Top 5 Productions of 2008

So I’m sitting here on this cold, snowy December morning thinking about the New York theatre I saw in 2008, attempting to compartmentalize everything into a scant few Top 5 lists. Let me tell you – it has been a challenge. But I think I’ve done it.

So, without further ado…

TOP 5 PRODUCTIONS OF 2008
The following Top 5 list is based on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions I personally saw in 2008. There were, in fact, a lot I did not see: Passing Strange because I was stupid, South Pacific because I had to make choices, Billy Elliot because I’m broke. I suspect this list would have been drastically different had I seen any of those shows.


1. August: Osage County
August: Osage County is widely known as the three-hour play that you want to last another three hours. And it has not earned that reputation without reason. It is a brilliant, character-driven story that propels you through a few tragic yet hysterical days in the Weston household. To put it simply, August: Osage County leaves you beautifully stunned. Tracy Letts’ subsequent Tony and Pulitzer are so well deserved. I saw the production early enough to see the entire original cast, including the author’s father, Dennis Letts, who was in the final days of his battle with lung cancer. To read my complete review, click here.


2. Hair
In September 2007 I slept on the line at the Delacorte to see the concert in Central Park. In August 2008 I did the same thing to see Diane Paulus’ fully realized production as part of The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park series. And in February 2009, I’ll trade in my sleeping bag for a $100 bill and will be able to see it in a big fancy Broadway house. Little will compare to that sultry summer evening in Central Park, seeing this moving and inspired production of Hair under the stars and in this political climate. The memory of rushing to the stage to dance to the final strains of “Let The Sunshine In” with this stellar cast will be forever cherished.



3. [title of show]
[title of show] touched a nerve, tickled my funny bone, made me cry and won my heart in 90 minutes. The “little show that could” chronicles its own move to Broadway in a way that speaks to all creative types battling those dreaded vampires. Rocking hard with only four chairs, Hunter, Jeff, Heidi and Susan proved that a small, original musical has just as much right to the Broadway stage as those big, splashy type musicals. Sadly, [title of show] was one of the many casualties of the bleak 2008-2009 season. Something, however, tells me that we haven’t seen the last of this incredible foursome or their original musical. And I certainly am one [tos]ser eager for their return.


4. In The Heights
In June, being caught up in the delightful frenzy of Ms. Antoinette Perry’s company, a friend and I agreed to get tickets for In The Heights for September just moments before it won the Tony for Best Musical. Of course, I was foolishly thinking I’d have the money to afford a full-price orchestra seat by then. After selling about $150 worth of CDs, I raised the money and despite the looming threat of Hurricane Hanna’s aftermath, I headed to NYC to see In The Heights. And the adventure begins there. I missed my train and arrived in GCT with 10 minutes until curtain. I grabbed a cab and was dropped off in a torrential downpour two blocks away from the Richard Rodgers. As soon as I got out of the cab, I realized that I was missing my wallet along with my train ticket, credit cards, ID and $200 cash (to pay my friend back for the aforementioned unaffordable ticket). I ran through the pouring rain to get to the theatre, picked up my ticket at the box office and rushed down to the 2nd row. Just as soon as I announced, “My wallet is gone!” the house lights dimmed and the show began.

During the whole opening number of In The Heights, my mind was racing with worry. Even still, it didn’t take long for this invigorating and heartfelt production to reel me away from those worries for a couple of hours. In The Heights is an exuberantly performed show that inspires on so many levels. And, like [title of show], I heart Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In The Heights, too.

5. Port Authority
One of my personal favorite actors, Tony winner John Gallagher, Jr., made two post-Spring Awakening appearances on the Atlantic Theater Company’s stage in 2008. Most recently he appeared in the much touted Farragut North, which I unfortunately had to miss. Earlier in the year, however, he appeared in Conor McPherson’s beautiful monologue play Port Authority, which I did have the good fortune to see. Alongside the brilliant Jim Norton and the masterful Brian d’Arcy James, Gallagher’s vulnerable and heartbreaking turn as a young Irishman helped to create one of 2008’s most pleasant surprises and a memorable evening of theatre to behold.

