Wendy Wasserstein, who for three decades, through a series of compassionately comedic dramas, charted the strivings and disappointments of the modern American woman, died early Jan. 30 at the age of 55, Lincoln Center Theater confirmed. The cause was lymphoma.
That Ms. Wasserstein should be struck down by cancer is in some respects sadly ironic. A character in Third suffers from cancer. Additionally, her older sister Sandra Wasserstein Meyer -- the model of the Sara Goode character in The Sisters Rosensweig -- died of breast cancer in 1997.
The partially autobiographical The Sisters Rosensweig, which premiered on Broadway in 1993, concerned the loves and travails of three vivacious and very different siblings. It was Ms. Wasserstein's second Broadway hit running -- an unheard of feat in the theatre in recent decades. The production followed The Heidi Chronicles, the searching, multi year examination of the women's movement, which put the author on the map and arguably made her the most prominent female playwright in America for the remainder of her life.
Her surviving family has suggested that donations be made in Ms. Wasserstein's name to the "Open Doors" program of the Theatre Development Fund at 1501 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.
"A play is a piece of art," Ms. Wasserstein said about her profession. "And art comes from somebody with an urgency. I think that what's great about theatre is you still have the possibility of one writer and one director saying: 'We see the world this way. Here's a point of view. And we're going to throw it out there, and we're not going to do it because we've taken 47 market polls on what the audience wants. We're doing this because this is how we see it.' Theatre isn't prefabricated. It isn't that watered-down stuff. Theatre is about words and craft and a point of view. You miss that in life now."
From the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of The Dramatist:(The Journal of The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.)
BUCKEYE BAN
On Sept 26, Heather Pasquinelli and Jeremy Mull resigned as drama-club advisers at Buckeye Trail HS, Lore City, Ohio, when superintendent Bob Greenwood banned Guild member William Mastrosimone's play Bang, Bang, You're Dead and the musical Godspell, by John-Michael Tebelak and council member Stephen Schwartz, because the play deals with school violence and the musical violates separation of church and state.
On Oct. 3, the East Guernsey school board voted 3-1 to affirm the ban on Godspell, but to reverse the ban on Bang, Bang, You're Dead, which may be produced this spring.
Girls' encrypted USB stick locks parents out of diary and MSN Messenger
From this post on Boing Boing...something I think every daughter should have, because your feelings should be your own domain when you're young:
The ThoughtSafe is an encrypted USB memory stick with its own version of MSN Messenger: it's marketed to young girls who want to keep a private diary and prevent their parents or others from spying on or controlling their IM activity. Link
Watch displays cheeky "approximate time" messagesThe Talus About Time watch (not yet available) displays a text and number message giving you the approximate time, such as "Slightly After 6" and "Nearly 6 Forty Five." It undermines the false precision of traditional watches, and is also a great example of whimsical technology that takes advantage of low-cost computer logic to deliver products that would have been impossible a decade ago. I would love to have a wall-clock version of this. Link
I was saddened when I found out that Canadian-born actor (actually Toronto-born) Lloyd Bochner died at the age of 81 in October.
He played many roles in the theater and film and TV, but I best remember him as Cecil Colby on Dynasty (he put the nasty in Dynasty!) and as Franklin Blodgett in an episode of Bewitched.
He seemed a fixture in my childhood because he had roles in almost every single TV series I watched growing up, from Cannon to Mannix to Manimal to Fantasy Island -- you name it he was on it! And usually playing the suave villain.
He began acting with the Stratford Festival of Canada from (1953-1959), playing Horatio in Hamlet, Orsino in Twelfth Night, and Vincentio in Measure for Measure.
He then moved to New York to perform in Tamburlaine the Great on Broadway in 1956.
There is a really touching tribute to Lloyd Bochner in the winter 2006 issue of the ACTRA member's magazine "Inter ACTRA" written by his good friend and fellow Canadian-born actor, Monty Hall. Here is an excerpt:
As the years went by, and both of us married our lovely wives, we became socially friendly and that continued until 1956 when Lloyd and I both left for New York. I to do a daytime NBC television show and Lloyd to star on Broadway with Eva Gabor. We decided to share an apartment together. I wouldn't say that we were exactly "The Odd Couple" since our paths didn't cross until after the theater closed. He would come back to the apartment after 11pm and I'd have some coffee and Danish ready for him, and we would discuss what happened during the day to each of us. And then we'd sit down and play gin rummy. There was one rule in our game -- that we had to speak Yiddish. Now Lloyd and I each had a smattering of the language, but I wouldn't say that either one of us was a Yiddish linguist. So after we ran out of the usual words and phrases that we knew, we would start inventing things. It got to be hysterical, and we'd laugh ourselves sick.
If I'd had a chance to talk to him, I would have told him that he was a wonderful actor -- a great friend -- and one of the finest gentlemen I ever met. These are things I would have said to him. I will -- next time we meet.
