I Heart (TO)NY

I'm really enjoying Time Out New York's theatre coverage of late. First, the critics made a really silly video called "Chekhov 101". I love it when critics have a sense of humor. Then, David Cote had a genius casting idea for the upcoming Spider-Man musical. Sure beats Jim Sturgess, who is rumored for the role.

I know I'm probably in the minority of people who read this kind of thing (Entertainment Weekly's theatre column lasted about a week), but I hope that more publications will expand their theatre coverage beyond reviews and have some fun. New York Magazine is doing a pretty good job as well.

Glory, Glory: Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum

In 2003, Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre's production of Big River with hearing-impaired and hearing actors transferred from Los Angeles to Broadway, and one hopes that their production of Pippin, at the Mark Taper Forum through March 15, will have a similar fate. There hasn't been a revival of Pippin on Broadway since its original production in 1972 and this refreshing take suggests that it might be time (with a few minor tweaks).

In the show, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson, the "players" are performing the story of Pippin, the son of King Charlemagne (his name has been updated to Charles), trying to find his purpose. In this production, directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun, some of the characters are played by a single actor, who sings and signs, while others are played by a hearing-impaired actor and voiced by a hearing actor. Only Pippin is double cast, and this is where the production works best. Tyrone Giordano is first presented as our Pippin for the night, but when he starts to sign, Ty Taylor as the Leading Player brings out Michael Arden to provide his voice. Pippin is a character struggling with his identity, and the two actors play different sides of his personality, often at odds with each other. Giordano and Arden work very well together and Arden's lovely voice combined with Giordano's charm and innocence make for a likable leading man.

Hands are obviously very important to a show where everything is signed, and hands appear from the stage at various points in the show. During the song "With You," when Pippin explores sex, the two Pippins are first seduced by these hands, then they make their way to a bed, where men and women appear and disappear through the sheets in one of the best, and most seductive, moments of the show.

Spoilers are to follow, so if you're not familiar with the story, you may want to stop reading. At the end of the show, Pippin veers from the script and chooses love instead of the grand finale. He is stripped of his clothes, make-up, all the "magic." What makes this moment all the more powerful is when Arden is taken away from him as well, so he is left with no voice. Who knew that even in moments of silence, a musical could be so powerful.

Not Exactly What I Had In Mind

Although I've been lamenting the fact that so few new musicals are opening this spring, that doesn't mean I'm happy about the sudden announcement that Next to Normal is transferring to Broadway. In my initial review, I wrote that if many changes were made to the show, a Broadway transfer wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but now I have to say, I was actually angry when I read this news. Maybe it's because of the fans and critics who think this show is genius, maybe it's because there are so many better off-Broadway shows that never see the light of day again (How about Slug Bearers on Broadway. Anyone?). Now I'm angry because this seems to be a rush to get the show on Broadway before the Tonys, since there is not much competition this year. This is an interesting season because with the economy being what it is, many shows closed or were canceled or postponed, but at the same time, more risks are being made because there is more room for shows that wouldn't normally make it. I don't know how much work was done when it recently played in Virginia, but I hope that the producers respect their audience enough to give them the best product possible and really think it's the best it could be before bringing it to the Broadway stage.

Initial Oscar Reactions

With all the excitement about the new President and inauguration activities (I even watched the Kids Inaugural, which was pretty cute), I almost forgot about the Oscars. You can read the nominations here. I'm a little disappointed that Wall-E wasn't nominated for best picture, a little surprised that Dark Knight wasn't either, and a lot excited that Robert Downey, Jr. was nominated for best supporting actor, even though he won't win.

