On The Boards- A New York Theater Blog

Yep, that’s right, you heard us correctly.  PerezHilton.com is reporting that Ms. Minogue is in very serious talks with William Baker, the director of the tremendous flop that was London Rent, to do a musical based off of her music.  The show wouldn’t be a bio-musical like Jersey Boys or the upcoming Ray Charles musical, Unchain My Heart, but something more along the lines of of Mamma Mia!

According to sources, Kylie is thrilled about the idea of doing a musical allegedly stating, “I’m comfortable because it’s not my life story; it’s about the interpretation of my music.”

We’re not the hugest fans of jukebox musicals but they’ve worked out well in the past. Plus, Kylie has a HUGE gay fanbase who will follow her all the way to the box office. You never know, this one may just work!

The highly anticipated transfer of Lucy Prebble’s play, Enron, from London to New York has proven to be unsuccessful as the show will shutter on May 9th, a mere 12 days after the show’s opening.  Producers informed the cast this afternoon that the show would be closing following poor box office numbers and a noticeable snub for a Best Play nomination at this year’s Tony Awards.  According to Playbill.com, a nomination in the Best Play category might have boosted the show’s numbers as it has done for plenty of other productions in the past.  It seems that the 4 other nominations that the show garnered (Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Design of a Play) didn’t bring them the boost they were hoping for.  For some time there has been speculation that some of the anti-American themes of the show have alienated American audiences. Perhaps they were right.

At the time of closing, Enron will have played 22 previews and 15 regular performances.

Better luck next time!

Today is the day legends are made.  Today marks the beginning of the end of all of the work that has gone into making this fantastic Broadway season what it is. The culmination of all things Broadway.  It feels like Christmas. 

This morning Lea Michele and Jeff Daniels announced the nominations for the 2010 Tony Awards! Can we just skip the pleasantries and get to the list!?

Best Play
In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Author: Sarah Ruhl
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten

Next Fall
Author: Geoffrey Nauffts
Producers: Elton John and David Furnish, Barbara Manocherian, Richard Willis, Tom Smedes, Carole L. Haber/Chase Mishkin, Ostar, Anthony Barrile, Michael Palitz, Bob Boyett, James Spry/Catherine Schreiber, Probo Productions, Roy Furman, Naked Angels

Red
Author: John Logan
Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Stephanie P. McClelland, Matthew Byam Shaw, Neal Street, Fox Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/Barbara Whitman, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, The Donmar Warehouse

Time Stands Still
Author: Donald Margulies
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, Nelle Nugent/Wendy Federman

Best Musical
American Idiot
Producers: Tom Hulce & Ira Pittelman, Ruth and Steven Hendel, Vivek J. Tiwary and Gary Kaplan, Aged in Wood and Burnt Umber, Scott Delman, Latitude Link, HOP Theatricals and Jeffrey Finn, Larry Welk, Bensinger Filerman and Moellenberg Taylor, Allan S. Gordon/Elan V. McAllister, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Awaken Entertainment, John Pinckard and John Domo

Fela!
Producers: Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Roy Gabay, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Edward Tyler Nahem, Slava Smolokowski, Chip Meyrelles/Ken Greiner, Douglas G. Smith, Steve Semlitz/Cathy Glaser, Daryl Roth/True Love Productions, Susan Dietz/Mort Swinsky, Knitting Factory Entertainment, Alicia Keys

Memphis
Producers: Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag, Marleen and Kenny Alhadeff, Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, Richard Winkler, Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group, ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee

Million Dollar Quartet
Producers: Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, Broadway Across America, James L. Nederlander

Best Book of a Musical
Everyday Rapture
Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott

Fela!
Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones

Memphis
Joe DiPietro

Million Dollar Quartet
Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Addams Family
Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa

Enron
Music: Adam Cork
Lyrics: Lucy Prebble

Fences
Music: Branford Marsalis

Memphis
Music: David Bryan
Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan

Best Revival of a Play
Fences
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin

Lend Me a Tenor
Producers: The Araca Group, Stuart Thompson, Carl Moellenberg, Rodney Rigby, Olympus Theatricals, Broadway Across America, The Shubert Organization, Wendy Federman/Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Lisa Cartwright, Spring Sirkin, Scott and Brian Zeilinger

