More Broadway Milestones

It has been quite a week for Broadway shows, with several shows marking milestones.  Here's a quick look at the ones that happened this week (September 12 - 16, 2011)!

OPENING:

September 12: The starry revival of Follies opened to mostly enthusiastic reviews at the Marquis Theatre.  StageGrade.com took all of the major reviews into consideration and gave it an average score of A-.  (Talkin' Broadway was the major nay-sayer giving it an "F".)

Ron Raines, Bernadette Peters, Lora Lee Gayer, Nick Verina
Photo by Joan Marcus

The Follies Ensemble
Photo by Joan Marcus

PERFORMANCE MILESTONE:

September 14:  Mamma Mia! became the 10th longest-running Broadway show in history with its 4,098th performance at the Winter Garden Theatre, surpassing the run of Miss Saigon.  The show will celebrate its 10th year on Broadway on October 18th.

The Dancing Queens: Donna and the Dynamos on September 14.
Photo by Joseph Marzullo

Nothing says long-run record like cupcakes!
Stacia Hernandez, Lisa Brescia and Jennifer Perry
Photo by Joseph Marzullo

ATTENDANCE MILESTONE:

September 14: Spider-Man:Turn Off the Dark welcomed its 500,00th audience member, Jordan Muir an 11 year old from Australia.

Patrick Page addresses the audience as the cast looks on.
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

The Green Goblin introduces Spider-Man's
500,00th audience member Justin Muir (and family).
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

The Muir Family at the Foxwoods Theatre, with a special edition
of The Daily Bugle, one of Justin's special commemorative gifts.
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

Rate this blog below, and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
3.018

Broadway Ladies: Ms. December 2010: Judy McLane

If you've seen Mamma Mia! on Broadway in the last 5 years or so, you've probably seen Ms. December donning those"stinkin' stilettos' or that fabulous spandex.  Or maybe you've seen her in that most excellent independent film, Were the World Mine.  Regionally, you might have seen her critically acclaimed turns as Eva Peron in Evita or as the title characters in Victor/Victoria.  Off-Broadway, she appeared in Johnny Guitar for which she received numerous award nominations and critical acclaim.  And on Broadway, she also appeared in Chess.  A staple in the Broadway community, Ms. December is also frequently a part of her "pet" charity, "Broadway Barks."

Of course, I am speaking of Broadway's Tanya, Judy McLane!

Ms. McLane's headshot

At a Broadway event

Evita: "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina"

Evita: "A Waltz for Che and Eva"

Victor/Victoria: Robert Cuccioli,

Judy McLane and Lee Roy Reams

Victor/Victoria: "Le Jazz Hot"

Were the World Mine: A mom to a gay teen,

Judy co-starred with Jill Larsen

Broadway Barks

Johnny Guitar: Judy was a pistol-

packin' gal... and a Drama Desk Nominee!

Mamma Mia!: With her current

co-stars Lisa Brescia and Gina Ferrall

Mamma Mia!: "Super Trouper"

Mamma Mia!: Tanya with one of

many Peppers...

"Does Your Mother Know?":

Judy McLane and current Pepper,

Mark Dancewicz

Donna and the Dynamos

through the years...

Mamma Mia!'s 5th Anniversary with

Carolee Carmello and Olga Meredies

Judy McLane: Dancing Queen

and Broadway Star!

Suggestions for next month's Broadway Guy or Gal?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.

Jeff

2.105

REVIEW: Mamma Mia! (Winter 2010)

Review of the December 5 evening performance. At the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, New York City. 2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermission. Starring Lisa Brescia, Anne Edgerton, Judy McLane, Liana Hunt, Patrick Boll, John Dossett, Clarke Thorell, Corey Greenan, Halle Morse, Monette McKay, Mark Dancewicz and Andrew Chapelle. Book by Catherine Johnson, music and lyrics Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. Choreography by Anthony Van Laast and direction by Phyllida Lloyd.


