New York City Theater

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the arrival of AVENUE Q at Broadway's Golden Theatre. On June 3, the musical played its 2,000th performance. Guess it doesn't suck to be living on Avenue Q after all.

Yet another Broadway show that was set for next season has been mysteriously postponed. This time it's FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE, a revival of this 1970s play with songs. It was even supposed to start previews at Circle in the Square in three weeks. Does this mean that theater is now free for NEW JERUSALEM, the play that should have opened there last spring instead of GLORY DAYS?

Brigadoon is a town that arises out of the midst once every hundred years or so. And it looks like you'll have to wait another year or more for it to rise again on Broadway.

Merely one day after the Nederlanders announce that a new revival of GUYS AND DOLLS will open at one of their theaters in the spring, word now comes that the incoming revival of BRIGADOON has postponed due to a lack of theater availability. This must really suck for Boston's Colonial Theater, which was supposed to have housed both BRIGADOON as well as NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, which too was "postponed" last week.

I was really looking forward to this revival, especially since it was going to showcase an entirely new book by John Guare (who promised to accentuate some anti-war sentiment) and Rob Ashford's debut as a director-choreographer. But counting GUYS AND DOLLS, there are already five musical revivals set for next season (GUYS AND DOLLS, GODSPELL, WEST SIDE STORY, DANCIN, PAL JOEY). And who knows whether HAIR will transfer.

The New York Post reports that Cedric the Entertainer is expected to join John Leguizamo in the upcoming Broadway revival of David Mamet's AMERICAN BUFFALO. The other Mamet revival, SPEED-THE-PLOW, with Jeremy Piven, Elisabeth Moss and Raul Esparza, starts in the fall.

Three years ago, I sat through twelve nonstop hours of Stephen Sondheim songs at Symphony Space's WALL TO WALL SONDHEIM. The program is usually filled with classicalists like Bach and Mozart, but there's always an exception. Next year, it'll be back to musical theater stuff with WALL TO WALL BROADWAY. Sounds rather broad, but you can bet I'll be there.

Only a few months ago, it looked as though Michael Grandage's London revival of GUYS AND DOLLS, which originally starred Jane Krakowski and Ian McGregor, would transfer to Broadway. Now we know that's definitely off the table. Today, totally out of the blue, it was announced that Des McAnuff will stage a brand-new revival to premiere on Broadway this coming spring. McAnuff directed a disappointing revival of Frank Loesser's HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS in the 90s, but his stock has certainly skyrocketted since JERSEY BOYS.

Here's the second installment of our interview series on the Central Park production of HAIR. We speak with Jonathan Groff, who left the original Broadway cast of SPRING AWAKENING only two months ago.

Matt: How did you get involved with “Hair” last year?

Jonathan: About a year ago in July or August. My agent called to say they were doing the concert and they wanted me to audition. I auditioned two times.

Matt: What was your first real contact with “Hair”?

Jonathan: It’s funny because when we were workshopping “Spring Awakening” for the Altantic Theater, Michael Mayer told me to go home, watch the “Hair” movie, and watch Treat Williams sing “I Got Life” on the table. Because that’s the sort of energy I should be bringing to “Totally Fucked” in “Spring Awakening.” I was completely unfamiliar with the show except for famous songs.

Matt: What was the rehearsal process like last year?

Jonathan: It was very fast. I think it was about eight days total that we had. I was also doing “Spring Awakening” at the same time. It was a crazy whirlwind of an experience. Fortunately for us, for the production, in having that time limit, and have such a short rehearsal time, we learned how important it is to keep it the same, keep it simple. We discovered lots of things we normally wouldn’t have discovered with a full rehearsal process. It was a gift this time around, with all the stuff we happened upon by accident, that now we keep in the show. If we more meticulously took apart the numbers, it wouldn’t have been as organic and fluid.

NY1 reports that an electric elevator caught on fire last night at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre, currently home to XANADU. No performance was going on at the time, and there's been no report yet on whether any damage occurred. Speaking of XANADU, Whoopi Goldberg begins her short run tonight.

