Everything In Life Is Only For Now

After I graduated college in 2004, I did what so many English majors have done before me and will continue to do after me, I moved to New York City. I figured my degree from a well-known university would be enough to get me a decent job, though I had no contacts and not even a place to live. I crashed with a friend while I looked for an apartment and a job, and ended up working at Starbucks and the Virgin Megastore in Times Square while I looked for something better. I could only afford to see shows via rush or lottery and I was desperate to see Avenue Q, which had recently won the Tony for best musical. I tried that lottery every time I was free to see the show. Sometimes I went with a friend, and sometimes alone if nobody could join me. The lottery guy started to recognize me (if I remember correctly, his name was Josh and he also went to college in Boston). Finally, sometime in October, after I don't know how many times, my name was called and I got a front row seat to Avenue Q for only $21.50.

I was expecting to love the show, but I didn't realize just how much it would mean to me. One of the first songs was called "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?" I felt like the show was written for me. In the show, Princeton moves to New York with a B.A. in English and tries to find his purpose. There are so many universal truths from "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" ("Ethinic jokes might be uncouth, but you laugh because they're based on truth.") to "For Now." ("Everyone's a little bit unsatisfied. Everyone goes 'round a little empty inside.") I teared up during "I Wish I Could Go Back to College." That song summed up everything I missed about college so perfectly. ("In college you know who you are. You sit in the quad, and think, 'Oh my God. I am totally gonna go far.'")

I recently interviewed original cast member Jennifer Barnhart for TDF and she had so many great stories that there wasn't room for in the article. One in particular was about a 10-year-old girl who came to see Avenue Q. At the stage door, Barnhart asked her what her favorite part was and the girl said "I Wish I Could Go Back to College." This obviously took Barnhart by surprise, but the girl said she could relate to the song because she wished she could go back to kindergarten. It just goes to show how universal the themes are.

I saw the show for a second time a few months later with family, but I haven't been back since. I haven't felt the need to return because my memories of it are so perfect, but I still listen to the CD all the time. Tomorrow, September 13, Avenue Q will close and Broadway will lose a brilliant original musical, a rarity these days. It had a nice long run, and it did so much more than what was expected--it beat Wicked for the Tony and ran for 6 years. Not bad for an adult musical with puppets.

Edit: At last night's closing (I wasn't there, but I heard about it today), Kevin McCullum, one of the producers, announced that Avenue Q would be transferring to the New World Stages. Tickets are already on sale.

A Broadway First

On Tuesday night at the Red Eye Grill, the producers of Superior Donuts hosted the first ever blogger media roundtable for a Broadway play. The show, by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts and directed by Tina Landau, deals with the friendship of Arthur Przybyszewski, who owns a decrepit donut shop, and his employee, a black teenager named Franco Wicks, who wants to improve the shop. Superior Donuts debuted at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company last summer.

There were several tables set up at the restaurant. Though Michael McKean and Tracy Letts never made it to my table, overall the evening was a success, made complete by donuts (the title always makes me crave them).

A pleasant surprise to the evening was the presence of Michael Feinstein. It was announced just the day before that he would be returning to Broadway for the first time since 1990 in a new solo show, tentatively titled All About Me. Feinstein says that he has been offered roles on Broadway over the years, but didn't want to do something people would expect of him. He envisions the show as an homage to Broadway music and where it is going.

The cast of Superior Donuts are all very excited to bring this work to New York. I spoke to a few of them:
Jon Michael Hill (Franko Wicks) joined Steppenwolf in 2007. He says, "I'm not as funny as Franco," and claims he was cast because of his young age. He credits director Tina Landau, Letts, and co-star Michael McKean for bringing out the best in him. I have a feeling he's just being humble, but I suppose I'll have the chance to see soon enough.

James Vincent Meredith (Officer James Hailey) is making his Broadway debut and is still getting used to the city. When asked what he's most excited about being on Broadway, he honestly answered that (in addition to getting to work on the play for a second time) he is looking forward to famous people coming see the show and meeting them afterward.

Kate Buddeke (Officer Randy Osteen) is based in Chicago, though she does a lot of work in New York. She says of the differences between Chicago and New York audiences, "If you get a standing ovation in Chicago, you know you deserve it." She is not a member of the Steppenwolf Company, but says that Chicago is very ensemble based and everyone is supportive of each other. She's known most of the cast for years and everyone gets along very well. Samuel Stricklen, the understudy for Hill and Meredith, reiterated Buddeke's sentiments about the cast. He had just started rehearsals the day before and says that everyone has been very helpful and welcoming.

