A Second Look- Next to Normal v2.0

No musical on Broadway has been more affecting for me over the last few years, than "Next to Normal". Regardless whether or not you believe the show is too "commercial" to deserve a Pulitzer Prize, there is no question in my mind that the show represents everything that right about Broadway, both from a storytelling aspect as well as a producing aspect.

It's refreshing to see producers give a piece of art time to grow. In an age where shows like The Addams Family and the hot mess that is Women on The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown are rushed to Broadway with few rewrites, and in the case of "WOTV", no out of town tryout at all, Next to Normal went through numerous changes on it's seven year journey to the Booth Theater.

Alice Ripley was the anchor for just about all of that journey, winning a Tony and the admiration of the show's many fans in the process. However, she left the show in July, opening the door for a new cast to tell the story of the most dysfunctional family on Broadway (yet another awards the Addams Family didn't win).

I saw the show again last week and was fascinated by how different it feels with the new cast. Marin Mazzie gives us a somewhat "kinder, gentler" version of Diana, downplaying the raw and crazy qualities that Alice Ripley portrayed, and giving us a more sympathetic character. This version of Diana is very aware of her mental illness, but tired from the 16 year battle and almost resigned to her fate. I found that in the Ripley version of "Normal", I felt empathy for the rest of the family struggling to cope with the mental illness. In this version, I saw new layers to Diana, and couldn't help but feel empathy for a person who can't escape the clutches of her bipolar disorder.

It's also worth noting that Mazzie's performance has created an interesting effect on the performance of Meghann Fahy as Natalie. I saw Fahy last year as an understudy for Jennifer Damiano opposite Alice Ripley. In that show, Fahy conveyed the appropriate amount of anger, confusion, and bitterness that one would expect when their mother was as over the top, crazy as Alice played the part. However, Fahy is still playing the role that angry even though Mazzie's Diana is far more toned down. What it creates is a bitchy, more unlikeable Natalie.

Critics will say that Mazzie's performance is almost too "polished", and has lost the raw qualities that Ripley brought to the table. I can't argue against that statement. In fact, I wouldn't say one woman's performance is "better" than the other. They are different... and that's what makes Next to Normal worth another viewing. If anything, the new show is a further testament to the strength and depth of the script, that there are so many new layers that have been uncovered.

First preview- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

The newly renovated Belasco Theater was sold out Friday night for the first preview of the star studded "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", the musical adaptation of the 1988 Oscar nominated film. With a writing team of David Yazbeck and Jeffery Lane, direction by Bartlett Sher, and a cast lead by Sherie Rene Scott, Patti Lupone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Laura Benanti, expectations among ticket holders were high.

That didn't last long when Sher took the stage shortly after 8pm to inform the audience that this, in fact, was the FIRST full run through of the show. The production, which had already delayed previews by three days to allow for more tech rehearsals, could not get through an entire run through the night before. Sher told the audience that the actors were "terrified" to perform in front of them tonight, asked us for "a lot of love", and warned us that we would likely see a show stoppage at some point if the safety of the performers were in question.

On one level, it's a cool opportunity to be in the house for what amounts to the first dress rehearsal for a major Broadway production. On the other hand, it sucks paying $270 for a show that isn't ready for audiences.

And believe me, on this night, "Women on The Verge" was not ready for an audience. I will withhold an official review, because this is not a finished product. However, here are a few observations:

The show is elaborate, and feels much bigger than it's $5 million budget would indicate. When it works, it's fantastic. During a scene where Scott's character is studio signing vocals for a movie musical, there is a breathtaking mix of an old time "MGM style" film playing on a screen behind her as live actors are seamlessly integrated to make it appear like a live action black and white film is happening.

On the other hand, South Pacific's Danny Burstein plays a Madrid taxi driver, with an awful taxi that moves across the stage at a snail's pace. On the screen in the back is an abstract version of what is supposed to mimic passing traffic, but comes across more like primitive graphics from a 1983 Atari game. The taxi was a constant tech problem, sometimes requiring stagehands to push it on and offstage. To their credit, Burstein and Scott admirably ad-libbed to cover for the mistakes. Yet, it was embarrassing to watch live.

As an overall note, the set changes were slower than bad community theater. There are a ton of pieces to move and they have not yet figured out how to do it quickly. In some instances, actors were onstage beginning scenes before the set had arrived. My guess is that they can tighten the run time by 15-20 minutes as this gets resolved in previews.

The set budget, however, was not the only thing that was bloated. The show features a sizable ensemble of terrific dancers, and fantastic choreography by Christopher Gattelli. The catch is, the dancing happens so infrequently in this book heavy production that it sometimes feels jarring and out of place when you see it. I felt the same way about last season's flop, "9 to 5", where it seemed like some dance numbers were staged just for the sake of having them.

As for the cast, they are still trying to find their rhythm. The evening's standout was Laura Benanti, as the high strung best friend of Sherie Rene Scott. Her comic timing was spot on, and she didn't just steal scenes on this night, she often times carried the show on her back and ran away with it. Her act 1 number, "Model Behavior", was one of the nights musical highlights. Patti Lupone was also in fine form as the crazy ex-wife. As over the top and nutty as she plays the character in act 1, she finds just the right emotional chords in the second act to break your heart for the years she wasted waiting for her husband to come home. The usually reliable Sherie Rene Scott is still finding her way in this show, which is somewhat understandable given the fact that she has the most stage time in the cast. She really seemed to struggle through the plodding, exposition heavy, opening 30 minutes of the show, but then gained confidence as the night went on. Brian Stokes Mitchell was in fine voice throughout the night, but feels somewhat underutilized despite being the show's womanizing antagonist.

Producers have a lot of work ahead of them in coming weeks. The tech aspects will fix themselves, but there are a lot of subplots and secondary characters that feel underdeveloped. Who exactly is Mary Beth Peil's character anyhow? A landlord? A Madrid version of a concierge? Why exactly is she on the verge of a nervous breakdown and why is she singing onstage with the other jilted women at the end of the show? Why is Danny Burstein's taxi driver onstage so much? I get that he's supposed to serve as a narrator, but does he really need three songs? Why was Nikka Graff Lanzarone cast in this show? Is her character supposed to be Spanish? Or is she an American? Because if she's Spanish, she's not bothering to do an accent and it's kind of annoying.

You have to think with the parties involved, this show will gel and go on to become a hot ticket. For now, I would suggest staying away from the preview performances unless you know you can't be in the city to see the finished product after it opens.

If you have attended a subsequent preview, feel free to leave a comment below. I'm curious to see how the show is progressing.

Review- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

In a recent article already proclaiming the death of the 2011 theater season, Michael Riedel took a shot at the Broadway transfer of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, sarcastically wondering if the audiences "flocking to American Idiot" would buy tickets for Broadway's newest rock-emo musical, currently playing previews at the Bernard Jacobs theater. While it is true that American Idiot has struggled to find an audience on any week Billie Joe Armstrong hasn't been onstage, there is no denying that Andrew Jackson is not only a superior production, but it's also the smartest, most outrageous, and entertaining musical of the year.

How could a rock musical about the country's seventh president and founder of the democratic party be relevant to 2010? The answer is simple... in every way imaginable. Jackson energized a country that had lost faith in it's government, campaigning as the ultimate revolutionary rock star, engaging voters that felt like their voices didn't matter, and riding it all the way to the White House. And while Alex Timbers direction makes you believe you are watching an almost South Park-esque parody of the American Political system, the tone eventually changes, particularly when Jackson is unable to live up to the "agent of change" expectations after taking office. Tough choices are made, promises are broken, and he ultimately gets swallowed up by the machine that is American politics. While the obvious parallels to Barack Obama are evident throughout the first two thirds of the show, we learn through Jackson's journey that even the most well intentioned politician has to have a little "W" in him to get things done.

