City Youth Players 2nd Annual Fundraising Cabaret will be held at the City Playhouse on Saturday April 22 at 7pm.

This year the Cabaret will feature full-cast performances by the casts of this season's productions of ANNIE WARBUCKS and A CHORUS LINE, as well as a variety of acts from both past and present CYP members.

And, if you missed Myrna Conn in ANNIE WARBUCKS this past fall, then now is your chance to see her in the red wig! She is also doing a solo song, "Wasn't That Me" from PLANE CRAZY. She rocks!

And like last year there will be a silent auction with all kinds of cool stuff available!

So come on out for an evening of great entertainment and remember, it's for a great cause!

Tickets are $20 and are available by calling the City Playhouse box office at 905-882-7469. This is a general seating event.

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The excitement builds!

I really love working with university students. Not only are they talented, and optimistic about the business (aka "not cynical") but they have an infectious enthusiasm for musical theater!

My experience at Sheridan College in Toronto was fabulous, and now I am having another positive experience working with the students at OCU Bass School of Music in Oklahoma City.

Dan Meagher is the producer of this concert to be presented at 7pm on April 23 at the Petree Recital Hall (which I just found out sits about 500 people, my biggest audience yet!) on the OCU campus, and from my very first e-mail exchange with him, have been nothing but impressed at his professionalism and enthusiasm.

I received an e-mail from Dan telling me he had heard great things about my show and wanted to know if I would please submit it to their "Stripped" project.

Exsqueeze me? You're asking me nicely to please submit my work to you? You mean I don't have to beg, and whine and scheme, and beg, to get you to listen to my work? You want to??? What a great feeling! Of course I said yes. And when I was a little slow to get the materials in, he followed up. Yes, HE FOLLOWED UP!

And from what I've heard from Dan, it sounds like they are really marketing this event and doing PR -- see my Talkin' Broadway post. Kudos!

Since then I met through e-mail Roy Lightner, the director of the PLANE CRAZY part of the show. Again he loved the show and was really excited to get a chance to work on it. I love this guy!

Then last night I got another very enthusiastic e-mail from a woman "Shauna Hagan" who has been cast in PLANE CRAZY and she had listened to the music and wanted to thank me for submitting my show to them.

You get so much rejection in this biz, that when people consistently thank you for writing your show, and sharing it with them, it is positively heady stuff!

Sometimes it is hard to keep that joy and excitement, to remember why you got into the biz in the first place. The people at OCU are making it a whole lot easier! Thanks guys!

A news story about the New Musicals Project has been added to the OCU Bass School of Music website here.

Also, this past weekend, OCU opened their new $38MM music school facility -- the most technologically advanced, state-of-the-art music school facility in the nation. Click this link to read more and click this link to check out the Web cam.

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Spring has sprung
The grass has riz
I wonder who
The Tony host iz?

Ah, springtime. A time when young men and women's minds turn to...who is going to host the Tonys?

I've already marked down the date in my calendar (June 11, 2006 at Radio City Music Hall) and I'm wondering what I'll wear (and hoping that I'll go again!) so now I'm anxious to find out who is hosting it.

I'm a realist and I know that Hugh Jackman will most likely NOT be doing it yet again. I think he's busy with his touring version of THE BOY FROM OZ and deciding whether to do PAL JOEY or STOP THE WORLD -- I WANT TO GET OFF next. Oh, and doing the press junkit for XMEN 3, among other movies.

So who will it be? Harvey Fierstein, who is hosting the Drama Desk Awards? Billy Crystal? Martin Short -- plugging his new show FAME BECOMES ME? Dame Edna? Kristin? Idina? Gary Beach? Nathan and Mathew? Sarah Jessica?

Oprah?

Uma?

Inquiring (and obsessive) minds want to know!

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OK, here's a bold prediction from Blogway Baby: DROWSY CHAPERONE will win "Best New Musical" at this year's Tony Awards. You read it here first.

And here's a fantastic episode of BROADWAY BEAT, now available on Broadwayworld.com:

March 26, 2006 -- by Broadway Beat

The week in Broadway Beat brings you to the press preview of "The Drowsy Chaperone", "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" and "The God Committee."

BroadwayWorld.com has the most comprehensive video coverage of broadway on the web and is pleased to present via "state of the art" streaming video all new episodes of Broadway Beat, the popular weekly television program for and about the theatre world, right here on the web site. Broadway Beat is the premier, award-winning half hour television program covering theatre, music and performers. Each week, the show's popular and knowledgeable host, Richard Ridge, takes you behind-the-scenes for a look at the very best of New York Theatre -- on Broadway, and beyond. The show always features beautiful footage shot by video veteran Bradshaw Smith. Now, in its 16th year, Broadway Beat takes you from the rehearsal studios to opening nights, including in-depth interviews with Tony Award winning stars and directors. Broadway Beat is your front row seat to all the music, all the magic, and all of the magnificent drama that is Broadway.

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Continuing on my HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL post from yesterday, I wanted to talk about another group that is doing a great job of training the musical theatre customers of tomorrow: CAMP BROADWAY.

In the eleven years since it was founded, CAMP BROADWAY has established itself as the premiere educator of young people interested in a career in theatre.

According to the CAMP BROADWAY Web site:

Now in its 11th Smash Year, Camp Broadway, Summer Theatre Programs are the highlight and staple of our busy year. Theatre-loving kids come to New York City's Great White Way and are introduced to the world of Broadway and all aspects of putting a show together show in a professional, interactive and theatrical environment. This one-of-a-kind program fosters teamwork, discipline, commitment and support; important lessons that will resonate in all areas of our campers' lives, long after they leave our program.

My eldest daughter, Myrna, has been going to CAMP BROADWAY for a couple of years now, including a highlight at last year's Tony Awards...

