Friday, January 29, 2016
MUSICAL NEWS for Friday January 29, 2016
Want to see inside the historic movie palaces in downtown LA for free? Head over to Broadway on Saturday, Jan. 30 for Bringing Back Broadway, a free event (5 – 11pm) led by Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar. It’s part of a revitalization plan for the Historic Broadway corridor meant to encourage historic preservation, provide economic development, and bring new life to historic theaters like the Million Dollar Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre, the Palace, the Orpheum, the Tower, the Globe, and the Theatre at Ace Hotel. Performances of all kinds will take place inside and outside on the street, with Broadway closed to traffic. Many area restaurants will also be offering discounts. For more information, go to http://nightonbroadway.la/.
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| Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Lin-Manuel Miranda in the original Broadway Cast of Hamilton. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus |
There has been a lot of exciting news from the Hollywood Pantages Theatre this week as they announce their 2016-17 season – mainly because the current darling of Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is coming (Aug. 11 – Dec. 20, 2017). The season opens with Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Nov. 1 – 27, 2016), followed by the Lincoln Center production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I (Dec.13, 2016 – Jan. 21, 2017), Finding Neverland (Feb. 21 – March 12, 2017), An American in Paris (March 22 – April 9, 2017), The Bodyguard starring Deborah Cox (May 2 – 21, 2017), and the return of The Book of Mormon (May 30 – July 9, 2017).
Up next for the Hollywood Pantages is Dirty Dancing, based on the classic movie starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, which runs Feb. 2 – 21. www.HollywoodPantages.com
Joe Schmoe Saves The World: Book, Music & Lyrics by Brett Rybeck
Set amidst the 2011 Arab Spring, the musical tells the parallel stories of an indie rock duo in America and a pair of Iranian students in Tehran. Raging against conformity, fear and the status quo, the two young women at the center risk everything in an attempt to change the world through their art (25 min). Tuesday, February 16 at 7:30pm.
Gold Mountain: Book, Music & Lyrics by Jason Ma
Set against the backdrop of a key moment in California and America’s history, the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, Gold Mountain celebrates the striving immigrant spirit, the redemptive power of love and the ultimate nobility of self-sacrifice (25 min). Tuesday, February 16 at 7:30pm.
Comic-Con the Musical: Book by Nicholas David Brandt, Music & Lyrics by Laura Watkins
The lives of three Comic-Con attendees change forever when a film icon pulls a ‘Willy Wonka’ and offers to make one special person’s dream come true. Of course, they also have to contend with an egotistical idea thief, a run on nachos, and oh yeah, actual aliens. What did you expect from Comic-Con the Musical? (25 min). Wednesday, February 17 at 7:30pm.
Legendale: Book & Lyrics by Jeff Bienstock, Music by Andrea Daly
Legendale is an original, contemporary comedy about the power of fantasy. Andy’s favorite way to escape his humdrum life is the online game “Legendale.” He dreams of victory in the game’s tournament, but is stuck competing as a lowly milkmaid. When the fantasy becomes real, Andy and his avatar must both discover their inner warrior. Legendale blends romance, adventure and virtual reality with a pop-infused score (25 min). Wednesday, February 17 at 7:30pm.
San Diego Musical Theatre is holding AEA and non-AEA auditions for 42nd Street directed by James Vasquez on March 6 & 7. All roles are open. For information and how to schedule an audition, go to www.sdmt.org/auditions. Show runs May 27 – June 12, 2016.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Review: EMPIRE THE MUSICAL Aims for the Sky
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| Kevin Earley (far left) and Stephanie Gibson (center) with the workers. All photos by Michael Lamont |
Empire the Musical has been knocking around in the wings ever since Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull began writing it in 1999. Its first fully-staged production took place at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood in 2003 and it has had periodic readings through the years in both Los Angeles and New York. Now the story of how the Empire State Building came to be is enjoying a lavish pre-Broadway run at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, produced in partnership with McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Sue Vaccaro, Ricky Stevens and The Rivet Gang.
