Broadway Spring Wish List - Anything Goes

I had originally intended to make my Spring Wish List for Broadway shows be all new shows either that have just opened or will be opening soon. But the truth is, there are several shows running on Broadway right now that I would love to see but haven't had the chance yet. 

It's one of the pitfalls of living so far away from New York. I often completely miss shows that I want to see. One in particular show that I've been trying to see for over a year now is the revival of Anything Goes. Being quite broke, it seems like I can either not afford to go, or they discounted HipTix (which is a FANTASTIC program) are sold out any time I'm planning a trip to New York. Basically, Anything Goes is a hot ticket. And I've yet to be able to fit it in.

One of the reasons I've been dying to see the show is Sutton Foster. I love her. She's an honest triple threat, she looks like a girl you were friends with in high school, and any time I've seen her interviewed she seems as sweet as can be. Another reason was the video clips I kept seeing of the title number in the show. It's truly is a show stopper, due in part to Sutton Foster who has an incredible company performing with her.



I knew she wouldn't stick around forever. A long run usually means that the leads are often replaced as they leave for other projects. However, it's official. Sutton's last day in the show is March 11th.  She's leaving to film a television show (Congrats, Sutton!). The lovely Stephanie J. Block is stepping into the role (she was in while Sutton was off filming the pilot to the above mentioned TV show). While I'd love to see Stephanie as well, I'd really really like magic to happen and be able to see Sutton before she leaves.

Truth be known, it probably won't happen. All I can say is thank goodness for youtube. And someday I WILL see Sutton Foster on stage. It's one of my goals. Sutton, you're the top.

Driving Miss Daisy

Over the weekend I did a two show day trip to Cumberland County Playhouse. My second show of the day was Driving Miss Daisy. The Academy Award winning movie from the late 80s was actually based on the play (not the other way around), and that play won a Pulitzer prize in 1988.

I've never seen the movie, though the iconic movie poster is one I feel like I've always known. What actually got my interest was the recent Broadway production of the show that starred James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave. I missed seeing the show (like I miss many Broadway shows), but I was thrilled to see it was on the season for Cumberland County Playhouse.

Driving Miss Daisy takes place in Atlanta over a span 25 years, beginning in 1948. In the very first scene Miss Daisy Werthan and her son Boolie are arguing about Miss Daisy's ability (or inability) to continue driving. After a string of accidents, Boolie feels Miss Daisy needs to have a hired driver to take her where she needs to go. Miss Daisy disagrees.

Carol Irvin & Michael Ruff
Taken from Cumberland County Playhouse's facebook page

Boolie hires a man to drive her anyway and the rest of the show focuses on the relationship between Miss Daisy and her driver, Hoke Coleburn. Hoke and Miss Daisy have an interesting relationship that progresses from Miss Daisy barely tolerating Hoke's presence and eventually ending in Miss Daisy telling Hoke that he's her best friend.

Also a glaring issue is the fact that Hoke is an uneducated black man in the South before and during the Civil Rights movement and Miss Daisy is a well-off Jewish woman who is a former educator. The beauty of these things is that while it's obvious that they understand their difference and react accordingly with the time period in which the play is set, they also overcome many boundaries in their own way and become friends.

The middle is the important part. To watch the development of both Miss Daisy and Hoke is special. Miss Daisy's transition from mere tolerance to genuine caring (though she fights not to let it show too much) for Hoke is beautiful. Carol Irvin's portrayal of Miss Daisy was heart warming. You couldn't help but love Irvin's Miss Daisy, even though Daisy can be hard to love at times. You see her struggle to accepts not only the fact that she needs Hoke, but that she wants him around.

Michael Ruff's Hoke brings laughter to the show. You see him manipulate Miss Daisy from the beginning. Not in a bad way, but in a way that keeps him in charge, for the most part, but lets Miss Daisy retain her sense of control.