This program was instrumental in cementing my daughter's commitment to theatre, and was a critical part of her winning roles in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (with Louise Pitre and Billy Ray Cyrus) and ANNIE WARBUCKS (as Annie).

CAMP BROADWAY is a remarkable, special program that is unparalleled in the field of education. Everyone who is even remotely interested in theatre should attend a program in New York.

For the Macy's Day Parade in November 2005, CAMP BROADWAY hosted 466 singing and dancing kids for a week in New York City. The week-long program culminated in the opening number LIVE at the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Unfortunately, Myrna was starring in ANNIE WARBUCKS at the exact same time, otherwise she would have been front and center...

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I am fascinated by the growing phenomenon of Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL.

It's great to see a musical gain such broadscale popularity in the heartland. There's a good lesson in the success of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL that all of us working in theatre need to pay attention to: "Give the People What They Want..."

It's so cool: The album is selling, the DVD is coming, and a sequel is in the works.

I've believed for years that people want to love musicals...and I've also bemoaned that fact that no one does musicals in High School anymore.

Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL feels like an excellent set of training wheels to bring young fans into the genre...and as an industry we need to help them graduate through increasingly sophisticated pieces. I'm really pleased that Disney is working on bringing young people back into the musical theatre fold.

I also love the fact that all the different "groups" get involved: The Skaters, The Preps, The Brains, The Jocks...it's got that '70s "ABC After-school Special" vibe that I just love. I would have loved HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL when I was a tween. I totally get why my girls are into it.

My girls say "it rocks" and they "like the music and the characters". Trinity's favorite character is Sharpay...and Myrna is of course totally engaged with Troy (Zac Efron). Ah, young love...

At the same time, my children also love Sondheim (SWEENEY TODD is one of their favorite musicals), and just about everything else. Especially PLANE CRAZY ;-)

So keep it up guys!

Here are the details from this post on Playbill:

Disney Channel's popular original movie HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL became the first full length feature film available to Apple iTunes users at the Music Store.

Following its successful sales of video singles from the television movie -- not to mention how well the soundtrack and singles are doing -- the company decided to offer the movie as well. Apple iTunes users can download music videos for $0.99 or the entire film for $9.99.

A sequel is already in the works and the debut DVD of the popular original movie will be released May 23 featuring two versions and extra features.

Seven weeks following the Disney Channel's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL soundtrack debuted, the album moved into the No. 1 slot at the top of the Billboard pop chart. The feat was the first time an original TV movie soundtrack ever charted at No. 1 and the first TV soundtrack to hit the top spot since 1986 (the "Miami Vice" album).

For more information, visit www.disney.go.com/disneychannel.

NEWSIES director-choreographer Kenny Ortega headed up HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL which premiered on Disney Channel Jan. 20 at 8 PM (ET).

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL centers on the unlikely friendship that evolves between the jock Troy and brainiac Gabriella at a karaoke contest. Little did the two know that she would be transferring into his school. The duo decide -- against their friends' wishes and to the dismay of school stars (a drama queen and her twin brother) -- to audition for the high school musical.

The cast features Zac Efron ("Summerland"), Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale ("The Suite Life of Zack and Cody"), Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Monique Coleman as the featured teens with Alyson Reed, Bart Johnson and Joey Miyashima.

Ortega directed and choreographed Disney's NEWSIES. Among his other choreographic film credits are DIRTY DANCING, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, PRETTY IN PINK, ST. ELMO'S FIRE, XANADU, TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, JULIE NEWMAR. He also directed and choreographed the short-lived Broadway musical MARILYN centering on the actress Marilyn Monroe. He was just announced as the new director-choreographer for the Australian tour of THE BOY FROM OZ starring Hugh Jackman.

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NOTE: No animals were harmed during the making of this musical...

Book and Lyrics by Suzy Conn
Music by Mitchell Kitz
Directed and Choreographed by Marc Richard

THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND will premiere at The Toronto Fringe Festival at the Palmerston Library July 5 to July 16, 2006.

THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is a fun family musical based on the Beatrix Potter story of the same name.

Beatrix Potter is the most popular children's author of all time, so this musical is sure to be a hit with kids age 3 to 9 (and their parents). The running time of 45 minutes is perfect for a child's first musical theatre experience

SYNOPSIS
The Tale of Pigling Bland is the story of a young pig who is forced to find his way in the world -- a classic coming-of-age pig story.

STORYLINE
The show opens with WE'RE PIGS!, a song about pigs doing piggy things like rolling in mud, snorting, and of course, eating.

Over the course of the opening song we find out that it's time for Pigling Bland and his brother Alexander to go out in the world and go to market to work. Aunt Pettitoes gives them two licenses so they can go alone and Pigling's objections fall on deaf pig ears...

On the road, Alex starts carousing, and the licenses get mixed up. Pigling ends up with both of them by mistake. They come upon a Policeman who discovers that Alex doesn't have a license. Alex must now go back to the farm and Pigling must go on to market alone. Again his objections are unheard. Pigling is left alone and finally realizes what he wants, singing A LITTLE PATCH OF POTATOES.

As he finishes he finds Alex's license in his pocket and heads offstage to find Alex, but gets lost and ends up at a hen house at night where he falls asleep and is awakened by squawking hens singing WE'RE HENS!

Chaos ensues with much squawking and in comes John Piperson, a grizzled ugly old man who thinks a fox has gotten into the henhouse. Pigling tries to leave but Piperson grabs him and sings YOU'RE UNDER MY THUMB NOW!

Piperson leaves Pigling at his house with instructions to clean up and stay put. Pigling is intimidated enough to stay. Piperson's minions, Cat and Dog, enter and menace Pigling. Pigling distracts them and they run off leaving Pigling alone, or so he thinks...

