MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS The Honor Roll - Part 7

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS

The Honor Roll - Part 7

After a glorious month relaxing and escaping a cold Chicago February in beautiful Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, we're back in Chicago and instead of lounging on the beach, I'm dealing with a prickly March cold. Bleh.

In life, sometimes there are ties, instances where the choices presented don't result in a definitive winner or loser, so to speak, i.e. a draw. And so, as in life, in my Musical Honor Roll, instead of fifteen shows, I have sixteen because I simply could not choose which show would drop off the list to accommodate the newest addition. I guess this means I should change the title to "Musical Mayhem: My Top Twenty-Six Musicals," but that sounds, I don't know, indecisive or something, so I won't. Hey, it's my blog!

The two musicals I'll write about today are different in style and format. One is a very traditional affair, but with a surprising dollop of anarchic social commentary. The other is bracingly fresh and new, yet it proudly displays an anarchic smattering of good, old-fashioned Broadway musical. Both feature family as a theme. In one, the search for a family. In the other, an exploration of a troubled, dysfunctional family. And both shows feature girls as protagonists.

Coffee? Check. Let's begin.

FUN HOME  – Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron, Music by Jeanine Tesori

Fun Home made theatre history with Lisa Kron's and Jeanine Tesori's win for the Tony Award for Best Score as the first all-female writing duo to win the coveted prize. Lisa Kron won the Tony for Best Book and Fun Home itself won Best Musical and won the most Tony Awards of any musical in the 2014-2015 season (five Tony Awards all total), every one of them richly deserved. Fun Home has been called "groundbreaking." That's a mighty powerful word, but in this case, it's appropriate. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, Fun Home told the compelling story of her family, a family that masked their emotions and their selves. The entire show is told in flashback by our narrator (Alison) and focuses on two periods in her life: one as a young 10-year-old girl (Small Alison), in which she is just starting to become aware of her sexual identity and the other as a college freshman (Medium Alison), in which she begins to explore her lesbian identity, eventually coming out to her parents. Within this framework, Kron and Tesori explore the complexities of an unsatisfying marriage, burgeoning lesbian sexuality, closeted male homosexuality, suicide, and a desperation to make everything appear normal. Told with courageous and unblinking honesty, Fun Home is a perfect example of an adult musical that could convert non-musical fans into musical fans. I have long been a fan of Jeanine Tesori. Her scores for Caroline, or Change, Shrek, and Thoroughly Modern Millie have long delighted me. Her score for Fun Home is arguably her finest to date. Lisa Kron's book and lyrics are stylish, compelling and always human. In staging and performance, this is unlike any musical I've seen and yet at the same time, and here's the anarchic smattering of good, old-fashioned Broadway musical, it is comfortingly familiar and has at least one smashing ballad that would do Traditional Broadway Musical proud. Thrilling stuff.

September, 2015. I don't even know where to begin. Winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical, and rightly so, this remarkable show was funny, sad, joyful, and had the audience in the palm of its hand. There were moments I had to remind myself to breathe. I'm not normally fond of in-the-round staging, but Sam Gold's direction was damn close to perfection. The design elements were superb. Michael Cerveris' Tony-winning performance was poignant, desperate, and ultimately touchingly sad. Judy Kuhn, as his wife, was quietly stalwart and devastated us all with her big eleven o'clock number, "Days and Days," a completely stunning number that every diva should have in her/his repertoire.  Beth Malone, Sydney Lucas and Lauren Patten (subbing for Emily Skeggs) were affecting as Alison, each in their own ways, with young Lucas particularly a standout with her wonderful "Ring of Keys." (And, yes, it's even better live than it was on the Tony Awards broadcast.)  Roberta Colindrez was a life force as Medium Alison's lover, Joan. And props to the rest of the outstanding cast Zell Steele Morrow and Oscar Williams (as the young Bechdel brothers) and Joel Perez in the other adult male roles. Thank you to everyone involved for creating this magnificent work and sharing it with us. What a fantastic way to celebrate my birthday! This should be at the very top of everyone's bucket list. - at Circle in the Square, New York  

