MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 13b: THE TOP TEN – #6

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 13b

THE TOP TEN – #6

NOTE: Due to the length of this entry, I'm dividing it into two parts. This is part two of two.

And picking up where I left off in Part One...more Company!

10:30 PM? Say what?

Interesting billing for Melissa Hart. Although listed second, the font size is the same as most of the cast except for Davis and Dailey. One could argue, with justification, that as far as Chicago audiences were concerned, she was equal to Irene Dailey and Michael Davis as far as star power.

Melissa Hart was hugely popular in Chicago, playing both Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Fran Kubelik in Promises, Promises in lengthy runs at the Shubert. She won a Jefferson Award for her portrayal of Amy. She would pretty much retire from performing in the 70s, get her MFA, now teaches in St. Paul, and continues to act. A few years ago we saw her as Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Guthrie. 

September, 1972. A present to me from me on my 22nd birthday. This locally-mounted Company was the first musical produced at the Forum Theatre in suburban Summit, a newly-opened 425-seat proscenium house next door to its older, very successful in-the-round sibling, the superlative Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. With a cast of Chicago and New York actors and starring Michael Davis, Irene Dailey, and Melissa Hart, this was the Chicago premiere of the Tony-winning musical. The touring company slated to play the Shubert earlier in the year had cancelled its engagement due to unexpected poor box office sales. Seriously? Wow. Everything about this production was first-rate, yet I felt the production didn't quite work. Melissa Hart, a favorite of mine from the Chicago tours of Cabaret and Promises, Promises, was terrific as Amy. Michael Davis, the full-throated Rutledge of Chicago's 1776, was a handsome, suitably remote Robert, and he sang the crap out of the songs. Irene Dailey, while certainly an accomplished actress, didn't do it for me as Joanne, however. Now, that could very well be because the only Joannes I had seen up to that point had been Elaine Stritch and Jane Russell, both formidable ladies whose performances were a combination of powerful personalities, talent, and an abundance of star power, and compared to them, Ms. Dailey's performance, though assured, didn't quite cut it. Now please understand, I didn't dislike this production because I did like it. Quite a lot. I just wasn't in love with it. – at the Forum Theatre, Summit, IL

Sidebar: According to the program, the orchestra for this production numbered three musicians who played over a dozen instruments. I remember a full sound, so bravo, ladies and gentlemen of the orchestra. Cast as Jenny, Ami Silvestre would sizzle as Phyllis in a widely-acclaimed production of Follies a year or so later at Candlelight. Iris Lieberman, Marta in this production, would become a staple on the Chicago theatre scene and is still active today. Sadly both the Forum and Candlelight would close debt-ridden in 1997.

Holy Second Show, Batman!: On Saturdays, the Forum's performances were at 7:00 PM and a mind-boggling 10:30 PM. What this means is that Company's second show didn't come down until after 1:00 AM! And they had a show at 3:30 the following afternoon! No. Just no.

November, 1972. Just because I had mixed feelings about this production didn't mean I didn't want to see it again. Melissa Hart had withdrawn due to illness and was replaced by a very capable Judy Rice. Now a few months into its run, this was a tighter performance than the one I'd seen that September, but I was still underwhelmed with Irene Dailey. – at the Forum Theatre, Summit, IL

 October, 1995. It would be twenty-three years before I would once again visit Robert and those "good and crazy people," his married friends in Company. This was my first encounter with the superb Roundabout Theatre Company, a company that consistently turns out quality work. This was also the first Broadway revival since Company's premiere twenty-five years earlier. Scott Ellis' sparkling production, aided by Rob Marshall's choreography, didn't necessarily offer any new insights, despite the addition of "Marry Me a Little," cut from the original production, and revisions to the Robert/Peter/Susan scene that implies at least one homosexual liaison between Robert and Peter, but, then again, it didn't have to blaze new trails. Another interesting change was lyrically in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" which replaced "I could understand a person if it's not a person's bag/I could understand a person if a person was a fag." with "I could understand a person if he said to go away/I could understand a person if he happened to be gay." Doesn't have the same pop, perhaps, but is far less offensive. And look at that cast, among them Danny Burstein, Kate Burton, Diana Canova, Veanne Cox, Charlotte d'Amboise (Kathy…danced up a storm), Jane Krakowski (April…terrific!), La Chanza (Marta…OMG!), and Debra Monk. Boyd Gaines opened the show as Robert, but experienced health issues early in the run and was replaced for most of it by understudy James Clow, who was terrific. This was the first time I saw Debra Monk, and I became an instant fan. She had the unenviable job of tackling a role so irrevocably identified with its originator, and making that role her own. Let's face it. It isn't easy following Elaine Stritch, even twenty-five years later, but Monk did it and did it extremely well. I liked her a lot. But the standout performance of this production was Veanne Cox, whose performance as Amy was breathtakingly funny and heartbreakingly touching at the same time. She stopped the show dead cold. A class production all around. It's always good to visit an old friend. – at Criterion Center Stage Right (Roundabout), New York

