Don't Quit Your Night Job is a comedy improve show conceptualized by Broadway's Sarah Salzberg (Spelling Bee), Steve Rosen (Spamalot), David Rossmer (Titanic, Fiddler) and Dan Lipton (Coast of Utopia). It started 2 years ago at Joe's Pub (infact, they're having their 2 year anniversary next month) and has now moved to a more uptown location at the Zipper Factory. The show is usually done monthly, late at night (around 11:30 pm) mostly after Broadway shows are done and with different performers as the cast.
In the words of the creators, it's where Broadway and improv meet......and make out. They have different sketch segments and one of them is Musical Madlibs. Remember that game? Audience members give words such as noun, pronoun etc when asked and these words replace certain words in a famous Broadway song. One of my favorite Musical Madlib is Sutton Foster singing Gimme Gimme from Thoroughly Modern Millie. Check out her video it's hilarious:
For their latest show last May 29, 2008 they announced that Julia Murney and Brian D'Arcy James were part of their cast. I was hoping they would do Musical Madlibs with Julia singing Raise The Roof from The Wild Party. I mean really now, that song just calls for that. But instead, as part of their Backstage Anecdote sketch they opted to have her do one of her famous voice overs in the video below:
** language warning!
Also on that night's show they started a new segment called I Sing Awesome. It's where they have a performer sing anything and everything......from take out menus, the phonebook and airline emergency cards. Just see what they had Brian D' Arcy James sing that night:
If you'd like to see other videos of the show, Don't Quit Your Night job has their own youtube channel. But if you're in NYC around the time of one of their shows, make sure you check it out. It's sure to be a fun night.
May 31, 2008
May 30, 2008
One.........Singular Sensation
Yes, today Stage Notes turns 1!
Theatre is ephemeral. It only lives in a particular moment and then gone forever. And so Lani and I started this blog with much trepidation and with the intention to write our experience when we see a show. It's sort of a way to re-live the moment. We thought that our family and friends would read it but somehow it turned into something more. The picture above represents the demographic of the readers of this blog.........who knew we had so many friends and family around the world??!!!! :)
So to those of you who take the time to visit and read our humble blog, we just wanted to say thank you!
~ Lani and Pinky (confessed theatre geeks)
(thanks to Lynn for the photo)
May 28, 2008
Yes It Can!!!!!
Remember how Avenue Q beat out Wicked for the Best Musical at the 2004 Tonys? It was a complete shock to everyone when they won that year. What an upset, like David beats Goliath. People have stated that it was because of the Avenue Q "Vote Your Heart" campaign like when the major movie studios would campaign for the Oscars. This year the Tony race has started and the producers of Xanadu came out with a very unique and irreverent way to campaign, much like the musical itself.
They found Cubby Bernstein, Tony Campaign Manager, responsible for turning Broadway actors and shows into Tony winners. And since today is the 1 year anniversary of Xanadu, Cubby will be speaking at the show's celebration according to this article. He has been generating a lot of buzz for the show from his webcast. I'm posting the episodes because they have to be seen. They are BRILLIANT!
And so.....Yes It Can! Xanadu for Best Musical!
Episode 1:
Episode 2:
Episode 3:
Oh and check out the video they made for their day off:
Even Douglas Carter Bean, the book writer of Xanadu who recently won the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Best Book of a Musical thanked him during his speech! Check out the video here.
They found Cubby Bernstein, Tony Campaign Manager, responsible for turning Broadway actors and shows into Tony winners. And since today is the 1 year anniversary of Xanadu, Cubby will be speaking at the show's celebration according to this article. He has been generating a lot of buzz for the show from his webcast. I'm posting the episodes because they have to be seen. They are BRILLIANT!
And so.....Yes It Can! Xanadu for Best Musical!
Episode 1:
Episode 2:
Episode 3:
Oh and check out the video they made for their day off:
Even Douglas Carter Bean, the book writer of Xanadu who recently won the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Best Book of a Musical thanked him during his speech! Check out the video here.
May 24, 2008
It's National TAP Day!!!!
Yes it is indeed! To celebrate here's a clip.....well, a close up to the steps of the classic 42nd Street Tap routine. I posted the Broadway production of 42nd Street previously here but this clip clearly shows the amazing footwork required for the number. And.....no, it's not me....in fact, I could only wish :)
May 22, 2008
WOW!
The final performance of RENT on Sept 7, 2008 will be filmed by Sony for release in major theatres as part of their new series The Hot Ticket. This "documentation" of a broadway show and release in movie theatres would be a first of it's kind. Check out the details here.
On another note, CURTAINS, one of my favorite shows, will be touring in 2009! Yay! I'm glad this show has life beyond broadway!!!!! Read about it here.
On another note, CURTAINS, one of my favorite shows, will be touring in 2009! Yay! I'm glad this show has life beyond broadway!!!!! Read about it here.
Q & A with Tracy Letts
The following is an interview from August: Osage County playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner, Tracy Letts courtesy of Broadway Across America
by Kirk Wingerson
If you think you know what a dysfunctional family looks like, you should meet the Westons of Osage County. In Tracy Letts’s new dark comedy AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama last month, the caustic and volatile characters are summoned back to Pawhuska, Oklahoma after the paterfamilias goes missing. What follows isn’t pretty. Long-buried secrets are revealed and brutal truths must be faced. Despite the unsettling surprises this three-act emotional rollercoaster delivers, laughter abounds.
