Theater Moment 18: Times Square Angel
Every year Charles Busch puts on an affectionate tribute to 40’s Christmas movies at Theater for the New City. Jaded nightclub star Irish O’ Flanagan (Busch) gets a chance to reconsider her life through the eyes of a dead magician angel (Carl Andress). Such performers as Flotilla DeBarge, one of the best, get to shine. DeBarge, or Kevin Joseph, sparkles as Irish’s maid. Especially funny is when she must be dragged offstage at Irish’s funeral by the other guests, a moment which caused the narrator, dry Julie Halston, to crack up beyond the point of speaking. Halston garnered many laughs, especially when reminiscing about “coffeehouses in the Village”. Tickets sold out within the first day, so I definitely recommend doing it in advance.
Theater Moment 17: The Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction
A must for every theater fan, the ultimate gathering of shopping and autographs, this year was especially enjoyable for me. Tyne Daly, manning her own station of clothes, was stopping to sign autographs. Chita Rivera was discussing costumes with the auction hosts, Officer Lockstock and Little Sally, from Urinetown, as portrayed by Jen Cody and Tom Hewitt. Richard Ridge, extraordinarily nice, was manning a table with CDs and DVDs of such events as Gypsy of the Year and Red Bucket Follies. The signing table was the main hub of action, with Kevin Chamberlin and more on hand to sign adoring fans’ merchandise. Everything from signed Actor’s Fund concert posters to Broadway flip books was available. Performances existed as well, from Mean Girls’ Demarius Copes advertising to the employees at the Kinky Boots table putting on a Celebrity Autobiography with a cast memoir. Broadway scholars Peter Filichia and Ken Bloom were part of the Theater World and Dancers Over 40 tables. It was truly a haven for fans.
Theater Moment 16: BroadwayCon
In late January, panels, games, and singalongs made for a true Broadway fan’s dream. BroadwayCon consists of 8-ish panels every hour for three days, with everything from show spotlights like Dear Evan Hansen, to remembrance panels like the West Side Story anniversary, to games like BroadwayCon feud. I was delighted to meet another Do Re Mi fan, as well as author Jennifer Ashley Tepper in the dining room. Lynn Ahrens, Christy Altomare, and Hailey Kilgore discussed what it means to be a strong woman in the theater. Since this returns every year, consider going. It’s not too late to buy tickets! You can even hear your favorite theater podcasts taped live!
Theater Moment 15: Red Bucket Follies
The newly christened Red Bucket Follies are an exclusive event where currently running shows perform variety numbers. The rules are loose, so each number is entirely different. The Lion King danced to tapes of sexual harassment trials over dramatic music, while Ryan Steele danced to “Is That All There Is?” Kinky Boots performed a sarcastic number in which they said they were being forced out of their theater by “a show with lots of cash”, Moulin Rouge. Performances mostly excelled, while a few seemed entirely out of place and slightly grotesque. Seth Rudetsky was a very funny host, simultaneously moderating the event and doing his own schtick. Fans of his will be glad to know he finally played the recording of pop songs he made as a child that he talks so much about. It is very special in tone, and every ticket you buy gets to a worthy cause!
Theater Moment 14: The Drama Book Shop (Closed)
One of the oldest theatrical institutions, The Drama Book Shop, the only one of its kind in the city, will close down. Perhaps one of the most upsetting news items of the year, it is nearing the deadline (early 2019) with no hope. I attended events there for Kevin Winkler’s Big Deal and Broadway art book Fraver by Design. The loss will sadden the community, as it has such a history. Old owners used to make cracks about retitling plays as musicals, parodying other titles, such as for Lolita, Take Her, She’s Nine. While there is hope to relocate, such stories as the Paramour “relocation” do not bode well. I encourage you to go there for advanced gift shopping before it is too late.
