My Favorite Things

MarqueePolitics is turning two this month, and this blogger is turning the big 27. With these milestones on the horizon, it got me thinking.

I’m often asked about my favorite performances, and to identify which ones made the biggest impact on me.  With my birthday right around the corner, I thought that this would be an appropriate time to reflect on the performances that have never quite left me.

Phantom/Miss. Saigon/Cats

“Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”

All it took was: a crashing chandelier, helicopter landing and dancing cats.  These were first shows I ever saw (ages 3, 6, 7).  Their combination of: high emotions, grand spectacle and memorable pop scores sent my young imagination soaring.  I often call them the holy trinity of musicals, because it was these three shows that introduced me to the great love of my life, the theater.

Evita – 1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording

I had an epiphany in high school, and it was the first time I ever listened to the original Broadway cast recording of Evita.

The rock opera’s themes of politics, revolution and media manipulation hooked this young politico at age 16.  Evita was further electrified by Patti LuPone’s fierce portrayal as Argentina’s First Lady and her ambition to succeed at all costs.  Despite having the album for the 11 years, not a week goes by when LuPone and the original Broadway cast of Evita can been heard from my apartment, giving this show a touch of star quality!

Elaine Stritch at Liberty – 2002 Broadway Production

Rare, intense, humorous, honest and a triumph of the human soul.

I was lucky enough to attend the last Broadway matinee performance of this show.  From that Sunday afternoon, I learned that human’s can triumph over any adversity as long as we don’t stop fighting.  Accompanied by a songbook of classic Broadway hits, Stritch walked the audience thru her: fights with alcoholism, struggles with love, triumphs working with Noel Coward and Stephen Sondheim, and life’s journey from being raised in Detroit to having her name adorn Broadway marquees.

Great actors leave it all out on the stage and Stritch set the bar for generations to come.

 Company – 2006 Broadway Revival

Company, more than any other show, changed my perspective on life.

My parents split when I was very young, and what understanding of marriage I had came from television.  Because of that, I never understood the emotional complexity involved when two people enter into a relationship, and what I did know was very one-sided.   Company threw cold-water on that idea, teaching me that relationships are about sharing your life with somebody, not just some-body.  Theater is often a reflection of life through art, and its through art that we learn so much about ourselves as individuals.

The Audience

The one constant in all these productions is the audience, and I’ve been lucky to have always had a supporting audience of my own.  While I won’t use their names, I want recognize the friends and family who have encouraged my love of the theater: My parents who introduced me to the musical at age 3, grandparents who were always game to see a show on Broadway – even if they didn’t quite “get it”, Chief of Staff, and dear friends living across the country in: New York, Pittsburgh, Rockville, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, DC.  All of which I owe a debt a gratitude for indulging in my life’s great passion!

The cast albums to all shows mentioned above are available on amazon.com.

Furthermore, video productions of: Cats, Company, Elaine Stritch at Liberty and Phantom may also be found at amazon.com.

The Art of Storytelling Part II

The nature of love and the meaning of life are two abstract concepts which Broadway shows seem to be in a constant struggle to forever define.  Fortunately, I saw two shows on my recent trip to Broadway which employed unconventional methods to answer these unconventional questions.

Pippin – The Music Box Theatre

The theatre was pitch black, the curtain a dingy tent flap and from the orchestra a faint piano could be heard as a slinky black shadow slithered toward the audience beckoning, “Join us…”

It’s easy to hook an audience with a great opening number, and Pippin has one of the best in “Magic to Do.”  But it’s also easy to lose an audience when trying to define an abstract question, which is what Pippin is all about.

The musical follows the story of a boy named Pippin as he searches for the meaning of life.  It’s a quest everyone in the audience is familiar with, both personally and on-stage, for Pippin’s journey is not unlike Princeton in Avenue Q or Candide in Candide.

What makes Pippin’s journey different from those before (and after) him is the honesty with which life’s choices are laid out.  Pippin, like many of us, searches through life’s all too familiar phases including: military glory, sex, politics, family and even ordinary life before finally arriving at what he views as the best way to make his life extraordinary.

