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!

STOP, WAIT, PLEASE

Another show posts its closing notice...January 4, 2009. Its a shame what this economy is doing to our nation and I hate seeing shows I love (or would love to see) ending too soon. There are six weeks before 13, Hairspray and now Young Frankenstein will close and then 8 weeks before we bid adieu to Spamalot and Spring Awakening. What is going on!?

Go see 13 people and support this amazing YOUNG cast who have more talent in their left nostril than most of us can ever hope to have. I admit I wasn't the biggest fan when the show previewed here in LA in March, 2007. Since then though, JRB his written some awesome new material and everyone has worked so hard to get it to Broadway. 13 is doing some pretty irresistible promotions to sell tickets for its final weeks...so if you can afford to go see a movie, instead pay the extra $5 and go see the talented, young cast of 13 do their thing!

IF THAT'S WHAT IT IS...

I am officially just a little worried...

*updated 12/14/08: Gypsy (moves up its opening date from 3/1/09 to 1/11/09) is the next casualty on the unfortunate Broadway chopping block.

In the last few weeks, closing notices were announced for the following Broadway shows and Spring Awakening is the latest casualty announced today:

• Xanadu -- closing date initially announced for 10/12 then moved up and CLOSED 9/28/08
• [title of show] -- CLOSED 10/12/08 (The Lyceum Theater now sits vacant)
  
• Legally Blonde -- CLOSED 10/19/08 (After Liza's 11 day run, West Side Story is set to occupy the Palace Theater).
  
• A Tale of Two Cities -- CLOSED 11/9/08 from the initial announcement of 11/16/08
  
• American Buffalo -- CLOSED 11/23/08 after only 20 previews and 8 performances (even with a relatively well known cast).
  
• Hairspray -- closing date initially announced for 1/19 then moved up to 1/4/09
• 13 -- another one bites the dust: CLOSED 1/04/09
• Young Frankenstein* -- CLOSED 1/04/09
• Boeing-Boeing -- CLOSED 1/04/09
• Grease -- CLOSED 1/04/09
• Gypsy -- moves up its closing date from 3/1/09 to 1/11/09
• Spamalot -- CLOSED 1/18/09
• Spring Awakening -- CLOSED 1/18/09

That's a lot of closing notices in a few weeks span and it sort of worries me. What's going on people? So this either means that there are a lot of shows waiting in the wings to come to Broadway (doubtful...unless [title of show] is planning on their return to the Rialto in which case I'd be delighted) or there will be several empty theatres in the coming season. Is this due to our nation's struggling economy? But isn't this the time of year when ticket sales typically go up because of advanced sales and the holiday season? I don't even know what to say right now...I was just looking at Broadway grosses for the week ending 10/5 and its not good for some shows who are reporting under 50% capacity. Everyday, it seems like another show posts its closing...maybe its just a coincidence, but it still concerns me since a slew of long-running shows recently closed this season. Ok people, just...go see a Broadway show...soon!

ALL THAT'S KNOWN

Ok, I admit I just might be obsessing...just a little. As stated in my previous post, I've had a change of heart about Spring Awakening since I saw it last week. Of course this means that I've been thinking about it quite a bit in particular to what it means to the legions of die-hard fans this musical has accumulated. While sitting in the theatre, surrounded by young girls (in particular) who were crushing on the likes of Jonathan Groff and admiring Lea Michele, I noticed how meaningful a show like Spring Awakening was to them. Around me, I watched and listened as these teenagers were clutching each other's hands, commenting to each other in private whispers about the performance, noticing the smallest of nuances each of the actors made and already making plans to see the show again. Behind me, a teenager brought her father to the show for the first time and during intermission, the two discussed the show, the performers and that back in the day the father's first rock musical was Jesus Christ Superstar. I was impressed by the energy flowing to the audience from the performers and back to the audience that night -- it was so strong that I could feel it. It seems that almost everyone in the theatre were there not just because they loved the show but because they loved both Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele and somewhere felt a powerful connection to them.

The Eugene O’Neill Theatre during the final performance for Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele was electric (though I did wonder if the energy level was like that every night).  After all, if the audience had not completely adored Lea Michele then they wouldn't have given her a standing ovation before she even sang her first note of Mama Who Bore Me nor would they have given the company a five minute standing ovation after Totally Fucked. I not only related to but joined in the impassioned enthusiasm as it wasn't that long ago when I was completely mesmerized by a performance, star-struck and able to adoringly critique a performance because I had seen it so many times.  I appreciated that young people could love the theatre so intensely -- it was as if Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele were these huge rockstars by the response they got from the 1,108 screaming fans in the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.

I think I now understand the impact this show has on young people from it's themes because there is one for everyone -- the pangs of growing up from being misunderstood, discovering your sexuality, abuse, suicide, parental pressures, feeling lost to finding yourself -- it was all there. There is not one person (I think) who can't relate to the show in some form. I think it brings forth a commonality to feel understood for these young people who are struggling to get through at least one or more of these issues. From these issues stem music that is of this generation and represents who they are -- with upbeat angry and frustrated rock-songs to slow ballads that are infused with such sadness. Perhaps I'm too old and cynical already to have understood that when the show first came out and was buzzing with incredibly positive press. Yet looking back to a show I could relate to, I understood Rent because it was the musical of my generation. I connected so fully to Rent even though none of the big issues really affected me or anyone I knew (i.e., the "bohemian" life style, struggling for art, AIDS, drugs) but because the show was so unique and represented my generation or era's struggles. For some reason though, I couldn't transfer that understanding to Spring Awakening.

It is because of people like me who haven't exactly been open to true change in musicals that might keep the genre stale. Its important to open your mind to what is new, what is fresh, what will expose new audiences and generations to the art form because change is inevitable and necessary. As much as I like old-fashioned structured musicals, there is more to the genre than just what was the Golden Age of Broadway. As special and important as that era was, it has become the foundation and the model for what makes for important musical theatre, it certainly doesn't mark the end of it. If I love musical theatre as much as I claim I do, shouldn't I be open to change, to the metamorphosis of a more developed show? Shouldn't I want to see the art-form reach more people, be more understood and advocate for this?  This doesn't mean that all musicals are good or that I believe in all new musicals for the sake of believing in them, but that shows and composers deserve a chance to be heard.  I think its time to stop being what I sometimes admit I am -- a musical theatre snob -- and be fair and open minded to new works.

I've always loved musical theatre for what its meant and done for me and because I am never more happy or peaceful than when sitting in a theatre watching (almost) any kind of musical (sorry Saturday Night Fever). I am sorry that I unfairly pre-judged Spring Awakening because I was wrong and now I have been forever affected by it.

It has been said of Spring Awakening: "once in a generation a new musical comes along that changes everything" and that "Broadway will never be the same" which is so true. This show brings forth pertinent and current issues plaguing teens and gets them to discuss it with their friends and families (there's even a parent's guide)! It also gives me hope to the changing landscape of musical theatre while now being the show's new enthusiastic advocate. Musical theatre needs to breathe new life and find change in order to stay fresh and current and I definitely think that Spring Awakening is doing just that.

In its simplest approach, shows are written to tell a story, connect people and be heard. A show is lucky to find any kind of a niche somewhere but to find quite a large one and be commercially successful while making a point and affecting lives...is the best of all worlds. I applaud Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater for writing such a significant show that has made even narrow-minded me (when it comes to change in theatre) take back what I once said and finally appreciate the truly extraordinary work they have accomplished.

THE SONG OF PURPLE SUMMER

Last week, I was in NY to help out with a friend’s business venture and hoped to be able to take in a few of the many Broadway shows I’ve been dying to see. On my top tier wish-list was Patti LuPone in Gypsy, the other two being South Pacific and Spring Awakening. Three shows in just four days? It was possible for sure, but since this wasn’t a pleasure trip…I didn't know if it would be entirely probable. Unfortunately, I never made it to South Pacific which was fine since I more than enjoyed at least one of the shows I saw.

With the Tony noms just last week and Patti LuPone's nomination for best leading actress in a musical, I just knew that her portrayal of Mama Rose would be stellar. While I have had my reservations about her in certain roles from years past, I was oh-so-sure that this performance would blow all others right out of the water. After all, in addition to LuPone, Gypsy boasts an impressive cast of nominees (for their role in the show): Boyd Gaines as Herbie and Laura Benanti as Louise. Yet when the full orchestra appeared on stage and played the first note of the overture, I was simply mesmerized and thrilled to be in the audience. Turns out, the orchestra that night might have been the most thrilling part of the whole show. Wow, that was harsh (I’m sorry Ms. LuPone!) As the show progressed, I had moments of feeling fully engrossed but for the most part wished that I could love it more. I remember thinking just before the end of Act I that many people judge what makes a good Mama Rose based on what she does with the dramatic number, Rose’s Turn. To me though, that’s too easy. What makes a good Mama Rose is how the actor leads up to that climax in the role. I really do love Patti LuPone, but I felt in this performance she was trying too hard – too hard to be impressive, her singing seemed inconsistent and it seemed more about trying to use vibrato and have a vocally wide range while trying to embellish her singing. Don't get me wrong, her Rose’s Turn was fantastic, she was dramatic, delusional and damaged…yet you knew it was coming. It was a great Mama Rose but it wasn’t that special (I know, kill me now, I know who I'm being critical of). And maybe what I liked the most about her performance of Rose's Turn is that she didn’t try to throw in vibrato where it didn’t belong or unnecessarily embellish her singing. Her acting spoke for itself in this one scene whereas it didn’t really anywhere else.

I thought Boyd Gaines was a good (not great) Herbie and only Laura Benanti’s Louise truly grew as a character from start to finish (Benanti I think she was sick -- she kept blowing her nose -- and if she truly was, she STILL gave a performance worthy of a nomination). I wonder if knowing the show too well made it less enjoyable for me. Was it because to me, the quintessential Mama Rose (revival) is Bette Midler and maybe I unfairly compared LuPone to Midler?

Perhaps the best part of the entire trip was my visit to Spring Awakening. I have long since been a skeptic of the whole idea that this show has transformed the Broadway landscape. All the hype about the show being amazing, life changing, etc., I never understood and I knew that I couldn’t grasp that concept until I actually saw the show. I was in luck because I got one of the hottest Broadway tickets for the evening performance of Sunday, May 18. Little did I know that I would be amidst the screaming teenagers in the audience of the Eugene O’Neill Theatre and feel a little old but be re-energized by an amazing night of theater. That Sunday evening performance was the final one for Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, the leads in the show. These two have been Melchior Gabor and Wendla Bergmann (respectfully) since its off-Broadway engagement and then opened the show when it transferred to Broadway on December 10, 2006.

The show opens with Michele standing alone on a chair singing Mama Who Bore Me and from the moment she appeared on stage, she received a thunderous applause which led to a standing ovation before she sang a note. It was an amazing evening filled with energy, emotion and was simply magical (so said Michele). I knew that this was going to be an exciting performance. The company gave it their all and though the show seemed to be running like a well oiled machine (it has been running for over a year now), it still felt fresh. There was a real sense of camaraderie between the members of the company and the chemistry between Groff and Michele was very apparent. Michele was emotional throughout her performance (I was sitting close enough, 6th row) to tell but the two most memorable, stand-out scenes in the show came in The Mirror-Blue Light & Totally Fucked. While the entire show was electrifying, seeing Groff standing on the chair (there were a lot of chairs in this show) during the The Mirror-Blue Light number with the blue lights hanging from the ceiling was actually really beautiful. Hearing Groff sing, seeing the lights, feeling the energy made for such an amazing moment in the theater. Even better though was the performance of Totally Fucked. It was perfectly acted/sung and the audience ate it up. The number actually got a standing ovation...for five minutes! Broadway.com even makes the same claim and at the end of the number, the cast was frozen in their position for the same five minutes with Michele crying and though I couldn’t see Groff’s face, I read he was happily laughing. The rest of the cast was amused by this too by the look on their faces – it was priceless.

I was truly mesmerized by the energy this show gave off – I’m not sure who gave more, the cast or the legions of passionate fans. The show reminded me of the way I was at that age (crazy about The Phantom of the Opera) and how emotional I got whether happy or sad about my love of the show. Now, I finally understand this show -- the hype, the choreography of jumping about on stage, the storyline and the connection anyone who has ever felt the pain of adolescent angst. The talent of each member of the company on stage was immense and Spring Awakening is truly an amazing show for the young and the young at heart.

ALL THAT'S KNOWN

July 3 -- So I finally broke down and downloaded the cast recording of Spring Awakening on iTunes. I wasn't sure if I wanted it, but since the Tony Awards, its been rolling around in my head and I had to find out if it was really that impressive. I've listened to it all the way through once since I downloaded it yesterday, and I'm still scratching my head. Does it sound musically groundbreaking? No. It is definitely rock musical-y and has a good sense of rhythm and I can't get the chorus of "The Bitch of Living" out of my head. But innovative? I'm not sure I understand that with this show yet either.

* * *

Ok, so as of today its now been a little over a week and I've been listening to Spring Awakening a lot (too much maybe). I'm trying to get into it and understand the cult-like following behind it. I've been playing it at work, in the car, while studying and writing my papers and still...haven't had that epiphany. All I can say is that it is very rock musical-y, but I knew that from the first listen to music clips. I do find myself enjoying Spring Awakening's fresh, modern sound that Broadway has received from Duncan Sheik's work. But hearing that Broadway will "never be the same again" is a line that comes around every few years on the Great White Way. As I mentioned before, its reminiscent of the hoopla that surrounded Rent. I just watched the YouTube clip from Spring Awakening on The Today Show and after seeing that, I wish I could get the impact of the show the way those audience members have talked about.

I still really want to understand why Spring Awakening is so amazing. So again, if you have an answer, I'm willing to listen.

THOSE YOU'VE KNOWN

On this night that honors achievement in Broadway, it occurs to me that the scope of the New York theatre scene continues to evolve (as it should). No longer is there a stylistic standard that musicals seem to adhere to (was there ever one?). As time and musical styles change, so do the types of shows that head to Broadway. In the last few years, musicals about puppets in crisis (Avenue Q), characters made famous by Monty Python skits (Spamalot), a bio-musical (Jersey Boys) and now Spring Awakening have won the coveted title of Tony Award winning Best Musical. All are very diverse musically and continue to garner attention and ticket sales from tours and semi-permanent mountings both nationally and internationally. Theatre producers are making it easier for audiences to see the "It" show by quickly turning around a touring production. There is talk that SA will start touring in 2008, bringing this "ground-breaking musical" to potential theatre go-ers around the country. My question though, is what makes SA so different, so special and revolutionary, that its causing a near frenzy amongst the theatre-going community?

Spring Awakening (the musical) is based on the controversial 1891 play by Frank Wedekind (not to confuse anyone who might be wondering, this SA is entitled "Spring Awakening: A New Musical"). While Spring Awakening virtually swept the 2007 Tony Awards this year, its style reminded me of another ground-breaking musical that changed the landscape of musicals in 1996...Jonathan Larson's Rent.

Rent was the rock musical that spoke to me...the one for my generation. Every generation (or decade for that matter) has one (or 5) it seems. The list below is an example of some of the more popular and well known rock musicals of the last 40 years:

• 1967: Hair
• 1970: Jesus Christ Superstar
• 1973: The Rocky Horror Show
• 1996: Rent
• 2001: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• 2007: Spring Awakening

When Rent first broke through on Broadway, theatre audiences began to talk about how edgy Larson's music was. There were claims that he was changing the scope of the modern day musical. Had his life not been cut short at 36 as he was just starting to discover success, who knows what Larson could have done. His music was unlike the typical lilting, lyrical Broadway song as he was forging his own voice, style and image for the stage. Rent was a modern day telling of the classic Puccini opera, La Boheme of 20-somethings "bohemians" living in the lower east side of New York. The characters sang about drugs, death, HIV and of course paying Rent while electric guitars hummed the edgy for Broadway music that young people were attracted to in droves. Rent changed the way I looked at the Broadway stage...it made musicals look cool and unlike the style of shows my parents and grandparents enjoyed. It was a musical that I could blare from my car and not feel like a complete geek -- I could sing Mimi's "Out Tonight" at the top of my lungs and know that it wasn't Shirley Jones' "If I Loved You" from Carousel.

Rent still attracts Broadway audiences nightly, but move over...there's a new kid in town and its called: Spring Awakening and its on fire! I won't pretend I have a real opinion on the musical having not seen it (or heard the full score yet for that matter). I've heard clips on the show's official website, have an official Playbill...but don't know a whole lot more beyond what I've read. What I love the most about Spring Awakening is how much attention the show is bringing to Broadway. I love the energy of the young actors and singers as they literally jump around the stage (did anyone watch the Tonys?!) and look as if they are enjoying the hell out of their performance time. I love that Letterman had the cast on his show, someone like Duncan Sheik won a Tony Award and said, "Broadway rocks!" and that Zach Braff blogged about SA and declared on the telecast that he loves musical theatre. I suppose I have to get to New York soon to see Spring Awakening and judge for myself...then I can answer my own questions!