The play had its premiere last summer at Chicago’s venerable Steppenwolf Theatre where Letts has been an ensemble member since 2002. With most of the original ensemble cast intact, AUGUST opened at the Imperial Theatre in December for what was to be a limited Broadway run. Thanks to enthusiastic reviews, tons of buzz and brisk ticket sales, the show recently relocated to the Music Box Theatre where the run will now be open-ended. Letts spoke to Broadway Across America from Tulsa where he, coincidentally, was visiting his own family.
BAA: Please tell us your family isn’t anything like the Westons we see on stage.
Letts: Word for word. I finally get my revenge on them (laughs). No. They’re not entirely like the family you see on stage and yet there are similarities. I think there are things that apply to all families to a certain extent. I think one of the reasons for the success of the show is that people see things in that family on stage that they recognize from their own families. It’s based on a true event that happened in my family a couple of generations ago and it has continued to have ripples and ramifications in my family until present day, certainly until I wrote the play. There is some stuff there that’s drawn from real life but, in truth, my family, they’re a wonderful bunch of people and we’re very close.
How autobiographical is the show?
About all that’s autobiographical is the inciting incident. My mother’s father committed suicide when I was ten years old, over 30 years ago. And the character of Violet is based very much on my grandmother. That’s about where the similarity ends. I’ve picked and chosen those things that seemed appropriate to me from my family and from other people’s families but for the most part, the rest of it is fiction.
Watching the family unravel on stage is difficult to endure at some points. At times you feel like turning away - yet you can’t take your eyes off the action. Was it difficult to write a narrative where the intensity constantly builds?
I knew the story I wanted to tell and I knew what I was driving toward but I really took my time about it. I wrote an act of the play and then forced myself to take six months off and really think before I went back to the second act. And then I did the same between the second and third act. I don’t like to be bored in the theatre. I’m really conscious of the fact that every play I write, there’s somebody in the audience at any given performance who has never been to a play before. And I always feel a certain responsibility to that person not to bore them because I figure if I bore that person, they’re never coming back. And so I’m going to try and do anything I can to hold their interest in the proceedings on stage.
At over three hours long - with two intermissions - AUGUST is an ambitious play. Did you set out to write something this epic or did it just evolve over time?
I guess a little bit of both in that once I knew the story I wanted to tell, I recognized the vehicle for this story. The container for this story, in a sense, is a large one. This is a story of some breadth, some scope and it needs air, it needs time and I trust in the attention spans of people. The truth is as long as people are engaged and laughing and they’re interested in it, they can sit for great long periods of time. The right vehicle for the play was a big play. In order to do what I need to do I have to tell this story over the course of three acts. We never concerned ourselves with time.
Why do you think AUGUST has become such a bona fide hit on Broadway?
I think there are a couple of things that account for it. For one, I’d be foolish not to give credit to the quality of the production in terms of the actors in the Steppenwolf ensemble, the history of Steppenwolf, the culture of Steppenwolf and all the ways that that has informed the play. (There’s) so much craftsmanship. This is not me blowing smoke. The fact of the matter is that as a playwright you recognize the difference. That additional percentage that you get from actors of that caliber is pretty invaluable. (As for) the play itself, it seems to have tapped into something in the popular consciousness and as a playwright that’s very satisfying.
You were previously nominated for a Pulitzer Prize before for THE MAN FROM NEBRASKA. Does winning a Pulitzer for AUGUST change anything for you?
I don’t know yet. I had already put SUPERIOR DONUTS [his new play] in motion before AUGUST ever even hit. In terms of what the Pulitzer means for me down the line, it would be foolish to try and guess. There is a sense of not so much gratification, but there is a sense of confirmation. There is a sense of somebody telling me ‘You’re on the right track’ and that is a confirming feeling.
You are not only an active playwright but you are also a Steppenwolf ensemble member. How do you go about dividing your time between writing and acting?
Well, I don’t do both at the same time. I don’t write plays for me to act in and I don’t act in plays that I’ve written. Because I don’t think I’d be as good at either one if I tried to do both. I allow one to inform the other. The fact of the matter is I’m a better playwright because I’m an actor and I’m a better actor because I’m a playwright. I think I have to keep acting to improve my writing and vice versa. Acting appeals to the sort of public side of me and writing appeals to the more private side of me.
So would you say it’s a fairly even split or is there more emphasis on one over the other?
It’s always been fairly evenly split except with AUGUST the writing seems to be taking over a bit. Acting is hard. They’re both hard. They’re hard in different ways. Acting, however, is hard in a way that requires you to be there eight shows a week and writing doesn’t. Once you’re done with a play, you can go away. The grind of performing a play eight shows a week, repeating the performance and doing it with some technical proficiency is very hard, it’s very taxing.
You have acting experience in film, television and on the stage. Is there a reason why you focus your creative writing for the stage?
