anything goes broadway: Ekim 2012

13 Ekim 2012 Cumartesi

WE'VE MOVED!

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As we've been promising all week, SHOWBUZZDAILY has set up fancy new digs in another part of the internet. If you're viewing this site via a preexisting bookmark, please type the url www.showbuzzdaily.com in your browser, and it'll take you to our new location...then re-bookmark us once you're there, of course.
We promise it'll be worth the journey--the site has a terrific new design and fresh content waiting for you at www.showbuzzdaily.com, so come join us!

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Broadway's Lost Treasures 1

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Video From Smudge37
Broadway's Lost Treasures 1

Culled from the archives of the first 20 years of Tony Award broadcasts, this DVD includes Joel Grey's opening "Wilkommen" number from "Cabaret" to Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera's dazzling "All That Jazz" from "Chicago" in 1984. 17 performances in all.

BROADWAY'S LOST TREASURES is an unparalleled compilation of rare original cast performances from the televised versions of some of the biggest and most beloved Broadway musicals of the 20th century. These performances--which were seen only once in their original telecasts--have been rescued from the archives and compiled with introductions by featured stars Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, Tommy Tune, and others. See Broadway's legends sing and dance their way through 17 signature showstoppers, including Joel Grey's "Wilkommen" from CABARET and Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera's "All That Jazz" from CHICAGO. Both the VHS and DVD editions contain 5 bonus performances.

http://rapidshare.com/files/141459313/BLT.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459402/BLT.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459405/BLT.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459403/BLT.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459404/BLT.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141467033/BLT.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141467068/BLT.part7.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141467071/BLT.part8.rar
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Broadway's Lost Treasures II - 2004

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Broadway's Lost Treasures II (2004)

Broadway's Lost Treasures II contains 90 minutes of memorable moments and performances from the various Tony-award telecasts throughout the years. Included on this edition are performances from such famous productions as Man of La Mancha, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Anything Goes. Such notables as Gregory Hines, Patti LuPone, Michael Jeter, Nathan Lane, and Jerry Orbach take part in the proceedings.

http://rapidshare.com/files/157568349/LBTII.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157568346/LBTII.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157568352/LBTII.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157568348/LBTII.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157568350/LBTII.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157579785/LBTII.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157579779/LBTII.part7.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/157579780/LBTII.part8.rar

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It's Raining Free Tickets: Congratulations To Latest SOB Contest Winner!

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It's Raining Free Tickets: Congratulations To Latest SOB Contest Winner!

Remember how much I told you I loved Rain - A Tribute To The Beatles?

Today, I'm thrilled to send a lucky Steve On Broadway reader to see the show. Congratulations to Eleah Burman from New York, New York, who has just won two free tickets to see Rain - A Tribute To The Beatles at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre!

Eligible entries for this SOB Contest needed to subscribe to this blog, follow me on Twitter (and then retweet one of my contest messages) and follow me on Facebook.

Congratulations again, Eleah!

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. By subscribing to Steve On Broadway, you'll automatically be entered in all future contests!

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. However, in conjunction with SpotCo, two tickets for Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles will be given away to one lucky reader. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

Hard To Imagine It's Been Thirty Years

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Hard To Imagine It's Been Thirty Years

It really is incredibly hard to believe it was 30 years ago today that John Lennon was murdered.

Millions of us were shocked to learn the tragic news in this highly surreal fashion. The evening of December 8, 1980, hit virtually everyone around the world so extraordinarily hard. Suddenly that evening, it didn't matter if you were a fan of The Beatles or Lennon. The idea that such a creative genius who espoused peace could be gunned down so violently broke our collective hearts.

Lennon's untimely death marked the end of an era, even as he had just attempted to begin a new one for himself.

The musical icon had just emerged from a self-imposed "exile" to help raise his young son Sean. On November 17, 1980, just three short weeks prior to his murder, he and his wife Yoko Ono released the incredibly hopeful "Double Fantasy," his first studio recording in five long years.

While the recording would quickly climb to number one on the Billboard charts and go on to earn him a posthumous Grammy for 1981 Album of the Year, for those of us who purchased the recording, we were haunted by the back cover image showing Lennon and Ono outside the Dakota Apartments, just steps from where this man of profound peace met his violent end.

Rest in peace, John Lennon. Thirty years later, we're still trying to imagine the type of world you envisioned.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

In keeping with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

12 Ekim 2012 Cuma

WE'VE MOVED!

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Broadway's Lost Treasures 1

Broadway's Lost Treasures II - 2004

It's Raining Free Tickets: Congratulations To Latest SOB Contest Winner!

