Holy Tiger Beat Batman -- He's soooooooooooooo HOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!

In an inspired piece of tween cat nip casting, Zac Efron (formerly Troy of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL) has been cast as Tracy's love interest Link in the upcoming HAIRSPRAY movie musical.

From this article in Broadwayworld.com:

Variety has reported that "High School Musical"'s Zac Efron has been cast as dance show prince Link Larkin in the upcoming film version of Hairspray. Efron, who in "High School Musical" played the role of a teenager balancing his love between sports and theatre, was cast on the basis that he appear slightly less wholesome in the Hairspray movie. In it, he will join the previously announced John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle, Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton and newcomer Nicole Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, who helps to integrate a Baltimore dance show -- and wins the heart of Link in the process.

"I was a bit dismissive, because that film is pure Disney, and I told him I needed a more subversive energy...He worked on it and he gave it to me," stated Adam Shankman (Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier), who is directing the film. Efron, who was accepted into USC, now plans to postpone his college plans to make room for the Hairspray film, according to the article.

In addition to the wildly popular Disney TV musical, the actor's other film and TV credits include "Summerland," "CSI Miami," Miracle Run and "ER." He has also appeared in productions of Gypsy, Peter Pan, Little Shop of Horrors and more.

I think this is a fabulous idea because it ensures that throngs of young girls will flock to the movie for sure (and I will get inundated with more lustful comments on Blogway Baby!). Now, if THE PRODUCERS movie had starred Zac Efron in the role of Leo Bloom and Aaron Carter as Max Bialystock with Hilary Duff as Ula perhaps it might have had a bit more success at the box office.

What makes this news even more exciting, is that my friend and vocal coach extraordinaire Elaine Overholt is on board as well to help the cast reach their vocal potential! Holy Summer Lovin' Batman! Now there's a chance that I might get to meet John Travolta!

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

What Does $5 Buy You These Days? Or, "Gee Our Old Lasalle Ran Great, Those Were the Days..."

I remember when pop was ten cents a can (well, who would pay more than that for a can of Tahiti Treat for goodness sake!) and a bag of cheesecorn and a new Archie Comic would set you back about fifty cents! Ah the early '70s...

But inflation has really eaten away at a kid's buying power! I mean it's hard for a kid to scrape together enough to buy a supersized extra large fries these days!

So what does a fiver get you?

1. One movie rental for which you get one highly scratched, virtually unwatchable DVD of HOOK -- hmmm -- or;

2. Two and a half supersized Mr. Big chocolate bars (ASIDE: Does anybody really need that much nougat?) -- hmmm -- or;

3. Forty-five fabulous minutes of the all singing' and all dancin' hot new kids live-on-air-conditioned-stage musical THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND!

That's right! For just $5 ($10 for young-at-heart grown-ups), a kid can come and see eight incredibly-talented actors and three incredibly-talented musicians bring the classic Beatrix Potter story to musical life! THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is the fun family musical story about a pig who is forced to find his way in the world -- the perfect coming of age PIG story!

And here's the closer -- no tax! Just a crisp five bucks (or two toonies and a loony, or five loonies, or 20 quarters or ... well, you get the picture!).

So kids, go bug your Mom or Dad or big sis or big bro' to bring you to see THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND. Your grown-up can buy tickets by calling 416.967.1528 or visiting fringetoronto.com.

Happy days are here again!

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

Happy birthday to one of my idols. I only hope that I can meet him in the next couple of years, although my tongue will probably turn to rubber and I'll end up saying something stupid like "Mr. Brooks, I presume?"

My Dad was an absolute Mel Brooks NUT, and he regarded HIGH ANXIETY as the height of Western culture (tongue-in-cheek).

My Dad was a Hungarian Jew who lost his father in the Holocaust, and survived himself by hiding in an attic with his mother for the last year of the war (they didn't start rounding up the Jews in Hungary until 1944. See SUNSHINE. Now.)

When my father arrived in Canada in 1956, after the Hungarian Revolution, he didn't speak a word of English, was already in his 30s, and had to start his life over again.

For my Dad, Mel Brooks used the language in interesting ways, and his sense of the ridiculous and gag play were perfect for an age when people were just happy to be alive, happy to be normal, happy to be free from total war. It was a less cynical time, and my Dad loved the escape that Mr. Brooks provided.

I know my Dad would have loved THE PRODUCERS on Broadway, and it makes me sad to think that he didn't live to see it. I can just imagine sitting next to him in the theatre, yukking it up...

I think that Mel Brooks did an amazing thing with THE PRODUCERS on Broadway -- single-handedly bringing back a more classic, funny structure to musicals. And inadvertently, THE PRODUCERS was there for everyone in New York after 9/11.

From Answers.com:

Happy 80th birthday to writer/director/producer/actor Mel Brooks. The man responsible for GET SMART, BLAZING SADDLES and THE PRODUCERS, Brooks is one of a small number of people to win an Oscar (animated short THE CRITIC, THE PRODUCERS), Emmy (MAD ABOUT YOU), Tony (THE PRODUCERS for a record-breaking 12 Tonys) and Grammy (2000 YEAR OLD MAN, THE PRODUCERS).

Most of his movies are spoofs on different film genres: horror (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN), silent movies (SILENT MOVIE), westerns (BLAZING SADDLES), Hitchcock (HIGH ANXIETY) and science fiction (SPACEBALLS).

Quote: "Hope for the best, expect the worst. Life is a play. We're unrehearsed." -- Mel Brooks, THE PRODUCERS

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

History is full of emergent feminist movements from the most unlikely places, like the fraternity of stewardesses that really became the first "lipstick feminists".

And here's a new one I hadn't considered before: Tupperware Ladies.

I just can't imagine inviting a bunch of friends over to buy plastic containers. But, they did -- by the millions.

According to this great article in the Globe & Mail:

The prevailing idea was that any man who could look himself in the mirror could provide for his wife," says Laurie Kahn-Leavitt, a U.S. filmmaker who made a 2003 documentary about the company, titled Tupperware! "Here was a company saying you could earn extra money, and it wasn't really work. He could still feel like he was a breadwinner."

Cultural historians describe Tupperware as moulding gender politics in much the same way it shaped its polyethylene plastic; some even invoke the product's tight-sealing lid as a metaphor for the hermetic containment of postwar homemakers.

Ms. Kahn-Leavitt acknowledges that most of the 300 "Tupperware ladies" she interviewed for the film, who worked for the company during its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, were a socially conservative lot. Yet she insists that social theorists often fail to recognize the entrepreneurial, even subversive spirit of this group.

"None of the women I interviewed would call themselves feminists, but they were always working around their husbands," she says. "[Feminists] looked at the Tupperware ladies as a total anachronism, not realizing they were kind of proto-feminists in a way. It's a working-class boomer company, is what it really is."

