This past weekend, I had the immense pleasure of visiting the Walter Kerr Theatre with a high school theatre company to see “Hadestown.” Going in, I had seen bits of the promo video, I had heard a few of the songs, and I knew the premise of the plot- Orpheus, and Eurydice set in a bluesy coal mining town kind of style. I knew, basically, what the production looked like, and I knew what it sounded like.
What I did not know, is what it would feel like.
Read MorePlaywright, Musician, Actor.
Dave Malloy’s effect on the musical theatre scene has already rooted itself in a place of absurdity and incredible thought. Through his ability to tell a story in both text and score, the audience can see a compliment and counter of the characters' emotions on stage. The subtext is brilliantly woven into the smallest of decisions, and each character seems to have reflective timbre, tone, and even instrumentation that supports what each person truly needs. Each one of his works finds a new way to enthrall the entire theatre, and call attention to the smallest of storylines, secrets, and tales.
Read MoreIn a world seeking connection, fans of Broadway seem to be able to find it even when they will never be able to be in the room where the magic happens. It is fascinating in a time when media’s success is measured by how many people it can reach, that the Broadway industry still thrives even as it’s isolated from so many of its fans, geographically speaking. A pinnacle example of this is the hit almost-Broadway show Be More Chill, whose unexpected success lies solely on the backs of the fans that revived it after a swift death off-off-Broadway.
Read MoreToday, Jessica Vosk will take her final bow as Elphaba in Broadway’s Wicked. Ending one of the great runs this character has seen since its opening in 2003.
Read MoreI want you to imagine something. Imagine huge crowds of people filing into a special venue to witness a display by professionals working at the highest tiers of their field. The tickets were expensive, the seats aren’t quite comfortable, the drink prices are outrageous. Specialized, high-powered lights illuminate the playing area and loud music fills the air. The professionals emerge, dressed in specialized clothing and equipment, and begin their hours-long display. The action is intense, sometimes exciting, sometimes heartbreaking, and about halfway through, there is a break for everyone to recover and chat. When it’s all over, the crowd will cheer for a job well done and grumble if their expectations weren’t met, but they’ll probably go to a similar event in the future. Those same fans will gather around their televisions once a year in a celebration of the best of the best, usually with friends, food and drinks at the ready.
Now, here’s my question: did you picture a Broadway show, or a sporting event?
Read MoreA good story has an introduction, a buildup of tension, an unforeseen climax, and a resolution. An impactful story includes a lesson to be learned so that the audience can take away more than just a satisfied hunger for some laughs and jaunty tunes. The fantastic stories—Tony-worthy shows—speak to the audience, so they not only walk away with a nice break from stress and responsibilities but are indoctrinated with a fresh perspective on life.
If Dear Evan Hansen were written in the Murphys’ perspective, it would be next to normal. Having directed both musicals on Broadway, that feeling may have crossed Michael Greif’s mind countless times during his current position at the DEH stage. Both shows tackle the issues of mental illness and how it affects the environment surrounding the person suffering. If you take out the music and instruments for a moment and analyze what you’ve got left, they are words you hear every day; words which deal with severe depression, anxiety, manic bipolar, post-traumatic stress, and even schizophrenia.
Read MoreThe Stage Door. To some, it means a chance to meet their favorite performers of theatre. To others, it means an opportunity to thank them for a beautiful show! And it’s a nice gesture to the public of having one’s playbill signed but the actors they saw. All in all, it’s a wonderful experience that one has of their Broadway experience.
Read MoreSelecting a “best” of creative work is about as futile as picking the “best” Beatle.
Yet we are here at awards season for Broadway and off-Broadway, and most lovers of this art form are paying close attention to who gets nominated and who wins.
Read MoreA couple of years ago, I attended a production of RENT that was touring through my area. I was sitting towards the front of the mezzanine area and behind me were a group of younger men and women who were very excited to see the show.
As the show began, and pretty much throughout the entire performance, they all proceeded to sing or speak dialogue from the show. Seldom is a minute go by where I didn't hear their rendition of various moments in the script.
When the show ended and we got out to leave the theatre, I took a dollar out of my pocket and offered to the girl behind me.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"I wanted to make sure I paid you for the performance," I said with the most amount of snark I could muster.
Read MoreI’ve noticed something of a trend at the Winter Garden Theatre over the past few years. Three of the last four productions that have played there have been musicals based on movies with iconic central characters. The one production that did not was about icons, but of a very different sort. The historical figures depicted in “Wolf Hall” are iconic, but not from movies, not from being embodied by a singular actor. Rocky, from “Rocky,” Dewey, from “School of Rock,” and Beetlejuice, from “Beetlejuice,” are very closely tied to the actors who played them originally, actors who were a big part of why the movies were so popular that they were adapted into musicals. As each one of these musicals has come to Broadway, most recently “Beetlejuice,” taking up residence in the Winter Garden this spring, I’ve had the same apprehension: the material may be good for the musical theatre treatment, but who’s going to get stuck toeing the fine line between doing his own thing and imitating an icon?
Read MoreIt’s one of my favorite films. And now it’s going to be presented on stage in a musical format with music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub, and book by Paul Rudnick.
And just announced, Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro, a 2008 Tony winner for her direction of August: Osage County, has been named as the director.
Read More