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Hard To Imagine It's Been Thirty Years

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11 Ekim 2012 Perşembe

Peter Link - Goin' Home (On Heaven And Beyond)

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Peter Link – Goin’Home (On Heaven And Beyond)
2011, Watchfire MusicPeter Link’s musical resume reads like he must have made itup. Starting out as an actor, Peter Linkhas appeared on Broadway (Hair), ontelevision (As The World Turns), andin movies (The Out Of Towners). While successful on stage and in front of thecamera, it was composing that drove Link, and he soon began focusing all of hisefforts there. Writing at first forBroadway, Link earned two Tony Award nominations and one Drama Desk Award forhis musical work. One of his songs hascharted as a Top-Ten hit on Billboard. Link has also composed for a number of children’s programs over theyears, including Vegetable Soup; SesameStreet, The Electric Company and TheBig Blue Marble.

In 2006, Link and James Birch began an on-line inspirationalrecord label called Watchfire Music. Link has since focused much of his energy writing music inspired byfaith. His most recent effort isentitled “Goin’ Home (On Heaven And Beyond)”.

Goin' Home opens with the title track, an uplifting choral piece that iscontemplative and sweet. This transitions into "To My Father'sHouse", a contemporary soul gospel number that is catchy and inspired. "Heaven"takes on a vision of heaven. The conversational style that is meant to makethis more accessible robs the song of any real sense of flow. Stylisticallythis compares to the opening song of a musical; one used to set the scene notimpart information. These are rarely the ones you walk away humming.

"I Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More / I Got A Robe" details a listof worldly items that won't get you into Heaven. This is an odd to simplicityand spirituality that's entertaining but light on both. "There's AMountain In My Way" takes on faith supported by a funky dance beat. Thesong is catchy and enjoyable from a purely sonic perspective, but is comparableto the lightweight worship music style that pervades Comtemporary ChristianMusic. "I Can't Go Home" is a languorous ballad acknowledging thereis still work to be done before going home to God. The presentation here isover dramatic and weighs heavily in the ears.

"We Fix It" offers up another view of Heaven in a preacher'sauthorial but does so in a fluffy soul/pop arrangement. "What Could HaveBeen" is a solo, melancholy love song that looks forward to looking backfrom beyond the veil and anticipating the sadness that he will have. From asongwriting perspective this is solid work. Thematically the song is whollyinconsistent with the spiritual aims of the album, and the delivery is overlydrawn out and heavy. The tide turns for "In Dat Great Gittin' UpMornin'", where elements of pop, gospel, soul and jazz come together incelebration of the final day when God calls his people home.

"Goin' Home" is a sweet and melodic ode to going to Heaven. The malelead vocal here is exquisite and rich, inspired by his subject. For as good asthis is, "When The Saints Go Marchin' In" is equally as cheesy. Openingwith a faux news report, things go downhill quickly with a rote repetition ofsaints from different cultures walking together. The sentiment is certainlyworthwhile, but here is an example of where inspirational music puts messageahead of composition. The ensemble eventually gets around to the song itselfmany listeners will have already tuned out. Things turn more contemplative forthe closing track "Come To Me As A Bird", which uses repetition asits focal point. The melody is solid, but the AB lyrical structure will wearthin for some listeners.Peter Link has proven time and time again he is a greatcomposer; yet even great composers miss on occasion. There are a couple of misses on Goin’ Home (On Heaven and Beyond), butLink stays the course and generally delivers superb songwriting in a musicaltableau that is very accessible.

Rating: 3 Stars(Out of 5)Learn more at www.peterlinkcreative.com.

The 71's - We Are The Seventy Ones

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The 71s – We Are TheSeventy Ones
2012, The 71s MusicAnthem rock is back. So declare The 71’s, a melodic power quartet from Houston Texas that isintent on breaking out or breaking something, and soon. The 71’s, known in andaround Houston as a group of down to earth guys, write and play with apretension to greatness that is reminiscent of the best of the progressive rockera. This is accomplished with ablending of classic rock, punk, glam and even a bit of grunge. All of this comes together on The 71’s recentrelease, We Are The Seventy Ones. The album is not only a declaration ofmusical independence, but also charts out the course for what might be a longand glorious career.

