The Wiz

Recommended!

Having talked through a performance of The Wiz during its Broadway run in the 1970s and more recently suffered through a trashy-looking VHS playback of the tedious Hollywood version, I am happy to report that the current revival of the show at City Center's Encores! shut me up and kept me almost giddily entertained at Wednesday night's pre-opening preview.

A funk-and-soul-inflected version of The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz always had a lot going for it in terms of story and music and dance. This version shows it off to good effect, from the "interpretive dance" storm to the disco-meets-Rocky Horror spectacle of Oz to the old-school jokeyness of the dialogue. (William F. Brown wrote the original book; Charlie Smalls wrote the music and lyrics with a helping hand from Luther Vandross on "Everybody Rejoice (Brand New Day).")

The featured performers—Ashanti as Dorothy, Orlando Jones as The Wiz, and LaChanze as Aunt Em/Glinda—are all fine, but the great strength of the production is the ensemble as a whole, with entertaining turns from the whole cast, including Tichina Arnold as Evillene and Dawnn Lewis as Addaperle to Christian Dante White as the Scarecrow, Joshua Henry as the Tinman, and James Monroe Iglehart as the Lion as well as nearly two dozen singers and dancers.

Presiding over this imaginative, amusing production is the In the Heights team of director Thomas Kale, choreographer Andy Blankenbueler, costume designer Paul Tazewell, and music director Alex Lacamore. David Korins (Passing Strange, Yellowface) takes the credit for the scenic design; Ken Billington (Chicago) did the lighting design.

I expect the next step for Dorothy will involve a transfer to Broadway a la Gypsy—unless it's scuttled by, say, this harsh review by Charles Isherwood. In the meantime, you've got until July 5 to see The Wiz at City Center. I recommend taking advantage of the production's consumer-friendly pricing scheme, which opens up $25 seats in the orchestra section; taking advantage of Theatermania discounts, you might be able to get those seats for as little as $15.

Here's rehearsal footage.



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Going Soon, Coming Soon

Just thought I'd dash out a couple of theater notes.

Going Soon! I'm amazed that Lillian Hellman's play The Children's Hour premiered 75 years ago! Despite its age, it's surprisingly fresh—a good thing for theatergoers as well as actors, but of course also kind of sad because homophobia and the other plagues that it touches upon are still too much with us. The play has to do with a girl's accusation that the two close woman friends who run her school are actually lesbian lovers. The revival at the Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) isn't slick but it still does justice to Hellman's troubling work. There's only one more performance...and it's Sunday night at 6pm, just before the Tony Awards.

Coming Soon! I'm really excited about next weekend's five-performance revival of High Spirits, featuring Carol Kane. My regular readers (and friends) might recall that this musical, which is based on Blithe Spirit, has a hold on me—it's my Drowsy Chaperone! Having only heard the charming cast recordings, I've dreamed of Encores! reviving it, but it turns out to be Musicals in Mufti that has the good sense to offer theater lovers a sense of what a full-scale production might be like. I look forward to seeing it—and, if you're interested, I recommend snagging your seat(s) immediately. Tickets seem to be going fast, which is why I decided to make this post as soon as I could.

Oscar Follow-Up: A MacLaine-Hathaway Connection

It was gratifying to see Anne Hathaway singing at last weekend's Academy Aware Ceremony, and especially gratifying to see Shirley MacLaine urge Hathaway to use her beautiful singing voice more often. Hathaway's been a BAT favorite ever since her outstanding performance in the Encores! production of Carnival.

There's an interesting potential connection between MacLaine and Hathaway that I hope will develop: MacLaine appeared in the great movie The Apartment, which was later adapted as the great Broadway musical Promises, Promises—and Hathaway appears to be headed to appear with Sean Hayes in a new production of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David-Neil Simon musical.

Here is Hathaway on the red carpet.



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Encores: On the Town

Is On the Town the best Encores! revival or one of the very best? I've gotten word that some people are seriously weighing that question. Having attended Thursday night's performance, I don't count myself among them even though I still think the production is worth attending. (With respect to a longstanding BAT tendency to blog tardily, today is the last performance.)