Stephen Worth says: "This week is 'Mary Blair Week' at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog. We're digitizing and posting images from Blair's big Golden Book, Little Verses. The illustrations in this book originally appeared in the magazine Highlights For Children in the early 50s. These paintings were the seed of the idea for the 'It's A Small World: A Salute to UNICEF' exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair... which ended up as an attraction at Disneyland. I've got a batch of images up now, and I'll be posting more on Thursday night.
I had dinner with a bunch of folks from American Airlines last night, and boy do they ever eat up Plane Crazy! It's amazing how many people got into the airline business because it was a cool business to be in, which is pretty unusual in my experience (as far as business people go, that is...the arts are completely different!)
One of my dinnermates told me how he started at AA...22 years ago! A friend of his kept flying to Hawaii and California for the weekend, and my dinnermate thought that sounded really cool. His friend said, "Hey, why don't you get a job at AA as well, and we can go to Hawaii together!" 22 years later, and the rest is history.
This show should be in DFW! Next stop: Don't Mess With Texas!
Myrna Conn now the voice of "Chiku the Monkey" in The New Babar TV Series!
Wow, Myrna is now originating the role of "Chiku the Monkey" in the New Babar TV Series!
Well, it looks like Babar is all grown up and has a son named Babu. And a monkey friend named Chiku! How do I know this? Well my daughter Myrna was cast as the voice of Chiku in The New Babar, a new computer animated series based on the Babar franchise.
At the recording of the first couple of episodes we met the other kids which was fun for Myrna.
But I got a kick out of seeing all the adult actors who were involved playing the older characters (Queen Celeste, Cornelius, etc). I instantly recognized them by either face or voice! Renowned actors like Lynne Cormack, Chris Wiggins, Colin Fox, and Len Carlson to name drop a few. Wow, what a great learning experience for Myrna!
I'm not normally drawn to football-themed establishments, but it was hailing outside so I ended up doing take out there. The food wasn't that bad, but the Caesar Salad I got was the size of a football field! Why was I surprised?
Saturday night I went to see Kiss of The Spider Woman at the Bailiwick Theatre because my Chicago collaborator Greg Silva was playing one of the very nasty guards, "Estaban". The Bailiwick is a great little theater (right next door to Theatre Building Chicago) that has been around for over 20 years:
Since it's founding in 1982, Bailiwick Repertory has consistently endeavored to achieve the vision of gifted directors in productions that have been as diverse as our audiences. We have also worked hard to remain accessible, affordable, and responsive to our community. With the director as fulcrum of our artistic process, Bailiwick has been recognized with more than 150 Citations, Nominations, and Recommendations from the Jeff Committee for all aspects of production. We have also received more than three-dozen After Dark Awards, several Black Theater Alliance Awards, and the Pride Series has been inducted into the City of Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and been the recipient of the Torch Award from the Human Rights Campaign, the only theatre in the nation to be so honored.
Directed by Susan Finque and starring Katherine Lynne Condit as Aurora, with Ryan Lanning as Molina and Stan Q. Wash as Valentin. Others in the cast include Kate Garassino, Maria Campos, Danny Bernardo, Anthony Apodaca, Ben Asaykwee, Baron Clay, Marchelllo Lee, Chip Payos, Clay Sanderson, Greg Silva, Manny Sosa, and Randolph Johnson.
I have to admit, although it is a Kander and Ebb show (with book by Terence McNally) it isn't my favorite Kander and Ebb show. I did see it in Toronto with Chita Rivera and Brent Carver. I like the score but don't love it (the way I love Chicago or Flora, The Red Menace). My favorite number is "The Day After That" The book is well written and the subject matter extremely compelling, but it's just not my favorite.
The Bailiwick's production was very, very good. It was well directed, with really nice production values, great choreography and everyone in the cast had really great voices. The male chorus was really strong. And the guards were really nasty! The show worked really well in this small theatre and Susan Finque filled the stage with both intimate moments and flashy Aurora numbers. And for only $25-$30 a ticket, I can see why it was a full house on Saturday night!
Introducing the "Slanket": Cold weather comfort for writers...
On a cold day, this looks like a lot of fun.
And this is totally my style: Kickin' it comfy time!
Here's the post from Boing Boing on the "Slanket", the latest advance in home comfort:
The Slanket is a polar-fleece blanket with integrated, outsized sleeves that let you eat popcorn, work the remote, or hold your phone while remaining safely shrouded in blankie.
This would be an interesting musical: All the SFX done by humans. Actually, now that I think about it, Tom Jones did something very similar, which I talked about in this post.
Now Honda UK has gone and made this wonderful ad that is worth the 60 seconds of viewing. Plus, a very nice load screen that keeps the site on-message.
The new Honda Civic UK commercial is based around a chorus who create all of the sound effects with their mouths. It's amazing. Hit the link to get to the Honda Civic page, skip the Flash intro, and then hit the "Watch" button.