Make no mistake, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson will not be for everyone. It is far more authentic than American Idiot in it's emo roots. Green Day fans are treated to the majestic red curtain and beautiful interior upon their entry to the St James theater, a sign that they are getting Broadway's sanitized, cleaned up, classier interpretation of a rock concert. Jackson fans walk into a theater that is part rock club, part museum, part taxidermist's office (an upside down, stuffed, horse hangs over the audience's heads). Justin Townsend's fantastic lighting design immediately gives off more of a grimy rock club than a Broadway theater. The older patrons around me were less put off by the experiential production aspects and more offended by the excessive swearing and graphic language that persist throughout the one act show. Perhaps they weren't aroused by Andrew Jackson offering to "stick it in" each and every female in the audience.

For those looking for a catchy score of familiar music, Jackson is not going to provide it. Normally, that would be a disaster for a new musical, but Jackson isn't a "music" show, it's a "thinking" show. You will be more apt to discuss our nation's irrational desire to place politicians on pedestals than hum a song from the show on the way out the door.

As the title character, Benjamin Walker oozes charisma and commands the stage. His singing voice is a little thin in it's upper register, but in a show where the music takes a backseat to the subversive humor, it's never a problem. He's also surrounded by a terrific ensemble of performers including Kristine Nielson as the much abused storyteller, and the hilarious Jeff Hiller stealing scenes in multiple roles.

While there are no obvious problems onstage with Andrew Jackson , it does appear that there are big financial issues plauging the show behind the scenes. The Public Theater's preoccupation with their upcoming Al Pacino led Merchant of Venice has prevented them from raising their portion of the 4 million dollar budget. Rumors persist that they are now offering $150,000 of shares in Merchant in exchange for a $250,000 investment in Jackson. Ultimately, it could mean a brief run for Broadway's first "must see" musical since Next to Normal.

Grade- A+

And the awards for most self-indulgent project at the NYMF goes to...

Anthony Rapp, who is still desperately trying to stay relevant by reminding us of his work on a show that hasn't been relevant in at least 5 years. "Without Out" is Rapp's one-man show about his trials and tribulations around the time that he was cast in a little show called Rent.

You know, the show that he was still touring with up until last year, despite the fact that he is now a decade too old to play Mark Cohen??

I hate to be cynical about it. Rapp, in his prime, was a capable stage performer. But if you want people to see you as a performer with more depth than the guy who sang "La Vie Boheme", then stop milking the Rent train already.

And really, shouldn't one-person, autobiographical shows be reserved for huge stars? Billy Crystal did it, Liza Minelli did it. Even Carrie fisher got away with it, but at least she had some crazy drunken, cocaine infused stories to tell. Rapp isn't a star. How many people are going to pay $75 to see him rehash the story of Jonathan Larson's death in an off-Broadway theater??

On a bright note, there does seem to be some interesting entries at the NYMF this year. I'm hoping to check out a couple while visiting the city next week. anyone have a suggestion??

In the meantime, enjoy the video from NY1, of Rapp promoting his new project.

http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/on_stage/126037/nymf-prepares-for-annual-celebration

Rent- As Explained by a 5 Year Old

My girlfriend recently choreographed a student production of Rent here in Sacramento. During the tech week, she had to bring her 5 year old daughter to the rehearsals. Surely, little Juliette would not be able to grasp the adult concepts of the show, right? Well, watch this video and judge for yourself.

Have a great weekend. And try not to catch an "AIDS cold"

2011- A Big Year for Jesus on Broadway.

While discussing Ken Davenport's much publicized Godspell revival this week, I asked if it made sense to try to market a show directly to Christian America, a group that certainly has used their money to buy political clout, but is rarely marketed to by Broadway. I even suggested that it might make sense to stunt cast a Christian recording artist in the show to get more publicity within those circles. However, it occurred to me this morning that the gospel lane might be a little more congested than normal in the upcoming Broadway season with Sister Act and Leap of Faith both aiming to open to 2011.

Sister Act certainly has the most name recognition of the three shows, thanks to a successful franchise of films starring Whoopi Goldberg, who also served as an executive producer for the musical version that has been playing at the West End for the last year. However, as proven by last year's flop 9 to 5, that doesn't guarantee a long New York run. that particular show had everything you would want from a new musical; familiar source material, a great cast, a prime location for tourists at the Marquis, and a score by the beloved Dolly Parton. As it turned out, Dolly's score wasn't that memorable, country music fans weren't flocking to Broadway, and the reported $15 million budget featuring Joe Mantello's "put more set pieces on the stage" approach sunk the show.

To make things more challenging, this version of Sister Act will resemble the movie in name only. Alan Menken eliminated the audience friendly Motown-inspired score in favor of disco music. Unlike the movie, the musical will be set in 1978, and as of this moment, there is no star attached to the production, which seems almost like a necessity for the New York run. How much would it cost to get Jennifer Hudson to star in the show? Wouldn't that be a slam dunk???

Leap of Faith, currently in previews in Los Angeles, does have the star power. The always reliable Raul Esparza might not be familiar to tourists, but Brooke Shields certainly is. Like Sister Act, the show features an Alan Menken score, little of which we know about aside from the teasers that are popping up on Youtube.

Sidebar- why is the choir in the back unable to clap on the downbeat?? Am I Missing something.

With no reviews printed at the moment, it's hard to get a sense on what will happen with Leap of Faith, the story if a flim flam revival tent preacher who sees the light. The Steve Martin movie was never a big hit at the box office, and has largely faded into obscurity with casual fans. If the production gets good reviews, it could squeeze into a Broadway theater next season, although I hope the producers follow the example of Catch Me If You Can, who went into rewrites after tepid response from the Seattle tryouts. If The Addams Family and Shrek musical adaptations have taught us anything, it's not to rush a show to New York before it's ready.

That leaves, Godspell, who is counting on a social networking community to do part of the marketing legwork. Capitalized at what I can only imagine will be a much smaller amount than the other two shows ($5 million according to Davenport), their road to recoupment will theoretically be easier, even if the track record for revivals of dated musicals hasn't been good. Finian's Rainbow was loved by the critics, but sure didn't fill the St James, which is why I am hopeful that Davenport mounts this in a much smaller, more intimate theater.

What do you think? Is Broadway ready for three religious themed musicals next year? Which one, if any, will recoup? Your feedback is always welcome.

Why I Joined "The People of Godspell"

In his new book, "Micromarketing", author Greg Verdino presents a case for the death of mass marketing. According to Verdino, it's more important to matter a lot to a select few than to matter just a little to everyone. His book lays out social media marketing's biggest hits, and demonstrates that "the next big thing" is actually a series of small things.

A couple of examples:

-Paramount Pictures opted against traditional advertising when releasing the film Paranormal Activity. Instead, they made it easy for moviegoers to sell the experience to one another, enabling moviegoers to become active partners and willing participants in the movie's success. Million of raving fans became credible micromessage bearers.

-The Ford corporation garnered more than 10 million impressions for the soon to be relaunched Ford Fiesta, without spending a single dollar of advertising. Instead, they loaned 100 vehicles to people they identified as the 100 most powerful young bloggers in America. They gave those bloggers a list of assignments (including video and photo content) to complete in exchange for a free car. As a result, the Fiesta got 6 million YouTube impressions, more than 3.7 million twitter impressions, and 740,000 Flickr photo views. The 6 month campaign resulted in 60 percent brand awareness for their product before the 2011 vehicles even hit the lots, the equivalent of 2-3 years of far more expensive TV spots.

