Distilling the Danger in Scottsboro

On the day of the final dress rehearsal, John Kander and I were sitting in the lobby of the Lyceum Theatre on the steps leading up to the mezzanine. Inside the cast of The Scottsboro Boys was performing the final production number. At 83, after Cabaret, Chicago and Curtains and six years since the passing of his writing partner Fred Ebb, Mr. Kander was bringing his latest show to Broadway – this particular number called for blackface. The composer told me that he had performed minstrel shows at camp when he was a child. They were popular then, and at the time, he didn’t realize the why they were wrong, or how they were racist. Here, decades later in Scottsboro, the intent was purely subversive, as the creators were using the form only to dismantle it entirely by the final curtain. Through closed doors, Mr. Kander and I could hear a swell in the music. It was paired with the screams of nine individuals, signaling their rejection of the minstrel form. They would soon begin to wipe the...

Aging with Dorian Gray

Some of the hardest reviews to do are those where you wish you could write something favorable, but you know that if you do, you’d be something less than honest. And that’s the case here. Students from my alma mater brought a show off-off Broadway, and I wanted to be able to champion their successes. Having served as the theater editor for Columbia Spectator, I was eager to follow this production to its new digs on Theatre Row. But watching Daniel Mitura’s stage adaption of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray made me think that this rendition wasn’t ready for a midtown audience. Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the significance we ascribe to youth and beauty, and uses art as a mirror to reflect the actions we take in life. An artist enamored with his subject, Basil paints the portrait of 20-something Dorian Gray. But once Basil’s friend, Henry enlightens Dorian about the power and influence of the beautiful, Dorian wishes that he could...

Revisiting performances of 2009 with Jonathan Groff, Colman Domingo, and a tunnel boring machine?

So, I got a new laptop for Christmas (finally!), and as I was transferring my files I came across some questions I had sent to my friend, Jonathan Groff (of Spring Awakening fame) at the end of last summer. A host of circumstances didn’t allow me to get these up here in a any sort of timely fashion, and I was going to wait until he makes his Glee debut this spring, but then I figured: why not post them now? A little randomness never hurt anyone. And it’s always nice to think back on shows from the past year – only helps to strengthen those neuronal connections in an art form so transient that to revisit a particular performance relies solely on the salience of its memory. Poetic and scientific, yeah? That’s what I’m here for! Ah well, once again folks, happy new year … 18 days in! As it says in the parens above, Jonathan originated the role of Melchior in Broadway’s Spring Awakening. A musical where angsty nineteenth century adolescents sing their...

Updates on the Finian’s and Ragtime fronts

Press reps confirm that Finian’s Rainbow is now definitely closing this Sunday (Jan. 17), and will not be moving into the Neil Simon Theatre as rumored. Michael Riedel, theater columnist for the New York Post, gives the backstory on that. According to Riedel, a shifty producer named Garth Drabinsky (not composer Andrew Lloyd Webber) was involved in the negotiations with producers to transfer and monetize the critically-acclaimed revival. Coincidentally, Drabinsky’s baby was the original 1998 Ragtime, but this production also led to his financial undoing. Bloomberg.com ran a detailed article last March about Drabinsky and his fraudulent theater producing company, Livent Inc. Drabinsky and his business partner Myron Gottlieb were convicted of swindling about 500 million Canadian dollars (that works out to 405 million American bucks). Despite multiple attempts, I was unable to get a hold of someone attached to Finian’s to speak to the Drabinsky claims. Will keep trying. – The...

Ragtime resuscitated? Finian’s luck?

Rumors are circulating that Ragtime may be coming back to Broadway in the very near future, and a source who works at the Neil Simon Theatre confirmed that load out had been delayed (as of yesterday). That means the Ragtime scenery remains in its Broadway house on 52nd St. Meanwhile rumors have also spread that the Broadway revival of Finian’s Rainbow, which is scheduled to play its final performance on Jan. 17 at the St. James Theatre, will be getting a new home and another shot at the Great White Way. The show is supposedly going to make the move uptown into the Neil Simon Theatre, where Ragtime was. Is? Stage Synapses decided to investigate these dubious claims, and not surprisingly, no one wanted to talk. At least not really. Press representatives for both Ragtime and Finian’s Rainbow said they couldn’t confirm or deny any allegations at this time. When asked if Ragtime was going come back, Ragtime’s press said, “Right now there are no definite plans for that to happen.” Kevin...

