Broadway/San Diego Blog

Whatever you do. Even if you don’t read all of this. SEE this production of A Chorus Line!

I went last night and saw it for the first time. What a first rate cast! I got goose pimples five minutes into it. I mean everything was perfect. The dancing, singing, orchestra. Just a dazzler!

I KNOW I had seen the movie in the 80s. The reason I know is that at that time, I was questioning some things about myself. For the first time in my life, I realized that I was not the “only one” with those feelings. That is why this show is so powerful. It is about real people. Not some author’s made up words, but actual words, as spoken by young dancers trying out for a Broadway show.

All of the dialogue was created from reel to reel tapes that Michael Bennett made while he was interviewing these hopefuls. So there is no question about the “back story”. The show IS the back story.

You know, you go to a show and you might wonder about the character’s background or “back story.” The Phantom, The Cats, The Modern Millies, etc. Then you might wonder about the actor who is playing that part’s “back story”. So: two levels of separation from the “real real”.

That is what is so engaging about this show. There is no question that these are real people. You care. You get it. Then there is the dancing. Gosh, they don’t do it like that anymore, it seems. That glorious Rockette style prancing with the dancers arms in arm looking like they are a city block long! And Cassie’s solo. Breathtaking. Then with a little bit of stage trickery, Cassie becomes an optical illusion. Watching her is like watching a fairy crossed with an Olympic figure skater.

The entire experience is amazing as are all of the performers. The producers make it a point to cast people who are like the orignals. One of my associates at Broadway/SD called A Chorus Line a “musical about a musical”. For me, it was a “behind the scenes musical about making a musical”.

Go see it!

-Anonymous

Photo: KEVIN SANTOS as Paul, from the National Touring Company of A Chorus Line, Photo by Paul Kolnik

As part of Nicole’s birthday weekend, I took her up to L.A. to the Ahmanson theatre to see A Chorus Line. This is one of those shows that I knew pretty well, but had never seen live. It was about time to rectify that situation. All in all, I really liked the show. The cast was really good, and all were good at the singing and dancing, which is usually plus for a musical about dancers.

What I liked most about this show is that it is truly an ensemble piece. For the most part, no character really stands out more than each of the others, well, at least not for long. Each one of them gets their own moment in the spotlight. The role of the director, Zach, is played mostly off stage, and you just hear his voice as he interacts with the rest of the cast. In a show about people trying to make the chorus of a Broadway show, the focus stays on the group as a whole. Even most of the solo numbers turn into group numbers.

Now, there were a couple of weird parts of the show. First off, there is no intermission. That would have been nice to know before I went into the show. Not that the show dragged, actually, quite the opposite. I checked my watch (okay, phone, I don’t wear a watch, but saying I checked my phone sounds weird, kinda like saying I taped the TV show is natural, even though I use a DVR to record the show) and it was 3:40. So the show had been going for a little over an hour and a half, and I could tell they weren’t stopping, as they passed a few moments that would have been perfect opportunities to break, but just kept on going. It is quite amusing that people complain about going 2 hours at a live show with no intermission, but will go 3 hours or so at a movie no problem. The other weird thing is the ending. Once the “show” is cast, everyone leaves stage. Then is the insane quick change for the ending number. Each cast member comes out one by one, each taking their bow. They then go into the final number, everyone leaves the stage and the show is over. There has been a trend for a little bit of an encore after the bow, but this was a little different. This isn’t bad, just a little weird to have the most famous song from the show be after the curtain call.

What did seem a little out of place with this show is some of the subject matter. When this show debuted in 1975, many of the topics were a little taboo: homosexuality, molestation, plastic surgery, etc. Now-a-days, these are all common place. And it isn’t like these are being beaten down the audience’s throat. It is as simple as a couple of the characters say they are gay, and one briefly mentions being molested as a kid, but that is it. You are supposed to be surprised when one of the dancers says he is gay, but now I was more surprised by the dancer that said he had to think about his wife and kids. Okay, so in Dance 10 Looks 3, they flaunt the plastic surgery, but in today’s day and age, someone getting a boob job and some nip and tucking is not out of the ordinary. Hell, there is a show called Nip/Tuck and you see Botox commercials all the time. For me, the downside, if you call it one, is that this show is slightly dated, and that it has lost its edge over the last 30 or so years.

