When Lucille Ball was approached to turn her radio program My Favorite Husband into a sitcom, she insisted that her husband on the show must be her real life husband Desi Arnaz, but television executives believed that America would never buy the idea of her having a Cuban husband. Determined to do the show together for the sake of their marriage, Ball and Arnaz literally took the show on the road, presenting a stage version of their sitcom concept in several large cities to great fanfare. They took it into their own hands and proved that America would buy it, and the rest is history. Even all these years later, I Love Lucy is still the favorite television show of millions and without a doubt mine.
It’s interesting that with the advent of the Internet (thanks, Al Gore!), the ability to get one’s work to the masses is easier than ever. You can write a show and post the libretto online, allow people to download your music, and network through sites like BroadwaySpace.com, Talkin’ Broadway’s All That Chat, and Broadway World.
Yet, every show that has hit the Great White Way in the past ten years has made it there going the traditional route, which is, presumably, through networking like mad, making connections with people who will actually take the time to experience your work, perhaps working your way into the industry by interning or working in a production office, or attending a program like NYU or BMI and hoping someone sees your work. No one who has posted their work online—be it an actress with a demo or a composer with his music—has ever been able to effectively capitalize on the technology.
So, the question of the day is what is the next step? How does one break down the wall around the fortress? And how does one do it without losing their dignity or attempting something that compromises the quality of their work?
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz figured it out. It’s up to a new generation of us to do the same as well.
the Broadway Mouth
July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
But Then Again: The Fine Line Between Stunt Casting and Star Casting
We all wince at the notion of stunt-casting—getting a name from television, film, or popular music to appear in a show on Broadway or on tour to get butts in seats, usually to the detriment of the show and to the livelihoods of struggling actors who have devoted their lives to the stage.
Prime examples include, but are not limited to, David Hasselhoff, Jack Wagner, and Sebastian Bach (all from Jekyll and Hyde); Mickey Dolenz, Michelle Williams, Deborah Cox, Toni Braxton, and Taylor Dayne (all from Aida); or CeCe Winans, Chaka Khan, and LaKisha Jones (all from The Color Purple). In some cases, they may not be able to dance like the part requires, sometimes they aren’t the right age at all, and for others, they simply can’t do it on stage.
Tourist audiences walk out thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe I saw ________ live, and wasn’t he/she amazing!” The 1/3 of the audience who is visiting the show after having seen Rob Evan, Chuck Wagner, Heather Headley, Sherie Rene Scott, or Felicia P. Fields in those roles is thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe _________ was so ill-suited for that part.”
But as die-hard as most of us are, and as much as we love our theatre actors, we also need to acknowledge that there are people out there whose careers didn’t originate in theatre but who are still incredibly talented on stage. Everyone has their own path to Broadway, and just because someone, say, chose to wait in long lines for American Idol instead of outside an audition space, doesn’t mean their talent should be discounted.
I was excited to see Diana DeGarmo listed in the Broadway cast of Godspell. Don’t get me wrong, because I would have been more thrilled to see Eden Espinoza, Julia Murney, Felicia Finley, or Coleen Sexton in that part. However, this is a sign that DeGarmo is making a run for a career on Broadway. She’s not just doing a summer tour or three months as a replacement, she’s dedicating herself to a show for an entire year. And she’s got real talent. Not only did I hear great things about her time as Penny in Hairspray, but when I saw her in Brooklyn, she could really knock those songs out of the park. Her voice has grown greatly since her days on Idol (when she was just a teenager), and she’s the real thing.
Honestly, we often hear of people online raving about some replacements, in relation to their being very physically fit men (i.e. Joey Lawrence, Mario Lopez, et al). But there are times when talent wins out, when the road they took to the stage may have been from celebrity, but their acclaim is all talent. After all, for every Lance Bass, there is a Fantasia, Reba McEntire, Marilu Henner, Larry Gatlin, Keith Carradine, or Tom Wopat.
In some cases, they may not be able to dance like the part requires, sometimes they aren’t the right age at all, and for others, they simply can’t do it on stage. But other times, they’re spot on.
