New York City Theater

CAMELOT happens to be a show that is near and dear to my heart. I played Merlin at theater camp. And though it wasn't too great of a production, the show's score continues to amaze and astound me. And that's what I really took away from the Philharmonic's concert - the glory of hearing its superb score performed under Paul Gemignani's conducting with a full orchestra.

But what the hell was up with Gabriel Byrne as Arthur? Talk about miscasting!

The trend has always been to cast Arthur much older than he is supposed to be. In the first scene, Arthur is supposed to be in his late 20s, and then we see him age gradually throughout the show.

But whatever. Byrne was fine dramatically, accentuating the fear, timidity and boyishness of Arthur. But then there were the vocal issues... Arthur was written to be played by a non-singer. And you can speak through about 90 percent of his songs. BUT YOU NEED TO SPEAK IT IN TEMPO!!! Byrne did not speak it in tempo at all. He was always at least five measures ahead of the orchestra. And it was damn painful to endure!! Seriously, how hard would it have been to say it all in synch with the orchestra?? Didn't Byrne bother to pick up the original cast recording?? It would not have been that hard to do. So the one to blame is Lonny Price, the director, for not properly fixing this issue.

But other than Byrne's singing, I thought it was a pretty well done concert. It was more than semi-staged. It was very intricately done. Of course, the lighting cues were sloppy and the exits were awkward, but the cast was making due with performing a big Broadway musical in a music hall venue, not a real theater.

As for the score, I was really surprised at how much of it was cut. "The Joust" was gone, but that was alright. It's a weird, long number. The film cut it too. But couldn't they put in "Fie on Goodness," a really fantastic number for the knights? Wouldn't that have given the underused Marc Kudisch, Will Swenson and Christopher Seiber something else to do? Most of the time, they looked like three stooges at the back of the stage.

Marin Mazzie is too old for Guenavere, but for the purposes of this concert, it didn't really matter. She really nailed the songs vocally, and brought humor and pathos to the role.

Bobby Steggert, who is on his way to becoming a Broadway mainstay, was fine as Mordred. He was dressed as a punk rocker, which was interesting. In fact, the costume design was extremely mixed - some in suggestive medieval garb, some in gowns, some in tuxes. It was weird...

Christopher Lloyd made the most of the comic relief role of King Pellinore, and I laughed quite a lot whenever he took the stage.

But the real victor of this concert was truly Nathan Gunn as Lancelot. What a voice! He's also set to be in the SHOWBOAT concert next month as Gaylord Ravenol. Here's a thought: when Paul Svogt leaves SOUTH PACIFIC, perhaps Gunn would make an ideal replacement as Emilie? He clearly can do the French accent.

Overall, this was a decent concert, but hurt almost beyond repair by Byrne's tempo deaf vocal performance.

When was the last time that a new Broadway musical opened and closed on opening night? The last time, to my recollection, that any show did that was Ellen Burstyn in THE OLDEST LIVING CONFEDERATE WIDOW, a one-woman show from four years ago.

Were the critics (myself especially included) too harsh? Possibly. But I think not. Well, probably not. Clearly, that show did not belong on Broadway. But what if it had been at say the New York Musical Theater Festival. Would we have been kinder? Possibly. Well, probably. We might have wrote a supportive review, along the lines of the original Peter Marks/WASHINGTON POST review.

Should critics be harder/more lenient on a show based on WHERE it is playing? I don't know. That's a tough question. Should we really be paying attention to the price of the ticket, especially when we ourselves didn't pay anything to get in? Again, I don't know. Maybe it's a gut instinct. Maybe it just has to do with taking account of the environment in which the show is being produced, which of course is relevant.

In the end, I blame the show's producers. They really rushed the show into production following its regional premiere. I suppose they saw an opportunity to get the show to Broadway ASAP, and they took it.

How will this affect the futures of its 23-year-old and 24-year-old writers? Will they want to write musical theater again for any theater, be it Broadway or elsewhere? Might they bounce back, revise GLORY DAYS, and make it into a stunning musical that will leave all the critics who panned it originally eating our hats? One can only hope...

I'd like to end by reaffirming that I took no personal joy in panning Glory Days, in giving it a no stars rating, or in any similar language in which I destroyed the show and its commercial potential. I LOVE MUSICAL THEATER. I want to see good musical theater. And the greatest show for a critic is to tell people that there is a great show going on and that they should check it out. That's what we want. And that's why we keep going to the theater. Night after night. We're looking for something great. We, the critics, are cheering you, the creators, on. We are your biggest fans. Seriously.