December, 2006. In 2005, director John Boyle brought a critically-praised production of Sweeney Todd, starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris, to Broadway in which the actors doubled as the show's musicians. It was an interesting concept, one I felt didn't always work, but the critics went crazy for it and producers were probably ecstatic over the cost savings of not having to use both actors and musicians for a musical. So, a year later, director Boyle brought another Stephen Sondheim classic, Company, to Broadway, via Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and once again, the actors doubled as the show's musicians. And once again, an interesting concept, but, I'll admit it, I missed a full orchestral sound, and sometimes those damn instruments just got in the way. There were three instances, though, where this actors-as-musicians really worked: 1) In "The Little Things You Do Together," Barbara Walsh, as Joanne, played the triangle. In and of itself, that wasn't remarkable. What was remarkable was the look of total been-there-done-that that she gave the audience every time she rang the triangle. Priceless.; 2) Marta, Kathy, and April using saxophones instead of "do-do-do-do-DO!" during "You Could Drive a Person Crazy.; 3) Raúl Esparza accompanying himself on the piano for "Being Alive." A lovely touch. The electric "Tick Tock" was axed in this production, reducing Kathy's role to basically nothing, something I missed as a Company veteran. The production design was sleek and minimal and suited this production. The cast was uniformly good. Barbara Walsh's Joanne was dry and wise and she delivered a thoughtful, masterful "The Ladies Who Lunch." Esparza's Bobby was suitably vulnerable, suitably remote, and carried with him a simmering sexuality in every scene. However, and this is a big however, the entire performance suffered from a lack of energy. Everything was done well, but it was all very low-key. The show had opened a day or so earlier after a 4-week preview period, so perhaps everyone was tired and needed a couple of days off. Both the NY Times and Variety fainted over it. I less so. Curiously, I was mad about the PBS Great Performances video of this production. Made me want to see the stage version again. – at the Barrymore Theatre, New York

Sidebar: John Boyle tried a actors-as-orchestra Mack and Mabel in London. It got an indifferent reception there. And Watermill Theatre in the UK mounted a actors-as-orchestra Sunset Boulevard. While it's a bold concept, it does somewhat limit your casting. Not every bankable star and not every hard-working Equity actor can play an instrument. Patti LuPone played the tube in Sweeney Todd, and admittedly that was great good fun, but added nothing to either her character or the show. She could play the tuba, so she played the tuba.Today, the musicians are sometimes on stage and play an active part in the action, witness Bright Star and Come From Away, and sometimes the actors will play a bit here and there, but the full-blown concept of actors-as-orchestra has pretty much died down. I, for one, am happy about that.

April, 2011. Forty years after that performance seated in the last row of the Mezzanine at the Alvin Theatre. Recipe: Take a landmark 1970 musical. Add the New York Philharmonic Orchestra with the peerless Paul Gemignani as the conductor. Add a staggering cast of stars from the stage and television. Stir it with skillful direction by Lonny Price and choreography by Josh Rhodes. Put it on stage at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. The result? A Company unlike any Company I've seen. Cast-wise, it was Company on steroids. In alpha order: Craig Bierko, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Katie Finneran, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Lazar, Patti LuPone, Jill Paice, Martha Plimpton, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jim Walton, and Chryssie Whitehead. Except for Robert, the ladies in Company have the meatier roles, always have, so before I go any further, I want to give a well-deserved shout-out to all the hard-working, under-appreciated guys in the show. Well done, gentlemen! And now, on to the ladies. Misses Paice, Thompson, and Whitehead all did well in the less-flashier female roles. Martha Plimpton's scene with Stephen Colbert was comic genius. Anika Noni Rose gave an urgency to the anthemic "Another Hundred People." Katie Finneran was simply delicious as the reluctant bride, Amy. Mad Men's Christina Hendrick as April was a revelation…touching, vulnerable, and very, very funny. And what about NPH, you ask? As Robert, he was the most adorable of the talented gentlemen I've seen as Robert, looked good shirtless, and anchored the show with confidence and ease, but that adorableness sometimes worked against him. I've never thought of Robert as being particularly adorable. Charming, funny, a pal…yes. Adorable, no. I'm being churlish. Harris' performance was solid and thoroughly enjoyable. But, the no-holds-barred, jaw-dropping performance of the evening was Patti LuPone as Joanne in a remote, chilling performance. Her hair-raising "The Ladies Who Lunch" threatened to blow the roof off of Avery Fisher Hall. This was LuPone at her absolute finest. So privileged to have been in the audience. This was not the definitive Company, the inimitable 1970 original still holds that title, but it certainly was the starriest. – at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York

And finally...