Theater Moment 13: 92y: Terrence McNally and “Every Act of Life”
The 92nd Street y, a source of many theater panels and events, this year hosted one particularly good one. Terrence McNally, famed gay playwright, has had a documentary in his honor entitled “Every Act of Life”. The documentary not only provides a deep insight, also featuring interviews with theater luminaries, but the event had a live panel. McNally’s husband, Tom Kirdahy talked before the candid documentary, which featured details like his bad relation ship with his parents, and his love affair with Edward Albee. Afterwards, McNally, Christine Baranski, Nathan Lane, Lynn Ahrens, filmmaker Jeff Kaufman, and moderator Tom Viola. They had an oddly chiding view of Terrence. Nathan Lane was grateful for the gift of his dog, but Lynn Ahrens was slightly less enthused about a gift he gave her. Then shocking but greatly subtle and funny performances by Lane and Baranski, and then Michael Urie and Michael Benjamin Washington. Christy Altomare performed a painful “Journey to the Past”, and then the audience joined in on Happy Birthday (his 90th). It was a unique evening of theater.
Theater Moment 12: Barnes and Noble Broadway signings
The amazing bookstore Barnes and Noble, at its 86th street location, likes to hold signings. Many times fiction and non-fiction authors will come in, but they ar lso do CD signing events. Some create a very special atmosphere, and of course meeting your favorite stars is the best part. I know such stars as Andy Karl, Norbert Leo Butz, Kelli O’Hara, and Lin-Manuel Miranda have participated. Lines can be very long, but you can still see from the TV or through the glass door. Performances and interviews are first. My Fair Lady held a lengthy panel, while Once on This Island was all singing. Falsettos, Tuck Everlasting, and Seth Rudetsky’s book events have been the most warm and fun ones. It’s not too far, it costs nothing except for the price of the cd/book, so drop by! *Note: The next event has not yet been announced*
Theater Moment 11: The Royal Family of Broadway in the Berkshires
Few places other than NYC have really excellent theater, but the Berkshires is one of those few. And this season, a little theatrical gem based on a play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman opened. Seeing the names Will Swenson, William Finn, and Harriet Harris involved with a project gets you excited. I knew we should take a trip just for this. The show starts with a classic ‘40s dance number, and goes on through caustic comedy songs, intense ballads, and tour de forces. Will Swenson’s solo, “Too Much Drama in my Life” is a highlight after he breezes in which garners constant laughs and applause for the audience. The John Barrymore-esque role was almost written for him. William Finn defies his usual bitter, edgy format with a relax-and-have-fun musical, interrupted only by the grotesque hamming of Kathy Fitzgerald. A Pirates of Penzance pastiche falls flat on its face, but it is a bon-bon of a musical. The only song featured in that particular show that is widely available is “Stupid Things I Won’t Do”, on William Finn’s Make Me a Song. Let’s hope for a future for this show.
Theater Moment 10: The Prom
What better throwback to the golden age mixed with modern flavor than this show which currently plays at the Longacre Theater. Brooks Ashmanskas plays a flavorful character with funny lyrics (and this tour de force/will not be forced to tour) and a pastiche of an Onward Victoria-based flop about Eleanor Roosevelt. The New Jersey Star Ledger gives a positive review, but the rest are negative (within the show). Then they decide to help small-town lesbian Emma (Caitlyn Kinnunen). Kinnunen exudes charm, and what she lacks in raw talent, she makes up for in sweetness. Beth Leavel fans, rejoice! She has more to do than in most of her shows, and insider jokes such as (on her Hamptons house) “Do you know how many Broadway cruises it took to pay for that thing?”. The touching journey of her character guided by Michael Potts, makes for a few touching moments. People can enjoy the glitzy comedy side, the darker side including a Dear Evan Hansen based video, or the intense hip-hop music and dancing. A note: don’t buy side seats towards the front, as the orchestra speakers will blast at you.
Theater Moment 9: Stagedoor
It is the ultimate resource for fans, and source of annoyance for actors. Here are some tips mixed with anecdotes on the stage door,
- Don’t do anything crazy. Someone egged Barrett Wilbert Weed and people waited on top of buildings for Daniel Radcliffe.
- Find out about little promotional things that could happen. The Tuck Everlasting brothers made fan trading cards.
- Don’t be too stalwart about waiting if they don’t come out. Some people use the back door. At Mean Girls, fans just waited even despite the doormen protesting that no one was coming.
- Be respectful to other fans. A woman at the Anastasia stage door was being very nasty and pushed people away.