The lesson here is that people want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Ken Davenport may understand that concept better than anyone on Broadway.

By now, you are aware that his revival of Godspell is being billed as the first ever "community funded Broadway show". Davenport is opening up the investment gates to everyday people. While the minimum investment level for the South Park inspired Book of Mormon is reportedly 1 million dollars, Godspell investors can get in for as little as $1000. In return, they will get their name on the marquee. Ok, not exactly the marquee. The name will appear (in presumably very tiny print) on a large poster that will live outside the yet to be determined theater. They will also get their photo and social networking links on peopleofgodspell.com. Most importantly for those who choose to join this endeavor, they are buying into the dream that Greg Verdino talks about. A chance, in the smallest of ways, to become part of the larger Broadway community.

I've been thinking about becoming a Broadway investor for some time. I always told myself that I would never put my money into a musical revival. Typically, they are too tough of a putt to recoup. I've always maintained that there are only two reasons to mount a revival in New York.

1) You are able to reinvent the material to make it relevant to the current times (Diane Paulus' all too relevant version of Hair)

2) You are casting a major star (Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Landsbury in A Little Night Music)

My guess is that Godspell will fit neither of these criteria. The show is so dated, that I can't imagine how anyone will make it fresh, and a 5 millon dollar budget doesn't leave room for an A-list celebrity.

All that being said, I still jumped in and invested $2000 of my money anyways. Why? Because I've spent most of this year writing about how Broadway needs to evolve and do business differently. While I don't necessarily believe in the Godspell franchise, I believe in what Davenport is doing. It's a bold move and I wanted to be part of it.

I'm curious to see what the next move with this show is. As an official owner of 20 units of the production, I feel entitled to share a few ideas (yes, that was said with sarcasm)

Hopefully, they don't try to shoot the moon and play too big of a space. I'm not convinced that the audience will be there to sell a 1200 seat theater 8 shows a week. If A Little Night Music closes at the end of the year, the Walter Kerr would be an ideal house. I wouldn't even mind seeing them go smaller and do a space like American Airlines Theater.

Secondly, I wonder if it makes sense to target the marketing plan to Christian America? . Is there a contemporary christian recording artist who would make sense to book? I'll be honest, I don't know a thing about that world of music, other than the fact Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W Smith are too old for the show. Then again, perhaps those christian artists don't want to share a stage with a bunch of godless, liberal, homosexuals (again, said with more than a little sarcasm).

Davenport has achieved the first hurdle, there will be huge awareness for this show. The community of investors will do much of the marketing work for him, social networking the crap out of it. However, now the production needs to stand on it's own.

I'm cheering for it. Because I own a piece of it.

As always, I'd love to hear your feedback. Leave a comment.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Well, it's certainly been awhile. It's amazing how easy it is to get out of the habit of writing everyday. In my defense, it's not like I was sitting around on my butt all summer. Things have been busy in the radio world, and I got back onstage this summer to play Aaron Fox in the Sacramento regional premiere of Kander and Ebb's "Curtains"at Runaway Stage. The show was met with great reviews and I got to work with a lot of wonderful performers. Below is a clip of me performing the show's beautiful ballad, "I Miss The Music". I realize I am no Jason Danieley, so try not to judge me too hard, will you?

I am happy to say that I will be flying back to New York the week of October 4th to check out some shows. I'm very curious to see "Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson" which I have been intrigued by since I read the reviews from the Public Theater production. Also on tap for the trip are "Memphis" (a little late to the party on this, or wise to have stayed away depend on who you talk to), "Next to Normal" (interested to see this with the new cast), and a few more to be decided.

Anyone have suggestions? And if you are a reader of the blog, maybe we can meet for coffee while I'm in town and talk about the art that we all love so dearly.

Glad to be back in the saddle,

Dan

Broadway panders to the mainstream- vol. 2

Back in April, I blogged about the Glee phenomenon, and how a show that's supposed to make Broadway cool is actually doing more for the current pop artists that it pays tribute to. You can read that post by clicking below

http://http//broadwaysnark.blogspot.com/2010/04/glee-phenomenon-is-broadway-going.html

Now along those same lines, Michael Riedel reported today that the opening medley at this year's Tony Awards is "Pop Songs You Didn't Know Were on Broadway". Yes, the Broadway league is practically begging America to think that theater is cool by showcasing the well known songs that you can see performed on the stage. Million Dollar Quartet will break out it's rock jukebox catalog, Kristin Chenowith will perform "I Say A Little Prayer", Twyla Tharp's crew will do their "So You Think You Can dance to Sinatra" show, Catherine Zeta Jones will perform "Send In The Clowns" , and Green Day will finish with songs from American Idiot.

Hey, you know who ISN'T being mentioned?? The cast of Memphis, which is the only original musical of the season to be nominated, and considered by many to be the front runner to win Best Musical.

Isn't it a shame when the show that might be the best show of the season ends up getting buried because it's not a star driven jukebox??

But it isn't just the musical category that is guilty of this. The Tony Awards have reportedly decided to showcase the most successful plays of the season, featuring appearances from Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Scarlett Johannson, and Christopher Walken. Interesting that nobody was doing that for a couple of years ago, isn't it? Then again, the show didn't have a Hollywood A-lister headlining it.

I get it. The Tony telecast is a chance to reach out to millions of potential tourists (although given the usual ratings for the Tonys, you still aren't reaching as many people as a new Family Guy episode) and get them to attend live theater. It's an important audience and we need it. But it seems hypocritical to say Chenowith's performance was not as worthy of an award as Montego Glover's, only to pimp Kristen on the telecast since casual fans know her from Glee, while Montego will be buried in between technical awards in the middle of the show.

Maybe Montego's agent can get her on Grey's Anatomy between now and her next Tony nomination. Then she'll be important enough to be on the show.

Good news for Michael Douglas???

He likely won't have to take his son's framed mugshot down off of the mantle to clear space for his wife's Tony Award. People in the know all seem to insist that Catherine Zeta-Jones' award season hopes are fading, after the Oscar winning actress missed 5 performances over the last two weeks with a viral infection that has killed her voice. To make matters worse, the missed performances have come at a critical time, when Tony voters are attending shows and deciding on who to vote for.

While I certainly empathize with the frustration of losing your voice at such a critical time, I will also go on record and say that healthy or not, CZJ probably doesn't deserve the award in the first place. I attended a performance of A Little Night Music while visiting the city in April, and while Zeta Jones looked amazing, she didn't SOUND amazing. Her voice was already showing some wear and tear from the eight performances a week, and while she may have won her Academy Award for belting out Velma's songs in Chicago, she did sound different without the added help of some good, old-fashioned, Hollywood post production. "Send In The Clowns" is not the most vocally demanding song in the Sondheim catalog, requiring an actress to hit all of about 7 notes, but even so, I didn't think she pulled it off. Her acting performance was convincing, but this is the Tony's. Your vocals have to count for something s well.

All that being said, her six month run at the Walter Kerr Theater is good for Broadway. I suppose her winning an award on a national telecast to casual theater fans would be even better for Broadway.

It just might not be the right decision artistically.

Samuel L Jackson to Broadway?

There have been multiple Internet reports that Jackson is in talks to play Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a new play called The Mountaintop. The show chronicles an imaginary exchange between MLK and a chamber maid on the day before his assassination.

Jackson's paycheck is reportedly in the $50,000 a week range. While that seems like an obscenely high number, you have to account for the fact it's only a two person show, so the other expenses can't be too exorbitant. Additionally, the recent box office success of Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johannson, and Catherine Zeta-Jones would lead one to believe that this show has the makings of a huge smash.