Overall, this is quite an entertaining show, well worth the drive up to L.A. on a Saturday morning. This is definitely one of those shows that you should see live. I mean, it was the longest running show on Broadway at one point, so it can’t be that bad, can it?

Photo: National Touring Company of A CHORUS LINE, Paul Kolnik

Playbill.com has some more fun information on the Tony Award nominations - for anyone who wants to take a look at their take on this year’s nominations - and some fun pics of a few of the performers.  Just like the Tony Award winners and nominees we are bringing to San Diego this year, (SPRING AWAKENING, GREASE, A CHORUS LINE, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE... the list of Tony Award associated shows goes on and on), we certainly expect to have some of these nominees in our season line up in coming years! and don’t forget to watch - the host this year is Whoopi Goldberg, aka former San Diegan, Karen Johnson!

The American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League announced the 2008 Tony Award nominees this morning. As expected, nominees with San Diego connections and ties are on the list:

-XANADU, the tongue in cheek musical based on the kitschy cult classic movie, directed by La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director, Christopher Aslhey, heads the new Musicals nominations.

- CRY BABY, which premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse last season, appears in the same category, as well as Best Original Score.

- Another nominee in both categories, as predicted in this blog, is IN THE HEIGHTS (no San Diego connections here, I just loved the show!).  As a matter of fact, IN THE HEIGHTS topped the list of nominations with 13 - for those who are counting.

- Tom Wopat, one of Broadway’s most distinguished stars, is nominated for his performance in the Old Globe Theatre’s A CATERED AFFAIR, along with Faith Prince, who awed many of us with her return to the stage.

Get the full list of nominees on the Broadway/San Diego website!

The smash hit Broadway musical IN THE HEIGHTS takes Times Square by storm Tuesday, May 13, in premiere National television appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America. Karen Olivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robin De Jesus, Seth Stewart, Luis Salgado and Rickey Tripp will perform “It Won’t Be Long” live in the middle of Times Square in the 8am hour. Mandy Gonzalez and Christopher Jackson will perform “When You’re Home” at 9am exclusively for ABC News Now and the Good Morning America website.

We’ve got a few of them coming to Broadway/San Diego this year:

By now, you SHOULD have heard of SPRING AWAKENING – the 2007 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical – if not, you can find out a lot but cruising to our website – direct to the SPRING AWAKENING page, and check it out. This musical is honestly, like NOTHING I had ever seen before – an operatic “play with music” that I can extol all day. I am an advocate. I don’t just ask people to see it, I do not just recommend it – I URGE YOU TO SEE THIS ONE — even if you see no other show on our stages this year. It challenges sensibilities, it breaks the “fourth wall” in surprising ways. A little bit Romeo and Juliet, a little bit RENT, Hamlet thrown in with a modern alt rock sensibility. ‘Nuf said. HOWEVER – this show is challenging for some, and includes sliight nudity, sexual situations and strong language. Parents wanting to bring their older teenagers (which I will be doing, myself) should go to the SPRING AWAKENING page and click on the “Parents Guide” – kids wanting to bring parents – you might want to do the same thing… This show will provoke discussions, guaranteed! I want to hear what you all think about the show – so learn more, ask me about it, and don’t miss it.

Another “don’t miss it show” for musical theatre lovers is THE DROWSY CHAPERONE – now, really – not many of you have heard of this one, I am certain! This is what our press manager calls a “3-d pop up valentine to musical theatre” – a great and apt description! In the show an aging lover of Broadway sits in his apartment, sharing with the audience an original cast L.P. (if you don’t know what an “L.P.” is, ask your parents, assuming your parents are over the age of 45) of his favorite 1920’s musical – which then comes to life in his tiny studio apartment – characters pop out of the Murphy bed, the solid back wall suddenly transforms into french doors leading to a grand garden, and the refrigerator… you get the idea. It is fluffy, showy, delightful – poignant and lovely – and intimate. Check it out on our DROWSY CHAPERONE page – oh – and when you come, DON’T MISS THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES! Really. (DISCLAIMER: these shows are currently only available with a season ticket subscription, but general public on sales are posted on our site).

Another show you may never have heard of – currently on in its first season Broadway – is IN THE HEIGHTS. I loved it when I saw it in New York last month – it incorporates hip hop, Latin rhythms, traditional Broadway-style music in a delightful warm-hearted story. Set in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, this show could take place in any first and second generation immigrant neighborhood. San Diego has a few of these. I think we will all be hearing more about this show at the Tony Awards® this year, and hopefully, more about it hitting the road in a year or so. If we secure it, I’ll let you know.