Apparently the song "We Just Had Sex" in the new Broadway musical PASSING STRANGE is too risque for television audiences. The cast of PASSING STRANGE was planning to do the number for a Tonys preview concert that will film later this week. CBS, however, has decided to not allow the song to be presented. Weirdly, word on the street is that PASSING STRANGE claims it will not be able to prepare a new number in time. Really? How hard is it to do one of the numerous other songs from the show instead? I also hear that their number on the Tony Awards (I don't like the show, but it's sure to be nominated) will be a combination of "Keys" and "Amsterdam."

I had a thought today. What if PASSING STRANGE wins the Drama Desk Award for Best New Musical Over XANADU and CATERED AFFAIR? IN THE HEIGHTS, which is expected to win the Tony for Best Musical pretty easily, is ineligible for this year's Drama Desk Awards since it was nominated last year during its Off-Broadway run. If PASSING STRANGE wins, which I think it will, will that build new momentum for it to win the Tony?

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Alvin Colt, the Broadway costumer designer whose work included the original productions of ON THE TOWN, GUYS AND DOLLS, SUGAR and LIL ABNER.

Here is a link to an interview I did with him for Playbill.com one year ago

It's a sad occurrence to see a leading non-profit theater cancel the American premiere of a new musical due to budget concerns and replace it with yet another one-man show. Not that HERRINGBONE, which will star BD Wong, will necessarily be bad. And not that TAKE FLIGHT, the new Maltby & Shire musical, would necessarily be good, though it has already received an excellent recording on PS Classics.

Might one of our Off-Broadway theater companies pick up the slack and produce TAKE FLIGHT? I think it would fit in well with say the Playwrights Horizons or MTC schedule.

First piece of good news - the GYPSY revival will indeed get recorded.

Second piece of good news - Cheyenne Jackson will indeed play Joe Hardy in this summer's Encores revival of DAMN YANKEES, meaning that he and Jane Krakowski will finally play opposite each other.

Variety reports today that Javier Bardem has dropped out of Rob Marshall's upcoming film version of the Broadway musical NINE. While a heavy of B-stars are still supposedly onboard my confidence in the film is starting to quiver. Does this mean Antonio Banderas, who should have been awarded the role to begin with, will be next in line?

LINK TO READ THE VARIETY ARTICLE

THE FOLLOWING LETTER WAS PASSED ON TO ME FROM FELLOW CRITIC LEONARD JACOBS:

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

You may have read that my alma mater, NYU, proposes to demolish one of New York's most important theatres—the Provincetown Playhouse. This iconic, historic site where many of the plays by Eugene O’Neill were born, where the alternative-theatre movement took shape, may be one community board meeting away from a date with a wrecking ball.

I am ashamed of NYU President John Sexton's indifference to American theatre history. That is why I'm joining Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation , to stop NYU from acting on this idea. It was disheartening enough that NYU, after renovating the Playhouse, took it off the market for both commercial and nonprofit producers. To demolish it would be sacrilege.

Please call NYU President John Sexton (212-998-2345) and voice your concern.

We're also asking you to please email President Sexton (john.sexton@nyu.edu ) directly. If you do, please cc Alicia Hurley (alicia.hurley@nyu.edu ), associate VP for government and community affairs, and John Beckman (john.beckman@nyu.edu), VP for public affairs. You can also cc Mr. Berman (gvshp@gvshp.org) if you wish to show your support.

Here's the sample letter Andrew provided—very easy to cut, paste and send.


<
John Sexton
President, New York University
70 Washington Square South, rm. 1216
New York, NY 10012

Re: Plans to Demolish the Provincetown Playhouse and Apartments
133-139 MacDougal Street

Dear President Sexton:

We are deeply concerned about NYU’s plans to demolish the Provincetown Playhouse and Apartments at 133-139 MacDougal Street.

The Provincetown Playhouse is widely considered one of the most important sites in the history of 20th century American theatre. It is considered the birthplace of Off-Broadway and the alternative theatre movement. Its contributions to the theatre extended throughout the Playhouse’s lifetime, both before and after the 1940 renovation of the theatre’s facade.

Demolishing this site would be seen as a hostile, devastating act to historians, preservationists, and theater advocates, not to mention Greenwich Village residents. It would abrogate NYU’s commitment to “prioritize re-use before new development” in its plans for a “campus core.” It would also abrogate NYU’s public support for the proposed South Village Historic District, of which the Playhouse is an integral part.

We hope NYU will reconsider its plans to demolish the Provincetown Playhouse and instead preserve this irreplaceable historic site.

