Moxie the Maven

Three Cheers for Not-Lea-Michele!

2011-08-05T11:15:00.003-04:00

Erm, I mean, three cheers for Lauren Ambrose! Y'all, how great is FUNNY GIRL going to be? As evidenced by this utterly charming interview with New York Magazine, girlfriend is just the bees knees.

Also, this:

Workplace Issues

2011-06-29T17:50:00.001-04:00

Obviously I am obsessed with this

2011-06-23T11:15:00.002-04:00

Pogo (aka Nick Bertke) remixes iconic movies into badass new tunes.

Want to see Patti Lupone be crazy?

2011-06-15T17:55:00.001-04:00

Crazy talented that is. Aaaaand pretty batshit crazy too. Fun!

La Cage, Revisited

2011-03-28T15:50:00.008-04:00

I am convinced that if you love broadway musicals, it is impossible not to adore La Cage Aux Folles. Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein created a damn near perfect musical that remains relevant in spite of having been written almost thirty years ago, when the gay landscape was so different than it is today - and in many ways, thankfully so. It's delightful, emotional, hysterically funny, and the songs are gorgeous. You don't need to know much of the show's history to love it, but my perspective was forever changed when I watched the great PBS documentary Words and Music by Jerry Herman, and learned that half of the original ensemble of La Cage didn't live to finish the run. What started as a mysterious plague became the AIDS crisis, and its stranglehold on the gay community incited homophobia with unprecedented intensity. Meanwhile, here was this one place in New York where drag queens were singing about love, hope, and acceptance. Now that's seeing things from a different angle.

With all of this in mind, it's pretty magical to see this spirited revival so lovingly embraced by a modern audience, and remarkable to see the show's own Tony-winning book writer in the lead role of Albin. Harvey Fierstein has hinted that this production is the most satisfying one to his taste, in part because the real love between the story's central couple can finally take the spotlight in a way that perhaps was less palatable for audiences in the past. To say that Fierstein shines in the role would be an insult to the sequin - he beams, he dazzles, and he delights. And though Fierstein's performance is the bigger news story, his counterpart Christopher Sieber deserves equal praise. Sieber's George is buoyant yet understated, and he holds the audience rapt in the quiet moments that reveal the true heart of La Cage, which is not really about a drag act but about the powerful bonds between members of a family who fiercely love each other.

A brief note to the Cagelles - Girl, you are fierce! Kick your face. Work!

It's also one of those musicals that gets filed under The Tao of Musical Theater Lyrics. I can personally guarantee that anyone who wakes up each morning and recites the following mantra will be at least a little bit happier.

The best of times is now.
What's left of Summer
But a faded rose?
The best of times is now.
As for tomorrow,
Well, who knows? Who knows? Who knows?
So hold this moment fast,
And live and love
As hard as you know how.
And make this moment last
Because the best of times is now,
Is now, is now.
Now, not some forgotten yesterday.
Now, tomorrow is too far away.
So hold this moment fast,
And live and love
As hard as you know how.
And make this moment last,
Because the best of times is now,
Is now, is now.

It Sucks to be Mormon

2011-03-25T11:22:00.005-04:00

It's no secret that original Broadway musical offerings have been beyond limp lately. So when the guys behind South Park teamed up with the composer-lyricist of Avenue Q, the theater kids obligingly whipped themselves into a frenzy of anticipation. Early enthusiasm has now been corroborated by reviews that exalt The Book of Mormon as the savior of the Broadway Musical. I was at opening last night, and it's pretty great, and very funny - but my my, how contrast elevates the very good to genius heights.

Time Out NY:
As you laugh your head off at perky Latter-day Saints tap-dancing while fiercely repressing gay tendencies deep in the African bush, you will be transported back ten years, when The Producers and Urinetown resurrected American musical comedy...

The Hollywood Reporter:
One of the freshest original musicals in recent memory. It has tuneful songs, clever lyrics, winning characters, explosive laughs and disarmingly intimate moments.

NY Magazine:
Mormon chipperly shitcans all pieties … except the sacred, mystic conventions of musical theater. And therein lies the real miracle: ...Parker and Stone—the sincerest, most serious-minded of social comedians—have effectively closed an irony wormhole that opened with Urinetown, grandpappy of all millennial metamusicals. After Mormon, I like to imagine, the Broadway musical might be free to be a Broadway musical again—even if it is balls-out funny and relevant to audiences under 85.

