MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 11 - THE TOP TEN – #8

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 11

THE TOP TEN – #8

It's time to reveal the musical holding the #8 spot in my Top Ten. A joyous paean to anyone who has ever loved a musical, this is your show!

# 8: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE  – Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar; Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

This unassuming, absolutely charming import from Canada (yet another reason to love Canada!) certainly grew from a kick-ass engagement party entertainment to a Tony-winning musical, but despite all the bells and whistles it acquired along the way, this show never lost its heart, its sincerity, its humanity, and, yes, its decency. The Drowsy Chaperone is a celebration of the power that theatre in general and musicals in particular have to lift our spirits, soothe our souls, and enrich our lives. From the first lines told in the extended blackout that begins the show to the final triumphant moments when our host and narrator, the Man in Chair, gloriously interacts with the cast of the show he's introduced us to, the fictional 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone, we in the audience leave our troubles behind and become a willing participant in the Man in Chair's journey. The plot of the musical within the musical is 1920s-era nonsense, but delicious nonsense. The surprise in the show may be that, as you discover more and more about the timid, agoraphobic Broadway musical superfan who acts as our guide, you find yourself caring deeply about him. So it's not just fluff; it's fluff with a heart and soul. It's a joy. The concept of a cast album, and, yes, I mean album in the LP sense, coming to life while the Man in Chair regales us with interesting facts and gossip is refreshing and inventive. The book is silly most of the time, but has an almost subversive depth when it needs to. The score is marvel of pastiche and great tunes. At the 2006 Tony Awards, it won five Tonys, including the coveted ones for Best Book and Best Score, but lost out on Best Musical to the jukebox sensation, Jersey Boys. It played for 674 performances and made its money back. It had a successful Equity tour, and now is a popular show among amateur/community theatre groups. I'm smiling now just thinking about it. Go ahead, play the cast recording now. I'll wait. … I know, I know. It's fabulous, isn't it? A perfect show for these tense times.

June, 2006. Fresh from winning five Tony Awards two weeks earlier, the capacity audience at the Marquis Theatre embraced this show with love, laughter, and applause from the moment the house lights went down. And with good reason. David Gallo's clever, stylish and inventive scenic design, Gregg Barnes' fabulous costumes, and Ken Billington and Brian Monahan's spot-on lighting gave the show its atmosphere. A fine pit orchestra under the direction of Phil Reno brought the infectious score by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison to joyous life. Casey Nicholaw's direction and choreography was subdued when it needed to be, flashy when it needed to be, and gave the show its sass. But it was the extraordinary company of actors assembled on the stage of the Marquis Theatre who gave the show its heart. From Bob Martin's instantly endearing Man in Chair to the talented ensemble, this was as perfect a cast as any show could possibly want. Playing Bob Martin and Don McKellar's book with a just-right wink and a just-right amount of over-the-top, this was a joy to watch. Troy Britton Johnson as Robert Martin was a fitting 20s-matinee-idol, with Eddie Korbich as his stalwart best man. Lenny Wolfe was properly frazzled as a Mob-harassed producer, with a wonderfully spacey Jennifer Smith as his ditzy girlfriend. Jason and Garth Kravits played the dancing gangsters with delightful aplomb. Kecia Lewis-Evans made the most out of her role as Trix, the Aviatrix, Queen of the Skies. Danny Burstein's singular performance as Aldolpho was a master class in this-close-to-over-the-top acting and just plain adorable silliness. Georgia Engel's Mrs. Tottendale may have been a retread of her character of Georgette from television's The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but it didn't matter because her smile and eagerness to please rendered any criticism rather pointless, and partnered with the comic timing genius of Edward Hibbert as Underling (don't you love the character name?), this duo very nearly ran away with the show. And what can I say about Bob Martin's Man in Chair? I felt as though he were my BFF and we were having a wonderful afternoon listening to cast albums in his apartment. He made the large Marquis Theatre intimate and the audience simply fell in love with him. Sutton Foster. Need I say anything? Is there anything she can't do? As Janet van de Graaf, she was simply amazing. Her performance of "Show Off" was worth the price of admission. She radiated charm and star quality. With all the talent on display, however, it was Beth Leavel's Tony-winning performance as The Drowsy Chaperone that shined brightest. Scenery-chewers, take notes from this woman. She is the master. And yet, not a note, not a gesture out of place. Her "As We Stumble Along," which happens to be among my very favorite show tunes, demonstrated with ease how to stop a show while not breaking a sweat. The audience started whooping and hollering as she held her penultimate note, paused for second, and then basically screamed as she brought the song to a close. We couldn't get enough of her. Or the show. Delightful and everything a musical comedy should be. – at the Marquis Theatre, New York.