Pigling hears some noises coming from a locked cupboard. Who can it be? THE DOOR SONG starts, with Pigling and PigWig (a female pig who is locked in the cupboard) doing a dance number on either side of the cupboard door. Piperson returns, unlocks the cupboard door but neglects to relock it before going to bed. PigWig jumps out, Cat and Dog return, and Pigling learns the facts of life as Cat and Dog sing WAKE UP AND SMELL THE BACON.

This rousing number wakes up Piperson who throws Cat and Dog outside and goes back to bed.

PigWig admits to Pigling that all she wants is WIDE OPEN SPACES and the two pigs discover they have a love of the outdoors in common.

While looking for a tissue to dry PigWig's tears, Pigling finds the two licenses and the pigs decide to escape.

A Keystone Cops-stlye CHASE starts as we hear the two pigs have run into Cat and Dog and Piperson discovers they've escaped. Finally the Policemen enters and blows his whistle: Stop!

Piperson tries to claim the pigs but the Policeman sees the licenses and hustles him off. The Policeman explains to the pigs that if they cross the bridge they won't be protected by the licences. Together the two pigs decide to face the unknown and cross the bridge in search of WIDE OPEN SPACES and A LITTLE PATCH OF POTATOES.

All the pigs are reunited when Pigling Bland and Pigwig return to Aunt Pettitoes farm with potatoes. Piperson sheepishly shows up to buy potatoes from Pigling. Everybody sings a rousing reprise of WE'RE PIGS!

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Let's have a big musical theatre-sized shout out to John Henson, who just did a great job of setting up the blog for THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND, which is coming to The Toronto Fringe Festival this summer.

John set up a new blogging tool called WordPress which I. AM. LOVING.

What a refreshing shift in reliability versus Blogger, which has had me on the verge of tears these last two weeks.

If anyone at Blogger is listening, I'll make sweet love to every one of your smelly programmers if you could just fix the image upload tool...

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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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I just finished watching a fabulous movie -- AVANTI -- starring Jack Lemmon (he was starting to get that great "bit worn early '70s" look) and Juliet Mills.

Produced, written and directed by Billy Wilder, this 1972 romantic gem is about a man whose rich business tycoon father has died suddenly in Italy. The father had been going to Italy every August for the last 10 years, and when Jack Lemmon goes to retrieve his father's body, he discovers that his father was not just visiting Italy every August for the "rejuvenating waters".

Apparently, his father had been having an affair with Juliet Mill's mother for 10 years. There are lots of colorful characters, misplaced bodies, coffins, and such (I won't tell you what happens or how it ends...) but there are a couple of things worthwhile pointing out.

One was the nudity.

I was shocked, not at the nudity, but at the fact that there was so much of it.

Quite frankly, I've now seen more of Jack Lemmon than I ever thought I would...and I was surprised to see it in a mainstream film from the early '70s. I mean, only a few years before, didn't married men and women have to sleep in different beds on TV? It was wonderful, very natural nudity, with "normal" looking bodies that every man or woman might have. Maybe Hollywood thought it was OK because it took place in Europe.

Another interesting theme was that Juliet Mills' character was constantly referred to as chubby and overweight. By today's standards, she looked positively thin!

The final thing was the constant mention of musicals! From OH CALCUTTA to HELLO DOLLY!, musicals were sprinkled throughout the dialogue, as if it were an accepted part of life back then.

My favorite mention was a made-up rock musical called "SPLASH!" -- about the sinking of the Titanic! And referenced in terms of "no one would ever dare make a musical about the sinking of the Titanic". Ahem.

It was meant to be funny, but just like the mention of "HUNCH!" in Woody Allen's BULLETS OVER BROADWAY it had an obvious modern-day irony.

I can't wait to see this movie again! (And not just to see Jack Lemmon's naked behind...)

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Well, [title of show] has been extended yet again to April 23 at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street). Congrats to Hunter and Jeff and the whole gang!

I saw it last night, and after two years of loyal following I finally had a decent seat!

The first time I saw it at NYMF 2004 I got a last-minute industry ticket and was squeezed into the last row of the balcony, and had to look down on the actors. Then second time was at Ars Nova last September, and I waited for last minute tickets and squeezed into a small nook and/or cranny at the very back of a very crowded, very dark space.

This time I had the presence of mind to buy my ticket ahead of time (who knew?) and I had a great seat close to the stage. It was great fun to be that close because I really got to see that Susan, Heidi, Hunter and Jeff were having a ton o' fun onstage. And I finally got to see Larry Pressgrove's smiling face. Hey, he's not just a shadowy figure in the back corner playing the keyboard!

I thoroughly enjoyed my third viewing of this show as did the full-house audience. It's funny, touching and wonderfully silly. I still get chills during "Die Vampire, Die!", and I think it's my favorite song, although "Part of It All" is a close second.

The show really works -- it seems like a complete whole, happy in its own skin. The "tension between the group" stuff really worked for me here, better than it had at Ars Nova, perhaps because I could see and hear the actors...

Oh, and the new chairs rock!

I also love the swanky, glossy, rectangular [title of show] program, in which (sorry, but I have to mention this) I am included in the "special thanks" section somewhere after Victoria Clark, but before Idina Menzel. That rocks too!

Don't miss your chance to see this great show in a great space!

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When I first read this, I thought "cool, a musical about North Korea. That could be interesting", and then I continued reading and YIKES! I hope that putting up your body parts for collateral doesn't catch on with New York producers...

From this post on Boing Boing:

Over on NPR's terrific new Mixed Signals blog, NPR News producer and blog host JJ Sutherland writes:

Okay, you've just escaped North Korea. You were held there for years in the gulag of prison camps. Your only crime? Listening to South Korean radio about the death of Kim Il Sung.

