Broadway on TV: Channel 7's Broadway Backstage Fall Preview

Those of us who don't live in New York City now at least have options when it comes to seeing things about Broadway on TV.  Thanks to YouTube, show websites and even TV channel websites, all of us can catch a glimpse of ads (which I frequently blog about) and various specials that highlight shows and performers of out favorite entertainment, live theatre.

Recently, New York Channel 7 broadcast a seasonal special called Broadway Backstage: Fall Preview, hosted by anchor Michelle Charlesworth and none other than Bernadette Peters!  Basically. the program amounts to an infomercial, and makes every show look equally dazzling (B Roll and well placed interviews work magic).  Perhaps the only misstep of the program comes at the very beginning when Charlesworth refers to Peters as "the first lady of the Broadway theatre."  She is one of the greats, but even Ms. Peters had the good sense to laugh it off while looking mildly embarrassed and uncomfortable.  But things settle quickly and business is taken care of in a rapid pace.

Channel 7's online site has broken down the program into 4 segments, breaking, one assumes, where commercials would have been placed.  For your viewing pleasure, fellow non-New Yorkers (and any New Yorker reading who loves the theatre) here are those four segments:

Part I:
The Scottsboro Boys in rehearsal, plus an interview with Joshua Henry.
A Life in the Theatre with show footage and commentary by both stars, TR Knight and Patrick Stewart.
Footage of Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice.
Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark is represented by a montage of photos and an interview with villain Patrick Page.  (This show is really being tight-lipped, isn't it?  But does that help or hurt?)
The first segment ends with a review of shows from past seasons that have had high profile replacements: A Little Night Music (Peters and Stritch), In the Heights (Jordin Sparks), Promises, Promises (Molly Shannon), and Fela! (Patti LaBelle).



Part II:
The second segment focuses on shows with a heritage in film:
Driving Miss Daisy, including show footage and an interview with James Earl Jones.  I was surprised to see scenery.  The original production had almost nothing on stage.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, including show footage (I can see they've made some improvements already), and interviews with Patti LuPone and Danny Burstein.
Elf: The Musical, which features the unveiling of Broadway's Elf, Sebastian Arcelus and the ominous statement: "They are really keeping this one under tight wraps."
The Pee Wee Herman Show features footage from Live! with Regis and Kelly.  Philbin and Paul Reubens, both dressed as Pee Wee stroll down the street to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
This part ends with a fun segment about a Wii game that has participants doing Broadway choreography.



Part III:
La Bete features B roll footage and an interview with David Hyde Pierce.
An interview with Cherry Jones and a funny clip highlights Mrs. Warren's Profession.  Jones loves her "hooker boots"...
The Pitmen Painters  includes a brief scene and a chat with Christopher Connel.
RAIN is represented with a segment of the cast doing "Hard Day's Night."  They look pretty authentic!
Lombardi is up next, featuring footage and interviews with Dan Lauria and Judith Light.
Everything gets kicked up a notch with footage from Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, complete with commentary from star, Benjamin Walker.
The final segment is really interesting, focusing on the tattoos of American Idiot.  Stark Sands explains how he and costume designer Andrea Lauer selected the images to tell his character's story and to reflect the actor himself.  The temporary tattoos are explained by a representative of Temptus, the company that creates them, and make up designer Amy Wright.  Michael Esper ads he two cents worth at the end with a funny quip.



Part IV:
Plays are the thing in this last segment:
Time Stands Still includes a brief scene and interviews with Laura Linney and newcomer Christina Ricci.
Lots of B roll footage highlights Brief Encounter, while an interview with Jeffrey Wright and a rehearsal scene show off A Free Man of Color.
The unusual comedy Elling is represented by some astute observations by co-star Denis O'Hare.
Colin Quinn: Long Story Short  is last up and features a CNN segment with Anderson Cooper, Colin Quinn and director Jerry Seinfeld.  Here's hoping the show is funnier than these comedians trying to be funny about themselves...




Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.56

REVIEW: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Review of the October 23 matinee performance. At the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway, New York City. Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission. Starring Benjamin Walker. Book by Alex Timbers, music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. Choreography by Danny Medford, Directed by Alex Timbers. NOTE: This production contains adult language, situations and violent images.

Move over, American Idiot, there is a new bad boy rock 'n' roll show on Broadway, and his guns are ablaze and his wit is dagger sharp.  And his emotional outbursts may be as self-centered as yours, but his have deadly consequences on a national scale.  His name is Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and he has taken the rock, self-reverential and blistering satirical musical to a whole new level.  If you were wondering how the groundwork laid by such shows as Urinetown: The Musical and the aforementioned American Idiot would progress into the next generation of American musicals, you need only get yourself to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre and find out what all the fuss is about.

Finally, there is a show that no one can say "they didn't carry it out as far as they could," or "they sold out and went commercial," or "it's it too bad they compromised."  No, BBAJ is evidence that you can still be all out with your creativity, that you can be smart and still be fun, and that there is an audience for unlikely subjects as long as you stick to your point of view and you remember that musicals are first and foremost a form of entertainment.  As such, this show is the almost perfect blend of what I love about musicals.  It ignites all of my senses, it makes me think, it makes me feel and it sticks with me long after exiting the theatre. 