A splashy 1920’s Charleston opening to “Heydey” sets the tone of director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s determinedly optimistic production as it follows the 14-month task of building the tallest skyscraper in New York. By taking the obligatory dance style of the period and reinventing its character with unique moves Dodge ratchets up the energy from the very beginning and then spins it to capture the fading spirit of the Great Depression.
Each subsequent number builds upon her vision in inventive ways, from highlighting the winking vaudevillian duo of ex-governor Al Smith (Michael McCormick) and financier John J. Raskob (Tony Sheldon) in “Moxie,” to showcasing can-do girl Frankie’s (Stephanie Gibson) secret to getting results in “Patch in Pittsburgh,” to featuring construction workers dancing up on steel beams to impress the ladies below in a muscularly athletic “Lunch Time” showstopper.
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| Kevin Early, Tony Sheldon, Michael McCormick and Stephanie Gibson |
Equally as impressive are the intimate moments such as Irish immigrants Ethan (Caleb Shaw) and Emily O’Dowd (Katharine McDonough) sharing a wistful vision of the future in “Castles in the Air” and architect Michael Shaw’s (Kevin Earley) idealistic ‘want’ song, “Man of Destiny.” Earley is an appealing leading man whose chemistry with Gibson is reminiscent of the old screwball comedies starring Gable and Lombard or Hepburn and Tracy. The rapid-fire repartee between this reluctant romantic pair speeds along in true 1930’s fashion even when the storytelling makes leaps that don’t always track.
Empire is an effervescent homage to a time when the girl Friday had gumption, the dreamers had vision, and everyone came together to make the impossible possible.
The crowning glory of the musical is, of course, the method by which the cast builds the building on stage. Co-projection designers Brad Peterson and David Gallo (who also designed the striking set) give life to the towering construction process, and New York itself, by using vintage black and white moving images that are both breathtaking and a marvel of shifting perspectives.
Computer-generated steel beams swing into place “pulled down” by flesh-and-blood workers while projected store fronts and brownstones become larger and smaller to accompany a virtual walk through the city. The technical effects are quite beautiful in the way they communicate the grittiness of the surroundings and the images are so convincing you feel you could reach out and touch them. As a living, breathing presence it is unparalleled in its scope.
Jared A. Sayeg’s lighting design adds to the brilliant three-dimensional illusion with hard edges, floating squares, and shadows that pop against the squared edges of Gallo’s platforms and decks.
But when the story’s focus switches from the building to Frankie getting fired after an accident on the construction site and a mysterious worker named Bill Johnson, we lose the momentum gained in the first half of the show and it never quite recovers its stride.
The hardships of the immigrants and Mohawk workers who gave their blood, sweat – and in some cases, their lives – to raise the iconic structure are lightly touched on but the full measure of danger is never really a tangible presence. More practical than poetic, they stand for the many that believed in a dream but needed the paycheck and were willing to put their lives at risk to earn a living in the dark days following the Depression. How much richer might Empire be if the underbelly of such a venture could be explored in greater detail? Then the contrast between its energetic ‘let’s raise the triumphant American spirit’ and the sobering reality of what it cost would give this story an even truer picture of the grit and guts that went into the making of a landmark.
One final musical note - La Mirada Theatre’s orchestra, led by music director Sariva Goetz, has never sounded better than they do here playing Michael Starobin’s cheeky arrangements. His charts are full of bright, jazz-infused novelty accents that lend a unique character to even the most contemporary pop songs in the show. You’ll hear a great mix of old and new, plus a few surprises if you keep your ear attuned.
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| Kevin Earley (center) and the company of Empire |
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| The company of Empire the Musical |
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| Kevin Earley,Tony Sheldon, Stephanie Gibson (center), Joe Hart, Michael McCormick and the company of EMPIRE. Photos by Michael Lamont |
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| Caleb Shaw and Katharine McDonough |
Jan 22 – Feb 14, 2016
La Mirada Theatre
14900 La Mirada Blvd.
La Mirada, CA 90638
Tickets: (562) 944-9801 or www.lamiradatheatre.com
Parking is free
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Labels: la mirada theatre
Monday, January 18, 2016
Review: MY SISTER - a Compelling Story Transfers to the Odyssey
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| Emily Hinkler and Elizabeth Hinkler Photos by Enci Box |
Janet Schlapkohl’s play with songs, My Sister, began as a vehicle for twin sisters Elizabeth and Emily Hinkler while they were attending the University of Iowa where Schlapkohl was an adjunct professor. Since then, it has received a number of developmental runs, most recently one that garnered it “The DUENDE Distinction” sponsored by The Vagrancy for “irrationality, earthiness, a heightened awareness of death, and a dash of the diabolical” at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Now it plays the Odyssey Theatre in what is being described as an expanded production directed by Ron Sossi and Paul David Story. Not having seen it at the fringe, I can’t speak to how the story has been expanded, other than to say it now runs 95 minutes without intermission, up from its original 65 minutes.
Adding half an hour’s worth of material is a significant leap in the way a play tells its story and it is a process that requires careful consideration. While My Sister certainly has merit, in this version it also suffers from redundancy.
It would seem to be a perfect scenario for two young women looking to spread their wings and make something of themselves in the world. But this is 1930’s Germany at the rise of Hitler’s Nazi party and a dangerous time to be different. As the chaos around them surges, it becomes more and more difficult to keep reality from knocking on their door.
A shadowy prologue reminiscent of Sondheim’s Follies sets up an intriguing air of mystery which pays off nicely in the epilogue but Magda’s club act can’t help but be compared to another musical theatre classic, Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret. This one is a pale imitation that feels forced, complete with a canned laugh track that blasts intrusively.
Remaining scenes all take place in the sisters’ apartment when Magda comes home to change clothes between jobs. She tells Matilde about hospital business, repeats her performance for her sister, and leaves for her next job. Tilde writes and listens to the radio. Outside the conflict escalates. Rinse, repeat.
By the time the crisis comes to a head, we know where the story is going. Unfortunately, its climactic moment happens off stage and, like almost everything else in the play, we are left to hear about it after the fact.
The addition of a threadbare set design by Pete Hickok adds authenticity to time and place as do fraying period costumes by Audrey Eisner. But taking the play out of a smaller fringe venue and putting it on a larger stage means the playwright must keep the story compelling, especially if she is adding 30 minutes of dialogue and action. At the moment, scenes are largely repetitive and the actors are working harder than they should to tell this story, which still feels like a senior class project.
Few moments are as poignantly effective as the one in which Emily silently exercises her sister’s atrophying muscles. The emotional core of the piece lies in their bond. And, while the real-life sisters share a bright future ahead, the play itself could look to its past for help in the editing department.
MY SISTER
January 16 - March 6, 2016
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025
Tickets: (310) 477-2055 x 2 or www.odysseytheatre.com
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Thursday, January 14, 2016
MUSICAL NEWS for Thursday, January 14, 2016
Check out all the latest Musical News in Southern California and get ready to see some great shows!
Doc and Stumpy present Banned In Burbank: Uncle Eddy’s Big Time Burlesque, an adult show with exotic dancers, musical acts and baggy pants comic routines Jan 29 & 30 at the Mayflower Club located at 11110 Victory Blvd. (near Vineland) in North Hollywood. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets and Info
The new musical comedy Freaky Friday, book by Bridget Carpenter (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (If/Then, Next to Normal), based on the novel Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers and the Walt Disney motion pictures, has been added to La Jolla Playhouse’s 2016-17 season. It will be directed by artistic director Christopher Ashley and will run January/February 2017. lajollaplayhouse.org
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Friday, January 8, 2016
Review: Gangsters, Guns, and BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
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| Jeff Brooks (center) and the men of Bullets Over Broadway All photos by Matthew Murphy |
Gangsters, gams, and Broadway dreams are the stuff Woody Allen hilariously spoofed in his 1994 film, Bullets Over Broadway, co-written with Douglas McGrath. Full of smart dialogue and zippy one-liners, it scored an Oscar for Dianne Wiest and proved that audiences will always be interested in the backstage antics of the biz, especially when given the Woody Allen treatment.
It would be another twenty years before Allen would adapt the film for Broadway and though it took its best shot on the Great White Way in 2014, it didn’t do particularly well, running for only five months before closing to mixed reviews.
Now the show is out on the road in a touring production that packs a three-way punch in its sit-down at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre – but not necessarily in the way one might hope.
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| The cast of Bullets Over Broadway |
Sporting Susan Stroman’s Tony Award-nominated choreography (recreated here by Clare Cook), William Ivey Long’s dazzling 1920’s costumes, and a standout performance by Jeff Brooks as thug-turned-dramaturg, Cheech, it does manage to deliver enough of a rousing good time to make it worth the trip. Where it falls short is in the inauthentic and completely over-the-top (not in a good way) campy performances by the majority of its cast.
Granted, that appears to be a directorial choice by Stroman – who also directed the show on Broadway and whose staging is recreated here by Jeff Whiting – however the stereotypes are so shallow that they end up off-putting rather than endearing.
Headstrong young playwright David Shayn (Michael Williams) finally gets his big break on Broadway but must immediately compromise his principles when the backer (Michael Corvino as Nick Valenti) insists that his talentless tart of a girlfriend (Jemma Jane as Olive) be cast. Since he also happens to be a member of the mob, Shayne has little choice but to go along.
Other than DeFlumeri and Brooks, the most engaging stage time belongs to the chorus who breeze through Stroman’s cheeky and delicious dance moves with enough brio to make this Broadway baby bearable. Even Brooks gets his turn on the dance floor with a muscular display of athletics with the men in “Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do” following a hit. Indeed, that number alone stopped the show on opening night accompanied by well-deserved thunderous applause.
It’s a shame too because with such a high level of pure, unadulterated joy in the musical’s dance numbers this show should have been a real winner.
Rather than write original songs for Bullets Over Broadway, Allen instead opted to use existing songs from the 1920s for his score with musical adaptation and additional parody lyrics by Glen Kelly. The fun is in seeing how Kelly tweaks them to connect moments in the story that result in some unexpected comic twists. “Up a Lazy River” and the aforementioned “Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do” pull the biggest laughs but there are others that run the gamut from charming to crazy to crass.
Go for the dancing, the costumes, and the thug and you won’t be disappointed. But whatever you do, steer clear of the canal.
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| The Red Caps |
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| Michael Williams and Hannah Rose DeFlumeri |
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| Kaylee Olson, Carissa Fiorillo and Elizabeth Dugas (The Atta- Girls) |
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| Jemma Jane (Olive Neal) and cast |
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
January 5 – 24, 2016
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets: 1-800-982-2787 or www.HollywoodPantages.com
Official show site: www.bulletsoverbroadwayontour.com
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Labels: hollywood pantages
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Louis and Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara Stars Discuss Bringing the Show Back to LA
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| Vanessa Claire Stewart and Anthony Crivello as Louis and Keely Photos by Eighty-Eight Entertainment |
Louis & Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara returns to the Geffen Playhouse this month in a revamped production produced by the award-winning Hershey Felder. Written by Vanessa Claire Stewart, Taylor Hackford and Jake Broder and directed by Taylor Hackford, it is the story of Louis Prima and Keely Smith whose larger-than-life marriage and groundbreaking Las Vegas act featured an amazing cavalcade of hits that would forever secure their place in American musical history.
The show stars Anthony Crivello, Tony Award-winner for his performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Ovation Award winner Vanessa Claire Stewart, who originated the role of Keely Smith. This is part of a new national tour based on the recent hit Chicago production featuring Crivello and Stewart. It originated here in LA and it was terrific the first time around where I saw it in the Geffen’s Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. Now it will play the main stage at the Geffen through January 17 before continuing on to the Laguna Playhouse where it will open February 24.
I asked Stewart and Crivello about the show’s return and what we can expect to see this time around. From the sound of it, the energy is higher than ever and should make for one great night out.
Vanessa, as a writer, how has the show changed since it was first seen at the Geffen?
Since the Geffen, the show has grown in many ways! We really wanted Louis and Keely to “live” at the Sahara, so we put more of their personal moments on stage. We really tried to bring more of the act into the storytelling by adding more of their comedic bits and three additional new songs.
The point of view of the piece has changed quite a bit as we needed the piece to fill a bigger space. When we were previously at the Geffen, the space was more intimate (135 seats). We learned in Chicago that the story had to be told in a different way because the space had expanded. We also added an intermission, which helps our patrons. I’m really looking forward to seeing what people think.
Has your performance of Keely developed in any surprising ways?
A lot has happened since our initial run here! I got married and had a baby! So the push and pull that Keely experiences balancing family and work really tugs at me now in a way that it didn’t before. Also, I feel that my voice has grown a lot since my initial run here. While we were on hiatus, I wanted to grow as a musician so I did a few gigs around town as a jazz vocalist to really understand that side of things. It was a great learning experience for me.
Script wise, we really tried to develop the love story even more and make Keely more assertive than she was before. I’m enjoying her strength in this one. I’ve found that as I’ve grown up, so has the character.
Louis Prima is indeed a challenging role – both physically and emotionally. 118 pages of text and song to portray Louis is a challenge in and of itself: massive research, reading biographies, studying video of their act, watching documentary…it’s all part of the building process. Mr. Prima’s larger than life personality demands 110%. To give the subject matter his full due, there is no other way.
Our director Taylor Hackford and our choreographer Vernel Bagneris have paid acute attention to the movement, the style, ‘the delivery’ of Louis Prima and Keely Smith. The show has the indelible earmarks of a Hershey Felder Presents production in its classy presentation.
And the piece is constructed in such a wonderful way to replicate their energy and charisma, as well as Louis and Keely’s humor. Not as an impersonation but rather, to recreate the essence, the sound, the humor, the inspired madness, the human vulnerability, and the flaws.
The Pygmalion story of mentor and pupil, and the love story between Louis and Keely is wonderful fodder for an actor. Add to that our kick-ass band, and “Lazzes Les Bon Temps Rouler” is the appropriate axiom for this play/musical.
It sounds like you’re having a blast.
To sing these unforgettable songs: “Just a Gigalo,” “Pennies from Heaven,” “Hey Boy, Hey Girl,” “That Old Black Magic,” “My Sweet Embraceable You,” “Angelina, Zooma-Zooma”... what more can an actor/singer/comic ask for? We can hear the audiences singing along. We see their smiles and hear their laughter. We see their tears. That is gold.
Most importantly, there is exhilaration in interacting with the audience. Breaking the ‘fourth wall’ to create a night club atmosphere, to improvise and play the crowd nightly, is such fun. There is spontaneity that Vanessa and I share with them each performance. I believe that is the most rewarding part for us both.
The joy of portraying these legends of Las Vegas, these giants of the music and entertainment industry – it’s a delight. And to be able to introduce Louis Prima (and Keely Smith) to a new generation ... to bring them to ‘life’ ... is a benchmark in my career as an actor... and an unmitigated, gratifying ‘romp.’
Hershey Felder Presents Taylor Hackford’s
LOUIS & KEELY: ‘LIVE’ AT THE SAHARA
Written by Vanessa Claire Stewart, Taylor Hackford and Jake Broder
Directed by Taylor Hackford
Now through January 17, 2016
Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Tickets: www.geffenplayhouse.com or (310) 208-5454.
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Labels: geffen playhouse