The Long Tail of the Cat in the Hat

However, being produced on Broadway is not the only way to make money from a musical. Licensing a musical to be performed by smaller troupes can also be a money maker (as Disney has found to its joy with High School Musical). And for some reason, many, many theatre groups all over the country have wanted to produce their own Suessical, making it one of the most-produced shows there is. My daughters have even been in a local production of it.

Horton Hears a Revival

Something about that popularity made producers think that it might deserve a second chance, and so in 2007 Theatreworks took a revised Seussical off-broadway and on tour. “Several subplots have been eliminated — [including] General Genghis Kahn Schmitz and the Butter Battle, the Whos’ Christmas pageant with the Grinch, the ‘Havin’ a Hunch’ sequence…” says Stephen Flaherty, one of the composers (and I have a hard time believing I just quoted that particular sentence seriously). The revisions paid off, and several critics and organizations nominated it for Best Revival of 2007

It looks like the revised Broadway cast is gearing up for a recording session, as well, as JAY Records prepares to give the Theatreworks/USA cast their own shot at immortality. Will this be called a “RBC” as opposed to “OBC” recording? Either way, it will surely be interesting to contrast and compare the two, and maybe some other musical blunders (Frankenstein?) can learn from their example.

image courtesy of Newscom

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Twyla’s Interpretation of Heaven & Hell

Ethan works with Herman Cornejo and other dancers from American Ballet Theater at Lincoln Center’s Opera House to convey a balletic journey through a “post-modern idea of the world.” Bloomberg News called the latter part of the ballet “too long and too diffuse” and concluded there was “nothing new.” Worse, the score is by Danny Elfman, who is really not my favorite.

But who cares? Even the same old Twyla Tharp is still Twyla Tharp, and even an Ethan “no longer Mr. Perfect” is still Ethan frikkin’ Steifel. As I’m going to be in the NYC area over the July 4th weekend, I plan on going – so stay tuned for my own review!

image courtesy of Newscom

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OK, actually it (reputedly) suffered reviews such as “pervasive lack of characterization” or a score that “doesn’t enhance the story.” It had a “try-out” period that was actually longer than the actual Broadway run, and wet through many, many revisions. In spite of this, it has a huge fan base, even a role-playing group dedicated not to the story but to the musical.

Even the Sun-Times recognizes that “there are still problems with the book, pacing and characterization that only a massive re-write would fix,” but concludes that the BoHo’s staging of the show is just “clever enough” to overcome that for a truly exhilarating theatrical experience.

Friends in Low Places

I got clued into this through a friend who is working the show backstage, a theater veteran of musicals and dance who is absolutely thrilled to be part of this show. “This is a reconceptualization that addresses a lot of the issues and slow points in the original musical. We have a phenomenal cast, with amazing voices, and an absolutely brilliant actor is performing as both Jekyll and Hyde. I promise you, no David Hasselhoff. Instead, I give you….captain tightpants.” (That’s a reference to the uber-hot Nathan Fillion, for those who might not know, better known as a cop on LOST and in his signature role as Captain Malcolm Reynolds on Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Not that he’s playing the role, but that the actor who is (Courtney Crouse) is just that hot.)

Anyway, she also says that if you want to see it, better buy tickets early, because the show has been called “Jeff-worthy” (Chicago’s equivalent of the Tony’s) and will likely sell out as the season goes on. As always, my busy schedule and scarcity of funds will probably prevent me from seeing it…but if you go, please drop a comment here and let me know how it was!

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Her son, Paul Sills, died of pneumonia today at age 80, having continued his mother’s work and shaped theatre as we know it today.

Paul Sills, the “Orson Welles of Improv”

Maybe you’ve heard of some of the places Paul Sills’ influence was felt. Second City? The Kids in the Hall? OK, how about Saturday Night Live? 30 Rock? Broadway’s Ragtime? Or how about one of his students, a fellow by the name of David Mamet who achieved a thing or two on Broadway and in Hollywood? Maybe you’ve been to a Comedy Sportz workshop or performance in your town?

