"Backstage Babble"

 Dear Blog Readers,

Hi! This is Charles. I want to tell you all about a new venture of mine that I highly recommend you listen to. I have started a podcast, called Backstage Babble, which features Broadway actors, directors, designers, writers, and more. It has been a dream come true for me to interview some of my favorite people. Here, below, is my full list of interviewees and some stories (including some upcoming ones no one even knows about yet!)

Harold Holzer

Peter Filichia

Ken Bloom

Ken Kantor

Josh Ellis

Evan Pappas

Ken Bloom and Richard Carlin (Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race)

Rob W. Schneider

Beowulf Boritt

Stephen Mo Hanan

Joel Grey

Josh Bergasse

Rita Gardner

Gerard Alessandrini

Charles Busch

Sondra Lee

Penny Fuller

Chuck Cooper

Anita Gillette

Lee Roy Reams

The staff of MARIE'S CRISIS.

Michael Rupert

Steve Ross

Tom Jones

Eileen Casey

John Weidman

Here are some of the best stories so far:

Disastrous Productions:

Stephen Hanan tells of the Oliver revival, starring Peter Pan and Ron Moody. As Mr. Moody's understudy, Hanan was not allowed within ten feet of him. Also, Moody would carry a book of his previous adlibs and could be seen before the show deciding which pearls to "invent" that night.

Sondra Lee talks about Reuben, Reuben, the musical opera starring Eddie Albert. She had always wanted to meet Marc Blitzstein, so you can imagine her gratification when, at the audition, he pointed right at her and exclaimed "SHE'S IT!" However, she describes the show itself as a "musical about lack of communication that failed to communicate."

Joel Grey recounts being in "Hell" replacing in The Roar of the Greasepaint and other early shows. He says that they would force you to do exactly what your predecessor had done, with no change whatsoever.

Penny Fuller lamented the L.A. production of The Dinner Party, where they set an extremely intimate show in a large theater with no proscenium. "Sometimes you wonder where people's brains are," she lamented.

Anita Gillette told the story of one of the most notorious flops, Kelly. She recounts that even though the writers were not allowed to watch the rehearsal (!), they would put on disguises and attempt to sneak in anyway.

Stage Mishaps:

Dancer Eileen Casey tells of her first performance on Broadway, where she invited everyone she knew, only to have her scarf be trailing and finally falling on the ground during the dance number, with her male partner pulling her so fast that she never had time to pick it up!

Chuck Cooper recalls the night of the Sondheim play Getting Away with Murder where the gun noise did not in fact work, so the killer ran around the stage pretend-strangling each one of the seven actors on it.

There are so many stories like this, and ABOUT Jerome Robbins, Jack Davenport, and everyone in between!

You can listen at these links:

cbroadwaypodcast.podbean.com

https://open.spotify.com/show/6wLTEPJgjASqAzwuSM5oa

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backstage-babble/id1526353692

I hope you enjoy!

Quiz Solutions

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I posted the quiz, so I feel it's time to finally tell you the answers. Thank you to Remy Kirsch, Edith Holzer, Adam Kirsch, Diana and Francesca Bertolini, Alex Barylski, Ken Kantor, Peter Filichia, Josh Ellis, and Bryan Brooks for sending me their answers. The high scorer was Ken Kantor with 35 out of a possible 40 points. Many of these were stumpers! Look for another quiz in the next week.

1. “Well, we got blame for garbage and for potholes, too. How come nobody put the blame on you?” 

Mayor-“Hootspa”

2. “Running away-go to it. Where did you have in mind?”

“No More”-Into the Woods

3. “After snitching Eve and Adam, I attended 'Call Me Madam'"

“They Couldn’t Compare to You”-Out of This World

4. “Open up, open up, give her gas, pull to the side, pull to the side, let her pass”

“There’s Nothing Like a Model T”-High Button Shoes

5. “He never took no liberties, he knew where his place was”

“He Had Refinement”-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

6. “In the theater, modesty can hurt you”

“If You Got it, Flaunt it”-The Producers

7. “The coveted Oscar is Hammerstein!”

“Turn Me Loose on Broadway”-Two’s Company

8. “You’re not an ornithologist until you get the bird”

“Where is the Tribe for Me”-Bajour

9. “It’s ever so lonely-I’m holding only air”

“Here in My Arms”-Dearest Enemy

10. “Don’t smirk at me, you egotist. Pay heed to what I say!”

“Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve”-1776

11. “In Virginia, we plant seeds in the ground. We create.”

“Cabinet Battle #1”-Hamilton

12. “I often ask myself why should it be, that they come so far across the sea? I suppose it’s because they agree with me.”

“I Happen to Like New York”-The New Yorkers

13. “One day, I change my horse for a motor.”

“Time Marches On”-Holiday Inn

14. “You know what you’ve got. You’ve got something hot.”

“Be a Performer”- Little Me

15. “Like temperatures climbing. I can’t contain my joy.”

“I Can Hear the Bells”-Hairspray

16.  “When the curtain fell, then all Hell broke”

“Waiting for the Girls Upstairs”-Follies

17.  “Save your breath until we get together later. You’ll get your chance to be a great big operator. "

“Skip the Build Up”-Ankles Aweigh

18. “He said my bronchial tubes were entrancing. My epiglottis filled him with glee.”

“The Physician”-The New Yorkers

19. “With the wall up against my back, with the water rising to my chin.”

“I Rise Again”-On the Twentieth Century

20.  “The truth isn’t what you want to see.”

“The Music of the Night”-Phantom

We Interrupt Your Scheduled Program...Or, A Broadway Quiz

Hi! I am back, but slightly differently than I had said. Instead of recommendations, I am bringing you a 20-question Broadway quiz for only the truest of theater fans. I will post the answers in an accompanying blog post soon, but please feel free to email me the ones you know at cbroadwayblog@gmail.com. That’s the reason why I’m doing the quiz!

Here is the challenge: A Lyrics Quiz. I will name the lyric, and when you write to me you can get 1 point for the song or the show, 2 points for both. I can’t stop you from cheating, only discourage you.

1. “Well, we got blame for garbage and for potholes, too. How come nobody put the blame on you?” 

2. “Running away-go to it. Where did you have in mind?”

3. “After snitching Eve and Adam, I attended 'Call Me Madam'"

4. “Open up, open up, give her gas, pull to the side, pull to the side, let her pass”

5. “He never took no liberties, he knew where his place was”

6. “In the theater, modesty can hurt you”

7. “The coveted Oscar is Hammerstein!”

8. “You’re not an ornithologist until you get the bird”

9. “It’s ever so lonely-I’m holding only air”

10. “Don’t smirk at me, you egotist. Pay heed to what I say!”

11. “In Virginia, we plant seeds in the ground. We create.”

12. “I often ask myself why should it be, that they come so far across the sea? I suppose it’s because they agree with me.”

13. “One day, I change my horse for a motor.”

14. “You know what you’ve got. You’ve got something hot.”

15. “Like temperatures climbing. I can’t contain my joy.”

16.  “When the curtain fell, then all Hell broke”

17.  “Save your breath until we get together later. You’ll get your chance to be a great big operator. "

18. “He said my bronchial tubes were entrancing. My epiglottis filled him with glee.”

19. “With the wall up against my back, with the water rising to my chin.”

20.  “The truth isn’t what you want to see.”

Good Luck! The answers will be posted next week. Before then, please email me at cbroadwayblog@gmail.com

Note: Thanks to Peter Filichia's columns for the idea and format!

UPDATE: 

As of 7/5, the top scorer is Ken Kantor with 35 points. Let's see if anyone can beat that!

Contact Email

If I ever do a quiz on this blog or something that requires reaching out to me, or you are unable to use the comments function (which is encouraged), you can use the email cbroadwayblog@gmail.com for all things blog related. Thank you!

Quarantine Recommendations Part 3

Hi! As promised, here is Quarantine Recommendations #3: Virtual Event Streams. I feel I should add: when you read about a virtual event, make sure you watch it live or record it in some way, as the vast majority of them do not stay up. Some of these events cost money, and it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it. Most of these events benefit charity in some way, so it would be beneficial to look at what charity that is. 

STARS IN THE HOUSE and PLAYS IN THE HOUSE

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley have been keeping busy during quarantine on the twice-daily series Stars in the House and the tri-weekly off-shoot Plays in the House. SITH, as we’ll call it, features interviews with Broadway greats such as Chita Rivera, Kristin Chenoweth, and Bernadette Peters. These are archived forever, and you can watch I believe 200 episodes now on Youtube. The show also features TV reunions, such as Smash, Glee, Dr. Ken, and Melrose Place. I will give my personal picks of best episodes, although if you see a star you like, the episodes never fail to entertain.

-Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond (Special Guests Jon Hamm, Jane Krakowski, Alan Alda) This is a laugh-filled walk through Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock , and also how Fey and Richmond got their start in theater, including some stories about school shows and hometowns. Music includes “Mr. Lucky” from a revue by Richmond.

-Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus (Special Guests Keala Settle, Sean Hayes, Scott Icenogle) This one has a warm accent on marriage, a great proposal story, as well as several backstage stories of stage fright and more. There is music included here too.

-SCTV Reunion (Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara). SCTV happens to be Seth’s favorite show, and so the sheer excitement of this episode brings it to life. You’ll get to see several clips from old shows, as well as hearing priceless stories and banter among 4 close friends who happen to be some of the funniest comedians ever. 

-Sally Rudetsky's Birthday Celebration (Varla Jean Merman, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Andrea Martin). Here, Seth celebrates his mom’s birthday and great stories are shared along with truly exceptional singing. A highlight is Andrea Martin doing a dramatic reading of Sally’s diary of auditions. Music: Wheels of a Dream, more

Others I’ll recommend without as much detail:  

-The Goodbye Girl Reunion (Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Sean Hayes, Kelli O’Hara) 

-Joel Grey Birthday Celebration (Bebe Neuwirth, Jennifer Grey, Bernadette Peters) 

-Charles Busch and Julie Halston (Iain Armitage, Raul Esparza)

Plays in the House happens on Wednesday and Saturday at 2, and Plays in the House: Teen Edition (plays written and acted by teens) happen on Sundays at 2. Usually the Plays in the House Jr. series does not offer much, with a few exceptions, but Plays in the House proper often gets original casts and you can see why the plays became hits. However, these are only available for 3-4 days after airing, so jump while you can. Up right now is Charles Busch’s Die, Mommie, Die with himself, B.D. Wong, and Jennifer Cody.

TAKE ME TO THE WORLD: A SONDHEIM 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION.

This event certainly seemed to be cursed in the beginning, with several technical glitches and panicked tweets which led people to assume the worst, but it was worth it for this all-star celebration of the greatest musical theater lyricist. Alexander Gemignani lends true showmanship to “Buddy’s Blues," making the most of his space and making it the high point of the evening out of sheer fun. Mandy Patinkin and Linda Lavin, among others, recreated the songs they’d originally done in Sondheim shows. Ben Platt and Brandon Uranowitz both did charming new versions of songs, though they weren’t quite as thrilling as feeling the original magic. Chip Zien brought another emotional high as he clutched his original Baker’s Hat after a stirring rendition of “No More.” For me personally, Elizabeth Stanley managed to turn “The Miller’s Son,” a song that usually gets me nodding off, into an interesting and emotional piece. The Merrily We Roll Along overture as played by at least 20 musicians brought the evening to a rousing start, and Bernadette Peters brought it home a cappella, showing once again her extreme versatility. But, as always happens, there have to be some bad apples. Fast forward through Katrina Lenk’s “Johanna,” the CSC cast of Pacific Overtures doing “Someone in a Tree,” and Lea Salonga’s not-bad-but-not-memorable performance. Other highlights included performances by Kelli O’Hara, Christine Baranski, and Aaron Tveit.

LCT AT HOME

If what you prefer is seeing videos of actual performances rather than faces on a Zoom screen, Lincoln Center Theater is releasing many of the Great Performances recordings of their shows on Youtube. Act One has already been on and off (with much to recommend), and you can check their website for updates on what’s coming next. 

Other series to recommend are

BROADWAY’S BEST SHOWS: SPOTLIGHT ON PLAYS

54 BELOW AT HOME

MARIE’S CRISIS VIRTUAL PIANO

YORK THEATER PANELS

Upcoming events that look interesting:

New Musical Reading of Walt and Roy with Jonah Platt

York Theater Panel: Enter Laughing

BCEFA airing of Bernadette Peters’ Concert

See you again at 5!

Quarantine Recommendations Part 2

We’re back with Quarantine Book Recommendations. Broadway interviews and memoirs often provide the same sort of anecdotes you’d hear in a live interview in a slightly more structured way.

