Reefer and Reflection

I’ve heard from at least three different individuals that “Reefer Madness” is a real hoot and shouldn’t be missed. It’s interesting to me that the last few shows that I’ve picked up the most significant buzz about have been the so-called “edgiest:” “Little Dog Laughed” at Barksdale, “Veronica’s Room” at CAT, and now “Reefer” at the Firehouse. It prompts many questions: do edgy shows spur people to do better work? Do these shows seem better because they grab and hold your attention? Are they just more fun to talk about? Will the dust-ups about them spur more people to actually attend performances?

One thing that I think is pretty ironic is that, while some other companies are doing “edgy” material, Richmond Triangle Players is doing a downright tame show right now with “The Two Svengalis.” As was probably evident in my review, I wasn’t blown away by this show. I have enjoyed both Mr. Morton and Ms. McMahon in other productions in the past and they both had their moments to shine in this production. But I think the script saddled the production with a somewhat basic problem: the portrayal of a quick rise to stardom. In my opinion, a show like this works best the more convinced an audience is that the songs and / or the performances portrayed would blow people away, that audiences throughout New York would be enraptured and clamoring for more (I found myself thinking about Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand in the different versions of “A Star is Born”). While some of the songs were amusing, none was transcendent and, while delivered well by Nancy and Kirk, they never knocked one out of the house. Maybe I missed something and the show was supposed to be campy. If that was the case, I don’t think it was quite campy enough because I didn’t pick up on it.

The most enjoyable parts of the show for me involved Nancy’s acting-while-singing. She does an awesome job at projecting attitude and feeling through her inflections and mannerisms and other subtle means. I enjoyed them a lot more than the more obvious bits involving being a flustered young housewife or a jaded, fading film star; Nancy did a good job with them, too, but again this is a script problem: obvious is kind of boring, to me at least. Because of the extremes that Nancy’s character goes through, Kirk’s Ricky is bound to suffer in comparison. He is somewhat forlorn, bitter and sarcastic in the beginning and he ends up there at the end. In between, I didn’t get a whole lot of sense of his excitement / anxiety / interest in their growing fame or anything that diverted significantly from the forlorn, bitter or sarcastic.

This is all just my opinion, of course. As I said in the review, there are several enjoyable bits in the show. In fact, in contrast to Ms. H’s opinion as stated in the T-D, I liked the “Man” medley. Anyone else have an opinion they’d like to share?

My thoughts are pretty scattered right now but I’ll try to gather the “Rosemary” –related ones in the next day or two.

Not Maudlin about Modlin

My reviews for “A Dash of Rosemary” and “The Two Svengalis” are in this week’s Style. The reviews are formatted in a new kind of almost-New Yorker style combination of a couple of reviews that our fearless leader, Brandon, at Style has devised as a way to include coverage of more shows. As a writer, I like the format a lot. What do you think as a reader? I'll have supplemental thoughts about both shows in this space soon.

I was surprised to see that the entire T-D letter to the editor / CAT discussion has been expunged from Barksdale’s blog. It makes sense that it may not be the kind of back-n-forth you want hanging out in cyberspace for ever but still, I didn’t expect it to just disappear. But here at RichmondVATheater, the conversation rambles on! …to the point that I don’t always understand what we’re talking about anymore. I do always appreciate the coherent and respectful arguments of folks like Scott and Andrew, though. If everyone could be as magnanimous while disagreeing, the world would be a better place.

Anyway, moving on: the season for the Modlin Center at U of R was announced over the weekend and there are many events / performances that I think are going to be particularly cool. Number one on my list: February 2nd: “An Evening with Stephen Sondheim.” Oh, it’ll be cool that Sondheim will be there and all. But my favorite part: “Conversation Hosted by Frank Rich!” He’s like a critic superstar! Though I didn’t particularly like his memoir “Ghost Light,” I still ran out and bought it when it showed up on the shelves. I still occasionally comb through his collected theater reviews (“Hot Seat”) and he totally sealed the deal as a critic’s hero by transitioning from theater critic to editorial writer. You all can swarm Stevie for his autograph; I’ll be in line for Frank!

I’m intrigued by the piece called “Music and Torture” and I’m hopeful that perhaps this year, I’ll actually get out to see local superstars like eighth blackbird and Shanghai Quartet. Hope for many things – including peace and tolerance! – springs eternal!

The Search for Elle Woods

I’m sure everyone is setting their TIVOs tonight for the new reality show, The Search for Elle Woods. According to the show’s marketing, “We’re looking for the next blonde to step into Elle’s pink pumps,” meaning to step into the starring role in Broadway’s “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” I’d like to pitch a similar show to the History Channel for the next star of “Thurgood.”

While cruising Playbill.com last night, I came across this interview with Richmond native Emily Skinner who premiered her own cabaret show last night (reprise will be this coming Sunday, in case you are in New York). Thinking of Emily gets me thinking of “Side Show” and my anticipation of the casting announcement for the twins in the Mill’s fall production. Who will it be?

Hair and There

As often as I’ve derided the Times-Dispatch for its lackluster theater coverage in the past, I have to say I’ve been pretty impressed lately. By my recollection, for the last three weeks running the T-D has done a prominent theater-oriented story in their Sunday Arts section, including this week’s piece on “Charcoal Street” which is opening this coming weekend. One thing I think the story fails to mention is that “Charcoal Street” will move from Pine Camp to Dogwood Dell for an additional weekend’s worth of performances at the end of its run. Those kinds of changes of venue are always interesting to me from both a technical and an aesthetic point of view. Way back, I was involved in the move of a production of “Quilters” from the fairly intimate Shafer Street Theatre to the more spacious Empire. I always wondered whether it was quite as powerful in the big space.

The little CAT-Barksdale dustup seems to be working itself out via conciliatory / explanatory posts on the Barksdale Buzz blog, so I guess that’s good. I had a chat with a couple folks about it on Friday, one who commented that they would never have thought that, more than 30 freaking years after “Hair” played in Richmond (and almost exactly 40 years after the show opened on Broadway), that a show like “LDL” would have caused a stir. Perhaps after the current oldest generation of theater-goers (who were untrustworthy 30+ year olds when “Hair” first showed up) moves on we won’t be faced with these kinds of reactions? Call me tacky but I gotta hope it’s a possibility.

While I’m traversing on potentially tacky ground, I’d like to mention in passing something that has nothing directly to do with theater. I am both very excited and somewhat wary about the recent decision in California that will permit gay marriage to proceed, as well as the support of that development by New York’s Governor. I’m excited because I think it is an important step toward establishing this civil right for a consistently persecuted minority. I am wary because I know it will be the kind of divisive issue that some politicians will use to nefarious ends. But so it goes.

More to say but gotta hit the hay!

Deviance

Leave it to an outa-towner to alert me to a modest tempest brewing right in my own backyard (Thanks, Rick!) To recap: apparently, a letter to the editor was written to the T-D by a Mr. Miller complaining about Barksdale’s “Little Dog Laughed” – I don’t really care enough to look it up. But in response to THAT letter, two others were written (readable here). One is a great one from Brian Vaughan – nicely stated Mr. Vaughan! The other, written by a Sandra Randell who I guess is the wife of CAT Board Member Mike Randell, suggests CAT as a family-friendly alternative.

Rick asks if this was “hideously tacky.” I wouldn’t go that far. I would say it was opportunistic, something that I’ve seen in many situations, including on this blog. You see a chance to promote something you are interested or involved in and you take it (“Go see the Capitol Schlepps at Or Ami tomorrow night!”) People draw the line between opportunistic and tacky in different places. But one thing I think such a letter does is open the door for folks to think CAT is taking advantage of another theater’s risk-taking and misfortune for their own benefit. Which doesn’t really reflect well on CAT.

I also think the letter was pretty badly timed, given that “Veronica’s Room” – a show that, according to Ms. Berlin posting in this space, is CAT’s first ‘adult advisory’ show – was their next offering. “As an alternative to gay sex and nudity, we offer murder and incest!” Hmmm…

I absolutely agree with Rick that Bruce’s post about it was very well constructed, showing a little bit of ire but ending on a magnanimous note. He refers to Susan H’s review in the T-D, which makes clever use of the LDL controversy in commenting on "Veronica's Room." And I agree with Bruce that it seems very easy for some people to vent their disgust and very nearly impossible for them to express their compassion or even to attempt understanding. This is sad at least and despicable at most.

The biggest irony here might be that reaction to Barksdale’s “edgy” show might have thrown some attention toward CAT’s most “edgy” show to date. If it all results in more contemporary, risk-taking theater in Richmond, bring on the controversy!

Urges

I stopped in at my local Ukrop’s last night and they hadn’t yet received this week’s Style (boo! hiss!) so I picked up the latest Urge instead. I was pleasantly surprised – as I was with their first issue – to see a couple of stories on theater, including a preview on “Guys and Dolls” and a nice overview of local cabaret penned by Billy Christopher Maupin. Good work, BC!

Before I totally submit to my urge to create a big groundswell of support for another production of “King Island Christmas” (yeah – because that’s the kind of power I yield! HA!), I went back and looked up my review of the show 8 years ago. In my memory, it just had great music and as Steve says it was a kick to see two Millers and two Whiteways on stage and there were great performances by Fernando Rivadeniera and Jerold Solomon. I kinda forgot that there were some story issues. But hey, even Peter Pan has some significant plot problems (um, the crocodile just appears on cue?) and it’s still a perennial fave!

This is also a good opportunity to point out that Jerold seems to be doing well, appearing on Broadway currently in the smashing revival of “South Pacific.” He even lists “King Island Christmas” in his bio!