NY Daily News:

It's a show where you catch yourself laughing one minute, mouth agape the next, eventually wiping away tears, and, finally, cheering.

Meanwhile, Terry Teachout at the Wall Street Journal has a less rapturous reaction, and it's one that I can't disagree with. I really, really wanted to full-stop LOVE this show. Sadly, I didn't, and I find his review pretty spot-on:

Don't let anybody try to tell you that "The Book of Mormon" is suitable for anyone other than 12-year-old boys who have yet to graduate from fart jokes to "Glee." A couple of reasonably effective production numbers notwithstanding, it's flabby, amateurish and very, very safe... The creators of "South Park" like to call themselves "equal-opportunity offenders," but if you think there's anything risky about "The Book of Mormon," you're kidding yourself. Making fun of Mormons in front of a Broadway crowd is like shooting trout in a demitasse cup.

I'm back...

2011-03-24T15:27:00.003-04:00

deal with it.

Here's a nice ice sculpture for you to look at.

2010-10-26T10:47:00.003-04:00

Cee-Lo Green's album The Lady Killer drops in a couple weeks, but it's already huge. Check it.

New single "Bright Lights, Bigger City"

2010-07-21T19:03:00.000-04:00

"Trauma recovery," an oxymoron, is the constitution of a new world that coexists alongside the absence of the one that has been shattered. This is the essential fracturing at the heart of traumatic temporality. -R. Stolorow

Dee Roscioli Rocks

2010-07-01T17:00:00.001-04:00

"hey by the way you guys have mandy moore in here?"

2010-05-18T18:01:00.004-04:00

For your consideration: Chris Klein, balding, on something, and available for your production of Mamma Mia!

Watch the tape here.

Legally Broke

2010-05-14T13:07:00.004-04:00

Looks like the touring case of LEGALLY BLONDE won't be spending their downtime shopping like Elle Woods. The salary according to a recent breakdown is $375/week. What a disgusting slap in the face to actors, and a gross abuse of the musical theater system which innately has a very large supply of actors and limited demand.

Tickets for the tour's next stop in Newark are currently are priced at $75 top. Do you think the ticket prices will decrease when the actors' salaries are less than unemployment? I doubt it.

eat it, lea michele

2010-05-06T12:30:00.004-04:00

Sounds like Lea Michele was up to her usual diva antics at the Time 100 gala. Girlfriend's voice may sound great autotuned on Glee, but she is notorious for this kind of stuff, and needs to be told her name is not Liza goddamn Streisand. From Perez:

According to witnesses at the Times 100 gala, the Glee star spent the entire dinner hour making out with her BF at the table. She made no time for any of the other high-profiled guests and when legenday celebrity photographer Patrick McMullan came over to take a picture, their exchange went a little something like this:

Patrick McMullan: What’s your name?
Lea Michele: [Rolls eyes.] Sarah Palin.
Patrick McMullan: [Laughs.] No, really, tell me your name.
Lea Michele: Taylor Swift.
Patrick McMullan: Fuck you.

[Exits.]

What a delightful girl, with such sizzling wit! Eat it, Lea Michele.

Update: Daily Intel has more.

New Flava for ya Ears

2010-04-20T16:08:00.004-04:00

Here's the first single from The Pass's EP, I like these guys' Bowie-esque ways, and the video is pretty rad...

joan!

2010-03-31T12:36:00.001-04:00

Spring has sprung, and in honor of her opening at the Carlyle last night, I submit for your enjoyment, Leslie Uggams!

mullally OUT

2010-03-24T12:18:00.004-04:00

Nikki Finke reports that Megan Mullally is departing the Broadway production of Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Looks like her and Joe Mantello weren't seeing eye to eye - Finke says "Mullally simply had had enough of the abrasive manner of director Joe Mantello." The comments on Finke's post are pretty fun, including some rather spirited Wicked defenders that don't normally crop up on DHD.

La Cage Aux Conservatisme?

