Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals

More Fallout From Tony Ruling

Apparently, the critics are pissed.

According to Variety, there's been a considerable backlash on the part of the New York critical establishment on the decision by the Tony Awards Powers That Be to remove journalists from the voting rolls. The move has some "journos," as Variety so colorfully coins them, mulling some sort of retaliatory tactic, including "lodging a formal complaint to reopen negotiations, as well as prompting talk of expanding the [New York Drama Critics Circle] annual awards to counter the exclusion from the Tonys."

The article goes on to address various nefarious motivations that different folks have posited as the real reason for the change, with most people dismissing the "conflict of interest" ploy as utter hogwash. Among them:

• Presenters and promoters want to tighten their control over the Tony Awards, further emphasizing that the whole thing's just a marketing ploy anyway.
• Producers are sick of forking over 800 pairs of free tickets, which is ridiculous, since critics see the shows free anyway, even if they're not Tony voters.
• Some theater folk have been pissed at certain theater pundits making Tony predictions and voting to ensure those predictions come true, which even if true seems like an extraordinarily minor point at best.

So, whatever. The Tempest in a Tony Teapot will eventually die down, but another point that the article made really hit home for me, as I'm sure it will for my fellow bloggers:

Others feel the outbreak in recent years of bloggers who disregard established professional etiquette by weighing in before a show's official opening has damaged the reputation of the entire critical community. "Anyone in a position to make editorial comment is now regarded as the enemy," one pundit said.

"Disregard professional etiquette?" I find that wording offensive. "Professional" implies that we're getting paid, which we're not. And "disregard" assumes that bloggers are privy to the inner workings of the critical sanctum sanctorum, which I find arrogant and solipsistic.

But the larger, and more important, point is this: Should bloggers be reviewing shows during previews? I've done so myself, although I've made it plain that the show I was reviewing was in previews. My attitude has always been, if they're charging for admission, the ticket-buying public deserves to know what kind of show they're paying for. But if the bad word gets around before the creators have a chance to make changes, is that fair to the creative staff and the performers?

So, you're on a bobsled and it's snowing out, and it's cold. OK. Go.

Critics No Longer Tony Voters

Last night, the Tony Awards management committee announced that the so-called "First Night" critics -- the ones who (in theory) attend and review shows based on opening nights -- will no longer be eligible to vote in the Tony Awards process. The reason, according to a New York Times report, is that "...the committee concluded that it was a conflict of interest for journalists to vote on Tony contenders when they have a platform to champion a show in news and entertainment media."

So, who's left to vote for the Tonys? Producers, theater owners, publicists, actors, writers, designers, and other union and committee members. You know, the people who have absolutely no conflict of interest. As Robert Diamond, editor-in-chief of BroadwayWorld.com, tweeted last night shortly after the announcement, "As if voting for the Tony Awards needed to find a way to make the process even more insular/biased."

The Tony Awards have really never been more than a thin marketing ploy. (When was the last time the season's best musical actually won Best Musical?) However, as Diamond intimates, this decision brings the voting process in the wrong direction. There were only 800 or so people who voted for the Tonys before this decision, and now there will be only about 700, a reduction of about 13%. And one of the worst kept secrets in the industry is that many of those voters don't bother to see all the shows, although they are supposed to before voting in any particular category. Some shows in recent seasons have seen fewer than 1/3 of the eligible Tony voters show up to see the show. In addition, we're now even more likely to see skewed results: shows with larger casts and crew are even more likely to win because they have more people involved in them to vote, and fewer overall voters to offset that bias.

According to Adam Feldman, critic for Time Out New York, the idea that critics have a conflict of interest is "thin stuff indeed." He writes, "If anything, critics are among the voters least compromised by conflicts of interest, and most likely to vote objectively and fairly for the work they judge to be best." So why did the Tony committee really make this change? Feldman offers this rationale: "...[C]ritics, and indeed criticism, are inconvenient to the modern theater marketer: Old-fashioned in our insistence on quality, unreliable in our support for expensive projects and less necessary in light of the diffusion of information in the Internet age."

Cynical, to be sure, but I'm not so sure he's inaccurate. What do you think, dear reader? Is Feldman right? Is this part of a tacit marginalization of the critical mass? Or is this just sour grapes on the part of the slighted?

Avenue Q to Close September 13th

I was in New York City over the weekend, seeing some shows. (The Norman Conquests: Table Manners, The Wiz, and Knickerbocker Holiday. See my review of NC:TM below. Look for my reviews of the remaining two later in the week. In short: yay, feh, and meh, in that order.)

I had every intention of leaving the city Sunday morning and heading north to Hillsdale to help my dear friend Ann celebrate her birthday. But then Ann called me on Saturday and said, "Stay in the city. I want to come down and see a show."

Twist my arm.

Since it was her birthday, I gave her free reign as to the show we would see. (Although I was dying to suggest that we take in The Norman Conquests: Living Together, I made it a point of honor not to influence her decision.)  She had never seen Avenue Q, and although I had seen it twice already, I found a discount code and ordered up a pair of tickets.

I had heard a rumor that the Broadway production of Avenue Q might be closing in September, and asked one of the staff members at the theater whether that might be true. He said that no official announcement had yet appeared, but that they weren't selling tickets beyond September 13th. Then, this morning, that announcement came: Avenue Q will indeed be closing in September. The show will have played 2,534 regular performances and 22 previews. I'm happy to say that I was at one of those previews, and instantly fell in love with this charming, funny, sweet, and profane show. When it closes, the show will be the 20th longest-running show in Broadway history, putting it past The Producers, Annie, and the recent revival of Cabaret.

Avenue Q holds a special place in Broadway history. First, it pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Tony history by snatching the best-musical award from the hands of Wicked. But, more important, it demonstrated that small shows could make money on Broadway: that you didn't have to have falling chandeliers, or rising tires, or landing helicopters to lure in crowds, make a profit, and provide an entertaining evening out. Subsequent modest shows that became money makers, such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Drowsy Chaperone, Spring Awakening, and the recent revival of Sweeney Todd, all have Avenue Q to thank for proving to a skeptical producing community that it was possible.

I'm happy to report that the current Broadway cast more than does this delightful little show justice. Particularly good is Howie Michael Smith as Princeton/Rod, who crafts a performance that's thoroughly distinct from that of John Tartaglia, who originated the role. Equally good, and just as individual in his interpretation, is Christian Anderson as Nicky/Trekkie Monster. Overall the show remained tight and fresh: even six years into its run, Avenue Q has retained its ability to charm, to shock, and to entertain. 

