Confessions of a Broadway Musical Junkie

An Appeal for the Return of the Sitting Ovation

2012-06-14T22:34:00.002-04:00

Although it’s been sort of on my mind for some time now, I was inspired to further explore this recently. I’ve even been audacious enough to act on it. The topic? Standing ovations. I was moved by Ben Brantley’s recent article for the New York Times on the matter. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says (I think I liked Newsies way more than he did), I think he makes an excellent point. Standing ovations have become an epidemic in the theater, and it’s not a good thing. The ridiculous prevalence of the standing ovation has stripped it of its merit. It hardly means anything anymore to give or receive a standing ovation. I’m trying to see if we can do something about that – starting with me.

I don’t see as many Broadway shows as I’d like (face it: I’d like to see them all), but I’d say I see significantly more on Broadway than the average American. Also, because of work I do here, I see almost every show done in the Triangle on the local and regional level, as well as all the big national tours. And I see a lot of standing ovations.

One incident which really sticks out in my mind is when I saw Clybourne Park on Broadway. I enjoyed the show, but it wasn’t my favorite. I was all set to politely applaud, give a “whoop” for the actor I really liked, and be on my way. However, I was sitting practically among a large group of high school students from southern Florida – all musical theater kids. The very second that the curtain call started, every last one of them was on their feet, even the guy who fell asleep during act 1. They gave a standing ovation like that’s what they thought they were supposed to do. Maybe that is, actually, what they thought they were supposed to do. But, really, was the kid who fell asleep for several pivotal scenes really moved that much by the production? Probably not.

Maybe that incident has a lot to do with what Ben Brantley was saying about out-of-town crowds versus New York crowds. I get what he’s saying, but I think for the purposes of the rest of America, that can probably be expanded to people who see live theater every once and a while versus those who make a regular habit of it. I don’t want it to seem like I’m looking down on the once-in-a-whilers; every theater patron is a wonderful asset to the community. But there’s a difference. Like people who go to every home baseball game of a season are, in many ways, different sorts of fans than those who go to one or two.

I had been, up until now, one of those people at the theater who remained in my seat, eventually looked around at everyone standing, and begrudgingly stood, mostly so I could see the end of the curtain call. But now, I’m taking a stand. Well, actually, I’m taking a seat. I’m the kind of girl who likes to go with the flow, so it’s been an interesting experience so far.

I went to see the national tour of West Side Story on official business. I brought a friend who hasn’t seen much live theater lately. She agreed with me that the standing ovation was silly. We sat. We were the only ones, but it actually didn’t feel awkward. I think I made my point. I applauded and even cheered, because the production was good. But, if anyone asks, I’m saving my standing ovation for the top 1%. That’s what I’ve decided.

I went to a local theater production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, also on official business. Everyone stood. I was gracious, polite, and seated. Same goes for a regional production of Boeing Boeing I saw this week to review. I loved the show. So did everyone else there. They stood. I applauded from my seat.

So far, there hasn’t been any fallout. No one has approached me to ask me why I didn’t stand or why I didn’t like the performance. I haven’t had to explain to anyone that I’m saving it for the top 1%. When the curtain call is over, we all just go on with our lives. Additionally, many of the shows I see are in a professional capacity. I receive a comp ticket to review the show (in case you’re wondering, I review those shows elsewhere – this blog is reserved for shows I see in my free time). Would it be professional for me to stand? I don’t know. I’m not quite sure where the line is.

So, for now, I’m sitting. I encourage you to join me in my sit-ins, if you will. Let’s all, as a whole, give a standing ovation back its weight so that it truly means something to receive one. Thoughts?

Tribes - Moving, Delicate, and Dynamic Theater

2012-06-14T14:25:00.003-04:00

I finished out my whirlwind trip to NYC with my fifth show in two days down in the Village at the Barrow Street Theatre. Before the show, I took the subway down to Christopher Street, wandered around, got a snack at Amy’s Bread, and had a very pleasant time exploring the neighborhood. Even though I love to go to New York as often as possible, and so desperately want to be a “local,” let’s face it – I’m a tourist. I’m a girl who travels up from North Carolina to be amazed by everything New York has to offer. This was my first time spending quality time wandering around the Village. I had been to the Lortel Theatre to see Carrie, but I didn’t get to do a whole lot of exploring. I love the neighborhood. It’s eclectic and fun.

The Barrow Street Theatre is quite unassuming – it’s in a building called Greenwich House. Walking by, you’d never know it’s a theater. I literally had to find the “27” on the building before I was certain that I was in the right place.

The performance space itself is not big (it is, after all, an Off-Broadway house), but they do so much with it. There were seats on all four sides of the square performance space in the middle. The space was a living room/dining area with a gorgeously made “skylight.”

Tribes tell the story of Billy, a young Deaf man, raised in a hearing family – a family which made no effort to understand that there is such a thing as Deaf culture, and did not teach him sign or anything like that. He speaks well, and is a skilled lip-reader. He meets a woman named Sylvia, who comes from a Deaf family, who introduces him to the Deaf world, but who herself is struggling with the fact that she is losing her hearing.

First of all, I need to get one thing off my chest – I think I’m in love with Russell Harvard, who plays Billy. Not only is the man an incredibly talented actor who took on a very tough role with Billy, but he’s also extremely easy on the eyes. Harvard, a deaf actor who has made a name for himself with some key film roles, took on some extremely challenging stuff with Tribes. He speaks for most of the show, but he also has to make mistakes and such when he speaks, which is challenging. I saw a funny interview he did in which he reminded the audience to be kind, because he doesn’t actually know what a British accent sounds like. I think he did a great job, and the folks I was sitting with and I agreed that the accent thing was totally irrelevant. He did an impeccable job, as did the rest of the stellar ensemble cast.

I was so compelled by this well-told (Drama Desk-winning) story. It really presented the Deaf world as populated by real people with their own gifts and shortcomings. Especially having seen Clybourne Park the day before, which showed such a one-dimensional portrayal of a deaf person, I was moved by how real these characters were. Billy is desperate to find a place he belongs in the world, but also needs to lash out about who he is and the people he comes from. Sylvia, his love interest and guide into the Deaf world, is such a dynamic and complex character, as she comes from a world which won’t let her mourn the fact that she’s losing her hearing. The two meet in such a wonderful way that tells such a fantastic story. Nina Raines (the playwright) never once presents Deafness as a handicap, but she does acknowledge its challenges. People who are culturally Deaf do not generally view their Deafness as a handicap, but rather as a source of cultural pride. I only know this from a nominal amount of research that I’ve done, but it’s clear that Raines knows her stuff. She’s able to tackle big issues in such a delicate yet head-on way.

I especially enjoyed the scenes of interaction between Billy and his brother. His brother is battling his own demons, and Billy has been like his anchor for some time. Truth time: I cried a lot when they interacted. I was just so moved.

Along with the beautiful skylight, there were some other creative elements of the show which I really loved. There was need for some subtitles when characters were only signing and not speaking. The projections were done on unique surfaces – the side of the window, the mattress, etc., so that it seemed an organic part of that world. It didn’t seem like “translations,” but just felt like their words popping up.

I met some really cool people in the audience, as well. I sat with a couple from Los Angeles who have done a lot of work with a Deaf theater company out west. We had an interesting chat. I told them about how I teach American Sign Language to hearing primary students, and how I try my best to include as much about Deaf culture as possible. We had some great chats, and at the end, we applauded in ASL together, which was pretty cool.

I know that I make a lot of recommendations for shows, but I really, truly believe that Tribes is one of the best pieces of theater I’ve ever seen, and I think the Hearing world needs to see this play.

Arianda is a Goddess, and Other Musings on Venus in Fur

2012-06-14T13:52:00.002-04:00

So, I know that I’m hopelessly behind in all of this, so sorry to all 6 people who read this. The end of the year stuff at school has been nuts, so I’ve barely had any time to write about the theater I saw in NYC over Memorial Day weekend. But I couldn’t let it go any longer without discussing Venus in Fur!

So, I’m a plan-ahead kind of gal, but I wanted to leave part of my whirlwind 2-day trip up to chance. I left the Sunday matinee open, with plans to hit up TKTS and see what I could find there. I got into the play express line, which was surprisingly long, and for the 45 minutes I was there (I got there before the booth opened), I debated what I was going to see. I couldn’t decide between Venus in Fur and One Man, Two Guv’nors. I actually asked one of the guys there handing out flyers, and he gave me good advice: see which one I could get a better seat for, and take that one. He assured me that both shows were wonderful in their own way. Well, the ticket-seller at TKTS was able to offer me a front-row seat to Venus in Fur, so I took it.

The only problem? It was 11 in the morning, and the show wasn’t until 3. Luckily, I was in the center of the universe, so I took the subway to the Strand bookstore. I browsed for quite some time, bought a new copy of How I Paid for College…, and wandered back to Union Square to take the subway back to Times Square. I must have had an air of confidence about me, because that subway trip marked the first of several times that day that I would be asked directions for how to get somewhere on the subway. One man asked me, “do you take this train often?”, and, not wanting to seem like a tourist, my response was, “not so often, no.” How silly.

