Thursday, January 11, 2007

Good thoughts and reality shows

Speaking of Richmond Triangle Players, please send prayers and positive energy to Michael Gooding who is recovering from surgery. He has worked tirelessly to build and sustain RTP over the years, but he’ll be needing to take it easy for the next month. Heal well, Michael.

Apparently, the “Grease” reality show did pretty well in the ratings last weekend (look here for a detailed breakdown), even though some other critics expressed some of the same concerns I had. If the show can make it through the rehearsals OK, I expect it’ll do pretty well during the “live shows.” As glib as Billy Bush is, I think he thinks pretty well on his feet.

And in further intersections between theater and reality shows, that Constantine guy from American Idol will be joining the cast of “Jacques Brel.” I think it’s a bit odd, and maybe a little disturbing, that Broadway has become the landing strip for so many reality show also-rans (e.g., Diana DiGarmo, Frenchy whats-her-name, etc.) I preferred instead that trend we were seeing where Hollywood A-listers were showing up in New York (Julianne Moore, Denzel Washington, etc.)

And one last random aside: the lovely wife and I just saw “Little Children” at the movies last week and I’ll tell you now, if Kate Winslett ever appears on Broadway or on the West End – not unlikely given her husband’s profession – I’d sell a kidney in order to see her. She’s just amazing. I’d also go to extreme measures to see Anna Paquin (whose limited engagements on Broadway have escaped me in the past), though I’d try to keep body parts out of the equation.

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