May 2: Rock Musicals

I loved Verne Windham's comment about today's show: "Janean's playing Rock Musicals - take it as a warning or as an invitation." Hope you enjoyed a different taste of music the stage has to offer.

Hair - "Ain't Got No" and "Aquarius," Original Cast
Two Gentlemen of Verona - "Summer Summer," Original Cast
Tommy - "Pinball Wizard," Original Cast
Jesus Christ Superstar - title track, Murray Head
Rocky Horror Show - "Time Warp," Original Cast
The Wiz - "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News"
Evita - "The Lady's Got Potential," Colm Wilkinson (YES, as in Jean Valjean! He's credited as "CT Wilkinson")
Rent - "What You Own"
Spring Awakening - "Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind"
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - "Tear Me Down," "Wicked Little Town (Reprise)"

Drama Desk Awards

Drama Desk Award nominations were announced this morning. It's not "The Tonys^®" and it's not such an exclusive club, either. The Drama Desk panel covers Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and legitimate not-for-profit theatres in all the NYC area. The nominations are a nice review of what was notable in the past year.

The winners are announced May 20 at their gala ceremony, hosted this year by one of my favorite performers, Kristin Chenoweth. They'll webcast live on TheaterMania.com. The NYC PBS station WNET plans to tape the show and offer it to PBS stations for subsequent airing. (No clue if any of the Inland Northwest stations plan to air it, I ask them PLEASE to do so.)

The hot talk of the nominations is LoveMusik, a musical using songs by Kurt Weill. It's based on the "unlikely" love between the brilliant German composer and the street girl who became his muse and star, Lotte Lenya. Michael Cerveris plays Weill, Donna Murphy portrays Lenya. It received 12 nominations, and it hasn't even officially opened yet (it's in previews now, opening is May 3).

Kander & Ebb's Curtains, the latest screen-t0-stage transfer Legally Blonde, and the sexy Spring Awakening all received 10 nominations.

Speaking of Kander & Ebb, the longtime partnership (continuing posthumously with Curtains, with Fred Ebb's death in 2004) is being recognized with a special achievement award.

And a neat note for public radio fans: the Capitol Steps earned a nominee in "Best Lyrics" category. If you haven't listened to their political satire and parodies during their four specials airing on KPBX, KSFC, and other public radio stations, check out their clever wordplay at capsteps.com.

The musical-related nominees are:

Outstanding Musical:
Curtains - Broadway, the murder-mystery-comedy play within a musical
In the Heights - Off-Broadway debut of a 27-year-old Dominican/Cuban composer mixing salsa, meringue, hip-hop and other musical styles with traditional Broadway fare.
Legally Blonde -
LoveMusik
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:
110 in the Shade
The Apple Tree
Company
Di Yam Gazlonim!
H.M.S. Pinafore
Les Miserables

Outstanding Actor in a Musical:
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raul Esparza, Company
John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains
Martin Short, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Outstanding Actress in a Musical:
Ashley Brown, Mary Poppins
Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde
Kristin Chenoweth, The Apple Tree
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Lea Michele, Spring Awakening
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:
Brooks Ashmankas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde
Aaron Lazar, Les Miserables
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Orville Mendoza, Adrift in Macao
David Pittu, LoveMusik

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical:
Linda Balgord, The Pirate Queen
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Les Miserables
Debra Monk, Curtains
Orfeh, Legally Blonde
Barbara Walsh, Company
Karen Ziemba, Curtains

Outstanding Director of a Musical:
John Doyle, Company
Thomas Kail, In the Heights
Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde
Harold Prince, LoveMusik
Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! The Musical!

Outstanding Choreography:
Patricia Birch, LoveMusik
Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Matthew Bourne, Edward Scissorhands
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins
Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde

Outstanding Music:
John Kander, Curtains
Paul Leschen, Twist: Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?
Peter Melnick, Adrift in Macao
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening

Outstanding Lyrics:
Fred Ebb with added lyrics by John Kander and Rupert Holmes, Curtains
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton, Capitol Steps
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Grey Gardens, a contender for this year's Tony's, is not eligible for the Drama Desk because it transfered from an off-Broadway theater (it was eligible last year and won Best Actress for Christine Ebersole).

Apr 25: Public Radio means Pledge Drives

Twice a year, I go on the air to earn my paycheck. Actually, I don't really get paid anything for doing Matinee, it's mostly a volunteer effort put together between my other 'roles' of marketing, program guide, web site, graphics, event support, etc. Most of the KPBX/KSFC staff members wear multiple hats. But I digress.

Twice a year, I go on the air and ask for donations to support our public radio habit. Wednesday, April 25 was the final day of the Spring '07 Pledge Drive, and the day for Matinee to earn its keep on the airwaves. Thanks to the callers and online pledgers who helped get the beg-a-thon over with!

And congratulations to the listener who won tickets to the season's shows at the Cd'A Summer Theatre. All callers/epledgers from 11-12 were entered into the drawing for tix to Kiss Me Kate, The Full Monty, Putting It Together, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. To give people a reason to pledge, I chose a collection of songs from those shows. The full playlist:

Another Op'nin', Another Show - Kiss Me Kate (1999 Revival)
Buddy's Blues (Bronson Pinchot) - Putting It Together
More (Ruthie Henshall) - Putting It Together
Gimme Gimme (Sutton Foster) - Thoroughly Modern Millie
How The Other Half Lives (Angela Christian, Sutton Foster) - Thoroughly Modern Millie
You Walk With Me (Jason Danieley, Ted Sperling) - The Full Monty
Life With Harold (Emily Skinner) - The Full Monty
Too Darn Hot (Eddie Sledge, Fred Davis, Lorenzo Fuller) - Kiss Me Kate
Wunderbar (Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie) - Kiss Me Kate (1999 Revival)

By the way, at the end of Wednesday we also gave away a package of tickets donated by Spokane Civic Theatre, Lake City Playhouse, and the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre season. Thanks to all of them for showing their support for Spokane Public Radio.