December, 2006; February, 2007. Although it's not especially unusual for us to see a show more than once, lately it is unusual for us to pay full price to see a show on a return visit, notable exceptions being Next to Normal and Follies. Not surprisingly, Bob loved the show as much as I did and he suggested the return visit in February. Good choice. At the February performance, Andrea Chamberlain was filling in for Sutton Foster, and she was smashing. All the rest of the original cast principals were there to wow us. Bob especially liked Beth Leavel (duh!), Bob Martin, and Danny Burstein. Great times at the theatre. – at the Marquis Theatre, New York.

Bob and Beth Leavel

Jeff and Danny Burstein

Jeff and Bob Martin

Sutton was so thrilled we stopped by!

The Two Bobs....Estrin and Martin

Six Degrees of Separation Tidbit: Bob Martin (Man in Chair) is married to Janet van de Graaf. Janet van de Graaf is the name of the character originally played by Sutton Foster in The Drowsy Chaperone and Robert Martin is the name of the character that the musical's Janet van de Graaf marries. Here's the six degrees part: Janet van de Graaf went to New Trier High School. Bob retired from teaching theatre at New Trier High School. It's unclear whether or not their paths crossed, but this prompted some lively chat at the stage door between my Bob and Bob Martin. 

April, 2008. Bob and I adore this show and were delighted that it was just as wonderful on tour as it was in NYC.  The late Jonathan Crombie was amazing as the Man in Chair. There was a very touching vulnerability about him, an open sweetness that just drew the audience in. He made the part his own, and with all respect and admiration for the wonderful Bob Martin, I preferred his interpretation. Georgia Engel was on hand to the delight of the audience with her daffy portrayal of Mrs. Tottendale. Nancy Opel was a very competent Chaperone, but I didn't feel she nailed the part. Where with Beth Leavel, it just seemed effortless, with Opel, it was almost as if she didn't quite trust the role. Her "As We Stumble Along" was still fun, but not a show-stopper. Andrea  Chamberlain, as Janet van de Graaf, truly stopped the show with "Show Off."  In the year since we saw her cover for Sutton Foster in New York, she had grown in the part to make it a star-making turn. What fun! – at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

Sidebar: Jonathan Crombie's one Broadway appearance was as a replacement for Bob Martin in the original New York company of The Drowsy Chaperone, a role he would perform for most of the national tour. He would tragically die in 2015 of a brain hemmorrage at the very young age of 48.

May, 2010. The critics liked this version. I wanted to, I really wanted to, but, despite the best efforts of Paula Scrofano (Mrs. Tottendale), Gene Weygandt (Underling), Adam Pelty (Aldolpho), and an effective, if not entirely successful James Harms as Man in Chair, this production felt flat, a bit listless, and a lot forced. Linda Balgord as The Drowsy Chaperone  ("And LINDA BALGORD as The Drowsy Chaperone" per the program) seemed miscast. Now Ms. Balgord has some serious credits, but here she just was uninteresting and, well, disappointing. Marc Robin's in-the-round staging didn't serve the show especially well, and without a dynamic cast, (it was a competent cast, but not a terribly dynamic one) all the production bells and whistles of the New York and touring productions were greatly missed. For whatever reason, the folks at Marriott Theatre decided to put an intermission into this intermissionless show. This was a very, very bad decision because it totally killed the show's momentum, and the show never regained it in the second act. I'm sure this was to accommodate the senior citizen demographic of the Lincolnshire venue, but c'mon, people. The show's only 100 minutes long. You can't sit for 100 minutes without peeing? The folks at the Marquis in New York and the Cadillac Palace in Chicago didn't seem to have a problem with the length. I'm sure they had to get approval for this, but, sorry, the intermission really ruined the show. I wasn't overly enthusiastic during Act One; I was pretty much totally disinterested in Act Two. I expected a better production from Marriott. – at the Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire.

And so ends another installment. See you soon!

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes

"P" SOUP: A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF ALPHABET SOUP

"P" SOUP

A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF ALPHABET SOUP

A musical behemoth and its more modest half-sibling. A Gershwin masterpiece "reimagined" for its latest Broadway outing. A slight, but happily entertaining musical with one of the best opening numbers ever. An over-produced musical version of a terrific Australian film. It's all musicals today. So get comfy and let's begin.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

 – Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia

July, 1995. This is from the Variety review dated January, 26, 1988: "The Phantom Of The Opera is romantic musical theater hokum in the grand manner …and it justifies the feverish buildup that has given it a $16,500,000 advance. It’s good for a Broadway run of several years." (underlining mine) Several years, indeed. It may no longer be selling out with regularity, but, in October, 2016, as I type this, it's still running at the Majestic Theatre and has amassed over 12,000 performances. It is hands-down the longest-running musical in Broadway history and will likely remain so for a very long time to come, if not forever. The original London production recently celebrated its 30th anniversary at its original home, the Her Majesty's Theatre. It has spawned numerous touring companies in the United States and Canada (all Equity, thank you very much!), international companies around the world (it was especially popular in Germany), and an unpopular film version. Hugely popular. Irresistible plot. Buckets of money for all involved. And, frankly, a bit of a snooze. Don't get me wrong. As presented at Philadelphia's historic and beautiful Forrest Theatre, the Second National Company was a first-rate production all the way, from the sumptuous Maria Björnson and Andrew Bridge design, to Gillian Lynne's spot-on musical staging and choreography, to seamless direction by the legendary Harold Prince, to the lush singing and professional acting by the company, starring Rick Hilsabeck (the Phantom), Sarah Pfisterer (Christine), and a very young and handsome Jason Danieley (Raoul). For whatever reason, however, the show just didn't grab me. It was all a bit too melodramatic and over-the-top. Oh, Andrew Lloyd Webber's tunes are tasty enough, but everything lacked a depth. Not the actors fault. Not the director's fault. Cliché as it may be, I put the blame squarely on the book by Richard Stilgoe and Lloyd Webber. It went for the obvious and despite everyone's best efforts, I didn't give a crap about any of the characters. And to top it all, the much-publicized chandelier-crashing-to-the-stage effect? In Philadelphia, the chandelier lurched its way to the stage where it landed with a thud rather than a crash. All very anticlimactic. The evening was enjoyable enough, but I'm at a loss to explain its runaway popularity. - at the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia

Tidbits: The Forrest Theatre was a popular stop for musicals to tryout on their way to New York. The theatre's designer, Herbert J. Krapp, in a moment of brain fartdom, forgot to put dressing rooms in his design for the theatre. As a result, the dressing rooms are in the building across the alley, connected to the Forrest via an underground tunnel. Possibly its most infamous tenant was the tryout of the doomed Breakfast at Tiffany's. Tony Award-winning actor David Burns died of a massive heart attack onstage at the Forrest following his big number in Kander and Ebb's 70, Girls, 70 during the show's tryout there. Sarah Brightman, then Lloyd Webber's wife, was originally prohibited by Actors' Equity Association from recreating her role as Christine. Shouting matches and threats abounded, but it all worked out in the end, and she opened to modest reviews, most praising her voice and dismissing her acting. Original Phantom Michael Crawford won the Best Actor in a Musical Tony for being onstage for approximately twenty minutes or so. The Phantom of the Opera won seven Tonys at the 1988 ceremony, besting, shockingly, Into the Woods for Best Musical. (Into the Woods, however, would win the trophies for book and score.) And, finally, the Third National Company closed in Los Angeles in 2010 after nearly 18 years on the road. Now that's mighty impressive by any standards!

– Phantom Theatre, The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, Las Vegas

Just "Phantom" on the cover.

'

Now it's "The Phantom of the Opera." Sorry for the blurriness. I tried to sharpen it up to no avail. Sigh.

Now it's "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular."

I'm not sure why I have so many programs from this version.

What is in a name? Back to its legal name.

Yet another program. Is the show's name "Paris"? Huh?

February, 2008. This was marketed as Phantom – the Las Vegas Spectacular, but on the program's credit page, it's called, rightly so, The Phantom of the Opera. Trimmed down to a fast, intermissionless, 95 minutes, this was spectacular indeed. Produced in a theatre especially built for this production, it had more bells and whistles than you could count. And that famed chandelier really lived up to its rep in this version. What little subtlety was in the full-length version was jettisoned in favor of short scenes that set up the "big hit tunes." Backstory? Nope. Not gonna happen, but that's okay. You figure it out. The glorious design elements of the New York original were adapted for this theatre which was designed to make you feel as though you were actually in the Paris Opera House. Hal Prince (director) and Gillian Lynne (musical stager/choreographer) were on hand to make sure the production was on solid ground. It was well-sung and professionally acted, but at the end of the day, it was still The Phantom of the Opera. Enjoyable, yes. Memorable, not especially. – at the Phantom Theatre, Las Vegas

Sidebar: The streamlining of a 2 ½ + hour Broadway musical into a brisker 1 ½ hours is not new in Las Vegas, where audience attention spans aren't geared towards theatre. In the old days, these used to be called tabloid versions. It wasn't by any means a reflection of the quality since production values often mirrored the original and box-office stars were usually in attendance. Instead, it implied that the show's running time had been greatly shortened. This version was a huge success and played for over six years. When we saw it relatively early in its run, it was still featuring alternating Phantoms, Brent Barrett and Tony-winning Anthony Crivello. I can't find anything in my program, insert or otherwise, that tells me which talented gentleman was in the role the night we saw it, and I didn't write it down, duh!, but I'm pretty sure it was Mr. Crivello. We had our seats changed shortly after the performance began since the non-English-speaking folks behind us decided the theatre was a perfect place to eat their dinner and chat loudly while chomping down on their sandwiches. Apparently, basic theatre etiquette is not terribly familiar in Las Vegas. House management were truly customer focused, moved us to premium seats, and offered us comp tickets to a future performance. When this opened in 2006, Las Vegas was being promoted as Broadway West. It didn't happen. Ironically, in 2017, the re-tooled "new" The Phantom of the Opera will return in its full-length glory to Las Vegas' Smith Center. Guess Sin City just can't get enough of that masked man!