Daniel Black rounds out this small but strong cast. He gives a great performance, showing Boolie's love for his mother and his compassion and caring for Hoke and what Hoke comes to mean to his mother.

This show was staged in the smaller of the two theatres at the Playhouse, the Adventure Theatre. It was a perfect fit for the intimacy of the show. A simple set also adds to the feeling of the show, forcing you to pay attention to the relationships and the interactions of the characters, rather than visual items on stage.

At the heart, Driving Miss Daisy is a love story. Not of romantic love, but the love of friends and the joy that comes from having friends. Even friends that seem like the most unlikely friends that could be. If you're looking for a show that will leave you feeling satisfaction, go see this production. You'll leave both satisfied with seeing a fabulous production, but you'll also leave with the satisfaction that there are still things in the world that can bring you happiness in the most unlikely of ways.

Driving Miss Daisy is playing at Cumberland County Playhouse through April 14th. You can get tickets by calling 931-484-5000 or by clicking HERE.

The Sound of Music

I have quite the connection to some musicals. For whatever reason they stick with me. I can pin down my connection to The Sound of Music. Most of the lullabies my mom sang to me as a kid were from The Sound of Music, with a few mixed in from My Fair Lady, West Side Story, and South Pacific.

Later on in my life, The Sound of Music followed me. When I moved away from home for the first time, I bought two movies to take with me. The Sound of Music was one of them. Later, when I took my required music and art appreciation class in college I wrote my term paper on the effect of war on art & music. Naturally, The Sound of Music made it into my paper.

During my research for the paper, I discovered the book Forever Liesl: A Memoir of The Sound of Music written by Charmian Carr, who played Liesl in the movie. After sending a fan email of sorts to Ms. Carr, I got a response from her editor that they were composing a second book called Letters to Liesl and asked if they could include my email in the book. I agreed of course, and ended up with yet another connection to The Sound of Music.

The Sound of Music was one of the first shows of the year at Cumberland County Playhouse. It was, of course, at the top of my "must see" list. I was lucky enough to get to see it this past weekend when I went to Crossville and had a two-show day (more about the other show in another post!).

In case, by some miracle, you don't know the story, I'll give you a brief rundown. Maria is a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey in Austria in the 30s. World War II is happening all around them, but Austira has yet to become Nazi occupied. Quite the unlikely and troublesome girl in the abbey, the Mother Abbess sends Maria to the home of retired Naval Captain von Trapp to care for his seven children.

Maria helps to bring life, love and music to the von Trapp home and in the midst she learns about herself and that things aren't always supposed to go the way we think they should. Maria falls in love with the children, and they with her. Along the way, Maria also falls in love with the Captain.

The cast of this production is huge. I don't mean a little bit huge. According to the playbill the cast numbers 106. YIKES! Directed by Weslie Webster (quite well, I might add), this production turned out to be one of the most beautiful things I'd seen in a while. Perhaps because of my emotional attachment to the show, and perhaps because of the extremely high quality of this production, I spent much of the two and a half hours with tear in my eyes.

Lindy Pendzick & Stephen Len White
Picture taken from CCP's Facebook page.

Lindy Pendzick played the lead role of Maria. I have never seen Lindy perform anything but perfection, but her complete beauty and innocence in the role of Maria made my heart smile. Add in her lovely voice and I have to say that this may be my favorite role I've ever seen her play.

A newbie to the Playhouse, but coming in with quit the resume, Stephen Len White played the role of Captain von Trapp. I'm always curious of what to expect when there are new people on stage at CCP. Mr. White performed the role with talent, grace, and the perfect amount of emotion. His voice was haunting at times and defiantely stayed with me, even after the show was over.

Mother Abbess was played by Brenda Frye. In my opionion, the vocals required for the role of Mother Abbess are quite extensive and Brenda Frey did a fantastic job in both the vocals and the acting. I especially love the scene in which she and Maria sing "My Favorite Things" together. It shows such a human and fun side to a character that one would think should be nothing but serious.