Hedwig to happen at Bayou

So you think Hedwig is the name of Harry Potter's owl? Then this show might not be for you (at least, it's not for the child in you).

This Hedwig is a transgender punk rock singer created by John Cameron Mitchell. The 'rock concert' is actually "an adult, thought-provoking musical about the quest for individuality," as a NY Times reviewer put it. The movie based on the stage show has a cult following, but it's great to have that heart-pounding beat live in person.

We're getting the chance. Tessa Gregory of e.v.e. productions plans to launch a Spokane production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Spokane during Pride Week. Performances are Friday June 8 at 8 p.m., Saturday June 9 at 8 p.m., and Sunday June 10 at 4 p.m. It'll be at the Ignite space, the former Fat Tuesdays/Bayou Brewery at Hamilton and Trent. Tickets are $15, proceeds benefit the LGBT Center (formerly the Rainbow Regional Community Center). More at this website.

Apr 18: April Actor's Showcase

Today we look through the list of actor/singers born in the month of April, just an excuse to pause and get to know some stage and screen performers of the past and present.

Vivianne Segal: Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered, Pal Joey revival
Howard Keel: Where's The Mate For Me? (Gambler's Song), Show Boat
Paul Robeson: I Still Suits Me (1947 recording), Show Boat
Barbra Streisand: Miss Marmelstein, I Can Get It For You Wholesale
Shirley MacLaine: I'm a Person Too (Some Came Running), Shirley MacLaine In Concert
Carol Burnett: Shy, Once Upon A Mattress
Carol Burnett: Nobody, Carol Burnett Sings
Joel Gray: Mister Cellophane, Chicago Revival
Liz Callaway: Meadowlark (The Baker's Wife), The Story Goes On
Patti LuPone: Where is the Warmth, The Baker's Wife
John Cameron Mitchell: Winter's On the Wing, The Secret Garden
John Cameron Mitchell: Wig in a Box, Hedwig And The Angry Inch
Tim Curry: I'm All Alone, Spamalot

Okay, why didn't I pair John Cameron Mitchell "Hedwig" with Tim Curry "Rocky Horror?" Main reason is that I'm saving it for two weeks from now, when I do rock musicals.

Something I didn't have time to point out - I paired Mister Cellophane with Nobody purposefully. The song intent is the same, and Bob Fosse staged Cellophane just like Burt Williams would have sung Nobody. Williams was a black man singing in blackface, with the traditional white gloves and black hat. During Cellophane, Amos pulls out a hat and puts on the gloves, and does the swaying that Williams would have done. Subtle, but appreciated. (Someday I'll have to compare early vaudeville with more modern tributes.)

Rare chance to see Lonely Planet, more Assassins fundraisers

The road to national competition is paved with some excellent theater opportunities. Civic and the cast of Assassins is raising money to get to the national festival -- like the World Series of Community Theater. It's not cheap to take a dozen people to Charlotte, NC. The cast and crew of Assassins is multi-talented, and they're combining their efforts to put on some impressive fund raisers.

As mentioned before, Assassins will play on the Civic Main Stage on April 28.

On May 9 and 13, Lonely Planet returns to the Studio Theater, at least in Readers Theater form. Troy Nickerson and Thomas Heppler took this poignant, beautiful show to nationals in '99 and practically swept all the awards -- for good reason. They also SHARED the "best actor" prize -- they're the only two performers in this piece. Reader's Theater means they use their scripts and no set, but I hope they manage to use the one set of props that adds a heart-wrenching visualization of current events. (What, you think I'm gonna spill and spoil it for you?)

On June 3, Abbey Crawford will perform her cabaret "Food, Glorious Food" at the Studio Theater TWICE -- early show at 7:30, late show at 9:30. Abbey was invited into the Cabaret Conference At Yale and performs around the area when possible (she's now half of the morning team at KXLY FM)

Tickets to any of these performances are available at Civic, 328-2507. Again, all proceeds go to taking Assassins to competition. By the way, Civic would also appreciate any donations to help raise competition funds, including donations of Airline Miles. IF you can help, contact Yvonne at 325-1413.

Apr 11: Record Breakers

The Cats tour coming to town is still advertising itself as "the longest-running musical." That is wrong on a few different counts. It was the longest-running show on Broadway and the West End until a little more than a year ago. And the longest-running musical period was Off-Broadway. So what ARE the record-breakers of the past?

This was one of those shows that was just hard to get off the ground. Information has been muddled through well-meaning but mistaken promotional people for so long that the only way to confirm the early record-holders was comparing dates and performance numbers on Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com). The results were a little surprising. Each of these shows was knocked off by the next show, EXCEPT for the ones marked Off Broadway and Les Miz -- that's London's top spot.

