Kick-off 2011 with a theatre-filled, spectacular WEEK AHEAD!
Wilde women start off Broadway’s New Year… four Main Stem departures… Rent men take up residence at Town Hall… and Dr. Freud is back on the couch.
2011!
Blake
Saturday, January 8 GO→ The 10th Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend will feature some heavy-hitters from the worlds of Broadway, film, TV, fashion and music, including: screen legend Robert Redford, brother and sister powerhouse Rufus and Martha Wainwright; and on Sunday, American Idiot creators, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer, and 28-year-old classical pianist (fresh from his gig with the New York Philharmonic) Lang Lang. (Through January 9, The New York Times’ Times Center, 242 W. 41st St., btwn. 7th and 8th Aves., info/tickets)
Sunday, January 9
Four Broadway shows bid the Great White Way a great big adieu. They are:
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ In The Heights, the 2008 Tony Award-winning musical, welcomes back original star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda for its final weeks on Broadway. This love story set “at the top of the world” (aka Manhattan’s Washington Heights) is fueled by the sounds of rap, salsa and hip-hop. (Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., info/tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch star in the revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler classic A Little Night Music, a romantic musical comedy about the follies of love. (Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th St., btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave., info/tickets)
…
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ A pompous head of a royal court theatre troupe (David Hyde Pierce), an oafish street clown (Mark Rylance), and a princess who travels with a moving shower of sparkles (Joanna Lumley) provide the laughs for David Hirson’s Molière-esque verse play La Bête. (Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ John Guare’s first offering of the 2010-2011 Broadway season, A Free Man of Color, is brought to Broadway courtesy of Lincoln Center. Jeffrey Wright stars in this epic play about the rise and fall of a Don Juan in the early 19th century. Two-time Tony winner George C. Wolfe directs. (Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St., btwn. Broadway and Amsterdam, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
Monday, January 10 GO→ Rent’s original leading men Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp return to the concert stage for a one-two punch of original, contemporary songs (courtesy of Rapp), and more tradition Broadway standards (via Pascal). The pair will take the stage together to perform selections from the hit Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning show Rent. (Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., btwn 6th Ave., and Broadway, info/tickets)
The hilarious Will Ferrell made a “queer” announcement last night while promoting his new film “The Other Guys” on “The Late Show With David Letterman.” Turns out, Ferrell (a Tony nominee for his work in You’re Welcome America) has some aspirations to return to Broadway…as Desiree in A Little Night Music.
Check out his rendition of “Send in the Clowns” below. Gives us the sniffles.
July 13 was the re-launch of the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch as the ladies Armfeldt. (Just in case you didn’t know, in which case I’ll assume you live in a cave.)
There has been tons of buzz about this celebrity re-casting. When Playbill.com first broke the news back in May, it was one of our most-read stories. Ever since then, this news has been the source of countless excited conversations, from the boards of All That Chat, to the line at TKTS, to the cubicles here at Playbill.
Well, last night, the pair finally made their debut! I myself have yet to see it, but I will soon, and will be sure to wear my “I Heart Bernadette” t-shirt when I go. Which leads me to the purpose of this posting. I have a true confession to make. Ever since I was a little theatre geek on Long Island, I’ve been obsessed (in a “I-have-all-your-albums” kinda way, not in a “I-want-to-go-through-your-garbage” kinda way) with the fabulous Miz Peters.
When I was 13 years old, my best friend Ashley asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told her an autographed picture of Peters would do just fine, thank you very much. She did me one better, and took me to meet her (gasp!) at a taping of “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.” It. Was. Amazing.
Cut to a few (more like “many”) years later, and the obsession has stayed with me. In fact, as I’m typing this I’m listening to her wrap her lavish cords (to steal a phrase from our Diva Talk columnist Andrew Gans, a fellow Bernadette-oholic) around “Children and Art.”
So, in honor of the Peters Party I am throwing for myself in my office, here is your WEBway Wednesday: The Best (or so I say) of Bernadette!