Some of Tupperware's attempts to keep pace with the evolution of boomers were more successful than others. The company boasts, a bit tenuously, that it participated in the nascent 1960s women's movement by creating plastic organizers and travelling cases, as more women entered the work force.

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

Hey, these are cool!

In keeping with the "children's literature" theme of this musical, we are now producing THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND bookmarks.

Now you can keep your place in your favorite book with your favorite musical! ;-)

Remember, Beatrix Potter is the most popular children's author of ALL TIME. According to this entry on Wikipedia:

Beatrix Potter, or Helen Beatrix Potter (July 28, 1866 - December 22, 1943) was a British children's book author and illustrator. Her most famous character is Peter Rabbit.

Her father, Rupert Potter, although educated as a barrister, spent his days at Gentlemen's clubs and rarely practised. Her mother spent her time visiting or receiving visitors. Both parents lived on incomes (inheritances) from their parents. Nannies and governesses raised Beatrix and her younger brother, Bertram. When she came of age, her parents appointed her their housekeeper and discouraged any intellectual development, instead requiring her to supervise the household. An uncle attempted to introduce her as a student at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, but she was rejected because she was female.

The basis of her many projects and stories were the small animals that she smuggled into the house or observed during family holidays in Scotland and the Lake District.

Potter was one of the first to suggest that lichens were a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae, but her one attempt to publish was thwarted. Her uncle had to read her paper at the scientific society because they did not admit females. At the time the only way to record microscopic images was by painting them; her pictures of fungi were widely admired.

She was encouraged to publish her story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but she struggled to find a publisher until it was accepted in 1902. The small book and her following works were extremely well received and she gained an independent income from the sales. She also became secretly engaged to the publisher, Norman Warne, but her parents were set against her marrying anyone who worked for a living. He died before the wedding, causing a breach between Beatrix and her parents.

From an early age, Potter was a writer. From the age of fifteen until she was past thirty, she recorded her everyday life in journals, using her own secret code-writing. Potter wrote 23 books. These were published in a small format, easy for a child to hold and read. Her writing efforts abated around 1920 due to poor eyesight, though her last major work, The Tale of Little Pig Robinson, was published in 1930.

In her later years she bought and ran a sheep farm in the English Lake District; she loved the landscape, and with the steady stream of royalties from her books, along with the inheritance from her parents, she bought up large areas of local land. She had been a friend of one of the founders of the National Trust, and in her will, much of the property was left to the Trust -- cottages, 15 farms, 4000 acres (16 km²) of land -- to ensure that its beauty could remain unspoiled. Her legacy is now part of the Lake District National Park. Her most famous books were published by Frederick Warne & Company since 1902.

At the age of 47, Beatrix Potter married her solicitor, William Heelis; they had no children. She died in Sawrey, Lancashire on December 22, 1943.

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

Well, I finally listened to both CDs in the HARRY ON BROADWAY ACT I Double CD set. (Thanks to Victoria from Wiredset for the free discs!).

I had heard snippets of the new THE PAJAMA GAME Broadway production (including the wonderful Tony night performance -- congrats on winning Best Revival and Best Choreography!) but never the entire cast recording from beginning to end.

I must admit I was a wee bit skeptical since I have grown attached to the original Broadway cast recording, watching Doris Day in the movie, or recollecting the glory days of my performance as Gladys in the Queen's Musical Theatre production. Could this new recording come close?

Overture ... hmmm ... yes, very good ... (although I did miss Hines's song at the top of the show) ... Can't Waste Time ... yes, very good ... "A New Town Is A Blue Town" ... very Harry Connick, Jr. (not as powerful as John Raitt, but a lot sexier!). And about 30 seconds into "I'm Not At All In Love" I'm singing along at the top of my lungs (while driving, so I'm getting a lot of looks). I'm hooked. I love it! This cast recording is awesome!

Specifically, it does a great job of making the show sound fresh, yet still retaining the style of the original. And Kelli O'Hara sounds just like Babe should -- tough 'n' tender. I really enjoy the fresh swinging arrangements of the group numbers (eg. "Once a Year Day") and I really enjoyed the new "Hernando's Hideaway" arrangement where Harry comes in swinging and singing and playing the pi-ano.

As a recording it really rocks! I wonder how it works with the story (could Sid really play like that?). I didn't see this production so I can't comment. I also really enjoy having the bonus tracks of cut Adler/Ross songs ("The World Around Me", "The Three of Us") I especially like the "Hey There Reprise/If You Win You Lose" duet between Babe and Sid.

After I sang and danced through THE PAJAMA GAME CD (all while driving of course...) I put on the other CD which is a recording of Harry and Kelli singing the very laid back jazzy songs from the musical THOU SHALT NOT. This is the Harry Connick, Jr. I'm used to. Suddenly I get the urge to kick back, drink a glass of wine and read a good book (but I'm driving, remember?).

All in all, a fabulous CD set! Now if I can just remember where I put my old character shoes...

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

We just got our first CAMP BROADWAY mailing yesterday! How exciting! All sorts of juicy details for the week long program (the kids will be seeing a matinee of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE -- too cool!).

This year the musical they will be putting on is ONCE UPON A MATTRESS! One of the coolest things in the package is a square of green fabric that is to be decorated for the CAMP BROADWAY Gypsy Robe.

This year the CAMP BROADWAY Gypsy Robe is designed by two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway costume designer, Martin Pakledinaz. The robe, which has been built by Grace Costumes, Inc. a Broadway costume shop, travels the country with CAMP BROADWAY during the summer. In every city they visit, the campers have the opportunity to participate in the magic of the Gypsy Robe tradition by pinning their own swatch of fabric onto the robe.

What is the Gypsy Robe Broadway Tradition?

From this article on the Actors' Equity Association Web site:

The ritual of passing the Gypsy Robe from musical to musical on opening night is one of the American Theatre's most colorful and endearing traditions. In the musical theatre, a "gypsy" is a dancer and/or singer, male or female, who is hired for the chorus of a Broadway show. Many of these multi-talented performers work often, moving quickly from musical to musical: hence the name "gypsy."

The ritual of the Gypsy Robe began as a good-natured gag in 1950 when CALL ME MADAM, starring Ethel Merman, opened on Broadway. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES was New York's longest-running smash hit of that day. Hoping to relieve some of the opening night jitters of the cast of CALL ME MADAM, a dancer in the company of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES sent a tacky dressing gown to a friend dancing in CALL ME MADAM with a note that this "legendary gypsy robe" had been in the theatre for generations and brought with it great good luck. CALL ME MADAM opened to unanimous raves and, with it, a Broadway tradition was born. A rose from Ms. Merman's gown was added to the robe before it was sent to the next Broadway musical's opening night.