Sincerely,>>


Two final notes. Please mark May 28 — the date of the community board meeting. I'll be providing updates on what's happening that day through my blog and in future emails.

Finally, please forward this email to anyone who cares about the American theatre. (How ironic that even President Sexton's son is an actor.)

The Provincetown Playhouse must not be demolished.

The Drama Desk stands out in comparison with the Tonys because it recognizes Off-Broadway too. It is the most credible among the "other" theater awards groups. Disclosure: I am a Drama Desk voter, but not a nominator, so these nominations are new to me too.

Outstanding Ensemble Performances
The Dining Room
The Homecoming

Special Awards
Edward Albee
James Earl Jones
59E59 Theaters
Playwrights Horizons

Outstanding Play:
Alan Ayckbourn, Intimate Exchanges
Rinde Eckert, Horizon
Liz Flahive, From Up Here
Horton Foote, Dividing the Estate
Tracy Letts, August: Osage County
Tom Stoppard, Rock ’n’ Roll

Outstanding Musical:
A Catered Affair
Adding Machine
Passing Strange
The Glorious Ones
The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Xanadu

Outstanding Revival of a Play:
Boeing-Boeing
Happy Days
Macbeth
The Country Girl
The Dining Room
The Return of the Prodigal

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:
Black Nativity
Gypsy
South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George
Take Me Along

Outstanding Revue:
Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
Fugitive Songs
Make Me a Song

Outstanding Actor in a Play:
Bill Champion, Intimate Exchanges
Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac
Bill Pullman, Peter and Jerry
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Tobias Segal, From Up Here
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll

Outstanding Actress in a Play:
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Frances McDormand, The Country Girl
Amy Morton, August: Osage County
Fiona Shaw, Happy Days
Julie White, From Up Here

Outstanding Actor in a Musical:
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
André De Shields, Black Nativity
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Cheyenne Jackson, Xanadu
Matthew Morrison, 10 Million Miles
Paulo Szot, South Pacific

Outstanding Actress in a Musical:
Sierra Boggess, The Little Mermaid
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O’Hara, South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play:
John Cullum, The Conscientious Objector
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Arian Moayed, Masked
Jeff Perry, August: Osage County
Michael T. Weiss, Scarcity

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play:
Elizabeth Ashley, Dividing the Estate
Johanna Day, Peter and Jerry
Zoe Kazan, 100 Saints You Should Know
Linda Lavin, The New Century
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County
Marisa Tomei, Top Girls

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:
Danny Burstein, South Pacific
Christopher Fitzgerald, Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
Shuler Hensley, Young Frankenstein
Bobby Steggert, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical:
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Leslie Kritzer, A Catered Affair
Andrea Martin, Young Frankenstein
Mary Testa, Xanadu
Amy Warren, Adding Machine
Mare Winningham, 10 Million Miles

Outstanding Director of a Play:
David Schweizer, Horizon
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Leigh Silverman, From Up Here
Jonathan Silverstein, The Dining Room
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing
Deborah Warner, Happy Days

Outstanding Director of a Musical:
Christopher Ashley, Xanadu
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
David Cromer, Adding Machine
John Doyle, A Catered Affair
Bob McGrath, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Bartlett Sher, South Pacific

Outstanding Choreography:
Karole Armitage, Passing Strange
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby The Musical
Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider, Traces
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu
Peter Pucci, Queens Boulevard (the musical)
Susan Stroman, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Music:
John Bucchino, A Catered Affair
Stephen Flaherty, The Glorious Ones
Tom Kitt, Next to Normal
Mark Mulcahy, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Joshua Schmidt, Adding Machine
Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange

Outstanding Lyrics:
Lynn Ahrens, The Glorious Ones
Mel Brooks, Young Frankenstein
John Bucchino, A Catered Affair
Ben Katchor, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt, Adding Machine
Stew, Passing Strange

Outstanding Book of a Musical:
Douglas Carter Beane, Xanadu
Harvey Fierstein, A Catered Affair
Ben Katchor, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt, Adding Machine
Stew, Passing Strange
Eric H. Weinberger, Wanda's World

Outstanding Orchestrations:
Doug Besterman, Young Frankenstein
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Michael Starobin, The Glorious Ones
Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair
Tim Weil, 10 Million Miles

Outstanding Set Design of a Play:
Beowulf Boritt, Spain
Scott Bradley, Eurydice
David Korins, Hunting and Gathering
Santo Loquasto, Trumpery
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Clint Ramos, The Return of the Prodigal