Sondheim’s “Not a Day Goes By”: No one does the phrasing of “After Day/After Day/After Day!” like her. (2:16 is where her genius really kicks in)
Sondheim’s “Beans” in the Prologue of Into the Woods: Ah, I think this may be my favorite of the favorites.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Unexpected Song”: From Song & Dance, the show that helped Peters nab her first Tony Award.
Kander & Ebb’s “All That Jazz”: Here we have Bernadette ina black studded jumpsuit singing the classic Chicago tune. I can’t tell what TV appearance this is from (if you know, please tell!), but it’s vintage ’70s-style Bernadette, and it’s amazing!
And this one is just for fun because it features another one of my most favorite actresses, the great Carol Burnett!
Whistle, Snap and Sing your way into this WEEK AHEAD.
The Sondheim/Laurents cult-classic Anyone Can Whistle finds its way to New York…Lend Me a Tenor makes an unexpected opera star out of Justin Bartha …and Duh, nah, nah, nah — snap-snap, The Addams Family lands on Broadway.
Happy Easter!
Blake
Sunday, April 4 OPENING→ Broadway newbie Justin Bartha joins vets Tony Shalhoub, Tony winner Anthony LaPaglia and Jan Maxwell for director Stanley Tucci’s very funny revival of Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor. (Music Box Theatre, 239 W 45th St., between Broadway and 8th Avenue, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→
→ A View From the Bridge: Tony winner Liev Schreiber and B’way newcomer Scarlett Johansson star in this Arthur Miller classic that has become a critics (and box office) darling. (The Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th St., btwn. 6th and 7th Aves.)
→ All About Me: Cabaret crooner Michael Feinstein and Tony winner Dame Edna share the bill to make up the oddest couple on Broadway this season. (The Henry Miller’s Theatre, 124 West 43rd St., between 6th and 7th Avenues, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
→ The Miracle Worker: Abigail Breslin and Alison Pill star (more…)
Last night, Feb. 8, the Drama League hosted its annual benefit A Musical Celebration of Broadway, honoring the career of one of Broadway’s biggest stars, Angela Lansbury.
To prove how very big this particular star is, Lansbury’s current A Little Night Music co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones joined Lansbury’s former Sweeney Todd co-star Victor Garber to rattle off a few of Lansbury’s many career milestones. They include: three Oscar nominations, 18 Emmy nominations, five Tony wins, six Golden Globe wins, a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and a Kennedy Center Honor. Whew…I’m tired even typing that!
Beyond a tribute to an enviable career, last night also served as a reunion for many of the original cast members from two of Lansbury’s biggest hits, Mame and Sweeney Todd.
The original Sweeney, Len Cariou, serenaded Lansbury with “Pretty Women,” alongside Alexander Gemignani (son of the famed musical director Paul Gemignani). Other Sweeney songs included a knockout version of “Not While I’m Around” from another dedicated “Sondheim girl,” Bernadette Peters. Sweeney’s original Johanna, Sarah Rice, performed, as did her Anthony (Garber), who sang from what Lansbury herself called one of her most successful flops — Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle.
Of course, there was many a reference to the show that gave Lansbury her first Tony, Mame. Dee Hoty opened with “It’s Today,” songbird Ann Hampton Callaway (who played the title character in her high school production) sang “If He Walked Into My Life,” Donna Murphy got carried away (literally) by a host of chorus boys for “Me and My Town,” and original Mame cast members Frankie Michaels (the original little Patrick) and Jerry Lanning (older Patrick) sang “My Best Girl.” Perhaps one of the best numbers of the evening came courtesy of Cheyenne Jackson (as Vera) and Christopher Sieber (as Mame) who sang a hilarious version of the song made famous by Lansbury and Bea Arthur, “Bosom Buddies.”