Of course, when you do go all out, you are sure to alienate some people (have you read the message boards?), and are sure to make fanatics out of others.  You are bound to insult some and cause others to roll their eyes in disgust.  Long before Andrew Jackson was even an idea (the writers might not have even been alive yet or were very small boys if they were) there was another show that engendered such extreme reactions from its audiences and the theatre world in general.  That little show was Sweeney Todd, and while I am not even remotely suggesting that Andrew is the masterpiece that Sweeney is, there is no denying that they are remarkably similar, right down to the blood stained costumes and sensory overload provided by their perspective productions. 

What perhaps gives Andrew Jackson the edge on edgy is that it is about a real person.  Sweeney is about a legendary figure of the penny dreadful tradition in England, and possibly a mass murderer or two that took their cue from the legend of the killer barber.  On the other hand, Andrew Jackson, even considering how skewed and purposely fictionalized his history is depicted here, is about a real leader, and a real man who was responsible for a mass genocide within our borders.  The ramifications of his actions remain with us to this day.  And while he certainly doesn't remain in our thoughts these days like Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln are, Jackson represents a dark, if forgotten, period in American history.

Scarier still is the fact that a lot of his ways and political views have remained in the public political consciousness.  Book writer/director Alex Timbers and composer/lyricist Michael Friedman have gone to great lengths and hit us repeatedly over the head with the parallels between the early 19th Century politics of Jackson and every president and the rest of our government in the late 20th Century and into the 21st.  There are plenty of digs about a leadership who throws a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way.  There are plenty of moments about a president elected by a groundswell of support rallied during a campaign, only to see it all but forgotten when tough decisions, an unsupportive cabinet and an equally immature, self-centered Congress make great campaign promises impossible to keep.  I could go on about actions/policies, etc. that fly in the face of our Constitution, and how ego and a need for admiration over leadership has throughout history has nearly brought this country to its knees.  Let's just summarize by saying that Andrew Jackson as portrayed here was the first of a long line of American presidents to make more of a mess than even he ever dreamed possible.

Which brings me to the show itself.  A lot of what makes this show work is that its subject is a dynamic, charismatic and dramatic central figure.  The show certainly plays up to the fact that Jackson would perfectly fit into today's society.  He was popular, loved to be in a scandal, and he was a completely a self-made celebrity (take that Paris Hilton!).  Were he alive today, he'd be a media mega-star; a staple on shows like The View, the Fox News Channel and fodder for every other news outlet from The New York Times to CNN.  He would keep Perez and TMZ in business.  Everyone involved in the stage production is blissfully on the same page and understands this very well.  The show is full of sound bites (literally and figuratively), and portrays Jackson as a rock star, a bad boy and a scandal ridden media whore.  And the show hits everyone of these buttons with glee and gusto, including mock documentary narration, a news brief commentator, and an entourage of cheerleaders, backstabbing associates and an ass-kissing assistant.  Fittingly, that "assistant," Martin Van Buren, ends up being the next president.

And since everyone is on that same page, it makes sense that the self-proclaimed "emo rock musical" fires on all cylinders - an edgy rock sound, overly emotional with repetitive and bizarre lyrics, the trademark over enunciation of words - my favorite being the words "in particular" repeated ad nauseum as "ian perticulyur" - and of course, the profanity laden lyrics that express both sexuality and anger in the same chorus. (I will not debate the authenticity of the score to the genre, but it certainly sends up what I do know about emo rock and its practitioners.)  Highlights of the score include the Schoolhouse Rock-on-Ritalin-liquor-and-pot influenced "Populism, Yea, Yea!", the ready for radio "Rock Star", the indie station-esque "The Saddest Song", and the most scathing and catchy number in the show, "Ten Little Indians."  The latter song sums up perfectly what my senses were like during the entire 90 minute show: it was clever for my ears and interesting for my brain, the sentiment made my blood boil, and the clever delivery (by outstanding ensemble member Emily Young) made the theatre lover in me tingle.  The score alone - played, mind you, by but three musicians, Justin Levine, Charlie Rosen and Kevin Garcia and supplemented on occasion by cast members - gave me more than my money's worth.

The majority of the ensemble plays multiple roles, and every single one of them is very clearly defined and remarkably different, a testament to the depth of talent that they posses.  Add to that that they all have perfect comic timing and can play satire as well as anyone in the heyday of Saturday Night Live, as well as cutting modern commentary and surprisingly deep, honest moments of clarity.  They are asked to do an awful lot in 90 short minutes, and are easily the best ensemble on the Broadway stage today.  Particularly outstanding are the gentlemen who play other real life political figures: Darren Goldstein (who plays the arrogant, self-absorbed Calhoun with suave devilishness), Jeff Hiller (a humorously whiny, self-absorbed John Quincy Adams), Ben Steinfeld (a wonderfully confused Monroe), Bryce Pinkham (a laugh out loud riot of drool, facial contortions and an equally bug-eyed weasel), and Lucas Near-Verbrugghe (a fabulously effete Van Buren with a...Twinkie fettish...).  Also quite good, both in a funny, satiric way, but balanced with some surprisingly real moments of serious depth is Maria Elena Ramirez as Jackson's wife, Rachel.  Ms. Ramirez gets to be part of most of the show's more somber moments and she plays them very well.  In fact, her scenes with Andrew Jackson that are more serious and sincere are what balances out the show and makes the funny funnier instead of tedious.  She deserves a lot of credit for that. 

