Things are Getting Ugly with the Closing of The Great Comet
Anytime a Broadway show closes, there are a lot of emotions people connected with the show, go through. A performer friend of mine said they go through something similar to the "Five Stages of Grief"(denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). Anytime this happens, some people deal with it better than others.
Over the past month, the situation involving Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and its soon-to-be closing has been one of the biggest stories of the year. In my history, it's the first time where social media uproar played a huge role in killing the show.
Now one would think that since news of the show's closing, the social media sniping would come to a halt. I was apparently wrong for thinking that.
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Some Thoughts on 'Come From Away'
I have always been someone who doesn’t only listen to the cast album, but learns everything I can about the show. I watch cast interviews and behind the scene videos on YouTube and if the show is based on a book or a movie, of course I read/watch that too.
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Technical Difficulties: When a Show Stops
It was right after Marya called Natasha a horrid hussy of a girl that the sound cut out in the Imperial Theatre at the Sunday matinee of Great Comet this weekend. Natasha, Marya and Sonya soldiered on; projecting like champs while their mics failed. Seconds later, a voice filled the theatre alerting the audience to something we already knew--that they were experiencing technical difficulties. The show was stopped, and the audience was encouraged to stay put. The actors exited (not pursued by a bear with a policeman on its back) and the theatre erupted with applause.
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The Importance of the 'Children of a Lesser God' Revival
It was recently announced that a revival production of Mark Medoff's Tony Award winning play 'Children of a Lesser God' will be opening March 22 2018 at Studio 54. As a supporter of theater and specifically #DeathTalent I am excited and overjoyed to read this news. I am already planning a trip from St. Louis with some ASL using friends.
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On Betsy Wolfe in "Waitress”
Whether it’s crazy high belting, bringing something so unique to every role, or now, replacing (or rather, reinventing), there’s nothing that Betsy Wolfe cannot do. It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of hers—in fact, so much so that I would fly across the country twice in one summer to see her perform—and seeing her in Waitress was everything I imagined it to be, and more. There was just something so utterly magical about Betsy’s take on Jenna that made me see the character differently.
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Is Theatre Gay?
In the hit television drama SMASH, fictional Broadway producer Tom Levitt notes to his stage manager that he “hate(s) working with gays”, to which she replies “You’re in the wrong business then”, playing off the fact that Broadway is full of gay men. While this makes for a witty bit and a quick laugh, it plays off a much larger stereotype that theater in itself is gay, as is anyone who enjoys it. But is it true? Is theater truly “gay”?
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Critics Be Damned: Four Reasons Why 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is Still Running
The end of the summer usually brings with it news of Broadway show closings. So far we've seen On Your Feet!, The Great Comet, Bandstand and Groundhog Day all make their closing announcements.
It should be noted that all four of these shows received somewhat favorable to glowing reviews along with Tony nominations and wins. While they are shutting their doors in the coming weeks, one show that did not receive positive reviews or a single Tony nod is still going strong, I'm talking about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
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'Newsies’ Return Inspires Us to “Seize the Day”
Like many “Fansies,” I was excited to find out that Disney Theatrical Productions was screening the national tour of Newsies in movie theaters nationwide. This version included the return of many of the original cast I saw on Broadway including Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Ben Fankhauser. However, seeing Newsies five years later brought up a lot of emotions I had the first time, put now in a different context.
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Has 'The Band's Visit' Sewn Up the 2018 Tony Race Already?
The 2016-17 Broadway season was chock full of new musicals, but the 2017-18 season is looking a bit. By my count, as of right now, it looks like there will be about six new musicals this season which is less than half of what we got this past year.
While it's a small group, there are some that stand out as sure fire Tony favorites, with David Yazbek's The Band's Visit leading the pack.
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Great Comet and the Shade of it All
I've got a bone to pick. This Great Comet controversy started as, well, ridiculous. And it's only escalated it something that hindered far more than it helped. So my question is this:
Was it worth it?
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