Grade: A

It is great to know that amidst all the ugly in the world - both the theatre world and the world world - these days, that there is still that little oasis of fun out there? For some it is a few hours in a movie theatre, for others it is a new book by a favorite author. For me, it is a Broadway show that I don’t have to do anything for but let it happen in front of me. I can get as emotionally invested as I want to, and I know that when it is over I’ll leave energized, happy and humming. Over the years there have been a few of those in my life, but over the last decade, that ray of sunshine has been Mamma Mia!

Corey Greenan and Liana Hunt

And, after a couple of years away from it, I am thrilled to report that the Broadway Company is as giving a performance with as much energy and commitment as the original cast. Sure there are differences in certain performances, and I’ve enjoyed some individual actors more other times, but as a whole the show is in pristine shape with a cast eager to please without relying on shtick or more campiness than already required by director Phyllida Lloyd or the book by Catherine Johnson. Anthony Van Laast’s exciting contemporary and very sexy dancing remains a highlight, especially given that the cast seems to literally be “having the time of their lives.” Given the relatively small and decidedly dull audience I attended with, I have to give them all credit for going on with it as if the audience was a mass of screaming fans reacting to every line.

"Dancing Queens": McLane,

Brescia and Ferrall

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about the show is its simplicity in every aspect. A couple of walls, easily moved beds, chairs and tables and few props adorn Mark Thompson’s setting allowing the focus to be on the action, not the idyllic Mediterranean setting. The cool blues and light brown stone pattern that dominate the set suggest warm breezes and the smell of sea air, the earth tone costumes suggest a communal, easy going life style, with the brighter corals, reds and oranges of the final scene bring an easy style and grace to a more formal occasion. Howard Harrison’s unobtrusive lighting design creates mood, gives focus and creates interesting shadows throughout, and his rock concert style lighting for the terrific finale are perfection.

The Men of Mamma Mia!

So how’s the cast? Like I said, as a whole, they are spot on full of zing, broad smiles and what appears to be true joy. (If they are not really loving every minute of it, they are among the best actors on any stage today.) There are a couple of qualms I have with the current cast, but nothing that really detracts from the overall experience. Corey Greenan as Sky, is a handsome enough guy, but he looks a tad old to be Sophie’s contemporary. True, he is buff, and has a decent voice, so you can believe the attraction, but there’s just something a little off putting about him. Newcomer Liana Hunt as Sophie has all the requisite charm and sweetness, and goodness does she do the bubbly thing very well. Her voice, thought, is a tad thin for the rigors of “The Name of the Game” and she seemed to have to push to get the upper notes of “Honey Honey.” Still, she’s a cutie and is especially good in scenes where she has to deal with pre-wedding jitters and a mother that she butts heads with. Finally, John Dossett, perhaps the most experienced actor in the cast, attacks the role of Sam Carmichael with Shakespearean level gusto. It is particularly noticeable when he over does both “SOS” and “Knowing Me, Knowing You.” It isn’t Lear, Mr. Dossett. Take it down a notch or three.

Halle Morse, Liana Hunt and Traci Victoria

The rest of the company is uniformly terrific. As Sophie’s best friends, Halle Morse and Monette McKay (in for Traci Victoria), provide a real shot of youthful adrenaline and really sell their scenes, particularly as the glue that holds the whole bachelorette party sequence. Their guy counterparts, Pepper and Eddie, are also terrific, nailing their jokes and dancing their feet off in both “Does Your Mother Know” and “Lay All Your Love on Me.” Andrew Chappelle, as Eddie, does a nice job with minimal lines, but more stage time in conveying a great friendship with Sky and as a decent worker for Donna’a tavern. The real find of the entire supporting cast, though, is Mark Dancewicz who, as Pepper, is the perfect combination of macho bravado, impish trouble maker, and lusty pursuer of cougar supreme-o, Tanya. Mr. Dancewicz’s charm and charisma fairly jump off the stage, and you find yourself following him in the large group scenes. He is a superb dancer and really shows it off in “Voulez-vous” and the kick ass finale.