PHANTOM – Stage 773, Chicago

PHANTOM – Stage 773, Chicago

October, 2007. Living in the shadow of its flashier and more famous half-sibling (they share the same father, Gaston Leroux) is Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston's Phantom. Quieter and more compelling than  the overblown Lloyd Webber creation, this version's focus is more character-driven and less on pretty, string-heavy warblings and theatrical special effects. Overall, this is a more satisfying version of the classic tale. Christine isn't portrayed, as she is in the Lloyd Webber version, as a simpering, somewhat vacuous woman. Here the Phantom actually has a name (Erik) and a real backstory. The scene between father and son late in Act Two is so good and so touching, it alone makes the show worth seeing. Porchlight Theatre's Phantom was beautifully sung and competently acted, but not always successful in the design and directorial departments. The chandelier was especially cheesy, and the set, while ambitious, didn't always work. Director L. Walter Stearns obviously cast his actors for their singing abilities more than their acting ones, and though no one was terrible, there were a few that just didn't rise to the occasion. Naomi Landman's Carlotta, for example, failed to mine all the delicious, legitimate scenery-chewing options the part offered, and her "This Place Is Mine," didn't quite land where it should have. Peter Oyloe as the Phantom (Erik), Lara Filip as Christine, and Jim Sherman as Carriere (Erik's father) all imbued the show with an unwavering professionalism and class. The overall scope of the show wasn't an especially good match for Porchlight's limited resources. It wasn't a perfect production, but, I'm so glad I saw it. – at Stage 773, Chicago

Sidebar: Phantom has had over 1000 productions, but has never been produced on Broadway, and, wisely, probably never will be. Maury Yeston has been quoted as saying that Phantom is "the greatest hit never to be produced on Broadway." It had its world premiere in 1991 in Houston. Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll and Hyde) and Kristin Chenoweth have played the roles of the Phantom and Christine in regional productions of the show. Curiously, Phantom received a lukewarm welcome by the Chicago critics, at least those that matter. (This was before Porchlight Theatre became an unassailable critics' darling.) Most of the criticism centered around the staging and the set.

PORGY AND BESS – Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York

The two major revivals and rivals next door to each other on 46th Street. 

January, 2012. Billed as The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, as opposed to, what?, Jerry Herman's Porgy and Bess?, this was a streamlined and greatly shortened version of the Gershwins' iconic folk opera about life in Catfish Row, Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1930s. Director Diane Paulus and her collaborators famously said prior to its first performances in Cambridge that they were "excavating and shaping and modernizing the story," which are just fancy terms for the dreaded "reimagining." Normally, that is anathema to me, but I had no idea what the original was like, and frankly, I didn't care. The story onstage at the Rodgers was told cleanly and honestly. The songs were beautifully sung. The acting was strong. David Alan Grier was a slimy, detestable Sporting Life and surprised me with his strong vocal abilities. Phillip Boykin was a mesmerizing villain. Joshua Henry and Nikki Renée Daniels  were a solid Jake and Clara. (To show my Porgy and Bess ignorance, I had no idea that Clara sings "Summertime," and not Bess.) The curtain was very late at this performance and a last-minute announcement gave us the news that Norm Lewis had taken ill backstage and his cover, Nathanial Stampley, would be going on. We were told at the interval that this was Stampley's first time in the role. First time or not, he was wonderful, and was loudly cheered at his solo bow. And what can I possibly say about Audra McDonald except divine! She took the part of Bess and sent it into the stratosphere. Here's the deal, though. If Ms. McDonald wanted to sit in a chair and perform the phone book, that would be just dandy with me. It's so much more rewarding, however, when she's onstage in a challenging role. Mixed reviews greeted this production. The critics who loved the show praised this more economical version. The critics who didn't found the new changes detrimental to the intentions of the authors. But everyone agreed on one thing: Audra McDonald's Bess. – at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Stephen Sondheim created somewhat of a shitstorm when he wrote a letter to the New York Times in response to an article about the changes director Diane Paulus and her collaborators were making to Porgy and Bess, which had not yet begun its run at A.R.T. in Cambridge. He ended his letter by stating it wasn't his intention to pre-judge the show, but rather to point out what he felt was the arrogant attitude of Paulus, et. al. This was not a wise thing to do. You see, Paulus had brought a wildly-successful, Tony-winning revival of Hair to Broadway a couple of years earlier. She was/is the artistic director of the respected American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For many, Sondheim remarks were those of a pompous bully and despite any validity of his comments, it all came to bite him in the ass when the 2012 Tony Awards were handed out. You see, his Follies, in a stunning revival, opened in the same season as Porgy and Bess, and though nominated for 8 Tonys, it only won one (for Costume Design), and lost the important Best Revival of a Musical to, you guessed it, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, to use its new, convoluted moniker. Memo to Mr. Sondheim: "Steve, darling, don't publically diss your competition if you want to win some swag. Love, Jeff." 

