You've got to be carefully taught...

If you need a good laugh, check this out.

Happy long weekend!

One singular sensation of a movie!

Last night I went to the Landmark Harvard Exit movie theatre in Capitol Hill to see EVERY LITTLE STEP, the documentary about casting the revival of A CHORUS LINE.

FIrst of all, the Landmark Harvard Exit is one cool movie theatre! I'd never been before, and I almost drove right by it. The Landmark Harvard Exit is an old woman's club turned movie theatre.

From the theatre's website:

The theatre is located on a quaint, tree-lined street at the north end of Broadway, at Harvard and Roy on Seattle's Capitol Hill. The building in which The Harvard Exit currently resides was originally constructed as a clubhouse for The Woman's Century Club in 1925. The club continues to hold meetings in the lobby, although the building was sold in 1968 for conversion to a movie theatre. In the 1980s, a second auditorium was added in an unused ballroom space on the third floor of the building. One of the very first "art" theatres in Seattle, the Harvard Exit set the standard for the exhibition of independent film and foreign language cinema. Its large and glorious lobby retains a 1920s atmosphere, adorned with a fireplace, a grand piano and chandelier. A recent remodel adds a fully wheelchair accessible restroom on the main floor, expanded concession stand and an inside box office for those rainy Seattle nights.

I had seen the revival of A CHORUS LINE, so I was really excited to see the film. Also, a friend of a friend of ours, Natascia Diaz was figured prominently in the movie since it had come down to her and Charlotte D'Amboise for Cassie. I absolutely loved Natascia in JASQUES BREL at The Zipper.

What I didn't realize is how much footage we would get to see from the original 1975 production of A CHORUS LINE! As a "Hello 12, Hello 13" teenager I had lived and breathed that cast album (as a record of course) and sheet music when it was released, but had never seen the show until the revival in 2006.

Seeing Donna Mckechnie do The Music and The Mirror dance was unbelievable. She was other-worldly. Don't get me wrong, Charlotte D'Amboise was fantastic, but Donna Mckechnie defied description. You just have to see it. And she was just a wisp of a thing!

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 26^th 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 10^th through 19^th, 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 40^thStreet, Mercer Island, WA 98040.

Details:            Friday, July 10^th at 7pm

                        Saturday, July 11^th at 2pm and 7pm

                        Sunday, July 12^th at 2pm

                        Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (July 14, 15 and 16) at 2pm

                        Friday, July 17^th at 7pm

                        Saturday, July 18^th at 2pm and 7pm

                        Sunday, July 19^th 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 26^thyear, 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.

Here's to Canada, eh!

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

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

Believe it or not!

I just found out that one of my fav songs, Indiana Wants Me,was written and performed by a Canadian songwriter R. Dean Taylor. According to the Summer 2009 edition of SOCAN's Words and Music magazine, R. Dean Taylor was the Motown Records first white artist to score a No. 1 hit!

From Words and Music:

In the early 1960s Canadian songwriter R. Dean Taylor found himself at the right place at the right time: in Detroit working for Motown Records. He quickly earned a reputation as one of the label's best writers and producer, co-penning smash hits such as All I Need (for the Temptations) and Love Child (for The Supremes).

Who knew?

Indiana Wants Me is one of those songs that always gives me chills when I hear it. I mean, when those sirens start at the end of the song, and the gunshots....Someone should make a made-for-tv movie musical out of that song! Hmmmm....

For the record, songs that also give me chills are: In the Ghetto, Cats in the Cradle, and thought I hate to say it, Teen Angel (which was written as a gag and turned into a hit!) I guess I'm a sucker for the melodrama!

It's time to see WICKED again!

Usually WICKED isn't on the top of my list of shows to see when I'm in New York. Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but I have seen it twice -- once on Broadway with the original cast, and once in Chicago. As well, we did the backstage tour, bought the t-shirts, sheet music, and the CD! Finally, you have the feeling it will run forever, so what's the rush?

Maria Eberline, a friend and extremely talented musical theatre performer, is making her Broadway debut in WICKED in July! Maria was previously in the first national tour as understudy for Elphaba and Nessa. She took a quick break to get married to Rick Todd Adams and have a baby, and now she is back to work in WICKED (ensemble/Elphaba and Nessa understudy) on Broadway! And she looks as gorgeous and svelte post-baby as she did pre-baby. How is this possible?

Congrats and break a leg Maria!

The best kind of deja vu...

Contemporary Classics is bringing back ZANNA DON'T! for a limited run at the Seattle Repertory PONCHO Forum, from June 26 to July 5 2009!

I saw this show last summer and it was a blast! Not only was it funny, but I really liked the music too!

Brandon Ivie, who is the Artistic Director of Contemporary Classics is directing the show again, with a lot of the same cast members as last year. Contemporary Classics also presents the concert series New Voices (the next one is August 3 at ACT in the Falls Theatre), which is always a blast, and is introducing Showtune Suckapunch!

