By Andrew Gans
02 Jan 2009
 |
 |
| From top: 9 to 5's Allison Janney, Megan Hilty and Stephanie J. Block |
|
| photo by Justin Stephens |
News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.
Happy New Year, diva lovers! What follows is a look at some of the diva-filled musicals (and concerts) that will be seen on New York stages in the first half of 2009.
ON BROADWAY
Guys and Dolls: Since I'm not too familiar with the work of Lauren Graham or Kate Jennings Grant, who will play, respectively, Miss Adelaide and Sarah Brown, in the forthcoming revival of Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling's Guys and Dolls, I'm most looking forward to seeing what the always dependable Mary Testa — last on Broadway as the comical, conniving muse Melpomene in Xanadu — does with the role of General Cartwright. Director Des McAnuff also has a pretty good track record with Broadway musicals — The Who's Tommy, the Matthew Broderick revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and the Tony-winning Best Musical Jersey Boys — so the production, which will arrive at the newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre Feb. 3, should be in good hands. The cast will also boast The Music Man's Craig Bierko as Sky Masterson and Emmy nominee Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit, and the big-voiced Tituss Burgess will get the chance to belt out the Loesser classic, "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."
Hair: At the outdoor Delacorte Theater, the Public's revival of the classic rock musical Hair was so exciting that one can only hope director Diana Paulus and choreographer Karole Armitage will be able to bring that sense of wonderment indoors when the James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot musical begins previews at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre Feb. 10. With the exception of that glorious high belter Eden Espinosa, casting has yet to be announced for the Broadway production, although one imagines most of the young, talented cast that impressed audiences for the past two summers will make the journey to the Hirschfeld.
9 to 5: The Musical: The most exciting prospect of the second half of the theatre season is 9 to 5, which is based on the 1980 film of the same name. Not only does the cast boast Broadway belters Stephanie J. Block (in the Jane Fonda role) and Megan Hilty (in the Dolly Parton role), it also features the terrific comedic actress, multiple Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Allison Janney (in the Lily Tomlin role). With a score by Parton, there are high hopes that the workplace comedy, which arrives at the Marquis April 7, will be the blockbuster it should be.
Rock of Ages: It will be interesting to see whether Rock of Ages, which ends its run at Off-Broadway's New World Stages Jan. 4, will be able to do for the rock songs of the '80s what Mamma Mia! has done for the tunes of ABBA. I'd imagine producers of Rock, which begins its Broadway run March 20 at the Atkinson, would be happy with a tiny fraction of Mamma Mia!'s success. Casting has yet to be announced for Rock of Ages' Broadway run, but with songs by Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia and Whitesnake, the production will certainly have a different sound than anything currently playing on The Great White Way.
|  | |
| Heidi Blickenstaff |
An especially exciting cast change in 2009 promises to be Heidi Blickenstaff as Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid. Blickenstaff, who now has a loyal fan base thanks to her endearing performance and open-hearted, roof-raising rendition of "A Way Back to Then" in [title of show], will get to wrap that powerful, rich alto around "I Want the Good Times Back" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" when she succeeds Sherie Rene Scott for a limited engagement at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Blickenstaff will play the evil Ursula Jan. 27-April 5 in the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman-Glenn Slater-Doug Wright musical.
|  | |
| Sherie Rene Scott |
Speaking of Sherie Rene Scott, the versatile singer-actress will perform her semi-autobiographical work Everyday Rapture — penned by Scott and Dick Scanlan — this spring at Second Stage. A previous version of Rapture, entitled You May Now Worship Me, was presented last March to benefit the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of The Actors Fund. The upcoming run, which begins April 7, will be directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer and features the songs made famous by David Byrne, George Harrison, U2, The Dap Kings and Judy Garland. Scott will be joined by four other actors, and the new stage production is billed as "the story of a young woman's psycho-sexual-spiritual journey on the rocky path that separates her mostly Mennonite past from her mostly Manhattan future."
|  | |
| Tony winner Betty Buckley |
Before she returns to Broadway in Blithe Spirit — co-starring the legendary Angela Lansbury — two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole will offer a new program at the Café Carlyle Jan. 20-31. Directed by Scott Wittman, Ebersole, who possesses an unusually versatile vocal instrument, will perform the songs of Rodgers & Hart, Irving Berlin, Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac at the East Side venue. The Grey Gardens star will be backed by musical director John Oddo, who will lead a quintet.
The most exciting cabaret offering this winter promises to be Tony Award winner Betty Buckley's return to Feinstein's at Loews Regency with her acclaimed Betty Buckley By Request program. Directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and featuring Seth Rudetsky at the piano, this is the act that Buckley fans have been clamoring for for years. Expect tunes from all of Buckley's Broadway outings, including her sensational turns in Sunset Boulevard, Cats, 1776 and Triumph of Love, among others. Buckley will begin her month-long engagement at the posh nightspot Feb. 10.
Feinstein's will also welcome husband-and-wife Broadway stars Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, who will offer their critically praised Opposite You March 24-April 4. Continued...
| View article on single page | Previous Page 1 | 2 Next Page |