If the camaraderie between the cast is any indication, this should be yet another great showcase for ensemble work. Click here for more information on Superior Donuts.

Number 9

Today is 9-9-09, the release of Beatles Rock Band and the entire remastered Beatles catalogue. I didn't want this day to go unnoticed on my blog, but (and this may come as a surprise), I will not be buying any Beatles items today. I will happily play my brother's Beatles Rock Band next time I'm in California, though I don't see the need for such a game. And I'm sure I will eventually buy the remasters, but for now my inferior quality CDs will do me just fine. Whenever there is a resurgence of interest in the Beatles, such as when the Beatles Anthology first aired in 1995, I'm excited by the availability of Beatles shirts in smaller sizes and the fact that suddenly everyone wants to talk about the Beatles with me, but I don't really need new products to remind me that the Beatles exist.

Also, don't forget to watch the season premiere of Glee tonight.

Buenos Aires Recap

I can't believe it's already been two years since my last trip to Buenos Aires. This time, I was there for my cousin's wedding and my trip was much shorter than usual, but I still got to squeeze in some culture. Here are some non-wedding highlights:

El Año Que Viene A La Misma Hora; Teatro Maipo (Esmeralda 443); starring Julieta Diaz and Adrian Suar: We only had time for one play, and we finally decided on the Bernard Slade play Same Time, Next Year. As the title suggests, it is about a couple, Juan and Doris, each married to someone else, who meet for one weekend every year. The play shows not only the developing relationship between the two over the years, but also the changes in fashion and culture over time. One memorable scene has Adrian Suar dancing to Thriller. I was prepared for the comedy, but I did not expect to be such a moving love story. The show would not work without chemistry between the two actors, and Suar and Diaz play off each other to perfection. Juan, an adorable bumbling idiot, comes across as the more sympathetic character and Suar, who has in recent years become more of a producer than an actor, is hilarious in the role, but Diaz succeeds in bringing out the softer side of the more practical Doris.

i Central Market; Puerto Madero: There is counter service in the front of the restaurant/cafe/store, but before eating, we explored the rest of the two stories. There are housewares and gourmet food items on sale (which weren't cheap, even with the exchange rate) on the main floor. On the bottom floor is the sit down restaurant. You can also rent out a room for parties where the chef cooks the meal in front of your guests. Perhaps best of all are the modern and clean bathrooms. We chose a few items from the dessert case to share. The prettiest was the chocolate in the shape a wrapped gift (sorry, I don't have pictures). But my favorite was the strawberry/dulce de leche/merengue concoction. Truth be told, the presentation was more impressive than the desserts themselves, which were tasty, but there is no shortage of good desserts in Buenos Aires.

El Secreto De Sus Ojos: I went to see this movie with my cousin on a Saturday night, over a week after it opened, and there was a line around the block to get in. The actors and director, Juan Jose Campanella, are the best of the best in Argentine cinema. Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin) is writing a novel based on the brutal rape and murder of a young woman, a case he worked on as a lawyer. It is beautifully shot, suspenseful, and the acting is superb. Guillermo Francella adds much needed comic relief without ever losing the pathos of his character, Esposito's alcoholic best friend. Pablo Rago leaves the greatest impression as the mysterious widower of the murdered woman.

Plaza Serrano: During the days on weekends, the bars turn into street fairs, with vendors selling purses, clothes, shoes, etc. I could have bought every purse there, but since the last thing I need is another purse, I settled on some rain boots (which I actually do need) for 20 American dollars. I also bought this vest with a belt to tie around it (it can be worn in three different ways) for only $13.

No Me Diga

First, Cody Green who played Riff in the West Side Story Broadway revival was replaced by his understudy, and now this. "A Boy Like That" and "I Feel Pretty" are being sung in their original English lyrics, as opposed to Lin-Manuel Miranda's rewritten Spanish lyrics. The Spanish failed to make the show more realistic because it was too inconsistent, but was actually most effective in "A Boy Like That." The article does not specify whether the Spanish dialogue is also being changed back to English, but that seems like the logical next step. I'm not sure why the change is occurring now. Tickets are definitely selling. Maybe director Arthur Laurents is realizing that this is not the groundbreaking revival he promised, but if he really wants to fix this disappointing West Side Story, he has a long way to go.