Other notables in the cast were Jason Ross, who played the role of Max Detweiller (no surprise there, Mr. Comedy), and Lauren Marshall Murphey, who played the Baroness Schrader. Three casts of children rotate the roles of the von Trapp children and the role of Rolf, beau of the oldest von Trapp child. I was blessed to see the Red cast group and they were wonderful. Of course, the littlest von Trapp, Gretl, steals  hearts no matter who plays the role, but this child, Sasha Villaruz, was adorable AND talented. No a line was forgotten and I don't think there was a time the child spoke or sang that the entire audience didn't give a collective "Awww..."

The set was designed by Leonard Harman, with lighting by E. Tonry Lathroum. The two work well together because the mood of the scenes was nearly always set by the lighting with the set complimenting it beautifully. My most notable moment regarding this was when Captain von Trapp sang "Edelweiss" near the end of the show. At that time I felt the entire mood of the audience change and I would lay money on the fact that it had almost everything to do with the change in scenery and the lighting changes at that moment.

Overall this show is a beautiful production with some amazing talent. It's a show I think everyone should see at least once, and while I might be slightly biased due to my love of the show and of CCP, this production would be a great opportunity for anyone to experience The Sound of Music.

You can see The Sound of Music at The Cumberland County Playhouse throuch April 6th. You can get tickets by calling 931-484-5000 or by clicking HERE.

God of Carnage

So somewhere along the way I heard it was not cool to review a show that was still in previews. But I'm giving myself a pass on this one for three reasons: 1.) I'm not a REAL critic. Just a regular person who likes to blog. 2.) I don't have anything harsh to say about this show. 3.) I waited so long to write about it that the show actually closed yesterday. But you have to cut me a little slack since I took a trip out of state, bought a house, and moved into said  house. But, I wanted to write about this show anyway because it was such an experience.

About two and a half weeks ago I was blessed to see Tennessee Repertory Theatre's production of God of Carnage. This show was recently on Broadway, and like many shows, I missed seeing it. When I found out that Tennessee Rep was doing a production, I knew I wanted to go.

When I bought tickets, I wasn't aware that they were for a preview, so I was quite surprised to find out that I was seeing the first preview of the show. I went with a couple of friends of mine who are fellow theatre lovers. It's always more fun to see a show with friends.

The story behind God of Carnage grabs the part of me that is curious to see how people react in certain situations (maybe I should have majored on psychology?). Two sets of parents meet after their sons get into a fight in the park, resulting in one child losing some teeth.

Alan Raleigh and his wife Annette Raleigh, played by David Alford and Shannon Hoppe, have been invited to the home of Michael and Veronica Novak, played by Jeff Boyet and Shelean Newman.
As the parents meet to talk things over in a "civil" manner, they all try to present their best side.
But as with any parents and their need to see the best in their children, cracks begin to show almost immediately.

From the beginning, it's obvious that both sets of parents are uncomfortable with each other and with the situation. Veronica is quite obviously trying to play champion to her son, though she tries (quite unsuccessfully) to hide that fact. Alan Raleigh, a lawyer, is quite detached with the situation at hand and quite attached to his cell phone, much to the annoyance of his wife Annette and their host Veronica.

Quickly the cracks in the "civil" meeting begin to appear, quickly followed by the cracks in the personal relations between both couples. Toss in some alcohol, lose some inhibitions, and drop some public fronts and you end up with complete and total chaos.

I don't have any desire to spoil the end of the show, should you ever get to see a production of it, but I love that this play is basically like putting a camera in a room and letting it roll. There's no real resolution and no real story arch, but I find it intriguing to see a show like this. Written by Yasmin Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, I find the show honest and real.

This show is worth seeing, and I hear there's a movie based on it as well. While I'm so behind on the game that you can't go see the Tennessee Rep production, I have a feeling this show will become quite popular in regional and community theatre, and I would jump at the chance to see it again.

Broadway Spring Wish List - Once

There are some new shows that are coming to Broadway in the Spring. Actually, there are a lot of new shows coming to Broadway in the Spring. As much as I’d hoped to see Bonnie & Clyde in the Spring, that’s not going to happen now. But there are some shows that will be on my MUST SEE list for any trips I make to New York in the near future.

Honestly, I’ll probably never get to see most of these, but in a dream world it would happen. So dream with me people! I’ll be writing a series of posts on this. It was my intention to include all the shows in one post, but in the interest of keeping the attention of my readers, I’m going to cover one show at a time.

First up is Once: The Musical.

This show is based on the 2006 film Once, that was independently filmed and went on to become a smash hit, grossing over $20 million worldwide. It’s about a “Guy” from Dublin and a Czech immigrant, “Girl” being brought together by music.

The website for Once says “Once is the celebrated new musical based on the Academy Award®-winning film. It tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together. Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, once is a musical celebration of life and love: thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty... and unforgettable in every way.”

This show seems to be all the buzz. It was at the New York Theatre Workshop for a pretty much sold out run. All the reviews I read were great. The people I know in New York who saw the show loved it. And it extended quickly due to great reception. Even before the show was through the time for the initial run, a Broadway transfer was officially announced.

Honestly, I know the song “Falling Slowly” but I’ve never seen the movie and know very little about it. However I am dying to see the show partly because people seem to love it so much, but also because “Girl” is played by Cristin Milioti is related to a friend of mine. I’ve never met her, but I know her family is very, very proud of her. In turn, it makes me excited and happy for her.

If you saw the off-Broadway run at NYTW, what did you think? Let me know if my instincts are correct.

Once begins previews at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre February 28th and opens March 18th.

American Idiot - Tour

As many of you know, I am crazy obsessed with American Idiot (the musical). I saw it 6 times while it was on Broadway. I've written about it several times. The first national tour (I'm hoping it's the first of several...but who am I?) opened in December in Toronto. The first U.S. stop was in Detroit, Michigan this past week. When the tickets went on presale, months ago, my best friend and I knew we had to go.

Sure, the drive was going to be long. Sure, it was going to Detroit in the WINTER was risky. But considering the fact it was going to be nearly a year from the last time I saw the show, I knew that it was a no brainer. On that note, this is a two part post. I'm going to give a little review AND I'm going to write about my fantastic/crazy weekend.

Right before we left for our drive up to Michigan (which should have been about a 10 hour drive), we noticed snow and ice in the forecast. Intent on going, we were just hoping that it wasn't horrible. Turns out, driving through ice and snow is NOT fun. And we ended up stopping in the middle of the night (and the middle of the trip) to get a hotel room. An interstate with no lines because there's so much snow? Not a good thing to be driving in at 2:00 in the morning.

Luckily, our show wasn't until Saturday night and we were able to get an early start on Saturday morning and still made it to Detroit with several hours to spare. By the time that we made it to Detroit Opera House that night, I was about to lose my mind with excitement.

Nicci Claspell (Extraordinary Girl)

We were in the second row, but after we'd purchased tickets, I found out there were Orchestra Pit seats (which ended up being for the student rush people, I think). We were a little farther away than I thought we'd be, but the seats were still super amazing. I think the people around us might have thought we were insane with our glitter posters (more to come on that topic) and our lap full of tissues (for the tears that we knew would come).


And then it started.

The story is simple: young people who feel abandoned and ignored, stuck in suburbia are anxiously trying to get away. Johnny, Tunny, and Will are prepared to break out of their suburban lives to find themselves and to find a life different than what they know. Will, played by Jake Epstein, ends up staying in suburbia after finding out that his girlfriend Heather, played by Leslie McDonel, is pregnant.

Johnny and Tunny, played by Van Hughes and Scott Campbell, take off to the big city only to find out that it isn't exactly what they were looking for. A disillusioned Tunny joins the military, leaving Johnny to fend for himself. Johnny manages to simultaneously find a girlfriend, Whatsername, and a drug pusher, St. Jimmy. Whatsername is played by the lovely Gabrielle McClinton, and St. Jimmy is played by Joshua Kobak. While Johnny and Tunny find themselves outside of their home, Will is left with girlfriend Heather and a new baby while trying to deal with what life handed him. 

Van Hughes (Johnny)

An amazingly talented cast graces the stage for the touring cast. Several members of the cast were in the Broadway production, including Van Hughes. Hughes closed out the Broadway run as Johnny. Leslie McDonel, who plays Heather was an ensemble member on Broadway. Joshua Kobak, Krystina Alabado, Jennifer Bowles, and Omar Lopez-Cepero were all in the Broadway production at some point. Add to that some amazing talent new to the show and you have an all-star cast that puts on a fantastic production that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The touring production had changed somewhat. Obviously, there was a nearly entirely new cast. There had also been set changes. No more car hanging from the ceiling (no surprise there). No more platform rising from the stage (also, not a huge surprise). The background had been changed as well. There were no longer posters lining the walls. The walls were mostly black with some writing showing through in spots. Nothing else had really changed and what had changed wasn't an issue as far as the story was concerned.

Scott J Campbell (Tunny)

There had also been some costume changes for the characters (almost all of the ladies in the cast had at least one different outfit than from the Broadway production). The clothing all still fit with the story and the music and no one, other than a person who'd seen the show several times, would have even noticed it at all. Some minor changes in choreography and more glitter than I remember (St. Jimmy’s entrance is glitter filled and I LOVED it!) were also there.

The overall visuals and lighting of the show are still more than present. The televisions flashing in the background serve an amazing purpose of not only having some great visuals, but they represent the generation’s obsession with the media.

I feel the need to see this touring production more times. Honestly, as many as my budget will allow me. There are so many things going on at the same time during the show that it’s often difficult to see everything you’d like to see. It’s part of the reason I saw the Broadway version as many times as I did.

After the show my friend and I took off to the stage door as planned and met up with three fellow “twidiots” that we’d met online. You know a show has power when it can bring people together and forge friendships when you’ve never even met face to face. Currently, I follow five people on twitter that I have met in person who share my love for this show. Four of those five I met online before I met them in person.

Kelvin's poster

I’ve also written about the amazing actors that like to tweet fans back. Because of his super amazing twitter contact, the five “twidiots” have formed an unofficial fan club for Kelvin Moon Loh, ensemble member extraordinaire. Due to a couple of twitter conversations with Kelvin, my friend and I made a card and a poster for Kelvin. The glitter was everywhere and we had to carry them with us into the show. The poster my friend made had all of our twitter names on them, and I got everybody to sign the card I made while we were waiting for the actors to come out.

Kelvin Moon Loh with his glitter covered card!

I could go on and on about how great the actors were at stage door. They were all extremely nice and took time to talk with us (sometimes I think it must be easier to spend time at stage door on tour than it might be for them if the show is on Broadway). Because there were not throngs of screaming fans, I actually got to meet and get the autograph of Van Hughes (something that I was never able to do when I saw him on Broadway (four times!). Meeting Kelvin was amazing and he’s every bit as nice in person as he is on Twitter. I loved talking with Scott Campbell and I’m horrified that I didn’t get a picture with Jake Epstein.

The best part? I’m not sure, but I’ll venture to say that experiencing American Idiot again was the best part. I think it’s rare that a show can touch a person’s heart the way American Idiot has touched my heart. You can read my reasons why in the many other posts I’ve written.

The "Twidiots"

A close second? Meeting my Twitter friends (both fans and actors) in real life. I love that Twitter can bring people together in such an amazing way. And I love that American Idiot was the connection.

So, was the trip to Detroit in the middle of a snow storm worth it? Absolutely. No hesitation. Now to plan my next time to see Idiot on tour. Anyone need me to do odd jobs for you? I’m available for employment. Apparently I need a second job to support my American Idiot addiction.

Company

Back in the summer I saw Company that had been filmed in concert version and shown in select movie theaters. It quickly became I favorite of mine after I ordered the book and another filmed stage version from the mid-90s. Most people would think that my love of Company would be fact that it is set in Manhattan. While that's part of it, I love that Company is a hard, REAL look at relationships, marriage, and being single in a world centered around relationships.

The Circle Players in Nashville are currently running Company at the Keeton Theatre. I'd never seen a production by the Circle Players, but I wasn't disappointed.

Robert, played by Mike Baum, is a single man turning 35 years old that is surrounded by friends who are couples. They all want to know why he's alone, but each couple has their own issues to deal with. Sarah and Harry, played by Rebekah Durham and Geoff Davin, continuously disagree on pretty much everything. When Robert asks Harry if he's sorry he got married, Harry sings the song "Sorry-Grateful" which is as every bit the contradiction that it sounds like.

Southerner Susan and husband Peter, played by real-life married couple Lynda Cameron Bayer and David Bayer, seem to be the perfect couple until the abruptly announce to Robert that they are getting a divorce. While Jenny and David, played by Lindsay Hess and Russell Qualls, offer lots of laughs as they, along with Robert, smoke some marijuana.

By far, however, the most hilarious scene of the show is with Amy and Paul in their apartment on the morning of their wedding. Paul, played by Scott Rice, is thrilled that he's marrying the love of his life Amy, played by Megan Murphy Chambers. Amy, however, is terrified. To say that cold feet have set in is a slight understatement. Amy sings "Getting Married Today" about how she's NOT getting married and all the reasons why we should go home as to not be disappointed when she doesn't get married. This song takes a true talent to pull it off. Megan Murphy Chambers was incredible. She did stressed and crazy in a hilariously convincing way. And while I don't like to compare actors, I've seen two-time Tony Award winner Katie Finneran play this role, and I think Chambers could play on the same stage, easily.

Robert's trio of girlfriends, Marta, Kathy, and April show the single side of life. Quirky Marta, played by Erica Haines, has one of my favorite monologues ever, that discusses New York and the center of the universe (14th Street, if you're interested). Kathy, played by Stacie Riggs, is a former girlfriend of Robert's, and is leaving New York to move back to her hometown. Kathy is the woman who marries because she's ready to marry, not necessarily because she's in love. And then there's ditsy flight attendant, April, played by Melodie Madden Adams. April gives "air head" a whole new meaning. Adams does a great job portraying the sweet, but simple character who ends up being a prime example of a one night stand gone wrong.

Perhaps one of the best roles of the show is that of Joanne. In this production of Company, Debbie Kraski conquered the role with grandeur. The cougar working on her third husband, Larry (played by Daron Bruce) has two of the best songs in the show. "The Little Things You Do Together" at the beginning of the show, and "The Ladies Who Lunch" toward the end. Joanne is crass, blunt, and downright lovable because of her honesty.

Overall, this show was great. I loved the set design, and the talent in the show was fantastic. I do think there were some sound issues during part of the songs, as it seemed like there were times that I couldn't make out certain characters' lines when there were several singing at the same time.

One thing that did kind of throw me off was the time frame for the show. The setting is "Now" for this show. However the original production was on Broadway in 1970. Though the book states "Now" for the setting, some of the phrasing of the characters makes you realize they aren't living in 2012, so the cell phones didn't really fit in my head. Also, the choreography of some of the dance numbers seemed more to fit in with the seventies time frame. I'm not sure that if I didn't know the show that I would have noticed those things, however, so it wasn't a huge deal.

If you have a chance to go see Company at the Keeton Theater, I'd recommend it. Tickets are reasonably priced and you get a great show. Company is running through January 22nd.