Check this out. On December 2, 1979, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (July 14-19, 2009) lost its title as the longest running show in Broadway history. It fell to the perennial favorite GREASE.  GREASE (March 3-8, 2009) was the longest running show on Broadway till it was knocked out of the top spot by A CHORUS LINE (August 12-17, 2008)   When CATS (June 3-8, 2008) hit 6138 performances, it overtook A CHORUS LINE as the longest running show in Broadway history–and on January 9, 2006, PHANTOM (July 16 – August 10 2008) became the undisputed king of Broadway, and it’s still running today. In the next calendar year and a half, Presented by Broadway/San Diego, the San Diego Civic Theatre will house the top 5 record breaking Broadway shows of all time.  So what makes PHANTOM so great? Romance, mystery, drama, and the aura of higher art ‘Opera’ are typical responses. Of course the great music is always the first and foremost reason. But then there’s that amazing set that transforms time and again, just when you think you’ve seen it all it does one more amazing thing. And the costumes? It’s a great period piece and the production takes full advantage of that fact – the costume designers put ALL the money on the stage. And what about the lighting? Or the props?  Or the . . .

Because PHANTOM has such universal appeal, it has become somewhat of an entry experience to the theatre. Many people when asked “what was your first show” will reply “PHANTOM”.  The show has been responsible for so many people getting ‘hooked’ on theatre.  The numbers on this show in terms of attendance, dollars earned, performances worldwide et cetera are staggering. Its just such a phenomenon and I’m really looking forward to the return of the show to San Diego.

Oh and by the way, before FIDDLER it was HELLO DOLLY, and there’s no production of that on the horizon. Oh well, you can’t have everything.

And also by the way, there have been other shows that ran longer than those that I’ve mentioned above but they didn’t break previously set records. They ran or are running while another show was or is the title holder.

Click this link: Playbill for the list of longest runs in Broadway history as of March 23, 2008 as listed in Playbill. See where YOUR favorites fit in.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has a whole new look – and is beginning to use its “nickname” publicly. Always known to fans and cognoscenti as simply “Phantom,” the producers and the artists involved with the show have decided that the mask needed a facelift – so, in honor of the 20TH Anniversary of “Phantom” on Broadway – the show is using its nickname more and has a new look.
The rose is still there. The mask is still there. But now, rather than the mask hovering alone, or propped as if on a table next to the rose – the mask now has a face behind it, hovering in the mist. The rose is beautifully reflected in the surface upon which it lays. This is a more sophisticated look, matching the show itself – but then the title has been given a more casual feel – delving to the core of the show, to the Phantom himself…
We were concerned that this new look would be confusing – after 20 years of the blue “shattered” logo with rose and mask, this is a big change – but this really IS the National Broadway Tour of PHANTOM. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA directed by Harold Prince. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA that has held audiences enthralled all these years – but a “Phantom” that is attracting a whole new generation – with exactly the same level of thrills and romance. The show has not changed, just the look! (And, a quick note – you should know that if you DO see the “old” logo around town, on posters, etc. – it is still for this engagement of the “real Phantom” – sometimes these kind of graphic transitions take time…).

You could fill volumes of pages with the copy that has been written about the death of theatre. I think the breed of writer that spews such hyperbole is really just a simple sentimentalist that longs for the meaty theatre of their youth and cringes and the comparative fluff that they are forced to view today. The truth is that no experience of a current production can compete with fond memories of one that moved you in your youth and if you just accept that and use those remembered images and emotions to deepen your appreciation rather than to judge the validity of “the latest thing” both the writer and the reader would be happier.

Broadway has forever been dying and being reborn. To me that conjures up the image of the Phoenix–but the moniker that has always seemed to stick is “The Fabulous Invalid” meaning its always sick but always terrific. John Mellencamp and Stephen King are jumping in bed with the fabulous invalid. They are writing a musical called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.  Check out the story in Playbill. 

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/115415.html

This is great! I love that the stage is such a magnet for talents all across the cultural spectrum. Boy George? Elton John? John Mellencamp? Anyone with something to say can and should throw in and see what happens. Musical Theatre is the ultimate form of cultural expression because it not only accepts and glories in all forms of artistic product but also attracts and ravishes the full spectrum of voices as well. Bring it on, bring it all on.