You Wish To Go To The Festival?

I'll be honest. Theater festivals overwhelm me. I'm terrible at making decisions and the thought of all those shows to choose from can be daunting (take something like the Fringe which has about 200 offerings). The Summer Play Festival (SPF) seemed like the perfect festival for someone like me, only eight shows to choose from at the bargain price of $10 each, conveniently located at the Public Theater.

As it was my first time attending the festival, I bought tickets in advance to three shows, thinking if I loved them I could try to get tickets for others. I don't know if I picked the wrong three, but I was slightly disappointed. Though the shows were entertaining and the acting particularly strong, I felt the stories dealt with fairly conventional themes. Out of the hundreds of submissions, I'm left wondering why these were chosen. Still, kudos to Arielle Tepper Madover for starting a festival that not only encourages new writers, but also successfully gets young audiences to the theater. Overall, my impressions of the festival are positive. I love the environment at the Public. The staff is friendly and free concerts were available in the lounge most nights after the last show. I will be back next year, but I hope the productions will be more daring. I've broken down each of the productions and concerts I attended and why they did or did not work for me.

The Sharp Things at SPF Lounge: This was billed as a reading of an indie-rock musical about the "Facebook generation." It wasn't a complete reading, just a few songs from the show, so it's a little difficult to tell whether it has potential. The songs were amusing, but I had trouble seeing how they would connect as a complete show.

The Sacrifices by Alena Smith: I chose this one because it was about a family on a Caribbean cruise, which is something I can relate to. I particularly enjoyed the details in the set, right down to the towel animals on the bed. The relationships between the baby-boomer parents and their spoiled children rang true. I also liked that the characters weren't stereotypes. The art school graduate son (played by a scene-stealing Gabriel Ebert) with his bling and rapper speak read more like a high school student. I never quite understood why he acted like that, but at least it was a change from what you would expect. At the same time, the twists in the plot were very predictable and some of the conversations became too talky. I don't know if there is much life for the play beyond the festival, but I do think Smith has potential.

Ryan Scott Oliver at SPF Lounge: I saw Rated RSO, a revue of his music, at Joe's Pub earlier this year and I'm hooked. This evening was shorter, but it was a pleasure to hear Ryan Scott Oliver's music again, especially a funny and surprisingly sweet new song about long distance relationships called "Halfway." The evening closed with a rollicking "Song of the Dead Fairy" from Darling. I hope to see a full production of one of his musicals soon. Mrs. Sharp just had an industry reading, so there's hope.

The Happy Sad by Ken Urban: I was not planning on seeing this show. The description made it sound like another story about New Yorkers looking for love, something I've seen way too often to be of interest. However, once the cast list was announced, I decided to buy a ticket anyway, bumping The Chimes from my list (which in retrospect might have been a better option). In particular, I wanted to see Maulik Pancholy (Weeds), Ari Graynor (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist), and Christopher Abbott (who I've seen in a few off-Broadway shows). The three of them did not disappoint, and neither did anybody in the cast, but it was still another show about New Yorkers looking for love with the extra-annoying interconnecting of all the seemingly disconnected plots. The sexual freedom of some of the characters and the quirky songs in this non-musical may have added a modern spin, but ultimately, it still felt conventional. Abbott was the stand out, and he always rises above the material in anything I've seen him in, but I'd like to see him in a play that lets him live up to his potential.

Composer Exposure 2009: Hosted by Time Out New York's Adam Feldman, this evening was billed as an "inside look at the future of musical theatre," so I was expecting more of a conversation, but it was really just several composers presenting their work. It was a nice way to see a sampling of work of new composers that I wasn't familiar with--I only wish they had more of a chance to speak. But who am I to complain about a free night of music with free alcohol and candy?

Departure Lounge by Dougal Irvine: Overhearing conversations after the show, many seemed to think that this musical about four young Brits coming back from vacation the summer before college was the highlight of the festival. But again, I couldn't help feeling like I've seen it before. A coming-of-age story about four friends. One of them has a secret (one guess as to what it is). Actually, it reminded me a little bit of Glory Days, written by Nick Blaemire, who starred in this show. Irvine's music ran the gamut from rap to ballads. The lyrics were very clever, especially in a song about why they use the word "gay" in a negative context, but the most enjoyable number was the lovely and introspective "Left Spain."