For me the main (but not the only) reason to see this revival is...historical. From the opening performance of The Star-Spangled Banner to the subsequent delivery of Leonard Bernstein's full score, here's a chance to get a good feel for this 1944 musical made in collaboration with choreographer Jerome Robbins and writers/performers/comedians Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Together with director George Abbott and designer/co-producer Oliver Smith, they put On the Town on Broadway together within a year of the work that inspired it, the Robbins-Bernstein ballet Fancy Free.

I concur with Encores! artistic director Jack Viertel's assessment of the musical in his program notes:

On the Town, for all of its intricate music and dance sequences, operates with what now might be considered reckless abandon. Its plot, concocted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, is a series of sketches, its characters are eccentric types, and its treatment of shore leave for three sailors destined to go off to war is casual and light...."

Indeed, the work strikes me more than ever as a kind of ambitious, plot-linked, burlesque revue with blackout sketches, dance acts, and comedic caricatures—just the kind of thing you might expect from Comden and Green, who at the time were attracting audiences with their musical improvisations (accompanied by Bernstein on piano) in Greenwich Village. This production moves in that direction, but I think it could have gone even farther with good results.

That might help to explain why some of the show's relatively minor parts were among its most successful. Andrea Martin is a hit as the drunken music teacher Maude P. Dilly and Geno Segers made a strong impression singing as the First Workman, but my very favorite performer of the evening was Michael Cumpsty as the "understanding" fiance of the nymphomaniac Claire de Loone. It was also good to see Julyana Soelistyo, a BAT favorite from The Glorious Ones, in the bit part of Lucy Schmeeler. Leslie Kritzer and Jennifer Laura Thompson offered bright moments as Hildy Esterhazy and Claire (respectively), and Justin Bohon, Christian Borle, and Tony Yazbek were good as the three sailors (their five-person dance in "Ya Got Me" was a highlight), but costuming and direction might have helped distinguish the male leads, broadcasting their characters to the audience more.

As for the Bernstein score, I developed a new appreciation of his influences at this early stage of his career. There are strong strains of modernism (European as well as American) and jazz and Cuban music that seemed to stick with the composer throughout his career, but there are also some old-fashioned, much more corny, "lyrical" passages that he (along with Broadway composers in general) discarded over the ensuing years. I also realized how Bernstein & Company seemed to seize upon developments associated with the big wartime hit Oklahoma! (1943), such as the incorporation of dance sequences.

The unusual staging of this production removes sightlines on the upper levels of the theater, which led City Center to almost randomly move some subscribers from central seats in the rear gallery to seats on the sides of the problematic rear mezzanine section. The view from a side of the rear mezzanine wasn't blocked by other audience members (as can be the case with the middle of the rear mezzanine), but there was still only a partial view of the stage.

Tip: To see a kind of movie "sequel" to On the Town, try the edgy 1955 musical It's Always Fair Weather—especially if it's in a movie theater or you can see it on a wide TV screen. Come to think of it, I'd like to see a stage version of this—perhaps it could alternate with a production of On the Town!



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DAMN YANKEES AT ENCORES!

The Encores! production of Damn Yankees won me over on Wednesday night, though I can understand the mixed reviews that have been coming in. The company's take on the baseball-fan-meets-Faust fantasy could certainly use some more zing (surprising, considering that the director is John Rando) and, perhaps, a little less fealty regarding Bob Fosse's original choreography. The first act in particular came across as too deliberate and episodic, but the proceedings gained vitality in a second act rally and ultimately proved very satisfactory. The production runs through July 27, so perhaps it will catch the attention of the All-Star crowd that will be in town around July 15.

The most pleasant surprise for me was the performance of Sean Hayes (Will and Grace's Jack) in the role of the devilish Mr. Applegate. He brought wit, vitality, and genuine laughs to the role and showed that he could command the audience's attention during his big second-act number "Those Were the Good Old Days."

This production may be most significant as Hayes's New York theater debut, but many will also remember it for the presence of charismatic Cheyenne Jackson as the supernaturally youthful baseball player Joe. Last year's summer Encores! production of Gypsy featured a mini-flock of female strippers, but this summer it's time for beefcake in the form of Jackson. When he disrobed in one already notorious scene, the, um, appreciative comments in the Rear Mezzanine made the City Center seem like another kind of strip joint.