If you haven't seen Avenue Q yet, or even if you have, I can't recommend it highly enough. As an added incentive, original cast member Ann Harada will be rejoining the show as part of its final cast. Harada was an absolute riot as Christmas Eve, and no one else I've seen in the part has quite measured up to Harada's masterful portrayal. 

To quote one of the best songs from the show, "Everything in life is only for now."

The Norman Conquests - Table Manners

I finally got a chance to see at least one of the three plays that comprise The Norman Conquests. Last night I caught Table Manners, and based on that experience, I'm really hoping to see Living Together and Round and Round the Garden as well. I get the feeling that part of the fun of this comic trilogy is seeing the connections among the three. All of the plays feature the same characters over one weekend in July. Each play is set in a different area of the same house: the dining room, the garden, and the parlor. As I laughed heartily at the comic goings on in Table Manners, I could already get a sense of what was happening in the other locations, and I really can't wait to see the other two plays.

The Norman Conquests features a prodigiously talented cast of six actors who each craft distinct and rich characterizations. It's a shame to single out any one performer, because the ensemble work here is just so strong, but I was particularly taken with Ben Miles as the awkward and clueless Tom. But there's also superb work here from Amanda Root as uptight harridan Sarah, and Jessica Hynes as the dowdy but burgeoning Annie. No less distinct were the delightfully dorky Paul Ritter and Amelia Bullmore as the acid-tongued and near-sighted Ruth. And at the center of it all is the eponymous Norman, played with charming eccentricity by Stephen Magnan.

But the real star of these three shows is director Matthew Warchus. After spinning comic gold from literary dross with Boeing-Boeing, then turning God of Carnage into the biggest hit play in decades, and a laugh riot to boot, and now shaping the comedic masterpiece that is The Norman Conquests (with more than a little help from playwright Alan Ayckbourn), Warchus has established himself as a masterful director. His work reflects not only a solid flair comedy, but also a deft touch at pathos. Both God of Carnage and Norman Conquests are achingly funny, but they also reveal the pain and loneliness beneath the bluster that make the productions, and the people in them, that much more compelling to watch.

The Norman Conquests run at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre until July 26th. Catch it if you can. You might just see me there.

Post-Tony Handicapping - Who's Gonna Close?

The first official post-Tony casualty will be Neil LaBute's Reasons to Be Pretty, which will close June 14th after about 80 regular performances. But that's a play, right, dear reader? We wanna know which musical will close first, don't we?

My money is on the Guys and Dolls revival, which last week played to 61% capacity, with an average ticket of about $70. The show's grosses have been heading steadily downward since hitting a high of about $750,000 in April, and have lately been around $400,000. And the lackluster Guys and Dolls production number on the Tony broadcast, combined with a grand total of zero Tonys earned, probably won't help to turn that trend around. 

On the "original" musical front, the show that would seem to be in the most immediate danger is 9 to 5, which played to about 75% percent last week, with an average ticket of $75. The show's recent weekly grosses of around $750,000 might be enough to keep it alive, if it can sustain that level of performance. I have a feeling that the show may last through the summer, buoyed by the strong tourist trade in New York, but will probably close come fall.

Then there's Next to Normal. Although the show has recently seen its attendance rise to more than 90%, its average ticket has been about $65. The show's grosses have peaked at around $350,000, although since the show has a cast of six and a modest band, that may be enough to keep the show afloat. Will the show's three Tonys (best score, best actress, and a shared Tony for best orchestrations) give it a much-needed lift in its grosses? N2N does seem to be building a significant following, but then so did [title of show].

As for the musicals that have legs, clearly Billy Elliot and West Side Story are in no danger of closing any time soon. Both are doing spectacularly at the box office. (Click on the show titles for historical grosses.) And Hair, after a slow start, has been growing steadily in ticket sales and grosses, and I see that growing even stronger after its Tony win for best revival and the national exposure from the show's terrific title number.

What's your take, dear reader? Did the Tony broadcast make you more or less likely to see the shows listed above? Which do you think will last, and which are not long for this world? 

P.S. When I originally posted on this topic, I completely forgot about Shrek. Kinda tells you something, doesn't it? Well, Shrek is a real wild card, and rather tough to predict, because rumor has it that the show has pretty much been running in the red since it opened. The show's average ticket price has been about $70, its attendance at about 70%, and its grosses around $650,000. Many other musicals would be able to make a profit at that level, but Shrek has a huge cast and presumably a pretty big weekly nut to meet. But but since Dreamworks has really deep pockets, and a tremendous amount to prove, there's no telling how long they're going to be willing to run the show at a loss before taking it on tour and cleaning up in the provinces. 

P.P.S. Where is my head today? I also forgot about Rock of Ages. Mea culpa, dear reader. Well, ROA has also been seeing its grosses increase steadily since it opened. Lately it's been pulling in about $450,000 a week, and it very well could be making a profit at that level. The average ticket has risen slowly from about $40 to around $64, which is OK, but could be better. But what's interesting is that the attendance percentage has stayed roughly the same, about 90%. Which means that the audience size has been relatively constant, but the amount that people are paying to see the show is rising. If that continues, the show might just return its investment and settle in for a profitable run.

The Tony Awards - Not as Crass as Expected

With all the pre-show hullabaloo about the Tony Awards broadcast, I went in expecting it to be one big crass-fest. Maybe that's why I came out feeling that it was the best Tony show in a number of years. Admittedly, the bar's not very high here.

I wasn't able to watch the show live and provide play-by-play on Twitter. (If you'd like to follow my random theater musings on an ongoing basis, I'm @ccaggiano.) So here are the impressions that I would have been posting, based on watching the show last night on TiVo delay.

The opening number: Was busy and frantic, and had some major sound problems. Actually, the show in general had significant sound issues, but it was most notable in the opening number, as well as during the Guys and Dolls performance. Oddest pairing: Stockard Channing and Aaron Tveit. Um, why?

Shrek number: I was pleased to see that the folks at Dreamworks decided to do an entire number from the show and not a greatest-hits montage, as so many shows have done in the past. The cast from Shrek performed "What's Up, Duloc?," featuring Tony nominee Christopher Sieber. Yeah, it's not the best number, from an admittedly lackluster score, but I give them props for not cutting and pasting bits and pieces from each of the nominees' best numbers.