Dougal Irvine at SPF Lounge: After Departure Lounge, anybody could stay and hear more of Irvine's music performed by himself, confirming my belief that he is an excellent songwriter but maybe next time he writes a musical he can have somebody else write the book.

All photos in this post are from the SPF Web site.

That Cruise Is So [title of show]

According to Playbill, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, writers of [title of show] are working on a new musical for the Disney Magic. This excites me on so many levels. I love the Disney cruise and its shows are pretty impressive for a cruise ship. From the list of characters--Hades, Pain/Panic, Dr. Facilier/Jafar, Yzma/Evil Queen, Captain Hook/Kronk, Cruella de Vil/Maleficent and Queen of Hearts/Ursula--it sounds like a musical about Disney villains, which is in itself awesome. Add in Hunter and Jeff's humor, and it sounds like I need to take another Disney cruise.

Two Fitting Tributes

I'm honestly not sure how to feel about Michael Jackson's death. It really has no profound impact on me. I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan. The memory I most associate with him is being terrified of Captain EO at Disneyland as a child. But I did enjoy many of his songs. My mom had this cassette she made of songs she liked from the radio that we used to listen to in the car and "Billy Jean" was on there, as well as "Say Say Say." And there is no denying the impact he had on the music industry. When I heard the news of his death last night, shortly before leaving work, I was mostly shocked and also sad thinking about that talented young man from the Jackson 5 and the strange directions his life took. I already had tickets to see The Wiz at City Centers and it seemed the most appropriate place to make sense of it all (Michael Jackson starred in the film version).

An announcement was made before the show that the performance would be dedicated to Jackson, and what a joyous dedication it was. The show was so much better than I expected, having critic-o-metered the reviews. One complaint by the critics was that the book by William F. Brown doesn't hold up with its '70s jokes, but the cast sold every line and nothing fell flat. And yes, Ashanti isn't a great actress, but she can sing, which is all that's really necessary in the role. Dorothy is the blandest character in the show anyway. From David Korins' sets (especially the platform holding the orchestra made to look ravaged by a tornado) to Andy Blankenbuehler's inventive choreography which includes dancers as the tornado to the overall superb cast, the show was a good time from start to finish. The celebratory attitude towards music, even if it obviously wasn't written by Jackson, seemed to me the perfect tribute.

This morning, only a few hours later, I trekked to Central Park to catch the cast of Hair perform for Good Morning America. Sasha Allen and Gavin Creel, backed by the rest of the cast, sang this rendition of "I'll Be There." During that song only, it started to pour down rain, which made for an oddly beautiful moment.

Shout Out

Producer Ken Davenport wrote some kind words about an article I wrote for TDF. This may be the first time something I wrote was referenced by someone, so I had to share.

It's show time!

7: 44- The Tony live feed isn't working for me, so I'll start blogging at 8.

8:01- So excited! Those Billy Elliot boys are amazing dancers. Something is off with the sound. At least they are showing one of the decent scenes from Guys and Dolls. I'm not loving the opening though. Where's Neil Patrick Harris?

8:05- Horrified about Stockard Channing and Aaron Tveit. How did they decide which songs would go together for this opening? I love Shrek, the most underrated show of the season. I love Dolly too.

8:09- Ladies and gentleman, the best looking cast on Broadway right now- the cast of Hair. It's a Hair dance party with everyone!

8:12- Neil Patrick Harris needs to sing at some point tonight.

8:17- Roger Robinson deserves this award. I also loved Stephen Mangan and Paul Ritter. But this speech is really touching. I'm one for one so far.

8:27- I'm glad they chose a Christopher Seiber number for Shrek, but I wish they went with "The Ballad of Farquad." Is it going to take Brian D'Arcy James 45 minutes to get out of his costume or keep his costume on the whole time? Wow, they kept the "Defying Gravity" bit in, but kept it off the CD.

8:31- I love Angela Lansbury, but I would have liked Amanda Root to win. But how cute is Angela Lansbury?

8:34- I'll admit, I really enjoy Mamma Mia, but I would have rather seen the presentation of the other awards.

8:44- Will Ferrell is really funny. He just announced that Lee Hall won for best book. I thought Billy Elliot would edge out Next to Normal for best score, but I was wrong. I'm going to say for the record, Shrek was my favorite score of those four. As much as I don't like Next to Normal, I feel bad for Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey for getting drowned out.