The multi-talented Jane Krakowski—a favorite of Blog About Town—played the temptress Lola well, but she might not have been well-served by the decision to emulate Bob Fosse's original choreography for Gwen Verdon's Lola. I haven't yet been won over by the steps for Verdon in "Whatever Lola Wants," and Krakowski didn't persuade me either (although lots of attendees seemed to be charmed). I wonder what the scene would have been like had it been customized more for Krakowski—and I also wonder whether the goings on would have benefited from more reworking of the book. It might've been very funny, for example, to see something made of the recent gossip about A-Rod and Madonna.

What worked very well for me was Krakowski's dance with the ensemble in the second act's nightclub number "Two Lost Souls." I found more second-act magic in "Near to You," the poignant duet between Jackson's Joe and strong-voiced Randy Graff's Meg. Somewhere in there was a wonderful segue between scenes and a "Limbo" set that reminded me of the design in the giddy animated series God, The Devil and Bob. Veanne Cox was strong as the comical character Sister, and Megan Lawrence skillfully evoked some Megan Mullally vibes in her scenes with Hayes. The dancer John Selya did very good work with his Fosse moves. Kudos also for the lighting and color design.

ADDENDUM Almost forgot to mention that the Rear Mezzanine at City Center remains one of the most problematic sections in all New York City venues. The rake and seat placement is so poor that those in the section run the risk of spending performances swaying this way and that, in search of decent viewing angles. This creates a kind of domino effect, as anyone behind one of the swayers is likely to end up swaying too, to compensate. And so on and so forth. Compounding the problem is City Center's reluctance to open up the seats on the level(s) above the rear mezzanine to give budget-conscious fans more of an option. I happened to luck out with a good angle this time around, but one of our party relocated rather than sit behind a swayer. Something should be done!

Here's Gwen Verdon in Damn Yankees.



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ENCORES! UPDATE!

After this summer's Encores revival of Damn Yankees (July 5-27, 2007) with Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, and Ana Gasteyer, the series will continue with its 2008-2009 season: On the Town (November 19-23, 2008), Music in the Air (February 5-8, 2009), and Finian's Rainbow (March 26-29, 2009).

Still no High Spirits....

JUNO AT ENCORES!

The "musical" Juno opened and closed after a pitiably brief Broadway run in 1959 but gained in stature over subsequent years, largely due to the Columbia cast recording featuring Marc Blitzstein's score.

I put air quotes around the word musical because it isn't necessarily the best way to describe Juno—despite the way it was originally marketed. Based on the 1924 Sean O'Casey play Juno and the Paycock, the artful, fundamentally serious (yet still entertaining) Juno is certainly an example of musical theater, but it could also be viewed as a work of opera, perhaps as a piece of chamber opera, or as a chamber musical. However you might want to classify it, Juno can be seen and heard this weekend as the latest semi-staged revival in the Encores! series at City Center.

Set in strife-torn Dublin in the early 1920s, the Ibsenesque story revolves around the Boyle family, headed by Juno (Victoria Clark) and her strutting "paycock" of a husband Jack (Conrad John Schuck). We learn of their dreams of money and romance as well as their simmering grudges and shameful secrets, expressed in Joseph Stein's book as well as Blitzstein's lyrics and innovative music, well-informed by popular Irish dances and melodies. [Read more about Stein here.] Some of the highlights include the love song "One Kind Word" (sung by Michael Arden's Jerry Devine) to Celia Keenan-Bolger's Mary), the husband-and-wife parrying song "Old Sayin's," a simulation of gramophone music at a Boyle celebration, and just about any time that Clark and Keenan-Bolger show off their vocal skills, solo and duet. The original choreography was by Agnes de Mille; in this production, choreographer Warren Carlyle and the dancers evoke her style in a dream dance or two and enliven the proceedings elsewhere with some entertaining acrobatics.