Just The Bitch Of Living

I've never really understood why fans get so upset when shows close. I never like to see people lose their jobs and I certainly don’t like to see so many shows closing at once, but everything has to close sometime (except maybe Phantom), and if shows didn't close, there wouldn't be room for new shows to come in. So I'm surprised at myself for how I'm feeling today, the day of Spring Awakening's closing on Broadway. Yesterday, "The Mirror-Blue Night" (one of my favorite scenes in the show) came up on my iPod, and I got a little emotional. Of all the shows closing this month, it's the only one I feel compelled to write about. Two Sundays ago (January 4), nine shows closed on Broadway. Last Sunday, three more closed. Some were limited runs like White Christmas and All My Sons. Some, though I was surprised to see them go, had pretty healthy runs, like Hairspray and Spamalot. And some, though I’m sorry for all those that lost their jobs, didn’t really deserve to be on Broadway in the first place, like 13 and Young Frankenstein. But Spring Awakening lasted only two years, which is a pretty good run for a show that seemed risky to bring to Broadway, but after all its critical success, it should have lasted longer. In my opinion, it's one of the best new musicals in recent years, and I wish there was still a place for it on Broadway. There will always be teenagers who were too young to see the show before who may not get a chance to see it, depending on how long the tour runs.

I wouldn’t say Spring Awakening is my favorite show, not that I have one, different shows affect me for different reasons, and I don’t think it’s a perfect show by any means, but somehow I’ve seen it more times than any other show on Broadway. Somewhat unintentionally (not that anyone forced me, but I usually try to see everything once, twice at the most), I ended up seeing it six times.

I saw it for the first time a few months after it opened on Broadway. The glowing reviews had already come out, but it wasn’t at the height of its popularity. I had an internship in the city at the time, and one day after work, I walked up to the box office at around 6:30 p.m. and was still able to get a rush ticket (this was before students started camping out at 6 in the morning, and I heard for tonight's show, they started camping out at 5 p.m. last night). I avoid reading reviews before I see a show, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I just sat that in my little box seat and fell in love with the music. The moment that sticks out most in my mind is when John Gallagher Jr. took out his microphone to sing the first words of the rocking anthem of teenage boys "The Bitch of Living." It was a similar experience to the first time I heard RENT, the score was just electric. The choreography was unlike anything I'd seen before--it seemed so representative of what teenagers go through, bursting with energy to experience something, to get out, to grow up. I was also impressed by the cast. When I got back to Syracuse, I read some articles on them and couldn't believe how young they were. I was so excited when I left the theatre that I called my sister to tell her I just saw a new musical that she was going to love and that she would be crushing on some of the actors (she was 15 at the time). I was right on both counts. The second time I saw the show, my mom and sister were visiting for my sister's 16th birthday. It was still as good as I remembered it, but this time I knew what to expect. Seeing it through my sister's eyes was almost as thrilling as seeing it for the first time, in a way, even more so, because she is the right age to really connect with the material. Though I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and am sure that Spring Awakening would have really spoke to me at that time, I have a little bit of a distance from that stage of my life.

As I said, it's a flawed show. There are some cheesy moments, especially when Moritz and Wendla come back and start singing to Melchior. "The Song of Purple Summer" is tacked on as if they didn't know how to end the show. Some of the original Wedekind has been toned down to market the show as more of a love story when it's really a lust story, but then again, the ambiguity of some of the scenes allows for discussion and disagreement, which is a good thing.

My third viewing of the show was about a year after it opened. Some friends were going, so I decided to join them, but I didn’t enjoy it as much. The cast seemed to be growing tired and I didn't find myself as drawn in. But a few months later, we surprised my sister with onstage seats for her birthday, and seeing the show from a different angle brought back that same excitement as the initial viewing. I thought I would feel self-conscious sitting onstage, but seeing the cast jump around, especially during numbers like "Totally Fucked," is an exhilarating experience. Because the cast sits onstage as well, I noticed that the cast, who I thought seemed so tired of the show just a few months earlier, seemed genuinely involved in the material, still crying and laughing even during some of the scenes that they weren't in.

I thought that would be my last visit to the show, until I won a contest to interview Hunter Parrish. Although it was strange to see a new cast, I loved the dynamic between Hunter Parrish and Alexandra Socha and seeing the different interpretations of the characters made it almost like seeing a new show.