Three possible dads: Dossett, Thorell and Boll

As the other two of the three potential dads, both actors do a great job. Clarke Thorell, as Harry, is funny and charming. It is fun to watch him light up as he recalls his summer of youthful abandon, and his sincerity in trying to do right by Sophie is charming. Patrick Boll as Bill Austin (played as an American Cowboy/Indian Jones type rather than an Aussie) is all macho bravado with a heart of gold and a humorous take on some unmanly insecurity. You can’t help but like and root for the guy from the minute his lanky frame lopes into view.

Sup-pa-pa Troup-pa-pa!

Mamma Mia! would be nothing, though, without a dynamite Donna and the Dynamos. The current production has a terrific trio. Perhaps most of note, for sheer longevity, if nothing else, is long time Tanya, Judy McLane, who has been playing the role for years. You would never know it. She looks as spontaneous and sharp as if it were her debut. Her ease with the role, her impeccable timing and her clear connection with her co-stars betray both a familiarity with the part, making it easy and fluid, and an attention to detail that makes it fresh. She is also particularly good at handling the young firecracker Mr. Dancewicz brings to the table. She matches him move for move, flirt for flirt, which is really saying something as she must do so in impossibly high stilettos and wedge sandals. Anne Edgerton (subbing for Gina Ferrall) as Rosie was as smooth and in the zone as her cast mates. One has to assume she’s done the role several times, she is so adept at it, all while finding her own moments and line readings. Her connection to Mr. Boll is terrific, fun, flirty and more than sexually suggestive without being too naughty.

Dancewicz and McLane:

A boy and his cougar!

But the other big find of this trip to the show is the absolutely wonderful Lisa Brescia as Donna. Her electric blond hair, a wispy mess of windblown strands and curls one moment and perfectly coiffed for the wedding the next is a perfect metaphor for her electric performance. She takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, equally interesting when enraged, letting her hair down, or being a solid mom. Best of all, you can easily see why Sophie turned out so well, and yet totally believe Donna’s decidedly more wild youth. You can tell she loves throwing on the spandex for both “Super Trouper” and the finale. And she does a nice belty “Mamma Mia,” But what, for me, anyway, makes or breaks any Donna is how well she does “The Winner Takes It All.” Ms. Brescia does an all out diva rendition, earning an extended hand from the conservative audience, bringing a tear or two to my eyes. It was a powerful and honest rendition. Brava!

Lisa Brescia,

a Dynamo of a Donna!

In these tough times and in the weeks of dismal Broadway news lately, Mamma Mia! is sure welcome. If you haven’t been in awhile, this is a great cast to try and catch. And if you’ve only seen the movie version, get your dancing shoes on and get to the Winter Garden Theatre!

(Photos from Broadway.com)

Comments? Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.98

Best of the Decade: The Best Musicals, Part II

I have narrowed down a full decade of Broadway musical attendance to the fifteen best times I've had in the theatre since the 2000-2001 season.  It was difficult, and I am sure my choices vary quite a bit from most people's.  But isn't that one of the greatest things about attending live theatre?  The immediate response, the later response, the sharing of those responses with other lovers of the art form.

The first part of this series, numbers 15 - 11, can be found by clicking here.  (All of my Best of the Decade blogs will soon be available by clicking "21st Century Broadway: The First Decade" above.)

In looking at these five (10 - 6) musicals, one thing occurred to me that all of these musicals touched an emotional cord in me.  Some are just funny and make me feel good, others touch more personal space.  Some made me laugh, some made me cry, but all of them made me feel.  Alive.  You can't beat that, can you?