PURLIE – McVickers Theatre, Chicago

September, 1972. "Walk Him Up the Stairs," Purlie's opening number, is one of the most exciting opening numbers in musical theatre. It ranks among my top five opening numbers, the others being the opening segments of Ragtime, Titanic, Cabaret (original, 1966), and Cabaret (Roundabout, 1998). For those first eight minutes or so, the venerable McVickers Theatre was turned into a joyous, gospel tabernacle that had the McVickers' Saturday night audience swaying, leaping to their feet and "amen"-ing, and bringing the entire opening moments to a close with thunderous, rapturous applause. Based on Ossie Davis' play Purlie Victorious, the musical adheres closely to the play's plot of a charismatic preacher's quest to buy Big Bethel, the country church in his hometown in segregation-era Georgia, and free his friends and neighbors, tenant farmers on a cotton plantation, from the clutches of Ol' Cap'n, the dyed-in-the-wool bigot who owns the plantation. Oh, and while he's at it, woo the girl of his dreams. It's all quite silly and all quite funny, yet there are also messages of equal rights and social justice. The characters are painted in broad strokes, more caricatures than actual characters, but Mr. Davis knew the subversive ability of comedy to make important social issues palatable to the general public, and these characters, even the Simon Legree of Ol' Cap'n, never get too deep or too evil. Broadway original cast members Sherman Hemsley (pre-The Jeffersons) and Helen Martin along with Broadway replacements Robert Guillaume (pre-Benson), Patti Jo, and Carol Jean Lewis (Laura Cooper at the performance I attended) headed the tour. While the performance never reached the ecstatic peak of the opening, it was very well-acted and terrifically-sung, with a book, co-authored by Ossie Davis, director Philip Rose, and lyricist Peter Udell, that was surprisingly strong, and a toe-tapping score by Gary Geld (music) and the aforementioned Peter Udell (lyrics) that had elements of gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, top 40 pop, and good old-fashioned Broadway theatre music, including "Purlie," "Big Fish, Little Fish," the hit "I Got Love," and my two favorites, "Down Home" and "He Can Do It." 1972 was a different time. Not necessarily gentler or more innocent, just different. Would Purlie's carefree desire to entertain, broad characters, and not-very-subtle dialogue seem out-of-place in 2016? Would a show written primarily by white folks, Davis being the exception, about black folks during the days of Jim Crow laws be both dismissed and ridiculed in our era of excruciating theatrical correctness? Purlie is a thoroughly entertaining, solid show, but I suspect it is languishing in Samuel French's catalog of musicals. – at the McVickers Theatre, Chicago

Sidebar: I saw Purlie in its second-to-last week of a three-month engagement. It would be one of the last, if not the last, stage show produced at the McVickers. (I wish I could verify this, but no luck on the Internet.) Even though Ossie Davis is credited as a co-author of Purlie, he did not actively participate in the musical, but because much of the dialogue was lifted directly from Purlie Victorious, it was felt he should be acknowledged as one of the book's writers. Both Robert Guillaume and Sherman Hemsley would have hugely successful careers on television. Purlie was Patti Jo's only Broadway appearance. She had a modestly successful career as a recording artist, was apparently very popular on the south Florida cabaret/nightclub circuit, and, sadly, died in 2007 at the young age of 60.  At the 1970 Tony Awards, Purlie was nominated for Best Musical along with Applause, that year's big winner, and Hepburn!, wait, I mean Coco. It would win two Tonys for acting.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT – Palace Theatre, New York

Listed first among Priscilla's many producers is Bette Midler and she was a tireless promoter of the show during its run.

At London's Palace Theatre, Priscilla's marquee kicks marquee butt!

April, 2011. The Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, is about two drag queens and a transgender woman, all a bit down-market performers, who are contracted to do a drag show in Alice Springs, and their adventures as they travel from Sydney to the Outback in their bus, Priscilla. It's a charming, funny, and touching film that ranks among my favorites and is one of the few movies I own. As done in New York, however, it was almost completely charmless, over-produced, over-amplified, under-enunciated, and surprisingly sloppy in more than one spot despite the valiant efforts of its three superior leading men who tried to add heart and characterization to this largely paint-by-the numbers, mechanical endeavor.  The chemistry between the three men was obvious, and that showed in the book scenes.  Come to think of it, the only parts of the show I liked were the book scenes. Hats off, therefore, to Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson, and Nick Adams. You deserved better!  Priscilla desperately needed an original score. The lack of one resulted in an absence of musical depth and didn't allow the players to grow their characters through song. The ladies in the cast did what they could with what little they had to work with. I suspect I may be in the minority here. The straight people around us were in rapture..."Those gay boys are SOOOOO much fun!!!" For me, however, it was a major disappointment. – at the Palace Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Priscilla originated in Australia and, on its way to New York, stopped off in New Zealand, London, and Toronto. With a performance run of 23 previews and a respectable 526 performances, it did not recoup its $15 million production costs. Like its fellow Australian import, The Boy from Oz, Priscilla tried to shoehorn its story to fit the pre-existing songs the show was using. In Oz it worked better, but only just. The Boy from Oz, however, made its money back even with a shorter run, and that was due to the presence of its charismatic leading man, Hugh Jackman. Even with its trio of fine leading performances, Priscilla never created the box office excitement that Oz had. I think I'll stick to the movie.