Upcoming, part 1

I’ve started compiling my big list of shows in Richmond for next season (it’s in a tabbed and sorted spreadsheet because, yes, I am that much of a geek). Every year that I do this I’m always impressed. I’ve already got 31 shows listed, which includes the seasons I’ve seen announced from the professional theaters in town plus Theatre VCU. That total doesn’t include the planned productions from local stalwarts like AART, CAT, and the Barksdale (Willow Lawn) and only “Hamlet” noted for Richmond Shakespeare.

What I usually tell my out-of-towner friends is that, on average, one professional show opens per week here in Richmond (my spreadsheet for 2007-2008 has 59 shows opening, starting with "Urinetown" at the Mill last September, continuing until "Little Shop of Horrors" wraps up at Dogwood Dell middle of this August). I’m not sure whether that’s on par with other markets our size or not but it seems pretty impressive to me. Sure, we all want more theater (and especially more and more theater-goers) but while we continue to hope for expansion, I think it’s worth recognizing the width and breadth of what we do have.

Some comments on the schedules announced so far:

-- 2009 will see back-to-back productions of “Altar Boyz” – one at RTP and one at the Mill. This sets up a very nice “compare and contrast” possibility for local theater-goers and critics alike.

-- Two holiday-oriented sequels to other shows: “A Tuna Christmas” (Mill) and “Sanders Family Christmas” (Barksdale at the Tavern). Call me a cynic – this does not thrill me.

-- Favorite upcoming title: “Four Queens in Hawaiian Shirts” at RTP.

-- Several shows I have high hopes for and am awaiting with anticipation: “Side Show” at the Mill, “Richard III” at Henley Street, and “Rabbit Hole” at the Firehouse.

-- Interest most piqued: “Inspecting Carol” at Sycamore Rouge. Fascinating concept – does it work on stage?

-- Most intriguing season as a whole: Henley Street. Shakespeare, Stoppard, Shepard. Perhaps for the 2009-2010 season they’ll focus on playwrights whose names begin with ‘T’?

-- Will Theatre IV ever do “King Island Christmas” again?

I’ll have to do a part 2 on upcoming schedules once the rest have been announced. Would anyone else like to chime in with their thoughts?

While we’re laying on the hype

As per my latest piece in Style, the Richmond Improv Festival starts tomorrow night. Don’t miss your chance to laugh yourself silly.

And amidst the hype for the RIF and for CAT’s “Veronica’s Room,” let me just squeeze in a plug for the upcoming performance of the Capitol Schlepps, the satirical musical group with a religious bent, that will be appearing at Congregation Or Ami on Saturday (more details here). Not only are the Schlepps led by long-time Richmond actress/teacher Deb Clinton but they’ve picked up a new member this year: my lovely wife. Yes, I am surrounded by performers on all sides. It can get scary.

Ms. H at the T-D came out in favor of “A Dash of Rosemary” which I enjoyed on Sunday. More thoughts on that later on but in the meantime I have to say that I was happy to see a pretty decent house at the Mill for a Sunday evening, somewhere close to 2/3 full. And Cathy Motley-Fitch – sublime!

Note to Self

What a glorious long weekend, ay? The weather could hardly have been better and we were busy like little bees at our house – working in the yard, cleaning out the shed – interspersed with more relaxing pastimes like a splendid canoe excursion on the river. If only it could stay between the mid-70s and the mid-80s throughout the summer...

It looks to me like May might be a prime time for going to NYC to see shows. Based on Playbill’s reported grosses, houses were pretty low for the first couple weeks of this month, with only “Jersey Boys” and “Wicked” playing to capacity. It looks like plenty of tickets were available for well-reviewed shows like “Gypsy” and “August: Osage County.” I also wonder if these numbers hold news of an eminent demise for a couple of shows barely selling more than 50% capacity, the high-profile “November” and the raved-about “Passing Strange.”

We’re in a mini-flurry of shows opening here in Richmond so I’ll have to update my listings to the left soon. To judge from the comments on this blog, CAT's "Veronica’s Room" has peaked the interest of quite a few people. Also, with Theatre IV’s announcement last week, most of the local companies have announced their seasons for 2008-2009. I’ll have to weigh-in with some opinions about that soon. In the meantime, look for a preview on the Richmond Improv Festival in this week’s Style.

Stage Fright

Work has been a pain for me this past week and it occurred to me this morning that what I’ve been feeling every morning is very much like a combination of stage fright and performance anxiety (are they different? not sure). I’ve been hosting a new-to-the-company out-of-town bigwig, am engaged in a new project with him and so have felt “on-stage” much of the last week. Every day I’ve felt I’ve had to prove I’m up to snuff and/or when not able to prove it outright, at least act like it. It’s tiring. Don’t you folks who do this for a living get exhausted?

But today, the weight of the world has lifted, my coworker has gone back to California, and the deck is cleared for a nice long holiday weekend. I kicked it off last night attending “The Two Svengalis” at Triangle Players and I’ll be taking in “A Touch of Rosemary” this weekend at the Mill. Ms. H at the T-D has weighed in on “Svengalis” already but I expect there weren’t enough nights in the week for her to make it out to “Rosemary,” given that she had to take in “Putnam County Spelling Bee” on Tuesday.

I have been able to escape at least briefly into the world of theater during the week, listening to podcasts at the gym. This past week, this allowed me to catch up a couple of Richmond expatriots who were both featured on recent podcasts at nytheatrecast.com. One was Chris Harcum whose “American Badass” was at the FRIGID festival back in February and also Clay McLeod Chapman, who read one of his pieces on a recent podcast. There is success possible for Richmonders who leave home!

Speaking of which, I was saddened to hear that Angela Shipley is in the planning stages for a move up to NYC. That, plus Gray Crenshaw’s recent graduation from high school, means that New York City will be gaining two more beautiful, talented performers from Richmond in the near future. It just hardly seems fair. At least both of them will be in town a couple more months and we’ll be able to catch Angie in the “Sex Education” show at Studio X on June 28th. It’s small consolation, though.

I hope folks will also make some room in the weekend after this one for the Richmond Improv Festival at ComedySportz. Eight shows over 3 days – surely you can make it to one of them.

Finally, I hear another beautiful and talented local actress (who better NOT be leaving for NYC anytime soon!) will be turning the big 4-0 soon. Happy day, JB, and rest assured moving into our neighborhood (where the average age is about 72) should keep you feeling young and spry for at least another decade!

In Sync

I'll be honest: I think I kind of over-wrote this latest review in Style. But dammit if Chekhov doesn't inspire one to do so. His work is so rich and hearty, full of psychological insight, fraught with deeply felt emotion, and of course chock full of great language. I kind of couldn't lay off the adjectives.

But probably the most succinct thing I could say about the performance of "The Seagull" that I saw was that, with only one exception, the ensemble seemed very much in sync. No one actor's performance really blew me away but, as I said in the review, the whole crew worked together exceptionally well to bring the rhythms and interactions of the play to life. There were many small, intimate moments in the play where the actors clearly supported each other, worked in tandem to create crystalline pictures of sweet and agonizing love. Irina changing Konstantin's dressings, Trigorin and Nina exploring the level of their attraction, Dr. Dorn trying to understand Masha, the heartbreaking last scene between Nina and Konstantin. Done right, "The Seagull" is definitely a play that can make you feel the pain of the human condition and I left that performance a little sore.

A couple of specific notes: it's great to see just how comfortable Frank Creasy is on stage. In this show, he gives one of those performances that don't come across as acting at all. Very natural, very well done. Though Stephen Ryan is easily overlooked in his smaller role here, he is perfect as the poor neglected teacher. Though the character is pathetic, Ryan doesn't overplay it and he's just annoying enough that you feel for him but also don't hold him blameless for his position either. And Kerry McGee -- sigh -- my 28th or so crush of the year. Frankly, when I saw her in "Spanish Tragedy," I thought she was a little too petulant and contemporary for her role. But she is a great brooding, broken, and beautiful Masha. With Ryan and McGee as inspirations, I think we could have gotten Chekhov to do a sequel to "The Seagull" called something like "Masha and Medvedenko at Home." I'd pay to see that.

One final shout out to Fred Kaufman -- a definite delight on stage, always thoroughly invested in what's going on, even when he's portraying someone asleep! His performance made some of the play's early expositional dialogue actually enjoyable instead of just palatable.

All in all, a good effort for Henley Street. I'm not yet giddy with anticipation for "Richard III" -- mostly because there's plenty of good theater that's going to be happening in Richmond before the fall -- but I expect around August I will be.

Favor

OK, I don't usually trouble both of you faithful readers for much but I could use a favor. Does anyone know or could anyone recommend a good person who gives voice lessons for children? We have a friend who is looking to get their 10 year-old granddaughter working with someone in Richmond. Please post here or email me your recommendations. Thanks a bunch.

Listening in on other conversations

It's been a bit slow in blogger-world. I've been crazy-busy and now am dealing with the crushing post-closing depression (that's for the support, y'all). Barksdale Buzz has been quiet except for the recent announcement of their commercial's Emmy nomination -- congrats B'dale crew! My review of "Seagull" should show up in Style this week and I'll post some supplemental musings then. But if, in the meantime, you are jonesing for some theater-talk online, here's a list of some other non-local blogs where there's usually some conversation going on. FYI.

Broadway World

Backstage Blogs

Playgoer

The Wicked Stage

Thanks, Ya'll

A week or so ago Dave gave notice of my leaving this blog as "a partner in crime" of sorts. As usual, when there is something I really do not want to do (often a "goodbye"), I procrastinated posting one last time.

