Everyone was happy and excited for Bailey Hanks, winner of MTV’s Legally Blonde reality competition. She beat out the other legal blondes and landed her leading role, which she premiered last Wednesday. The other contestants went home, heads hung low, bitter and defeated, right?

Well, not so much.

Surprise! You’ve Got Contracts!

As it turned out, the producers had jobs in mind for all four of the top contestants in the show.

• Rhiannon Hansen will play Margot, Elle’s best friend, in the touring company of Legally Blonde
• Autumn Hurlbert will join the Broadway cast as Elle’s understudy
• Lauren Zakrin will not only join the touring company in the ensemble but also act as a second understudy for the Broadway show.

So all four top contestants won contracts, and all four seem to be pretty happy about it. “I couldn’t be at a better place; this is better for me now and this is where I’m supposed to be,” Rhiannon told the Deseret News.

I think this is a piece of brilliance on the part of the producers, and could change the way people get cast in these shows. They came out of this with (I’m presuming) a profit from the MTV show, four solid leads for their main star, and everybody’s happy.

Could this be the end of the Cattle Call?

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What does this have to do with the performing arts? Why, I’m glad you asked…

Everything’s Coming Up Musicals

I’ve written here before about the Creature From the Black Lagoon as a musical. But did you know there are others?

• Evil Dead the Musical
• Toxic Avenger the Musical
• The Fly
• Repo: the Genetic Opera
  

I didn’t know about some of these, until I read his column over on A&E. I was able to remind him of Point Break LIVE! which doesn’t really count, as it’s not a musical (but the fact that Keanu Reeves’ part is read by a random audience member off of cue cards is pretty interesting) . He also mentions the old standby, Rocky Horror Picture Show, but strangely enough missed the beginning of the genre, Little Shop of Horrors, and of course the newest Broadway fiasco noble effort, Young Frankenstein.

No, I’ve NOT Seen Dr. Horrible!

Of course, Joss Whedon is the talk of the town with his new Dr. Horrible  , and no, I’ve not seen it yet (about four of my friends suggested I write about it when I started this entry). I will subscribe to it tonight, watch it tomorrow on my new iPhone, and give it a proper Fame or Famine review. OK? So leave me alone already!

It makes one wonder, though…are we in a new age of musicals, clever and witty and pretty and gay…? 

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More Than GenX

I got introduced to it by my daughter, believe it or not, who is as big a Renthead as you can get. The producers of Rent, along with composers/lyricists Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, put together a series of songs such as “The Internet is for Porn” and “Everybody’s a Little Bit Racist,” and then got Jeff Whitty to write the book.

He created characters that my generation easily identified with – like “Trekkie Monster.” “”The joke of the show is, this is a primer for those years — like ‘Sesame Street’ is a primer for your childhood,” he said.

The Impermanent Generation

Heidi Miller, a friend of mine who recently saw it, agrees. “It is the sung representation of absolutely everything that Gen X’ers believe and have been through…The characteristics of Gen X’ers include a disbelief in stability…They have no believe in permanence. If you ask them for their 10-year plan, they will stare at you blankly.”

All conveyed, believe it or not, through hand puppets, manipulated by actors who have been through “puppet school,” and have to become a sort of quadruple threat: singing, dancing, acting, and puppeteering. But for a generation raised on Sesame Street, this serves as a sneaky back door into the subconscious of our minds. As Heidi notes, the puppets “come together, tear apart, find jobs, lose jobs, lose homes, find love and find purpose…” A better definition of theatre could not be made.

The tour may be coming to a city near you; it’s certainly worth the money. And Mr. Whitty is not sitting on his laurels – he’s hard at work adapting Armistad Maupin’s Tales of the City into a musical, with Jake Shears and John Garden, of the Scissor Sisters, composing. “I just feel if they could turn Les Miserables into a musical, we can do it with ‘Tales of the City.’ ”

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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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Ariell Jacobs as Gabriella Montez

Though the role was originated on TV by Vanessa Hudgens, the nerdy star of the broadway show has been aptly originated by Arielle Jacobs. Considering how much HSM has become a worldwide phenomenon, in some ways her job as part of the touring company is even harder, bringing the show to a wider audience than just those who are able to make it to Broadway.

Even better is the blog that she’s keeping of her time on tour. Ranging from the reaction of Canadian audiences to funny stories about her cast members, it’s a personal and very engaging look behind the scenes. You can even email her questions at GabriellaSpeaks@gmail.com

I’m looking forward to see how she answers some of the questions posed on the Mercury News blogs, and I would recommend her own as a regular read. Among other things, it will turn you on to music she likes, such as this one: Green to Gray, by Gavin Creel:

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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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However, we had my iPod, and discovered a mutual love for belting out songs from musicals, occasionally even with her alto complementing my baritone.