The 71’s came to musical fruition at the inspiration of suchbands as Pearl Jam, Foo Fighers and Oasis, which might explain theirwide-ranging musical palette. Comparisons of late have referenced Band Of Skulls, but honestly this isone case where such pigeonholing tends to sell a band short. We AreThe Seventy Ones reveals a band that has found their musical footing. And even if, as I suspect, they haven’t fullysettled on which path they are going to follow yet, they’ve yet to findanything that they can’t play well. Thealbum kicks off with a noisy, 1980’s hard pop number in the form of “Blue Blood”. The 71’s add in a bit of punker sensibilityhere and end up with a sound reminiscent of early 90’s rockers The Men.

“Confession” builds on a bluesy guitar lick, driving forth in a wanton andvibrant rocker that you will have a hard time getting out of your head. Interestingly enough, vocalist Keeton Coffmansounds a bit like a young Corey Hart here (think “Sunglasses At Night”). The 71’s open the jets for “Waves”, awide-open rocker that seems destined to be played in stadia the worldover. The 71’s keep the energy high andthe melodic content higher throughout. “Adeline”is a vibrant rocker with its own inertia. You may find that you simply must dance when this love song for amiddle-aged rocker plays.

The 71’s show they can do balladry as well as arena rock on “10,000”miles. This is the fairly typical on theroad love song, where the singer pines about getting back home to hisbaby. In that regard it’s hard to viewthe song as being a bit clichÃ©, but the melody is fine and Coffman sings fromthe heart, and the song is held together by a very solid, memorablechorus. “Taken” explores theafter-effects of a relationship that’s gone bad. The song is well-written, and if Coffman’svocal line is a bit overly-dramatic at times it’s just a small slip given thesubject matter. “Victimology” as a songis more of a vehicle for slinging around a six-string guitar than anythingelse. The 71’s sound iconoclastic here,reminding listeners that rock and roll is meant to be fun sometimes too. The pure chutzpah of guitarist Ryan Cecil isentertaining.“Much Too Much” starts from a great premise, and keepsintact the urgent feel that seems to run throughout the album. Coffman uses a lot of falsetto here, a choicethat appears to not work out quite as well as he might have hoped. On the plus side, this is the only song on thealbum I’d be tempted to skip if listening just for enjoyment. “Lucky To Lose” is a solid, working-classrocker that is guitar-driven and full of a vibrant energy that’s impossible toignore. This would be a great tune tocheck out live onstage. “Heaven” bringsall of the components together, bringing a sense of compositional organizationand polish that is hinted at throughout the album. The melody is memorable, driven by anintriguing hook that replays in your head. The coolest thing about the song is it could be a conversation between ason and his father, or it could be a prayer. It’s never entirely clear but works well under either premise. The polish sticks around for “Monsters”, yetThe 71’s accomplish this sense of polish without letting go of the rock androll edge that has driven them this far. This is an exceedingly ear-pleasing tune that has single written allover it.

One of the things that make The 71’s so fun to listen to isthat they are constantly skating on the edge of disaster. There is a point of risk taking in music thatmany artists simply skate around. The 71’sdon’t skate; they march right up to the line and take chances. As with all such efforts, sometimes they falland fall hard. But the pure chutzpah ofthe band, blended with their individual and collective talents, means that moreoften than not something intriguing, inspiring or even beautiful comes out ofthe process. That’s the story behind thestory of We Are The 71’s. The 71’s will have you from hello.Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more at www.the71s.com.

Elijah Tucker - Saturn

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Elijah Tucker –Saturn
2012, Elijah TuckerBoy meets jam bands; falls in love; goes on to become amusician.

That is the story line of Elijah Tucker in a nutshell. Growing up in Washington, D.C., it was thesound of Phish, Rusted Root and the Grateful Dead that turned Tucker ontomusic. At the age of twelve he beganstudying guitar, flute and drums all at the same time. There was no looking back from there. Tucker was writing songs within two years,and even collected donations from classmates to buy his first four-track. He paid them all back by donating proceedsfrom sales of his tapes to the class trip. Tucker went on to success at Bard college as a member of jam bands Mother Ming and TheFoundation,sharing stages with the likes of George Clinton, Brad Meldau, Mercury Rev, TheSlip and others. Fast forward to 2012,and Elijah Tucker is on the cusp of releasing his second solo album, Saturn. Tucker evokes all the joys of rock and roll on Saturn, but underscores it with a thoughtfulness and maturity thatis compelling.Tucker opens with “Gimme Gimme”, which perhaps could besub-titled ‘The Narcissists Love Song’. Delivered in a catchy early 1960’s rock arrangement, the song has aheart of pure pop gold. “Crazy Things”will make you want to dance. Tuckerpulls out elements of classic soul and funk, and accents it all with a hornsection you could imagine Tower of Power chiming in to. It’s an entertaining number that you’ll findyourself repeating. “A Crimson Gleam” isa wonderfully catchy mid-tempo rocker; a love songs of sort but written from apessimist’s perspective. What drivesthis song is a deliriously messy guitar lick that’s dark and lascivious; itgets inside your head and refuses to budge.