Perhaps the only question mark is this. Will the playwright adjust the script to accommodate an actor the caliber of Samuel L. Jackson?? Because I think you really open up a lot of new content when you hire him to play Dr. King

"I'm tired of all these muthaf***in' white supremacists in this muthaf***in' country"

"Can you hand Dr. King his wallet?? It's the one that says 'Bad Muthaf***a' on it"

Come to think of it, if this MLK show works, maybe someone will green light Snakes on a Plane: The Musical, with music by Marc Shaiman??? I guarantee it would be more entertaining than Reba McIntyre in Molly Brown

Why I Hate Alice Ripley- Exhibit B

Last month, in honor of Next to Normal's Pulitzer win, I posted the video of Alice Ripley's unabomber manifesto that masqueraded as a Tony acceptance speech. The moment may go down as the most awful, self indulgent, moment in awards show history.

Then as I was searching YouTube this morning to find Jason Danieley's amazing rendition of the song "What Kind of Fool Am I", this nugget showed up as a related video. Lock in your seat belts and be prepared to ride the Ripley crazy train




I have been breaking this video down frame by frame like it were the effing Zapruder film for the last 40 minutes and am left totally speechless. A few highlights for me

3:54- Was that a fart in the background
4:01- mumbling the line for the 82nd time as she puts on lip gloss
5:42- The creepy laughing
7:20- The eyes, ever so briefly, roll back into the head like the exorcist after she removes her glasses

Look, I studied acting with Kristen Linklater at Emerson College. i get all of the creepy acting techniques that are supposed to help you drill down to the emotional truth of the writing. What I don't get is posting a 10 minute video of it on a page that is supposed to be for your band. Interesting to note that I can't find any videos of Alice's band on this page because it's all videos of her doing weird stuff like this.

then again, I spent ten minutes on a Saturday watching it. So what does that say about me???

Tuesday Tidbits- "Night Music" set to close

After nearly six weeks of rumors regarding replacement casts, producers announced today that the first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music will close it's doors on June 20, the same day that stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Landsbury's contracts are set to end. At it's closing, the show will have played 20 previews and 217 performances.

The show received tepid reviews (including one from this guy), but played to near capacity crowds throughout it's six month run at the Walter Kerr Theater. Certainly, the pairing of Jones and Landsbury was one of the most inspired casting decisions of the season and helped to overcome a rather bland directing job by Trevor Nunn, whose pacing of the first act was so slow that the show might as well have been moving backwards.

Over the last month, Gwyneth Paltrow, Blythe Danner, and Debbie Reynolds were all rumored to be replacements. In the end, none of it materialized, forcing producers to pull the plug earlier than they would have hoped on their reported $4.8 million dollar production.

Many Sondheim fans have been clamoring for a revival of Merrily We Roll Along. How long until someone loses money on that production?

Director Julie Taymor was honored with a lifetime achievement award today at a luncheon sponsored by the New Dramatists. Taymor's body of work includes the stage adaptation of Disney's The Lion King. She also glued a unibrow on Salma Hayak in the 2002 film Frida that nobody saw, despite getting nominated for a lot of awards. Perhaps one day she will best be remembered for singlehandedly setting $60 million dollars on fire in the soon to be disastrous Spiderman musical.

Taymor was hard at work defending the project today, saying "The audience won't get rooked, so they shouldn't be complaining. They'll pay about the same for this show as they would for a two actor, one set show."

Note to Ms. Taymor-- The audiences aren't complaining yet. You still haven't delivered a show for them to hate. The people who should be complaining are the investors and everyone at Hello Entertainment who have invested the gross national product of Malaysia into a show that will never recoup unless you charge five times the ticket price of that two actor show you mentioned.

Spiderman is still allegedly opening this fall.

Spiderman: Turn off the Lights... Please!

Spiderman's road to Broadway has not been an easy one. The show, originally scheduled to open earlier this year, was delayed due to money problems. The production team had already blown through the initial $20 million investment before rehearsals even began. Director Julie Taymor's special effects heavy production would have reportedly cost close to a million dollars a week to produce, making recoupment close to impossible.

At that point, I called Spiderman's producers the most irresponsible in the history of American Theater. What producer in their right mind could so badly mismanage such a huge investment?? Little did I know back in February that the worst was yet to come. New producers were brought in, and the production expense has now tripled to over $60 million dollars. This despite the fact that there is no cast in place or renovations completed at the Hilton Theater. Potential investors are being solicited, at the low cost of ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS! What exactly does one get for that investment? Will Bono come play your kid's Bar Mitzvah?? Will Julie Taymor come dance in your living room while wearing wildlife headpieces left over from The Lion King?? Exactly what would possess even the most starstruck investor to pony up that kind of cash to a production team that has already proven that they are incapable of managing a multi million dollar budget??

The sad news is that some idiot is out there writing an 8 figure check because they feel Spiderman is the most important project in the world. Yet, imagine what that kind of money could do to save arts education programs across America. Did you know that right now, here in cash strapped California, the Los Angeles Unified School District will be cutting arts education by 50% next school year, at a savings of $14 million dollars? You want to find an artistic endeavor worth saving??? Help the LA schools... not Julie Taymor. Maybe your generous contribution will help cultivate the education of the next generation of Broadway actors and producers. I bet they would be a whole lot smarter than some of today's theater decision makers

Box Office Results- The Tony Aftermath

Now that the Tony nominations have been announced, it's interesting to take a look and see if there is any correlation to the box office receipts for last week. By and large, the answer is a resounding "no".

Of the 4 nominees for "best musical", only Fela saw a significant bump over the previous week, filling the Eugene O' Neill theater to 93% capacity (a 22% increase), and a $163,000 increase in gross. To me, Fela feels like the Passing Strange of the season in that it's been a far bigger critical hit than a commercial one, so hopefully the Tony buzz translates into business beyond the next few weeks. The producers (including Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith) are trying their best to capitalize on the momentum, announcing plans for a national tour in 2011.

American idiot and Memphis were essentially flat from last week's attendance, although their grosses were up a little (probably more to do with fewer discounts). The surprise nominee, Million Dollar Quartet was actually down 10% after it was nominated for best musical, taking in nearly $40,000 less and playing to only 57% capacity at the Nederlander Theater. Still though, the producers are soldiering on and have announced that they are selling tickets through November. Anyone care to wager as to whether the show actually lasts that long?

Of the two nominated revivals that are still open, only La Cage saw a spike, up $60,000 from last week and filling the Longacre to 88% capacity, which is more impressive when you see the overall anemic attendance across the board last week.

Which of this season's musicals ARE doing big business? The panned Addams Family and Promises, Promises, both topping the million dollar mark once again. Should we be surprised that this season's most negatively reviewed shows are grossing the highest?? Not really. All you have to take a look at last weekend's Hollywood box office, where the widely panned Iron Man 2 took in $133 million dollars to see the disconnect between critics and audiences. By the way, despite the negative buzz on IM2, all I read this weekend on facebook were status updates from moviegoers praising it as being better than the first one.

The bottom line?? Today's audience doesn't want to be told how they should feel about the product. They are happy to judge for themselves.... and isn't that what makes art great???

Why wasn't Broadway with "Coco"??

I just got back from seeing Conan O' Brien's Sacramento engagement for his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television" tour. It's a 32 city tour that lets Conan circumvent his NBC settlement, which prohibits him from performing on TV, radio, and the Internet until the fall. As you know, Conan recently signed a deal with TBS for a new cable program that begins at the end of his non-compete clause.