A friend gave me this program. By March, 1972, the Broadway production had closed, and this tour was in its final months. Some of the last New York cast moved to the tour which was now doing bus-and-truck stops before ending in Washington in May. Tandy Cronyn, daughter of Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, played Amy. Allen Case was Robert, and, perhaps most interesting, cabaret great Julie Wilson played Joanne. I've seen Ms. Wilson in her cabaret act. I can only imagine how wonderful she was in the role.

Company! Everybody rise!

© 2017Jeffrey Geddes

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 13a: THE TOP TEN – #6

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 13a

THE TOP TEN – #6

NOTE: Due to the length of this post, I'm dividing it into two parts. THIS IS PART ONE OF TWO..

Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Score, Best Director of a Musical, Best Scenic Design. A landmark musical. A musical definitely of its time, yet one that still is relevant and current. "Phone rings, door chimes, in comes company."

 # 6: COMPANY  – Book by George Furth; Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Urban and urbane. Bitter, disillusioned, yet ultimately hopeful. Populated with people that you knew you shouldn't care about, yet, somehow, you did. From the driving title tune, to "Another Hundred People" pulsating with the vibrancy of the city, to the vaudevillian "What Would Be Do Without You?," to the fierceness of "The Ladies Who Lunch," to the comic brilliance of "Getting Married Today," to the tenderness of "Someone Is Waiting," to the soaring "Being Alive," Stephen Sondheim's score bristles, even today, with innovation, life, and sheer brilliance. George Furth's book shows a bit of creakiness these days. The pot scene with Jenny and David now seems a bit too coy, but in 1970, when Company debuted, this was really quite outré. And the depiction of airline flight attendants, née stewardesses, as vapid, air-headed bimbo sex objects is the stuff of the past, though, as a retired flight attendant I hang my head in shame to admit this, very funny, and, I suspect, still the view held by the more Neanderthal straight males in our society. And frankly, I don't know how April's scenes could be rewritten to reflect the times and still be that combination of innocence and comedy. (Character change to male perhaps? Vapid, air-headed bimbo male sex object? Hmmm.)

Company has legions of fans who adore it and legions of people who loathe it. Many feel it's anti-marriage. I don't think it is, but I don't necessarily agree with its core premise that one needs to be committed to someone to be happy, a premise that oddly conflicts with the musical's conclusion when Bobby is alone on stage and he happily smiles. Is that because his friends are leaving him alone for once or is it because he is alone? The question of Bobby's sexuality has been the subject of debate since the show opened. By the time the 1995 revival rolled around, some tweaks had been made to the show and the scene with Susan and Peter now concludes with Peter coming on to Bobby to possibly rekindle a former liaison, indicating that Bobby is bisexual or, perhaps, sexually fluid. (Yes, there's a difference. Google it.) Many feel the character of Joanne was always meant to be male, something Sondheim has vehemently denied over the decades. But time marches on. Views about relationships have matured, sexual dynamics have evolved. I've read that a production of Company is being mounted in the U.K. with a female lead, now called "Bobbie." Sondheim has approved and tweaks to the script are being made. Perhaps it's time for an all-male Company, an all-female Company, a Company with a sexually versatile Bobby with gay, straight, transgender, and pansexual couples and lovers. Company may be, GASP!, a few years shy of being fifty years old (!!), but it is still a powerful, relevant show. Long live Company! "Company! Lots of company. Life  is company! Love is company! Company!"