Esthetically, the designers have collaborated brilliantly with the concept created by Mr. Timbers and Mr. Friedman. Now I did not see the show off-Broadway, but if the set on the Broadway stage is any indication of how it was at the Public, designer Donyale Werle did his best to recreate the tight closeness of what had to be a smaller playing space previously.  I am pretty sure that the set only takes up the front half of the stage, if that, and every inch of the playing space is crammed with items that give the place the feel of a hunting lodge, a museum attic and boy's clubhouse all at once.  Where the design probably got bigger was in extending every element of the stage out into the entire house area.  Not since Cats has a Broadway show felt so completely environmental.  Every inch of the walls and most of the ceiling space is covered with portraits of dead leaders, political bunting and other Americana, along with letters that spell out the show's initials, funky upside down chandeliers and the infamous stuffed horse that hangs upside down over the orchestra seats.  When you enter the theatre, it is completely bathed in red Christmas lights, and most of the hundreds of stage lights are gelled red as well.  In short, lighting designer Justin Townsend has made the audience complicit in Jackson's actions as we enter and leave the theatre blood red in color.  And, as early in the season as it is, I think I can safely predict that both he and Werle are well on their way to Tony nominations, if not wins, for their endlessly creative sets and lighting, alternately theatrical and rock concert-ish in feel and scope.  Sound designer Bart Fasbender similarly contributes to this free-for-all/heavily calculated entertainment as well, with perfectly timed gun shots, arrow shootings and a wide variety of sound effects, while costume designer Emily Rebholz manages to make the costumes as witty and modern/of the period as the rest of the show.  Particularly interesting is the costume design for various cast members during the scenes when Jackson is in the oval office, which are predominantly black and definitely of today.  Smartly, only Van Buren remains in period costume, and as we know he will be the next president, it serves as a subversive reminder that everything old will be new again.

As I said earlier, this is an almost perfectly executed, all out musical, but even when you go all out, you must be sure not to go too far.  While 99.9% of Timbers' direction and choreographer Danny Medford's staging is right on target in its frantic pace and deliberately sophomoric moments, there is one character that kind of feels shoe-horned in, and is the only one that comes close to being overkill or eye-roll inducing, and that is the pretentiously named Storyteller.  One gets the impression that the device was perhaps used more thoroughly in previous drafts, and exposition being what it has to be with such a foreign topic, maybe the authors felt there was no option but to keep it.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe she (a perfectly fine actress, Kristine Nielson, plays her) is meant to be just one more element of the send up.  But it is really the one thing in this bizarre circus that doesn't fit right.  And don't think for a moment that it is because she is portrayed as a handicapped person in an electric scooter.  Hell, that is the least offensive thing in a show that is equally offensive to Indians, slaves, Spaniards, gays, the rich, the poor and even cobblers.  It just isn't that funny or necessary, especially when other moments are later narrated by ensemble members seamlessly.

So what about the star of the show, Andrew Jackson himself?  Well, Hollywood's loss is definitely Broadway's gain, as Benjamin Walker tears up the stage as our seventh president.  He is cheeky, bombastic and literally sweats up a storm as he ages from a small boy to a petulant teen to an even more petulant adult.  Walker carefully lays out this progression so that it seems like a progression not a repetition.  There is a fine line between a one-note brat and a multi-faceted self-indulgent jackass of a man who acts like the child he once was.  Ben Walker doesn't just walk that fine line, he stomps right across it.  He embodies the entire notion of the show - that charisma, charm, bullying and not caring what the rules are can make you a star.  Andrew Jackson, at least according to this show, wrote the book on celebrity masquerading as substance - one that a myriad of today's stable of so-called stars follow (Paris, Snookie, and "The Situation" come right to mind).  What is so wonderful about Walker's genuinely star-making performance is that he is doing it the old-fashioned way: with blood, sweat and some remarkably well filled out jeans as the ad promises.  Sexypants indeed!  But best of all, he does so with the most important quality: genuine talent. 

It is sheer talent that got Timbers, Friedman, Walker and company to the big leagues.  And Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a homegrown hit that should give Broadway fans something to cheer about for some time to come.

GRADE: A

(Photos of the original Broadway cast by Joan Marcus.)

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

Jeff

2.55

TheatreScene: October 18 - 24

ARE YOU A REGULAR VIEWER OF THIS BLOG?  IF SO, PLEASE JOIN US!  BECOME A "FOLLOWER". 

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED!

