New York City Theater

Let's take a sec to look back on the appeal of the opening song of THE WEDDING SINGER, which closed on Broadway exactly one year ago this weekend. Next year, we'll give DROWSY CHAPERONE the same remembrance.

But it's not all sadness. The non-Equity tour of WEDDING SINGER, which I understand is quite decent, will play NJPAC in February; and I bet DROWSY will fare very nicely in regional theaters.

TOP TEN THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING in 2008 - keep in mind, this is not necessarily the ten shows that I think will be the best things I'll see, but rather the ones I'll most intrigued to see as of now.

1. SOUTH PACIFIC (Lincoln Center) -this marks the first Broadway revival of the R&H classic. And it will be given first-class treatment at Lincoln Center under the direction of Bartlett Sher.

2. SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Roundabout)- Word is that this London revival of the postmodern Sondheim classic was absolutely stunning.

3. DANGEROUS LIAISONS (Roundabout) - Laura Linney. Need I say more?

4. THE LITTLE MERMAID (Disney) - Word of mouth is not good. But hey, I liked GREASE. So you never really know when it comes to my taste.

5. GYSPY (St. James) - We already know this revival is awesome, but I really look forward to seeing it yet again.

6. CRY BABY - Will this production happen? Will it take the Marquis Theater over TALE OF 2 CITIES? Will it win the Tony, as it is now predicted? We'll see.

7. NO NO NANETTE (Encores) - What amazing orchestrations. What a golden musical comedy score. And what a cast - Mara Devi, Rosie and Sandi Duncan.

8. BILLY ELLIOT (Imperial) - Finally, Elton John makes up for AIDA and LESTAT by giving us what I understand is a truly amazing musical. In all likelihood, the 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Musical.

9. EQUUS - Equus, son of Nexius, son of Flexius - It's Harry Potter nude!

10. CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (Barrymore) - This is going to be very interesting. But will the all-black version work, especially under the direction of directing novice Debbie Allen?

When I learned on Wednesday afternoon that, as many of us suspected, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE would bite the dust before the dawning of 2008, I immediately logged online to buy a ticket to a remaining performance. But when? I will be away starting tomorrow night. My only date in view was Thursday night. So I bought a seat in the last row in the mezzanine for $20 bucks. As I suspected, the mezz was 95% empty that night, so it was easy to move up to the second row.

This marked the second time I've seen Bob Saget, the first time having been two days before the stagehand strike. It was the first time I'd seen Cindy Williams. What a shame for her to enter the show only a week before its closing was announced. But I guess that's the risk any replacement actor or actress takes - at least where the show isn't LION KING or PHANTOM.

Someone criticized DROWSY to me the other day by noting how the musical-within-the-play could never stand on its own, as a separate show absent the narration of Man in Chair. But what is that saying? The songs were not meant to stand separately. That's like saying Act Two of Oklahoma couldn't work without Act One.

You know, in some ways, DROWSY is a very complex show. It's operating on three separate levels of reality: The Man in Chair's world, the world of the characters of DROWSY CHAPERONE, and the world of the actors playing the roles in DROWSY. It's like Pirandello...only here it's enjoyable.

Being in the mezzanine, I was better able to appreciate a lot of the ensemble choreography and staging. But what really hit me this time around was how truly crazed and eccentric every character was - and how each original cast member was going extraordinarily over the top to convey this - in particular, Beth Leavel and Danny Burstein. I actually think Burstein merited more applause than anyone at the last two performances of the show I attended.

How is Saget? He's decent. And very funny. But he lacks that insane level of eccentricity that Bob Martin brought to the role.

How will the show play in separate regional productions? I imagine very well. It'll be easy to mount: all you need is a kitchen set found in any domestic play. And it's an ensemble show where every lead actor gets exactly one solo number - not too much, not too little.

And it will play well to musical theater lovers everywhere. This show is a testament to the power of musical theater to help us deal with pain and tragedy. We don't know much about Man in Chair, other than that he is a probably closeted gay man, who is probably also agoraphobic, and who definitely has mother issues. On this particular day he is "blue," his word for depression. And he found some temporary joy by playing his favorite record. And maybe he'll play another record afterwards to bring him some more happiness.