QMT did respectable, classic shows (L'il Abner, The Pajama Game, Chicago) at the Grand Theatre in Kingston, and Queen's Players who did more raucous cabaret style shows in a pub. QMT thought Queen's Players people were crazy drunk renegades who couldn't make the cut for QMT productions -- and Queen's Players thought QMT people were a bunch of uptight, boring snobs. Dare I say Broadway versus Off-Broadway?
As you might have guessed I belonged to QMT.
When I finally went to see a Queen's Players show I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it -- hearing for the first time selections from Little Shop of Horrors.
Well, harrumph, maybe there was room for the two of us...
I hope the two organizations have long since buried the hatchet.
In an alumni e-mail I came across "Queen's Players Toronto", who sound like they are keeping up the QP tradition, and for a good cause this time!
The Queen's Players Toronto Theatre Group is a not-for-profit organization headed by a group of Toronto artists. All the proceeds of our events are donated to charity. To date we have raised $15,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Our first pop culture mash-up OLD SCHOOL AND THE CITY (Fall 2004) was an atomic blast. THE APPRENTICE BRIDE (Spring 2005) was another step closer to commitment. With two sold-out successes under our belts we figure why not go for three? So, in almost perfect timing for Halloween, we bring you another installment of Queen's Players Toronto debauchery, our most sugary sweet angst-ridden show ever... COUNT CHOCULA'S BREAKFAST CLUB.
The format of the show has origins in a series of semi-annual cabaret style shows performed at Queen's University since the dawn of time. Famous ex-players include: Lorne Greene, Robertson Davies, The Arrogant Worms and MSNBC's Ashleigh Banfield.
We have a bunch of traditions that include:
Every show contains the line "where shall we go, what shall we do?"
Whenever a cast member says a song title, the entire audience shouts at them to SING!
When someone makes a noticeable mistake we often point out how "Seamless" it was.
We drink during the show. Some get hammered before the curtain call. Some get sloshed before the audience sits down. The audience should follow suit.
The audience will often pass a cup of beer to a performer during a scene or song. That performer will often accept the drink and chug it before moving on with the performance.
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever: Rediscovering an Old Friend
About 100 years ago in university a friend of mine (Greg K.) gave me the photocopied sheet music to the song "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever", neatly protected by a plastic sleeve. Through all the years and moves I've managed to keep that song safe. At the time I liked the song well enough, although I was deep in love with Kander and Ebb's Chicago, so I sort of dismissed it.
I had seen and liked the movie version with Barbara Streisand, but for some reason the musical had never really stayed central on my radar.
Recently my generous husband gave me the original 1965 Broadway cast recording to On A Clear Day You Can See Forever so I've been listening to it over and over in the car.
Written by Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane, it starred Barbara Harris and a very young John Cullum (of "Don't Be The Bunny" fame in Urinetown).
OK, so now I'm loving the score! And not just the title song! My two favorite songs are "What Did I Have, That I Don't Have" and "Come Back to Me". The music is catchy and fun and the lyrics are brilliant.
But the best part is the information in the liner notes. This show had a number of false starts before it hit Broadway on October 17, 1965 with an unprecedented top ticket price of $11.90. Since Loew had retired, Lerner first teamed up with Richard Rogers on a new musical about a young woman with ESP entitled I Picked a Daisy. Gower Champion was to direct and choreograph the show, Barbara Harris and Robert Horton to star, and an opening was scheduled for March 1963. Rodgers, however, found Lerner far too slow in his work habits. After postponing the show several times, they split and Daisy was called off.
In its second incarnation, Lerner asked Burton Lane to write Daisy with him, this time with Barbara Harris and Louis Jourdan to star and Bob Fosse to direct. The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was booked, but Lerner again procrastinated and the project was again halted.
The third incarnation was still a Lerner-Lane collaboration but this time Robert Lewis (who had directed Brigadoon) was to direct. Jourdan was let go in the Boston tryout and replaced by John Collum (over Jourdan's standby, Hal Linden) and Barbara Harris stayed on. However the producers were required to pay Jourdan for the next 18 months and while Collum played the role for $1200/week, "Jourdan did not play it for $2,700/week when otherwise employed and $4,000/week when at liberty."
When it opened, Harris was hailed by the critics as an utterly irresistible new star, and most of them also praised the score. But many felt that the book was uneven or flat.
According to these liner note, Some of the show's shortcomings, and even Lerner's erratic behavior, can be attributed to Lerner's "secret". During this period, Lerner, along with many other figures in the arts and politics, had become dependent on the injections of Dr. Max Jacobsen, who was soon dubbed "Dr. Feelgood", and ultimately barred from practicing medicine.
The show might not have even been nominated for a Tony that year, but the cast recording did win a Grammy in 1966.
Good grief Charlie Brown! I couldn't believe this when I read it on this Marc Shaiman Web site. I mean really, what was the network trying to protect us from?
