Before i give my (spoiler alert: FAVORABLE) review of the show, let me say:
1. I know that faithful Mormons cherish their faith.
2. I know that AIDS has devastated many lives (and ended far too many).
3. I know that these areas are off limits as entertainment topics for some people.
Now ~ I also know that
1. The creators of South Park wrote BOM. So, you know, gas stations sell gas, bars sell booze...sometimes you just know what someone is peddling. It rings a little hollow to walk into a bar and feel victimized that they are selling an addictive substance.
2. Most religions have beautiful and empowering truths to share and can uplift people, AND, religion can be used to intimidate, exclude, marginalize, and infantalize people. So, those of us who wish to be religious should work to make our religions more relevant and healing and we ought to have a sense of humor about it all.
3. I am both a spiritual person and a person who has personally been affected by HIV. I take both seriously, and sometimes, I deal with both with laughter.
So, fully aware that BOM is NOT politically correct in the least, I must nevertheless admit to loving it!!!
There were some profound moments amongst the satire ("It's a metaphor" says a recent convert to another about a story that would be ridiculous if taken literally..."It's a metaphor", by the way, is a phrase that should be said repeatedly in ALL religious education classes!).
The show wasn't as harsh toward the LDS as I expected and even the gallows humor often made political points (including the not entirely unbelievable conspiracy theory that the US has the ability to cure HIV but is waiting to release the cure until a "latter day"); but mostly, it was the sort of ribald hilarity that isn't mean spirited if it is otherwise insensitive. It also showed in a light-hearted way how religion can both oppress and liberate and how innately, if not intentionally, racist and imperialist missiology is. But even with the serious and intelligent subtexts, what BOM is primarily (to my delight!) is fun music, good dancing, and sophomoric humor. So, you know, THUMBS UP!
Showing posts with label musical theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musical theatre. Show all posts
Friday, December 13, 2013
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
Just watched Carol Channing: Larger Than Life.
90+ and still going strong. Amazing.Memphis: The Musical
I'm sure you've probably seen it already, but if not, correct that at
once!
The last few NYC trips I decided not to see it b/c I knew it was coming to
FtL and I thought I could just wait for the tour, so that allowed me to see more
stuff in the city.
Well, last night, we accidentally found it on Netflix! Original cast, just
a filmed recording of the Broadway production (good quality, not like that
tragic West Coast filmed version of Naked Boys Singing which somehow made both
fun music and male nudity boring!) and it was fabulous.
I'm kind of new to the filmed version thing...I remember the special PBS
version (no audience) of Joseph/Dream Coat, the filmed production of Company (well,
two filmed productions, one for PBS - terrible, and the other for the big screen
with Neal Patrick Harris- wonderful), the PBS version of CATS, and the PBS recording of the
live performances of The Women and The Man Who Came to Dinner. I was given a DVD
version of the last cast for RENT (Broadway cast before it reopened
Off-Broadway)..., OK, maybe i'm not so new to the phenomenon after all. But thsi
was the first time I accessed on through NetFlix.
I must say, I much prefer the stage productions on film to the plays made
into movies (often miscast and almost always dropping 1-3 great songs):
Hairspray, Chicago, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Guys & Dolls, Nine, etc.
Anywhoo, got a front row seat on Broadway in the living room in Florida for
Memphis. It's loosely based on the life/career of Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips
(character's name is Huey Calhoun in the musical), who was one of the first
white DJs in Memphis to play music by African American artists.
the story takes place during the decade between 1951 and 1961, an
unenlightened time in US Southern history to be sure. The story is about the
rise and fall of an illiterate DJ son of a racist mother who falls in love first
with R&B music and then with an unknown R&B artist.
Calhoun's speech pattern is at first strange and annoying, and later
endearing. I don't know why the peculiar speech pattern was adopted. Maybe it
was based on Phillips' speech. the music and dancing in the show are amazing and
the set is both simple and sophisticated at the same time.
A romance between Calhoun and the artist he discovers and promotes (Felicia) is forbidden not only by cultural prejudices but also by state law. So they keep it on the low, but eventually they are suspected and are even brutally attacked by racist thugs once. that doesn't end their relationship, but later, when Felicia has a chance to go to NYC they have a chance to really be together. They will have to be discreet if Felicia is to have national appeal, but their love will no longer be criminal.
Felicia arranges for Huey to get a shot (competing against Dick Clark) for a national TV music show, but Huey is scared to leave his local success but doesn't want to lose Felicia, so he tries to sabotage the NY opportunity by kissing Felicia on local television. For safety, Felicia has to immediately leave town. He doesn't go with her, and four years later we discover Felicia is now a national R&B singing sensation, and Huey has gone from the number 1 DJ in the middle of the dial to a virtually unknown DJ way up on the dial. He guesses that his audience may be as small as a single listener. But on tour, Felicia returns to Memphis to sing at the Orpheum and so she stops by Huey's radio station to reconnect and to invite him to participate in her show. He is heartbroken to learn she has a fiancee and at first refuses to be a guest in her concert. But at the end, he does join her on the stage.
The script brilliantly does what even ancient scriptures sometimes do
("Daniel" writes about Nebuchadnezzar as a way to criticize Antiochus
IV Epiphanes and "John" writes about Babylon as a way to criticize
Rome). By showing the pain and injustice of laws and taboos that kept biracial
marriages from happening, the show also shows the injustice of marriage equality
being denied to same-gender loving people. There is even the assumption made by
some white characters that "Christian" means white and Christian-white means
remaining separate from people of color. Using religion to justify hatred and
fear is another queer connection.
AND, by placing the story in the past, but not the too distant past, the problems of racism which still persist in many ways are also highlighted. And, by putting human faces to love derailed by hatred and ignorance, it shows the personal tragedy that results from bigotry.
Well, if you haven't seen it - rush to Net Flix now.
I expected a Tony winning musical to be good, but it was better than i even
hoped. I think you'll like it.
