Saturday, March 19, 2011
Memphis on Broadway, by way of Palo Alto, coming to a (movie) theatre near you!
Did you get all that from the headline?
That's right: Memphis, the Tony-Award-winning musical, got its start right here in the Bay Area at Theatreworks. It went on to acclaim in NYC, and now it's participating in an interesting phenomenon that has popped up over the last few years.
A taped performance of Memphis is going to be shown in select movie theatres over a four-day period in late April/early May, produced by Fathom Events, which is part of National CineMedia. This has been going on with concerts and other live events for a while, but I'm not sure they've ever done it with a Broadway musical before, and certainly not with the reigning "Best Musical" on Broadway.
Another local tidbit: James Monroe Iglehart, a longtime local performer here in the Bay Area, traveled to NYC with Memphis and is still one of the featured performers.
There are lots of local showings.
So, my questions for you are: Have you ever gone to one of these kind of events before? Did you see Memphis when it was at Theatreworks? Or have you seen it on Broadway? And finally, of course, would you go see it in a movie theatre?
That's right: Memphis, the Tony-Award-winning musical, got its start right here in the Bay Area at Theatreworks. It went on to acclaim in NYC, and now it's participating in an interesting phenomenon that has popped up over the last few years.
A taped performance of Memphis is going to be shown in select movie theatres over a four-day period in late April/early May, produced by Fathom Events, which is part of National CineMedia. This has been going on with concerts and other live events for a while, but I'm not sure they've ever done it with a Broadway musical before, and certainly not with the reigning "Best Musical" on Broadway.
Another local tidbit: James Monroe Iglehart, a longtime local performer here in the Bay Area, traveled to NYC with Memphis and is still one of the featured performers.
There are lots of local showings.
So, my questions for you are: Have you ever gone to one of these kind of events before? Did you see Memphis when it was at Theatreworks? Or have you seen it on Broadway? And finally, of course, would you go see it in a movie theatre?
Labels: Broadway, Memphis, TheatreWorks
Friday, January 14, 2011
Spiderman delayed again
Given I wrote about my concerns about the Broadway production of the new Spiderman musical, I thought I'd keep you posted that they've delayed their opening yet again. Another month.
It's kind of ridiculous. By the time they open (if they open) they will have had more previews than any other show in history.
But meanwhile they're charging full price for every ticket.
I'm going to NYC in a couple of weeks, but I'm not planning to try to see it. I'll let it run for some time without injury first!
It's kind of ridiculous. By the time they open (if they open) they will have had more previews than any other show in history.
But meanwhile they're charging full price for every ticket.
I'm going to NYC in a couple of weeks, but I'm not planning to try to see it. I'll let it run for some time without injury first!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Ah, the "What's Wrong with Broadway?" meme
It rears its ugly head about as often as we hear "Where are the women in...[fill in the blank]?" meme here in Silicon Valley. It's the "What's wrong with Broadway?" meme, and having lived in NYC in the late 80s, you can imagine I've heard that question a time or two.
Kimberly Kaye tackles the issue for, of all things, The Economist. I didn't even know they had more of a lifestyle outlet entitled "Intelligent Life".
A factor Kaye brings up that I really hadn't thought about was the economy's impact not on Broadway, but on significant Off-Broadway houses...many have closed, apparently. And that leaves certain shows with more quirk, less sure-fire spectacle, with nowhere else to go but to attempt Broadway. Sometimes it works; often it doesn't.
It's a good read, and as she points out: Nothing new is wrong, specifically, with Broadway. Broadway has long been the most commercial of enterprises, vs. purely an artistic enterprise, and therefore it lives and dies by tourists and their dollars.
Could producers examine the model of lowering prices to bring in a higher volume of audience member? I think they should. It's part of a vicious cycle that's been going for decades...spectacle begets cost. Cost begets higher ticket prices. Higher ticket prices begets expectations of something "spectacular" is going to happen. Expectations beget spectacle. And so on. And this all also begets more dependence on tourists vs. theatre-loving locals.
Vicious circle, as I mentioned.
Here in the Bay Area, over the last few years my theatre-going habits have changed dramatically as I've had less time...but also due to that expectations cycle.
Of course, 42nd Street Moon is always on my list, since I'm on their board. And one of the things I like most about their productions is the intimate space and unamplified voices.
But my other theatre-going has shifted from a brief subscription with TheatreWorks and a very long-term subscription to American Musical Theatre of San Jose (AMT) to the more recent 3 years my S.O. and I have been subscribers to San Jose Rep.
With TheatreWorks, I felt like the prices (and local media hype) begat expectations they couldn't live up to for me. I wanted a level of quality I didn't feel I was getting for the price.