From the Facebook event page:

ZANNA, DON'T! is a hip musical fairy tale about a matchmaking teen who turns relationships upside down, challenges our point of view, and changes the world forever. In a world where it's normal to be gay and taboo to be straight when Kate and Steve fall in love it's up to Zanna, the local love fairy, to search for the right spell to make the world safe for the two lovers. But Zanna's spell has a bigger impact than he planned. Is this new world really what he wanted? With a little magic and a fresh pop score, ZANNA celebrates the discovery of love in a world of adversity.

The Seattle production was named one of the Best Musicals of 2008 by Seattle Gay News and won a Seattle Times Footlight Award.

Creative Team
Director: Brandon Ivie
Music Director: Mark Rabe
Set Design: Andrea Bush
Costume Design: Harmony Arnold
Lighting Design: Robert J. Aguilar

Cast
Zanna: Justin Huertas
Steve: Jared Michael Brown
Kate: Sarah Davis
Mike: Connor Russell
Roberta: Diana Huey
Tank: Don Darryl Rivera
Candi: Lindsey Hedberg
Arvin: Arthur Allen

"Few shows have the appeal of ZANNA, DON'T! Something about it's pure sugary hopefulness satisfies a sweet tooth that many of us may have forgotten we have."
-The New York Times

"ZANNA, DON'T! is hands down the gayest thing I have ever seen on stage - and that's a good thing‚ It isn't without a profound message that's bound to put ideas into people's heads."
-Seattle Weekly

"A joyful romp!... ZANNA, DON'T! is a sparkler la John Waters to brighten your Fourth of July celebration."
-The Seattle Times

Hey, ZANNA DON'T! opens next Friday! Better get your tickets soon!

   

"...And if not this festival then somewhere out west..."

The DIE VAMPIRE DIE WORKSHOP is coming West To Seattle! So take that novel out of that sock drawer and sign up!

For those of you who don't know, Die Vampire Die is my favorite song from the amazing Broadway show [title of show]. For me, this song was always the heart of the show, and always made me tear up (as in cry, not rip something).

The only other time I've cried while watching a Broadway show was in LES MIZ, when Fantine is dying and she thinks she is talking to Cossette. Sheesh, I just got a lump in my throat again....

As they say in Die Vampire Die, a Vampire is any person, thought or feeling that stands between you and your creative self-expression.

Hasn't everyone had those moments of self doubt that try to kill our creative output? Heaven knows I have!

This is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I encourage everybody (musicians, artists, writers, songwriters, directors, Microsoft employees, politicians, accountants, nurses etc.) to sign up for this workshop. Seriously, whether or not you are in "entertainment", this workshop will be of value...I mean, isn't public speaking of any kind like performing?

So I only have two questions for Susan and Hunter:

1. When will the sheet music for Die Vampire Die be available?

2. Will you be serving Babaganoush at break time?

From the Facebook event page:

The ‘DIE VAMPIRE, DIE’ WORKSHOP

A writing/performance workshop lead by Broadway’s Susan Blackwell and Hunter Bell FEATURING YOU.

Are you a performer who wants to write your own material?

Are you a writer who wants to perform your own material?
Are you a creative challenge-seeker looking for a fun, safe environment to try something new?
Are you rocking creativity for your New Year's resolution?
Just want to kill some Vampires*?

Join Susan Blackwell and Hunter Bell on July 20 ^th from 2 pm to 8pm for the ‘Die Vampire, Die’ workshop!
Susan and Hunter will lead you through a series of exercises to get your creative juices flowing and your thoughts up on their feet!
Cost - $125 per person (to cover Susan and Hunter’s fees, flights and hotel)

Please bring yourself, a positive attitude, a lined notebook and a pen.
Some performance experience is helpful, but not necessary.
An open, constructive attitude is mandatory!

Themes of this workshop include:

• Creative Writing
• Performance
• Identifying and taking creative risks
• Tapping into brave artistic freedom and self-expression
• Establishing a creative safe space
• Contributing to a collaborative process

Target participant:

• Performers who want to write their own material.
• Writers who want to perform their own material.
• Creative challenge-seekers looking for a fun, safe environment to try something new.
• Groups looking to foster a safe collaboration.

*From [title of show]’s Vampire Hunting Guide: A Vampire is any person, thought or feeling that stands between you and your creative self-expression.

To RSVP for this event, please email Kat Ramsburg at katramsburg@yahoo.com for further instructions.

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!

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.

Broadway royalty right here in Seattle!

It was a little surreal to be honest. Seriously. I was only a few rows away from Bob Mackie.

Last night I went to The 5th Avenue Theatre's Spotlight Night for CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, the new musical premiering in Seattle starting July 23.

The theatre was packed, and there was a palpable electricity. Forget the fact that the event was free (yes, you heard me, free!), it was one of the most enjoyable, exciting nights in theatre I've had!

Spotlight nights are hosted by David Armstrong, the Producing Artistic Director of The 5th Avenue Theatre and are a great way to familiarize yourself with upcoming shows - hearing songs performed, learning the history behind the show, meeting the creative team, as well as gaining new, interesting perspective on shows you already know. The CATCH ME IF YOU CAN spotlight gave insight on the creation of an exciting, new musical!

The evening was divided into three acts:

Act I

The Incredible True Story!