Let it be said that I completely agree with Dave about my "leaving" the blog and commend him for his reasons. This blog should reflect the spirit of its origination-a fun way to discuss the issues of, commend the people of and express opinions about Richmond Theatre without outside restrictions of any sort. I am all about freedom of expression. It is my wish for Dave to be as unencumbered with his views as he wishes, when he wishes and how he wishes. I "get" that my presence on this blog can cause confusion as to the relationship of the blog and the magazine that Dave and I both write for- so I am happy to step aside in the name of simplification. Dave has never edited anything I had to say on this blog but I am sure has sometimes caught some flack for my comments regardless of his feelings on the topic. To his credit, he has always been encouraging and supportive even in the midst of firestorms.

When Dave first invited me to join him in posting on this blog I felt very honored by his notice and flattered that he thought I might add something. I have learned so much about the theatre community here by reading the posts and responses. Though I am pretty lame about being "in" on current discussions I have obliged you and at least learned how to use the spell check (as suggested in my first post, I think). When I started, I also said that I would do what I could to support Richmond theatre. That still stands. It is my sincere hope that by contributing to this blog that my commitment to that mission has been confirmed. That even though you, gentle reader, might not have agreed with me, that you have at least been inspired to start conversations.

Leaving the blog comes at a good time. My husband is off building scenery for Holland America Cruise Line for a few months and I am acting as a single parent thus suffering from parental overload and exhaustion. The Gluten Free Cookbook I am co-writing with Personal Chef, Michele Humlan of The Good Eats Company, is demanding my focus as we shop for a literary agent. It is also time again to apply for the Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Program. I will be traveling a little this summer- so my time is even more limited than usual and I would not be much of a contributor anyway. But I promise to check in on the chats and add my two cents from time to time.

Being a part of this blog has been oodles of fun! Thank you Richmond theatre community for all of your criticisms, thoughts, suggestions, compliments and support. Thank you Dave for having me as part of your blog (for the record- I have always considered this "Dave's blog"). Maybe, when I get my technical act together, I will create my own blog but it won't be any time soon- unless of course I have something to say....

Keep chatting everyone. You can't make enough noise about theatre in this town!

Peace,
Mary B.

Emotional Owie

There was a somber mood around our house last night and this morning. It’s been a while since I’ve experienced the post-closing depression but I think this will be the dominant emotion for the next few days at least. With two children involved in “Peter Pan” and a rehearsal and performance schedule that at times seemed to go on forever, we were all more wrapped up in the swirl of theater life than I realized.

The ability to move on from the relationships, the excitement, the camaraderie of a show is another one of those unappreciated skills that people in theater must develop. Maybe it’s easier when you are younger but now that I’m older and more soft-hearted, even experiencing it second-hand is rough. Do they teach classes on “Coping when the Show Closes” in theater school?

More Idol thoughts

Work's been kicking my butt this week so haven't had much time to post. But felt I had to pass along this little tidbit: the news that Taylor Hicks is going to be showing up in "Grease." Not to be mean-spirited or anything but I couldn't imagine a piece of theater-related news interesting me less: a performer I don't really care for showing up in a production I'm not really interested in. And yet, the Internets are abuzz with the news! Personally, I'll be more intrigued by whether Syesha Mercado (the recently voted out #3 of this season) ends up in a show sometime soon. Should they start calling Broadway "Idol East?"

Flying

This week's Style has Mary B's full review of "Peter Pan." I believe this review marks the first time I have been mentioned within a theater review. If only my daughter's work running the spotlight had received a nod, it would have been three Timberlines in one review -- yikes!

Also, while pandering on Pan, I recently picked up Urge magazine. I'm a little behind the curve since it's been out for a month or so. But it has a nice little piece on "Pan" and a picture of the unsung marketing wiz, Judi Crenshaw. I'm not quite sure what to make of Urge after one issue. I like the color and the layout and much of the content. Its "we're not Style" statement in the editor's note is a good effort at product differentation but I'm still totally clear on how distinct it is different from other mags. But I am happy that they acknowledge theater in Richmond, something some other local mags barely do.

One final link: check out Richmond Shakespeare's blog for Grant Mudge's well-written review of AART's "Waiting to be Invited." It's always interesting to see what directors look for in other productions. Grant also links to the recent discussion about AART in this space -- thanks for your welcome contributions to the conversation, Grant!

Some preliminary analysis

So the total number of Tony nominations are spread out among 26 different productions. Of those, 14 shows received 4 nominations or more, split evenly between straight plays and musicals. "In the Heights" got the most nominations with 13 (the whole list is below).

Maybe it's a false impression, but this seems to be a more compact field of nominated productions than in the past. And maybe I'm totally off base, but even though I haven't seen a single one of these productions (yikes!), I feel like I could do a pretty good job predicting some winners. Some of my thoughts:

-- The most interesting race to me is the "Gypsy" -- "South Pacific" musical revival showdown. I think it'll be close but that "South Pacific" will win. I've read raves about both but the fact that this is SP's first revival will play in its favor.

-- It's hard for me to imagine any show beating "August: Osage County" for best play, though I may be rooting for "The Seafarer." I tried hard to get my best old drinking buddy to go on a wild jaunt to NYC to see that show before it closed but we couldn't swing it. I really wish we had been successful.

-- It's pretty interesting how many "Hollywood" actors are nominated (Martha Plimpton, Laurence Fishburne, S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurie Metcalf, Patrick Stewart, etc.) but even more interesting to me the big names that were not nominated, like Laura Linney for "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," Kevin Kline for "Cyrano" and Nathan Lane for "November."

Anyone with more informed opinions of the nominees, please chime in!

Straight Plays

August: Osage County: 7 noms

The 39 Steps: 6 noms

Boeing-Boeing (revival): 6 noms

Macbeth (revival): 6 noms

Les Liaisons Dangereuses (revival): 5 noms

Rock 'n' Roll: 4 noms

The Seafarer: 4 noms

Musicals

In The Heights: 13 noms

South Pacific (revival): 11 noms

Sunday in the Park with George (revival): 9 noms

Passing Strange: 7 noms

Gypsy (revival): 7 noms
Cry-Baby: 4 noms

Xanadu: 4 noms

And the nominees are...

Here's a link to the full list. Discussion to follow...

Glory Days

As I sit waiting eagerly for the email that will announce the Tony Award nominees this morning, I’ve been thinking about “Glory Days.” We T-lines spent part of Mother’s Day with a couple from Northern Virginia who are really theater-o-philes. They have season subscriptions to three different companies up there and go to NYC three or four times a year.

These folks informed me of the ignoble fate of the Virginia-born musical that closed recently after one performance. Apparently, two pretty negative reviews (including the one in the New York Times) plus low advance sales sealed the fate of this production. Now, speculation is whether the show will even be a possible Tony-award contender in a season where the buzz has been around straight plays not new musicals.

The interesting perspective of these theater-going pals who had seen the Signature production when it played in Chantilly had much more to do with business than art. They thought it was a good show but they thought the producers saw a small-cast show with minimal technical requirements, thought they could open it on Broadway, get at least some acclaim and then mount road shows fairly quickly that could then rake in the dough. It’s a pretty cynical view but, given the ignominious speed with which the show was shuttered, it sure smacks of truth to me.

Seven

Both my wife and I were approached this past weekend by different people talking about how great Cooper's performance was in "Peter Pan," particularly since he was only 4 years old. We certainly appreciate the flattery on his behalf but, as it says in his program bio, he will be finishing up First Grade in a few weeks and, as precocious as the little bugger is, he's not THAT precocious. The boy's 7 years old or, in the exacting spirit of a kid that age, 7 and three quarters. His next eldest costar -- Connor Wilkerson, youngest of the Lost Boys -- recently turned 9. So if you happen to catch any of the closing weekend performances coming up, be sure and wish him a belated Happy Birthday!

Mrs. Haubenstock and I were among the 12 or 13 or so folks catching "The Seagull" at Henley Street on Saturday. You can read her very positive impressions here; mine will still be a few days in coming. There is much I could say about the production but I'll keep it to my favorite part right now: Kerry McGee as Masha. Dark, brooding, depressed, a bit heartless, and suffering desperately from unrequited love -- Ms. McGee does them all well. And looks smashing in black. More later!

Inter Action

I took some time today to separate out the blog links from my other "There's No People Like Show People" links over to the left there. They are in a new section called "Inter-Act (blogs)." I found myself regularly scrolling through the big list to get to the blogs I like best so thought it was finally time to split them all out. I've also added theater company blogs that I know about -- and some that I didn't until I started to do some searching (for instance, did you know Swift Creek Mill has a blog?) I hope this helps everyone keep in touch with their online favorites!

A solo show

Several months ago, I asked Mary B if she would join me as a fellow instigator of conversation about Richmond theater on this blog. She was willing and daring enough to come on board and has since added a great deal to the conversation, spurring some of the most interesting -- not to mention most heated -- exchanges that have ever occurred on these virtual pages.

Even though I have enjoyed the energy and perspective Mary brought to the table, our team-up has led to some complications and misperceptions. Since we are the two Style Weekly theater reviewers, this space has the appearance of being Style's official online theater outlet, though that is not the case. Some people have asked me if I endorse, sanction, or edit what Mary writes, and I expect she has received similar questions about what I write. Some people still refer to this as "David Timberline's blog," though in some people's minds it is "Style's theater blog" and others know it as "Dave's and Mary's blog." Though not a huge deal, these and other kinds of complications were enough to diminish the fun involved in this whole venture for me.

So, as part of trying to simplify my life, I've talked to Mary about returning this blog to a solo show and, as she was many months ago, she was willing and gracious in her response. I believe she will be posting at least one more time with some thoughts of her own on this whole experiment, but after that and going forward, this will go back to being "David Timberline's blog," pure and simple.  I will miss Mary's posts but hope she will be willing to chime in with her perspectives when she has the time and inclination. You may have agreed or disagreed with some of the things Mary has said, but there is no denying her abiding interest, love, and support of local theater.