Another reason I love DROWSY - I swear, one day, I will play Man in Chair. I don't know where. I don't know how. But it's the lead role in a musical, one that I connect with immensely, and one that requires no (good) singing. If I have to mount it myself in 20 years, it'll happen.

I urge anyone who has yet to see DROWSY to do so before December 30. Don't miss out before this gem of a musical stumbles along into the Lincoln Center archives.

THE BEST THEATRE OF 2007

1. HAIR (Shakespeare in the Park)

The best production of 2007 was not reviewed by a single theater critic. Why? It was a three-day concert version. But damn! This was extraordinarily good. And hopefully the Public will produce it as a full production this summer in the park.

2. GYPSY (City Center)

Patti Lupone’s performance as Rose in Arthur Laurents’ pitch-perfect revival at City Center was last summer’s theatrical highlight. And it ain’t over yet. The show moves to Broadway’s St. James Theatre in March.

3. SPEECH & DEBATE (Roundabout Underground)

The year’s best Off-Broadway play is about three teens at a Midwest high school. The show runs at Roundabout Underground through March.

4. GREASE

Not many critics liked Max and Laura – but we did. And think Kathleen Marshall’s revival is pretty darn great. Yay Rydell High! Go greased lightening!

5. FROST/NIXON

Seriously, how awesome was Frank Langella?

6. XANADU

No one thought that a stage musical based on 1980’s biggest flop movie would work. But this intimate piece of kitsch is unthinkably fun.

7. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Here comes the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner. In the tradition of Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams, Tracy Letts’ play fits in neatly with other classic American domestic dramas. Don’t miss it.

8. CYMBELINE (Lincoln Center)

What is probably Shakespeare’s most confusing play is currently received a top-rate production at Lincoln Center with an incredible ensemble in unbelievable costume design.

9. THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION

Okay. Historical liberties aside, Aaron Sorkin’s play about the patent race on television is both inspiring and compelling.

10. CORAM BOY

Stunning theatricality abounded in this Dickensian melodrama involving a 20-piece chorus.

THE WORST THEATRE OF 2007

1. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

What a total letdown! There was truly no point in making this into a musical.

2. THE PIRATE QUEEN

There is always one truly horrendous musical every year. You can bet no one will ever wake “Pirate Queen” from the grave.

3. WALMARTOPIA (Minetta Lane Theatre)

The real surprise is not that the show closes next week, but that it didn’t shut down four months ago. Was this futuristic satire about Walmart taking over the world supposed to be funny or scary? Who knows.

4. THE MISANTHROPE (New York Theatre Workshop)

Avant-Gardists Ruin Classic Play, Part One

5. THE WOOSTER GROUP'S HAMLET (Public Theater)

Avant-Gardists Ruin Classic Play, Part Two

6. LEGALLY BLONDE

“Oh my god. Oh my god, you guys…” This might be the most ANNOYING show of all time.

7. DEUCE

It was painful to watch Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes sink in Terrence McNally’s extremely lame play.

8. THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING

This was not drama, but rather Vanessa Redgrave boring everyone to death.

9. WINTUK (Madison Square Garden)

Cirque du Soleil, in its attempt to compete in the Christmastime entertainment market, ignored its traditional wizardry for generic soullessness.

10. FRANKENSTEIN (37 Arts)

As if “Young Frankenstein” wasn’t painful enough. At least this one bit the dust quickly…

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Financial and Popular Success of “Spring Awakening” – Last December, all the critics threw their accolades. But it took a year for this truly special musical to make itself heard elsewhere. And now it’s the hit it deserves to be.

Lots of plays produced commercially on Broadway – Farnsworth, Osage, Ain’t He Dead, Seafarer, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Cyrano, The Homecoming, November. Not bad…. Let’s keep it up!

Ian McKellan in King Lear and The Seagull at BAM.

Boyd Gaines in Journey's End, Gypsy and Pygmalion

Fantasia in “The Color Purple” – Damn! Not since Reba in “Annie Get Your Gun” did a casting replacement actually serve to save the entire show.

The Encores 2007 Season – No just “Gypsy,” but also their fantastic stagings of “Follies,” “Face the Music” and “Stairway to Pradise.”

Musicals in Mufti – the York’s series has become increasingly essential. Their best work this year included “The Day Before Spring,” “The Baker’s Wife” and “Enter Laughing.”