ANNIE – Book by Thomas Meehan, Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin

Annie? Really? You're joking, right? Yes, Annie. Really. No, I'm not joking. Here's why. About one-third of the way into the first act, the ensemble launches into a song called "We'd Like to Thank You" and suddenly this musical about hard-knock-life orphans and sun that will come out tomorrow has a social conscience. With its sharply pointed lyrics and song-and-dance staging that is the antithesis of the bluntly political lyrics, the tenor of the show darkens a bit and sends the show into a different category. Oh, it's still loads of fun with lots and lots of heartwarming sunshine, but with this number, Messrs. Strouse, Charnin and Meehan make sure the adults have a little something to chew on, a little anarchic seriousness that is bracing, unexpected and necessary to keep the show from crossing the line into saccharine kiddie fare. And as if that wasn't enough, there's the glorious "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" that opens Act Two, the love song to New York City, "N.Y.C," the unjustly underrated and absolutely beautiful "Something Was Missing," and finally a cheer-inducing, let's-scream-stomp our feet-and-in-general-carry-on-like-there's-no-tomorrow showstopper in "Easy Street." (Full disclosure: the "Tomorrow" reprise scene with FDR in the White House momentarily derails the show with a dose of icky cuteness. I kind of cringe every time I see it. It's really the only thing I don't like about the show.) The book is tight, the score rock-solid and, by giving these orphaned little girls some sassy attitude, makes the boys in Oliver! look like a bunch of whiny wimps. "Please, sir, I want some more." Oh, whatever, dude. Let me put it this way…you wouldn't want to run into any of Miss Hannigan's girls on the playground, if you catch my drift, and that is precisely why Annie, nearly forty years after it took Broadway by storm, is quite possibly the most produced show in Music Theatre International's catalog. Redheads rock!

Before Annie.

After Annie  opened. Luckily for the producers there are the same number of letters in "Alvin" as there are in "Annie." 

 

Standing room...$5.00! Even taking inflation into account, that was still a bargain. If standing room tickets were sold in numerical sequence, this means that 1161 standing room tickets were sold between my first and second visits to Annie.

May, 1977. Mother's Day, 1977. Judging by the makeup of the audience that filled the Alvin Theatre that Sunday afternoon, it appeared that every gay man in New York City treated Mom to Broadway's newest smash hit. Annie, you see, had opened just two weeks earlier and it was the absolute hottest ticket in town. Luckily for me, I managed to snag a Standing Room ticket and was able to find my perch right off the center aisle with a nice, clear, unobstructed view of the stage. The lights dimmed, the overture started, and I knew instantly that I was in for a treat. And what a treat! Let's talk about that original cast. Andrea McArdle, the 13-year-old wunderkind playing the title role, had a Garland-esque set of pipes that rang throughout the theatre, but also an assured way with her lines and a stage presence unusual for one so young. Reid Shelton was a sturdy, brusque, but eventually, tender Daddy Warbucks. Sandy Faison, Robert Fitch, Barbara Erwin, Raymond Thorne (a doppelgänger for FDR), and especially a young, vibrant Laurie Beechman as A Star To Be made up the excellent supporting cast. With wonderful settings, costumes and lighting by David Mitchell, Theoni V. Aldredge and Judy Rasmuson, respectively, Annie was a treat for the eyes. Martin Charnin's direction was effortless and Peter Gennaro's choreography was spot-on, especially with his iconic staging of "Easy Street." But when all is said and done, it was Dorothy Loudon's oversized, demonically-possessed, balls-out performance as Miss Hannigan that stole the show and showed the Alvin audience beyond a shadow of a doubt what a true star performance was. The audience reaction after "Easy Street" was deafening and Loudon's curtain call was twice that. Weren't all those moms lucky to have such considerate and loving sons?? – at the Alvin Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Annie dominated the musical Tony Awards in 1977 winning seven, including Best Musical. Loudon's win as Best Actress in a Musical put her career back on track after a promising start that somewhat fizzled out. After Annie, she would star in Michael Bennett's ill-fated Ballroom, replace Angela Lansbury in a critically-acclaimed performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, play opposite Katharine Hepburn on Broadway and on the road in Ernest Thompson's slight The West Side Waltz, and give one the most hysterical performances I have ever seen as Dotty Otley in Noises Off. She became a fixture on Tony Awards broadcasts and usually stole the show. But her admittedly broad performing style didn't work in a poorly-received Jerry's Girls, with some critical barbs aimed at her. And in 1990, the highly anticipated Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge closed after its disastrous Washington D.C. tryout, instantly becoming part of theatre lore. After that, she retreated from Broadway for nearly thirteen years, except for a brief run in a specialty holiday offering called Comedy Tonight. In 2002, she was cast in a Lincoln Center revival of Dinner at Eight. She played only one preview and then withdrew under doctor's orders. She died less than a year later of cancer. I loved her. A true loss for the theatre. Orphan Danielle Brisebois, the youngest of the lot, became somewhat of a media darling and gained recognition for her work on All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place. She's now best-known for being a singer/songwriter and was nominated for a 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Laurie Beechman was a much loved Broadway and cabaret performer and recording artist who was probably best known for being the longest-running Grizabella in Cats, playing the role for over four years on tour and in New York, returning again and again to the Winter Garden for return engagements. Tragically, she died of ovarian cancer at the age of 44. An off-Broadway theatre is named in her honor.

