The New York Musical Theatre Festival

I’ve been a bit MIA these past few weeks, and I decided I owe you an explanation. I’ve been hard at work for the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival, which runs September 26 (a week from tomorrow!) through October 16. 30 new musicals in three weeks! I urge you to purchase tickets now if you’re interested in seeing the future of musical theatre. We’ve already started selling out many shows.

This is the Festival that nurtured works like Broadway’s [title of show] and the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Next to Normal.

NYMF.org for tickets. Get on it.

Playbill Proofreading, Part 1

Remember Roundabout Theatre Company’s Playbill for The Importance of Being Earnest, where Oscar Wilde’s bio credited An Ideal Husband to 1985 rather than 1895? (And remember how it’s still on the Earnest website because no one caught the error?)

No? No one remembers that? Well, I do. Something as mass-produced as a Playbill (held by a potential audience of 5,000 to 14,000 each week) requires a small team armed with steel proofreading combs before it goes to print. I’m always interested to see what errors make it past these grooming sessions. Now, I’m relatively fine with commas being italicized when they really shouldn’t be, and can even turn a blind eye when someone claims to have been in a production of Oklahoma or Hair!, two shows that simply don’t exist. But when someone was in a production of Olkahoma! or Hare, we start having major problems.

I’ve decided to devote a sporadic blog entry to some Playbill proofreading. My first post will be dedicated to The Book of Mormon. Specifically, its producers. Even more specifically, their bios on its official website. Which have been, as you can see, converted into image files…meaning they’ll be extra annoying to edit, if anyone from the marketing team ever sees this entry.

Note: I’ve nothing against The Book of Mormon; having seen the musical three times to-date I believe it’s a remarkably intelligent piece of theatre. But check out some of its producers’ former and current theatrical credits (Producer Roger Berlind even has some “currrent” ones):

Stephanie P. McClelland: A Beheading in Spokane

Yeah, that’s a slightly different story.

Scott Rudin: Copemhagen, Jersusalem, The Motherf**cker With the Hat

While Copemhagen and Jersusalem sound like failed Dr. Seuss stories, I’m just not quite sure what two letters are being bleeped out of that third title. Motherfulcker? Motherfracker?

Jon B. Platt: The Motherf**cker With The Hat

Looks like Mr. Platt also worked on that show. Did the same person write both of these bios? Jon B. Platt’s spelling error also has the distinction of being the only error here that also appears in the printed Book of Mormon Playbill. Check it out!

Anyone else catch bizarre spelling errors in a Playbill recently? (Anyone else catch that stray comma floating around in the Baby, It’s You! song list? It’s in act two.)

The Mystery of George Rose

I’m obsessed with Broadway and I’m obsessed with real-life murder mysteries. The two subjects don’t often collide, but when they do, I’m twice as obsessed.

The subject? George Rose, a two-time Tony Award winner (Best Actor in a Musical of 1986 and 1976,  for The Mystery of Edwin Drood and My Fair Lady, respectively).

The murder? On May 4, 1988, during a two-week break from the Mystery of Edwin Drood national tour, 68-year-old Rose was relaxing at his vacation home in the Dominican Republic when he unexpectedly turned up dead at the scene of an apparent car crash. Traces of cocaine were discovered near his body, and the death was closed as an automobile accident.

Not so fast. One week later, Rose’s 18-year-old adopted son, Domingo Antonio Rafle, admitted to plotting and carrying out the murder with his biological father, uncle, and a family friend. Rafle’s three conspirators apparently held Rose for eight hours before being beating him to death with clubs and placing him on the scene of a faked car accident.

It gets deeper. Rafle claimed to have “felt jealousy because of a boy who was also living in our house for whom Mr. Rose was feeling affection.” Rafle’s biological father released a statement to police that stated, “What I really wanted was to take revenge on the American Rose because of his homosexual activities, since he was hurting a lot of boys in this sector, in addition to mine, whom he had already prostituted since the age of 13.”

But, according to Bea Garcia, a neighbor and friend, Rose’s intentions with Rafle were only those of a father seeking an heir. She claimed, “He never put a hand on that boy, like a father loves a son.”

Mystery! Romance! Adoption! Murder! It’s all here in this story, including the most vital component of any good real-life murder mystery: a complete lack of information. According to a 1997 article from the Sunday Times, George Rose is currently buried in an unmarked grave in the Dominican Republic. A trial for his murder was never held; the killers were all eventually released and Rafle even inherited Rose’s $2 million estate.

I’m overwhelmed, intrigued, and confused. Thoughts?

Have A Cocktail With Angela

It’s been a while since we had a Fun Friday.
What could be more fun than drinking cocktails with a five-time Tony Award winner?

Can you imagine if contemporary products were marketed to the general public with Broadway stars? “Beth Leavel Says: iTunes, It’s You!“…”Joe Mantello Eats Cheerios for a Normal Heart!”…”Donna Murphy Keeps People in Her Pictures with Canon!”…I’d love it. What about you?

