CONTEST: Win Tickets to FOLLIES on Broadway!

The LEGENDARY CLASSIC RETURNS to the street where DREAMS ARE BORN.

 

The Kennedy Center’s lavish and landmark new staging of James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award®-winning musical FOLLIES comes to Broadway’s Marquis Theatre (46th St. between Broadway and 8th) for an historic limited engagement, complete with its 28-piece orchestra and a cast of 41—led by such Broadway babies as two-time Tony® winner Bernadette Peters, four-time Tony® nominee Jan Maxwell, two-time Tony® nominee Danny Burstein, three-time Emmy nominee Ron Raines and Olivier Award winner Elaine Paige.

 

And here's the best news of all! The folks over at Follies have asked me to sponsor a contest! There will be TWO lucky winners of a pair of tickets each to a performance of Follies at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway!

 

(Don't want to play, but still want to see the show? Scroll down this blog for a special link to a discount for Follies!)

 

HOW TO PLAY:

• Starting TODAY (and every day this week through Friday) there will be a trivia question at the end of my blog for the day. Each multiple-choice question will be about the stars of this revival of Follies.
• Collect each answer, and submit all 5 to me via email atjkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

Complete, acceptable entries will:

• Put FOLLIES CONTEST in the Subject Line
• Include your name, city and state.
• List the answers in order, with the correct letter or letters AND the answers (Ex. 1. B. Playbill Magazine)
• I will collect entries between noon on Friday, August 5 and midnight on Saturday, August 6. No entries will be accepted after midnight (Eastern) on Saturday, August 6.
• Any entry that does not meet the guidelines will be disqualified.
• ONE ENTRY PER EMAIL ADDRESS. ONE WINNER PER HOUSEHOLD.
• The winners will be selected at random from all entries that have all the correct answers. You will be notified via email if you have won by NOON Eastern on Sunday, August 7.

 

THE PRIZE:

• Winners will receive one voucher, good for two complimentary tickets to Follies on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. The vouchers are good for any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening performance between August 16 and September 29. (Availability of tickets is subject to prior sale and there may be blackout dates.) Performances are Tues, Weds, and Thurs at 8PM (Tuesday, September 13, 20 and 27 at 7PM).
• You will need to be able to fax your voucher to the company, and provide both the voucher AND a photo ID in order to pick up tickets which will be held for you at the Box Office. You will need to send in your ticket request AT LEAST 1 week in advance, and NOT the week of.

 

THE FINE PRINT:

• JK's TheatreScene is NOT responsible for unreceived or returned emails. It is also not responsible for the rules/guidelines for redeeming winning vouchers, ticket availability or seat location, or who appears in any given performance or not.
• Entries that do not meet the guidelines, or multiple entries from the same email or household will all be disqualified.
• Contributors to this blog (and their families) are NOT eligible to enter. Contributors are persons who have written whole blogs for this site, not people who have written comments or sent things in to “ASK JEFF.”

 

HOW TO GET A DISCOUNT:

• Don't want to play? Don't think you'll win? Can't go to the show during the times allotted by the vouchers? Then use the link and details below to get a great discount on tickets to Follies!

 

Purchase by August 6:

• $79 Orchestra/Front Mezz (reg. $135/$125)
• $55 Mid Mezz (reg. $95/$85)

 To order by August 6, use code 1BUDDY

 

Purchase Between August 7 – October 2

• $89 Orchestra/Front Mezz (reg. $135/$125)
• $65 Mid Mezz (reg. $95/$85)

Order August 7 – October 2, Use code 2BUDDY

• Call: 877-250-2929
• Online: Ticketmaster.com (CLICK HERE.)

• Visit: The Marquis Theater, 46^th Street between Broadway and 8^th Ave.
• Website: www.FolliesBroadway.com

**Conditions: Valid for performances through 10/2/11 All prices include $2 facilities fees. Limit 8 tickets per order. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. ALL SALES FINAL. No refunds or exchanges. Telephone and Internet sales are subject to standard service fees. Offer may be revoked at any time or modified at any time without notice.

 

Remember! Look for a new trivia question TODAY (scroll down), tomorrow, and every day this week!

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

TRIVIA QUESTION #1:

For which show did Bernadette Peters NOT receive a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical?

 

A. Into the Woods

B. Sunday in the Park with George

C. The Goodbye Girl

D. Mack and Mabel

 

Look for question #2 at the bottom of tomorrow's blog! And remember, you need to give the letter AND the answer on your entry!

