May 15, 2007
Open Wide for Some Theater Awards!
If you detected a frisson of fabulous excitement scorching the air this morning, it’s because the 61st annual Tony award nominations were announced! (For those who may not fathom the awesome significance of the Tonys, the awards are the Broadway theater world equivalent of the Oscars and named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer and who passed away prior to the first award show in 1947.)
Turning a profit on Broadway takes a perfect storm of miracles, so, just like the Academy Awards, there’s always a lot of shameless politicking on the part of producers trying to get their show the coveted nomination. This year’s pre-nom buzz had a lot to do with Legally Blonde, the new musical movie adaptation that Time Out NY’s David Cote summed up as an “aggressively cute and brutally corporate entertainment machine.” But despite the producers’ machinations, the show was like totally denied a Best Musical nomination! (Though it did get nominated in other categories.) Spring Awakening, the sexed-up musical adaptation of the 1891 play by German Frank Wedekind, blossomed with 11 nominations.
A more noteworthy snub was the passing over of Kevin Spacey for a best actor nomination. (He’s now on Broadway in a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten.) According to the Post’s Michael Riedel, “nominators knock him for being too ‘jumpy’ and ‘antic’.” (Spacey was bested by his co-star Eve Best, who is nominated for best actress.) Peruse the entire list of nominees now so you’ll have something to chat about with your temps and waiters today.
The other big off-Broadway theater award event, The Village Voice Obie Awards, goes down on May 21st and will feature presenters such as Angela Lansbury, Liev Schreiber and Dustin Hoffman. Theater trivia: when Dustin Hoffman won his Obie, he was still working as a waiter at the Village Gate nightclub; he says the award means more to him than any other because it encouraged him keep acting. So I guess we have the Village Voice to thank for Ishtar.
And in a bit of unrelated but sad news, New York lost another indie-film treasure as James Urbaniak moved his family to L.A. today. Oh well, at least he'll be near an In-N-Out Burger.
Photo of Kiki & Herb Alive on Broadway by Carol Rosegg
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You know, I wish I could have afforded to have seen the Tony nominated shows, with their ridiculous prices and all. (Last B'way show I saw was 7 years ago)
However, I will see Kiki and Herb at the Knitting Factory this Thursday.
Yay for Kiki and Herb!
Ms. J makes a good point: the cost of seeing a Broadway show has escalated to the point where it becomes prohibitive for most New Yorkers to see more than a show or two every season. I generally wait until discount offers come up, or I rely upon membership in theater groups (Lincoln Center and Roundabout, eg) to see shows at a substantial savings.
You can get stage seats for Spring Awakening for $35 on the day of the show. I found it to be remarkably intelligent and well-performed. The young people in the cast, many of whom are making their Broadway debuts, were talented and sincere.
You can see 110 in the Shade for $45 now. Aside from another stellar performance by Audra McDonald, this show is a feeble effort to reproduce the excitement of "The Music Man" or "Oklahoma." I think John Cullum's nomination is a salute to his longevity. I found his role a bit stale and his performance a bit routine.
Not to nitpick, but I think the Tonys were created sort of in honor of Antoinette Perry - I only know because I looked it up last week, after thinking "who the hell is this antoinette perry???" She founded the American Theater Wing, and after she died, her friends and colleagues wanted to memorialize her by starting an award for theater arts.
Also, the Spring Awakening onstage seats are now sold in advance, and can be purchased on the web, so they're usually gone by the day of the performance. I think fans clamor to get these up-close and personal seats. You can, however, line up for the rush/standing room tickets in the early morning at the Spring Awakening stage door. I've heard people begin lining up really early, and I think the box office opens at 9, maybe 10.
There are a number of ways to get cheaper tickets - playbill.com has a free membership program that provides discount codes, and if you're eligible, you can join TDF for some amazing deals. Also, you can go to the box office and buy a ticket, and avoid paying the extra 10-15 bucks in service charges from telecharge or other money-grubbing ticketing services.
Indeed, we're losing a great actor as James Urbaniak departs for LA. Farewell, Urbaniak! Bon voyage, et bon chance!!
Yes, yes, I am well aware of rush tickets and the like, what makes it impossible is that I don't have the time to stand out there in line for a show. (Work, work, work). By the time the reviews are up, either the whole blasted thing is difficult to get into (remember the heady days of PRODUCERS mania?) or the thing is so bad that it is mercifully euthanized.(sp?)
