Week in Review

Monday: Ricky Gervais at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden: Hilarious, of course. His stand-up comedy performance is a little bit The Office's David Brent, in that he is politically incorrect, a little bit Extras' Andy Millman, in that he makes it seem as if he doesn't mean to be, the words are just coming out wrong. I was disappointed that there were no special guests (apparently last time David Bowie introduced Gervais). Maybe if he didn't spend the money on the big bright letters that spelled out RICKY. The show felt a little short for how much it cost, but still worth it.

Tuesday: Some Americans Abroad at the Second Stage Theatre, directed by Gordon Edelstein: The plot summary on the website mislead me into expecting a comedy about partying college students, but it was actually about the professors and the innerworkings of the English department and it wasn't that much of a comedy. I liked the play itself and some of the performances, but I wasn't a fan of the production. There wasn't so much a set as tables and chairs that would be moved to the back of the room after each scene, resulting in a cluttered mess at the end. I was very impressed with Tom Cavenaugh, who came into the production at the last minute, and gave a very compelling performance. I find Second Stage to be very hit or miss. See below for a hit.

Wednesday: Jay Brannan at the Highline Ballroom: Loved it. I'm reviewing this for 52shows.com.

Thursday: Animals Out of Paper at the Second Stage Uptown, directed by Giovanna Sardelli: I wasn't a huge fan of the only other show I've seen at Second Stage Uptown, Len Asleep in Vynl, so I didn't have high hopes for this one. But, wow, this was the highlight of my week that included seeing my favorite comedian and an amazing concert. The play was both hilarious and moving and the characters were well-developed and likeable, despite their many faults. Kellie Overbey plays Ilana, an origami artist who just went through a divorce and lost her dog. A teacher named Andy, played by the hilarious and heartbreaking Jeremy Shamos, visits her unexpectedly and asks her to mentor his genius student, Suresh, played by Utkarsh Ambudkar, who brilliantly captured every nuance of his character.

Saturday: Mamma Mia! (the movie), directed by Phyllida Lloyd: Full disclosure: I really enjoy the stage musical. It may be cheesy, but it's a lot of fun, and never tries to be more than what it is, which is why I think it's the jukebox musical that succeeds most at being a jukebox musical. The movie was also fun and not as much of a disappointment as I thought it would be. Only a few songs were cut and only a few scenes changed. It works better on stage, in a movie it just looks too cheesy, but I was impressed that most of the actors pulled off their roles. I've never liked Meryl Streep (sorry A.O. Scott). I found that she overacts, but I didn't hate her in this. I found Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper to be charming.

Why Didn't I Know About This?

Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Bendham director) is directing a film adaptation of one of the first book in one of my favorite teen series, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. The film will be called Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. The trailer doesn't look great. It seems to tone down the wit and craziness of the books, but it's hard to tell from a preview. I couldn't find anything about a U.S. release, but I must find a way to see this film.

Tony Highlights

I have to say, I loved the Tony telecast this year. It was very entertaining, especially the acceptance speeches. My major complaint is the fact that they didn't televise a bunch of the major awards, including best revival of a play and best book of a musical. I really wanted to see Boeing Boeing and Stew win. I got 19/26correct as there were no major surprises this year. Here are some of my thoughts/favorite moments:

-Whoopi Goldberg did a good job as host, but I thought she could have done more with her appearing in scenes from musicals. Instead of just showing up and singing the word "Tony," she could have done spoofs on the shows themselves.

-Performances: I like medley performances the best. They allow for more actors to performs and gives the audience a better sense of the show. I wanted to see South Pacific and In the Heights before, but now I really want to see them. If Paulo Szot sounded that good on television, I can only imagine how he sounds live. I don't think the shows that weren't nominated (The Little Mermaid, A Catered Affair, and Young Frankenstein) should have performed. It only reminded me why those shows weren't nominated. Cry Baby chose a good number ("A Little Upset") to showcase the choreography (Rob Ashford should have won) and the ensemble, the two best things about the show. Sunday in the Park with George chose the wrong song, "Move On," from act two. Act one of the show is far superior. I loved seeing the RENT original cast, especially the ensemble, but where was Jesse L. Martin? I miss him. Daniel Evans from Sunday was totally rocking out.