To present the Oscar for "Best Animated Feature Film" at the 77th Academy Awards, actor/comedian Robin Williams went to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman to whip up a short song which would poke fun at the recent Spongebob Squarepants media fiasco. The song skewered the cartoon denizens of Tinseltown. Unfortunately a nervous TV network nixed the number.
Go to "The Musical Mind of Marc Shaiman" Web site and listen to what the network execs didn't want you to hear!
Next thing you know they'll be telling us that dancing is evil -- or is it just evil when Kevin Bacon does it? Who knows. Oh, and by the way, hasn't anyone noticed that Barney parades around naked all the time?
On a different "note", I've have just GOT to meet Marc Shaiman. I mean not only has he won a Tony and a Grammy for Hairspray, he scored one of my all time favs "Down With Love", and started out working with Bette Midler!
He has been nominated for The Academy Award five times, for the films Sleepless In Seattle, The American President, The First Wives Club, Patch Adams, and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. He has lost each and every time! In 2002, Marc was honored with the "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Music-In-Film" award at the 69th annual Hollywood Film Festival. They didn't send a car.
Marc has composed, adapted and arranged music, served as music supervisor and written lyrics for over 40 other films, including When Harry Met Sally, Beaches, Sister Act, City Slickers, The Addams Family, A Few Good Men, In & Out and George of The Jungle.
He started his career as Vocal Arranger for Bette Midler, eventually becoming her Musical Director and Co-Producer. His instincts, his ear and the fact that he is still a Bette Midler fanatic have enabled him to find and bring her the Grammy winning songs "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "From A Distance". But it is their collaboration on her Emmy Award winning performance for the penultimate Tonight Show with Johnny Carson which will always remain the highlight. Oh, he auditioned to play himself in her short-lived sitcom. He did not get the part."
Oh yeah, and he's also at work on the musical version of "Catch Me If You Can". and a movie musical comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker, called Slammer -- check out this article on Slammer on Playbill.com.
These collections are amazing. The only negative thing (if you can call it negative) is they only include Tony performances or really successful shows, and not performances from other shows that were somewhat "unpopular" or "infamous" (ie. Carrie). I mean, wouldn't it be awesome to have a visual record of all the shows done on Broadway?
In addition to some unearthed classic gems (Jerry Orbach singing "She Loves Basketball" from Promises, Promises) this volume included performances from Tony broadcasts that I actually remember!
These include such gems as the cast of the revival of 42nd Street tap dancing through the subway and into Radio City Music Hall. That was what got us down to see it when it first opened! And the Tony award winning performance of "My Philosophy" from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown by Kristin Chenewith. Upon repeated viewings, she really is amazing. And cute as a button!
One of my fav bits on this DVD is Robert Goulet singing selections from Kander and Ebb's The Happy Time. I have the CD and I just love it. Wow -- what a voice, and wow -- he was gorgeous! And nobody does "sad uptempo" like Kander and Ebb!
Oh, and who could forget all those singin' and dancin' Mounties on stage in Rose-Marie -- you don't see that everyday!
Dick Van Dyke to Join Chita Rivera in The Dancer's Life
Oh Rob!
I gotta get me a ticket to this one! I've listened (and loved) to the two of them on the original Broadway cast recording of Bye Bye Birdie so I'd love to see the two of them on stage together.
Chita was robbed when they made the movie and used Janet Leigh instead -- "Spanish Rose" just didn't sound the same!
The original stars of Bye, Bye Birdie -- Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke -- will reunite on Broadway when veteran stage and screen performer Van Dyke makes a special guest appearance in Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life.
Van Dyke, who was last on Broadway over 25 years ago in The Music Man, will join Rivera at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre for four performances, Jan. 24-26. Rivera, who played Rosie opposite Van Dyke's Albert in Birdie, said in a statement, "I loved every performance of Birdie that I did with Dick, and am thrilled that we will be together again on stage!"
And, as previously reported, "America," the show-stopping song-and-dance number from the classic musical West Side Story, will become part of Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life this coming weekend. The number will be seen during the West Side Story section in the first act of The Dancer's Life.
From Boing Boing: Table for six with chairs that disassembles to fit in a small box
Mmm...more modernist goodness from this post on Boing Boing:
The Mealbox is a Japanese-style dining-room table with six seats that cleverly disassembles to fit in a 43cm X 68cm X 77cm box. It's made from birch plywood and carbon nanofibre, with neoprene seats. When boxed, you can use it as a coffee table.
I went to a great rehearsal at Sheridan this weekend. Marc Richard, the director, and Chris Mounteer, the musical director, have only been working with the cast for a week, but have made an impressive amount of progress.
I walked in to see some of the set pieces on stage (It's a bed! It's a plane! It's Plane Crazy!) and the catwalk/stair piece in place. The costume designer, Nina Okens, was there, and she's already off scrounging for fabric for the stew costumes.
Luckily they don't need to buy a lot of fabric -- hee hee!