Really, looking at the list of people and places influenced by and trained through Sills’ techniques is like looking at the entire shape of our cultural milieu. And yet, hardly anyone has heard of him. Jeffrey Sweet, theater historian, says “Paul was never given his due. Nobody did more for the American theater.”

So, in the interest of giving him his due…

Paul Sills & Story Theatre

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Melissa Gilbert: Typecasting or Resource?

I find myself questioning the casting of Melissa Gilbert in the role of “Ma Ingalls” – not because I doubt her abilities as an actress, but more because there is quite a difference between acting – even on a stage – and performing in a musical. She has more than enough cred with “straight plays”: A Shayna Maidel (for which she received an Outer Critic’s Circle Award for Best Debuting Actress) and roles in The Glass Menagerie, The Miracle Worker, Bus Stop, and Love Letters.

Singing and dancing may come naturally to her – I just hope that the producers and directors don’t water down the part. She’s playing opposite Steve Blanchard, veteran of eight years as the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and that kind of a mismatch would be almost heartbreaking to see in such a beloved American classic.

Image details: 2007 Winter TCA Press Tour – Day 1 served by picapp.com

Casting Yourself

Melissa Gilbert was an instrumental part of the casting process, and I wonder how it must have felt to see all the young hopeful Lauras – many, apparently, with dog-eared copies of “Little House on the Prairie” in their hands – and realize that you are casting an American icon that you, yourself, created.

The starring role went to Kara Lindsay, with Jenn Gambatese as older sister Mary. The ensemble includes Sara Jean Ford (touring as Christine in Phantom) as Nellie and Kevin Massey (another Disney/Broadway veteran from Tarzan) as the heartthrob Almanzo.

The opening is August 15th, and it’ll play at the Guthrie until early October. I’m hoping to get tickets and make the trek up there – if you do, drop me a line and let me know what you thought!

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The appropriately-named Ladies & Gents, by Irish playwright Paul Walker, is actual more topical than it had expected to be. It’s about pious politicians who dally in prostitution on the side – set in Dublin of the 1950’s.

 Why a bathroom? Well, why not? The space is “intimate, unpretentious, and uncomfortable,” which I guess is a good thing…”There’s a reason plays aren’t put on in bathrooms all the time — you have to really want to be there to make it happen,” says Walker.

Getting permission to show it there took a lot of paperwork, including a direct letter to Mayor Bloomberg. Governor Spitzer was not involved, apparently, and that’s a good thing; one wonders if it would have hit too close to home.

Whatever the reason, it’s going well – the performances are sold out, and will continue through March 29th.

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They’re Showing WHAT, WHERE?

He comments on the amazing fact that Studio 54 is now a theatre, something that I was not really all that surprised at when I saw the revival of Cabaret there a few years back. That’s a musical that suits the scandalous history of the place, and the fact that I could only afford nosebleed seats was eased by the fact that I was face to face with the fabled mirror ball.

Now, though, they’ve got Sunday in the Park with George going on – and disco must truly be dead for such a respectable show to be in such a decadent theatre. It’s also amusing that down on 42nd St. you have Mary Poppins facing Young Frankenstein – a mashup that would truly be an interesting musical, don’t you think?

“Puttin’ on the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…”

Read the rest of the article and find your own memories, or just revel in his…

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“I am a serious writer!”

That’s what she said when she was approached by John Gertz and Sandra Curtis, from Zorro Productions, who asked her to write the story of how Diego de la Vega became Zorro.

Looking at the story, though, she fell in love with the tale all over again. “There is too much injustice: we need many Zorros to change the world…We can all dream that even without a mask and a whip we can become daring, clever and brave heroes.” In his many incarnations, from pulp fiction to Antonio Banderas, he is sort of a Batman without a utility belt, relying on his sword (and occasional whip) to right wrongs and injustices. As a Hispanic living in California, Allende found many common causes with the hero, and in 2005, Zorro: a Novel was published. “As an Hispanic immigrant, I am particularly drawn to Zorro, he is the voice of all of us who have become the scapegoats of the xenophobic sentiments of many people in the United States.” In fact, Allende likened his battle for justice to the work of her foundation, inspired by her daughter Paula, to help women of the world achieve social and economic equality,

Taking Passionate Justice to the Stage

But the message sounds far from cold. Allende calls the Zorro of the musical (re-imagined by Stephen Clark) “the ideal Latin hero” and describes a production filled with sleight of hand, clever escapes, romantic gestures, and, of course, swordfights. All happening to the accompaniment of the flamenco music of the Gypsy Kings. Sounds like a hit, or at least a really fun night.