As for the new readers who Mary brought to the site, I hope you'll stay around, read and participate going forward as well. I can't promise things won't return to the "annoying love fest" of the pre-Mary times on this blog, but I'll continue to do what I can to keep things lively. Thanks for everything, Mary!

What can happen if all of your friends do musical theater

Well, I'm back from a few days of relaxation, rejuvenation, and Anniversary-related celebration. Many thanks to Mary for keeping the ball rolling here in my absence. She's also been busy keeping Style theater coverage current with an interview with the always fascinating Bruce Miller and a review of the tasty Firehouse Theatre Cabaret.

I'm warming up a couple of posts but don't have much time right now. So, in the meantime, here's a link to a video a good old friend sent to my wife that shows the potential dangers (and joys) of having many good friends who do musical theater. It seemed appropriate as part of my own personal marriage-focus of the past week. Enjoy!

Interview With Local Theatre Hero and Nice Guy, Bruce Miller

One of the best things about writing for the Arts and Culture Department at STYLE is getting to meet and chat with the people who cultivate the Arts Scene in Richmond. Lately I have been chatting a lot with Bruce Miller, Artistic Director for Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre arguably the biggest things happening in Richmond Theatre these days. I feel as though I have learned not only a great deal about both theatre companies but also about Bruce, himself.

Bruce Miller is, really, one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He is caring, concerned, and smart. He radiates a contageous happy warmth that shows his love for his work and fellow man. Bruce is also brave. For a person of his kind disposition, he has a tough job. He wants everybody to be as happy and understanding as he is but it is not possible. It is a testament to his great character that he unapologetically backs every one of his artistic choices regardless of flack he gets. And there is always flack. People who want more edgy theatre in Richmond often chide him for his choices of "safe" work like "Mame" or "The Odd Couple". People who prefer tamer theatrical fare complain about the edgier stuff like "The Little Dog Laughed". But Bruce is an artist. He uses his position as an Artistic Director to demonstrate his passion for all types of theatre and its power to entertain, mirror society and articulate social concerns.

The most recent issue Bruce has articulated through the use of live theatre is his belief that two people who wish to be married should be able to regardless of their sexual oreintation or gender. In reaction to the most recent marriage amendment laws in Virginia (among the most consevative anywhere which state marriage can only happen between a man and a woman), Bruce chose to add "The Little Dog Laughed" by Douglas Carter Beane to the Barksdale Season. "It is a sweet, funny play", Bruce said of "Little Dog" in a conversation last week. "I chose it because it handles the topic with humor and wit...I don't like to hit people over the head with something really heavy to make a point." According to a letter Bruce composed to send to Season Subscribers who opted out of the play and to people who left at inermission or before (which is posted in its entirety on the Barksdale blog) subscribers were given lots of information about the play in the form of a letter and other means before the show opened. This "warning" system is part of the vast consideration Bruce has for his audiences. He understands that the show is not for everyone but defends his choice well.

More on Bruce to come over the course of the week. You can access Bruce's letter about "Little Dog" at www.barksdalerichmond.org - go to blog and scroll down.

One more detail about Liz Marks Benefit

It is Preview night not Opening night for "The Seagull". As you regular readers are well aware, details are not my forte.

Correction for Liz Marks Benefit

Please note the ticket price for Henley Street Opening night May 8th is $10.00 not $20.00 that I quoted in an earlier blog.

Coming soon. A long version of my interview with Bruce Miller.

Chat soon.
Mary

Seagul Opening Night to Benefit Liz Marks

In the spirit of community outreach, Henley Street Theatre Company is designating funds from its May 8th opening performance of "The Seagull" to help Liz Marks with her mounting medical bills. Liz, as most of you know, has served the Richmond theatre community for years as a fabulous actress, singer, agent etc. She is undergoing treatments for cancer and the theatre community has come together in various ways to help.

Please help to make this event successful. If you can make it - wonderful! If you can make it and bring friends- even better! If you can't make it, please tell other people about it.

8:00 pm, Pine Camp Arts Center, Tickets are $20.00. I am sure donations will be accepted also. Go to www.henleystreettheatre.org for more information.

Wild Weekend

So, Dave is going out of town? Guess I'll have a good time while he is away and do some blogging especially since he was such a wall flower this weekend and I am still reeling from all the arts, culture and cheap wine that goes with such events.

The week itself was great! I had the great privilege of interviewing Bruce Miller (Artistic Director of Both Barksdale and Theatre IV) last week- more to come on that on Tuesday when the article comes out in STYLE. Bruce is wonderful! So articulate and full of stories. He got me all geared up for First Fridays Art Walk which was totally fabulous last Friday night hugely due to the perfect weather and the fact that I had two friends who had openings - artists, Will Turner and Karen Kean. The sidewalks of Downtown Richmond were theater unto themselves with the variety of people, street performers, traveling bands, and scads of people. It was so energizing!

Saturday found me and my daughter Elinor at the Empire for "Peter Pan" which you will hear more about in STYLE. I will say that I due to space concerns I was not able to put my thoughts about young R. Cooper Timberline into the review for print but he is truly adorable. He has matured as a actor since December. I mean, let's be real here,just about any kid could have played Randy in "A Christmas Story". Randy is not really a challenge for a little kid. The lines are simple and mostly he just has to follow Ralphie or hide under the sink. But Michael Darling is on stage a lot and has to do a considerable amount of dancing, singing and line delivery. Cooper held his own out there - really. For someone who is what, four years old ?, he demonstrates considerable concentration and focus. During the course of three acts I saw him break character slightly only once. The rest of the time he was seriously "on" and I don't mean in that obnoxious way kid actors sometimes get. He did a great job.

So a play in the afternoon. Rush home. Make lasagna for Elinor and sitter. Put on strapless cocktail dress and a dash of much needed make-up and it was off to stunning Agecroft Hall for Richmond Shakespeare's Bard Bash. RS Artistic Director/Marketer Grant Mudge has the foresight to give press passes to members of the press for their big annual fundraiser. Pretty smart. I got to hang with two TD reporters and schmooze with WCVE weekday afternoon DJ, Bobbie Barahas (please know that I am a fan). The food was fantastic and everyone looked marvelous. Dawn Westbrook (local director/actor) looked especially wonderful in a chiffony floral print cocktail dress with oh-so-sexy blue pumps to match and perfectly matching floral dangle earrings. Andrew Hamm sang (does he ever not find a way to fit that in?) some original and some period works associated with Shakespeare plays. Cynde Liffick was very sexy in a form fitting black lace over skin colored number. She shared about the RS outreach programs. But the highlight of the evening was Grant Mudge's presentation of the premier of RS's new promotional DVD which set this part time Marketing director into swoons - or was it Grant himself? Difficult to tell.

Following the fun at Agecroft I dashed off like Cinderella leaving the ball for Comedysportz to see long form Improv troup Cousin Scheckie. I ran into Roy Proctor and Jackie Jones who were lovely companions and laughed heartily as Cousin Scheckie kept us laughing. I recommend checking them out next time you get the chance.

Today Elinor and I wend to the Amani Peace Concert at Grace Baptist Church. It was a cultural experience I will not soon forget. Nigerian drummer, Nana Frimpong, The American Youth Harp Ensemble, The RMS Honors Choir and the Richmond Symphony Choir. The concert raised money to send Nigerian children to school.

OK- I am missing "Masterpiece Theater" - gotta go.

Chat soon.
Mary Burruss

No Small Roles

We’ve been awash in Kentucky Derby fever here the past couple of days because of a family connection to Big Brown (and no, in case you’re wondering, I am not related by blood to the Derby winner; my brother-in-law – one of the most humble people I know who is also among the most talented in his field – originally found and bought Big Brown on behalf of the current owner). If you follow the news you know that the race ended up being almost a classic triumph / tragedy story. Big Brown pulled out a dramatic win with a thrilling home stretch run (especially thrilling for those of us with money involved) but the valiant second place filly Eight Belles broke both ankles and had to be immediately euthanized. Almost before we could start jumping up and down in victory, we were bowing our heads in sadness. With all the time, money, love, hope, and dreams that are poured into these horses, you had to feel the enormity of the loss of the filly’s owners.

I was not able to make it the ‘O.T.’ though my lovely wife and daughter did and they report that it was an excellent production with many sterling performances (among the few more awkward ones). I thought with the pop-cultury slant on the title it was going to be an updated, perhaps somewhat satiric take on “Our Town,” but by the sound of it, they played it pretty straight.

Instead of at the theater, I was at home being domestic, including watching “Juno” while folding laundry (hot time on a Saturday night!) I was ready to be put off by the too-cleverness of it all, but sure enough, I got drawn in. Ellen Page was great but the performances that really did it for me were those of Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. Particularly Garner – her role had all the makings of a simple cliché: the controlling, over-invested power wife. But Garner made her character so human and at times heartbreaking. For my money, hers was the real breakout performance of that movie.

I’ve also been hearing quite a bit of buzz about Steve Martin’s work in “Baby Mama.” I’ve always thought Martin was a genius – I was one of those people who paid what was then an enormous sum to see his “King Tut” concert tour back in the late 70s. Apparently (and correct me if I’m wrong), Steve virtually steals the movie during his brief time on screen.

Which is just another testament to the power of a good actor even in a smaller role. I waxed (semi-)poetic about Laine Satterfield in “The Little Dog Laughed” a while back and sung praises about Ali Thibodeau in “Pan.” I believe Jason Marks is among the best aspects of the Mill’s “Mattress” and I think forward toward “Guys and Dolls” and wonder who it will be further down the cast list who will grab my attention. Theater mirrors life in so many ways. While some times the minor player is key to the success of a production, some times it’s the unsung hero who makes all the difference, like my brother-in-law who set in motion Big Brown’s trajectory toward his Derby win.