2010-03-23T13:02:00.008-04:00

In this week's issue of New York magazine, Kelsey Grammer discusses his upcoming Broadway turn in La Cage Aux Folles, and the implications of being a Republican playing a gay role. From Adam Sternbergh's profile:

“It’s a great story about any couple. They all have the same dynamic: a heterosexual relationship, a homosexual relationship, a man-with-dogs relationship. There are universal events that take place: the differences, the angers, the insecurities, the histrionics. You would call it, I guess, a male-female dynamic. This just happens to be two boys.” I ask him about La Cage’s relevance today, given the Proposition 8 fight in California. He says, “Oh, right. Of course. You know I wasn’t even thinking of that. Isn’t it funny?” On the subject of gay marriage in general, he adds, “Why is the government involved at all? If two men marry or two women marry, fine, go ahead—it’s not my issue. But when governments get involved, it just becomes more confusing.”

Well! First off, the government is "involved" in the gay marriage issue because it is a legal issue. But Grammer surely knows that, and is just tiptoeing, quite deftly, around answering the question. Also... "man-with-dogs relationship"?? Really!?

It's tricky: being a pretty big supporter of gay rights, I want to support La Cage, buy tickets, and encourage others to do the same. The message is wonderful, I am what I am, blah blah blah. On the other hand, I don't particularly feel like turning out to see Grammer, an out "Republican in Hollywood" (and in my opinion, gigantic douche), play this role. I'm not saying his politics should have kept him from being cast - that would be a terrible road to go down. But in the power-of-the-consumer sense, this issue is really, really important to me, and the idea of watching this guy play that role feels all wrong. Thoughts?

not sexy

2010-03-22T14:46:00.001-04:00

(Photo by Joseph Marzullo)

Million Dollar Quartet

2010-03-18T19:00:00.002-04:00

What can be said about Million Dollar Quartet? Where to begin? This is a musical experience that would cozily fit into the Vegas circuit, prompting smiles and nods of recognition from oldsters reliving the heyday of Elvis, Johnny Cash, et all. Alas, it does not fit so comfortably on Broadway.

There's very little story, and yet what little narrative the anemic book does provide is nonsensical. The cast, I'm sorry to say, can't provide the necessary energy and charisma to elevate the experience to the dynamite one-night-only event that the production insists you are witnessing. Instead it feels more like a warmed-over impersonator cabaret. Oh, and Hunter Foster is there to narrate, which unfortunately does not help matters. An icky feeling hangs over the whole affair, as if a producer saw Jersey Boys and thought they'd throw the same ingredients together and manufacture an easy money-making hit. They were mistaken.

As a friend lovingly dubbed these recent productions, "Guys & Suck," "Not-so-Brighton Beach", and now "Four Dollar Quartet" - is the Nederlander the new Biltmore?

"My One and Only"

2010-03-15T14:04:00.001-04:00

Dee Roscioli rocks this gorgeous song by Katie Thompson.

My Little Pony Live: The World's Biggest Teaparty

2010-02-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

I mean what kind of person would I be if I didn't share this with the world:

listen to ben sollee

2010-02-18T10:17:00.002-05:00

His folk cello awesomeness has never sounded lovelier than on his new album Dear Companion. Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket produced it, and you can stream it free here.

easing on down the road

2010-01-28T19:24:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to figure out how to describe this poster... suggestions?

Two Gentlemen of Lebowski

2010-01-11T09:00:00.002-05:00

What if The Big Lebowski had been written by Shakespeare? Wonder no more, click here and read the entire screenplay, bard-style.

It was of consequence, I should think; verily, it tied the room together, gather'd its qualities as the sweet lovers' spring grass doth the morning dew or the rough scythe the first of autumn harvests. It sat between the four sides of the room, making substance of a square, respecting each wall in equal harmony, in geometer's cap; a great reckoning in a little room. Verily, it transform'd the room from the space between four walls presented, to the harbour of a man's monarchy.

Via Kotkke.

Riedel Rags on Ragtime

2010-01-08T09:30:00.002-05:00

Michael Riedel has some not-so-nice things to say about the Broadway revival of Ragtime, which is set to close on Sunday. I wanted so, so badly to love this production, but it's hard to disagree with much of what Michael Riedel says (aside from calling the cast Maryland locals, which is untrue and just mean). In spite of the ways that Ragtime failed to be what many of us had hoped for, there is one silver lining:

At least cute little Bobby Steggert got something out of this disaster. As Mother's Younger Brother -- a character name that's as bloated and pretentious as the show itself -- he caught the eye of a Times reporter, who gushed that the actor has "career breakout potential."