Find out more at Zorro: the Musical. And while we’re on the subject -they’re already at work on Spider-Man: the Musical. So why not take a look at the poll over there on the right and tell me what comic book hero you’d like to see put to song next?

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Currently playing in London, it’s supposed to open in the Longacre Theatre in NYC. Parker has been quoted as saying, “…this will be a fantastic new challenge.” But it may be more of a challenge than she thinks: according to ContactMusic, representatives from the show have vehemently denied her involvement.

I kind of wonder why that is – what would be the problem? Her husband Matthew Broderick certainly had a great hit with the revival of The Producers with Nathan Lane, so she’s got to be no stranger to the process.

In fact, she goes further back than that – at 14 she played the lead in Little Orphan Annie. I can’t be sure, but around that time (1979) my parents took me to see that play at Radio City Music Hall one Christmas. I kind of wonder if it was her I saw way back then…

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I was fine – excited, even – when the Lion King came out. Even though it took until last month for me to actually see it, the fact that it was directed and designed by Julie Taymor was more than enough to make me forgive Disney for taking a cartoon and using up valuable stage space – space that could have been used by the next Neil Simon or Stephen Sondheim.

Then came Beauty and the Beast. Haven’t seen it, but I hear it’s impressive. The costume of the candlestick alone was pretty cool, and I raised four daughters who loved to play “Gaston”, so the musical had a soft spot for me.

Next, a practically perfect in every way Mary Poppins debuted in Great Britain but swiftly came over the waves to land in New York City. Now we were going into my childhood favorites (I had a secret urge to grow up and be Bert, playing his one-man-band in a park somewhere).

Then along comes the Little Mermaid, which from its first reviews (“Will Mermaid Sink of Swim?”, “Mouse of Blues” and “Overproduction weighs down lively ‘Mermaid’”) seemed destined to (ahem) tank. But it’s good enough to attract the attention of David Beckham and kin, spotted going to see it just a few days ago, and with the monetary might of Disney behind it, could probably last long enough to spawn a touring company or two.

But then things start to get insidious. Have you heard of “High School Musical“? How could you not? I’ve never seen it (my kids have grown out of that demographic) but posters and soundtracks and clothing lines abound everywhere you look (not just in America) these days. Disney came up with an amazingly clever gimmick to ensure a long run on the great white way, because having the best-selling album in 2007 and the most-watched movie in Disney history wasn’t enough: take the script and songs from the hit movie (and sequel) and let high schools put it on as a musical! It is estimated that over 2000 local high schools have put on this show, and the other numbers around the phenomenon are a textbook lesson in Good Marketing.

I’m not really complaining – with all the cuts in arts funding, having an easy-to-relate to, fun and well-written musical just handed to high schools across the country was actually quite a cool thing for a megacorporation to do. But, if you’re keeping count, that’s five major – and I mean major – Broadway productions. And while these are good, fun musicals…I can’t help but feel that they’re cheating, just a little, in having such a large corporation back these musicals. How many RENTs are we missing to make room for the next Pixar/Disney collaboration?

Finding Nemo, featuring original songs by Avenue Q co-composer Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anders-Lopez – is an example of what I mean. It’s a great show; demand became so great that they had to go from 4 shows daily to 5 (and oh, the poor cast). But while it had a preview on Broadway, it plays at Walt Disney World. Which is great; it gives another venue for stagehands, costumers, performers. I’d be happy if they produced all of their movies as musicals, and created a whole new Broadway inside of their theme parks.

Does this mean that if I got free tickets to see Mary Poppins I’d turn them down? Not a chance. Come on, don’t be silly! I’d be there in a heartbeat. But in an era of megacorporate mergers, I’d really rather see the floorboards trod by those who are taking a risk, not regurgitating surefire hits, no matter how pleasant they seem.

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