Strollerderby : broadway

5 Minute Time-Out: Indie rock's curmudgeon has written a children's musical - but don't tell him that.

editors — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:30:00 GMT

Today on Babble:

"5 Minute Time-Out: Stephen Merritt"

by Gwynne Watkins.

Indie rock's curmudgeon has written a children's musical- but don't tell him that.

Read it here.

Morning News - The Obama Bracket

Brett Singer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Monday Monday… Can't trust that day…

Actually, you kind of can trust Monday. It's fairly reliable in that it always comes after Sunday. I don't think that's what Mama Cass and Co. were talking about, but then again, it was the 60's, so who knows?

Anyone make an NCAA bracket? I did. I know nothing about college basketball, and my picks are proving it, especially in the Midwest Conference. At least there's no money at stake for me. President Obama made one, which is being resoundingly mocked by many. Some were upset that he even took the time to make his picks, which is hilarious if you consider the amount of vacation time that former President Bush took while in office. (I know, it's a cliché, but it happens to be true.) Taking a few minutes to fill out a bracket is a pleasant distraction from the day's events for everyone, Leaders of the Free World included. If people want to complain about Obama's policies, fine, but his bracket? Let it go.

Damn those blasphemy laws -- a Pennsylvania man tried to register a limited liability company called I Choose Hell Productions, LLC but was told he had to pick another name because PA has an anti-blasphemy law on the books preventing such things. The laws were common the 19th century, but this one was enacted in 1977 when someone tried to register God Damn Gun Shop. The ACLU is suing the state. Heh heh. God Damn Gun Shop... (NYT)

A revival of "West Side Story" opened on Broadway with some of the songs translated into Spanish. Interesting idea but I can't imagine that makes the songs better. Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter saw the show and agrees, as did many other critics. (Note: I haven't seen this production. I'll probably stick with the movie.)

The post office is in trouble. They lost almost 400 million dollars last quarter and are offering early retirement to 150,000 employees, in addition to staff cutbacks and location closures. Not enough people mailing letters I guess.

Susan MacDougal (remember her?) can't have the transcript of her own testimony in the Whitewater trial. She was hoping to use it for a novel or screenplay. Whitewater looks pretty damn tame compared to all the nonsense going on these days.

Some governors, including Nevada's Jim Gibbons, are turning down federal money to beef up their unemployment funds because they don't like the 'strings' that are attached. The thing is, those strings disappear when the federal cash runs out. (This according to a New York Times editorial.) Nevada will run out of unemployment money by the end of the year if they don't take the government cheese. (Nose, you don't mind if I cut you off to spite my face, do you? Cool, thanks.) You can't play games like this when people are out of work. And unemployment money gets taken out of your check every week for a reason. You get it back if you're unemployed. Hence the name. So it's not unreasonable for people to expect to receive that money if they lose their jobs. In other Republican Governor news, Alaska's Sarah Palin (perhaps you've heard of her?) is only accepting Federal money for projects that are truly "shovel ready." Alaska Democrats are not happy, saying that she is playing politics with state residents. There's definitely a shovel needed for what's coming out of the mouths of both Republicans and Democrats these days, but it's not the kind you use to fix roads.

Eliot Spitzer is talking smack about Andrew Cuomo. Hey! Here's an idea, Spitzy. Shut up. You have no credibility anymore. Sorry. You screwed up. Apologize and go away. Although maybe you can blog for Huffington Post like Gary "Monkey Business" Hart. ("G'head! Follow me! You won't find anything! Wait, you thought I meant that? I was only kidding! Aw, crap…")

Responding to Sheri's comment: I hadn't heard about what the President said on TV, so I looked it up. Seems that while being interviewed by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, President Obama said of his bowling skills, "It's like the Special Olympics or something." He apologized to the President of the Special Olympics before the show aired. Comments at ABC News' web site range from "who cares?" to "see? I told you he was an idiot." (I'm paraphrasing.) I can't say I agree with those who say that this is somehow on the same scale as other "gaffes" spoken by Republican politicians, or even "gaffes" from Democrats. Personally, I think the President is a little bit too much of a regular guy, at least in the way that he sometimes speaks in public. It was a dumb joke but hardly the worst thing ever. He also invited Special Olympians to the White House to do some bowling. There's one Special Olympic bowler who has three perfect games to his credit, so maybe he can give the Prez some pointers. By the way, Sarah Palin weighed in on the President's comments, because she's not all about politics like some politicians. This issue really effects Alaska, hence her very public reaction. Also: the President of the Special Olympics is Tim Shriver, Maria's brother, and therefore Ah-nuld's brother-in-law. That has nothing to do with anything except that I think it would be fun to have Arnold Schwarzenegger as your brother-in-law. The Governator, by the way, supports Obama's stimulus plan.