Tucker digs into bluesy soul for “Kickin’ Snow”, animage-filled expanse on futile frustration. The guitar and organ-drive arrangement have a classic sound, but Tuckerhelps his cause with an emotive vocal line that alternates tension andresolution in masterful style. Littleturns of phrase ice the cake here, as Tucker completes one of the most finelycrafted songs of the outing here. “OPain! Piano” has a bouncy melancholy feel that’s reminiscent of some of BillyJoel’s early work, but also involves some silly word play that lightens themood. Tucker is at his vocal best here.Touches of Latin and soul help infuse “Amos And Boris” with uncannywarmth, which keeps the interest up in what is otherwise a fairly simple,straightforward and unremarkable number. This is a great job of dressing up a song. Tucker’s take on “If I Only Had A Brain” isingenious, sounding more than a bit like Ray Charles. There is life in the arrangement, meted outin swung rhythms and an inspired vocal line. Tucker closes things out with “Whoa Daddy”, a cute and entertainingnumber that’s more afterthought than strong close.

Some might say that Elijah Tucker suffers something of amusical identity crisis on Saturn. He changes styles and sounds so often on thealbum it might make your head spin. Thething is, Tucker is bloody good at almost anything he touches. There are a lot of post-genre acts out therewho say that no style or sound is off the table, but few make the transitionsin between as well as Elijah Tucker. That being said, Saturn is abit chaotic at times, but chaotic in the way a good party is: running with a life of its own but neverquite out of control.Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more at www.elijahtucker.com.

Jackopierce - Everywhere All The Time

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Jackopierce – Everywhere All The Time
2012, JackopierceWhen I first heard Jackopierce it was 1995. The radio was full of the dying vestiges ofGrunge and the early roots of what would become known as alternate rock. And out of nowhere are these two guys withtwo acoustic guitars, wonderful voices and a sense of vocal harmony that wasflawless. The songwriting had its upsand downs, as with any artist, but Jack O’Neill and Cary Pierce always seemedto pull each song off with an unpretentious panache. The party ended a few years later, butJackopierce simply would not stay in mothballs. A series of annual shows turned into an album and then additional tours. Now in 2012, Jackopierce steps into thelimelight again with their latest album,Everywhere All The Time.

Jackopierce kicks things off with "Into Me", asong written by a guy who can't believe his luck in catching the attention ofthe most beautiful girl in town. Remarkably radio ready for the adultcontemporary set, Jackopierce take it to the next level here. “Finally Free” isa smooth, compact, adult-oriented rock and roll love song. There's a solidgroove here that makes your feet want to move. “Around Me Now” is highlypublished AOR balladry that is perhaps a bit too smooth for its own good. “We Can Work It Out” digs into relationshiprock, bordering on clichÃ© with solid if occasionally awkward lyrics full ofpositive thoughts.

Jackopierce gets back to their roots on “Listen To Me”, a wonderful story songthat relies on melody and vocal harmonies to soar. “Alright By Me” moves backinto the arena rock tendencies that are the apparent oeuvre of Everywhere All The Time. The chorus ismemorable, and the guitar work has a comfortable feel that fits perfectly here,although the metaphors are perhaps a bit out o left field.

The momentum falters a bit for “Change Your Mind” and “Killin Me”. The formerbuilt on solid energy but a bit too pro-forma in construction; the latter justtoo languorous by half. Once againJackopierce carries these tunes on force of personality, but as a long timelistener these just fall a bit flat. Fighting for a relationship is the theme of “Let Go Of Me”. The vocal line is perfectly crafted, an idealmatch to the melody. Jackopierce keepsthings simple here, and is rewarded with a moment of musical beauty. “Lonely” keeps the same vibe in a song ofquesting for love. This one feels highlypersonal, even as Jackopierce paints the concepts of the song in metaphor,simile and harmony. Everywhere All The Time closes out with a reggae version of “ThreeOf Us In A Boat”. While the song itselfhas life, and indeed is something of a fan favorite, the reggae-stylearrangement just falls flat.Jackopierce are still making greatly music nearly a quarterof a century after they started out. Thesongs are generally well-written, and the voices have never been as sweet. The occasional rough spot here is more thanmade up for by the musical immersion that surrounds it. Jackopierce continuesto make great music. Everywhere All The Time does provide abit more musical sound that the songs from back in the day. This occasionally leads to rough spots, butJackopierce almost always wins out in the end.