Could I Get One More Tony With That?

Has anyone ever won two Tonys for playing the same character? Several actors have reprised characters for show sequels or reprised roles for show revivals, but have any received award recognition for both productions? In film, the only actor to have won two Academy Awards for the same role was Harold Russell, whose performance in the fantastic film The Best Years of Our Lives won him the 1946 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as an honorary Oscar for “bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans.” Actors who have come close to this honor include Al Pacino (nominated for the 1972 and 1974 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, respectively, for The Godfather and The Godfather Part II) and Cate Blanchett (nominated for the 1998 and 2007 Academy Awards for Best Actress, respectively, for her roles in Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age).

Theatre, whether fortunately or unfortunately, is a world in which sequels and prequels aren’t commonplace, and by the time enough years have passed to merit a revival, the original star is often appreciated more for sentimental reasons. I did, however, discover a single actor who’s won two competitive Tonys for playing one character:

Stephen Spinella
(Pryor Walter, Angels in America)
1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Millennium Approaches)
1994 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (Perestroika)

A second actor who’s won two Tonys (one non-competitive) for the same role:

Yul Brynner
(King of Siam, The King and I)
1952 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
1977 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (nominee)
1985 Special Tony Award (for his 4,525 performances in The King and I)

And some honorable mentions:

Joel Grey
(Master of Ceremonies, Cabaret)
1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
1988 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (nominee)

Richard Kiley
(Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha)
1966 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
1978 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (nominee)

Ron Leibman
(Roy Cohn, Angels in America)
1993 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (Millennium Approaches)
1994 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play (Perestroika) (nominee)

Chita Rivera
(Rose, Bye Bye Birdie/Bring Back Birdie)
1961 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (nominee)
1981 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (nominee)

I don’t believe an actor has, to date, received a second Tony nomination for reviving a role he or she has previously played. Poll: what Tony Award-nominated performance would you like to see revived and recognized with a Tony?

If I Were Not A Choreographer, A ____ I Would Be

Similar to my post regarding the humble backgrounds of our most famous theatrical composers, I’ve decided to look into the backgrounds of some choreographers, as well. While many set out from an early age to tackle the world of dance, many more surprised me with unexpected beginnings:

Matthew Bourne (Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake)
“Bourne left school with a far from glowing academic record and the vague idea of going into show business. He worked at the BBC, in ‘Reference and Registry. I had to file away people’s contracts and things.’ It was a dead-end job, followed by another at the Keith Prowse ticket agency – though it meant he did get to see a lot of shows. ‘Then I got a job at the National Theatre, at the bookshop and ushering, which turned out to be brilliant. I met so many people; I learnt a huge amount about performing by watching shows night after night. And at that point I was seeing an enormous amount of ballet at Covent Garden. I met someone with a similar story to my own, who was studying dance at the Place [in London]. I thought, Why am I not doing something like that?‘” (The Guardian)

Michael Kidd (Finian’s Rainbow, Guys and Dolls)
“In 1936 and 1937, he attended City College of New York, intending to be a chemical engineer, but in mid-1937 he received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet.” (New York Times)

Bob Fosse (Cabaret, Chicago)
“After high school, Fosse enlisted in the Navy in 1945. Shortly after he arrived at boot camp, V-J day was declared, and World War II officially came to an end. Fosse completed his two-year duty and moved to New York City.” (PBS)

Jerome Robbins (West Side Story)
“Intending to study either chemistry or journalism, he matriculated at New York University in the autumn of 1935; but the Depression took a turn for the worse in 1936 and his family could no longer support his education — especially considering that he was, by his own account, failing two courses (math and French) out of five. Unwilling to work in the corset factory, he tried to find employment in some form of show business; and through his sister Sonia, who had already danced professionally with Irma Duncan and Senya Gluck-Sandor’s Dance Center, he got an apprenticeship with Sandor’s company.” (jeromerobbins.org)

I’m absolutely fascinated by this stuff. Can you imagine a world in which Jerome Robbins ended up a journalist? Or Bob Fosse was just a casualty of World War II? And what’s with both Michael Kidd and Jerome Robbins considering chemistry?

If you know of any other bizarre beginnings for Broadway personalities (choreographers or otherwise), please feel free to share them with a comment!

A Second Dose of GLEE, Part 2

This week, Glee saw tracks from its second season finale debut on the Billboard Hot 100, meaning one thing: we can now finish compiling the chart placements of its Broadway-rooted covers in season two. Seven such songs charted during the first half of the season, and six more joined the list throughout the second half. That makes thirteen Broadway-rooted song covers charting from season two, five more than the eight that charted from Glee‘s first season. Whether this is because viewership is up, Broadway covers have increased, or Broadway covers have gotten better is anyone’s guess. What we do know is that they covered a wide range over the past few months:

“Take Me Or Leave Me” (Rent) charted at #51.
“I Feel Pretty/Unpretty” (West Side Story/TLC) charted at #22.
“As If We Never Said Goodbye” (Sunset Boulevard) charted at #80.
“My Man” (Funny Girl motion picture) charted at #94.
“For Good” (Wicked) charted at #58.
“I Love New York/New York, New York” (Madonna/On the Town) charted at #81.