Alice Blue Gown (Irene) - Edith Day, Smithsonian American Musical Theater V1
Oklahoma - Oklahoma OBC
Wouldn't It Be Loverly - Julie Andrews, My Fair Lady
Pirate Jenny - Lotte Lenya, Threepenny Opera (Off Broadway)
I Put My Hand In - Carol Channing, Hello, Dolly!
Matchmaker - Fiddler On The Roof
Those Magic Changes - Grease
Hello 12 Hello 13 Hello Love (radio edit) - A Chorus Line
Stop Cats! A Chorus Cat - Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back (longest revue)
Gus: The Theatre Cat - Cats (Broadway)
The Music of the Night - Michael Crawford, The Phantom of the Opera
Do You Hear The People Sing? - Les Miserables Original London Cast
Much More - Rita Gardner, The Fantasticks [1960 Original Off-Broadway Cast]

I couldn't fit in Chicago, the longest-running revival.

I am VERY sorry about the technical difficulties today. After realizing I only had the GERMAN version of Pirate Jenny, so I purchased Lotte Lenya's English performance off of one of those on-line music services. That was a mistake -- the skipping and were terrible. And to think I paid almost a buck for that.... I also had popping and digital skips while recording the comments, and in re-recording two of the personal commentaries messed up.... Hope you enjoyed what you were able to hear anyway.

By the way, I'm also on a personal hunt for the CD of Threepenny. I had a tape of the album back in '93 when I was Lucy Brown, and I really want to share more of those songs with you.

Musical Variety

I've been participating in an online bulletin board for people interested in the Public Radio Talent Contest (more on that soon). I posed the question, what musicals do the other participants like? It's not my usual theatrical audience, so I was curious what others producing radio like.

I've gotten three answers: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Les Miserables, and Disney Musicals (particularly Aladdin).

Now this is diversity. The squeaky-clean Disney universe, the most-loved long-running musical, and a fascinating rock show about a punk singer with a botched sex-change operation.

Hedwig: Rocky Horror move over. Hedwig is another obscure off-Broadway rock musical show turned into a movie (with a cult following), but what music! I'm not a "punk" or hard-rock kind of person because I don't like overamped distortion and I want to know what the lyrics are. Hedwig gives me a melody I can hang on to, a surfboard on the ocean of pounding instruments. It's a wild ride I love. I really like Wig In a Box, it's the same concept as 'A Little More Mascara' from "La Cage" with great music. (Ever heard songs from the stage show Secret Garden? Sweet nature-boy Dickon is the same man behind Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell. That blows my mind.)

Les Miserables: "Do you hear the people sing, singing the hit shows from Les Mis? Even the great Andrew Lloyd Webber wished the songs were really his" (parody from Forbidden Broadway) Even after 22 years of saturating the world with its pathos and passion, still one of the best-loved shows, for good reason. High drama, noble characters despite their social status (except the comic relief of the Thernardiers). I like the latter recordings, particularly the 10th Anniversary concert, because of the full orchestration. The original synthesizers in 1985 are too tinny for my liking.
Truly it's the most religious musical: heartfelt prayers to God, actions done in religious fervor, and philosophy ("to love another person is to see the face of God"). God is practically a character. Superstar and Godspell are about Jesus, but one is about the man, the other about his teachings, not nearly to the level Les Mis gets at.

Disney Musicals: I love Disney musicals too. I like feeling like a kid, but some of the songs have such sophistication I don't feel guilty.
The Sherman Brothers should be household names. So many of the classic Disney songs were written by Robert and Richard, their songs certainly contributed to the Golden Age of Disney (Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh to name a couple). I'll do a show on the Sherman Brothers before long, with stuff that will really surprise you.
When Little Mermaid came around, Disney was smart enough to look at Broadway for musical inspiration. Two guys with a funny take on the old B-movie "Little Shop of Horrors" were hired to give the Mermaid voice. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman went on to the outstanding Beauty and the Beast, and began work on Aladdin. When lyricist Ashman died, they brought in Tim Rice, lyricist for Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Joseph ... Dreamcoat, and Chess. He and Elton John also went on to do The Lion King and the Disney-produced stage show Aida.
The prominent Disney songwriting team these days is Alan Menken and lyricist/composer Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked). The two started with Pocahontas, then Hunchback, and Enchanted (due this summer). He also wrote "Geppetto," a 2000 Disney Channel movie on Pinocchio. That's now a stage show called "Geppetto and Son," incorporating the classic songs from Pinocchio. Can't wait to take my kid to that one!

This is an example of three different genres in the musical theater catalog. New romantic favorites, classic family fare, and the rock musical. None are played on commercial radio. That kind of a mix wouldn't even be on satellite radio or the internet 'stations' that are in danger of being priced out of existence. But you CAN hear it with public radio. Thanks for listening and supporting our endeavors.

Attend the tale of AACT's musicals

The productions that are chosen to go to the national AACT competition are usually plays, not musicals. One exception to this was "Pinocchio," a children's musical from Spokane Children's Theatre.

Region IX is represented in AACT Fest '07 by Civic's Assassins, as reported earlier. The only other musical in the competition is from Region IV. The Manatee Players of Bradenton, Florida present a scaled-down Sweeney Todd.

That's right, the only two musicals in competition are both dark Sondheim musicals about murders.

One more Assassins performance Apr. 28

Spokane Civic Theatre's production of Assassins received the “Best in Region” award at the 2007 Kaleidoscope Regional Community Theatre Festival at the end of March. It now moves on to Charlotte, NC in mid-June to compete in the national competition.

The production was sold out in the small Studio Theatre, so the Civic is giving audiences one more opportunity to see it, this time in the larger Main Stage. The special performance takes place Saturday, April 28 at 8 p.m. The proceeds benefit the traveling competition production.