Scott Siegel's Broadway By the Year series - In addition to the four excellent BBTY concerts, a big bravo to Scott for expanding the series into the Summer Broadway Festival, Broadway Cabaret Festival, and Broadway Unplugged.

Papermill Playhouse – After a financial scare last March, the NJ institution appears to be in good standing.

Audra McDonald in “110 in the Shade” – Hopefully she won’t stay away too long from Broadway again.

Donna Murphy in "LoveMusik" and "Follies" - Her too...

Intimate Exchanges – This eight-play marathon truly defined the unique theatrical experience.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Stagehand Strike – and everything about it. We blame BOTH SIDES.

Critics are not officially invited to attend the Gypsy of the Year competition, which follows the traditional 6 weeks of fundraising for BC/EFA in the mid-fall. However, many journalists who ask to see it are typically allowed. And I won't lie - there is often more stunning work being done in the Gypsy of the Year or Easter Bonnet skits than you will find in many a Broadway season. That is not to say that all the skits are good - some are bores, like most of the dance stuff, or shamelessly self-promotional, as in the one done by PHANTOM OPERA this year, but some are damn brilliant.

Posted at the bottom of this entry is the video clip of AVENUE JEW, a skit four years ago combining the talents of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and AVENUE Q.

Furthermore, there is an unexpurgated quality of honesty from Broadway's actors about their shows and the business at large in these skits. Take the skit from the recently closed Off-Broadway musical FRANKENSTEIN, where the whole cast, including Hunter Foster, basically confessed that their show was crap. And to think, just two months ago, I did a phone interview with Hunter where he attempted in vain to promote the show and that it wouldn't be crap. Gypsy of the Year must be many a theater publicist's total nightmare...

But the big political point to hit on this was, of course, the strike. A Family Feud sketch pitted Broadway's producers (actors portraying Jeffrey Seller, Oprah, Daryl Roth, Fran Weissler) against a handful of stagehands.

In another sketch, Charlotte Martin was portrayed, and the entire strike was condemned as a waste. But in a scary moment, it was suggested that the fight is not over - and to just wait till the actors' contracts expire this summer. As Jolson would say, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN YET FOLKS.

But it wasn't all internal industry politics. The show opened with a massive tribute to WEST SIDE STORY, now celebrating its 50th anniversary. In a program note, Arthur Laurents confirmed that he will direct a Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY this fall, and also that his GYPSY revival will open at the St. James in March.

The WSS montage began with the dancers recreating the Jets movements in the very start. But once Bernardo was to appear, the original actor who portrayed the role appeared, of course gathering huge applause. The original Riff then entered for "Jet's Song," followed by other original cast member Jets. This sequence was repeated in "America." And Carol Lawrence and Chita Rivera eventually sang "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" together.

And in the end, the young cast and old cast were pitted side by side. It was WEST SIDE STORY meets FOLLIES! A truly special moment for musical theater history. And a sign that we need WSS back on Broadway badly. Hopefully Laurents' revival, which he promises will be conceptually new and contemporary without changing a single line, will not suck.

Nearly thirty original "West Side Story" cast members will reunite Monday and Tuesday afternoon at the Gypsy of the Year Competition to mark the legendary musical's 50th anniversary, including Chita Rivera, Carol Lawrence, Harvey Evans, Mickey Calin and Ken Le. The annual event marks the culmination of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS's fundraising efforts, which were unfortunately marred this year by the stagehand strike. Bob Saget, Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa will host the event, which features numerous skits and performances from Broadway casts. For more info visit www.broadwaycares.org.

Click here for the Yahoo.com link

The trailer is essentially devoted to introducing the Sophie sub-plot: 3 guys. Who's the dad? Plus a glimpse of Meryl doing the title song.

Producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher announced today that the award-winning musical MARY POPPINS has recouped its entire Broadway investment in 52 weeks and firmly established itself as the most popular show that opened during the 2006-2007 season. The production celebrated its one-year anniversary at the New Amsterdam Theatre on West 42nd Street on November 16th.

Also announced today, MARY POPPINS will commence a North American tour scheduled to premiere at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre on March 25, 2009. The entire original creative team will reunite to bring this magical story of the world’s most famous nanny to audiences across North America.

