CASTING: The Submission & Wild Animals You Should Know

NOTE: This article has been updated from its original posting.  An error was found and reported by a reader - THANK YOU!  It has been corrected and is in RED below.

If you follow this blog somewhat regularly, you know that one of my goals over the last year has been to expand my theater-going horizons beyond Broadway musicals and high profile plays.  More regular attendance at off-Broadway and regional theatres is on my agenda.  So far so good... Death Takes a Holiday and Lysistrata Jones have proven that the quality and star power of Broadway can and does exist beyond Times Square.

This season, I got a subscription to MCC Theater mainly because I really wanted to see Carrie, the fateful Broadway musical flop of legend.  Given that it is to star one of my favorite actresses, Marin Mazzie, it was a no-brainer.  And it was actually only a few more dollars to subscribe to the whole season than to try and buy whatever was left over ticket-wise for Carrie.  Both plays, The Submission and Wild Animals You Should Know, had me with their plot synopses on the company website.  The former, about making art and identity and race sounded right up my alley.  The former sounded intriguing, creepy and definitely interesting.  The casting for both (Wild Animals was just announced yesterday) really has me even more excited about both world premiere plays.  Talk about top-notch actors and directors!

The Submission's Logo Photo
From MCC Theater

The Submission, currently in previews toward a September 27th opening, plays through October 22.  The cast is just four, but really represents the current generation of actors who embrace theatre just as they do television and film work.  I think we are all the better for it, too.  The immediate draw for me was Glee and Spring Awakening star Jonathan Groff, a young actor whose career I have followed since seeing Spring Awakening off-Broadway (go figure).  I have yet to see him in anything where I didn't enjoy his work.  I think he has an honesty and vulnerability that appeals to me.  Eddie Kaye Thomas, whose work in the funny, if not terribly brilliant film series American Pie is all I have seen.  But his work on stage has been well-received, including Broadway's Four Baboons Adoring the Sun and The Diary of Anne Frank, as well as off-Broadway's Dog Sees God. 

A scene from The Submission.  (L to R) Eddie Kaye Thomas,
Jonathan Groff, Rutina Wesley, Will Rogers
Photo by Joan Marcus

And I have never seen a single second of HBO's True Blood, but mention Rutina Wesley to anyone who has seen it, and their eyes light up.  So, I am curious to see how good she will be, not that I really doubt it.  The final actor in this four-hander, Will Rogers, is making quite a name for himself quickly, having co-starred in this summer's Unnatural Acts, the critically acclaimed, oft-extended play about the underground gay scene in 1920's Harvard.  Doesn't sound like it can lose, cast-wise, and a world premiere play by a young writer, Jeff Talbott, who was awarded by no less than the late Arthur Laurents, can't be all that bad, either, right?  And Walter Bobbie of Chicago fame is directing.  I think you can probably understand why I am looking forward to seeing this show in early October.

With the announcement yesterday of the final casting of Wild Animals You Should Know, another world premiere by a newer playwright, Thomas Higgins, I am really looking forward to seeing this play in late fall.  Daniel Stewart Sherman is a respected regional actor, while John Behlman is a veteran of The 39 Steps, and these are just the supporting roles! 

Patrick Breen and Alice Ripley

The drama surrounding two young men on a scout camping trip (press materials use words and phrases like "cat-and-mouse," "intrigue and deception," and "innocently erotic game."  The final sentence of the play description really makes this sound mysterious and even dangerous: "But Matthew has secretly decided just how far he's willing to go for his final act of scouting and everyone might do well to heed the scouts' motto: Be Prepared."

Gideon Glick and Jay Armstrong Johnson

Patrick Breen of Next Fall and The Normal Heart on Broadway, is a co-founder of MCC.  He plays the father of one of the boys.  The young men are being played by up and comers Gideon Glick and Jay Armstrong Johnson.  I have enjoyed the work of both actors: Glick in Spring Awakening and in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (Version 1.0), and Johnson in the National Tour of A Chorus Line and his very first performance as Claude in Hair (It was the fourth preview and he was going on almost unrehearsed for Gavin Creel.  He was TERRIFIC!) And as the mother, Alice Ripley!  I cannot wait to see her act in a straight role; I'm sure she will be intense and fierce.

Glick, far left, with the original Geek Chorus from
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

The First National Tour of A Chorus Line
Jay Armstring Johnson is third from right.
Photo by Paul Kolnik

Wild Animals You Should Know begins previews November 3rd, opens November 20th, with a scheduled closing of December 11.

To find out more about these plays, click HERE.


Rate this blog below, leaving any comments here, or by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
3.019

REVIEW: next to normal (National Tour)

A review of the next to normal National Tour at the Sunday matinee, July 3rd at the Eisenhower Theatre  at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.  Starring

Alice Ripley, Asa Somers, Emma Hunton, Curt Hansen, Preston Sadleir and Jeremy Kushnier. Directed by Michael Greif, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo. Music by Tom Kitt, Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey. 2 hours and 40 minutes, including intermission.

Grade: A-

This weekend, I had the great fortune to travel down to Washington, DC and visit the Kennedy Center to see the National Tour of next to normal.  An enormous space, it is even more grand and elegant in person than you can see during the Kennedy Center Honors telecast.  The show is playing the smaller of the two main theatres, The Eisenhower.  The other, which you see on TV is The Opera House, where the National Tour of Wicked is currently playing.

As all of you who follow my blog know, I am a huge fan of next to normal, having seen it several times on Broadway, including performances with understudy Jessica Phillips, replacement cast lead Marin Mazzie, and, of course, Tony-winning actress Alice Ripley, who is repeating her work on the tour.  The show remains vibrant, edgy and continuously thrilling.  And yet, I have to admit a little something is missing this time around.

It couldn't be the staging, as Michael Greif and Sergio Trujillo have painstakingly recreated their complex, thought-provoking direction and musical staging, respectively.  And the entire design team has basically provided an exact replica of what appeared on the Booth Theatre stage in New York.  Kevin Adams' lighting is as amazing as ever.  And yet, it could be, that the cast, now comfortable in their roles, have taken some liberties in timing, and some small staging changes that, little by little, add up to just enough make this touring version just a bit less in the impact department than its Broadway parent. 

Curt Hanson (left); Hanson (top), Asa Somers and Alice Ripley (bottom)

More likely, the problem lies in the casting of the pivotal role of Gabe, played by Curt Hansen, who certainly looks the part as played thus far - the ideal all-American boy look, part boy next door, part Abercrombie and Fitch model.  And he sings loud and forcefully.  Yet, somehow, both things work against him.  He also has this overtly sexual bearing about him that takes away the all-American boy trait and adds the naughtiness of a Playgirl model.  His voice, one of the first things you hear, is at odds with his looks - he speaks like a young boy and sings with a slightly nasally, pinch quality.  Think Britney Spears as a male in every way: wholesome at first glance, but uncomfortably dirty the more he does.  His "I'm Alive" was good, not great, and his "There's a World" is eerie and seductive, but the relationship that the dance between Gabe and Diana reveals here has taken on an excessively sexual tone.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that there has always been an undercurrent of that sort of tension, but Mr. Hansen forces the issue.

"My Psychopharmacologist and I"

Preston Sadleir and Emma Hunton

On the other hand, the rest of the cast has done a marvelous job gelling as a family, troubled and dysfunctional as it is.  And it is really fun to see familiar characters in the hands of new actors, especially when given the opportunity to make the parts their own.  In the dual roles of Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden, Jeremy Kushnier effectively portrays men who want to help, and in the case of the latter character, he fairly exudes the "rock star" confidence he is famous for, as well as a heartening edge as you watch him struggle to really help his patient.  Preston Sadleir is an extremely good looking young man with a strong voice of extraordinary range in the role of Henry.  At first glance, one doesn't expect such a presence to be convincing as an awkward, geeky fellow, and yet he succeeds marvelously.  Wide-eyed and in awe of his love-at-first-sight for Natalie, watching him navigate the tricky path of high school romance AND brave the treacherous waters of all that comes with being associated with the Goodman family, is one of the more satisfying elements of this production.  His underlying strength makes his sticking by Natalie all the more believable and satisfying.

Emma Hunton and Alice Ripley

Emma Hunton's take on the role of Natalie supports both Sadleir's take on Henry and Diana's initial take on her daughter, "a freak."  A tense and intense portrayal that goes far beyond teen angst, Hunton imbues Natalie with a complex mixture of world-weariness, biting sarcasm, and a disarming vulnerability.  Her voice is crystal clear, powerful, and strong, and her delivery of "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" reveals a deep anger and even deeper pain.  Needless to say, it gets one of the strongest hands of the evening.  She is also an amazing scene partner for Ms. Ripley, during the "next to normal" scene, where she bravely confronts her long-absent mother, vowing not to shed another tear in the matter, and finally cracks, letting the sobs spill forth during a gratifying coming together of mother and daughter.  In short, Miss Hunton departs the furthest from her Broadway predecessors, and the pay-off is terrific.

Asa Somers and Curt Hanson

The higher register of his voice sometimes makes Asa Somers' portrayal of beleaguered husband, Dan, come across as younger than you might expect.  But his turmoil, angst and heartbreak are palpable.  Some of that might not be totally his doing as he occasionally takes the higher part when harmonizing with Ms. Ripley.  And the final scenes where Dan copes with the departure of his wife are his strongest, particularly in the scene where he confronts Gabe (this scene is also Mr. Hansen's strongest, a glimpse at what might have made his performance much stronger).

Alice Ripley with Curt Hanson (top);

Hanson, Ripley and Somers (bottom)

Alice Ripley continues to deliver a truly brilliant, complex and heartbreaking performance as Diana.  Audiences across the country have had the thrill of seeing Broadway history first hand (and soon, Canada will join them).  As always, you can see the brilliance of her performance in not just the big things - powerfully delivered arguments, soul-searching epiphanies - but in the smaller details, too.  One needs only to watch the kaleidoscope of facial expressions that cross her face during "My Psychopharmacologist and I" or during the entire hypnosis sequence, including the riveting company number, "Catch Me I'm Falling" to see just how complete and in depth her performance remains.  She has found more humor in the role at the start of the show, and her interaction with her "new" children is very interesting to watch.  She has adjusted to each wonderfully, though I think there might be some benefit to her toning down the sexual sparks between mother and idealized phantom son.  Unfortunately, her voice is shot, reduced to a deepened grumble in spots and a squeaking upper register.  Much of it, she plays off as part character quirk - especially some flat and altogether missed notes - and other times as a result of high emotional moments.  The rest of the time she sounds like she's fighting a cold, and maybe she is.  What you hear onstage is not the same as the cast recording.  But even having said that, she is still giving an absolutely brilliant performance.  I remain in awe of her talent, commitment, and amazing bravery.

The little things may add up to an ever so slightly diminished return in this version.  Even so, next to normal is still, and by far, the most exhilarating and best American musical in years.


(Photos by Joan Marcus)

Rate this review immediately below, and please, if you select "See my comments!" leave that comment here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.311

What's Next After Normal

About a week before the Great Broadway Closeout of 2011, The New York Times ran an article about some actors who have long been connected with a show about to close.  You can read that article HERE.

One of the featured actors was next to normal's Henry, Adam Chanler-Berat.  He seems a logical choice as he is the only actor that has been with the show from the beginning - off-Broadway, DC, Broadway.  His feelings - that the end will be like breaking up with someone, sadly - mirror my own increasing sorrow that something I love will no longer be, but will live as some very fond memories.

Mr. Chanler-Berat won't be long off the boards, though, as soon he will be playing the title role in off-Broadway's Peter and the Starcatcher, an extension of the Peter Pan story.  His co-stars, Christian Borle and Celia Keenan-Bolger will be playing over 50 roles!  I am so looking forward to seeing this; I love the whole Peter Pan "thing", I love the co-stars, and, of course, won't miss the opportunity to see him play a new part!

The other remaining normal cast member, Louis Hobson, also has a new show on the horizon (he will not be joining the n2n tour as the chatrooms might have you believe).  He will be in the Roundabout Theatre Company's The People in the Picture, with two time Tony-winner Donna Murphy.  And he will be playing a doctor.  I have a feeling this doctor will be MUCH different than Drs. Fine and Madden.

Alice Ripley in the National Tour of next to normal

The other original cast members have all moved on, as well.  Alice Ripley, as you no doubt know, headlines the National Tour of next to normal, bringing her acclaimed performance to audiences across the country.  She is also promoting her latest CD, Daily Practice.  J. Robert Spencer left the role of Dan and rejoined his original Jersey Boys co-stars (Daniel Reichard, Christian Hoff and Michael Longoria) as The Midtown Men.  They perform a concert of 1960's guy group hits. 

J. Robert Spencer and The Midtown Men

Original brother and sister team Aaron Tveit and Jennifer Damiano have both gone on to star in their own new shows this season.  Jennifer, as you might have heard, is Mary Jane Watson to Reeve Carney's Peter Parker, in a little show called Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.  Enough said.  Meanwhile, Aaron co-stars with Norbert Leo Butz in the musical adaptation of the film Catch Me If You Can.  He left n2n for a brief period to do the pre-Broadway try out of the show; it is great that he gets the chance to see the project through.

TOP: The various disguises of Aaron Tveit in Catch Me If You Can

BOTTOM: Jennifer Damiano and her Spidey, Reeve Carney

During that brief hiatus from n2n, Kyle Dean Massey took over the role of Gabe, and he later officially replaced Mr. Tveit in the role.  Later this month, Massey returns to the role he left to play Gabe, Fiyero in Wicked.

Kyle Dean is soon to be

Dancing Through Life in Wicked

Meghann Fahy the current Natalie just finished filming her final scenes in the soap opera One Life to Live, and will begin a process that is still sort of new to her: auditioning for Broadway shows.  She landed the understudy-to-leading-next to normal-role after auditioning for Spider-Man!  From there, they called her in to read for Natalie and the rest is history.  1 audition, 1 role.  I have no doubt we'll be seeing much more of Miss Fahy!

Speaking of understudies, original Diana stand-by, Jessica Phillips, is in the cast of the upcoming Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical.

Jason and Marin

And the current Dan and Diana, Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie will be premiering their new cabaret act later this winter/early spring.  And knowing their track records, I'm sure it won't be long before we see them both on stage again soon.

Pulitzer Prize winning writers Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt sure aren't resting on their award-winning laurels!  Together, they are working on a new musical specifically for Robert Downey, Jr.  Mr. Yorkey has been working on the book for Catch Me If You Can.  And Mr. Kitt, most recently with American Idiot, has joined forces with Amanda Green, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andy Blankenbeuhler and Jeff Whitty for the new show, Bring It On: The Musical, which premieres January 15th in California.

The Bring It On Creative Team

I'm so glad to see that everyone in next to normal has or is moving on to exciting projects, sharing their talents with the rest of us.  Still, I can only imagine the bittersweet feelings they must be having as Sunday evening approaches.  I know I sure am...

(Photo at top from The New York Times.  Other photos Getty Images, jrobertspencer.com, bringitonmusical.com)

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.135

When the Show Goes On, But the Star Doesn't

Recently, fellow blogger and friend, Esther of Gratuitous Violins, posted a blog (click here to read her full explanation, and several responses) explaining her disappointment in a system where she found out well in advance that Kelsey Grammer would be out of La Cage aux Folles the night she would be attending, and was not informed of such by Telecharge. I will leave it to you to read her blog, but I thought I’d talk a bit about that subject here.

It is always a risk, of course, with live theatre that the cast members may, for whatever reason, be out for a given performance. It is particularly regrettable when the performance has been critically acclaimed and/or award-winning. And it is even worse when it is someone of a certain status that would make missing said actor a long-term disappointment. No offense to their understudies, but I’d feel extremely disappointed if Angela Lansbury or Bernadette Peters or Patti LuPone were out when I had a ticket. So I can totally understand Esther’s disappointment about Mr. Grammer (especially since I think his is the performance that makes the show, not the odd Douglas Hodge, who only impresses me in Act Two).

All of that said, I have over the years encountered the upset of understudies, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed, and in most cases leave the theatre thinking, “is so-and-so really that much better?”, and in one case, I actually preferred the understudy.

In previous blogs I’ve mentioned some of these folks, so please forgive the repetition!

I have managed to miss Gavin Creel in both shows I went to see him in specifically! That’s right, I saw his understudy - a young guy named Brandon Wardell - in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Mr. Wardell was terrific. But my most pleasant surprise was during one of the first previews of Hair, when his understudy took the stage for the very first time - and apparently before he ever had a put-in rehearsal. That young man, Jay Armstrong Johnson, was superb. Do I regret missing Creel’s Tony-nominated performance? Sure. But I am really glad I saw this great new talent, and with a cast extra energized and pulling for him!

Alice Ripley in a Hollywood revival of Tommy, as Mrs. Walker

Back in the 90’s, shortly after it opened, Marcia Mitzman began to miss performances in The Who’s Tommy. The matinee I attended was one of them, and the understudy was so new to it that they had to hand us slips with her name on them; they weren’t even inserted in the Playbill! Sure, she seemed a touch young for the part to look at her, but the minute she opened her mouth, she WAS Mrs. Walker! Her name was Alice Ripley and the rest is history.

Interestingly, this past year, I went to the city to specifically see Kyle Dean Massey in next to normal, who at that point, was just a temporary replacement for Aaron Tveit, so the urgency was there. It turned out even better than I thought, though, when I saw that Alice Ripley would be out and Jessica Phillips (left) would be on. I was crushed, as I loved Ripley’s performance. So I texted a good friend and complained, and he convinced me to stay, reminding me that Ms. Phillips could turn out to be a great new discovery, and that they wouldn’t hire just anyone to cover a Tony-winner. And besides, I was there for Mr. Massey. So I sucked it up and went in. I’ve never been so glad I stuck with it. Ms. Phillips was mesmerizing, and played the role so well and so differently. I was moved, as with Alice, but in a much different way. I got to meet her after the show, and I told her how glad I was to have seen her. The look on her face made it all worth it.

Esther is going to see Christopher Hoch (at the top of this blog) as Georges in La Cage, and he was another of my understudy “finds.” I am a huge Christopher Sieber fan - I’ve never missed a show he was in, until this one. And aside from really wanting to see Sutton Foster in Shrek: The Musical, Mr. Sieber was the draw for me. So, I was terribly disappointed to find that nasty little white square of paper in my Playbill announcing that “at this performance…” Sieber was out and Hoch was in. You know what? He is a great actor/singer! And the audience ate him up. Glad I saw him, too!

And so, the show must go on, even if the star doesn’t. Most of the time, it has been a great experience for this theatre-goer.

 
 
Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.

Jeff

Trends of The First Ten Years: The Decade of the Diva

For this blog, I am sing the term "diva" in both the traditional sense - big, brassy personality with powerful performances - and in the general sense - a strong Broadway gal with a career on the stage.  Some of these ladies have been around for decades; others really came into their own during the decade just past.

But no matter how you consider them, the first decade of the new millennium would have been nothing with out them!

Child Star to Broadway Diva... the Andrea McArdle of 2K: 

Allie Trimm (13, Bye Bye Birdie)

The New Kids on the Block... Look Out New Decade!

1.  Karen Olivo (In the Heights, Tony-winner for West Side Story)

2.  Jennifer Damiano (Spring Awakening, next to normal - Tony nominee, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark)

3.  Elizabeth Stanley (Company, Cry-Baby, Xanadu, Million Dollar Quartet)

4.  Megan Hilty (Wicked, 9 to 5: The Musical)

5.  Jenny Powers (Grease, Little Women, Happiness, It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman!)

A Classic Broadway Lady Never Goes Out of Style

Marian Seldes

1.  Elaine Stritch  (At Liberty!, A Little Night Music)
2.  Marian Seldes (Deuce, Lifetime Achievement Tony Award)
3.  Liza Minnelli (Minnelli on Minnelli, Liza's at the Palace!)
4.  Chita Rivera (Nine, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life)
5.  Bernadette Peters (Gypsy, Founder of Broadway Barks, A Little Night Music)

These Gals Are In It for the Long Haul... Multi-decade Stage Careers

1.  Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun - Tony Award, Gem of the Ocean - Tony nominee, Cymbeline, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, August: Osage County)
2.  Faith Prince (James Joyce's The Dead, Bells Are Ringing - Tony nominee, Noises Off, A Catered Affair - Tony nominee, The Little Mermaid)
3.  Jan Maxwell (The Dinner Party, Sixteen Wounded, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Tony nominee, Coram Boy - Tony nominee, To Be or Not to Be, The Royal Family - Tony nominee, Lend Me a Tenor - Tony nominee)

4.  Cherry Jones (A Moon for the Misbegotten - Tony nominee, Major Barbara, Imaginary Friends, Doubt - Tony Award, Faith Healer)
5.  Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town - Tony nominee, Lovemusik - Tony nominee, Anyone Can Whistle)
6.  Charlotte d'Amboise (Contact, Chicago, Sweet Charity, A Chorus Line - Tony nominee)
7.  Debra Monk (Thou Shalt Not, Reckless, Curtains - Tony nominee)
8.  Tonya Pinkins (The Wild Party, Caroline, or Change - Tony nominee, Radio Golf)
9.  Kathleen Turner (The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Tony nominee)

10.  Barbara Walsh (Company, Hairspray)

One Hit Wonders...Please Come Back to Broadway!

Sara Ramirez

1.  Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray - Tony Award)
2.  Sara Ramirez (A Class Act, Spamalot - Tony Award)
3.  Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Avenue Q - Tony nominee, Theatre World Award)
4.  Ashley Brown (Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins)

One Decade Wonders... They Did All This in 10 Short Years!!??

1.  Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie - Tony Award, Little Women - Tony nominee, The Drowsy Chaperone - Tony nominee, Young Frankenstein, Shrek: The Musical - Tony nominee, Anything Goes)

2.  Laura Benanti (Swing! -Tony nominee, Into the Woods - Tony nominee, Nine, The Wedding Singer, Gypsy - Tony Award, In the Next Room...or the Vibrator Play)
3.  Kelli O'Hara (Follies, Sweet Smell of Success, Dracula: The Musical, The Light in the Piazza - Tony nominee, The Pajama Game - Tony nominee, South Pacific - Tony nominee)

4.  Kerry Butler (Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray - Tony nominee, Little Shop of Horrors, Xanadu - Tony nominee, Rock of Ages)
5.  Jennifer Gambatese (Hairspray, A Year with Frog and Toad, All Shook Up, Tarzan, Is He Dead?)

6.  Katie Finneran (Noises Off - Tony Award, Mauritius, Promises, Promises - Tony Award)
7.  Laura Bell Bundy (Hairspray, Wicked, Legally Blonde - Tony nominee)

8.  Stephanie J. Block (The Boy from Oz, Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5: The Musical - Tony nominee)
9.  Jackie Hoffman (Hairspray - Theatre World Award, Xanadu, The Addams Family)
10.  Mary Testa (42nd Street - Tony nominee, Xanadu, Guys and Dolls)

And the Five Best Diva Performances of the Century by the Five Best Divas (so far...):

5.  Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked

4.  Victoria Clark in The Light in the Piazza

3.  Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens

2.  Alice Ripley in next to normal

1.  Patti LuPone in Gypsy

Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.
Jeff