Theatres like the Vineyard (with several Tony's under their wing) offer "young theatre goer" discount programs but its not like the Schubert houses go out of their way to cultivate an local audience that wants to go to theatre but its either too cumbersome or too cost prohibitive to get into.
Yes, Playbill.com and TDF have great discounts for tickets. Playbill's club is free to join, but TDF is for theatre professionals and has a minimal annual fee ($25, I think). I've seen just about every show this year and have only paid full price for a handful--otherwise, I've bought through TDF or even scored free tickets through marketing agencies and friends.
Nice to see Spring Awakening leading the noms. Definitely the best musical of the year. Most original. Most interesting. Beautiful work. Worth the full price and recommend seeing it from the house the first time rather than from the stage seats. It's a much different show and experience from the on-stage seats.
And stay away from Grey Gardens. It's crap.
dev (and others): would like to hear your take on "Curtains." Should I spring for $100 a seat?
i rely on comps and tdf to see most of the shows. i work in the industry so i do get to see a lot. once in a while, i will even brave TKTS if there's something i can't wait to see, or want to see again. in the winter, TKTS is as easy as walk up at 7pm and buy a ticket without waiting in line.
famdoc, i saw "Curtains" this weekend. i wasn't a huge fan. i think the story is light and not that dynamic. at two and a half hours, i often found myself forgetting about the show while i was actually watching it. i found little to care for or about. the sets are big but not that great. the choreography is shockingly vulgar.
however, david hyde pierce and debra monk are having the time of their lives and it's obvious. so watching them is somewhat joyful. not for $110 though.
jvm hath written: "the choreography is shockingly vulgar"
whaddya mean?
Given how the majority of the stuff on Broadway is corporate back catalog brand extension, I am still holding out for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three: The Musical!
famdoc, I haven't seen Curtains yet.
Right now, I highly recommend Spring Awakening and Coram Boy. They're the best out there. Not sure how Coram Boy could have 6 noms, including direction (which should win) but still not be nominated for Best Play.
Moon/Misbegotten is great, but I think one needs to be an O'Neill fan. I hated Frost/Nixon. Almost as much as I hated Grey Gardens (which ranked up there with Butley. Ugh.).
And good for Kiki and Herb! Such a great pair.
I thought Curtains was great atavistic fun! Review here: www.gothamist.com/2007/03/25/opinionist_curt.php
But whether it's worth 100 bones all depends on your budget.
grey gardens is not 'crap.' i highly recommend any interested theatregoers who haven't seen it yet to pick up some discounted tickets at tkts and see two performances that will very likely win tony's this year.
famdoc,
there's a lot of men flipping girls around so that the women's crotch is then in the man's face. a whole lot of it. and then there's a scene where a woman does cartwheels along two rows of men; they're all sitting and her head goes between each man's leg. i think it's supposed to be "funny." but i found it unnecessary. and i'm the most vulgar person i know.
i did love Coram Boy. i had a lot of problems with it but, ultimately, it's one of the most theatrical shows i've seen on Broadway in at least 10 years.
i didn't like Grey Gardens. i just didn't see the point of it. there is no reason for those women to break into song. i also found christine ebersole's performance to be highly overrated. i think she's doing a really uncanny impersonation but she lacks the heart that mary louise wilson brings to the piece. christine is like a robot hitting marks. i never once felt anything for her.
I agree with you about Grey Gardens, jvm. I also thought it was 2 completely different shows that were slapped together without any sense of cohesive narrative. AND had really, really awful music, to boot.
The characters made no connections with each other, which I think was my biggest problem with it (aside from the writing and music). The relationships were stated, not expressed. The only one I identified with was Little Edie's father. Hell, I wanted to leave, too.
And can we talk about the projected cat videos? Seriously. As if the idea of projecting cat videos onto various parts of the stage wasn't bad enough. No. They had to be ENORMOUS. Food Of The Gods, Live! I kept hoping one would eat either of the two women. No such luck.
Crap.
Crappity crap crap crap.
dev,
at least the cats made me take notice. but, yes, completely ridiculous. and not there off-Broadway, if i recall correctly, so why they thought they were needed ON i'll never know. i wish they had devoured the entire set and most of the cast, with the exception of MLW. and was john mcmartin just walking through, or what?
that show gets points for making me the most angry. 10 Million Miles, though, made me angrier.