The show was an extension of his talk show including appearances from characters like "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog", the "Masturbating Bear", his sidekick Andy Richter, and more. The tour has been sold out at every date and has been met with wildly enthusiastic audiences.

As the night ended with Conan and his band performing a cover of "I Will Survive", I began to wonder if Broadway producers missed a huge opportunity by not signing Conan to a "smash and grab" limited engagement of his show. Given the success of previous limited engagements like Will Ferrell's George Bush Tribute, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, and to some extent, Carrie Fisher's recent Wishful Drinking, you would have to think that there could have been an audience for a 6 week Conan run.

Afterall, he has a long history with the city of New York, and was rumored to be angling to keep the Tonight Show there upon taking over the franchise last year. The location would have been conducive to booking a variety of surprise celebrity appearances (which he's been doing at many of his road dates), and his variety act of music and comedy would have just made sense in New York.

His Sacramento date had a ticket price ranging from $35-$75 in a 3200 capacity venue. My guess is that the gross of thee shows are in the neighborhood of $175,000 per night, more than he would take in for a single New York performance, but the production costs would also be reduced without having to travel from city to city. Surely this could have worked, right? Too bad the Roundabout couldn't have booked a lucrative Conan engagement instead of having to give away the house to see Everyday Rapture

Everyday Rapture-- The Wal-Mart of Broadway

While perusing last week's box office totals, I did a double take on Everyday Rapture.

The show played to about 81% capacity--- not bad at all.

The show grossed $136,000--- not good at all

The average ticket price--- wait for it.... $28.

Really?? I am currently performing in a production of Cinderella here in Sacramento that is a $20 ticket. So you mean to tell me for eight bucks more, I can go to New York City and see a beloved Broadway star in a Tony nominated musical???

Either one of two things is going on here.

A) The producers knew that they would get some Tony love and just needed to fill the house until the nominations came out and generated some buzz

B) Nobody in New York cares about this show.

Does anyone remember seeing a brand new show with ticket prices and grosses this low??? I realize it's a small cast and it's probably not expensive to produce... but that makes no sense??

The marquee should read "Everyday Rapture--- at everyday low prices"

We saw this coming

Over the last week, I've been playing the new game that's sweeping the nation, called "If I Were Michael Ridel", where we take a guess as to how he will go about buring The Addams Family in his latest column. As predicted, he used the Times Square bomber :

AND the Tony Award for Cowardice goes to Lucy Liu of "God of Carnage," the only
actor on Broadway who refused to go on Saturday night during the bomb scare.

She panicked after talking to police outside the theater. Her understudy
bravely went on with the show's other stars, Jeff Daniels, Janet McTeer and
Dylan Baker.

I'm told she feels "terrible" now about missing the
performance.

Well, Lucy, there's a saying in the theater: The show must
go on.

Take your lead from Nathan Lane, the star of "The Addams Family."

He's in a bomb every night, but he never misses!

Mr. Riedel is a little predictable, but I still love him.

The biggest losers on Tony nomination day....

The Tony committee giveth...and they also taketh away. By now, you have already read about the big winners (Fela, Memphis, etc), but let us take a moment to see who lost the most based on this morning's nominations.

1. Enron- On paper, this seemed like it was going to be a no brainer. The show was enormously successful in the UK, where the West End production is still running. The American cast was strong, the production was slick and stylized, and in the end, it didn't matter. Enron, which was not well received by critics, was playing to about 65 percent capacity at an average ticket price of $35. While it was nominated for 4 awards this morning, it was not included in the all important "Best Play" category, and the closing notice was posted just hours later, a mere 12 days after opening

2- The Addams Family- As I discussed in yesterday's prediction blog, the show has been the target of largely unjustified hatred by theater insiders. Ken Davenport may be the only person I know of to come out and say the show deserved a "Best Musical" nomination. While I figured the backlash would keep TAF of that category, there were enough strong performances by Nathan Lane, Kevin Chamberlain, and Carolee Carmello to merit multiple acting nods. I also figured that such a visually impressive show would be acknowledged in the technical categories. At the end of the day, it was only nominated twice, an acting nod for Chamberlain, and a surprising best score nomination for the heavily panned music from Andrew Lippa. The good news for Addams Family?? It's consistent seven figure weekly gross should keep it going strong for the time being, avoiding the fate that 9 to 5 suffered after last year's Tony snub.

3. Broadway stars- This year, many beloved Broadway performers were passed over in place of their Hollywood counterparts. Noticeably absent from the acting categories this year were Kristen Chenowith, Nathan Lane, and Bebe Neuwirth. In their place were Denzel Washington, Sean Hayes, Scarlett Johannson, and others. The only one of those omissions that I personally have a problem with is the extraordinary Lane, who single-handedly carries Addams on his back 8 shows a week. Broadway fans shouldn't be too upset about this trend as the Denzels and Scarlett's of the world do bring new fans to the theater, and legitimize Broadway to people who might not otherwise care.

The winners will be announced June 13th at Radio City Music Hall.

The Idol Broadway Takeover Continues...

But look on the brightside, at least the Weissler's aren't casting Taylor Hicks as Billy Flynn.

Former American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks, has been announced as the newest cast member of In The Heights, a show that is still bringing in big houses by putting teen stars on the marquee. She will takeover the role of Nina in August.

Those of us who have seen Jordin in person are not so much surprised that she's reinventing herself on Broadway as much as we were shocked it wasn't as the star of "Precious: The Musical based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire".

She's put on a few pounds since Idol... just saying.

Will this move translate to big box office?? The "American Idol" alumni have an uneven record of moving tickets. Fantasia Barrino' s run in The Color Purple was a huge success, even if she missed a lot of shows. Constantine Maroulis' has been winning audiences over in Rock of Ages, although it's doubtful that people are paying to see him as much as they are the show itself. However, attendance at Hair has fallen through the floor since Diana Degarmo and Ace Young took over the starring roles. Taylor Hicks' run as the Teen Angel didn't translate into an extended run for Grease, and then there was Clay Aiken in Spamalot, which was just wrong on every level.

We'll see how the Jordin Sparks play works out. Until then, now that his solo career is going well, we can start the countdown to Adam Lambert's Broadway debut.

Tony Award Predictions

The Tony Awards are announced tomorrow morning, so let's take a minute to make some predictions.

This was an absolutely atrocious year for original musicals, especially on the heels of last season's slew of work like Billy Elliot and Next to Normal. Most of this year's likely nominees are shows that would have been featured in the "Theatrical Event" category last year.

Assuming that Fela, Memphis, and American Idiot are shoe-ins, that leaves one spot, and no strong contenders. The Addams Family seems to lack any goodwill among the New York insiders who are making this decisions, even if the hatred is somewhat unfair. Everyday Rapture only transferred to Broadway at the last minute after Megan Mullaly pulled a Jeremy Piven (enjoy that career as a butter substitute pitch woman, Megan!). Sondheim on Sondheim got love from the outer critics, but doesn't deserve a Tony nomination. That leaves us with Twyla Tharp's non-musical, musical, Come Fly Away for the last spot, in a move that will inspire a fair amount of debate in the coming weeks. The Addams Family will still settle for multiple nominations in acting and set design

The musical revival category seems pretty cut and dry, with A Little Night Music, La Cage Aux Folles, and the highly praised, but not well attended Finian's Rainbow all sure to get some love. The wild card here is Ragtime, which was snubbed by the outer critics, but the most nominated show of the season by the Drama Desk. I personally hated the production, but it seems like a show that will resonate more with the Tony committee than Promises, Promises.