March, 1978. Traveling with friends for a theatre weekend, I, flawless friend that I am, got up at an unholy hour and arrived at the Alvin Theatre at 6:30 AM, hoping to grab three Standing Room tickets for Annie's Saturday evening performance. I was about the tenth person in line. At six-bloody-thirty in the morning! (I suspect something similar goes on every day now at the Richard Rodgers for Hamilton.) By the time my friends arrived with coffee and doughnuts at 7:30, the line had grown to about fifty people and the box office wouldn't open for another 2 ½ hours. We got our tickets, yay us. I don't know about the dozens of other people who were lined up all the way to 8th Avenue by the time the box office opened. I'm happy to report that Annie was just as good the second time around with Loudon handily demonstrating why she won the Tony the previous June. Former orphan Shelley Bruce was now playing Annie in a solid performance. She may have lacked McArdle's sheer power, but she was adorable and had the audience in love with her. Sarah Jessica Parker was playing July. Little did anyone know back then that she would become a hugely popular television/fashion/style icon. Annie would run for 2377 performances and make a crapload of money for all involved. – at the Alvin Theatre, New York

The original Chicago cast. This cast opened at the Arie Crown and then transferred to the Shubert.

The return cast.

The barn called the Arie Crown Theatre. Thankfully, it has fallen out of favor for touring musicals.

May, 1979; July, 1979; October, 1980. The First National Company of Annie rolled into Chicago twice. During its first, quite long, stay in Chicago, it had the distinction of being the very rare instance where a show transferred to another theatre during its run, in this case from the inhospitable and thoroughly nasty Arie Crown Theatre to the more intimate, more appropriate Shubert Theatre. (Yes, I truly, truly hated the Arie Crown, but for many years, this was the spot for big musicals because of the 4000+  seating capacity.) For its return engagement in the fall of the 1980, it returned to the Arie Crown. This was a faithful Xerox of the production that was still selling out in New York with a leather-throated Annie (Mary K. Lombardi, and later Theda Stemler) and a strong Warbucks (the veteran actor Norwood Smith). In the cast was a young Gary Beach as Rooster Hannigan. Cast in the pivotal role of Miss Hannigan was Ruth Kobart, the original Miss Jones of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and the original, Tony-nominated Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Perhaps I was spoiled by Dorothy Loudon, but I didn't especially care for her. She was thoroughly professional and on the mark, but there was just something about her performance that I found off-putting, an opinion that didn't change over time. I have read, however, that her portrayal was considered one of the finest interpretations of the role, so there's that. Opinions differ. The production on display in Chicago was entertaining and slick. I enjoyed it, but there really wasn't anything that especially stood out. It was a first-class production, full stop. I took my folks to Annie when it came back to the Arie Crown and they quite liked it. My dad, however, told me he liked The Wiz better. Everybody's a critic! – at the Arie Crown Theatre and the Shubert Theatre, Chicago