I’ll be out of town for a few days so things might be a little quiet around here. But I’ll be back in time for “The Seagull” opening at Henley Street where I’ll be trying to wipe my memory clean of the Justin Dray / Erin Thomas production of so many years ago – at least for the duration of the performance.

This weekend

After last weekend’s openings, things are relatively quiet this weekend. Cousin Sheckie will be doing a couple of shows at ComedySportz providing a good opportunity for people who have never seen a long-form improv piece (people like me!)

If it’s rainy like last weekend (and our pals at Weather.com are calling for rain on Sunday), it might be an opportunity to curl up with a good book. Some options that have caught my attention lately are Germaine Greer’s “Shakespeare’s Wife” which has been getting good reviews and may be intriguing to you Bard-o-philes. Those who prefer the contemporary musicals may like the Complete Book and Lyrics for "Rent" that were just published last month. It may be “all Pan, all the time” for the T-line clan but I’m also intrigued by Henley Street’s children's production, “The O.T.” that’ll be playing this weekend. Great concept and I know some of the kids in the production and they’re good. Might have to sneak that one in between fly calls…

Suggestions Please

As I am perpetually a step or two (or more) behind the curve, I have just this week started to enjoy the wonderfulness that is (are?) podcasts. We have a clunky old first generation iPod that we got along with our first Mac almost 5 years ago. A co-worker of mine has an iPod shuffle and this old thing looks like a Goliath next to her David. The display is fading and it weighs like a whole 8 ounces (compared to the shuffle that I believe is functionally weightless) but it works and so I’ve been tuning into some groovy podcasts at the gym.

I’d love any suggestions anyone might have for theater-related podcasts. I’ve listened to one from NYTheatre.com that featured an interview with Bill C. Davis. You all might remember him from “Austin’s Bridge” – a show that had its world re-premiere at the Firehouse last summer – and from a sit-down I had with him back before the show opened. He was an interesting interview in the podcast, though I was a little puzzled by his comments about critics (imagine that!)

Anyway, besides that, I’ve listened to a few AP on Broadway interviews but they seem to be of the sort like “Oh, I’m doing this play and it’s simply FAB-ulous.” I noticed that Playbill Radio does podcasts; has anyone ever listened to these? Are they any good? Any and all suggestions welcome!

How Theater Failed America

Not that long ago, my old pal Rick St. Peter posted an article (you have to scroll down a bit) by monologist Mike Daisey subtitled “How Theatre Failed America” that led to a fair amount of discussion on this here blog (and BTW, no I don’t get a kick-back from Rick every time I mention him in this space. Though it’s a good idea. Whattaya say, Rick?)

Anyway, Daisey has turned the article into a monologue that he is currently performing in New York. The piece seems to have been generally well-received and perhaps there will be even more discussion – of the wide-ranging, national kind – like there was on this blog. It may not rival the national conversation we are reportedly having on race currently (right?) but it could be interesting nonetheless. I guess we’ll see.

Fully Committed

My lovely wife and I were having a conversation about whether or not I could really be objective in my perspective on a show that had one of our children in it. She thought I could – she’s known me to be somewhat brutally honest in my appraisal of performances by people who I feel deep affection for. Like for instance, her. She almost had me convinced until the curtain went down on opening night of “Peter Pan” by which point I was absolutely convinced that I could not. The reasons for this are not necessarily what you might think.

It’s not that I immediately believe everything my son did was awesome in the show (or even necessarily “adorable,” as Ms. Lewis characterized him in the T-D). Here are the two strikes against my objectivity: 1) if anything, my tendency is toward being overly critical of his performance. I noticed the times he fidgeted with his costume, the times he nearly missed a cue, the times when he seemed to lose focus. Of course, the reason I noticed all of these things is: 2) when he was on stage, my attention was about 90% on him and 10% on everything else going on. This kind of detracts from my ability to fully judge a show, mostly because there are at least a dozen nuances (i.e., lines of dialogue, significant plot points, intermissions, etc.) that I missed the first time through the show.

One thing you notice in a big ensemble show like Pan is an aspect of acting that separates the good from the great. From what I’ve seen over the years, many child actors, no matter how adorable they are, have moments on stage when they break character. Most of the time it’s a subtle thing – a glance into the audience, a moment when they don’t react to something on stage, a relatively flat line reading. What these small miscues make me appreciate, though, are the performances of actors who, even in small roles, are fully committed to the action on stage.

As an example, an actress named Ali Thibodeau plays Tiger Lily, the leader of the Indians, in “Peter Pan” (she was last seen at Swift Creek Mill as one of the March girls in “Little Women.”) There is not a moment that she’s on stage that she doesn’t exude Tiger Lily; she completely embraces her Tiger Lily-ness and any residual Ali-ness disappears behind her faux native regalia. Furthermore, when Tiger Lily dances, she doesn’t just go through the motions, she swings her arms, swaggers and struts, bringing the whole force of an Indian warrior’s personality to bear. The impressive thing is that Ali is a teenager – still a high school student – and her commitment to a character shows a remarkable maturity. If you happen to see Pan, I urge you to spend a moment during one of the big group scenes scanning the Indians or the pirates and notice how well the supporting players stay in character. It’s something I’ve done with big cast shows like “Les Mis” on Broadway and I’ve been surprised sometimes at what I’ve seen.

Big Weekend

It has been another big theater weekend in Richmond as the Firehouse opened their Theatre Cabaret show of 4 short pieces under the direction of Scott Wichmann (does that man ever stop working?), HATTheatre opened "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" starring several great folks including the lovely Janine Serresseque whose blog I love, and last but not least for me and my family, "Peter Pan" at Theatre IV. So tire yourself out during these beautiful days but then see a nice, relaxing show at night! Sound like a plan?

The Tomorrow File

When I was maybe 12 or 13, I read a book called “The Tomorrow File” by Laurence Sanders. Sanders was more famous for his somewhat tawdry crime thrillers – “The First Deadly Sin,” etc. – that predated the many similar series by authors like Jonathan Kellerman and Mary Higgins Clark that dot the bestseller lists these days. The novel is essentially science fiction in that it is set in what was then the near-future (sometime shortly after the year 2000) and supposes all sorts of fascinating things about the future – that men and women will be referred to as EMs and EFs (text acronyms perhaps?), that an addictive but not-harmful substance will have been included in almost all foodstuffs by some big corporation so that everyone in the world now craves it (caffeine? High-fructose corn syrup?), etc. etc. There were dozens of things like this that seemed completely plausible.

One point in the book – key to the plot but also not emphasized as revolutionary – was that in the future, men and women having relationships with people of the same sex would be as common and accepted as people having relationships with the opposite sex. Even to a kid raised in middle-America in a Catholic, very Republican household, this seemed to make sense to me. Still new to the universe of sexual dynamics – and probably not yet aware of what “queer” REALLY meant, I didn’t really see why this wouldn’t happen. Two humans, each with a heart and a soul and a mutual attraction, what exactly would be the harm if they happened to be the same sex and happened to fall in love with each other?

I thought about this book as I read Bruce Miller’s open letter to those who walked out of “The Little Dog Laughed.” If I were as good a person as Bruce, I might have been able to write the even-handed and rational response that he did. Unfortunately, personally, the whole thing infuriates me. It just kills me that – for instance – Virginians passed the imbecilic law relating to same-sex partnerships. It seems to be such a misdirection in terms of what government should be about or even be concerned about. My fury redoubles when I talk to several people I know who are true small-government Conservatives who think the law is stupid as well. If people both liberal and conservative saw it as stupid, how the hell did it pass? Do people really think homosexuality is just going to go away? It has been part of the human condition for thousands of years and ridiculous proscriptions against it have just caused heartache and pain. And still, gay folks keep on loving each other. People! Just deal with it!

But really, the fury about all that fades quickly for me. After the anger comes the curiosity. I wonder: did the people who walked out of the show think they were OK with homosexuality but then actually seeing two naked men embrace pushed them over the edge? Did they purposely disregard all of the warnings about the content? Are they dumb, oversensitive or in some way, striving to get somewhere and yet not quite there yet?

In the end, this ongoing discomfort or contempt or whatever regarding homosexuality just makes me tired. Thirty years ago, “The Tomorrow File” saw this as being no big deal by now. So why is it still such a big deal? When I wrote my review about the show, I didn’t even really want to play it up as being a “controversial” play. It doesn’t seem controversial to me. It seems like a fairly real story – if exaggerated for comic effect – about relatively real issues (given of course that it’s about Hollywood…) To me, two men struggling with the possibility that they might be falling in love and the contingent professional fallout seems more relevant in today’s America than some story about a mythical, iconic America – like a strong, heterosexual couple working a small farm or something – that I think barely exists anymore.

Anyway, I ramble in part because I am exhausted from these last couple of days before the “Peter Pan” opening last night. It all went off quite well and I’ll have some more thoughts on that after a good long nap.

Flyboy

Peter Pan has more moving parts than any other production I’ve ever been tangentially connected to. In college, I pulled cable for some concerts with elaborate sets and fancy lighting but that was all for a band of 4 to 6 people. Pan has monster sets, cables for flying effects, scads of costumes and all for a cast of something like 58 (ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but between the Lost Boys, the Indians, and the Pirates – there are a lot of bodies wandering around backstage at the Empire).

I remember having the thought when the Mill did “Joseph” recently that some part of a director’s job with a production like this is the role of traffic cop. They just gotta keep people moving and hopefully in purposeful and aesthetically pleasing ways. With Pan, I’ve had more of the sense of director as architect on the scene of a large building project. He or she has got to have the big picture design in their mind and they work with a big crew to get that sucker built.