The final installment of the Broadway Summer Cabaret festival last night at Town Hall, titled ALL SINGIN, ALL DANCIN, could have also been called BROADWAY'S RISING STARS. The RISING STARS night, which took place last week, spotlighted up and coming talent from various performance arts schools. And while its a great idea, the title can be a bit misleading, especially since few if any of the performers will actually make it to Broadway, let alone be a star. Last night's ALL SINGIN, ALL DANCIN actually did spotlight people that I do believe are rising Broadway talent like William Michals, Megan Sikora, Allie Mauzey, Shonn Wiley, Darius DeHaas, Melinda Sullivan and choreographer Josh Rhodes.

I am currently working on a feature article on the Central Park production of HAIR for Friday, which gives me the opportunity to speak with several in the cast and artistic team. I'll be printing out the full transcripts of these interviews here.

First on the docket is Kacie Sheik, the sister of a certain Tony-winning composer, who plays the Tribe's "earthly goddess" Jeanie.

Matt: How much of the current cast was in last year's concert?

Kacie: All except for two new cast members were in the concert last year.

Matt: When did you first see "Hair"?

Kacie: One of my first memories of “Hair” was seeing it on the sitcom “Head of the Class” back in the ‘90s. It was really the first time I had heard the music. But my father’s a young hippie. She grew up just after the big “Hair” revolution. She saw it with her high school choir. She sang the song “Hair” in the house, or any other showtune or Streisand song.

Matt: What made this a musical that you wanted to be in?

Kacie: I knew that it was kind of the original American rock musical. I come from a background also of being a singer songwriter, recording pop rock soul music. And knowing the history of “Hair,” knowing how potent this piece is right, all those things kind of enticed me. You really put your heart into some auditions. That just inevitably happens. It really helped me to go to the auditions. I’ve been taking a break from theater endeavors, recording and writing and stuff. And when it came up, something radical sort of clicked.

We've all unofficially known for quite some time that Jason Robert Brown's teenager musical 13 - you might call it "MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL" - would open on Broadway in October, but it's nice to finally have an official press release to reassure us that it's going to happen after all.

Brown hasn't been on Broadway in a decade, not since his ultra-ambitious historical tragedy PARADE bowed at Lincoln Center. Since then, he has premiered but one new musical, but a very important and popular one - THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Sure, it flopped Off-Broadway, but it's the most popular show on college campuses nowadays. And his nightclub concerts are absolutely electrifying. Brown is also an alumnus of French Woods theater camp, my alma mater too.

*The Summer Broadway Festival concludes tonight at Town Hall with ALL SINGIN!, ALL DANCIN! Cast includes France Arcilla, Michael Balderrama, David Eggers, Lisa Gadja, Eric Hatch, Cady Huffman, Kendrick Jones, Lorin Lattaro, Sabra Lewis, Melissa Rae Mahon, Brittany Marcin, Alli Mauzey, Liz McCartney, Tim McGarrigal, William Michals, Jody Reynard, Megan Sikora, Brian Spitulnik, Melinda Sullivan and Natasha Yvette Williams. Then, this leaves Broadway By the Year junkies such as myself with three long months until the next event. Oh, the sadness.

*Today is the opening casting call for SPIDERMAN. Good luck!

One decade ago, Dublin’s Gate Theatre performed Samuel Beckett’s entire catalogue of 19 dramas at Lincoln Center Festival. This summer, as an encore, the Gate returned with three one-man Beckett dramas based on work that was not originally designed for the stage. We caught the festival’s all-day marathon, in which all the plays were performed back to back.

First up at 5:30pm was Eh Joe starring Liam Neeson. Eh Joe was originally written for television and only recently adapted for the stage. Joe sits alone and says nothing throughout the entire half-hour piece, but becomes tormented by an offstage female voice that echoes throughout the theater. An extreme close-up of his tormented face is projected on a large scrim. As a result, the only real movement in the show consists of twists and turns of his brow, and the sweat down his cheek.

