THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN

I've been crazy busy these days and had a whole lot of time to post much of anything, however...I finally did get the energy to write my review for the L.A. opening of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on tour for BroadwayWorld.com.

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GET TAKEN AT THE L.A. PREMIERE OF DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

In a sea of mediocre musicals that attempt to successfully grace stages across the country, rarely can one be a successful combination of quality, witty, charming, impressive (not to mention entertaining -- Jerry Mitchell's choreography really pops making the dancing one of the stronger aspects of the show). The national tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels -- based on the popular MGM film, centers on two con men living on the French Riviera -- manages to be one of the better shows that possess nearly all of the qualities to make a great show.

"Scoundrels" composer and lyricist David Yazbek (a Tony-nominee himself for the score of "The Full Monty") has written some of the most clever and witty lyrics in "Scoundrels". His work is a refreshing addition to the Broadway landscape bringing in upbeat music and clever lyrics that reflect current events with (sometimes) subtle ("I'm Muriel of Omaha.../It's Mutual" from "Like Zis, Like Zat") and sometimes not so subtle references ("The Bushes of Tex/Were nervous wrecks/Because their son was dim,/But look what happened to him," from "All About Ruprecht"). For the touring version of "Scoundrels", Yazbek replaced the light and jazzy opening number in the show from "Give Them What They Want" to "The Only Game In Town" having never felt the original was the most suitable opening. While I have now heard both (and also seen the show on Broadway) I thought "The Only Game In Town" made the opening drag a little, though I do think it set up who 'Lawrence Jameson' was better.

As 'Lawrence Jameson' Tom Hewitt was splendid, possessing the perfect amount of sly debonair con-man with great comedic timing. By the end of the show though, Hewitt seemed a little exhausted making the fraternal bond between his character and 'Freddy Benson' seem less special and important. Perhaps that had something to do with the chemistry between Hewitt and (the highly energetic) Norbert Leo Butz feeling a little bland.

It isn't everyday a Tony-winner recreates their award-winning performance on national tour, but lucky Southern Californians get to enjoy the lively Norbert Leo Butz reprising the role of 'Freddy Benson' on tour (through October 24). Audiences immediately responded to Butz' highly physical comedic performance which at times seemed to border on the overly-done/campy side (though effective particularly in the "All About Ruprecht" number). At no time during the entire 2 hour and 40 minute show did Butz' energy seem to wane, neither physically nor vocally. Without a doubt, Butz is definitely the shining star of "Scoundrels".

One of the most refreshing members of the "Scoundrels" cast is original Broadway cast member, Laura Marie Duncan who stars as 'Christine Colgate' on tour. Any scene with Butz seemed to be highly physical and energetic yet Duncan was a great match for Butz while also possessing an edgy innocence shining particularly in "Love Is My Legs".

Sadly, the other supporting members of the show were bland and rather forgettable and one-dimensional. The 'Muriel Eubanks'/'Andre Thibault' storyline seemed to drag particularly because Hollis Resnik and Drew McVety had zero chemistry. If the show did away with their storyline altogether, I doubt anyone would really notice. Though it?s really not fair to compare, Joanna Gleason and Greg Jbara (Muriel and Andre respectively on Broadway) were engaging in their roles making that secondary storyline much more enjoyable and effective.

As an interesting observation are the many physical references to "butts" in the show (butt-slapping/touching/references-to as well as the actual mooning of Butz? butt). Coincidence or just a joke amongst those who realize the star of the show has the last name of Butz?

The "scam," as has been announced, will soon be over for the Broadway version (posting their closing for the September 3 matinee performance) but it is only just beginning for the national tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The Southern California run of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Hollywood?s Pantages Theatre (August 15-27) or at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (August 29-September 10). Tickets now on sale at all Ticketmaster Outlets or by calling (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878. For more information on the tour, check out: dirtyrottentour.com.

FIND YOUR GRAIL

First of all, congratulations to Monty Python's Spamalot for the distinction of being named the Best Musical of the 2004-05 season. More importantly though is Norbert Leo Butz scoring Best Actor in a Musical which I will write/bore you with more below.

So maybe it is because I am a theatre nut, but the three-hour presentation of The 59th Annual Tony Awards didn't seem so long to me. Of course a three- hour awards show for anything else would have put me to sleep in an hour. Maybe the show was more entertaining this year? Maybe I felt more of a stake in the results having actually been lucky enough to have seen a few of the nominated shows. Maybe it was Hugh Jackman? Hahaha, who knows.