Here are our top 5 Road Music Musicals.

1. Moulin Rouge (not technically broadway, but still fun, especially for duets)
2. The Pirates of Penzance
3. Phantom of the Opera
4. Les Mis (more hers than mine; I like it, but don’t know enough of the words)
5. Little Shop of Horrors

Now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite musical to belt out in the safety of your car?

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I had expected to write, today, about the revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, featuring Tony-award winning actors such as Phylicia Rashad, James Earl Jones, and Anika Noni Rose (all of whom are also TV and movie stars, but it does my luddite heart good to only list them as being paragons of the theatre). It’s a production that has sparked some controversy due to the cast being entirely African American. However, living in the midwest, I can’t actually go and see it – so I was going to look online for some reviews and such.

Podcasting and Time-Shifting

There’s a great show on CUNY called Theatre Talk which interviews Broadway stars and producers and directors and in general indulges in punditry about the craft of the show. I noticed, via the Barksdale Theatre Blog, that there was going to be an episode where actress Elizabeth Ashley and critic Tom Lahr discuss the implications of the casting of Tennessee Williams‘ play. Unfortunately, not only do I tend to be sleeping at 7:30am EST (when the show was on), but I also don’t get CUNY on my cable channels.

Conveniently enough, though, there is a podcast version of the show offered, so that I’ll be able to hear the show later on (and probably write about it; I do, believe it or not, prefer to write about things that I’ve some familiarity with). While on the iTunes subscription page, though, there’s also a little sidebar listing what “Other listeners to this podcast subscribe to…”

Going Down Under

One of the shows that caught my eye was “Broadway at Bedtime“, a show from JOY 94.9 in Melbourne, Australia. It had nothing to do with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof…but I did notice that a recent episode covered the opening of Spamalot in their city, which is why right now I’m listening to King Arthur sing about the round table with a team of cheerleaders. I see other episodes include bits with Chazz Palmintieri, one of my other favorite actors.

Prior episodes of Theatre Talk feature guests like the playwrights Tom Stoppard and Edward Albee,  actors Ian McShane and Raul Esparza…it just goes on. The wealth of material freely available online is mind-boggling, and enables anyone to feel connected to the shows in spite of distance, time, or financial limitations.

Try them out: Theatre Talk and Broadway at Bedtime.

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When: 03/07/08
Cost: $15/$10
Call: 661-9696
Email: pulp@stageq.com

More Information:
Singing Lesbians to set up Camp in March
Musical satire of 1950s Pulp Romance Novels opens March 7th

StageQ, Inc, the local not-for-profit LGBTQ Theater Company announces the musical comedy “Pulp” to run March 7 – March 29, 2008 at the Bartell Theater, 113 E. Mifflin Street in Madison.

“Pulp,” is a “comedy with music” spoofing the lurid 1950s novels of over-the-top stereotypes of lesbian romance. Everything from the classic butch and femme images to Barbara Stanwyck gets set up and knocked over in song on the Drury stage of the Bartell.

“March is a long cold month, so we wanted to heat up the theater with a sexy production,” says Tara Ayres, Artistic Director for StageQ. “Even though this is a lesbian-themed show, the satire is so broad that all audiences will be able to laugh along with the jokes and leave the theater humming some new songs.”

“Pulp” features book and lyrics by Patricia Kane and music by Amy Warren and Andre Pluess. Chicago’s About Face Theater company originally produced the show. StageQ’s production is directed by Tara Ayres and features the talented cast of Susan Carnell, Dana Pellebon, Laura Spring, Mary-Elizabeth Pasquesi, Jennifer Jenkins and Louise Stout, with accompaniment provided by keyboard virtuoso Harris Lemberg.

“Pulp” runs March 7 – March 29, 2008 at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin Street in Madison, WI. Performances are Thursdays ($10) at 7:30pm and Fridays & Saturdays ($15) at 8pm. Tickets and reservations are available at www.StageQ.com or by calling 608-661-9696, x3.

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• Sara Ramirez, (Dr. Callie Torres), won the 2005 Tony for her role as ‘The Lady of the Lake’ in Monty Python’s “Spamalot.”
• T.R. Knight (George O’Malley) started in musical theatre did a song from Stephen Sondheim’s Follies
• Chandra Wilson, (Dr. Miranda Bailey) a former Broadway star, sang “God Bless the Child.”
• Loretta Divine from “Greys.” was the original Lorell in “Dreamgirls” and has won four Tony awards
  
• Gina Taylor Pickens, the wife of James Pickens, (Chief) is a professional singer and was introduced by her husband lipsyncing to James Brown

Why am I sad? Because these people used to be on Broadway, and for whatever reason gave up the floorboards to choose a career in TV…and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it just cuts to my thespian’s heart.

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