Good news for all of you who can't do the splits!

In the old days, "triple threat" meant a performer could sing, dance and act.

Well, given all the buzz surrounding the newly staged Sweeney Todd which originated in London and is now tearing up the Broadway stage, it appears that "triple threat" now means sing, act...and play a musical instrument!

Of course, as I proudly hold the title of "the world's most inflexible dancer", this would have been very good news to me in my younger piano and trumpet-playing days (of course, there was always that acting thing...).

An article in the Sunday December 18, 2005 New York Times ("And By The Way, They Act a Bit, Too" by Anthony Tommasini) talks about the amazing performers who sing, act and play musical instruments while they are acting in the latest production of Sweeney Todd, under the musical direction of Sarah Travis.

Other shows, such as Jersey Boys, also have incredibly talented singers and actors playing instruments, albeit not through the entire score. Is this the new trend on Broadway? Should I get my stews playing kazoos?

In an article in the December 19, 2005 issue of New York magazine ("Theater/The Short List" by Jeremy Mccarter and Boris Kachka) the performer chosen as the "Best Triple Threat (Old Definition)" is Sherie Rene Scott "who showed in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that she's a sparkling actor, singer, and dancer." The performer chosen as the "Best Triple Threat (New Definition)" is Mandel Feliciano, "who as Tobias in Sweeney Todd showed he can act, sing, and play an array of musical instruments -- sometimes simultaneously."

I've always wondered whether or not you could get really famous as a triple threat. Do you dilute your effort by doing more than one thing really well? Would Barbara Streisand or Frank Sinatra have become icons if they were also diva dancers?

Can you really be extraordinary in three areas or just really good? Some actors tend to play down their other talents to get ahead in films. For example, who knew Catherine Zeta Jones could sing and dance? Who knew Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio could sing?

Now, Gwen Verdun did get famous as a triple threat. She could really dance and act, but she made her "character" voice work overtime for her because she was such a great actress and dancer. Maybe there isn't a definitive answer. Maybe I spend too much time thinking about these thing!

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