The most wide open category this year will be for best play, where only Red and Next Fall are guaranteed to be nominated. I would have expected Time Stands Still to be on that list until it was snubbed by the Drama Desk. Still though, I think it has enough buzz to get a nomination tomorrow. From there, it's a toss up between Race, Superior Donuts, and Enron. Enron has the advantage of being the shiny, new toy, but the reviews might cool off the voters. I think you will see Donuts slip through, if for no other reason than love for the playwright.

And now... time once again for the game sweeping the nation.... "IF I WERE MICHAEL RIEDEL", where I try to guess how he will bury The Addams Family in his next coulmn.

"The Pakistani Taliban has still not take credit for last weekend's bomb in Times Square, but have said in a prepared statement that they would rather take credit for that mess than the one currently playing one block away at the Lunt-Fontainne Theater. Not even the Taliban will support The Addams Family".

When stunt casting goes bad....

This summer's production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl is taking stunt casting to a whole new level, as it may be the first show in recent memory to hire a stunt director. The press release touted Neil Patrick Harris, who played Mark on Broadway, to make his musical directorial debut.

I have no problem with this decision at all. Harris is a smart guy, passionate about the show, and has directing experience from the TV world, so staging this production doesn't seem like a stretch.

However, like many fans, I hopped aboard the "WTF Express" when it was announced that High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens would be playing the role of Mimi. You know you have made a questionable decision when you are already on the defensive in the press release, but here is the official statement:

Harris says "She seems really committed to honoring the somewhat iconic role of Mimi".

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, eh? He might as well have said "Bless her heart, the poor untalented thing. She's trying hard, but holy Christ, this is gonna suuuuuuuuck".

As to make it worse, Wayne Brady has been cast has playing Tom Collins. Yes, THAT Wayne Brady. The one hosting "Let's Make a Deal" right now. The one who has made a career being the likable improv comic. The guy who is about 15 years too old, and way too milquetoast to play this role.

What's next?? RuPaul as Angel?? Snookie as Maureen???

The whole thing sounds like it could be a delicious trainwreck....and I think I need to make the trip to LA to see it.

Now it's time to play my new favorite party game... it's called "IF I WERE MICHAEL RIEDEL".

This is where we guess how he will bury The Addams Family in his next column. Here is another prediction for next week.

"The Broadway community was paralyzed with fear after a Car Bomb was found in Times Square Saturday. Fire trucks and bomb experts were sent to the seen after smoke was billowing from an abandoned Nissan on 45th street. As it turns out, it was just the stench of The Addams Family, which continues to bomb one block away at the Lunt-Fontainne Theater"

Friday Tidbits- The Addams Family is going on tour

The Addams Family producers announced today that they are planning a national tour in the fall of 2011. It seems like a pretty unusual move to make this announcement only one month into their Broadway run, and may speak volumes about their belief in recouping. If they feel like the bad word of mouth is killing their advances beyond this summer, a tour might be the best shot to reclaim some of that 16.5 million dollar investment.

Meanwhile, somewhere in New York Michael Riedel is already thinking of new ways to bury the show.

"The Addams family will September of next year, in what is sure to be referred to as the next 9/11 disaster".

"The Addams family tour will launch in New Orleans, a city that has already suffered enough and doesn't need further punishment".

Wait for it, you'll read all about it next week.

-It was also announced today that last year's fringe festival hit, Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party will get a 6 week off Broadway run at the Acorn Theater this summer. The show chronicles the case of an Illinois school teacher whose school play treads into the issue of Lincoln's sexuality. It is a three act piece that shows the story from the pespetive of three different characters. Each night, the audience votes as to what order they will see the show in.

I had mixed feelings on the show when I saw it last summer. The concept was cute for about the first act (from the perspective of a journalist covering the story). By the time, the second act (from the perspective of a local politician) was done, the show seemed contrived and preachy. There apparently will be a new director and creative team overseeing this Acorn production and I am interested to see if the show keeps the same buzz that it had at the Fringe Festival

Can Raul Esparza's new show make the "Leap" to Broadway.

The much talked about stage version of "Leap of Faith" is finally ready to premiere this summer in Los Angeles. The show is an adaptation of the moderately successful 1992 Steve Martin film, about a flim-flam faith healer (Martin modeled the role after televangelist Benny Hinn).

The show, which has been in development for 4 years, features a score by Alan Menken, and was originally set to be directed by Taylor Hackford, best known for his work on the film "Ray". At that point, Hugh Jackman's name was also attached to project in the Steve Martin role, while Kelli O' Hara and Sutton Foster have been attached to previous readings.

Since then, Hackford has withdrawn from the project and has been replaced by Rob Ashford (Promises, Promises). Ashford has also confirmed that Raul Esparza will be starring in the LA production.

This should be an interesting project to say the least. The gospel influenced score would seem to be right up Menken's alley and should lend itself nicely to big, Broadway, production numbers. In fact, Hackford's original interest in the show was said to be largely due to how impressed he was with the music. The bigger question for me is whether Esparza is right for the part ??? I greatly admire his work, but don't know if I picture this being a good fit for him.

Below is a youtube clip from the movie. What do you think?? Can Raul pull of the role?? Is he a big enough name to carry an original Broadway musical?? And after you watch this clip, isn't kind of obvious that this is "Music Man" with a gospel choir???

What we learned from the Outer Critics Circle Nominations

If today's news from the Outer Critics Circle is indicative of what's to come when the Tony nominations are announced, we may be headed for a big controversy in the best musical category.

First, a little background. This is the first year since 2000 that the Tonys will not be presenting an award for "Special Theatrical Event", a category deemed necessary when Susan Stroman's dance show, Contact, won best musical ten years ago despite being a dance show with recorded music and no live vocalists. The award has been a valuable way to acknowledge shows that were neither plays nor musicals, such as Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, Liza Minelli's concert at the Palace, and Will Ferrell's George W Bush one man show.

The Tony committee elected to abandon the award this year, which just so happens to be a season where the most buzzed about shows have been "special theatrical events". Two productions, in particular, were nominated for "Best Musical" by the Outer Critics Circle earlier today. The docu-musical Sondheim on Sondheim, and Twyla Tharp's Frank Sinatra tribute, Come Fly Away. The first show is a glorified cabaret, repackaging Sondheim's entire catalog with no original music to be found. The second is a dance piece that utilizes prerecorded vocals over a live orchestra. Are these shows in the spirit of what the "Best Musical" category embodies?? Probably not. Is either one going to be talked about in 20 years the way that last season's Billy Elliot and Next To Normal were?? Not a chance. Is one of these shows likely to win a Tony over Memphis or American Idiot?? Perhaps, and there sure will be some ticked off producers if that happens.

At the end of the day, this is a function of it being a bad year for musicals. The best offerings came courtesy of revivals like Finian's Rainbow and La Cage Aux Folles, while new shows like The Addams Family and American Idiot did not live up to the hype. The biggest loser in all of this is probably the producers of Memphis, a show that received solid reviews, but hasn't done huge box office business. It could stand to benefit the most from a Tony win, one that would have been easier if it weren't up against non-musicals in their category.

What do you think? Should the Tony Awards bring back the "Special Theaterical Event" category?

All we need is a little patience...

No, it's not a suggestion to produce a Guns N Roses jukebox musical, but it could be a direct message to the producers who seem eager to get their shows to New York before the product is ready.

Yesterday, as I was editing my Sondheim on Sondheim review, I kept going back to how many times songs and shows require rewrites to get it right. Before he gave us "Comedy Tonight", Sondheim wrote "Forget War". Before he gave us the masterpiece that is "Being Alive", there was "Multitudes of Amy's" and "Happily Ever After". Even a genius songwriter like Sondheim is going to strike out on occasions before hitting the grand slam.