Congratulations, Diane DeGarmo. I’ve no doubt you’ve earned it.
the Broadway Mouth
June 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Hairspray II: What I Did For Money
There are some stories that welcome an addition to the journey already told. Take, for example, X-Men, which practically screamed to have a sequel because of the nature of the characters and stories.
Most stories survive on the idea that the plot itself is one chunk of time in the characters’ lives. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is about that one great time we got took. The Wedding Singer is about how we met. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is about a spelling bee.
Only certain stories require additional chapters. I have no doubt that characters with mutant powers would have many interesting events happen in their lives, but the spunky, chubby girl who integrates television should only have on amazing life story.
It’s like with Pocahontas. Yes, the Disney movie. I always adored that movie, but the idea of a Pocahontas II was ludicrous. The appeal of the first one was a Romeo and Juliet story, two people whose destinies were meant to be entwined but were forever parted by two-sided ethnocentrism and fear. Juliet can survive the ordeal and later get married to someone else happily ever after. There’s a reason we never learn much about Kate Winslet’s character’s marriage in the movie Titanic—because you can’t assume she loses Leonardo DiCaprio only to gain Brad Pitt. It’s not so touching an ending when you know there’s something great just around the river bend.
So, let’s count the ways Hairspray II could really screw up Hairspray.
1. We know Tacy and Link aren’t going to get married because they’re high school students. Then what happens next of any interest? Link runs off to college with Penny?
2. What journey does Edna take? She’s learned to not be ashamed of her weight . . . Does she now take up the cause for ugly women everywhere?
3. Tracy becomes a do-er when she sees a problem that needs fixing. What issue arises next?—protesting the war, rising divorce rates, prayer in school? Enough sequels, and she’ll become the first chubby congresswoman in Maryland.
4. One of the cast members doesn’t return, and then we’re stuck with sequelitis—the case of the unexplained disappearance of a character because of budget or scheduling problems.
I have faith that Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will create a top-notch score of songs, like they always do. I just don’t have faith that they will be supporting a story that warrants them or a story that won’t work against the magic of the original.
the Broadway Mouth
July 26, 2008
Most stories survive on the idea that the plot itself is one chunk of time in the characters’ lives. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is about that one great time we got took. The Wedding Singer is about how we met. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is about a spelling bee.
Only certain stories require additional chapters. I have no doubt that characters with mutant powers would have many interesting events happen in their lives, but the spunky, chubby girl who integrates television should only have on amazing life story.
It’s like with Pocahontas. Yes, the Disney movie. I always adored that movie, but the idea of a Pocahontas II was ludicrous. The appeal of the first one was a Romeo and Juliet story, two people whose destinies were meant to be entwined but were forever parted by two-sided ethnocentrism and fear. Juliet can survive the ordeal and later get married to someone else happily ever after. There’s a reason we never learn much about Kate Winslet’s character’s marriage in the movie Titanic—because you can’t assume she loses Leonardo DiCaprio only to gain Brad Pitt. It’s not so touching an ending when you know there’s something great just around the river bend.
So, let’s count the ways Hairspray II could really screw up Hairspray.
1. We know Tacy and Link aren’t going to get married because they’re high school students. Then what happens next of any interest? Link runs off to college with Penny?
2. What journey does Edna take? She’s learned to not be ashamed of her weight . . . Does she now take up the cause for ugly women everywhere?
3. Tracy becomes a do-er when she sees a problem that needs fixing. What issue arises next?—protesting the war, rising divorce rates, prayer in school? Enough sequels, and she’ll become the first chubby congresswoman in Maryland.
4. One of the cast members doesn’t return, and then we’re stuck with sequelitis—the case of the unexplained disappearance of a character because of budget or scheduling problems.
I have faith that Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will create a top-notch score of songs, like they always do. I just don’t have faith that they will be supporting a story that warrants them or a story that won’t work against the magic of the original.
the Broadway Mouth
July 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
20 Great Broadway Songs of the Past 10 Years: “My New Philosophy”
Yes, the show was old, but the song was entirely new. The show was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the composer and lyricist was Andrew Lippa, writing for the talented Kristin Chenoweth.
