Hoagy Carmichael, I do that show with Billy Stritch. We had a mutual friend who said, "You guys would be great together," which is kind of perceptive. "You'd be a fantastic team, and I think you should do Hoagy Carmichael stuff." This is our friend Barry Day, who is like a Noel Coward scholar. I don't know why he would take an interest in us, but he took us to lunch, gave us Hoagy Carmichael songbooks and said, "I think you should do it." And for some miraculous reason, considering everybody's calendars and all that stuff, we did it and we had a ball! So I, of course, just immersed myself in that. I've been into Johnny Mercer all year this year. Sometimes it's the hundredth birthday, sometimes it ends up going beyond that and I find a bigger hook than the 100 year. They take me a long time to write. My stuff doesn't wind up being quintessential club acts. I can't bear to sing a song like "Autumn in New York" without a context for it. I don't feel like, "I'm one of the most valuable voices, and wait'll you hear what I do with this." I feel like I gotta tell you the story of where it came from and why, and then I sing it for you and it's like, "Oh, that makes it a whole new experience." Especially modern listeners who just don't know what we're talking about. I go around and I think, "Oh, my God, these young audiences, they don't know who Ethel Merman is." And, that's okay. My show's good for that person, by the way, because we're all on the same page in about four minutes — the way we've structured it. But then I get sort of upset and ansty about that, and they have no idea who George Gershwin is anymore. It's unbelievable. So I decided a couple years ago, rather than take issue with it, I just kept rowing ahead with the way I structure shows, which is like, "You know what, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna make this painless and bring us all up into the same part of the story together." That really works for me. I enjoy doing that.
Question: How difficult is it making a career in cabaret, financially and otherwise? Blackhurst: It's a nightmare. I still just do a lot of acting in musicals. I'll go out and do Call Me Madam for six weeks. I've sort of branched out so I sing with orchestras a lot more so that these things can kind of grow up into, "Ahh, the orchestra's playing 'Sam and Delilah' for me." We have a chart — it's the same arrangement that I do in the show with the trio — but I have a big orchestral chart that's all big trombones and brass. I've sort of found that in this modern climate there are ways to take that and put it in different contexts that help you take care of yourself. Most of the great rooms have just dried up or the deals are so difficult to make money that I personally don't get to look at that as the main way that I make my living. It's more just getting to be in regular shows, which I love, and I'm still waiting for that Broadway show. I don't want anybody to count me out! [Laughs.]
Question: Since that was your goal, do you have a dream role? Blackhurst: I have a dream role in the sense that I want it to not be a revival. I'd love it to be something new. Just anything. I don't care, I really don't! [Laughs.] As long as I got the part fair and square, I think I would be the most grateful company member of a Broadway show. It still just has that magic for me, so it would be very [exciting]. Come on, come and find me. I'm ready for you!
[Everything The Traffic Will Allow plays the Snapple Theater Center, which is located at 210 West 50th Street. Remaining show times are Saturdays, Aug. 22 and 29 and Sept. 5 at 5 PM. Tickets, priced $35 and $45, are available by calling (212) 921-7862 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.]
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Caissie Levy, Sasha Allen, Kacie Sheik, Allison Case and Hair cast
photo by Joan Marcus
FOR THE RECORD: Hair
Looking back, it seems hard to believe that financial problems almost derailed the current, critically acclaimed Broadway revival of the '60s rock musical Hair, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The production, which has literally taken over the Al Hirschfeld Theatre — company members routinely perform in the aisles between (and sometimes on the chairs of) the audience members — began life in September 2007 as part of the Public Theater's Joe's Pub in the Park series, at the outdoor Delacorte Theater. That brief run was such a success that a full production was mounted in summer 2008 — also at the Central Park venue — as part of the famed New York Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare in the Park series. Following those two hailed runs, the musical — under the direction of 2009 Tony nominee Diane Paulus — arrived on Broadway March 6 with a few cast changes.
The Broadway production of Hair boasts one of the finest ensembles currently on the boards, and that company, who perform the Gerome Ragni-James Rado-Galt MacDermot score with an infectious energy, can be heard in the show's new cast recording, which is now available on the Ghostlight Records label.
The single disc begins with what may be the musical's best-known tune, "Aquarius," which is performed by one of the vocal finds of the past season, singing actress (and Broadway newbie) Sasha Allen, whose rich, full tones brighten everything she sings. Another vocal standout is Caissie Levy, who performed the role of Elphaba in the Los Angeles production of Wicked, and lends her rangy, passionate alto to such tunes as "I Believe in Love," "Good Morning Starshine" and a particularly thrilling version of "Easy to Be Hard." The men fair equally well: Gavin Creel, who boasts a smooth, soaring tenor, is charming in "Manchester England," exciting in "I Got Life," moving in "Where Do I Go?" and riveting in "The Flesh Failures," while Will Swenson brings his easy charm to "Donna" and "Going Down."
Other highlights of the 37-track recording include the title tune, the back-to-back belting of Megan Reinking, Jackie Burns and Kaitlin Kiyan (in "Black Boys") and Sasha Allen, Nicole Lewis and Saycon Sengbloh (in "White Boys") and the emotional, haunting finale, "Let the Sun Shine In."
The new recording features a color booklet with dozens of production photos and liner notes by the Public Theater's Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis.
Bernadette Peters
photo by Kurt Sneddon
DIVA TIDBITS
The big news of the week concerns that two-time Tony-winning favorite, Bernadette Peters, who will make a rare New York City concert appearance this fall to benefit both Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. On Nov. 9 at 8 PM, Peters will take centerstage at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre in an evening titled Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert for Broadway Barks Because Broadway Cares. Produced by BC/EFA, the evening will feature direction by Richard Jay-Alexander with musical direction by Marvin Laird. Concertgoers can expect songs from Peters' award-winning Broadway outings and recordings as well as pop tunes and selections from the songbooks of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerry Herman and, of course, Stephen Sondheim. About the upcoming event Peters said in a statement, "I love to sing. When the opportunity came along to do a concert to benefit two of my passions, Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, it was a match made in heaven. I have always been devoted to helpless shelter animals, especially those mixed breed pups that need a forever home. And, as a member of the Broadway community, I have seen friends and colleagues face some of life's roughest challenges. On November 9, all of this will come together at the Minskoff Theatre with a special concert for both of these organizations that I care so deeply about. It will be a beautiful evening: you, me, and a 30 piece orchestra — all sharing to benefit some of our best two-legged and four-legged friends — beauties all of them." For tickets call BC/EFA at (212) 840-0770, ext. 268 or visit www.BroadwayCares.org.
An initial list of Kristin Chenoweth concert dates has been announced on the Tony Award winner's official website. The star of Wicked and the recent ABC series "Pushing Daisies" will play the Virginia G. Piper Theater at the Scottsdate Center for the Performing Arts in Scottsdale, AZ, Oct. 24; the Music Hall in Cincinnati, OH (with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra) Nov. 13-15; and the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City, OK, (with the OKC Philharmonic Pops) May 1-2, 2010. For more information visit www.kristinchenoweth.com.
Tony Award winner Liza Minnelli, recently on Broadway in Liza's at the Palace. . ., will perform at Las Vegas' MGM Grand in the fall. The famed singing actress will play MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre Sept. 25-Oct. 1. Show time each night is 8 PM. For tickets, priced $75.35 and $113.85, visit www.mgmgrand.com.
Twiggy, the fashion model who starred opposite Tommy Tune in Broadway's My One and Only, will celebrate her 60th birthday with the release of a new compilation CD, "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance." The recording, which features seven previously unreleased tracks, is due Sept. 14 on the Stage Door Records label. Twiggy sings the music of the twenties, thirties and forties on the 19-track disc, including tunes by Noel Coward, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers. For more information visit stagedoorrecords.com.
Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.