Today, the passing of the Gypsy Robe is an eagerly anticipated ritual of the opening night of a Broadway musical. At "half-hour", the time by which the cast must report to the theatre for the evening's performance, the robe is delivered to the company by the previous recipient. Before the audience arrives, cast members gather on stage for its presentation to the "gypsy" with the most Broadway chorus credits. The gypsy then walks around the stage three times, giving the entire company a chance to touch the robe for luck, before visiting each dressing room.

Sounds like a blast! And it's good to know that the typical $10 million Broadway show investment is protected by such a rigorus procedure...

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

I am quickly becoming intimately familiar with every single rehearsal room at Equity Showcase Theatre! And I'm on a first-name basis with Puck, the humungous white and black cat that lives there (I call it "get away from me you wretched animal" and it calls me "Suzy").

We've been in the Apartment Studio, The Guild Room, The Lower Hall, and tonight it's the Auditorium. What I like about the Lower Hall (aside from its football-field dimensions) are the yellow stacking chairs. These padded chairs are exactly the ones my dad bought for our kitchen back in the '70s.

Back to rehearsals...we've already staged the first three scenes. The opening, "We're Pigs" is going to be awesome!

The actors have all found their inner pigs and physically transform themselves with the first "we're pigs". Even without costumes you can really see it. And our wonderful set team -- Shawndra and Don -- have already provided us with the moveable picket fences that will have multiple uses throughout the show.

It's also fun to watch Marc and the actors give the characters more dimension than just what is on the page (I think Aunt Pettitoes could use a glass of Sherry...). We've got a really great group and because they've worked together before with Marc at Sheridan, they share a real affection for each other, and also a shorthand language.

Tonight is another music-only rehearsal, and then tomorrow night Marc is going to choreograph the infamous "Door Song" between Pigling and Pigwig. Can't wait!

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

I got an email from one of my favorite vocal groups, SWING ROSIE. Don't just sit under the apple tree -- go and see 'em!

Hi There!

There's a lot going on this week for the Rosies. We wanted to keep you in the loop and invite you to our shows, so here goes:

Saturday June 24th we're performing at the Pickering Village Jazz Festival. You'll find us on MainStage One at 8pm.

And on Sunday June 25th ... whew -- a radio spot and two shows! At 3pm Heather Bambrick, JAZZ.FM DIVA DJ Extraordinaire is broadcasting live from Nathan Phillips Square. SWING ROSIE will be there in person as her guests from 3 to 4pm. Come down to NPS and shout out a Hello, or maybe your favourite cut from Sing Cool, Swing Hot.

From 6:30 to 8pm, we are performing one solid 90-minutes of Three-Part Harmony Swing for you on stage at the REX HOTEL then...

(MISSION IMPOSSIBLE theme) a couple of cars pull up to the REX to pick up the entire band and drive us over to Boys Town. We will be onstage playing our first ever show for PRIDE WEEK on the North Stage at Church and Gloucester at 9pm. Come on out and take in the free swing dance lesson before the show and party with the Rosie's until 10pm.

As Always, you can find more details about our upcoming shows at www.swingrosie.com.

Have a beautiful week! Love Kira, Shannon and Chantelle

SWING ROSIE

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

OK, this was too cute-funny not to post. How does it relate to musical theatre? Um, well -- hey, here's a great way to transport all your cast recordings!

From this post on Popgadget:

"Keep Your Things Safe It Will" -- so says the endorsement for this lovely new accessory offered by ThinkGeek, the same crazy dudes who'll also sell you licensed collectible Star Wars lightsabers. Because nothing says sexy better than dressing up like your favorite Sci-Fi character or running around with Master Yoda on your back. Though fully functional like a real backpack, with room for books and adjustable straps, take a tip from the ladies and stay away or at least hide it for only your most geeky guy moments. Unless of course you find that very special girl whose definition of 'hunky' includes soda gut and the ability to recite verbatim the Jedi Code.

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

Caricaturist of the stars Al Hirschfeld was born on this date in 1903.

Hirschfeld spent more than 75 years attending Broadway plays and sketching the stars for The New York Times and other publications. Full of wit and verve, Hirschfeld's distinctively bold, curvy line drawings caricatured stars from Groucho Marx and Ethel Merman through Barbra Streisand and beyond.

His first newspaper sketches appeared in the 1920s, and he continued working until his death in 2003.

After the 1945 birth of his daughter Nina, Hirschfeld began hiding her name in his drawings, often tucked into hair or shirt folds. Finding the Ninas became a pastime with Hirschfeld's fans, and after a time he added a number to his signature to indicate how many Ninas each drawing contained.

Hirschfeld received a special Tony Award in 1975, and another in 1984 as the first recipient of the Brooks Atkinson Award. A 1996 documentary about Hirschfeld, THE LINE KING, was nominated for the Academy Award. Hirschfeld was married to German actress Dolly Haas from 1942 until her death in 1994.

He now has a theatre named after him, where SWEET CHARITY recently played.

Quote: "Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons." -- Al Hirschfeld

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

Yeah!

NYMF (the New York Musical Theatre Festival) put this article on their homepage -- featuring the continuing work of alumni.

Thanks Kris!

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

Yeah!

Broadwayworld.com ran our press release in this article today:

Directed and choreographed by Marc Richard, THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND "is a fun family musical about a pig who is forced to find his way in the world -- the perfect coming-of-age PIG story! Beatrix Potter is the most popular children's author of all time, so this musical is sure to be a hit with children aged 3 to 9 (and their parents). The running time of 45 minutes is perfect for a child's first musical theatre experience!," state press notes on the show, which is co-written by Suzy Conn and Mitchell Kitz.

Conn (book and lyrics) previously wrote PLANE CRAZY, which was honoured at last fall's New York Musical Theatre Festival, while Kitz (music) is a respected Toronto-area composer, a graduate of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, and the writer, arranger, and music director for the children's show "4-SQUARE" on Treehouse TV.

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

TORONTO, June 19, 2006 -- M. Kitz Productions is pleased to announce that Beatrix Potter's beloved children's story, THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND, will come to musical life at this year's Toronto Fringe Festival.

Directed and choreographed by Marc Richard, THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is a fun family musical about a pig who is forced to find his way in the world -- the perfect coming-of-age PIG story! Beatrix Potter is the most popular children's author of all time, so this musical is sure to be a hit with children aged 3 to 9 (and their parents). The running time of 45 minutes is perfect for a child's first musical theatre experience!

The show is co-written by Suzy Conn and Mitchell Kitz.