The Royal Family
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove

A View from the Bridge
Producers: Stuart Thompson, The Araca Group, Jeffrey Finn, Broadway Across America, Olympus Theatricals, Marisa Sechrest, The Weinstein Company, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions/Robert G. Bartner, Mort Swinsky/Joseph Deitch, Adam Zotovich/Ruth Hendel/Orin Wolf, Shelter Island Enterprises, The Shubert Organization

Best Revival of a Musical
Finian’s Rainbow
Producers: David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner, Jujamcyn Theaters, Melly Garcia, Jamie deRoy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder, StageVentures 2009 Limited Partnership

La Cage aux Folles
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Barry and Fran Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise The Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergrère, Arelene Scanlan/John O’Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein, Menier Chocolate Factory

A Little Night Music
Producers: Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, The Menier Chocolate Factory, Roger Berlind, David Babani, Sonia Friedman Productions, Andrew Fell, Daryl Roth/Jane Bergere, Harvey Weinstein/Raise the Roof 3, Beverly Bartner/Dancap Productions, Inc., Nica Burns/Max Weitzenhoffer, Eric Falkenstein/Anna Czekaj, Jerry Frankel/Ronald Frankel, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer

Ragtime
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Roy Furman, Scott Delman, Roger Berlind, Max Cooper, Tom Kirdahy/Devin Elliott, Jeffrey A. Sine, Stephanie P. McClelland, Roy Miller, Lams Productions, Jana Robbins, Sharon Karmazin, Eric Falkenstein/Morris Berchard, RialtoGals Productions, Independent Presenters Network, Held-Haffner Productions, HRH Foundation, Emanuel Azenberg, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser, Max Woodward

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jude Law, Hamlet
Alfred Molina, Red
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Viola Davis, Fences
Valerie Harper, Looped
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Chad Kimball, Memphis
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Finian’s Rainbow
Montego Glover, Memphis
Christiane Noll, Ragtime
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
David Alan Grier, Race
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts
Stephen Kunken, Enron
Eddie Redmayne, Red


Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian’s Rainbow
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away
Lillias White, Fela!

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family
Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Christopher Oram, Red

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Marina Draghici, Fela!
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Derek McLane, Ragtime
Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles

Best Costume Design of a Play
Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor
Constanza Romero, Fences
David Zinn, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Marina Draghici, Fela!
Santo Loquasto, Ragtime
Paul Tazewell, Memphis
Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Hamlet
Neil Austin, Red
Mark Henderson, Enron
Brian MacDevitt, Fences

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Donald Holder, Ragtime
Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Wierzel, Fela!

Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners, Fences
Adam Cork, Enron
Adam Cork, Red
Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!
Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music
Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim

Best Direction of a Play
Michael Grandage, Red
Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall
Kenny Leon, Fences
Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge

Best Direction of a Musical
Christopher Ashley, Memphis
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Bill T. Jones, Fela!

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles
Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away

Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles
Aaron Johnson, Fela!
Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises
Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis

Legendary actress, Lynn Redgrave, passed away Sunday evening in her Manhattan apartment just a few weeks after the passing of her brother, Corin Redgrave and just one year after the sudden death of her niece, Natasha Richardson.  In 2003, Ms. Redgrave had been treated for breast cancer. At the time of her passing the two-time Academy Award nominee and three-time Tony Award nominee was 67 years old.

Before her demise, Ms. Redgrave told Playbill.com, “Life-threatening disease tends to make anyone stop in your tracks and look at life. Before I had cancer, I don’t know that I ever slowed down inside my mind enough to look outside and really live in the moment. But once you have that threat of the moment actually not being there you’re going to pay attention. And that has completely stuck with me. I savor every moment with family and loved ones. I find that I never want to leave unsolved or unhealed a relationship, a disagreement, something between me and another person. If they’ve upset me, or the other way around, we have to talk about it. If someone did something that upset me, I have to tell them why they’ve upset me. And if I’ve given short shrift to someone else, however inadvertently, I apologize and try to put it right immediately, lest there be no tomorrow.”

So sad. 

Click here to read the full article on Playbill.com

Today the 55th Annual Drama Desk Award nominations came out and we couldn’t be happier that Ragtime and The Scottsboro Boys are leading the pack with 9 nominations a piece!  We absolutely adored Ragtime and are thrilled that even though the show opened and closed early on in the Broadway season, the beauty and talent that went into making that show great isn’t being ignored during awards season.  The nominations were announced this morning by Brian Stokes Mitchell and Cady Huffman at the New York Friars Club and the ceremony will take place at La Guardia Hall at Lincoln Center and will be hosted by our girl, Patti LuPone!