Ragtime only makes it 10 days into 2010

Happy New Year, folks! I’ve finally returned after a much-too-long absence. My apologies! That problematic cocktail of school and work got the better of me, and my blogging fell by the wayside. But 2010 will bring a lot of changes, and most notably, a change of venue. That’s right! My lovely roommate, Lindsey is busy designing me my very own website. (Sorry, blogspot.) I’ll be sure to let you know when to expect the unveiling! In the meantime, I’ll be posting some new content over the next few days. I saw three shows this weekend, so there’s plenty for me to talk about. But enough of my preamble, here’s my thoughts on Ragtime‘s closing … The Broadway revival of Ragtime played its final performance this afternoon at the Neil Simon Theatre, and though it’s a little bit sad, it doesn’t totally surprise me. Here’s why … If you want to take up the celebrity argument, there were no recognizable names above the title. And really, when you...

On the Town: In Rehearsal

Click on the link for an audio slide show of Paper Mill’s On the Town rehearsals. When I tried to upload from blip.tv to my blog, the picture was huge. Since I’m not entirely sure if I can fix that retroactively on the blip site, I’ve just copied and pasted the link here. Enjoy!

A Brave New World: Criticism in the Age of Twitter

Last week I went to an arts criticism discussion at Stony Brook University. It was formally titled: Elevating the Discourse: Artists, Critics and Audiences, A Roundtable Discussion on the State of Criticism in the Age of Twitter. (Oof, what a mouthful!) My brilliant former professor/chief theater critic for Newsday, Linda Winer, invited me to attend – she was on the panel. (NOTE: I think I might have been the only journalist in an audience full of dramaturgs. Makes sense, I suppose, as the discussion was sponsored by the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.) So, one of the first questions asked was something on the order of, “How can we elevate the discourse when talking about the theater?” I’ll confess, I’m not sure exactly what that means, but a lengthy discussion ensued – much of which aimed to answer the more focused, if not entirely realized, inquiry: “Are critics writing for the artists or the audience?” When I was younger (a naïve late teen), I would...

On New York Musical Theatre Festival: Installment 1

On Friday I spoke on the phone with Colin Hanlon, who’s starring as Charlie in New York Musical Theatre Festival’s Whatever Man. The show is about an uncommitted, directionless 30-something who, upon suggestion from his girlfriend, begins attending group therapy sessions. The catch is that his fellow support group members are all disturbed Superheros, and Charlie is thrown into the business of saving lives and salvaging relationships. Whatever Man is one of 30 full productions in this year’s festival, which runs through Oct. 18. As it turns out, I actually saw Hanlon perform one summer ago in an anniversary performance of I Love You Because at the Cherry Lane Theatre. We’re also both O’Neill alums. The following are excerpts from our interview: Stage Synapses (SS): While you’ve performed in other festivals, this is your first time doing NYMF. What’s that like? Colin Hanlon: NYMF is interesting because there’s been a lot of positives and negatives. [Whatever Man], you...

Headlines …

So, the blog is back—resurrected after an all-too-long hiatus, and for that I apologize. At the beginning of September, I celebrated my birthday in Disney World and then started classes at Columbia the day after I got back. It was a tough transition, for sure—traipsing around the Magic Kingdom with a tiara in hand, to sitting in my History of Journalism course at 9 AM. Oy. Since then I’ve just been trying to get my bearing. Here are a few headlines about shows I’ve seen, or ones I’m interested in seeing as soon as I get a free moment. Nemo vs. Mermaid What vacation wouldn’t be complete without a musical or two? I still need to get my fill of shows, relaxing or not. So, while in Disney, we saw Finding Nemo: The Musical at the Animal Kingdom. All I’ve got to say is that whoever designed the Nemo set did a much better job at creating a visually appealing underwater paradise than the Broadway crew that brought you the iridescently fabulous scenic design in The Little Mermaid....