With Pan, director Steve Perigard has quite an amazing crew working with him. I haven’t seen or met all of them but I’ve been impressed with choreographer Leslie Owens-Harrington and production manager Ginnie Willard. These are the unsung heroes of a production like this, bringing order to chaos and, particularly with Ginnie, making sure the 597 things add up that make up one big show.

Rehearsals are now going late into the night, some folks seem to be getting tense, others are just exhausted. It’s enough to make one wonder why anyone does this for a living or, with many of them, for fun. I expect when the curtain falls at the end of the opening night performance tomorrow, I’ll get a glimpse of at least one of the reasons.

Nice Doggie

My review of “The Little Dog Laughed” shows up in Style this week. As you can read, I liked it. My wife liked it a bunch too. The number of laugh-out-loud moments were almost too numerous to count.

And in case you were wondering, I don’t talk all nice about Bruce Miller in my review just because he says nice things about me on my blog. For one thing, I don’t work that way. For another, Bruce knows I don’t work that way and I think (hope) he respects me for it (my review was also written before his latest insightful and healing missive, just FYI).

To be honest, I went into the show with a vague concern that I might have to say not-so-nice things about Mr. Miller. Bruce has been directing for a long, long time and has more theater knowledge in his left big toe than I have in my entire brain. Over the years, he’s done a great job with a wide variety of material. But I realize now that I have a lingering assumption that his strength is in broad comedy. Maybe it’s because of all of those traveling kid’s shows that have to fit fun, songs, and a message into an abbreviated running time.

Whatever the case, I worried that something zippy and contemporary might somehow be too much for Bruce. I now realize why my assumption was off. Whereas someone like Rick St. Peter can take something like “Taming of the Shrew” and make it seem zippy and contemporary, I think Bruce’s strength – apparent in “Little Dog” but in other shows as well – is in grounding the comedy (however broad) in well-drawn, fully-realized characters. What Bruce has, I think, is the confidence to be simple and the experience to be specific. There is enough fireworks going on in the dialogue of “Little Dog;” no extraneous directorial flourishes are required.

Other great things about “Little Dog:” I was really considering starting the review with praise for the lighting design I was so impressed by it. Lynne Hartmann’s lighting is usually top-notch (though I remember noticing some weirdnesses with “Member of the Wedding”) and I often can’t even fit one line about it into my reviews. You could say that I was impressed by the lighting “tricks” in Little Dog – the flashbulbs and the beautifully rendered mandala – but sometimes it’s the attention-getting moments that make you realize the strength of the whole pallet.

One last thing (though I could mention several) is Laine Satterfield’s performance. She was awesome. In the scope of the plot, her character is really little more than a device that helps sew things up; I could imagine the play working without her character at all. But she digs into Ellen with abandon and makes her lovable in her somewhat shallow, sad, gold-digging, searching, and highly insightful way. Based on Satterfield’s performance, I could see a spin-off of “Little Dog” that focuses just on Ellen.

More to say but no time to say it! I’ve got about a million things to say about “Peter Pan” too and only two days until opening night. Yikes! That’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

PS: Interesting that several Hollywood-oriented scripts invoke canines, don't you think? Anyone remember "Four Dogs and a Bone" at the Firehouse many years ago? Damn, that was a good show. Jeff Clevenger, Stephanie Kelly, etc. -- awesome.

Blood and Squalor

So I’m behind the curve as usual, but I finally saw Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd” on DVD and I’m very conflicted in my opinion of it. I love Johnny Depp in the title role and think he acquits himself nicely with his vocals. He can do tortured soul very well. Other things I liked:

--> the blood. I know this got some attention when the movie came out. I think the copious amounts of blood makes the horror of it all both more real and surreal.

--> The squalor. The bugs and filth and everything, particularly when we first see Mrs. Lovett’s shop. Together with the blood, I think the movie makes the intense nature of the story more visceral.

--> Laura Michelle Kelley (Lucy) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Anthony) in smaller roles. Two gorgeous actors underutilized but still delightful. Alan Rickman was pretty delicious as the judge as well. (Tidbit: I saw LMK in the revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” on Broadway and she was great in that too.)

Things I didn’t like:
--> I missed the ensemble numbers from the stage version. What is “Sweeney Todd” without the title song?

--> The final scene with Todd holding Lucy. The only spot where Tim Burton went too far with the blood.

--> Most critical problem: on stage, the tension when Todd finds Johanna in his shop is palpable. Sondheim has already taken your breath away with the scene when Todd dispenses with “the Beggar Woman” and now he seems on the brink of cutting your heart out. It’s one of the tensest moments in theater. In the movie, it came and went way too fast. The tension when Toby almost discovers Pirelli’s body is played much bigger in the movie.

Things I was really mixed about:
--> Helena Bonham Carter. Vocally, she wasn’t bad but not really good either. On the positive side, her age and look makes her dreams of a life with Sweeney much more palpable than when say Patti Lupone plays Mrs. Lovett. On the negative side, I think she kind of underplayed things – surprising from an actress who was one of the most frenetic Ophelias I’ve ever seen (in the Mel Gibson “Hamlet”). There wasn’t much of a motherly vibe with Toby – something I think adds an interesting element – and I didn’t get a whole lot of the somewhat vicious opportunism from her that inspires the decision to “creatively” dispose of the bodies. Of course, this could have been how she was directed.

As usual with Burton films, the art direction and costuming were awesome. But all and all, I’d give it around a B+. More convenient to see than the stage version, but less compelling in my humble opinion.

More Mattress and Miller

It may be a little indulgent but I’m going to link to my post about AART once again, mostly because Bruce Miller has chimed in with a positive and well-stated comment that I recommend you read if you haven’t (you’ll need to scroll down to get to it). I can’t really add much to the wise words Mr. Miller puts forth but he does touch on one thing that I haven’t said specifically in any of my other comments: I think it is a better thing for AART to be discussed rather than dismissed. I hope this kind of discussion benefits AART because, while I may not have said it explicitly before, it is my very sincere hope that the company succeeds. Thank you very much for your comments, Bruce.

Also, I’ve wanted to augment my review of “Once Upon A Mattress” for a week now. As I tried to convey in my review, the show is a good time, full of wackiness and well-staged at the Mill. If anyone sensed a little reticence in my review to be madly, wildly positive about the show, it’s because I had kind of forgotten just how silly the script is. Even beyond that, it has a couple of loose threads that kind of dangle obviously that I had never noticed before. The whole subplot with the Jester’s father seemed very extraneous to me – and that was a shame because Derek Phipps made for an excellent Jester. I also never quite understood why the King, the Minstrel and the Jester all had to team up to sneak Lady Larken out of the Kingdom. Wouldn’t it have been more incognito for her to do it herself?

Maybe that’s over-thinking it but I guess in my opinion it can be entertaining to go to a show that doesn’t really engage the intellect but it’d be nice if it at least made sense.

Even so, Tom Width gathered a great cast for the show, many of whom I didn’t have room to praise in the review. Matt Polson and Katrinah Carol Lewis made for a smashing couple as Sir Harry and Lady Larken. Any show that gives Ms. Lewis a chance to sing is a winner in my book. Durron Tyre makes for a very engaging Minstrel; I’d love to see another show like “Plaid” where Mr. Tyre is even more front and center. And of course, Liz Blake was wonderful as Princess #12. But I won’t gush about her too much because my crush for her was superceded by my crush on Amy Kaeberle who I’ve enjoyed in everything I’ve seen her in since she was in SPARC’s “Cats.”

My only major disappointment was in Brett Ambler as Prince Dauntless, but some of that may be the script and another part may be expectation. I’ve loved Brett is so many things – from “Suessical” to “Urinetown” – I was looking forward to being wow-ed again. Instead, I found his performance pleasant enough but not much more.

Of course, the show really zings when Joy Williams or Audra Honaker is on stage. And I concur with Ms. Haubenstock who I think said that it was a shame that Jason Marks didn’t sing since he’s got such a great voice. But he mugs it up wonderfully as King Sextimus.

Once last thing (and for those of you who don’t know the plot of “Mattress” and don’t want to know it – stop reading NOW). Are you still reading? OK, then: As I remember “Mattress,” isn’t there a moment at the end where they take all of the stuff out of the mattress and yet, she still can’t sleep? And then they take the pea out, and she’s finally comfortable? Did the Mill include that part? I don’t remember it. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Yay Plus

The stars aligned in such a way this weekend that gave me almost exactly a 2 hour window of free time on Saturday afternoon and put me in the vicinity of University of Richmond. This gave me the opportunity to take in a series of one-act musicals that students were putting on as the “term papers” so to speak for their Broadway Musical Theatre Class. I went expecting rough. I went expecting off-key, stilted, awkward, and possibly embarrassing. Instead, I got 2 hours of far-from-polished but creative, surprising, and highly entertaining with a sprinkling of true inspiration.

All four one-acts were performed with only minimal sets and props; the focus seemed to be on the development of new material within the often limited stage musical format. The scripts were all derived from other sources in some way but each showed great originality. And though the performances were at times rough, there was also at least one break-out moment of hilarity or catharsis in each show. The cleverest script told the story AFTER “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” happily ever after. Among the revelations: Prince Charming is gay – explained in a riotous song that includes the only “rusty trombone” reference I’ve ever heard on stage anywhere – Snow White really lets herself go, and a few of the dwarves meet untimely demises.

The other shows were a stage version of the board game “Clue,” an adaptation of a Shel Silverstein poem called “The Perfect High,” and a musical staging of “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” I almost slapped my forehead at this last one – why hasn’t anyone done this? If they can make “Legally Blonde” into a musical, why not “MBFW”? This show also featured what I would consider the break-out performance of the whole afternoon – Jason Tseng’s side-splitting take on “the gay best friend” to marriage wrecker Julianne.

