated world of the court in favor of the peace and simplicity of the country. I felt that a 1960s setting supported and made vivid each one of the play's themes. Barenaked Ladies are ideal collaborators on this project — their wit and energy are positively Shakespearean."
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I got an interesting letter in the mail the other day from a new theater group called "Stageplays".
Here's a snippet from the letter.
"How many new plays are on Broadway right now? If you guessed more than two, you are wrong! Look at the number of revivals and resurrections of plays past. And, if we look at the ghosts of the past, the present and the future [Ed: Insert a bizarre reference to A Christmas Carol that is totally confusing], without new play development the future will bevery bleak [Ed: Note italics and bold on the word "very", which means it's really serious]No Web site unfortunately, but you can contact them by calling "Laura at 212.354.7565"
The good news? There is one company that is actively developing new plays. Stageplays Theatre Company (Stageplays) is a small company with a big passion and a strong belief that the theatre needs new plays and new playwrights...and an organization like ours to nurture and develop them.
Our presence in New York City is vital to the success of new play development. We hae a number of projects under development including:
Santa.com, a new musical for families. Santa's elves, pink-slipped by the Internet shopping craze, go on the offensive to save their jobs, and Christmas! [Ed: Oh goody, a dotcom musical. I hear that thems Internets are everywhere now];
Sharks, a tale of love and corruption in the casualty insurance industry [Ed: Ah, casualty insurance. That's what I was going to do if I didn't pick stews in the '60s];
La Llorona (The Crying Woman), a mystical drama with music on cross-cultural misunderstandings and the American multinational invasion of Mexico [Ed: Will this one have a big tap number?].
These new projects will have a significant impact on the fabric of our lives and raise the standard for the next generation of theatre artists to follow."
Now, I'm all for raising money for new plays. But please, let's not do it with so much negativity. First of all, there are 430 theatres in NYC. Believe me, they're not all running revivals. There's a TON of new play and musical development out there...to which anyone who went to the New York Musical Theatre Festival can attest.
Secondly, don't ask me for donations. I'll invest. And I'll buy tickets. Donations are a low-percentage way to raise money: Offer to sell me something, and I might buy. Ask me for a handout, and hey, I'm busy funding my own musical.
I just hate it when theater people go begging. Treat it like a business for crying out loud, and the money will be a lot more excited about coming on board. Let's face it, there are some really compelling reasons to invest in theater. Firstly, the money to investors comes out first, and it comes out fast. Secondly, you retain all sorts of interesting downstream rights, especially on original works. Finally, you usually get to go to opening night, and meet all the actors, which is always a load of fun. Sell me return, sell me potential, sell me sex appeal. Please don't beg.
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SEE A SHOW ON BROADWAY
Discount codes for Broadway theater tickets
Blogger bio
My name is Suzy Conn and I am a musical theatre composer, lyricist, and librettist. I make may home in Seattle (actually, Mercer Island to be specific) and I am a graduate of the Theatre Building Chicago, Musical Theatre Writers' Workshop.
I am in the writing and workshop process with a number of different musicals, including:
PLANE CRAZY: A Broadway-style musical about feminism set against the backdrop of glamour and innocent sex appeal of the swinging '60s Jet Age, where women learn to "Pilot Your Own Destiny™" (productions in New York, Toronto, Oklahoma City).
Beatrix Potter's THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND (with Mitchell Kitz): A 45-minute children's musical based on the classic Beatrix Potter story (productions in Chicago and Toronto).
THE MERCER GIRLS (for The 5th Avenue Theatre's AMT program)
DAISY THE FIRECOW and LARRY GETS LOST IN SEATTLE (part of Northwest Bookshelf 2 for The 5th Avenue Theatre's AMT program)
FRANKENBOOGER (with Mitchell Kitz): The new tween musical that tells the cautionary tale of nose picking gone terribly, terribly wrong. Our heroine learns to "Pick Your Friends, Not Your Nose™".
Prior to focusing exclusively on musical theatre, I spent 10 years writing in Toronto and Nashville where I co-wrote or wrote hundreds of country and pop songs and commercial jingles. As a result, I have numerous U.S., international, and Canadian cuts, and several of my songs hit #1 on the international country charts. I have also won a number of songwriting awards, including the prestigious SOCAN Advanced Writer's Workshop Award.
I am a proud member of the Association of Canadian Librettists, Composers, and Lyricists (ACLCL), SOCAN, ACTRA, Toronto Musician's Association (Local 149, A.F. of M.), Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriters Guild of America (SGA), Dramatist's Guild of America, and the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC).
Thanks for listening!
Suzy's Favorite Sites
Maximum Broadway Radio
This is a FANTASTIC Broadway site that broadcasts Live 365.com Internet Radio with 24/7 showtunes! It's a BROADWAY RADIO STATION! I've got it running on my laptop now, and forever. Also includes links to a library of songs, theaters across America and a News section, which includes yours truly...
Internet Broadway Database
IBDB provides a comprehensive database of shows produced on Broadway, including all "title page" information about each production. IBDB also offers historical information about theatres and various statistics and fun facts related to Broadway.
42nd Street Moon Blog
A GREAT musical theater blog, with a Blogway Baby-style fanatical devotion to Broadway. It's published by a theater company focused on "Classic Broadway in Concert", based in San Francisco. I wish I'd known about these guys when I lived in Palo Alto!
Mermaniac
Mermanic, "A Show Tunes Weblog", has an excellent blogroll which has been divided into the signs of the zodiac...Blogway Baby is under the sign of Cancer.
Jorge's Place
This seems like the ultimate Broadway fan site. Nicely designed too!
Yahoo! Entertainment
A fantastic movie musical link database: All the big stars are in here.
Playbill.com
The classic, the