When the number of new Broadway and Off-Broadway shows dwindles in the dead heat of every summer, I am forced to start thinking outside the box – or, you might say, outside the state.

Last weekend I checked out two New Jersey productions that were only a train ride away: a dolled up youth-production of the musical “1776” at NJPAC in Newark, and an intimate revival of “King Lear” starring Daniel Davis (the butler on the TV sitcom “The Nanny”) at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison.

The New Jersey Youth Theatre brings together high school and college students each summer to perform a classic musical. But in addition to the plentiful talent, what really make this program stand out are its insanely impressive production values, including full orchestra, costumes and sets.

I am presently harboring huge regrets for missing out on BROADWAY'S RISING STARS earlier this week, the second installment of the BROADWAY CABARET FESTIVAL, especially after reading John Simon's rave review. But I will definitely be around for ALL SINGIN! ALL DANCIN!, the festival's final night of entertainment on Monday at Town Hall. We spoke with Josh Rhodes, who is choreographing the festivities.

Matt: How did you get involved with the event?

Josh: I choreographed “Broadway by the Year 1954” for Scott and Barbara Siegel. And it went really well. We did only two big production numbers plus a lot of staging here and there. And after that they asked me to work on this event.

Matt: How much choreography is there?

Josh: There’s twelve numbers. Quite a bit. If you think of a normal musical with an ensemble, there’s probably four or six big ensemble numbers in an evening. To me, this is like putting up two big shows. So that’s why we heave the long hours and strenuous rehearsals. But my dancers are amazing are and putting in so much effort for a one-night show. And it’s fun. You don’t have the confines of a book musical. You can just do a bunch of fine numbers with a bunch of different styles. “Stepping to the Bad Side” to “Shaking the Blues Away.” Everything can have its own flavor.

Bruce Adler, who came from Yiddith theater royalty and brought his vaudeville-spirit persona to many musicals, passed away early today at age 63, as first reported by Playbill.com. It turns out that he had been battling liver cancer for some time.

The first time I saw Mr. Adler perform was in the Paper Mill Playhouse's 1999 production of CRAZY FOR YOU, where he reprised his comically brilliant, Tony-nominated performance as follies producer Bela Zangler. I last saw him last him last year in the Musicals in Mufti staging of ENTER LAUGHING.

"Stop that man, officer! He's stolen my bubbles!" Much of the bubble solution, or rather "soap star," of the Off-Broadway spectacle GAZILLION BUBBLOE SHOW has been the victim of theft. According to Playbill.com, 3.4 tons of the liquid was stolen from the NJ warehouse where chemical is stored. Performances will apparently not be affected, but has anyone actually seen this?

*Melvin Van Peebles' 1971 musical AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH begins free performances throughout the city tonight. The schedule is: July 25-26 in Von King Park (Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn), to be followed by July 29-Aug. 2 in Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem, Madison Avenue and 123rd Street), Aug. 8-9 in East River Park (Manhattan, Lower East Side) and Aug. 15-16 in St. Mary's Park (the Bronx, East 143rd Street).

*Actress and writer Emma Thompson has signed on to write the screenplay for the upcoming film remake of MY FAIR LADY.

Rumors are flying on the chatboards about the trauma that has apparently been brought on Nikki Snelson, who originated the role of Brooke Wyndam in LEGALLY BLONDE and currently plays Cassie in the national tour of A CHORUS LINE.

She recently did a pilot for the CW titled VALENTINE that got picked up. However, her CHORUS LINE producer John Braglio, formerly a theater attorney guru from big law land, would not let her out of her contract. He supposedly went so far as threatening to sue the CW, which in turn caused the CW to rescind its offer to Nikki.

Let's do the time warp AGAIN.

MTV is preparing a remake of the 1975 cult musical film THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. It will be directly based on the original screenplay, plus some new music here and there. It is also not clear whether this will be seen on MTV or in movie theaters first.

No casting announced yet. Who'd you like to see play Dr. Frank, Brad and Janet?