Of course, most people who read this won’t have seen the performances so it’s not really worth giving a full-blown critique of it all. But based on their work on Saturday, I’d be hoping to see more of some of the performers either on local stages or – who knows – even bigger venues outa town. Matt Plotzker made a handsome Grumpy in the “Dwarves Escape” and he also had a great voice and cowrote the script; Sarah Jackson uncorked a clear and controlled soprano anchoring a funny song where all of the female characters protest their innocence in “Clue,” Kathleen Wein was like a cross between Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon – blonde but smart with an all-American girl appeal AND an awesome voice.

Most of all, the whole thing was a testament to how much talent there is out there, how many great ideas there are to be exploited, and how many great gifts can be found in unexpected theatrical spaces all over this town.

Stars

There’s so much I’m itching to talk about; I may have to post three or four times this weekend. There’s more rattling around my brain to say about “Mattress” and “Little Dog” and I took in some great student one-acts at U of R today and then watched “Sweeney Todd” on DVD. But it’s also after midnight and I’m going to turn into a pumpkin so I’ll just throw these tidbits out that I picked up last week:

From what I’ve read, Patrick Stewart is getting pretty awesome reviews in the new “MacBeth.” And I saw two or three stories last week about Daniel Radcliffe and his upcoming stint in “Equus.” There’s been some discussion on ye ole blog about how big movie star names – or sometimes semi-famous reality show names – are used to sell a production. I’m not a huge fan of the practice. The only production I have specifically gone to see because it had a “name” in it was Natalie Portman in “The Diary of Anne Frank” and frankly (yuk yuk) she was pretty mediocre.

Having said that, I AM a big fan of whatever gets people to go see live theater and whatever keeps the medium alive and growing. If that means more “American Idols” working the Great White Way, so be it, I say. I’m happy and encouraged that major stars want to do Broadway, that they still see it as a vital place to perform and stretch as an artist and possibly to keep in touch with the people. I can’t imagine that Laura Linney HAS to do Les Liaisons Dangereuses for the paycheck -- her movie career seems to be going gangbusters. So she does her some Broadway and maybe energizes herself and possibly inspires a few more people to come see a show. Seems like a win-win to me.

Research

I only occasionally mention my work in grad school in this space because it has little to do with theater. Or at least that was the case until this semester. My general focus in school is the cultural interface between America and China, an area I’ve been fascinated with for many years. This semester my class was 19th century American history and we students were challenged to study original source material from the 1800s, you know, like a real historian.

As my classmates combed through census data and Civil War diaries and such, I came across a collection of 19th century American plays that featured Chinese characters (it’s called “The Chinese Other” by Dave Williams, if you are at all interested). It was astounding. Chinese immigrants first started arriving in America after the Gold Rush in 1849 – many were recruited by the railroads and Chinese laborers made up the majority of crews that built the western leg of the transcontinental railroad (remember seeing any Asian folks in that famous “Golden Spike” picture? No, me neither). Around 1870, many plays started being written about frontier life and they often depicted Chinese immigrants in the most demeaning and hateful ways. Many are portrayed as barely human.

I found some research that talked about these depictions but little of what I read said anything about how other minorities were depicted at the same time. That became the focus of my research. To use a classic higher education word, I wanted to “contextualize” the portrayal of the Chinese within the racial culture of the time. I put the final touches on the paper just last night and what I am concluding is, as backward and racist as the perception of the Chinese was as exhibited in these plays, it was no worse and in some ways better than that of Native Americans and African Americans. Indians were depicted as irredeemably savage and blacks were still characterized by the numerous stereotypes that had been established and reinforced by Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (Just as an aside, Cabin is arguably the most popular play of all time, being adapted into several stage versions that played in various cities from 1852 through the end of the century and that toured nationwide. UCT was adapted into one of the first ‘full length’ – that is, 10-14 minutes long – silent movies made 1903).

Anyway, it’s amazing to me the extent to which issues of race continue to play out throughout our culture, on stage and off both nationwide and locally. Some of you may have heard about the recent incident of a representation of an African American found hung in effigy at University of Richmond. It seems significant that this effigy was found in one of the campus theaters. It’s reprehensible that this kind of behavior persists. The only positive I can see in the whole thing is the aggressive stance the University is taking on the situation, including holding a “teach in” yesterday to discuss the history and meaning of lynching in the United States. Some of the response has been organized by Chuck Mike who some of you may be familiar with. His theater program -- Theatre for Social Change -- has been doing some very interesting work and supporting many challenging productions, including the recent production of “The Meeting” that runs through this weekend.

If you want to read about how far we’ve come – or maybe not? – I’m happy to send my paper to anyone interested. It’s 35 pages of sometimes dense verbiage but for a student of theater, I think it’s pretty interesting reading. Let me know.

A two-fer

This week’s Style features Mary weighing in on RTP's "Say You Love Satan" as well as my take on the Mill's "Once Upon A Mattress." Enjoy!

I’ll try to supplement my review with additional comments in the next day or two. In the meantime, if you have an opinion on my recent post on AART – and at least a few people do -- please feel free to join in the discussion.

An actor thing

So opening night of “Little Dog Laughed” and something is going on with Susan Sanford’s voice. Either she has laryngitis or a cold or something. But I don’t hardly notice until my lovely wife points it out to me after the show. And being an actress herself and sensitive to that kind of thing, she expresses her admiration for Susan. “Did you hear how she was trying to find the place in her voice where she could project from?” she asks. I suddenly feel kind of stupid. “Um, no not really.”

But I do remember that moment early in this season of “American Idol” when ACTRESS Syesha Mercado is all freaking out because she is losing her voice and it’s “Hollywood week” where they’re merciless and she’s sure she’s going to get cut but then, laryngitis or no, she belts out some amazing song during her last performance and sails through into the final 12.

So I am reminded how real professionals learn to utilize their instrument, manage its performance to get the best results. And, after her brilliant performance, laryngitis notwithstanding, Susan Sanford becomes my new “American Idol.”

Night of a Thousand Stars

This morning had me wondering if the T-D has finally listened to all of the suggestions I’ve sent, emailed, tied on rocks and thrown through windows, etc. It started with a little teaser right on the front page, that sent me directly to a great piece on Andrew Hamm and his ever-growing body of good work with Richmond Shakespeare. Congrats, Mr. Hamm!

In a more-prominent-than-usual place in the Metro section you’ve got Ms. Haubenstock’s spot-on review of “The Little Dog Laughed” that includes one of the most deft turns of phrase I’ve read anywhere recently, her characterization of Susan Sanford’s character as a “feral godmother.” Snap!

Then there's an article about the dreamy Laura Linney, wherein I learned that she is 44 -- just like me! -- further reinforcing my delusion that there is some cosmic connection between her and I. Finally, there's even a travel piece about the map exhibit in Baltimore, tweaking my low-grade map obsession. I probably read more of the T-D this morning than I have in months -- and I haven't even gotten to the funnies yet!

Friday night at the Barksdale was amazing not just because of the opening of “The Little Dog Laughed,” but also because of the huge phalanx of local theater notables who were in the crowd. If I had any sense of fashion, I could write up a great red carpet round-up kind of thing – “Debra Wagonner looked smashing in Givenchy while Jan Guarino was understated but elegant in Ralph Lauren, etc. etc.” – but clearly I don’t. Most heartening for me was seeing Michael Gooding in the crowd as well as other RTP board members and directors. It was a great indication of inter-theater support and good will.

There are so many aspects of “Little Dog” that can be talked about that there may be two or three more posts about the show in the coming week. In the meantime, be sure and read the recap below from my blogmate Mary -- "who was sleek and stylish as usual in Dolche and Cabana" -- or something like that...

Oh What a Night!

I am still realing from last nights Richmond debut of "The Little Dog Laughed". Since I am not reviewing it for anyone I am free to share my thoughts with you:

Bruce Miller and Phil Whiteway should be applauded for choosing this play. It is gutsy, funny and sure to be controversial in this conservative berg. It was everything theatre should be. Well produced. Well directed. Well acted. Very well written. Funny, smart, tender, poignient, exciting. It is the type of play that many of us hunger for in Richmond and can usually only find produced at the Firehouse Theatre or by Triangle Players.

Douglas Carter Beane (who is adorably boyish and mussed in person) adeptly provides a commentary on the manipulative nature or Hollywood on art, actors and the general public. He uses the case of the utter distruction of Truman Capote's "Breakfast At Tiffany's" from the brilliant novella to "safe" film as his running theme while telling the tale of a gay actor, his manipulative agent and the destruction of another work of art dealing with a gay theme. Although the story of the gay male lovers is the focal point, the female characters of the play really move the story along.

But Blah, Blah, Blah ...I linger too long on the plot. Why do you really need to see this play? It is incredibly well written! There is enough running theme, good characters and controversy to keep anyone happy.
Susan Sanford is AMAZING as the hardboiled yet studiously soft talent agent, Diane. She is the "Cat" fiddling the story and the characters into place. You can feel that this woman is a ring master and is really running this show from the first moment the audience is introduced to her- all glammed and standing on "the" red carpet delivering a brilliant monolog that sets the tone and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" relationship.

Eventhough there is not much chemistry between the two male actors, Matt Hackman and John Kenneth DeBoer, they both put in very fine performances. Hackman and DeBoer are new to the Barksdale stage and the fresh faces were a risk well taken. They were great at getting naked too- none of that awkward wierdness that can happen sometimes when actors take their clothes off and walk around on stage in the buff.
DeBoer was recently wonderful in "Visiting Mr. Green" by Richmond Triangle Players. He has that New York nice bad boy look about him reminiscent Frank Sinatra as Sky Masterson in the movie version of "Guys and Dolls". I overheard someone at intermission commenting on how cute his butt is as well. It just gets better and better doesn't it?

I am very proud of Hackman who, according to his program bio, is a relative newcomer to professional theatre. One would not have known.

Laine Satterfield is fabulous too! She fully fleshes out this already juicy character. Her nuances as the money-driven-looking-for-the-easy-life girl are perfect.

It just all seemed so good and fresh and exciting. Everyone should see this show and bring hundreds of friends. Because it is a production like this that proves top notch theater that can compete anywhere CAN be done here. (I'm not saying we don't have good theatre in Richmond but "The Little Dog Laughed" shows where the bar should be set all the time.) Theatre lovers must support this show to prove that we who live for excellent challenging theatre are here and will support it.

Waiting Indeed

There’s an intriguing line in the New Yorker’s review of Japanese artist-entrepreneur Takashi Murakami’s show at the Brooklyn Museum. Critic Peter Schjeldahl says that with this show “New Yorkers” – and by extension, all Americans – “have a chance to absorb our new geo-spiritual fate, as provincials in a world of creative paradigms that no longer entreat our favor. That has to be good for us.” This encapsulation of the universal within the specific is just one of many reasons I love The New Yorker.

For some reason, this line made me think about “Waiting to be Invited,” the production by the African American Repertory Theatre that was reviewed in the T-D earlier this week. To make a full disclosure here, I’m pretty sure I have only seen two productions by this company, and that was back when it was still Living Word. But based on those productions and on everything I’ve heard from others since, there may be some creative paradigm at work with AART that I don’t understand. There are ways in which the “rules” of theater can be bent or even broken that are challenging and enlightening or even disturbing. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if theater just isn’t very good, well, then it just isn’t very good. I try to keep my outlook positive and think that they are working toward what may eventually blossom into something awesome. But my fear is that they just aren’t doing very good theater. Does anyone else have an alternative view?

Hester and Satan

Hey Ya'll. Missed ya so much I've popped in with some news and some thoughts.

First the thoughts:
Dave, Love the idea of switching casts of "Mattress" and "Satan"!
You and I should get together on this since I saw "Satan" and you saw "Mattress". Surprisingly the shows may have more in common than one might immediately think. Domineering "women", effeminate men, good vs. evil issues and discussions about sex. OR there could just be a mash of the two shows together!!! I would definitely pay to see that! It could be called "Once Upon a Satan" or "Say You Love Mattresses".

news:
Chris Hester is pulling off the showcase/marketing coup of the year on Thursday April 24th at the Henrico Theater. His one man Musical Showcase is titled "Stages: The Defining Phases of One Man's Life". Free. 8:00pm. Reception Immediately Following and you are all invited - for real.

Hope to see many of you Friday night at "Little Dog Laughed" opening and reception. I am not reviewing as it is Dave's turn but have been graciously included on the guest list.

Now here's something to chew on:
I hesitated (to the point of missing the event) purchasing tickets to the Fairy Tale Ball because I feel odd supporting one theatre company's fundraising event and not supporting them all. It is not that I do not wish to support them all but as a freelance writer/teacher I cannot afford tickets and babysitting for all of the events. It just seems uncool to attend say The Fireball and not go to anyone else's event. I don't want to seem as though I endorse one company over the other. On the flip side, I do support local theatre and want to show my support by "being there" for these fundraising events.

Bloggers- What are your thoughts? Am I being sensitive to others feelings or just exhibiting an overly self important attitude?

Another, more poignant, giveaway

I am a regular reader of Dan Savage's advice column, "Savage Love." In a town like Richmond, I'm always a little hesitant to even mention this column because it has the audacity to speak to people's kinky sexuality with compassion and deal with sexual issues bluntly and honestly. Mr. Savage is gay -- ribaldly, unrepentently, and gloriously gay -- and has a long-term boyfriend with whom he's adopted a son.

In this week's column, Mr. Savage offers two tickets to a show, kind of like I did a few days ago. The reason he makes this offer, however, is much more poignant and affecting than mine. If you are interested in two tickets to the tour of "The Drowsy Chaperone," you might want to check out his column. Or, even better, if you want to read a touching and wonderfully respectful "thank you" letter, check it out.

Updates

Style hits newsstands early this week (Tuesday instead of Wednesday) and, while I can’t link to the story yet, Mary’s thumbs-up for Richmond Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” is in this week’s issue (update: now I can link to it!). There’s a short blurb on “Greater Tuna” in the Calendar section as well.

Congratulations to Thespis’ Little Helper – more commonly known as BC – for claiming the tickets to the Emily Skinner / Alice Ripley concert Friday night. Drop us a line here at the blog and let us know how the show was, BC.

Theatre IV has posted pictures from the Fairy Tale Ball. While I was not among the attendees, three of the T-lines were and two appear in the pix. Well, shucks, ain’t they adorable?

I am prompted by an email from Brandon Becker who ably choreographed “Once Upon A Mattress” to mention briefly how generous theater folks are in this town. The actors at the FTB were all essentially donating their time (though there were great fringe benefits I’m told!). The folks at Henley Street have organized a benefit preview performance of “The Seagull” on Thurs., May 8th to assist the ailing Liz marks.

And Brandon brought to my attention a benefit for the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School happening on April 26th. This gala will include volunteers performers from Richmond Shakespeare, Firehouse Theatre Project, Richmond Ballet, Barksdale Theatre, Amaranth Dance Company, Starr Foster Dance Company, and more (details here).

These are only three of the dozens of these kinds of benefits that happen each year where Richmond performers donate their time and talent unselfishly. Few Richmond-area performers are rich and yet they are among the most generous people I know.

Run and Fun

On Saturday, twenty-four thousand pals of mine and I ran up and down Monument Ave for a while. Wow – what an amazing turnout! What was truly impressive to me was how well-organized everything was. Starting with information packet pickup and ending with the distribution of food at the end of the race, things just ran like clockwork. I ran pretty well, too, my 50 minutes exactly time beating my expectations by a good 3 minutes or so. It’s not as impressive as Scott Wichmann’s recent feat but, hey, I’ll take it.

And speaking of well-organized, I dropped my son off at the Fairy Tale Ball at Theatre IV later on Saturday and man, talk about another well-organized event. Food and fun stuff was everywhere and, by all accounts I heard, a grand time was had by all.

I couldn’t make it to the Ball itself, as I had a date with a princess, a pea and 20 mattresses down at Swift Creek Mill. It was certainly a fun show but, until I gather my thoughts together more coherently, you’ll have to be content with Ms. Haubenstock’s review. It sounds like she had fun, too!

Bali Ha'i

Another reason I WILL be going to New York this year: ‘South Pacific’ opened last night and, if the first-blush reviews can be believed, it looks like a spectacular production (for a more in-depth story with sound clips, check out the NPR story). Beyond reviving a monumental piece of Broadway history, I think this production is interesting because of the story’s tangential commentary on current events (that is, life during wartime) and its treatment of racial prejudice.

It also comes at a pretty fortuitous time for me as I’m currently finishing up a term paper for grad school on anti-Asian prejudice as depicted on stage. Thank you universe, Rogers and Hammerstein, and director Bartlett Sher for providing me with a great opening paragraph!

One last idle thought (but NOT an 'Idol' thought, though those seem to generate more controversy...): as I was driving into work today, I had a vague notion that it'd be pretty funny if the casts of RTP's "Say You Love Satan" and the Mill's "Once Upon a Mattress" got switched. I don't really know enough about "Satan" to know what the result would be, but my sense is that these are two shows that are pretty dramatically different in tone and content -- perfect for a mash-up!

Have a great weekend!

(Update! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the opening of Gypsy recently as well. Here's a pretty long piece at CNN interviewing Patti Lupone and the New Yorker review of the show. John Lahr has been to every iteration of Gypsy on Broadway, all the way back to Ethel Merman -- can you imagine?)

The offers just get better

A while back I posed a multi-part trivia question and the person who gave me the correct answers ended up receiving a year’s subscription to American Theatre magazine. In an ongoing effort to make this blog a value-added aspect of your life, I’m offering yet another prize today.

I’ve got two tickets to the sold-out Emily Skinner / Alice Ripley concert at the Kennedy Center next Friday that I cannot use. If you are interested in these tickets, post a comment here saying you are interested and send me a separate email telling me where you would like the tickets sent. If you want to add any interesting facts about yourself or reasons why you are interested in the tickets, well that would be all the better.

If more than one person expresses an interest, I’ll figure out some thoroughly random way to pick someone (like have my 4-year old pick out the name he likes the best…or I guess I could resort to the more traditional hat method…we’ll see if it’s even necessary…).

Having missed seeing Ms. Skinner’s recent stint in “The Witches of Eastwick,” I’m very disappointed that I won’t be able to go to this concert. In fact, I think I’ve seen Ms. Ripley on stage more recently (in a production of “Les Miz” 10 years ago) than I’ve seen Emily, which is just a shame. But my disappointment can be someone else’s happiness. Let me know by the end of the day next Monday...

HBO (How 'Bout Our) Ford

The lovely Ms. Harris-Jones, via her blog, alerted me to Mr. Ford Flanagan's recent appearance in HBO's "John Adams." Unfortunately, I don't have HBO so I didn't see it but now I'll have to be sure and check it out when it comes to DVD. Oh sure, I was a little envious that he was sharing near-kisses with the wonderful Christine Schneider every night in rehearsal for 'Peter Pan' -- but now I learn he might have actually met and conversed with Laura Linney?!? I am thoroughly green now.