I’m not yet familiar with Lippa’s other work, but I greatly admire his versatility in being able to write two new songs for an old score, effortlessly creating something that matches in tone and style the songs composed by the show’s original writer, Clark Gesner. If I had not listened to the OBCR without knowing this, I never would have guessed Lippa’s work was entirely new.
Built with simple but flowing rhymes and a catchy melody stuffed with old Broadway razzmatazz, “My New Philosophy” is a gem of character expression through song. It’s catchy, fun, and funny.
Hooray, Andrew Lippa, Hooray.
the Broadway Mouth
July 22, 2008
I’m not yet familiar with Lippa’s other work, but I greatly admire his versatility in being able to write two new songs for an old score, effortlessly creating something that matches in tone and style the songs composed by the show’s original writer, Clark Gesner. If I had not listened to the OBCR without knowing this, I never would have guessed Lippa’s work was entirely new.
Built with simple but flowing rhymes and a catchy melody stuffed with old Broadway razzmatazz, “My New Philosophy” is a gem of character expression through song. It’s catchy, fun, and funny.
Hooray, Andrew Lippa, Hooray.
the Broadway Mouth
July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Took a Chance on It: Mamma Mia! on Screen
If you loved the show on stage, you’ll adore the movie. If you didn’t care for the show on stage, you’ll hate the movie. At least I did.
But thankfully for the producers, there have been many more people who love the stage show than didn’t care for it, so I’m sure the movie of Mamma Mia! will thrive at theaters this summer.
For me, every flaw of the stage show was only magnified in the adaptation, namely that the characters burst into song (literally, they do burst on a number of occasions, which provided for a number of unplanned guffaws from some people in the audience) and proceed to sing and sing about emotions either already covered in the dialogue or peripheral to the events in the story. Because of this, the entire middle section of the movie stands still for a selection of ABBA songs to be woven into the plot, stretching out the already thin story until you want to get up . . . and not to dance. The most curious choice of all is the re-arrangement of songs to extend the denouement. Instead of ending with the wedding, followed by “I Have a Dream,” we get a pointless “When All is Said and Done” and Rosie’s pursuit of Bill with “Take a Chance on Me.”
Many critics have already noted the bland choreography (which crosses into embarrassing proportions as Sky’s chorus boy pals dance around in flippers on a dock, which seemed funny on stage but extraordinarily awkward and, coupled with flexing muscles and acrobatics in speedos, more than just a little non-straight on screen). To be fair, though, the cast of non-singers do well with songs that don’t require great voices. Pierce Brosnan certainly seems more fit for Sam than many other Hollywood names ever were for the singing parts they were cast in, like Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Gerard Butler as the Phantom, or Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton. Meryl Streep actually does quite well (better than what is demonstrated in the clips on television), and actually acts the songs, really pulling out all the stops for a top-notch “The Winner Takes It All,” which is beautifully photographed. In fact, Streep is stunning in all her non-Botoxed glory and, in her wedding day dress, far outshines the well-cast Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, as Streep’s fellow Dynamos, round out the strongest links in casting.
The showing I saw was pretty much packed (and a matinee earlier in the day had been sold out), but I’ll be curious to see what the box office drop is in its second weekend, to see if there are more of me out there or more of the Mamma Mia! fans. I suspect there are more Mamma Mia! fans.
As for me, well, I’m good on Mamma Mia! for many years. Midway through the movie, I’ll admit that I was actually embarrassed to be sitting in a theater full of people watching this movie, and I kind of hoped none of my former students—who all already know my affinity for musicals—would see me walking out. I would have had no problem with, say, The Princess Diaries 2 or She’s the Man, but Mamma Mia!, that’s a different story.
the Broadway Mouth
July 20, 2008
But thankfully for the producers, there have been many more people who love the stage show than didn’t care for it, so I’m sure the movie of Mamma Mia! will thrive at theaters this summer.