Rating: 3.5 Stars(Out of 5)Learn more at www.jackopierce.com.

May Stands Still - When You Come Home

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May Stands Still -When You Come Home
2012, Milestone Music Studios

Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Emily Herndon is the driving force behindMay Stands Still. Working with a groupof brilliant musicians, Herndon creates edgy folk music that blurs the linebetween folk and rock and roll. Herlyrical aptitude, refreshing honesty and musical surety have made her afavorite on the west coast, and she is a top-5 artist in L.A. onReverbNation. May Stands Still receivedcritical praise for their 2010 debut EP, MatterOf Time, but she raises the bar on the soon to be released When You Come Home, a collection ofeleven literate and heartfelt folk/pop songs that have staying power.May Stands Still starts off with the smart and peppymelancholy of "Gotta See". This is a mixed bag of emotions that ismildly tragic and utterly moving. "Wild" is an ode to someone who isable to create a sort of social magic from the stage. Once again May StandsStill wallows in deep and conflicting emotions and an utterly tuneful melody."I Want You" is a classic song of love and longing that ends Inawonderfully uncertain resolution. The song is well written and artfullyperformed; a definite highlight.

"New Groove" carries it with the energy and motivation brought on bynew love, as well as the angst it brings. This is a nice snapshot at the innerthoughts that swirl around the fall. "Soldier" carries a dark beauty;informed by some Celtic influenced violin and some amazing vocal harmonies.This is a moving piece that will haunt you, particularly if you, like thesong's narrator, are waiting for someone you know and love to return fromdeployment overseas. May Stands Still takes a surprising turn on "MakeMe", building a solid groove in a song of self confidence and ruggeddetermination.

"Sleeping Alone" is a beautiful moment of indecision andvulnerability where she explores her fear of dropping her defenses to let lovein and her lack of fear of loneliness. "Wherever You Are" is a onesided conversation with a loved one who has passed away that communicates inreal and heartfelt terms the worries that follow in the wake of loss.

"Raina" is a love song for the sort of free spirits everyone rootsfor here. The emotional lines blur here, as Herndon sings from her melancholydepths of real joy. "Falling" explores another aspect of happiness.Falling in love is compared to dreams, with reality the waking up. The orchestrationhere is beautiful, and the emotional weight of the song is wrapped in a beautythat keeps it buoyant. When You Come Home closes in appropriately melancholytones with the lovely and quietly heartbreaking "Blue June". Emily Herndon is at her best here, and thesong rolls out her heartbreak like honey from a jar.

May Stands Still makes a mark on listeners. Emily Herndon sings with the same quietreserve and vocal beauty that made Margo Timmons and Cowboy Junkiesfamous. At the same time, there’s aworld of emotion going on in Herndon’s voice, which is rich and a pleasure tolisten to. The songwriting here iscertainly worth taking note of as well. May Stands Still has a lot to say, and wraps each story in such beautyyou’re likely to be transfixed.Rating: 4 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more about May Stands Still at www.reverbnation.com/MayStandsStill.

10 Ekim 2012 Çarşamba

Three Small Journeys in "Harrison, Tx"

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Even though he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (not to mention an Oscar for the screenplay of "To Kill a Mockingbird") Horton Foote was often considered to be the most unsung of America’s major playwrights. But Signature Theatre changed that in 2009, a few months after Foote’s death at the age of 92, with its landmark production of The Orphan’s Home Cycle.

My friend Joy and I spent one full day and an evening watching Foote’s nine interconnected plays about the residents of Harrison, Texas, the fictional stand-in for his real-life hometown of Wharton, and we felt as though we had fallen into an epic novel. We were sorry to see it end (click here to see my review).
Now Primary Stages has launched a new celebration of Foote with the opening of Harrison, Tx: Three Plays by Horton Foote. The company is also co-sponsoring readings, seminars and screenings of some of Foote’s screen work with the Paley Center for Media and will present the world premiere of a play by his playwright daughter Daisy Foote later in the fall.
The setting for the plays in Harrison, Tx, is the same as those in The Orphan’s Home Cycle and the situations of longing and loss are also similar. But this new grouping of unrelated plays resembles a short story collection more than a novel. Or perhaps a compilation of poems since Foote conveys so much of his meaning in the rhythm of his words and in the space that falls between the lines.
This is another way of saying that not much happens in Harrison, Tx. The first play, Blind Date, is set in 1928 and recounts a former belle’s comic attempts to find a date for her socially awkward niece.
The second, The One-Armed Man, takes place in that same year but is a far more sober encounter between a mill owner and an aggrieved former worker who was injured during an accident on the job.
The Midnight Caller, the third, and longest of the trio, centers around a boarding house and how its female residents are affected by the romantic affairs of two newcomers.
How you feel about these three musings on the vagaries of everyday life may depend on how you feel about Foote’s distinctively regional voice. And, of course, on how his work has been brought to life by the capable director Pam MacKinnon and the repertory of actors she’s recruited.
That cast is lead by Hallie Foote, the playwright’s eldest daughter and most accomplished interpreter. And, as usual, she is the most adept of the actors at conveying the stouthearted essence of her father’s characters. She’s a scene-stealing hoot as the frustrated aunt in the first play and provides an emotional anchor in the quieter role of the boarding house landlady in the last.
And there is also good work by Mary Bacon as the boarding house’s resident busybody and Andrea Lynn Green as both the niece in the first play and a young woman slipping into spinsterhood in the third (click here to read an interview with her).