Neil Patrick Harris: I thought NPH as the show's host was terrific: charming, confident, and self-effacing. I particularly liked the number with which he ended the show -- "Tonight" from West Side Story, with rewritten lyrics -- my favorite line from which was "The show could not be any gayer, if Liza was named mayor, and Elton John took flight." And I loved the sushi joke, at Jeremy Piven's well-deserved expense.

The touring-show numbers: The numbers from the touring productions of Mamma Mia, Legally Blonde and Jersey Boys were pointless. Bend over, Tony: the Broadway League wants a free commercial. The only number I didn't fast-forward through was Jersey Boys, because I found the gimmick of bringing in the five different Frankie Valli actors at least momentarily intriguing. (Be honest: by the end, you had chosen a favorite, right?) Yeah, I know: the Tony Awards in general are just one big commercial. But at least showcasing numbers from the nominated shows has a shred of credibility.

Best score: Yeah, Billy Elliot proved to be the juggernaut of the evening, but plucky little Next to Normal stopped Billy from sweeping up every award in sight. Congrats to Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt for snatching the Tony from the undeserving hands of Elton John and Dolly Parton. And props to the Tony voters for seeing beyond the stars in their eyes.

West Side Story number: "The Dance at the Gym" was a good choice for the show. It showcased the terrific playfulness between Matt Cavenaugh and Josephina Scaglione, as well as Jerome Robbins' kick-ass choreography. I wasn't so hot on the way they ended it, with a snatch from the "Tonight" duet, but again I was glad not to see a montage/commercial.

Rock of Ages number: Speaking of montages, I was rather unimpressed by the custom-made production number from Rock of Ages. Despite the effort, the number really didn't do the show justice, and failed to capture what is actually appealing about this show. If I hadn't already seen the show (twice) this number would not have induced me.

Liza: Is Liza Minnelli falling apart before our very eyes, or what? Did they have paramedics standing by in case she imploded?

Guys and Dolls number: "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" was an unfortunate choice for Guys and Dolls, since that was the number that the 1992 cast performed on the Tonys, and it created an unfortunate reminder of what the present revival is lacking. Plus, it put the miscasting of the otherwise talented Tituss Burgess into unflattering relief. And then there was the microphone trouble: we could hear the backstage folk panicking, but we couldn't hear Burgess sing until a stagehand ran on stage with a hand mike. What is this, 1950? Haven't we mastered the challenges of live TV by now? And how many people are greeting their Monday morning to the sight of a pink slip?

Best supporting actor: One of the genuine surprises of the night was when Greg Jbara won for Billy Elliot. I would have put good money on Will Swenson from Hair. But the voters were probably recognizing Jbara for admittedly strong performances past and present, and were likely caught up in the Billy Elliot tidal wave.

Next to Normal number: Alice Ripley seemed to be having some tempo problems in this number, although it might have been more sound issues with the TV production. But performing "You Don't Know/I Am the One" was a super choice, showing this moving show to its best advantage. Oh, and Alice, lovey, I applaud your winning best actress for Next to Normal, but WHY WERE YOU YELLING DURING YOUR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH?!

In Memoriam: Was anyone else annoyed by the relentless camera pans during the tribute to theater folks who died in the past year? I could barely read Marilyn Cooper's name.

The Billy Elliot monolith: Best sound design? Best SET!? Did the Tony voters actually see the Billy Elliot set? It's hideous and awkward. You might say, "Well it's supposed to be ugly. These people are living in squalor." Granted. But does that mean we have to throw an award at urban blight? Again, we're probably just witnessing the Billy momentum here. 

Frank Langella: I applaud Frank Langella for what some might consider a self-aggrandizing speech. Perhaps it was. But he did serve as a reminder to the Tony nominating committee that, um, there were a bunch of shows that opened in the fall, many of which (The Seagull, anyone?) were entirely shut out. 

Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer: "Hiss!" and "Boo!" to the TV crew for mixing up Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter. And props to the classy Marcia Gay Harden for pointing the gaffe out in her acceptance speech. 

The Hair number: Performing the title song from Hair was a very good choice, nicely capturing the exuberance of the show, which thankfully went on to win Best Revival. I loved it when Oskar Eustis said "Peace now! Freedom now! Equality now!," emphasizing the last one by pointing to his wedding ring, a clear and welcome reference to gay marriage.

Billy Elliot number: On the one hand, I was glad to see that they chose only one Billy Elliot to showcase in the "Angry Dance." (It was Trent Kowalik.) On the other hand, the number, which was one of the moments in the show that I found genuinely compelling, came off as loud, tuneless, and harsh, and was also poorly shot. Oh, and BTW, would that the Tony nominating committee and voters had shown the same strength of character and actually chosen *one* Billy as best actor. But that would hurt somebody's feelings, now wouldn't it? We can't have an awards show hurt someone's feelings, can we? (Yeah, well, talk to Frank Dolce, the poor kid who shares the part of Michael with Tony nominee David Bologna, about that one.) I didn't see David Alvarez, but I heard he's very good. I got Kiril Kulish, who is a terrific dancer, but the heavy acting scenes were a bit of a stretch for him. And now, all three of them have a Tony. Oh, isn't that just adorable?

Best Musical: As for the Billy Elliot sweep, well, all I can say is, I hated the show in London (read my review), but I was moderately engaged by the Broadway production (read my re-review). It's a great big crowd-pleaser, and there's some really solid stagecraft in evidence. But the score is awful, and the dance is IMHO overrated. Is it a classic for the ages? Will it become a stalwart part of the musical theater canon? Will community theaters and high school drama societies be performing Billy Elliot fifty years from now? Oh, sister, I have such doubts.

The Independent Theater Blogger Awards

Yeah, I know. Just what the theater world needs, another set of awards. But at least on this one, I actually got a chance to vote.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the first annual Independent Theater Blogger Awards. [insert crowd noise.]

Recently, one of my fellow bloggers, Ken Davenport of The Producer's Perspective, proposed that we theater bloggers get together and form our own group, the Independent Theater Bloggers Association. The idea was that, as newspapers face an uncertain future, and theater critics continue to receive pink slips, bloggers would become an increasingly important voice in the theatrical community.