But you're out now. You've made it to freedom. What do you do? Why, put on a musical, of course. Director Jung Sung San's musical, Yodok Story just opened in Seoul. It deals with rape, beatings, murder...great family fare, no?

Audiences have been stunned. Apparently the South Korean media doesn't like to talk too much about what is going on in its neighbor to the north. The South Korean government is attempting reconciliation with the North and doesn't exactly want to shine a bright light on Kim Jong Il's little peccadilloes that keep an estimated 400,000 people in the gulag.

Oh, and the director, he had to put up his kidney as collateral to put the show on. If he can pay them back by next month, it won't be removed.

Link. Louisa Lim's radio report airs tonight on All Things Considered. Image: Louisa Lim.

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You bet he is! I LOVE THIS SHOW!

I'm never disappointed when I go to The Zipper Theatre (loyal BB readers will recall this post about Bebe Neuwirth in HERE LIES JENNY...).

After buying a $35 ticket at TKTS (I had tried to see THE PAJAMA GAME but it was completely sold out!), I headed down to the 37th Street Old Zipper Factory.

I've known about this show my whole life, but never really knew anything about it.

This show originally ran off-Broadway in New York in the late '60s and played for 1,847 performances.

The show is billed as following: Production conception, English lyrics and additional material by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman. Based on Jacques Brel's lyrics and commentary, music by Jacques Brel.

From this article on Playbill:

He (Jacques Brel) had a habit of setting harsh reality to three-quarter time, wrapping savage imagery in the swirl of an exquisitely circular waltz (a la "Sons of" and "Carousel"), but he was no less adept at slipping his slices-of-life and anti-war diatribes into tangos, boleros, ballads and rock. Much of the power of his dark, often bitter romanticism was specifically pinned to his particular skills as a performer, but some American friends/fans stepped in and deconstructed his work with intelligently in-tune TLC, assuring that its essence traveled well to these shores, like good wine.

A Whitman's sampler of Brel songs, two-dozen strong (a quarter of his lifelong output), was assembled. Eric Blau translated and shaped the handpicked 24 into a revue, while Mort Shuman ("Save the Last Dance for Me") supplied the definitive rhyming lyrics and performed them with a superb cast that included Mrs. Blau (Elly Stone), Shawn Elliott and Alice Whitfield. The long-playing result was the "jukebox musical" of its generation.

This revival is directed by Gordon Greenberg and stars Robert Cuccioli, Gay Marshall (who made her Broadway debut in A CHORUS LINE as Morales), Natascia Diaz (who I saw perform a song from ROOMS at the NYMF Best of Fest Bash) and Rodney Hicks, with tres fabulous musical direction by Eric Svejcar (who also sings in the show and plays every instrument ever invented.)

This entire cast is amazing. I laughed, I had tears in my eyes, and I was leaning forward on the edge of my seat the whole night.

It's practically a bare stage with nary a prop or costume change, but the cast and material are so compelling that I was totally engrossed and moved. There was a spontaneous standing ovation at the end. There is a lot of talk of war and death but the whole show is so life affirming that it doesn't feel down or preachy. There isn't any libretto, just around 28 musical numbers, one after another!

I also heard a couple of songs that I found very familiar, but hadn't known Jacques Brel had written them.

One example was "Le Moribond", which I automatically recalled as "Seasons in the Sun" a hit for the Canadian band The Poppy Family (Terry Jacks and Susan Jacks). Anytime I've seen that song or lyrics in relation to The Poppy Family, I never see Jacques Brel credited as writing it. Odd. I always found that a bizarrely dark song but now it makes perfect sense, now that I know who really wrote it!

Here's a bit about Jacques Brel from the show's Web site:

Jacques Brel achieved fame through his performances in France, but he was born in Belgium and identified himself strongly with his linguistically divided native land. His acidly humorous lyrics target the hypocrisies of groups as well as individuals, with special attention to Belgium's Flemish population, the military, and the bourgeoisie in general.

At the same time, some of Brel's most affecting songs contain passages in Flemish, and many of his lyrics show a pronounced fondness for his "flat country." Brel's irreverent approach to life was sharply reflected in his music and films and can be compared to that of Bob Dylan in the U.S. and Vladimir Vysotsky in Russia, with whom he also shared a capacity for tongue-twisting patter not heard since the early days of Danny Kaye. On this CD, "Le Plat Pays," "Au Suivant," and "Les Bourgeois" illustrate both the somber and raucous aspects of his extensive repertoire.

Brel's acute perception made him an innovative and creative painter of daily life with rare poetic ease. He was a master poet. His intelligent use of words was striking and simple, exhibiting a very visual and meaningful vocabulary. Few of his peers are considered to match his skill in fitting as much novelty and meaning in a sentence from a few words of common use.

Go see it! I can't wait to see it again!

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There ain't nothing like a Dame!

Well, I completed my intellectual retreat in Chicago by going to see DAME EDNA: BACK WITH A VENGEANCE at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. So I completely missed the 7,000 person anit-war protest march down Michigan Avenue.

From all my experiences in Chicago, Chicago audiences are fabulous audiences who are out to have a great time. Well this audience wasn't any different. You can't help but have a good time when you are sitting in an audience that is whooping it up all night long.

Dame Edna (aka Barry Humphries) is joined on stage at the piano by Master of The Dame's Musick, Wayne Barker, and the two Gorgeous Ednaettes, Teri DiGianfelice and Michelle Pampena.

Dame Edna starts off the show with a ditty "This show is all about you" and that's exactly what it is.

I wonder if it is a special Australian gift (Peter Allen and Hugh Jackman had/have a real knack for audience participation). I've watched Dame Edna on her old TV show and she was very political and very acerbic, which is why I went to see her in the first place. The show last night, albeit enjoyable, was quite mild.