*New Line is looking to make a HAIRSPRAY sequel that is also a musical. And it wants to reunite the the movie musical cast. John Waters is reportedly now writing the treatment. "Hairspray 2: Fat Camp"? "Hairspray 2: You CAN Stop the Beat"? What title do you recommend for the sequel?

*Today's edition of BROADWAY IN BRYANT PARK has been rescheduled due to the rain. Who actually goes to this besides passerbys and people lunching? I checked it out four years ago, and was disappointed to see Broadway performers dealing with pre-recorded soundtracks and bad microphone systems. But hey. Maybe someone who sees it will say "this concert is just awful, but I bet it's good in the theater. Let's buy a ticket."

*The Off-Broadway revival of Richard Nelson's SOME AMERICANS ABROAD opens tonight at Second Stage. This was actually supposed to open two weeks ago, but got mysteriously postponed. It's run now closes as soon as next week.

The swinging ‘60’s will yet again meet Broadway when ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS, a new jukebox musical based on the 1964 film, opens in New York during the 2009-10 season.

Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, the musical will be comprised of songs by Sammy Cahn & James Van Heusen like "My Kind of Town," "Come Fly with Me," "Call Me Irresponsible," and "All The Way."

We spoke with Kyle Riabko, who took over the role of Melchoir (originated by Jonathan Groff) in the Broadway company of SPRING AWAKENING two months ago. Kyle has another week and a half remaining on Broadway, and will then start up its national tour. Kyle, a Canadian rock artist, had apparently never seen a Broadway show before SPRING AWAKENING.

Matt: How exactly did you get involved with the production?

Kyle: I had seen "Spring Awakening" a couple of months before I auditioned, so I was already a huge fan of the production. I originally went in to audition for "Moritz", and after I sung one song, Michael asked me to switch gears and read some of Melchior's lines. So they handed me the new sides, and everything started to click. After a couple of call-backs, I was cast. I felt a very good vibe from the creative team from the second I walked into that first audition.

Matt: What was the best piece of advice you received during the rehearsal process?

Kyle: Bryan Landrine, our stage manager taught me my character's track, and while I was in rehearsals, he told me not to try to impress anyone - to just be myself. That was very helpful, because I had walked into this brand new world and I was trying very hard to look like I knew what I was doing, but when I relaxed, things started coming a lot easier. It's all about trusting the people you're working with.

*Tracie Thoms, who played Joanne in the lackluster film version of RENT, is set to join RENT's Broadway cast later this week, making her the "final" Joanne. Gwen Stewart, the original "Seasons of Love" soloist, has also rejoined.

*AIDS/HIV activists, many of whom are centralized within the theater community, were in a collective stupor late last week when it was revealed that Elizabeth Dole wanted to name the current AIDS relief plan after the late ultra-conservative senator Jesse Helms. Once word of this was revealed, a tidlewave of criticism followed, and the plan is now suddenly mud. No offense to Mrs. Dole, but I highly doubt that even Mr. Helms would have even wanted his name on the bill.

*JUMP, a Korean marital arts spectacle-cum-comedy at the Union square Theatre, ended its Off-Broadway run unannounced on Sunday. Anybody actually see it?

Merely hours after we all "officially" learned that Bailey Hanks was the winner of the LEGALLY BLONDE reality show, reporters were invited to meet with her on the fourth floor of Sardis. It was actually a bit more than a year ago that I first met Max and Laura there immediately after they won the GREASE reality show. Bailey, a pastor's daughter from the South and a former beauty queen, looked extremely dolled up for the occasion, seemingly happy to be out of hiding amd finally free to talk about her no longer forthcoming, now occurring Broadway gig.

Matt: How long have you been in New York now?

Bailey: I have been here for almost two months now.

Matt: How long ago was it when you actually won the role?

Bailey: That was March 18.

Matt: You remember the exact date?

Bailey: Yes. I know the date. It’s very bold in my mind.

Matt: When did you start rehearsals?

Bailey: I started rehearsals probably around mid June. And I started vocal rehearsals like probably the second of June. Then I started going into the rehearsal process and learning actual show probably a week or two after that.