Ken has a number of different ideas about what we can do together as a group, but our first official act was to vote on the best plays and musicals of the season. Everyone loves awards, specious though they may be, and it would help our fledging group to garner attention. To simplify the process, Ken chose to use the nominees from the Tonys and the Lucille Lortel Awards, but in the future I'm hoping that we'll also provide our own nominees.

So here are the winners of this year's ITBA Awards. Look for more news about the ITBA and its activities in the months to come.

• BEST BROADWAY PLAY: Reasons To Be Pretty

• BEST BROADWAY MUSICAL: Billy Elliot

• BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: Hair

• BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A PLAY: The Norman Conquests

• BEST OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL: Fela!

• BEST OFF-BROADWAY PLAY: Ruined

• BEST OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL (PLAY OR MUSICAL): Our Town

• BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY PLAY: Universal Robots

• BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE: Suspicious Package

• CITATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN OFF-OFF BROADWAY THEATER: Flux Theatre Ensemble

And here is the ITBA membership, thus far. Bloggers interested in joining the ITBA should contact Ken Davenport at the ITBA Web site.

• Bill Brown - Creating Theater (creatingtheater.com)
• Linda Buchwald - Pataphysical Science (pataphysicalscience.blogspot.com)
• Donald Butchko - Me2ism (me2ism.blogspot.com)
• Chris Caggiano - Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals (ccaggiano.typepad.com)
• Zack Calhoon - Visible Soul (zackcalhoon.blogspot.com)
• Jodi Schoenbrun Carter - Off Stage Right (off-stage-right.com)
• Corine Cohen - Corine's Corner (corinescorner.com)
• Kevin Daly - Theatre Aficionado at Large (theatreaficionado.blogspot.com)
• Ken Davenport - The Producer's Perspective (theproducersperspective.com)
• Ryan J. Davis - Ryan J. Davis Blogs (ryanjdavis.blogspot.com)
• Jeremy Dobrish - Jeremy’s Green Room (JeremysGreenRoom.com)
• Donell James Foreman - The DJF (thedjf.blogspot.com)
• Michael Gilboe - Broadway Bullet (broadwaybullet.com)
• Dan Gilloon - One NYC StageHand (onenycstagehand.blogspot.com)
• Diana Glazer - Lezbehonest (lezbehonest.tumblr.com)
• Byrne Harrison - Stage Buzz (stagebuzz.com)
• Leonard Jacobs - The Clyde Fitch Report (clydefitch.com)
• Patrick Lee - Just Shows to Go You (justshowstogoyou.com)
• James Marino - Broadway Stars (broadwaystars.com)
• Tulis McCall - Usher Nonsense (ushernonsense.com)
• Jesse North - Stage Rush (stagerush.blogspot.com)
• Aaron Riccio - That Sounds Cool (thatsoundscool.blogspot.com)
• Sarah Roberts - Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment (sarahbsadventures.blogspot.com)
• Michael Roderick - One Producer in the City (oneproducerinthecity.typepad.com)
• Adam Rothenberg - Adaumbelle’s Quest (adaumbellesquest.com)
• David Spencer - Aisle Say (aislesay.com)
• Ethan Stanislawski - Tynan's Anger (tynansanger.com)
• Gil Varod - Broadway Abridged (BroadwayAbridged.com)
• Kim Weild - kimweild.com

Spring Awakening on Tour

I have to be honest: I wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing Spring Awakening again. There's something about certain musical tragedies that really depresses me, mostly because, although I can appreciate the stagecraft, I dread the inevitable outcome. Shows that fall into this category for me include West Side Story, Parade, Marie Christine, and Lost in the Stars. All very worthy shows, but de-ee-pressing to sit through.

It's not that I demand a happy ending: I could sit through Grey Gardens or Next to Normal again and again, and those shows are hardly carefree romps. (Yes, Next to Normal. I find I'm becoming more and more enamored of this show as I listen to the CD. A woman's prerogative, and all that.)

But since I have two former students who are currently in the tour cast of Spring Awakening, I felt I should at least do them the courtesy. Plus, I wanted to see if my initial positive reaction to the show still held true. (Read my original review here.)

In short, no. I still think the show is a worthy addition to the musical theater canon, and represents some really compelling work on the part of director Michael Mayer and choreographer Bill T. Jones. But I'm becoming less and less a fan of the score, which has music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater. Sure, the songs are deliberately anachronistic, with mentions of phone calls and stereos, neither of which existed at the time when the show takes place. But I've always reconciled that, as well as the use of hand-held microphones, with the idea that the production team were trying to make the message of the show more universal, using an almost Brechtian style of presentation.

But some of the things that have soured me on the show include Sater's egregious use of slant rhyme (e.g. paring "written" with "wisdom"), the bland undifferentiated nature of many of Sheik's melodies, and the non-integrated nature of much of the score. Often the numbers seem to bear little relation to what's going on in the plot. This is especially true at the top of act two, where we have "The Guilty Ones," "Don't Do Sadness," and "Blue Wind" in succession. Although I was trying to listen to the lyrics to find some connection to the story, I eventually gave up. My attention waned almost entirely until "Totally Fucked" brought me back into the moment. And I'll be damned if I can figure out what "The Song of Purple Summer" is supposed to mean. The promise of the future, I guess, but the lyrics are so random and vague, it's really hard to care.

That said, the cast for the tour is quite strong. It's hard to live up to the dynamic Jonathan Groff as Melchior, but Kyle Riabko does an admirable job of trying to make the part his own. I actually preferred Blake Bashoff as Moritz to Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. I found Gallagher unbearably mannered in the role, but Bashoff made the part simultaneously frenetic and sympathetic. (Oh, and a special shout out to my BoCo peeps Chase Davidson and Kimiko Glenn in the supporting cast. Super job, guys. And break a leg with the rest of the tour.)

Both Sheik and Sater have announced various other musical-theater projects that they've been working on. Sheik recently released the concept album for Whisper House, which is scheduled to have its premiere at the Old Globe in San Diego during its 2009-2010 season. As I said in my review of the Whisper House CD, my fear is that this new project will suffer from the same randomness and lack of integration as Spring Awakening. But, as always, I maintain an open mind, and look forward to seeing how the show comes together.

The 2009 Tony Award Nominations

Let the orgy of self-congratulation begin!