According to Playbill.com, “The Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors excellence in all areas of New York theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and not-for-profit.”

Click here to view the full list of nominees!

Photo from the recent revival of Ragtime

According to Playbill, Jordin Sparks will be joining the cast of Broadway’s In The Heights.  She’ll begin performances as Nina Rosario, the college student returning to her hometown, on August 19th and will stay with the show for a limited run through November 14th.  Snooze.  Mandy Gonzalez originated this role, she is fierce. Jordin Sparks is yet another mediocre attempt at selling tickets for the show. (example: the show’s current Usnavi, Corbin Bleu, from Disney’s High School Musical)

Yet another reason for us to despise American Idol but at least she can sing somewhat, unlike the stunt casting disasssterr that was Ashlee Simpson in Chicago and the reality show takeover currently performing over at Hair.  

Good luck to Jordin on her Broadway debut getting those ticket sales up Heights! 

Last season the hippies of Hair exploded onto Broadway spreading a message of love and peace while educating a new generation about the frustration of youth and the horrors of the Vietnam War in the 1960’s.  This season brings a new musical to the Broadway stage that will illustrate the disenchantment of young people during a time of war in our country. The only difference is that this time it’s our generation and the frustrations each of us feel in this post 9/11 world being played out on the Great White Way. However, in this smartly directed Michael Mayer masterpiece, he chooses to put emphasis on the stories each character has to tell rather than making a blatant political statement, in doing this he succeeds in making this show accessible to anyone with a heart.  

  American Idiot opened last week at the St. James Theater and brought with it an invigorating, moving, remarkable and relatable tale of three friends trying to find direction in a post 9/11 society.  Johnny, aka Jesus of Suburbia, played by the consummately talented Tony award-winner, John Gallagher Jr., is your average slacker frivolously spending his days with his best friends Tunny and Will (played by Stark Sands and Michael Esper, respectively).  Fed up with their uneventful day to day, the trio decides to skip their small town and head for adventure in the big city.  The plans are changed, however, when Will’s girlfriend announces that she is pregnant with their child, and so Johnny and Tunny decide to head out together leaving Will behind to face his uncertain future as father-to-be. Once they reach the city, the friends find that their adventure isn’t at all what they’d dreamed of and Tunny, in a search for self, enlists in the military.  Alone in his new home and without a friend in the world, Johnny befriends a drug dealer named St. Jimmy, played to androgynous perfection by Tony Vincent, and begins a downward spiral taking his anonymous new girlfriend, Whatsername, with him.  As St. Jimmy’s influence takes over Johnny’s life, he is left to choose between the pull of his new found addiction or his new found love.  

  At a rapid 90 minutes (with no intermission) the show is exactly as long as it should be. Had it been any longer, the over-amplified intensity of the show would begin to grate on audiences and they’d have to start selling hearing aids as souvenirs at the merch stands. However, Michael Mayer and his exuberant cast pack and deliver huge punch in an hour and a half.  What amazed us more than anything is that by the end of this show the energetic young cast looked at though they were ready to do it all over again. (And they did, we went to the first show that day.) The small, but explosive ensemble blasts through Green Day’s passionate score and Steven Hoggett’s inventive, punishing choreography with a raucous energy that cannot be matched by any other cast on Broadway.  Look out for breakout performances from Theo Stockman and Alysha Umphress who share the song “Too Much Too Soon.” Mr. Stockman, a personal favorite of ours from the original tribe of the revival of Hair, brings his trademark facial expressions, fluid acting ability, and unflappable sense of fun to this show in a big way. Good luck taking your eyes off of him.  Ms. Umphress on the other hand is vastly under-used, however, in her one moment to shine she proves that she easily has the best voice in the cast.  Rebecca Naomi Jones (Whatsername) and Mary Faber (Heather) are also quite under-used in the show, but they are effective and fun in their roles as the women trying to make men out of aimless boys.