 

 

Disclaimer: I have never received any form of compensation for sponsoring this contest. I am not in any way affiliated with the Broadway production, its producers, cast, crew or creative team. This contest is open to readers of JK's TheatreScene, and winners, by virtue of their entry, are confirming that they can use the prize as provided within the guidelines and time period it is valid. All entries, email addresses and names will remain confidential, and will be permanently deleted on September 29, 2011.

Logo and photos provided by FolliesBroadway, and photos are copyrighted by that company. Photos are by Joan Marcus.

 

 

Jeff

2.338

 

NEW CONTEST! Win Tickets to THE NORMAL HEART

Broadway legend Joel Grey makes his Broadway directorial debut (with co-director George C. Wolfe) with an all-star staging of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart.  And I have two pairs of tickets for you to win!  See below for contest rules and how to enter! (ADDED TIME TO ENTER - SEE BELOW!)

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Ellen Barkin (Emmy® Winner, Before Women Had Wings), Patrick Breen (Next Fall), Mark Harelik (Mrs. Warren's Profession), John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C), Joe Mantello (Tony® nominee, Angels in America), Luke Macfarlane (Brothers and Sisters), Lee Pace (Golden Globe nominee, Pushing Daisies), Jim Parsons (Emmy® Winner, The Big Bang Theory), Richard Topol (The Merchant of Venice) and Wayne Alan Wilcox (Coram Boy) head the all-star cast in the Broadway premiere presentation of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart. Hailed by London’s National Theatre as “one of the greatest 100 plays of the 20th century,” this groundbreaking story of love, rage and pride comes to Broadway for 96 performances only.

The story of a city in denial, The Normal Heart unfolds like a real-life political thriller—as a tight-knit group of friends refuses to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence. A quarter-century after it was written, this outrageous, unflinching, and totally unforgettable look at the sexual politics of New York during the AIDS crisis remains one of the theatre’s most powerful evenings ever.

(Don't want to play, but still want to see the show? Scroll to the bottom of this blog for a special link to a discount for The Normal Heart!)

  HOW TO PLAY:

• Starting TODAY (and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) there will be a trivia question at the end of my blog for the day. Each multiple-choice question will be related to the play The Normal Heart.


• Collect each answer, and submit all 5 to me via email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.  

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

• Complete, acceptable entries will:


• Put NORMAL HEART CONTEST in the Subject Line


• Include your name, city and state.


• List the answers in order, with the correct letter or letters AND the answers (Ex. 1. B. Playbill Magazine)


• I will collect entries between 4PM on Thursday, April 21 and 4PM on Friday, April 22. No entries will be accepted after 4PM (Eastern) on Friday, April 22. (This is a change from the originally posted time due to a delay in the final question being posted.)


• Any entry that does not meet the guidelines will be disqualified.


• ONE ENTRY PER EMAIL ADDRESS. ONE WINNER PER HOUSEHOLD.


• The winners will be selected at random from all entries that have all the correct answers. You will be notified via email if you have won by 6:30 PM Eastern on Friday, April 22.  

THE PRIZE:

• Winners will receive one voucher, good for two complimentary tickets to The Normal Heart on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre. The vouchers are good for performance through May 22. (Availability of tickets is subject to prior sale and there may be blackout dates.)


• You will need to be able to fax your voucher to the company, and provide both the voucher AND a photo ID in order to pick up tickets which will be held for you at the Box Office. You will need to send in your ticket request AT LEAST 96 hours in advance.  

THE FINE PRINT: 

• JK's TheatreScene is NOT responsible for unreceived or returned emails. It is also not responsible for the rules/guidelines for redeeming winning vouchers, ticket availability or seat location, or who appears in any given performance or not.


• Entries that do not meet the guidelines, or multiple entries from the same email or household will all be disqualified.


• Contributors to this blog (and their families) are NOT eligible to enter. (If you have ever left a comment, you ARE eligible!)  

HOW TO GET A DISCOUNT:

Don't want to play? Don't think you'll win? Can't go to the show during the times allotted by the vouchers? Then use the link below to get a great discount on tickets to The Normal Heart!

http://www.thenormalheartbroadway.com/NHEML41.php


Remember! Look for a new trivia question TODAY (scroll down), Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!

GOOD LUCK!


