Fame or Famine

…before I stage manage the 47th Annual Madfest at the Union Theatre in Madison, WI. We have a great show lineup, including such unusual acts as Steve Brown, Luke Wilson, and the Flybar crew. I never thought I’d ever say “Could you keep those pogo sticks down? I’m tryin’ ta talk, here!”
But I did. It’s been an exhausting day, but things are going well, and the house opens in 45 minutes. Having an assistant stage manager who’s mighty easy on the eyes is pretty fun, too (she’s my wife, I’m allowed to say that).
On with the show…

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"The upcoming Broadway revival of Grease – in which the leads are being cast via NBC’s "You’re The One That I Want" – has already sold $1.3 million in ticket sales in just two days."–Playbill

There must be some VERY pleased producers out there. And I’m excited, too–mainly because this kind of takes us a step closer to my dream, Showtime’s original production of "Rocky Horror Picture Show Ultimate Reality Casting Show!"
Tags: grease, broadway, tv

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Ah, yes…my favorite, Bebe Neuwirth. I didn’t get to see her in Chicago, but my friends did. And right now, she’s making me feel much better about my own frailties.
See, I have a degree in dance, and I love to dance, but I have knee injuries from my time in the USMC (yes, I’m a dancing former Marine. I juggle, too, and can sing most of the parts of Pirates of Penzance. How’s that for a quadruple threat?). And I have always felt that eventually I was going to have to give it up–since eventually I’d have to have my …read more

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I’m talking, of course, about the producers of “Grease: You’re the One.”
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: I liked the show. I’m going to watch it all the way through, not the least simply because I really like the music. I also have immense respect for the choreographer/director, and I find it fascinating that the judges are actually the writer, the producer, and the director. I’m interested in what they have to say.
That being said…I’m sort of looking at this from a meta-perspective, looking at how they tell the tale as much as the tale itself. Moreso, …read more

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Video projector: check
Black t-shirt, tight jeans: check
Glass of water, supply of whiskey: check
Comfy couch: check
Surround sound: check
Room to dance: check
Laptop to record snarky comments, not about performers, but about the way the show is going to shamelessly manipulate the audience’s feelings: check

Yep, I’m ready for Grease: You’re the one tonight. Are you?

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Well, not everyone is as excited about this show as I am. I just visited the IGN boards for Grease: You’re the One, and came across this comment:

"I was just in that show last year as johnny casino. Worst experience in drama ever!!! Uggh god the show is stupid. Think about it the lesson is, become a complete and utter whore for your man and he doesn’t have to change at all. I really hope no one watches this stupid show. I might have to just to see how bad the final two are!"

Aside from the burden of personal experience, …read more

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Kristin Chenoweth. Is there anything she can’t do? After wowing people as Glinda in the Tony-award winning (and yes, one of those Tony’s is hers) Wicked, she’s now getting rave reviews in the revival of the Bock/Harnick musical The Apple Tree at Studio 54.
That has its own bit of nice memory for me, since I saw the revival of Cabaret there. But don’t take my word for it; here’s what Theatermania said:
“Chenoweth employs her radiant smile and keen intelligence. Her Eve is cheerfully thoughtful, her semi-barbaric Bará comically jealous in her inability to crack a recalcitrant whip. Her Ella …read more

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OK, I’ve not been this excited about a TV show since I watched the musical episode of "Buffy". NBC is doing a reality show about the casting process for an upcoming revival of "Grease" on Broadway. Aside from loving the musical, I think it’s a great way to keep the public interest in the performing arts focused on live performance.
The website is pretty thin right now, just some photos and such, but there’s a couple of fun bits: a "Grease Karaoke" where you can record and upload your own video (stay tuned here tomorrow to see my version) and a …read more

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The new year had me hanging out with some friends in Chicago, and it turned out they had gone to see "The Pirate Queen." I was very eager to hear their impressions; one of them actually has a degree in theatre, so it was a more informed review than most…
Unfortunately, they were not terribly positive. In fact, they said the most enjoyable part of the evening was laughing about just how bad the show was. They’d gone hoping for a Riverdance kind of experience; instead, while the dance numbers were wonderful, there were far too few of them for their …read more

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