"It Gets Better": Broadway Stars Create Benefit Video and Download

THEATRE BOOK REVIEW: A Little Bit Wicked

Let's Hear It for the Boys: Elvis, Idiots, Andrew, Scottsboro and Lombardi

LOGOS: Lombardi

Broadway Crossword by Blog #3: The New Season, Part VI
Ever Since Phantom Opened: The First 10 Years

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE CURRENT POLL!

OCTOBER 18:
HISTORY:

• 1858: The Oldest and Most Historically Relevant Opening:  Our American Husband opened at Laura Keene's Theatre, where it ran for an unknown period of time.  I'd have to guess that the show was a hit, big enough to have a National Tour.  It was the touring production of this melodrama that starred John Wilkes Booth, and played Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. that fateful night when Lincoln was assassinated.
• 1966: The Apple Tree opens at the Shubert Theatre, starring Alan Alda, and Tony winner Barbara Harris.  The show would run for 463 performances.
• 1990: Once on This Island opens at the Booth Theatre, and makes LaChanze a one-named Broadway star.  She won the Theatre World Award for her performance as Ti Moune.

• 2001: Mamma Mia! the International Sensation, opens on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre.  As of 10/18/2010, the show has played 3,729 performances.

NEWS:

• In what might be seen as a pre-Broadway announcement, Stephen Sondheim's Road Show will play London's Menier Chocolate Factory, starting point for La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music, and the likely transfer of Aspects of Love.

Playwright Larry Kramer

 and Normal Heart director Joel Grey 

• A benefit for Friends in Deed and the Actor's Fund, a star-filled reading of The Normal Heart directed by Joel Grey, was held at the Walter Kerr Theatre tonight.  Amongst the cast are Glenn Close, Joe Mantello, Patrick Wilson and Victor Garber.
• "Cheno" fans rejoice!  It turns out that she will be playing Fran in Promises, Promises this week, after all!
• A possible revival of That Champion Season directed by Gregory Mosher looks Broadway bound for the Spring of 2011.
• Is Robin Williams going to return to Broadway in a play?  So reports Broadway.com, who says he is on his way in the spring of 2011 in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.  I guess we shall see!

TOPS AND BOTTOMS:

• Wicked was the top in attendance (100%) and gross sales ($1.5M+) for last week.
• American Idiot had the lowest attendance (53%) and Lombardi had the lowest gross, $170K, for 8 previews.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Ntozake Shange, Playwright/Actor (for colored girls...)

OCTOBER 19:

HISTORY:

• 1987: The revival of Anything Goes opened during a stock market crash unheard of since the Great Depression.  It was an enormous hit at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, running 784 performances, earning 10 Tony nominations and winning 3, including Best Revival.  This is not the last time Patti LuPone, Anything Goes and financial ruin have converged on Broadway at the same time.  It is happening as we speak this season.  Coincidence?

• 2009: Memphis opened 1 year ago.  The little show that could has steadily gained an audience and won the Tony for Best Musical along the way!

NEWS:

• Is a revival of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia on its way to Broadway?  Rumor has it that it will, and it will be directed by David Leveaux (Fiddler on the Roof).  Look for it in the late spring or early fall of 2011.
• Broadway/TV legend Florence Henderson danced her last on Dancing with the Stars.  She was voted off in a somewhat shocking vote that looked like Bristol Palin would be sent packing.

BEGINNINGS:

• RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles and The Merchant of Venice begin previews tonight on Broadway.

(Photo by Joan Marcus)

• Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, currently in Toronto and Broadway bound, releases some great production photos!

FAREWELL:

• Tom Bosley, Tony winner for Fiorello!, and most recently on Broadway in the original cast of Beauty and the Beast and also in the revival of Cabaret passed away at the age of 83 today.  Most people know him from such TV shows as Happy Days, Murder, She Wrote, and The Father Dowling Mysteries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jennifer Holliday, Actor/Singer (Original Dreamgirls, Chicago)

OCTOBER 20: NO H8 - IT GETS BETTER

HISTORY:

• 1954: Peter Pan, the musical version made its debut at the Winter Garden Theatre, starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard, winning Tonys for both.  Surprisingly, this now classic and sure-hit was a flop, running only 152 performances.  The production would be seem by a much larger audience, though, after it was broadcast live on NBC.  A color version, featuring most of the original cast, was broadcast annually also by NBC.

• 1977: The only version of Bram Stoker's most famous character to be a hit (so far) opened on this date at the Martin Beck Theatre.  Dracula, a revival of the play, starred Tony winner Frank Langella, and was famous for its sets, designed by Tony winner Edward Gorey.
• 2005: Maybe the most gossiped about flop of the 21st Century so far, In My Life opened at the Music Box Theatre.  Like so many shows, it wasn't nearly as bad as the gossip said it was.  It wasn't all that great, either.

NEWS:

• Go purple! The NOH8 Campaign is in full swing in support of anti-bullying initiatives.
• Love Never Dies apparently will be taking a short rest in London when it closes for 4 days in November to out in some changes.
• John Larroquette will be making his Broadway debut as J.B. Bigley in the Daniel Radcliffe - Rob Ashford revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying!  The multiple Emmy winner will be with the show when it begins previews on February 26, and opens March 27, 2011.
• What is it with Lincoln Center shows this season?  For the second time already this season, a show they are producing, A Free Man of Color, is delaying previews due to the technical demands of the show.  Of course, look at all the free press that other show has gotten because of it.