For me, every flaw of the stage show was only magnified in the adaptation, namely that the characters burst into song (literally, they do burst on a number of occasions, which provided for a number of unplanned guffaws from some people in the audience) and proceed to sing and sing about emotions either already covered in the dialogue or peripheral to the events in the story. Because of this, the entire middle section of the movie stands still for a selection of ABBA songs to be woven into the plot, stretching out the already thin story until you want to get up . . . and not to dance. The most curious choice of all is the re-arrangement of songs to extend the denouement. Instead of ending with the wedding, followed by “I Have a Dream,” we get a pointless “When All is Said and Done” and Rosie’s pursuit of Bill with “Take a Chance on Me.”
Many critics have already noted the bland choreography (which crosses into embarrassing proportions as Sky’s chorus boy pals dance around in flippers on a dock, which seemed funny on stage but extraordinarily awkward and, coupled with flexing muscles and acrobatics in speedos, more than just a little non-straight on screen). To be fair, though, the cast of non-singers do well with songs that don’t require great voices. Pierce Brosnan certainly seems more fit for Sam than many other Hollywood names ever were for the singing parts they were cast in, like Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Gerard Butler as the Phantom, or Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton. Meryl Streep actually does quite well (better than what is demonstrated in the clips on television), and actually acts the songs, really pulling out all the stops for a top-notch “The Winner Takes It All,” which is beautifully photographed. In fact, Streep is stunning in all her non-Botoxed glory and, in her wedding day dress, far outshines the well-cast Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, as Streep’s fellow Dynamos, round out the strongest links in casting.
The showing I saw was pretty much packed (and a matinee earlier in the day had been sold out), but I’ll be curious to see what the box office drop is in its second weekend, to see if there are more of me out there or more of the Mamma Mia! fans. I suspect there are more Mamma Mia! fans.
As for me, well, I’m good on Mamma Mia! for many years. Midway through the movie, I’ll admit that I was actually embarrassed to be sitting in a theater full of people watching this movie, and I kind of hoped none of my former students—who all already know my affinity for musicals—would see me walking out. I would have had no problem with, say, The Princess Diaries 2 or She’s the Man, but Mamma Mia!, that’s a different story.
the Broadway Mouth
July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
You Wanna Be a Producer . . .
Yeah, you know you do. You wanna be a producer and not because you can eat at Sardi's every day. It's because you dream of constructing your own musical, casting your favorites in the parts, and winning a Tony.
Hollywood movies are made by committees, so let's see how that might look on Broadway. Follow the link below, and take a survey on who YOU want involved in your Broadway musical. In a week or so (after enough people have responded to make it worthwhile), I'll post our final creative team and cast.
Click Here to take survey
the Broadway Mouth
July 19, 2008
Hollywood movies are made by committees, so let's see how that might look on Broadway. Follow the link below, and take a survey on who YOU want involved in your Broadway musical. In a week or so (after enough people have responded to make it worthwhile), I'll post our final creative team and cast.
Click Here to take survey
the Broadway Mouth
July 19, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
20 Great Broadway Songs from the Past 10 Years: "All Alone in the Universe"
Here’s another spectacular Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty score. Is there anything this duo can’t do?
What most amazes me about the score to Seussical is how dead-on Seuss it is. Musically, it feels right, like the music you might have heard in your head as you were reading the Seuss books as a child, but at the same time, it’s fresh and fun. Lyrically, Ahrens takes on the gargantuan task of recreating Seuss, competing with his clever and witty plays on words and rhymes. However, from start to finish, in the hands of the very talented Ahrens and Flaherty, Seussical feels like it was blown off the pages of the books and onto the stage.
One thing I love about Seussical is that, like all great shows and movies geared toward family audiences, it rises above whatever intentions reviewers and audiences have for it. When I saw the tour, yeah, I could tell the producers had been trying to vie for the family dollar, but nobody in that audience could have enjoyed themselves more than I did.