I’ve done some screenplays and stuff but in movies and tv the writer isn’t the boss. You can’t be guaranteed that what you’re writing is actually going to see the light of day. I know from acting that people just change the writer’s text, it’s no big deal. It’s not a power issue, though I suppose it is a control issue. Within the hierarchy of the theatre, you don’t go messing with what the writer’s written and I appreciate that about the theatre.
TV has lured a lot of good playwrights away. If you sit and watch an hourlong drama on tv you will see the names of the best playwrights of the last 20 years – or at least playwrights who had interesting beginnings to their careers who got lured away very quickly by the money of television. I believe at some point somebody’s got to say ‘I’m not going to do that. I’m going to stick it out in the theatre because the theatre is worthy of that.’
Your writing has been prolific. Do you feel any burden that you have to keep producing at such a high level, especially now considering that the bar has been raised?
I try not to concern myself with it. I mean it’s hard not to sort of hear the angels and devil on your shoulder. When people said to me as soon as I won the Pulitzer, ‘Now that’s really going to put the pressure on for this next one, right?’, my response was just the opposite. I said ‘Man, the pressure is off (with a chuckle). I won the thing. Now I can do what I want.’
More information on AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY can be found online at AugustOnBroadway.com
by Kirk Wingerson
If you think you know what a dysfunctional family looks like, you should meet the Westons of Osage County. In Tracy Letts’s new dark comedy AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama last month, the caustic and volatile characters are summoned back to Pawhuska, Oklahoma after the paterfamilias goes missing. What follows isn’t pretty. Long-buried secrets are revealed and brutal truths must be faced. Despite the unsettling surprises this three-act emotional rollercoaster delivers, laughter abounds.
The play had its premiere last summer at Chicago’s venerable Steppenwolf Theatre where Letts has been an ensemble member since 2002. With most of the original ensemble cast intact, AUGUST opened at the Imperial Theatre in December for what was to be a limited Broadway run. Thanks to enthusiastic reviews, tons of buzz and brisk ticket sales, the show recently relocated to the Music Box Theatre where the run will now be open-ended. Letts spoke to Broadway Across America from Tulsa where he, coincidentally, was visiting his own family.
BAA: Please tell us your family isn’t anything like the Westons we see on stage.
Letts: Word for word. I finally get my revenge on them (laughs). No. They’re not entirely like the family you see on stage and yet there are similarities. I think there are things that apply to all families to a certain extent. I think one of the reasons for the success of the show is that people see things in that family on stage that they recognize from their own families. It’s based on a true event that happened in my family a couple of generations ago and it has continued to have ripples and ramifications in my family until present day, certainly until I wrote the play. There is some stuff there that’s drawn from real life but, in truth, my family, they’re a wonderful bunch of people and we’re very close.
How autobiographical is the show?
About all that’s autobiographical is the inciting incident. My mother’s father committed suicide when I was ten years old, over 30 years ago. And the character of Violet is based very much on my grandmother. That’s about where the similarity ends. I’ve picked and chosen those things that seemed appropriate to me from my family and from other people’s families but for the most part, the rest of it is fiction.
Watching the family unravel on stage is difficult to endure at some points. At times you feel like turning away - yet you can’t take your eyes off the action. Was it difficult to write a narrative where the intensity constantly builds?
I knew the story I wanted to tell and I knew what I was driving toward but I really took my time about it. I wrote an act of the play and then forced myself to take six months off and really think before I went back to the second act. And then I did the same between the second and third act. I don’t like to be bored in the theatre. I’m really conscious of the fact that every play I write, there’s somebody in the audience at any given performance who has never been to a play before. And I always feel a certain responsibility to that person not to bore them because I figure if I bore that person, they’re never coming back. And so I’m going to try and do anything I can to hold their interest in the proceedings on stage.
At over three hours long - with two intermissions - AUGUST is an ambitious play. Did you set out to write something this epic or did it just evolve over time?
I guess a little bit of both in that once I knew the story I wanted to tell, I recognized the vehicle for this story. The container for this story, in a sense, is a large one. This is a story of some breadth, some scope and it needs air, it needs time and I trust in the attention spans of people. The truth is as long as people are engaged and laughing and they’re interested in it, they can sit for great long periods of time. The right vehicle for the play was a big play. In order to do what I need to do I have to tell this story over the course of three acts. We never concerned ourselves with time.
Why do you think AUGUST has become such a bona fide hit on Broadway?
I think there are a couple of things that account for it. For one, I’d be foolish not to give credit to the quality of the production in terms of the actors in the Steppenwolf ensemble, the history of Steppenwolf, the culture of Steppenwolf and all the ways that that has informed the play. (There’s) so much craftsmanship. This is not me blowing smoke. The fact of the matter is that as a playwright you recognize the difference. That additional percentage that you get from actors of that caliber is pretty invaluable. (As for) the play itself, it seems to have tapped into something in the popular consciousness and as a playwright that’s very satisfying.
You were previously nominated for a Pulitzer Prize before for THE MAN FROM NEBRASKA. Does winning a Pulitzer for AUGUST change anything for you?
I don’t know yet. I had already put SUPERIOR DONUTS [his new play] in motion before AUGUST ever even hit. In terms of what the Pulitzer means for me down the line, it would be foolish to try and guess. There is a sense of not so much gratification, but there is a sense of confirmation. There is a sense of somebody telling me ‘You’re on the right track’ and that is a confirming feeling.
You are not only an active playwright but you are also a Steppenwolf ensemble member. How do you go about dividing your time between writing and acting?
Well, I don’t do both at the same time. I don’t write plays for me to act in and I don’t act in plays that I’ve written. Because I don’t think I’d be as good at either one if I tried to do both. I allow one to inform the other. The fact of the matter is I’m a better playwright because I’m an actor and I’m a better actor because I’m a playwright. I think I have to keep acting to improve my writing and vice versa. Acting appeals to the sort of public side of me and writing appeals to the more private side of me.
So would you say it’s a fairly even split or is there more emphasis on one over the other?
It’s always been fairly evenly split except with AUGUST the writing seems to be taking over a bit. Acting is hard. They’re both hard. They’re hard in different ways. Acting, however, is hard in a way that requires you to be there eight shows a week and writing doesn’t. Once you’re done with a play, you can go away. The grind of performing a play eight shows a week, repeating the performance and doing it with some technical proficiency is very hard, it’s very taxing.
You have acting experience in film, television and on the stage. Is there a reason why you focus your creative writing for the stage?
I’ve done some screenplays and stuff but in movies and tv the writer isn’t the boss. You can’t be guaranteed that what you’re writing is actually going to see the light of day. I know from acting that people just change the writer’s text, it’s no big deal. It’s not a power issue, though I suppose it is a control issue. Within the hierarchy of the theatre, you don’t go messing with what the writer’s written and I appreciate that about the theatre.
TV has lured a lot of good playwrights away. If you sit and watch an hourlong drama on tv you will see the names of the best playwrights of the last 20 years – or at least playwrights who had interesting beginnings to their careers who got lured away very quickly by the money of television. I believe at some point somebody’s got to say ‘I’m not going to do that. I’m going to stick it out in the theatre because the theatre is worthy of that.’
Your writing has been prolific. Do you feel any burden that you have to keep producing at such a high level, especially now considering that the bar has been raised?
I try not to concern myself with it. I mean it’s hard not to sort of hear the angels and devil on your shoulder. When people said to me as soon as I won the Pulitzer, ‘Now that’s really going to put the pressure on for this next one, right?’, my response was just the opposite. I said ‘Man, the pressure is off (with a chuckle). I won the thing. Now I can do what I want.’
More information on AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY can be found online at AugustOnBroadway.com
May 21, 2008
Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust
Hey Fanadus! Well, even if you're not a Fanadu, check out Kerry Butler's new CD.......Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust. It's now available from PS Classics! The clip above gives a snippet of the album with Kerry in the recording studio. Enjoy and support Broadway artists!
May 20, 2008
For Our Dear Tita Lani.....
On this day, here's one of my favorite quotes from......strangely enough.......the movie Stranger Than Fiction:
"Sometimes when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And fortunately enough, when there aren't sugar cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin or a kind and loving gesture, or a subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs and uneaten danish and soft spoken secrets and fender guitars and to maybe the occassional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the annomalies, the subtleties which we assume only accessorize our days, are in fact here for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange but I also know that it just so happens to be true." ----- Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson)
"Sometimes when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And fortunately enough, when there aren't sugar cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin or a kind and loving gesture, or a subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs and uneaten danish and soft spoken secrets and fender guitars and to maybe the occassional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the annomalies, the subtleties which we assume only accessorize our days, are in fact here for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange but I also know that it just so happens to be true." ----- Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson)
May 19, 2008
A True Delight!
Having enjoyed Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, I was excited that Masterpiece Theatre was presenting another of her novels, Cranford. Well, last night was the last of a three part episode. It has an amazing cast of the who's who of British acting, Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins as the Jenkyns sisters Matilda and Deborah, Imelda Staunton as the nosey neighbor Ms. Pole, Michael Gambon as Mr. Holbrook, Francesca Annis as Lady Ludlow and Julia McKenzie as Mrs. Forrester just to name a few.
It's a story about a typical English town in the 19th century and the lives and relationship of it's townsfolk. Being that it is a three part episode, you can tell that the story is intricate. New neighbors arrive and changes the lives and dynamics of the town. In addition, modernisation in the country blooms and start to threaten the Cranford community. With all these, the plot becomes very engaging and pulls the audience into the story. I found myself really involved with the story and the lives of the community. But what I loved most of all was the dialogue. It was so clever and incredibly funny. There were a lot of dry humor that only Brits can deliver. I was excessively diverted!
If you missed it, all the episodes can be seen online at Masterpiece Theatre. The dvd is now also available at Amazon.com or Netflix.
(photo fr. Amazon.com)
May 17, 2008
Sutton Gearing Up for CD
Sutton Foster had a concert at Joe's Pub last April 28 to gear up for the recording studio. Here's a video of her rehearsals for that concert and an interview courtesy of Broadway.com
Her upcoming CD, WISH will be released next year by Ghostlight Records.
(photo fr Broadway.com)
May 15, 2008
It's electric!
You can't see it/It's electric!
You gotta feel it/It's electric!
Boogie woogie, woogie!
Another blast from the past: No, thankfully not THE electric slide. PBS is reportedly bringing The Electric Company back next year. I wonder if Rita Moreno or Morgan Freeman will do cameos.
It's My Kind of Town
With the announcement of the Tony nominations Tuesday, August: Osage County garnered 7 nominations. They are nominations for Playwright Tracy Letts, Director Ann D. Shapiro, actors Deanna Dunagan, Amy Morton and Rondi Reed plus nominations for Lighting Design and Set Design. It's a play that was born out of the Steppenwolf Theatre, one of the cornerstones of Chicago Theatre. That was already a given considering that the play also won the Pulitzer Prize and sweeped nominations in the Outer Critics, Drama Desk, NY Theatre Critics Circle Awards. For a Chicagoan, the surprise of Tuesday's Tony announcement was that this year's Regional Theatre Award will be given to the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre! Yay! It now joins other Chicago recipients the Steppenwolf (1985), the Goodman Theatre (1992) and Victory Gardens Theatre (2001). With the success of August and this award to CST, some local papers have declared that Chicago is the "Toniest" city in America. Indeed, the theatre scene is so alive and thriving in my town. Brava!
(photo from The Daily Herald)
May 14, 2008
Dancing through life, down at Fraggle Rock
A movie musical version of Fraggle Rock that's not CGI? Kudos Weinstein Company for sticking to the TV show's original form! I loved this show, its meaningful and socially relevant plot lines, but most especially the cute hardworking little Doozers. (Yes I am shallow that way.) It is supposedly scheduled for release in 2009.
Until then, take a page from the Fraggles' book: 'dance your cares away...worry's for another day! Let the music play!'
Until then, take a page from the Fraggles' book: 'dance your cares away...worry's for another day! Let the music play!'
Where Did It All Begin
I was just watching Seth Rudetsky's deconstructing videos and thought I should post the clip above. It's one of his first deconstructing videos that I saw and got me hooked. A truly enjoyable one at that! It's Turkey Lurkey from Promises, Promises the musical with Donna McKechnie, Cassie from the original cast of A Chorus Line. Check him out deconstructing a dance this time, not vocals, into head bobs, crazy arm and jerky body movements. It's hilarious!
May 13, 2008
Tony! Toni! Toné!
In the Heights leads the pack of Tony nominees this year with 13 nods. And yes, Xanadu got nominated for Best Musical, Best Actress, Choreography and Book...Huzzah! After seeing the godawful movie last month, I truly realized how brilliant the stage adaptation is.
Click here for complete list of Tony nominations. Whoopi Goldberg will host the June 15th telecast on CBS at 8 PM ET.
Nanny Pettigrew
A down and out Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day when under false pretenses, she entrenches herself as social secretary for American club singer/aspiring West End actress Delysia Lafosse. The dowdy governess who can't seem to keep a job gets to be made-over and introduced to 1930s London's social scene. Like a dutiful personal assistant, she helps Delysia (what a screen name) juggle her three boyfriends and figure out what to do with her life . Her encounters with the British upper crust puts her in contact with Lafosse's fashionista friend Edythe (a villainous Shirley Henderson AKA Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter films), and the solicitous lingerie designer Joe (played by a dashing Ciaran Hinds). Guinevere Pettigrew (a dignified and wonderful Frances McDormand) manages to meddle in all our characters' lives in the course of one day.
The movie is short, light and breezy. Beautiful art direction and big band music complement the action. The luminous Amy Adams shows us yet again why she's such a great actress. She makes our ambitious and shallow heroine a vulnerable and likable ditz. Despite her questionable morals. She also gets to sing again, this time with Pushing Daisies' handsome Lee Pace, who plays impoverished piano player Michael. Watch this little charmer of a film. The DVD will be released on 19 August 2008.
The movie is short, light and breezy. Beautiful art direction and big band music complement the action. The luminous Amy Adams shows us yet again why she's such a great actress. She makes our ambitious and shallow heroine a vulnerable and likable ditz. Despite her questionable morals. She also gets to sing again, this time with Pushing Daisies' handsome Lee Pace, who plays impoverished piano player Michael. Watch this little charmer of a film. The DVD will be released on 19 August 2008.
May 12, 2008
for Gamers
I was reminiscing about Game & Watch this weekend, and Cecile showed me this cool blog showing off a totally awesome NES controller/coffeetable. Brought back memories of us playing Super Mario Bros., even my Dad. Down with you Koopa Troopas! Stomp those Goombas! Leave Princess Toadstool alone! Of course I wasn't any good so I never got to do battle with evil Bowser.
Nintendo is why the west will never overtake the Japanese.
Thanks Cecile and Lynn! (And Tech Republic for the screenshot photo.)
May 11, 2008
May 10, 2008
Mano a Mano
He sings beautifully, plays the violin, clarinet and keyboards. Tony-nominated for his portrayal of Tobias in the 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd, crazy talented Manoel Felciano is the Man(o). And he has released a solo CD! His debut CD is entitled Moonshot. Click here to listen to song samples and then purchase a copy.(These are last year's photos from Julia Murney's Birdland concert/I'm not waiting CD launch)
May 9, 2008
In Bruges
After seeing In Bruges, I am appalled that I didn't catch Mr. Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore when it was on Broadway. I don't know what it says about me, but his dark humor is appealing to me. This is one of those movies where I was entertained but at the same time, wondering how I could laugh out loud at the political incorrectness of it all. There were six people in the cinema and I was one of two that found it hilarious.
The movie is about two hitmen, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson, who gives the best performance out of our deadly trio) on holiday in the picturesque medieval Belgian town of Bruges. There they await orders from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Ken spends his free time reading and enjoying the sights. Ray is wracked with guilt over a hit gone wrong.
The trailers made it appear as if it was a goof ball buddy comedy. Instead, the film is violent, absurd, yet very moving at other times. It is not for the squeamish, faint-hearted, or easily offended. The clever script is peppered with expletives; we get prostitutes, drugs and a bloodbath. There is no character development, and yet we get strong performances from all the leads. (even Mr. Farrell surprise, surprise.) Nice to see Mr. Fiennes in yet another scary villain role but with a rare comic touch. (The exchanges between our assassins discussing how their individual shoot outs will proceed are just brilliant.)
Sorry, usually-awesome-Coen-brothers...I didn't get No Country for Old Men. If you want to see a subversive gem of a film, step off the beaten Hollywood path and spend some time in Bruges. The DVD will be available 24 June 2008.
The movie is about two hitmen, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson, who gives the best performance out of our deadly trio) on holiday in the picturesque medieval Belgian town of Bruges. There they await orders from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Ken spends his free time reading and enjoying the sights. Ray is wracked with guilt over a hit gone wrong.
The trailers made it appear as if it was a goof ball buddy comedy. Instead, the film is violent, absurd, yet very moving at other times. It is not for the squeamish, faint-hearted, or easily offended. The clever script is peppered with expletives; we get prostitutes, drugs and a bloodbath. There is no character development, and yet we get strong performances from all the leads. (even Mr. Farrell surprise, surprise.) Nice to see Mr. Fiennes in yet another scary villain role but with a rare comic touch. (The exchanges between our assassins discussing how their individual shoot outs will proceed are just brilliant.)
Sorry, usually-awesome-Coen-brothers...I didn't get No Country for Old Men. If you want to see a subversive gem of a film, step off the beaten Hollywood path and spend some time in Bruges. The DVD will be available 24 June 2008.
May 8, 2008
He Did It........
In my last post about re-visiting Curtains, I had mentioned that Noah Racey wasn't on that day as Bobby Pepper. This may be the reason why (from The Jordan Times):
WORLD DANCE PERFORMANCES HEAT UP AMMAN
Under the name of “Zakharef in Motion”, the event, which is being organised for the second year in a row by the Dozan Wa Awtar organisation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and several embassies in Amman, aims to expose citizens to different types of dances and cultures, according to event organisers.
The New York Tap Ensemble, which was brought directly from Broadway, opened on Wednesday with their “Singin’ and Dancing’” performance tailored specifically for their visit to Jordan, to kick off this year’s event.
“For us, this was the first time performing in the Middle East, so I decided to make it very special and create an original choreography,” dancer Noah Racey explained to the Jordan Times.
Below is a video of the event with the New York Tap Ensemble. I'm glad that dance crosses over bounderies and hopefully will bring better understanding between cultures.
WORLD DANCE PERFORMANCES HEAT UP AMMAN
Under the name of “Zakharef in Motion”, the event, which is being organised for the second year in a row by the Dozan Wa Awtar organisation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and several embassies in Amman, aims to expose citizens to different types of dances and cultures, according to event organisers.
The New York Tap Ensemble, which was brought directly from Broadway, opened on Wednesday with their “Singin’ and Dancing’” performance tailored specifically for their visit to Jordan, to kick off this year’s event.
“For us, this was the first time performing in the Middle East, so I decided to make it very special and create an original choreography,” dancer Noah Racey explained to the Jordan Times.
Below is a video of the event with the New York Tap Ensemble. I'm glad that dance crosses over bounderies and hopefully will bring better understanding between cultures.
May 7, 2008
The Flood
If you wish to help victims of Myanmar's cyclone, click here for a list of agencies accepting donations. The loss of lives is mind-boggling and heartbreaking.
Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch in 2008
A classmate from Tap class pointed this out to me. In the January 2008 issue of Dance Magazine they listed the 25 to Watch in Dance.....Who will be great in '08. Broadway people made it to the list! Yay!
NATALIE CORTEZ Fierce and feisty Bronx-born Diana Morales doesn’t seem to break a sweat when knocking out routines for her audition. Neither does native New Yorker Natalie Cortez, 29, the triple threat who plays Diana in the current revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. “She’s pretty tough; I’m pretty tough. She’s stubborn; I’m stubborn. She has this incredible love for what she does,” Cortez says of her character. And that love surges toward the audience when Cortez dances. Whether you’re in the front row or up in the balcony, Cortez gets to you. Her “pas-de-bourée kick-ball-change” courses through the opening number. For a compact 5' 3" dancer, her extensions are remarkable. Among a cast of seasoned dancers like Charlotte d’Amboise, Cortez never fades into the background. The gymnast-turned-jazz dancer who didn’t care for ballet fell for modern when she first attended the American Dance Festival. She studied musical theater at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts CAP program, and after getting cast in many non-Broadway shows, this role is her big break. And, in true Morales style, she’s not backing down. “I’m going to stick around for A Chorus Line as long as my body will let me.” —Emily Macel
Check out her video here.
KENDRICK JONES There’s a nonchalance to Kendrick Jones, a natural elegance that makes his virtuoso tapping seem like a mere tip of the hat. He blazed through the Encores! concert staging of Stairway to Paradise last year, wowing critics with his grace and sophistication. The New York Times’ Ben Brantley called him “the most exquisitely expressive young tap dancer since Savion Glover.” Yet Jones, 22, is a throwback, a hoofer who owes his classic style more to tap’s heyday than its hard-hitting renaissance. It’s no surprise Gregory Hines was a mentor as well as an idol. Hines took the 14-year-old dancer from Flint, MI, under his wing, paid for tap festival scholarships, and urged him to become a triple threat. Heeding Hines’ advice, Jones decided last fall to return to school and complete his BA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for musical theater and acting. He’ll continue to perform occasional gigs in NYC while going to school. “I want to emulate that smooth, sportin’-life style of Gregory’s,” Jones says. “He was like Sammy Davis Jr. and John Bubbles. I like the hoofin’ that people do now, but those old timers’ grace moves me more.” Heading back to the future with Jones will be an smooth trip. —Hanna Rubin
NOAH RACEY Lanky and low-key, Broadway dancer Noah Racey has a quiet charm that creeps up slowly on audiences. So do the dance numbers he choreographs. Racey, singled out for his roles in Never Gonna Dance and Curtains, has a passion for creating old-time Broadway showstoppers. He has found a home in Town Hall’s popular “Broadway by the Year” series, where he’s resident choreographer. “I want the audience to feel entertained,” he says. “I don’t want them to analyze or scrutinize—I want them to be joyful.” Racey’s choreography for “All Singin’, All Dancin’,” last summer’s musical salute there, had his disarmingly casual stamp. For one number, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Racey and four other male tappers provided beats and body percussion as singer/dancer Joyce Chittick, accompanied only by a cello, sinuously inched across the stage and through Cole Porter’s yearning lyrics. As she glided off, down came the house. The revue’s classic style and spirit caught the eye of director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who’s teaming up with Racey to workshop it this spring with an eye to a Broadway transfer. Racey isn’t ready to hang up his taps yet, though. “I’m stuck with the rhythm bug,” he says. Lucky for us, we’re stuck with Racey—’cause we’ve got him under our skin. —Hanna Rubin
NATALIE CORTEZ Fierce and feisty Bronx-born Diana Morales doesn’t seem to break a sweat when knocking out routines for her audition. Neither does native New Yorker Natalie Cortez, 29, the triple threat who plays Diana in the current revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. “She’s pretty tough; I’m pretty tough. She’s stubborn; I’m stubborn. She has this incredible love for what she does,” Cortez says of her character. And that love surges toward the audience when Cortez dances. Whether you’re in the front row or up in the balcony, Cortez gets to you. Her “pas-de-bourée kick-ball-change” courses through the opening number. For a compact 5' 3" dancer, her extensions are remarkable. Among a cast of seasoned dancers like Charlotte d’Amboise, Cortez never fades into the background. The gymnast-turned-jazz dancer who didn’t care for ballet fell for modern when she first attended the American Dance Festival. She studied musical theater at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts CAP program, and after getting cast in many non-Broadway shows, this role is her big break. And, in true Morales style, she’s not backing down. “I’m going to stick around for A Chorus Line as long as my body will let me.” —Emily Macel
Check out her video here.
KENDRICK JONES There’s a nonchalance to Kendrick Jones, a natural elegance that makes his virtuoso tapping seem like a mere tip of the hat. He blazed through the Encores! concert staging of Stairway to Paradise last year, wowing critics with his grace and sophistication. The New York Times’ Ben Brantley called him “the most exquisitely expressive young tap dancer since Savion Glover.” Yet Jones, 22, is a throwback, a hoofer who owes his classic style more to tap’s heyday than its hard-hitting renaissance. It’s no surprise Gregory Hines was a mentor as well as an idol. Hines took the 14-year-old dancer from Flint, MI, under his wing, paid for tap festival scholarships, and urged him to become a triple threat. Heeding Hines’ advice, Jones decided last fall to return to school and complete his BA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for musical theater and acting. He’ll continue to perform occasional gigs in NYC while going to school. “I want to emulate that smooth, sportin’-life style of Gregory’s,” Jones says. “He was like Sammy Davis Jr. and John Bubbles. I like the hoofin’ that people do now, but those old timers’ grace moves me more.” Heading back to the future with Jones will be an smooth trip. —Hanna Rubin
NOAH RACEY Lanky and low-key, Broadway dancer Noah Racey has a quiet charm that creeps up slowly on audiences. So do the dance numbers he choreographs. Racey, singled out for his roles in Never Gonna Dance and Curtains, has a passion for creating old-time Broadway showstoppers. He has found a home in Town Hall’s popular “Broadway by the Year” series, where he’s resident choreographer. “I want the audience to feel entertained,” he says. “I don’t want them to analyze or scrutinize—I want them to be joyful.” Racey’s choreography for “All Singin’, All Dancin’,” last summer’s musical salute there, had his disarmingly casual stamp. For one number, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Racey and four other male tappers provided beats and body percussion as singer/dancer Joyce Chittick, accompanied only by a cello, sinuously inched across the stage and through Cole Porter’s yearning lyrics. As she glided off, down came the house. The revue’s classic style and spirit caught the eye of director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who’s teaming up with Racey to workshop it this spring with an eye to a Broadway transfer. Racey isn’t ready to hang up his taps yet, though. “I’m stuck with the rhythm bug,” he says. Lucky for us, we’re stuck with Racey—’cause we’ve got him under our skin. —Hanna Rubin
May 6, 2008
What news from the Shire?
Belated happy Birthday to dwarf extraordinaire John Rhys-Davies yesterday, Cinco De Mayo!
- Guillermo del Toro will direct The Hobbit, as previously reported.
- Andy Serkis will reprise his role as The-One-Ring junkie Gollum.
- And Sir Ian McKellen will also be back as our favorite wizard Gandalf the Grey.
I can't wait to be There and Back Again.
Without You......
The Easter Bonnet Competition was last Monday and Tuesday (April 28 & 29). It's a competition where Broadway shows and touring companies raise money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids. Aside from that there's a competion of Easter Bonnets, yes.....as in hats, and a bonnet skit presentation from the shows. I got choked up when I saw the presentation from RENT since this will be their last. To see the video of the event, click here (note the first part is the Press Launch of Billy Elliot).
(photo of Laura Benanti of Gypsy from Broadway.com)
May 4, 2008
Shameless Plug
If you live in the Connecticut area, come and see a performance at the Main Street Theater Company in Woodbury. Starting next weekend and continuing until the 25th of May, this group of talented youngsters will present Just So. It is a musical based on children's stories written by Rudyard Kipling. They are origin stories that explain how animals came to have their individual characteristics.
The company presents shows year-round.
The Fellowship of the Bō
Growing up in the Philippines, I was a regular viewer of the TV series Kung Fu. I didn't watch cartoons on weekend mornings; I watched Chinese shows instead. (Wasn't the line-up called Beautiful Sunday? Anybody?!) I don't even remember if it had English subtitles. I loved the costumes and the fight scenes. I still love the martial arts genre and would not have passed up The Forbidden Kingdom.
Forbidden is the story of a gong fu-obsessed Boston teenager named Jason (Michael Angarano---watch his physique improve as the movie goes on). He gets transported to mythic China after a run-in with neighborhood baddies. He is revealed to be the (usually prophesied) Chosen One who will end the evil Jade Warlord's reign. To do this, he must go to Five Elements Mountain where the Monkey King has been imprisoned in stone. He can only be freed by getting his magical staff returned to him. Jason is aided in his task by a drunken master (Chan), a beautiful vengeance-driven warrior named Golden Sparrow (who speaks of herself in the third person) and a supposedly silent monk (Li).
The scenery is breathtaking, the music swells at appropriate times. But Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it is not. Sure it is full of clichés. The montage of training sequences, the sage-like advice passed on to the young disciple. But that's what makes it fun. Hey, I really only wanted to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li kick each other's butt. And it does not disappoint. The fight scenes are artfully choreographed, showcasing each performer's natural grace and different fighting styles. Yes, we all know it's wire work but it doesn't make it any less compelling.
Now if only they found a way to cast Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Gong Li it would have been perfect.
(Photo from Yahoo!)
May 3, 2008
Man in the Iron Mask
I did not expect Iron Man from Robert Downey, Jr., nor from Elf director Jon Favreau (Swingers, Monica's rich boyfriend on Friends.) Iron Man is a fun and excellent superhero movie, probably on par with Spiderman 2, XMen 2 and probably even Batman Begins.
I am so glad to see the talented Mr. Downey, Jr. onscreen, in an unlikely role at that. He impishly plays Tony Stark, slick playboy billionaire whose company builds weapons for the military. He develops a conscience after captivity in Afghanistan. Stark trumps Bruce Wayne because being an M.I.T. graduate, he develops his own weaponry. In a fun sequence, he becomes Iron Man, aided by a computer version of Alfred. His sidekick is Air Force Col. Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), his redheaded damsel-but-not-too-distressed assistant is Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). There is the requisite bald headed bad guy, blasting musical score, thrilling action scenes, as well as Stan Lee's cameo.
The well chosen cast is clearly having fun. For a refreshing change, our rogue hero doesn't dwell on his psychological trauma, doesn't brood, and instead, the witty script allows him funny quips but not clichés. I love the surprising ending, too. Unfortunately, I left before the credits ended. I heard there is the best bonus scene ever.
Robert Downey, Jr. is the Man, the Iron Man. I wonder how Edward Norton will fare as The Incredible Hulk.
(photo from Comingsoon.net)
May 2, 2008
Sparks Inside of Me......
I love this show! I'm so excited that it's finally opening in NYC this fall! So check out this video of the Billies in action from the Press Launch of the musical courtesy of Broadway.com. These kids are amazing!