Assassins received the “Best in Region” award at the Region IX AACT/Fest 2007 in Tacoma, WA on Saturday, March 31. Performers George Green (Lee Harvey Oswald) and Patrick McHenry-Kroetch (John Wilkes Booth) also received recognition at the festival for individual performance awards as part of Region IX’s “All Star Cast.”

Spokane Civic Theatre previously won the “Best in State” award at the Washington State Festival, Kaleidoscope 2007, in Walla Walla, WA, on Sunday, March 11, which solidified its advancement to the regional competition. By securing the “Best in Region” award in Tacoma, Assassins will now advance to the national competition.

In the past, Spokane Civic Theatre’s involvement in AACT led to its “Best in Nation” titles for the productions of Lonely Planet (1999) and Getting Out (1989). Spokane Civic Theatre is the only community theatre in the country to place “Best in Nation” twice.

Bernadette Peters in Spokane Oct. 13

Big news from the Spokane Symphony this morning, unveiling their 2007-08 season. The headliner for the SuperPops series is a super celebrity -- two-time Tony award-winner Bernadette Peters performs her concert Oct. 13, 8 p.m., at the INB Center.

Annie Matlow, head of marketing for the Symphony, was in the building this morning talking with Verne Windham about the season of concerts and the move from the INB to the newly-remodeled Fox Theater this November. Season subscriptions go on sale today.

Other concerts of interest to Broadway lovers:
Three Mo' Tenors (Feb. 2 '08): The showcase of African-American tenors and eight different musical styles, including classical opera, blues, gospel, and showtunes. A CD of some concert selections includes "Make Them Hear You," from Ragtime, and Sondheim's "Being Alive." Several other songs appeared on Broadway through musical revues of popular blues and jazz, including the title to Five Guys Named Moe (slightly reworked to fit the Mo' theme of the evening) and Let the Good Times Roll. By the way, there are two "equally outstanding casts" rotating through the schedule, hence the lack of faces on the advertisements.

Tonight -- Bernstein's Broadway (May 10 '08): The Spokane Symphony has been using guest vocalists to showcase the music of particular composers; two seasons ago it was Gershwin, this spring it was Andrew Lloyd Webber. They continue the new tradition with "popular scenes and songs" from Bernstein's "Greatest Hits." Hey Morihiko: how about some of his lovely non-hits, like 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and his version of Peter Pan?

The big deal for showtune fans, though, is the Bernadette concert for Oct. 13. According to reports from Playbill.com, her concerts include Peters' renditions of two Gypsy tunes, "Let Me Entertain You" and "Rose's Turn," as well as songs by Stephen Sondheim ("Children Will Listen" and "Not a Day Goes By"), Rodgers and Hammerstein ("Some Enchanted Evening") and Jerry Herman ("Time Heals Everything"). Concertgoers can also expect tunes by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Irving Berlin as well as the Peggy Lee classic "Fever." Peters was in the Northwest around Valentine's Day, performing in Southern Oregon. A review of that concert is online.

The bottom line: Individual tickets go on sale this August, no word on what the individual price will be. Based on the difference between the Headliner Series (6 concerts) and the SuperPops Series (5 concerts) looks like the four prices will be $50, $40, $30, and $25. There are several combinations available, if classical music or the other pops series interest you.

Custom song edits on Matinee

Today's show on lyricist Yip Harburg includes a special edit combining the "If I Only Had A..." songs of the Wizard of Oz. As fans of the movie recall, Dorothy comes across her Oz friends one at a time on the Yellow Brick Road, and each is introduced with their own verse, followed by a dancing segment and the theme, "We're off to see the wizard...." While the music is charming, the point of the Matinee show was to feature Harburg's words. A few minutes with a digital editing program, and we get a three-and-a-half minute piece with the classic lyrics.

This happens more frequently than I let on, to be completely honest. Even in the Jitterbug, the an outtake from the Wizard of Oz, the dance sequence goes on a very long time. It's fun to listen to the whole thing occasionally, but not on the radio when I want to get on to the next song. Mark the start and end of the cut, hit delete, and we have a new version of the song.

It's also necessary to make some changes to songs that contain certain language. The rules aren't mine, but technically the airwaves aren't mine either. Swear words have a shock effect, and are appropriate at times on the stage, but not on the radio. Most importantly, the fines are retroactive -- IF we get a valid complaint, THEN we are fined by the F.C.C. There are also no clear guidelines as to what is and is not allowed on the air. Without the legal means to appeal a fine, or the finances to pay the hefty fines, we are forced to censor ourselves, and err on the side of caution. When there is a song worth sharing but it contains objectionable language, I'm forced to cut out the word(s) and insert silence there. I didn't have to do that in today's show, but I have several examples from previous shows.

Incidentally, I do not have the rights to distribute my own special edits of songs in any way except by playing them occasionally on the radio. If you have heard something that's not available on a CD and would like to hear it again, feel free to post a comment on the blog here. Thanks for listening!

Apr 4: Yip Harburg

A dozen or so years ago, the Lake City Playhouse in Coeur d'Alene had a summer season. One of the shows performed was The Big Broadcast, a show featuring songs and skits from the golden age of radio. I was lucky enough to be in the ensemble cast, going through American history as it was told to families gathered around their large living room radio set. At one point we danced on the stage singing "The Best Things In Life Are Free," then as we faded the chorus, I sat down quietly in a rocking chair and started in on, "Once I built a railroad, made it run, made it race against time. Once I built a railroad, now it's done... Buddy, can you spare a dime?" It was one of the most moving songs in the entire show, all because of Yip Harburg's vivid imagery. He tapped into the hidden American psyche of the time, yet created a timeless call to social justice. This song has been recorded by everyone from Spokane son Bing Crosby to pop icon Barbra Streisand, and it's still used to give voice to the voiceless. Yip Harburg's work is example that it IS possible to create entertainment while staying true to one's beliefs and sending a message.