A romance between Calhoun and the artist he discovers and promotes (Felicia) is forbidden not only by cultural prejudices but also by state law. So they keep it on the low, but eventually they are suspected and are even brutally attacked by racist thugs once. that doesn't end their relationship, but later, when Felicia has a chance to go to NYC they have a chance to really be together. They will have to be discreet if Felicia is to have national appeal, but their love will no longer be criminal.
Felicia arranges for Huey to get a shot (competing against Dick Clark) for a national TV music show, but Huey is scared to leave his local success but doesn't want to lose Felicia, so he tries to sabotage the NY opportunity by kissing Felicia on local television. For safety, Felicia has to immediately leave town. He doesn't go with her, and four years later we discover Felicia is now a national R&B singing sensation, and Huey has gone from the number 1 DJ in the middle of the dial to a virtually unknown DJ way up on the dial. He guesses that his audience may be as small as a single listener. But on tour, Felicia returns to Memphis to sing at the Orpheum and so she stops by Huey's radio station to reconnect and to invite him to participate in her show. He is heartbroken to learn she has a fiancee and at first refuses to be a guest in her concert. But at the end, he does join her on the stage.
AND, by placing the story in the past, but not the too distant past, the problems of racism which still persist in many ways are also highlighted. And, by putting human faces to love derailed by hatred and ignorance, it shows the personal tragedy that results from bigotry.
if you aren't familiar with Net Flix, for $9 a month it can become your
friend, or you may have friends with Net Flix...exploit that connection at once!
Even if the tour is coming to town, why not see the original Bway cast
first?
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Still Love La Cage
In the 80s (when I was still a teenager), my amazingly perceptive younger (heterosexual) brother gave me a very special Xmas
gift – the cast recording of La Cage aux
Folles! That musical has been in my life ever since.
Beyond listening to the sound track (and imagining myself playing Albin
on stage) a few thousand times, I managed to have other joyous encounters with La Cage. I found the film version of the
French play and watched it a few times. The film, like the play, is in French
but fortunately there were subtitles. Then in 1996 there was the American
remake of the French Film with its English title, The Bird Cage. There were liberties taken, as so often is the case
with American films, but the essence remained and I was able to strengthen my La Cage connection.
Then in 2004 the gods smiled upon me and I was able to take the subway
from my upper west side Manhattan apartment to the Marquis Theatre to see the
revival of La Cage aux Folles. The
show opened in December but was in previews throughout November and I was able
to see a Wednesday matinee during the preview period. It was an important
moment in my life.
I didn’t make it to see the 2010 Broadway revival ( I do, however, have
the cast album), but was thrilled to learn that the production would tour
beginning the Fall of 2011. Well, I was thrilled until I heard the tour would
be featuring George Hamilton. After listening for decades to George Hearn as
Albin, seeing Nathan Lane on film as Albert (the Albin character), and seeing
Gary Beach (The Producers in another
gay role) as Albin and Daniel Davis[1]
(The Nanny) as Georges, the thought
of the star of the 70s comedies Love at
First Bite and Zorro the Gay Blade
who has since come to be known for his tanning addiction playing Georges just
didn’t inspire confidence in me.
As always happens, though, my rush to judgment proved myopic. Thank
whatever stars that guide the theatre world for not allowing me to stubbornly
miss the touring production. On June 23,
2012, in Fort Lauderdale, I saw the show at the Broward Center for the Performing
Arts.
As it turns out, Hamilton was competent. His singing voice was
adequate. His movements were graceful. His character, believable. Actually, my
expectations were so low, I wound up being impressed. I was especially pleased
with how comfortable he was dancing with and kissing another man. Was it acting
skill or just a remarkable lack of homophobia? In any case, George Hamilton
gave a performance with which he can be pleased.
The actor giving body and voice to Albin was Christopher Sieber. I
remember Sieber from the short-lived TV sitcom “It’s All Relative.” That
program was ground-breaking in that it portrayed gay male parents of a young
woman dating someone from a different class background, and both actors playing
the gay couple (Sieber being one of them) were themselves gay, and the program
was a prime-time, major network television show. But, perhaps it was ahead of
its time because in spite of good ratings, it was cancelled after only one
season.
Sieber is an accomplished theatre actor who played Georges opposite
Harvey Fierstein’s Albin on Broadway before beginning the national tour for
which he plays Albin. He was perfect in the role!
The Cagelles (the chorus basically) were a smaller group than I
remembered from the 2004 production (but were as athletic with their dancing
and acrobatics as the first revival Cagelles had been), and the tour had a
pre-show, interactive monologue given by a female impersonator (also new since
2004). And the “orchestra” was really a very small band. But scaling it down
(for the tour or was the 2010 revival just leaner from the start?) didn’t hurt
the quality of the show at all. In fact, I liked having fewer bodies on stage
where each performance was able to shine.
La Cage aux Folles is French
play from 1973 that was later made into a French film. The Broadway debut of
the musical La Cage aux Folles was an
adaptation of the play with book by Harvey Fierstein , music by Jerry Herman,
and it was directed by Arthur Laurents (gay, gay, and gay). The musical won
multiple Tony awards including Best Musical. There was a 1986 run in London
that lasted only 31 performances. In 2004 Beach and Davis starred in the Broadway
revival which won a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical. A London production was
mounted again in 2008, this time proving to be very successful, winning the
Olivier Award for Best Musical. And the 2010 Broadway revival with Kelsey
Grammar and Douglas Hodge also won Best Revival of a Musical. La Cage, to my knowledge, is the only
Broadway musical to win Best Musical (or Best Revival) every time it has been
staged on Broadway!
The story of a drag performer and his life-partner and their night
club, their son and ultra-conservative future in-laws is a compelling story set
to brilliant music; book and music by gay men, and original Broadway production
directed by a gay man. And the closing number for Act 1, “I Am What I Am” is a
powerfully, dramatic moment in this musical comedy and it became the Gay
National Anthem for the 1980s.