The time to enter the theater finally rolled around, and I took my seat. It turns out, I was sitting with some ladies I met earlier in the day in the TKTS line. We had a lovely chat – one lady didn’t realize that some shows have performances on Sunday evening, and once she found this out, she began busily deciding which one she was going to see. I guess my five-shows-in-two-days feat is an inspiring one.

Venus in Fur is presented without an intermission (which was perfection), and the show is just marvelous. It’s hilarious, deep, and true. I still cannot get over how amazing Nina Arianda is. The woman is a genius, plain and simple. She brought the character of Vanda to life with so much depth and so much truth. I was peeling with laughter, but also so intent on the arc of her character – how does she do it!? No, really, I want to know. I’m writing this after the Tony Awards, but up to the awards themselves, I kept telling people, “If there’s any justice in the world, Nina Arianda will win the Tony.” I guess my faith in the world is restored. Clearly I’m not the only one who recognized her genius. The woman is a goddess.

Nina’s not the only thing I loved about the show. Clearly, Ives’ writing is phenomenal. Hugh Dancy was a great partner for Nina. I loved the stark set. It had those little touches that made it real. You know, like the faded spots on the bulletin board from when a paper is left there a long time, and coffee cups and packets of Equal next to the coffee pot. My favorite was the sign that said “Your mother doesn’t work here, so please clean up after yourself.” It’s those little touches that made it so real.

Even though the show ends just as things are getting really juicy, I love what it does and where it goes in just over 90 minutes. As the two characters are reading the script to the play-within-the-play, they go there. Like, really there. Like, there’s a dog collar involved. They do things that I’m sure are not equity standard for an audition. I love that they are so willing to let a piece of theater take them someplace so raw and emotional. Clearly, they both have hang-ups to deal with – Vanda is either a stalker or clairvoyant, and Thomas is a kind of uptight guy who needs writing to be his release. The interaction between the two is impeccable.

I know I’m not giving you much time, but please go see Venus in Fur before it closes in a few days. You won’t regret it, not one bit.

Unabashedly Gushing Over Peter and the Starcatcher

2012-06-01T18:40:00.003-04:00

I’m in love. Truly, madly, deeply in love. And I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual. The object of my affection? Broadway’s Peter and the Starcatcher, of course! I feel silly writing such a gushy post (hence the middle school journal overtones here), but I can’t think of anything bad to say about the show – it might actually be the best piece of theater I’ve ever seen. Ever.

Photo from Broadway.com

Actually, if I think really hard I could probably think of one negative thing to say.

I got it. My seat was in dead center in the front row of the mezzanine (there’s a gripe coming, I promise), and the seat was so close to the balcony edge that my feet were cramped. But even that’s only because I’m 6 feet tall and I had already walked about 87 miles around Manhattan that day. Normal-sized humans who take the subway to the theater won’t be able to find a single negative thing to say about Peter and the Starcatcher.

I literally cannot remember the last time I felt so captivated by theater. It’s like when kids who can’t sit still for ten seconds but when put in front of a computer can spend hours playing a video game. I’m that ADD kid, and Peter is my video game. Except it’s infinitely cooler than a video game.

First of all, the acting is perfect. Yes, I’m talking about Adam Chanler-Berat, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Christian Borle, but I am also referring to the entire ensemble. Every one of them is a genius. Second, the design of the show is so lively, uplifting, and perfect in its simplicity. At the very same time, it reminded me of when I would put on shows in my yard as a kid and made me wonder in awe at the way that simple things like ropes and ladders can truly become pirate ships and tropical islands.

As you read this next part, please keep in mind that I have no personal stake in the merchandising department for the play. Buy the annotated script. Do it. It includes wonderful insight into the show, yes, but my favorite part is the quippy and brilliant stage directions, like the perfectly penned “A Great Silence of Piratical Awfulness” (Act I. Scene 7. Line 7). Genius, right? Seriously, buy it. But first you have to buy a ticket to the show, which is the best thing you’ll buy all year.

To Be or Not To Be Offended? - My Thoughts on Clybourne Park

2012-05-29T22:38:00.000-04:00

I’m worried that I’m going to sound nit-picky, but I have something I really need to get off my chest after seeing Clybourne Park on Broadway on Saturday. Let me start by lauding the play for its merits.

The play makes some important points through its slightly overblown (on purpose!) characters who represent some things we don’t want to face about ourselves and society. During my time spent as a sociology major (side note – actual job opportunities stemming from a degree in sociology: zero), I learned a lot about the sensitive issues surrounding changing neighborhoods, especially regarding gentrification. I think the characters were fairly adept in expressing how reluctant we are, as a society, to face these issues. I applaud the play and the playwright for presenting these issues without claiming to offer a solution. There are merits and drawbacks to ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and we as a society (like the characters in the play) are more comfortable skirting around the issues than addressing them head-on.

From the script of Clybourne Park

But I have an issue. Although it is in my nature to shy away from conflict, I feel confident that Bruce Norris (the playwright) would want me to just come right out and state my grievances. It might kind of be in the spirit of the play, in the context of who-is-allowed-to-be-offended-on-behalf-of-whom that I find my gripe. I have been known to be too concerned with political correctness and too easily offended on behalf of others, but I think I have a valid (if inflated) point to make. I was disappointed by the character of Betsy. She is a deaf woman (and I use a lower-case d on purpose in this instance) who is the only character in the show who is one-dimensional and there for the purpose of being the butt of jokes. I don’t think the writing is an accurate or respectful representation of the Deaf (capital D on purpose) community. I’m not Deaf (or deaf), I’m not part of the Deaf community, I don’t have Deaf friends or family members, and I don’t speak on behalf of those who are/do. I simply speak on behalf of me and my feelings. And yes, I do realize that a large part of her presence in the show is to point out the ignorance of many of the other characters (particularly Bev, who has no idea how to act around a deaf person). But I really don’t like the way her lines are written in the script (see picture), and I don’t think it’s necessary to write her in such a way. The punch lines at her expense felt cheap to me. I teach ASL to hearing K-2 students. Generally, I start off with kids who don’t even know what it means to be d/Deaf. A vital part of my curriculum is explaining Deaf culture and helping students to understand that Deaf kids are just like them, with one (minor) difference. Deaf people (that is, culturally Deaf people) often don’t regard their deafness as a handicap, just a part of who they are, something worthy of pride. Deafness is truly a culture in the anthropological and sociological sense.

A lot of these thoughts occurred to me while I was seeing Tribes at the Barrow Street Theater, which shows such a multi-dimensional Deaf community of real people, with merits and faults. Betsy is essentially lacking in personality of her own – she is her deafness, and for the purposes of this play, her deafness is a handicap (people actually swear at her to prove the point that she can’t her them – we get it!), and that handicap is supposed to be funny. I might be too uptight here, but I didn’t like that. You know what? If that means, I’m uptight, I’m okay with that – read on.

When I get in a fit of being all riled up like this, it makes me want to write off the whole play because of this one instance. But I can’t. Because it gets so many things right. Because it made me really examine how I feel about race. And, because of how I feel about Betsy, it really challenged me to think about my position and how racial attitudes and attitudes toward other communities than mine differ. Why am I so quick to rush to the defense of people who are fully capable of defending themselves? It’s a lot like the characters in act two – not sure if people need or want people of other races to be progressive on their behalf. Even now, I worry about whether or not I should even be worried about this. Is that silly?

But, at the end of the day, this work and these characters, including Betsy – no, especially Betsy, challenged me. And isn’t that what the theater is for?

Newsies - Now With Cocktails

2012-04-05T20:04:00.002-04:00

At the end of a whirlwind trip to NYC was Disney’s Newsies. This was actually the first ticket we bought for the trip. We had already been on quite an emotional roller coaster, going from NOW. HERE. THIS. to Sleep No More to Once to Carrie. We were ready for some light-hearted awesomeness.

The Newsies film was important to my childhood – I would assume this statement to be true for all folks who, like me, were born in the 1980s and grew up to be musical theater junkies. I knew the songs, and my only lament was the fact that there weren’t any good girl parts. Even when I was older, my summer camp friends and I watched the movie and sang along en masse – and by summer camp friends, I don’t mean childhood friends, I mean people I worked at camp with. We were adults by then. Upon hearing the news that Disney’s stage adaptation of Newsies was, indeed, transferring to Broadway after its run at the Paper Mill, I knew I had to be there. It’s my childhood, come to life.

As I sat down in my seat at the back of the orchestra with my windowcard (my collection is getting too big to handle, but still I buy one at every show), I had a moment of realization that not everybody was obsessed with Newsies as a child. I can’t imagine a childhood without it, but a young lady in front of us turned around about ten minutes before curtain and said, “excuse me, but can either of you tell me what this show is about?” Although I was shocked that there are people on this planet who don’t know Newsies, I must applaud her for going to a Broadway show that she didn’t even know anything about. I filled her in, and I hope she loved it and is forever a convert.