- Don’t take advantage of stars. Stars Christy Altomare and Hailey Kilgore are incredibly gracious, but as a result of that people make them do all kinds of things.
- If actors don’t come out, you can always send them fan mail. I did that with Brooks Ashmanskas.
- Feel free to resent those who get to go back stage but NEVER say anything. Stars will eventually come out after they see their visitors.
- It is usually in your best interest to ask the doorman/attendant about who’s coming out. They usually know or can ask.
Whenever you see a show, it’s always worth a try!
Theater Moment 8: My Fair Lady: Lauren? Laura?
We surely all remember the moment a revival of the legendary show was announced. Everyone was buzzing up with suggestions, people went as far as to suggest Ashley Park and Andrea Martin. And yet, the day they announced the cast, we all saw it and collectively cried, “who?” Who was this Six Feet Under star and this Harry Mumble-Jumble? We were angry because we didn’t know. And yet, as soon as this show opened, we were proved wrong. Harry Hadden-Paton is one of the best actors of his generation and while Lauren Ambrose didn’t exceed serivceable, she had a few nice coloratura moments. Then the impossible happened. Ambrose started taking days off, much to the protest of Diana Rigg and suddenly, Hamilton-style, almost the entire cast was changed. This is what it was and now is.
Eliza: Lauren Ambrose-Laura Benanti
Henry’s Mother: Diana Rigg- Rosemary Harris
Karpathy: Manu Narayan- Clarke Thorell
Freddy: Jordan Donica- Christian Dante White
Alfred: Norbert Leo Butz- Danny Burstein
The impossible was happening. Everyone’s original dreamcast was now happening! However, the old threat if missing performances is still in place. Benanti is notorious for that, and indeed on my second time she, Butz, and Donica were all out. Let’s hope for a third cast just as great as this.
Theater Moment 7: Broadway on Talk Shows and Other Media
Such running gags as Laura Benanti as Melania Trump, Crosswalk Musicals, and other Broadway appearances have begun to populate the small screen as a medium, too. Just the other day stars Lin- Manuel Miranda and James Corden did a fast musicals program on his show. It wasn’t a big success, but that’s beside the point. Laura Benanti keeps us in Christmas cheer with her latest “Benania” video, a funny satire of how Trump is not truly loved by his wife. Corden also frequently utilizes stars like Hugh Jackman to put on full 1-minute musicals in crosswalks. Tyler Mount has pretty much covered the bases of Broadway on youtube. With his celebrity games, cheerful banter, top ten lists, and extreme popularity, he well takes care of the video portion. Such educational shows as CUNYTV’S Theater Talk with Susan Haskins-Doloff (who I saw on a plane) and rotating guests and cohosts, it provides an insiders’ look.*It is now defunct. The broadway.com show, the only other alternative, is a more simple facts and a few extras about what’s opening and such. Broadway has always tried to keep up with the times, and so far has been succeeding *As of this publication, Tyler Mount does not actively do videos*
Theater Moment 6: The Encores! Series- Both Off-Center and On
Of course no true forgotten musicals fan could overlook Encores, the yearly 3 old shows that are revitalized for performing. You might object to Chicago and Gypsy being “forgotten”, but they’ve gotten more obscure. 1776 and The New Yorkers have been highlights, and so have last seasons’ Hey, Look Me Over! (with the hilarious Bob Martin) and Me and My Girl. They really have started to lean more towards full productions. This year we can look forward to Call Me Madam, Lady in the Dark, I Married an Angel, and High Button Shoes. For those of you who take kids, Take 5 tickets for only $5 are available. We’re annoyingly left in suspense about the cast, but it leaves room for speculation (like LuPone as Perle Mesta?) Any true fan will love these and want to go to every one every year. Now for those of you who prefer more recent shows like Songs For a New World and Assassins, Encores Off Center is for you. A summer program in which 3 more recent shows are performed, it is cheaper and more intimate than the main 3 shows.