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? sung by the lyricist
April in Paris (from Walk a Little Faster) - Dawn Upshaw Sings Vernon Duke
Fun To Be Fooled - Bea Arthur On Broadway: Just Between Friends
You're A Builder Upper - Ethel Merman, You're The Top
Only a Paper Moon - Cliff Edwards
I Love To Sing-A (from The Singing Kid) - Al Jolson At Warner Bros. 1926-1936
Down With Love - Audra McDonald on The Leading Ladies
Over The Rainbow - RSC Stage production of The Wizard Of OZ
If I Only Had A Brain, Heart, the Nerve/Off to See the Wizard - special edit compiled from The Wizard Of OZ film soundtrack
The Jitterbug (cut from the film) - The Wizard Of OZ
Ain' It The Truth (outtake) - Louis Armstrong, Cabin in the Sky
The Eagle And Me - Dooley Wilson, Bloomer Girl
When The Idle Poor Become The Idle Rich - Melissa Errico, Finian's Rainbow (Irish Repertory 2004)
Here's to Your Illusions - Barbara Cook, Flahooley
Little Drops Of Rain (Gay Purr-ee) - Judy Garland In Hollywood: Her Greatest Movie Hits
Look To The Rainbow - Melissa Errico, Finian's Rainbow (Irish Repertory 2004)

Aida

Elton John's musical began its Spokane stop last night at the INB Center. Aida's production values are great -- a mature cast with strong singing, acting and dancing, fabulous set and stage lighting.

Amneris must be a fun character to play, with elements of Julie Brown's song "I'm A Blonde." Not quite a ditz, but certainly choosing to not be cerebral, her stereotypical growth through the show was nicely played. Aida was just as stereotypically strong, but a few nuances here and there. Both actresses have nice singing voices, and carried their solos and group numbers well. Ramades, well, he was the love interest baring his soul, and his chest, frequently. His acting was a little overwrought for me, and he's got the rock singing style down... which means I could barely understand him.

That's not really his fault. The lyrics almost always get lost in a rock style. Wailing, whining, scooping, slurring, it's all part of the music. It's hard to understand on the cast albums, too. For example, "Fortune Favors the Brave" becomes "farton fayva duh baaaaaaaay." Considering how many times that refrain is sung at the beginning, it's a good thing that it's printed in the program. The staging of course makes the song's intent pretty obvious, but as a wordsmith I love the nuances of lyrics; ya don't get that with Aida, even though Tim Rice ("Sir Tim to you") is pretty clever with a phrase.

And I admit, I'm not a fan of the script. I don't know much about the plot twists in the opera, or how they're presented, but having major plot elements spin on a dime based on one line that comes out of left field is pretty ridiculous. But that's not the fault of this production.

I truly loved the set. A two-story set with balcony, and large window filled with pyramid-shaped panes, clean and smooth lines. Six moving pedestals with ancient-looking statues changed the look enough to distinguish new scenes or locations. Excellent lighting effects through the window changed the moods effectively (I's a sucker for blue sky and realistic clouds). (I have to say I felt sorry for the (new?) spotlight operator who had trouble getting the tight focus on the actor's head and shoulders only. I hear from my lighting-designer husband that it's very tough to get it right from that distance.)

This production incorporated several modern elements into the costumes and props, something that I hear wasn't done in the original production. They were frankly distracting. It's an interesting concept, and they might have worked if the prologue/epilogue were different. The show opens and closes in the present, and in between we are supposed to be transported to the ancient Nubia of the museum exhibit. How can we do that with AK-47s and blue jeans?

Aida is what Jesus Christ Superstar would have sounded like if Tim Rice had written it with Sir John's music instead of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. The emotional elements are the same -- scenes of the ill and downtrodden begging for their leader to save them; Amneris could have been singing I Don't Know How To Love Him instead of I Know the Truth; the guys all showing off for their leader; the Pharaoh handing down a sentence of death... Different plot, different characters, different love triangle, but similar motivations.

Overall, I'm glad I saw it, I don't need to again.
Photos and positive reviews of this tour are at theaidatour.com
And a terribly honest review online here.

WestCoast Best of Broadway Season '07-'08

Silly silly silly Janean. I only picked two of the eight Best of Broadway shows announced as coming to town this next season. I didn't pay enough attention to which shows were Equity and which were non-Equity (the actors are not paid according to union rules, so they are therefore less expensive. As a rule, they are considered the "B" tours, or less quality. That's not necessarily true, but higher chance than not.)

I don't mean to be biting the hand that feeds me -- literally. WestCoast Entertainment put on a lovely luncheon to announce their upcoming musicals, and yours truly was invited. But frankly, for a 20th Anniversary rollout, the delicious lunch on the stage of the INB Center was the best thing about the gathering. My table companions were unimpressed overall.

The best surprise: A special one-night concert with the Chad Mitchell Trio. No kidding! Chad is from Spokane, and still lives here (he performed in Civic Theatre's A Child's Christmas in Wales and was an absolute delight). Mike Kobluk and Joe Frazier met Chad at Gonzaga, and they were a nationwide sensation among folkies in the 1960s. The luncheon featured a great montage of appearances on TV shows of the '60s, including Ed Sullivan. The one concert takes place Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. This is an EXTRA add-on.