Perhaps she (or should I say he) changes her show based on where she is playing. Last night's show was like watching a nice Don Rickles insult the audience. After bringing one large woman onstage she commented on how nice her shirt fabric was...and wasn't she lucky to get so much of it...

She even brought a couple up onstage and "counseled their marriage" complete with phoning the woman's mother-in-law on stage and having a conversation.

I did have a running thought throughout the evening, which was "has Barry permanently ruined his vocal chords by talking this way for so long..."

Don’t' get me wrong -- the stuff is funny and I laughed out loud a lot. And part of the fun is appreciating the ease and quick cleverness with which she pokes fun at individuals in the audience. And after the gladiola throwing bit at the end (complete with group sing), you do leave feeling good and feeling like you had a good time. I did and I did. But I think I'm fully satisfied.

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Good News!

Last night I was lucky enough to get a seat to WICKED at the Oriental Theatre. J116, which just happened to be an aisle seat (oh snap!). The place was packed and buzzing. I mean it felt like I was in the audience waiting to hear The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show!

It was a great production, really excellent. The last time I saw WICKED was in New York, with the original Broadway cast. I've listened to the CD about 1,000 times since then, so I was wondering how I would react to the new cast. Well, no worries, they were great. Other than being a tad overmiked, they were great. Different inflections of course, and generally speaking, this cast (across the board) liked to speak lyrics more than usual. But still great.

Glinda was played by Kate Loprest, the understudy who was on for Stacie Morgan Lewis that night. She was amazing! If I closed my eyes she sounded like Kristin Chenoweth! And very funny too. I still think Glinda may be my favorite character in the show. Kristy Cates was Elpahba, Kristoffer Cusick played Fiyero, Heidi Kettenring was NessaRose (excellent!), Boq was played by Telly Leung and The Wizard was played by a wonderful Gene Weygandt. Oh, and Madame Morrible was played by Rondi Reed.

It felt like some things were different from the show I saw in New York, but that was a year ago so maybe my memory is suspect. During the witch hunter scene, when Boq is the Tin Man and talking about his personal vendetta against the Witch, he brings up the Cowardly Lion's grudge as well. In this production, we see him try to drag the lion on stage by his tail. I don't remember that in New York -- maybe they added that to make it clear who Boq was talking about.

Overall the whole cast seemed to be having a really great time onstage, something I never felt from the New York cast.

At the end of the show, Elphaba and Fiyero talked to the audience about donating to Equity Cares. And since it was St Patrick's Day, a green Elphaba seemed very appropriate!

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Jubilation! (T. Cornpone that is...)

I knew it, I knew it!

Blogway Baby predicts the future (almost) in this post from October, 2005.

I knew that eventually this musical would be revived. Yeah!

Now the Goodspeed Musicals revival may not measure up to the Earl Haig High School production that starred yours truly (well, not actually starred) as one of the wives ("they was dumb they was heathen but at least they was breathin"). Although I tried out for Daisy Mae, the guidance counselor/director (a powerful combination...) thought my talents would be better used in a more "supporting role".

Anyways...I was excited to hear about this revival. Can a Broadway production be far off?

According to this article in Playbill:

The cast of Goodspeed Musicals' revival of Li'l Abner -- the musical inspired by Al Capp's comic strip, set in Dogpatch USA -- has been announced.

Director Scott Schwartz's company at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT, April 21-July 2, will feature Glenn Lawrence, a recent graduate from the University of Hartford's Hartt School, in the title role.

The troupe will include Curt Buckler as Earthquake McGoon; Trent Armand Kendall as Marryin' Sam; William McCauley as General Bullmoose; Christeena Riggs (Broadway's Les Misérables and Jane Eyre) as Daisy Mae; Andrea Wolff and John Shuman as Mammy and Pappy Yokum; Paul Aguirre as Romeo Scragg; Larry Daggett as Dr. Finsdale; Dick Decareau as Senator Phogbound; Jeff Hiller as Available Jones; Nick Locilento as Mayor Dawgmeat; Sarrah Strimel as Stupifyin' Jones; Christopher Windom as Evil Eye Fleagle, with Jennifer Balagna, Adriene Couvillion, Ryan Donovan, Krista Kurtzberg, Kate Marilley, Eddie Rabon, Shane Rhoades, Mark Roland and Shorey Walker, Dante Russo, Ginger Child Smith, and Marcellus Waller.

The sexy musical satire opens Goodspeed's 2006 season.

"From Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul, Li'l Abner features a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, based on the comic strip created by Al Capp," according to Goodspeed. "Trouble begins in the cornseed town of Dogpatch, USA when the government decides to wipe it off the map. Hilarious protests and a riotous Sadie Hawkins Day chase ensue."

The score includes "If I Had My Druthers," "Jubilation T. Cornpone," "Love in a Home," "Progress Is the Root of All Evil" and "The Country's in the Very Best of Hands."

Winner of two Tony Awards, Li'l Abner was first directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd. It opened Nov. 15, 1956 at Broadway's St. James Theatre and played for 693 performances.

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

My old nemesis, Talkin' Broadway, put up this post on the Oklahoma City University "Stripped" competition winners, and there were a couple of nice comments about Plane Crazy:

The "Stripped" New Musicals Project will be presented on Sunday, April 23rd at the Petree Recital Hall on the Oklahoma City University campus. The event is free and open to the general public. The show will feature directors and students from Oklahoma City University's Bass School of Music.

"We are pleased to present these new musicals and give them exposure to a new audience", stated Dan Meagher, "Stripped" Producer. "Oklahoma City University has always been a prominent educator in the field of musical theater, and now we're pleased to be a prominent factor in the development of new musical theater. We're excited to share the creative visions of these composers with everyone."