I have to step in here - Grey Gardens is not a perfect show, but there is a reason why it's on Broadway - Christine Ebersole's performance is magical. I didn't like the cat videos either, but that is miles and miles away from the point. It's a moody, introspective, dark, unsettling, challenging, beautiful musical with fantastic performances.
As for Curtains, shelling out your 100 bucks depends on what you like. If you like classic musical comedy, a la Kiss Me, Kate, you will probably enjoy this. It's not Kander & Ebb's greatest work - and certainly isn't Chicago or Cabaret, but it has some lovely moments, it's snazzy fun, and the performers are, again, fantastic.
I'd advise you to read the major reviews for more info, and visit the official websites for the shows, which have video clips and will give you an idea of what you're going to get.
i stand by what i said about Christine Ebersole performance. It's cold and calculated, especially next to MLW. the show does not belong on Broadway. it's sloppy and unfocused and the two acts do not fit together, as Dev said. are we supposed to believe that the break up of the engagement with Joe Kennedy is the event that led Little Edie to become as crazy as she did. i don't buy it. i think there is room for moody, dark musicals on Bway -- look at Spring Awakening -- i don't think Grey Gardens makes the cut though.
to see an electric performance of a famous historical figure by an actor that transcends imitation, go see Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon. that's theater. Michael Sheen is pretty swell too.
Yes, John McMartin seemed to be phoning it in, but since the majority of his scenes were with the two little girls, I understood why.
Plenty of shows have made me angry this year: Voyage, Butley (left at intermission), Frost/Nixon, and Mary Poppins...Grey Gardens was the most disappointing. Well, Frost/Nixon was pretty disappointing, too.
But at least they're reviving Grease again soon. :eyeroll:
"Grey Gardens is not a perfect show, but there is a reason why it's on Broadway - Christine Ebersole's performance is magical. I didn't like the cat videos either, but that is miles and miles away from the point. It's a moody, introspective, dark, unsettling, challenging, beautiful musical with fantastic performances."
Being on Broadway doesn't automatically mean it's good. Nowadays, being on Broadway most likely means that it isn't good. But that's miles and miles away from the point.
I agree with jvm's point about Christine Ebersole's performance. It was cold and calculated--which she did very well. But it lacks connection. Both of her characters were snapshots of caricatures with the only motivation coming in her Act I character, which made her out to be an unsympathetic bitch that I didn't care about. I felt like I was supposed to like her simply because it was Christine Ebersole performing the role. I tried, but I just couldn't get there.
The most interesting thing about their story to me was not really explored--WHY did they become so reclusive? What prompted the change in the two? Why did Little Edie come back? What was the 20-30 year transition from socialite to recluse like? For the writer to not explore that seems lazy. Slice of life shows are great, but only if they have a purpose other than to show us a slice of the characters lives. I didn't find any other purpose in Grey Gardens.
The show is moody in the sense that Disney's Haunted Mansion ride is moody--there's lots there to tell you that it's dark and scary, but when you get inside all you find is a bunch of huge ass cats projected on the walls.
And actors literally singing "meow" as genuine, bona fide lyrics in a song.
Seriously. Even Cats didn't do that shit.
Wow, I didn't know we had the village voice to thank for that, too. They have done a lot of great things over the years; I remember in particular Debbie Nathan's great article about the Kelly Michaels case that was life-changing in so many ways.... and now I learn about this, too.
Contrary to it's reputation, Ishtar is a terrific movie, and more and more people are catching on. This 20th anniversary year is going to be a great year for Ishtar...
There is a documentary film about Ishtar fandom in the works, the manager of the Ishtar fan website is putting together a tribute CD featuring cover versions of songs from the movie, and possibly a US release on DVD (something the heathen in Europe have been enjoying for years). So shake off that square world, get with the countdown, and blast off to Ishtar!
Hey, how about Ishtar: The Musical!? Wouldn't that be fun?
dev, great point about the missing years. it's exactly what the show SHOULD be about.
also, where's the connection between Big Edie in Act One and Two? The actresses are playing them in completely different ways. I guess the same could be said for Little Edie as well.
And the Disney comparison made me laugh out loud. So true.
Meow. JV.
Yes, the characters in each of the Acts are very different, which can be explained by the change they took over the 20-30 years. It's almost as if they're completely different people.
Oh wait...
It's sad. The story has such potential for a great show.
Maybe the upcoming movie with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange will realize some of that potential. We can only hope.
not a film of the stage show, I hope...
no. not the stage show. thankfully.