• The National Tour of next to normal has its cast.  Joining Alice Ripley are: Asa Somers (Dan), Emma Hunton (Natalie), Curt Hansen (Gabe), Preston K. Sadlier (Henry), and Jeremy Kushnier (Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden).  Somers, Hunton and Hansen all have ties to the Broadway production.  Already tongues are wagging because some feel Asa Somers looks too young to be Dan, making Diana a cougar.  Hmmm...isn't that the least of her problems?
• Speaking of being too young, some are questioning the casting of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman in the forthcoming revival of Death of a Salesman to be directed by Mike Nichols.  seems the script calls for Loman to be in his 60's.  Producers are quick to point out that the only actor to be in his 60's and play the role on Broadway was Brian Dennehy.  I say Hoffman is a brilliant actor.  He should be awesome!
• Add this to my list of "wish I could be there" events: Career Transition for Dancers' 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee: A Star-Studded Retrospective  looks to be a legendary evening.  Hosted by Angela Lansbury, the show will boast performances by Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, Chita Rivera, Karen Ziemba and Charlotte d'Amboise!

IN THE WINGS:

• Baby, It's You! the Broadway-bound (aiming for Spring 2011) musical about the Shirelles, now has producers and book writers.  The book will be by Million Dollar Quartet's Floyd Matux and Colin Escott, and the show will be co-directed by Matux and Sheldon Epps.  I hope this is better than MDQ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jerry Orbach, Late Actor (42nd Street, The Fantasticks, Promises, Promises)

OCTOBER 21:
HISTORY:

• 1897: The Funniest Title of the Week: La Poupee opened at the Lyric Theatre for a poopy 14 performances.

• 1999: Saturday Night Fever first a film then a musical opened at the Minskoff Theatre to critical pans, but a somewhat long life - 501 performances.  That cast was full of folks thought of very highly today: James Carpinello, Orfeh, Michael Balderama, Andy Blankenbeuhler, Richard H. Blake, Bryan Batt, Casey Nicholaw, Sean Palmer and Andre Ward.  Since then, Blankenbeuhler became a Tony winner and Nicholaw has 3 Tony nominations!

NEWS:

• Lombardi opens tonight!
• Talk about stunt casting!  Porn star and dreamer of being on Broadway, Jenna Jameson is in talks to join the cast of Rock of Ages.  She is apparently up for the role of the strip joint owner/fairy god mother-ish figure.

• Legend Chita Rivera has made the news twice this week!  She will be given the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award from The League of Professional Theatre Women.  The award will be presented to her by her own daughter, Lisa Mordente.
• And Avenue Q set another milestone today...it turned 1 year old at New World Stages!

IN THE WINGS:

• Allegiance, the musical about those held in Japanese Internment camps during WWII, is Broadway-bound and is getting a reading directed by Stafford Armina.  The cast is a doozey!  Lea Salonga, George Takei, Telley Leung, Jason Tam and Allie Trimm head the cast.  This one sounds interesting and rich with possibilities.  What do you think?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Carrie Fisher, Actor (Wishful Drinking)

OCTOBER 22:
HISTORY:

• 1998: My goodness, was it really 12 years ago that Footloose was unleashed as a musical?  Based on the wildly successful Kevin Bacon film, the show starred Dee Hoty, Jeremy Kushnier and Jennifer Laura Thompson.  The cast boasted no fewer than 16 folks making their Broadway debuts!
• 2009: This time last year, After Miss Julie opened, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Sienna Miller.

NEWS:

• First, it was Jerry Seinfeld directing Colin Quinn. Then it was Robin Williams in Bengal Tiger. Now comes the announcement that comedian Chris Rock will be making his Broadway debut in Motherf**ker with the Hat. The new play by Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, will also star Bobby Canavale and Annabella Sciorra, and will play a limited engagement (of course) this spring.
• Looks like Brief Encounter's stay won't be as brief as first thought. Roundabout Theater Company announced its extension by an additional month!

BEGINNINGS:

• Colin Quinn: Long Story Short begins previews today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Tony Roberts, Actor (Xanadu, The Royal Family)

OCTOBER 23:
HISTORY:

• 1963: Neil Simon had his second big Broadway success with a play called Barefoot in the Park.  Starring Elizabeth Ashley and soon-to-be movie star/icon Robert Redford, the play opened at the Biltmore Theatre and ran an amazing 1503 performances.

It was the "Manson Trio" section of "Glory" that

Made the TV ad for Pippin so hot.  It sold a lot of tickets!

• 1972: The first show to really use television commercials to sell itself, the dance heavy, provocative Bob Fosse show Pippin opened at the Imperial Theatre.  Making Ben Vereen and John Rubenstein stars, the show ran 1,944 performances.  "Magic to Do," indeed!