Suzy is well known for her musical PLANE CRAZY, which was honoured at last fall's New York Musical Theatre Festival, while Mitchell is a highly respected Toronto-area composer, a graduate of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, and the writer, arranger, and music director for the children's show 4-SQUARE on Treehouse TV.

According to Suzy Conn (Book and Lyrics): "This is a children's musical with a classic show tune structure. I would describe it as 'sophisticated yet accessible'. This musical features interesting rhymes and new memorable melodies, with more story, more action, and more heart."

Mitchell Kitz (Composer) says: "Musically, I wanted the world of Pigling Bland to have adventure, marvel, energy and modern humour. Relying on traditional Broadway, jazz, and music hall styles, the music has energy, heart and a sense of fun and adventure both for the pigs and for kids."

Performances feature singing and dancing from a cast of graduates from Sheridan College's Music Theatre Performance Program, including Daniel Greenberg as Pigling Bland; Lana Sugarman as PigWig; Rachel Brittain as Alexander; Rebecca Stewart as Aunt Pettitoes; Janna Polzin as Cat; Trevor Campbell as Dog; Trevor Williams as Piperson; and Andrew Chandler as Policeman. Other members of the creative team include Shawndra White (Stage Manager); Melissa Joakim (Costume Designer); and Don McMahon (ASM).

The orchestra features a strolling band playing a fun combination of instruments -- with Heather Amyot on Accordian, Julia Hambleton on Clarinet, and Mitchell Kitz on Baritone.

THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is available for a limited run of eight shows only, from July 6 to 15. All performances are at the Toronto Fringe Festival KidsVenue space at the Palmerston Library Theatre at 560 Palmerston Avenue (near Bathurst and Bloor). For tickets call 416.966.1062 or visit fringetoronto.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

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

Now I can catch up on my light summer reading with 3,000 pages of "Remembrance of Things Past"...

I was back in Chicago this weekend for my Theatre Building Chicago Musical Theatre Writers' Workshop. I decided to go and see something at Steppenwolf. It's interesting how some theatres can develop a brand image for a type of quality show, and Steppenwolf has certainly done that. I'm never disappointed when I see something there (the last show I saw there was the great LOST LAND starring John Malkovich) and I wasn't this time either. It's always a thought-provoking experience.

M. PROUST, playing in the Upstairs Theatre, is actually presented by About Face Theatre in what is called "A Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative." This excellent one-woman show was written by Mary Zimmerman (based on the writings of Celeste Albaret & Marcel Proust), directed by Eric Rosen, and stars Mary Beth Peil (whose Broadway credits include NINE and THE KING AND I). Mary Beth Peil plays Celeste Albaret, who was Marcel Proust's housekeeper for the last 8 to 10 years of his life.

From an interview with the playwright in the Steppenwolf Backstage magazine:

She was the only one who lived with him then. She basically cooked for him, answered the door for him, and took care of him -- not really physically, but in terms of his eating and cleaning the rooms. You know, the housekeeper ... but much more than that. She became a very surprising confidante to him and someone that he became very close to and very dependent on.

So the whole play of M. PROUST is based around the fact that when Proust would come in from his adventures outside, he began narrating them to her. I feel he was sort of rehearsing them ou loud before he wrote. In a way, she was his first witness and audience of that book. Yet the irony in the play is that although she felt she was very intimate with him, there were clearly things that he kept private from her.

And, from the Dramaturgical Notes:

Celeste Albaret is a unique and unlikely hero of literary history. She is the only housekeeper in French history to have been made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters for her services to literature. She was awarded this honor not for her literary talent, but for the years she spent working for Marcel Proust. For 50 years she refused to speak publicly about his life, keeping a promise she made to him when his health declined. When in the late 1960s scholars turned attention to Proust's personal life -- particularly his secret sexual life -- she was outraged, and in 1973 she finally agreed to publish a memoir about her time with him. She died in 1982.

"Remembrance of Things Past", or "In Search of Lost Time", as it has more recently become known in English, is widely recognized as one of the most important novels of the twentieth century. The 3,000 page novel in seven volumes is part depiction of Belle Epoque society, part evocation of the deepest secrets of desire and sexuality, and part meditation on the nature of art and memory.

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

JERSEY BOYS play White House!

There is an awesome video on Broadwayworld.com of John Lloyd Young on Tony night.

It starts with him in his dressing room trying to tie his Ted Baker tie (all the Jersey Boys were dressed in custom made Ted Baker tuxes for the night) and follows him through his win and onto the cast party.

It's kind of neat watching it now, since you already know he is going to win. He talks about how last year he was ushering a Broadway show and this year he is nominated for a Tony. He talks about meeting with Franki Valli and getting his advice. He also tells us that at 1:30am he and the other Jersey Boys are getting on a sleeper bus (aka rock 'n' roll bus) and driving to The White House to perform for Laura Bush's big senator spouses shindig (after which they will get a private tour of The White House). You also get to meet his father and sister.

It's a great video and looks like they all had a blast!

From the video introduction:

Last year John Lloyd Young stated that he watched the Tonys at home in his underwear not imagining in a million years that he would be nominated, let alone win in 2006 for his role as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. On Sunday, June 11th, his life changed forever. Spend Tony day (and night) with John Lloyd Young as he gets ready for his big night, walks the red carpet, meets the press after his win and celebrates with friends and family in this special BroadwayWorld.com exclusive video!

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

My oldest daughter, Myrna, went to go see LORD OF THE RINGS last night, and here are her very thoughtful impressions of the experience:

I had the chance to go see LORD OF THE RINGS with a friend who had an extra ticket.

I entered the show not really knowing what to expect. The reviews haven't been that good, but this was my friend's second time going and she loved it. We're both really big Lord of the Rings fans. When I came out, I was impressed.

The score wasn't DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, but it wasn't bad. It was fun to listen to, but I wasn't humming the songs when I exited the theatre. There was a lot of "battle cry" singing and Elfish words, but my favorite songs were the song sung by Galadriel, and "The Road Goes On".

The story was, of course, Lord of the Rings, but a lot of it was cut for time. The show lasted 3.5 hours, but when my friend saw it in previews, she said it was closer to 4 or 4.5 hours. A lot of changes had been made, including cutting out the Ghost Army and giving characters more lines. At some parts though, (this might just be because they can't do ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING on stage), I found it hard to follow the story. For example, the part where Frodo was throwing the ring into the fire, but then decided to keep it for himself, and then Smeagol comes in, and he accidentally jumps into the volcano. That took place in a matter of 1 minute, and was confuzzleding.