To listen to his narratives throughout the docu-musical, it would appear that his shows were given more time to come together at their out of town previews, through trial and error. Songs were rewritten, scenes were reworked, and roles were re-cast. The process might have been tedious, but very necessary.

The biggest question is this. Are today's playwrights and producers giving their shows the same level of time to incubate??? Or are they such slaves to their own production schedules that they are rushing a show to Broadway before it's ready. It's almost equivalent to a mom-to-be asking for a C-section at 7 months into the pregnancy because she just wants to be a mom right now.

There is evidence to suggest that a creative team's patience will payoff in the long run. No show in recent memory has received more critical praise than Next to Normal, but it was a 7 year journey from it's first workshop to opening at the Booth Theater. In fact, during it's off Broadway run, the show was heavily criticized by some for failing to strike a proper balance between pathos and comedy. The show went back to the regional level, where it was reworked at Arena stage. Comic songs and glitzy production numbers were replaced with numbers more emotionally compatible with the book. That version of Next to Normal received rave reviews, and has gone on to be a critical and financial success.

Rock of Ages went through considerable changes after out of town performances in LA and Las Vegas. It was three years before the show would open in New York, where it was nominated for 5 Tony Awards and has now been optioned as a film with New Line Cinema.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is The Addams Family, which was killed by critics during it's Chicago previews. Directors were fired, show doctors were brought in, songs were rewritten. But the whole process happened in 90 days to meet an April timetable to open. The result is a show that's often times funny, but comes across like a patchwork quilt of creative visions that nobody could decide on. With 16.5 million dollars at stake, and A-list talent in place, didn't the show deserve more time to be polished??

I was amazed to read that Shrek would be opening in London, after going through extensive rewrites from it's failed Broadway run?? Really?? Dreamworks waited until AFTER the show failed to fix the problems with the script? For the record, I very much enjoyed Shrek, but they never were able to figure out how to stage the very expensive dragon sequence after the show was panned in Seattle.

I'd love to hear from some of the insiders who read this blog. Is there something I'm missing? Is the cost too great to delay your opening to fix the material? Is it more expensive than losing your investment if the show fails??

Looking forward to your comments and emails on this.

Review- Sondheim on Sondheim

Sondheim on Sondheim is the most high profile, and comprehensive, of this year's birthday celebrations for the man who is arguably the greatest songwriter in the history of Broadway. Even the Sondheim works that have been commercial flops over the years are still analyzed and studied line by line like it were the Zapruder film. While we know much about his body of work, we haven't known too much about the man himself. This review gives us a peek behind the curtain and into the mind of Sondheim.

Let's be upfront--- the Show isn't for everyone. Casual fans will probably leave asking why they had to sit through a song that was cut from Gypsy, rather than hear any of the well known showstoppers from the production. But this is precisely the thing that sets this review apart from other Sondheim inspired tributes.

While the "stars" of the show are technically Vanessa Williams, Barbara Cook, and Tom Wopat, there is no bigger star on the stage than Sondheim himself, who narrates his life story and career on cleverly designed LCD screens, laid out like Scrabble tiles across the stage. Much of the interview footage was recently taped in Sondheim's New York apartment, but also includes archived material from old television appearances on programs like the "Mike Douglas Show".

Younger Broadway fans like myself will automatically be struck by the fact that there was a day when television talk show hosts had Broadway composers as guests to talk about their craft. It's nearly impossible to imagine Stephen Schwartz being invited to discuss Wicked with Ellen Degeneres or Jay Leno in this day and age. Some might say that this speaks as to the irrelevance of Broadway with mainstream audiences in 2010. I prefer to think that it's because there is no composer in the last 30 years whose work is as well crafted as Sondheim.

Over the course of the show, we learn that the genius didn't always happen on the first try. The cast performs the original opening song from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Sondheim explains the difficulty of writing a song that was catchy, but also set the proper tone for a relatively bawdy (at least at the time) comedy. We also see treated to all three of the original endings for Company, before Sondheim settled on "Being Alive" (breathtakingly performed by Norm Lewis). Sondheim certainly gives the impression that much of his work had been reworked extensively before their Broadway runs, in an effort to get it right. I wonder if that much care is still put into the musicals of today. One has to imagine that the "Addams Family" creative team would have benefited from extra time to sort through it's script and music issues before being rushed to the Lunt-Fontaine Theater.

The only downside of the show is that some of the numbers don't make sense when staged out of context. "You Could Drive A Person Crazy" is supposed to be a song of frustration sung to Robert by three girlfriends. Instead, we see Tom Wopat and Barbara Cook awkwardly try to sell themselves as a married couple. Tom Wopat is equally awkward when paired up as a love interest to Leslie Kritzer, who is half his age, and played his daughter in last year's flop A Catered Affair. In fact, Mr. Wopat is largely responsible for most of the evening's misses, none bigger than him wandering aimlessly across the stage feigning anger during "Epiphany" from Sweeney Todd.

The female leads are far more effective. Vanessa Williams looks stunning, and is totally in her element with a goose bump inducing version of "Losing My Mind". Many younger theater goers I know have been critical of Barbara Cook's performances in the show. At 82 years old, her voice isn't what it once was, but nobody in the cast does a better job of finding the emotional truth in Sondheim's lyrics than she does. Perhaps it's something about people who have lived long enough to endure every experience of human life, because Angela Landsbury is stealing the show a few blocks away in A Little Night Music.

But the evening's most touching and poignant moments are when Sondheim opens up about his family. In great detail, he explains how Oscar Hammerstein was the biggest male influence in his life. His relationship with his mother was far more strained, as we find out that his mother called giving birth her biggest regret in life. James Lapine seamlessly segues that story into a stirring performance of "Children Will Listen" from Into The Woods.

It's a shame that the Tony Awards have eliminated the "Best Theaterical Event" category, because Sondheim on Sondheim is certainly deserving of the recognition. Then again, it's not like Sondheim needs any more accolades than the one he already has---- living legend

Grade: A-

The "Glee" Phenomenon- is Broadway going mainstream??

Ken Davenport recently blogged at his "Producers Perspective" site about how Broadway is no longer producing any crossover hits for top 40 radio. While I disagree with Ken as to the extent that Broadway influenced the pop charts back in the day, there are a handful of showtunes that crossed to the mainstream.

In 1971, Judy Collins version of "Send In The Clowns" was a top 10 hit at adult contemporary radio. The soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar spawned "I Don't Know How To Love Him", which was a minor US hit for Yvonne Elliman in the 70's. Murray Head's version of "One Night In Bangkok" from the Chess soundtrack, managed to climb into the top 10 on the Hot 100. Stephanie Mills went to #1 on the R&B charts with "Home" in 1989 (years after she performed the show on New York stages). The most recent win came when Madonna's remix of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" landed on the dance charts in the mid 90's. While they are all nice, individual stories, it's not exactly overwhelming evidence to suggest that Broadway was ever a consistently important piece of the pop music landscape.

Nevertheless, the theater community is buzzing today after hearing that the latest Glee Soundtrack would debut at #1 on next week's Billboard Charts. With such beloved theater stars like Lea Michelle and Matthew Morrison being a prominent part of the show, it proves that Broadway can once again rule the charts, right??

Well, kind of.

The album that will top the charts is a CD of Madonna cover songs, not showtunes. In fact, in their three combined soundtrack releases, you can only find three Broadway songs represented on the playlist. For every "Defying Gravity", there is five Journey songs.