I must admit that I was a little bit nervous before the show. I was worried that it would be like getting to meet your favorite celebrity and then finding out that they’re not really so wonderful in person. It became clear after the opening number that I had little to worry about. The new songs flowed in smoothly, and the classics were done to perfection. The dancing was beyond ridiculous. I, a 26-year-old grown-up was utterly mesmerized by a cast that is, largely, younger than me. And, ten-year-old me would be delighted to know that they added a super awesome “girl part.” I like the romance storyline – and would it really be Disney without it? Another appreciated addition: Newsies-themed cocktails in the lobby. I had a “Seize the Day;” it was delicious and came in a souvenir cup. I’m a sucker for anything in a souvenir cup. At intermission, we booked it to the merchandise booth to pre-order our cast recording (if you download it online, you won’t get the bonus tracks), and we got a complimentary poster with our pre-order. Thanks, Disney!

After an amazing show, I headed out to the stage door. I usually like to visit the stage door, especially if I’ve seen a performer in something else (I saw Ben Fankhauser four times in Spring Awakening, and I was a fan of Jess LeProtto on SYTYCD), but this stage door was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The crowds were crazy. Also, I’m pretty sure we were the only two people stage door-ing who were even alive when the film came out, much less old enough to watch it. However, we managed to brave the crowds and meet the cast. They were genuine, though hurried, doing as best they could to sign 80 billion Playbills (I counted, that’s accurate). There was even a “news crew” from some Disney Channel show that I’m too old to recognize. Maybe my students will see me on TV.

Newsies was absolutely worth it. But, if you don’t like crowds of 15-year-olds, perhaps skip the stage door.

Resurrecting a Flop: Carrie

2012-04-05T19:27:00.003-04:00

After a Sunday matinee performance of Once, we headed downtown to Christopher Street for an evening performance of MCCTheater’s Carrie at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. I managed to convince my hesitant friend to see it by insisting that Marin Mazzie is simply the best, and that there were some folks from the Spring Awakening tour who I loved and knew to be crazy talented. Thankfully, he agreed, because it turned out to be a fantastic night of theatre.

The Lortel was dim, but not dark, as we entered, and the set was appropriately creepy. They did a good job of setting up the vibe for the show. I’m not really into horror movies (as I am the jumpiest person on the planet), but I saw the film Carrie some years ago, and I felt like I knew sort of what to expect. It wasn’t scary in the way that a haunted house is scary – nothing jumping out at unsuspecting patrons, but it was intense and suspenseful.

So, here’s what I liked: the set, the music, the cast. The set was set up in such a way that it could go from one place to another without a hitch – the use of projection was inspired and not over-the-top. The music was, as we discussed after the show, appropriate for a high school musical without being High School Musical. The pop-influenced songs were perfect for the teenage characters. The casting was spot-on, with the possible exception of one or two gentlemen clearly being too old to play high school students (I’m classy, so I’m not naming names). I especially loved Christy Altomare as Sue – she brought it from start to finish, and she was just so kind and gracious at the stage door. Of course, I loved Marin, but I knew I would before I even got to my seat. Her voice absolutely filled that small theatre. Molly Ranson did an excellent job of being the quirky Carrie, and was convincingly timid. I think it was the little things – her eyes darting, her lips pulled in – that truly made the character convincing. The ensemble cast did a great job of capturing the spirit of high school, and each “minor” character was well-defined and funny.

As for what I didn’t like? I’m having trouble coming up with anything. I know that’s a total cop-out, but I really enjoyed the show. And this isn’t the New York Times, so I don’t feel too terrible about writing a one-sided review.

It’s unfortunate that MCC Theater had to scale back their extension for Carrie, because more people need to see it. I understand why it might be a hard sell, particularly since the show lasted only five performances on Broadway in the 1980s. However, this isn’t that Carrie. I mean, it is, but it’s updated for a contemporary audience, and it, frankly, rocks. Also, whichever gods are responsible for such things, I’m ready and willing to sacrifice my left hand for a cast recording.

Oh, I almost forgot to share this awesome story with you: after the show, we were headed down Christopher Street to meet a friend at a bar, and we realize that we had been walking for several blocks right behind Brian Stokes Mitchell! He came to the show to see Marin, and we happened to be walking in the same direction. Only in New York.

The Simple Magic of Once

2012-04-04T14:35:00.001-04:00

My favorite thing about New York City is that you can wake up in the morning and have no idea what adventures await. My traveling companion and I had planned go to the Book of Mormon lottery in hopes of getting tickets to the Sunday matinee, with our back-up plan being getting tickets to a different show at the TKTS booth. Well, somehow we got wrong information about show times and missed the lottery completely, but it turned out to be a stroke of luck for us. We headed into Times Square and got tickets for the matinee performance of Once – one of the best unplanned experiences I’ve had in quite some time.


Playbill with Autographs

I am a true believer that theatergoing is an experience, not a passive activity. The folks at Once clearly agree with me. The show was truly an experience from the second we entered the doors of the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. The stage at Once is (before the show and at intermission) a real bar, where audience members are invited to come and purchase a drink. We went right up on stage and bought ourselves a beer each. I’ve never actually been to Ireland (sigh!), but it felt like we were in an Irish pub, right down to chatting with the bartender (he heard us talking about Sleep No More, so we filled him in on that as best we could). We hung out on stage for a while and then took our seats (I like to have ample time to read my Playbill before a show). Cast members came out onto the stage while audience members were still buying and drinking their beverages, and started playing and singing traditional Irish and Czech songs. It was organic, like music that would truly spring up in a pub. Slowly and without much fuss, the audience was directed off the stage and to their seats as the cast continued to entertain us. I hardly even noticed the stage clearing of bar patrons. The transition into the beginning of the show was perfectly seamless as Steve Kazee (excuse me while I swoon) began singing.

I don’t want to give too much away, especially for those who haven’t seen the movie, but I’m willing to take the (possibly controversial) stance that this show is better than the movie. I know I’m not the only one who thinks so. The show was hilarious and heartbreaking in all the right ways. I loved how natural and organic the music was and that the band and the cast were one and the same. We had the marvelous experience of seeing Andrea Goss, the understudy, go on for Girl. She absolutely blew me away. I love to see understudies go on, and this experience did not disappoint. The show was so seamless and the transitions were tight and natural. There wasn’t a whole lot in the way of sets and props, which worked as a big plus for the show – no distractions for the audience for big set changes, etc. The main thoroughfare for the characters was the very same pub where we had gotten our pre-show beers.

In all, the haunting/delicate/gorgeous/moving music, the perfect mix of simplicity and complexity, the phenomenal acting and singing, and the flow of the book all came together to create not just theatre, but an experience which will be on my mind for some time. Well done, Once.

The Theatrical Experience of Sleep No More

2012-04-04T14:20:00.001-04:00

Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More isn’t just theatre, it’s beyond that – it’s a theatrical experience. The number one question I got/get when telling people about seeing Sleep No More on my trip to New York was/is “what is it?” As much as I’d love to help those people out, there really isn’t an easy answer. I think even those who know the show inside and out might have trouble coming up with a succinct yet sufficient answer. Yes, there’s Macbeth, but there’s more to it than that. What I can say, without giving away any crucial details, and without blowing any mystery is that it’s an experiential theatre event in which “guests” self-guide themselves around the performance as they see fit. There’s a lot going on at once, and no right or wrong way to “do” it.

My friend and I had tickets to the Saturday late-night performance of the show, which was actually perfect. Somehow, just the fact that it was midnight seemed to add to the suspense. I’m not used to being up that late – my day job is as a public school teacher, and I had traveled a long way to be in NYC, without a whole lot of sleep – and I think the actors must have wondered why I was yawning, but I was engaged and intrigued the whole time. It’s truly a captivating experience, even when the actors aren’t actually in the same room as you. There’s always something to discover. Before the show, we went to an 8 pm performance of NOW. HERE. THIS. at the Vineyard Theatre. We got some advice from the one and only Susan Blackwell, after mentioning to her that our next stop was Sleep No More. She gave us two solid pieces of wisdom. The first was that, while suspenseful, it’s not like a haunted house – no monster is going to jump out at you. That was reassuring, because I happen to be one of the jumpiest people on the planet. Her second piece of advice was to look up a Gawker article detailing how to see all the nudity in the show. I won’t link directly to the article here, because certain people who read my blog happen to find me wholesome, and I’d like to keep it that way, but it’s easy enough to Google, if you’re so inclined. We found the article to be hilarious (and true), but it also gave us a little heads-up (without giving too much plot away) about what we were about to see. It’s a safe bet that if you’re not comfortable being mere feet from a naked stranger, then this might not be the place for you.

I’m going to be purposefully vague about what I saw during the show, but let me just say that it was honestly one of the most intense experiences of my life. The experience begins right when you enter, and continues long after you’re done. I was inside there for two and a half hours, and I can’t remember a time when my brain has been truly “on” for that long. I was really thinking about what I was seeing, and it was fascinating. I don’t want to make it seem like I actually understood half the stuff I saw, because the task of trying to piece it all together is half the battle and all the fun. My friend and I went together, but we split up and explored on our own. That’s definitely the best way to do it – we apparently saw almost two completely different shows, and we had a lot to discuss later. He and I literally discussed it the whole walk back to our hotel on East 42^nd, and all the way through Sunday brunch. We are both aching to go back. I’m willing to sacrifice a good deal of time and money for the opportunity to return. I think it goes without saying that I cannot recommend Sleep No More highly enough. It’s too difficult to explain, you really just have to experience it, so go!

The Amazingly Awesome Emotional Roller Coaster of NOW. HERE. THIS.

2012-04-03T21:53:00.000-04:00

My journey to NOW. HERE. THIS. began over a year ago, when my friend and I saw [title of show] at Virginia’s SignatureTheatre. We absolutely loved it, and became obsessed – we now know every word to the cast recording, and do the whole show on road trips, fighting over who gets to be Susan. I never miss an episode of Side by Side by SusanBlackwell on Broadway.com, and I’m a self-admitted Susan fangirl. The woman is, quite honestly, an idol of mine – I respect her so much, and I think she’s such an asset to the Broadway community in general. So, when I saw that the [tos] foursome’s new show, NOW. HERE. THIS., would be playing the Vineyard Theatre, I convinced my friend that we needed to see it. Well, perhaps “convinced,” is too strong of a word – I think it went more like this:

Me: Hey, they’re doing NOW. HERE. THIS. at the Vineyard Theatre.

Him: We are so going.

Now that plans were in place, we were ready.

Photo credit: Broadway.com

This was, believe it or not, my first venture into an Off-Broadway theatre. It’s strange, since I travel to New York several times a year, and I see so much Brodway stuff. But, as we arrived at the Vineyard and took our seats in the second row (squeal!), I found that the Off-Broadway vibe really suits me. I like the smaller house and the intimate feel. As the show started, I had a lot of trouble containing my excitement – I’m pretty sure the cast could see me grinning and wiggling in my seat, not knowing what to do in the presence of four of the coolest people on the planet. My excitement was certainly merited – the show was amazing! We loved it so much.

The show is less linear than [title of show], but delves deeper into the idea of finding the intersection of now, here, and this. The basic premise is that the four are in the natural history museum trying to find how they can live in the moment. The cast made me laugh at their hilarious stories and anecdotes, cry with them about touching personal and family moments, and laugh again. I’m pretty sure there were several times when I was laughing and crying at the same time. More importantly, the show made me think about my life and my creative endeavors. Those four made me stop and think about what’s important, and how a person gets to the point in which they feel fulfilled. It’s been on my mind a lot in the few days since seeing the show. I’m also thinking, “God, I hope there’s a cast recording in the works.”

The two of us (my friend and I) waited in the lobby to meet the cast after the show, and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I got to meet all of them, and they seemed so genuine. We had a real conversation with Susan about seeing Sleep No More, which we were seeing later that evening - more on that in my next article. They seem to really care about the people for whom they create, and that didn't go unnoticed. I love when I meet people who I imagine to be really cool and I'm not disappointed. They really are classy and awesome.

In short, the odds of anyone not loving NOW. HERE. THIS. are about an Ann Jillian to one.

Ginger ale and drag queens - my Priscilla adventure!

2011-06-19T23:19:00.000-04:00

Oh my God. I am so crazy behind on my blogging. I’m blogging mid-June about a show I saw in mid-May. It’s a problem. I don’t even have a good excuse. The real, true, honest reason for my lapse in blogging is that I’ve been hopelessly addicted to Criminal Minds and I’ve been spending all my free time watching it. That was embarrassing to admit, but now that it’s out in the open, I can get to what I really want to write about – Priscilla Queen of the Desert on Broadway. This was the fifth show that my parents and I saw on our seven-show Broadway extravaganza, and it was amazing!

Our seats at the beautiful Palace Theatre were in the front row of the mezzanine, and they were perfect seats. The view was marvelous – I highly recommend those seats to anyone in the position to be picky about seat location. When I got to my seat, I was really just glad to be there. Earlier in the day, my dad and I got the brilliant idea to walk from our hotel on 55^th and 7^th all the way to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, many many blocks away. It was a gross rainy day, and I happened to eat some noodles that didn’t agree with me, and we had to leave our tour early and hail a cab back to the hotel. I wish I could have seen the rest of the tour of that awesome museum – something for my next trip to NYC. Anyway, I got back to the hotel, loaded up on ibuprofen and pepto, drank my weight in ginger ale, and was feeling well enough to go to Priscilla. I got some ginger ale in a Priscilla cup from the bar, and took my seat. On that note, drinks and snacks at the Palace were a more reasonable price than some Broadway theaters.

The show got underway and I was instantly in awe of the sheer glitz and fabulosity. The men were gorgeous, the costumes were beautiful, and the music was uplifting. My mom, in particular, was a huge fan. During the curtain call, she was dancing and singing along. My dad, who is extremely cool for a sixty-something straight man, who wasn’t for a second fazed when I told him we were seeing a show about three drag queens, enjoyed it, but I think he would have rather done without the foreskin humor and ping pong ball tricks. Yet, all three of us agreed that the storyline of Tick and his son Benji was super touching, and we love it. I also broke into tears when Nick Adams’s character Adam/Felicia cries on Bernadette’s (Tony Sheldon) shoulder. Speaking of the actors – they were phenomenal! I had seen Will Swenson in Hair, and it was really cool to see him doing equally good work in a very different kind of show. Nick Adams absolutely rocked – and I especially enjoyed the fact that a high percentage of his costumes are, well, butt-less. And Tony Sheldon was exquisite – so believable as a woman. The entire cast, especially the hard-working ensemble, was phenomenal.

Overall, I loved the show’s wonderful message of acceptance and being who you are, but I love even more that the message was delivered through high-energy disco numbers, brightly colored sets and costumes, and amazing talent. I’ve been listening to the cast album a lot since seeing the show – my favorite track is “Color My World” – it’s so addicting!

I was disappointed that I couldn’t go to the stage door after the performance, because I was still fighting off the nasty noodle-induced stomach bug, and had to get home for more ginger ale and a good night’s sleep – I guess I will just have to come back to New York, avoid sketchy restaurants, and see Priscilla again. Who’s with me?

Hot damn and gumbo! Two awesome days of Catch Me If You Can!

2011-06-04T23:31:00.001-04:00

On the Thursday of my family’s week-long NYC/Broadway extravaganza, we spent the morning being tourists. We went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. On the ferry boat, I kept singing Ragtime. I don’t think my parents or any of the other passengers were super pleased to hear me in the deepest voice I could muster, “one going from, one coming to, Americaaaaaaaaaaa.” But that’s beside the point. The real excitement on Thursday was in the evening, when we saw Catch Me If You Can at the Neil Simon Theatre. However, our Catch Me adventure actually started the day before, right in the middle of Times Square.

On Wednesday, shortly before noon, my parents and I entered the Times Square Visitor Center for the weekly recording of Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM Satellite Radio Show, Live on Broadway. The guests that day were Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote the music and lyrics for Catch Me If You Can, and Aaron Tveit, who, of course, plays Frank Abagnale, Jr. There were perhaps fifty or so people there (being noon on a work day and all), and we found seats about five rows back. We were so close, and it was very exciting.

So, Seth chatted with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman about writing the show and what that experience was like. It was really cool to hear songwriters discuss their craft, especially since, although I love music, there’s no bone in my body with the ability to sing on key. It was awesome to hear about making music from people who are really good at it. Then, Aaron Tveit sang two songs. It was great to have him singing those songs in a smaller venue. One of the songs, it seemed like he was singing right to me – either because he was looking at about the middle of the audience, where I happened to be, or because he secretly loves me. Okay, I’m kidding. Unless he really does love me, in which case I’m not. Seth tried to convince him to do “Seven Wonders” authentically, like it is in the show – in his underwear. Unfortunately, he said no, but the performance was amazing nonetheless. He is a really talented performer, and it was a privilege to hear him sing in that venue. If you’re ever free in NYC on a Wednesday, head down to the Times Square Visitors center at noon – they do the show each week, always with exciting guests. It was so fun. Seth is so funny! My parents even enjoyed themselves, and they’re not even close to as theater-obsessed as I am. And, for a short time, the visitor center is home to a Tony Awards mini-museum with costumes from Broadway shows and other fun stuff.

Cut to Thursday night, when we saw the show for real. Our seats were in the center orchestra on the aisle, near the back of the house. The seats on the aisle turned out to be extra awesome because Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz ran down the aisle, right by us, a few times.

We absolutely loved the show! The score was absolutely swingin’, the acting was phenomenal, the singing blew me away, and the dancing was down-right cool. I have been listening to the cast recording ever since I got home. I’m particularly enamored with Norbert Leo Butz singing “Don’t Break the Rules.” I can’t get enough. The choreography was amazing – kudos to Jerry Mitchell and the entire ensemble of amazing dancers. I’ll admit that I’m a tad obsessed with Diary of a Chorus Girl, so it was fun to see their rehearsals chronicled and then see the finished product.