The set was AMAZING. In the middle of the stage, there was a big circle. This circle could turn, but was also cut up into smaller pieces that could rise and fall. I thought that was amazingly cool. Also, the big spider took up 75% of the stage. It was really stylishly done because the spider was worked by people. Another highlight of the set/props/special effects was when Gandalf is fighting the big fiery monster in the mines of Moria. First, there was a huge monster, then there was the wind going through the whole theatre, then there were the tiny black pieces of tissue paper swirling around. End of Act 1.

The cast was amazing, and my favorites were Rebecca Jackson Mendoza (Galadriel), Michael Therriault (Gollum) who I saw in THE PRODUCERS, and Owen Sharpe (Pippin). But, everyone was really great. It must take a lot out of them to do that almost every day.

Other than that, I bought $80 worth of merchandise and had a great time overall! I would definitely see it again, and the costumes and sets were amazing. If you're really into classic show tunes, it might not be your thing. But it is a must-see for any Lord of the Rings fan!

Thanks Myrna! Feel free to write Blogway Baby posts anytime you want [hint hint], especially if you find yourself with time on your hands [koff, koff -- summer break -- koff, koff].

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

The countdown to our FRINGE opening begins!

We had our first rehearsal on June 14 at Equity Showcase. It was great to get the whole cast together (and yes, they are as cute in person as they are on the Web site!).

Joining us was Shawndra, our Stage Manager, and our new Assistant Stage Manager/Props guy, Don McMahon -- welcome aboard!

Also, our accordian player, Heather Amyot (yes I said accordian!) was playing piano. While I'm on the subject, our band will be composed of Heather on accordian, Julia Hambleton on clarinet, and our composer Mitch on baritone (which is sort of like a small tuba). I can't wait to see our roving band of musicians in action! Mitch was running the show as we focused all on running through all the music.

It's always great to hear your songs performed, and it helps me as the lyricist to hear how the words sound when they are sung by somebody else. The group stuff sounds great, and the cast are very quick when it comes to harmony. Then we went through the solo songs, and Lana and Daniel really sound great together in their duets. Our director, Marc, was furiously making notes and already came up with great suggestions and I have started writing new stuff already!

We had our venue walkthrough last week and it was really exciting to see the theatre, and imagine our actors in the space, singing and dancing up a piggy storm!

Stay tuned for more rehearsal news!

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

Wow!!

Last night, Myrna, my oldest daughter, won the Academic Excellence prize at her Grade Six graduation ceremony. This means that Myrna is the smartest kid in her class, and that's no mean feat in her school of privileged overachievers.

Congratulations Myrna!

This accomplishment was a nice cap-off to a week of final concerts and events -- Trinity's piano recital was a smashing success, and Myrna's vocal concert and tap performance was a similarly magical night.

Gee, that end of the year orgy of school and extracurricular concerts is a killer, but I'm so proud of my schnickles!

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

My family and I had a blast last night watching the Tonys! We downloaded the Tony ballot (weird note: they included a typo -- twice -- for the word "Revival", spelled "Revivial"...) and each of us had two ballots -- one for our "WISH to win" list and one for our "WILL win" list. It was really great having it all organized and right in front of us. There were many screams of delight and of agony throught the evening. I have to admit with glee that I won the evenings game with 16 right for "WILL win" and I tied with my oldest daughter Myrna at 15 for "WISH to win".

It was a fun evening, with some great musical performances, but there were some things I missed -- Hugh Jackman (is it in his X-MEN contract that he must completely disassociate himself from all things musical theatre?) wasn't hosting and wasn't even presenting. I really missed having a host. I was nonplussed by the "60 stars for 60 years" bit. I mean, they always have stars presenting the Tonys even when they have a host, so what's the big deal?

And the tribute to Hal Prince was a bit low key. I'm not sure I would have left Vegas for that either. And I love Harry Connick Jr., as much as the next gal, but his opening musical number was uber low key.

On the bright side, I thought the numbers from the nominated musicals were great and very well done -- THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, THE PAJAMA GAME, THE WEDDDING SINGER, JERSEY BOYS, THE COLOR PURPLE, THE THREEPENNY OPERA, and SWEENEY TODD.

It was great to see the DROWSY Canucks win for best book and score of a musical -- congrats, eh!

One of the most touching moments of the evening was John Lloyd Young accepting his Tony for best actor in a musical (I scored two points on that one -- WISH and WILL!) and thanking his father. Even my husband teared up.

All in all a good time was had by all. And for those who missed it, here's how it played out according to this article in Playbill:

Winners are indicated below with an asterisk and boldface type.

BEST MUSICAL
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
*Jersey Boys
The Wedding Singer

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
*La Chanze, The Color Purple
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
*John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

BEST PLAY
*The History Boys
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Rabbit Hole
Shining City

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
*The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd
The Threepenny Opera

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer
*Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Oliver Platt, Shining City
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Kate Burton, The Constant Wife
Judy Kaye, Souvenir
Lisa Kron, Well
*Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone
Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple
Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd
*Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Carolee Carmello, Lestat
Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
*Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
*Awake and Sing!
The Constant Wife
Edward Albee's Seascape
Faith Healer

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
*John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
The Color Purple, Music & Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray
*The Drowsy Chaperone, Music & Lyrics: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
The Wedding Singer, Music: Matthew Sklar; Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
The Woman in White, Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: David Zippel

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer
Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys
*Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
Marsha Norman, The Color Purple

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
*Nicholas Hytner, History Boys
Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer
Donald Byrd, The Color Purple
*Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole
*Frances de la Tour, History Boys
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Zoe Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Samuel Barnett, The History Boys
Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
*Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing!

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple
*David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
Derek McLane, The Pajama Game
Klara Zieglerova, Jersey Boys

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
John Lee Beatty, Rabbit Hole
*Bob Crowley, The History Boys
Santo Loquasto, Three Days of Rain
Michael Yeargan, Awake and Sing!

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
*Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
Susan Hilferty, Lestat
Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game
Paul Tazewell, The Color Purple

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Michael Krass, The Constant Wife
Santo Loquasto, A Touch of the Poet
*Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing!
Catherine Zuber, Seascape

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, The Drowsy Chaperone
*Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
Natasha Katz, Tarzan
Brian MacDevitt, The Color Purple

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Christopher Akerlind, Awake and Sing!
Paul Gallo, Three Days of Rain
Mark Henderson, Faith Healer
*Mark Henderson, The History Boys

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Larry Blank, The Drowsy Chaperone
Dick Lieb and Danny Troob, The Pajama Game
Steve Orich, Jersey Boys
*Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd

SPECIAL TONY AWARD
*Sarah Jones (writer and star of Bridge & Tunnel)

REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD
*Intiman Theatre in Seattle, WA

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE
*Harold Prince

The total number of awards received by each production follows:

The History Boys - 6
The Drowsy Chaperone - 5
Jersey Boys - 4
The Pajama Game - 2
Sweeney Todd - 2
Awake and Sing! - 2
Faith Healer - 1
Rabbit Hole - 1
The Color Purple - 1

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

Here's a great post from Mark Frauenfelder on his MAD Magazine CD collection -- I've got the same set, still MIB!

