Obama, Iconis & Sondheim

Wait! Barack Obama listens to Joe Iconis? When asked about late-period musical theatre, Obama replied thusly:

Despite the emergence of the Brown-Lippa-LaChiusa triptych and younger, DIY voices like Lopez/Marx and Joe Iconis and in the post-Larson era, no one writing today even approaches the emotional depth, harmonic complexity and the spiritual clarity evident in the work of the still-living legend Stephen Sondheim. Maybe Adam Guettel, but he supports drilling.

Of course, I think it is a bit unfair and premature to compare Joe Iconis to America's most revered living musical theatre composer, who happens to be 50 years Iconis' senior. I also have a hard time believing that Obama is rocking out to Iconis on his iPod... I'm just saying.

And since we're speaking of Sondheim...

FINALLY - some casting news for the much-anticipated revival of West Side Story: Matt Cavenaugh (A Catered Affair, Grey Gardens) will play the coveted role of Tony, a move guaranteed to catapult him to Broadway superstardom. The remaining casting decisions remain a mystery but, with a February opening, I suspect they will be announced soon.

The WSS announcement comes directly on the heels of The Public Theater announcing the Off-Broadway run of Sondheim's Road Show. The musical, whose previous incarnation under the title of Bounce, will be directed by Sondheim's staple director of late John Doyle. The production will star Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani.

And in more solemn Sondheim news, George Furth, the librettist for Company and Merrily We Roll Along, passed away at the age of 75. Merrily is one of my favorite Sondheim musicals, one that is also rumored for revival. Strangely enough, in my quest to find a composer for my musical project, I received a resume from someone who recently worked with George and cited him as one of his references. Perhaps this is a sign. And you know how I am about signs...

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Related Article: Barack Obama and John McCain Weigh In On Pop Culture
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O Sondheim, Where Art Thou?

What an embarassing oversight to not notify the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award prior to announcing it in the press... Click on Mandy to get the full scoop from Michael Riedel.

Chatting with Sondheim

Since my day job is in the marketing field, I have to admit to getting a fuzzy, warm feeling inside when I see my two worlds, marketing and theatre, converge. In this case, the Roundabout once again shows its ability to come up with creative marketing targeted to what we in "the biz" call millenials. This time around they are offering the opportunity to pick the brains of the prolifically brilliant Stephen Sondheim and Roundabout's crackerjack Artistic Director Todd Haimes.

This should be a well-spent hour at the computer, don't you think?

Sign up quickly - there are only 500 spots available.

April Fools

I absolutely love it!

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=26518

Hey, Old Friend!

One of my absolute favorite things is live theatre. Undeniably. During my formative years, my father, an English professor and Shubert Playwriting Fellow (that sounds cool, huh?), directed all the shows at a branch campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Essentially, I've been around theatre and theatrical types since birth. It has been the constant in my life that has led me to some of the most incredible experiences and people a person could imagine.


The other night, one of those incredible people and I ate lo mein, drank coffee and talked theatre. For about four hours straight. Local dish. Broadway dish. Who's doing what. Creative concepts. I mean it is down and dirty theatre talk and it is not for the faint-hearted. Please understand, I have amassed a lot of knowledge in my 40 years but this guy makes my head spin.


Example...


Starting next month, I will be directing the musical version of Peter Pan at a local theatre. Being the diligent artisan that I am, I was re-reading the script a few days ago. I was actually in Peter Pan a couple decades ago and my memory has admittedly faded a bit. I just didn't remember Liza, the maid, prancing about Neverland. Neither did my husband, who also thought Liza seemed a little out of place when he was reading the script. We quickly concluded that the actress who played Liza must've been sleeping with the producer. I then made a mental note to look the actress up on IBDb.


So the other night I was relaying this amusement to my walking-theatre-encyclopedia-of-a-friend and he says: "Oh, you mean Heller Halliday? She was Mary Martin's daughter with Richard Halliday, Peter Pan's producer!" He just pulls these names out of his bum and there goes my head spinning every which way but loose.