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BROADWAY/OFF-BROADWAY SHOWS I SAW IN 2008:
Broadway: [title of show], August: Osage County, Cry-Baby, Equus, Hairspray, In the Heights, Spring Awakening (2x) and Xanadu; Off-Broadway: Damn Yankees, Green Eyes, Queen Esther, Hair, Hamlet, Port Authority, The Black Suits and The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks.
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Broadway's 2009 Season Continues to Beckon

The ridiculousness of my schedule right now has me literally standing in a room, spinning in circles before pointing myself in the direction of the next project that needs my attention. Very frustrating. Because I have a LOT to write about but no time to do it in.

That said, I had to stop in for a minute because I could not let these two litle tidbits pass my ever-faithful readers by:

TIDBIT #1.

First, there has recently been a lot of hoopla about the closing night of Rent. This hoopla is justified because Rent has, in my opinion, valiantly earned its place in musical theatre history for so many reasons. You can pretty much Google "Rent closing night" and read any of the aforementioned hoopla but I was struck by a paragraph with Playbill.com's hoopla that made me quite happy:

[Kevin McCollum] opens West Side Story Dec. 16 in Washington D.C.'s National Theatre, where it was originally launched in 1957, and will open on Broadway "at a theatre we're going to name in about three weeks. When Arthur called and said, 'I think it should also be bilingual,' I said, 'Okay, I'm in.' Even though it's a revival, it's a fresh take. I'm excited about that. We're talking to Lin-Manuel Miranda about translating Sondheim into Spanish. He has met with Arthur. He's going to meet with Stephen. It's just a consult right now. We're just asking him to contribute ideas, and we'll see what happens.

I just saw In The Heights on Saturday night and, while West Side Story was already very much on my radar, it is now an even brighter beeping beacon with the involvement of the infectiously charming and talented Lin-Manuel Miranda.

(SIDENOTE: I really hope that I can spend a few minutes to do a review of In The Heights but if you reference Paragraph #1 you will see that it is not coming any time soon.)

TIDBIT #2.

It has been officially announced that The Public's production of Hair is officially making the move to Broadway in 2009. Given the play's subject matter, I find it quite ironic and telling that this announcement was officially made on September 11th. I've seen this production evolve from its concert version in September 2007 and the Central Park staging in August 2008 and I am very much looking forward to the Broadway revival.

Beads. Flowers. Freedom. Happiness.

Much happiness.

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2008 Will See Another Be-In At The Delacorte

There are some theatrical experiences that stick with you. You know the ones... For me, the musical Hair was, and continues to be, one of those experiences. It is the original "little rock musical that could" - sorry Guilty Ones - penned by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot. The thing I love most about Hair, aside from the music, is that it is a socially, religiously and politically charged piece that resonated with young people that were confused and scared. In that respect, it is not unlike Spring Awakening.

In 1967, Joseph Papp offered Hair a 6-week run as the first experimental production at what was then a new Public Theater. Producer Michael Butler moved it to the Cheetah Club in Midtown and after a few rewrites, the show moved to Broadway's Biltmore Theatre for a 4-year run that featured Rado and Ragni, as well as Diane Keaton, Melba Moore and Ben Vereen, among others.

I was born some time during that original run, so the soundtrack was among those that my father had around the house. I remember learning "Easy To Be Hard" for a high school audition once but I think I ended up going with "Oom-Pah-Pah" from Oliver! Just as well, because I didn't really understand the lyrics in Hair until much later in life.

In the 80s, once VCRs became a household staple and I got a job at a video store, I was introduced to the Milos Forman film incarnation, which featured Treat Williams, John Savage and Beverly d'Angelo. It had a storyline that was somewhat different from the stage version. However, it was this version that stuck with me first.

The most notable difference between the film and the play is with Claude's character and his ultimate fate. In the play, Claude is a hippie, a member of the Tribe who gets his draft card, ends up going to Vietnam and getting killed. In the film, however, he is a clean-cut Midwesterner who has been drafted and happens upon the Tribe en route to his deployment to Vietnam. He makes such a fast and furious connection with the Tribe that their charismatic leader, Berger, switches places with him while Claude is on his military base - all so he can see the Tribe once more before heading to Vietnam. While Berger is at the base, Claude's unit is deployed. He ends up going to Vietnam in Claude's place and getting killed. Poignant messages in both versions but vastly different.

Desert Storm began in the middle of my freshman year of college. In addition to a number of friends that were attending ONU with tuition assistance from Uncle Sam, I also had friends that were Kuwaiti. Both were called to active duty by their respective militaries. Being a Theatre/English major, my circle of friends were more the "hell no, we won't go" type. All of this rejuvenated my interest in Hair and it was at that point that I began a more academic approach to the production. My interest in Hair was, in fact, the genesis of a program that gave opportunities to student directors. For me, the program provided me with the opportunity to become the only student to direct a mainstage production in the history of the University. Sadly, I never had the opportunity to direct Hair at ONU but it was this period that really cemented Hair as one of my all-time favorite musicals.