Actually, half of the announced shows are add-ons at this point. Nothing was announced for after March 30. My guess is that the April and May shows are still in negotiations. Rather than announce and then change direction, as had to happen last season (the planned Little Shop tour shut down), I would hope they're make arrangements and will make future announcements. Otherwise, we've got a season of four shows for $177.

The pre-picks: Movin' Out (Sep 25-30), and Riverdance.

More on Riverdance: The tour will swing up our way after going through Portland, on its way up to Alberta. Jack Lucas said they worked hard to convince Riverdance to stop in Spokane, and I'm glad they did. This is reportedly the final tour of Riverdance. (or at least the production company is going to give it a nice long break) I will admit that I have watched the video several times and listened to the music, but have never sat in a theatre to watch them live. Considering how much I love to watch the Haran Irish Dancers perform, I think I've been missing out. Performances Jan. 18-20. Again, this is an ADD-ON show.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: I thought I'd put this in the pick list, but on second look, I hadn't. I'm very glad this is on its way to Spokane. (We almost saw it in New York last year, but messed up our timing, saw something really bad instead.) I never saw the movie this is based on, but I enjoy the cast album. So I guess I'll have a shock at the start: composer/lyricist David Yazbek wrote a new opening number for this tour, called "The Only Game in Town." Ironically, the song it replaces is called "Give Them What They Want." I hope this isn't an omen of not getting what we want out of this tour. Performances are Oct. 30-Nov 4

Jesus Christ Superstar: The only reason I didn't pick this as a show coming to town is that Ted Neely's "Farewell Tour" has been going on for a while. I thought the 60-year-old might be finished with singing Gethsemane by spring. I should have checked his Wikipedia site -- it's listed there as continuing into 2008 (open-ended). Neely and Superstar was last here in '93 (the first date my hubby and I went on together) and, according to our Wiki friends, is a "stripped-down version with staging and set limited to a few risers." It comes through Spokane Dec. 18-19. This production's booking is done by Troika Entertainment (same group associated with Cats, Chicago, Joseph and Movin' Out)

Speaking of producing companies, this season includes an early start in a first national tour -- HIGHLY unusual. The Wedding Singer began its stage life in Seattle's 5th Avenue before hitting Broadway. It was charming and got a little notice in its eight or nine months on Broadway, mostly because of lead Stephen Lynch. The Road Company is the booking agency, responsible for several A-list tours, specifically Wicked. (Talk about wanting to get in on their good side!) Perhaps the Wedding Singer creatives are fond of the Northwest. In any case, the '80s-style musical comes to Spokane Nov. 27-Dec. 2.

Gypsy is the most ... ambiguous of the productions listed. It's being touted based on its solid score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim lyrics. Whereas most of the video montages publicizing the tours showcased the Broadway stage productions they are based on, this montage featured clip after clip of the film versions (visible at Phoenix Entertainment's site).
I was hoping it was because the production would be based on this summer's Encores series at New York's City Center, which will have Patti LuPone play Mama Rose for a special one-month production this summer.
Phoenix Entertainment -- the group also behind the current television show looking for the next leads in Grease -- is then sending the production on tour, but NOT with LuPone. Rumor has it that Kathy Halenda will portray Mama Rose. She's not a big name, hence the focus on the show itself. Maybe that'll be a refreshing change, seeing Mama Rose as a stage mom and not as a celeb portraying a stage mom. Rumors also say the set pieces and costumes, etc. are coming from the 2003 version with Bernadette Peters. That'll come Feb. 21-24 next year.

The other add-on show finishing the announced season is ... Mamma Mia. Wait, didn't we just bop to this staged concert to ABBA tunes a year ago? Jack Lucas said that WestCoast thought it was too early too, but the producers really really really really wanted to come back to Spokane. (So "back by popular demand" refers to the producers? Do they need to fix their set? Do they want to take a group photo on the carousel or the wagon slide? Was there an untapped audience here who learned about the first showing too late? Will it spark a new debate on jukebox musicals? We'll find out Mar. 25-30 '08.

I'm really surprised that Light in the Piazza and Sweet Charity are not on the list. The main reason is that they are both booked by Network Productions, the same group that shopped around Annie and Hairspray, and is about to bring Rent. Who knows, maybe we'll have some new announcements before too long.

Mar 28: Show Business, part 1.5

In January '06, we did Part 1 of Show Business, songs about stagecraft. Today's show isn't exactly part two, it's a continuation of stage shows, plus mention of the upcoming region 9 festival and the 60th and 40th anniversaries of Civic and Cd'A Summer Theatre, respectively. At some point, I plan a real "part 2," with backlot musicals. For today, however, here's the playlist.

Another Op'nin', Another Show - Kiss Me Kate
Untitled Opening Number and Nine People's Favorite Things - [Title of Show]
Opening Doors - Merrily We Roll Along (York Theatre)
Putting It Together - Putting It Together
Life upon the Wicked Stage - Show Boat 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
I Can Do That, Jeffrey Schecter - A Chorus Line [2006 Broadway Cast]
All I Need Is The Girl, Robert Lambert - Gypsy (1989)
Broadway Baby, Kaye Ballard - Follies : The Paper Mill Playhouse

And preparing for Carousel in Concert, the first show the Carousel Players did in Coeur d'Alene:
June Is Bustin' Out All Over - Carousel, Lincoln Center Revival, 1964

Preparing for Assassins vs. Forever Plaid (vs. Art) this weekend:
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing - Forever Plaid
The Ballad of Guiteau, Denis O'Hare and Neil Patrick Harris - Assassins Broadway)

And goodbye Dorothy and Betty, thanks for all your years of service to Civic and Spokane theatre in general:
What I Did for Love, Natalie Cortez - A Chorus Line [2006 Broadway Cast]

What will Best of Broadway bring to Spokane?