Tuesday, Tuesday… I trust that day… Nah, doesn't have the same ring to it. I guess John Phillips knew what he was talking about. See you tomorrow.

Image: WhiteHouse.gov via Washington Post

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Free song from Shrek the Musical

Brett Singer — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:00:00 GMT

DreamWorks seems to have decided that they will try and squeeze every last stinking dollar out of their mega-popular "Shrek" franchise. Coming next month: a Broadway musical. If you want to get an idea of what it will sound like, here's a free track.

Called "I Know It's Today", it is sung by Leah Greenhaus, Marissa O'Donnell & Sutton Foster.

Count me among the people who don't really get the fascination with the entire "Shrek" enterprise. The first move was all right, I guess, but hardly the brilliant satire that audiences and critics seemed to think it was. (Oooo! They made fun of "The Matrix"! How edgy!) The next two films felt very slapped together, and the fourth is unlikely to be better.

Judging by the photo of Brian D'Arcy James as the titular ogre, it looks like the makeup will be good.

How's the song? Fairly standard Broadway fare. I'd say below average. But maybe you'll feel differently.

Source: shrekthemusical.com

image: BroadwayWorld

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Clay Aiken Comes Out

Brett Singer — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:18:00 GMT

It's official – Clay Aiken is a gay dad.

In news that surprises absolutely no one, the AP is reporting that yes, Virginia (or is that Mary?) Clay Aiken is a gay man. Claymates everywhere are in tears.

The story highlights from CNN?

· "American Idol" runner-up and infant son are on new People cover
· "I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things," Aiken says
· Aiken made his debut on Broadway in "Spamalot"

So. The first two, OK. On the cover of People, interesting (especially since it was previously reported that no one wanted that picture because it was too "creepy"). Can't lie while raising a child, yes, right, newsworthy quote. And…he was on Broadway. This is relevant because…?

UPDATE: Famecrawler has the People Mag cover which features the headline, "Yes, I'm Gay." Pulitzer material, methinks.

Source/image: CNN

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Brett Singer — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Let's call it – The Full Muggle.

Some intrepid theatergoer snapped blurry cameraphone shots of Daniel Radcliffe nekkid onstage in 'Equus', currently on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. Here are a couple of the pics:

Some fans that are flipping out over this. Some comments from the Daily News article:

The snapshot shows Radcliffe, 19, standing totally naked in front of co-star Anna Camp, who is also bare to the bone.
The scandal surrounding the teenage star's nudity has helped ticket sales with advance box office receipts topping $3 million.
Fans buying tickets vented their outrage at the sneaky snapper.
"They're turning art into pornography," said stage technician Rachel Juozapaitis, 27.
…
"Someone has violated his privacy," said Susan Zimmerman, 32, an NYU graduate student.

Um, not exactly. Someone – admittedly, someone kinda pervy – took pictures of something happened on a Broadway stage and posted them online. Porn? Violation of privacy? I don't think so.

"It's just wrong, he still has to do some more Harry Potter films for the kids."
…
"He didn't sign up for this, now it's for all time, forever on the Internet. What about all the Harry Potter children?"

Ah, yes. The children. Methinks very young children are unlikely to surf to these shots on their own, and I don't think any parent will show them to their kids. Even if they did (which would be nuts), there's not much to see. (That's a comment on the photo quality, not Mr. Radcliffe's, um, bangers and mash, as they say in the U.K.)

As for "he didn't sign on for this," the play calls for his character to be fully nude, and if he thought that someone wouldn't take pictures of it, Daniel needs to get out more. So, you know, sure, it's kinda lame, but the level of fan outrage is a bit kooky.

So why did I post it here? Honestly? I just wanted to use the phrase "The Full Muggle." Sorry.

Go to this site if you want to see all the pics.(Link via the Daily News.)

Source/image: nydailynews

non-naked pic: telegraph.co.uk

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Family Movie Night – Hairspray

Brett Singer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Full disclosure: when I first heard a demo CD of the songs from the Broadway musical version of John Waters' film "Hairspray", I said, "Eh. That's not so great. Nobody's going to want to see it. It'll flop."

Um, right. Luckily the producers didn't listen to me, because the show has been running on Broadway for several years (long enough to have Jerry "The Beaver" Mathers play the mom for awhile, which is longer than most shows last, believe me), not to mention all the tours, regional and international productions, and of course the new film.

Unlike the new film version of "The Producers" musical, this new "Hairspray" is more fully re-imagined, which probably accounts for its greater success at the box office ($200 million, enough that there's actually going to be a sequel). The original Waters movie was very low-key, and definitely kept the hardcore gross out stuff to a minimum (if you've never seen Waters' "Pink Flamingos", you shouldn't, but there's a scene at the end that is so disgusting it haunts me to this day). In retrospect, turning "Hairspray" into a Broadway musical was actually a very good idea, since the story is quite sweet and has a positive message about racial inclusiveness, and also points out that fat people shouldn't be ostracized for their appearance. The musical and new film actually hammer that point home much harder than the original; singing about racial equality makes the message much more blunt than just showing it.

In theory, how is this a kids' movie at all? It's not, I suppose, but there's nothing in it that really crosses a line, except for a few lyrics here and there, most of which go over the heads of anyone that you would think is too young to hear them. ("Hey, baby! You look like you could use a stiff one!" – but he's talking about hairspray, so…) I've seen girls as young as six having "Hairspray" themed birthday parties, which is one reason why I think my son was actually willing to watch it. Both of the Things enjoyed it, the older one because it does have a reasonably involving story and good songs, the younger one probably because it's colorful and the music is quite good.

As for the cast, it's a mixed bag. John Travolta is not an upgrade over Divine, but she/he is dead, so that's not really fair. That said, Harvey Fierstein was so incredible on Broadway that they should have let him reprise his role on screen. I understand the need to cast big stars to ensure a film's success, but sometimes it's better to stick with the original. At least they had the courtesy to cut the line, "Hold mommy's waffles," which, when said by Fierstein on stage, actually had me laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair. (Just take my word for it, it was hilarious.) Travolta is good in a way, but there's something almost too serious about his version of Tracy Turnblad's overweight shut-in mom. He does prove that he's still a terrific dancer, even weighted down with fifty-plus pounds of fat suit. It would be nice to see him do a musical film role that he's better suited for, or even a live turn on Broadway.

The new Tracy, Nikki Blonsky, is quite good. Rikki Lake, who played Tracy in the original, had a much tougher edge but so did Waters' film. I would watch Michelle Pfeiffer read the phone book, but she does more than that and is very good. I would have liked to see more Jerry Stiller, who has a borderline cameo as the owner of a local department store that hires Tracy to be a spokesperson. I had forgotten that he played Wilbur Turnblad in the 1988 film; his role was taken over by Christopher Walken, who I would also watch read the phone book (albeit for different reasons) and gives a solid performance, as always. James Marsden was a surprise as Corny Collins, the host of the local dance show. If that's his actual singing voice he should do another musical. Queen Latifah (Motormouth Maybelle) is no Ruth Brown but she's good enough.

Anyway, somewhat like the Broadway version, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this new "Hairspray", as did my kids. Recommended.

image: Amazon.com

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Night Out: Boeing-Boeing on Broadway

Brett Singer — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Every now and then the wife and I actually get to leave the house while its still dark out, leaving the kids behind for an evening out. This is what happens.

Theatergoing has gotten so expensive ($100+ per ticket for a full-price Broadway show) that it can be tough to justify the purchase. "Macbeth", which we paid close to full price for, was not even remotely worth the money, sadly. "Jersey Boys" was so much fun that I would go back and pay full price a second time (really, it's great.) "Boeing-Boeing", now playing at the Longacre (220 West 48th Street), isn't quite as good as "Jersey Boys" but it was a lot of fun, especially at the relative bargain price I found using a discount code from BroadwayBox.com (similar codes can be found at nytheatre.com, Theatermania, Playbill and BroadwayWorld.)

This is a revival of a play from the 1960's; the pre-show music, featuring popular 60's pop songs sung in French, is a nice bonus. Refreshingly, there is no revising of the attitudes, which are playfully retrograde and yes, sexist -- but that's how they wrote 'em back then. It's impossible to take anything that happens in the play seriously, which is a good thing. The plot deals with an American living in Paris and juggling three women, all of whom are his fiancée. How does he physically accomplish this feat? Because all are "air hostesses" for different airlines. He consults a timetable like the Bible, marking his calendar and tightly scheduling visits from each lovely airborne lass.

The cast is a big reason why the show works: Bradley Whitford ('West Wing', 'Studio 60') is probably the weakest link, but he's more than good enough. Mark Rylance is brilliant as the friend who arrives unexpectedly. Gina Gershon is funny and sexy as Whitford's Italian bride-to-be, and Kathryn Hahn is your basic loud-mouthed Ugly American who has a sequence in the second act that almost steals the show. That honor, though, goes to Mary McCormack (aka Howard Stern's Movie Wife), playing a German Lufthansa "hostess". McCormack plays everything for broad laughs, and the stage lights up every time she's on it. Hopefully she'll do more comedy in the future because she's the funniest thing in a very funny show. (She received a well-deserved Tony nomination.) Christine Baranski has the smallest role as the long-suffering French housekeeper. She's brilliant as always whenever she's on stage but it's not really her play.

"Boeing-Boeing" runs a little bit long at 2 hours and 40 minutes, but for a light-hearted evening out of adult entertainment, it fits the bill. Highly recommended.

image: boeingonbroadway.com

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Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Far be it from me to imply that Clay Aiken is anything less than muy macho. But, you know, there have been those nasty rumors, which led to threats of a lawsuit from his devoted fan base, who are known as the Claymates. (Really. They call themselves Claymates, and one of them tried to sue Clay over rumors that he was homosexual. Don't you feel normal now?) So perhaps -- and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, you know -- Clay's recent actions are fueled by a desire to "butch it up, Mary" as the saying goes.

First: he impregnates a woman. This is a clear sign of masculinity. I mean, try doing that if you're... you know, not manly. Well, it was artificial insemination, which means there was no actual physical contact. But hey, there's nothing wrong with that either. (Even if Aiken isn't the father, he could have been. Hey! Stop laughing!)

Second: when a ~~vulture~~ cameraperson from ~~the fiery pits of Hell~~ TMZ confronted him on the street, he pulled a Sean Penn and whacked the camera. In a very aggressive, manly way. Again, nothing wrong with that. (Video of the incident is below, or click here.)

One thing that I've always found interesting is what constitutes "manliness." Impregnating a woman means that your sperm is, you know, spermy. Strong swimmers, etc. But so what?

And punching someone, even if that someone is ~~being a dick~~ just doing their jobs, is more out of control than it is "macho." To be fair, Clay just kinda pushed the guy; more specifically, he pushed the camera. If he had ripped the dude's arms off and beaten him within an inch of his life, that would have been much more manly. (Not that we advocate such behavior. But it would definitely have been big news.)

So maybe it's possible that all of this "news" just happens to be coming out (no pun intended) around the time that Mr. Aiken has a new album out. Just a thought.

In closing, let me request that the phrase "Claby" (Clay + Baby) never, ever catch on. It's just... there is something wrong with that.

(TMZ.com screenshot)

other image: offoffBway.com

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Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Could the whole "Clay Aiken can impregnate a woman without even touching her" news be a big fat stinkin' lie? The Calgary Herald is reporting that "several people close to" babymama Jaymes Foster are denying claims (clayms? Nope, not going there) that Aiken is the daddy.

~~One Of The Signs Of The Apocalypse~~ TMZ first reported that Aiken had artificially inseminated Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster, going on to say that, "Clay is a lot more than sperm -- we're told he will have an active role in raising the child." The story was picked up by roughly 12 million media outlets. BUT one of the so-called sources is denying that he ever said Clay was the daddy-to-be, even asking People.com to retract their story. And B.J. Cook, David Foster's ex-wife and Jaymes Foster's ex-sister-in-law said, "Jaymes is definitely pregnant, that much is true...I can guarantee that it's not Clay Aiken's baby." (emphasis added.)

Of course, no one directly involved is talking to the press, including Clay, who is very busy punching cameras.

It must be pointed out that we have no knowledge of this incident, or alleged incident. Maybe Clay is on his way to fatherhood. Maybe not. Who the hell knows? Clearly this is the most important story of the decade. Well, other than the Sex and the City movie. (Election? What election?)

Aside #1: Foster went from "in her late 40's" to "50" in a matter of days -- I guess it is stressful being in the public eye. Here's a photo of the happy non-couple.

Aside #2: Even if this whole thing turns out to be bull, at least we'll always have the phrase "Clay is a lot more than sperm." Thank you ~~Satan~~ TMZ.

images: thehollywoodgossip.com, offoffBway.com

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My Fair Spidey: Spiderman musical coming to Broadway

Brett Singer — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:00:00 GMT

You are all aware by now that I love me some super hero movies. But a musical? Based on... Spider-Man? The mind, as it attempts to crawl out of my ear, boggles.

I mean, what possible reason is there to create a musical based on Spider-Man? And lest you think this is some sort of macho "theater sucks" thing, rest assured that I saw a Broadway show last weekend ("Macbeth" with Patick Stewart, shockingly horrible) and will be seeing another in two weeks ("Boeing Boeing"). So I don't hate Broadway, or even musicals, as an art form. This particular one, however, can't possibly be good.

Or could it? The creative team is as follows: Julie Taymor, who directed the wildly successful Disney stage adaptation of "The Lion King", and for music, you have -- wait for it -- Bono and The Edge. Now, I suppose some would be excited about this. How could a musical with songs from the two main parts of U2 be bad? Well, Paul Simon had a Broadway show ("The Capeman") which was, by all accounts, hideously bad. Numerous jukebox musicals (shows based on existing songs) have flopped, and many were based on good material (Bob Dylan, John Lennon and The Beach Boys, to name a few). In other words, success in one medium is no guarantee of success in another. And Taymor's only other Broadway credit was "The Green Bird", which nobody really liked very much.

This article has nothing but good things to say about Spidey's prospects on Broadway, but even with this potentially potent team of Peter Parker interpreters, I am not at all optimistic. Supposedly the show is due in NY in 2009. So we'll just have to see. "To be continued..."

image: Amazon.com

Harry Potter and the Schlong of Broadway

Brett Singer — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, is coming to Broadway this September to star in "Equus." If you're not familiar with the play, it involves a boy, his therapist, and the horse that the boy is, um, sexually attracted to.

Plus, Daniel gets to show the world his birthday suit. Its Full Frontal Muggle, girls!

Now, will there be a massive public outcry, the way there was with Miley and her seemingly never-ending supply of vaguely suggestive photos?

Nah. This is "art." If Daniel were to be photographed nude in Hyde Park with his special someone, that would be one thing. But stripping down and showing the world "Harry Potter Jr." in a play is something else. It's not like he has a choice, the script actually calls for his character to take it all off. (Besides, we think it's time to lay off Miley, but that's a topic for another post.)

That said, it's entirely possible that some unsuspecting parents will bring their little ones to the theater and be shocked – shocked! – at what they see. When the play "Take Me Out" was on Broadway a few years ago, a woman brought a little league team to see what she thought was a pleasant little baseball play. When she arrived, one of the ushers tried to warn her that the play might not be what she thought it was. Pish-tosh, she scoffed. But when the shower scene started – featuring a row of naked Broadway actors soaping each other up – she charged out of the theater, team in tow, and demanded her money back.

"Avenue Q" has a disclaimer that tells people the show features 'full puppet nudity'; this is meant to discourage parents from bringing their Sesame Street-aged spawn to a show that features a song called 'The Internet is for Porn.'

Despite the fact that it should be obvious to anyone that "Equus" is not for kids, methinks the producers of the show may want to make an effort to educate Radcliffe's wizard loving public so as to avoid any unpleasantness. (Insert a really bad "wand" joke here.)

image: telegraph.co.uk

When The Little Mermaid Attacks

Brett Singer — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

An actor in the Broadway production of "A Little Mermaid" has asked for a court order to "preserve a 'certain show prop sailing ship'" from the show, according to the New York Times. Why? He was injured on stage and might be suing the Mouse House, so that piece of Disney stage magic could be evidence.

So what happened? Actor Adrian Bailey "fell through a trap door on the sailing ship and landed on the stage 30 to 40 feet below." Yow. His injuries? "Fractured wrists, a broken back, a shattered pelvis, a fractured sternum, several fractured ribs and a fractured foot."

It sounds like a freak accident, but a really, really bad one. Mr. Bailey has had four surgeries already.

Broadway musicals have become extremely complex technically. When "Lion King" first opened, a number of actors had back and neck problems stemming from the large, heavy, and, I must admit, very cool looking costumes. The union, Actors Equity, worked things out with Disney (I think on-staff massage therapists were involved) so that performance-related injuries were kept to a minimum. (Note: this is mostly conjecture, but it's conjecture based on what I recall happening at the time.)

Whenever I hear about something like this, I wonder if maybe the technical aspects of Broadway have started to overshadow the shows themselves. "Mermaid," despite lavish sets and costumes, received some pretty bad reviews. Ben Brantley of the Times said that the show "burdens its performers with ungainly guess-what-I-am costumes and a distracting set awash in pastels gone sour and unidentifiable giant tchotchkes that suggest a Luau Lounge whipped up by an acid-head heiress in the 1960s." Sometimes big is good – "Lion King" is a great example. But sometimes big is just… big. And while I realize this is probably just a freak accident, maybe it's time to re-consider this whole "more more more!" philosophy of Broadway shows.

image: NYTimes.com

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