Outstanding Set Design of a Musical:
David Gallo, A Catered Affair
Takeshi Kata, Adding Machine
Derek McLane, 10 Million Miles
George Tsypin, The Little Mermaid
Robin Wagner, Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, South Pacific

Outstanding Costume Design:
Mara Blumenfeld, The Glorious Ones
Michael Bottari and Ronald Case, Jessica Jahn, Die Mommie Die!
Ann Hould-Ward, A Catered Affair
Ana Kuzmanic, August: Osage County
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
William Ivey Long, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Lighting Design:
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Maruti Evans, Slaughterhouse-Five
Donald Holder, South Pacific
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid
Keith Parham, Adding Machine

Outstanding Sound Design:
Adam Cork, Macbeth
Jorge Cousineau, Opus
Joseph Fosco, The Conversation
Scott Lehrer, South Pacific
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps
Tony Smolenski IV, Adding Machine

Outstanding Solo Performance:
Kris Andersson, Dixie's Tupperware Party
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Stephen Lang, Beyond Glory
April Yvette Thompson, Liberty City

Outstanding Projection and Video Design:
Paul Barritt, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Timothy Bird and The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
Zachary Borovay, A Catered Affair
Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Lorna Heavey, Macbeth
Tal Yarden, The Misanthrope

Unique Theatrical Experience:
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Cut to the Chase
Fabrik – The Legend of M. Rabinowitz
The 39 Steps

These nominations, thankfully, are lot less suspicious than yesterday's OCC noms, though YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is again, regretfully, nominated. And in other secondary theater awards news, the TITLE OF SHOW will host the Drama Desk Awards. Sounds fun.

Distinguished Production of a Play
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, Imperial Theatre/Music Box Theatre
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, Second Stage Theatre
The Farnsworth Invention by Aaron Sorkin, Music Box Theatre
November by David Mamet, Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Rock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, Booth Theatre
Thurgood by George Stevens, Jr., Booth Theatre
The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow, based on a concept by Simon Corble, Nobby Dimon and the novel by John Buchan, Roundabout Theatre Company/Cort Theatre

Distinguished Production of a Musical
A Catered Affair, Book by Harvey Fierstein; Music and Lyrics by John Bucchino, Walter Kerr Theatre
Cry-Baby, Based on the film by John Waters, Book by Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, Lyrics by David Javerbaum, Music by Adam Schlesinger, Marquis Theatre
Next to Normal, Music by Tom Kitt, Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Second Stage Theatre
Passing Strange, Book and Lyrics by Stew, Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen, The Public Theater/Belasco Theatre
The Adding Machine, Book by Jason Loewith, Book and Music by Joshua Schmidt, Minetta Lane Theatre
The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island, Libretto by Ben Katchor, Music by Mark Mulcahy, Vineyard Theatre
Xanadu, Book by Douglas Carter Beane, Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, Helen Hayes Theatre
Young Frankenstein, Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks, Hilton Theatre

Distinguished Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti, Longacre Theatre
A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri, Walter Kerr Theatre
Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, Irish Repertory Theatre
Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton, from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos, Roundabout Theatre Company/American Airlines Theatre
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Brooklyn Academy of Music/Lyceum Theatre
The Misanthrope by Moliere, New York Theatre Workshop
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival
The Ritz by Terrence McNally, Roundabout Theatre Company/Studio 54

Distinguished Revival of a Musical
Black Nativity, by Langston Hughes, adapted by Alfred Preisser, Classical Theatre of Harlem/The Duke on 42nd Street
Gypsy, Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, St. James Theatre
Seussical, Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Theatreworks USA/Lucille Lortel Theatre
South Pacific, Book by Joshua Logan and Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Lincoln Center Theatre
Sunday in the Park with George, Book by James Lapine; Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Roundabout Theatre Company/Studio 54