The summer after my junior year, I was afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as the stage manager for an Estonian play authored by the country's Minister of Arts & Culture, Paul-Eerik Rummo. In addition to the phenomenal experience that was "The Fringe", I took advantage of the trip to Europe to see some theatre in London. Imagine my ecstatic surprise to discover that Hair was being revived at the Old Vic. As best I can recall (this was over a decade ago), the production remained true to the book. The production was relatively short-lived and not very well received. No matter. I was thrilled to have had the chance to see my favorite show in its organic format.

Fourteen years later, in 2007, the musical celebrated its 40th year. The nice folks down at the Public decided it might be a good idea to bring the show back to NYC. After a two-week whirlwind of rehearsals, the Tribe once again descended upon Central Park. Of course, flower children of yesteryear and veterans of wars past came out in droves but, with the hip young talent of Jonathan Groff, Will Swenson, Karen Olivo and Kacie Shiek leading the cast, the three-day run also attracted the younger theatregoer. Certainly age does wither many of the moments that shocked audiences in 1967, but the message remains timeless. The anti-war theme definitely resonates with today's young people but so do the struggles the Tribe members face with their parents, school, religion, sexuality, drugs and, quite simply, growing up.

Being a longtime fan of Hair, I dragged my 38-year-old ass out of bed and slept on the pavement for my free ticket to this 40th Anniversary Concert. Some things are worth doing. With ticket in hand, at 7:00pm I waited eagerly for passage through the gates of the Delacorte. After I watched a woman scalp the tickets for $150 a piece, my friend met up with me and we queued up in the long line in front of the theatre. Whilst standing in that line another gentleman, donning a straw conical hat, attempted to sell his ticket at face value to a woman who claimed to be a cop. If Joe Papp wasn't already rolling over in his grave at the $100 "donation" tickets, he was undoubtedly awakened by the sound of the free tickets going for a buck and half.

After a few minutes, we realized that we were in the "cancellation" line, an error we righted straight away. Amidst the sea of ticketholders milling about was a veritable who's-who of theatre. Several Spring Awakening folk were there to show their support for castmate Jonathan Groff. As we made our way to our seats, we spotted James Rado bouncing about the crowd, seeming almost bubbly over this anniversary concert that was generating all this fuss.

It was with good reason that people were effusive. This passionate and energetic cast, backed by composer Galt MacDermot himself, ably conjured up those familiar ghosts of the 60s. The show, which has been widely criticized for its less-than-stellar book, arguably finds its strength in the music. With such a tight schedule, director Diane Paulus undoubtedly had to sacrifice a lot of the allotted rehearsal time to music. This sacrifice was not in vain as the assembly of powerhouse voices did the score serious justice.

Will Swenson was an infectious Berger, bringing the right amount of charisma and timing to the role. Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff, as Vietnam draftee Claude, deftly brought his acting and singing chops to one of Hair's meatier roles. The fiercely talented Karen Olivo shone as Shiela, the much sought after NYU student. And, as the pregnant Jeannie, Kacie Sheik blended vocal sophistication with endearing innocence. Truly, the talent amassed on that stage, in all its vim and vigor, represented what a bright future is in store for Broadway.

As is common with productions of Hair, there were edits made to both the score and the script. "Dead End", "Sheila Johnson", "Hippie Life" and "The Bed" were cut from the 2007 production. All of those songs, save "The Bed", were included in the Actor's Fund Concert but I've not seen or heard "The Bed" performed since I saw the production at the Old Vic. I didn't really miss it, but I like the "Sheila Johnson" lead-in to "I Believe In Love" because you get a better sense of who she is and how she relates to the Tribe.