The emotional and physical choices Pippin must address are conveyed by the fact that the show is performed by a troupe in a circus like atmosphere.  This troupe not only breaks the fourth wall in addressing the audience, but uses the circus setting to symbolize the hoops one must jump through and the beams one must walk across to find the answers to life’s most complex questions.

Life as circus is not an original metaphor, but it is an honest one.  And Pippin’s quest to find life’s meaning is an innocent and honest enigma we all try to solve.  Pippin’s greatest attribute as a musical is the clarity in the portrayal of life’s choices through its spectacles.

The Last 5 Years – Second Stage Theatre (Off-Broadway)

Countless musicals have told love stories on linear paths regardless of their ending.  But what about telling the story from two different angles and time perspectives?  That’s what makes The Last 5 Years a modern classic.

The Last 5 Years is a one act, two character, 90 minute show.  It tells the story of Jamie and Cathy over their five-year relationship, from the first date to their divorce.  Now, I’m not spoiling the ending, because the audience learns of the couple’s demise within the first song.  But the real question is how did they get there?

To answer that question composer Jason Robert Brown, who also directed this magnificent production, told their story in two distinct directions.  The songs alternate between Cathy and Jamie, with Cathy starting the show at the end of the marriage, and Jamie starting at the beginning of the relationship.  When the show concludes, it is Jamie who laments the marriage’s demise while Cathy is celebrating their meeting.

The real joy in watching The Last 5 Years is seeing this one-story told in two different and opposing emotional directions.  Even more fascinating is that both characters only meet and appear onstage together one-time throughout the show.  That happens mid-way thru when both stories intersect, at their wedding.  The scene is both heartbreaking because you know what’s coming, but also thrilling because you see the joy in their eyes.  Now, that’s great storytelling!

Finale

I saw The Last 5 Years and Pippin on the same day, one at the matinee and the other in the evening.  It was perhaps one of the greatest days in my theater-going journey, and reinforced what I love so much about the American theater: its ability to tell a story and the creativity involved.

The Last 5 Years will conclude its limited run on May 18, tickets are available by clicking here.

Pippin currently has an open-ended run, tickets are available by clicking here.

Springtime for….

Peter Pan used to tell children that if they wanted to fly, they must think “Happy” thoughts.  Well I’m applying the same logic to staying warm this winter, and so my thoughts are turning to the new crop of Broadway shows opening in March and April.  Below are the productions I’m most excited to see on Broadway this spring!

Pippin – We’ve Got Magic To Do!

Music  Box Theater – Opening Night April 25^th

The revival of this 1972 musical is about a boy prince hoping to find his way in the world.  Throughout his travels, he goes on to basically do ‘sex, drugs and rock n’roll’ all in the hope of discovering fulfillment in life.  With a score by Stephen Schwartz (better known to millenials as the composer of Wicked) this production couldn’t better timed.  With too many millenials still questioning traditional social values after the 2008 financial collapse, hopefully they’ll learn from Pippin’s example about how to make life extraordinary.

Cinderella – A New Rodgers & Hammerstein Musical?

Broadway Theatre – Opening Night March 3^rd

“How can this be,” you’re asking yourself!  “I saw this same musical on television with Julie Andrews?”  True, Cinderella was originally a television musical with Julie Andrews.  In fact R&H wanted to work with Andrews so badly they wrote Cinderella just for her.  The music however has never been heard on the Broadway stage, till now.  Featuring an updated and elongated book, this production of Cinderella will be the first time these R&H songs have been heard on the Broadway stage in a legitimate production.

Matilda – A Non-Spectacle British Musical?

Shubert Theatre – Opening Night April 11^th

It’s fascinating to me watching the transformation of the British musical.  In the eighties it was all spectacle with shows like Starlight Express and Miss Saigon.  Now, with shows like Billy Elliot and Matilda, the musicals are becoming more character driven.  That being said Matilda, a musical based on the beloved Roald Dahl novel, is coming to American via the Royal Shakespeare Company and a lot of theater buzz.  It will be exciting to see whether this shows turns out to be like London productions that had a lot of buzz and flopped (Chess) or still have their marquee burning bright (Phantom).