Distinguished Performance Award
Lauren Ambrose, Romeo and Juliet
Hank Azaria, The Farnsworth Invention
Roger Bart, Young Frankenstein
Christine Baranski, Boeing-Boeing
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Sierra Boggess, The Little Mermaid
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Ellen Burstyn, The Little Flower of East Orange
Charles Busch, Die Mommie Die!
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Bill Camp, The Misanthrope
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Margaret Colin, Old Acquaintance
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Andre de Shields, Black Nativity
Peter Dinklage, Things We Want
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Sutton Foster, Young Frankenstein
Elizabeth Franz, The Piano Teacher
Morgan Freeman, The Country Girl
Peter Gallagher, The Country Girl
David Greenspan, The Beebo Brinker Chronicles
Harriet Harris, Old Acquaintance, Cry-Baby
Jayne Houdyshell, The Receptionist, The New Century
Terrence Howard, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cheyenne Jackson, Xanadu
Brian d’Arcy James, Next to Normal
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac
Nathan Lane, November
Angela Lansbury, Deuce
Hoon Lee, Yellow Face
Laura Linney, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Elizabeth Marvel, Top Girls
Alli Mauzey, Cry-Baby
Jefferson Mays, Pygmalion
Frances McDormand, The Country Girl
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
David Morse, The Seafarer
Amy Morton, August: Osage County
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
Chazz Palminteri, A Bronx Tale
Rosie Perez, The Ritz
Martha Plimpton, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Cymbeline, Top Girls
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Bill Pullman, Peter and Jerry
Dallas Roberts, Peter and Jerry
Anika Noni Rose, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George
Tobias Segal, From Up Here
Marian Seldes, Deuce
Jeanine Serralles, The Black Eyed and The Misanthrope
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Jimmi Simpson, The Farnsworth Invention
Lois Smith, 100 Saints You Should Know
James Snyder, Cry-Baby
David Staller, Gaslight
Bobby Steggert, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Stew, Passing Strange
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth
Paulo Szot, South Pacific
Julie White, From Up Here
Dianne Wiest, The Seagull
Mare Winningham, 10 Million Miles
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

Last night was Leading Men III, produced by my colleague Wayman Wong. Not sure if this is going to be an ongoing annual series. I had thought Wayman suggested to me that this was going to be the last, but John Tartaglia ended the night by insisting that we'll see him hosting it again next year.

Anyhow, what's the show's gimmick? It's only men doing cabaret, which is traditionally a diva venue. Last year, Wayman told me that handpicks not only the performers, but which songs they choose, which leads to a very diverse, very engaging evening.

Here is the songlist:
* MICHAEL McELROY: “Let It Sing’’ (“Violet”) by Brian Crawley and Jeanine Tesori

* BOBBY STEGGERT: “Larger Than Life” (“My Favorite Year”) by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

* AARON RAMEY: “What Do I Need With Love?” (“Thoroughly Modern Millie”) by Dick Scanlan and Jeanine Tesori

* TOM ANDERSEN: “Yard Sale” by Tom Andersen

* JIM CARUSO: “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” (“70, Girls, 70”) by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with additional lyrics by Johnny Rodgers and Jim Caruso

* SKIE OCASIO: “Live Out Loud” (“A Little Princess”) by Andrew Lippa

* BENJAMIN SCHRADER: “Who Can I Turn To?” (“Roar of the Greasepaint”) by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

* JONATHAN GROFF: “Try Me” (“She Loves Me”) by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock

* MARCUS SIMEONE: “Then Again” by Tom Andersen and Tim Di Pasqua

* JOHN TARTAGLIA: “Taylor” by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich

* SKYLAR ASTIN & ROBB SAPP: “You Are My Bitch” (“See Rock City and Other Destinations”) by Brad Alexander and Adam Mathias

* AARON LAZAR: “Younger Than Springtime” (“South Pacific”) by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

* SETH RUDETSKY: “Deconstructing” by Seth Rudetsky

* JIM WALTON: “Good Thing Going” and “Not a Day Goes By” (“Merrily We Roll Along”) by Stephen Sondheim

* DAVID BURNHAM: “That’s Life” by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon

* CHRISTOPHER SIEBER: “One for My Baby” by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen

* NORM LEWIS: “Before the Parade Passes By’’ (“Hello, Dolly!”) by Jerry Herman

It was slightly awkward to have Aaron Lazar, despite his perfect voice, singing "Younger than Springtime"? I feel like there ought to be a moratorium on performing any showtunes from any Broadway musical that is currently in revival. Still, can't help but wonder if Lazar could succeed Morrison in SP, just as he did in Piazza. Needless to say, his performance was fantastic, as always.

But my favorite moment of all - Jim Walton doing Merrily stuff. F#cking amazing.

Also fun was Jim Caruso's revision of "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup" to "Coffee in a Starbucks Cup."

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN??? WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING?? Even PASSING STRANGE, which I passionately dislike, is better than YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

This is the same group that let CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG top its nominations three years ago. In other words, it has lost any and all credibility as an awards group. I am, however, delighted to see that NEXT TO NORMAL, my favorite musical of the new season, got recognized, as did OPUS, one of my favorite new plays. And at least LITTLE MERMAID got shut out. Yay!