8:49- Smart of West Side Story to showcase the dancing, which was the best part of the show.

8:58- Matthew Warchus should have won for The Norman Conquests, not God of Carnage, but either way, he is a brilliant director of comedy. I don't get a point for that.

9:01- I was really hoping Diane Paulus would win, but I did really like Billy Elliot.

9:04- Watching the Rock of Ages medley makes me want to watch Glee again.

9:17- Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham have to announce Guys and Dolls instead of performing with them. The guy running to give Tituss Burgess a microphone was my favorite moment so far. It was a real shame this production wasn't better.

9:27- Best orchestrations was a tie between Next to Normal and Billy Elliot. I think there should be more ties.

9:31- Like best supporting actor, for example. I wanted them all to win. I checked Will Swenson on my ballot even though I thought Greg Jbara would probably take it. That was really sweet. I love him, but I didn't think that role was as memorable as some of the other ones. He should have been nominated for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, but I'm really happy for him. Will Swenson will be nominated again. So will they all, I imagine.

9:33- Karen Olivo was really sweet too. I'm really happy for her too.

9:44- First Jeremy Piven joke of the night.

9:46- Raul Esparza will have his day. I thought all 5 of these performances were terrific. This was overall an amazing season

9:48- I missed Dividing The Estate. I haven't seen Mary Stuart, Godot, or any of the special theatrical events besides You're Welcome America. I've actually seen everything else that was nominated, I think that's a personal best.

9:57- I expected these Tony Awards to be more entertaining. I'm mildly disappointed, but there's still an hour to go.

9:59- Frank Langella is cracking me up. Is this a dig at the fact that the Tonys barely nominated anything from the fall?

10:10- Best performance of the night so far, Billy Elliot. I think I might need to see it again. For some reason, it didn't have as lasting an impression on me as some other shows, but I did really enjoy it.

10:17- Let's thank Kevin Spacey for getting best revival of a play televised. I saw The Norman Conquests marathon yesterday and if you can see it that way, you must.

10:19- As expected, God of Carnage won. I'm afraid reasons to be pretty (which I think is a better play) might close soon without this win.

10:32- Jerry Herman is adorable.

10:37- Everybody in this apartment is very happy right now. Everything in the audience at Radio City Music Hall seems to be enjoying the Hair performance as well. And of course Hair wins. And the whole cast goes onstage. It is not possible to love a cast as much as I love this cast.

10:40- I am loving Anthony Hollock behind Oskar Eustis right now.

10:47- Edit: I thought Alice Ripley had won for Side Show, but that was the year Natasha Richardson won for Cabaret, so I was wrong. I think it's funny how before the Tonys I would say that I thought Alice Ripley was crazy, and nobody believed me, and now everyone seems to be saying it.

Alice Ripley kind of scares me sometimes. Though I'm not a fan of her show or her voice, I can't help but be happy for her.

10:50- I was sort of rooting for Gavin Creel, but the Billys are adorable. Everyone is standing. This is amazing. They don't know what to say. New best moment of the night. I thought that Tony nominators should have seen all three actors, so that they weren't just voting for the role, but whatever, these boys are incredible. At first they couldn't say anything and now they can't stop talking.

11:00- Liza is happy for Billy Elliot. So am I. I got 18.5 out of 27, not bad. It was a fairly predictable Tonys. I can't believe Neil Patrick Harris didn't sing. And I'm signing off. Good night.

11:03- False alarm. Neil Patrick Harris is singing. And the night is saved. He needs to come back to Broadway soon.

Overhead on 8th Ave.

Guy 1- "What's it about."
Guy 2- "3 or 4 guys who are waiting for Godot."

It's Tony Time... Almost

I'll be live blogging the Tonys on Sunday, just for fun, since I'm too intimidated by Twitter. I won't actually be at Radio City, just in a friend's living room. So if you get bored of the live tweets from these guys or these guys or these guys or these guys or these guys (I'm sure I left out some), then I'll be here.

Next to Normal Revisited

Next to Normal opened on Broadway on April 15 to mostly positive reviews. The main theme in the reviews was that the problems from the off-Broadway production at Second Stage had been addressed, so I decided to give the show another chance. While it is true that the show has improved, it still suffers from a number of problems.