It's still the same show (er, with three new songs, two songs dropped, and tons of revisions to the Book), but a different group of people are visualizing it and bringing it to life. Sounds obvious, but it's a new (and exciting) experience for me.
When I arrived Marc was rehearsing the Stew Zoo scene. He was having the actors do a really neat exercise. As they read their lines, they had to first state the specific action that is motivating their specific line.
They are forced to make choices, and deliver on them, and then Marc can coach them those choices. For example, If Holly's line is "Let's get this party started", she would say "I enthuse you; Let's get this party started". Other examples of actions for other lines might be -- I tease you, I inform you, I seduce you -- you get the idea.
Seems simple enough, but it really breathes life into the lines, and keeps the actors focused and specific.
I'm sure this is a well-known technique, but I've never seen it done before, or been directed that way, so it was really fun to watch. Good times!
I do love Boing Boing's focus on modernist style. Here's some fantastic furniture from this post on Boing Boing:
This Croissant Sofa from Muleh furniture is striking: made from coconut-leaf core and steel, it consists of a giant, horseshoe-shaped hollow and airy tube with cushion between the horseshoe's arms.
Update: Here's a pointer to some lovely similar goods for sale in Toronto here.
I came across a really cool Web site at costumes.org when I was looking for some information on breakaway pants (don't ask).
Run by Tara Maginnis, PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbank. The site is all about costumes -- costumes for dress up, Halloween, the theatre, every day wear, accessories, how-to -- you name it, she talks about it.
My favorite part of the site is the Costume and Trivia Questions section, where she gets all sorts of crazy questions. Go to the site to see her answers but here is a selection of questions she gets:
1. I'm a Heterosxeual Transvestite who needs advice on body padding so my dresses will fit better.
2. My Fiddler On the Roof director thinks Russian Jews wore barmaid bodices and polyester pants, where do I find research materials for 1904 Russian Jews so I can enlighten him?
3. How do I teach a little girl's soccer team how to tie dye their uniform socks?
4. My professor says Saque Backed gowns didn't exist. Am I crazy thinking I've seen them, or is she stupid?
5. Can I paint a pair of overalls silver for the Tin Man in The Wiz?
And my personal favorite:
6. I'm in Community theatre Costume Hell. How do I get these people to act like professionals?
A few days ago I met with Marc Richard, the director of Theatre Sheridan's "Bold Strokes" workshop production of Plane Crazy. We met at Starbucks, the official but unauthorized meeting place of the musical theater community both in Canada and the U.S.!
It is really great to be working on the show again! We went through the script in detail, tossing ideas back and forth, clarifying, changing, and creating. As it turns out three is a magic number, especially in comedy!
Since New York I've added THREE NEW SONGS (and dropped a couple), streamlined the Book, and basically made a ton of changes. I love musical theater because it's such an incredible process of development!
I also found out that general seating tickets are on sale now for the Plane Crazy "Bold Strokes" production!
The Box Office is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Two weeks prior to show openings and during the run of the performance, the Box Office is open Tuesday to Friday, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. On performance days the Box Office is open one hour prior to performance times.
Tickets are:
$19 for Saturday matinees;$22 for Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday evenings; and$25 for Friday/Saturday evenings.
Group Sales -- Theatre Sheridan offers discounts for groups of 15 or more. Some conditions apply. Please call the Box Office for details.
The coolest thing about getting deeper and deeper into the New York musical theater scene with Plane Crazy is that I end up meeting famous people in the biz!
I had the pleasure of sharing a table with Hunter Bell, co-author (book) of [title of show] currently in rehearsal for its first preview at the Vineyard Theatre on February 15. Jeff Bowen is the co-author of the show (music and lyrics).
It's been great to watch [title of show] develop since it premiered at NYMF 2004, and it's great fun to actually talk with a fellow writer who also happens to be a really nice, funny guy! I can't wait to see the next evolution of [tos] at the Vineyard. If you haven't seen the show yet, now is your chance. Break a leg guys!
Also, check out the [title of show] blog -- and thanks for the shout out Hunter!
In this previous post I talked about how Jimmy Webb warned me that musical theater is a tough business, and that he didn't have much luck with his original musical Tuxedo. True enough.
And just the other day I was listening to Linda Ronstadt's Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind CD, and Jimmy Webb has a great song called "Adios" (in which he rhymes adios with grandiose -- don't you just love it!) on it. It got me to thinking, boy he has a ton of great songs...so why doesn't he do a life-story jukebox musical like The Boy From Oz or Jersey Boys with his repetoire?
He could call it "World Wide Webb!"
Selections might include:
"Up, Up and Away""Adios""By The Time I Get To Phoenix""Galveston""Witchita Lineman""Still Within The Sound of My Voice""Highwayman""MacArthur Park" (now that's theatrical!)"Lightning in a Bottle"
And, did you know that "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" has been the third most performed song in the last fifty years, with "Up, Up And Away" on the same list in the top thirty?