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

A fan letter from Greece:

Hello! I have just learned about "Plane Crazy" and I got really enthusiastic! I am 23 years old and I live in Greece. I have worked for five years for Olympic Airways as Ground Hostess and my boyfriend has worked for 10 years as Cabin Crew Member. The lyrics of the song made me feel really jealous! What could he have done "back in cargo" all these years????? As you understand I am interested in learning more about "Plane Crazy". If I order the CD, how much do I have to pay and in what way? Is there any DVD of the musical? Where can I find the book? Thank you in advance for the answer. Another "Plane Crazy"

Hehe...nice letter. She got a free CD...

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

My husband sent me this cool link to find out what song was #1 on the day your were born!

Check it out:

Do you know what song was number 1 on the day you were born?

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT WHAT THE #1 SONG WAS WHEN YOU WERE BORN.
https://home.comcast.net/~josh.hosler/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Boy I was really excited to see what song was #1 when I was born -- June 29, 1963 -- (that makes me currently 29 of course...)

Needless to say I was a bit crestfallen to find out it was "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto.

I mean a few years later and it would have been "Windy" or "This Guy's In Love With You"...

Or maybe a month earlier and it would have been. "It's My Party". Now there's a song to be playing while you're giving birth!

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

I always knew we were two of a kind!

According to this article in Playbill:

Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, most recently on Broadway as the "Popular" Glinda in Stephen Schwartz's Wicked, may be seen in the New York City Opera's 2007 staging of The Pirates of Penzance.

A spokesperson for the actress told Playbill.com that Chenoweth is currently "in discussions" for the Gilbert and Sullivan work, which will play NYCO March 3-31, 2007. The Pirates cast, according to the opera company's official website, will feature Myrna Paris as Ruth and Matt Morgan as Frederic. No other casting has been announced.

The NYCO mounting of Pirates will be directed by Lillian Groag with choreography by Lynn Hockney. The creative team is set to include John Conklin (set design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Pat Collins (lighting design) and Abe Jacob (sound design).

Now I'm assuming she is in talks for the role of Mabel, the role that ...ahem... I starred in (originated, really) in the Bayview Junior High production of The Pirates of Penzance. Although only in grade 9 at the time, my voice displayed the splendor and power that have caused people to get Kristin and I mixed up, understandably.

In the supporting role of Frederic was Brian Peebles, and I daresay we had some pretty great onstage chemistry.

All kidding aside, I'd love to see her in The Pirates of Penzance! Not a day goes by that I don't make a whole pirate/pilot joke. And I've always been a huge G&S fan (Iolanthe, The Mikado) and I love the movie that was made about them (Topsy Turvy) and this would definitely be a blast!

So Kristin, say yes and "take ha- ha- ha- ha- ha- heart!

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

I've always loved marbles and marble runs. There's something reassuringly simple and fun about a good marble track...

From this post on Boing Boing:

Cool Tools reviews Cuboro, a set of somewhat expensive ($155 for the standard set), but awfully fun-looking wooden blocks that have holes and channels in them that let you build 3D marble paths:

This is the best toy I have seen since Lego. I recently purchased a set for my 3-year old son, and we both have been having a blast with it ever since. The basic idea is simple: marbles and a track. The interesting thing is that the track is built out of individual wooden blocks with curves and channels cut into them, allowing you to create a track of whatever shape your imagination can conceive. The marbles are moved along strictly by gravity, falling from one level to another and cutting back and forth through hidden tunnels.

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

The Plane Crazy gang are at it again!

Jamibeth Margolis, who was the director of Plane Crazy in New York, and Richard Todd Adams who played Captain Brett Mansford, and William Broderick, who played Sam Crenshaw, are all working together on a new musical.

From this article in Playbill:

Warsaw, a new musical set in the Jewish Warsaw ghetto during Nazi rule, will be heard in a New York City industry reading March 13.

Jamibeth Margolis directs the presentation of the show that has book and lyrics by John Atkins and music by William Wade.

"When giving in seems the only option, is there still a way to fight?" asks the creative team. "Roman, a young Jewish boy trapped in the Warsaw ghetto, manages to sustain optimism in the face of an unimaginable struggle for life. Behind a wall, and against a behemoth, he finds the strength to lead a successful Jewish revolt against Nazi troops. Based on true events during World War II, Warsaw is an intense and emotional musical play that honors the memory of this struggle -- with a passionate, soaring score sung by a cast of 30."

The cast includes Greg Mills (The Woman in White), Susan Derry (Wonderful Town), Anne Kanengeiser (Little Women), Ron Bagden, William Broderick, Richard Todd Adams (Woman in White), Christopher Kale Jones, Kristin Carbone (Fiddler On The Roof), Matthew Gumley (Beauty and the Beast), with Jennifer Babiak, Ward Billeisen, Alison Cimmet, Ben Cohen, Heather Curran, Julie Ellis, Julie Hanson, Stephen Horst, Lauren Lebowitz, Paul Lincoln, Jayne Ackley Lynch, David Macaluso, Jillian Mueller, Robbie Neigeborn, Josh Pins, Jake Shatsky, Rebecca Simon, Michael St. John, Matthew Trombetta, Hayli Wolkowitz, Michael Yeshion, Emma Zaks, Peter James Zielinski.

Members of the producing community interested in attending can e-mail MSCastingProd@aol.com for more information."

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

Ah yes, my favorite winter warm gear -- earmuffs -- were patented on this date in 1887.

According to Answers.com, Chester Greenwood got a patent for earmuffs -- sewn fur on metal bands -- calling them "Greenwood's Champion Ear Protectors."

Greenwood never finished elementary school, but he had more than 100 patents and is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as one of America's 15 outstanding inventors.

