Results tagged “San Jose” from Blogway Baby
So I finally got to sing "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" on a plane bound for San Jose! My oldest daughter and I went to see WISHING DRINKING, Carrie Fisher's one woman show (created and performed by Carrie Fisher) at the San Jose Repertory Theatre last weekend.
I have been a big fan of Carrie Fisher's since STAR WARS (eventhough I never really noticed the spotty British accent that fades in and out during the film until she pointed it out with a clip from STAR WARS!) I've loved her movies (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, SHAMPOO), and books (POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, SURRENDER THE PINK).The show was awesome -- so funny, even though it is full of tragic occurrences. Like they say, tragedy plus time equals comedy (or it equals a one woman show). It's like hanging out with Carrie Fisher at her house. She starts the show by singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" as the screen behind her shows newspaper mockups of all the crazy things that have happened to her and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, over the years. Yes, she is a survivor, although she doesn't like that term. Her first anecdote is about the death of a beloved friend that occurred about three years ago and has caused her renewed depression - she woke up next to his lifeless body (he had been staying at her place for a visit). But of course the andecdote includes the fact that she had planned to take tango lessons that morning with Hilary Swank and Ewan McGregor, but had to cancel at the last minute…
Then she went all the way back to her birth - since all doctors were fussing over Debbie Reynolds, and all the nurses were fussing over Eddie Fisher, after he fainted, Carrie feels that lack of attention at her birth is the reason she has done so many crazy things! I'll buy that!
She did a hilarious bit called "Hollywood Inbreeding 101" (see above picture) complete with a blackboard with photos showing the marital links and resulting offspring from her mother's marriages, her marriages (to Paul Simon and Bryan Lourd…the latter left her for another man) and her father's marriages. Very funny and bizarre.
She spent a fair bit of time talking about STAR WARS, wearing that iconic bagel-ear wig. Clearly it changed her life, good and bad. Did you know she isn't wearing a bra under that white Princess Leia dress, since George Lucas explained to her that there isn't any underwear in space? (Your body expands, so you would be strangled by our own bra, which she thought was a wonderful way to go!). Instead her breasts were "held in place" by gaffer tape. Ouch! And all those crazy Princess Leia likenesses - dolls, sculptures, shampoo bottles, pez dispenser, even a life size Princess Leia sex doll. Althought she couldn't figure out why it was called a sex doll…it looked more like Sailor Moon dressed up as Princess Leia…
Carrie Fisher is famous not only for her movies and books but for her addictions, her stays in mental institutions, electric shock therapy, and for her bipolar disorder, which was even written up in a medical journal, complete with Princess Leia picture next to the article. Yet what defines her for me is her humor, and her undeniable interest in the business of living.
The "Special Thanks" section in the program speaks volumes:
To Billie Lourd (her teenage daughter): for her intellect, imperturbability, fashion tips and eventual forgiveness.
To Debbie Reynolds (her mother): for her endless affection and her endless advice (some even solicited), and overall endlessness in general.
To Todd Fisher (her brother): for his even (and thus odd to me) disposition, shared history and co-dependence.
To Eddie Fisher (her father): Thanks for introducing me to his dealer.
To Elizabeth Taylor: Thanks for getting Eddie Fisher out of our house.
Nuff said!
WISHFUL DRINKING is coming to the Seattle Repertory Theatre in the spring. I'm pretty sure something "interesting" will happen to Carrie between now and then, so I'm going back to see it again!
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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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I definitely have to check this out when I'm at the Blogher conference in July (and tramping in my old stomping grounds in Palo Alto!).
It's the American Musical Theater San Jose, and they have an impressive season schedule. It's a really aggressive schedule of some of today's best-known musicals. This is what they did in 2004/2005:
CHICAGO
January 11 to 23, 2005
A CHORUS LINE
February 22 to March 6, 2005
LORD OF THE DANCE
March 15 to 20, 2005
TAPESTRY: THE MUSIC OF CAROLE KING
April 12 to April 24, 2005
CATS
May 17 to 22, 2005
MOVIN' OUT
June 14 to 26, 2005
THE PRODUCERS
July 6 to July 25, 2004
RENT
September 21 to 26, 2004
PETER PAN
October 26 to November 7, 2004
I can live without Lord of the Dance, but gosh, Tapestry: The Music of Carole King sounds really cool. From the site:
The Ultimate Theatrical Tribute to the Music of a Generation!