"Jimmy Webb is one of the only contemporary songwriters who can write songs right into the orchestra, and his songs have 17-layer emotions and sophisticated chord charges that are absolutely dazzling," says singer Linda Ronstadt
A friend of mine told me about a comedy workshop that is run by a guy named Steve Kaplan (maybe my friend was trying to tell me something...) called, appropriately, "Steve Kaplan's Comedy Intensive".
There is a very cool list of names that this guy has coached or worked with in some fashion, including Nathan Lane, who is a master of the pregnant pause, and very funny. Some other notables include:
Jack Black (School of Rock)Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)Bob Odenkirk (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mr. ShowDave Crane (Friends)Peter Tolan (Analyze This, Larry Sanders)Kenneth Lonergan (Gangs of New York: Now that was a funny movie!)Kathy GriffenJosh Malina (West Wing)Mark O'Donnell (Hairspray)Andy Kindler (Everybody Loves Raymond)Sam McMurrary (King of Queens)
Although I've taken writing courses, I've never taken taken one on how to be funny, or write comedy. Who knew? It's a two day workshop in early March in L.A. and early April in New York. From the Web site:
Kaplan's techniques are for anyone who's ever received (or given) such fruitless directions as, "Lighten it up" or "Have fun with it." Such directions are "unusable," Kaplan groans. "What do you do with that?" Given the inevitable truth that "when you try to make something funny, you will kill the comedy," he focuses instead on usable, practical tools and philosophies that can be applied immediately and in almost any situation.
"Comedy tells the truth about people," Kaplan declares, dismissing the notion that it must involve silliness or exaggeration. The latter may evoke a laugh or two, but can't sustain humor over the course of an evening, or even a half-hour sitcom. Rather, he avers, "Comedy is the art of being human."
To illustrate his point, he describes the Non-Hero, one of the basic concepts he teaches in his workshop: "A less than ordinary guy struggling against insurmountable odds, without many, or any, of the tools necessary to win, but without ever giving up hope." Modern-day examples he cites include the character of George Costanza from "Seinfeld" and the classic schnook embodied by Woody Allen in most of his films.
Another tool Kaplan teaches is called Metaphorical Relationship, which contends that "beneath every surface relationship there's a true relationship." The example he gives is the dynamic between Felix Unger and Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple." While the surface relationship is that the two are roommates and friends, Kaplan points out the metaphorical relationship underneath Felix is the wife and Oscar the husband. The comedic possibilities immediately become much richer. Such are the gems to be mined from a weekend with Steve Kaplan."
He started out with a 40 week master class, but people in L.A. didn't have that much time to spare to get funny so he compressed it into two days. Now that's funny!
One Nite Only! January 30, 2006 Concert Celebrates 50 Years of The Public Theater...
I got an e-mail invitation for this and it sounds so cool. From the invitation:
In honor of its 50th Anniversary Celebration, The Public is holding a one-night only event dedicated to the rich history of musicals produced by The Public Theater including Hair, A Chorus Line, Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, Caroline, or Change, and many others. The evening of Janaury 30 will contain an original musical interpretation of shows with a non-traditional juxtaposition of voices and images. This once-in-a-lifetime event will be fresh, innovative and unprecedented.
Featuring performances by Meryl Streep, Zach Braff, Idina Menzel, Jerffrey Wright, Betty Buckley, Elaine Stritch, Donna McKechnie, Lillias White, Natalie Portman, Donna Murphy, Phylicia Rashad, Eartha Kitt, Savion Glover, Tonya Pinkins, Billy Porter, Cynthia Nixon, Rosie Perez, Mary Testa, Lea Delaria, National Dance Institute, and More! Directed by James Lapine.
Boy, can you imagine the egos at the rehearsal?
For tickets call New York City Center Citytix at 212-581-1212, or in person at New York City Center Box Office.
They have premium tickets available as well. For example, $5,000 will get you one prime orchestra enter ticket, am invitation to the pre-performance cocktail party, an invitation to the post-performance VIP supper at the Time Warner Center, a Limited Edition signed and framed benefit poster, and a premiere listing in the souvenir program.
All proceeds benefit The Public Theater. So what are you waiting for?
Wow, it's been a year since I started Blogway Baby with this first post.
In that year, I've put up 553 posts, written over 50,000 words, and I've had 131,620 unique visitors to Blogway Baby. From the first few readers, which were mostly friends and family, Blogway Baby now has almost 1,000 unique visitors a day!
The highlights of the last year, for me, were clearly the blow-by-blow of the NYMF 2005 production of Plane Crazy; tracking my oldest daughter Myrna's progress in her first professional theater role (Minnie in Annie Get Your Gun with Louise Pitre) and her first leading role (Annie in Annie Warbucks); and being able to rant on about all my favorite theater hobby horses!