I saw the show one last time a few weeks ago, again with my sister, who was visiting (yeah, she's spoiled) and wanted to see it one last time. We got standing room, which actually turned out to offer yet another new perspective. I've never had such a centered view and even noticed some aspects of the set I hadn't before (like a full moon).

In my six viewings, I rarely saw understudies. I went to see the show, and didn't pick dates based on who would be in that day. Spring Awakening fans LOVE their understudies and sometimes camp out if they hear a certain cast member will go on. I'm a little old to be obsessing over cast members, so I never really cared who I saw, but today I find myself regretting not seeing different casts. I wonder whether Matt Doyle's (who was terrific in both the ensemble and as Hanschen) Melchior was really that good or what it would have been like to see Zach Reiner-Harris and Morgan Karr (who I loved at the Spring Awakening holiday show) in any role. But then I realize I don't really need to see every interpretation of every role--I'm sure these cast members will have bright futures ahead and I'll get to see them in other roles. So yes, I'm ready to let the show go personally, but it is too soon for it to close, and will leave the new musical selection on Broadway sadly underwhelming. Looking at the new shows coming in, there are so few new musicals. Shrek was actually much better than I expected and I enjoyed Billy Elliot, but I don't remember much about either score. The Story of My Life, which I don't expect to last very long, and 9 to 5 are coming in, but that's about it. Everything else will be revivals. Avenue Q and In The Heights are just about the only original musicals left (I know Spring Awakening wasn't truly original being based on a centuries-old play, but it did break new ground in other ways). I'm left thinking about the teenager who never liked musical theatre, who might have seen Spring Awakening and loved it, and been tempted to discover other theatre, who now might not get that chance.

It's A Christmas Miracle

I exaggerate a little about the miracle part, but Norbert Leo Butz and Raul Esparza are going to be on the same Broadway stage. Sadly, neither of them will be singing, but I'll take what I can get. Jeremy Piven had to leave Speed-the-Plow due to illness and Butz is now taking over. Speed-the-Plow was one of my favorite shows of the year, but this will undoubtedly make it even better. I must get back to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and hope for a technical difficulty.

My Year in Lists

I have no idea where the year went, but I do know that I lasted a year in New York City. Here are some of my favorites of 2008.

Top 5 Movies:
1) Wall-E: Pixar consistently makes the best and most original movies today. Wall-E is visually stunning and told a very sweet story. Plus, Wall-E and Eve are just so darn adorable.
2) Iron Man: I know Dark Knight was the superhero movie this summer, but Iron Man was more enjoyable. Robert Downey Jr. is my kind of superhero.
3) Milk: Not a weak link in the cast (I was especially impressed by James Franco) and very timely.
4) Prince Caspian: Though not as good as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it remains faithful to the series, except for that ridiculous Susan/Caspian romance.
5) Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist: Though the book was better, I was pleasantly surprised by the movie, which is that rare teenage film where most of the teenagers are not annoying, yet still realistic.

Top 5 Albums:
1) 5to Piso, Ricardo Arjona: He's one of the few artists that I can buy a new album without hearing any of the songs and know I won't be disappointed, and so far, I haven't been. He's a brilliant storyteller as well as musician.
2) goddammed, Jay Brannan: His lyrics range from clever and biting to poignant, sometimes all in one song.
3) Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, The New Broadway Cast: Just because a show is great, doesn't necessarily mean the cast album will hold up, but this is one of the most well-done cast albums I own, perfectly capturing the magnificent orchestra and cast.
4) Hold On Now, Youngster..., Los Campesinos!: So much fun. And still better than We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, also released this year. The title of this blog post is taken from a song off this album.
5) Volume One, She & Him: I've loved Zooey Deschanel since Elf, and now I love M. Ward too.