This marked my first time at the new Times Center auditorium, located in the new New York Times building at 41st Street and Eighth Ave. It's quite a nice space, especially for concert recitals.

Tonight's program, hosted by Liz Callaway as part of the traditional Merkin Hall Broadway Up Close series (relocated here for the fall while the Merkin space is renovated), introduced five new musicals that were purported heading to Broadway.

No offense, but only two of the five shows spotlighted have any Broadway potential. The first three, which made up Act One, were interesting, but merely filler.

Act One:

First up was THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, a new revue by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham of I LOVE YOU BECAUSE. It turns out that I already saw the developmental production of this two months ago at NYU. It ran an hour and had some pretty nice songs. Not as compelling as JRB's SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, but it definitely showcased some well-made songwriting. Lisa Howard of SPELLING BEE performed one of the songs.

Next was THE TRAGIC AND HORRIBLE LIFE OF THE SINGING NUN, which was at NYMF this year but I didn't catch.

Then there was THE ROAD TO QUATAR!, a quirky, metatheatrical piece about the craziness of writing a musical like TITLE OF SHOW that will probably end up at NYMF or somewhere like that. Performing were Chip Zien, Mary Testa and David Hibbard.

Act Two began with VANITIES, which is already confirmed to open on Broadway next fall. Performing were Kelli O'Hara (could she do this show? probably not due to SOUTH PACIFIC), Erin Dilly (CHITTY CHITTY), and Sarah Stiles (AVENUE Q).

Last, but definitely not least, was EVER AFTER. I caught a reading of EVER AFTER during the summer, which was very well done. Heisler and Goldrich are a truly talented songwriting team, and it's definitely time they got their shot at Broadway. Performing were Jan Maxwell (who I saw in the reading), Goeff Packward (playing the prince role, which was done by Max von Essen at the reading), and Liz Callaway, who made a cameo to sing the young heroine's "I Want" song.

No offense, but does anyone even care? Still, I can't help but wonder whether the opening of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN helped at all, or whether it got better attendance during the strike.

Frankenstein, the off-Broadway musical adapted from Mary Shelley’s novel, will play its final performance on Sunday, December 9th at 3:00PM after 70 performances (including 25 previews).

In the weeks following the final performance, the company of Frankenstein will go in to the recording studio to lay down tracks for an original cast recording to be released in early 2008. The producers will announce the recording label shortly.

Note: this is not a review. Critics have been asked not to write a review until the film's opening date on December 21. Just putting that express disclaimer out there...

I learned on Friday afternoon that a special advance screening of SWEENEY TODD meant for the Broadway community (theater journalists, producers, press agents, actors, writers, ect) was being held on Sunday night. Why was I not invited beforehand? Who knows. It's an ongoing problem that will hopefully phase itself out as I become more well-known as a theater critic and as part of the theater community. Anyhow, I made a few phone calls, made some emails, and was luckily able to get a single ticket into the screening by the end of the day.

Stephen Sondheim, who was apparently the "host" of this screening at the E-Walk Regal Cinemas on 42nd Street, came out to greet us before the film, wearing his trademark oversized sweater. Sondheim urged us to accept the film on its own terms - to consider not a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, but a film BASED on the musical. He then introduced two more unexpected guests: Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, both of whom gave only a wave.

Then the film started. As I described earlier, I can't write a review. But let's just go over some visual impressions. That's kosher, right? You might find those reading a feature article about the film, or merely watching the preview trailer.

Expects lots and lots of blood. I mean, the implications of seeing a SWEENEY film became suddenly clear: we now know what it's really like to see a man's throat get cut. A red paste is not merely shed onto his threat, as in the original Broadway production. Nor is blood poured into a bucket, as in the minimalist John Doyle revival. No, blood comes gushing out. We now know what Mrs. Lovett might look like as she burns inside the oven. And the barber shop customers, upon getting killed, don't go feet first down Sweeney's special chair to the bake house; they go face first. We get to watch as their heads smash into the hard floor. During "Little Priest," we see Todd and Lovett look out the window and see a fop, a priest and lawyer to inspire their lyrics.

This has been quite a weekend for theatergoing: CYMBELINE at Lincoln Center, Andrea Marcovicci's Rodgers and Hart show at the Oak Room, FIGARO at the Metropolitan Opera, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION on Broadway, and finally SWEENEY.