Our production of TAPESTRY: THE MUSIC OF CAROLE KING will be a high energy, dazzling show starring incredible singers and musicians in a two-hour theatrical tribute featuring some of the greatest songs of all time, including I Feel The Earth Move, You've Got a Friend, Natural Woman, Up on the Roof and Locomotion. Carole King's album Tapestry was one of the best selling albums of all time and stayed on the charts for over five years at its release and continues to top charts around the world to this day. You will be astounded at the list of songs Carole King wrote that were performed by some of the top artists from the past four decades including The Shirelles, James Taylor, and even The Beatles. Whether you are a die-hard fan of American Idol or whether you still have a weathered copy of the Carole King LP, Tapestry, you are going to love this show!
And this is what's lined up for 2005:
THE WIZARD OF OZ
September 13 to 25, 2005
LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL
October 11 to 23, 2005
WEST SIDE STORY
November 1 to 13, 2005
THE LION KING
January 20 to February 26, 2006
GYPSY
March 28 to April 9, 2006
HAIRSPRAY
June 6 to 18, 2006
I'd love to see how they produce this work...
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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 original, the only. Playbill: Following theater since there was theater...
Talkin' Broadway
Nice gossip site on Broadway. Interface is weird and difficult to use, but solid content.
Backstage Magazine
The actor's resource to upcoming audtions and casting sessions across the US of A.
Variety Magazine
The grandpappy of theater...check out the "Legit" section.
Broadway.com
The definitive resource on Broadway. Get your tickets, your hotels, and your Broadway plans at Broadway.com
Myrna's Page
My daughter's home page. Isn't she cute?
BoingBoing
The world's greatest blog, EVAR.
Broadwayworld.com
A great resource for Broadway and Off-Broadway reviews.
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The one, the only, New York Musical Theatre Festival: The world's premier musical theater event.
Northern River Arts and Entertainment
A great and comprehensive archive of Canadian musical theater history.
Musical Theater Giants
Richard Adler (b. 1923) Lyricist Richard Adler is best recalled as part of the team of composer Jerold Ross and Adler. Best known for The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Adler was unable to reproduce these successes after the death of Ross in 1955.Lionel Bart (b. 1930 / d. 1999) Composer/Lyricist Lionel Bart parlayed a massively successful '50s pop-song writing career into musical theater. He succeeded with Oliver! and Blitz!, and was personally and financially ruined by the flop Twang!.
Irving Berlin (b. 1888 / d. 1989)
Leslie Bricusse (b. 1931)
Cy Coleman (b. 1929 / d. 2004)
Betty Comden
Fred Ebb (b. 1933 / d. 2004)
Adolph Green (b. 1914 / d. 2002)
Jerry Herman (b. 1933)
John Kander (b. 1927)
Alan Jay Lerner (b. 1918 / d. 1986)
Frank Loesser (b. 1910 / d. 1969)
Frederick Loewe (b. 1901 / d. 1988)
Anthony Newley (b. 1931 / d. 1999)
Cole Porter (b. 1891 / d. 1964)
Gerry Ross (b. 1926 / d. 1955)
Arthur Schwartz (b. 1900 / d. 1984)
Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948)
Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)
Charles Strouse (b. 1928)
Association Sites
Association of Canadian Librettists, Composers, and Lyricists (ACLCL)
Toronto Musician's Association (Local 149, A.F. of M.)
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
Songwriters Guild of America (SGA)
From Hollywood to Broadway
They say it's the hot trend in musicals today -- adapting a popular movie to the stage -- but while The Producers (2001), adapted from The Producers (1968) and Hairspray (2002), adapted from Hairspray (1988) grab all the attention, the trend has actually been around for a while. Here's a sampling of a list that seems to grow every day.
