KENTUCKIANA KAFFEEKLATSCH (formerly known as Alphabet Soup) - vol. 2

 KENTUCKIANA KAFFEEKLATSCH

(formerly known as Alphabet Soup)
vol. 2

More random files. These are all from the second half of the alphabet. A by-the-book musical starring a Big Star, and earning said Big Star her second Tony Award, and based on a classic 1942 film starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn? Check. A rarely-performed Ibsen that had me mesmerized? And, yes, I said Ibsen. Check. A musical about Oz and witches, based on a best-selling novel? Check. An insanely funny, very British play about snooker? Check. A comedy hit in London that had me giggling with glee on the Isla Verde beach, but which, oddly and unexpectedly, didn't translate as well as I thought it would on the Chicago Shakespeare stage? Check. A musical about some devilishly entertaining goings-on in Eastwick, Rhode Island, based on the hit movie and novel of the same name, that has, puzzlingly, yet to receive a Broadway production and likely never will? Check. Fix a cuppa and let's begin!                     

WOMAN OF THE YEAR – Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago

Chicago critics quite liked the show if the quotes are any indication.

An "all new production"? Guess the powers-that-be felt Messrs Charmoli and Moore's contributions weren't good enough. Good thing their agents, and, most likely, unions, insisted their work bringing the show to Broadway to begin with deserved full credit. For the record, Robert Moore died in May, 1984. Did that have something to do with his being replaced for the tour?

The New York marquee. There was some sort of logo after all (Katz, the Cat).

The font carried over to the New York program, but not Katz. As in Chicago, it's all about Bacall. (I didn't see the show in NYC. Somebody gave me this program.)

February, 1984. It would be completely understandable if one confused Woman of the Year with Applause. Both are based on films, Woman of the Year and All About Eve, respectively; both are about strong, successful women at the top of their respective careers who want to throw it all away to have a man in their lives (Applause's Margo Channing even warbles in the show's final minutes that "something greater" than her career is "being to your man what a woman should be." That ish-inducing lyric courtesy of Lee Adams, who really should have known better.); both won multiple Tony Awards in relatively weak seasons; both shows start off with its leading lady at an awards ceremony; WOTY's "One of the Boys" and Applause's "But Alive" are virtually the same song; and perhaps most importantly, both starred the same Tony Award-winning leading lady, Lauren Bacall. Now this isn't to diss WOTY, and none of the above mattered a whit to the audience who filled the horror known as the Arie Crown Theatre because when all was said and done, WOTY was a fun, energetic, fast-moving, vastly entertaining, and solidly professional piece of escapism that had the very good sense to have Lauren Bacall as its lead. Now, the redoubtable Ms. Bacall's take on Margo Channing and Ms. Bacall's take on Tess Harding were pretty much the same, which is not to say anything about anything really, because you paid your money to see the glamour and sophistication that was Lauren Bacall and that's what you got … in spades. Peter Stone's book, which followed the movie, but wasn't a slave to it, got the job done. Worth a Tony? No, but the competition was weak. John Kander and Fred Ebb's score fared better with a tuneful collection of tunes that kept the evening rolling to its conclusion. The score is second drawer Kander and Ebb, but second drawer Kander and Ebb is better than many songsmiths' top drawer, so perhaps that's a moot point. Again, worth a Tony? In a stronger season, no; in the 1980-1981 season, it was the best of a weak lot. Harry Guardino, a star in his own right, though nowhere near Bacall's status, was engaging in a basically thankless role. The large supporting cast and ensemble were all pros. Marilyn Cooper, a Tony winner for Featured Actress in a Musical for this show, almost stole the show from Bacall in her brief appearance late in the musical's second act as Bacall's ex-husband's wife. Bacall and Cooper's duet, "The Grass Is Always Greener," brought down the house and was the highlight of the evening. Bottom line, though, the show was all about Lauren Bacall. And Lauren Bacall delivered. The glamour. The sophistication. The voice. The looks. The superb timing. If the material given to her wasn't always first rate, she never let her audience know it. She was the reason for Woman of the Year and she knew it. Today we have Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, any number of sensational and talented Broadway leading ladies. What we don't have is a Lauren Bacall. – at the Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago

WOTY and the Tonys:  It's no secret that the Tony Awards aren't always won because the winners are the best in their categories. Actually, this is true with all awards contests. Sometimes sentimentality plays a part. Sometimes the winners are current Flavors-of-the-Month. And sometimes it's because the winner is the best of an unimpressive lot. Take the 1980-1981 season, Woman of the Year's season. The David Merrick/Gower Champion smash 42nd Street won, unsurprisingly, the Best Musical Tony in a field that included Sophisticated Ladies, Tintypes, and Woman of the Year. In this case, the other nominees really didn't have a chance over the enormous sentimental value attached to the death of Gower Champion on the day his final show, 42nd Street, opened on Broadway. (And let's be fair here. 42nd Street is quintessential musical theatre and probably would have won in any season.) But WOTY walked away with four Tonys, two more than the Tony-winning Best Musical, two performance Tonys (for Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Cooper) and two creative ones for book and score. For Best Book, WOTY's competition included 42nd Street, which was less of an actual character-driven book and more of a device to get to the next song, Tintypes, and, curiously, The Moody Shapiro Songbook, a one-performance flop. The best of the lot, Peter Stone collected a Tony for WOTY. For Best Score, Kander and Ebb were up against Charlie and Algernon (17 performances), Copperfield (13 performances), and Shakespeare's Cabaret (54 performances). Again, the strongest in a weak field, Kander and Ebb collected their second, of three, Tony Awards for Best Score. (Their other wins were for Cabaret and Kiss of the Spider Woman, both superior scores.)

ROSMERSHOLM – Duke of York's Theatre, London

No crowding around the stage door at the Duke of York's. The security folks kept everything civilized.

The graphic is stunning and haunting.

The exquisite set. The detail was amazing.

May, 2019. Who would've thought that an 1886 play written by a brooding Norwegian could be so socially, morally, and politically relevant, especially in 2019 with Donald Trump infecting the very lifeblood of the United States, a so-called leader whose bile was felt across the globe. Not one of Ibsen's more familiar works, I had never heard of this play until it was recommended to us by London friends, acquaintances of star Tom Burke. It's a play about the liberal left and the conservative right, about the desire to change and yet incapable of doing so, the desire to look forward, yet shackled by the past. The play may have been set in the 19th century, but in Duncan Macmillan's adaptation, Rosmersholm was vibrant and current. This was an exquisite production, faultlessly directed, and acted with conviction and honesty by the entire cast lead by Tom Burke, Hayley Atwell, and Giles Terera. And when the stage flooded with water at the play's end? Simply no words. Thrilling theatre. – at the Duke of York's Theatre, London

WICKED – Oriental Theatre, Chicago

January, 2006. If you had gone to a performance of Wicked expecting *a musical version of Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked, upon which the musical is based, you would have left the theatre quite likely entertained, but also quite likely disappointed. For in converting Maguire's complex and nuanced political, social, and ethical commentary on good and evil into a two and one-half hour musical, including songs, book writer Winnie Holzman jettisoned most of what made the novel great and instead gave the book's plotlines very broad strokes and wrote a musical that is essentially the story of two girls, a story that resonated with the ticket-buying public, in spite of reviews that would have closed a lesser show within a week, and continues to resonate with them as Wicked, even after over seventeen years on Broadway, continues to rack in sell-out or near sell-out sales week after week. Yes, the show is entertaining, ridiculously so. But it's also calculated to the nth degree and without a lot of heart or warmth. It's slick as snot, professional to the max, and empty. Now, I'll freely admit, we had a great time at Chicago's sit-down production, especially since we were in some terrific house seats, courtesy of Bob's friend of many years, Gene Weygandt, who was playing the Wizard. Chicago favorite Rondi Reed was playing Madame Morrible, and the two pros seemed to be having a blast in their respective roles. If neither Kristy Cates as Elphaba nor Stacie Morgan Lewis as Glinda blew us away, they were both more than satisfactory and gave the material more care and attention than it deserved. Like I said, I was entertained. So was Bob. So were our two boys. But is it a good show? Not really. For all the glitz and glam, there's a reason for the bad reviews, including a really unremarkable score by Stephen Schwartz. However, all concerned are laughing their way to the bank, and have been since 2003, so what do I know? Defying gravity? How about defying critics? – at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Wicked in Chicago: A sold-out six-week engagement led immediately to a sit-down run, the likes of which had not been seen in Chicago before or since. It ran just over 3 ½ years and, in all likelihood, could have continued its run for at least another 3 ½ years. (By comparison Hamilton's Chicago residency was a mere 3 ¼ years.) Touring productions have returned twice to Chicago for short, but sold-out runs. The musical, in New York, in London, and on the road, shows no signs 

of slowing down, at least pre-pandemic. It may well run until the next millennium.

THE NAP – Friedman Theatre, New York

Alex and I having a bit of a chinwag after her performance. She was magnificent and hysterically funny. 