I haven't been paying much attention to all the awards this season. (You know, The Drama Desk Awards, The Drama League Awards, The Lucille Lortel Awards, The Outer Critics Circle Awards, The Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Obies, The Actor's Equity Awards, The Theater World Awards, The Left-Handed Jewish Lesbian Mud Wrestlers Awards, etc.)

I guess I'm not all that into the shiny prizes this season because there hasn't been one production that has overwhelmingly won my heart, as there has been in the last few seasons. (Xanadu, Grey Gardens, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Avenue Q). I'm certainly fond of, but not obsessed over, [title of show], although I'll certainly be rooting for Hunter Bell for best book, the show's sole nomination. But other than that, there's not really one show that I'm rooting for over all others. 

The above awards matter mostly to press agents and advertising copywriters, although the Pulitzer is certainly in a league of its own. The awards that truly matter, at least financially, are the Tony Awards, the nominations for which came out yesterday. Below are the major musical categories. (Because those are the only awards that really matter to us, right dear reader?) Here's the tally for the musical productions eligible this season:

• Billy Elliot - 15
• Next to Normal - 11
• Hair - 8
• Shrek - 8
• Rock of Ages - 5
• 9 to 5 - 4
• Pal Joey - 4
• West Side Story - 4
• Guys and Dolls - 2
• Irving Berlin's White Christmas - 2
• [title of show] - 1

The following shows were shut out entirely: 

• A Tale of Two Cities - I don't think anyone expected this abomination to get any recognition whatsoever.
• The Story of My Life - This is understandable, I suppose, since the show only lasted four regular performances, but I would love to have seen Neil Bartram get a nod for his lovely, complex, and underrated score. I strongly recommend the CD when it comes out from PS Classics on June 2nd.
• 13 - I find this thoroughly inexplicable. First of all, the show was really quite good, albeit flawed. But to ignore Jason Robert Brown's terrific score yet nominate Dolly Parton's weak and forgettable work on 9 to 5 is simply beyond me.

Here are the Tony nominations themselves, along with my own commentary on who got left out, as well as whom I'm rooting for. The Tony Awards ceremony this year is on June 7th. 

Best Musical
    Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Next to Normal
    Rock of Ages
    Shrek The Musical
WHO'S MISSING: 9 to 5, [title of show], 13
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: Again, I'm not passionate about any one show, and it seems pretty clear that Billy Elliot is going to win, but at this point I'm pulling for Next to Normal. It's certainly the most moving and ambitious of the nominees.

Best Book of a Musical
    Billy Elliot, The Musical, Lee Hall
    Next to Normal, Brian Yorkey
    Shrek The Musical, David Lindsay-Abaire
    [title of show], Hunter Bell
WHO'S MISSING: 9 to 5, Rock of Ages
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: As I mentioned, I'm pulling for Hunter Bell, but I have a feeling this one is going to be a toss-up between Yorkey and Hall.

Best Original Score
    Billy Elliot, The Musical, Music: Elton John, Lyrics: Lee Hall
    Next to Normal, Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
    9 to 5: The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton
    Shrek The Musical, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
WHO'S MISSING: Again, inexplicably Jason Robert Brown for 13, as well as Neil Bartram for The Story of My Life
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: Next to Normal, all the way. People may love Billy Elliot, but Elton John's score is weak and forgettable. Plus, he's already won for Aida, and the Tony voters often prefer to spread the wealth.

Best Revival of a Musical
    Guys and Dolls
    Hair
    Pal Joey
    West Side Story
WHO'S MISSING: Nobody. Pal Joey and Guys and Dolls got this one by default because there were only four revivals.
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: Hair, big time. West Side Story had the momentum for a while, but Hair seems to have overtaken it. And rightly so.

Best Actor in a Musical
    David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish‚ Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Gavin Creel, Hair
    Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
    Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
    J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal
WHO'S MISSING: Matt Cavenaugh for West Side Story
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: First, let me just say nominating all three Billys is annoying. So the Tony voters weren't brave enough to select one over the others? I saw Kiril Kulish, and his dancing was great, but his acting was one-dimensional. This one's a toss-up for me, between Gavin Creel and Brian D'arcy James, but I'm going to have to say BDJ, if only because I went to college with his sister. (You laugh, but do you really think the Tony voters don't take such things into account? I mean, c'mon.)

Best Actress in a Musical
    Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
    Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical
    Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical
    Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
    Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story
WHO'S MISSING: Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty for 9 to 5, Lauren Graham and Kate Jennings Grant for Guys and Dolls. I think the latter two may have been penalized because so many people didn't like the show, but I enjoyed both performances very much.
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: I really think this is Alice Ripley's year. She absolutely kicks major amounts of butt in N2N. Janney is a contender, but the tide of opinion seems to be turning against her show.

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
    David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical
    Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical
    Will Swenson, Hair
WHO'S MISSING: The sexy and dynamic Mitchell Jarvis for Rock of Ages
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: Despite my deep affection for Christopher Sieber, and the fact that he's an absolute stitch in Shrek, I'm gonna have to go with Will Swenson, who has this unbelievable stage presence and vibrancy as Berger. Plus, he's frickin' hot as hell. (Why should that matter? Oh, please. As though the Tonys had anything to do with actual quality...)

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
    Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
    Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Karen Olivo, West Side Story
    Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
    Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical
WHO'S MISSING: Amy Spanger for Rock of Ages, Allie Trimm from 13
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: I'm gonna say Karen Olivo, who is the best thing in West Side Story. She was such a revelation in this show, after being given such an underwritten role in the overrated In the Heights.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
    Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls
    Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Scott Pask, Pal Joey
    Mark Wendland, Next to Normal
WHO'S MISSING: The Story of My Life, with its lovely and simple all-white set, and A Tale of Two Cities. Tony Walton's skeletal, modular wonder was just about the only thing on stage at the Hirschfeld worth looking at.
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: The set for Pal Joey was colorless and dull. The Billy Elliot set is hideous beyond belief. Everyone hates Guys and Dolls. So, I'm going with N2N, with its sleek and functional three-tier grid.

Best Costume Design of a Musical
    Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages
    Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
    Michael McDonald, Hair
WHO'S MISSING: A Tale of Two Cities: Sure the show sucked, but the costumes were glam, and period pieces, even if they're huge flops, often score a nom. Heck, even Lestat got a costume nod.
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: I'm going with Shrek here. Yeah the reviews were tepid, and the show is losing money every week. But Hatley's costumes add considerable life to this lackluster affair, and all the other shows feature costumes they could have assembled from the casts' collective closets. I'm not saying that they did, but they coulda.

Best Direction of a Musical
    Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Michael Greif, Next to Normal
    Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages
    Diane Paulus, Hair
WHO'S MISSING: So many big hitters were roundly ignored this season, including Arthur Laurents for West Side Story, Joe Mantello for 9 to 5, and Richard Maltby Jr. for The Story of My Life
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: I'm going with Diane Paulus, who, with the able assistance of choreographer Karol Armitage, breathed dynamic life into a show that could easily have come off as shaky museum piece.

Best Choreography
    Karole Armitage, Hair
    Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
    Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
    Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin's White Christmas
WHO'S MISSING: Sergio Trujillo for Guys and Dolls, Joey McKneely for West Side Story. (Hey, if Ann Reinking can win a frickin' Tony for Chicago, why couldn't McKneely get a nom for WSS?)
WHOM I'M ROOTING FOR: He doesn't have a chance, but Randy Skinner did some pretty stellar work on White Christmas. The man is a tap whiz, and he really knows how to dress a stage. But something tells me this one is going to go to Darling. Blankenbuehler's a talented man, but his style was totally wrong for 9 to 5.

Oscar Nominations: The Theatrical Take

For years, I haven't been all that interested in going to the movies. I even canceled my Netflix subscription because the DVDs were sitting unwatched on my coffee table for months on end. I think it might be an ADD thing: most of my recent entertainment has been in the form of watching TV shows on DVD or fast-forwarding through very select cable shows on TiVo.

But starting in the fall, my interest in movie going became rekindled by a number of theater-related releases, a number of which received Oscar nods when the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. Here's my decidedly myopic take on those nominations.

Of course, there's "Frost/Nixon" and "Doubt," both of which boast strong theatrical pedigrees. "Frost/Nixon" received five nominations, including one for best picture, and one for best actor, the marvelous Frank Langella. (Read my "Frost/Nixon" review here.) And then there's "Doubt," which also received five nominations, nearly all of them in the acting categories: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and  Viola Davis all received nominations, a feat that replicates the play's showing in the 2005 Tony nominations. (Read my "Doubt" review here.) Both films also received nods in the best adapted screenplay category, which is also of theatrical interest given the original playwrights adapted their respective works for the screen, John Patrick Shanley for Doubt, and Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon. (Oh, yeah, and Ron Howard was nominated for directing "Frost/Nixon," yadda yadda yadda.)

Beyond the stage-to-screen adaptations, there's the marvelous "WALL-E," which earned six  nominations, including ones for best animated feature and best original screenplay. (Read my review of "WALL-E" here.) Regular readers will recall why this movie is of theatrical interest: in the course of the events in this lovely film, showtunes -- in particular, those from the film version of "Hello, Dolly!" -- play a significant role in nothing less than saving the frickin' world itself. I mean, what's not to love? I was disappointed that "WALL-E" didn't snag a nom for best picture, but it's pretty clear that the movie's going to win, at the very least, best animated feature. (It's up against "Bolt" and "Kung Fu Panda." Hello.)

Also of note: the well-received Gus Van Sant movie "Milk" garnered eight nominations, including those for best picture and best adapted screenplay. Yeah, this isn't really theater-related, but it is gay-related -- and, really, on some level, aren't they really the same thing? Of both theatrical and gay interest is the fact that hottie Hugh Jackman will host the February 22nd Academy Awards.

I may actually have to watch this year. Woof.

Doubt: The Movie

After reading some of the reviews of the new "Doubt" movie, I was a bit hesitant to take it in. Reports that stars Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were chewing up scenery left and right gave me pause.

Well, I'm happy to report that I witnessed no such scenery noshing on the screen. In fact, I found this movie version of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer-Prize and Tony-Award winning play Doubt quite compelling, and I was thrilled at the nuance of the three central performances, including that of the always lovely and moving Amy Adams.

The movie starts off with some awkward and obvious directorial touches. (Shanley also directs the movie, from his own screenplay.) And there are certainly some moments when the actors appear at least on the verge of teetering off the precipice of subtlety into the chasm of melodrama. But in the grand tradition of movie mysteries, the film kept me guessing until the very end. And beyond.

Chief among the movie's assets are of course its three central performances. Are there any finer actors, on film or stage, than Streep and Hoffman? Streep gives a solid and credible performance here as the school principal on a mission. But Hoffman is the real star of the movie, bringing dimension and pathos to a complex character. Looking into his soulful yet inscrutable eyes, you could just as easily condemn as exonerate this priest, as portrayed by Hoffman. And Adams, as I've said, makes for an effective and affecting foil to Streep's grand inquisitor.

Oh, and a quibble. The official subtitle of the play version of Doubt calls it a parable. I'm at a loss to explain this notation. Doesn't a parable typically have a lesson to teach? Well, how can the play claim to be a parable when it goes out of its way to make you...well...doubt what's actually going on? Is Shanley being ironic? Anyone care to take a stab at a clarification?

Speaking of Sarah Palin...

No sooner had I posted the photo below than I saw this poster on 8th Avenue. Ya gotta love New York.

Frightening, indeed.

 

In the Heights Grosses: The Power of the Tony

What a difference a Tony makes.

Since winning the coveted best-musical distinction at this year's Tony Awards, In the Heights has seen its weekly grosses increase by about 50%. The show started off with grosses around $300,000, eventually rising to $600k just before the Tonys. The week after, the show's take shot up to to $800k, and recently has been coming in at over $1 million. What's more, the average ticket price has gone from about $74 to $94. Weekly attendance has risen from around 75% to the high 90s, and the show has even sold out completely a couple of times in the past few weeks.

When I first saw the show Off-Broadway, I flat out hated it. (Read my review here.) I thought it was hackneyed and overacted, and I just wasn't buying it. But when I saw the show again on Broadway -- Never let it be said that I don't give shows a second chance -- I found myself captivated by the sheer exuberance of the dancing and the performances. (Read my second review here.) In retrospect, I think I may have been overly gushy in my reconsideration of the show, but there's no question that I was more receptive the second time to the show and its derivative charms.