With AMT, I felt like they were resorting to more and more old and tired fare...to fill a 3,000 seat theatre they couldn't really be too out there...not too dissimilar from Broadway I suppose. When it became clear that our subscription was always going to include way more Camelot and Music Man than Spring Awakening or Assassins, we moved on from that subscription too.
Now, with San Jose Rep, we're seeing way fewer musicals, more straight plays.We're seeing more new works. We're seeing things we haven't see (a hundred times) before. And we really like it. And think we're getting our money's worth.
But it is not a big, commercial, for-profit theatre. And it likely never could be.
What's wrong with Broadway: The same thing that was always wrong with it.
But what's right with Broadway also remains: Amazing talent. Beauty, not just spectacle. The shared, live experience of something you can't get anywhere else.
I'm heading to NYC in late January, and I'll be saving an evening for Broadway, no doubt about it.
Kimberly Kaye tackles the issue for, of all things, The Economist. I didn't even know they had more of a lifestyle outlet entitled "Intelligent Life".
A factor Kaye brings up that I really hadn't thought about was the economy's impact not on Broadway, but on significant Off-Broadway houses...many have closed, apparently. And that leaves certain shows with more quirk, less sure-fire spectacle, with nowhere else to go but to attempt Broadway. Sometimes it works; often it doesn't.
It's a good read, and as she points out: Nothing new is wrong, specifically, with Broadway. Broadway has long been the most commercial of enterprises, vs. purely an artistic enterprise, and therefore it lives and dies by tourists and their dollars.
Could producers examine the model of lowering prices to bring in a higher volume of audience member? I think they should. It's part of a vicious cycle that's been going for decades...spectacle begets cost. Cost begets higher ticket prices. Higher ticket prices begets expectations of something "spectacular" is going to happen. Expectations beget spectacle. And so on. And this all also begets more dependence on tourists vs. theatre-loving locals.
Vicious circle, as I mentioned.
Here in the Bay Area, over the last few years my theatre-going habits have changed dramatically as I've had less time...but also due to that expectations cycle.
Of course, 42nd Street Moon is always on my list, since I'm on their board. And one of the things I like most about their productions is the intimate space and unamplified voices.
But my other theatre-going has shifted from a brief subscription with TheatreWorks and a very long-term subscription to American Musical Theatre of San Jose (AMT) to the more recent 3 years my S.O. and I have been subscribers to San Jose Rep.
With TheatreWorks, I felt like the prices (and local media hype) begat expectations they couldn't live up to for me. I wanted a level of quality I didn't feel I was getting for the price.
With AMT, I felt like they were resorting to more and more old and tired fare...to fill a 3,000 seat theatre they couldn't really be too out there...not too dissimilar from Broadway I suppose. When it became clear that our subscription was always going to include way more Camelot and Music Man than Spring Awakening or Assassins, we moved on from that subscription too.
Now, with San Jose Rep, we're seeing way fewer musicals, more straight plays.We're seeing more new works. We're seeing things we haven't see (a hundred times) before. And we really like it. And think we're getting our money's worth.
But it is not a big, commercial, for-profit theatre. And it likely never could be.
What's wrong with Broadway: The same thing that was always wrong with it.
But what's right with Broadway also remains: Amazing talent. Beauty, not just spectacle. The shared, live experience of something you can't get anywhere else.
I'm heading to NYC in late January, and I'll be saving an evening for Broadway, no doubt about it.
Labels: AMTSJ, Broadway, San Jose Rep, The Economist, TheatreWorks
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thoughts on Spiderman, safety and a union's obligation
If you're in theatre at all, you might be aware of the impending opening of the most expensive and complicated Broadway musical ever: Spiderman.
It certainly sounds uber-cool. U2's Bono and Edge provide the music and lyrics, and it's directed by Julie Taymor. She of the visionary Broadway version of The Lion King.
Broadway roles are hard to come by. Paying acting gigs are hard to come by. The percentage of Equity actors who actually make a living with their acting is horribly small. The actors who got that call that they had been cast in this show must have been over the moon happy about it.
But is it worth dying for?
And what s the duty of our union, as actors, to step in and shut something down when it is clear things are going horribly awry?
I'd say it's a pretty unmistakable moral duty.
The most recent of several serious accidents happened Monday night. An actor's cable snapped, and he fell 20-30 feet. They're not being incredibly transparent about his injuries, but latest reports cite broken ribs, internal bleeding and have him in serious but stable condition. Apparently undergoing back surgery. Nothing mentioned about head injury.