I want to thank all my readers, and especially everyone who has taken the time to post comments. And, of those, especially the compliments (hehe).
At this point, it's also worth noting my philosophy on the difference between user-generated media like Blogway Baby and more formal media sources like Playbill.com or Broadway.com.
In my mind, it's very simple. Blogway Baby is an expression of what I like...it's a personal journal of my favorite things. At the end of the day, it's fantastic having readers, but I write Blogway Baby for myself.
I don't have any aspirations to make Blogway Baby the next Playbill...this is a journal of my musical theater journey. It's been a lot of fun for me over the last couple of days reviewing my posts from the last year: What an incredible record, and what a crazy year!
If you enjoy reading Blogway Baby, that's great: You are obviously into the same things as myself. And if you don't: Hey, that's cool too...Blogway Baby isn't a business, it's a passion. So for all of you that are along for the ride: Thank you. It's very rewarding to know that other people share the same passions. And for everyone I have one thought: GO SEE A SHOW...
So, here's my New Year's request: The 2006 Bloggie Award nominations are open! I'm not expecting to win, but gosh it'd be an honor just to be nominated (hint, hint). Please take a moment to go and nominate your favorite blogs. The Bloggies run on reader-participation, so you need to go and do your bit! You can vote here, and if you do nominate Blogway Baby (hint, hint) I think it would make the most sense in the categories of "Best Entertainment Weblog" and "Best New Weblog".
I've nominated Boing Boing in the categories of Best American Weblog, Best Group Weblog, and Weblog of the Year.
Anyway, thanks everyone, and here's looking forward to a great 2006!
I still haven't seen Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life yet, but from what I've heard and seen, it is more than just one dance number after another. Hopefully I'll learn something about her and the people with whom she has worked.
Fosse was disappointing because I felt I didn't learn any more about the man than I knew before I saw the show. That is one of the things I enjoyed about The Boy From Oz and Jersey Boys -- you gain some insight into the artist. Perhaps if Mamma Mia! had been "the ABBA story" I would have enjoyed it more.
There was a cool article in the Sunday December 18, 2005 issue of The New York Times ("Above All, Do Not Make Eyes At Bob Fosse" by Claudia Rocca) that gave Chita's perspective on the four major choreographers she showcases in one of the show's numbers:
JACK COLE"You do one step, and you know it's Jack Cole," said Ms. Rivera, who first worked with him on the 1953 musical "Zenda." Viewed as the father of theatrical jazz dance, Cole trained in modern but he incorporated everything from East Indian dancing to Graham to ballet. "He was universal," Ms. Rivera said.
BOB FOSSE"When Bob Fosses showed you a movement, you had to be so focused and so small and so clean," Ms. Rivera siad, recalling how he fired a woman from the film "Sweet Charity" when she couldn't control her eyes. From him, Ms. Rivera learned minimalism. "You do it long enough, it becomes a part of you."
JEROME ROBBINSRobbins, who discovered Ms. Rivera when she was a 17-year-old ballet student, is especially dear in her memory. "He could do all of it," she said. "He made dancers actors." She knew nothing of Broadway, but once he gave her a major role in "Call Me Madam," she said, "I knew that's probably where I would be."
PETER GENNAROIf Fosse taught stillness, Gennaro, a "West Side Story" choreographer, taught speed. "Peter was like a jazz musician, scatting. His feet were so fast." Ms. Rivera said. "His footwork was fast, complicated and very whimsical at times. He kept changing it, too. You had to catch it the first time around."
It's a pretty straightforward idea. Take a headset-guided tour of the theater district and listen to selections from shows, and hear stars, past and present, talk about the history of Broadway.
Sounds like fun!
From the Web site:
Walkin' Broadway is the newest attraction to hit Times Square and makes Broadway's Theater District come alive for theater fans and international tourists. This self-guided audio tour delivers theater, history, architecture, music, humor and the true beat of New York City right in front of your eyes...and in your ears!
The stories of Broadway, the infamous tales and the backstage secrets, are shared by the very stars and creative teams that have created 'your' favorite shows. Over 40 voices -- including producers, actors, directors, designers, theater owners, and industry specialists -- are woven into the tour hosted by A&E Television personality Elliott Forrest. Music from over sixty soundtracks will send a chill down your spine and make you dance in the streets. In addition to a look into Broadway's history, Walkin' Broadway also provides stories about the plays and musicals currently on the boards!
The Times Square Theater District is essentially our nation's unofficial National Park of the American Entertainment Culture. In these 39 theaters, 26 of them over 80 years old, our nation's collective consciousness in music, dance and drama culture was formed. "Walkin' Broadway" now brings this unofficial national urban park to life, block by block, theater by theater, story by first-hand story. Join us!"