February, 1971. The lights dimmed. From the pit, hauntingly, teasingly, voices sang "Bobby, Bobby, Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah, Bobby…" as the curtain rose on Boris Aronson's now iconic set of levels, scaffolding, elevators, and projections, cold and utterly breathtaking at the same time. I was hooked before a word was even spoken. I mean one of the characters was wearing a wedding dress and another was wearing a flight attendant, née stewardess, uniform, for crying out loud. Who wouldn't be hooked? Company was unlike anything I had seen up to that point. I was twenty. This was only my second trip to New York, my third Broadway show. (The first two were Coco and Applause.) I was dead center in the last row of the rear mezzanine of the Alvin Theatre. It didn't take long for me to realize that this wasn't a case of a legendary star single-handedly, with some brilliant help from designer Cecil Beaton, making a mediocre show shine like a diamond (Katharine Hepburn, Coco) or a case of a legendary star taking on an iconic role in a musical version of an iconic film and making it her own by sheer force of her personality (Lauren Bacall, Applause). As the title number came to a close, I knew I was watching something very special indeed. Harold Prince's staging and Michael Bennett's choreography kept everything moving, and in the case of "Tick Tock," Bennett's dazzling tour-de-force for the character of Kathy, thrillingly so, foreshadowing Bennett's pinnacle of choreographic genius, "The Music and the Mirror," which would be a few years down the road. Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics always seemed so right, totally in sync with the characters and the plot. I wanted to be Donna McKechnie, Susan Browning or Pamela Myers so I could do "You Could Drive a Person Crazy."  Pamela Myers' electrifying "Another Hundred People" gave me chills of delight. Beth Howland's hysterical and inimitable "Getting Married Today" was just about the funniest thing I'd seen on stage. Is there a better Act Two opening number than "Side by Side by Side/What Would We Do Without You?" Off-hand, I can't think of one. Donna McKechnie blazed through "Tick Tock" with a passion and a precision that was breathtaking to behold. Larry Kert thrilled the audience with a heartfelt and hopeful "Being Alive" that pretty much wrapped up the evening. But Company reached its peak when the incomparable Elaine Stritch uttered "I'd like to propose a toast" and then proceeded to give a master class in what happens on that rare occasion  when performer and material are totally and unequivocally aligned. Her performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch" is justifiably considered one of the great moments in musical theatre. This was a true show-stopping moment, back when stopping the show meant more than over-amplified screeching. You can see videos of Stritch performing the number on various specials, but, trust me, while it's thrilling to watch her on film, it's nothing compared to seeing her do the number, live and in character, in total command of the stage and taking no prisoners. To Company. I'd like to propose a toast! – at the Alvin Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Although I have never been in a production of Company, that show was an important part of my performing life during the 70s. In 1974, at Fort Sheridan, my acting/directing home-away-from-home, I performed in a Sondheim revue conceived by Ft. Sheridan's artistic director called A Funny Thing Happened to Stephen Sondheim. This was a few years before Side by Side by Sondheim and before Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, etc. The set, a riff on Boris Aronson's design, was levels and steps, simple and elegant. (Partially because the set looked good and partially because it was, if you'll pardon the expression, built like a brick shithouse, it would stay up for years and be the basis for other shows' scenic designs. It was a concept that was rarely successful, scenically speaking.) In the show, my solo was "The Ladies Who Lunch," sung in tandem with "The Little Things You Do Together," which was performed by a group of ladies sitting downstage. In another revue at Ft. Sheridan, I would sing, at last!, the Donna McKechnie part in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy." I would perform "Ladies" off and on at singing engagements, but my biggest Sondheim "hit," to use the term loosely…very, very loosely, was "Getting Married Today" a song I would perform often in gigs with my singing partner, Pat. (She sang the Teri Ralston and Steve Elmore parts; I sang the Beth Howland part. And, yes, I could rattle off those lyrics at breakneck speed when I was younger. Today? Not a prayer.) This all seems like a lifetime ago. Ironically, the last show I performed in before taking a twenty-four year hiatus, was a production of another Sondheim revue, Side by Side by Sondheim, where my big solo was "Could I Leave You?" In both "Ladies" and "Leave You," I was too young to really appreciate what I was singing. Now in my late 60s, I could do killer versions of both.

Sidebar of the Above Sidebar: A Funny Thing…Stephen Sondheim was Ft. Sheridan's entry in a Army-wide competition, the big prize being the Irving Berlin Award. At the time, fine arts programs were widely supported by Army brass, and, as a result, good work was frequently presented on Army base stages.  Actor Jerry Orbach spent part of his youth in my hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. He went to Waukegan Township High School and was a friend of our set designer. For whatever reason, Orbach was in town and came to our Saturday performance. Added a bit of show-biz pizzazz to the evening.

Casting Fun Fact: Elaine Stritch's understudy was Sandra Deel, who would play Lucille Early in the Chicago company of No, No, Nanette.

June, 1971. In late May/early June, 1971, I made my first "official" trip to New York, i.e. the first trip to New York my parents knew about. I was twenty, still a minor according to the laws of the day. (!!) In the intervening months since my first visit to Company, many cast changes had occurred, the most intriguing being the casting of film star, WWII pin-up goddess, and Playtex "'Cross-Your-Heart Bras' for us full-figured gals" spokeswoman Jane Russell in her Broadway debut, and only Broadway appearance, in the Elaine Stritch role of Joanne. (Stritch left to join the First National Tour.) Russell was noted for being a devout Christian and to accommodate her beliefs, Sondheim temporarily changed lyrics in "The Little Things You Do Together" from "And, Jesus Christ, is it fun!" to "And, my oh my, is it fun!" I don't think it bothered anyone in the audience, but, since by this time, I knew the cast recording forwards and backwards, I found the change jarring. But lyric changes and breast-size notoriety notwithstanding, her performance was polished, totally professional, and suitably acerbic. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and the audience clearly loved her. In addition to Russell, there was one other standout replacement: Marian Hailey in the Beth Howland role of Amy. Funny and touching as Amy, her career as an actress was short-lived, despite critical success, especially in the film Lovers and Other Strangers, and she is now the author of children's books and a psychotherapist.  Larry Kert was still on hand as Robert. Future Tony-winner Priscilla Lopez was an understudy. This production was a perfect example of how, with careful and thoughtful recasting and TLC from its director and choreographer, a show can remain as vibrant, as exciting as it was with the original cast. – at the Alvin Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Today the Tony Award broadcast  takes place in early June, with a qualification cutoff date around May 1. But that wasn't always the case. In 1971, the Tony broadcast was held on March 28. So when Company won its Tonys, it had been open for almost a year.