At noon on March 28, the Best of Broadway series is announced. This is the 20th Anniversary of the series, managed by WestCoast Entertainment. An anniversary like that usually means something special. They have big shoes to fill -- the 2005-06 season had The Lion King. That was the "next level" from the technical extravaganza of Phantom of the Opera. So where will they go?

If I had my say, it would be up. Defying Gravity up.

Wicked would be a coup for lil' ol' Spokane. Cities are vying for the attention of Stephen Schwartz's popular musical (pun intended. Oh rats, now I've got that song stuck in my head.) It keeps getting invited back for return engagements, and it's only been running on Broadway since '03. The tour began in Chicago, but was so popular it never left. Now there are open-ended productions in Los Angeles, Chicago, and London, aside from the original Broadway. The tour is announced for fall '07, but considering that the current tour started in Seattle this past September, and there are no announced dates between Boston in early fall and Florida in March, could we have a November run? Or February '08? In the words of another witch, "Possible. Very very possible.*"

So what are my GUESSES? Based on past seasons and what I know is out there... Here are the most likely eight shows.

Camelot with Michael York. Gotta have one of the classic Lerner & Loewe or Rodgers & Hammerstein in the mix.

Sweet Charity, probably right after Molly Ringwald finishes her run in this Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields blast from the past.

Movin' Out, the dance show based on Billy Joel music. It'll be in Alberta November and early December, so I wouldn't be surprised if it swings down here for the early January slot.

Riverdance. The river is flowing again, and again it'll be up in Alberta in February '08. They might have arranged a March dance spectacular date.

The Light in the Piazza. It's a beautiful tone poem of a musical, especially the Italian songs. The most romantic, serious, old-fashioned musical on Broadway in the past few years. Not a song-and-dance spectacle (a nice change of pace), a beautiful and fascinating story told through music.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Silly, edgy, as is all of William Finn's shows (think Falsettos).

TicketsWest also brings a young-children family friendly show to town each summer. Last year it was Dora the Explorer's Pirate Adventure (RIGHT before my daughter started learning about the exciting Hispanic heroine, and now she wears Dora shoes, Dora jammies, Dora dress, colors Dora books ... you get the picture). This year, Nickelodeon is producing Dora's cousin Diego in a live show, based on the spinoff cartoon show "Go Diego Go." Our kid isn't interested in Diego's show, but she does love his sidekick Baby Jaguar, and the two episodes she's seen Diego in. Dora appears in the live show to keep everyone's attention. Looks like this might be one show she's interested in seeing.

Remember, these are my GUESSES. We'll find out tomorrow afternoon. (By the way, Bobo will probably beat me to listing them on his blog, since I'll be away from the computer most of tomorrow.)

In related news, when Disney brings its ice show to the Spokane Arena, the show will be "High School Musical On Ice." Disney had a smash hit with their cable channel's original movie musical about, well, a high school musical. It's big. Extremely big. The same way that Wicked is big. (Hm, same audience, in fact.) So it is the next ice extravaganza -- skating to the soundtrack of the original movie. (They're doing two sequals of the movie, which is why I stress the 'original.')

Confirmed dates in the region:
Stomp: Portland's Keller Auditorium, Jun 19 - Jun 24, 2007
Camelot: Portland's Keller Auditorium, Oct. 2-7, 2007
Spamalot: Seattle's Paramount Theatre, Oct. 10 - 28, 2007 AND Portland's Keller Auditorium, Aug. 22 - Sep. 2, 2007
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Portland's Keller Auditorium, July 10 - 15, 2007
Sweeney Todd: Portland's Keller Auditorium, Apr. 8 - 13, 2008
Avenue Q: Portland's Keller Auditorium, Jun. 24 - 29, 2008
Phantom of the Opera: Portland's Keller Auditorium, Aug. 13 - Sep. 7, 2008

* Into the Woods, particularly as played by Bernadette Peters.

Showdown in Tacoma, Part 2

Judges of the Region 9 AACTFest in Tacoma this weekend have a difficult task ahead of them: comparing an apple with an orange with a banana. The three shows competing for the "Best in Region" title are completely different, and it might come down to whether the three judges are in the mood for a funny yet philosophical play, a musical comedy, or a dark musical ringing with gunshots.

The Gallery Theatre in McMinniville, Oregon won that state's title with a production of Art, the funny yet thought-provoking play by Yasmina Reza (translated from French by Christopher Hampton) where the friendship of three men is tested by a large white canvas. Is a nearly blank canvas "Art"? And worth the large sums of money that "art" collectors are willing to pay? I have no idea how this production went, but I thoroughly enjoyed the script, and the performances I saw on Broadway in '99, and at Interplayers several years ago. In short, it's strong material, and good competition pieces are built on strong material.