ATTA GIRL

Memoirs by people on the edges of show business, such as Helene Hanff's Underfoot on Broadway, often have stories to tell that are even more interesting than the A-Listers', since they are probably not ghostwritten and the authors don’t have to worry as much about upsetting members of the industry. Peggy Pope’s memoir is deeply personal without being upsetting, and takes us not just into her life, but deep into her psyche. She shares experiences with her father, and in the next chapter talks about Jimmy Durante. Colorful figures have entered her life, and although it’s not a particularly dishy book, it gives a very real sense of what it’s like to become an actor. Pope’s biggest job was as what she referred to as a “boozy Greek chorus” in the movie 9 to 5. But she has also worked on stage with greats like Jimmy Stewart and Buddy Hackett. Read this book for a gritty and real sense of what it’s like to always be on the verge of fame, yet still make a life out of doing the thing you love.

DANCING MAN

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this new, truly sparkling memoir by Tony-winning choreographer Bob Avian, who worked on all fo Michael Bennett’s projects as well as Miss Saigon and the Chorus Line revival by himself. His memoir is concise, but he kept in all the best parts. Whether talking about Katharine Hepburn in Coco or the audience reaction once A Chorus Line became the sensation that it was, Avian’s memoir shows you both his experience and his great talent for painting a vivid picture (whether on stage or in writing, I guess). A fly on the wall for many important events of theater history, Bob Avian has seen it all, and isn’t afraid to repeat it. 

UNCLE MAME

The best researched book I’ve read thus far is Uncle Mame, Eric Myers’ engaging biography of the one and only Patrick Dennis. With the proposed mission statement being not so much a tribute, but simply a remembrance of him and a preventative measure against him slipping into the past, this book has no end of anecdotes from personal interviews with almost every living person who knew him. Whether using snippets of humor columns he wrote while in the army, or quoting his exact opinion of quite a few Mames (“too common,” rather a snooty view to take if you ask me), the author makes you fall in love with Dennis all over again, and it is remarkable how many times in the book his life plays out in a way you thought you would only see in, well, a Patrick Dennis novel. However, this is not merely a tribute, as I said, and Myers doesn’t fail to acknowledge the dark sides of Dennis, like his mental health issues, self-destructive patterns, and suicide attempts. But through this, Myers doesn’t let us lose the “fun” Dennis we like to imagine. For example, he might include a detail about the shoot for Little Me alongside a description of a messy situation with Dennis’ aunt who claimed to be the real Mame, and then started trying to take advantage of the book’s money and success. This is a smart and funny take on the life of one extremely complicated but talented man, and I recommend it highly.

SEE YOU ALL (UPDATED SCHEDULE) TOMORROW AT 3 FOR VIRTUAL EVENT RECOMMENDATIONS, AT 5 FOR PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS, AND AT 8 FOR CDS AND MUSIC.

Quarantine Recommendations Part 1

Hi, everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve written on this blog, but I feel I should catch up. Quarantine started in March, and since then there has been no live theater, but still no dearth of virtual entertainment. And that’s why I bring you this column. Here are some of my recommendations of cast albums, movies, virtual programs, and more for you to keep yourselves busy.

MOVIES AND TV

In addition to, obviously, the new release of Hamilton on Disney Plus, I was happy to find several quite interesting movies on Amazon, some Broadway-related and some pure fun.

ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway

Dori Berinstein, of Lights of Broadway Cards, The Broadway Podcast Network, and The Prom, made a documentary back in 2003 chronicling 4 shows in development that season, Taboo, Wicked, Avenue Q, and Caroline, or Change. While these did not turn out to be the 4 shows nominated for Best Musical, they were some of the main competitors for the nomination. The documentary goes more in-depth to some of the shows than others, extensively showing Wicked in the rehearsal room, while saving most of the Caroline footage for the in-theater rehearsal process. Many interviews with Rosie O’Donnell, Boy George, and Euan Morton have been conducted to help explore the immense drama behind Taboo, while creative interviews with the team behind Avenue Q helped to paint it as the little show that could. The highlights are mostly the Broadway footage, but interesting moments include:

-A critics’ roundtable with Michael Riedel, Charles Isherwood, and more discussing the would-be champions of the season in an often catty but entertaining way.
-Boy George asking why there is a need for Michael RieDEL (note the naive mispronunciation), and trying to brush off the drama surrounding the show.
-Interviews with groupies from Taboo and Wicked explaining why they love them so much.
-George C. Wolfe being surprisingly cruel to a group of kids in rehearsal.
-A montage of all the shows that had rapidly opened and closed that season.