In fact, I think I'll watch the film now. Until next time….see some theatre!

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes

ALPHABET SOUP (10) - FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER (C)

ALPHABET SOUP (10)

FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER

C

The blue London coffee mug gave up the letter "C," and the first few programs in the "C" stack represent a wide variety of shows: including an underappreciated and totally charming musical; a slight, but wildly entertaining piece of fluff from Kander and Ebb; a classic, not-often-revived Inge play, and it's all but unheard of musical version; a beloved, but bloated musical favorite; an inventive all-singing, all-dancing delight of Gershwin tunes; and, finally, a thoroughly mediocre musical made magical by its legendary leading lady.

This is going to be one of the longer posts, so let's begin….

A CATERED AFFAIR

 – Walter Kerr Theatre, New York

March, 2008. Fourth preview. A quiet, emotionally charged musical that was sadly underrated and unappreciated by the critics.  Beautiful performances by all involved, but special kudos to Prince for her raw and shattering performance as a woman whose life wasn't what she had hoped it would be. Based on the The Catered Affair by Gore Vidal, which in turn was based on an original teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky, this small-scale musical, in an intimate production sensitively directed by John Doyle, wasn't afraid to be quiet, wasn't afraid to be totally silent, wasn't afraid to let its very human characters let their emotions and their disappointments rage when called for. Tom Wopat's "I Stayed" neatly summarized his character is a powerful musical soliloquy; Faith Prince's "Vision" was a rare and touching moment of happiness, even if imaginary, in this woman's life; Harvey Fierstein's "Immediate Family" gave reign to all the bitterness and anger stored up in a man whose life, by Eisenhower-era necessity, was lived in the shadows. This wasn't a happy show, but it was truthful, and the bittersweet, yet hopeful ending brought this gem to a satisfying conclusion. The audience was spellbound. So were we. The show deserved a longer run. – at the Walter Kerr Theatre, New York

Sidebar: The critical community in New York pretty much hated A Catered Affair, including the all-important New York Times. I'm not sure what show these folks all saw, but it wasn't the one I saw in previews. And that's the beauty of previews. You, as an audience member, can form your own opinions without any preconceived critical notions or opinions from a critic or blogger. This is why I honestly prefer going to previews and why I rarely read reviews anymore, and when I do, I use them simply as a reference point. Sorry, Ben Brantley, but your approval or disapproval doesn't sway me one way or the other. I just don't care what critics/bloggers think. If I liked the show, I liked the show. If I didn't, I didn't. Full stop. A reviewer is not going to change my opinion. A Catered Affair struggled to find an audience and closed after only 116 performances. Such a shame.

– Stage 773, Chicago

February, 2012. Porchlight Theatre's production of A Catered Affair was one of Porchlight's better productions, largely free from glaring community theatre performances that can haunt their productions, and one that surprisingly made the performance-unfriendly The Thrust space relatively intimate. Nick Bowling's direction was effective, if largely giving short shrift to the audience seated on the sides. (We wisely sat in the center section, so we didn't have any sight problems.) The production's two Equity actors, Rebecca Finnegan and Craig Spidle, played the Faith Prince and Tom Wopat roles with dignity and emotional honesty. The audience liked Jerry O'Boyle's Winston, but he went for the obvious and was often too loud, missing the subtlety that Harvey Fierstein brought to the role. The rest of the cast, while sometimes uneven in acting ability, added appropriate flavor. I liked the performance, but the magic that the New York production had was missing here for whatever reason. Still, overall, it was well-worth seeing. – at Stage 773, Chicago