The more I think about Juno, the more I admire it and suspect that its original run of 16 performances and subsequent obscurity (notwithstanding an occasional revival) might be one of the great injustices of Broadway. So credit is due to Encores! for programming what might turn out to be its most important revival so far. My only major criticism has to do with the staging, which doesn't play to the nosebleed section of the theater, where the sight lines were poor. Compounding the problem was the inaudibility of many lines, even with the unusually heavy amplification of the performances—this problem might have been due in part to Juno being less than ideal for a big house such as City Center (where I suggest choosing between an orchestra seat splurge or going for the cheap rear gallery seats—and then perhaps migrating into any empty front gallery seats). Putting aside such issues, I hope that the attention paid to this production of Juno leads to more fully realized revivals, perhaps in one of the smaller Broadway theaters and in other venues conducive to chamber opera or chamber musicals or whatever you want to call them.

MORE ON APPLAUSE

I've noticed lots of bloggers and critics commenting on this weekend's Encores! production of Applause. Just about everyone seems very pleased by Christine Ebersole's star turn and at least a little disappointed by other aspects of the show.

One of the common criticisms has to do with a medley grafted onto the title song. Drawn from many previous Encores! productions, it charmed me and my group (frequent Encores! attendees) but struck others as very inappropriate. Yet it's not so different in spirit from how it was originally done. Here's Bonnie Franklin and company, from the original 1970 production.



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And here's Applause original Penny Fuller performing the schizoid "One Hallowe'en."



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As for Lauren Bacall singing "But Alive," click here.

Oh—and here's the original New York Times review by Clive Barnes...in PDF form.

APPLAUSE

The Encores! series extends its winning streak with this weekend's revival of the 1970 hit musical Applause—but only by the skin of its teeth. Based on the movie All About Eve (itself based on a story by Mary Orr) with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and songs by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, the production offers a strong storyline with an eclectic score that often came across as technically and interpretatively problematic at yesterday's performance.

Artistic director Jack Viertel introduced the show by explaining that star Christine Ebersole would perform despite an illness that had kept her out of rehearsals. Even though she wasn't in top form, Ebersole did justice to her role as Margo Channing, a theater diva famous for not missing a performance. The rest of the talented leads—Erin Davie, Tom Hewitt, Michael Park, and Kate Burton—were good but also seemed to be a little rough around the edges, with Mario Cantone and Megan Sikora bringing zest to their featured roles. Highlights came from the clever trio "Inner Thoughts"/"Good Friends" as well as such production numbers as the groundbreaking gay bar set piece "But Alive," the mocking "She's No Longer a Gypsy," and a doctored version of "Applause" that's like a surprise Valentine for Encores! regulars. However, other numbers (some of which seemed very difficult to negotiate) just didn't crystallize, and the staging of "Fasten Your Seatbelts" just didn't do much with the song and its musical allusions to car honking. But ultimately the strength of the storyline, the professionalism of the performers, and the numerous comic elements prevailed in making this another worthwhile revival.

NOTE Something that nearly ruined the experience for my party were serious problems we had with City Center's ticketing wing (both the box office and CityTix). Things improved only after I managed to reach an administrator. I hope that no one will go through what we went through, but if you do run into problems and happen to read this, feel free to testify here.

REVIVAL WATCH: APPLAUSE...AND MOOSE MURDERS!

City Center's Encores! series recently announced its lineup for the concert version of the 1970 musical Applause, which is scheduled for February 7 through February 10, 2008. In addition to previously announced star Christine Ebersole, the cast includes BAT favorite (and Ebersole's Grey Gardens co-star) Erin Davie (pictured) as well as Kate Burton, Mario Cantone, and Tom Hewitt. Wanna do some research? The musical is based on the great movie All About Eve, itself based on the Mary Orr Cosmopolitan story "The Wisdom of Eve."

In other revival news, there's a revival (perhaps a resurrection) of the epochal Broadway flop Moose Murders coming up at Trinity Lutheran Church at 63-70 Dry Harbor Road, in Middle Village, Queens. On February 23, 1983, Frank Rich's famously derogatory review summed things up with the line "A visit to 'Moose Murders' is what will separate the connoisseurs of Broadway disaster from mere dilettantes for many moons to come." So here's a chance to see if you've got the right stuff. Performances are on January 19, 24, 25, and 26 at 8 pm and January 20 and 27 at 4 pm. Tickets are $14 for adults and $13 for seniors. For information and reservations, call 718-736-1263.

