Reviews coming soon...

For:
H2S
Anything Goes
Driving Miss Daisy
Spiderman
and
Chicago

Spring Break

This spring, I will be taking a trip up to New York, stopping in Washington D.C. on the way. My family plans to see Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Anything Goes, and Driving Miss Daisy. We have yet to decide on a fourth show to attend. This tip seems to be semi-annual for my family. In our visit last year, we saw Billy Elliot, The Addams Family, West Side Story, and South Pacific. I will post reviews of each show after the trip.

Shrek On Tour...

I saw the show with my family last night and it was surprisingly good! The sets and costumes were impressive for a tour and I enjoyed some of the songs as well.

The cast:

ERIC PETERSEN: He had a good performance as Shrek. I thought he was funny, and brought some heart to the charcter. At times He was no Brian d'Arcy James, but he had a strong voice and made solid acting choices.

HAVEN BURTON: She did a fine job as Fiona. Her acting was weak, but I didn't really mind. I was very impressed with her singing, but Sutton made this role.

ALAN MINGO, JR: His Donkey had plenty of humor and made me laugh lots of times, but this part is well written enough that it doesn't require a great actor.

Overall, I had a great time at the show, although there really isn't much substance.

A Star Is Born (Version 4.0)

A Star Is Born has been remade several times since the original 1937 (non-musical) version starring Janet Gaynor. Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand have both taken on the lead role since, in musical adaptations. Now, word is that the wonderful Ms. Beyonce Knowles (Dreamgirls) will star in a remake directed by Clint Eastwood (Paint Your Wagon)

http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/exclusive-clint-eastwood-to-direct-beyonce-in-musical-version-of-a-star-is-born/

Carrie!

Word is, MCC Theater (at the Lortel) is planning to produce an Off-Broadway revival off the famous flop. Stafford Arima is set to direct. The book and score will be reworked. The next big question: Who will take on Betty Buckley's role??

Ding-Dong...

For the first time, “Spider-Man” has knocked “Wicked” from its usual perch as the highest-grossing show on Broadway, claiming the top spot for itself last week. “Spider-Man” beat “Wicked” by just $58, with the teen-superhero musical grossing $1,588,514 while the revisionist Oz musical grossed $1,588,456. “Wicked,” though, had 100 percent of its audience paying for tickets (with an average paid admission of $109.76) while “Spider-Man” was offering some discount and complimentary tickets during its preview period; the average paid admission to the show was $102.86. That said, premium Spidey tickets top out at over $300.

Streisand's Gypsy and Jill Haworth gives up the ghost...

In articles in The NY Post and the NY Times, Arthur Laurents has stated that a Streisand movie of Gypsy may be in the works, Sondheim stating that she has expressed interest. She has met with Sondheim and Laurents to discuss starring as Rose, the mother of all stage mamas, in a film version of their 1959 musical “Gypsy,” the two men said in telephone interviews on Wednesday. Warner Brothers and Joel Silver are attached as producers. No director had been chosen, but Mr. Laurents said that Ms. Streisand would not.

Asked whether Ms. Streisand, who will turn 69 in April, was too old to play Rose, who is a young mother in the first act of the musical, Mr. Laurents said: “First of all, they can do magic in Hollywood. Second, does it really matter?”

Jill Haworth, the original Sally Bowles in Cabaret, passed away at 65. RIP...

Fun Video...

Show Closings...

JAN. 2, 2011
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Could have been wildly successful had it stayed Off-Broadway)
Promises, Promises
Fela!
West Side Story (Ran longer than the original production!)
Elf: The Musical (Was a limited holiday run.)
The Pee-Wee Herman Show
Brief Encounter
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Sad that this wasn't a hit. Great cast and creative team.)
Donny & Marie - A Broadway Christmas

JAN. 9, 2011
La Bête
A Free Man of Color
In the Heights (But I hear they may make a movie...)
A Little Night Music (Sad about this. The casting could have gone on for ages. Donna Murphy/Carol Channing?)

JAN. 16, 2011
Next to Normal (It had a good run.)

JAN. 30, 2011
Time Stands Still