The show brought gay people, on stage and behind the scenes to the
forefront of social consciousness and proved that a positive story about Queer
people could be both critically and commercially successful. La Cage has racked up Tony, Drama Desk,
and Olivier Awards over the last 29 years. Two cast albums and a national tour
are now also part of its legacy. And whether listening to the cast album,
seeing it on Broadway, or enjoying it coming to a theatre near you, it remains
a life-affirming piece of powerful theatre. For three decades and counting, I love
La Cage!
Monday, May 21, 2012
How to Succeed...
How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying
Al
Hirschfeld Theatre, NYCMay 16, 2012
My reason for seeing How to Succeed…was kind of silly. I had written previously about Charles Nelson Reilly[1], and for some strange kind of sentimental purpose I decided I wanted to see a show that he had done early in his career.
For
years I didn’t think I would like to see the show. I didn’t see it with Matthew
Broderick in the 90s and I didn’t see the 2011 revival with Daniel Radcliffe
(until 2012 when Nick Jonas had replaced him) even though I thought I would
enjoy seeing Radcliffe perform live, but again, the musical didn’t seem to call
out to me.
I had tried to watch the 1967 film version a couple of times and it never held my interest. I never watched more than 15 minutes or so of it before giving up on it (not every stage production translates well to the screen, maybe; or maybe I just didn’t give it a fair shot).
And now (feeling very smug and superior), I was finally going to make myself see it (for Charles!), but with sadness that it had to be with one of the Jonas Brothers (what am I? a Disney Channel watching 5th grade girl?!), still, the show wouldn’t run forever and if I was going to see it I should just be done with it. But in arrogant protest, I bought a cheap seat!
Well, a Wednesday night toward the end of run doesn’t always pack a house, so the ushers told those of us in the cheap seats to move on down…anywhere there was an empty seat. I got a GREAT seat (only about 4 rows behind my favorite seat in the house which is first row, lower Mezzanine); well, at least I got a great seat and didn’t have to pay extra for it. So, let the show be musical Ambien (Zolpidem), I had already received my bit of good luck and was paying tribute to CNR. The evening would be enjoyable no matter what.
As often happens when expectations are low, mine were exceeded. The colors and angular designs of the 1960s were bright and brilliant. The sets and costumes were beautiful (I usually prefer simple, almost bare stages, but sometimes the designers really can enhance the experience and that is exactly what they did for How to Succeed…).
Of course Jonas makes his entrance to not only the music from the orchestra pit but to the screaming of teenage girls throughout the audience (there were about 4 rows of them who had come down from Canada just to see the show, or rather, to see him in the show). I can’t prove it, but I am certain my eyes rolled to express disdain.
But here’s the thing – I don’t believe I have actually ever listened to the Jonas Brothers or to Nick Jonas sing. They are famous as singers, so it should not have surprised me that Nick’s voice is beautiful! OK. Great set, fabulous costumes, and Nick has the voice of an angel. All this and a free upgrade on the seat? It’s a good evening no matter what else happens.
Jonas was the not strongest actor in the cast. In fact, his lines often fell flat, and even his beautiful voice lacked the “booming” quality that the seasoned Broadway pros had (even though as a child he had appeared in musical theatre and has been a concert singer and recording artist for years). But he exuded a charm that was not wasted even on me and he did have a few “stock” facial expressions he would use to good effect throughout the performance. He was adorable, and good enough, with a beautiful if not always well projected voice and he was clearly a draw for young girls. By the end, I was a Nick Jonas fan (more or less).
Beau Bridges was in the cast (having replaced John Laroquette who was doing another play which I also saw), but I’m not sure why. His singing was mediocre. His acting lacked comedic polish. His dancing was clunky (though they seemed to try to feature his stiffness as if that is just how his character would move). Other than bringing name recognition, Bridges did not add much to the overall quality of the production.
The rest of the cast seemed to be seasoned theatre people, some of whom had been in the production since last year. They were wonderful: great singing, great dancing, and believable portrayals with good comic timing. And the story is kind of in the tradition of “let’s tell a cute story with lots of funny lines and weave in some big song and dance numbers” musical theatre, complete with happy ending and heterosexual romance. Still, the dance numbers are amazing and the songs are hummable, especially the eleven o’clock number, “Brotherhood of Man.”
So, it may not have been great theatre, but it was great choreography and dancing, and it was good singing, and it was good sets and lights and costumes. You know what? I guess it was pretty good theatre after all! And, most importantly, I got to share an imaginary moment with Charles Nelson Reilly. Rest in peace, CNR.
[1] CNR
won the 1962 Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Succeed_in_Business_Without_Really_Trying#Original_Broadway_production
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat 70’s Show
Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat 70’s Show
Amaturo Theatre, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
April 1, 2012
Review by Durrell Watkins
So tonight I went to see another one person performance: Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat 70’s Show. I didn’t know exactly what to expect; I just knew that for years I have loved Seth’s radio show on Sirius XM radio (Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat Broadway). He is a musical theatre historian and trivia expert. Well, by training (Oberlin) he’s a classical concert pianist. But prior to college he had been very active in school and summer camp theatre and so he soon returned to his first love, musical theatre.
According to his biographical monologue, he was the pianist in the orchestra of a few Broadway musicals, a comedy writer for the Rosie O’Donnell show, the musical director for various concerts, a composer, a stand-up comic, an author, an Off-off Broadway actor, a cabaret performer, and, of course, a satellite radio host. He was also a vocal coach on the MTV reality series, Legally Blonde the Musical: the Search of Elle Woods.
Seth’s radio program is fascinating because it includes interviews with working Broadway actors, songs from old and new, well known and obscure musicals (and sometimes, all the songs from an entire musical with commentary and synopsis thrown in), story-telling, and his natural, unforced brand of humor. So, I relished the chance to see his show live on stage.