After the show, my parents headed back to our hotel, and I waited at the stage door. I must say, this is one of my top two stage door experiences ever (the other being during a blizzard at the In the Heights). Almost the entire cast came out to meet fans, including all the principals. It was so fun to tell them how much I love the show. I got to tell Tom Wopat that when I was a kid, my dad took me to the Kennedy Center to see him in Annie Get Your Gun with Bernadette Peters, and that it was that show that started me on this crazy journey of musical theater obsession. I got to get my picture taken with arguably Broadway’s number-one heartthrob. I got to chat with other fans and gush with them about the people we were meeting. The entire cast was so gracious and so friendly and just seemed to genuinely grateful to their fans and eager to be there, at the stage door, meeting them and signing autographs for them. It was such a delight. Even if you don’t regularly frequent the stage door, I urge you to head that way when you see Catch Me if You Can.

Memphis is a wonderfully soulful way to end a two-show day

2011-06-02T19:09:00.001-04:00

Wednesday on Broadway is a two-show day. So, naturally, I saw two shows. After a wonderful matinee of Anything Goes, my parents and I headed to the Shubert Theatre to see Memphis, which was my mom’s top pick for our week of Broadway. In retrospect, I realize that it’s the only show we saw the whole week that wasn’t part of this year’s Tony season, having won the 2010 Tony Award for best musical.

The seats at the Shubert were extremely comfortable – perhaps the most comfortable all week, and our particular seats were on the aisle in the center orchestra section, about twenty rows back, under the mezzanine overhang. They were awesome seats and we had a great view of the stage!

My parents, being the baby-boomers that they are, grew up listening to music a lot like that in Memphis. And so did I. It was wonderful to hear original songs which are so reminiscent of the jubilant rock and roll of the mid-twentieth century. The music was fun and meaningful, and they sang it so well. It’s definitely a good thing that the Shubert Theatre is well-constructed, or Montego Glover may well have blown the roof off the place. My mom loved Montego as well, saying that she was way too beautiful to fall in love with someone who has a receding hairline and stooped walk. Love is blind, mom!

My father enjoyed the show a lot, especially the music, but he says he was quite distracted by Chad Kimball’s “Huey voice” and bent knees. While I guess I see where my dad’s coming from here, I think those distinctive attributes are important to the character. The way I see it, it’s important that we don’t see Huey as a smooth, suave white guy coming in to take advantage of the awesome musical talent on Beale Street. It’s important that we recognize that, although he is white, he’s far from privileged. Although there are scenes which indicate as much, I thought it was good that he stood out from the crowd for reasons other than race. The music of Felicia and the other black musicians in Memphis appeals to him because he is also different. That’s not to say his experiences are the same or even comparable, but it’s important to remember that Huey is different, too. I don’t know if any of that made sense, but I’m going to roll with it.

My hat-tip of the night has to go to the character of Bobby for his awesome big-dude dancing and general amazing-ness. And I’d also like to thank the folks who threw away their expensive re-usable cups. As my parents and I were leaving the theater, we notice two such logo-emblazoned cups (lids and all) sitting inside an otherwise-empty wastepaper basket. In my world, that’s a free souvenir. Of course, I sent them on a trip through the dishwasher, and now I have an awesome, useful souvenir!

Now, I’m very curious to see the national touring company of Memphis, which will be making its way to Durham this upcoming season. I’m always eager to see how an entirely different cast interprets a show, but I’m also interested in some of the technical aspects of the show. In The Lion King, the tour can’t have Pride Rock come out of the ground. The same is also true for the kitchen/bedroom set in Billy Elliot. I really loved the Broadway set of Memphis, with the columns large enough to hold dancing teenagers, the people walking on the street level above the club, and the radio booth coming out of the ground. It will be interesting to see how those scenic elements are handled when the set has to move from theater to theater.

Anything Goes is thrilling for audiences of all ages!

2011-05-29T01:20:00.000-04:00

For the second show of our seven-show Broadway extravaganza, my parents and I saw a Wednesday matinee of Anything Goes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. I was so excited – I’ve been a fan of Sutton Foster’s for a long time, but this was my first time seeing her live. And who couldn’t be thrilled to see a legend like Joel Grey?! I think it’s safe to say that my excitement was appropriate for the situation.

Wednesday matinees on Broadway are, as far as I can tell, a very specific crowd. There were a lot of elderly folks there enjoying some mid-week theater fun. I must say that I’m secretly looking forward to when I get to be an old matinee lady. I’m probably as close to it as any 25-year-old can get.

Our seats for Anything Goes were in the second-to-last row of the mezzanine, right next to a group of middle-schoolers on a field trip. At first I was nervous that they would talk the whole show, but they really didn’t. At one point the boys behind me were chatting, and I shot them a look, and one of the boys shushed his friends, but that was it. Before the show, I overheard the group of middle school boys behind me discussing what they thought the show would be like, and I could tell that they were worried it would be boring. However, I chuckled when one of them pointed out the picture of Sutton Foster in a sexy sailor outfit on the cover of the Playbill, and said “well, if the whole show’s like this, I’ll be okay with that.” Ah, the priorities of 13-year-old boys. But, hey, they paid attention and they enjoyed the show. They, like myself, were in awe at the end of the first act, during the incredible (and very long!) tap number, “Anything Goes.” If I ever meet Sutton Foster, remind me to ask her how in the world she can belt those notes after tap dancing that long! My dad in particular was absolutely floored by her performance. I told him she was awesome. I told him she had just won the Astaire Award for best female dancer this year. I told him she just got her fifth Tony nomination. I guess he just had to see it to believe it. I’m pretty sure he’s ready to sign up for a fan club.

That’s not to say that the rest of the cast wasn’t also amazing – they certainly were! It was such a joy for me to see Joel Grey live, and I thought the rest of the cast was spot-on in both serious and comic moments. It was one of the most visually spectacular shows I’ve ever seen. Anything Goes, which is from the 1930s, is a very traditional book musical, and I loved that. Sure, there are shows that decidedly break with tradition which I enjoy very much, but there’s just something intangibly awesome about a well-executed old-school musical. I can’t get over it.

Even though the armrests of the seats at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre were very pointy and kept poking into my legs, I would recommend this show to absolutely everybody. I loved it, my parents loved it, the middle school boys loved it, and you’ll love it.

A history lesson like no other at The Normal Heart

2011-05-28T15:21:00.001-04:00

Once my parents and I decided that, for our first family vacation in years, we would go to NYC to see a bunch of Broadway shows (seven, to be exact), I knew we had to see The Normal Heart. I had heard so much buzz about it, and my parents were willing to go along, as well – my dad because I told him he had to and that it was groundbreaking theater, and my mom because she loves Jim Parsons.

So, on that Tuesday, two days after arriving in New York City for the best vacation ever, we settled into our seats at the John Golden Theatre – in the center of the front row of the rear mezzanine, to see The Normal Heart, my first ever straight play on Broadway. Though the seats at the Golden were slightly cramped, I was busy reading my Playbill and taking in the sights of the theater. The theater walls were mostly white with some gold and blue emblems for decoration. The relatively less ornate décor of the John Golden was a good companion to the set design. Before the show began, the stage was completely empty, and the backdrop was solid white, with quotes etched out. Once the play began, the white backdrop was used for well-designed projection. The set pieces, which came out with the actors, were minimal and utilitarian. I liked it. It let the acting shine.

No matter how someone feels about this play, it is undeniable that the acting is first-rate. My particular acting shout-out has to go to Ellen Barkin. She was simply stunning. Her second-act monologue brought me to tears, simply from how committed she was to her character and how committed her character was to the cause. It doesn’t get better than that, folks! The ensemble cast was stunning – every single actor contributed nicely to the piece as a whole.

As for the play itself, I found it moving. There was a point when I was thinking it might be too focused on the anger of Ned, but when I thought about the people who aren’t in the play – everyone else in New York City at the time – and I realized that Ned is one of only a handful of people who were that furious, it made sense. The context is important. In addition, at the TalkOut afterward, Cynthia O’Neal said that the play shows exactly what it was like in the early 1980s: young men were dying, and no one really seemed to care at all.

It was just pure good luck that the tickets we had for The Normal Heart fell on the night of the TalkOut with Anthony Rapp and Cynthia O’Neal, founder of Friends in Deed. We bought the tickets before the TalkOut was announced, but I was pretty excited that I got to go to it. My mom is still disappointed that she was never called on, even though she was raising her hand, but other than that, my family enjoyed it as well. The topics discussed ranged from what it was really like in New York City in the early 1980s, particularly for the LGBT community to what is being done now to make sure stories like this don’t get pushed aside. Aside from the fact that it was really cool to be sitting mere feet from Anthony Rapp (I have some friends who are totally jealous), it was great to put the show, which takes place in the early 1980s, into context and really see what it means to a current audience.

As someone who wasn’t born until 1986, what I took away from my experience at The Normal Heart was an understanding of what happened to the generation before me, from an uncensored source, depicted honestly and beautifully.

Hair continues to be an experience like no other

2011-05-25T15:40:00.001-04:00

I love Hair. It’s no secret. I’ve seen it twice before – once on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld, and once on tour at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. I can’t get enough of that show. A number of songs from the cast recording are on my top played songs on my ipod. My cat is named Frank Mills. It’s safe to say I’m at least slightly obsessed with Hair.

Needless to say, I was more than pleased when I found out that the national tour of Hair would be making a stop in North Carolina at the Durham Performing Arts Center. I bought tickets to see it – twice. I actually had a third ticket as well, but I had to leave for NYC that day, so the ticket went to a very deserving friend. I saw it two nights in a row, and it was awesome. This was one of the times that I was particularly glad that I enjoy going to the theater alone, because I met some awesome people.

The first night I went, I was sitting near two sets of mother and daughter, who were some of the coolest people I've met at DPAC. I chatted with them a lot about the show, about favorite songs, about what the experience of this production was like – they hadn’t seen it before, but were very familiar with it through press stuff and the cast recording. We danced on stage together after the show. At intermission, I chatted with an Elon musical theater student who grew up in the same area as me, and who is excited about Elon doing Hair next year. I might even go see it. I just love being around other theatergoers who are just as passionate about theater as I am, who react to me telling them that I’m about to go to NYC for a week and see seven Broadway shows with awe and envy rather than a diagnosis of insanity. These are my people.

The show was just as thrilling as ever, except even more so, because I was sitting right at the bottom of the steps that lead to the stage. The actors were interacting with me so much, and I loved it! During “White Boys,” one of the actors came and sat down on the floor right in front of me, leaning against my legs, wrapping his arm around my leg and kissing it. What other show provides its audience with crazy experiences like that? But the best part of those experiences is that they add to the authenticity of the show. They make us, the audience, really become a part of the tribe, an integral piece of the action. I don’t think if one of the actors in, say, Guys and Dolls, started kissing my leg, I would feel like it added to the show – I would wonder who let this actor stop taking his meds. But Hair is so unique in the way that the audience is really an active part of the success of the show. I love it. One of the actors untied the shoes of the gentleman sitting next to me, and sitting so close, it was like that was part of the show that was just for the few of us who could see it.

The second night, I was sitting in much the same seat, just on the opposite side of the row, the other side of the stage. It was equally great. It turns out that I was sitting next to the mother of one of the cast members. That was so cool, to see a proud parent witness her child living out a dream. Oh, and she had these awesome peace sign sandals, of which I am quite jealous.

Some people I know were a little worried that seeing this production of Hair so many times might spoil the magic of it for me. In fact, the opposite is true. It just keeps getting better and better. For one thing, the show is never the same twice. There’s always new ad-libbing, new audience members, and something new to discover about the material. This show is so rich and so deep, that I don’t think I could get to the bottom of it if I were to see it two hundred times. So, if you haven’t seen it, so. If you’ve already seen it, revisit it. It’s like hanging out with an old friend – who happens to do drugs and get naked.

Venturing UpStage for The America Play at Triad Stage

2011-05-25T14:51:00.000-04:00

I apologize that this is a very late post, which has become an unfortunate trend for me. However, I was in NYC doing my theater addict thing for eight days (I saw seven Broadway shows, which I will, of course, be writing about), and didn’t get around to writing this until now.

Since seeing Educating Rita late last fall, I’ve been enamored with Triad Stage. I love their main stage productions. However, I became increasingly curious about their UpStage Cabaret, and decided to buy a ticket to see their newest UpStage Cabaret production, The America Play, having no idea what to expect of the space or the work.

Immediately upon entering the space, I realized that it was the Triad Stage that I know and love, just… a little more intimate. I’m not used to seeing theater from regular chairs, sitting at a table. I am, however, used to Triad Stage’s amazing and innovative sets. I felt right at home sitting mere feet from a large dirt mound with trees, two old televisions, political posters from throughout America’s racially-charged history, and a big hole. No, it wasn’t an accident – it was the awesome, though small, set, in the middle of the room, surrounded by cute little tables and mismatched chairs.

I’m not used to being that close to the actors. I am, however, used to Triad Stage casting incredibly talented performers to populate their productions. I was mesmerized by the actors. While I wasn’t always entirely sure exactly what the characters were talking about (the play tended toward the abstract), I was never unsure of how the characters felt or who they were.

As a fan of great theater, and a not-so-secret admirer of Triad Stage’s work, I must say that this show did not disappoint. I was moved, I was challenged, I was entertained.

The one thing I really missed was a talk-back. My season pass tickets are for the main stage performances which include Triad Stage’s InSight talk-back series. These talk-backs are a great way for me to unwind from a show, figure out what I just saw, and understand and appreciate the work and the playwright even more. With The America Play, I was desperate to talk about it! I was at the show by myself, so I didn’t have anyone to bounce crazy theories off of, or a scholar grounding me into the context of the play. I very much enjoyed the show – it was an intense play, and I wanted to delve even deeper into the hole – both literally and metaphorically.

I can’t wait to see what will be at the UpStage Cabaret next season!

Conducting a social experiment at Avenue Q... sort of

2011-05-15T23:00:00.000-04:00

When it was announced that the national touring company of Avenue Q would be making its way into Durham for a brief, two-show stint at the Durham Performing Arts Center, I knew I had to be there. I had seen the show once before, with my mom, when the national tour came to the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. When I bought the ticket this time, it was right before I swore off the balcony forever. I bought a balcony seat. I went the first night of the two-night engagement, and I enjoyed it well enough – it’s an amazing show after all. However, I wanted to be closer. Being the hopeless musical theater junkie I am, I went home from the satisfactory balcony experience of Avenue Q and immediately booked one of the few remaining seats in the orchestra for the following night’s performance. I justified the purchase to myself under the guise of a social experiment – I wanted to see if there was a difference in audience reaction to a show like Avenue Q between those in the cheap seats and those in the orchestra. To be honest, this was a relatively thin cover for the fact that I just wanted to see the show again.

On my second night at Avenue Q, my seat was in row K of the orchestra, way far too the right of the house. I was so far right that the tower which holds the TV and speakers was blocking the entire staircase and most of Princeton’s apartment. However, a kind gentlemen who, I’m assuming, is the house manager or something similar, offered me and another patron who was attending alone, seats in row K right smack dab in the middle of the theater. Attending the theater alone definitely has its perks. This seat was so much more enjoyable for me than in the balcony. Now, I know that some people really like sitting in the balcony, and they prefer that vantage point at the theater. I’m not trying to hurt the balcony’s feelings – I just don’t care to sit there. That seat in the middle of row K was utter perfection. Although, in the interest in sharing pros and cons, I feel the need to mention that the gentleman sitting next to me was far too excited, and his mid-show fist-pumps were a little much.

And the social experiment? Turns out, there’s not much of a difference between the cheap seats and the orchestra seats, in terms of audience reaction to Avenue Q. That just goes to show that funny is funny. The show is relatable for college students and forty-somethings alike. My little fake-y experiment just proves what I already figured: Avenue Q rocks.

Seeing Big River at the Triangle's Most Exciting Theater

2011-05-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

It’s a good thing I’m an amateur blogger, and not a professional journalist – I’m so far behind schedule on this blog post that it’s borderline embarrassing. I could very easily have just skipped writing this post altogether to save myself from publicly admitting to having the world’s most finely honed procrastination skills. Yet, here I am, owning up to it – but not for nothing. I have something to write about which happens to be worth it: Playmaker’s Repertory Company’s recent production of Big River. Even if I wrote this the second I saw it, you wouldn’t have been able to get tickets anyway, as the production was sold out – for good reason.

It was great to see all the seats in the theater filled. It pains me so much to see houses sparsely populated when I know that there is meaningful and powerful theater to be seen (the recent touring production of Spring Awakening comes to mind – less than half the seats were sold; that’s a lot of lives which could have been affected, but weren’t). I’m so glad that so many people had the chance to see this production of Big River.

This was my first time seeing Big River. I knew about it, but only superficially: I knew it was the story of Huckleberry Finn and Jim, the runaway slave; I wasn’t familiar with the music, and I didn’t know the finer points of the plot. I’m glad that it was Playmakers Rep which provided my introduction to this Tony-winning musical. I saw their productions of Fences and Angels in America, which I thought were brilliantly done, and I was excited to see them do a musical. I was not disappointed!

In the lobby before the show, I was reading a book (which I highly recommend, by the way) called The Playwright’s Guidebook, and I happened to be reading a section about how actors talking directly to the audience often just doesn’t work when done for an extended amount of time. It was funny because Huck talks to the audience throughout the entirety of Big River. It reminded me that the magic of the musical is that it gives you permission to break all the rules.

Big River is a thought-provoking period piece that made me reflect on a dark spot in American history – slavery. I was quite moved by the character (and the absolutely enchanting singing voice) of Jim, and some of the things Huck said. The whole internal-but-spoken-aloud conflict Huck had about taking property, which was wrong, but that property happened to be his friend was troublesome for me. I cringed whenever he referred to Jim as property. I was moved and heartbroken by Jim’s dream of buying his own family out of slavery (which was more common than people realize). These troublesome elements made Huck’s narration to the audience all the more powerful, I think – we were able to see more of the picture that way. I loved how Playmaker’s Rep kept the set relatively minimal – I was amazed how much of the “feel” of a house can be conveyed by just a window. The basic set really allowed the story to shine and not be hampered by a more literal set. I found it a great canvas for effective theater.

So, even though you, my devoted readers, cannot go see Big River, I want to encourage everyone in (or near) the triangle to make it a priority to get to Playmakers Rep next season – I assure you, you won’t regret it.