August, 1982. Milwaukee's Uihlein Hall (a terrific theatre) played host to the summer, 1982 engagement of the Third National Company of Annie. In those days, even Third National Company tours looked great, and this production, despite its many months on the road looked sparkling fresh. Understudy Jill Harwood went on as Miss Hannigan in place of second-billed Patricia Drylie. I don't think anybody in the audience really cared, no offense to Ms. Drylie. The big draw of this company was big-voiced Harve Presnell as Daddy Warbucks. Presnell's claim to fame was playing Johnny "Leadville" Brown in the original Broadway and, more famously, the film version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown. (For the record, he also played Rhett Butler in the London premiere of Harold Rome's version of Gone with the Wind.) Presnell was the audience draw and his strong voice was his best asset and he used that asset to deliver a solid performance that was, up to this point, the best sung Warbucks I'd seen/heard. Playing A Star to Be was a young Kim Criswell who went on appear in numerous shows regionally, in New York and especially in the U.K. and, to cast recording fans, is noted for her studio recordings of Broadway musicals. Again, a first-rate, if not especially memorable production. – at Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, WI

Sidebar: Okay, I'm going to say it. I hated the film of The Unsinkable Molly Brown. I especially hated Debbie Reynolds. She was so freaking perky and cute, I just wanted to reach through the screen and slap her silly. Sue me.

(the following remarks are edited from earlier posts)

February, 2013. Welcome back, orphans! This was a first-rate revival of a first-rate show and, despite some reservations, wisely played up Annie's inherent assets. I'd read that director James Lapine wanted a fresh, slightly darker look to this Annie. I wish I could say this was a successful approach, but it wound up being somewhat of a disjointed affair in both staging and performance. In performance, it was most apparent in Katie Finneran as Miss Hannigan. The two-time Tony Award-winner expertly chewed everything in sight, and fun as that was, I felt it was at the cost of a real character, and, frankly, it got old after a while. Finneran worked very hard and I so wanted to like her better. On the plus side, however, Lilla Crawford did everything right as Annie. Vulnerable, tough, with a terrific set of pipes (more nuanced than the Annies of the 70s and 80s who tended to favor loud over interpretation), she won the hearts of the audience, mine included. Her New York accent was a nice and unexpected touch. Aussie Anthony Warlow took top honors as a superb Warbucks (actually the best I've seen). He and Crawford were a formidable team. His "Something Was Missing" was a showstopper and so touching you could hear sniffles in the theatre. Two negatives and they were big negatives: 1) Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography was serviceable at best, but nothing more. I hated his pedestrian "We'd Like to Thank You" and his "Easy Street," frankly, was just plain dull and turned this showstopper into just another number.  2) Sunny, as Sandy, basically "barked" in his canine performance. Totally disinterested in doing the work. I'm serious. The dog tanked. The gazillion kids in the audience loved the show. Boring choreography notwithstanding, so did we. - at the Palace Theatre, New York 

July, 2013. Those frisky orphans under Miss Hannigan's loving care were just as delightful the second time around. Taylor Richardson, the Annie cover, was wonderful with a confidence and energy that lit up the stage. (Shortly afterwards, she would become one of two "regular" Annies.) Anthony Warlow remained the best Warbucks I've seen. Three cheers for the talented and hard-working ensemble. And finally, all hail the divine Faith Prince whose delicious portrayal of Miss Hannigan was a truly worthy successor to the legendary Dorothy Loudon's original. Faith rocked it! Prince has an unerring sense of how to chew scenery with abandon and yet keep everything grounded in a character. She is a goddess. The staging and especially the choreography unfortunately remained bland and lackluster. (Could this be why Martin Charnin took over the direction of the currently-touring non-Equity production and hired original choreographer Peter Gennaro's daughter Liza to choreograph?) - at the Palace Theatre, New York

And scene. More later!

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes