DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO

Since the 90s, I have been a very consistent patron at the Center Theatre Group's productions back when I referred to its collective theatres as The Music Center (before the Kirk Douglas Theatre) back when The Phantom of the Opera was in residence at the Ahmanson (and held the record for the longest running musical in Los Angeles' history.)  After Phantom closed and the theatre was refurbished, naturally I returned to see the musicals that had finally made their way to Los Angeles from the Great White Way from Showboat to The Light In the Piazza and Spring Awakening (in which I was lucky enough to get stage seating); I saw groundbreaking productions like Caroline, or Change and joint productions with Deaf West Theatre Company: Big River and Pippin; there have also been Broadway-bound shows like 13, The Drowsy Chaperone and Flower Drum Song as well. Shows like these have been feeding my theatre-hungry soul for years. Of course there are some unmentioned productions that I didn't love, yet I am still grateful that the theatre can be so accessible and that I have had the opportunity to see what I've seen, good, bad and ugly.

Its amazing that the quality shows that have most recently played at  Center Theatre Group's theatres because all have truly been such satisfying productions.  I have had the pleasure of seeing shows like  Parade, (see my gushing blog entry here), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Glass Menagerie and most recently,  Leap of Faith.  I'm typically not as big a play-goer as I am a musical go-er, but the last two plays I have seen have definitely struck a chord with me and made me want to see more plays.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was not the kind of play I typically run out to see for many reasons including that it is somewhat fantasy based and that it is about war...the Iraqi War.  I have never been so impressed and so amazed at a story about the aftermath of war that is as hauntingly beautiful as it is tragic and funny.  Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo opened my eyes and gave me a new perspective that I would have never had if I had missed this show.  Prior to seeing this, I had a hard time believing I would enjoy it, but did I ever!  For days, I was left thinking about the story and wishing I could see it again though not sure if I had the energy knowing I would be emotionally exhausted when it was over.  It kept me thinking about it long after I walked out of the theatre's doors.

I saw The Glass Menagerie next - a play that I had read in high school (I think) and college and though I studied it in depth, I don't know if I was ever that taken by its storyline.   This production  however, was different and I left the theatre practically in tears because I had finally seen a production of this show that I understood emotionally and I was open to and able to really understand its characters and the purpose of the storyline.  Judith Ivey as Amanda Wingfield was superb and when I finally saw who the characters of Laura and Tom were; I understood who they were - that they were bits and pieces of a lot of people I knew (including myself); I saw that some of the people I knew could  (and would) have fates similar to Laura's and it just broke my heart.  Every actor in stage was phenomenal and I left the theatre feeling changed by the production.  Somehow, in those three or so hours, something changed in me and I had a new perspective on my own life and career.

Perhaps it was the idea of hope and faith that drew me to the Ahmanson's most recent production (that I hope goes to Broadway), Leap of Faith; maybe it was the beautiful score by Alan Menken, but either way, I really, really enjoyed it.  I loved the energy of the cast when they sang gospel-y numbers like Step into the Light and Rise Up:







I thought the dancing evoked dance numbers from the Golden Age of Broadway and I found myself bopping to the beat of the music in my seat with a silly grin plastered on my face throughout most of the show.  Typically, I am not the biggest fan of movie turned musicals (however I did enjoy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) but Leap of Faith really delivered.  At one point as I was discussing the show, I even forgot that this was a movie to musical adaptation.  Since I was trying to be open-minded and keep a positive attitude, I walked into the show not really having any expectations.  Prior to seeing it, I didn't read any reviews, I didn't listen to or watch any clips online because I knew if I did see it, I wanted to go in with a completely unbiased attitude.  Even though I wasn't 100% sure I really wanted to see the show, there were finally two factors that finally made me purchase tickets:

1. I figured it was likely going to Broadway sometime soon and I didn't want to miss it.
2. The recent revival of Company with Raúl Esparza as Bobby gave me a new perspective on him as an actor (ok, I thought he was one of the best Bobby's I've seen/heard) and since then, I have been wanting to see him perform live.

Ok, there were three factors, the third was that I have been desperately wanting to go to the theatre to see a good musical...and I was hoping that this would fulfill my musical theatre fix.

Before I go on, I will say that Esparza is nothing short of amazing in this production as Jonas Nightingale and if it goes to Broadway, I am certain that at the very least, he will be nominated for a Tony Award.  He was that good. During the number (the one to the right) Last Chance Salvation, Esparza was so dynamic, I thought he might be getting a standing ovation before intermission.  The character of Jonas Nightingale walks a very thin line between brilliant and completely overdone and  Esparza was perfectly brilliant - a greasy and smarmy showman in the beginning and transformed into a more sensitive morally aware guy.  As an evangelical con-artist with a heart, Jonas Nightingale has to border the overly exaggerated, high energy, showy performer with some humanity (which Esparza does superbly).  As Marva McGowan, Brooke Shields was a perfect mix of strong and sensitive and could be considered to be a stabilizing force in the show.  Sometimes I thought Esparza overpowered her, but I think that he was supposed to.  When I think of the brilliance of this show, it is Esparza who clearly steals the show with a great supporting cast including Leslie Odom, Jr. as Ricky Sturdevant who also made a pretty substantial impression on me. 

Leap of Faith isn't the kind of show that will keep you thinking about the story long after you leave the theatre in an attempt to try to better understand it but it is the kind of show that will make you smile and remind you about life and hope and humanity.  It is a feel-good musical in the truest sense of the word and I really hope this show goes to Broadway.  With a just a smidge of tightening up, I think it will do quite well.  It was well received by audiences when I went even with the technical difficulties in which everyone kept spilling liquids  onstage, the cast had the audience eating it up (not literally).  At one point, Esparza stopped the show to get the spilled lemonade cleaned up since it would be dangerous to dance on a slick stage. Though the fourth wall was broken, the audience didn't care and loved that the actors were breaking on-stage, trying to hold it together. All in all, this show is fantastic with a first rate cast of actors and dancers who all really shine as a company.  BRAVO!

Leap of Faith closes Sunday, October 24. Such a fun show and this cast isn't to be missed!

THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

I guess now is as good a time as ever to mark my first post of 2006 and to congratulate The Phantom of the Opera -- as of tonight, the show marks it's 7,486 performance at the Majestic Theatre and now holds the distinction as the longest running musical on Broadway. Phantom surpasses Cats (another Sir Andrew production) which performed at the Winter Garden Theater from October 7, 1982-September 10, 2000.

My history with The Phantom of the Opera began back in the early '90s, when the musical had it's 5+ year run at The Ahmanson. Sadly (?), I saw it more times than I am willing to admit (even here).

My mom had fallen in love with Michael Crawford's rendition of Music of the Night and we instantly had to see the show. Though we were all upset that we missed Crawford in the LA production, we quickly forgot about him the moment the "new" Phantom, Davis Gaines sang his first, note. This time, I fell in love with the voice behind the mask and not only became a Phantom "phan," but gained a renewed love for musical theatre . Seeing the show changed my life (in one way or another) and the rest, as they say, is history. Having seen the show in Los Angeles, San Francisco & New York, I know the show backwards and forwards and still hold a special place for it in my heart...so congratulations to Sir Andrew, Hal Prince, the company & crew of Phantom for the great distinction of being the new longest running musical in Broadway history.


Bravi...Bravi...Bravissimi.

I REMEMBER

In recent headlines: An Evening with Hal Prince set for September 15. Seeing this reminded me of the dream I once had as a kid to work with Hal Prince. It all started with my obsession with the musical, Annie.

Growing up, I was the biggest fan of Annie -- in my usual way, I became obsessed with everything that the show was. I wore a red dress with black patent leather shoes, had the orange wig and belted out every Annie song to anyone who would listen (and even to those who wouldn't). In addition, I also had 2-3 Annie dolls, a plush Sandy (the dog), sheet music, an official program and went through a good 4 or so cassette tapes (until the show came out on CD). Yes, as you would expect, I thoroughly ran that one into the ground. As a matter of fact, it took years before I could even think about listening to the show again.

I went through a hiatus of sorts during the jr. high years when it came to musical theatre. Annie had run it's course in my life and I wasn't so keen on anything else...until high school when my mom got a hold of The Premiere Collection: The Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber and she became obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera. Naturally, when the show came to LA, guess who went...a LOT? I think my family saw the show a good 6-7 times during it's 6 year (?) run in LA (obviously, the pure fact that I seem to have any kind of "obsession" is hereditary). After around my 2nd or 3rd time, I began to really notice the cast and production credits. Naturally, I became the biggest Davis Gaines fan (he has performed the title role in POTO a good 2,000+ times in his career) but that story is too long and rather embarrassing. In addition to Davis Gaines, I also became aquainted with Hal Prince's body of work during my The Phantom of the Opera phase. Naturally, I became as crazy about The Phantom of the Opera as I was with Annie back in the heyday. In my quest to truly find out everything I could, I realized that Hal Prince was the director/producer behind some of my favorite shows like Cabaret, A Little Night Music and Evita. I was only beginning to understand the scope of this man's work. The more I read, the more I saw, the more I realized that Hal Prince was it. He was involved in some way with almost every major musical in the last 50 years.

Hal Prince began his career working with the legendary George Abbott as an assistant stage manager. Since then, he has won 20 Tony Awards and was a 1994 Kennedy Center Honors Inductee. He has worked with (amongst others) both Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim -- two of the most revered composers of musical theatre in the last 30 or so years. In high school, it was because of these three men that I rediscovered my love of musical theatre. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the simple, melodic, typical Broadway shows whereas Stephen Sondheim wrote for the more intellectually minded theatre crowd whose songs were complex and poetic in their own way. It was Hal Prince though who really understood how to direct those shows.

Sadly, the reality is, I probably won't ever get to work with Hal Prince (which is fine). He's getting older and hasn't been working nearly as much (most recently worked with Sondheim in his newest production: Bounce which sadly...didn't...it flopped). In high school, my parents urged me to get cracking if I really wanted to fulfill my dream of someday working with Hal Prince. I should have listened...hahaha, look at where I am now -- no where near Hal Prince!

SEASONS OF LOVE

Last week, Playbill.com had an article indicating "Seasons of Love" (from Rent of course) debuting at #68 on the Billboard Top 100 singles (as a "hot shot debut"). All this buzz almost three months before the film's release -- how exciting! I'm both surprised and not that the song is also among the top downloaded songs on iTunes. I mean, it's a hit Broadway show and everything...but it's not the most "mainstream" thing out there...or is it? Obviously I'm a tad incorrect because look at the buzz, look at the Billboard chart! Access Hollywood even has a link on their homepage: Access Rent: Behind the Scenes -- 'Rent' the Movie. They've even teased a show with a "first look" at Rent a few months back. Haha, this film has a stellar publicist and a great marketing strategy!

Is it so hard for me to believe that other people might actually be excited about this too? Am I being a theatre snob? Look at how successful Chicago was -- Academy Award winner for best picture, best actress in a supporting role (amongst others) and a Golden Globe for best musical/comedy film. Besides being a great film period, this is a musical. Mind you, musicals used to be a part of the Golden Age of Hollywood -- look at popular films like Oklahoma! and Carousel! These once common, popular film genres were almost a thing of the past. ..until Chicago.

It has been said that Chicago singlehandedly, is bringing back the musical genre in the film industry. Since Chicago, the only other mainstream "musical" film released has been Phantom of the Opera (I'm not counting Reefer Madness since it's a TV movie). Though Phantom of the Opera created buzz -- A.) because it was finally produced and B.) critics questioned how it would do in the box office -- overall, the film failed to surpass or even meet expectation. Despite Phantom's box office failure, film companies continued on with their musical films. In production currently, we have of course, Rent & The Producers with Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love in pre-production. Of course this is only seven that have either been released, are in production or pre-production -- but this is seven more than a few years ago. Again, I don't know if this is a good thing. Chicago set a precedence, but the failure of Phantom of the Opera made people stop and question the genre. I think Rent & The Producers hopefully will cause more positive buzz (and successful results at the box office) while Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love might slow things down again.

What are the "facts" behind my reasoning? The movie musicals on trial are as follows:

Jesus Christ Superstar

Evita

Phantom of the Opera

What do these films have in common? Any true musical theatre fan will instantly know they were written by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. While all are hits on the stage (with Phantom of the Opera set to surpass Cats as the longest running musical on Broadway, Monday, January 9, 2006), his films failed to turn a big commercial profit (a la Chicago). On a personal level, as much as I wanted to love Phantom of the Opera, I just couldn't. Some musicals just don't seem to translate well from stage to screen and Sir Andrew's just...don't. Not to say that Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love will fail, but if you look at the history of Sir Andrew's successful films, things just don't look too good for him.

Ok, I went on a huge tangent. What I really wanted to write about was Rent and what I thought about the excerpts from the soundtrack, but I'm too tired, so I'll save it for another day.

SORRY/GRATEFUL

So as I was saying (badly) the other day about the current state of musical theatre...

I should be happy when anybody is exposed to musical theatre and maybe shouldn't even spend the time discussing why I am not a fan of predictable, big Disney-fied shows. After all, it took seeing The Phantom of the Opera in high school for me to rediscover my love of musicals. I guess after the resurgence of theatre in my life, I discovered what it was that really struck a chord with me and what fueled my fire.

I am not a big fan of the over-produced/in-your-face Broadway musical that tells you what to feel and when to feel it. While I understand what producers/backers/creative types are doing when putting together commercial successful shows like The Lion King and Mama Mia! I prefer shows like Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Sondheim's Passion which are more intimate and have layers of emotion and depth. I have been listening to The Last Five Years for over a year on and off (or...more...) and each time, I still discover new things with each listen.

I love discovering the layers of the show and it's characters after listening to the cast recording and coming to a genuine understanding of the story. I am fascinated by what drives these characters and how they become who they are. There is so much to learn...and I find more of a sense of discovery in these more complex shows.

So in conclusion...only because I feel like this soapbox I'm standing on requires a conclusion (and I think I've rambled on enough for today)...I am a theatre snob. I admit it...I cringe at the thought of a Disney musical and wouldn't be caught dead seeing We Will Rock You in Las Veags nor will I ever see Beauty and the Beast...again. However I support the idea of what these shows represent if it means a show will give exposure to the art form. Shall I begin my thoughts on arts education? Maybe I'll save that for another day. :)

In case it wasn't clear enough...I am obsessed with Broadway...it is what I am passionate about and it is what drives me. These are thoughts I've had for too long so I thought I'd finally post an abbreviated form here...in cyberspace for everyone and no one to see.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL

Because I know that the number of people who really read this thing are few and far between, I won't feel so bad posting the following:

The Phantom of the Opera DVD is quite simply put, bad. How bad you ask? Ummm, nails on a chalk board and nasty papercut bad. I will elaborate...from the beginning.

Though I was looking forward to this film, I was doing so very cautiously. I have yet to see an ALW musical that translated well on screen...and I was hoping that this time, things would be different. After all, the dashingly handsome and talented Patrick Wilson was cast as our hero, Raoul Vicomte de Chagny. Ok, so I admit, for me, that was the only thing the film had going for it. Sir Andrew (Lloyd Webber) was producing and had full creative control over his project, but still...something told me to remain cautious.

Clue #1: Joel Schumacher.
Clue #2: And I cringe as I type this out, only because he is terribly hot and seemingly the nicest guy, but...Gerry Butler. Let me just mention that when he was cast, I had never heard of him before. Wasn't sure if an "unknown" without any real professional vocal training/experience could pull off a role that was vocally heavy.
Clue #3: This was a film that nobody ever thought would be produced. Casting rumors had been swirling for YEARS teasing people with the idea that the film was coming to fruition.

Cut to...November something or another. I went with a friend to see an advanced screening where the entire cast, director and Sir Andrew would perform a Q&A following the screening. As the lights dimmed and the music began to swell, I sat anxiously in my seat only hoping that the film would on some level make me as happy as the stage version had for so many years. Despite my initial suspicions, I did have to admit that the trailer looked AMAZING. It was dramatic, stunning, colorful, exciting...all good things...or so I thought because the trailer ended up being the only good thing about the film.

The opening sequence was great, I got chills from being so excited. Then, I got chills throughout the rest of the film because it was so horrid. How do I describe the film...cheesy, disjointed, ugly, badly directed, bad pacing, bad cinematography...did I mention cheesy? The actors in the Andre and Fermin roles were trying too hard resulting in unbelievable characters that you didn't mind not liking. Then came the Masquerade scene...it was dull, boring and very GOLD. Yes, GOLD and they were VOGUE-ING (a la Madonna). I won't even bother elaborating.

As for the main characters...Emmy Rossum exceeded my expectations and I thought was well cast as Christine. I knew of her, but wasn't very familiar with her body of work. Patrick was a fine Raoul, however I didn't think it showcased the breadth or depth of his talent. It was a great experience for him I'm sure, and he did a fine job in the role. Patrick's voice far outshined the rest of the cast (and I'm not just saying that because he is a two-time Tony Award nominee in musical theatre). My only real criticism for him is indirect as it is due to whoever thought that Raoul should have long hair. It might have worked on some actors in the role, but not Patrick. Shorter hair to match the period of the film, yes...but long hair? It just made him look gay and like a wimpy Raoul. Sorry Patrick.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Phantom supposed to have some horrific disfigured face? Well, ...Gerry was hardly disfiugred and barely horrifically freakish. He had a droopy, lazy right eye and perfect skin on his left side. Oh yeah, and a bad wig. How then is he scary when he's too pretty? Maybe it was his singing that was most frightening to Emmy's Christine? Not sure, but if any of the creative PTB were going for scary and disfigured Gerry/Phantom I've gotta say, "Sorry folks, you failed because he was much to pretty."

I almost forgot to mention Minnie Driver's performance...again, weary when I heard she was cast as Carlotta, a Bel Canto (as she would say) operatic singer, but she was really great. She didn't exactly do her own singing (except for the end-credits) but she pulled off the over-the-top diva-esque Carlotta perfectly.

Ok, so after all that (and trust me, this is all an abbreviated "review" of sorts), cut to today, May 3, 2005. It is a big day in the world of CD and DVD releases for me. To start, today was the day Spamalot -- the hottest ticket on Broadway -- was being released as was Little Women -- the best show I saw on my last trip to New York. In addition, I was waiting for the DVD of POTO because of all the special features. Though I wasn't sure what would be on it, I figured it had to be somewhat informative. Big mistake -- is anyone seeing a trend with me in regard to this film? Hey, you figure, 2-disc DVD, that second disc has gotta be something! WRONG. Said second disc has 3 features. To the average viewer, they can ooh and ahh at the "Behind the Mask"/"Behind the Scenes" BS...but I've already heard this story before! Give me something else, right? WRONG. Give me "interesting" interviews or unique behind the scenes...give me (at the very least) a freaking commentary track from Sir Andrew and any member (or 2, or 3, or 4) of the cast. Again, my bad as I assumed.

Said DVD left me with a bad taste in my mouth as did my opinon of the film (which ironically is playing in the background as I type. One can call it "inspiration"). I admit, my expectations might have been too high...I was a faithful Phantom Phan for years, particularly during it's long run here in LA, but with Sir Andrew involved, legit theatre people cast in key roles, you'd think it would be decent...sadly, not so much.