Outstanding New Broadway Play
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
A Catered Affair
Cry-Baby The Musical
Xanadu
Young Frankenstein

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Dividing the Estate
The Drunken City
From Up Here
The Receptionist

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Adding Machine
The Glorious Ones
Make Me a Song—The Music of William Finn
Next to Normal

Outstanding New Score
Adding Machine
Next to Normal
Passing Strange
Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Come Back, Little Sheba
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Gypsy
South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George
Take Me Along

Outstanding Director of a Play
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Rupert Goold, Macbeth
Rufus Norris, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County

Outstanding Director of a Musical
David Cromer, Adding Machine
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, South Pacific
Susan Stroman, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Choreographer
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby The Musical
Graciela Daniele, The Glorious Ones
Christopher Gattelli, South Pacific
Susan Stroman, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical)
David Farley, Timothy Bird, Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Robin Wagner, Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, South Pacific

Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
William Ivey Long, Young Frankenstein
Jessica Jahn, Michael Bottari and Ronald Case, Die Mommie Die!
Catherine Zuber, South Pacific

Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter Kaczorowski, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Kevin Anderson, Come Back Little Sheba
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Laura Linney, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Roger Bart, Young Frankenstein
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
Paulo Szot, South Pacific

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Raul Esparza, The Homecoming
James Earl Jones, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jessica Collins, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Jayne Houdyshell, The New Century
Laurie Metcalf, November
Sian Phillips, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, South Pacific
Christopher Fitzgerald, Young Frankenstein
Shuler Hensley, Young Frankenstein
Tony Yazbeck, Gypsy

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Harriet Harris, Cry-Baby The Musical
Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid
Amy Warren, Adding Machine

Outstanding Solo Performance
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Stephen Lang, Beyond Glory
Chazz Palminteri, A Bronx Tale
April Yvette Thompson, Liberty City

John Gassner Award
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Bob Clyman, Secret Order
Liz Flahive, From Up Here
Michael Hollinger, Opus
George Packer, Betrayed

I am not posting today's Michael Riedel column because I wish in no way to promote it, but sure enough you'd know where to find it on the New York Post website if you wish to check it out.

What could he have written about today? CRY-BABY's issues? Absenteeism over at GYPSY? New York Theater Workshop's staff cuts? The Tricia YouTube video? There's plenty of ammunition.

But no. He devoted an entire column (very rare) to a rant from former drama desk member Tony Phillips (never heard of the guy...) against Barbara Siegel, who with her husband Scott is a preeminent critic, author of numerous books on Hollywood (I've never read them, but they apparently exist), and co-founder of the beloved Broadway by the Year series.

I suspect Riedel knew that Phillips' accusations are false, but he still made a column out of it because he's had it out for the Drama Desk for years. He views the organization as unworthy and useless. As also seen in his generally condescending attitude, Riedel can be a total elitist.

And this is not to say that I don't like his writing generally. He is a damn good writer. And he knows it. And we all know it. But was doing a column on an inconsequential feud really a good idea? He is going to get malled with protest emails from Broadway by the Year patrons and performers in defense of Barbara. It is going to get ugly...

In terms of the evidence against Barbara, he only had the contents of the letter. THAT'S IT. He couldn't find one other person on the drama desk to agree with Philips. In law school terms, that's what I'd call a terrible case - the kind that would get dismissed on summary judgment without ever going to trial!

And for the record, all Drama Desk members, not just the nominators, have scored free food and drinks from the organization.

You've got to check out this very revealing, potentially appalling, YouTube video.

Zeffirelli was honored last week at the Met in the middle of a performance of LA BOHEME. As a New York Times article on the event made clear, even in the midst of such an honor, the Met is about to begin a long-term project of phasing his eight productions out of the repertory, starting with TOSCA and LA TRAVIATA in the coming years. But I think it's safe to say that his LA BOHEME, which is the biggest money maker in the Met's history, is safe for the time being. I first saw this production two years ago, when I was first starting to see Met productions. And having now attended numerous other works here ranging including Wagner and Prokofiev, I can really see what makes LA BOHEME such a tourist attraction. It gives the people what they want: weepy romance tragedy plot, epic set design, soaring Puccini melodies and arias. I'll admit that I had a better time watching this than say THE GAMBLER or THE FIRST EMPEROR.