Is it a great musical? No. Is it a fun and enjoyable musical? Absolutely. It wasn't the best musical of the season in my estimation: I found Xanadu, Passing Strange, and A Catered Affair all superior to In the Heights. (Click through the links to read my reviews of each.) But there seems little question that In the Heights has become the most popular new musical of the season, and I certainly don't begrudge it that distinction. I just wish the other three shows could have experienced popularity and monetary success as well. Xanadu could still make a profit, and might have already, for all I know. But it's a real shame that Passing Strange and A Catered Affair both shuttered at a presumed loss. They both deserved better.

The Tonys: Who Should've Won

The Tony Award broadcast last night was a lackluster affair overall, but I was particularly disappointed in the winners. Herewith is my list of who should have won. I've omitted some of the technical awards, mostly because I don't really care, but also because they all went to South Pacific, which pulled off a bit of a Producers-esque sweep in categories that no one really cares about, so the voters just automatically give it to the show they liked the best, irrespective of the actual quality of the work.

Best Musical:
WHO WON: *In the Heights
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: Xanadu
Yeah, Xanadu didn't have a snowball's chance of winning, but IMHO it was the most enjoyable Broadway musical of the season.

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical
WHO WON: *Patti LuPone, Gypsy
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: *Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Here, at least, the Tony voters got it right. LuPone was masterful, and the other admittedly talented women in this category didn't even come close to the power and nuance of LuPone's Mama Rose.

Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Musical
WHO WON: *Paulo Szot, South Pacific
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park With George
The dazzling revival of Sunday got lost in the shadow of Gypsy and South Pacific, but Evans really deserved to win for his sympathetic and animated portrayal of George.

Best Revival of a Musical
WHO WON: *South Pacific
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: Gypsy
Much as I enjoyed Sunday, it was the Gypsy revival that really deserved the revival Tony, although it was recognized in most of the acting categories.

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Musical
WHO WON: *Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: Danny Burstein, South Pacific
I love Boyd Gaines, and he was terrific in Gypsy, but he's won three times before. That shouldn't matter, but it does. I wasn't a big fan of South Pacific, but Burstein deserves recognition for a long career of terrific character roles. Yeah, it should be about the individual performance, but if the Tony voters aren't going to be purists, why should I be?

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Musical
WHO WON: *Laura Benanti, Gypsy
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: *Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Again, right on the money. I personally felt that Benanti pushed a bit too much in the confrontation scenes, but she's a remarkably talented woman, and she was so good as the meek Louise, I'm willing to forgive her minor excesses as Gypsy Rose Lee.

Best Original Score
WHO WON: *In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: *In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Well, it really should have been John Bucchino for A Catered Affair, but he wasn't nominated. Of the scores that were nominated, In The Heights is probably the best. The more I listen to Passing Strange the less I like it, although it works well in the theater.

Best Direction of a Musical
WHO WON: *Bartlett Sher, South Pacific
WHO SHOULD HAVE ONE: Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
There's really no comparison here. Laurents' work on the revival of the show that he wrote in the first place is head and shoulders above Sher's pedestrian work on the vastly overrated (both as a show and a production) South Pacific.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
WHO WON: *Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
The Tony voters got such a hard-on for South Pacific, they lost all sense of reason. The brilliant design on the technologically advanced yet emotionally resonant Sunday revival puts the South Pacific set to shame.

Best Book of a Musical
WHO WON: *Passing Strange, Stew
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: Xanadu, Douglas Carter Beane
DCB deserved the Tony for nearly singlehandedly re-imagining one of the worst movies of all time and making it into a hilarious and smart camp-fest. Stew's work is OK, but too often veers into pretense.

Best Choreography
WHO WON: *Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: *Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Blankenbuehler's energetic work is one of the best reasons to see this lively but overly earnest show.

Best Orchestrations
WHO WON: *Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In the Heights
WHO SHOULD HAVE WON: Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair
The Tony voters could have at least thrown A Catered Affair a bone for Tunick's lovely and intimate orchestrations of John Bucchino's sadly overlooked score.

The Phony Awards

I haven't really been all that into the Tony Awards this year, which is ironic because this season I saw almost every eligible musical. (Somehow I could never quite bring myself to buy a ticket for Grease.) The fact that the nominating committee chose to slight the lovely A Catered Affair in favor of the vastly inferior Cry-Baby just left a bad taste in my mouth.

And apparently I'm not the only one with a bitter aftertaste. My sources tell me that there has been a lot of grumbling about the Tony-nomination process this year, and that it might even cause a shakeup in the nominating committee. Too many business types and not enough artists, or something like that. Plus, there are only 26 people on the committee. I know it would be very hard to have a larger number of people who have a chance to see every show, but clearly those 26 people don't reflect an accurate cross-section of the industry.

What's more, a recent piece on Bloomberg.com exposes just how fraudulent the actual voting process is. Voters are supposed to see every show in a category in order to vote for that particular award. But according to Jeremy Gerard, there are quite a few shows this season that saw Tony-voter attendance of less than 50%. Not that that will stop anyone from voting, the oversight process being virtually nonexistent. Apparently, this season isn't all that unusual in that respect.

Then there's the Tony broadcast itself, which this year has become even more of a pander-fest that usual. At this writing, no fewer than thirteen shows will perform musical numbers on the awards ceremony, which will air on CBS this Sunday night at 8 PM. In addition to the traditional nominees for best musical and best musical revival, the show will feature numbers from Rent and The Lion King, the former to commemorate the end of the run of this landmark show, and the latter to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary.

As predicted, CBS will also allow the high-profile but low-quality shows The Little Mermaid and Young Frankenstein to perform, in a blatant ploy for viewership. On the plus side, A Catered Affair will also get a number, which is a bit of a surprise. I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind that: perhaps the producers wanted to make up for the obvious oversight?

Don't get me wrong: I love the numbers on the Tony broadcast even more than the awards themselves. Far more, in fact. And I know that the producers have a fiduciary responsibility to the advertisers to attract the biggest audience possible. But the unsavory combination of a flawed nomination process, a fraudulent voting process, and a painfully populist awards ceremony have left me sort of glad I have a concert to perform in on Sunday evening. So, after the concert I can fire up TiVo and bloop-Bloop-BLOOP my way through all the crap. I have a feeling I'm going to be bloop-Bloop-BLOOP-ing quite a bit.

Tony Nominations: Catered Affair Was Robbed

The Tony Nominations came out this morning, and I'll be spreading my observations out over the next few days.