-Acceptance speeches: There were so many good ones. Of course, the best speech has to go to Lin-Manuel Miranda who rapped his speech for best score. I really hope he didn't write any of that ahead of time. Best line--"Mr. Sondheim, look, I made a hat where there never was a hat. And it's a Latin hat at that." Brilliant. That speech alone would get me to buy tickets to his show. Runner-up goes to Patti LuPone for being such a diva, for being so unapologetic about it, and for telling the orchestra to shut up. I also loved Laura Benanti's heartfelt speech. She seemed genuinely moved that Arthur Laurents stood up for her. And finally, Mark Rylance, who totally deserved his win for one of the best comedic performance EVER, for totally confusing everyone in the audience by reciting prose by Louis Jenkins instead of thanking people. I have to add, yeah Boyd Gaines! I don't remember his speech too well, but I love him in general and as Herbie.

-Did anyone notice how when Mary-Lousie Parker presented the award for leading actor in a play, she rightly called Macbeth "the Scottish play," as it's bad luck to say the name in a theatre. Alec Baldwin, however, actually said the name. I guess that's the difference between theatre actors and movie actors.

-I don't really know where to put this, but I love how awkward Daniel Radcliffe is.

-Surprises: There weren't really any, but I did kind of think they'd give it to Raul Esparza because they felt bad about last year. I'm glad they didn't because it wasn't his best performance and I'm sure he'll have plenty more Tony-worthy performances ahead of him. I did think Sunday in the Park with George would win scenic design of a musical, but I haven't seen South Pacific yet.

Too Soon?

I was walking around Soho on my lunch break, when I noticed a poster for a new VH1 show, I Love the New Millenium. I'll admit, I was amused by I Love the '80s and would occasionally be sucked into the marathons. I thought it was a too early to have the right perspective for I Love the '90s, but now this is getting ridiculous. The decade isn't even over yet.

On a more positive note, in the fall, TopShop will open in Soho. It will be like having a little piece of London where I work.

I Say Twilight You Say Rock

I must admit, I was late to the Twilight party, but I've been completely sucked in (if you'll excuse the lame vampire pun) to this vampire/human love story. My sister described this addiction nicely before she finished the series, "When I'm not reading, I'm thinking about when I can read." I've been so into these books, I almost forgot how much fun it is to be a Harry Potter fan until I went to a Harry and the Potters concert last week.

Since Twilight author Stephenie Meyer is being compared to J.K. Rowling, I got to wondering if Twilight rock would be the new wizard rock. So far, I've only found two Twilight theme bands. The Bella Cullen Project, a mellow all female trio, and the Mitch Hansen Band, a mellow one-man band. Neither of these bands are really doing it for me. I'd like to see something with a little more energy and wit. Maybe some bands that sing in character, as Harry and the Potters do. Jacob and the Blacks anyone? Edward and the Cullens? Or how about Stupid Shiny Volvo Owners? If anybody knows of any other Twilight bands, I'd love to hear about it. If you read the books, what would you name your Twilight band?

There's No Business Like Show Business

It's that time of year again: Tony nominations. The biggest surprise was all the love for Cry-Baby. Best musical? Seriously? I would have liked more nominations for Is He Dead?, especially for Norbert Leo Butz, but at least David Pittu was nominated. And it closed a while ago so I wasn't really expecting it to do well. Here is the full list of nominees as well as some early predictions/thoughts. I haven't seen everything yet, but I'm hoping that will change before June 15.

Best Play:
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

I think it's a pretty safe bet that August will win, deservedly so.

Best Musical:
Cry-Baby
In the Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

I have yet to see In the Heights, but considering it got the most noms this year (13), I think it might win. Maybe Passing Strange will take it (it did win the NY Drama Critics Circle Award), but I don't think there's a definite front runner yet.