November, 1971. On my way to New York for a Thanksgiving weekend of Broadway, I decided to stop over in Cleveland for the night to catch the First National Tour of Company starring Oscar-winner George Chakiris as Robert and the indomitable Elaine Stritch as Joanne. Some folks from the New York company I saw in June, most notably Marian Hailey reprising her triumph as Amy, had left the Broadway company by this time to tour the provinces and were in the Cleveland cast. (Mini Sidebar: In the dance-centric role of Kathy was Carolyn Kirsch, who, a few years later, would play the Blackstone Theatre in Chicago as Velma Kelly in Chicago.) As Joanne, Stritch commanded the stage with ease and the ferocity of her interpretation remained intact. George Chakiris brought a smoldering sexuality to the part of Robert, contrasting with the easygoing good pal vibe Larry Kert brought to the role. Both valid interpretations, but this Bobby positively sizzled, boy, did he sizzle, and the penultimate scene between Joanne and Robert crackled with sensuality and electricity. A memorable evening in Cleveland. – at the Hanna Theatre, Cleveland

Sidebar: The Hanna Theatre was a lovely legitimate house that seated approximately 1500 patrons. Built in 1921, for many years it was Cleveland's theatre of choice for touring shows. But theatre economics changed, and producers began to book larger, more impersonal houses, and the charming Hanna fell out of favor, closing in 1989. After an extensive renovation which reduced capacity to 550, it reopened in 2008 and, though perhaps no longer used to house touring Broadway hits, it is still a viable venue and the main performing space for the Great Lakes Theater. And a theatre being used as a theatre is always a good thing.

The original London cast.

OMG! Those prices!!!

(revised from an earlier post)

May, 1972. My first West End show. My first trip to London. I was 21. I was pretty much obsessed with Company back then, so it's not surprising I would see it in London. A chance to see Elaine Stritch again in her landmark performance? Well, duh! Actually, I saw it twice that week. Another reason I really wanted to see Company in London was to see Dilys Watling, who was Tony-nominated for her role in the short-lived Georgy. She played Amy and was very good in the role, but it was Julia McKenzie as April who captured my heart. I adore this woman and have seen her in several shows since then, both in London and New York, and even had the privilege of sharing a drink with her after a performance of Sweeney Todd back in 1994. This was a replacement cast with London actors taking over from their American counterparts who opened the show. Larry Kert, Marti Stephens (from the Cleveland cast), and Elaine Stritch were the holdovers, and all of them, not surprisingly, gave assured performances. What was surprising, however, was that this very New York show was quite a success in London. A perfect introduction to the West End and a perfect way to begin my love affair, not only with Ms. McKenzie, but also with the London theatre scene. – at Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

Sidebar: In 1972, a decent, modest B&B-type hotel cost under 2 quid a night (The Crescent Hotel, Cartwright Gardens, London. Still in business, though my single with shared facilities is now ₤78/night…a bit of an increase!). You could see a show in the gallery for 40p. I left the States with just over $100 and lived off that for my week's stay and even came back with about $10. Ah….those were the days!

Stritch Sidebar: London loved Stritch and Stritch loved London. She would move there and not return to the United States until the mid-1980s.

And that's it for part one. Part two coming soon.

© 2017Jeffrey Geddes

IF THE SHOE FITS… (The Shoebox Files) Part 1

IF THE SHOE FITS…

(The Shoebox Files)

Part 1

Shoeboxes are more than just places to put one's shoes. In my case, they work as overflow storage for my theatre programs until a larger, more permanent solution can be found. Most of the programs in my shoeboxes are relatively recent, but not all. So to start off a new series, I'll chat about a brilliant revival that brought new life to, in my opinion, an indifferent show in its first incarnation; a return visit to what could become the most successful musical of all time, still regularly selling out after nearly fourteen years (at the time of this writing); the first preview of a Noël Coward play starring a beloved star in a much-anticipated return to Broadway; a revival of the musical about a helicopter, imported from London; and, finally, some thoughts on, arguably, the most hyped show ever. Let's begin, shall we?