Heading Down South with Triad Stage's Steel Magnolias

2011-04-21T17:26:00.000-04:00

Now that I’ve seen a few plays at Triad Stage in Greensboro, there are a few things I’ve come to expect, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. This past weekend, I saw Steel Magnolias at Triad. I have to admit, I was a little iffy about this one before I saw it. I personally disdain anything in the “tearjerker” genre – I cry at Hallmark commercials. No one needs to see me weep in public. I like dark stuff, but not sappy. I’ll admit – I was worried. I won’t make you suffer until the end to find out that I did enjoy the production. I even challenged myself to not cry. I will, however, make you wait until the end to find out if I rose to my own challenge.

One of the things I’ve come to expect from Triad Stage is killer set design. I love their sets. Especially with the way they have their seating is arranged, the set design is key. I loved how it immediately felt like a carport-turned-salon, the moment I walked in. I really appreciated the tiniest details, like that the “grass” was brown where people would have been walking on it up to the door. They really thought of all the tiny details that make a set seem real.

Another thing I’ve come to expect is the use of real, working sets and props. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it really does make a difference when water comes out of the sink, there’s actual coffee in the coffee pot, and real sugar in those packets. It sounds trivial, but, trust me, it’s important.

My season tickets are for the Sunday matinees which include the InSight talkbacks. I’ve found this to be critically important to my theatergoing experience at triad. I love the people they bring in to do the talkbacks, and my appreciation for each work grows exponentially from attending. This time was, of course, no exception. I enjoyed the production, but the talkback helped me understand it on another level. I really miss my college English courses, just sitting around and talking about theory and different works, and these talkbacks are my “college fix.” It is so beneficial for an audience to be able to reflect on what they’ve just seen, and to listen to the reflections of others – both from scholars and fellow audience members.

I’m not a native southerner, and I’m not your typical twenty-five year old woman. I have no plans for marriage, and having children (at least in the next ten years or so) is the exact opposite of what I want in my life. Perhaps because of this, I had some trouble relating to Shelby, the character in the show closest to my age. I found myself relating more to the other characters in the show, the salon ladies, maybe because they remind me of my mother. Somewhere around intermission, I realized that there are many more ways to relate to a show than based on the age of the characters, and that it was okay for me to relate to Ouiser more than Shelby. Once freed from this struggle, I was able to relax a little bit more, and realize that the show, while technically about Shelby, is really about these women who care about her.

So, did I cry? Only a little. I was able to keep myself from outright weeping. Thank goodness for that, otherwise the box office would be getting a lot of complaints about audience behavior – I’m a loud crier. I did shed a few tears, however. I was most touched by Ouiser and her reaction to tragedy. Did I meet my own challenge? You decide.

A(nother) world premiere musical at Virginia's Signature Theatre

2011-04-21T17:03:00.000-04:00

So, even though I live in Raleigh and I love North Carolina to pieces, I am and will always be a Washingtonian. I was born and raised in Arlington, VA – I love DC, and my parents still live there, so I make a habit of visiting as often as possible. One of my main reasons for visiting is that DC’s theater scene is crazy awesome. My personal favorite is the Signature Theatre in Arlington, which does plenty of Sondheim and even more original work.

It’s no secret that I see a lot of theater. My “Broadway” playlist on my ipod is well over 1,200 songs and growing. I love it all. Yet, seeing new work is always a special thrill for me – I don’t already own the original cast recording, I don’t already know all the lyrics, I’m not already familiar with the plot, and I don’t know how it’s going to end. It’s a different experience from a lot of the shows I see.

Signature puts on a lot of new material, and I love it. I saw Sycamore Trees there a while ago, which was the world premiere of a new Ricky Ian Gordon musical. So, for my birthday, my parents took me to see the world premiere of the brand new musical And the Curtain Rises by Michael Slade, Joseph Thalken, and Mark Campbell.

My past positive experience with new work was echoed at And the Curtain Rises. I very much enjoyed the thrill of seeing a plot, entirely new to me, unfold musically. I especially enjoyed the second act. I felt it moved very smoothly – perhaps because I was more familiar with the context by then, or perhaps because it actually was more smooth, I really can’t tell. I’m now enamored with the idea of a musical about the birth of the musical. I must admit, a hot shirtless man every now and then really didn’t hurt their cause either. I found the subject matter interesting and the story fitting.

Ultimately, I find myself glad that it was the Signature at the helm of this premiere. They know how to premiere works. They know how to handle new material. I fear that had I seen this production anywhere else, I may have been disappointed. I’m not sure the show is quite Broadway-ready, but it was enjoyable and worthwhile, thanks to the capable (and Tony-winning ) Signature.

Seeing Shrek the Musical with the next generation of Broadway superfans

2011-04-15T23:24:00.001-04:00

I used to be a nanny, and the oldest kid I took care of is now a kindergartener, and he and I used to listen to the original Broadway cast recording of Shrek the Musical in the car all the time. He’d even make us do parts – he’d say, “Okay, now I’ll sing Shrek and you sing Fiona.” It was such fun. He knew all the words – he was five years old and he knew words like “asunder” because of Shrek the Musical. Even having never actually seen a musical, he would put on his own musicals for me, or make me star in them. I told him all about Broadway. I got him a Broadway kids CD for Christmas. He even once told me “I’m going to be on Broadway some day. If you’re still alive then, you’re invited. You can sit in whatever seat you want.” Despite the assumption that I might no longer be alive, I was touched by the sentiment.

When I saw that Shrek the Musical was coming to DPAC, I knew we had to be there. I asked his mom if it was okay, and I took him to see it. It was such a cool experience getting to take a kid to his first real musical. He loved it all. When we got inside the theater, he said “I didn’t know it was going to be this big!” He enjoyed learning about how you behave at such a special event as live theater. We talked about how even though we know all the words, we aren’t allowed to sing along during the show. I noticed during “I Know It’s Today,” that he was mouthing the words along with young Fiona. He bought (with money he had saved up) Shrek ears and a Shrek whoopee cushion. If you ever get the chance to take a kid (it doesn’t even have to be your kid) to the theater, do it! It was such an amazing experience for me and him. And I know that that Monday in kindergarten, he was telling all of his friends about Shrek the Musical – and for good reason!

In my opinion, Shrek the Musical has it all. You may think this is strange coming from someone who has seen Spring Awakening seven times, but I really think it’s true. Shrek the Musical is funny, it’s touching, and best of all, it works hard to make it worthwhile for everyone in the audience. They knew they were going to get the kid crowd – they made it kid-funny (which is very different from adult-funny). They knew they would be getting parents – it has that kind of double-layered humor which adults love and kids don’t know what they’re missing. They knew they would get musical theater fans, and even musical theater aficionados who were skeptical of the likes of Shrek on Broadway – they included some great musical theater references: The Lion King, Wicked, and the old standby, Les MIserables, and won people over the old-fashioned way: great music, and a quality book, and excellent performers. Every reason a person could have for buying a ticket to the show was met with a well-crafted response. I will continue to recommend Shrek the Musical to all the kids, adults, and fellow musical theater junkies in my life.

Broadway Royalty, Here in Raleigh - Idina Menzel and the NC Symphony

2011-04-03T20:46:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Brandon asked me if I wanted to go with him to see Idina Menzel in concert with the North Carolina Symphony here in Raleigh. Clearly, I said yes. I saw Idina at Wolf Trap last summer in concert with Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra. She was so good there, and the Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh is a much more intimate venue than Wolf Trap, so I knew it would be awesome. I saw Amadeus there recently, so I knew it was the ideal location for a symphony performance. Plus, Idina is pretty much Broadway royalty – everybody who knows anything about musical theater knows Idina Menzel.

I think I should mention before I go any further that, while I am certainly a big fan of Idina Menzel, I don’t think anyone is as enthusiastic of a fan as Brandon. Our seats were in the mezzanine, and we had a really good view in a great venue. Brandon started freaking out pre-show, and I’m pretty sure that he didn’t stop until hours afterward. I admit, we were both pretty stoked to see her, and to know that she was in the building. Highlights included “Poker Face,” joining in as they whole symphony hall sang “No Day But Today,” and hearing a snippet of “Over the Moon.” She even sang “In Cyberland, we only drink…” and turned her microphone to the audience for us to complete the line. I’m pretty sure the two of us were the loudest ones, yelling “DIET COKE!”

What I love the most about seeing Idina Menzel in concert is that you get a mix of amazing music and great stories. The audience really feels like they get to know her as a performer and a person. Her anecdotes about her family are great, and I love that she opens a window into her life. She also knows what the fans want to hear. She sings stuff that she’s chosen and keeps the fans happy. She knows that if she didn’t sing something from Rent and “Defying Gravity,” the crowd would be disappointed. But she also throws in some unexpected gems – from The Wild Party, Cole Porter (mashed-up with The Police… who knew?), and Finian’s Rainbow.