*While no official announcement on the Broadway cast of GODSPELL has yet to be made, we all know that Gavin Creel is playing Jesus. And last night at the NYCLU's "Broadway Stands Up for Freedom" event at NYU, the new cast revealed itself, which also includes Diana DeGarmo, Joshua Henry (Judas), Uzu Adoba, Andrew Arrington, Sara Chase, Celisse Henderson, Morgan James, David Josefsberg, Telly Leung, Kyle Post, Dana Steingold, Maria Thayer and Daniel Torres. (Thanks to Playbill.com for compiling the names.)

*Joining Jeremy Piven and Raul Esparza in the upcoming Broadway revival of David Mamet's SPEED-THE-PLOW is Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, in the role played by Madonna in 1988.

*Merely the night following the end of the LEGALLY BLONDE reality TV show, we're switching back to the GREASE reality show for a bit. GREASE runners-up Derek Keeling and Ashley Spencer take over as Danny and Sandy tonight on Broadway. Does this leave Max and Laura free for the national tour?

*The Shakespeare in the Park production of HAIR starts performances tonight. Got "good times, man"? Or "crazy ways, cousin"?

I've known since Episode Five of the LEGALLY BLONDE reality television show that Bailey Hanks was the winner. And I suspect that most of the Broadway community already knew as well. Some of us kept our mouths shut, myself included. Others did not.

Amazon.com accidentally released her single of "So Much Better" a few days earlier, and got reported on the BroadwayWorld.com message boards. And 10:30 PM on Monday night, merely a half hour before the winner would be publicly announced, my friend Kate revealed on All That Chat that a USA Today article announcing that the winner was Bailey, where critic Elysa Gardner even did an interview with her, had been posted.

I will be meeting with Bailey on Tuesday afternoon during a press junket and will post my interview immediately afterwards.

Will the show re-invite the critics for Bailey? You can bet that'll be one of my questions. Could this be a repeat of the Fantastia/COLOR PURPLE sequence, where critics declared that a single performance had saved a mediocre musical?

Now in its fourth year of awarding Off-Off-Broadway productions that almost no mainstream theater critic bothered to see, the Innovative Theater Awards are back with their newest batch of nominations. The only name among the nominees I recognized is Bobby Steggert, for YANK, which was also nominated for best musical. The award ceremony will be held September 22 at FIT.

*Who'll be taking over for Laura Bell Bundy, who played her final performance in LEGALLY BLONDE last night? Thanks to a misstep from Amazon.com, as well as the fact that the reality TV show isn't live and she was cast literally months ago, it isn't much of a surprise for many of us. I already know, but I'm still going to watch the final episode of the reality show tonight for the fun of it.

I'll give you a hint: it's not Max Crumm or Laura Osnes, who finished their runs in GREASE last night.

*The MAMMA MIA film took in $27 million domestically in its opening weekend. Considering that it was competing against DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, that's pretty damn impressive.

*Gwen Stewart, an original cast member of RENT (the "Seasons of Love" soloist), rejoins the Broadway cast tonight, presumably to stay there till the musical meets its demise in September.

*Pop star Fergie is supposedly in negotiations to play the voluptuous sexpot Saraghina ("Be Italian") in the NINE film.

Ever since I saw NEVER GONNA DANCE, a flop musical version of the movie musical SWINGTIME, almost five years ago, I have been quite a fan of Noah Racey and Nancy Lemenager, who played the Fred and Ginger roles and have both gone on to other major projects. We spoke with Nancy, who recently joined the Broadway company of CHICAGO as Velma.

Matt: So how did you get involved with “Chicago”?

Nancy: I just auditioned this spring. They asked me to start in mid-July, and then Mya broke her foot. And they asked “can you start this week?.” Everything got bumped up. I wasn’t actually supposed to start in the show till about right now. But it was good to get in a little early.

Matt: What was it like to enter the show so suddenly?

Nancy: It was shocking at first. I was in the middle of assistant choreographing “Camelot” at Lincoln Center. I was trying to figure out whether I could rehearse “Chicago” at the same time, and it turned out to be a quick process for “Camelot.” I was able to juggle the schedule and it worked out great. They were very accommodating. We split the days: one day in the morning, one day in the afternoon. It was a couple of busy weeks.

*The [title of show] reviews are in. And just as its audience is mixed (half hate it, half love it), so are the critics. Some call it a narcissistic piece of baloney that looks naked on Broadway, while the rest are singing the praises of its originality and spirit.

*The MAMMA MIA! movie opens today in theaters. I got to write the review in today's paper, making it my first film review for AMNY.

*Aubrey O'Day joins the cast of HAIRSPRAY tonight as Amber. Who's that?? Never heard of her or her pop group Dainty Kane. I'll ask my 17-year-old sister. Maybe she knows.

*Many of us already know who won the LEGALLY BLONDE reality show contest. And to make matters worse, we hear that Amazon.com accidentally released the newly recorded single of the torch song "So Much Better" with the winner yesterday. Oops.

Do you look like Peter Parker or Mary Jane? The upcoming Broadway musical “Spider-Man” which will be directed by Julie Taymor and feature songs by Bono, will hold an open casting call on July 28 at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St, for these lead roles. All auditioning males and females must look in their 16-20s and have strong rock voices.

*[title of show] opens tonight on Broadway. The reviews will begin to pour in around 9 or 10 PM. Not since PASSING STRANGE has there been such a show that's totally polarized its audience. You either love it or hate it. No middle ground. Let's keep in mind how positive the reviews were two years ago. But will the show look skimpy on a Broadway stage?

*The rumors have finally been confirmed. Next season’s Broadway revival of “West Side Story” will weave Spanish throughout both the book and songs, with supertitles projected simultaneously. “This show will be radically different from any other production of ‘West Side Story’ ever done,” director Arthur Laurents said. “The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to have authenticity. Every member of both gangs was always a potential killer even then. Now they actually will be. Only Tony and Maria try to live in a different world.”

*Broadway will soon have a fourth not-for-profit theater company with a constant presence. Second Stage Company announced yesterday that it has acquired the right to purchase the Helen Hayes Theatre, the smallest theater on Broadway, now home to XANADU, but usually a house for one-person shows like JAY JOHNSON or GOLDA'S BALCONY. Since I generally dislike one-person shows, I think this is great news. Plus, Second Stage is one of our best theater companies and definitely is worthy of a permanent space on Broadway. It will still need to raise about $35 million, and would then start producing there in 2010.

Emily Skinner, who is a regular performer at Town Hall's BROADWAY BY THE YEAR concerts and has directed a few of them herself, will co-direct BROADWAY'S RISING STARS, which showcases rising musical theater talent, next Monday night with Scott Coulter. We spoke with her about the show...

Matt: How did you get involved with the concert?

Emily: I got involved because I’ve performed and directed some of the other ones. But I also teach and I’m really into fostering young talent. When I heard they were doing it, I said “please call me.”

Matt: How does it feel, as an actress yourself, to be picking and choosing among raw talent?

Emily: Well, I think I have great empathy for auditionees because I’ve been doing it for so long. It’s always interesting to sit behind the table. I’ve sat in on auditions a bunch of times. The people who book the jobs tend to be the ones who show their full personalities and leave an impact on the room that way. It’s not always about who is the best singer or dancer. We responded to the kids who showed us their personality inside of the material they chose to do.

*Yesterday a Variety article mentioned that not only is a WICKED film on the horizon, but a remake of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is also on the to-do list for Universal Pictures.

*Lincoln Center Festival's GATE/BECKETT, featuring Ralph Fiennes, Barry McGovern and Liam Neeson performing Beckett soliloquoys that were originally intended as prose or poetry by Beckett, starts tonight.

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL, based on the 1980 comedy film, will begin previews on Broadway Tuesday, March 24, 2009, and will open Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Marriott Marquis Theatre. This marks the Broadway debut of seven-time Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter and musician Dolly Parton as composer and lyricist. It will star Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and Marc Kudisch.