Top 5 Concerts:
1) Ray Davies, Hammerstein Ballroom, Dec. 12: I actually saw him for the first time on March 29 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, but this concert slightly topped that one because I was closer to the stage and he played three songs from The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, as well as "Dedicated Follower of Fashion," "Apeman," and "Father Christmas."
2) The Swell Season, Rumsey Playfield, Sept. 18: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova seem to love playing together and for an audience. Were it not for the strict rules in Central Park, they might have played all night.
3) REM with The National and Modest Mouse, Madison Square Garden, June 19: Not one, but two good opening acts, plus REM. Good deal. Although I would have liked a bit more variation in the set list from the 2004 show I saw, also at MSG.
4) Jay Brannan, Highline Ballroom, July 16: I wasn't too familiar with his work beforehand, but I loved everything he played. Plus, he had good stage banter, which I always enjoyed. After seeing him live, I bought his album, which as you can see, made my top album list as well.
5) A Spring Awakening Holiday Concert to Benefit SafePlace, Joe's Pub, December 15: I was debating whether to include this since I already come across enough as a Broadway fangirl without admitting that I went to this, but it really was amazing, especially the arrangements of classic Christmas songs done by Spring Awakening vocal arranger Ann Marie Milazzo. I loved the haunting harmonies in the big group numbers, but the highlight was this number (even though it's more of a Passover song), which showcased two ensemble members of the current cast, Morgan Karr and Zach Reiner-Harris:


Top 5 Broadway:
To narrow it down, I took this list from shows that opened this calendar year (not Broadway season) and am therefore excluding shows that I saw this year that opened last year, such as Xanadu and August: Osage County.
1) Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific: Beautiful production. A full orchestra. Perfect cast. Amazing score. This is the only show in recent memory for which I paid full price, and it was worth every penny.
2) Gypsy: Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, and Laura Benanti deserved their Tony's. I know it's all about Lupone, but Benanti's transformation during the show is incredible to watch. It's really a shame that it's selling so poorly and will be closing in January (along with everything else on Broadway).
3) In The Heights: Although the book isn't perfect, the innovative rap/hip-hop infused score and dancing make up for it. Extra points for the best YouTube channel ever, usnavi.
4) Boeing Boeing: One of the funniest shows I've ever seen, thanks in large part to Mark Rylance, and I don't usually like farce.
5) Speed-the-Plow: It's hard to narrow down my favorites to 5. Maybe I should have included The Seagull instead or even [title of show], but I love Mamet, especially this one, and if Raul Esparza doesn't finally get a Tony, there is no justice.

Top 5 Off-Broadway:
Same rules as above, which is why I'm not including Speech and Debate.
1) Hair at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park: If you didn't know I was going to pick this, you haven't been paying attention, as this was one of my favorite productions ever. I just hope the Broadway production is able to capture at least some of what was created in the park last summer.
2) Black Watch at St. Anne's Warehouse: Didn't think it could live up to the hype, but it did.
3) The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island at The Vineyard: Talk about an original musical. The story was weird and the sets were made up of Ben Katchor's animation. I wish more people would have seen this or that there would have been a recording of some kind.
4) On The Town at New York City Centers: I'd never seen a City Center's Encores! production, but even from my awful seats, I loved it. I'm a sucker for big orchestras, dancing, Bernstein, and Tony Yazbeck.
5) Fifty Words at MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre: Norbert Leo Butz and Elizabeth Marvel gave two of the best and most realistic performances of the year in this two-person show about marriage.

Top 5 Books:
I have to cheat on this one because I don't know if I even read 5 books that came out this year, so I'm going to choose from the books I read this year. I'm currently reading What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell and The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross, which are both very good, but since I haven't finished them, won't make the list.
1) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: Although Dickens is my favorite author, I hadn't read it yet, but I'm glad I finally got around to it. I hadn't read Dickens in a while and he had the ability to write descriptions and characters like nobody else.
2) Attack of The Theatre People by Marc Acito: The sequel to How I Paid For College and just as funny. I don't think you'd need to be a theatre nerd to enjoy the crazy situations Edward Zanni gets himself into, though you'd probably miss some of the references.
3) Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: For such a short book, it's pretty substantive, and Cohn and Levithan do an excellent job of getting into the mind of a teen.
4) Unaccostumed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri: I usually prefer novels to short stories, but these stories were so well-crafted and each one fit together to form a larger picture.
5) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: O.K. I've since become disenchanted with the series and the fans kind of scare me, but when I read the first one, I was totally engrossed in the love story. Meyer is a repetitive writer, but she can weave a nice fairy tale.

A Razzle Dazzle Episode of Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies's writers apparently love the underappreciated 1977 Disney movie Pete's Dragon as much as I do. Wednesday's episode, "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy," featured numerous references to the movie. At first I thought maybe it was just a coincidence that the lighthouse keeper's name was Nora like in the movie and her last name McQuoddy which sounds a lot like the town name Passamaquoddy. But then her son's name was Elliot, as in the name of the dragon. Plus they wore the same cute yellow raincoats and hats and then there was that a capella rendition of "Candle on the Water." Awesome. I'm glad I watched the movie when I was home over Thanksgiving, or I'd be really in the mood to watch it now.

What Is New Line Thinking?

Playbill reports that New Line bought the screen rights to Rock of Ages, an off-Broadway musical playing at the New World Stages. I'm not in the film business, but this doesn't seem like a great idea, especially in these troubled times. This musical has a fan base, but it is by no means a well-known hit. It's also not very good, a weak and unoriginal story that's basically filler to showcase '80s songs. The audience members that enjoyed the show when I saw it seemed to be more into the alcohol (which can be ordered during the show right to your seat) than anything else. It's also a show that encourages audience participation, so I can't see how these aspects will be brought to the big screen.

Sad News Friday

I've been in a good mood lately. It's almost Thanksgiving. It's time for gingerbread and eggnog. But I'm sad about two things today:

Sorry for yet another post about Hair, but Playbill reports that Jonathan Groff will not be making the move with the show to Broadway. He was replaced during the extensions at the Delacorte run (due to a prior commitment) by Christopher J. Hanke. Hanke was good in the role, but I didn't think he connected to the material or cast the way Groff did. The real shame is that there wasn't a Delacorte cast recording. No casting announcements have been made yet, but I'm sure this will still be a production worth seeing.

I also read that the television show Pushing Daisies has been canceled, which is a real shame because it was an original concept with a good cast and endearing characters.

Of course, there are worse things that could happen, and I'm sure the cast and crew of Pushing Daisies will find other projects. Also, I think my blog has become too theatre-dominant since I moved to New York and I'll try to change that soon. In the meantime, here is something that I wrote that has nothing to do with theatre (unless Conor Oberst was in a regional production of West Side Story that I don't know about).

3 War Shows, Just In Time For Veteran's Day

I didn't plan this, but in the 4 days before Veteran's Day, I saw 3 shows related to wars and military--The Roundabout Theatre production of Streamers, The National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch, and a York Theatre Company reading of Yank!.

This season, both on and off Broadway is all about the testosterone, with two Mamet shows and Billy Elliot, to name a few. Perhaps this is a reaction to last year's season of women, with shows like August: Osage County and Top Girls. The only woman in any of the three shows I saw was Nancy Anderson in Yank!, who played all the female roles. It's a boy's life, indeed.


Though very different in their approach, the three shows deal with questions about what it means to be a man. Streamers, directed by Scott Ellis and written by David Rabe in 1976, takes place during the Vietnam War. Though it is the only one in which the characters are not actually fighting, but waiting to go to go to war, it is the goriest of the three. Black Watch, directed by John Tiffany and Gregory Burke, is about members of the Black Watch regiment of the Scottish Army during the Iraq War. Although it is not a musical, the whole piece is beautifully choreographed. Yank!, directed by Igor Goldin with music by Joseph Zellnik and book and lyrics by David Zellnik, mostly focuses on the relationship between two men in the army during World War II.


It's sad how little has changed in the over 60-year time span during which the three shows take place. We're in a war with many similarities to Vietman. In Yank!, the main character wants homosexuality to become acceptable and makes a comment about how things will change probably by 1949 or 1950, which gets a laugh from the audience. In light of the passage of Proposition 8, there is still a long way to go.