I've been reading MAD since I was a little girl, and it is an excellent reflection of my humor sensibility.

I did a long post on the MAD Show (the musical), which is still fantastically funny and relevant.

And MAD was one of the first things that connected to me to my husband.

Many years ago , when I had just met my husband -- and certainly had no idea I'd be spending the rest of my life with this goofball -- I made a comment that some repetitive and slightly addictive activity we were performing was "...like eating potato (or potatoe for all you Dan Quayle fans out there) chips..." and my husband responded "...yeah, like breaking windows..." which is a quote from the MAD magazine parody of THE TOWERING INFERNO.

And we've been together ever since -- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

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

Hey kids, download our great PIGLING BLAND coloring page, color it in, and get into THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND for FREE!!

That's right, we'll pay for any child that shows up to the show with a colored poster.

Click here to download the coloring poster.

No rules for the coloring -- use any color scheme you want, in any media you desire.

Coloring outside the lines is highly recommended -- both for this contest, and for life itself...

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

Now that I've gotten y'all excited about having some down home farm fun, here's some official info from the Toronto Fringe Festival about purchasing tickets!

Fringe Ticket Passes
Part of the fun of Fringing is sampling as many plays as possible. In order to encourage patrons to take a few risks when picking their plays -- and to help save some money at the same time -- the Festival offers three discount ticket passes that we hope you'll consider purchasing.

FRINGE 5-PLAY PASS: $40.00
This pass was a huge hit at last year's Fringe! It gives anyone the chance to check out 5 shows of their choice. Maximum one ticket per play per pass.

FREQUENT FRINGER PASS: $70.00
This popular pass gives you the chance to check out 10 shows for the price of seven. Maximum one ticket per play per pass.

BUDDY PASS: $90.00
For people who Fringe in pairs. This 14-show pass allows you to see and share with another for the price of 9 shows. Up to two tickets per play per pass.

Passes can be ordered in advance by calling 416-966-1062, by faxing the order form to 416-966-5072, or can be purchased in person at the TO TIX booth at Yonge-Dundas Square.

Starting July 5, passes can be purchased at the Advance Ticket Box Office, 292 Brunswick Ave., from Noon to 8pm daily. Passes will also be available during the festival at Fringe venues 1 to 11 (cash sales only).

All Fringe passes may only be used for "at the door" tickets and are non-transferable. The Buddy Pass can have one or two names listed on the pass. ID must be shown when using your pass.

Advance Ticket Sales
If you prefer not to stand in line to purchase a ticket, or if you want to make sure you get a ticket to that "Fringe Hit", we've provided you with three advance ticket options.

Advance Tickets By Phone:
June 20 to July 4, 10am - 5pm (Mon-Fri)
July 5 to July 16, 10am - 7pm daily

Call (416) 967-1528
Payment options: Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Advance Tickets In Person:
July 5 to July 16, Noon - 8pm

Fringe Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. (South of Bloor St.)
Payment options: Cash, Interac, Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Advance Tickets On-Line:
June 20 to July 16

For online sales go to the Fringe Web site. Advance Tickets can be purchased up to 3 hours prior to the start of a performance. Only 50% of the tickets to any performance are available for advance purchase. There is a $2 surcharge included in each $10 advance ticket.

Advance ticket services are provided by the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG). All credit card sales will be processed by TIFFG on behalf of the Fringe. All privacy regulations will be followed.

***For on-line sales only, there will also be an additional $4.50 order fee for this service charged by TIFFG***

"At The Door" Ticket Sales
"At The Door" tickets for the first performance of the day at all venues (including BYOV's) will go on sale 30 minutes prior to showtime.

"At The Door" tickets for all other performances in the day will go on sale one hour prior to showtime.

So what are y'all waiting for?

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

Don't That Take The Rag Offen The Bush!

First it's playing at Goodspeed, now at 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco from July 20 to August 22!

According to the 42nd Street Moon Buy Tickets page:

LI'L ABNER (1956)

This rip-roaring, foot-stomping "lost" hit brings Al Capp's beloved cartoon characters to life. Dogpatch's most prominent citizens deal with Washington political intrigue and -- even more importantly -- the annual Sadie Hawkins Day race!

The great score includes "If I Had My Druthers", "Namely You", "Jubilation T. Cornpone", "I'm Past My Prime", and "The Country's in the Very Best of Hands".

From one end of the country to the other, I feel the Dogpatch tidal wave a-comin'! When I heard the good news I went to check out their Web site, and found out 42nd Street Moon is also doing FLORA THE RED MENACE in the fall (Nov 16 to Dec 3, 2006).

My youngest, Trinity, will certainly want to fly out to see that!

So it looks like a trip out West is in the cards for Blogway Baby!

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

Gee, they couldn't even make it work with Susan Anton in the cast!

So the Tony award winning show is closing in Vegas on the night of the Tonys!

Actually I'm really surprised at this one. I thought for sure after they cut the show down to 90 minutes it would be a hit in Vegas. So what weird power does MAMMA MIA hold over audiences? Maybe they put something in their intermission drinks...

From this article in Playbill:

Producers of Hairspray in Las Vegas stunned the company June 5 by announcing the production would close prematurely June 11.

The 90-minute Vegas version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit began performances Feb. 6 at Luxor Las Vegas, starring Harvey Fierstein and Dick Latessa in their Tony-winning roles of Edna and Wilbur Turnblad. Their lucrative contracts lasted three months, and they were replaced May 1.

The hope of some company members was that the bright pop musical -- trimmed to a digestible 90 minutes for gambling/tourist crowds -- would provide desert-city work for at least a year. New York-based company members who had sublet their apartments back east and moved to Vegas for the run are now scrambling to pack their lives and find homes and jobs. Such is the actor's life.

On May 1 "Mad TV" actor Paul Vogt and "Laverne & Shirley" alumnus Eddie Mekka jumped into roles created there by Harvey Fierstein and Dick Latessa.

The Las Vegas Hairspray company includes Kevin Spirtas as Corny, Susan Anton as Velma, Susan Mosher as Prudy Pingleton and the Gym Teacher, Katrina Rose Dideriksen as Tracy, Austin Miller as Link, Fran Jaye as Motormouth Maybelle, Kamilah Martin as Peaches.

The shuttering of Hairspray follows the premature closing of the Las Vegas Avenue Q, the content of which was also trimmed for fidgety tourist crowds. Avenue Q also won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Mamma Mia! continues to do boffo business in Vegas, and conventional wisdom suggests that the new Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular will be popular in the desert. Both show are international brand names with ubiquitous scores (by ABBA and Andrew Lloyd Webber, respectively).