THE COLOR PURPLE – Jacobs Theatre, New York

November, 2016. I saw the Equity tour of The Color Purple when it rolled through Chicago years ago during its national tour. Despite an outstanding performance by its leading lady, I found the show bloated, static, a bit dull, and just plain overworked. So when this overhauled revival crossed the Pond from London, I was hesitant about seeing it. Fortunately, I listened to my niece, and, impressed by its selection on that summer's Tony Awards broadcast, we went to the TKTS booth on a crisp November day and were rewarded with fifth row, just off center seats. Sparse, yet elegant in design, this production was everything the original was not. It was wasn't bloated; it wasn't static; it wasn't overworked. Instead it was filled with heart, humanity, and unabashed joy. There is a moment in this exquisite revival of The Color Purple when the audience holds its collective breath and then bursts into ecstatic, screaming applause. And that moment is when Tony-winning star Cynthia Erivo brings to a rapturous close her eleven o'clock number, the jaw-droppingly wonderful "I'm Here." This is why live theatre is truly a gift from the gods. Add stunning performances by Danielle Brooks (Taystee in Orange is the New Black) and Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday. (And, yes, there is a reason she is a legend.) And all of it topped off with a beautiful supporting cast of talented actors. It made me glad to be alive. – at the Jacobs Theatre, New York

WICKED – Gershwin Theatre, New York

March, 2017. When I first read that they were going to make a musical out of Gregory Maguire's fascinating take on what happened in Oz pre-Dorothy, I was curious to see how they would condense Maguire's complex story into a two-and-a-half hour musical. Bottom line? They didn't. And, to their credit, they didn't really try, though there was a nod here and there to Maguire's book. Our niece, Colleen, works backstage at Wicked as a swing dresser and a wardrobe day worker (and during Sheryl Lee Ralph's tenure, a favorite dresser). That day Colleen was working the Sunday night show as the dresser on the Nessarose/Boq/Dillamond track, and since we hadn't seen the show in over a decade, during its initial Chicago run, we thought we'd check it out. Armed with 9th row center seats, thank you, Box Office Guy, we settled in and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Professional, technically amazing, beautifully designed (those costumes!!), and slick as snot, librettist Winnie Holzman and composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz's Wicked is a triumph of style over substance. And let's be honest, there are reasons why Avenue Q won Tonys for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score over Wicked. It simply was, and is, the superior show. As the central characters, Jennifer DiNola (Elphaba) and Kara Lindsay (Glinda) were both wonderful and sang the songs without screeching. (Take note, Ms. Menzel.) The divine Sheryl Lee Ralph (one of the original Dreamgirls) chewed scenery with delicious abandon as Madame Morrible. (Met her afterwards. Class and elegance!) Remember the TV live version of "The Sound of Music"? Well, Michael Campayno, who played Rolf, was a very fine Fiyero. (Met him afterwards...nice guy.) PJ Benjamin was a competent, if unexciting, Wizard. Big orchestra, adoring audience. We had a blast. - at the Gershwin Theatre, New York

 The show curtain from the cross-over aisle in the stalls.

 The dragon's impressive in its brief time onstage. Impressive backstage as well.

Upstage. Lots of lights.

 Here we are with Sheryl Lee Ralph. Elegant. Cordial. A diva is the most complimentary sense of the word. 

Did I say how much we enjoyed meeting her? 

Sidebar: Even after nearly fourteen years, a hopeful crowd gathered outside the theatre to see if they won that performance's lottery, and a line had already begun for cancellations. Inside the theatre was a virtual Wizard store, everything anyone could possibly want pertaining to the show, including photos against an Oz background (actually a green screen, so I'm guessing here.) And people were buying the stuff like it was going out of style. In over fifty years of theatregoing, I have never seen merchandising at this level. Insanity. A cast-proof show, Wicked shows no sign of slowing down, and for the producers and creatives, this continues to be a money machine.

Sidebar 2: The 2004 Tony Awards actually were not very kind to Wicked when all is said and done. Director Joe Mantello didn't even get a nod, unusual for the director of that season's must-see smash, and out of Wicked's ten Tony nominations, it would only win three: Best Actress (Idina Menzel), Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee), and Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty). People may be surprised to learn that Wicked was pretty much panned upon its Broadway opening. Many critics found the show bloated and unfocused with an indifferent score. Hard to believe considering the show's off-the-charts popularity. (Mamma Mia! was panned. So was Cats. See a trend here?) Wicked's loss to Avenue Q must have been particularly hard for composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Despite penning the ubiquitous Godspell (blech!), the never-done Doug Henning musical, The Magic Show (1900+ performances, a financial goldmine, if not exactly a critical darling), the very fine Pippin (the revival was superior to the original), and what I consider his best score, the closed-out-of-town The Baker's Wife, and despite making buckets of money along the way and employing hundreds, hell, thousands of theatre professionals in his shows, Schwartz has never won a Tony Award. He's won three Academy Awards and the Isabelle Stevenson Award (a special Tony), but never an actual in-competition Tony Award. I'm not sure how he feels about that, but, let's face it, with Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked, he's laughing all the way to the bank.