Disclaimer: I have never received any form of compensation for sponsoring this contest. I am not in any way affiliated with the Broadway production, its producers, cast, crew or creative team. This contest is open to readers of JK's TheatreScene, and winners, by virtue of their entry, are confirming that they can use the prize as provided within the guidelines and time period it is valid. All entries, email addresses and names will remain confidential, and will be permanently deleted on May 22, 2011.

TRIVIA QUESTION #1:

Ellen Barkin heads the cast of The Normal Heart.   Is this is her Broadway debut?

A. Yes
B. No

Look for question #2 at the bottom of Monday's blog! And remember, you need to give the letter AND the answer on your entry!

(Photo of The Normal Heart star Ellen Barkin)

The Doctor is In: Spider-Man is Far From the First...

News this week that the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark are in talks with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to work on the book prompted the most obvious question, even from ardent supporters like myself: "Why did you wait so long?"  I am sure that there are many reasons why (and I've even heard that he and others have been hacking away at it long before now).  And I am equally sure we will NEVER know the full story.  Be that as it may, even as the show has VASTLY improved over the months since previews started, it still has a ways to go, and admittedly the biggest problem is the book.

If it turns out that Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa does/has/will be credited or not with working on the book, then the show is in good hands.  He has experience as a playwright, a show doctor and as a writer of actual Spider-Man comics!  In fact, his most recent show doctor credit was the re-vamping of the now possibly Broadway-bound It's a Bird!  It's a Plane!  It's Superman! (though now Superman will REALLY have to fly his ass off to impress anyone...).  I am keeping my fingers-crossed and hope he gets rid of those damnable shoes, re-works or gets rid of the Geek Squad (love as I do Gideon Glick, he doesn't really help the show at this point), and really makes us care about Peter, Mary Jane and, yes, even the Green Goblin.  I hate to admit that I like what is happening with Arachne, so I hope he tweaks well and carefully!

Of course, the tabloid New York Times, once a beacon of style and class, would now have you believe that this a first for any musical.  This is not even close to the first time a show in trouble called in a "doctor" so to speak.  Hell, Shakespeare even got help... the difference is that most of the time the public is not made aware of it.  And only occasionally do the "doctors" get or take credit.  Often, it is years after a show closes that the truth comes out. 

Some well known cases:

• Arthur Laurents, directing I Can Get It For You Wholesale!, re-worked the book to suit his needs.  The show was still a flop.

• Jerome Robbins came in to fix a troubled A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, going uncredited for staging and choreography.  So famous was this "uncredited" work, that "Comedy Tonight" made into his Tony-winning revue musical, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and Stephen Sondheim tells the story of how Robbins got "Comedy Tonight" out of the young writer, as he admits himself in  Sondheim on Sondheim.  Forum is a musical theatre classic.
• Bob Fosse, directing/choreographing Pippin very famously banned both Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz from rehearsals while he doctored the show.  It was a HUGE hit.
• Tommy Tune, like Fosse and Robbins, did his doctoring to suit his staging needs TWICE: Grand Hotel: The Musical (a big hit) and My One and Only (another hit).

• Neil Simon was brought in to tighten and fix the ending of A Chorus Line.  We all know what a HUGE hit that show turned out to be!  Contrary to popular belief, Simon's nickname, "Doc," had nothing to do with the shows he doctored, even though there were a few. 
• Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse re-wrote the book to Anything Goes, making it one of the biggest hits of the 30's.  Their work was in turn doctored for the 1987 and 2011 revivals by Timothy Crouse (no relation to Howard) and John Weidman.  All four are joined by the two who wrote the original: P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton.

• Abe Burrows doctored so many shows (along with writing such classics as Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed...) that there was a famous saying around the Rialto when the stink of trouble reached a producer's nostrils: "Get me Abe Burrows!"  Mr. Burrows, ever the gentleman, never really discussed which shows he doctored or which he co-wrote, admitting freely to only one: Make A Wish, a moderate success.
• Douglas Carter Beane is a modern-day doctor, though he does wholesale re-writes of vintage shows, like The Bandwagon, which now goes by Dancing in the Dark.
• Brian Yorkey for a while was being credited for "helping" Thomas Meehan with the book for Catch Me If You Can.

So you see, Spider-Man is not alone.  Not even close.  Here's hoping that Spidey goes the way of Anything Goes, Forum..., Pippin and A Chorus Line.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.171

WIN TICKET'S TO BROADWAY'S HOW TO SUCCEED!  CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RULES!

TRIVIA QUESTION #3:
All of the following Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals take place in New York City, EXCEPT:

A.  RENT
B.  How to Succeed...
C.  next to normal
D.  A Chorus Line
E.  Fiorello!

Look for question #4 at the bottom of Monday's blog!  And remember: you need BOTH the letter AND the answer for your entry!

(John Larroquette as J.B. Bigley in How to Succeed...)

CASTING: Wonderland

Wonderland is the one show this spring that I hear little buzz about, and I'm not entirely sure why.  It has a composer that has a very intense legion of fans, Frank Wildhorn.  OK, so he's really only had 2 minor-ish hits with decent runs - Jekyll and Hyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel.  It has a really cool logo for use in all of its advertising - maybe the best of the season (more in a separate blog about that).  OK, but for all of its recognizability, there is just something inherently creepy about the whole Alice Through the Looking Glass thing.  Then there is the pretty slick website - easy to navigate, full of critical quotes and show info.  OK, but it also has tracks from its score, which are Wildhorn standards: belty anthems or clever on first hearing, banal on second hearings pop tunes.  From the samples alone, I can imagine that the fans of American Idol and its over-blown histrionic style will "whoo!" and scream after every over amplified tune in the show.  (For me, it is always the tunes that get the least "whoo"ing at a Wildhorn show that I like the best!)

OK, so far, there are only two things have even moderately upped my interest in Wonderland: A New Alice. A New Musical Adventure (and I HATE the sub-titles).  First are the pictures they've released.  OK, the pictures do show some very colorful scenery, costumes and cast poses - Kate Shindle's Mad Hatter intrigues me in the same way those Times Square costumed people do, and Darren Richie is simply a good looking man, though Janet Dacal's simple magenta frock is not what I'd have gone with as the ONE costume she appears to wear in the whole show.

The other somewhat interesting thing about the show is the cast.  Full of up and coming folks, and one or two seasoned vets, though, this cast suffers in the Broadway high wattage casting sweepstakes this year.  Last year, this would have rivaled The Addams Family in star-power.  This year? Karen Mason who?

Still, here's a look at who's who in Wonderland:

Let's start with the ensemble.  It is made up of: April Berry (Legally Blonde), Sae La Chin (White Christmas, Fosse, Sweet Charity), Dan Domenech (Rock of Ages -1st National Tour), Mallauri Esquibel (debut), Derek Ferguson (debut), Wilkie Ferguson (In the Heights -1st National Tour, Hairspray - 1st National Tour), Natalie Hill (Bye Bye Birdie), Lauren Lim Jackson (Finian's Rainbow), Morgan James (The Addams Family), Kate Loprest (Xanadu, Hairspray), Grady McLeod Bowman (Billy Elliot, South Pacific), Renee Marino (West Side Story), Heather Parcells (A Chorus Line), Stefan Raulston (AIDA, Tarzan), Julius Anthony Rubio (debut), and Tanairy Sade Vasquez (West Side Story).  Laura Hall (debut) and Ryan Link (Hair) are the swings.

The Principal Cast is comprised of: Janet Dacal (In the Heights) as Alice, Darren Richie (Bells are Ringing, Thoroughly Modern Millie) as the White Knight, E. Clayton Cornelius (The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line) as Caterpillar, Jose Llana (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The King and I) as El Gato, Karen Mason (Sunset Boulevard, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!) as the Queen of Hearts, Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde) as the Mad Hatter, Carly Rose Sonenclar (Les Miserables - revival) as Alice's daughter, Chloe, Edward Staudenmayer (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me) as Rabbit, and Danny Stiles (debut) as Morris.

A decent, accomplished cast, to be sure.  And I understand this could make Ms. Dacal and Mr. Richie big Broadway stars.  I really do wish them all the best.  Really.

But the Marquis Theatre has a bit of a curse, you know.  Only three hit shows in its history: Me and My Girl, Annie Get Your Gun and Thoroughly Modern Millie.  Will Wonderland break that curse?  We shall see.  Of all the shows opening this season, this is the one I am least stoked about.  I'm not a fan of the Wonderland thing in any version, really.  And so the cheapest seat I could buy will have to do for now.  And who knows?  If it's any good, I can always go back down the hole again.  I hear tickets are pretty easy to get.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.170

WIN TICKETS TO HOW TO SUCCEED ON BROADWAY!  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW!

TRIVIA QUESTION #2:
Which musical was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein and won the Pulitzer Prize?

A.  The Sound of      Music
B.  South Pacific
C.  The King and I
D.  Flower Drum      Song
E.  Of Thee I Sing




Look for question #3 at the bottom of tomorrow's blog! And remember, you need to give the letter AND the answer on your entry!

(Christopher J. Hanke as Bud Frump in How to Succeed... Photo by Chris Callis)

CONTEST! Win Tickets to HOW TO SUCCEED on Broadway!

In 1961, a big show with an even bigger title opened on Broadway, and took the theatre world by storm!  It was so big, in fact, that it not only won the Tony Award for Best Musical that year, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama!  Now, in 2011, that same big show - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - returns to Broadway in a brand new production starring some of today's biggest Broadway talents, including a World Wide Film Star and a multi-Emmy winning actor in his Broadway debut!  I'm talking, of course, about Daniel Radcliffe (Equus, the Harry Potter film series) and John Larroquette (Night Court).

And here's the best news of all!  The folks over at How to Succeed have asked me to sponsor a contest!  There will be TWO lucky winners of a pair of tickets each to a performance of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway!

(Don't want to play, but still want to see the show?  Scroll to the bottom of this blog for a special link to a discount for How to Succeed..!)

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Starting TODAY (and tomorrow, Friday, Monday and Tuesday) there will be a trivia question at the end of my blog for the day.  Each multiple-choice question will be about the 8 musicals (including How to Succeed...) that have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
2. Collect each answer, and submit all 5 to me via email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

Complete, acceptable entries will:

• Put HOW TO SUCCEED CONTEST in the Subject Line
• Include your name, city and state.
• List the answers in order, with the correct letter or letters AND the answers (Ex. 1.  B. Playbill Magazine)

1. I will collect entries between noon on Tuesday, February 22 and noon on Wednesday, February 23.  No entries will be accepted after noon (Eastern) on Wednesday, February 23.
2. Any entry that does not meet the guidelines will be disqualified.
3. ONE ENTRY PER EMAIL ADDRESS.  ONE WINNER PER HOUSEHOLD.
4. The winners will be selected at random from all entries that have all the correct answers.  You will be notified via email if you have won by 6PM Eastern on Wednesday, February 23.

THE PRIZE:

• Winners will receive one voucher, good for two complimentary tickets to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.  The vouchers are good for any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday performance between March 1 and March 24.  (Availability of tickets is subject to prior sale and there may be blackout dates.)  Performances are Tues, Weds, and Thurs at 8PM, and Weds at 2, starting March 14.
• You will need to be able to fax your voucher to the company, and provide both the voucher AND a photo ID in order to pick up tickets which will be held for you at the Box Office.  You will need to send in your ticket request AT LEAST 96 hours in advance.

THE FINE PRINT:

• JK's TheatreScene is NOT responsible for unreceived or returned emails.  It is also not responsible for the rules/guidelines for redeeming winning vouchers, ticket availability or seat location, or who appears in any given performance or not.
• Entries that do not meet the guidelines, or multiple entries from the same email or household will all be disqualified. 
• Contributors to this blog (and their families) are NOT eligible to enter. (If you have ever left a comment, you ARE eligible!)

HOW TO GET A DISCOUNT:

Don't want to play?  Don't think you'll win?  Can't go to the show during the times allotted by the vouchers?  Then use the link below to get a great discount on tickets to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

http://howtosucceedbroadway.com/HSFAN105.php


Remember!  Look for a new trivia question TODAY (scroll down), tomorrow, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday! 

GOOD LUCK!

Disclaimer: I have never received any form of compensation for sponsoring this contest.  I am not in any way affiliated with the Broadway production, its producers, cast, crew or creative team.  This contest is open to readers of JK's TheatreScene, and winners, by virtue of their entry, are confirming that they can use the prize as provided within the guidelines and time period it is valid.  All entries, email addresses and names will remain confidential, and will be permanently deleted on March 24, 2011.

Logo and photos provided by HowtoSucceedBroadway, and photos are copyrighted by that company.  Photos are by Chris Callis.

TRIVIA QUESTION #1:
Which Pultizer Prize-winning musical is all about the world of Broadway gypsies?

A.  Fiorello!    
B.  Gypsy    
C.  A Chorus Line    
D.  RENT    
E.  Show Boat

Look for question #2 at the bottom of tomorrow's blog!  And remember, you need to give the letter AND the answer on your entry!


(Tammy Blanchard as Hedy La Rue in How to Succeed...)






Jeff
2.169