Anyhow, I also caught THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE at Cap21. This actually marked the second NYU undergrad production of the show I've seen this academic year, following a production by the Steinhardt Musical Theater program in the fall at the Provinceton Playhouse. The Steinhardt one had no sets or costumes, and seemed to resemble a staged concert. While the Cap21 production had very minimal set design (there's no room in their blackbox), they had deluxe costumes (courtesan attire, togas, Roman stuff) and very elaborate choreography. The singing was thin, but pretty decent, and it was well-done overall. This year marked a great improvement in the Cap productions I've seen, along with URINETOWN and INTO THE WOODS earlier in the year.

There are more than enough repeat performers at Broadway By the Year to make it feel as though the concert series has its own in-house cast. Among them are certainly Emily Skinner, Jeffry Denman, Marc Kudisch, and Scott Coulter. And it just so happens that producer-host Scott Siegel has recruited all four of them to direct all four of this year’s BBTY concerts.

The result is that all the BBTY concerts of the past few years have displayed a consistently similar, generally excellent feel and foundation. These directors all understand the Town Hall environment, the BBTY audience, and how to draw out a crowd-pleasing night of musical theater aided by unamplified singing, dazzling choreography and Ross Patterson and his excellent Little Big Band. And Scott Coulter’s oversight on BBTY 1954, as expected, drew another solid, standout, standing ovation night musical entertainment.

Unlike BBTY 1947, where the romantic, weepy scores of Finian’s Rainbow and Brigadoon were ogled over in addition to rarities like Allegro and Street Scene, BBTY 1954 offered mostly familiar material from first-rate musical comedies The Pajama Game, Peter Pan and The Boyfriend. The lesser-known shows, most of which were also grade-A, included Fanny, House of Flowers and The Golden Apple.

We were informed that the concert set a new record for the largest BBTY cast to date: 16 performers. (Clearly, it doesn’t hurt to have Bank of America as your new sponsor.) The cast was quite a cross-section of musical theater, including Little Mermaid headliners Sierra Boggess and Sean Palmer, character actors like Jen Cody and Mark Price, to dancers like Noah Racey and Melinda Sullivan, and longtime Broadway vets like Harvey Evans, Bert Michaels and Don Percassie, who joined together for “I Won’t Grow Up” from Peter Pan.

Some of the many highlights included “Won’t You Charleston With Me?” from The Boyfriend with Mark Price and Jen Cody, “There Once Was a Man” from The Pajama Game, with Sierra Boggess and Cheyenne Jackson and “Steam Heat” with Noah Racey and Melinda Sullivan.

Solo spots included the title song of Fanny (Sean Palmer), “I’m Flying” from Peter Pan (Scott Coulter), “Hey There” from The Pajama Game (Cheyenne Jackson), “Captain Hook’s Waltz” from Peter Pan (Paul Schoeffler, complete with a plastic toy hook and long black wig), the “Lottie Gibson Specialty” from By the Beautiful Sea (Jen Cody), “A Sleepin’ Bee” from House of Flowers (Natalie Venetia Belcon), and “I’m Not At All in Love” from Pajama Game (Debbie Gravitte).

This marked the second Pops concert I've attended, following one last year dedicated to Broadway in general conducted by Rob Fisher. That was the one where Kelli O'Hara was the guest soloist and she took the stage with "I'm Love with a Wonderful Guy." Charles Isherwood was in the audience and wrote that O'Hara topped his Nellie Furbish wish list - and the rest is history!

The evening was divided into two halves. Act One was pre-Rodgers & Hammerstein Oscar Hammerstein, featuring selections from stuff like SHOW BOAT, CARMEN JONES, MUSIC IN THE AIR, THE DESERT SONG, and other rarely heard goodies. Act Two, as you'd expect, was all R&H stuff, stronger material but stuff we know by heart. Weirdly, they decided to open Act One with the SOUTH PACIFIC overture. Isn't another venue a few blocks away playing that too? I found it interesting how hearing it at Lincoln Center with only 30 pieces (instead of the full orchestra at Carnegie) was so much more thrilling. Here, it felt more studied and out of theatrical context.

Sutton Foster, to me, is a glorified chorus girl. I don't think she's that pretty, and I don't think she's that great an actress or singer either. But she's decent. She's like a modern personification of Peggy Sawyer - a hard-working, imminently likable stage gal. Someone like Kelli O'Hara, on the other hand, has star quality. Even if her vocal performance at the event was a bit better an adequate, her acting was pretty genuine and credible, particularly with "I've Told Every Little Star" and "Mr. Snow," my favorite R&H ballad.