Most of the worst scenes were cut from the show, the electric shock therapy number, the Costco meltdown, and it definitely feels as if the writers finally decided to believe in the material rather than undercut it with misplaced humor. However, the show still relies to heavily on unnecessary gimmicks. *Warning: Spoilers about key plot twists to follow.* A key element in the show is that Diana refuses to acknowledge the death of Gabe, who died as a baby. For much of the first act, though he only interacts with her, it is not explicitly stated that he is dead. When it is finally revealed, I heard a few gasps in the audience. I see no reason why the audience can't be aware that Gabe is dead early on in the show. An even bigger problem is that once Diana leaves Dan, her husband, he starts to see Gabe as well. We see him struggling with Gabe as Gabe tries to get his father to see him. Are we to believe that mental illness is contagious? There is no hint at mental illness in Dan prior to this. It is brought up in the show that Diana's symptoms (she suffers from bipolar disorder and anxiety) could have been brought about by trauma, which I think is believable if she was already predisposed to these conditions, but that didn't seem to be the case with Dan.
*End Spoiler*

The score can be enjoyable in the way that certain pop songs are fun to listen to. "Superboy and the Invisible Girl," for example, is great for rocking out to on the subway, but as a whole the score does not serve the story well, mostly because of the lyrics, which are mostly expository.

J. Robert Spencer as Dan is a great addition to the cast and is more deserving of a Tony than the overrated Alice Ripley. She is very convincing in her role, but her voice is in bad shape, especially when compared to Jennifer Damiano, who plays her daughter, Natalie. Aaron Tveit has a fine voice, but talk that he was robbed of a Tony nomination is unfounded. He doesn't do that much besides sing and dance around the stage (some of the "musical staging" still makes me cringe). Gabe is not a fully developed character as he only exists as the perfect son to Diana and a torment to Dan.

It may seem like I'm out to get this musical, but that's not the case. If this show strikes a chord with people, great. I just hope that the critics and fans embracing the show so passionately, really believe it is that strong and are not just ignoring flaws because they want an original and adult musical to succeed.

Broadway Loves Twitter

I've started writing articles for the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) site. My first article, about how Rock of Ages and other shows are utilizing Twitter, can be read here.

More Theater Awards

I love this time of the year-- theater award season. And this year, I actually got to vote in the first ever Independent Theater Bloggers Association Awards. I'm particularly excited that my fellow bloggers voted reasons to be pretty, which was by far my favorite new play of the season, best Broadway play over God of Carnage.

The complete list of winners:
Best Broadway Play: reasons to be pretty
Best Broadway Musical: Billy Elliot
Best Broadway Revival of a Musical: Hair
Best Broadway Revival of a Play: The Norman Conquests
Best Off-Broadway Musical: Fela!
Best Off-Broadway Play: Ruined
Best Off-Broadway Revival: Our Town
Best Off-Off Broadway Play: Universal Robots
Best Off-Off Broadway Unique Theatrical Experience: Suspicious Package
Citation for Excellence in Off-Off Broadway Theater: Flux Theatre Ensemble

Really Drama League?

You thought Blithe Spirit was a better revival than Our Town, The Seagull, Speed-the-Plow, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Norman Conquests, and Joe Turner's Come and Gone?

Tony Time

Back in January when a show was closing everyday, it seemed like a dark time for Broadway, but this season was pretty incredible, especially in terms of acting performances. I really wish the Tonys had a best ensemble award. This year has had some of the best ensemble work I've ever seen (Hair, God of Carnage), and I haven't even seen The Norman Conquests yet. A best replacement category would also be nice so Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy could be nominated for their fantastic work in Speed-the-Plow. I can't say I'm pleased with all the nominations, but read them here, as well as some early predictions and some unsolicited opinion:

Best Play
Dividing the Estate
God of Carnage
Reasons to be Pretty
33 Variations
I missed Dividing the Estate, but I've seen the other three. I loved reasons to be pretty and it would be really great if it could win, since it's not doing well at the box office, but I think God of Carnage might take it. I loved the acting, but wasn't so crazy about the play itself. 33 Variations is probably the weakest of the lot and I think the least likely to win.