True dat. If Bobby Steggert doesn't get a tony nomination, I will eat my playbill.

Psst...

2010-01-04T11:09:00.003-05:00

I hear that American Idiot will soon be moving into the St. James. The theater will be vacant after January 17th, when Finian's Rainbow (sadly) ends it's run. Finian's is a terrific revival of an odd little gem, catch it if you can.

Update: gotta do a little Nikki-Finke-style "TOLDJA!" here: Green Day Goes Broadway With ‘American Idiot’ (via NY TIMES)

This at Playwrights Horizons

2009-11-29T12:25:00.006-05:00

Despite cleverness that occasionally overshoots its mark, Melissa James Gibson's play This deftly maneuvers between striking themes which are rarely portrayed with the complexity in which they occur in real life. From Playwrights Horizons press notes, here's an idea of the story:

Jane is not okay. She’s a promising poet without a muse, a single mother without lessons to pass along. Her dating life’s a shambles, and her helpful friends are only helping make things more complicated. This bright, witty, un-romantic comedy captures the uncertain steps of a circle of friends backing their way into middle age.

That summary only skims the surface of this sad, smart, very funny play. Grief, loneliness, the intricacies of old friendships, career, dating, intimacy, aging, sex, parenting - many playwrights would find a significant enough challenge in intertwining just a few of these, but Gibson's characters exist amidst the whole mess, just as most normal people's lives are a daily negotiation of conflicting desires and realities and urges and responsibilities. Not only does Gibson thoughtfully explore these personal venn diagrams, she also manages to raise questions about race, gender, ethics and politics in personal ways that further the story. All of this rolled into an hour and fifty minutes makes for engaging, provocative theater. Though there are occasional missteps in the overuse of devices and flowery language that feel like road signs interrupting the natural flow of the storytelling, overall This packs a pretty powerful punch.

Playwrights Horizons has once again assembled an excellent cast, with Glenn Fitzgerald giving a standout performance as the droll and brazenly sensitive Alan, bittersweet sufferer of an ability to recall any conversation he's ever heard. Louis Cancelmi is also fantastic as Jean-Pierre, an alluringly no-nonsense Doctor Without Borders, who also happens to be French and smokin' hot. Design elements are uniformly strong, with Louisa Thompson's set conveying the subject matter's messy compromise and beauty.

(photo above by Joan Marcus. Eisa Davis, Darren Pettie, Glenn Fitzgerald, Julianne Nicholson and Louis Cancelmi are pictured)

Life is what happens when you're making plans to blog

2009-11-25T10:51:00.005-05:00

So I've been a little busy, with not much time to blog. But just because I haven't been blogging does not mean that I haven't been paying attention. For example, how about Kelsey Grammer being cast in Fran & Barry's upcoming revival of La Cage Aux Folles? Fun Facts about Kelsey Grammer: He last tread the boards in the 2000 production of Macbeth, his recently axed sitcom Hank was his second failed series in two years, his first name is actually Allen, and he is a noted member of the Republican Party. I'm sure Broadway will embrace the poor sap though, because if nothing else, he's one jackass who knows how to make fun of himself.

I've been seeing a LOT of theater, so expect reviews soon for This at Playwrights Horizons and Ragtime. Neither show is perfect, but I still solidly recommend both. I also caught Finian's Rainbow recently, and was utterly charmed by the wacky musical theater throwback. It's Brigadoon meets Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, full of ridiculous whimsy and romance and quite a few gorgeous songs. I just started a youtube page where you can find a few worthwhile videos from the show.

I leave you with this. Happy Thanksgiving folks.

Mysterious and Spooky

2009-11-13T18:14:00.004-05:00

I have a hunch that The Addams Family is going to be a massive hit. The beloved source material as filtered through the minds of Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch is one of the most exciting prospects we've seen for Broadway in a while. Here is a little video of the cast at a shoot for Vanity Fair, enjoy! Previews start tonight in Chicago.

