DVR Alert: Broadway in Your Living Room!

PBS never disappoints when it comes to bringing the magic of live theatre to our living rooms. While my eldest daughter is too young to see Billy Elliot (due to the frequent use of the F-bomb), the taste of Broadway she got from watching Finding Billy Elliot sufficiently awed her.

On May 27th, PBS will broadcast In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams, another documentary about a Broadway juggernaut. This film will chronicle the journey of Lin-Manuel Miranda as he chased, and found, his dream: winning the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical. View the trailer here:



Also airing on PBS, last year's concert of Chess filmed at Royal Albert Hall in London, starring Josh Groban and Idina Menzel. The musical, by the dudes from ABBA and prlolific lyricist Tim Rice, didn't have much success after it transferred from London to the States. However, it had a cult following and spawned the Murray Head hit "One Night in Bangkok". PBS will air the concert on June 17th at 9:00pm.



Though it isn't going to air until 2010, PBS has also acquired Spike Lee's film adaptation of the rock musical Passing Strange. I was very disappointed that I missed Stew's run on Broadway when the show ended prematurely. Fortunately, though, someone in Hollywood had the good sense to capture it on film and I simply cannot wait to see it. Initial rumors were that Showtime was going to acquire the property but I, for one, am glad I don't have to re-up my subscription.



Hooray for free television broadcasting live theatre!

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Top 5 Performances of 2008

TOP 5 BROADWAY PERFORMANCES


#1. Deanna Dunagan
I have not experienced a performance as engaging, intricate and complex as Deanna Dunagan’s interpretation of acid-tongued Violet Weston in August: Osage County. We saw the Pulitzer Prize winning show fairly early on its run but by then the buzz about Dunagan’s performance was loud and the expectations were high. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.


#2. Lin-Manuel Miranda
The exuberance with which Lin-Manuel Miranda accepted his Tony for Best Score speaks volumes about what he has assembled onstage at the Richard Rodgers. The young and talented star of In The Heights takes the American dream and those universal yearnings for success, for wealth and for love and brings a vivid story of family and belonging to Broadway. To see him perform that story was truly an experience to behold and I am happy that I had that opportunity.


#3. Amy Morton
August: Osage County is a masterfully written ensemble piece with solid performances throughout. However, to not single out Amy Morton’s performance would be a significant oversight. As Vi’s daughter Barbara Fordham, Tony nominated Amy Morton navigated her way through Letts’ tour-de-force and didn’t miss a beat. Not only did she navigate, she took you for a thrilling ride. After a brief stop back at Steppenwolf to direct Conor McPherson’s Dublin Carol, Morton reprised her role with most of the original cast in London. Yeah. It’s been a pretty awesome year for Ms. Morton.


#4. Cheyenne Jackson
I was certainly very late jumping on the Cheyenne Jackson train. But I’m glad I’m aboard. I had seen him in United 93 and thought he was very good. I never made the connection that that same actor was Sonny Malone in the unexpected hit of the season, Xanadu. I have since seen Cheyenne in Damn Yankees and in episodes of several YouTube series including [title of show] show, The Battery’s Down, Legally Brown – The Search for the Next Piragua Guy and, of course, the Cubby Bernstein videos. I look forward to whatever he does next. A class act and a stellar talent indeed.


#5. Daniel Radcliffe
Of all of the Broadway shows that I saw in 2008, I would have to say that Equus is the one that I anticipated the most. I never really posted a proper review of this production. Largely because I was insanely busy. Partly because I didn’t have a whole lot to say about it. However, one thing that delivered as expected was Daniel Radcliffe. His Alan Strang was subtle, complex and passionate. I hope that he continues filling his down time from Hollywood with stage work.

TOP 5 OFF-BROADWAY PERFORMANCES

#1. Jim Norton
It was his performance in Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer that earned him the Tony but it was his turn in The Atlantic Theater Company’s production of McPherson’s Port Authority that captured my heart. His simple and sad portrayal of Joe was heartbreaking. McPherson wrote a beautiful role and upon seeing Norton in Port Authority it became clear why he is frequently entrusted with roles in McPherson’s plays. It is because he is an actor that knows how to lovingly and masterfully bring those characters and that gorgeous language to life.


#2. Nick Blaemire
I saw Nick Blaemire perform in a lot of things last year, one of the reasons that he is also on my forthcoming Top 5 Discoveries of 2008 list. It is difficult to single out one performance, as they were all good. But I would have to say that it was in Joe Iconis’ The Black Suits that I was first won over. Nick is an energetic performer with an impressive vocal agility and a natural gift for musical comedy, qualities that were well showcased in Iconis’ rock musical.

#3. John Gallagher, Jr.
Last winter was one of transition for John Gallagher, Jr. He left Spring Awakening, he parted ways with Old Springs Pike and he landed a small role in Woody Allen’s new film. He also appeared in two productions at The Atlantic Theatre Company, Farragut North, which was touted as one of the best in 2008 by Time magazine. The other, the simple monologue play Port Authority. Gallagher’s sensitive performance, complete with a spot-on Irish brogue, proved once again why he is and will remain one of my favorite performers.


#4. Will Swenson
Charismatic actor Will Swenson, who played George Berger in last year’s concert in Central Park, reprised the role in The Public’s 2008 summer production of Hair. His boundless energy, powerful voice and infectious delivery explain why this performer is one to watch. It is also why he is in the fortunate position to be choosing between two 2009 Broadway transfers: Hair and Rock of Ages. Rumor has it that he has favored the 60s rock musical over the 80s one. I, for one, am happy with that choice.


#5. Sam Waterston
OK – I’m sure I’ll get slapped silly for saying this – but I am not a fan of Shakespeare. I have tried numerous times to appreciate his work, each time hoping that I will get caught up in his spell, but alas to no avail. This summer I once again made the attempt with Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Hamlet. I have to say that this was the most engaged I have ever been and that is largely due to Waterston’s interpretation of the meddlesome Polonius. The mixture of humor and pathos with which Waterston played the character has definitely proven him worthy of his espoused reputation among Shakespearean troupes. Who knows, perhaps I will give the bard another whirl if Waterston is at the helm.

Honorable Mentions
These “best of” lists are limited to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows of 2008. However, I wanted to venture beyond that parameter to cite two stellar performances: one from community theatre and one from college theatre.


Noel Desiato’s performance as Katherine Hepburn in Theatreworks New Milford’s Tea At Five was positively mesmerizing. Never before have I seen an actress embody a character more expertly or more believably than in this one-woman show about the legendary actress. Desiato proves that you don’t have to go to New York to see a gifted actress perform. I look forward to producing Tea At Five in 2009 at The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, where Desiato will reprise her star-quality performance.

2008 also saw the performance of Caitlyn Caughell in Jeanine Tesori’s rarely produced gem Violet. In the titular role, Caughell was earthy and sincere with a voice that masterfully navigated the challenging score. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Tesori, who saw NYU’s production, has invited Caughell to sing at The Kennedy Center later this month. Without a doubt, Caughell is a force to be reckoned with, and it won’t be long before she takes up residence on the Great White Way.

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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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Does Cubby Smell A Tony In The Heights?

With this morning's Tony nomination announcement, perhaps Cubby will be looking to add Lin-Manuel Miranda to his success stories. Congratulations to In The Heights for their 13 nods and a special shout out to local boy Robin de Jesus for his nomination! The race is on, boys and girls. And I think it's gonna be a good one!