Best Book of a Musical:
Cry-Baby
Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan
In the Heights
Quiara Alegria Hudes
Passing Strange
Stew
Xanadu
Douglas Carter Beane

I hope Stew wins something, but I don't think it will be for book, because that was not the strongest part of the show. Maybe In the Heights, but from what I've heard about Xanadu (which I also have not seen yet), this might be its category.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre:
Cry Baby
Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger
In the Heights
Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Passing Strange
Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Lyrics: Stew

Well, The Little Mermaid does have a great score, but how is this nominated for best original score? Anyway, it's not going to win. I think this is the category that Passing Strange is most likely to win. It's interesting that two of the big front runners this year in the new musical categories are off Broadway transfers starring the man who also wrote the music for the show (Miranda and Stew).

Best Revival of a Play:
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth

Tough category this year, but I hope Boeing-Boeing wins. I encourage everyone to see this play. I am usually not a huge fan of farce, but I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard in a theatre.

Best Revival of a Musical:
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George

This might be the most competitive category this year (except for Grease, how'd that get in there?). I haven't seen South Pacific, but I from what I heard about it, it will probably win over Gypsy.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Patrick Stewart doesn't have a Tony, so maybe it will go to him, but Mark Rylance, who is generally known as a Shakespearean actor, gave a brilliant comedic performance that deserves to be recognized. I've heard amazing things about Ben Daniels as well.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County

It's all about the August women, and they are both deserving, but I think Amy Morton might take it.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical:
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

I haven't seen either of these performances, but I believe it will be between Paulo Szot and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Stew's narration doesn't really seem like acting. I didn't care much for Evans and Wopat gave a good performance in an underwhelming musical.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

Another tough category. This really was a good year for Broadway overall. I'll be surprised if LuPone doesn't win, but you never know.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play:
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raul Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

Will they give it to Esparza as a sorry for last year gesture? I sort of hope so, even though this wasn't his strongest performance.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play:
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

I'm so happy for Mary McCormack. I hope she wins.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical:
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesus, In the Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

Patti LuPone gets most of the glory for Gypsy, but the rest of the cast is just as deserving, and Boyd Gaines should win.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical:
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In the Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

What I said about Gaines, but for Benanti.

Best Scenic Design of a Play:
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Anthony Ward, Macbeth

August

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
Anna Louizos, In the Heights
Robin Wagner, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Sunday

Best Costume Design of a Play:
Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps

I loved the costumes from Boeing-Boeing, but I haven't seen any of these other plays.

Best Costume Design of a Musical:
David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy
Paul Tazewell, In the Heights
Catherine Zuber, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

I'll totally have to guess on this one for now, but South Pacific or Sunday.

Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Howard Harrison, Macbeth
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County

Macbeth, maybe. Or The 39 Steps because Kevin Adams is brilliant.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Howell Binkley, In the Heights
Donald Holder, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid

Sunday, maybe Mermaid, but probably Sunday.

Best Sound Design of a Play:
Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork, Macbeth
Ian Dickson, Rock 'n' Roll
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

Macbeth, maybe, or The 39 Steps.

Best Sound Design of a Musical:
Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights
Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park With George
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy

I don't know too much about sound, so I won't even try to guess.

Best Direction of a Play:
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

Since I'm assuming August will win for best play, Anna D. Shapiro.

Best Direction of a Musical:
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Considering Laurents already has a Tony for Gypsy, Bartlett Sher. Correction, Laurents has never won a Tony for Gypsy, but I still stand by my original prediction.

Best Choreography:
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

Cry-Baby actually deserved this nomination. The choreography was really creative and the best part of the show, so hopefully Rob Ashford will win.

Best Orchestrations:
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

Is anyone still reading this? Maybe they'll be nice and give one award to A Catered Affair, but I kind of doubt it. Probably Sunday.

I'm very excited to see what happens. This is an interesting year and I think the winners will be all over the place, (see this New York Times article). Congrats to all the nominees.

Schadenfreude

Playbill just announced that the new musical, Glory Days, is closing after only one performance and 17 previews. The show was written by two 23-year-olds (one of who was also in Cry Baby, poor guy) and stars four young actors. I feel really bad for them, I hope their spirits aren't totally crushed by the negative reviews, and I do think they have potential (especially actor Jesse JP Johnson, who gives the most real and touching performance in the group), but I can't help but be excited. I saw this show on Saturday and it wasn't horrible, but definitely not Broadway material. The closing notice puts that Saturday afternoon in a new perspective because now I can say that I've seen a show that will be remembered for how quickly it closed (see: Carrie), and that kind of makes me happy.