But perhaps the most high-profile member of the cast is the always-worth-seeing Jayne Houdyshell, who plays the mother-figure in the boarding house. Houdyshell has some lovely moments and will probably ripen in the role before the show closes on Sept. 15 but, at the performance my husband K and I attended, she still seemed to be straining to capture the knowing melancholy of an old-maid school teacher who has made peace with a lonely future.
These minor plays probably weren't in the top drawer of Foote's desk. And if you've never seen any of his others, they're unlikely to convince you of his greatness. But if you have, they'll probably make you wistful for the chance to see a major work of his again.

"Heartless" Lives Up to Its Name

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There are some playwrights whose work you can just rear back and enjoy. And then there are others who force you to sit up in your seat and work. Sam Shepard has always fallen in the latter category.
Sometimes this call to do battle with a play is welcomed and the struggle to make one’s way through an emotionally or intellectually alien world results in fresh insights about one’s own. But sometimes it doesn’t and I’m afraid the latter is the case with Heartless, Shepard’s latest play which had its world premiere at the Signature Theatre on Monday night.
I’d sum up the plot but there really doesn’t seem to be one. All that happens is that four women and one man sit in a house that they say is in Los Angeles—but just might be some Sartresque chamber in hell—and take turns declaiming about their unhappiness.

As best as I can figure out, each of them represents some definition of the word heartless: a couple of them have acted selfishly, another craves love, while yet another has literally had to have a heart transplant.
They’re played by a quintet of fine stage actors, lead by the great Lois Smith as a matriarch who is literally hell on wheels. But they’ve been statically directed by Daniel Aukin and all five seem to have a hard time navigating Eugene Lee’s aggressively symbolic set and the arid emotional landscape that Shepard has laid out for them.
It’s fine—indeed, welcomed—for a play to be challenging but then it seems to me that the director has an extra responsibility to help the theatergoer through it. That’s what David Esbjornson did with the revelatory production of The Lady from Dubuque that ran at Signature earlier this year (click here to see my review).
Aukin, alas, doesn’t do that with Heartlesss. Moments of naturalism bump up awkwardly against moments of absurdism. Encounters that might be amusing fall flat. Scenes that might be compelling drone on.
“Do you understand what it’s about,” the woman next to me, a psychologist it turned out, asked during intermission. I shook my head. “Me neither,” she said. “But it’s interesting that while he usually deals with men, he has so many women here.” Which it true. But it doesn't help. It may be a cliché to say it, but Heartless simply doesn't have enough heart.