David Merrick, the legendary impressario, actually loved to adapt film material and he became famous with some of these productions:
42nd Street (1933) became 42nd Street (1980)
Marcel Pagnol's Marseilles Trilogy (1929) became Fanny: A New Musical (1954)
The Apartment (1960) became Promises, Promises (1968)
Some Like It Hot (1959) became Sugar (1972)
Destry Rides Again (1939) became Destry Rides Again (1959)
State Fair (1945) became State Fair (1996)
And here's a bunch more non-Merrick examples:
Mary Poppins (1964) became Mary Poppins (2004)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) became Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002)
Meet Me In St. Louis (1945) became Meet Me In St. Louis (1989)
Singin' in the Rain (1952) became Singin' In The Rain (1996)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) became Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1985)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) became The Wizard of Oz (1988)
High Society (1956) became High Society (1998)
Swing Time (1936) became Never Gonna Dance (2003)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) became Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) (though little of the original score was used)
Beauty and the Beast (1991, Animated) became Beauty and the Beast (1994)
The Lion King (1994, Animated) became The Lion King (1997)
All About Eve (1950) became Applause (1970)
Woman of the Year (1942) became Woman Of The Year (1981)
Nights of Cabiria (1957) became Sweet Charity: A New Musical Comedy (1966)
Smiles Of A Summer Night (1957) became A Little Night Music (1973)
Sunset Boulevard (1950) became Sunset Boulevard (1994)
It (1927) became The It Girl (2001)
8 1/2 (1963) became Nine (1982)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) became Sweet Smell of Success (2002)
The Captain's Paradise (1953) became Oh Captain (1958)
The Night of the Hunter (1955) became The Night Of The Hunter (1998 Concept Cast) (also a literary source but best known as a film)
Billy Elliot (2000) became Billy Elliot: The Musical on the West End (2005)
And continuing into the future, stay tuned for White Christmas, based on the 1954 movie of the same name.
Reader favorite posts
Here are some of Blogway Baby's favorite posts, as voted by Blogway Baby readers:
+ The Lyrics to Sarah Jessica Parker's GAP Ad, "I Enjoy Being A Girl"
+ Rosie O'Donnell's Haiku Blog
Nudie Musical Themes
+ More Nudie Musical Goodness
+ I Always Wondered About That Title
+ Playboy: The Musical
+ G-Spot: Canadian Sex in the City based in L.A.
+ The Pajama-less Game
+ It's Naked Week at Blogway Baby!
+ Bring Back Oh! Calcutta!
The "Ultimate Entertainment Niche" Series
+ Part II
+ Part I
The SF :: Broadway Connection
+ Part IV: Reader Contributions
+ Part III: How Could I Have Missed This One?
+ Part II
+ The SF :: Broadway Connection
+ SF / Musical Theater Mash-up
+ A Long Time Ago, In A Theater Far, Far Away
Flops I Missed
+ Part II: Nick & Nora
+ Part I: Carrie
The "Great Tortured Stephen Sondheim" Series
+ "Songs I Wish I'd Never Written"
+ Wall-to-wall Stephen Sondheim
+ Part III
+ Part II
+ Part I
Top Ten Movie Musicals
10: An American in Paris / Gigi because France in the '50s is simply irresistible;
9: There's No Business Like Show Business because of Ethel Merman...'nuff said?;
8: West Side Story, because even though they dubbed Natalie Wood they retained the energy of the original staging;
7: Guys and Dolls, and not everyone likes this one because of Brando's singing, but I just love the sets, the times, and Frank is simply perfect;
6: Flying Down to Rio / Gay Divorcee / Roberta / Top Hat / Follow the Fleet and Swing Time / Shall We Dance / Carefree / The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle / The Barkleys of Broadway because this list wouldn't be complete without Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who kept me company afternoons that I used to skip out of school to watch these musicals on TV;
5: Oliver! because it had a huge impact on me as a child: It was the first time that I'd seen someone get killed in a musical. And each time I see it, I still think there's a chance she'll get away;
4: Funny Girl because of two words: Barbra Streisand;
3: Jesus Christ Superstar because of Norman Jewison's incredibly inventive filmography, the energy, the '70s...the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience;
2: It's a tie between White Christmas because of "Sisters": One of the most important songs in my life and Holiday Inn because despite the cringe-worthy blackface routines and racist stereotyping, it has one of the best dance numbers ever with Fred Astaire and a pocketful of firecrackers;
...and most importantly...
1: Singin' in the Rain because of Donald O'Connor's "Make 'em Laugh" (even though it was blatantly ripped off of Cole Porter's "Be A Clown") and "Good Morning", our daily refrain in the Conn household.
