0 EDMOND — Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner stars in the solo performance of "FDR,” at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 6 at the Rose State Performing Arts Theater.
• For a schedule of Broadway Tonight’s performances, go to www.uco.edu/broadway.
Asner’s portrayal of America’s 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is part of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Broadway Tonight series.
The show is based on Dore Schary’s "Sunrise at Campobello,” originally a Tony Award-winning Broadway production that opened in 1958 starring actor Ralph Bellamy.
"The show is a classic among Broadway dramas, did very well in New York, and is a show that is totally different from the type of Broadway shows we normally bring in,” said Broadway Tonight director Jon Finch.
The one-man show takes audiences through Roosevelt’s four terms in the White House, which include the Great Depression, the steps leading up to World War II, and the war years.
Best known for his character Lou Grant, who was first introduced on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1970, Asner has starred in a multitude of memorable acting roles on television, stage and film.
The show features Roosevelt’s fireside chats; his personal life with Eleanor; his courage to break the Neutrality Act; his handling of Congress to get the draft; and the Pearl Harbor controversy.
Susan Clark works with Broadway Tonight at UCO.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009; Posted: 11:10 AM - by BWW News Desk
The Broadway League announced today the recipients of its fourteenth annual National Education Grants. These grants support innovative programs that enable students from coast to coast to experience touring Broadway as a form of artistic expression and as an educational tool.
The 2009 National Education Grants program bestows $5,000 to ten presenters of touring Broadway shows across the U.S. for the development or support of education programs associated with touring productions.
A significant number of touring Broadway shows are featured in the various programs: Dreamgirls, In the Heights, Legally Blonde, South Pacific, Spring Awakening, and Wicked.
This year, organizations were selected from the following cities: Appleton, WI; Atlanta, GA; Costa Mesa, CA; Dallas, TX; Des Moines, IA; Greenville, SC; Rochester, NY; Schenectady, NY; Tampa, FL; and Wichita, KS.
The following three venues are first-time grant recipients:
Orange County Performing Arts Center - Costa Mesa, CA
Dallas Summer Musicals - Dallas, TX
Theater League - Wichita, KS
Since it was founded in 1996, the League's National Education Grants program has awarded $700,000 in grants to support the education efforts of Broadway presenting organizations. The League administers this program with generous additional financial support from Theatre Development Fund.
During the past year, theatre education professionals at organizations that present touring Broadway productions have worked closely with local teachers and community organizations to create activities that engage young people with theatre and enhance their academic experiences.
"We salute this year's programs that demonstrate our League-member presenting organizations' innovation and dedication to education via the performing arts," commented Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League. "There is nothing as uniquely powerful as the impact of live theatre on impressionable young minds. In addition to expanding their knowledge of the world as interpreted through the artistic expression of plays and musicals, they also become inspired to make theatregoing a regular part of their future."
This year, the ten programs that were awarded grants of $5,000 each are as follows: (*Please note that contact telephone numbers and emails are for reporter follow-up use only and should not be included in any publication. Thank you.)
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center - Appleton, WI
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center will lead a partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Wisconsin-based initiative Project Girl that will explore the effects of media messages and stereotypes on adolescent girls. "Mirror Image" will challenge 20 girls and their mentors to think critically about the messages they encounter in entertainment, becoming better-informed consumers. Taking inspiration from Elle Woods' struggle against stereotypes in Legally Blonde the Musical, "Mirror Image" will encourage these young women to define themselves and identify their potential. "Mirror Image" will incorporate the arts as a tool to build confidence and combat messages that contribute to negative body image. Contact Erin Hunsader, 920-730-3769 or ehunsader@foxcitiespac.com.
The Fox Theatre - Atlanta, GA
The musical In The Heights is a celebration of community, specifically the Latino community in a New York City neighborhood. The Fox Theatre will provide approximately 100 children, mostly Latinos, from metro Atlanta after-school programs and an in-school drama group with tickets to see the musical. Following the performance, the children will attend a panel discussion with community experts who will discuss giving back to their community. The children will then work with these experts to create a project through which they will learn about the experiences of their parents and grandparents. Teaching artists will then work with the children to express the information gleaned from their elders via creative work, culminating in performances at various sites. Contact Sarah duBignon, 404-881-2087 or outreach@foxtheatre.org.