Part of why that is is represented in the song “All Alone in the Universe.” When people set out to make a kids’ show (or a kids’ movie), it often ends up with a very typical kids’ theme—it’s okay to be different, everyone is special, believe in yourself. Seussical, however, goes beyond that, celebrating more adult ideas, such as strength in adversity, rejoicing in creativity, and standing for right in a world full of wrong. Because of that, I think any one could walk away from Seussical inspired to be a better person.
I love what the song has to say, about being alone in the universe, the only one to see and understand something new (or being the only one to stand up for what is right). We don’t have enough of that in our world because most people lack the vision to be trendsetters and instead become trendfollowers. Yes, I agree Horton, that “At one time or other, / Great thinkers all feel this way,” all alone in the universe. And that’s what makes them great thinkers. That’s a powerful experience, to feel alone in the universe, and a powerful response, to hold fast to your convictions.
As you can tell, I want the courage to be Horton.
The melody accompanying those beautiful lyrics works to create the sense of aloneness and wonder, accentuated in the orchestrations by the singular, simple plunking of piano keys behind Horton’s and JoJo’s solo choruses. Then, when they duet, they harmonize so beautifully, just as their experiences of being “all alone in the universe” harmonize. The song then ends in a beautiful counterpoint, perhaps foreshadowing the differing experiences in aloneness that both characters will have, knowing that they do have someone out there who does believe in them, though they will feel alone in the universe.
Other great songs in the show (and songs I often find myself singing) are the equally moving “Solla Sollew,” “It’s Possible (McElligot’s Pool),” and “Notice Me, Horton,” though they only scratch the surface in a score bubbling with wonderful.
the Broadway Mouth
July 16, 2008
What most amazes me about the score to Seussical is how dead-on Seuss it is. Musically, it feels right, like the music you might have heard in your head as you were reading the Seuss books as a child, but at the same time, it’s fresh and fun. Lyrically, Ahrens takes on the gargantuan task of recreating Seuss, competing with his clever and witty plays on words and rhymes. However, from start to finish, in the hands of the very talented Ahrens and Flaherty, Seussical feels like it was blown off the pages of the books and onto the stage.
One thing I love about Seussical is that, like all great shows and movies geared toward family audiences, it rises above whatever intentions reviewers and audiences have for it. When I saw the tour, yeah, I could tell the producers had been trying to vie for the family dollar, but nobody in that audience could have enjoyed themselves more than I did.
Part of why that is is represented in the song “All Alone in the Universe.” When people set out to make a kids’ show (or a kids’ movie), it often ends up with a very typical kids’ theme—it’s okay to be different, everyone is special, believe in yourself. Seussical, however, goes beyond that, celebrating more adult ideas, such as strength in adversity, rejoicing in creativity, and standing for right in a world full of wrong. Because of that, I think any one could walk away from Seussical inspired to be a better person.
I love what the song has to say, about being alone in the universe, the only one to see and understand something new (or being the only one to stand up for what is right). We don’t have enough of that in our world because most people lack the vision to be trendsetters and instead become trendfollowers. Yes, I agree Horton, that “At one time or other, / Great thinkers all feel this way,” all alone in the universe. And that’s what makes them great thinkers. That’s a powerful experience, to feel alone in the universe, and a powerful response, to hold fast to your convictions.
As you can tell, I want the courage to be Horton.
The melody accompanying those beautiful lyrics works to create the sense of aloneness and wonder, accentuated in the orchestrations by the singular, simple plunking of piano keys behind Horton’s and JoJo’s solo choruses. Then, when they duet, they harmonize so beautifully, just as their experiences of being “all alone in the universe” harmonize. The song then ends in a beautiful counterpoint, perhaps foreshadowing the differing experiences in aloneness that both characters will have, knowing that they do have someone out there who does believe in them, though they will feel alone in the universe.
Other great songs in the show (and songs I often find myself singing) are the equally moving “Solla Sollew,” “It’s Possible (McElligot’s Pool),” and “Notice Me, Horton,” though they only scratch the surface in a score bubbling with wonderful.
the Broadway Mouth
July 16, 2008
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