The second season of Glee was seen by an average of 10.112 million viewers, up from the 9.77 million that watched the first season. Regardless of whether you like the covers, you’ve got to appreciate the fact that a younger generation is consistently being introduced to works by the likes of Larson, Bernstein, Lloyd Webber, and Schwartz. Here’s to season three!

What Broadway songs would you like to see Glee cover next?

A Fascinating Theatre World Awards Gallery

The Theatre World Awards site has a fascinating gallery of previous winners dating back to 1956. Do yourself a favor and check it out. I can’t get over this 1983 photo of Matthew Broderick and Harvey Fierstein, both winners that year. Below, Rosemary Harris (who won the award in 1953) poses with Jennifer Ehle (who would later win in 2000) and Andrea McArdle (who had just won for Annie in 1978). Amazing. I wish I could dig through a million more photos, but all I can do is pray for a larger archive release because the gallery is (in this guy’s eyes) quite limited. If you visit the website, you can also see an adorable Cynthia Nixon in 1981, when she won a Theatre World Award for The Philadelphia Story.

According to its website: “At an annual ceremony and during an afternoon party attended by former winners and invited members of the theatre community, six actresses and six actors are presented with a Theatre World Award for their Debut Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production. The Theatre World Award remains the oldest award given for a debut theatre performance On or Off-Broadway.” What a concept. I don’t give them nearly enough credit.

When Champion Shuffled Off to Heaven

I discussed nearly a year ago today the various deaths of Broadway composers, highlighted by Jonathan Larson’s untimely death nearly three months before Rent opened on Broadway. I recently came across an interview with Mark Bramble regarding another untimely and unfortunate death: eight-time Tony Award-winner Gower Champion (director/choreographer: Bye Bye Birdie; Hello, Dolly!).

Bramble is credited for providing “Lead Ins and Crossovers”* for the original Broadway production of 42nd Street, as well as direction and book for its 2001 Broadway revival. He recounts the hours before opening night of the original Broadway production (August 25, 1980):

“It was about 4 o’clock when [producer David] Merrick appeared on the stage and summoned me. We went to the furthest backstage corner, and he literally fell against me and began sobbing and said that Gower was dead.”

Champion’s death, due to kidney failure, was kept secret from the cast and crew until after the final curtain call (apparently there were eleven), at which time Merrick took the stage and made the announcement. Recalls Bramble:

“The audience was standing and cheering, and Merrick held up his hand and said, ‘This is tragic,’ and the audience roared with laughter. They thought, ‘Oh, it’s David Merrick, making another joke,’ and he said, ‘No, no, you don’t understand. Gower Champion is dead.’ People literally fell back into their seats. Members of the cast began crying. A couple of people screamed. Then the curtain went down on Merrick and the shattered cast. It was probably one of the top 10 most memorable moments of the 20th century in terms of Broadway openings.”

I can’t even bring myself to reflect on what must have been a horrible way to end such a successful opening night. Mr. Champion, I hope you are staging one heck of a show up there.

* Anyone have a clue what this means?

Before We Wanted Stephen’s “Company”

Stephen Sondheim premiered five major works on Broadway before Clive Barnes declared him “one of the most sophisticated composers ever to write Broadway musicals” when Company hit New York in April of 1970. Barnes would later call Sondheim ”the most remarkable man in the Broadway musical today” (in his Pacific Overtures review), claiming there was ”no better lyricist in show-business” (in his Follies review).

But what did The New York Times think of Sondheim before Company (and the arrival of Clive Barnes)? I’ve combed the Times reviews for West Side Story, Gypsy, Do I Hear A Waltz?, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Anyone Can Whistle. The first three feature lyrics by Sondheim; the latter two feature both music and lyrics.

Curious?

West Side Story (Brooks Atkinson — September 27, 1957)
“…and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.”

Gypsy (Brooks Atkinson — May 22, 1959)
“…and Stephen Sondheim has set amusing lyrics to it.”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Howard Taubman — May 5, 1962)
“Mr. Sondheim’s songs are accessories to the pre-meditated offense.”

Anyone Can Whistle (Howard Taubman — April 6, 1964)
“Mr. Sondheim has written several pleasing songs but not enough of them to give the musical wings.”

Do I Hear A Waltz? (Howard Taubman — March 19, 1965)
“Mr. Sondheim’s lyrics for ‘Stay’ are simple and forthright … The lines are witty … Rodgers and Mr. Sondheim have fashioned another brisk, capering number, ‘Perfectly Lovely Couple.’”

No, really. That’s it. I didn’t leave anything out. Neither Atkinson nor Taubman paid much attention. Is it poor journalism? Or are we only shocked because of what came next?

It makes me wonder…who aren’t we paying much attention to these days? Do we have another musical theatre man or woman of the century hiding behind flops or famous creative teams?

What do you think?