The Terrifying Tale of the So-Called Female Fiance

2009-11-09T18:23:00.006-05:00

From the twitter feed of the one-and-only James Urbaniak, via Parabasis, here is a ~~gay~~ Christian man who is very displeased after his recent firing from the Logan Airport Brookstone. Why was he fired? Well, his female manager kept insisting on discussing her imminent marriage to a woman. Eeew! Peter Vadala simply expressed that "controversial issues" don't belong in the workplace, and that as a ~~gay~~ Christian, he thinks "that's bad stuff". And then he was fired! Poor, poor ~~gay~~ Christian. Americans everywhere are outraged that an innocent man stands "accused of harassment even though lesbian approached him."

What a twat! Yet another awesome religious nut who, as wakingupnow.com correctly contends, "wants one rule for what straights can say about their families, and a different, more restrictive rule for gays. Do you see the irony? He’s complaining about being punished for expressing his beliefs at work, AND he’s saying gays shouldn’t be allowed to talk about their families at work... He’s not asking for freedom of speech. He’s asking for special rights." Oh, and did I mention that this kid writes musicals? Wake up! You are gay!

But it's ok, not all of humanity is lost in a sea of bigoted lunacy. This kid, for example, totally rocks. Watch this, and feel better.

Broadway Backstage

2009-11-06T18:43:00.007-05:00

The Wall Street Journal has a little piece on Broadway dressing rooms, since apparently Roundabout is now star-fucking not only their casts, but their star's dressing rooms as well. HGTV had a big designer do Carrie Fisher's dressing room for Wishful Drinking. Well oodleey-ooh. The NY Times also ran an article from a while back on some to-the-nines dressing rooms, but I prefer the simple photo above of Kelli O'Hara in her dressing room for South Pacific, and the below of Sean Penn in an 1983 production of Slab Boys. Both photos reveal the thing I really love about going backstage.

The backstage area of a Broadway house is a funny thing - it's usually strikingly plain, even grungy, but there's this undeniable sense of history pulsing from within the scuffed floors and chipped bulletin boards. You can't help but be struck by the ordinary-ness, the unflattering flourescent lights and normal, tired people just doing their job. The theater's lobby may be gilded and chandeliered, but backstage is shitty. Which is exactly what makes it magical in that quintessential old-New-York way - it's the quiet, persistent knowledge that legends put their feet up here, leaned on that wall, waited there to walk onstage, and so on. Who needs to dress that up?

Patrick Wilson's two Tony Noms didn't mean dick in LA

2009-11-05T18:13:00.003-05:00

Patrick Wilson is interviewed in Backstage, and recalls the time that his Broadway chops and two Tony Noms didn't mean dick in LA:

I remember being in L.A. to audition one of my first movie jobs out there. I’d already, I think, been nominated for two Tonys here. So I’d certainly made a little bit of a name for myself. I had a resume. I think I’d been doing it for eight years or something.

And I said [to the casting director], "Hey, nice to meet you," and literally the response I got was, "I thought you were British." And I was like, "Why?"

They said, "Well, I don’t know. I’m sorry, but you're 30 and I’ve never heard of you, and I know you did a lot of theater." (laughs) "So I’m British?"

I'm obviously a bit of a Broadway fanatic, but theater-centric idealists like the chatterati sure do get tiresome. Put that story in your pipe and smoke it, chatterati.

Eat It

2009-11-04T19:28:00.004-05:00

Shoot. Only day four of NaBloPoMo and I feel like I've got nothing to say. So instead of the usual ramblings, here is my very own recipe for delicious winter-warming tomato sauce, which I created and enjoyed with some meatballs, cheap wine, and good friends on Sunday. My intent was to replicate the Spicy Hot Tomato Oil that is the hallmark of Syracuse, NY restaurant Pastabilities (pictured below). I'm still working on nailing it, but it's a pretty good imitation, in my humble opinion. The measurements are inexact to say the least, I just kind of wing it.

I haven't blogged too much about it, but cooking is a big part of my life, and a really good way to cheer up any early-onset winter blues. Here are 15 recipes from Apartment Therapy's blog The Kitchn, all designed for autumn evenings. Vegetarians be warned, they're meat-based... and look amazing.

Moxie's Spicy Hot Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
Crushed tomatoes - 2 cans
6 cloves Garlic
2 cups Olive Oil
A Lot of Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 a chopped onion
A Bay Leaf
Dried Oregano
Cumin
Salt
Sugar
Breadcrumbs
*Sriracha sauce! Spicy!