CURTAINS – Hirschfeld Theatre, New York

 May, 2007. Officially the last musical written by the legendary team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains was pure entertainment, often wickedly funny, with great tunes, a showstopping first act production number, and a cast of theatre A-listers who, individually and collectively, were a treat. Set in Boston's Colonial Theatre in 1959 during a disastrous out-of-town tryout of the musical, Robbin' Hood!, the plot revolved around backstage murders, backstabbing theatre creatives, and the musical theatre aficionado Boston PD detective assigned to the case. Pure nonsense, of course, but, oh, my God, what fun! David Hyde Pierce won the Tony for his portrayal of the detective, and he was very good in the part...warm, personable, a joy to watch. But it was the awesome Debra Monk who stole the show as the hard-boiled producer with a performance that was a master class in how to effortlessly stop a show, which she did in her big Act Two number, "It's a Business." Another favorite, Karen Ziemba, danced up a storm in the sensational "Thataway!" Rounding out the supporting cast were the velvet-voiced Jason Danieley, the droll Edward Hibbert and the lovely Jill Paice as Hyde Pierce's sort-of love interest, with yeoman support from John Bolton, Michael X. Martin, Michael McCormick, Noah Racey, Ernie Sabella, and Megan Sikora. Beautifully designed, the producers weren't stingy with the checkbook, Scott Ellis and Rob Ashford kept the action moving, and the audience left the theatre smiling. If you take a hard, critical look at it, it's no great shakes as a musical, but so much talent was on display at the Hirschfeld, and the desire to give everyone in the audience a good time was so strong, you couldn't help but love the show. – at the Hirschfeld Theatre, New York.

Sidebar: With decidedly mixed reviews, the show ran just over a year and, although recoupment status wasn't provided by the producers at the time of its closing, that very omission pretty much indicates the show didn't make its money back. A shame, too. Although he is popular and much-loved in the theatre community, David Hyde Pierce's Tony win was somewhat controversial, with many people strongly believing the award should have gone to Raúl Esparza for his role in a revival of Company. Esparza's performance certainly had more nuance and depth, but Hyde Pierce's performance overall was more accessible.

COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA – Biltmore Theatre, New York

February, 2008. Any doubts one may have had about S. Epatha Merkerson's acting abilities, largely confined as they were to the small screen in TV's iconic Law & Order, were smartly and quickly dispelled as her devastating portrayal of Lola Delaney, a woman living a life of quiet desperation and to-the-bone disappointment unfolded in the Manhattan Theatre Club's first-class production of William Inge's rarely-done classic, Come Back, Little Sheba. Kevin Anderson's performance as Doc Delaney echoed the frustration and loss of a once-promising life, and his descent back into alcoholism was terrifying. The design elements by James Noone (scenic), Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costumes), and Jane Cox (lighting) all worked to create a claustrophobic, life-sucking environment. Michael Pressman's direction was neat and tidy. Once often spoken of in the same breath as Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, Inge's work today hasn't aged particularly well, and Come Back, Little Sheba, even in this terrific production, couldn't completely escape the occasional whiff of watching a museum piece. Mere quibbles, however, when Ms. Merkerson was onstage. Whether chattering non-stop to anyone who stopped by in an attempt to alleviate her crushing loneliness, or being still and quiet, yet somehow conveying the depths of her despair, she was magnificent. The was not an especially happy evening, but so rewarding. – at the Biltmore Theatre, New York

SHEBA – First Chicago Center, Chicago

August, 1974. Final performance. Why anyone would want to make a musical out of Inge's sad, desolate play, Come Back, Little Sheba, is anyone's guess. Perhaps a Stephen Sondheim score could have made a compelling reason, but as written by Lee Goldsmith and Clint Ballard, Jr., it came off as a showcase for the multi-talented Kay(e) Ballard, pleasant and professional to look at and listen to, but, despite all of Ballard's considerable skills, eminently forgettable. Broadway vet George D. Wallace was boxed with an also starring billing as Doc with supporting performances by Kimberly Farr and a pre-WKRP in Cincinnati Gary Sandy. The Chicago Tribune's William Leonard liked it, but Sheba apparently did not get either the press or the buzz it needed to move on and it closed after the Chicago tryout. – at the First Chicago Center, Chicago

Sidebar: Sheba would resurface in Westport, Connecticut, in 2001 in a four-performance, fully-staged Equity production starring Donna McKechnie as Lola. A recording was made of this production by Original Cast Records as Come Back, Little Sheba. (A "private" reel-to-reel recording of the Ballard Sheba  was made at the final performance. It may or may not still exist in his private collection. No, I did not make the recording!) The First Chicago Center, where Sheba played its tryout, was, in reality, the First National Bank of Chicago's auditorium. For a relatively brief period, it was marketed as an intimate alternative to the big Loop houses. It was a nice space, but not really suitable for live theatre. I believe this was its last theatrical booking. Sheba remains all but unknown and forgotten.

CAMELOT – Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago

September, 1980. Fresh from its summer run at Lincoln Center, the National Tour of Lerner and Loewe's beloved Camelot, starring its legendary original star, Richard Burton, began its road travels at the monstrosity known as the Arie Crown Theatre. From the far reaches of the Arie Crown's balcony (Row S!), we could see and hear everything, but everyone was, well, small, and, from that distance, everything looked, well, on the cheap side. Would it be heresy to say that Paxton Whitehead's King Pellinore was the high point of the evening? It might be heresy to say that Mr. Burton's Arthur, despite that singular voice, was subdued to the point of dullness, but that was the case here. He looked tired; he looked, frankly, ill. (In fact, Burton would leave the show six months later due to poor health.) A young Christine Ebersole was a slightly saucy, beautifully sung Guenevere; Richard Muenz was a handsome Lancelot; Robert Fox was an appropriately snarky Mordred. Yes, I know everyone loves Camelot, but here's the thing…the heart of the show is the intimate story of three people, Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot, but the creators bloated it out of proportion and added all this really unnecessary pomp and circumstance. The simple story drowns in costumes, sets, and extraneous characters. It may have been visually stunning in the 1960 original, but at Arie Crown it looked, like too much of the show, a bit lifeless and disappointingly cheesy. I really wanted to like it. I didn't. I enjoyed it (the score, after all, is a marvel), but I didn't like it. I was in the minority here, however. The capacity audience ate it up. – at Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago

CRAZY FOR YOU – Shubert Theatre, New York

August, 1994. Crazy for You, a revamp of the 1930 chestnut, Girl Crazy, was a leave-your-brains-at-the-door evening of pure entertainment which starred a cornucopia of delicious songs by George and Ira Gershwin, with all of it wrapped up with a big, cheerful bow courtesy of director Mike Ockrent and his wife, choreographer, and now director, Susan Stroman. The plot had something to do with a foreclosure on a theatre in someplace called Deadrock, Nevada, but if you were trying to actually follow the plot, you were thinking far too hard. Starring Harry Groener and Karen Ziemba, both charm-to-the-hilt, this piece of fluff purred like a contented cat. Carleton Carpenter, Jane Connell, and Bruce Adler were on hand to provide some textbook scenery chewing. This was my introduction to Karen Ziemba and I've been a fan ever since. I'll pretty much see her in anything. Also in the cast was Beth Leavel, the original Drowsy Chaperone. Lend Me a Tenor's Ken Ludwig provided the book, such as it was. Beautifully designed and lovingly played by the pit orchestra, this was escapism of the highest quality. Stroman would win her first of five Tony Awards with this production. Crazy for You would, surprisingly, win the Tony for Best Musical over the arguably better Falsettos, which took the prizes for Book and Score. I had a grand time, but felt at the time, and still do for that matter, that My One and Only is the better "new" Gershwin show. – at the Shubert Theatre, New York

COCO – Civic Opera House, Chicago

No, it's not a good show, but it starred Hepburn!

January, 1971. To probably no one's surprise, Coco, the Alan Jay Lerner and André Previn musical nominally about designer Coco Chanel, but really all about its star, Katharine Hepburn, closed quickly after Hepburn left the show and was replaced by an authentic Frenchwoman, Danielle Darrieux. No reflection on Ms. Darrieux's talents. After all, she'd been a star for four decades by 1971. It was just that Coco was, and is, a truly mediocre show and it needs a force of nature, like Hepburn, to make it work as well as it does. Coco closed at a loss on Broadway, so Hepburn, old-school trouper that she was, agreed to tour with the show until it made back its costs. (By the end of the tour, the show not only broke even, but also showed a modest profit.) The Civic Opera House is not an ideal place to see a musical, but the sumptuous sets and costumes by Cecil Beaton looked splendid in the Art Deco auditorium. Hepburn was no more Coco Chanel than I am, but she owned that stage and her audience. She made Lerner's rather lame book crackle with humor and she managed to give Previn's mundane score some talk-singing flair. She even danced a bit. As far as the audience was concerned, she could do no wrong. George Rose and Jeanne Arnold were on hand to recreate their Broadway roles and provide some first-rate support. Don Chastain and Lana Shaw played the rather boring love interests. Pre-The Nanny Daniel Davis stereotypically minced his way through the insufferable and, frankly, offensive role of the jealous gay assistant. It was a rare lapse of taste in a tasteful show. Chicago embraced Ms. Hepburn. Her show? Not so much. – at the Civic Opera House, Chicago.

Sidebar: Coco was the first show I saw on Broadway. I saw Hepburn's penultimate performance at the Mark Hellinger in August, 1970. Thrilling. Coco opened on Broadway in 1969. Stonewall had occurred only months before. Later in the 1969-1970 season, Applause would open. It would also feature a gay character. In Applause's case, the character was still a stereotype (a hairdresser), but was presented with humor and affection and, as a young gay man, I found it exciting to see "us" in a major role. Co-star George Rose would go on to win two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. He was murdered in 1988 in the Dominican Republic by his adopted son, his son's biological father and uncle, and a friend of the father. All four spent time in prison, but no trial was held and they've all been since released. Post-The Nanny Daniel Davis would essay another gay role, Georges, in a 2004 revival of La Cage aux Folles. He would be fired abruptly from the role following a Sunday matinee on account of obnoxious and abusive behavior backstage towards cast and crew. The producers paid Davis to the end of his contract and he was replaced by Robert Goulet. And if anyone doubts that Coco is less than brilliant, there's a short audio YouTube clip of Ginger Rogers in a production at the old Valley Forge Music Fair. It's all rather grim.

And on that note… Until next time…

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes