Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Jun 27: June Showcase

A new month, another time for a showcase of actor/singers born in the month of June, just an excuse to pause and get to know some stage and screen performers of the past and present.

Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy - Will You Remember? (Maytime), Romantic Duets from MGM Classics
- Indian Love Call, Star Spangled Rhythm [Smithsonian] Disc 2
I was surprised to see that they were born within days of each other in 1901. They certainly blended nicely in the movies.
Robert Preston - I Love My Wife and Father of the Bride, I Do! I Do!
Judy Garland - Get Happy [From Summer Stock], Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals Disc 2
- I Got Rhythm, Girl Crazy
Lena Horne - The Lady Is a Tramp [From Words and Music], Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals Disc 2
Judy Holliday - The Party's Over (Bells Are Ringing), Ultimate Broadway Disc 1
Joanna Gleason - Moments in the Woods, Into the Woods
Jonathan Pryce - The American Dream, Miss Saigon [Original London Cast] Disc 2
- I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face [From My Fair Lady], Hey Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh
Colm Wilkinson - And the Money Kept Rolling (In and Out), Evita [Original Studio Cast]
- Bring Him Home [From Les Miserables], Hey Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh
Michael Ball - Losing My Mind [Follies], Hey Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh

Jun 20: Movicals

A Little Night Music - Every Day a Little Death , Patricia Elliott, Victoria Mallory That's Entertainment
La Cage aux Folles - Masculinity , Jerry Herman RCA
Grey Gardens: A New Musical - The Revoluitonary Costume For Today , Christine Ebersole PS Classics
Meet Me in St. Louis - The Boy Next Door , Judy Garland Rhino
Meet Me in St. Louis [Original Broadway Cast] - The Boy Next Door , Donna Kane DRG
Gigi - I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore (Gigi film then stage) , Maurice Chevalier Rhino
Gigi [Original Cast] - I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore (Reprise) , Alfred Drake RCA
High Society [Original Broadway Cast] - True Love , Tracy/Dexter DRG
The Wizard of Oz [Showtime London Cast] - The Merry Old Land of Oz , David Glover/Gillian Bevan/Paul Greenwood/Simon Green/Trevor Peacock Madacy
Thoroughly Modern Millie - Forget About the Boy , Sutton Foster RCA Victor Broadway
Victor/Victoria [Original Cast] - Crazy World , Julie Andrews PolyGram
Monty Python's Spamalot - Knights Of The Round Table edit , Cast Decca Broadway
Little Shop of Horrors [2003 Cast] - Suddenly Seymour , Hunter Foster/Kerry Butler/Trisha Jeffrey DRG
The Full Monty [Original Broadway Cast] - Scrap , Jason Danieley/John Conlee/Kimberly Grigsby/Patrick Wilson/Romain Frugé/Ted Sper RCA
The Producers - I Wanna Be A Producer , Matthew Broderick Sony Classical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - What Was a Woman to Do , Joanna Gleason Ghostlight

Saturday, June 23, 2007

EXCELLENT showing by Assassins crew

Thanks to Kathy Nickerson for giving me a phone call about the final AACTFest '07 results. The Spokane Civic Theatre entry, Assassins by Stephen Sondheim, came in second from the 12 national-ranking shows. It was stiff competition, according to some other visitors who have been there the entire week.

Patrick McHenry-Kroetch won Best Actor award for portraying John Wilkes Booth.
George Green won Best Supporting Actor for portraying Lee Harvey Oswald.
Marianne McLaughlin won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sara Jane Moore
The production also won Best Makeup and Hair - not really surprising seeing as how director Troy Nickerson is a hairdresser, but since there were no special makeup or hair effects, makes you wonder what the other hair and makeup looked like.
The back-stage crew also won the "the most professional" award.

One nice thing about being first in line is that the local newspaper, the Charlotte Observer, gave Assassins a beautiful pictorial display. Beautiful images of a disturbingly thought-provoking show. Congratulations to the entire group.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Jun 13: 2007 Tony Awards

Sunday night, the theater world watched the Tony Awards (some even giving up the final episode of the Sopranos in favor of the award ceremony!) Thanks to some record companies and speedy shipping by Amazon, we have a pretty good representation of the winners, nominees, and should-have-been-nominated.

BEST MUSICAL
Curtains
Grey Gardens
Mary Poppins - London cast available only
Spring Awakening

We heard a little of Spring Awakening in early May during the "Rock Musicals" show. Sure enough, the Off-Broadway transfer took several awards: best musical, score, book of a musical (Steven Sater), director of a musical (Michael Mayer), featured actor of a musical (John Gallagher Junior), lighting design of a musical (Kevin Adams), choreography (Bill T Jones), and orchestrations (Duncan Sheik).

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
The Apple Tree - new recording unavailable. OBC
A Chorus Line
Company
110 in the Shade - CD available June 10, 2007 from PS Classics

Company had so much going for it, including director John Doyle's instruments-as-actors approach that worked so well in last season's Sweeney Todd.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik (no recording plans announced)
Raúl Esparza, Company
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains (The Detective)

A bit of an upset - Raúl Esparza's Bobby holds Company together. Perhaps it was an apology for not giving Hyde Pierce a nomination for Spamalot? I have to admit he is SO fun to watch onstage.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde The Musical (available from Ghostlight July 17)
Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Debra Monk, Curtains
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik (no recording plans announced)

(I'm still surprised that Kristin Chenoweth isn't listed here)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Brooks Ashmanskas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde The Musical
John Cullum, 110 in the Shade
John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening
David Pittu, LoveMusik

AKA "The one with the hair," Gallagher Jr. is one of the youngest actors to receive a Tony. (I believe the youngest is still Daisy Egan for Secret Garden. She was adorable...)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Charlotte d’Amboise, A Chorus Line
Rebecca Luker, Mary Poppins
Orfeh, Legally Blonde The Musical
Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens
Karen Ziemba, Curtains

I wonder what Jackie Kennedy would have thought of this portrayal of her cousin and aunt....

Jun 6: Sherman Brothers

I know I advertised this as the Jun 13 episode, but illness plus CD unavailability for some Tony shows made me flip-flop these. There are more Sherman Brothers materials I'm working to get, so don't be surprised to hear another episode of Rodger and Richard before long.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews
Substitutiary Locomotion - Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Angela Lansbury
Fundamental Friendapendability - Snoopy Come Home
Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce - The Tigger Movie, Jim Cummings
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Van Dyke
Tall Paul - pop song, Annette Funicello
Let's Get Together - The Parent Trap, Hayley Mills
The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers - The Tigger Movie, Jim Cummings
The Aristocrats, Maurice Chevalier
The Ugly Bug Ball - Summer Magic, Burl Ives
On the Front Porch - Summer Magic
Best of Buddies - Snoopy Come Home
Doll on a Music Box-Truly Scrumtious (Reprise) - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, London Cast
Do You Remember Me - Snoopy Come Home
Hushabye Mountain - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, London Cast (Michael Ball)
Feed the Birds - Mary Poppins, London Cast
Don't Shoot the Hooey to Me, Louie - Over Here!, Samuel E. Wright
The Good-Time Girl - Over Here!, Patty Andrews
Makin' Memories - Disneyland Chorus