Orange County Performing Arts Center - Costa Mesa, CA
The Orange County Performing Arts Center's "Takin' Broadway to the Heights" project is a new initiative modeled after the Center's nationally acclaimed Summer at the Center program, which provides performance workshops to disadvantaged high school youth. The Center's goal is to broaden audience interest in musical theatre by introducing underserved populations to culturally relevant Broadway productions. "Takin' Broadway to the Heights" offers professional artist workshops integrated with the Center's presentation of In the Heights to students at Santa Ana High School, and culminates in an opportunity for students to attend a performance of the show. Contact Jason Holland, 714-556-2122 x4586 or jholland@ocpac.org.
Dallas Summer Musicals - Dallas, TX
Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) will use funds from The Broadway League to expand the educational component of the Stage Right Positive Action summer program for at-risk youth by incorporating musical theatre/arts education, specifically themes presented in DSM's presentation of Dreamgirls at The Music Hall. After learning about the show through a curriculum enhanced by a custom study guide, students from approximately 30 area agencies and community centers will participate in an essay/poster contest. This contest builds on the 12-week Positive Action curriculum (created in partnership with the Dallas Police Department) which teaches that positive actions lead to success. Contact Lori Sirmen, 214-413-3961 or lsirmen@dallassummermusicals.org.
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines - Des Moines, IA
The themes of love, war and prejudIce That run through Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific are as alive today as they were in the 1940s. The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines will invite 100 students from five central Iowa high schools to explore these themes as part of a multi-curricular learning opportunity in the spring of 2010. Both in the classroom and at the Civic Center, the students will explore the era of South Pacific and the significance of its themes to musical theatre. After exploring these themes from historical, social and artistic viewpoints, students will apply them in a modern context and discuss their contemporary relevance. Contact Eric Olmscheid, 515-246-2357 or eolmscheid@civiccenter.org.
The Peace Center - Greenville, SC
The Peace Center and Gable Middle School, a high-poverty rural school, will develop a character education program using themes from Wicked. Drama and choral students will view Wicked, meet cast members, and tour backstage. In preparation, students will study the thematic, musical and dramatic elements of one song from the show each month. Through journaling and guided discussions, students will then create a musical based on themes from Wicked and other shows, to be performed in the spring. Workshops with a professional singer and actor will enhance students' skills and offer a valuable opportunity that wouldn't otherwise be available. Contact Marjorie Buckner, 864-467-3007 or mbuckner@peacecenter.org.
Rochester Broadway Theatre League - Rochester, NY
"Spring Awakening - An Overture to Life" provides an opportunity for junior and senior level high school students from the greater Rochester area to examine issues of social change, confusion, and moral ambiguity as they move forward in their developmental journey to adulthood. Through a variety of experiences, including a viewing of Spring Awakening at the Auditorium Theatre, they will work with local agencies through class-related activities to meet NYS Standards for Learning. Students will better understand and develop the skills necessary to break down the walls they encounter and come to realize the importance of open lines of communication between their peers, as well as with the adults in their lives. Contact Robert Sagan, 585-325-7760 x3231 or bob@rbtl.org.
Proctors (Arts Center and Theatre of Schenectady, Inc.) - Schenectady, NY
Using the musical Wicked and the popular novel on which it is based, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Proctors will facilitate a unique exploration of arts, literature and human behaviors to promote social change for 12th grade students at Schenectady High School. Workshops will take place with specially trained teaching artists, using the novel, the show and improv techniques to focus on the show's themes. They will address the growing problem of bullying in schools and how our actions have consequences, creating life-changing events for us as well as others throughout life. Contact Christine Sheehan, 518-382-3884 x112 or csheehan@proctors.org.
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center - Tampa, FL
This two-pronged project will create collaboration with five Tampa Bay area schools to engage up to 100 students in six weeks of activities, culminating in a visit to Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center (TBPAC) to see In The Heights. Led by a scenic design teaching artist, students at two secondary schools will do a site survey of their neighborhoods and create set designs that reflect their neighborhood history. Separately, dance teaching artists will engage fifth graders at three elementary schools in learning Latin dances for six weeks, culminating in a "Loco Caliente Ballroom" competition at TBPAC. Students will meet project-related show crew in a post-show talk back. Contact Wendy Leigh, 813-222-1086 or wendy.leigh@tbpac.org.