He is just one of those people that gets me. He makes me think of a Sondheim lyric from a favorite show of ours:

Hey, old friend
What d'ya say, old friend?
Are you okay, old friend?
Are we or are we unique?

Time goes by
Everything else keeps changing
You and I, we get continued next week

Most friends fade
Or they don't make the grade
New ones are quickly made
And in a pinch, sure they'll do

But us old friends
What's to discuss, old friend?
Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few!

(And yes, we talked about John Doyle's Watermill production of our beloved Merrily, seen during my recent trip to England.)

I enjoy my time with my old friends. It is true, also, that new ones are quickly made. Even our oldest friends, if you think about it, were new friends at some point. I've made several new friends in the past year. A few of them actually feel like old friends. I think it is because they get me.

This weekend I will be seeing John Waters' new musical Cry Baby with a few of my blogospheric theatre friends and then joining them for brunch on Sunday. Though we've never met, the signs all indicate that future old friendships will be made. And what better way to forge those bonds than over a show, a cocktail and a spirited theatrical discussion? Top the weekend off with a Sunday matinee of Joe Iconis tunes and you basically have the equivalent of a theatre geek's wet dream.

With that, I will take my leave and prepare for an awesome weekend.

And here's to friends, old and new, that get you.

A Day With Sondheim and Oscar

On this day in history the television schedule will see the union of two things that I enjoy to distraction: theatre and film.

Distraction Numero Uno:
Today, at 2:00pm EST, PBS Great Performances will broadcast an encore presentation of John Doyle's revival of Sondheim's Company. I was fortunate enough to have seen Raul Esparza in his Tony-nominated Broadway turn as confirmed bachelor Bobby. His talent was unquestionable and his interpretation of the role was multi-layered and very real. However, I think I need to see the show once more to decide if, as a whole, I like it or not. This was the first time I'd seen it. And I have to say that the performers playing the instruments made it a slightly frenetic experience. When you're already trying to take in the story, the music and the adaptation, the onstage orchestra is a bit overwhelming. I think seeing it once more will tilt the scale one way or the other.

You see, I usually have love/hate reactions to Sondheim's work. I always appreciate their cleverness and musical precision but I can't say that I necessarily "respond" to all of his shows. I'm not a huge fan of the universally popular Sweeney Todd or Into The Woods but I love Assassins and Merrily We Roll Along. In fact, I was inordinately pleased to learn that a rumored revival of Merrily is getting legs in the press. I also find it interesting that the Roundabout is in talks with James Lapine to direct and not John Doyle, whose current revival is booking in the UK through March.

Incidentally, for those of you who are fans of both Raul Esparza and Merrily We Roll Along, check out this clip from the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration. Perhaps Raul's established relationship with the Roundabout and with the show will afford him the opportunity reprise the role of Charley Kringas. Or perhaps he will give Frank Shepard a whirl? I'm certainly anxious to find out...


Distraction Numero Dos:
It's Oscar night and the writers are back! I will take this moment to use what Merriam-Webster OnLine has determined to be the 2007 Word of the Year: W00t!

As I shamefully place my tail between my legs, I have to say I don't know much about this year's nominated films. I have not seen a single Best Picture nominee. In fact, out of all of the nominated films tonight, I've only seen Sweeney Todd (ironically enough), The Savages, Across The Universe and Enchanted. As such, I will not even attempt predictions, as they would be primarily based on media coverage or my opinions of the nominees' body of work.

Even still, I will be plopping my ass down on the couch this evening to soak in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's most talked about evening. It will begin with Barbara Walters' well-rounded line-up, which will certainly appeal to the celebrity-hungry: Miley Cyrus, Harrison Ford, Vanessa Williams and Ellen Page. Then Jon Stewart will host the first scripted awards show since the writers return. Watching the fruits of their two weeks' labor unfold before a script-starved Hollywood (and America) should be very entertaining. But then, the Oscars rarely disappoint.

So, if you will, join me in my couch potatodom. And may you enjoy your little nibbles of Broadway and Hollywood on this day in television history that any self-respecting theatre/film geek would describe as "way cool!"

Double w00t!