PRESENT LAUGHTER – St. James Theatre, New York

March, 2017. The discussion after the interminable first act was whether we should jump ship or not. We stayed and it got better, even had a really first-rate and very funny scene in Act 2, but overall it was pretty dull and lifeless. Thank god for Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen, and Cobie Smulders because, bless their hearts, they gave the show most of its sass and fizz. Kevin Kline was surprisingly underwhelming, lacking the charisma and charm the part calls for, and was hard to both hear and understand. At 69, he's really too old to play a fading matinee idol, and some of the scenes with the young wannabe actress bordered on creepy. Now, having said all this, we saw its first preview performance, so perhaps that accounted for some of the restrained delivery. However, since the producers deemed it proper to charge full box office prices for previews, I think it's only reasonable to expect a show to be ready for an audience. Or perhaps it's simply that "Present Laughter" is second drawer Coward. A miss. - at the St. James Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Things must have greatly improved at the St. James by the time it opened a few weeks later. The reviews were mostly positive with glowing words for Kevin Kline. He was rewarded with the 2017 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

MISS SAIGON – Broadway Theatre, New York

March, 2017. Last minute TKTS pick. This production crossed The Pond with three of its leads, all excellent. I'd heard this was a more intimate version than the rather tattered-looking tour-tired production I'd seen in Chicago years ago, but it looked pretty damn elaborate to me. Sensational physical production, and the famed helicopter was impressive and, I'll admit, cool, the climax of the really well-done fall of Saigon scene. With more than the occasional nod to that musical about barricades, the Boublil/Schönberg score was beautifully sung. Jon Jon Briones, was suitably slimy and his "The American Dream" was a home run…sleazy, creepy, and a show-stopper. Tony-nominated Eva Noblezada as Kim and London import Alistair Brammer as Chris gave their considerable all and did what they could with those vapid roles, and I still have issues with the character of Kim, but, honestly, character development is all but non- existent in Miss Saigon, so there is that. All in all, though, a satisfying evening. - at the Broadway Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Like the original production, this version of Miss Saigon met with its share of controversy. Instead of the focus being on casting, however, the controversy this time around concerned itself with stereotypes and racism. You may or may not agree with the issues being brought up, but isn't it terrific that people are actually using theatre as a springboard for intelligent, thoughtful discussion?

HAMILTON – Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York

November, 2016. The most brilliant thing about Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton isn't the insanely successful PR machine which convinces folks that this is the Second Coming, and not just a musical, and dupes them into plucking down nearly $850 per ticket for an orchestra seat in New York and a staggering $500 for the same in Chicago. (see Sidebar) It even isn't Miranda's remarkable score that seamlessly integrates rap, hip-hop, and good, old traditional musical theatre into a cohesive whole. It isn't Thomas Kail and Andy Blankenbuehler's superb staging and choreography that keeps everything going at a brisk pace, but has the good sense to slow down every now and then. It's none of those. Instead, the most brilliant thing about Hamilton is the ethnically and racially diverse casting that, instead of looking like stunt casting, is natural, unforced and, really, isn't that the way casting should be? Now…what about the show itself? First, let me preface this by saying our seats were in the second-to-last row of the rear mezzanine at the Rodgers. Terrific sightlines, if a tad distant, but, unfortunately, directly under a speaker that delivered extraordinarily loud, often muddy sound (due to the proximity of our seats to the speakers?). Diction was not everybody's friend (especially Okieriete Onaodowan, whose diction throughout the entire show was so awful, I barely understood a word he said/sang), though overall it seemed to improve somewhat in Act Two. And please don't tell me I wasn't familiar enough with a) the score, b) hip-hop, c) rap, or d) all of the above. That's nonsense. I shouldn't have to be familiar with a musical's score or study it in advance to understand it. (Case in point, a few years earlier we saw American Idiot, Green Day's rock musical, a score I had never heard before, and it was rare when I didn't understand what was being sung onstage, so that blows that theory.) And finally, the audience acted as though they were at the Coliseum throwing Christians to the lions instead of at the theatre, and screamed at a feverish, frenzied pitch at absolutely everything that happened onstage, good, bad, or indifferent. I know everyone was excited beyond words to actually be seeing Hamilton, but the rock concert behavior took away from the show. Moving on…Javier Muñoz as Hamilton was so, so good. Seriously. Props also to Michael Luwoye's Aaron Burr (filling in for Brandon Victor Dixon), Nik Walker's George Washington (filling in for Christopher Jackson), and Rory O'Malley's delicious King George. Unfortunately, the ladies didn't fare as well. Though professional and competent, neither Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds) and Mandy Gonzalez (Angelica Schuyler) made much of an impression. Lexi Lawson, making her Broadway debut as Eliza Hamilton in the role originated by Phillipa Soo, was, frankly, a disappointment. With an underwhelming stage presence, she had her moments, but, for the most part, barely registered in a part that should have crackled with electricity. This was most evident in the magnificent "Burn," Eliza's glorious Act Two song, which never got above the "simmer" setting. I do wish Mr. Miranda would have given us less hip-hop/rap and more dialogue, because the strict rhythmic requirements of both genres made things often sound, well, the same, lacking vocal dynamics and nuances. Verdict? Hamilton is a good musical, a very good musical. I'd like to see it again. It is not, however, the be all to end all. And, under no circumstances, worth those New York and Chicago premium prices. – at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York

