During the heat of summer, a lot of businesses haul out the holly and decorate for Christmas in July sales. I always find the combination of oppressive heat and songs about snow and hot chocolate to be jarring and soothing at the same time. How about you? Anyway...
I got to thinking about the other big holiday at the end of the year, Thanksgiving, and figured out that six months ago today was Thanksgiving 2010, and six months from yesterday is Thanksgiving 2011. So why think about all of this? Well, I suppose, if we stop and think about it, we have a lot to be thankful for, considering that this time last week, millions of people were bracing for the end of the world...
The Tony Awards: Will it be The Book of
Mormon or The Scottsboro Boys' night?
Because the end of the world did not happen, I am thankful for the following things:
The Tony Award winners will be announced. How cruel to know the nominees and not the winners?
We found out that Hines Ward is the Season 12 Dancing with the Stars champion! (Chelsea Kane was by far the best dancer - let's get her in a Broadway show - and Kirstie Alley was the most improved dancer in many season, and at 60, has inspired a lot of people, I'm sure, while Hines was the perfect storm: improvement, decent dancing, charisma beyond what should be legal, and a fan base that is enormous.)
(TOP) The Glee cast between takes atop the TKTS booth
(BOTTOM) Cheyenne Jackson and Matthew Morison
Glee had a great finale! Go Kurt and Blaine! Go Finn and Rachel! You'll get 'em next year, New Directions! (Now, producers, if you could work in a shirtless showdown between Matthew Morrison and Cheyenne Jackson, I'd be more than thankful.)
I got to listen to the Broadway Cast Recording of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown more than once and fall in love with the show all over again.
Women on the Verge: "Madrid is My Mamma"
I still have a chance to see the last Broadway theatre I haven't been in: The American Airlines Theatre.
Anything Goes still has time to record their cast recording.
Wicked can still be made into a film. (Lea Michele and Diana Agron, please!)
You can still vote for the 1st Annual Awards That Tony Forgot!
I have more chances to Tweet!
And most of all... we will get to see if Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will finally open and be a huge hit!
But, seriously, considering everything that is actually happening in the world, I have much to be thankful for. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, nuclear meltdowns, war... Maybe it is a good idea to take stock twice a year instead of each November. These days, just surviving is enough for giving thanks.
I think that the Broadway show contribution to this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade can best be summed up by a comment my brother-in-law made as they were announcing the Elf: The Musical segment: "You know, I'd probably go to a Broadway show if there was ever anything original showing." There you have it.
The first Broadway show represented on the telecast was Memphis with the song "Steal Your Rock and Roll," a show-stopper in the theatre, and a song that played well in the parade. Chad Kimball and Montego Glover have wonderful chemistry that says at much with a glance that less compatible actors sometimes never get. And the dancing was terrific, too. All that energy! A great way to start the show. Still, as appropriate as the costumes are to the show, the overall look of the number was kind of lackluster. High energy, medium impact. B+
Elf: The Musical was last up, and, again, they picked a great number to do for the parade, "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" - high energy, fun choreography, and an energetic lead performance by Sebastian Arcelus. But that was in the theatre. On screen, the dancing still looked great and the fun props usage played well, too. But Arcelus' performance got pretty much lost in the widescreen filming of the segment, thus half the magic was missing, too. B+
In between, we got one cop out and one"signature moment," both of which were flat as a pancake, and out of context not really a help in selling the shows they represented. At least both of the above numbers were representative of what the shows are really about.
The cop out came in the form of "Good Riddance" from Green Day's American Idiot. I say cop out because it is still, arguably, the most well-known song of the band's nationwide. But does it represent the show? Not in the least. Just like in the theatre, it is just a song - one that has NOTHING to do with the show itself - that isn't done in a particularly memorable arrangement, even. Instead of a showy, hard-rocking number, like, say "Holiday" done with ever so slightly tweaked lyrics and creatively staged would have really sold this struggling-at-the-box-office show. It didn't even showcase the talents of its two greatest assets, John Gallagher, Jr. and Rebecca Naomi Jones. Instead we were treated to camera/stage hog Gerard Canonico who was buried amongst the crowd like E.T. in a room of stuffed animals doing nearly one entire verse of the song. And let's face it... 20 people playing guitars in unison while standing in a straight line is hardly exciting compared to 200 high school kids playing instruments and doing complicated formations in the same space. Zzzzz D
Finally, the "signature moment" (if a relative flop show can have one) this is on their ads and photos outside the theatre is when the Million Dollar Quartet jams together while one is standing on a string base, another wails on the piano, and still another is literally bent over backwards playing the guitar. A medley of marginal hits, capped by "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" works in the context of the show, but since none of the actors does an impression but rather "an approximation" who in middle America recognizes anyone in the show? Interestingly, my sister (a semi-regular theatre goer) did notice Elizabeth Stanley and the guys on the bass and drums. "The pretty woman sure can move!" said she. And it is true. The problem with MDQ on a telecast like this one is that it never moves. And is, therefore, not all that fun to watch. C-
This year, I asked straight out, after apologizing for forcing them to watch this year, "which of these shows do you want to see?" My brother-in-law answered with his own question, "Is there anything original coming to Broadway this year?" I had to think about it, going down the list in my head mentally. "Spider-Man, with songs by U2 is an original story, based on the comic books, and Wonderland is an original story based on Alice in Wonderland... wait! The Book of Mormon is completely original, and it is by the guys who write South Park."
"That is the show I want to see this year."
Again, that really says it all, doesn't it?
Comments? Leave one here, email me or Tweet me! Jeff 2.88
Today, as we reflect on all that we have to be thankful for - and all of us have plenty despite the current economy and world events - I'd like to give my second annual "Things about theatre to be thankful for" list.