Best Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
Rock of Ages
Shrek The Musical
What??? Rock of Ages got a nomination?! I'm outraged. This just shows what a weak year this was for new musicals. Rock of Ages is one of the worst musicals I've ever seen and the only thing that saves it is the supporting cast. I haven't seen 9 to 5 yet, but I refuse to believe it could be worse than Rock of Ages. Billy Elliot has 15 nominations, and I expect it will win best musical, which is fine with me, though I really liked Shrek.

Best Book of a Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical
Lee Hall
Next to Normal
Brian Yorkey
Shrek The Musical
David Lindsay-Abaire
[Title of Show]
Hunter Bell
Yeah! Hunter Bell got nominated! I'm so excited for him! He probably wanted this more than anybody. If he won, it would be amazing, but I doubt it will happen. I'm guessing Billy Elliot or Next to Normal. I haven't seen the new and supposedly improved Next to Normal, but I hated the off-Broadway book.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Billy Elliot, The Musical
Music: Elton John
Lyrics: Lee Hall
Next to Normal
Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
9 to 5: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton
Shrek The Musical
Music: Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
I hope [title of shows]'s Jeff Bowen is happy for Hunter Bell and not too disappointed he didn't get nominated. 9 to 5 didn't get completely shut out. I love the Shrek score, but again, I'm not expecting it to win. It's a strange year when I'm more excited about the play categories than the musical categories.

Best Revival of a Play
Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Mary Stuart
The Norman Conquests
Waiting for Godot
Way to completely forget about the first half of the season. The Seagull should have been nominated. I also loved Speed-the-Plow, but this was a crowded year. All four of these are on my must see list, but based on the reviews, it will go to The Norman Conquests or Joe Turner.

Best Revival of a Musical
Guys and Dolls
Hair
Pal Joey
West Side Story
Hair will and should win. Its only competition is West Side Story and that's barely competition.

Best Special Theatrical Event
Liza's at The Palace
Slava's Snowshow
Soul of Shaolin
You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush
I've only seen You're Welcome America, which I really enjoyed, but I think Liza will take it, and I'm sure rightfully so.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage
Raúl Esparza, Speed-the-Plow
James Gandolfini, God of Carnage
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King
Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be Pretty
Finally a category I completely agree with. I loved all five of these performances. Rush will probably take it, but I wish they could give it to all of them. This was a competitive year, but I wish Daniel Radcliff could have been nominated as well. Equus was largely forgotten, and the excellent Seagull was completely shut out. Congrats to Raúl Esparza for being the only actor other than Boyd Gaines to be nominated in all four acting categories.


Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Hope Davis, God of Carnage
Jane Fonda, 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart
Will the votes be split between the Mary Stuart ladies? Jane Fonda is a sentimental favorite and much as I love her, I don't think she deserves it for this show. Marcia Gay Harden has a good shot too. Congrats to the cast of God of Carnage for all earning nominations.


Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish ‚ Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal
Seriously??? Constantine Maroulis? The guy has no personality on stage. There are some great actors in Rock of Ages and he is not one of them. Brian d'Arcy James should get a special award for having to get into that costume every night. I would love to see him or Gavin Creel win, but the Billy Elliot boys might take it. I saw David Alvarez and loved his dancing and his acting, but not so much his singing.


Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical
Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story
Alice Ripley is the favorite here and I'll refrain from commenting until I see Next to Normal on Broadway.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
John Glover, Waiting for Godot
Zach Grenier, 33 Variations
Stephen Mangan, The Norman Conquests
Paul Ritter, The Norman Conquests
Roger Robinson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
I haven't seen enough of these to comment yet.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Hallie Foote, Dividing the Estate
Jessica Hynes, The Norman Conquests
Marin Ireland, Reasons to Be Pretty
Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
Amanda Root, The Norman Conquests
Angela Lansbury hasn't won a Tony in 30 years and everyone loves her, so she will probably win. She was delightful in Blithe Spirit. Carey Mulligan should have been nominated for The Seagull, but I'm happy that Marin Ireland was recognized.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical
Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical
Will Swenson, Hair
I love these guys. I was not expecting David Bologna to be nominated, but he deserves it for his performance as Michael. I think Will Swenson should win, but Christopher Sieber stole the show in Shrek and could easily take it. Nominations I wasn't expecting but would have loved to see: Bryce Ryness, Hair; Curtis Holbrook, West Side Story; Wesley Taylor, Rock of Ages (you heard right, I said something nice about Rock of Ages).