Glee is successful because of the same formula that has worked for Mama Mia, Rock of Ages, and the recently opened American Idiot. Take a catalog of previously successful pop music, and "swish it up" (thanks Sue Sylvester") for the Broadway stage. The formula is commercially successful, but it doesn't mean that Broadway is dictating pop culture. Instead, it's imitating it.

That isn't meant as a negative. "Glee" is tremendously important for Broadway in the sense that it has given mainstream credibility to some very talented stage performers. At some point, Lea Michelle is going to head back to the stage and be a massive box office draw. That's going to be great news for producers, investors, and more importantly, the other actors and crew members who will stay employed because they are in a show with someone that audiences are paying to see.

In the meantime, let's not hold our breath waiting to hear Lady Gaga cover "Defying Gravity" on you local top 40 station anytime soon.

Tuesday Tidbits- A "Little" Problem for "Night Music"??

If you and I were to put together a list of 10 musicals to revive that were certain to pack houses, we likely wouldn't have included "A Little Night Music". In fact, I doubt it would have made a top 25 list. However, through some very savvy and inspired casting decisions, the shows producers have done big business despite mixed reviews. The team of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Landsbury have overcome a rather shoddy directing job by Trevor Nunn, and have provided a formidable 1-2 punch at the box office. However, their contracts are up in June, and neither one is staying on with the production.

This creates a precarious situation for the future of the show, which probably needs around another 5 or 6 months of big houses to get closer to recouping. The production is good, but not strong enough to without a big name on the marquee. How do you replace an Oscar winner and multiple Tony winner?

According to reports yesterday on PerezHilton.com, the producers are negotiating with the real life mother/daughter team of Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner. It's certainly an interesting idea, especially if Gwyneth's role in the upcoming "Iron Man 2" revives a career that hasn't included a commercial, mass appeal project since 2002. It would seem to all hinge on whether people still care about Gwyneth? Or is she perceived as the "woman who is married to that guy from Coldplay"? Time will tell

In Other News:

What happens when the budget for your "Spiderman" musical matches the budget of the film franchise? You end up with a dark theater with lots of posters and no stars. Alan Cumming has officially dropped out of the show to take a role on an ABC TV Series. Spiderman is allegedly still opening next February at the Hilton Theater.

-Tony nominee J. Robert Spencer has announced that he is leaving "Next to Normal" in May. Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part, but this seems like a perfect time for the amazing Brian D'arcy James to return to the show. He originated the role of Dan in both the Arena Stage and Off Broadway incarnations of the show, before leaving to play the title role in Shrek.

By the way, does Mr. James still kick himself over that decision? I'm in the minority of people who loved Shrek, and loved his performance in particular. Still though, one show went on to win a Tony Awards and a Pulitzer... the other lost the gross national product of Tanzania for it's investors.

Love Theater? We've got an app for that. Oh wait, just kidding.

One of the radio stations that I manage here in Sacramento is currently in development for our own Iphone application. Listeners will be able to listen to our radio station on their phone 24/7, as well as access video content and podcasts from our website, see an up to the minute feed from the DJ blogs, connect with our social networking sites, and more. Will this make an impact in the monthly radio ratings? Perhaps not, but it is a powerful marketing tool that keeps us top of mind over our competitors, and keeps us relevant in the ever-busy lifestyle of today's youth culture.

I don't say this to brag because, to be quite frank, my parent company should have been rolling these apps out for their radio stations 18 months ago. An estimated 22 million people purchased Iphones in 2009, and that number is going to double in 2010.

If radio stations are late to the party, then Broadway producers are light years behind. A recent search for Broadway related Iphone applications listed only a handful of results, none of them particularly impressive. New York producers are sinking $100,000 a week into TV campaigns for "maintenance marketing" in an age where many viewers are fast forwarding through commercials on their DVR. Yet, there is a relatively inexpensive way to connect with not just the New York audience,but tourists who have already made plans on how to spend their theater dollar before they get to the city....and nobody is taking advantage of it.

If I am the producer of "American Idiot" and I know that the sustainability of my show hinges on getting younger, and possibly, first time theaters goers to the St James theater, I am immediately getting an Iphone app started for my show. Imagine downloading an app where you could preview songs from the soundtrack (with a link to buy the CD and download it right to your phone). You could include video footage of the "sizzle reel" with show clips, and Green Day fans can watch interviews with Billie Joe Armstrong discussing how great it is to be a part of Broadway. You could link to the twitter page for the show (ask the Next to Normal team how vital that has been to their marketing). Most importantly, there is a direct link to Telecharge to buy tickets.

Maybe some smart producer could even develop a partnership with Apple to sell tickets directly through an Itunes account??

Come on, Broadway! I realize some 1960's musicals have been brought back to the stage over the last year, but it doesn't mean we have to keep using 50 year old marketing strategies too.

How to Lose Money on Broadway Without Really Trying

It seemed like in the 1990's, the best way to have a sure-fire hit in New York was to stage a revival. Shows like "Cabaret", "Annie Get Your Gun", and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" all did big business. In fact, the "Chicago" revival is still running at the Ambassador theater 15 years after it opened, even spawning an Oscar nominated film version in the process.

Conversely, over the last decade, there is an equally long list of revivals that did not recoup their investment. Some of them, including the 2002 version of "Into The Woods" and the 2005 version of "La Cage Aux Folles" won tony awards. Others, like last year's "Ragtime" and "Finian's Rainbow", garnered rave reviews from critics, none of which translated into money at the box office.



It amazes me how some Broadway producers don't learn from past mistakes. For instance, does anyone believe that Kelsey Grammar is still a big enough star to guarantee huge houses for this season's "La Cage", when the show just failed 5 years ago? How about the revival of "Promises, Promises"? There is no bigger female star on Broadway than Chenowith, but there was also no bigger star than Bernadette Peters in the 90's, when she was paired with a fading TV star, and a Neil Simon script. "The Goodbye Girl" turned out to be one of the ten biggest flops of the last 20 years. Now, fast forward to 2010, replace Martin Short with Sean Hayes, throw in dated Neil Simon material from 40 years ago, and we could have another recipe for failure.


What are the two reasons to do a revival?? Most theater people will tell you this:


A) Because you are stunt casting with an A-list star (Angela Landsbury and Catherine Zeta Jones are proving to be a formidable combination right now in "A Little Night Music")

B) The source material is totally relevant to today's theater audience (The Diane Paulus revival of "Hair")


With all these things being said, there was an official announcement today that Daniel Radcliffe will return to Broadway next year in a revival of "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". Don't get me wrong, the theater nerd part of me is intrigued. The businessman part of me??? Eh... not so sure.


The show was last seen in New York in the mid 90's, when Des McAnuff staged it as a star vehicle for Matthew Broderick (and John Stamos after him). The show received generally positive reviews, but closed after a 15 month run, just missing out on recouping it's investment. So what has changed in 2010? The star of the world's biggest film franchise, Daniel Radcliffe, will be on the marquee.

Radcliffe's name was also on the marquee of last season's "Equus", a show that got great reviews and didn't recoup. Of course, one could argue that younger Potter fans weren't going to get mom and dad to spring $125 a pop to take them to see full frontal Harry (not hairy) nudity onstage. But are we sure that they are going to want to pay that amount to see a story about a young man trying to scheme his way up the corporate ladder? Furthermore, is there any evidence that Daniel Radcliffe is even a draw away from the Potter movies? It's not like he's done any commercial films other than that.

Naturally, we have to wait and see how this all plays out. Maybe director Rob Ashford has a concept that will totally reinvent the show and it will be the greatest piece of art of all time. History has shown us though, even if this is an artistic success, it may not be a financial one.