His hometown of Farmington, ME, is the Earmuff Capital of the World; they celebrate Greenwood's birthday on the first Saturday in December with a parade, with cars, cows and pets decorated with giant earmuffs.

Yeah Chester!

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

Wow, I can't wait...in about 20 years I'll have grandkids, and I can get them this cool playhouse for the backyard.

From this post on Boing Boing:

For about $3K, your wee ones can live it up midcentury hipster style in this modernist prefab playshed by Velocity.

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

Plane Crazy gets "Stripped"

Oklahoma City sounds mighty pretty!

I just found out that Plane Crazy was accepted into the 2006 Stripped New Musicals Project at Oklahoma City University! As they said in their submission guidelines:

"We're looking for the new musicals for a new generation. Fresh, original, cutting edge, conservative, funny, inventive, unique."

Sounds like Plane Crazy to me!

PLANE CRAZY was one of four shows selected to be presented in concert style in April 2006 by the OCU musical theater students. Narration will be provided between songs to establish the scene.

The public presentation will occur on Sunday, April 23rd starting at 7 PM in Oklahoma City. Stay tuned for more information!

PLANE CRAZY will join three other "Stripped" winners:

"Flyer, The Musical", music and book by Dan Tramon & Diana Belkowski with additional book Donald Feltham

"The Gift", music by Andrew Gerle and lyrics by Maryrose Wood

"I Married Wyatt Earp", music by Michele Bourman, lyrics by Sheilah Rae, book by Sheilah Rae & Thomas Edward West.

We will be presenting four songs from "Plane Crazy" during our presentation on Saturday, April 29th on the Oklahoma City University campus. The presentation is free and open to the general public. Our productions are "stripped"...meaning no sets, costumes, props, orchestra or major choreography (movement sections are fine as long as they are not full dance numbers). All performers will be in black.

What an honor! I'm really touched...and I can't wait to go to Oklahoma City to see the production. I've never been to OC, and I can't wait!

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

I was walking through a bustling Times Square, when I looked up at the Marquis Theatre's marquee and saw a sign for the The Drowsy Chaperone where The Woman in White used to be. I've been following this show since one of its earliest incarnations at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto (it had originally played at The Toronto Fringe Festival), so to see it up on Broadway was very cool indeed.

And FINALLY there was a big article in The Globe & Mail ("From Queen Street to the Great White Way" by Simon Houpt, Saturday March 4, 2006) talking about the journey of this Canadian show and the fact it has hit the big time ($10 million in big time, as a matter of fact!)

It's always really exciting to see the Canadian media support Canadian shows once they make it all the way to Broadway...

Then I was browsing through the March 5 Sunday Arts & Leisure section in The New York Times and came across a full-page color ad for The Drowsy Chaperone that read "Sometimes you can tell just by the title that a show is going to be amazing. This is not one of those times."

Now a full-page ad is totally awesome! But I hope it is part of a teaser campaign that will give more information on what a great show it is. A campaign that will communicate just how funny and charming "Man in the Chair" (Bob Martin) really is. A campaign that will tell us that the Tony award winning Sutton Foster is starring and yes, she will be tapping again (I think she does, although I haven't seen it yet...).

A campaign that lets women over 40 (like myself) know that Georgia Engel is also in it. Yes the same Georgia Engel we watched as Georgette on the the Mary Tyler Moore Show!

I love the full page, just don't leave the tourists guessing for too long!

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

Congrats to everyone at [title of show]!

Currently playing at the Vineyard Theatre (see my previous posts here, here, here, here, here, and here), [title of show] has been extended to April 9. I'm sure the rave reviews it has been getting haven't hurt!

Here is an exerpt from February 27 New York Times review by Charles Isherwood:

Calling all show queens! Or, if you prefer to be more formally addressed, may I have your attention, please, devoted aficionados of musical theater? Have I got a show for you!

Actually the guys who've got a show for you are Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, the authors, stars and, strange to say, subject matter of the cheekily titled "[title of show]," which opened last night at the Vineyard Theater. Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell have concocted a zesty, sweet, Broadway-trivia-riddled musical about the anxiety and excitement of creating a zesty, sweet, Broadway-trivia-riddled musical about the anxiety and excitement of creating a...

Yikes! Navel-gazing can be contagious, and in "[title of show]" Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell raise this activity to the level of -- well, if not art, then delectable entertainment. Directed and choreographed with smarts and pizazz by the veteran Broadway hoofer Michael Berresse, this little musical about the making of the little musical you're watching could be accused of being self-conscious to the point of self-devouring. But self-referentiality is the new black, isn't it? Today's television, awash in shows that allow people to watch people impersonating themselves, is a virtual hall of mirrors, after all. And at least "[title of show]" is, in part, about the tribulations of actual creativity.

With a deadline for submitting entries to a musical-theater festival three weeks away, the show's central characters, Jeff and Hunter, chronically aspiring New Yorkers who bear an unmistakable resemblance to the actor-authors Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell, interrupt a casual stream of phone gossip to jump-start their idling artistic collaboration.

"Hey, what if the first scene was just us talking about what to write?" says Hunter.

"Wait, so everything I say from now on could actually be in our show?"

"Yeah!"

"Like this?"

"Like this."

"And this?"

"And this."

There's a pause as, with subdued excitement and disbelief, Jeff awakes with awe to the unexpected ease of the artistic endeavor. "So I can say 'Wonder Woman for president' and it'll get in our show?"

"Sure!"

Don't roll your eyes just yet. What may sound arch or silly in theory is surprisingly charming onstage, thanks to the cockeyed humor of the writing and the pretense-free performances. Mr. Bell, who wrote the book, is goofy-boyish and naturally sweet. Mr. Bowen, author of the music and lyrics, is Chelsea-boyish and naturally dry. They and their equally likable female co-stars, the deliciously mordant Susan Blackwell and the genial Heidi Blickenstaff, play their Pirandellian games with the innocence of kids cavorting in a sandbox.