What I did notice though was that all of the presenters tonight, were commercially "known" actors. It would have been nice to have seen others who are "known" in the Broadway community too...but at the same time, it seems that these "known" actors were once on Broadway and are finding success in Hollywood. I guess it's a return of sorts to those who either got their start on the stage or those who truly love it...like I do. It was a big season for The Great White Way filled with some truly talented shows and actors.

Which leads me to...

Who actually saw Norbert Leo Butz' performance (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) at The Tony Awards??? He performed the show-stopping number, "Great Big Stuff" tonite and he was pretty damn funny. Anyone who has seen the show or listened to the CD might have noticed that he had to change the lyrics in the song (in order to comply with the FCC). He looked like he stumbled and almost said "fancy shit" (the written lyrics from the show). Not that it really matters though. Congratulations to Butz on winning his well deserved Tony Award! He is an amazing actor who gave a heartfelt speech thanking the community for his award and I for one am thrilled for him. Seeing John Lithgow's reaction during Butz' speech was a true testament to their relationship as actors and human beings.

I'm gonna sound like a total goof I realize this, but honestly...watching the awards made me both beyond ecstatic and incredibly sad. Ecstatic because Broadway...is my "grail" (it is)! Broadway is where I want to be and where I know I've always meant to be...and hearing "showtunes" touches my soul in ways that no other music can. But because the music gives me such an indescribable high, it also makes me so sad because I am not there. I don't want to be an actress, and I don't want to perform for the sake of performing, but I want to be involved. I want to be the person who helps bring awareness to this genre, who will introduce one of many people to the art form that has given me so much. The other day, I came across a book that had a copy of a journal entry by Jonathan Larson which described the conflict in his head between writing musicals for the "MTV generation" and writing shows that maybe he wanted to write. I might have completely interpreted this incorrectly, but what I did gleam from this was that his musical tastes were not mainstream and that most people might have considered his interest and taste in musical theatre as being cheesy. So he somehow had to find that balance between what he wanted and what the public wanted. What does this have to do with me you ask? I desperately want to one day work with the next person who will make a positive impact on the theatrical community like Jonathan Larson did. I want to understand what it takes to get from an idea to a Broadway stage...and be a part of it.

It's true, many people don't get my allure for musical theater and in some ways, I like that I am one of the only people I know who just adores musical theatre. However, I also realize that I can be a big theatre snob as well. The mere idea of Christina Applegate appearing on Broadway (prior to Sweet Charity's arrival on the Great White Way) was simply appalling. I was secretly relieved when the show was cancelled and wouldn't come to Broadway, thinking that Christina Applegate's appearance on the scene would be the beginning of the end. When the show emerged on the scene anyway, I was curious...but curious like watching a train wreck. When the cast appeared on The Today Show and performed "Big Brass Band" sadly enough, it was a train wreck. I thought everything about the show in that one appearance was mediocre but sub par was Applegate's Charity. She couldn't sing, she looked stiff...it was all simply not good. Then...today, I see the cast on The Tony Awards and...she has improved. Really! I was actually truly impressed. She could sing, she could dance...but then came the "Big Brass Band" number...which again failed to thrill me. But I digress. My preconceived notions of a Broadway performer fell short because I...am...a theatre snob.

On another note, Adam Guettel, Tony winner for Best Score and Best Orchestrations for The Light in the Piazza (and Richard Rodger's grandson) is some nice eye candy! :)

TICK TOCK GOES THE CLOCK

Just two more days until Broadway's Biggest Night on CBS. What is Broadway's Biggest Night you ask? Well it's the 59th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS for crap sake!

In the last few years, ratings for my favorite awards show has gone down...and I would really hate for CBS to stop airing them...hahaa, the Tony Awards are more sacred to me than the Emmys or the Oscars for obvious reasons. It's bad enough that I can't catch the Drama Desk Awards or Broadway on Broadway on the left coast.

So everyone, watch the TONY AWARDS!!! Do it for me and the millions of theatre lovers out there who want to continue supporting the performing arts! Haha, shall I be an uber-nerd and indicate my abbreviated wish list/predictions below? Ok, indulge me please. And now...the list of nominees for musicals...as the clock ticks...in due time, we will find out who will win!

(winners are listed below in red)

BEST MUSICAL
* Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* The Light in the Piazza -- after listening to this show...I'm thinking it may actually win.
* Monty Python's Spamalot -- I think it will be between this one and...
* The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -- ...this one. Although I am rooting for Spelling Bee.

BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
* La Cage aux Folles -- I think it's obvious who will win, and it aint the two below La Cage!
* Pacific Overtures
* Sweet Charity

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
* Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
* Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza -- likely winner
* Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
* Sutton Foster, Little Women -- I'd LOVE for Sutton to win...she was a great Jo March!
* Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
* Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
* Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
* Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels -- if Norbert doens't win...well, Norbert better win!
* Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
* John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
* Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Celia Keenan Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
* Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza -- I can see Kelli winning, though I don't know if she is favored.
* Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
* Dan Folger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -- I have an odd feeling about him winning for reasons unbeknownst to me.
* Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
* Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
* Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
* Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
* James Lapine, The Light in the Piazza
* Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot -- I'm sure he'll win.
* Jack O'Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza

BEST SCENERY FOR A MUSICAL
* Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
* Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
* Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
* Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza
I didn't see any of these!

BEST COSTUMES FOR A MUSICAL
* Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
* Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
* William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
* Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza
Toss up...but William Ivey Long tends to win...

BEST LIGHTING FOR A MUSICAL
* Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
* Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
* Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels -- the only show of the 4 that I did see.
* Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
* Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
* Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles -- winner...?! His odds are good! :)
* Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
* Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Craig Lucas, The Light in the Piazza
* Eric Idle, Monty Python's Spamalot -- winner I'm sure.
* Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

BEST SCORE
* David Yazbek, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Adam Guettel, The Light in the Piazza
* John Du Prez and Eric Idle, Monty Python's Spamalot
* William Finn, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
I'm still waiting for my CD for Spelling Bee, so I don't know... although I do love Adam Guettel's score!

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
* Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
* Sperling, Guettel & Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza -- simply beautiful...but I don't know if it will win.
* Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
* Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Well kids...that's it...the nominations on the musicals side...and I'm exhausted...so I'm probably not writing coherently...therefore, I will sign off for now.

ANOTHER OPENIN', ANOTHER SHOW

Why is it that almost every new show on Broadway is ramping up for tours? First I hear that Maureen McGovern is taking Little Women on tour ("wow, what I great idea" I think...then I hear Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will be coming to a town to con us soon...then there's the upcoming national tours of Brooklyn and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Whew! So basically all of the shows I saw in NY (sans Spelling Bee...sorry folks, I ran out of time!) are touring in the coming months. This is a new concept to me. Gone are the days of anticipation waiting not-so-patiently for the hot ticket on Broadway to roll by on a truck near you. Gone is the impossibility of getting a glimpse of what all the cool kids in New York are talking about. If I was lucky, I got the opportunity to see the 1 or 2 commercially successful shows rolling into a semi-theatre-centric town like LA. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see Wicked and was ecstatic that after a good 2-3 years I finally got to see The Full Monty and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Why did it take so long for those shows to come to me when I couldn't get to them? Why now though do I feel like audiences are being immediately gratified with what is "hot" in New York now?

Hopefully, these impending tours will not only expose new audiences to musical theatre, but will also give new life to the cast recording...a musical genre that is possibly nearing extinction in a world filled with the modern and ever-popular world of the likes of Usher and Jessica Simpson (both of whom I like thank-you-very-much). Maybe this is a trick (and a fine one I might add) by the League of American Theatres & Producers to expose more audiences to live theatre. I'm not complaining...I only wish I understood this sudden surge of interest to tour a new show.

There is no denying though, that the quality of touring shows is sub-par as compared to it's older more complex and permanant sibling on the Great White Way. A touring show can never compare to original production (especially if it began on Broadway or even the West End) but it gives it's audience a glimpse into the magic and beauty of live theatre. I assume the average America citizen doesn't typically go to a lot of theatre because it's either too pricey or just not of interest...so why not give your audience what it's after -- something big, bold exciting and entertaining. Show them what theatre can be...reel them in so-to-speak and then sparkle thieir interest with the possibility of hope andd excitement in song and in show and hope that life for the moment they were in the theatre moved them somehow.

After reading that last paragraph, I would have even assumed I was a big advocate of the over-produced, over-budgeted, over-hyped Disney musical experience. One would hope that a theatre supporter would support almost all forms of theatre. Sadly, this one does not. I will continue my soapbox tomorrow...right now, I have to stop (for several reasons). The main reason I cannot babble on is because I fear I am saying too much and saying much too much that makes zero sense because I've been up for almost 20 hours working. Wow, that seemed like a doozy of a paragraph, so I will stop for now...and pick up where I left off tomorrow.