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo should win for owning the stage in West Side Story. Jennifer Damiano is extremely talented and she's still a teenager. Martha Plimpton was the best thing about Pal Joey. I wouldn't rule out Haydn Gwynne.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Rob Howell, The Norman Conquests
Derek McLane, 33 Variations
Michael Yeargan, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
I haven't seen these all yet, but didn't find the sets of 33 Variations or Exit the King particularly memorable.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls
Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Scott Pask, Pal Joey
Mark Wendland, Next to Normal
Guys and Dolls, really? I thought it was an eyesore myself. Next to Normal should win. Shrek and 9 to 5 got ignored on this one.


Best Costume Design of a Play
Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Jane Greenwood, Waiting for Godot
Martin Pakledinaz, Blithe Spirit
Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart
Based on pictures and reviews, I think Waiting for Godot will win this one.

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages
Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
Michael McDonald, Hair
I love the Hair costumes. They are time-period appropriate without being too over the top. The Shrek costumes are the most show-y.


Best Lighting Design of a Play
David Hersey, Equus
David Lander, 33 Variations
Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Hugh Vanstone, Mary Stuart
I can't really comment on this one.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Hair
Kevin Adams, Next to Normal
Howell Binkley, West Side Story
Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical
I hope Kevin Adams wins for Hair and not Next to Normal.


Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, Mary Stuart
Gregory Clarke, Equus
Russell Goldsmith, Exit the King
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
I can't really comment on this one either.

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, Hair
Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages
Brian Ronan, Next to Normal
Or this one.


Best Direction of a Play
Phyllida Lloyd, Mary Stuart
Bartlett Sher, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage
Matthew Warchus, The Norman Conquests
Matthew Warchus for The Norman Conquests or Bartlett Sher. Ian Rickson should have been nominated for The Seagull.

Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Greif, Next to Normal
Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages
Diane Paulus, Hair
I'm really hoping Diane Paulus will win. Last year, Bartlett Sher won for his revival of South Pacific. That was the best possible revival of South Pacific and Diane Paulus is giving us the best possible revival of Hair. But will Billy Elliot sweep? Or will Michael Greif be rewarded for completely turning around his musical? I don't think Arthur Laurents deserved to get nominated for West Side Story, but I do kind of feel bad for him. He deserved it over Kristin Hanggi for Rock of Ages, anyway.

Best Choreography
Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin's White Christmas
White Christmas got some nominations. I think Peter Darling will win.

Best Orchestrations
Larry Blank, Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal
Danny Troob and John Clancy, Shrek The Musical
I don't really understand award shows. Shouldn't the nominees for best score and best orchestrations be the same?

JONAS or the Poor Man's Monkees

In the Disney Channel vehicle for the Jonas Brothers, aptly titled JONAS, the brothers play pop stars who go to school, but don't hide their identity. I guess they didn't want the best of both worlds. The show borrows a lot from The Monkees in that the brothers live in a cool apartment and get into crazy situations and the scenes are interspersed with music videos. In the first episode, Nick falls hard for a girl in the way Davy Jones used to fall in love with a girl in every episode.

It's not necessarily a bad thing that the show is basically Monkees redux, but the quality of the show is not very good. I'm not saying that The Monkees was a masterpiece, but it was entertaining. The Jonas Brothers don't look very comfortable in front of the camera when they're not singing. I admire the decision not to use a laugh track, but it does create an awkward silence in certain points where you can imagine the laughs should be.

Given the fact that tweens will not watch anything that the Jonas Brothers are in, Disney better step its game up.

You know you're a theatre nerd when...

you walk by the Vitamin Water storefront in Soho and think to yourself, "I wonder if Kevin Adams did that lighting design."

Vitamin Water 10 store (It's not really a store, but they do have free Vitamin Water there. It's a pretty nice place.):



Kevin Adams's Passing Strange lighting:

Better Than Radiohead's Pay What You Want Strategy

My boss alerted me to a price menu for drummer Josh Freese's new album. The prices range from $7 to $75,000 and packages include anything from dinner at Sizzler to a trip to Disneyland (both with Freese, of course). The site assures that this is not a joke. Honestly, I hadn't heard of Josh Freese before today, but I think this is pretty awesome. I hope this catches on. I would definitely pay $50 to get a phone call from Paul McCartney or $250 to go on a lunch date with him. Not that Sir Paul would ever do this, but a girl can dream. Which musicians would you like to see adopt this pricing strategy?