Of course, it goes without saying (but I will anyway) that I am thankful for the opportunity and ability to see many shows a year. And I am thankful for this blog, which has given me hours of personal pleasure and the distinct honor of having "met" so many people with the same passion and interests that I have. And extra special thanks to my (as of today) 13 followers! On a more personal note, I'd like to express my thanks for my best friend, frequent theatre companion, and my tireless editor and thought-provoker, Mike. This blog wouldn't be what it is without him.
But in the grander scheme of things, here are the 10 Theatrical Things I Am Thankful For:
10. The Broadway Gift Shops: As frequently as I get to NYC, I never tire of making the rounds to the "Big Three": The Broadway New York Gift Shop at the Marriott Marquis, One Shubert Alley and Theatre Circle. Sure they all carry the same stuff, and it changes so rarely, but I never miss hitting all three. I mean how can anyone who loves Broadway NOT take the chance to see the cashier (he's a tall guy with a goatee and small glasses) who sings along with every CD they play and offers unsolicited comments constantly, sometimes to the air in front of him! Or the poor guy on the weekend crammed behind a little counter in the closet space known as One Shubert Alley. Or the claustrophobic tunnel between the gift shop and the "library" section of Theatre Circle; not to mention they have the best and classiest windows in the theatre district!
9. The Playbill Binder: They have something in every price range, for the passing Broadway fan to the serious collector. I love these books that hold my prized Playbills. When I started out, they only had the vinyl covered kind with the metal rods. Now they have archival quality books, and while they are a bit pricey, they are invaluable. As my collection ages and browns, it is nice to replace the old with the new and save my priceless memories.
8. Telecharge: OK, I am NOT thankful for their still outrageous fees, and I resent all of those companies for charging me to print my own tickets, with my own ink, on my own paper - which is why I always demand an ACTUAL ticket. But I am thankful to this company for its ease of use, convenience, and the ability with EVERY show they sell, to fish around for the seats I want. Their competition is even pricier and difficult to navigate - PLUS if you don't like the seats they offer, you have to wait til someone buys them to get different ones offered to you for the same performance! But the best thing about Telecharge is that if you want to talk to a human being, you can do so with only a few buttons pressed on the phone!
7. Broadway Box/Seasons of Savings/All Theatre Discount Programs: How great that you don't have to live in the city anymore to get a discount! Broadway Box and Seasons of Savings offer a clearing house style to their discount offers, which are very easy to navigate and have very clearly stated exceptions and rules. Playbill Online and Theatermania also offer great discounts all in one place. This has really made paying full price for all but the most popular shows a thing of the past. And it allows people with varying amounts of cash flow to still attend the theatre.
6. The News: For years, Broadway was the forgotten stepchild of the entertainment business as far as being in the news and on TV in general. But as Broadway once again becomes more mainstream, the networks are again covering openings, the entertainment news shows are doing all out stories, and Broadway continues to proliferate talk shows morning, noon and night. Not too long ago, the Tonys were te only time you ever heard about a show. Now, shows like Spider-Man, The Lion King and Women on the Verge make actual headlines,. not just the gossip columns.
5. Television: Since I, like most theatre lovers, can't get to a show every day or even every week, it is nice to see the Broadway stars on TV, and see that musicals in particular are no longer the taboo they once were. It seems like every long-running show eventually gets around to a musical episode (this week, Grey's Anatomy through its hat into the ring!). And shows like The Good Wife and Law and Order (any version) not only feature Broadway actors in their main casts, but their guest lists read like a who's who of the Great White Way. And then there is the crown jewel of musical television, Glee, which has made the production number hip, being a geek chic, and being different the new normal.
4. Peter Filichia: This amazing columnist/critic offers me three rays of sunshine a week, via his blog on Theatermania.com. If you are unfamiliar with his stuff, I'd suggest becoming a regular reader of his. He's been in the biz for decades and literally travels the world to see anything and everything theatre! His Monday column gets me jazzed for the new work week, Wednesday gets me over the hump, and each Friday he starts my day off with a smile and gets me even closer to the weekend. He is smart, funny and not even a little snarky. You leave each column better off than when you got there.
3. Stars of Tomorrow: I am so thankful to see a new and great crop of talent really coming into their own. People like Jennifer Damiano, Lea Michele, John Gallagher, Jr., Jonathan Groff, Cody Green, Elizabeth Stanley, Aaron Tveit, Kyle Dean Massey, Wesley Taylor, Benjamin Walker, Joshua Henry, Montego Glover and Chad Kimball are just a few relative new comers who are really starting to make a name for themselves in this business. They represent a vibrant and exciting future.
2. So many new shows despite the recession: Did you ever think that so many new shows would be opening this year, given how bad money is these days? The number of new musicals alone is newsworthy, don't you think?
1. Broadway making a difference: Every year there seems to be a new cause to get behind, and every single time, the Broadway community ponies up. Be it the annual fundraising events like the Broadway Flea Market, The Easter Bonnet Competition, the Gypsy of the Year or Broadway Bares, or the of the moment causes like Broadway Responds to Katrina or most recently, the "It Gets Better" Campaign, if there is a need people from the ushers to the fly guys to the stars of the show give up their time and often offer their personal lives in the name of whatever cause needs them at any moment. Their generosity is inspiring and offers me so much hope for humanity. And that is worth giving thanks for!
Here's hope the holiday brings you good times with family and friends, and that, in between turkey and football, you take a moment to look around you and be thankful for all of the blessings you have.
During the heat of summer, a lot of businesses haul out the holly and decorate for Christmas in July sales. I always find the combination of oppressive heat and songs about snow and hot chocolate to be jarring and soothing at the same time. How about you? Anyway...