Mamma Mia! is not presented in an abbreviated form there, but Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom will have a running time of 95 intermissionless minutes (and more special effects than other productions -- something Vegas audiences traditionally devour).

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

I guess AIR GUITAR, THE MUSICAL can't be far off!

I recently had dinner with a very intelligent, sophisticated businessman who to my surprise told me about his love for ... wait for it ... air guitar competitions!

Apparently air guitar is a huge phenomenon, with Web sites, fans, competitions, regionals, finals, you name it! The US finals are being held June 22 in New York City at the Bowery Ballroom. But sorry, it's already sold out! Of course tickets are only $15, but still! And people of every shape and size (and age) who judge and compete take it mucho seriously. They have costumes and everything!

Of course if they ever did AIR GUITAR, THE MUSICAL (sort of a SWEENEY TODD but with an air tuba!), I'm sure the musician's union would have something to say about it!

One of my favorite excerpts from the US Air Guitar Web site is a caveat about air guitars advertisements on eBay:

If you've seen an air guitar advertised for sale on eBay, don't be fooled. While they claim authenticity -- and will likely attempt to convince you of the same with subtle humor ("never been played," "lightweight") -- be aware that an air guitar is not something that can be bought and sold.

An air guitar is something you're born with it. Like everything that matters, it can neither be created nor destroyed. It is yours for life and you may do with it as you and only you see fit.

Some claim that you can sell your air guitar to the devil at the crossroads. Also not true: You can sell your soul to the devil in the hope that you'll receive in return some idea of what you're meant to do with the air guitar you have. But the devil has no interest in your air guitar. The devil is already trying to get rid of his on eBay.

For those who love to air guitar, I salute you!

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

Was it for the fame? Was it for the money? Was it to get free pork products?

No, not entirely. The reason I wrote (actually co-wrote -- Mitchell Kitz wrote the music) this particular musical is that I wanted to write a show for young kids. More specifically I wanted to write the type of show to which I would want to take my kids (when they were aged 3 to 9).

If kids are going to appreciate and go to live theatre when they are adults, they need to appreciate and go to live theatre when they are children. Just like we train kids to go to the movies, we need to make live theatre a regular part of their lives.

Don't get me wrong, I love movies...but there ain't nothin' like live theatre. There's a saying, when you are blown away by something in a film you lean back in your seat. When you are compelled by something in theatre, you lean forward in your seat. It's true.

So Mitch and I wanted to write a kids musical with classic showtune structure. Sophisticated yet accessible. Nursery rhymes are great but kids are also up for more -- more interesting rhymes, new memorable melodies, more story, more action, and more heart.

And we think 45 minutes for $5.00 (the KidsVenue Fringe price) is a great first taste before you invest in a $100 ticket for 3 hours of THE LION KING or TARZAN!

And I have first-hand experience of how musical theatre is an incredible tool for teaching.

My kids have always loved the melodic music and strong word play of show tunes. They may not always understand the joke or meaning of every lyric but if overall it is engaging, they fully enjoy it and can learn from it. You don't always have to talk down to them. And asking questions (ideally after the show is done) is a good thing because it opens a dialogue between parent and child, providing additional opportunities for learning.

We chose a Beatrix Potter story because they are timeless and both Mitch and I loved them as kids. THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is a classic coming of age story -- every kid can relate to being bossed around and learning to stand on their own two feet and really figuring out what they want to do.

I was also hoping to attract parents who had fond memories of Beatrix Potter stories. This way, the parents and the kids can have a common experience that is enjoyable for both of them. No offense to Arthur the Aardvark, but after I sat through the ARTHUR LIVE! Karoke-merchandise-fest at the Hummingbird Centre a few years back, I vowed I would never sit through one of those shows again.

Another positive by-product of producing THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND at the Toronto Fringe is giving some of the most talented young performers a chance to stretch as performers (okay, you're half pig half man...now sing!), and a chance to work with a top notch director, Marc Richard.

As we all know, theatre in Toronto is a bit "soft" right now, so it's great that these graduates of Canada's premier musical theatre school can strut their stuff!

Actually forget everything I just said, we really wrote it for the free pork products.

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

OK everyone, a little Web 101 today. I want to talk about the next big thing (I think), which are Wikis. They've been around a long time, and I've been interacting with them forever (any regular reader will notice my consistent use of Wikipedia for biographical sources), but to date Wikis have remained firmly in the domain of geeks. Sort of like PGP.

So, what is a Wiki?

Here is the definitive word on Wikis from Wikipedia itself:

A wiki is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or otherwise edit all content very quickly and easily, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative writing. The term wiki can also refer to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website (see wiki software), or to certain specific wiki sites, including the computer science site (and original wiki), WikiWikiWeb, and the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. When used to refer to a specific site, wiki is often capitalized.

The word wiki is a shorter form of wiki wiki (weekie, weekie) which is from the native language of Hawaii (Hawaiian), where it is commonly used as an adjective to denote something "quick" or "fast" (Hawaiian dictionary). As an adverb, it means "quickly" or "fast".

In essence, a wiki is a simplification of the process of creating HTML pages combined with a system that records each individual change that occurs over time, so that at any time, a page can be reverted to any of its previous states. A wiki system may also include various tools, designed to provide users with an easy way to monitor the constantly changing state of the wiki as well as a place to discuss and resolve the many inevitable issues, namely, the inherent disagreement over wiki content. Wiki content can also be misleading, as users are bound to add incorrect information to the wiki page.

Many wikis will allow completely unrestricted access so that people are able to contribute to the site without necessarily having to undergo a process of 'registration', as had usually been required by various other types of interactive websites such as Internet forums or chat sites.

The first wiki, WikiWikiWeb, is named after the "Wiki Wiki" line of Chance RT-52 buses in Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii. It was created in 1994 and installed on the web in 1995 by Ward Cunningham, who also created the Portland Pattern Repository.

Wiki is sometimes interpreted as the backronym for "What I know is", which describes the knowledge contribution, storage and exchange function.

Well, the day may be coming for Wikis to step into the popular light. The creators of Wikipedia have launched a service called Wikia which is creating a community of Wiki creators and maintainers on various information verticals. And they've brought on board Gil Penchina, one of the early leaders at eBay, who will be bringing a strong consumer and marketing focus to the company.

From Gil Penchina, Wikia's new CEO:

Wikia's mission is to enable communities of users to organize around topics and build valuable guides for consumers. The content is Copy-Left, which means that anyone can take it and build on it to make it better, and we operate on open-source software, so we are a leader in the free-culture movement as well.