A Labor Day Salute to the Real Score Keepers

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How did the summer pass so quickly that we’re now staring in the face of Labor Day? This is always a bittersweet time of year for me because it means that the idylls of summer are ending but it simultaneously means that the excitement of a new theater season is about to begin.
One unambivalently good thing about Labor Day is that it’s the perfect time to salute some of the worker bees who make possible the theater that we all so love. Over the past few years, I’ve paid tribute to blue-collar actors whose names seldom appear on marquees and to struggling playwrights who toil off, off-off and even farther away from Broadway. But this year, I want to celebrate the composers, lyricists and book writers who participate in the BMI Workshop.
BMI, of course, is the organization that collects royalty fees for songwriters. As many of you know, its Workshop was created in 1961 by the Tony-award winning conductor Lehman Engel and is now officially called the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
The Workshop’s mission is to give show makers a supportive place in which they can develop their talent. They hone their skills through such exercises as writing a song for Blanche DuBois, musicalizing the suicide scene from Death of a Salesman and, eventually, writing full shows.
There might not be a Broadway musical today if the Workshop didn’t exist. Its graduates include Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Tom Kitt, Michael John LaChiusa, Robert Lopez and a whole bunch of other folks whose shows every musical theater lover knows. But there are scores of others, some equally talented, who still labor in relative obscurity.
About four years ago, the Workshop produced a CD of songs written by a wide range of its members. One of them, Jeff Blumenkrantz, hosted a companion podcast in which each episode is divided among interviews with a composer or songwriting team, a performance of one of their songs by a Broadway or cabaret star and then an interview with that performer.
I recently discovered the series and devoured all 20 episodes (each under 30 minutes) in a marathon binge over just a couple of days. They provide an intimate look at the hard work that goes into creating melodies and lyrics that seem effortless, at the years of often unremunerated toil that go into bringing that work to the stage and at the sheer determination and love of the craft that keep these artists going against the odds.
Because Blumenkrantz is a well known and popular figure in the Broadway community, his guests obviously feel comfortable with him and they share more of themselves in these conversations than they would in the average showbiz interview.
In the third episode, the actress Erin Dilly talks honestly about being fired from the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Sutton Foster, her replacement, became an overnight star while Dilly had to work hard just to stay in the business.
In a later episode, Cheyenne Jackson talks about his decision to be openly gay and how he doesn’t care if that costs him jobs in movies or on TV because it is so important for him to be himself.
And it’s not just the actors who bare their souls. Songwriters sound-off on the frustration of being denied the rights to books and films they hoped to adapt and in many cases had already spent weeks, months, sometimes years writing songs for. And even when rights are granted and some money is scrounged up, the end result may be just a showcase production.
And yet, they all keep laboring away. Even when they may have to take day jobs—playing rehearsal piano, teaching school, even waiting tables—to pay their rent.
Listening to their stories and their work is yet another reminder of the toil, tears and sweat that go into making the theater that we enjoy. So I hope you’ll join me in a round of applause for these too often unsung players. You can click here to access the full archive of the podcasts. In the meantime, Happy Labor Day to you too.

“Detroit”: Why I'm Cool on This Hot Show

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Sometimes, as hard as I might try, I just don’t get it. For instance, I know that I’m supposed to like Detroit, the new dark comedy that opened at Playwrights Horizons this past week. And I can give you at least five reasons why I should:
1. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.
2. It was a hit when it premiered at Chicago’s hip Steppenwolf Theatre Company the year before that.
3. It has a hot cast lead by the-can-do-anything actress Amy Ryan and David Schwimmer, the co-star of the beloved sitcom “Friends” who also has serious theater chops.
4. It takes on the subject of class in America, which is exactly the kind of serious thing I’m always saying that theater companies should do.
5. It has drawn mash notes from just about every critic in town (click here to read the raves on StageGrade).
And yet, I have to say that I just don’t get what all the fuss is about.
Although the play is called Detroit, playwright Lisa D’Amour has set it in an unnamed “first ring suburb outside of a mid-sized American city” that seems to be located deep in Edward Albee territory.
For Detroit opens with a seemingly placid backyard barbeque shared by two couples who are just getting to know one another. And then, pretty quickly, everything starts to go to George-and-Martha-type hell as they all struggle to hold on to their illusions about the American Dream.
Actually, things aren’t so great from the get-go. The host couple, Mary and Ben, are reeling from the Great Recession; he’s lost his job as a bank loan officer and spends his days on their home computer ostensibly setting up a consulting business. Meanwhile she's struggling to keep their heads above water with the salary from her job as a lowly paralegal.
Their new neighbors Kenny and Sharon have the kind of even lower-wage jobs that seem to define the new economy: he works in a warehouse, she in a call center. Kenny and Sharon confess that they’re also recovering addicts but it’s obvious that they’re struggling with other demons as well.
Now I get—and even appreciate—the fact that D’Amour wants to drive home the point that the post-War promises of the ‘50s were hollow and that today’s middle class has been seriously wounded (literally here; the fake blood flows). But this isn’t really news and Detroit doesn't offer any more insights into this discontent than an Occupy poster on an episode of TV's "Mad Men."
And although some of the absurdist touches D’Amour and director Anne Kauffman stir into their brew are undeniably amusing, they also struck me as dramaturgical filigree instead of organic moments.
Moreover, her characters live in such apparent isolation from the rest of the world and go off on such surrealistic tangents that it’s hard to feel much for them, even though all of the actors are quite fine.
Ryan and Schwimmer are first-rate as Mary and Ben (click here to read their take on the play). but I was even more impressed by Darren Pettie and Sarah Sokolovic who bring a bracing sense of menace and disruptive energy to Kenny and Sharon.
Who knows, perhaps I might have received the play differently if the scenic turntable hadn’t stalled midway through the performance I saw, causing the stage manager to call the actors off the stage and the house lights to be turned up for the 10 or so minutes that it took to get it turning again.
Or maybe I would have gotten more into Detroit if I hadn’t been sitting in front of a row of old-codger theatergoers who spent half of the show’s 100-minutes loudly asking their spouses to repeat lines that the actors had just said. And then spent the other half making sarcastic, and equally loud, comments about the ones they had managed to hear. Shame on them and all their ilk.
Or it could just be that Detroit is one of those plays that, no matter what the circumstance, just doesn't get to me.