While Christine Jones scenic design is quite breathtaking, with a back wall plastered with punk rock posters and flat screen TV’s that show different things throughout the show, the multimedia aspect can sometimes become a bit overwhelming as the audience decides what to look at first.  Kevin Adams has been one of our favorite lighting designers on Broadway for years and with good reason, from Spring Awakening to Hair to Next to Normal and now American Idiot, his work is consistently beautiful.  Tom Kitt’s heartbreaking orchestrations bring Green Day’s music to a whole new level and nearly brought us to tears on more than one occasion.  

Yesterday as we left the St. James Theater and walked through Times Square we couldn’t help but notice a cop car on every corner following Saturday’s bomb scare.  NYPD as far as the eye could see and a world peace march of all things happening throughout midtown.  It brought to light the fact that this show is not just a musical, it is the thoughts and feelings of our entire generation and a reflection of the world we live in. This isn’t just a show for young people, Green Day fans, liberals, or punk rock fanatics, this is a show for anyone who has ever wondered what more there is to life outside of their own little bubble. If that person is you, as we expect it is, then American Idiot is the show for you.

American Idiot

Theater: St. James Theater- 246 W. 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes (no intermission)

Schedule: Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday-Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Price: $32-$127

Website: americanidiotonbroadway.com

Broadway World is reporting that all barricades have been removed from the Times Square area and that all shows within that neighborhood are to perform their regularly scheduled performances for this afternoon. All those who were detained from shows last evening due to the evacuation should contact their point of purchase (i.e. Telecharge, Ticketmaster) for a refund of their money or to swap last night’s tickets for a performance at a later date.  

According to Playbill.com, La Cage Aux Folles and Mary Poppins both began on time last night, while other shows such as Enron and The Addams Family had delayed curtains in light of the nearby police action.  One detainee, a visitor from Los Angeles, who was on her way to take in last night’s performance of Lend Me a Tenor when the investigation at Times Square began, told NBC News that she was able to contact the agent who represents Tony Shaloub, one of the stars of the show, and the agent confirmed that Lend Me A Tenor did go on with last evening’s performance with about 300 people in the audience. Another star studded show, A Behanding In Spokane, held their curtain for about a half hour and invited those in the audience to move down to any empty seats in the theater before proceeding with their performance.  A full list of shows affected by the scare has not yet been released.

At about 7 A.M., following the defusing of the bomb, the SUV in question was towed from the scene and the evacuation in Times Square was ended. Once again, all matinee performances will be following their regular schedule for this afternoon.

So, this means we’ll be off to the St. James for the matinee of American Idiot this afternoon! Security is sure to be tight in Times Square and we have every faith that the NYPD will keep us safe.  See y’all later with our review of American Idiot!

UPDATE!!! According to Broadway World, it seems that many shows this evening have indeed decided to go on with their scheduled performances.  Apparently no bomb was found inside of the SUV, however, bomb squads did ‘blow out’ the windows of the vehicle to perform further investigation.  It has been reported that Broadway theaters in the Times Square Area have been instructed to hold their audiences in the theaters following the curtain calls until they are given further instructions.  As of right now, Times Square has not yet been re-opened and there is no word on whether or not it will be open by tomorrow, however, there has been no indication that shows will not be running tomorrow afternoon. (Fingers crossed for that one, we have tickets to the matinee of American Idiot!) Telecharge is currently advising ticket holders who were detained from their shows due to the Times Square evacuation this evening that their tickets can be traded in for performances at a later date.  Tickets can be traded in by contacting Telecharge tomorrow morning.    

UPDATE!!! From Broadway World:

“Update 11:00 PM: Times Square is still closed with what’s said to be a suspected car bomb, with no one being allowed in or out at the current time.

Update 11:15 PM: Times Square is still closed and multiple news sources are reporting that indeed propane tanks and black powder was found in the vehicle which explains why streets have not been re-opened. Some Broadway shows, including Lend Me a Tenor have begun to exit, using 8th avenue exists.

Update 11:30 PM: Reuters is now reporting that according to a fire department source, flammable materials including 3 propane tanks, gasoline, black powder and ‘burned wires’ have been found in the car and the investigation is still continuing. Mounted police are now extending the perimeter of the area that’s been closed down from 47th street to 48th street.

Update 12:00AM: No new news to report at the current time. Times Square does remain closed with no current estimated time being given by police on when exactly it will re-open to tourists attempting to leave or enter the area.