Saturday night, the cast of Forever Plaid had their final audience dress rehearsal (an benefit) before heading to the competition. The show is the first and probably final big gig for a men's harmony quartet from the early '60s -- "probably final" because they were killed in Feb. 1964 by a bus filled with teens off to see the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. The songs are nostalgia pieces -- Three Coins in a Fountain, Sixteen Tons, Chain Gang, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing. The key to the show is the harmonizing between the four characters. Two of them are played by Mike Hynes and Kent Kimball, two of the region's best male singers, period. Kent's rich baritone is going to be starring as the Captain in Sound of Music at Civic this spring. Mike has a tenor voice to die for, even though Plaid doesn't show off his range: LCP Executive Director Brian Doig takes the top notes. Todd Jasmin, also Artistic/Technical Director for the Playhouse, rounds out the quartet.

Assassins is about nine people who have killed or tried to kill Presidents of the United States. Patrick McHenry-Kroetch is truly regal as John Wilkes Booth. Frankly, there's nothing funnier than Sara Jane Moore (Marianne McLaughlin) spilling the bullets from her gun as Gerald Ford walks by, then throwing them at him yelling "Bang! Bang!"* It's dark. The Balladeer, the representation of "normal" American sensibilities, is ignored -- much as many of the 60% who disapprove of our current president feel ignored. The more things change, the more they stay the same... Unfortunately, their performance rights for the Stephen Sondheim show didn't include a benefit dress rehearsal. I haven't seen the trimmed-down version, without the chorus and their musical numbers.

All shows have the same rules: Begin with the actors (in costume) and crew standing with their set in a 10x10 square area. It must all fit in this 10x10 area. The cast and crew then has 10 minutes to put up their set. They have 60 minutes to perform their piece (for example, Forever Plaid did it in 57 on Saturday). After their performance, they have another 10 minutes to tear down the set (3 minutes).

What would be fun is seeing the Civic and Playhouse people hanging out together there. At Civic's 60th Gala party on Sunday night, Mike Hynes and Kent Kimball were there on stage singing songs from two of the shows they've been in. (Mike Hynes IS the Cowardly Lion. Talk about being born to play a part! That was his own lion costume and wig he was in on Sunday night, too.) Actors and other creative theatre folks do go back and forth across the state line to do a show they absolutely love. We're very lucky to have these two opportunities to showcase what our theatres can do.

*Historical quibble: It was Squeaky who didn't have any bullets in her gun when she tried to shoot Ford. Somebody knocked Sara Jane aside after she shot her first bullet, which careened off of the doorway near Ford. Okay, now I'm coming off as a history geek and most people don't care, and I know the show needs good comic relief. But the lead female characters are the comic relief, and that goes against my need for strong female characters. Thank goodness for the Emma Goldman portrayal ;-) Okay, soapbox moment over.

60 Years of Spokane Civic Theatre

It's ironic that as Civic Theatre prepared to celebrate 60 years of great community service to the Spokane area, the last of its primary founders passed away. One week, Betty Tomlinson died, the first artistic director and general manager. The following week, Dorothy Darby Smith passed on, the "Grand Dame of Spokane" and first president of the board. Both were remembered at the "Best of Civic" concert on Sunday evening.

That was a wonderful walk down memory lane. Many people have moved from the area, or just moved on with their lives and can't afford the time and effort to rehearse two months then spend another month of nights in performance. Kudos to Martha Lou (times have NOT changed all that much!), Janice Abramson, Susan Hardie, and others who rarely showcase their performing skills on stage these days. Jean Hardie capped the evening with one more showstopper as Mother Superior from the Nunsense shows.

Thanks to everyone who performed Sunday night, and to everyone who has given their talents to Civic over the past 60 years.

Benefit for Hart Family on Thursday

If you go see locally-produced shows in the Spokane area, you might recognize this fellow at right: John Hart. This was part of a photo taken for "A Reduced Christmas Carol" (hence the paper chain "links" for Marley... other silly stuff not visible in this clip). John and his wife Beth added to their family a month ago, and unfortunately baby Colin is critically ill.

Beth is a teacher at St. Aloysius Elementary School. The school is holding a spaghetti-feed dinner/fundraiser on Thursday night. Come to the cafeteria at St. Al’s, 611 E. Mission (Mission and Standard) between 5-7 p.m. for spaghetti, salad, rolls, and dessert. They will also sell raffle tickets for a variety of gift baskets, including a KPBX gift basket. Suggested donation is $5 adult, $3 child, or $20 family.

The KPBX Arts Calendar doesn't post non-arts fundraiser announcements, so I'm a little disappointed I can't share this more on the air. John and Beth Hart are pretty important to me. I've done a couple of shows with John, most recently I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, also Return to the Forbidden Planet. But he's also an excellent dad and teacher's aide. It's too sweet watching him with their preschool-aged daughter, and he comes in to Beth's classroom regularly to clean the frog tank. Meanwhile, I can't say enough good things about Beth as a teacher. She is kind but firm, open to new ways of teaching, always concerned for her students' safety, and very creative. To get kids interested in brushing teeth, she figured out how to cut the bottom half off of small clear-plastic soda bottles (the lumpy bumpy bottoms), paint the insides white, cut a pink sheet of Foamies lengthwise and glue it on the open parts of the bottle, then turn it all over. Voila! A big set of teeth, to brush with big toothbrushes. (With that kind of reinforcement at school, my daughter actually ASKED to brush her teeth at home!) And these two caring, loving people are going through any parent's absolute worst nightmare.

If you can’t come to the spaghetti feed but would like to make a donation to the Hart family, please mail to Sandra Skeim at St. Aloysius, 611 E. Mission, Spokane WA 99202.