Seth’s stage show is a self-described “deconstruction” of various performances. Apparently, his shows are often a deconstruction of Broadway shows or the careers of Broadway performers. But tonight’s show was very specialized. It was a deconstruction of one failed variety show from the 1970s!
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, according to Seth, only lasted for 9 episodes and was born from a guest appearance the Brady Bunch cast had made on the Donnie & Marie show.
Seth’ set was super simple (and I always find that most effective). There was a piano (he played 4 measures each of 5 or 6 songs and that was all the piano was for…otherwise it was a prop…he never played a whole song, or more than a line of a song in the whole show). Other than the piano, there was a screen on which were played clips from the Brady Bunch Hour. Seth would set up each clip by giving some background (he apparently had done exhaustive research on this obscure failure from television history), playing the clip, commenting on the clip, and sometimes replaying the clip so that the audience could see more in/from it than they had originally.
Some of what Seth pointed out was the campiness of the show. A closeted gay man, Robert Reed, was in the cast, a flamboyant gay man, Bruce Villanch, was one of the writers, and the show was produced by Saturday morning children’s program producers Sid & Marty Kroft; this all made camp inevitable.
These were television actors (Florence Henderson had enjoyed a Broadway career before television), and most of them were child stars who never did much acting beyond their Brady Bunch series, so to throw them into a variety show format where they were expected to sing and dance throughout every show was obviously beyond their comfort zones if not their skill sets.
Then there was the premise. These actors were not doing the show as themselves, but as the characters from their canceled situation-comedy television series. But the characters (an architect, a house-wife, their children, and a housekeeper) are for some reason singing and dancing and telling bad jokes as part of a variety show! And the children are all adults now, and thrown in with this suburban American family who just happen to be singing disco versions of old songs and dancing badly to them are synchronized swimmers (without explanation as to why they are there).
Camp is the best the show could hope to be! But what made it tragic (well, other than the ridiculous premise, the bad singing, the bad dancing, the really bad jokes, and the gratuitous swimmers) was that it was not recorded in front of a life audience. Laughter and applause were all by pre-recorded tracks; so, what was aired was the final or best take of each scene. After who knows how much rehearsal and how many attempted takes, the best of what they could piece together to air was music where “Greg Brady” was often flat, where “Mike Brady” sounded like he was singing with a lozenge stuck in his throat, scenes were almost none of the male members of the cast showed any real capacity for dancing (and “Mike” was particularly awkward), and even one scene where a wayward background dancer crossed hurriedly behind the set from one side of the stage to the other for her next entrance . That the finished product was so shoddy (and surely much better than the many attempts leading up to the finished product) made a show that had little chance of being good into something that was actually horrifically bad.
However, the tragedy that was The Brady Bunch Variety Hour became comedic genius in the creative hands of Seth Rudetsky. He pointed out the flaws, made fun of them, mimicked some of them, and left us desperate to see the next terrible scene (one, or two, or three times!) just so we could explore with him (or follow his guidance to a predetermined discovery) the delightfully humorous failings of the short-lived variety show.
The final scene of the show was brilliantly interactive. He brought to the stage volunteers from the audience to re-enact a simple dance number from the variety show. He taught the steps (and chose the role of “Mike” for himself), and then led the dancers through a quick rehearsal and then finally the performance of the number (about 24 beats in all). He even had two volunteers shoot arcs of water from water pistols to create a special effect similar to the original variety show. The “dancers” were self-conscious and had a great time stumbling through the moves and playing with Seth on stage. And that frivolity ended the 90 minute performance.
Seth afterward very graciously posed for photos and signed autographs.
With virtually no set, and with no other performers (save a few volunteers from the audience at the very end), and with very little live music (though he is a musician), this Broadway expert spent 90 minutes showing clips from a television variety show that almost no one had seen, made fun of the scenes (without ever being cruel), shared a little bit of history about some of the cast members, and with that simple story-telling performance captivated an audience and made us love something that in 1977 absolutely flopped. It was genius. It was comedy. It was history. It was pop-culture. It was theatre. What could be better than that?
Amaturo Theatre, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
April 1, 2012
Review by Durrell Watkins
So tonight I went to see another one person performance: Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat 70’s Show. I didn’t know exactly what to expect; I just knew that for years I have loved Seth’s radio show on Sirius XM radio (Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat Broadway). He is a musical theatre historian and trivia expert. Well, by training (Oberlin) he’s a classical concert pianist. But prior to college he had been very active in school and summer camp theatre and so he soon returned to his first love, musical theatre.
According to his biographical monologue, he was the pianist in the orchestra of a few Broadway musicals, a comedy writer for the Rosie O’Donnell show, the musical director for various concerts, a composer, a stand-up comic, an author, an Off-off Broadway actor, a cabaret performer, and, of course, a satellite radio host. He was also a vocal coach on the MTV reality series, Legally Blonde the Musical: the Search of Elle Woods.
Seth’s radio program is fascinating because it includes interviews with working Broadway actors, songs from old and new, well known and obscure musicals (and sometimes, all the songs from an entire musical with commentary and synopsis thrown in), story-telling, and his natural, unforced brand of humor. So, I relished the chance to see his show live on stage.
Seth’s stage show is a self-described “deconstruction” of various performances. Apparently, his shows are often a deconstruction of Broadway shows or the careers of Broadway performers. But tonight’s show was very specialized. It was a deconstruction of one failed variety show from the 1970s!
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, according to Seth, only lasted for 9 episodes and was born from a guest appearance the Brady Bunch cast had made on the Donnie & Marie show.
Seth’ set was super simple (and I always find that most effective). There was a piano (he played 4 measures each of 5 or 6 songs and that was all the piano was for…otherwise it was a prop…he never played a whole song, or more than a line of a song in the whole show). Other than the piano, there was a screen on which were played clips from the Brady Bunch Hour. Seth would set up each clip by giving some background (he apparently had done exhaustive research on this obscure failure from television history), playing the clip, commenting on the clip, and sometimes replaying the clip so that the audience could see more in/from it than they had originally.
Some of what Seth pointed out was the campiness of the show. A closeted gay man, Robert Reed, was in the cast, a flamboyant gay man, Bruce Villanch, was one of the writers, and the show was produced by Saturday morning children’s program producers Sid & Marty Kroft; this all made camp inevitable.
These were television actors (Florence Henderson had enjoyed a Broadway career before television), and most of them were child stars who never did much acting beyond their Brady Bunch series, so to throw them into a variety show format where they were expected to sing and dance throughout every show was obviously beyond their comfort zones if not their skill sets.
Then there was the premise. These actors were not doing the show as themselves, but as the characters from their canceled situation-comedy television series. But the characters (an architect, a house-wife, their children, and a housekeeper) are for some reason singing and dancing and telling bad jokes as part of a variety show! And the children are all adults now, and thrown in with this suburban American family who just happen to be singing disco versions of old songs and dancing badly to them are synchronized swimmers (without explanation as to why they are there).
Camp is the best the show could hope to be! But what made it tragic (well, other than the ridiculous premise, the bad singing, the bad dancing, the really bad jokes, and the gratuitous swimmers) was that it was not recorded in front of a life audience. Laughter and applause were all by pre-recorded tracks; so, what was aired was the final or best take of each scene. After who knows how much rehearsal and how many attempted takes, the best of what they could piece together to air was music where “Greg Brady” was often flat, where “Mike Brady” sounded like he was singing with a lozenge stuck in his throat, scenes were almost none of the male members of the cast showed any real capacity for dancing (and “Mike” was particularly awkward), and even one scene where a wayward background dancer crossed hurriedly behind the set from one side of the stage to the other for her next entrance . That the finished product was so shoddy (and surely much better than the many attempts leading up to the finished product) made a show that had little chance of being good into something that was actually horrifically bad.
However, the tragedy that was The Brady Bunch Variety Hour became comedic genius in the creative hands of Seth Rudetsky. He pointed out the flaws, made fun of them, mimicked some of them, and left us desperate to see the next terrible scene (one, or two, or three times!) just so we could explore with him (or follow his guidance to a predetermined discovery) the delightfully humorous failings of the short-lived variety show.
The final scene of the show was brilliantly interactive. He brought to the stage volunteers from the audience to re-enact a simple dance number from the variety show. He taught the steps (and chose the role of “Mike” for himself), and then led the dancers through a quick rehearsal and then finally the performance of the number (about 24 beats in all). He even had two volunteers shoot arcs of water from water pistols to create a special effect similar to the original variety show. The “dancers” were self-conscious and had a great time stumbling through the moves and playing with Seth on stage. And that frivolity ended the 90 minute performance.
Seth afterward very graciously posed for photos and signed autographs.
With virtually no set, and with no other performers (save a few volunteers from the audience at the very end), and with very little live music (though he is a musician), this Broadway expert spent 90 minutes showing clips from a television variety show that almost no one had seen, made fun of the scenes (without ever being cruel), shared a little bit of history about some of the cast members, and with that simple story-telling performance captivated an audience and made us love something that in 1977 absolutely flopped. It was genius. It was comedy. It was history. It was pop-culture. It was theatre. What could be better than that?
Friday, December 09, 2011
The Devil's Music
Nov. 29-"The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith"
Best musical review EVER!
It was at the St Luke's Theatre (basement of St Luke Lutheran Church on 46th Street (between 8th & 9th Aves, closer to 8th). Even though it is off-broadway, it's just three blocks or so from Broadway theatres also on 46th. So, being all up in the theatre district but still having an off beat, slightly bohemian feel makes it a really good venue.
Not as glam as the Lortel...after all, it is subterranean (while LL is a stand alone building with the playwrights walk of fame in front)...St Luke's theatre only has about 100 seats (and while there isn't a bad seat in the house, i had the BEST seat in the house...front row center - i know, right, two nights in a row!).
Devil's Music is sort of one a woman show, but really there are 4 characters. Three are men who make up her band, and they are actually musicians (piano/bass/sax...sax player also plays clarinet for one number). One of the three guys has a few lines (and a character name, "Pickle"), but really, it's all about Bessie.
The title character is played by Miche Braden. I hadn't seen her before, but i hope to see her again. She sang her face off! The bluesy quality of her voice and the way she embodied the message of every song was in itself performance art.The show starts with a voice describing Bessie's funeral, then suddenly we fly backward in time 9 days to her last concert, and at that concert, she weaves her life-story around great old blues classics.
The audience learns so much about Bessie Smith...her being orphaned as a child, being married to someone who died shortly thereafter, and then being married again to an abusive ne'er do well, her active bisexuality, her adopting a son (and having that son taken away from her by the courts when her second husband reported her for being "unfit" - and what primarily made her "unfit" was her "carnal relations with women"), her sadness as Blues starts to be replaced by Swing in popularity, her success in spite of racism and the Great Depression.
We see (as she drinks almost every minute on stage) that she probably is a problem drinker if not an alcoholic, and while the play is intentionally very accurate about the details of Bessie's life, the playwright does add one bit of foreshadowing by having Bessie get a cold chill every time she mentions death.Finally, the show ends the way Bessie's life did...with a car accident (at only 43). Then, as an encore, the resurrected Bessie comes out and reprises the song she opened the show with.
In addition to her amazing singing voice, and the way Bessie's life is told by way of Bessie herself giving her last concert, there are two other things that really struck me about this play.1. Miche Braden, at least as Bessie Smith, is super sexy! Not beautiful. Not even pretty really. But so embodied, so alive, so confident and strong and still willing to risk vulnerability, so light on her feet (though in reality, about 200# are supported by those feet), so comfortable talking and singing about sex/uality...she was just very sexy.
2. Unlike charles busch, Miche B. does not resort to imitation/impersonation to create her character. She uses her voice (which is risky since BS was a recording artist and her voice is so well known); but much as Charles B. so thoroughly imagines himself to be the lady he is portraying that his/her femininity is the one thing the audience never questions, Miche B. so thoroughly WAS Bessie Smith, so completely believed that she was the incarnation of Bessie Smith, that she didn't need to imitate...she believed she was Bessie, and so we did too. He could have sounded like Kermit the Frog and looked like Lady Gaga, and i think we would have left saying, "that was the Bessie down to the last detail!"
side note - (isn't that what make believe is...when we make ourselves believe that the pretense is true?, and when we believe it, we make others believe it too...).
Where was I? Oh, yes...Devil's Music is FABULOUS!
What a treat it was to find this off-broadway treasure. Money and time very well spent!
Tomorrow (Wednesday matinee) - "Relatively Speaking."I'll tell you about it tomorrow (after I've worshiped once again in the Temple of Dionysus).
durrell
PS - to see all this NY theatre only one month after seeing Follies on Broadway is an embarrassment of riches. meanwhile, i'm happy as a pig in shit!
Best musical review EVER!
It was at the St Luke's Theatre (basement of St Luke Lutheran Church on 46th Street (between 8th & 9th Aves, closer to 8th). Even though it is off-broadway, it's just three blocks or so from Broadway theatres also on 46th. So, being all up in the theatre district but still having an off beat, slightly bohemian feel makes it a really good venue.
Not as glam as the Lortel...after all, it is subterranean (while LL is a stand alone building with the playwrights walk of fame in front)...St Luke's theatre only has about 100 seats (and while there isn't a bad seat in the house, i had the BEST seat in the house...front row center - i know, right, two nights in a row!).
Devil's Music is sort of one a woman show, but really there are 4 characters. Three are men who make up her band, and they are actually musicians (piano/bass/sax...sax player also plays clarinet for one number). One of the three guys has a few lines (and a character name, "Pickle"), but really, it's all about Bessie.
The title character is played by Miche Braden. I hadn't seen her before, but i hope to see her again. She sang her face off! The bluesy quality of her voice and the way she embodied the message of every song was in itself performance art.The show starts with a voice describing Bessie's funeral, then suddenly we fly backward in time 9 days to her last concert, and at that concert, she weaves her life-story around great old blues classics.
The audience learns so much about Bessie Smith...her being orphaned as a child, being married to someone who died shortly thereafter, and then being married again to an abusive ne'er do well, her active bisexuality, her adopting a son (and having that son taken away from her by the courts when her second husband reported her for being "unfit" - and what primarily made her "unfit" was her "carnal relations with women"), her sadness as Blues starts to be replaced by Swing in popularity, her success in spite of racism and the Great Depression.
We see (as she drinks almost every minute on stage) that she probably is a problem drinker if not an alcoholic, and while the play is intentionally very accurate about the details of Bessie's life, the playwright does add one bit of foreshadowing by having Bessie get a cold chill every time she mentions death.Finally, the show ends the way Bessie's life did...with a car accident (at only 43). Then, as an encore, the resurrected Bessie comes out and reprises the song she opened the show with.
In addition to her amazing singing voice, and the way Bessie's life is told by way of Bessie herself giving her last concert, there are two other things that really struck me about this play.1. Miche Braden, at least as Bessie Smith, is super sexy! Not beautiful. Not even pretty really. But so embodied, so alive, so confident and strong and still willing to risk vulnerability, so light on her feet (though in reality, about 200# are supported by those feet), so comfortable talking and singing about sex/uality...she was just very sexy.
2. Unlike charles busch, Miche B. does not resort to imitation/impersonation to create her character. She uses her voice (which is risky since BS was a recording artist and her voice is so well known); but much as Charles B. so thoroughly imagines himself to be the lady he is portraying that his/her femininity is the one thing the audience never questions, Miche B. so thoroughly WAS Bessie Smith, so completely believed that she was the incarnation of Bessie Smith, that she didn't need to imitate...she believed she was Bessie, and so we did too. He could have sounded like Kermit the Frog and looked like Lady Gaga, and i think we would have left saying, "that was the Bessie down to the last detail!"
side note - (isn't that what make believe is...when we make ourselves believe that the pretense is true?, and when we believe it, we make others believe it too...).
Where was I? Oh, yes...Devil's Music is FABULOUS!
What a treat it was to find this off-broadway treasure. Money and time very well spent!
Tomorrow (Wednesday matinee) - "Relatively Speaking."I'll tell you about it tomorrow (after I've worshiped once again in the Temple of Dionysus).
durrell
PS - to see all this NY theatre only one month after seeing Follies on Broadway is an embarrassment of riches. meanwhile, i'm happy as a pig in shit!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Follies 2011 - FABULOUS
Once a decade a person should see Sondheim’s Follies. Some call the book “dark” and others say it is poorly written; but no one disputes that the music is haunting, beautiful, compelling, and evocative. And, when the show is well directed and well choreographed, the story seems to tighten up a bit too.
I’ve heard multiple cast recordings of Follies and have seen scenes and heard songs performed from it dozens of times, but in 2001 I finally got to see it on Broadway. I was enchanted. First of all, there are some complex (if habitually unhappy) characters and there are amazing songs. And the 2001 cast was star studded: Treat Williams (still gorgeous at the time), Gregory Harrison (also easy on the eyes), Blythe Danner, Judith Ivy, Betty Garrett, and Polly Bergen were all on the same stage for the same show! Sondheim’s music performed by superstars of stage, film and television all on the Broadway stage was a ShoMo’s wet dream! Betty Garrett soft sold (but very effectively) “Broadway Baby”, Polly Bergen gave dramatic gravitas to a song that is often just an excuse to show off a singer’s “pipes” and Treat Williams, much to my surprise, was a really good singer! Judith Ivy and Blythe Danner might have been odd choices for Sally and Phyllis, but even if their singing voices didn’t quite measure up to Broadway musical theatre standards, their acting more than compensated for it (I’ve always said I prefer to hear actors sing than see singers act). So, even though the costumes, lighting, and sets were over all uninspiring, I was all the same thrilled with the production and very happy to have experienced it in person.
But THEN there was the 2011 Broadway production. OMG! I saw it tonight and would gladly (at full price) see it again tomorrow!
Danny Burstein was maybe the most sympathetic, likable “Buddy” in Follies history. He’s no Treat Williams in the looks department, but his physical grace (he must have been a dancer at one point in his life), his musical talent, and the gentleness he brought the character were nothing short of genius!
Ron Raines, for me, was the worst of the best. He was adequate and his acting was believable but he just didn’t sell it like the others did. Honestly, I think Gregory Harrison was better ten years ago in the role.
Jan Maxwell played Phyllis and if she is not nominated for a Tony there is NO justice in the universe. The woman’s power (not aggression, but merely presence) completely overshadowed Bernadette Peters (who received top billing, but it should be given to Maxwell at once). Her singing, her dancing, her acting, her energy, her physical presence, her facial expressions were all flawless. She wasn’t scene stealing; she never broke character or any way dismissed the importance of anyone in the ensemble cast, and yet, her radiance almost hid the lesser beings on stage entirely from view! Surely, SHE is exactly what Sondheim had in mind 40 years ago. Finally, the REAL Phyllis emerges from the shadows!
Bernadette Peters’ squeaky voice was cute and predictable. She played the frail, delusional Sally very traditionally and adequately. The one time that she really lived into her diva image was when she sang “Loosing My Mind.” It was a dramatic masterpiece, and yet she had so underperformed by then, the audience didn’t seem to appreciate (or even notice really) how good that one moment of her performance was. The audience’s judgment was repeated during the curtain call. Maxwell was the penultimate cast member to come out and was greeted with thunderous applause, shouts, cat calls, and riotous enthusiasm. Then finally, Bernadette came out and while she was greeted warmly, the response felt lack-luster in comparison to the ovation Jan Maxwell received.
Mary Beth Peil’s “Solange” was acceptable, but I seem to remember Jane White’s performance of that character in 2001 being much stronger.
Terri White’s performance as Stella was a triumph! I used to go to Rose’s Turn in the Village to hear Terri sing. She released a CD which I had her sign. Her deep, smoky, bluesy alto voice could unseat Zeus himself, rendering his thunderbolts useless. I read a couple of years ago that Terri had fallen on difficult times but had made a comeback and it was thrilling to see her in this show. She looked better than ever, sounded as good as ever, was funny, and commanded the stage with her tap and jazz moves (I don’t remember Carol Woods’ Stella in 2001 moving much at all, or even being able to in her cumbersome costume).
(On a side note – Joane Worley performed the role, I believe, in 2007. I didn’t see her performance, but so wish I had. She undoubtedly brought some comedic skill to the part, but it would be nearly impossible to outshine Terri White as Stella).
Jayne Houdyshell is a long time theatre veteran, though maybe not as well known as the others I’ve mentioned. But her lack of celebrity status is in no way because she is anything less than brilliant on the boards! I never expected to see “Broadway Baby” performed in a way that I liked as well as Betty Garrett’s performance in 2001, but Ms. Houdyshell won me over instantly. She lacked the glamour or grace of the other women, but rather than allowing that to be a hindrance she used it to her full advantage. She was comedic without being clownish, moved with more confidence and purpose than her body shape suggested possible, and sang as powerfully and masterfully as any of the other creative geniuses in the cast.
Elaine Paige as Carlotta was another high point. She played the aging sex kitten perfectly and performed “I’m Still Here” as well as anyone I’ve ever heard. Still, as good as she was, I seem to recall Polly Bergen being at least as good or maybe better. And for me, though not nearly the singer Paige is, the quintessential Carlotta will always be Yvonne De Carlo. When Carlotta sings, “First you’re another doe-eyed vamp, then someone’s mother, then you’re camp”…that line will never sound as powerful as it sounded from an actor who had been a B-movie vixen and then Lillie Munster before accepting the role of a diva whose star was fading in Follies. Yvonne WAS Carlotta! Still, Polly in 2001 was amazing and Elaine in 2011 was a very close runner up. I guess Polly was a better actor and Elaine was a better singer…the actor sang well and the singer actor well, but I’ve already disclosed by personal bias.
Florence Lacy had a small role (“Sandra”), but I was excited because I just saw her 10 months ago in Sunset Blvd (in the leading role) at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. So in my geekiest fashion I was all, “Hey, it’s HER…we just saw her in something else a few months ago.”
Finally, I must praise the 81 year old Rosalind Elias (“Heidi”). Ms. Elias studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and then continued her studies in Italy, and has had an impressive opera career. In her 50+ year career she has received Grammy awards and has performed in every major opera house in the world, but she now proves that there are always new goals to reach as she makes her Broadway debut with Follies! And not for nothing, but her mezzo-soprano voice is still rich and wonderful. She’s still got it.
The 2001 production had bigger “stars”…but the 2011 production had better choreography, sets, lighting, costumes, and direction. And rather than a collection of stars sharing a stage, this production was a true ensemble cast working together to make magic. I loved it 10 years ago, and I loved it 100 times more tonight. I hope I get to see an even better production of Follies in 2021 (though I wonder how that could be possible).
---Durrell Watkins
Oct. 19, 2011
I’ve heard multiple cast recordings of Follies and have seen scenes and heard songs performed from it dozens of times, but in 2001 I finally got to see it on Broadway. I was enchanted. First of all, there are some complex (if habitually unhappy) characters and there are amazing songs. And the 2001 cast was star studded: Treat Williams (still gorgeous at the time), Gregory Harrison (also easy on the eyes), Blythe Danner, Judith Ivy, Betty Garrett, and Polly Bergen were all on the same stage for the same show! Sondheim’s music performed by superstars of stage, film and television all on the Broadway stage was a ShoMo’s wet dream! Betty Garrett soft sold (but very effectively) “Broadway Baby”, Polly Bergen gave dramatic gravitas to a song that is often just an excuse to show off a singer’s “pipes” and Treat Williams, much to my surprise, was a really good singer! Judith Ivy and Blythe Danner might have been odd choices for Sally and Phyllis, but even if their singing voices didn’t quite measure up to Broadway musical theatre standards, their acting more than compensated for it (I’ve always said I prefer to hear actors sing than see singers act). So, even though the costumes, lighting, and sets were over all uninspiring, I was all the same thrilled with the production and very happy to have experienced it in person.
But THEN there was the 2011 Broadway production. OMG! I saw it tonight and would gladly (at full price) see it again tomorrow!
Danny Burstein was maybe the most sympathetic, likable “Buddy” in Follies history. He’s no Treat Williams in the looks department, but his physical grace (he must have been a dancer at one point in his life), his musical talent, and the gentleness he brought the character were nothing short of genius!
Ron Raines, for me, was the worst of the best. He was adequate and his acting was believable but he just didn’t sell it like the others did. Honestly, I think Gregory Harrison was better ten years ago in the role.
Jan Maxwell played Phyllis and if she is not nominated for a Tony there is NO justice in the universe. The woman’s power (not aggression, but merely presence) completely overshadowed Bernadette Peters (who received top billing, but it should be given to Maxwell at once). Her singing, her dancing, her acting, her energy, her physical presence, her facial expressions were all flawless. She wasn’t scene stealing; she never broke character or any way dismissed the importance of anyone in the ensemble cast, and yet, her radiance almost hid the lesser beings on stage entirely from view! Surely, SHE is exactly what Sondheim had in mind 40 years ago. Finally, the REAL Phyllis emerges from the shadows!
Bernadette Peters’ squeaky voice was cute and predictable. She played the frail, delusional Sally very traditionally and adequately. The one time that she really lived into her diva image was when she sang “Loosing My Mind.” It was a dramatic masterpiece, and yet she had so underperformed by then, the audience didn’t seem to appreciate (or even notice really) how good that one moment of her performance was. The audience’s judgment was repeated during the curtain call. Maxwell was the penultimate cast member to come out and was greeted with thunderous applause, shouts, cat calls, and riotous enthusiasm. Then finally, Bernadette came out and while she was greeted warmly, the response felt lack-luster in comparison to the ovation Jan Maxwell received.
Mary Beth Peil’s “Solange” was acceptable, but I seem to remember Jane White’s performance of that character in 2001 being much stronger.
Terri White’s performance as Stella was a triumph! I used to go to Rose’s Turn in the Village to hear Terri sing. She released a CD which I had her sign. Her deep, smoky, bluesy alto voice could unseat Zeus himself, rendering his thunderbolts useless. I read a couple of years ago that Terri had fallen on difficult times but had made a comeback and it was thrilling to see her in this show. She looked better than ever, sounded as good as ever, was funny, and commanded the stage with her tap and jazz moves (I don’t remember Carol Woods’ Stella in 2001 moving much at all, or even being able to in her cumbersome costume).
(On a side note – Joane Worley performed the role, I believe, in 2007. I didn’t see her performance, but so wish I had. She undoubtedly brought some comedic skill to the part, but it would be nearly impossible to outshine Terri White as Stella).
Jayne Houdyshell is a long time theatre veteran, though maybe not as well known as the others I’ve mentioned. But her lack of celebrity status is in no way because she is anything less than brilliant on the boards! I never expected to see “Broadway Baby” performed in a way that I liked as well as Betty Garrett’s performance in 2001, but Ms. Houdyshell won me over instantly. She lacked the glamour or grace of the other women, but rather than allowing that to be a hindrance she used it to her full advantage. She was comedic without being clownish, moved with more confidence and purpose than her body shape suggested possible, and sang as powerfully and masterfully as any of the other creative geniuses in the cast.
Elaine Paige as Carlotta was another high point. She played the aging sex kitten perfectly and performed “I’m Still Here” as well as anyone I’ve ever heard. Still, as good as she was, I seem to recall Polly Bergen being at least as good or maybe better. And for me, though not nearly the singer Paige is, the quintessential Carlotta will always be Yvonne De Carlo. When Carlotta sings, “First you’re another doe-eyed vamp, then someone’s mother, then you’re camp”…that line will never sound as powerful as it sounded from an actor who had been a B-movie vixen and then Lillie Munster before accepting the role of a diva whose star was fading in Follies. Yvonne WAS Carlotta! Still, Polly in 2001 was amazing and Elaine in 2011 was a very close runner up. I guess Polly was a better actor and Elaine was a better singer…the actor sang well and the singer actor well, but I’ve already disclosed by personal bias.
Florence Lacy had a small role (“Sandra”), but I was excited because I just saw her 10 months ago in Sunset Blvd (in the leading role) at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. So in my geekiest fashion I was all, “Hey, it’s HER…we just saw her in something else a few months ago.”
Finally, I must praise the 81 year old Rosalind Elias (“Heidi”). Ms. Elias studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and then continued her studies in Italy, and has had an impressive opera career. In her 50+ year career she has received Grammy awards and has performed in every major opera house in the world, but she now proves that there are always new goals to reach as she makes her Broadway debut with Follies! And not for nothing, but her mezzo-soprano voice is still rich and wonderful. She’s still got it.
The 2001 production had bigger “stars”…but the 2011 production had better choreography, sets, lighting, costumes, and direction. And rather than a collection of stars sharing a stage, this production was a true ensemble cast working together to make magic. I loved it 10 years ago, and I loved it 100 times more tonight. I hope I get to see an even better production of Follies in 2021 (though I wonder how that could be possible).
---Durrell Watkins
Oct. 19, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