"Ten Chimneys" Doesn't Give Off Enough Heat

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In some ways, the Theatre at St. Clement’s, a haven for so many theatrical endeavors over the years, is the perfect place for Ten Chimneys, a play about the legendary actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne that The Peccadillo Theater Company is presenting there through Oct. 27.
But in other ways, the old church, which opened its doors in 1920 and has no elevators, isn’t a good place for this show at all. Because judging by all the people leaning on canes at the performance my theatergoing buddy Bill and I attended, the audience most likely to be drawn to this show is barely younger than the building itself.
Somehow, however, everyone seemed to make it up the staircase to the theater and I suspect that most of them had a good time once they got seated. For playwright Jeffrey Hatcher has put together an amusing, if slight, tribute to a storied era in the theater. Dan Wackerman has directed it with obvious affection. And the real-life husband-and-wife actors Bryon Jennings and Carolyn McCormick are delightful as the Lunts.
The problem is that I’m not sure who besides my aged audience mates and a few slightly younger theater fanatics like me will want to see this show. In their heyday, the Lunts were among the most famous stage actors in the country. But despite having a theater named for them, they’re far less familiar to today’s theatergoers.
Even the Playbill acknowledges that. After the standard bios of the cast and production team, it includes little cheat-sheet biographies of Lunt and Fontanne and of Sydney Greenstreet and Uta Hagen, who also turn up as characters in Ten Chimneys.
The title is taken from the name of the home in Wisconsin where the Lunts spent their summer vacations. It’s also the setting of the play, which begins in 1937 when the actors were preparing a production of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Hagen, just 18, was cast to play the ingénue Nina.
The story has often been told of how Hagen, who went on to many great roles including Paul Robeson’s Desdemona in Othello and the original Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, missed an entrance during the run. Lunt, left onstage waiting, was so infuriated that when Hagen did appear he took revenge during a stage kiss by biting her lip until it bled.
Afterward, Fontanne added insult to the injury by calling Hagen an amateur in front of the entire company. In later years when she became a legendary acting teacher, Hagen would tell the story herself, using it as a cautionary tale for her students, one of whom was my buddy Bill.
Ironically the notorious incident never makes it onstage in Ten Chimneys. Instead, Hatcher focuses on the less-fascinating, at least as he presents it, domestic lives of his characters: Fontanne’s squabbles with her overbearing mother-in-law, Greenstreet’s guilt towards his manic-depressive wife, Lunt’s uneasiness with his bisexuality and Hagen’s feelings of obligation towards her émigré parents.
I’m a sucker for backstage stories, no matter how dated or inconsequential, and Hatcher peppers his play with enough tidbits about theatrical life, plus a few good bon mots, that I was satisfyingly amused. I even got a kick out of watching the stagehands shove around the elaborate but endearingly old-fashioned set during the intermission.
Still, Ten Chimneys has too much in common with The Grand Manner, A.R. Gurney’s memory play about the Lunts’ contemporary Katharine Cornell (click here to read my review of that). Neither tells a compelling enough story. If you don’t already care about these stars of yesteryear when you walk into the theater, you’re unlikely to care about them by the time you walk out.

9 Ekim 2012 Salı

It's Raining Free Tickets: Congratulations To Latest SOB Contest Winner!

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Hard To Imagine It's Been Thirty Years

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Aida - Wichita - August, 2005

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Video From CoolKidd123
Aida - Wichita - August, 2005

Music Theater of Wichita

Montego Glover, Darren Ritchie, Chelsea Krombach, Craig Ricks, Javier Perez-Gomez, Charles Parker, Ebony Blake. Beautiful Proshot recording from the top notch MTW productions. Includes Tv ads, News clips, bloopers and side shots, from the master.

https://rapidshare.com/files/1590291423/A_2005_Wichita.avi