Fanciful metatheatrics aside, "[title of show]" is at heart a postmodern homage to the grand tradition of backstage musicals like "Babes in Arms," "Kiss Me, Kate" and "A Chorus Line," and its miniature size (four nicely assorted actors, four oddly assorted chairs and a keyboard onstage) is a telling reflection of how the old-school Broadway musical has become something of a niche product.

The more knowledgeable you are about the lore of this product, the more you'll enjoy "[title of show]." In one of Mr. Bowen's songs, the boys fervently sing of wanting to be "part of it all," all including opening nights at Tavern on the Green, having their sheet music on sale in Shubert Alley and "lunch with Bernadette."

But Bernadette Peters is just the tip of an iceberg of Broadway references, both arcane and up-to-the-minute. How inside-showbiz are we talking? Here's a test: The potential availability of Emily Skinner for a role in the show constitutes a major dramatic turning point in the plot.

If you had to rack your brain to recall who Ms. Skinner is -- and particularly if you came up empty -- perhaps this is not the musical for you. On the other hand, if you are familiar with her oeuvre (a Tony nomination for "Side Show," regular appearances in the Encores! revivals at City Center), it should probably be on your list. And if you are among those who will delight in he vocal cameos from the likes of Victoria Clark and Marin Mazzie, or smile knowingly at allusions to Broadway turkeys like "Kwamina" and "Henry, Sweet Henry," it should go right to the top of that list. (In any case, you've probably seen every other musical on a New York stage already.)

Now I agree, it is a fabulous show. But I've noticed that there exists a point of view (see NY Times above) that claims this show is only for theatrical fanatics (aka "show queens") who can get every single reference, nuance and inside joke. I beg to differ.

The overall theme of the show to me is about having the guts and the nerve to create something and put it out there, and then what the heck do you do once it succeeds...that is pretty universal. And the device of having the show about writing the show so that whatever they say is in the show (and so on and so on...) is so clever and fun in and of itself that it can be enjoyed on that basis alone. Sort of a Back to The Future thrill...

Yes, there is plenty of inside stuff. And even despite my own theatrical fanaticism I don't get every joke or reference. But I never got every single reference in Denis Miller's rants either, but I always enjoyed the ride! The way the show is written and the way the performers deliver make it extremely accessible in my opinion. Hey maybe if you are merely an average theatre patron you might learn something you didn't know. Or maybe Hunter and Jeff could publish a [title of show] study guide, a sort of glossary or Cliff notes they could hand out pre-show, or put up on their Web site...

The show is really terrific, and the performances are so engaging that I'd hate anybody to miss it because they were afraid they wouldn't get it.

So...go get it! ;-)

Technorati tags: Broadway Music Movie Musicals Musicals Blog Blogs Theater Theatre Entertainment

One of my favorite new applications is SiteShuffle.

Here's my shuffle. Sign up and send me yours!

The founders of SiteShuffle are officially launching the application today, Monday, March 6, at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference in San Diego.

SiteShuffle is an interesting application. It is one of the first applications to base its interface on favicons, which is kinda cool, and its premise is simple: Create a "media-player"-style interface for links, and use that to create a new kind of homepage which allows users to navigate to their favorite sites from one location.

What's also cool is that they use the connections of LinkLists in the SiteShuffle system to deliver associative relevance-based link recommendations to users (based on their similarity to other users).

With this release they've also published an API, which, among other
things, allows developers to subscribe to the Suggestions RSS stream. That could be killer.

Anyway, the app has been running for about 6 months, it's stable, and
they're looking for users and feedback to take it to the next level. They have a user-feedback forum set up.

Try it...see if you like it...

HINT: Try using your arrow keys to scroll through your LinkList...it's SUPER fast, and just a bit addictive. Hit the "up" arrow key to launch a site...

And here's the "official" SiteShuffle press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 6, 2006

SiteShuffle Launched at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference in San Diego

Today marked the unveiling of a new application called "SiteShuffle".

SiteShuffle is a NEW Web application that turns a user's HOMEPAGE into a WEBSITE PLAYER, and gives users the ability to FF> or REW< through a LINKLIST of their favorite WEBSITES. SiteShuffle is EASY, FREE, ANONYMOUS, and PRIVATE.

Plus, users get automated RECOMMENDATIONS for other sites, based on their similarity to other users in the SiteShuffle system.

SiteShuffle presents a solution to a recently emerging "daily read" problem. Essentially, people take a "garden path" through the main portals. But, with the explosion in blogs and other alternate media, people have expanded their number of daily "reads".

SiteShuffle allows a user to compose a daily read of their favorite sites.

It's also eminently adaptable to mobile phones and other limited input devices since it's a 'click-only' interface for accessing Web pages.

"The interesting thing about SiteShuffle is that this just started as a hobby to keep us off the streets...quite frankly, we built SiteShuffle for our own use, and some of our friends seemed to like using it as well," says Grad Conn, one of the founders of SiteShuffle. "If more people hop on board, that's great, since it will improve the suggestions for all users in the system."

SiteShuffle is based on open source technologies such as MySQL, Linux, and Lighttpd. The application was built with Ruby on Rails and employs industry-leading AJAX technology.

ABOUT SITESHUFFLE INC.
SiteShuffle Inc. is a privately-held Delaware corporation with offices in Seattle, WA. The founders of SiteShuffle are Grad Conn, Mike Glass, John Henson, and John Midgley. Grad and the Johns are all former employees of OpenCola Inc., inventor of the world's first P2P Web server and collaborati