Aaron Lazar was another guest soloist. I'm a fan of his, but found his performance here to be pretty stiff, lending only his strong baritone voice to the material and not much else. The only point in the evening I felt him taking on any animation was when he got to do "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," which he did not perform in front of a stand-up microphone but instead got to wander across the front of the stage, as if in character as Curly.

OTHER QUICK REVIEWS

THE GONDOLIERS AT NYU - This was a Steinhardt production at the Frederick Loewe Theatre. THE GONDOLIERS was one of few remining Gilbert & Sullivan operettas that I had yet to see. (The only one left for me, not counting the incomplete THESPIS, is THE SORCERER, which I'm not likely to get to see anytime soon.) New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players are also doing GONDOLIERS in June, and I'll certainly check that out. Still, what I saw at NYU will definitely be better. The cast was fabulous vocally, and the full-size orchestra was strong. The book parts were flat, but this was mostly due to the piece itself, not the cast itself.

A WHITE HOUSE CANTATA - This was a well-meant concert revival of Bernstein's 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, which I guarantee will never receive a full revival. It has also not received a recording, and probably never will. The show is devised as a series of scenes involving different presidents in the White House, mostly told from a racial discrimination theme, starting with slavery and ending with minstrelsy. I'm glad that I caught the production, but I can't say I actually enjoyed the piece. It was also awkward to have a single male and female actress play all the presidential roles, though they were fine in the roles.

After seeing a revue of Joe Iconis songs yesterday at NYU, I was surprised to learn that he apparently does not have a recording out. However, video clips of his stuff is apparently all over YouTube. Here's some:

From news.trendaz.com. This does not sound credible at all to me, but is nevertheless amusing. (FYI to the writer of the article: The West End is not the same thing as Broadway. Being in a West End play would not make Britney Spears a "Broadway star.")
____________________________
Britney Spears the Broadway star? The pop singer, and recently TV guest actress, has been reportedly offered the lead female role in the West End production of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

A source reveals, "Britney's been on the list for this for some time but was considered too risky until recently. Her appearance in the American TV show 'How I Met Your Mother' changed all that. She had poised, timing and real flair."

"We wanted her for Blanche because, even though she's technically too young to play her, who else could embody this fallen Southern Belle so well?"

Spears, 26, recently gave boost to the said sitcom's rating after she successfully played a dorky receptionist. Her performance was a hit among viewers and critics alike.

The source adds, "She's living out the story, so to harness that on stage would be amazing for an audience to see - and cathartic for Britney, too."

http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1163969&lang=EN

JUNIE B. JONES (Friday at 6pm) - I'll skip discussing this for now since it'll be my Tuesday review.

JUNO (Friday at 8pm) - Let's get something straight - this is the kind of show that Encores! was designed for. the whole of the series was to do the shows that don't merit Broadway revivals - or scores that have not been heard in New York for at least two decades. To be honest, I didn't even know the show existed before Encores! announced its intent to stage it a few months ago.

A lot of people have claimed that the subject matter, JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK, was not meant to be a musical. I totally disagree with that. I am optimistic enough to believe that any story can be musicalized - when done well. The dark nature of this material could have worked, but perhaps it was before its time. The very end, when the militaristic bad guys took over, reminded me of the end of CABARET. And when they aimed their rifles for the audience and fired, it reminded me of the end of ASSASSINS.

This was also a very good Encores! staging - and far, far better than APPLAUSE, the first 2008 Encores production - and probably the worst Encores staging to date. It also marked their first full production of a Mark Blitzstein score. Maybe REGINA could be next?? Garry Hynes, the prestigious director of the production, ought to stage more musical theater. Maybe an Encores production of FINIAN'S RAINBOW, or something at the Met? It was also nice to see Michael Arden in another show, though his role here was pretty forgettable in spite of one pretty song.

SOUTH PACIFIC (Saturday at 8pm) - Will need to wait till Friday to express an opinion.

THE SONGS OF JOE ICONIS (Sunday at 3pm) - I've never this singer-songwriter's work before, in spite of his various recordings and Joe's Pub concerts. This revue of his songbook took place at the tiny Provincetown Playhouse, performed by a very large ensemble of NYU Steinhardt musical theater students - in fact, too many... For the first time, I began to appreciate the fact that most songwriter revues have only 4 actors (2 males, 2 females). Keeping so many people onstage during individual solos was distracting, especially since they all appeared to have nothing to do. However, they all pretty strong vocally, and it made for an entertaining 90 minutes. Iconis' punk-style, East Village-flavored work is very smart and catchy. I'd like to hear more...

ALMOST AN EVENING (Sunday at 7pm) - "Almost a play" will be a more accurate title.