September, 2018. Pure farce, ridiculous and funny as only the Brits can do. It wasn't groundbreaking, but I learned a bit about snooker and, well, the more you know, and the ensemble of terrific farceurs assembled on the Friedman stage all seemed to be having a grand time entertaining us. Lots of big scenery, efficient staging by the always-reliable Daniel Sullivan, and even a bit of audience participation! The divine Alexandra Billings, in her Broadway debut, was absolutely hysterical as, wait for it, Waxy Bush. Her backstory in the play was a highlight. Brava! Lots and lots of laughs and a terrific way to spend a couple of hours. Props to all. And a low bow to the Manhattan Theatre Club for presenting this gem. We had a grand time! - at the Friedman Theatre, New York

NELL GWYNN – Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago

September, 2018. Preview. Luxe set, sumptuous costumes, atmospheric live music, effective lighting, and solid acting throughout were all derailed by static, dull direction by Christopher Luscombe that basically ignored 2/3 of the house, especially the right side where we were seated, and staged the show as though the Shakes' Courtyard Theater were a proscenium house. This meant we missed a lot of facial expressions, gestures, and saw a lot of backs. Scarlett Strallen as the title character was charm personified, though her cockney was a little too thick at times and I missed more than a few of her lines. Big props go to Natalie West as Nancy in a lovely performance full of sardonic humor and attitude. The singular Hollis Resnik, in two small roles, almost stole the show, and just for the record, her cockney was intelligible throughout her scene as Nell's mum. I read this play the previous February on the beach in Isla Verde and absolutely loved it. So much so that I told Bob he simply had to direct this ASAP. I'm sad to report I wasn't much in love with it in its American premiere at the Shakes. Perhaps it's one of those pieces that reads better than it plays. But I suspect, in a proscenium house or with a director who knew how to stage in a thrust environment, I would have felt differently. Didn't hate it, but…  - at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago

THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK – Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

January, 2001. The 1987 film gave its four leads (Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer) an opportunity to engage in some very satisfying scenery-chewing. Based on the film and the John Updike novel, the engaging musical version likewise gave its four leads, Ian McShane, Lucie Arnaz, Maria Friedman, and Jocelyn Hawkyard (filling in for Joanna Riding), ample opportunities to chew some scenery, of which there was plenty of on the Drury Lane stage, and even let its leading ladies fly, a la Peter Pan, over their audiences at the end of Act One. Talk about bringing down a curtain! Ian McShane, as Daryl Van Horne, in an eagerly-awaited return to the West End after thirty years, was at least ten years too old to be an irresistibly sexy devil, but he attacked the role with vigor, delight, and unabashed sleazy smuttiness that smoothed over his tentative musical comedy skills. The Misses Arnaz, Friedman, and Hawkyard were all wonderful, individually and together, with Arnaz, in her West End debut, especially enchanting. Rosemary Ashe, as Felicia, the town gossip and guardian of Eastwick's morals, came very close to stealing the show in a delicious performance. Production values were top-notch, the direction and choreography were crisp and efficient, John Dempsey's book and lyrics and Dana P Rowe's score were better than many musicals and reminiscent in construction of the golden musicals of yore. The "Dirty Laundry" number was as good a production number as one could hope for. We enjoyed it immensely and the cast album is a delightful listen. – at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

Hello, Broadway? The Witches of Eastwick received mixed to positive notices on its London opening, especially positive for its leading ladies. But the 2100-seat Drury Lane proved too large to bring in profitable houses week and after week, so after nine months, it received a scenic slimming-down, a few revisions here and there, and reopened at the 1200-seat Prince of Wales Theatre, overall a better fit for the show. Popular enough for a respectable seventeen-month run, it nevertheless closed at a loss. It received its American premiere in 2007 at Arlington, Virginia's Signature Theatre, and despite fine reviews and rumors that the show was Broadway-bound, it never made it there, and has for all intents and purposes disappeared from the American musical theatre scene. In fact, the only show of Americans Dempsey and Rowe to have any real play in the States has been their late-1990s Zombie Prom. But Broadway isn't the be-all-to-end-all, and The Witches of Eastwick has enjoyed a post-West End life that includes productions in Australia, Russia, Brazil, Poland, Norway, Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, a couple of UK tours, and a short run in 2014 at Maine's Ogunquit Playhouse. Broadway remains elusive, probably always will, and The Witches of Eastwick doesn't figure on America's musical theatre radar. And that, folks, is America's musical theatre's loss.

And that's it for now. Until the next time, stay safe and social distance!
© 2021 Jeffrey Geddes

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