Theatre League - Wichita, KS
Theatre League will partner with Wichita West High School to enhance students' understanding of the "Green" movement and how environmental responsibility initiatives are influencing theatre productions, as well as regular day-to-day life. By incorporating field trips, speakers, workshops and seeing a performance of Wicked (a theatre community leader in green activities), the students will deepen their knowledge about how to sustain our world in an environmentally friendly way. Representatives from the town of Greensburg, Kansas, which is being rebuilt Green after a devastating tornado, as well as members from the Wicked cast and crew, will speak with students to provide history of the movement and encourage ways to live that promotes being Green. Participating students will be encouraged to continue what they have learned by planting a garden at their school and beginning their own Green Club. Contact Karianne Waterland, 913-652-7409 or karianne.waterland@theaterleague.org.
In addition to the National Education Grants program, the League also administers similar grants for education programs affiliated with Broadway productions in New York City each year.
The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League's 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 cities across the U.S. and Canada, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to more than 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. www.BroadwayLeague.com
NEW YORK — First, it's about the story, says Sue Frost.
"I have to be engaged," she says, explaining why she is one of a platoon of producers (they number more than two dozen) who have brought something a little more risky than usual to Broadway this season.
Their project? "Memphis," an original musical, one not based on a movie, play, television series or cartoon. And there are no stars in the leading roles of an interracial couple caught up in the changing music scene of the early 1950s.
The $10 million plus production has arrived - after a nearly decade-long gestation period - at the Shubert Theatre to mostly enthusiastic reviews, particularly for leads Chad Kimball and Montego Glover who have been with the musical since its beginnings.
"I have to feel that it (the story) is relevant," Frost adds. "I have to feel that no matter what it's about, an audience today is going to take something away from it."
And they seem to be taking away quite a bit, judging by the cheering at the end of each performance - a relief for its many producers, who took on a Broadway show during the current, unsteady economic climate. But much of the money was raised for the musical's out-of-town tryouts before things collapsed last fall.
"It was hard but not as hard as you would think because ... so many people who saw it (out of town) were passionate about it," Frost says. "A lot of the more seasoned (theatre) folks said, 'You're coming in. Nobody knows what the economy is going to be. You don't have any stars. Nobody knows what this show is.' It took the passionate people who believe in the show to get us where we are."
Like many show-biz efforts, theatrical or otherwise, "Memphis" began with a phone call.
The caller was George W. George, a veteran Broadway producer of such 1960s hits as "Any Wednesday" and "Dylan," as well as the movie "My Dinner With Andre." He was touching base with Joe DiPietro, one of the creators of the long-running off-Broadway revue "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" and other shows.
"George had this idea," DiPietro recalls. "He had been reading about the disc jockeys who were the first white DJs ... to play rhythm 'n' blues for mainstream white audiences in the early 1950s, which really, of course, became the precursor to rock 'n' roll in the mid '50s.
"And how, especially in the South, these guys tended to be the first shock jocks. They were renegades and rebels in what they were doing in a very segregated South. (It was) not only controversial but even somewhat dangerous."
George thought it was a great idea for a musical. So did DiPietro: "Once we had this DJ who essentially was the one white guy hanging out in black clubs, which is what these guys used to do, I thought, 'Let's dramatize it by embodying the music in one singer, an African-American singer with whom he falls in love."'
The script was written quickly and DiPietro's agent sent it around. DiPietro then got another phone call. According to DiPietro, it went something like this: "Hi Joe. My name is David Bryan. I am the keyboardist for Bon Jovi and I just read your script for 'Memphis' and I see every song in my head and how can I write the score?"
DiPietro asked for a sample. The next day, a CD of a song - "The Music of My Soul" - arrived by FedEx. The tune is still in the musical.
Bryan welcomed the challenge of writing for the theatre. His whole world had been writing a pop song "that you wanted to put on the radio. So you've go about three minutes and 30 seconds - which is the Beatles' standard. And it still is."
But Bryan said what appealed to him about the story was that "it wasn't just entertainment for entertainment's sake. It mattered. You're talking racism and about the birth of rock 'n' roll, which I'm interested in."
Now he was faced with writing songs for character and for moving the plot, as well as creating (they share the credit for lyrics) with a seasoned man of the theatre.
"You actually can't feel that one is really experienced and one is not," director Christopher Ashley says. "They are such a strong team. ... They are very nondefensive about the material, which is kind of amazing considering how long they have been working on the show. Nothing is set in stone."
"You have an opportunity when you come see 'Memphis' to sit down and come with us on this journey and hear music that you have never heard before," says Glover, who portrays ambitious club singer Felicia Farrell in the show.
"The score is rock 'n' roll, R&B, blues, gospel," continues Glover, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-raised performer who has appeared on Broadway and on tour in "The Color Purple."
"It's a wonderful mix of music that is familiar in its tone to everyone in the country because it's part of our musical history as Americans."
"Memphis" began its public life (with a different director) at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass., in 2003, and had a second viewing the following year at TheaterWorks in Palo Alto, Calif. But then development stalled. George's rights lapsed (the producer died in 2007), and the show was picked up by Frost and her producing partners who operate under the atmospheric name of Junkyard Dog Productions.
"I saw the show opening night at the North Shore and it was not anywhere near what it is now but I saw the audience response," Frost says. "They went crazy for it."
The new producers brought on a new director (Ashley), choreographer (Sergio Trujillo) and design team and carefully mapped out a plan to play two out-of-town stops - the La Jolla Playhouse in California and Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre - before coming to Broadway. Time is the most precious commodity in putting on a show, and Junkyard Dog wanted to make sure its production of "Memphis" had enough of it.
"When we began the process of 'Memphis,' the idea was never to put the show up once and let that be it," Glover says. "There was always a spirit of development that surrounded 'Memphis,' knowing that we had something that was really wonderful and really juicy. But we wanted to commit the time and the effort to developing it properly."
"We learned so much about the show and what it needed to be," Frost says. "Every step of the way, we would sit and we would analyze: what's working, what's not working, and how do we want to fix it and how do we want to move forward."
It was invaluable for the performers, too.
"These actors know their characters inside out," Ashley says. "The cast has so much trust in each other and faith in the project, which makes them fearless in a great way. And they have been working on it long enough that there is an accumulation of detail in their performances that I've rarely seen."
Frost believes those great performances helped spur the show's good word of mouth and growing advance.
"We always knew that we had to get it up in front of people," she says. "They had to see it, experience it.
"Sure, you're filled with trepidation. But we saw what the show did in La Jolla and Seattle. By the end of our three-week run in Seattle, a 2,100-seat house, we were turning people away. That's how fast the word of mouth spread on this show."
Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of shows as of Oct. 19. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters' box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to obtain tickets appear at the end. "A Steady Rain." Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman star in Keith Huff's drama about two Chicago policemen. Gerald Schoenfeld. Limited engagement through Dec. 6. Telecharge. Difficult. "After Miss Julie." Sienna Miller, Jonny Lee Miller and Marin Ireland star in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Patrick Marber's reworking of Strindberg's "Miss Julie." American Airlines. 212-719-1300. "Billy Elliot." A young man in Britain's bleak coal country yearns to dance. A musical based on the hit film. Winner of the 2009 Tony Award for best musical. Imperial. Telecharge. "Brighton Beach Memoirs." A revival of Neil Simon's hit comedy about a young man growing up in Brooklyn. Now in previews. Opens Oct. 25. Nederlander. Ticketmaster. "Burn the Floor." An evening of Latin and ballroom dancing featuring performers from around the world. Longacre. Telecharge. "Bye Bye Birdie." John Stamos, Gina Gershon and Bill Irwin star in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the 1960 musical about a rock 'n' roll idol's induction into the Army and the effect on teenagers in a small Ohio town. Henry Miller's. Telecharge. "Chicago." This Kander and Ebb-Bob Fosse creation is Broadway's longest running musical revival and deservedly so. Ambassador. Telecharge. "Finian's Rainbow." A leprechaun, a stolen pot of gold and a feisty Irish heroine. A revival of the classic 1947 musical featuring a glorious score by E.Y. Harburg and Burton Lane. Now in previews. Opens Oct. 29. St. James. Telecharge. "God of Carnage." Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden star in Yasmina Reza's hilarious comedy about the volatile meeting of two sets of parents. Winner of the 2009 Tony Award for best play. A new cast, Jimmy Smits, Christine Lahti, Ken Stott and Annie Potts, takes over Nov. 17. Bernard B. Jacobs. Telecharge. (2 of 4) "Hair." The Public Theater's Central Park production of the '60s rock musical comes indoors. Al Hirschfeld. Telecharge. "Hamlet." Jude Law stars as Shakespeare's melancholy Danish prince in a production from London's Donmar Warehouse. Broadhurst. Telecharge. Closes Dec. 6. "In the Heights." The lively off-Broadway musical about Latino residents in an area of upper Manhattan called Washington Heights moves to Broadway. Richard Rodgers. Ticketmaster. "In the Next Room or the vibrator play." Sarah Ruhl's comedy explores sexual reawakening of women in 19th-century America and the freedom it unleashes. A Lincoln Center Theater production. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 22. Lyceum. Telecharge. "Jersey Boys." The musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Winner of four 2006 Tonys including best musical. August Wilson. Telecharge. Difficult. "Mamma Mia!" The London musical sensation featuring the pop songs of ABBA makes it to Broadway. Die-hard ABBA fans will like it best. Winter Garden. Telecharge. "Mary Poppins." The world's most famous nanny comes to the stage after her great success as a P.L. Travers book and a Disney movie. New Amsterdam. Ticketmaster. "Memphis." An interracial romance set in the 1950s when rhythm and blues crosses into the pop mainstream. A new musical. Shubert. Telecharge. "Next to Normal." A family grapples with a mother's emotional problems. A new musical, originally seen off-Broadway last season. Booth. Telecharge. "Oleanna." Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles star in a revival of David Mamet's play about a college professor and a female student. Golden. Telecharge. "Ragtime." A revival of the musical based on E.L. Doctorow's epic novel of early 20th-century America. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 15. Neil Simon. Ticketmaster. "Rock of Ages." A jukebox musical that celebrates the pop songs of the 1980s. Brooks Atkinson. Ticketmaster. "Shrek the Musical." DreamWorks' cinematic green ogre makes it to the stage in this show based on the movie and the William Steig book. Broadway. Telecharge. (3 of 4) "South Pacific." A luxurious, musically splendid revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on one of the short stories in James A. Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific." Vivian Beaumont. Telecharge. "Superior Donuts." Michael McKean stars as the owner of a rundown Chicago doughnut shop in a new play by Tracy Letts, author of "August: Osage County." Music Box. Telecharge. "The 39 Steps." A stage adaptation by Patrick Barlow of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie thriller about a man on the run. Four actors portray more than 150 roles. Helen Hayes. Telecharge. Closes Jan. 10. "The Lion King." Director Julie Taymor is a modern-day Merlin, creating a stage version of the Disney animated hit that makes you truly believe in the magic of theater. Minskoff. Difficult on weekends. "The Phantom of the Opera." The one with the chandelier. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is the prime, Grade A example of big Brit musical excess. But all the lavishness does have a purpose in Harold Prince's intelligent production, now the longest-running show in Broadway history. Majestic. Telecharge. "The Royal Family." Rosemary Harris heads the cast in the Manhattan Theatre Club revival of the George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber comedy about a legendary acting dynasty. Samuel J. Friedman. Telecharge. "West Side Story." The Sharks and Jets return to New York in a revival of the classic musical loosely based on "Romeo and Juliet." Palace. Ticketmaster. "Wicked." An ambitious, wildly popular musical about the witches in "The Wizard of Oz" as young women. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Gershwin. Ticketmaster. Difficult. "Wishful Drinking." Carrie Fisher wrote and stars in this autobiographical solo show detailing the ups and downs of her life in Hollywood. A Roundabout Theatre Company production. Studio 54. 212-719-1300. The Telecharge number is 212-239-6200 unless otherwise indicated. There is a $7 service charge per ticket, plus a handling fee per order that varies from $2.50 to $4 depending on method of delivery. (4 of 4) Ticketmaster is 212-307-4100. There is a $7.25 "convenience" charge per ticket, plus a handling fee per order that varies depending on method of delivery. All theaters owned by Jujamcyn — the St. James, Martin Beck, Virginia, Eugene O'Neill and the Walter Kerr — have a $2 surcharge per ticket for theater restoration. Shows in Shubert theaters have a "facilities" surcharge of $1.50 per ticket. Both Telecharge and Ticketmaster will provide information on specific seat locations. They also have toll-free numbers for theater ticket calls outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For Telecharge call 800-432-7250; for Ticketmaster call 800-755-4000. The League of American Theaters and Producers has a special telephone line called the Broadway Line for information on most Broadway shows and how to purchase tickets. Calls must be made on a touch-tone phone. The number is 1-888-BROADWAY. The line also will provide information on Broadway touring productions. The TKTS booth in Times Square at Broadway and 47th Street sells same-day discount tickets to Broadway, off-Broadway, music and dance productions. There is a $4 service charge per ticket. Cash, credit cards and travelers checks accepted. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday evening performances, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. EDT; matinees Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. EDT. The downtown TKTS booth is in the South Street Seaport at the corner of Front and John Streets. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. EDT; Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. EDT. Credit cards are accepted at South Street. Matinee tickets must be purchased at South Street Seaport the day before, meaning Wednesday matinee tickets are available Tuesday, Saturday matinee tickets are available Friday and Sunday matinee tickets are available Saturday. A TKTS booth in downtown Brooklyn, located at 1 MetroTech Center (the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue), operates Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. EDT for same-day evening performances and next-day matinee performances. Cash, credit cards and travelers checks accepted. Full-price tickets and information on Broadway and off-Broadway shows are available at the Broadway Concierge & Ticket Center, located in the Times Square Information Center on the east side of Broadway between 46th Street and 47th Street. There is a $6.50 service charge per ticket. Information on restaurants, hotels and parking also is available. We encourage your feedback on articles. 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Back in February, my Big Hollywood colleague and super-funny-dude Tim Slagle wrote a series of posts on the Broadway musical “Avenue Q”. The show was going through a mini-crisis/publicity stunt because one of the big punch lines to the song “For Now” was no longer valid:
A song called “For Now” has the puppets reassure each other that most things in life are temporary, like hair and sex. Until recently, one of those temporary things was “George Bush.” Knowing that Obama was to be shortly inaugurated, the producers and writers were perplexed for a replacement. I know it should be obvious to everyone else, but Broadway producers don’t think like you and I. So they threw a contest to decide a better verse.
Two weeks later, Slagle followed up with the big announcement of the new lyric:
So what did they decide to use? The winning lyric is: ”George Bush WAS only for now.” Brilliant. I guess like “South Pacific” and “Bye-Bye Birdie,” some vintage musical theater is better when presented in the time frame that it was originally written. “Avenue Q” will now be forever remembered as a Bush-era production, although the impact has noticeably waned. ”We now know that although George Bush’s presidency was only for now,” show creator, Robert Lopez noted, ”the comic potential of ‘George Bush’ seems like it may last forever.”
Not so fast. This week, “Avenue Q” did something that Broadway shows rarely do. They closed their production and re-located to an Off-Broadway house. During the process of re-opening the show in a smaller venue, the writers took the time to really give some thought to the “George Bush WAS for now” lyric and they have finally found their perfect replacement.
It seems that the real purpose of this line is not to get a huge laugh. No, it seems that the real purpose is to find the worst possible, evil, racist, homo-phobic, war-mongering, lying, right-wing boogie man and insert their name into the lyric to ridicule and diminish them. Circa 2004 that person was President Bush. Today, the only person that fits that description is, well, not really a person at all. You see, the writers of “Avenue Q” have apparently been paying very close attention to the White House’s latest full-court press against… the press! The new lyric is:
“Fox News is only for now.”
I’m waiting for you to stop the hysterical laughter and applause at this brilliant, Sondheim-like lyric.
Fox News, the highest rated news outlet for over a decade. Fox News, the network whose 3 AM show out-ranks CNN’s prime time fare. Fox News is only “for now.” But “Avenue Q” is forever. Uh, huh. I expect that Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly will be reporting on the tenth anniversary of “Avenue Q”’s closing.
Let’s face it folks, after having to close its Tony Award-winning production on Broadway, revamping the financial structure of the show, begging the actors’ union to allow them to reduce the performers’ salaries (which the spineless union allowed) and moving to a theatre half the size of the tiny little Golden which housed the show for the last five years, I think it is clear that “Avenue Q” is only for now…. BARELY! |
Originally posted Friday October 23, 2009 08:00 AM EDT
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With a flurry of new Broadway shows opening up this winter, it seemed like a good idea to catch up with some of the shows that have been playing for awhile, especially since some have new actors.
"Next to Normal" a Tony winner for actress Alice Ripley as well as being nominated for two of her co-stars and as Best Musical still has most of the cast in tact. Supporting actor Aaron Tveit was off doing some other project, but has since returned to his role as the son Gabe.
Ripley truly is the core of the show - able to wear every emotion, bringing pathos and tragedy to a role that seems more from a Tennessee Williams classic.
The vulnerability of her character trying to deal with a family tragedy serves as the perfect foundation for the other actors to work against. Without her strength as an actress, the high emotional charge from her costars would falter, keeping the characters together as a family and the actors together as a theatre troupe.
While no match for Ripley, J. Robert Spencer is memorable as her long suffering husband who is given more of an opportunity to shine in the second act. But once again, his emotions are dependent on Ripley being able to bring everything she's got. Tveit's understudy Tim Young was in fine voice and quite sympathetic as their son and Jennifer Damiano as daughter Natalie proves why she was Tony nominated as the innocent daughter who seems to be lost in her brother's shadow. Going from freak to prodigy to heroine, Damiano stands toe-to-toe with the rest of them, finding her own voice.
The Tony winning score is quite melodic but is best kept as a complete piece and not to be chopped up into a songbook of hit singles.
Another show playing on Broadway that has a great score is "Rock of Ages" and it's easy to tell why as it patches together a bunch of 1980s hair band songs. Whether it's "Anyway You Want It," "Don't Stop Believin'” or "The Final Countdown," every rock song from the 1980s is here. Yes, it's like "Mamma Mia" and the part of Abba songs is being played by Journey, but who cares!
The show isn't trying to win the Pulitzer, it's just trying to entertain. And that it does.
From the moment you hit the theatre and are surrounded by actual rock concert posters, club and bar logos and the famous picture of the billboard of busty Angelene, you feel you are in Hollywood in the 1980s. And the show comes complete with a pseduo-lighter for the audience to turn on and wave in the air during the shows big ballads.
The show was nominated for a Tony for Best Musical last year. And it's so fun, you can see why. And American idol finalist Constantine Maroulis was also Tony nominated. Of course he can sing - you don't get the fourth place on that show if you couldn't. But he's actually a very talented actor. He's got great comic timing and is quite sweet as our show's leading man - a shy bar back who has trouble writing songs until he meets his muse, Sherrie, a country bumpkin who comes to LA to become an actress.
Perhaps playing 1980s muses is becoming a thing for her as Kerry Butler, who was sensational in last year’s "Xanadu," just took over the role of Sherrie and she instantly makes it her own. Butler’s big voice gets her the attention she deserves as it did in "Xanadu" and "Hairspray” and brings a lot of fresh energy to the production.
Or maybe to be a successful a show you just need Joe DiPietro and David Bryan to write the songs and book. They did it with great success in "Memphis" but they also have a gem on their hands with the off-Broadway "The Toxic Avenger," based upon a really crappy 1980s horror film.
Crappy movies though make the best spoofs as "Toxic" is an uproarious laugh riot, riddled with double entendres (or some just blatant), catchy songs and a serves as a postcard to the ugly side of New Jersey. While "The Toxic Avenger" is fighting off crime and corruption, the show fuels the fire of the feud between New York and New Jersey. And since this is the New York stage, you know what city comes up smelling like a rose and which is, well, toxic.
All that aside, "Toxic" has a perfect cast, including the recent addition of another American Idol finalist, Diana DeGarmo, who is innocent and slutty all at once. And the little lady has a great big voice.
And Nick Cordero is truly lovable as the Avenger. But it's the three stooges of Desmond Green, Jonathan Root and especially Nancy Opel as ALL of the other characters that will make you laugh so hard in the isles that you will be rolling right down to the end of the stage. These three has tons of costume changes and no time to do it. In one scene in particular in which Opel plays the Avenger's mother and the mayor and is running off and on stage in seconds and sometimes changing right on stage (you'll know what I mean when you see) it is theatre at its truly best.
As songwriters, DiPietro and Bryan are determined to be a team to reckon with. While "Memphis" is filled with sincere and big band songs, "Toxic" has their B sides of songs like "Choose Me, Oprah" and "Bitch/Slut/Liar/Whore" - which is a perfectly fun song to sing while exiting the theatre.
"Toxic" really needs to stay around for a long time. It needs to be seen over and over again. Make it your holiday gift to your friends. Make it your own birthday party. Take a bridal party there. Just get yourself to the ugly part of New Jersey, right there at New York's New World Stages.
To learn more about these shows and get tickets, go to:
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