And now a word from our sponsors...

OK. I feel guilty about using this blog for this, but I am participating in AIDS Walk New York and so far I've only raised $25, so I thought I'd turn to the blogosphere for help. For more information, you can visit my personal page. If you are not interested, please ignore this post, but if you have some extra cash lying around, feel free to donate. Thanks for reading.

Nothing is too Wonderful to be True

It's a little early to be excited about this, but broadwayworld.com reports that a Houdini musical is in the works, aiming to open on Broadway in the spring of 2010. Danny Elfman, one of my favorite film composers, is set to do the music and David Yazbek will write the lyrics. Yazbek wrote the music and lyrics for one of my favorite musicals in recent years, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The two seem to have a similar sense of humor and I'm excited to see the results of this brilliant partnership.

Linda Recommends

I haven't posted in a few weeks and it's a slow Friday, so I'm going to do a round-up post. Consider this sort of like my Must List (sorry EW):

Music: She & Him Volume One: Even though this album was released on Tuesday, I feel a little late to this party. Still, better late than never. She & Him is one of my favorite actresses, Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter M. Ward. Aside from the Beatles cover (or covers, depending on whether you consider "You Really Got a Hold on Me" a Beatles song), it's quite an endearing album--wistful, folk-y, with a hint of 60s girl groups. The best part, all the tracks are available on the duo's MySpace.

Live Music: Juanes La Vida Tour. You can read a review I wrote of his album on the middle of this page. He really knows how to get a crowd going.

Television: Since I don't have a TV yet, I'm addicted to www.hulu.com, a website which offers full-length television episodes and films for free. I'm currently on the first season of Doogie Howser, M.D. I watched it sometimes when I was younger, but I think a lot of it went over my head, and it's much better than I remember. And thanks to the internet, I was able to watch the return of How I Met Your Mother, which included a brilliant line that probably only I enjoyed, "That's not so Raven."

Theatre: Macbeth is transferring to Broadway and I was lucky enough to see it at BAM. There's nothing I can say that the rave reviews haven't said, except seeing Patrick Stewart live is almost as cool as seeing him in Extras.

Food: For breakfast, I'm addicted to Nature's Path Organic Toaster Pastries, especially the Cherry Pomegran™. So much better (and better for you) than Pop-Tarts.

Next to Mediocre

As a former volunteer usher for the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (home to the Civic Light Opera), I was excited to hear that it would be the location of the world premiere of the new musical Twice Upon a Time, slated to open at some point in the West End and possibly Broadway. Although after seeing the show, I'm not sure I should get my hopes up about being able to brag that I saw a show in my little corner of California before it went to London.

Previews began on Feb. 13 and opening night was Feb. 16 (the night I saw it). The show is set to close on March 2. The show is written and directed by Ray Cooney with music by Chris Walker and lyrics by Mary Stewart-David. I know workshops are a work in progress, but I was expecting something that I could at least picture eventually making its way to London, especially since Cooney is already a well-established British playwright.

The flimsy plot is centered around Steven (Brandon Michael Perkins), who lives in London and is a successful lawyer with a smoking problem. At his boss's insistence, he goes to a psychiatrist who uses hypnosis to get Steven to quit. His methods send Steven back to a former life as a Chicago gangster named Johnny. From then on, any wave of an object can send Steven back to Chicago and each time we have to deal with nauseating light flashes and echoes of the last dialogue he hears. This is where it gets confusing. Is he watching his old life? Is he a part of it? Can he actually change the course of Johnny's history? I still don't know the answer to these questions. In any case, Johnny falls in love with his mob boss' girlfriend Ruby (Misty Cotton), but in the present Steven is in engaged to Barbara (Jennifer Malenke), his boss's daughter. It is hard to get attached to any of the characters because we are never with them for long enough to really grasp what's going on or why they feel the they do for each other.