10.  Little Women: The Musical

Stats: Opened: January 23, 2005.  Closed: May 22, 2005.  137 performances at the Virginia Theatre.  1 Tony nomination.  Written by Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein.
Why Top Ten:  Well, how can a show be in the tops of my Best Flops and Best Guilty Pleasures lists and not make this list, too?  Still, it is the emotional pull of the show, the great cast and the amazing score. I love shows that really fire you up at the start of each act, and with a mini-musical starting each one here - "An Operatic Tragedy" starts Act One; "The Weekly Volcano Press" starts Act Two - it is doubly exciting.  There are of course the power numbers for the star (Tony nominee Sutton Foster), including the bombastic "Astonishing," and the sad songs, including the song that I cry at every time I hear it, "Some Things Are Meant to Be."  But, much like the book (which I finally read after seeing the show), it is the power and camaraderie of the sisters that really make the show sing.  "Five Forever," "Our Finest Dreams," and "I'd Be Delighted" are standouts.  The truth is there isn't a song in the show I don't like.

The Cast in "The Weekly Volcano Press"

9.  A Class Act

Stats: Opened: March 11, 2001. Closed: June 10, 2001.  105 performances at the Ambassador Theatre.  5 Tony nominations.
Why Top Ten:  In what could have been little more than a musical revue, this show used the trunk songs of Edward Kleban previously best known as the lyricist of A Chorus Line to fashion an entertaining and ultimately touching universal story about the artistry of making a musical, set against the backdrop of a troubled artist's real life.  This show goes emotionally where [title of show] didn't dare.  As serious, as quirky, and roller coaster a show as the subject of it, the staging by book writer and star Lonny Price, was seamless, and really moved.  The montage sequences were superb.  But the artistry of Kleban is what really shone through.  These were his trunk songs, and they are superior to many a more popular score.  The songs are far ranging, but never feel shoe-horned in:  the sexy and funny "Mona" ("you are now entering...Mona" cracks me up every single time!), the vividness and simplicity of "Paris Through the Window," and the really cool vamp "After Chorus Line" - the success that lead to his personal failure - in "Light On My Feet."  But the best song is "Under Separate Cover," a poem, a character piece, a catchy song, and an individual piece of art all by itself.  The show had a great cast, including Randy Graff, Sara Ramirez and Nancy Anderson.  Perhaps the best thing is that, along with this eulogy of a musical, Edward Kleban's legacy lives on in the annual award to aspiring theatre writers in his name.

The Company of A Class Act

8.  Mamma Mia!

Stats: Opened: October 18, 2001.  Still running.  As of July 11, 2010, 3,616 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre.  5 Tony nominations.
Why Top Ten:  Critically reviled, this crowd-pleaser pleases me.  I'm not married, don't have a daughter, don't even keep a diary (unless you count this), but for some reason I really relate to this show.  I am certainly not alone - it is an international hit, in many languages, and soon to be Chinese.  Maybe it is the universal bond between parent and child, maybe it is the constant and varied expression of love throughout the whole show.  It could be the scantily clad cast ("Voulez Vouz" remains the hottest 5 minutes on Broadway), it is probably the ABBA score.  It might even be the book, admittedly thin with substance, but it tells a lot of story that could be confusing in a succinct, clever and smarter-than-it-is given-credit-for way.  It isn't Sondheim, but does everything have to be?  Your $136 is well spent in entertainment value alone.  Singing along is encouraged and I dare you not to have fun at the curtain call.  The original cast is still the best I've seen - Louise Pitre, Karen Mason and Judy Kaye were sublime perfection.  But 5 or six casts and over a dozen viewings later, Mia! remains my go-to feel good show.