The Last 5 Years – My First Time…

2^nd Stage Theatre – Opening Night March 7^th

I’ve never been off-Broadway, but if there was ever a reason to go, it would be to see a production of the heart-breakingly beautiful musical The Last 5 Years.  This two-person show is about a couple and the story of their marriage.  The husband and wife alternate singing every-other-song, with the wife starting at the end of the marriage and the husband starting after their first date.  They respectively go forward and backwards, only meeting once and that’s in the middle of the show at their wedding.  This show had a brief off-Broadway run a decade ago, but has since become a modern classic.

As for what makes a show an off-Broadway show?  Off-Broadway are theaters that can house 100-499 seats, thus making them smaller then Broadway theaters.  Many off-Broadway also tend to be out of the realm of the theater district in mid-town Manhattan.

Picking A Winner….

MarqueePolitics is headed to New York City for a theater weekend.  So, I figured I’d spend this entry answering a frequent question I receive:

“How do you decide what shows to see while in New York City?”

The answer differs for each person, but below are few tips I use to guarantee an enjoyable theater weekend.

• Decide when you are going and how many shows you want to see.

Most Broadway shows perform 8 times a week.  Twice on either Wednesday, Saturday and/or Sunday.  If you’re going to NYC to specifically see theater, plan a weekend trip.  Show’s offer the most performances on the weekends.  Also, stay away from Mondays as most shows don’t perform on that day.

•  Consult a list of currently playing show’s and pick the top 3 you want to see.

Playbill.com offers a great list of currently running shows, show times, plot summaries and links to the production’s official ticket buying venue.  Prioritize what you want, not  based on the critics, but on what sounds fun/interesting/intriguing to you.

Note: Use common sense when doing this.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been asked on a Thursday how to buy tickets for that weekend’s performance of Wicked or The Book of Mormon.  If a show is usually well known (i.e….everybody knows about it/or is talking about it) then chances are tickets will be quite scarce.  So be prepared in case your first and/or second show is sold out.

• Don’t listen to the critics.  See what you want to see.

Broadway is so expensive nowadays that gone is the era when audiences saw everything.  Now they can only see a limited quantity of shows.  So see what interests you. 

Who cares what the Tony awards or The New York Times thinks?  I can’t tell you how  many times I have hated a show the critics raved about.  See what you want to see, because if you don’t…chances are you’ll probably regret it.

• Buying tickets and not breaking the bank…Cue the TKTS booth

Broadway is expensive…but, that doesn’t mean you have to pay full price.  Most show’s offer discount tickets either through the TKTS Booth or through rush programs. 

 Below are two links which detail these services.

 TKTS: http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56

 Broadway Rush: http://playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428-Broadway-Rush-Lottery-and-Standing-Room-Only-Policies

 Caution: Just because a show offers rush doesn’t mean you’ll get tickets.  The Book of  Mormon typically has 200+ people who attempt to win tickets through their daily lottery.

• Have fun!

 A trip to the theater is always special.  Go to the stage door or out for drinks or a meal afterwards.  Sometimes, the best part of the show is the post-discussion with you’re friends.  So enjoy.

As for MarqueePolitics, we’re off to see The Best Man, Evita and Newsies this weekend!  Reviews will be posted soon….

Ok DC, my answer….

With Cherry Blossoms reaching full bloom this week, it’s also worth mentioning that the DC theater scene is also at the pinnacle of its spring season as well.

So as promised, here’s my response to what I’m most excited to see in DC this spring!

Brother Russia – Signature Theatre

The world premiere of an original…hold it, that word “original” has already got me buying tickets.

Last week, I lamented about the lack of original works on Broadway.  With DC, that’s not the case with my first show, Brother Russia. An entirely original, all new musical, is receiving its world premiere at Signature Theatre.  I’ve written and praised Signature Theatre before as my favorite regional theater, but the anticipation for this show only adds to their good deeds.

Brother Russia is about a Russian theater troupe who decides to perform a musical about Brother Russia, also known as Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin.  This is the very same Rasputin who seduced a Russian Tsarina shortly before the Russian Revolution.  The show features a heavy rock score by John Dempsey and Dana Rowe, the writers behind the politically-charged musical The Fix.

In a brilliant marketing ploy, Signature emailed five demo tracks from Brother Russia to recipients on their mailing list hoping to generate buzz.  Those tracks peeked this blogger’s interest in Brother Russia, motivating him to buy tickets.  Regardless, this is a world premiere, a chance for audiences to see something before the rest of the theater world gets their say.  And who can resist that!

1776 – Ford’s Theatre

A few months ago, I wrote that the 1969 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, 1776, was the perfect accompaniment to this election year.  Well DC, turn off your iPods, because Ford’s Theatre is performing a brand new revival of this historical classic.

Set in the early spring and summer of 1776, 1776 retells the story of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson as they seek to move the colonies towards independence.  1776’s ingenuity is that the show weaves politics, romance and philosophy throughout a score that ranges from rants to faux operatic ballads.  The show is political without being preachy, and educational without being boring.

If you’re still deciding whether or not to see the show, rent the classic movie starring William Daniels (yes Mr. Feeney from Boy Meets World).  The movie is direct adaption of the stage version, and will give you a flavor for the show.

For more information on Brother Russia please visit: http://www.signature-theatre.org/shows/brother-russia

For more information on 1776 please visit: http://fords.org/event/1776

What I can’t wait to see!

A blonde first lady turned diplomat, the contest for the #1 spot on a presidential ticket, and a sinner trying to save a political or is it a religious messiah…..And who says life doesn’t intimate the arts when it comes to politics.

Too often I’m asked, “What are you looking forward to seeing on Broadway?”  So in response: here is what I’m most excited to see in New York City this spring!

Gore Vidal’s The Best Man

Even if the Republican Primary season does not end in a divided convention, politicos can still get their thrill will this season’s revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man.  Set at an unnamed political convention, The Best Man focuses on two political leaders fighting for their party’s nomination.  Each man has something to hide, and something to fight for.

Aside from the political drama on-stage, this production is populated with high-caliber stars of stage and screen.  Angela Lansbury, James Earle Jones and Candice Bergen lead this cast and unlike the election season, this revival has a limited run of 18 weeks.  Another positive!  No PAC ads or annoyingly faux political commercials!

Evita

Critics love to assault Andrew Lloyd Webber shows as nothing more than mere spectacle and yet the composer’s best show is anything but that.  Evita lacks dancing cats, roller-skating trains, and crashing chandeliers.  What the show does have are brilliant lyrics by Tim Rice, an imperial score which seduces the heart and the most dynamic leading female character in musical theater since Mama Rose in Gypsy.

Much of the buzz about this revival is focused on the actress playing Eva, Elena Roger.  Ms. Roger hails from Argentina, and it was her performance in the 2006 London Revival of Evita which sparked this production.   One also cannot downplay that Evita, a show about a politician’s manipulation of the media, will be playing during an election year.  To read more on that click here!

Jesus Christ Superstar

It always amazes that a show so universally known as Jesus Christ Superstar, has never been properly staged?  “What do you mean,” you ask.  Granted while Superstar has been staged by countless high schools, theater camps, regional theaters, and several Broadway revivals, no production has ever fully captured the rock opera’s spirit.  Till now…

This Broadway revival is coming direct from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival where it was cheered by critics, and most importantly Tim Rice, Superstar’s lyricist.  The show questions whether Jesus was the actual messiah or just the first media superstar.  Regardless, I’m curious to see if this production can finally match the emotional pull of the brilliant original concept album.

Quick Note: You’ll notice than none of these shows are original works, they are all revivals.  While these productions will be great, it’s a sad statement that Broadway is so lacking in original works that revivals are the shows that generate buzz.

For more information on Gore Vidal’s The Best Man please visit: http://thebestmanonbroadway.com/

For more information on Evita please visit: http://evitaonbroadway.com/

For more information on Jesus Chris Superstar please visit: http://www.superstaronbroadway.com/

Next week I’ll address the DC productions I’m looking forward to seeing the most!