While I'm sure there were many more than just these, there were only a few noticeable cuts to the book. I felt that the relationship triangle between Berger, Sheila and Claude was mistakenly downplayed. Sheila sleeping with Claude before he goes to Vietnam can be really poignant if played right. Eliminating that dimension is not a directorial choice I would have made. Another area that seemed to be glossed over was when Claude cut his hair. This is a very symbolic action in the play and it didn't carry the impact it should have. I owe that partially to the fact that Groff couldn't get a proper miliary haircut because of his Spring Awakening commitment. Hopefully, that will be remedied in future productions. A final scripted moment I would have liked to have seen is at the end of play. Following the reveal of Claude's corpse during "The Flesh Failures", the Tribe dissipates while singing "Let The Sunshine In." Throughout the song, Berger is meant to have a pair of drumsticks that he beats frenetically. By the time the final chord of the song is reached, Berger is standing at the head of Claude's grave and creates a cross symbol with his drumsticks. The lights go to black and the cross glows eerily in the darkness. A scripted moment that I've never seen live and someday would like to.

Back in September, when there was a lot more press about this event, I read a blurb that there was talk of moving this production to Broadway. As I eluded to in the previous paragraph, while it is not Broadway bound, I am delighted to hear that a fully-realized production of Hair will be included in the 2008 Shakespeare In The Park series. Thus far, Will Swenson and Jonathan Groff have signed to reprise their roles. Karen Olivo is currently starring in In The Heights, which opens on March 9th. I find it hard to believe that she will take a hiatus during Tony season, since In The Heights is a likely contender for some top awards. Perhaps the insanely talented Kacie Sheik will step into the role of Sheila, a role that I believe she is even more suited for than Jeannie.

Diane Paulus will helm the 2008 iteration for the Public. I'm anxious to see what a budget and full rehearsal schedule will bring to the production. The director in me would love to see a multi-media aspect explored but I've yet to get a call from the Public for my input. But that's okay. I'll gladly settle for another night on the line and the opportunity to experience this wonderful production once again - in all its hippie glory!

They Didn't Get It

OK - it has been quite a while since I've posted. Mostly because my life in the summer is sheer insanity. Plain and simple.

I do have an RRS-Redux post that I'm keen to make but I'm not in the mood to go there today. I will be turning off that road in a few months and, I'm happy to say, there are definitely a couple of interesting stops along the road ahead. Stay tuned!

But today's post is about Spring Awakening. I have tried to ensure that my blog gives fair and equal attention to many things - theatre, film, family, life - so I took a break from pimping my favorite show. But I have come to a realization about this show and I wanted to share it.

First, because I only gave brief mention to the Tony Awards (8 of them, by the way), I want to say that I did indeed jump up and down like a little kid when Gallagher won for Spring Awakening. I haven't been that theatre geeky since crying during Daisy Eagan's acceptance speech. Sadly, my busy summer has precluded me from getting in to see many NY shows, so I've been suffering a bit of SA withdrawal. My sister, however, was watching the girls this week and noticed my "HAVEN'T YOU HEARD..." t-shirt and asked about it. Of course, that was like opening the floodgates. I promptly played "Totally Fucked" for her, which I knew she'd appreciate, and then I showed her the "Bitch of Living" video. Needless to say, we're going on Tuesday. My withdrawal symptoms go away and another Junkie is born, in one fell swoop!

So to my realization.

Several of my friends, younger and older, have seen Spring Awakening and I'm always anxious to hear their response. The show has met with varying degrees of favor among my friends. Most of them, as I do, love it - and several of them have seen it more than once. If a friend had a negative review I would usually rationalize it by saying that they were too old or too old-fashioned. Because usually statements like that fit. But it's more than that.

I have always been a fan of the rock musical. Those that think that Spring Awakening is breakthrough in that respect are wrong. In college, Hair was my rock musical of choice (and I loved Tommy, too!). And then Rent came along. I remember having very long debates with the Chair of the Department about the artistic value of Hair (whilst I was a student there) and Rent (when I went back to visit). He would drone on and on about how both shows were basically kids whining about everything that was wrong in their lives, with bad books and loud music. I would guess that he'd say the same about Spring Awakening.

Let's see... War, racial prejudice, drug addiction, child abuse, illness, depression, religious and parental oppression, pregnancy, sexual discovery, abortion, suicide... Yeah, I think kids have a right to whine, nay scream, about these things.

And HELL YEAH I think it should be set to loud rock music!

I then realized that Spring Awakening and its predecessors aren't about age. They are about passion. Perhaps the people that don't like these shows aren't passionate about these things. And maybe the music is too loud for them.

So when people say that they didn't get it, I'm glad that I can say that I did. Thank God that I remain passionate about the things that I was passionate about when I was 20. I'm sure the day will come when I don't get it and I'm screaming at them to turn it down... but that day is not today!