Preview: In the Heights

Four time Tony and Grammy Award winning In the Heights opens tonight at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.  This dynamic musical about Latin communities in Washington Heights, New York took Broadway by storm, winning Tony's for Best Musical, Best Music and Lyrics, Best Choreography and Best Orchestration, in 2008.  The show also won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.  

The story of family and community is set in the niche New York neighborhood, Washington Heights, where Spanish is spoken more easily than English. In the Heights was a hit with New York critics like Ben Brantley of the New York Times who said " [it]  is an exuberant, animated shrine to the importance of family ties and being faithful to where you come from." 

The show is fueled by the rhythm of Latin music and hip hop. But at the same time is, "pure Broadway.  An evening of old-style, innocent pleasure, " said the Washington Post.  The electric choreography and heart warming tale of an immigrant community thriving moved audiences in even more conservative theatre markets like Buffalo and Erie, Pennsylvania.  Presenter, Aubrey Dan, President of Dancap Productions, brought In the Heights because "it is about a community of hard working immigrants seeking a better life... just like so many new Canadians in Toronto."  With Its non-stop action and huge heart In the Heights is sure to move you.

In The Heights runs February 7-19th.  Click here for ticket info.  This would be a good one for the loved one in your life.  

Check this out...

Great article from the New York Times Theater section over the weekend about Shea's Performing Art Center in Buffalo. It was a fascinating read about what an influential stop Buffalo has become on the Broadway touring circuit.  Just as an example, The Addam's Family, which ran last week at Shea's, made close to a million dollars.  By comparison, the show hasn't made that kind of money, in a week on Broadway, since last April.  It was wonderful to see that theatre's and the audiences that love them outside of Manhattan are getting some recognition by the paper of note these days.   I highly recommend this article by Patrick Healy, "Broadway Hits Gold in Buffalo."  Check it out here.

Shaw Festival in the Times

Click the header to read the flattering article the New York Times did on the Shaw Festival. It is always nice to be included in the paper of record.

Art School Article in the NY Times

Check out the interesting article about getting into college theatre programs today in the New York Times. Click here to read the article.

Kelli O'hara is a star

Check out this feature on Ms. O'hara in the Times. Kelli was starring in South Pacific until recently, and after she gives birth to her first child she will return to the runaway hit at the Vivian Beaumont. For the time being she is singing at the Cafe Carlyle in her own cabaret. Click here to read the full article. Image courtesy of the NYT

The reviews of the revival of Guys and Dolls is in ...

Guys and Dolls, one of everybodies all-time favourites has been revived for Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre. And according to Ben Brantley, who I almost always agree with, it sucks. This is bad news for me, because I never got to see the Nathan Lane, Faith Prince revival of the early 90's, which was revered, and I had been hoping I'd get to see this one. But now I am not sure it's worth the $90 + a ticket. Click the link to read the full review. Even the Globe and Mail's J. Kelly Nestruck reviewed G and D, he also thought it lacked chemistry and heart. Click here to read his review. Richard Ouzounian's review for The Star is here.

And yes, that is Lauren Graham, of TV's Gilmore Girls as Adelaide. Image courtesy of the New York Times.

Rent- The School Edition

An interesting article from the Times this morning, about the revised edition of Rent available for school productions. It seems that even an edited version of Rent is making some school's nervous and a few planned productions have even been cancelled. Click the header above to read the full article.

Check this out

Another Canadian musical makes it to Broadway. I mean Neil Bartram and Brain Hill are expats, but they still love Canada, or so they say. Check it out.

A Man I'd like to Be - Hugh Leonard dies at 82

Although I don't have the ambition as a playwright, "Jack" is a man I aspire to be like. A playwright, critic, actor, theatre enthusiast, and general God Mr. Leonard will be best remembered for his play Da, which won several Tony's, including one for best play. I like him particularly because of the cult of identity he developed as a columnist with The Sunday Independent Ireland's largest Sunday newspaper. Everyone knew him and kissed his butt, and plenty feared him. Not because he was an unkind man but because he was vicious in his criticisms and lavish in his praise. Click the above link to read the NY Times obituary.

Boy I'd Love to see this

Susan Blackwell workshop

Playbill.com is reporting that one of my favorite [tos]ers Susan Blackwell is giving a one day creativity workshop in New York in January. How I hope that fits into my schedule. I would die to meet her, especially since Justin already did. Check out the article here.

Read this

The NY Times just published this incredible article about the relationship between theatre companies and commercial producers.

Fingers Crossed

I just arrived in New York last night. We have a few EAP contact meetings, before the American Thanksgiving weekend. I am hoping to get returns for South Pacific tonight. It would be a coup, but I am hopeful. I let you know.


image courtesy of the New York Times

A Rough Road Ahead for Broadway

Great article in the Times yesterday. Nobody saw it of course because of election coverage, but I always love Patrick Cohen. Photo courtesy of Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times.

O here we go again - "Million-Dollar Quartet"

I always get pegged as a tough critic, a nay-sayer, what-have-you, but I cannot help but be a bit concerned about this trend in musical theatre. The regurgitated song cycle. A new musical is making news in the New York Times, as well as regionally, Washington and Chicago specifically, "Million Dollar Quartet." It is based on a historic, almost mythical jam session, between Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, with a score that includes "Blue Suede Shoes" among many others of the period's blue chip rock and role. The Times is expecting "Million-Dollar Quartet" to do very well, and likely make its way to Broadway, a speculation made all the more likely with a New York Times puff piece under its belt.
Here is what concerns me. On Wednesday Justin and I went to see Jersey Boys. Despite the SNOW and reoccurring sound problems we enjoyed ourselves. But after we left the theatre I said to Justin, "in all honesty that was not better than "The Drowsy Chaperone". You may recall that Jersey Boys beat out "The Drowsy Chaperone" to win the Tony for best new musical in 2006. I mean sure the music was great and I was totally into it. And I can see how with a stellar cast "Jersey Boys" would explode off the stage, but where is the creativity in stitching a musical together from period hits.
Now I love "Mamma Mia!" just as much as the next musical geek, but the difference is that ABBA wrote musicals, and most of their music was so theatrical in intention, that it seems more appropriate. I have also been guilty of suggesting, albeit late one night, that the Carpenters story and songs would make an awesome musical. So I don't want to rule it out completely, it just concerns me that creativity is dying.
Look at the most successful shows in New York in the last few years, many have been film-to-stage adaptions and revivals. And Toronto is even worse, the biggest hits here this year were "We Will Rock You" and "Dirty Dancing", both awful - in terms of writing, development, and even basic character evolution. And "Jersey Boys," which I overheard an usher say, will likely have a second extension beyond the February extension announced when the show opened. That is good for the city and for performers working here, since it will continue with a local cast. But why is it that people wont come out for multiple extensions of "The Drowsy Chaperone"? A show that was born here, and was brought back to Toronto with the original Man in the Chair, Bob Martin, in tow. It baffles me. Anyway we will have to wait and see about "Million-Dollar Quartet." (image from the New York Times.)