The show has an old-fashioned feel, which pays homage to Guys and Dolls with its gangsters singing and dancing routines. One could argue that a great storyline is not necessary. In how many shows does the love story show any real development? But usually those musicals, like say Anything Goes, have scores written by brilliant songwriters, like say Cole Porter. The score here, while enjoyable, especially the lovely ballad "The Truth About Ruby," is not enough to sustain the show.

Neither are the individual great scenes, which don't really tie together as a whole. These include an especially hilarious trip to the wedding caterers and an adorable dance number with Millicent Martin (whose character is pretty extraneous, but fun to watch).

Overall, the cast is strong. Perkins is charming in his double duty, but I still do not understand the appeal of Cotton, who stars in almost every Civic Light Opera production. Her voice is nothing special and her acting is cold. (Full disclosure: There are a few critically acclaimed actors that I've never understood the appeal of, like Bernadette Peters, so I might be missing something here.) The ensemble numbers are very well done, and a few supporting characters were particularly talented--Danny Bolero as Dr. Patel for his vocal work and Matt Bezmarevich as the catering manager for his comedic work.

This show may never be a smash hit, but with some plot changes and tightening and a new leading lady, it could be decent. On second thought, it might make it to London. After all, Starlight Express did well over there.

On the opposite coast, Next to Normal is another show with rumors of an eventual Broadway transfer. The off-Broadway show already has a cult following and got decent reviews, even after various workshops under the title Feeling Electric, it's still a mess.

This latest incarnation, directed by Michael Greif, who has a good track record with RENT and Grey Gardens, officially opened at the Second Stage Theatre on Feb. 13 and is set to close on March 16.

Dan (Brian d'Arcy James) and Diana (Alice Ripley) are parents to Natalie (Jennifer Damiano) and Gabe (Aaron Tveit). Natalie is dating Henry (Adam Chandler-Berat) and their relationship often mirrors that of her parents. Although Henry is the most endearing character, his presence takes away from getting too deep into other relationships, which are the heart of the story. I can't talk much about the plot without giving too much away, which is exactly the problem--it's too gimmicky. If you want to tell a story about manic-depression and how it affects a family, just do it without relying on cliche plot surprises and ridiculous musical numbers.

There is a lot about this show to like, which is what makes it so frustrating to watch. I so wanted it to be better. Kevin Adams lighting combined with Mark Wendland's three-tiered set is visually stunning. Tom Kitt's adrenaline-pumping rock score is strong, if only it wasn't undercut by Brian Yorkey's often insufferable lyrics. James does stupendous vocal work as always and he gives his character as much depth as he can in the scenes he is in. Having never seen Ripley, but having heard of her talent, I was disappointed with her voice, which was often nasally, but her acting made up for it. The young actors are also talented in the vocal department, but the acting is sometimes too over-the-top. Tveit is probably going to be a Broadway teen heartthrob a la the Spring Awakening kids, but his moves sometimes make Zac Efron's "Bet on It" look subtle. Damiano is also prone to this kind of arm flailing. Chandler-Berat was the most real on stage, however unnecessary his role.

A Broadway-transfer wouldn't be the worst thing, but before then, this show needs to decide what it wants to be. A few friends of mine were commenting on the sincerity of the musical Spring Awakening. I actually found the sincerity of that show refreshing, but in Next to Normal, some of the scenes are so earnest and then it will turn to satire with a Costco musical number. I'm all for a musical that deals with manic depression, but all those involved need to have more confidence in the story they are telling. And please, don't ever think that shock therapy should be put to music.

Some West Coast Competition for Magnolia

Too often, quality and/or popular food means giving up the customer experience. At Sprinkles Cupcakes in Los Angeles, customers wait outside, only to be herded in and out with no time to make a decision. BabyCakes Baking Company in Torrance, CA rivals every cupcake bakery on both coasts, plus the husband/wife team who own it make every customer feel welcome.

The bakery opened about two months ago. The pink and white decor gives the place an old-fashioned feel. The couple used to cater out of their house where she had time to perfect dozens of cupcake recipes. Every day, five signature cupcakes are offered and the rest vary from day to day.