Theater Moment 5: (Going to) Theater Circle and One Shubert Alley
You’ve probably heard of these stores, they are simply merchandise vendors that collect things from every show and such items as books, CDs, and cards. It is a great place to get things you like the look of without having to go inside the theater or order them from the shows’ dubious online pages. While it leaves more to be desired, it is a nice little haven and Theater Circle has many play scripts in the back. The most popular books are available. I have obtained copies of books by Sam Wasson and Susan Schulman there. It is also a great tourist spot, though real fans may not need anything they have there. They do have extraordinary shirts in many sizes there, from all the shows you have and want to have seen. Yes, there pretty simple, but the people and ambiance are nice.
Theater Moment 4: Trend: Could little-known professions become more well known?
All right, I admit it. I’m going a bit off of this year with this category. But anyway, I believe that all these theater jobs that people always say no one really knows about are being detailed in books! John Breglio, theater lawyer, has taken down his personal account, and it is a unique insight into a veiled field. Peter Bogyo has taken the pains to tell us about being a general manager, and Susan Schulman, Richard Maney, and Merle Debuskey have put their pens to paper about being a producer. One all-encompassing book, theater careers, is available used. So could it be that stagehands, doormen, ushers, sound designers, projection designers, and all these other un-heard from areas will start writing their own stories. Also, more books like The Business of Broadway populate the shelves, which talks heavily about investing, something that when we used to think of we thought of backers’ auditions and men in suits smoking cigars. Even lectures are available through Audience Rewards. Is this a good trend? Definitely. It can only help a career to be expert in all areas.
Theater Moment 3: Theater Podcasts
What better way to hear your favorite stars being interviewed? Let me tell you the names and descriptions of what I believe to be the best podcasts
- Behind the Curtain- producer Rob Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas do in-depth interviews one week, where we get to learn the most about guests like Chip Zien and Lee Wilkof. Other weeks, they pretty much do orally what I do on this blog, and just talk about theater and their “favorite things”.
- Theater People- Avid fan Patrick Hinds interviews Broadway stars and although the questions are not always superb, we do get to discover the attitude of the stars. He also may be more relatable than other hosts.
- Broadway Radio- Today on Broadway gives quick but anecdote-filled news summaries whereas the higher quality This Week on Broadway, featuring Peter Filichia, is an in-depth discussion of shows and their high and low points.
Now there are some podcasts that the ideas are tacky, they are overpromoted, and are not that great to listen to. I’d avoid…
- Broadwaysted
- Hamilcast
- The Ensemblist
American Theater Wing’s Working in the Theater is also very informative. Each show is about 30 mins.-1 hr., so why not? If you’re doing errands or in your car, give one a listen!
Theater Moment 2: 90s/2000s movies being turned into musicals
Mean Girls, Clueless, Dave, Beetlejuice. It’s a trip to the AMC in 2002, no? No. It’s the roster of Broadway shows this season. I admit, Mean Girls has made for a pretty fantastic show, and while Clueless has been said to be meh, and Dave to be great, I have not seen them. Groundhog Day was pretty torturous to the ear, and Beetlejuice has yet to make its presence known. This is all very good, because some of these movies are well adaptable. But then you get into things like, well, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. It's as if you made Easter Parade and Top Hat into stage musicals, then there’s no need to adapt Carefree! There are some properties that no one really needs to see again. I mean, I would actually petition a Mean Girls 2. Pretty Woman floats on the edge, but with all this talk of sexism, why is My Fair Lady the show accused? Why not Pretty Woman, something not from a different time? I’m all for making any good movie into a musical. They are honestly the best source, in my opinion. But I’d draw the line at a, say Twin Peaks musical. These are things that don’t need to be seen, and therefore shouldn’t be.
Theater Moment 1: The eternal “dismal season”
What Golden Age? This is the question seasoned veterans always ask. Any season you’re in, it’s always a “bad season” for one reason or another. Ask a pro, and they might say the shows this season show a steady decline in taste and standards. But didn’t they also think that in 1964, which we now consider a great year? As Peter Filichia says in response to being asked what he’s excited for, “everything.” It could be true that some shows this season are inferior to those of long ago, but we forget there were some bad ones! Now I'm not saying this is a new golden age, I acknowledge that bad musicals abound today too. But I'm only saying there never was a golden age. We think of it all as part of the process, and let’s hope that process moves forward in 2019.