Idina was so gracious, and came out and signed autographs after the show (by the way, she’s taller than I thought she’d be). She couldn’t take pictures, which was understandable, since she had to get up early the next day and it was already late. It was so cool of her to even come out the stage door at all, something performers aren’t actually obligated to do. I was a little concerned by some fans who I think got overwhelmed with excitement and were desperate for pictures – it’s easy to forget that even Broadway royalty need sleep, and probably don’t like camera flashes going off in their face all the time. However, Idina was so gracious, and I really appreciated that she signed my program. She even came prepared with her own sharpies – both black and silver!

So, now I’ve seen Idina Menzel live twice. My conclusion is that any time she comes to a venue near me in the future, I’m so there. I love the shows she puts on, and seeing her live is such an amazing treat for Broadway addicts like myself.

There's no such thing as too much Spring Awakening!

2011-03-14T18:15:00.000-04:00

I’m going to apologize in advance for how long this blog post is. I have a lot to say. Bear with me, it’ll be worth it. It’s pretty evident that I love Spring Awakening. It’s my favorite musical. I saw the first national tour four times: twice (from house seats) in Durham, and twice (from on-stage seats) in Greenville , SC. I can’t ever seem to get over how awesome it is. So, I bought myself an on-stage seat for each of the three performances of the second national tour’s gig here in Raleigh. So awesome!

I was unsure of what to expect, exactly, in terms of how things would be different, since the second national tour is non-equity. I know that traditionally, sets and lighting are scaled down for non-equity tours, due to the fact that they do much shorter engagements, often lasting only one performance, and need to be able to take apart and rebuilt the set very often. I once saw a non-equity tour of Hairspray and the set was practically non-existent! Luckily, Spring Awakening doesn’t have a particularly involved set – however, the complex lighting is crucial to the design. There were only a few things which were different. They kept all the brilliant lighting. The side walls became imaginary walls with lights and pictures midair, and one row of stage seating was removed. The stage didn’t move, and there was no elevated hayloft. The back wall was the same, and the set had the same feel as the first national tour. I feel that nothing essential was compromised in terms of the set – especially since all the lighting was still present. The only thing I truly missed was the fog for “Those You’ve Known.” I don’t see why they couldn’t travel with a few fog machines. Oh, well. The show was amazing – fog or no fog.

I was quite disheartened by the low attendance at all three performances. The house was barely even half full on Saturday night, and that was the largest audience of the three performances. It’s clear that live theater is a tough sell, especially for performances which aren’t part of someone’s season tickets. It also appears that people are still unwilling to step outside their comfort zones – and I’m most disheartened by the fact that people will leave Spring Awakening during intermission. It’s not a cultural experience unless you experience all of it – and you miss out on a lot by missing Act II. This being said, I do have to mention that Spring Awakening is not a show for everybody. For example, I don’t think it was appropriate that there was a four-year-old girl in the audience. I saw her sitting there the entire show – inappropriate! For the price her mom paid for the ticket, she could have easily paid for a babysitter! No small child needs to see simulated sex or hear a musical number called “Totally Fucked.” So, in summary: go see Spring Awakening, but leave the little ones at home.

Despite the low attendance, I was quite encouraged by the enthusiasm of the small crowd. The audience at all three performances was excited, energized, and engaged (excepting, of course, those who mistakenly chose to leave at intermission). There was plenty of cheering, applauding, and head-bobbing – and a standing ovation every time. Those who were there truly appreciated and enjoyed the show. On stage, the energy was palpable. I couldn’t help but nod along, tap my feet, and get really into the musical numbers.

In addition, there was a tight core group of stage-sitters, and we all got to know each other pretty well over the course of three performances. What I love about Spring Awakening is that I knew beforehand that I wouldn’t be the only person with stage seats for all three Raleigh performances. This show creates such a loyal, dedicated following. Sitting on stage was such a blast – I loved it so much! It’s the coolest way to experience such an amazing show. The experience was made that much better by Paris, the adult women understudy and assistant company manager, who was in charge of on-stage seating. She was, in a word, awesome. If you’re with the production company, give Paris a raise – the fans demand it! She helped get us and the crowd pumped up and reminded us that it’s up to us to create the energy for the show.

Having seen the show several times before, I took the opportunity of sitting on stage to glance out into the audience every so often. I’m glad I did. On Saturday night, I couldn’t help but watch an older gentleman (probably in his sixties) who was so into the show. I first noticed him during “Left Behind.” I couldn’t help noticing the fact that he was practically sobbing. He was clearly very affected by (SPOILER ALERT!) Moritz’s death. And then, throughout the rest of the show, I couldn’t help but peek over at him. He absolutely loved ”Totally Fucked,” he was grinning ear to ear during “Song of Purple Summer,” and he was giving perhaps the most enthusiastic standing ovation of all during the curtain call. I’m so glad I got this window into someone’s Spring Awakening journey.

My friend Caleb and his boyfriend Sean came up from Savannah, GA to see the show on Friday night. Caleb had never seen Spring Awakening before! I love getting to see how much Spring Awakening virgins love the show, but I will admit that it was very hard for Sean and me to not give away important details beforehand. I am overjoyed to report that not only did it blow his mind, but his world was rocked so hard that he got tickets for both Saturday performances as well! I told him he would love it, and I was right, of course.

Spring Awakening has such a reputation for fan loyalty and cast gratitude. The three of us were at the stage door after each performance, just to chat with the cast and tell them how much their performances meant to us. The sheer amount of talent in this non-equity cast blew my mind. They were such an amazing group of talented young performers. Caleb and Sean kept talking about how great they were. I’m not exaggerating here: the talent of this cast as a whole was Broadway-caliber. They brought their own new quirks to these roles, and did such a good job. I loved all the little things they did – the girls nodding in unison as they tried to convince Wendla to attend Greta Brandenburg’s wedding, the boys’ on-beat glances at one another when Melchior stands up to Herr Sonnenstitch. They were so genuinely nice at the stage door, and it was so cool to talk to them about the show. I could tell that they were truly grateful to be in such a groundbreaking piece of musical theater.

I had been vacantly pondering getting a Spring Awakening tattoo for some time now. I have other tattoos, but none which are musical theater related. However, between the Saturday matinee and evening show, Caleb, Sean, and I walked past a tattoo parlor in downtown Raleigh, and I decided to go for it. I’m so glad I did – it really sums up the meaning of the show, and how I want to incorporate those lessons into my life. After the evening performance, I was able to show it to some of the cast members, which I thought was pretty neat. I guess I’m now committed to being a theater nerd for life!

Filling big shoes: The national tour of In the Heights

2011-03-13T21:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, I admit it: my obsession with theater has gotten serious. I told my mom I was only seeing In the Heights on tour at the Durham Performing Arts Center twice, so she wouldn’t remind me about being responsible about saving my money. I saw it three times. Don’t tell her. I was in the front row twice, and the other time I was in the second row. But it was so worth it. I also spent a sizable amount on merchandise. I don’t regret any of it. I loved it. I got to see one of my very favorite musicals three times (for a total of four), and I got to talk to some truly awesome theater fans.

To be honest, I was hesitant at first to even see the national tour. I just saw it on Broadway in December, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson, and other original cast members were there. It was so amazing and I was worried that with this entirely different cast, I wouldn’t love it as much. But the second I heard “lights up,” all that worry melted. I was instantly immersed in that world, and I loved every second of it. It was a testament to the material itself – as long as there are quality actors, it will be amazing! I mean, clearly it was amazing enough for me to buy tickets to two more performances. The actors had some big shoes to fill – I mean, it’s tough to take on a role which was originated by the super-talented Lin-Manuel Miranda. I must say, Joseph Morales and the other actors filled those big shoes wonderfully! I didn’t find myself missing those actors I had seen in New York at all.

In addition to the amazing talent on stage, I met some really cool people in the audience. At the Wednesday performance, my first of the week, I was sitting next to an older couple who were a little nervous about whether or not they would like the show. However, they told me that their grandson goes to Wesleyan University (alma mater of Mr. Miranda himself), and he had seen the show in New York and insisted that they see it as well. I told them that it was one of my three favorite musicals, which is saying something because I see a lot of shows. I told them it would be different than musicals they’d seen before, but that In the Heights is high-quality, Tony Award-winning theater. After that, they seemed prepared to see it. I’m happy to report that they really enjoyed it! On Sunday night, I met up with a gentleman who has season tickets at DPAC, had seen the show on Wednesday, and just had to see it again. There were two ladies there who really love theater, and were eager to hear my opinions on In the Heights, especially about seeing it on tour and in New York.

My favorite people I met were an older couple sitting behind me. They were a Cuban-American couple who gave me new insight into the show. Since they are fluent speakers of both English and Spanish, they wanted to know how the show was for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish. I told them that I grew up in an area which had a sizeable Spanish-speaking population, and I had picked up enough to generally understand the Spanish in the show. They said they loved being able to understand the whole thing. I had already known that the actors take care to pronounce things using the specific accents of their characters’ regions, but I learned something new. This couple told me that even the music itself fits the characters’ countries – like when Abuela Claudia sings, the music sounds Cuban. When Daniela sings, the music sounds Puerto Rican. I don’t know the difference between Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican music, but it was so cool to hear, from people who know, about the music in the show reflecting the different characters’ national heritages. I have even more respect for the genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda.

I think that now it’s safe to say that I will never, ever, ever get tired of In the Heights.