To date, they have over 1200 topics started in over 40 languages, on subjects as diverse as: ancient coin collecting, caring for pets with diabetes, college hoops, a, Lost the TV show, and my favorite, Wookieepedia.com.

You can see the full list of topics at: http://wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Wikia.

Much like eBay in the early days, the users are global, they're organizing in vertical communities and they're growing the content at 1,000% a year, despite a very rudimentary user experience.

I've applied to start a musical theatre Wiki called: Broadwiki Baby. I'll let you know if they give me the OK...or not!!

There's a Broadway Wiki in there right now, but it's unmaintained...

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

From this post on Mark Frauenfelder's great blog Mad Professor, here's a real cool feature on Dan DeCarlo, the famous Betty & Veronica artist (also Josie and the Pussycats), who also had a major career as a pinup and gag artist.

It was this kind of art on little napkins on Lufthansa in the '60s that first ignited the early embers of PLANE CRAZY...

Dan DeCarlo was best known for his sexy renditions of Betty and Veronica from Archie comics, but he also had a full career as a pinup and gag cartoonist. This giant-sized, lovingly designed homage to DeCarlo has gorgeous reproductions from every phase of DeCarlo's career, including great watercolors that he painted on envelopes while he was stationed overseas. One of the most imitated cartoonists in the world, it's a treat to see all this previously hidden material from the real McCoy.

I was a Betty & Veronica fanatic (Ed: was?) and it was the comic style that I learned to draw and emulate. I still fantasize that when I get enough time, I'll sit down and become a cartoonist.

I have to get this book!

From the Amazon listing:

The first career retrospective of the great Archie comics artist.

Dan DeCarlo was one of the greatest artists working in humor comics in the latter half of the 20th century. He was without a doubt the most prolific, and for that reason was often referred to as "The Jack Kirby of humor comics." But he might have been likewise compared to pinup artist Gill Elvgren for his ability to render the female form in a way that was at once funny, charming, and unbelievably sexy. DeCarlo worked mostly on wholesome all-American features like Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica and My Friend Irma, but he populated these innocent stories with his irresistibly attractive women. This unique blend of hilarious homespun humor and libido-sparking art made DeCarlo's work outshine the competition.

For nearly six decades, DeCarlo entertained the world with his special talents. Though best known as the definitive Archie Comics artist and creator of Josie and the Pussycats, DeCarlo also brought his unique style to dozens of other characters including Millie The Model, Willie Lumpkin, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Big Boy, Batman and even The Simpsons.

In 2005, Fantagraphics published The Pin-Up Art of Dan DeCarlo, a beautiful two-color knock-out of a collection featuring his best pin-ups from the 1950s/'60s Humorama digest. With Innocence and Seduction: The Art of Dan DeCarlo, Fantagraphics Books presents a fitting tribute to the life and art of one of the world's all-time best cartoonists in a wider-ranging career retrospective. DeCarlo fan, friend, and fellow cartoonist Bill Morrison has written and produced the ultimate book on this remarkable artist, lavishly designed with over 300 illustrations. Included are rare World War II-era cartoons, original Humorama pinups, seldom-seen newspaper strips, examples of his justly famous commercial comics work, and of course, lots and lots of those fabulous DeCarlo girls!

About the Author

Dan DeCarlo was born in 1919 and passed away in 2001. Since 1994, Bill Morrison has served as editor and as a principal writer and artist at Matt Groening's Bongo Comics, helping to creatively oversee the Simpsons empire. He was also an art director for the hit animated TV series Futurama on Fox Television.

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

Congrats to Canadians John Wimbs, Jr. (Book and Lyrics), Michael Shaieb & Brent Lord (Music) whose musical GO-GO BEACH was jury selected to be one of the 24 Next Link shows for the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

These guys have their act together. Check out their Web site, full of pics, music and superfun links and a great logo. And I was lucky enough to get one of their awesome score demos, which just happens to feature some amazing singers, including Sara Ramirez and Alice Ripley!

According to their Web site:

GO-GO BEACH is a new musical fable about the shift of consciousness in America in the mid-sixties, told in the style of the popular California beach party movies.

It's a coming-of-age story about a surfer who gets into trouble with his girlfriend when he falls for a runaway teen pop star, and his relationship with a flower child who helps him find the true meaning of love.

GO-GO BEACH features an original score inspired by the surf sound, girl groups, go-go music -- and a little flower power as well.

GO-GO BEACH was the Audience Choice Award at the 2003 Summerworks Festival in Toronto. This show has even been produced in Seoul in 2004. Too cool.

Well, I know what show I'm seeing for sure at NYMF 06! Congrats and stay tuned for more info...

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

Hmmm ... for some reason they omitted from his bio that he directed me as Gladys Hotchkiss in THE PAJAMA GAME for Queen's Musical Theatre at Queen's University!

According to this article in Playbill:

Hartford Stage has announced the appointment of Michael Stotts as the theatre's new managing director starting July 31. He replaces Jim Ireland who left the company in December.

Stotts -- who has recently served as a planning consultant for Hartford Stage and New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse -- previously held the position of managing director for New Jersey's Shakespeare Theatre, George Street Playhouse, and Connecticut's Long Wharf Theatre.

"I am thrilled to welcome Michael Stotts to Hartford Stage," said Hartford Stage artistic director Michael Wilson. "He is young, and at the same time, among the most experienced managing directors in the country. His energy and talent are a major boon for Hartford Stage, and the Greater Hartford community."

"I look forward with great enthusiasm to working with Michael, whose work I have admired since his arrival at Hartford Stage, board president Jennifer Smith Turner, and a dedicated and loyal board of directors and staff in advancing the theatre to its next level of artistic achievement, fiscal stability and thriving long-term success."

Stotts, the company's seventh managing director in its 43-year history, will be "overseeing the areas of finance, administration, marketing, development, customer service and operations for the institution with an annual budget of approximately $8 million," according to a release. He assumes the post with a five-year contract.

His professional career began as Company Manager for Manhattan Theatre Club in 1986 prior to his work as Managing Director for the Shakespeare Theatre and the George Street Playhouse. During his tenure at Long Wharf Theatre, he saw many world premiere productions including plays by Paula Vogel and Craig Lucas, one Broadway transfer (Sixteen Wounded), two Off-Broadway productions (BFE and Fran's Bed) and the introduction of collaborating with Hartford Stage, allowing for production exchanges.

Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Stotts holds a B.A. in Economics and Drama from Queen's University as well as an M.F.A. in Theatre Management from Columbia University. He is a co-founder and the President of the Connecticut Arts Alliance and a member of the University of New Haven Theatre Advisory Council.

Hartford Stage is located at 50 Church Street in Hartford, CT and is on the Web at www.hartfordstage.org.

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