Yesterday I served up some rare Sweeney Todd; here's another rarity: Lauren Bacall in a very '70s, very risqué (emphasis on the second syllable) CBS TV adaptation of Applause. The number is very Burt Bacharach.



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ENCORES! 2008: PREVIEW

There's still no sign of High Spirits or All American, but the 2008 Encores! season still has a lot to offer:

Christine Ebersole (pictured) in Applause (February 7-20)
Marc Blitzstein's Juno (March 27-30)
Rosie O'Donnell and Beth (Drowsy Chaperone) Leavel in No, No, Nanette (May 8-12)

Single tickets go on sale October 1.

Photo: David Marc Fischer

ENCORES: GYPSY

The Encores! series extends its winning streak with its summer production of Gypsy, which runs through July 29. Could it be more finely tuned, as suggested in Ben Brantley's dour-toned New York Times review? Sure, I think it could...but it's still very good in many ways. And I think Brantley is unfair to Patti Lupone's intriguing and intelligent take on the character of domineering Momma Rose.

One of the show's highlights comes in a kind of throwaway transitional scene that shows Momma Rose adding young boys to her troupe while traipsing over to California. Her pouncing posture is funny, a little scary, and very representative of her character. Later in the first act Lupone and Boyd Gaines (as Herbie) offer a great little duet that climaxes with the two singing as they practically tumble to the floor. It's a great routine for the two stage veterans.

In the second act there are at least three big numbers. The reliable routine in which strippers teach the basics to the future Gypsy Rose Lee is entertaining, but there's magic in the sequence showing her blossom in the trade. On the surface it might not come across as very demanding for an actor, but Benanti's performance is so polished (and her makeup and costuming so flattering) that it suddenly made the vast City Center seem very, very intimate and offered a strong case that the kind of "striptease" touted by Gypsy Rose Lee can still be erotic even in today's more jaded and openly sexualized world. (I think an adult actually escorted a child out of the theater during the episode.) And then there's the big—really big—number, "Rose's Turn," which Lupone performs with high drama without turning it into a maudlin, cringe-inducing psychodrama.

Once again Encores! offers a full orchestra with a rich and lively sound that (even with problematic violin intonation in early passages) cannot be equaled by today's small, electronically enhanced pit ensembles. And the reliably hardcore Encores! theater crowd is an attraction in itself, delighted to be entertained and very demonstrative to boot.

I do have a complaint about the venue. Due to budgetary concerns, I've been getting nosebleed seats for a while, but for Gypsy I accidentally wound up with tickets in the center of the rear mezzanine, which has to rank as one of the worst seating sections in all of New York City. The rake is too flat, which means that many heads can block views of the action. A friend and I craned this way and that to get good vantage points, but before the second act he migrated to seats in a less crowded section to one side of the rear mezzanine. I joined him there after the woman behind me pleaded for me to stop my swaying. I am pretty sure that the rake can be improved, so I think that City Center should fix it promptly and, in the meantime, find a way to label and price the seats as "obstructed" or something like that.

Here's Gypsy Rose Lee in Stage Door Canteen (which also featured original Momma Rose Ethel Merman). And is that William Burroughs at the very end?



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And here's writer Arthur Laurents on the musical and the "real" Gypsy Rose Lee.



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STAIRWAY TO PARADISE. As I watched Stairway to Paradise--the Encores! revue of numbers and routines curated from decades of Follies, Scandals, Blackbirds, Gaieties, and other variety shows that were Broadway staples during the first half of the past century--I felt that it was getting better and better. And that feeling continued after the show, when I finally got around to looking at the program--the third and last for Encores! this season--and learned more about the selections and the talent behind them.

I was already familiar with a number of the show's highlights. My favorites tended to fall into two categories: the ones featuring cleverly crafted lyrics and the ones with the transcendently haunting melodies. In the former category I put Irving Berlin's Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning by Irving Berlin and Manhattan by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. In the latter category goes Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye by Cole Porter as well as Dancing in the Dark by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, who come out as the songwriting stars of the show, represented in five selections that also include the witty and wonderfully melodic Triplets and Rhode Island is Famous for You.

As I mentioned, my appreciation of the production grew once I scrutinized the program and noticed other names represented in the show: P.G. Wodehouse and Walter and Jean Kerr as well as Eubie Blake, Victor Herbert, Jerome Kern, Jule Styne, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The material isn't going to please all of the people all of the time, but it does give one a feel for the history of an entertainment form that today survives mainly in durable song standards and numbers in movie musicals such as The Band Wagon.

The performances and miking were uneven last night (at least in the nosebleed seats, where I sat), but the production was still strong enough to make this the strongest Encores! season so far. Kristin Chenoweth stood out as the show's star, showing off her versatility in different styles of singing as well as comedic acting. Capathia Jenkins was also a vocal standout, with dance highlights coming from tapper Kendrick Jones as well as ballroom team Holly Cruikshank and Barrett Martin.

So now it's once again time to wonder what Encores! will revive next. I'm still curious about the old Mel Brooks-Charles Strouse-Lee Adams musical All American and desperately waiting for High Spirits.

Here's an Erin McKeown cover of Rhode Island is Famous for You.



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THIS WEEKEND: TOO MUCH! TOO MUCH!

I'm still sticking with Saturday's Sam Fuller at Falkenau screening as the thing to do in the area this weekend. But it's true that the movie program at Loew's Jersey Theatre has a lot of appeal. And there are many other great things to do, too.

In fact, this weekend turns out to be an example of what sets the metropolitan area apart as a cultural center. Here are some other events:

The Encores! production of Stairway to Paradise, starring Kristin Chenoweth

The Emile de Antonio documentary series at Anthology Film Archives featuring screenings of Point of Order, a tightly edited view of how Joseph Welch managed to give Joseph McCarthy his well-deserved comeuppance. Saturday afternoon there's a panel discussion of that film.

The last days of Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia. I saw Part One courtesy of TKTS last night and loved it--my main disappointment is that, barring a miraculous extension, I won't be able to see the other two parts.

Guy Maddin's Brand on the Brain!, with live music and sound effects plus live narration by the likes of Laurie Anderson, Justin Bond, Anne Jackson, Lou Reed, Isabella Rossellini, and Eli Wallach (also seen in two of the three Jersey City screenings)

And tonight there's that Air/TV on the Radio gig

I'm sure I'm missing a lot of other great (or at least promising fare. For the moment, I'm simply dizzied by cultural overload.

Here's the trailer for Brand Upon the Brain!



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FACE THE MUSIC! The Encores! series might grow another exclamation mark this season--that's how good its productions are turning out to be! Follies was a tough act to follow, but the current revival of the Irving Berlin-Moss Hart 1932 musical Face the Music--is a sparkling, revelatory success.

Together with two other Encores! highlights directed by John Rando--Strike Up the Band (1927) and Of Thee I Sing (1931), both by the Gershwins--Face the Music is a reminder of how entertaining and satirical the shows of its period could be. Almost from its first second, it trots out the cliches of a super-wholesome "Let's Put on a Show" musical, but--at least in this restoration involving David Ives [whose program notes are inspired] as well as Bruce Pomahac--it soon subverts them.

Led by a producer who prides himself on squandering investment money, the Depression-era showpeople patch together their Follies with the help of thoroughly corrupt cops and save the show by resorting to naughtiness. You don't have to know the story of Mae West's sensational 1926 play Sex to find the broad comedy in this or make the connections with Mel Brooks's The Producers. It's funny, surprising, and thoroughly delightful, performed by a great singing and dancing cast featuring Judy Kaye, Felicia Finley delivering a torch song to end all torch songs, and the great pairings of Jeffry Denman/Meredith Paterson and Mylinda Hull/Eddie Korbich.

[The timing of this production--during the runs of The Producers and The Drowsy Chaperone and the opening of the B-musical festival at the Film Forum--is excellent.] With Kristin Chenoweth slotted for the next production, Stairway to Paradise, this season promises to be an outstanding [extraordinary] one for Encores!!