BEGINNINGS:

• A Free Man of Color, the delayed Lincoln Center Production, begins previews today at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Michael Rupert, Actor (Pippin, Sweet Charity (1986), Legally Blonde)

OCTOBER 24:
HISTORY:

• 1905: Fans of the new musical Wonderland might be surprised to find out that a show by that name opened on this date at the Majestic Theatre.   It ran for 74 performances and featured a cast of 50.  It was not, however, about Alice and company.  Frank Wildhorn must have karma connected to this day because...
• 1910: Fans of the musical version may be surprised to find out that a play version of The Scarlet Pimpernel opened on this date at the Knickerbocker Theatre, where it ran for 40 performances.
• 1974: Equus opened at the Plymouth Theatre where it shocked and amazed audiences for 1,209 performances.  Talk about your star-studded cast: Peter Firth, Anthony Hopkins, Marian Seldes and Frances Sternhagen were all in the opening night cast.

• 2002:  The Twyla Tharp-Billy Joel dance musical Movin' Out opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  This multi-Tony winning production starred Elizabeth Parkinson, John Selya, Ashley Tuttle and Scott Wise and ran 1,303 performances.

NEWS:

• Wings starring Tony nominee Jan Maxwell, and directed by Tony winner John Doyle, opens today at off-Broadway's Second Stage.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: F. Murray Abraham, Actor (Angels in America, Triumph of Love)

Ever Since Phantom Opened on Broadway: The First 10 Years

I was looking through Playbill Online's PLAYBLOG, and they had a link to a backstage tour of The Phantom of the Opera's National Touring Company.  That company has been running non-stop for nearly 18 years, and will finally close on October 31 in Los Angeles.  The video, below, is pretty interesting in and of itself.  Led by the company's Meg Giry, Paloma Garcia Lee, she might just be the most interesting aspect of the whole thing!  After a stint in the Broadway company, she hit the road and will close the tour at the end of this month.

Turns out that she was the youngest person ever hired to be in the show two years ago, when she was a mere 17 years old.  As if that weren't enough, she is also the first company member that was born AFTER the show opened!

So that got me to thinking.  Phantom  has been a Broadway presence for more than 22 years, opening on January 26, 1988 (after previews that began January 9).  What has happened in the world since that now historic opening?  I was surprised at some of the stuff I found!

Since The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway:

• There have been 5 US Presidents: Reagan, GHW Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama.
• In 1998, the average price for a gallon of gas was 91 cents and a movie ticket was $3.50.

1988:

• Prozac was introduced.
• Crack made its first appearance in US cities.
• The Hubble Space Telescope was launched.
• The US Stealth Bomber was unveiled.
• The first Laser Eye Surgery was done.

1989:

• Flag burning was declared protected as a First Amendment freedom of speech.
• The first Global Positioning satellite was launched and operational.
• The 486 series of microprocessor was created by Intel.
• The first Gameboy was sold in Japan by Nintendo.
• Microsoft Office is introduced.

1990:

• The Simpsons airs on Fox for the first time (as its own show).
• A major recession hits the US.
• Nelson Mandela is released from a South African prison.
• Margaret Thatcher resigns as Prime Minister. (Take note, Billy Elliot fans!)
• Germany unites as one country.

• The first stage of  "Chunnel" between Great Britain and France is completed as workers come together under the English Channel as the complete "hole" is dug.
• The first documented case of AIDS is traced all the way back to 1959.
• The first satellite navigation system in a car is installed.

1991:

• The Internet is born.
• Tim Bernes-Lee launches the first Web Browser.

1992:

• The Mall of America, covering 78 acres, is constructed.
• L.A. riots begin following the televising of the Rodney King beating by police.
• Apartheid is voted down and ends in South Africa.
• The Nicotine Patch is introduced.

• Windows 3.1 is released, as is Microsoft Works.
• ATT sells the first video phone for $1,499.00.
• DNA fingerprinting is developed.
• Miley Cyrus was born, and the world rejoiced...

1993:

• The first bombing of the World Trade Center occurs in New York City.
• Beanie Babies are introduced.
• Intel releases the first Pentium Processor.
• The World Wide Web is born, and the world rejoiced was never the same again.

1994:

• "The Chunnel" opens for traffic.
• OJ Simpson takes a ride in his white Bronco.  Not since Paul Revere...
• Digital Satellite Television makes its debut.
• Both Netscape Navigator and Java are introduced.

1995:

• The Oklahoma City Bombing occurs, marking the start of domestic terrorism.
• OJ Simpson is found innocent of criminal charges.
• The concept of the DVD is announced.
• Toy Story is the first full-length film that is 100% computer generated.

1996:

• Internet Explorer and Java programing are introduced.
• Ebay is born, and the world's largest swap meet begins.
• Ask Jeeves is launched.
• Chicago: The Musical  - A revival, opens on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, after a successful run at Encores!

1997:

• Hong Kong is given back over to Chinese rule.
• On August 31, Princess Diana is killed in an automobile crash in Paris.
• Mother Teresa dies.
• There is a worldwide stock market crash.
• Disney's The Lion King opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

• OJ Simpson is found guilty of civil charges.
• At 21, Tiger Woods becomes the youngest winner of The Masters.
• The Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars.
• Microsoft is the world's most valuable company at $261B.