But the first thing that I noticed was that Cry-Baby received nominations in the best musical, best score, and best book categories at the expense of a far superior show: A Catered Affair. The nomination committee evidently got a hair across its collective ass and decided to slight librettist Harvey Fierstein, composer/lyricist John Bucchino, and director John Doyle.

That's really a shame. Although I found Cry-Baby passable (read my review), I enjoyed A Catered Affair far more (read my review). I mean, how can you even compare John Bucchino's lovely score to that of whoever those guys are who wrote the forgettable Cry-Baby songs? Well, history will out, and I think we're going to see that in the long run Bucchino's stirring and heartfelt songs will stand the test of time. Cry-Baby, not so much. At least the stars of A Catered Affair got their well deserved nods for leading actor and actress: Tom Wopat and Faith Prince. Also nominated was the great Jonathan Tunick for his orchestrations.

Hey, it's a business, right? The Tony committee probably felt that Cry-Baby had a better chance of touring and would have a more lively number to present on the Tony television broadcast. I've long since given up the notion that the Tonys had anything to do with artistic merit. But they do mean business: shows that win Tony Awards tend to run longer. Which probably means that the delightful but admittedly slow-paced A Catered Affair is not long for this world.

Drama League Awards: Everyone's a Winner!

So, the awards season has started in earnest with the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League nominations. All you have to know about the former is that Young Frankenstein got ten nominations, the most of any production. Reason enough for me to pay no additional attention to the Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Then yesterday we got the Drama League nominations, and here are the musicals that were nominated for "Distinguished Production of a Musical":

A Catered Affair
Cry-Baby
Next to Normal
Passing Strange
The Adding Machine
The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Xanadu
Young Frankenstein

Um...so was there any new musical that wasn't nominated? Well, The Little Mermaid. That's got to be a slap in the face for Disney. "Yeah, we'll nominate just about anything, but even we draw the line at The Little Mermaid." In the Heights isn't listed because it was nominated last year, although it lost out to Spring Awakening. And there were certainly some smaller, under-the-radar musicals like Yanks and 10 Million Miles that the Drama League missed, but I think you get my basic point.

Do nominations and awards really matter? Well, not so much for the shows that have closed. But there does tend to be a strong correlation between the shows that win and the shows that run, although there are numerous exceptions. Of course, the only awards that really matter in this respect are the Tonys, the nominations for which come out May 13th. According to the poll that I've been running over to the right for the past few weeks, my readers seem to think that the four nominated shows will be In the Heights, Xanadu, Passing Strange, and A Catered Affair, although Cry-Baby is running a very close fifth.

Will the soon-to-open Glory Days change this calculus? Stay tuned.

Nine Film Boasts Recent Oscar Winners

OK, so Johnny Depp didn't win the Oscar for best actor for his masterful performance in Sweeney Todd. There was still cause for musical-theater fans to celebrate at last night's Academy Awards ceremony.

Two of the winners in the acting categories are "attached" to Rob Marshall's upcoming film version of Maury Yeston's Nine. Javier Bardem, who took home a best supporting actor award for his performance in best picture "No Country for Old Men," is slated to star as Guido Contini. And best actress Marion Cottilard, who won for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose," will reportedly play opposite Bardem as Contini's wife Luisa.

The movie was delayed because of the recently resolved writer's strike, and according to IMDB is still in pre-production, although the IMDB page hasn't been updated since November. Anyone know whether this baby is filming yet, or whether Bardem and Cottilard are definitely going to be involved?

Sweeney Todd Gets Three Oscar Nominations

The Academy Award nominations came out this morning, and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" received three nods: best art direction, best costume design, and best actor for the sensational Johnny Depp in the title role.

It would be very easy to start talking about how the movie deserved more recognition, and how Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton were robbed, and blah blah blah. But that would be just fan-based bitterness and musical myopia. Yes, "Sweeney Todd" was a masterful film all around (read my review here). But this was a year of very strong non-musical contenders. And if you really want to get theater-queen pissy, you could note that "Hairspray" failed to land a single nomination.

As theater fans, we should probably be content that Hollywood has resumed making musicals at all. We went for decades without a decent musical film to speak of, apart from the occasional artistic and box-office disaster (e.g. "Annie," "A Chorus Line," "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "Little Shop of Horrors"). For my part, I'm simply happy that the "Sweeney" movie came out as stunningly as it did, and I look forward to rooting for Johnny Depp on Oscar night, although he has some insanely stiff and worthy competition.   

Kiki and Herb: Alive from Broadway

I got one up on the Tony voters.

Last night I caught Kiki and Herb: Alive from Broadway presented under the auspices of Boston University's Huntington Theater at the Calderwood Pavilion. Kiki and Herb lost the Tony for special theatrical event to Jay Johnson: the Two and Only, which I also saw. (Read my review here.)

So, unlike many of the Tony Voters, I'm actually in a position to determine who really should have won. ("What's that you say? The august members of the Tony community vote even when they haven't seen all the shows?! Slander! Libel!")

The bottom line: Kiki and Herb was robbed.

Kiki is more than just a drag queen. She amounts to nothing less than a bravura acting achievement on the part of Justin Bond. Bond does more than merely portray the boozy cabaret star Kiki; he embodies her. Bond's ministrations are fierce, frenetic, and above all funny. But the show isn't just a wildly comic spoof of chanteuses of a certain age. It's also a timely political tract on everything from the Iraq war to the Catholic church to gay marriage, apropos of yesterday's landmark vote in the Massachusetts legislature.

As both Kiki and Herb consume vast quantities of alcohol, the show also gets increasingly moving and downright existential. Despite the fact that neither of them is really consuming anything alcoholic, the act becomes gradually, almost imperceptibly looser as the show progresses. Bond evinces one of the most credible drunks I've ever seen, and the results are both hysterical and heartbreaking.

Kenny Mellman as Herb matched Kiki's intensity with a smarmy, obsequious rendition of the classic cabaret pianist, but I could have done with a little less screaming into the microphone. We get it: the guy's deaf. Does the audience need to be as well?

Speaking of which, one major note to the production staff: the sound overall was wa-a-a-a-ay too loud. I'm not sure if this is part of the intent of the creators, but the decibel level was over the top, jarring, and at times painful. The Wimberly Theater isn't that big: we don't need the sound system to go to eleven.

But I encourage any fans of cabaret or musical theater to make their way to the Calderwood Pavilion before June 30th.

Earplugs in hand, just in case.