Tonya Pinkins, Euan Morton, and Jeff Marx, the arguable heroes of the film, each must confront their demons and their shows’ demons, often to interesting effect. One trend from back then which is interesting to note is the placement of all these shows in their particular theaters. Taboo was a lush, giant show that featured a Bohemian sensibility, much like the most recent 2 occupants of the Al Hirschfeld theater, Kinky Boots and Moulin Rouge. Theater placement is much more strategic than you might think. For a Broadway fan, this movie has much to recommend, and watch it while you can for it has only recently become available, and may not stay there for very long.

Top Banana

Hard as this was for me to believe, a movie was made of the Phil Silvers vehicle Top Banana that seems to be set on a stage and features the exact blocking-and it’s available on Amazon! The show is largely cut down, retaining only a scant few of the songs, and a few roles are recast. But overall the inclusion of the vaudevillian dialogue including the theme, echoing Herb Gardner’s I’m Not Rappaport, of having the title be based on an old vaudeville routine, gives you a pretty good sense of the feel of the show. Noticeably absent is Rose Marie’s material. While she herself makes a few appearances, she is treated as the second  lead yet has no songs and almost no material. According to Amazon trivia, this was due to her refusal to sleep with the producer. A few slightly overblown production numbers stop the show in a negative way, but are interesting if only to see what production values exactly were back then. The other cast is charming enough, though there are no standouts, except an almost cameo appearance by a strange man who refuses to let go of Phil Silvers’ arm in a running gag. The plot centers around Jerry Biffle (Silvers) , a TV personality, who finds a woman in order to boost his public personality. However, what he doesn’t realize is his tenor (Lindy Doherty) loves the same woman, and Silvers blindly (literally, because of his glasses) endorses their marriage, making a fool of himself in the public eye. The plot is silly, but the show is the most fun you’ll have in a long time, and I’d highly recommend it.

Smash

What can be said that hasn’t already? I won’t bother with a plot description or a list of actors, since everyone knows already. However, I’ll offer my opinions of the events of the show.
Ivy Lynn, definitely the more Showbiz-y Marilyn competing for the part in the big musical, is far more appropriate for the role and a much better singer.
Karen Cartwright, with a more pop-y angle, is in fact not even good enough for Hit List, and indeed has beginner’s luck, and shows all her flaws when she has to be taken down a peg and put in the ensemble.
Dev Sundaram and Tom Levitt both have to realize how mismatched they are with everyone they date on the show.
Julia Houston demands too much sympathy for herself when in fact it is her actions that have caused all the chaos around her.
Eileen Rand is the best part of the show by far, and keeping Jerry around is her only flaw.
Derek Wills is extremely talented, and Bombshell suffers without him.
Jimmy Collins and Kyle Bishop are both extremely flawed, and their music is nowhere near Broadway caliber.
Ellis and Leo are low points of the show.
Daisy Parker was absolutely right to do what she did, and the script unfairly paints her as a villain.
If you have no idea what any of those sentiments mean, watch Smash on Amazon, and I would be happy to have a discussion about any of it. I know that no opinion about this show can go unchallenged.

Annabelle Takes a Tour

I am taking a slight detour here from theater per se, and I won’t go too deep into this, but it is a light 1938 farce starring Lucille Ball as Annabel Allison, a movie star so desperate for press that she’s willing to hire back the crazy press agent who has meant only trouble, played by Jack Oakie. However, when she gets into a romance with an erotic novelist, she struggles to keep that out of the paper yet still not to lose her fame. The movie is light, fun, and bubbly, and can be had on Amazon whenever you please. 

CHECK THE BLOG AGAIN BY 8 TONIGHT FOR MY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS, TOMORROW BY 3 FOR MY CD PICKS, AND BY 8 TOMORROW FOR MY PICKS OF VIRTUAL STREAMS THAT YOU SHOULD WATCH.

Question: Inspired by BroadwayWorld, I would love to hear from you in the comments: What lyric do you think best describes how you feel in quarantine? 

My pick is “Sometimes I think that sanity is just a passing fad”-“A Man Could Go Quite Mad,” Mystery of Edwin Drood.