• In 1997, a gallon of gas averaged $1.22, and a movie ticket was $4.59.

And that is just the first decade of the Phantom years....

Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.53

Broadway Crossword by Blog #3: The New Season, Part VI

Here is the final set of clues to this new puzzle.

 

 

Click on the "Broadway Games" tab above and scroll down to Crossword Puzzle #3 for previous weeks' clues!

 

 

Some reminders:

• This puzzle is a perfect square: 38 blocks across by 38 blocks down.
• This week I'll provide clues for all the words that are in the lastsix lines, or at least start somewhere within the last six lines. You can assume that any unaccounted for blocks are black; the rest are blocks to be filled with letters. When you are done today, the entire puzzle will be complete.
• At the bottom of each of these blogs, I'll re-write the clues like standard crossword puzzles do. And the pictures included are clues to the answers, too.
• The answers will be posted next week.

 

The Clues:

 

Here we go! Again... good luck!

 

1. 51 Across: Row 33, Block 15. 6 letters: The _____ Painters.
2. 52 Across: Row 33, Block 33.  4 letters: He wrote Driving Miss Daisy.
3. 53 Down: Row34, Block 5.  5 letters: Lombardi's first name.
4. 54 Across: Row 34, Block 8.  6 letters: Broadway's only currently running verse play.
5. 55 Across: Row 34, Block 22.  10 letters: A Life in the Theatre playwright.
6. 56 Down: Row 34, Block 23.  5 letters: Lumley's hit TV show, abbreviated.
7. 57 Across: Row 35, Block 1.  5 letters: The only star of Time Stands Still that is making a Broadway debut.
8. 58 Across: Row 35, Block 16.  6 letters: He plays Andrew Jackson.
9. 59 Across: Row 36, Block 27.  10 letters: How to Succeed's J. ______ Finch.
10.  There are no new words that start in Row 37.
11.  There are no new words that start in Row 38.

 

 

Across:

 

51  The ______ Painters
52  He wrote Driving Miss Daisy
54  Broadway's only currently running verse play
55  A Life in the Theatre playwright
57  The only star of Time Stands Still that is making a Broadway debut
58  He plays Andrew Jackson
59  How to Succeed's J. ______ Finch

 

 

 

 

Down:

 

53  Lombardi's first name
56  Lumley's hit TV show, abbreviated

 

 

 

Comments?  Find a mistake?  An idea for a future puzzle?  Leave it here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.52

LOGOS: Lombardi

Continuing from yesterday's "man" theme, and in honor of its opening tonight, let's take a quick look at the logo for the new play Lombardi.

Overall, I'd have to say that the logo, like the TV commercials, are in truly keeping with the audience they are targeting - men who love football.  And as such, the "message" of the logo is powerfully brief.  And interesting enough to get just a little more than the 5 second glance a Broadway show logo might otherwise get from the same potential ticket buyer.

The Windowcard

Start with football field green, a print style that is used on football jerseys, and a silhouette of a sports legend known for his "look," and a guy will pause.  A closer, and still brief glance will verify that the figure is indeed Vince Lombardi, trademark hat, horn-rimmed glasses and overcoat all on display.

A further roll down the ad confirms that is Lombardi, as the title is spelled out in that jersey font, in between a crude (perhaps locker room chalkboard-ish) diagram of a football field.  Let's appeal to national pride - is there anything more American than football? - and announce that this is *A New American Play*, important enough to be "ON BROADWAY."  "hmm," he is thinking, "my wife loves a Broadway show.  I wonder if she'd go for a show that I'd want to see?"

A quick, and closer look at the whole ad verifies at the very top, "Life is More Than Just a Game."  Oh, yes, sir, she might just want to go... after all, she watches each game with me at home and looks interested...

Oh, yes, this ad/logo works very well.  I should note, too, that the larger ads in the Times Square area and at the theatre all feature the producer's logo prominently, too.  The all-familiar NFL logo, which endorses the ads like so much collector's memorabilia.

The Lombardi Company

This ad works on me, too.  I really want to see this play.  And I am not a football fan.  At all.  But I am a fan of interesting people and of the cast.  And Vince Lombardi, Dan Lauria, Judith Light and Company are all very interesting folks.

Dan Lauria as Vince Lombardi

Finally, and I hope this is the case, should the play be a success, I can see future ads showing Lauria as Lombardi in a photograph.  And to court the ladies, perhaps one with Ms. Light.  Of course, a photo of the three Green Bay Packers/actors would appeal to a lot of people.  My money is on that!

Grade: A+

Let's Hear It for the Boys: Elvis, Idiots, Andrew, Scottboro and Lombardi

Let's take a look at some TV commercials that put Broadway shows in view of their target audience: men!  Producers have long struggled with getting more men to the theatre, instead of just having them arrive as arm candy for their theatre-loving wives.  I think we can all agree that the gay male segment of the male population has been served well-enough both in advertising and content of Broadway shows for years.  It is the straight, married, along-for-the-ride guys that more and more shows are targeting with advertising.  Is it working?