We arrived about an hour before closing on a Saturday. They were running low on cupcakes, and they were out of her specialty, the vanilla with vanilla bean frosting. We said that was ok as you can get vanilla cupcakes anywhere, but the husband insisted that these were different, and she whipped us up one. While we were waiting, he gave us free samples (mini cupcakes which are sold for a dollar) of the chocolate mousse and the red velvet.

We purchased four cupcakes to split. I didn't try the lemon, but the strawberry cupcake with fresh strawberry buttercream was made with fresh strawberries which meant it was not too sweet. The banana with caramel frosting was good, although it tasted more like a muffin. But he was certainly right about the vanilla cupcake. The whipped cream center is a unique and delicious touch.

The bakery also sells cookies, muffins, and other pastries. The cupcakes cost $2.50 and the fresh ingredients and customer service definitely make it worth the price. I'm already looking forward to my next trip home when I can return for the sparkling pear cupcake made with champagne. And if they don't have it, I'll guess I'll just have to keep going back until they do.

Spinal Tap Fans Unite!

On Friday, I attended a Q&A with the cast of The Homecoming at Borders. Afterwards, I had the cast sign a copy of the play (no matter how hard I try, I can't shake the fan girl out of me). I spoke to Michael McKean about a few things, including This Is Spinal Tap, and he encouraged me to write a letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame asking them to admit Spinal Tap, as the band is approaching its 25 year anniversary. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, "Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll." Nowhere does it say that fictitious bands are ineligible. I decided to take it upon myself to fight for this worthy cause and encourage others to do the same. Spinal Tap in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Things That Make Me Confused

If I were to write my own version of "My Favorite Things," two items that would probably be on the list are musical theatre and dessert, or maybe I'd break up dessert into two sub-categories, cupcakes and ice cream. But that doesn't mean that I'm excited about this. Or this.

I guess the Catered Affair wedding cupcake makes sense because the show is about a wedding, but what about Spring Awakening suggests an oversized ice cream sundae? I guess they left that part out of the play about teenagers in Germany in the 1890s hanging out at the local malt shop. And is the Broadway industry so desperate that shows now have to pimp themselves out to dessert companies?

The Best Cure for the WGA Strike Blues

The rumor is that the WGA strike will end soon, but it will probably be a while before new episodes of non-reality shows air. In the meantime, you might want to check out The Battery's Down, a new web show about an actor trying to make it in New York City.

The two-part first episode premiered on February first and a new episode will be available on the website and on YouTube the first of every month.

The show was created by Jake Wilson, who also stars in it. He has a pretty impressive resume and some friends in the business, judging from the guest appearances on the show, but I wouldn't be surprised if this show gets him better offers.

Sometimes the show is a little too over-the-top, but it's meant to be. The catchy Avenue Q-like theme song and the Ferris Bueller musical are highlights (except for the fact that I fear some producer will see that and get an idea), but the selling point is the big musical number, "This Is Your Life," which squeezes as many theatre references as it can into a few minutes.

The show is obviously aimed at a very specific audience, so I'm guessing non-musical theatre junkies won't be too amused. But you might want to check it out anyway. It sure beats Celebrity Apprentice.*

* I've never actually seen that show.

Everybody's Gonna Love Today... Except Me

A fun little post for 52shows.com about my inability to get into a sold out show.

More Reasons to Love the Roundabout

As I said in the previous entry, I've been seeing tons of theatre lately. Some excellent ("Happy Days"), some good ("The Farnsworth Invention"), and some disappointing ("The Little Mermaid"), but I feel compelled to write about "Speech and Debate" because you are less likely to have heard about it.

I've loved the Roundabout Theatre Company since I saw Assassins at Studio 54 in 2004, which had one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in live theatre. Since then, I've never been disappointed in any of their productions. In the fall, the company introduced Access Roundabout, an initiative to encourage young adults to attend live theatre with discounted tickets to every performance, and Roundabout Underground at its new Black Box Theatre in the basement of the Laura Pels Theatre. The first of the productions is Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam. The play officially opened on October 29 and since then has been extended several times.