I'm prone to wonder about that, especially since one of the musicals lead actresses only recently returned form two weeks off due to concussion.She was hit in the head by a heavy rope and knocked out. Another actor broke two wrists during an aerial stunt.
A quite comprehensive look at the injuries and issues is here.
This show has been in development for years, rehearsal for months, and suffering technical setbacks, difficulties and these injuries since the very first preview (which is when the above-mentioned concussion happened). I don't mean to sound frivolous about the $65 million investment that's been made, but oh my God!
There are obvious safety issues. What else needs to happen to prove that? Sure, they can blame human error, and they are, but perhaps then they are asking the humans to do too much.
I think Equity (and OSHA) have an obligation to keep this show dark until every stunt and every set piece and every piece of machinery and equipment and every procedure and every failsafe and every fallback option has been thoroughly vetted...by experts. Not the same people who are already working on it. No, a new and fresh set of eyes and ears and hands.
Because a Broadway role...not worth head injury, not worth a broken back, not worth paralysis, and not worth dying for.
(PS-I think the same thing about sports, including cheerleading, in case you were wondering.)
What do you think?
It certainly sounds uber-cool. U2's Bono and Edge provide the music and lyrics, and it's directed by Julie Taymor. She of the visionary Broadway version of The Lion King.
Broadway roles are hard to come by. Paying acting gigs are hard to come by. The percentage of Equity actors who actually make a living with their acting is horribly small. The actors who got that call that they had been cast in this show must have been over the moon happy about it.
But is it worth dying for?
And what s the duty of our union, as actors, to step in and shut something down when it is clear things are going horribly awry?
I'd say it's a pretty unmistakable moral duty.
The most recent of several serious accidents happened Monday night. An actor's cable snapped, and he fell 20-30 feet. They're not being incredibly transparent about his injuries, but latest reports cite broken ribs, internal bleeding and have him in serious but stable condition. Apparently undergoing back surgery. Nothing mentioned about head injury.
I'm prone to wonder about that, especially since one of the musicals lead actresses only recently returned form two weeks off due to concussion.She was hit in the head by a heavy rope and knocked out. Another actor broke two wrists during an aerial stunt.
A quite comprehensive look at the injuries and issues is here.
This show has been in development for years, rehearsal for months, and suffering technical setbacks, difficulties and these injuries since the very first preview (which is when the above-mentioned concussion happened). I don't mean to sound frivolous about the $65 million investment that's been made, but oh my God!
There are obvious safety issues. What else needs to happen to prove that? Sure, they can blame human error, and they are, but perhaps then they are asking the humans to do too much.
I think Equity (and OSHA) have an obligation to keep this show dark until every stunt and every set piece and every piece of machinery and equipment and every procedure and every failsafe and every fallback option has been thoroughly vetted...by experts. Not the same people who are already working on it. No, a new and fresh set of eyes and ears and hands.
Because a Broadway role...not worth head injury, not worth a broken back, not worth paralysis, and not worth dying for.
(PS-I think the same thing about sports, including cheerleading, in case you were wondering.)
What do you think?
Labels: Actors' Equity, Broadway, OSHA, spiderman
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Guess i won't be seeing *this* on my next NYC trip
My last two trips to NYC have produced two wonderful theatre-going experiences: Bernadette Peters in A Little Night Music and Marin Mazzie in Next to Normal.
If I want to keep my streak going, according to my entertainment bible, Entertainment Weekly, I guess I betetr not see the new musical version of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Their review is, um, negative doesn't cover it, let me just put it that way.
As the reviewer himself points out there's a ton of amazing talent on the stage...not least being Patti LuPone and Brian Stokes Mitchell (I've missed him). But that's insufficient to save the show, I guess.
Shame.
And I guess I'll be checking out something else. I just have no idea what.
If I want to keep my streak going, according to my entertainment bible, Entertainment Weekly, I guess I betetr not see the new musical version of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Their review is, um, negative doesn't cover it, let me just put it that way.
As the reviewer himself points out there's a ton of amazing talent on the stage...not least being Patti LuPone and Brian Stokes Mitchell (I've missed him). But that's insufficient to save the show, I guess.
Shame.
And I guess I'll be checking out something else. I just have no idea what.
Labels: brian stoke mitchell, Broadway, Patti Lupone, Women on the Verg
Monday, July 26, 2010
Cool iPhone/iPad app for theatre lovers
Got an email from NY producer Ken Davenport alerting me to an awesome new app for theatre lovers. Well, theatre lovers who find themselves in NYC often enough to care about what's playing. It's called "At the Booth", and it let you know what's up at the TKTS booth at what price.
Here's his blog post about it.
And here's the blurb my favorite magazine Entertainment Weekly published about it.
I downloaded it right away! (And I'm not even in NYC that often.) You should too :)
Here's his blog post about it.
And here's the blurb my favorite magazine Entertainment Weekly published about it.
I downloaded it right away! (And I'm not even in NYC that often.) You should too :)
Labels: Broadway, ipad, iphone, tkts
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Plays that changed your life
Hat tip to San Jose Merc theatre writer Karen D'Souza for pointing me to an article in the New York Times about the "plays that changed your life". D'Souza shares some of hers, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
And the answers in the NY Times run the gamut, from musicals to drama, new and old.
My list would have to include:
The original Broadway production of Sweeney Todd...kicking off my lifelong admiration for every note spilling out of Sondheim's brain
The original Broadway production of Fences, starring James Earl Jones...I alter saw his co-star, Mary Alice, in the elevator in the Equity Building, and it's one of the few times I actually spoke to a famous actor and told them what their performance meant to me.
The Steppenwolf production of Grapes of Wrath once it came to Broadway, starring Gary Sinise and Terry Kinney, and the Broadway production of House of Blue Leaves, starring Joh Mahoney, Swoosie Kurtz and Christine Baranski...truly as gripping productions as I have ever seen. And both featuring endings that leave you, I can only describe it as: Shattered.
It's funny, because I'm a musicals person. I rarely see straight plays, particularly these days when I see maybe one or two shows on broadway a year, if I'm lucky. But clearly, straight plays have wormed their way into my brain (and heart) pretty well!
So. What are yours?
And the answers in the NY Times run the gamut, from musicals to drama, new and old.
My list would have to include:
It's funny, because I'm a musicals person. I rarely see straight plays, particularly these days when I see maybe one or two shows on broadway a year, if I'm lucky. But clearly, straight plays have wormed their way into my brain (and heart) pretty well!
So. What are yours?
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Are you watching the Tony's tonight?
Yet another year goes by in which I saw NONE of the nominated performances or productions. :(
I just spent all of last week in NYC and didn't have a spare evening to catch a show. I got some low-down from one of my local buddies about his thoughts (loved Hair, loved Alice Ripley).
The New York Times has a special Tony section, including a run-down of who has the best odds of winning.
Also, wrote a little post over at my green blog about how they're trying to "green" Broadway and the Tony Awards. If you're into the green movement at all, it's an interesting look at how even an old institution, working out of old buildings, with old traditions, can still work towards environmental responsibility.
But tonight I'll be watching as a complete outside observer, with no dog in the hunt, so to speak.
Except this (and feel free to call me a killjoy): I absolutely cannot wrap my head around this idea of nominating all three boys that play Billy Elliott to win the Best Actor in a Musical award.
See, there is a rule that you have to play a certain # of performances per week to qualify for a nomination. And since there are three of them splitting the role, none of them play it often enough to qualify.
To me, that should have been end of story, but no, they nominated all three to win the single award.
And I find it ridiculous. Anyone with me?
That's about all the pre-Tony commentary I got...how about you?
I just spent all of last week in NYC and didn't have a spare evening to catch a show. I got some low-down from one of my local buddies about his thoughts (loved Hair, loved Alice Ripley).
The New York Times has a special Tony section, including a run-down of who has the best odds of winning.
Also, wrote a little post over at my green blog about how they're trying to "green" Broadway and the Tony Awards. If you're into the green movement at all, it's an interesting look at how even an old institution, working out of old buildings, with old traditions, can still work towards environmental responsibility.
But tonight I'll be watching as a complete outside observer, with no dog in the hunt, so to speak.
Except this (and feel free to call me a killjoy): I absolutely cannot wrap my head around this idea of nominating all three boys that play Billy Elliott to win the Best Actor in a Musical award.
See, there is a rule that you have to play a certain # of performances per week to qualify for a nomination. And since there are three of them splitting the role, none of them play it often enough to qualify.
To me, that should have been end of story, but no, they nominated all three to win the single award.
And I find it ridiculous. Anyone with me?
That's about all the pre-Tony commentary I got...how about you?
Labels: Broadway, green, Tony Awards
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Tony Nominees Announced
You can see the full list here.
Apparently hair metal rock jukebox musical Rock of Ages, starring American Idol Season 4 6th place finisher Constantine Maroulis got a nod for Best Musical. And Maroulis himself got a nomination for Best Leading Actor in a musical! And if those aren't odd sentences, I don't know what would be.
Intrepid blogger and twitterer Jane Fonda got a nod for Best Actress.
In what may be a first, all three boys playing Billy Elliott have been nominated together as Best Actor in a musical. Frankly, I think seems that's incredibly lame. Granted, I haven't seen the show, but are they really saying all three boys are Tony caliber? Did they nominate all three so as not to hurt anyone's feelings? It's just weird. If they're all three just that good, then give them 3 of the 5 nominated slots.
Lots of star power not nominated for their performances this year. I'm sure someone will round that up. But nice to see that veterans like Angela Lansbury, Carole Shelley and Stockard Channing still got it.
Who's a surprise or who's missing in your book?
And congrats to all the nominees!
Apparently hair metal rock jukebox musical Rock of Ages, starring American Idol Season 4 6th place finisher Constantine Maroulis got a nod for Best Musical. And Maroulis himself got a nomination for Best Leading Actor in a musical! And if those aren't odd sentences, I don't know what would be.
Intrepid blogger and twitterer Jane Fonda got a nod for Best Actress.
In what may be a first, all three boys playing Billy Elliott have been nominated together as Best Actor in a musical. Frankly, I think seems that's incredibly lame. Granted, I haven't seen the show, but are they really saying all three boys are Tony caliber? Did they nominate all three so as not to hurt anyone's feelings? It's just weird. If they're all three just that good, then give them 3 of the 5 nominated slots.
Lots of star power not nominated for their performances this year. I'm sure someone will round that up. But nice to see that veterans like Angela Lansbury, Carole Shelley and Stockard Channing still got it.
Who's a surprise or who's missing in your book?
And congrats to all the nominees!
Labels: Broadway, Tony Awards
Monday, May 04, 2009
When blogging worlds collide: Theatre and Green??
Ultra-intrigued to see this Ecorazzi post about New York's first LEED-certified Broadway theatre!
The full text of the press release can be read here. There is a ton of great info about all the ways this theatre has been built to be green (and how the former building on the site was torn down and re-used, again to be green.
The Roundabout Theatre will be in residence there. They of the current celebrity-filled Waiting for Godot.
Cross-posted from my green blog...and it's not often I write those words!!
The full text of the press release can be read here. There is a ton of great info about all the ways this theatre has been built to be green (and how the former building on the site was torn down and re-used, again to be green.
The Roundabout Theatre will be in residence there. They of the current celebrity-filled Waiting for Godot.
Cross-posted from my green blog...and it's not often I write those words!!
Labels: Broadway, LEED-certified, roundabout theatre company
Thursday, April 09, 2009
When blogging worlds collide
Over on my personal blog I like to publish recaps of American Idol, and have been doing so since Season 3. On this blog I talk theatre.
Today these worlds collide, as the Broadway musical Rock of Ages opens, starring American Idol Season 4 contestant, Constantine Maroulis.It is basically a Jukebox musical, featuring the glam rock music of the 80s.
Imagine my surprise when the New York Times, of all publications, gave it a rave review!
Don't know if that will get me to the theatre, but I guess judos to them.
So, is Rock of Ages the kind of show you'd see if you only had one night in New York?
Today these worlds collide, as the Broadway musical Rock of Ages opens, starring American Idol Season 4 contestant, Constantine Maroulis.It is basically a Jukebox musical, featuring the glam rock music of the 80s.
Imagine my surprise when the New York Times, of all publications, gave it a rave review!
Don't know if that will get me to the theatre, but I guess judos to them.
So, is Rock of Ages the kind of show you'd see if you only had one night in New York?
Labels: Broadway, Constantine Maroulis, New York Times, Rock of Ages
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Quite a rave review for Broadway revival of Hair
I'm not remembering the last time I heard Ben Brantley axing quite so rhapsodic as in his review of the revival of Hair. This is a production that started at the Public this summer and has moved to Broadway, apparently to singlehandedly revive it.
In my crowd in high school, we didn't go see Rocky Horror at the midnight movies. We went and saw Hair. I've seen that movie many times and could practically replay the entire thing in my head. The only time I have ever seen it live and in its original incarnation was at my alma mater. SJSU did a production back in the 90s, I believe. I was so struck by how different the musical actually is than the movie, it was distracting. (Sort of like Wicked: If you love the book, you will realize after 5 minutes that Wicked, the Musical! is certainly inspired by the book, but it's not trying to present the book in musical form.)
So, normally, Hair wouldn't be tops on my list of Broadway musicals I need to see.
Brantley's review makes me re-think that, what about you?
In my crowd in high school, we didn't go see Rocky Horror at the midnight movies. We went and saw Hair. I've seen that movie many times and could practically replay the entire thing in my head. The only time I have ever seen it live and in its original incarnation was at my alma mater. SJSU did a production back in the 90s, I believe. I was so struck by how different the musical actually is than the movie, it was distracting. (Sort of like Wicked: If you love the book, you will realize after 5 minutes that Wicked, the Musical! is certainly inspired by the book, but it's not trying to present the book in musical form.)
So, normally, Hair wouldn't be tops on my list of Broadway musicals I need to see.
Brantley's review makes me re-think that, what about you?
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Not Just Jane Blogs...
I totally meant to post this on this blog before I left on vacation, and instead I posted it on my Worker Bees blog about social media marketing and business. (Good thing it was somewhat relevant there too.)
Anyway, what I meant to post was:
NewYorkology has a list of other Broadway shows that are blogging or otherwise participating in social media.
See, my Worker Bees business (originally started to help arts and non-profit organizations leverage blogging etc.) was totally ahead of its time!
Anyway, what I meant to post was:
NewYorkology has a list of other Broadway shows that are blogging or otherwise participating in social media.
See, my Worker Bees business (originally started to help arts and non-profit organizations leverage blogging etc.) was totally ahead of its time!
Labels: Broadway, worker bees
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Jane Fonda and her Broadway Blog
Have you heard that Jane Fonda is back on Broadway (after 45 years) and that she's blogging it?
Now, it's not such a surprise as you may think. Fonda has always been plugged into media. Not just because of her marriage to Ted Turner. No, she also has been either a founder or founding board member of a couple of women's oriented media companies...the late Greenstone Media and the current Women's Media Center, most notably.
The site includes various features, including a slide show of personal photos you likely haven't seen before, but the intriguing part for this blog's audience is her blog from backstage of her new Broadway show, 33 Variations.
I think Fonda has taken to her blog like a duck to water...now will she keep it up? Come raves or pans? Come closing night? Who knows, but I'm enjoying it.
Now, it's not such a surprise as you may think. Fonda has always been plugged into media. Not just because of her marriage to Ted Turner. No, she also has been either a founder or founding board member of a couple of women's oriented media companies...the late Greenstone Media and the current Women's Media Center, most notably.
The site includes various features, including a slide show of personal photos you likely haven't seen before, but the intriguing part for this blog's audience is her blog from backstage of her new Broadway show, 33 Variations.
I think Fonda has taken to her blog like a duck to water...now will she keep it up? Come raves or pans? Come closing night? Who knows, but I'm enjoying it.
Labels: Broadway, Jane Fonda
Sunday, January 04, 2009
January 2009: Reports of Broadway's death no longer seem greatly exaggerated?
Hard to read this article from the NY Times, by Christopher Isherwood, and not feel like Broadway is suffering a decline from which it may be hard to recover.
Talk about depressing:
"...more than a dozen plays and musicals — almost half of the current lineup, incredible though it may seem — get ready to close by the end of the month."
So, there were only little more than 24 shows running (musical and plays) in the first place? Yikes.
I remember seeing the final performance of Song and Dance on Broadway. Betty Buckley had taken over the role from Bernadette Peters (who I also saw). Song and Dance is by no means a great show, and is written by my least favorite wildly successful composer. But it is a tour-de-force opportunity for any great singer/interpreter...which both Peters and Buckley most certainly are.
The thrill was in watching those two perform, not in the show itself.
Isherwood is right that final performances have a certain extra bond between performer and audience. More people out there in the dark are likely to know the people on stage more intimately. Either because they actually really know them, or because they're diehard fans.
Betty brought her dog out on stage for her curtain call with her, and stayed out there a good long time soaking up the adulation. People around me shouted out to Betty...and her dog....by name.
Every night in the theatre is unique, is its own, not just the closing night. I saw the closing performance of Song and Dance. I also saw the 5000th performance of A Chorus Line (when "One" was performed by lottery winners who had performed in regional, summer stock and community productions of A Chorus Line). I saw the first post-9/11 performance of The Producers...when the cast and audience stood together at the end and sang "God Bless America". I got up on stage with Ian McKellan during his limited run of Acting Shakespeare.
Looks like it's going to be a grim winter on Broadway, but I can only hope, fervently, that the singular magic of live theatre brings the audiences back...the minute they can afford to do so.
Talk about depressing:
"...more than a dozen plays and musicals — almost half of the current lineup, incredible though it may seem — get ready to close by the end of the month."
So, there were only little more than 24 shows running (musical and plays) in the first place? Yikes.
I remember seeing the final performance of Song and Dance on Broadway. Betty Buckley had taken over the role from Bernadette Peters (who I also saw). Song and Dance is by no means a great show, and is written by my least favorite wildly successful composer. But it is a tour-de-force opportunity for any great singer/interpreter...which both Peters and Buckley most certainly are.
The thrill was in watching those two perform, not in the show itself.
Isherwood is right that final performances have a certain extra bond between performer and audience. More people out there in the dark are likely to know the people on stage more intimately. Either because they actually really know them, or because they're diehard fans.
Betty brought her dog out on stage for her curtain call with her, and stayed out there a good long time soaking up the adulation. People around me shouted out to Betty...and her dog....by name.
Every night in the theatre is unique, is its own, not just the closing night. I saw the closing performance of Song and Dance. I also saw the 5000th performance of A Chorus Line (when "One" was performed by lottery winners who had performed in regional, summer stock and community productions of A Chorus Line). I saw the first post-9/11 performance of The Producers...when the cast and audience stood together at the end and sang "God Bless America". I got up on stage with Ian McKellan during his limited run of Acting Shakespeare.
Looks like it's going to be a grim winter on Broadway, but I can only hope, fervently, that the singular magic of live theatre brings the audiences back...the minute they can afford to do so.
Labels: Broadway
Friday, December 26, 2008
New Marketing for a Struggling Broadway
The NY Times has an interesting article today about how Broadway is turning to the Internet and new marketing as a way to try to survive and thrive in these times.
While they do cite some examples of truly innovative and creative uses of the medium, most notably by the creator/star of In the Heights, they also talk starry-eyed about some stuff that's just the same old tired marketing delivered via new web 2.0 tools.
That show's producer has it right when he says: "“Technology is the tool, not the destination,” Mr. McCollum said. “The destination is a live audience.”" He also opines: "His theory is that the more people gravitate toward technology, the more they will hunger for human interaction."
Exactly right.
And text messaging to enter a sweepstakes or contest may indeed use a new channel, but it's not delivering that promise of human interaction. Starting a walled garden social network attached to a Broadway show site is also using modern technology, but not embracing the modern concepts of distributing and participating all across the Internet where your audience is already hanging out, rather than trying to lure them to you.
When I started my Worker Bees consulting practice, I focused on local theatres because I thought blogging and other social media had tremendous promise to bring new and existing audience members backstage virtually and make them feel as much an integral part of any live performance as, in truth, they are.
Then, as now with BlogHer, I have a core belief that one size does not fit all in this new media world. I can't imagine why some of the ideas being tried, as described in the Times article, would actually bring people into the theatre, hearts racing as the lights dim.
But the creator of In the Heights using his own time and talents to develop something unique and share it with the world? Now, that could inspire a trip to the theatre next time I'm in NYC!
cross-posted to the Worker Bees Blog
While they do cite some examples of truly innovative and creative uses of the medium, most notably by the creator/star of In the Heights, they also talk starry-eyed about some stuff that's just the same old tired marketing delivered via new web 2.0 tools.
That show's producer has it right when he says: "“Technology is the tool, not the destination,” Mr. McCollum said. “The destination is a live audience.”" He also opines: "His theory is that the more people gravitate toward technology, the more they will hunger for human interaction."
Exactly right.
And text messaging to enter a sweepstakes or contest may indeed use a new channel, but it's not delivering that promise of human interaction. Starting a walled garden social network attached to a Broadway show site is also using modern technology, but not embracing the modern concepts of distributing and participating all across the Internet where your audience is already hanging out, rather than trying to lure them to you.
When I started my Worker Bees consulting practice, I focused on local theatres because I thought blogging and other social media had tremendous promise to bring new and existing audience members backstage virtually and make them feel as much an integral part of any live performance as, in truth, they are.
Then, as now with BlogHer, I have a core belief that one size does not fit all in this new media world. I can't imagine why some of the ideas being tried, as described in the Times article, would actually bring people into the theatre, hearts racing as the lights dim.
But the creator of In the Heights using his own time and talents to develop something unique and share it with the world? Now, that could inspire a trip to the theatre next time I'm in NYC!
cross-posted to the Worker Bees Blog
Labels: Broadway, In the Heights, marketing
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Sondheim's latest at the Public...will it be Broadway Bound?
Today's NY Times features a story on frequent Sondheim musical director Paul Gemignani's scion and current Sondheim start, Alexander Gemignani. He's starring in the third incarnation of Sondheim's musical about the Meisner Brothers...first called Wise Guys, then Bounce, and now: Road Show.
No mention of whether Road Show will be Broadway Bound, and with shows closing left and right on Broadway, I wouldn't want to have a new show on its way there right now.
I'll probably be in NYC in January or February, though, so I'm going to remain hopeful.
No mention of whether Road Show will be Broadway Bound, and with shows closing left and right on Broadway, I wouldn't want to have a new show on its way there right now.
I'll probably be in NYC in January or February, though, so I'm going to remain hopeful.
Labels: alexander gemignani, Broadway, road show, Stephen Sondheim
Monday, November 17, 2008
One night only: A Little Night Music on Broadway
Well, how intriguing: The Roundabout Theatre is putting on a one-night concert reading of Sondheim's A Little Night Music on January 12, 2009.
The pricing is a bit out of my league:
Pricing:
Premium Tickets at $2,500, includes pre-show reception with cast, premium seating, open bar at intermission, and post-show cast party ($2,150 tax-deductible)
Reception Tickets at $1,000, includes house seats and post-show cast party ($750 tax-deductible)
Orchestra/Front Mezzanine Tickets at $500
Mid-Mezzanine Tickets at $250
Rear Mezzanine Tickets at $150 SOLD OUT
But I would be very intrigued to see this cast at work:
Natasha Richardson as Desirée
Victor Garber as Frederick
Christine Baranski as Charlotte
Laura Benanti as Anne
Marc Kudisch as Carl-Magnus
Vanessa Redgrave as Madame Armfeldt
Particularly Garber. He of course got his start in musicals, but has since gone on to do non-musical work on stage and major bad-ass work on TV!
Intriguing, but probably not in the cards for me...how about you?
The pricing is a bit out of my league:
Pricing:
Premium Tickets at $2,500, includes pre-show reception with cast, premium seating, open bar at intermission, and post-show cast party ($2,150 tax-deductible)
Reception Tickets at $1,000, includes house seats and post-show cast party ($750 tax-deductible)
Orchestra/Front Mezzanine Tickets at $500
Mid-Mezzanine Tickets at $250
Rear Mezzanine Tickets at $150 SOLD OUT
But I would be very intrigued to see this cast at work:
Natasha Richardson as Desirée
Victor Garber as Frederick
Christine Baranski as Charlotte
Laura Benanti as Anne
Marc Kudisch as Carl-Magnus
Vanessa Redgrave as Madame Armfeldt
Particularly Garber. He of course got his start in musicals, but has since gone on to do non-musical work on stage and major bad-ass work on TV!
Intriguing, but probably not in the cards for me...how about you?
Labels: A Little Night Music, Broadway, Stephen Sondheim
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
West Side Story Broadway revival casting announced
I loves me some West Side Story, from the movie to the community theatre. Despite how complex and difficult WSS is to put on, it's actually hard to screw it up...the material is just that strong and stands up just that well. IMHO of course.
I didn't know it was coming back to Broadway, and I actually would have to think about whether I'd shell out the big Broadway bucks for it, the cast is, if nothing else, international and intriguing.
WSS is one of my top favorite musicals fo all time, and probably in the top 2 or 3 if you take Sondheim out of the equation. What about you...does this go on your lsit?
I didn't know it was coming back to Broadway, and I actually would have to think about whether I'd shell out the big Broadway bucks for it, the cast is, if nothing else, international and intriguing.
WSS is one of my top favorite musicals fo all time, and probably in the top 2 or 3 if you take Sondheim out of the equation. What about you...does this go on your lsit?
Labels: Broadway, west side story
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tony Nominations are out
You can see the column and full list of nominations at the NY Times.
I agree with the Times that one of the most interesting things is to check out who got snubbed. Young Frankenstein got snubbed big-time. Little Mermaid did too. (Although I notice it's nominated for Best Original Score, so I have to ask: how "original" is it? What's the ratio of new songs to songs from the movie? This seems odd to me, but I haven't seen it, so can't reall comment intelligently about it.)
Sondheim is getting a lifetime achievement award, so they must be thinking he's never going to bring another new musical to Broadway. (And if you read some of his comments back form when he was working on Bounce, they might be right.)
Hard to root for anyone when I've seen exactly one nominated show, but I'm going to guess that Patty LuPone wins...what are your predictions?
I agree with the Times that one of the most interesting things is to check out who got snubbed. Young Frankenstein got snubbed big-time. Little Mermaid did too. (Although I notice it's nominated for Best Original Score, so I have to ask: how "original" is it? What's the ratio of new songs to songs from the movie? This seems odd to me, but I haven't seen it, so can't reall comment intelligently about it.)
Sondheim is getting a lifetime achievement award, so they must be thinking he's never going to bring another new musical to Broadway. (And if you read some of his comments back form when he was working on Bounce, they might be right.)
Hard to root for anyone when I've seen exactly one nominated show, but I'm going to guess that Patty LuPone wins...what are your predictions?
Labels: Broadway, Tony Awards