Sidebar: It's not an overstatement to say that Hamilton is over-hyped. It is. For the first year of its run, if someone so much as farted backstage at the Richard Rodgers, that news was posted with breathless verbiage on TheaterMania.com, Playbill.com, broadwayworld.com, chat boards, fan sites, etc. etc. And while it is probably the most over-hyped show in history, that claim to fame is primarily due to the way shows are marketed today, utilizing all the various tools available: press, television, radio, and most especially the Internet and social media. But hype isn't new. Looking back over the decades, it seems that since the mid-1950s, at least, a show comes along roughly every twenty years that causes a box office feeding frenzy and PR firms working overtime. Consider the following.

On March, 15, 1956, My Fair Lady opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre to ecstatic reviews. This prompted long, long lines at the Hellinger box office, ticket unavailability for the foreseeable future, and unprecedented media coverage. The was the greatest musical, the biggest hit ever! All the hype even warranted a nod by humorist/playwright Jean Kerr in her book Please Don't Eat the Daisies: "Do you mean to suggest that down through the echoing corridors of time there will never be a Wednesday night on which two seats will be available? I don't wish to inject an empty note of pessimism but even you, in the first flush and fever of success, must concede that there is a possibility at least in theory that sometime, say in 1962, you might be willing, even anxious, to sell two seats." My Fair Lady would close in 1962 after a record 2717 performances.

Jump ahead nearly twenty years to 1975. A Chorus Line opens at the Public Theater on April 15, 1975, is a critical and audience sensation there, immediately sells out, and transfers to Broadway's Shubert Theatre opening in July, 1975. The press goes wild. This is the greatest musical ever! So innovative, so unique, so brilliant. Long, long lines at the Shubert box office. Sold-out for the foreseeable future. Sweeps the Tony Awards. Closest rival Chicago, which opened at the 46th Street Theatre six weeks earlier, is shut out, winning nothing. Even wins the Pulitzer!   A Chorus Line rules! The musical runs and runs and runs, finally closing after fifteen years and 6137 performances, a new record. (In an ironic twist, a revamped and "slimmed-down" Chicago opened in 1996, is still running today, and at 8587 performances, as of July 30, 2017, has long surpassed its former rival.)

Just over twenty years later, in January,1996, a new rock musical called Rent, now inexplicably called RENT, began preview performances at the New York Theatre Workshop under tragic circumstances. In the early morning hours before the first preview, Rent's author/composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson died of an aortic aneurysm. In true show business tradition, the show went on, became an off-Broadway sellout, transferred to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, bringing new life to that previously undesirable house, and opened on April, 29,1996, to critical acclaim, lines at the Nederlander box office, sold-out status, and Rent-heads, those obsessed uber-fans who camped out in front of the theatre both in New York and on tour stops (yes, Rent-heads even on Monroe Street in front of the Shubert to get those scarce tickets) to snatch up the handful of $20 tickets sold before each performance. (In New York, this policy changed to a lottery about 18 months into the run, becoming Broadway's first show to use a lottery.) Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs, and Indina Menzel were in the original cast. Critics hailed it as a landmark musical, a Hair for the 90s, a show that truly spoke to today's generation, a musical that "shimmers with hope for the future of the American musical." No day but today! Rent rules! It even picked up a Pulitzer. And some Tonys. It closed after 5123 performances after making a crapload of money. Not bad for a show whose central characters whine about paying rent.

And we're full circle. Nineteen years years after Rent, Hamilton. Another Pulitzer. Lots of Tonys. People camping out in front of the theatre in hopes of scoring tickets on the cancellation queue. (The Hamilton lottery, as in many lotteries today, has gone digital. No need to spend your entire day braving the elements in front of a theatre.) Tickets remain scarce, even with a replacement cast, and over two years into its run, is still regularly selling out those astronomically priced premium seats, with seats on Ticketmaster's Verified Resale Tickets, i.e. legalized scalping, going for much higher. The media overload has died down somewhat, but every cast replacement seems to be greeted with cries of ecstasy on fan sites and, like it or not, Hamilton will be the ruler of the theatre scene for a least a few more years to come. (Sorry, Dear Evan Hansen.)

And remember…if the shoe fits. Until next time.

© 2017 Jeffrey Geddes