It is refreshing to see such an intimate theatre space just a block from Times Square. There is a cozy waiting area with couches and a bar for early arrivers. The theatre itself, which is general admission, seats about 60.

Three high school students with varying agendas who have secrets about themselves and their drama teacher form an alliance in, as you may have guessed, a speech and debate team. Solomon (Jason Fuchs) is an aspiring journalist, Howie (Gideon Glick) is a recent transfer who wants to start a gay-straight alliance, and Diwata (Sarah Steele) wants to star in the school musical and is also working on her own musical version of The Crucible. For a non-musical, this has some of the best musical numbers I've seen this season. From the sample of Crucible, one can only hope for a Speech and Debate sequel with the full scale version.

Susan Blackwell is the only "adult" in the show, and while she masters who two scenes, she lets her three young co-stars steal the show. Fuchs captures the anxieties and innocence of his character with little details like biting his thumb nail. Glick, is playing a teenager who came out at the age of ten, a far cry from the confused Ernst he played in Spring Awakening, but it would be a shame if he always gets typecast as the gay one. Still, he out of everyone feels most like a teenager in the way he can portray ultra-confidence and complete insecurity at the same time. Steele was Adam Sandler's sweet, chubby, smiling daughter in Spanglish, and one of the best parts of the movie, but who knew she could sing, dance, and bring so much humor and depth to a character? She's definitely one to watch.

The show is now set to close on Feb. 24. It would be nice if it would extend again so even more audiences could see it, but one can always look forward to the next Roundabout Underground show, if this is going to be the standard.

I'm back.

To the few people who read my blog regularly (hi mom), I apologize for being so bad about updating. I recently started a new job and to be honest, I've been wondering whether it'd be worth it to keep this blog up. But lately I've been thinking, even though I do a lot of writing at my job, I should have an outlet for review writing, just for fun, whether or not people read it. So I will try and write more regularly. I've been seeing tons of theatre lately (more than I should probably admit to), so more on that to come.

I'm Down With OSP

You must check out Old Springs Pike. Here's the review I wrote on one of their shows for 52shows.com.

A Death Over 100 Years in the Making

It's probably a good thing that Is He Dead?, written by Mark Twain in 1898, hasn't been performed until now because it's hard to imagine any actor in those 109 years could be as captivating as Norbert Leo Butz. The play, directed by Michael Blakemore, officially opens today (although the Playbill still lists the pre-strike opening night, November 29) at the Lyceum Theatre. In 2002, Stanford University English Professor Shelley Fisher Fishkin rediscovered the Twain play and brought it to producer Bob Boyett, who recruited David Ives for the adaptation (Jesse Green wrote a fascinating article on the process from the discovery to the production for the New York Times).

In the play, French painter Jean-Francois Millet (Norbert Leo Butz) can't sell a painting. When a snooty English man (played to comic perfection by David Pittu) wants to buy one of his paintings and then changes his mind upon realizing that the painter is still alive, Millet realizes that the only way for an artist to be successful is to die. His friends help him fake death, forcing Millet to pose as his widowed sister handling his affairs.

There is nothing particularly original or groundbreaking here, but then again most of it was written over a hundred years ago. Still, it's rare to find a show this funny that never loses its momentum. This is in large part due to the Butz, who bounces around the stage in drag with the same energy he displayed in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The supporting cast is just as engaging, especially Byron Jennings as the villainous Bastien Andre, complete with wicked laugh, and Pittu as four minor characters with a variety of accents. Even Jenn Gambatese was able to redeem herself from memories of the disappointing Tarzan with her performance as Millet's simple lover.

Aside from the problem of the multiple doors not staying shut, Peter J. Davison makes fantastic use of the vast stage with his set design. The cluttered effect of paintings everywhere makes the stage look much smaller in the first act, in contrast to the grandiose white room of the second act, when the characters have money.

Time will tell how successful the play is with critics and audiences, but with the all-star treatment Is He Dead? is getting, it's hard not to see parallels between Millet and Twain, who was just coming out of bankruptcy when he wrote this. I guess the answer to the question is that no, an artist is never really dead as long as his work lives on.