I'm looking forward to seeing what change President-elect Barack Obama will bring in the future. For now, I think I'll take a break from all this heavy war stuff, at least until Prayer for My Enemy opens at Playwrights Horizons next month.

Happy Election Day

Out of all the election-related videos on YouTube, I think this is my favorite because Mr. McFeely is awesome. Enjoy.

By the way, my polling station still used the lever machines and they did not have any "I Voted" stickers, which I'm still a little bitter about.

High School Musical Too

Nickelodeon is releasing its own teen musical movie, Spectacular!, to be released sometime in 2009. It sounds a lot like Disney's High School Musical, except instead of a basketball player who reluctantly joins the musical, it's about a rock star who reluctantly joins the show choir. It doesn't look very good, but I'm kind of hoping it does well, if only so I don't have to hear about those HSM kids anymore.

13 Creators Could Have Done a Little More Homework

Saturday night at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre was filled with teens, tweens, and even very young children with their families. It was the final preview of 13, a new Broadway musical by composer Jason Robert Brown. It's no wonder families would want to take their children, the show stars an all-teen cast, but those expecting High School Musical might be in for a surprise. The adult humor may go over some heads.

In 13, Evan Goldman (played on Saturday night by Corey J. Snide, but usually by Graham Phillips), has to move from New York City to Appleton, Indiana after his parents' divorce, and right after his bar mitzvah. He wants to have the best party, which means all the cool kids have to be there, but he might have to hurt his new neighbor Patrice (Allie Trimm) in order to make that happen.

Evan's struggle to fit in is realistic, as are many of the actions of the characters, but the dialogue in the book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn often doesn't ring true. I am not naive enough to think that girls of this age don't call each other sluts, but I don't think 13-year-olds would make as many jokes about inbreeding, terminal illnesses, and Judaism.

The show is 90 minutes long with no intermission, apparently cut down from two acts. Although I'm a fan of the tight one-act, in this case, the show may have benefitted from a little more time for the characters to develop. Archie (Aaron Simon Gross), the boy with the never fully explained terminal illness, is very clever, but we never get to see the pain that he must be going through.

The score is as hit-and-miss as the rest of the show. The standout song is "Bad Bad News," sung by Al Calderon, Malik Hammond, Joey La Varco, and easily the most talented in the cast with sadly one of the smallest roles, Eamon Foley.

Christopher Gattelli's choreography is energetic and fitting, but again, there isn't enough of it, which is a shame because dancing is clearly the strong suit for most of the cast. That might explain the tacked on number "Brand New You" after the curtain call, which serves no purpose other than to showcase the dancing skills of the cast and the excellent all-teen band.

It's easier to write about a show when it's truly awful or amazing, but this show was a little of both, and ultimately forgettable.

If 9 People Read This Blog...

I don't know how many people read this blog, probably not many, but I want to do my part to help the lovely cast of [title of show] reach its dream of playing packed houses until the show closes (far too soon) on October 12. If you need convincing, watch the [title of show] show and don't forget to watch it through episode 10, which is a doozy of a cliffhanger.

A little backstory: [title of show] is a musical about writing and putting on a musical, written by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, who star as themselves in the show alongside their friends, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell. Yes, it is very theatre insider-y, but you don't need to get the references to enjoy the show (I don't know anybody who understood every reference). Everybody can relate to the concept of vampires, but if you want to know more about that, you have to see the show. So go see it. Tell 9 people. Or 90.

After that, go see Xanadu, which is also set to close on the 12th (incidentally, I became more interested in seeing Xanadu after seeing Cheyenne Jackson on the [title of show] show). It'll be a sad day for musical theatre lovers.

Edit: Xanadu is closing on Sunday now.

More Exciting Than a Hair Transfer

Read my interview with Hunter Parrish on Broadwayworld.com.*

I was able to see the show again (thanks Broadwayworld and Spring Awakening!) and was very impressed with Parrish. He and Alexandra Socha played Melchior and Wendla quite a bit differently than Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, who originated the roles. They had great chemistry, as did Groff and Michele, but Socha came on much more aggressive, which worked, but made my question about whether the sex scene was a rape kind of a moot point (I had to submit my questions before I saw the show).