Here are Korbich and Hull.

















And here are Patterson and Denman.


















Photos: Joan Marcus

LUPONE SLOTTED FOR GYPSY IN JULY! Today's New York Times reports that Patti LuPone--said to be sensational in a 2006 production of Gypsy at Ravinia--will reprise her role as the driven Mama Rose at Encores! this summer, in a production directed by Gypsy author Arthur Laurents.

The run from July 9 to July 29 (opening on July 12) represents a change in direction for Encores! It's the first summer production for the series, it'll last longer than the usual weekend, and, like the recent production of Follies, it's a revival of a recently revived Sondheim musical. (He wrote the Gypsy lyrics.)

Follies originally marketed itself as a venue for rare revivals of Broadway's hidden treasures, but in recent years it seems to be more divided between rarities and more familiar (commercial?) fare.

Anyway, this is exciting news--just look at how psyched Steve on Broadway is!

It's certainly an opportunity for LuPone to put down her tuba and cut loose in a way that wouldn't have been appropriate in the recent Broadway revival Sweeney Todd.

Here is LuPone's "Some People" from Ravinia--not the same as actually being there, of course!



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BROADWAY FOR MEDICINE: A GALA BROADWAY CONCERT. Playbill is offering discounted nosebleed seats for what looks to be a fun variety show on behalf of the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction. Get your tickets ASAP--I'm surprised they're still available!

The current roster includes

Betty Buckley
Kate Burton
Charles Busch
Manoel Feliciano
Jenn Gambatese
Malcolm Gets
Deborah Gibson
Joanna Gleason--she lit up Dirty Rotten Scoundrels!
Debbie Gravitte
Chester Gregory II
Julie Halston
Mimi Himes--terrific in the Encores! Follies!
Judy Kuhn
Andrea McArdle
Howard McGillin
Donna McKechnie
Hugh Panaro
Rosie’s Broadway Kids
Josh Strickland
Lisa Vroman

In other discount news, you can get $20 rush tickets to Off-Broadway shows 20 minutes before curtain during the week of March 4-March 11, 2007. It's part of the 20to20 promotion. I've heard great things about The Big Voice: God or Merman? (closing soon), I remember Stomp fondly from the previous century, and I was quite amused by Gutenberg! The Musical! when I saw it at Upright Citizens Brigade.

SONDHEIM'S FOLLIES. This weekend Encores! opens its new season with a very strong and thoroughly well-cast revival of Stephen Sondheim's 1971 musical Follies. Having enjoyed last night's performance, I now consider it one of my very favorite Sondheim musicals (with Sweeney Todd).

Follies portrays veterans of a show called Weismann's Follies as they gather for their first and last reunion. The main plot revolves around two former actresses and their dissatisfaction with their husbands, whom they met while double-dating during their showbiz days. Over the course of the show, the couples and other characters perform numbers that reflect on their former and current lives. There are varying degrees of interplay between the reuniting cast members and figures representing their younger selves.

Last night Victoria Clark (Sally) and the stunningly glammed-up Donna Murphy (Phyllis) were excellent in their lead roles, shining in their climactic second-act numbers. Mimi Hines (Hattie) was a delight performing "Broadway Baby" and Jo Anne Worley (Stella) impressed with her delivery of "Who's That Woman?" I was tickled to hear Yvonne Constant (Solange) perform the folies-style "Ah, Paris!" And Encores! favorite Christine Baranski (Carlotta) offered an expertly shaped "I'm Still Here," though some of her lyrics did not come through in the nosebleed seats.

The production is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw of The Drowsy Chaperone, a show that also views past musicals with something approximating 20-20 hindsight. An extra performance of Follies has been added on Monday, February 12.

Here's the late Yvonne DeCarlo (the original Carlotta) discussing and singing "her" song, "I'm Still Here," on The David Frost Show.



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Here's Alexis Smith (the original Phyllis) performing a version of "The Story of Lucy and Jesse" at the 1975 Tony Awards.



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Here's little Daisy Eagan with an unusual rendering of "Broadway Baby." What a charmer!



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And here's "Who's that Woman?" from the 1987 London production.



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