Well, some shows seem to be man magnets with or without advertising aimed at the guys.  Jersey Boys  is a prime example.  I can name at least 7 men in my office (out of 29 souls) that have seen that show, and of them 3 have seen it multiple times.  I guess you can't get more guy-friendly than 4 males from Jersey singing "songs like they just don't make anymore."  (Yes, my boss actually said that about the show.)  And get this, he and another guy in my office are thinking of checking out another 4 guys aka the Million Dollar Quartet. 

Million Dollar Quartet
That show, as evidenced by a huge poster in Shubert Alley and an aggressive audio and video campaign is unabashedly going after the man who escorts his lady love to Times Square:



"Wife-tested, husband-approved," huh?  Let's see a woman's voice gets both of them to look up at the TV.  The first qualifier, "Passion," gets her interested because well, it is romantic, right?  And he's noticing the lip action with a hot babe (even I can recognize that Elizabeth Stanley is smoking hot).  Then you have that nasty "Betrayal" with one guy in the face of another (has Hunter Foster ever looked that charged up?).  And you end it with the dazzle of "concert footage" aka safe visuals for the anti-musical man.  We give them a reason to sing and it's cool (not to mention the absence of OMG! DANCING!).  Top it off with 4 manly men for the ages - Elvis, Jerry Lee, Carl and Johnny, plus a hard rocking (and nostalgic) underscoring of "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Hound Dog."  Testosterone pretty much beams out of the TV set and there is, gasp, finally a show both members of a couple can agree on.  Considering its goal, I think the ad is spot on.  I wonder how it is working, though.  the show's attendance numbers haven't really spiked...

Grade: A

American Idiot/Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

For the younger guys, is there a more exciting pair of musicals than American Idiot and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson?

For an earlier advertisement for American Idiot, please read my comments HERE.

I stand by what I said then, especially now that I have seen it more than once.

Grade: A

Limited by the fact that I don't live in NY and the stations I get don't come from there, I can't verify whether or not Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson has a longer TV commercial yet or not, but here is a very short one.



Well, it certainly does a lot fast: for the girls, pin-up quality glimpses of Mr. Hot Broadway, Benjamin Walker, plus a killer tag line - "Broadway Just Got All Sexy Pants"; for the theatre goer needing validation, a New York Times quote, and for they guys: a rocking song, that combined with the frantic visuals never really registers as "Populism, Yeah Yeah!" but just more gritty rock live on stage.  "Hey, if my girl can drag me to that Green Day show, and I liked it, maybe this won't be too bad, either," he's thinking.  Funny how they gloss over the Andrew Jackson part, and don't use the real tag line, "History Just Got All Sexy Pants."  Shows about dead presidents won't bring them in in droves.  What this does in 16 seconds is all great, but a longer commercial will probably sell more tickets...

Grade: A-

The Scottsboro Boys

I think this brilliant ad speaks to everyone:  the music and joyous jumping/dancing, along with the references to past shows by Kander and Ebb should really appeal to theatre goers; the cast should get more men to at least give it a second look, after all, how "prissy Broadway musical" can a show with all these guys be?; and the striking use of violent headlines projected like whipping scars on the backs of black men should ignite a spark in any American who has ever felt that injustice wins out far too much.  These days, that universally American feeling might just sell this complex and controversial show.  Not having seen it yet, I can't speak to how well it reflects the show it is advertising, but as a commercial it does its job for this viewer: I am intrigued and excited about seeing this new show.  Easily the best TV spot for a Broadway show this year.

Grade: A+



Lombardi

With the NFL as a producing partner, there is no other show on Broadway that needs to or is more likely to court potential male patrons than Lombardi.  And the producers are smart.  The initial spot is simple, to the point and features a star many guys know, Dan Lauria from TV's The Wonder Years, who looks and talks amazingly like football legend/icon Vince Lombardi.  Just so they know they wouldn't be seeing a film, the commercial looks theatrical - live people in slow motion staring at the camera, lights ablaze...ah, but those light look like stadium lights, so it is still cool.  Add three rough and tumble Green Bay Packers, and wow, this could be a show a manly man could love.  Still, a guy couldn't be caught dead going to a Broadway show ALONE!  So they sneak in another beloved TV (and soap queen) star, Judith Light, silent and a drink in hand.  "OK, so my wife/girlfriend won't be bored with all the football stuff," he thinks.  And just who is that other guy with the pad... leave it to the press to muck it up!  I can see a lot of sales in Lombardi's future if enough guys actually see this commercial.  And how many other Broadway show air ads on ESPN?

Grade: A+



Smart producers they are!  They have also created two other brief ads to appeal to more sectors of the ticket buying public.  And both are also A+ efforts!

For the ladies who might think there is nothing in it for them, this goes a long way toward showing them that even on Broadway, they won't be football widows.



And for theatre folks, tie it all up with a whiff of controversy and drama... and give us a chance to show that football can be more interesting to us besides the Super Bowl ads and halftime show!  (I'm joking... I'm sure there are many Broadway/NFL fans out there...)




Let's hope these shows are as good as their advertising, right?


Comments? Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.50