*That was kind of bossy. You don't have to read it if you don't want to.

Edit: I feel like a mini-celebrity now. I went to Barnes and Noble last night to see Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik speak about Spring Awakening and was recognized, so now there are more pictures of me on the site.

It's Official

So, I got to work a little early today and was checking Playbill.com because I'm a nerd, and it was finally announced--Hair is transferring to Broadway! The cast, theatre, and dates have yet to be announced, but I'm hoping the cast will be able to transfer. While I don't think the experience of seeing the show in the park can ever be recreated, I'm excited for a few reasons.
1) A cast album (I'm assuming).
2) Tony nominations (I'm assuming).
3) More people will be able to see this amazing production.
4) More exposure for the talented cast.

Goodbye, Love

I was around 13 or 14, visiting family in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was hanging out with my cousins at their house and they asked me if I heard of a new musical called RENT (the three of us were and still are musical theatre fans). I hadn't. They told me the plot of the show and the story of Jonathan Larson's tragic death and then played me the cast recording. I was blown away. My cousins had made a cassette tape for me of The Beatles Anthology 2, which I didn't have yet (we also share a love of the Beatles), and there was some room left at the end of the cassette, so they added a few RENT songs (I think they were "Rent," "One Song Glory," "Happy New Year," and "Seasons of Love"), which I listened to over and over again when I returned to California until I bought the complete album (I have also since bought the Beatles Anthology 2 on CD).



RENT will finally close this Sunday after a 12-year run, and I think it's time, but I can't help feeling a little emotional. Had I grown up in New York, I would probably have been a RENT-head, but I had to wait for the touring company before I was able to see the show and then I was blown away again. I felt like this show had been written for my generation, which seems a little silly now. What did I know then (or even to an extent now) about AIDS or loss or not having money to pay rent? Yet something about the show spoke to me. The characters felt so real to me. At that point, I had never met anyone who was openly gay, but the show made me sympathetic to gay rights. I loved the idea of no day but today.

I saw the show for a second and final time towards the end of high school with some friends, who used to sing RENT with me in between classes. I have never seen the show in New York and was considering going before it closed, but I am afraid that after such a long run, it won't be the same. I'd rather remember RENT when it was still new and groundbreaking. I can always listen to the soundtrack or watch the movie, which was a disappoint (how dare they live out "Christmas Bells"), but as close as I'd ever get to seeing the original cast. I'm glad RENT came around when it did, and I only hope they don't revive it in two years.

An Internal Struggle with the Twilight Series

Note: This blog post contains spoilers on the Twilight series, including Breaking Dawn.

I consider myself a fan of the Twilight series, but I always struggled with loving a series that romanticized what in many ways is an unhealthy relationship.

In Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Bella is human girl who moves to Forks, Washington, and falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. In the first book, they fall hard for each other, but they are still testing each other, they tease each other, flirt playfully, and Bella still spends time with her human friends. They seemed to have the perfect relationship and I found myself joining the teenage girls crushing on the fictional Edward.

In the sequel, New Moon, Edward leaves for a long period in the book because he wants her to have a better life. She completely falls apart. It's described as something more than love. They need each other, they feel whole when they are together. What girl doesn't want to imagine herself with a guy who would do anything for her? Who only sees her? Yet, Edward also thirsts for her blood. He has to balance loving her, with the fact that he wants to kill her. He makes up for this by protecting her from everything. He never wants her out of her sight.

In Eclipse, he forbids her to see her best friend, Jacob Black. He goes so far as to stop her car from working and have his sister kidnap her (he has an unfair advantage, he can read minds and his sister can see the future). There is something wrong with this picture. It's not healthy for a teenager to spend all her time with her boyfriend and for him to demand that she stop seeing her other friends. He lightens up later in the book, but because Edward is seen as the perfect boyfriend, young adults might think this is acceptable and might mistake their own controlling boyfriends for just being protective and loving.

