THE LEADING MEN: It’s [show] Time!
By Wayman Wong
THE SHEIK OF MELODY Spring Awakening , based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play about teens in angst, opens June 15, directed by Michael Mayer, at the Atlantic Theater Company; Nero , a play with music about the Roman emperor, begins Feb. 11 at the Magic in San Francisco; and The Nightingale , based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, was recently workshopped by Des McAnuff for the La Jolla Playhouse.
To sample scores of his marvelous melodies, Sheik will showcase them on Feb. 22 at his “American Songbook” concert at the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Plus, he’ll play cuts from his fifth new album, “White Limousine.” The 5-foot-10 composer from Montclair, NJ, says, “It’s an honor to play Lincoln Center. We did a workshop of Spring Awakening there last year, and it sounded really great.”
Spring Awakening is Sheik’s first musical, and he says, “When the kids are in the scene, they’re in the nineteenth century, but when they sing, they become modern kids singing rock, and what that illustrates is that these issues [are timeless] and don’t go away.” The show tackles abortion, homosexuality, rape, teen suicide and group masturbation. Sheik quips, “It’s really fun for the whole family.” He calls his show an “anti-musical”: “I’ve always loved the way songs function in the movie ‘Dancer in the Dark’; they happen in Bjork’s interior fantasy world. In Spring Awakening , people are singing their [inner] thoughts more than they are to each other.”
Though once quoted in New York magazine as saying “I hate musicals,” Sheik explains, “I went to Porgy & Bess, and it was awesome. I just saw Sweeney Todd , and it’s incredible. I have a problem with musicals becoming the ‘South Park’ version of musicals; overly ironic, self-aware parodies are not my cup of tea. I saw Avenue Q and loved it. But in Spring Awakening , Stephen and I are trying to get at something that is more emotionally intense and powerful.”
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By the way, Sheik’s last name has Germanic roots; it’s not Arabic. “Airports can be tricky,” concedes the silky-voiced singer who’s on tour with his “White Limousine” CD. Billboard calls it “his most mature [album] to date, showcasing his talents as a folk troubadour, pop craftsman and all-out rocker. . . . He is an artist who has followed his muse, not the money, much to the benefit of himself and his fans.” The CD’s title tune ribs President Bush: “Who’s the smart guy at the wheel running out of gas?” Sheik jokes that it’s “a tribute to my favorite president ever. When things get so crazy, you have to poke fun at the absurdity. That’s why I love Jon Stewart so much.”
Having written his share of love songs, this romantic balladeer, 36, hopes to celebrate Valentine’s Day by flying in his L.A. sweetheart, Cindy Hetzel. “She’s really funny and a Buddhist as well. She’s great, and this record is dedicated to her.”
For more information, visit www.duncansheik.com and www.lincolncenter.org.
HE’S PUTTING HIS HEART INTO ‘I LOVE YOU’ I Love You Because , the romantic new musical at the Village Theatre, couldn’t ask for more of a sweetheart of a “Leading Man” than Colin Hanlon. This handsome and delightfully self-deprecating star plays Austin, a greeting-card writer who’s looking for love in New York — not unlike himself. “Our show is opening on Valentine’s Day, but I just came out of a two-year relationship, so I’m not dating anyone now.” Hanlon wisecracks, “How sad and pathetic is that? So I’ll be inviting my family.” And what’s he looking for in a girl? “A great sense of humor. She’s gotta make me laugh.”
Written by Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman, I Love You Because follows Austin and his younger brother, Jeff (David A. Austin), as they flirt and fall madly for Marcy (Farah Alvin) and her friend, Diana (Stephanie D’Abruzzo). Hanlon, who exudes the all-American exuberance of a young Tom Hanks, says, “It’s a really good musical. I love all the songs, but what I adore is the writing; it’s like Neil Simon for a younger generation. It’s funny and fast-paced. The cast is brilliant. And my character is such fun to play. Austin thinks he’s so put together on the outside. He wears suits and ties. But on the inside, he’s like a chicken on the freeway of an Atari game, trying to run across the road. He’s a hopeless romantic and a Republican. Austin’s also extremely anal-retentive, as am I. I have to know when I’m waking up everyday. I always set the alarm and then I’ll get up five minutes before it goes off. It’s insane.”
Before joining I Love You Because , the 28-year-old tenor made his Rent by playing Gordon, Mark and Roger. “While I was in college, I did operettas. I saw Rent and thought, ‘This is amazing, but I’ll never be in it. I can’t sing like Adam Pascal.’ And it turns out to be my first Broadway show.” His other credits have included tick, tick … BOOM! at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ, and workshops of Michael Arden’s Easter Rising , Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked and Boy George’s Taboo (“I played young Boy George before Euan Morton came over; I was so miscast”). At home, he shares his big Harlem apartment with a couple of roommates and Teddy, a 65-pound pitbull mix. “He’s a huge part of my life. I even thank him in my [Playbill] bio. I’m such a loser.”
For the record, Hanlon’s first name is pronounced “call-in,” not “colon.” As a kid in Philadelphia, though, “I was called ‘Colleen’ because my voice was so high.” He was obsessed with TV shows like “Mork & Mindy” and “The Wonder Years.” In time, this Colin found his calling, earning a BFA at Syracuse University. There, he played Carousel and got his most riotous review. The Syracuse New Times said his “Billy snarls and swaggers, like Sean Penn somehow morphed into Tommy Tune.” Hanlon says, “I’m 6-foot-2 and I was so skinny then. I weighed 150. What was the reviewer saying? That my Billy Bigelow was gay? That was hilarious!”
For more information, visit www.iloveyoubecausethemusical.com.
WHERE THE GUYS ARE Scott Siegel , this all-star spectacular celebrates the best of New York cabaret, comedy and jazz. Eartha Kitt and Elaine Stritch top the bill, which includes fellow Nightlife Award winners Tom Andersen, Karen Mason, Brian Stokes Mitchell and many more. Tickets are $25-$75. . . . For a Wicked night of sky-high vocals that defy “Gravity,” Marty Thomas presents “Songs I’m NOT Supposed to Sing” on Feb. 13 at 7 PM at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St. (212-255-5438). The one-time “Star Search” champ is playing, to quote Dreamgirls , “One Night Only,” so “you better move” and make your reservations. The cover is $20 and a two-drink minimum. . . . If you’ve seen Manoel Felciano as Toby in Sweeney Todd , you know that nothing’s gonna charm you as much as his “Broadway Spotlight” encore show on Feb. 13 at 8 PM at the Ars Nova, 511 W. 54th St. (212-868-4444). His marvelous musical director is Peter Foley . Tickets are $15. . . . Finally, catch pop singer-songwriter Bobby Belfry for a ring-a-ding good time Feb. 27 at 8:30 PM at Feinstein’s, 540 Park Ave. at 61st St. (212-339-4095). The cover is $25 and a two-drink minimum.
Got comments or questions? E-mail me at waymanwong@hotmail.com.
Until next month, let’s hear it for the “boys”!
Wayman Wong edits entertainment for The New York Daily News. He has been a movie and theatre critic for The San Francisco Examiner, a writer for The Sondheim Review and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.
Duncan Sheik and Colin Hanlon.
photo by Ben Strothmann
