I have already touched upon this subject by mentioning those fly-by-night performers on a certain reality show becoming Broadway performers but the practice of bringing big names in an attempt to fill New York audiences is nothing new. I found it rather interesting to discover that in 1969 Muhammad Ali sang in the musical Buck […]
Float Like A Butterfly…Sing Like A Bee? Read More »
I just learned that I will be portraying the role of Braxton in my local theatrical production of Little Women. Since I know very little about the show apart from the book that I read years ago, I have no idea who this character is. He is part of the ensemble which could mean anything.
Make The Most Of What You Are Given Read More »
Yes, Spring has finally arrived. For most, that means looking forward to making plans for the summer getaway. For me it means looking forward to auditioning for one of two (or this year…. three) big musical productions in the area. I narrowed my choices down to two this week. I really wanted to audition for
Poppies…. Poppies Will Put Them To Sleep Read More »
Tonight was the episode of “American Idol” that I have been waiting to see since season two. Not because it featured music from the Andrew Lloyd Webber songbook but that a good question was posed to a certain British judge whom everyone admires greatly: “Given the rather negative comments you pose to performers who would
Six Little Engines That Tried Read More »
There have been several one-night open and close flops on the Broadway stage. Some of these include a revival of George M. Cohan’s Little Johnny Jones (starring Donny Osmond); the more recent Dance of the Vampires; and quite famously, the musical based on the Stephen King novel Carrie. Apparently, there is another such production that
Hey Rocky Watch Me Pull A Rabbit Out Of My Hat Read More »
Going waaaaaay off on a tangent, I believe that my first acting gig was in the first grade as a balloon salesman who had one line: “Balloons for sale! BALLOONS FOR SALE!!! Red and YELLOW AAND GREEN BALLOONS!!!” And the finale was a ditty entitled “H-A-double P-I-N-E-double S.” But that is not what this post
Planning a trip to London? Let me be your guide to the best the West End has to offer in theatre. Already there are the Bradway hits Wicked, Phantom of the Opera (ok, ok, it was in London first), and the just opened Jersey Boys. However, there are several productions which have not yet made
Crossing the Big Pond Read More »
In 1949, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II brought to the Broadway stage what would be their third musical blockbuster, South Pacific.It tells the tale of Ensign Nellie Forbush, a “Cockeyed Optimist”-ic Naval nurse from Little Rock, stationed on a remote Pacific island, who falls in love with a worldly French planter. This type of
Hungry As The Wolf Felt When He Met Red-Riding Hood Read More »
It may cost more nowadays to play a song on a jukebox (think the last time I played one it cost a quarter). Which brings me to another trend in musical theatre of the past few years: the jukebox musical. These are shows which include songs from artists from other genres: country, pop, rock and
Put A Dime In the Jukebox Read More »
Ok…. a recent trend that has come to the Broadway stage is the reimagining of Hollywood movies as stage musicals. I am not speaking of Disney animated features being adapted for the stage (I have made at least 2 postings on that subject). I have felt that the best of these cartoons easily lend themselves