None of these books were particularly well written, but I was quick to overlook the faults because I was so invested in the story. I eagerly went to a midnight Breaking Dawn party, participating in a heated Team Edward/Team Jacob debate (I was one of the few on Team Jacob, but my reasons for that would be another post entirely). After reading the much-anticipated Breaking Dawn, though, I can no longer overlook the fact that Stephenie Meyer is a lazy writer.

It's not very fair to compare Meyer to J.K. Rowling, but since they both have such die-hard fans, comparisons are inevitable. I never thought Rowling was a great writer either, but she took her time with the series, whereas Meyer seems to be tackling a lot in a short amount of time--the Twilight series, as well as her first adult novel, The Host, and other projects she is apparently working on. As a fairly new writer who has said in interviews that she wants to improve as a writer, she should slow down. I guess it's a little too late for this series though.

I will admit that I was shocked about Bella's pregnancy, especially since I wrongly misinterpreted the fact that vampires could not have babies to assume that it also meant they could not have babies with humans. After that, however, the book went in far too predictable and easy directions. I was hoping that Bella would not become a vampire, but of course she did. At the core of the first three books is the story of a beautiful vampire in love with a clumsy ordinary girl. If she's also a vampire, it's just two vampires in love, and that's pretty boring. Plus, Bella got to be a vampire and didn't end up having to make any sacrifices. What's that about? She got to keep a relationship with her father. She got to stay best friends with Jacob and will eventually have him as a son-in-law (anyone else creeped out by the Oedipal implications in this, let alone the fact that he imprinted on a baby). Everyone wins, except the reader.

A novel has to have conflict, but the only conflicts in this book were forced as when Bella was sure that she and Edward were going to die and that Alice had actually left them. Plot devices like this only work if you believe them. I suspected early on that Stephenie Meyer was a happy ending writer and it was obvious throughout the book that nobody would die and everyone would be paired off (in some cases with no development as with Charlie and Sue). There was no suspense in the final confrontation with the Volturi and everything leading up to it.

The main reason I was quick to forgive the faults of the first three books was my love for the characters, who felt three-dimensional. In this book, many characters were barely in it (Alice, Emmett), and the others felt like their personalities were missing. Edward was always there, but not as much of a presence as in the other books. The only character who was consistent with the other books was Jacob and the chapters from his perspective were the most enjoyable to read.

I've been reading reactions to the book online and while many were unhappy, there are many "Twihards" or "Twilighters" who say that all the books are perfect. They call Stephenie Meyer a "genius." As I said before, I love it when books get teenagers so excited that they will wait in line at midnight, but I would hope that they would realize it's OK to love a book and be critical. They should want to engage in the books, think about and discuss them. I'm not saying that because I thought Breaking Dawn was bad, that everyone should, but I hope that for those that did love the book, they think about why they did.

What I Learned Last Week

As some of you may know, when my mom and sister come to town, it's always a Broadway extravaganza (I guess that's not that different from when they're not here, but at least when they come, I have an excuse to see a show every night).

We had a cramazing time and were lucky enough to see both South Pacific (totally worth paying full price) and Hair (totally worth waiting in line for), though sadly not In the Heights. I think the most important thing I learned is, Xanadu really is as good, silly, and fun as everyone says, and not just because of Cheyenne Jackson's short shorts.

But they do help.

In all honesty, though, the highlight of the week was Hair in Central Park. All three of us love the music and have always wanted to see it live. Seeing it with them, outside in the park, with such an amazing cast (especially the charismatic Will Swenson as Berger, the comic Bryce Ryness as Woof, and sweet-voiced Alison Case as Crissy), for free, and then dancing onstage at the end, was one of my favorite theatre memories ever, and I have a lot. I'm so happy it's getting the reviews it deserves. Congratulations, cast and crew of Hair.

I've always loved the music from Hair, but I'd always heard that the show didn't have much of a plot. I was surprised to find three-dimensional characters that greatly moved me.

What a piece of work is man.