Edie Falco played the role of “merry mailman” as she read some love letters from absentee Lansbury colleagues, including Hal Prince, who said that when pressed about which star he enjoyed working with the most, he’d invariably say “Angie.”
The evening came to a close with the lady of the hour getting up on stage to call the night “one of the best” of her life. Citing her age (”84 a year ago,” she said, if you can believe it!) and the age of her frequent collaborator, Stephen Sondheim (who is turning 80 next month), she noted that their reunion for A Little Night Music “may very well be my swan song — it would be very fitting.”
Fitting, indeed, for a true Queen of the Broadway stage.
Royalty is the theme of this week’s WEEK AHEAD! Start off with a visit from the newest Disney Princess…A classic revival courtesy of a Knighted Nunn…a Royal Family ends their reign on Broadway… and a former Queen (Elizabeth) takes on an American classic.
Let Them See Theatre!
Blake
Friday, Dec. 11 GO→ Original Jersey Boy, Daniel Reichard, is pushing to end up on Santa’s nice list this year! His holiday concert (aptly titled Gettin’ on the Good List), celebrates the holidays with a special concert featuring some of the biggest names on Broadway including: Karen Ziemba, J. Robert Spencer, Shoshana Bean, Tituss Burgess, Cass Morgan, Marc Kudisch, Nick Adams, Sara Schmidt, Betsy Wolfe with Robert Ousley as Santa Claus. Rachelle Rak and drag star Sweetie will alternate the role of Mrs. Claus. (Through December 14, The Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, $40-$80, 405 West 55th Street at 9th Avenue, info/tickets)
WATCH→ Disney unveils its newest princess this Friday with The Princess and the Frog, voiced by Tony Winner, Anika Noni Rose. Other Broadway talents lending their voices to the animated flick include John Goodman (last seen in Waiting for Godot), Jennifer Cody (currently in Shrek) and Color Purple producer, Oprah Winfrey. Special engagements at Roseland in NY and Sound Stage 3 at Walt Disney Studios in LA feature an after-movie party for families equipped with Disney princesses from history on hand! (info)
Saturday, Dec. 12 GO→ TV’s house-fixing fixture from Trading Spaces, Paige Davis (last seen on Broadway in Chicago) is heading West to San Diego to star alongside her husband Patrick Page in the Old Globe’s version of I DO! I DO! The show first premiered on Broadway in 1966 with Mary Martin and Robert Preston as the original couple in question. (Through December 20, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, CA 92101, info/tickets)
SUPPORT→ The New York Philharmonic is kicking off its annual food drive with the Young People’s Concert and Kidzone Live!—an interactive event where kids can try out instruments and play musical games. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items as a part of The Food Bank For New York City’s “NYC Goes Orange”. Food will be collected in the lobby and on the Grand Promenade of Avery Fisher Hall. (Kidzone starts at 12:45pm, followed by the concert at 2pm, Avery Fisher Hall,10 Lincoln Center Plaza, $11-$33, info/tickets)
Sunday, Dec 13 OPENING→ Five-time Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury and Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones will take on the six-time Tony Award Winning Classic, A Little Night Music, written by Oscar and nine-time Tony Award winner Stephen Sondheim and directed by three-time Tony winner Trevor Nunn—whew, send in the award polish! (Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenues, info)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ Rosemary Harris and Jan Maxwell end their royal reign at the final curtain call of the Kaufman/Ferber classic A Royal Family this Sunday. Tony winner John Glover, SNL alum Ana Gasteyer and Tony nominees Tony Roberts and Reg Rogers round out the blue-blooded brood. (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, call (212) 239-6200 for tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ Lynn Redgrave, a member of a real-life theatrical royal family, will end her engagement of Nightingale, a play she penned about her maternal grandmother, Beatrice Kempson. (Manhattan Theatre Club-Stage 1, 131 West 55th Street, For Playbill Club discount tickets click here)
Monday, Dec. 14 GO→ This year’s “Broadway in South Africa Holiday Party” will feature performances from Wicked, The Lion King, In The Heights, Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages with a special appearance by Hairspray’s Nikki Blonsky and a live auction by our Playbill pal, Seth Rudetsky. (7-11pm, Minskoff Theatre, 200 W. 45th street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues, $30-$75, info/tickets)
GO→ Director of BAM’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Liv Ullmann will join The Paley Center on Monday for a discussion and screening of a documentary The Sealed Orders of Liv Ullmann. The film captures the director’s mentoring of young actors as they tackle the famous Tennessee Williams play. (6:30pm, $15-20, The Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street, info/tickets)
GO→ Avenue Q’s Ann Harada (Christmas Eve) is back with her holiday cabaret Christmas Eve With Christmas Eve. Broadway pals on hand to help Harada ring in the holidays include: Raul Esparza, Andy Karl, Christopher Sieber, John Tartaglia, Norm Lewis and others. Proceeds benefit BC/EFA. (Jerome L. Greene Performance Space @ WNYC, 44 Charlton Street at Varick, $50-$75, info/tickets)
WATCH→ Our pal Nick Lachey is helping to fill the winter void left by Glee with a singing competition on NBC called The Sing-Off featuring a cappella groups from around the country competing for a recording contract. (8ET/7CT on NBC, info)
Tuesday, Dec. 15 GO→ Tony/Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth will join pop-sensation Il Divo for a special Christmas concert at the Beacon. The handsome quartet of divos will join the tiny diva along with the Opera Orchestra of New York on classics like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night”. (Through December 17, The Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway between West 74th and 75th streets, info/tickets)
Wednesday,Dec. 16 WATCH→ Dance sensation Groovaloo (currently playing at the Union Square Theatre) will join American Idol (and current tabloid) sensation Adam Lambert for the season finale of the hit-show So You Think You Can Dance. (8ET/7CT, Fox, info)
Thursday, Dec. 17 OPENING→ Part Two of the late Horton Foote’s three-part event, The Orphans’ Home Cycle (called The Story of a Marriage) opens on Thursday, with part three opening in January. Cycle, set around nine plays, is loosely based on the childhood of Foote’s father and the marriage of his parents. (Signature Theatre’s Peter Norton Space, 555 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues, info/tickets)
The theatre world has gone into a bit of diabetic shock with the news that Sondheim will be all over the Boards this season. First, this winter will be the long-awaited revival of A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury (because 5 Tonys just wasn’t enough!). Then, it was announced that Sondheim on Sondheim would be premiering at Studio 54 this spring and that the legendary Barbara Cook and Tony nominated Sondheim alum, Vanessa Williams would be two of the big, booming voices singing the celebrated songs.
For most of us who love theatre and pray to the altar of Sondheim (and most of us do), this one-two punch from one of the most prolific composers in all of musical theatre is like Christmas come early!
One of the most famous songs to come out of Night Music is of course, “Send in the Clowns”. Most of us know that the song was a last-minute addition written for Glynis Johns. The rest of the story was filled in for me by our resident chatterbox, Seth Rudetsky. It turned out that the song was actually supposed to be for Len Cariou. Really wanting to inspire Sondheim, he and Glynis did a little presentation for Sondheim improvising the scene that led into the to-be-written song. The next day, the song was written…for Glynis. The song went on to be a huge hit sung by the likes of Streisand, Sinatra, Judy Collins and Shirley Bassey.
With Night Music coming back to Broadway next month, this week’s Webway is dedicated to the classic tuner.
This version sung by Glenn Close was for a 1993 tribute to Sondheim at Carnegie Hall. You’ll remember that Close and Len Cariou were an item in the early 80’s.
Probably one of the most famous interpretations of the song is by Barbra Streisand. This is from the famous “One Voice” recording which was filmed in her backyard as a benefit and led to the creation of her beloved Streisand Foundation.
One of my favorite adaptations of the song is by jazz legend Sarah Vaughan. Divine indeed.
GO→ The 10th Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend will feature some heavy-hitters from the worlds of Broadway, film, TV, fashion and music, including: screen legend Robert Redford, brother and sister powerhouse Rufus and Martha Wainwright; and on Sunday, American Idiot creators, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer, and 28-year-old classical pianist (fresh from his gig with the New York Philharmonic) Lang Lang. (Through January 9, The New York Times’ Times Center, 242 W. 41st St., btwn. 7th and 8th Aves., info/tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ In The Heights, the 2008 Tony Award-winning musical, welcomes back original star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda for its final weeks on Broadway. This love story set “at the top of the world” (aka Manhattan’s Washington Heights) is fueled by the sounds of rap, salsa and hip-hop. (Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Ave., info/tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch star in the revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler classic A Little Night Music, a romantic musical comedy about the follies of love. (Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th St., btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave., info/tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ A pompous head of a royal court theatre troupe (David Hyde Pierce), an oafish street clown (Mark Rylance), and a princess who travels with a moving shower of sparkles (Joanna Lumley) provide the laughs for David Hirson’s Molière-esque verse play La Bête. (Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave., Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES→ John Guare’s first offering of the 2010-2011 Broadway season, A Free Man of Color, is brought to Broadway courtesy of Lincoln Center. Jeffrey Wright stars in this epic play about the rise and fall of a Don Juan in the early 19th century. Two-time Tony winner George C. Wolfe directs. (Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St., btwn. Broadway and Amsterdam, Click here for Playbill Club discount tickets)
GO→ Rent’s original leading men Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp return to the concert stage for a one-two punch of original, contemporary songs (courtesy of Rapp), and more tradition Broadway standards (via Pascal). The pair will take the stage together to perform selections from the hit Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning show Rent. (Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., btwn 6th Ave., and Broadway, info/tickets)
OPENING→ Broadway newbie Justin Bartha joins vets Tony Shalhoub, Tony winner Anthony LaPaglia and Jan Maxwell for director Stanley Tucci’s very funny revival of Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor. (Music Box Theatre, 239 W 45th St., between Broadway and 8th Avenue, 
GO→ Original Jersey Boy, Daniel Reichard, is pushing to end up on Santa’s nice list this year! His holiday concert (aptly titled Gettin’ on the Good List), celebrates the holidays with a special concert featuring some of the biggest names on Broadway including: Karen Ziemba, J. Robert Spencer, Shoshana Bean, Tituss Burgess, Cass Morgan, Marc Kudisch, Nick Adams, Sara Schmidt, Betsy Wolfe with Robert Ousley as Santa Claus. Rachelle Rak and drag star Sweetie will alternate the role of Mrs. Claus. (Through December 14, The Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, $40-$80, 405 West 55th Street at 9th Avenue, 
GO→ TV’s house-fixing fixture from Trading Spaces, Paige Davis (last seen on Broadway in Chicago) is heading West to San Diego to star alongside her husband Patrick Page in the Old Globe’s version of I DO! I DO! The show first premiered on Broadway in 1966 with Mary Martin and Robert Preston as the original couple in question. (Through December 20, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, CA 92101, 
OPENING→ Five-time Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury and Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones will take on the six-time Tony Award Winning Classic, A Little Night Music, written by Oscar and nine-time Tony Award winner Stephen Sondheim and directed by three-time Tony winner Trevor Nunn—whew, send in the award polish! (Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenues, 
WATCH→ Our pal Nick Lachey is helping to fill the winter void left by Glee with a singing competition on NBC called The Sing-Off featuring a cappella groups from around the country competing for a recording contract. (8ET/7CT on NBC, 
GO→ Tony/Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth will join pop-sensation Il Divo for a special Christmas concert at the Beacon. The handsome quartet of divos will join the tiny diva along with the Opera Orchestra of New York on classics like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night”. (Through December 17, The Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway between West 74th and 75th streets, 