Some of the stars who are on the tour include:
Victoria Bailey: Executive Director, Theatre Development FundRod Baltimore: Rod Baltimore's Music InstrumentsAntonio Banderas: Actor (Nine)Hinton Battle: Actor (The Wiz, Tap Dance Kid, Miss Saigon)Gary Beach: Actor (The Producers)Marty Bell: Producer (Ragtime, Sweet Smell of Success)William Berloni: Dog Trainer (Annie, Oliver! Revival)Alexander Bernstein: Son of Leonard BernsteinPatricia Birch: Choreographer(Pacific Overtures, Grease)Martin Charnin: Director, Lyricist (Annie, Two by Two)Cy Coleman: Composer (Sweet Charity, City of Angels)Lynne Taylor Corbett: Director, Choreographer (Swing, Titanic, Chess)Nancy Coyne: Serino/Coyne Advertising AgencyGrover Dale: Director, Choreographer, Performer (The Magic Show, West Side Story, L'il Abner)Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee: Actors, Writers (Purlie, Victorious)
For more info:
Call 212-997-5004 to schedule a tour( Tours depart from Colony Music located at 1619 Broadway at 49th Street)
I count myself as fortunate that I was alive in the time that Guy Lombardo welcomed in the New Year with "Auld Lang Syne". I'm also lucky enough to have stayed at the Waldorf=Astoria enough times to soak up the feeling of what it would have been like to enjoy a New Year's celebration in the Starlight Lounge.
My oldest daughter said, the other day, "who's Guy Lombardo", and I felt like I had failed her as a parent. So, as a beginning to make up for this failure, here's an excerpt from the Canadian Encyclopedia:
"Auld Lang Syne" has aptly been described as the song that nobody knows, although it is universally the song the English-speaking world uses to bid farewell to the old year and to hail the new.
The song nicely combines a note of conviviality with a poignant sense of loss, just the right mood for New Year's Eve, when our minds hover between regret and anticipation.
The song we sing now is a version of an ancient song reworked by the 18th century Scottish bard Robbie Burns, a song he said "of olden times" which he took down from an old man's singing and then improved with the words we (try to) sing today.
"Should auld acquaintance be forgotAnd never brought to mind?Should auld acquaintance be forgotAnd auld lang syne?"
Or is that last line "And days o' lang syne," as Burns originally wrote it, or his earlier version "For auld lang syne"? And what does it mean? "Auld lang syne" translates literally as "old long since," or to make more sense, "and days of long ago."
Guy Lombardo first heard this song when as teenaged musicians he and his brothers toured the rural areas around his hometown of London, Ontario, which had been settled by Scots. In one of those delightful ethnic blends that are the Canadian experience, Scottish and Italian heritages mixed a unique cocktail.
Guy's father Gaetano was determined that music play a part in all his children's lives. In school Guy organized a four-piece band which played at church socials. By 1919, when Guy was seventeen, he and his two brothers Carmen and Lebert had left school to work as musicians. In 1924 the boys boarded a bus for Cleveland and opened in the Claremont Inn. The club owner Louis Bleet suggested a name change from the bland Lombardo Brothers Orchestra, and "The Royal Canadians" was born. Bleet also steered the band towards its unique sound, suggesting that they play softly. When Guy told Bleet that he could not possibly keep up with all the requests for songs, Bleet suggested the medley, for which the band became famous.
Guy moved the band to Chicago in 1927 and played to empty houses until he persuaded the local radio station to put a radio wire into the club. As a result the station was deluged with calls and the club was jammed.
In October of 1929 the Royal Canadians moved to New York and established themselves in the Roosevelt Grill, a two-tiered room with a second dance floor. When the Grill closed, the band moved to the Waldorf Astoria, the site of the familiar New Year's Eve television broadcasts.
Lombardo developed a rare sound that was unmistakable: slow, rhythmic and above all danceable. Many found it sentimental, but no less a fan than Louis Armstrong talked about the thrill of hearing Lombardo on the radio: "There we would listen to the sweetest music this side of heaven...Guy Lombardo had us spellbound." Lombardo went on to sell a phenomenal 450 million records, to play to record-breaking numbers of radio listeners and TV viewers. He introduced some 400 hit songs, many of them, such as "Seems Like Old Times" and "Return to Me" written by his brother Carmen. Lombardo would certainly appear on the shortest list vying for the title "best-known Canadian of all time."
By the time the band settled in New York, it was so popular that two radio networks vied for its services. On New Year's Eve 1929 Lombardo signed off CBS just before midnight and on to NBC just after. To bridge the gap, he used the old tune that he had learned back home, "Auld Lang Syne."
Even those who found Lombardo's sound schmaltzy reverently watched the band count down the seconds to the New Year. Life magazine wrote that if Lombardo failed to play "Auld Lang Syne" the American public would not believe that the new year had really arrived.
Lombardo was mystified why everyone thought that the playing of "Auld Lang Syne" was so brilliant. The Scots in his native Canada had been singing it for years.
And what an appropriate song it is. It evokes a fragrance of the past, memories of old friendships that never die, of old loves that remain young and of the bright colours of youthful dreams.