The Original Broadway "Donna and the Dynamos":

Karen Mason, Louise Pitre and Judy Kaye

7.  Legally Blonde: The Musical

Stats:  Opened: April 29, 2007.  Closed: October 19, 2008.  595 performances at the Palace Theatre.  7 Tony nominations.  Televised by MTV.
Why Top Ten:  I still can't figure out why the critics had a stick up their collective ass on this one, that season's The Addams Family.  The only new musical of the season not invited to Tony Awards - though 3 touring shows were (?) - the show got sweet vindication when more people saw it in its entirety, not for just 4 minutes, on MTV, than saw every show then running or since put together.  And the critics seemed to get the joke in London, where the show is a big fat hit.  But it was the smart, and better than the movie book by Heather Hach, and the terrifically musicalized moments, not just songs added to the movie script, by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin that really made this show special.  That, and a great cast led by Laura Bell Bundy, Michael Rupert, Richard H. Blake, Christian Borle, Kate Shindle, Orfeh and Nikki Snelson.  Director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell really made the show move.  It felt like constant dancing and it flowed like a movie.  And "Oh My God You Guys" may just be the most spot-on opening number representing its time period since Hair's "Aquarius."

"The Harvard Variations" in Legally Blonde: The Musical

6.  Avenue Q

Stats: Opened: July 31, 2003.  Closed: September 13, 2009.  (Still running off-Broadway).  2534 performances at the John Golden Theatre.  6 Tony nominations, 3 wins, including Best Musical, Best Book by Jeff Whitty and Best Score by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.
Why Top Ten:  Maybe it is the fact that I expected little from "adult Sesame Street" other than a few laughs.  But I know for sure it was the shock I felt at the end of Act One (and more at Act Two) that I was actually moved by and relating to puppets that looked and sounded like my two childhood friends Bert and Ernie (at 4 and 5, I had no idea that I'd relate to those roommates like I do now, either).  I never expected to laugh til I cried at puppets having sex, or that I'd be a bawling mess during Rod's fantasy sequence and his subsequent heartbreak.  Been there done that.  Sure Trekkie Monster is a funny perv of a guy (double-click and grab your...true even if you won't admit it, guys), but who knew I could be so touched by a peach-fuzzy nice girl like Kate Monster, or really see myself as Princeton with a side of Rod, and the sloppiness of Nickie.  I'm thinking it is all that relate-ability and a damned funny and almost irritatingly catchy score - the "Avenue Q Theme" is my ring tone to this day - that makes this show more timeless, fulfilling and yes, entertaining than just about every other show.  It is my favorite "secret" - a show that most of my friends automatically dismiss as silly or stupid without seeing it, no matter how much I protest and beg in its favor.  Oh well, their loss for sure.

The Original Broadway Cast of Avenue Q

Coming soon:  the Top 5.  (Hint:  There are no Ozians in it!)

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

Best of the Decade: The Guilty Pleasures

The shows on this list represent a wide variety.  Some are pure comedy; others are dramatic and emotional; still others are a mix.  A few are new; others are long-running blockbusters.  All of them have two things in common: they all have mixed to negative critical responses and all of them are a heck of a lot of fun.  I love them no matter what anyone else thinks.  And I'm sure that if you areading this, you have a few "guilty pleasures" of your own.

After completing this list and looking at the pictures again, I realized I am a sucker for a romantic musical comedy!

10.  Come Fly Away:  If recent box office trends are any indication, this Twyla Tharp concoction isn't long for this world.  And we can argue til the moon explodes about whether or not it has a story (it does!).  But with or without a story, the characters are interesting, sexy and dangerous - I'll admit that in real life, I'd probably stay away from them, but the voyuer in me loves to watch them.  All of them.  Haven't left the theatre this excited about dancing since Movin' Out!

9.  The Addams Family:  To quote another show I love - a fast flop, but definitely a guilty pleasure, Anyone Can Whistle- "Everybody Says Don't"  Yes, the show everyone loves to hate, openly and with abandon, is one of my new favorites.  Gomez, Moticia, Wednesday and the gang kill!  And I don't believe everyone hates it as much as they say, either.  It is just cool to beat up on this one.  But they will have the last laugh.  To quote another guilty pleasure... "Money Money Money"!

8.  American Idiot:  It now makes sense that three of this season's shows end up on this list.  Mediocrity in general, makes the various creams rise to the top.  And American Idiot, whether it makes money or not, will never be a critical darling.  But the music moves Broadway to the 21st Century, and I'm betting that history will bear this one out as historically ground-breaking, much like its close relatives, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.  But for now it is one wild ride, and a hell of a lot of fun.  "Holiday" and "21 Guns" are two of the best "showtunes" ever!  :-)

7.  Mary Poppins:  OK, so this one is a money-maker, an extravaganza, and, gasp!, a Disney Show!  But it will never have the clout of The Lion King.  It is too conventional.  But its score, scenery, effects, and damn fine Marys makes this one gorgeous guilty pleasure.  Long may you run, Ms. Poppins!  (Confession:  The Bird Lady, those creepy giant toys, and the nanny from hell, Ms. Andrews, still pop up in my nightmares!)

6.  Little Women:  Yes, this made another list - best flops - which to my mind makes it an even guiltier pleasure!  It made this grown man cry.  And I want to be Laurie in the worst way!  I love how his story twists and I love to belt out his song, "Take a Chance on Me" (no relation to the ABBA song) in the shower!  (I'll bet you thought I'd say "Astonishing," didn't you!?)

5.  Tarzan:  The first real flop of the Disney Theatricals empire, despite running for more than a year, this show has a lot more going for it than the critics said.  First, Phil Collins' score is awesome.  The leads were perfect - Josh Strickland proves that you can be super good-looking and be a triple threat, and Jenn Gambatese is one actress I'll see in anything she does.  And you have to admit the first 15 minutes of the show are probably the most spectacular ever... so it was not much to look at, and the "ape" design was just wrong, ut was there any other way to do the vine thing?

4.  The Wedding Singer:  I am a child of the 80's.  I was in high school and college during the best decade ever, so I got every single reference the show made, and I thought the score nailed the sound perfectly.  Again, two great leads - I thought Laura Benanti was terrific - with chemistry to spare, plus a host of awesome supporting characters (I <3 Amy Spanger!)  The story is even good for a movie turned musical.  And it is 100 times better than that other 80's show that uses old songs and defies logic by still taking up a decent theatre...

3.  Xanadu:  Imagine my surprise when I actually saw the show in previews and LOVED it - me and a sold-out crowd that cheered every line, song and roller disco move.  I, like most of that audience, went early because we wanted in on the biggest turkey of the new millennium.  Boy, were we wrong!  I saw it 5 or 6 more times, twice from on stage, which was a very cool experience, which I recommend should the opportunity ever arise again.  It made me a fan of Kerry Butler, more of a fan of Cheyenne Jackson, and a stalker an adoring fan of Curtis Holbrook, who was an awesome stand-in for Cheyenne.  I missed James Carpinello by like 3 performances, but that's ok.  He is one of the three decent things about that other 80's show.

2.  Legally Blonde:  I loved this show from the minute it started.  I loved every single thing about it - the cast, the sets, the lighting, the dancing, and especially the score, which really nailed the characters and plot.  I am probably in the minority here, but I like it even better than the film, which is one of my all-time favorites.  I've pretty much worn out my MTV DVR copy.  But the score is one that hasn't left my CD player since the day it came out.  Go, Elle!

1.  Mamma Mia!:  Whatelse could it be?  The critics hate it.  The audiences love it.  With a story as old as the Greek comedy it is based on (which no one will admit to) and as charming as its movie cousin, Three Coins in the Fountain, this fun fun fun show rocks from start to finish.  You'd have to be a real GRINCH not to laugh and sing along with "Dancing Queen," or to not be moved by the entire "Sophie gets ready for her wedding" sequence.  There is a reaon this show is still on the boards, packing them in, and it isn't just the scantily clad guys in scuba fins.  The show has a heart as big as its Broadway billboard, and it is just good, old-fashoned fun.  Life is too serious these days, and Mamma Mia! is the sure cure for whatever ails you.


Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.  (Share your guilty pleasure!)
Jeff