David recounted Frank Abagnale's true crime adventures on both sides of the law and discussed this with special guest, Ken Kirkpatrick, President of US BANK, Washington State. Ken had actually hired Frank not so long ago to consult on bank security and fraud so he had lots of interesting anecdotes about this incredibly charismatic man (everyone throughout the evening commented on how charismatic Frank Abagnale is, and how he can walk into a room and suddenly command all attention!) and tips on how to avoid bank fraud - micro shredder and the uni-ball pen (it can't be erased from a cheque with acetone unlike other pens.) When Ken asked Frank whether it would be harder to pull of his fraud nowadays versus in the 60s, he said that today it would be far easier to do everything! Downloading logos, lifting signatures, wiring money...but I digress!

Act II

Meet The Dream Team

Songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (HAIRSPRAY), playwright Terrence McNally (THE FULL MONTY), director Jack O'Brien (HAIRSPRAY), choreographer Jerry Mitchell (HAIRSPRAY, LEGALLY BLONDE), musical director John McDaniel , and legendary costume designer Bob Mackie gave an inside look into how a Broadway musical is conceived and created. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman told the story of how they were looking around a bookstore and Scott saw a CATCH ME IF YOU CAN movie book on display and said, Hey how about that? So they bought it, and called Steven Spielberg the next day and they were on their way! I was most intrigued by the description of how they were taking the film and putting it on stage. They weren't going to compete with the movie's ability to show Frank's narrow escapes from the law or just put the movie on stage. Instead, The songs/scenes would be how Frank would view the characters as if they were in a big tv show spectacular. The mid 60s was the time of tv variety shows and specials, with a variety of musical styles from Frank Sinatra to The Rolling Stones. So, Marc and Scott went for a sort of Ed Sullivan Show soundtrack! It sounds very, very cool. We saw Bob Mackie's sketches for the costumes and they look absolutely fabulous. It was so special to be able to listen to this team talk about putting this show together.

The whole team agreed that four weeks of rehearsal might seem like a long time, but they have a lot of work to do so it will fly by!

Act III

Meet The Stars

Norbert Leo Butz, who plays the Tom Hanks FBI agent character Hanratty, Aaron Tveit, who plays Frank Jr., and Tom Wopat, who plays Frank Sr. all performed songs from the show (Fifty Cheques, I'm Good At What I Do, Happy Ending, Making Butter Out of Cheese, Seven Wonders). Wow, all three of these guys were amazing. I got chills!l And they also announced that Kerry Butler, and Felicia Finley (who played Linda in THE WEDDING SINGER) will be in the show. dThis is going to be an amazing cast!

Oh, and one more piece of trivia - the song that Neil Patrick Harris sang at the end of the Tony Awards night was actually written that night, over the course of the awards, by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman! They said it was like putting together a puzzle, and they had lots of options to go with depending on who won the awards (the Fonda/Honda rhyme never made it into the song!)

Hurry and get tickets to see CATCH ME IF YOU CAN live and in living color!

Those were the days!

I was out browsing in Easy Street Records while my daughter Myrna was tapping away at Kristin Culp's Advanced Tap 3-Day Event and I happened upon

this CD in the Children's section, filed under comedy! What a gem!

Is it a coincidence that the name of the store is the same as one of the songs that Carol Burnett sang in the film version of ANNIE? I think not! But I digress...

Carol Burnett, Featuring If I could Write A Song is a combination of a record released in 1971 plus three bonus tracks that were originally released as singles -The Christmas Song, Love's The Only Game in Tow, and You're My Reason.

Other tracks include:

If I Could Write A Song, It's Too Late, Those Were The Days, Rainy Days and Mondays, Who's Sorry Now, Saturday Morning Confusion, For All We Know, Rose Garden, Try To Remember, Sunrise, Sunset and Guess Who/Turn Around, Look At Me

The Carpenters, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE FANTASTICKS, Carol King...sheesh, what a great collection. Boy, I do so miss the early 70s.

And what a great singer she is. I've always associated her voice with her comedy, but listening to an entire of Carol Burnett just singing? I loved it! It's called easy listening, because it is so darn easy to listen to! Duh!

From the original liner notes by Morgan Ames:

It was not until about four years ago that I realized what a lovely singer Carol Burnett is. It took that long because she doesn't make a big deal out of her singing. She doesn't hurl her voice at us dramatically, insisting on its impact. Instead, she comes over with natural sweetness and simplicity, as if to say, "Here is a song; would you like to hear it?

And as only liner notes from the seventies can say:

But the first thing this lady is...is just that: a lady - warm, real and in full flower.

One of my favorite tracks on the CD is Saturday Morning Confusion, written by Robert Russell. It reminds me of Saturday mornings when I was a kid!

From the re-release liner notes:

Saturday Morning Confusion is a charming evocation of parenting woes that Burnett, the mother of three daughter, delivers with knowing wisdom. The tune was written by Robert Russell, whose best known composition, The Nights The Lights Went Out In Georgia, was a #1 hit for Vicki Lawrence in 1973 (at the time, Lawrence was both Russell's wife and a featured performer on The Carol Burnett Show.