Mince up some garlic - a lot! Put a ton of olive oil in a big pan, nice and hot, and throw in the garlic and a lot of crushed red pepper. A lot! A whole lot. Cook the garlic w/ the pepper until it's nice and browned, more brown that you normally would for cooking. You want it to be a nice medium brown toasted color. Add a 1/2 onion finely chopped and sautee for a little while.

Throw in 2 big cans of the most authentic-Italian looking crushed tomatoes you can find. Add some dried oregano, and a bay leaf. Add some cumin if you have it. Let it sit and gently simmer for a while.

Add plenty of salt, don't be shy! Also add a good amount sugar - start with two tablespoons and keep adding until the flavor starts out with a bang, before the herb flavors kick in. Add some breadcrumbs to thicken the sauce up a bit if it's too soupy.

Throw in just a little bit of Sriracha! Top it off with some fresh basil when you serve it, and your friends will think you are devastatingly fancy.

isn't it time...

2009-11-03T17:06:00.004-05:00

...that you paid a visit to Advanced Style? Nothing perks up a dreary November day like the notion that fabulousness only gets better with age.

2009-11-02T16:14:00.004-05:00

The very-fancy Artios Awards are tonight! Playbill has a fancy press release about the awards that recognize the work of casting directors in film, television, and theater. Playbill also features the below photo of theater casting heavyweight (and television personality) Bernie Telsey. Imagining the time that went into styling that hair - it looks like the top of a fancy cake!

Happy NaBloPoMo!

2009-11-02T12:30:00.005-05:00

Hey y'all, it's November, and that means it's time for NaBloPoMo, aka National Blog Posting Month! And I've already screwed up, missing a post on yesterday's big kickoff day. But one little slip-up cannot break my spirit!

So in the spirit of the throwing-spaghetti-on-the-wall that is NaBloPoMo, here are a few things that are of interest to me today:

Sad story: Brighton Beach Memoirs officially closed yesterday, and it's counterpart Broadway Bound has been cancelled. Some say a lack of "wow factor" is to blame, which seems pretty apt. As discussed last week, it seems nearly impossible for a play to succeed on Broadway without major major stars or another big splashy selling point to spread the word. If it ain't got Jude Law, it better leave people saying "well that's the best thing I've ever experienced in my life." Kinda tough.

How often do you agree with everything on a 50-item list? One Hundred Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (NY Times)

Jaime at Surplus is also NaBloPoMo'ing, go pay her a visit, she is a delight.

And finally, this is the single best thing I've seen all day:

That's right, it's Cheyenne Jackson on 30 Rock, with waffles! More photos here.

Abigail Breslin and the Celebrity Casting Debacle

2009-10-29T09:00:00.004-04:00

The casting of Abigail Breslin as Helen Keller in the upcoming Broadway production of The Miracle Worker has ruffled feathers far beyond the expected anti-celeb theater gossips. An advocacy group called Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts has strongly opposed the casting choice, on the grounds of "human and artistic issues" that trump the economic realities of needing a star to succeed on Broadway. Meanwhile, lead producer David Richenthal says it would be "financially irresponsible to approach a major revival without making a serious effort to get a star." His comment is sadly hard to argue with, with plays like A Steady Rain, Hamlet, Equus, and God of Carnage making major bank while Brighton Beach Memoirs, Oleanna, Superior Donuts and Reasons to be Pretty don't sell. If you take on Broadway without an A-list star, are you embracing economic failure with arms open wide for the sake of artistic integrity? Or, is it a game of risk, and better to just cast a star and hope that their gifts translate to the stage (a la Daniel Radcliffe), with the added insurance that even if they suck, tickets will still sell based on name alone. Then you have productions like the Roundabout's Bye Bye Birdie, with stars who are not starry enough to guarantee sales, who also happen to flatline onstage (to my previously-noted delight). The alternative seems to be hiring theater stalwarts, or just-pretty-famous actors who you know will kick ass (like Laurie Metcalf), and hoping they turn in a performance so staggeringly astonishing that it creates the kind of buzz that makes the out-of-towners actually take note. And August Osage County ain't an easy thing to achieve, folks.

To get back to the point of the "human and artistic issues", it would certainly be exciting to see a young hearing-impaired/visually-impaired actress take on Keller. It would be an incredible challenge, and if they pulled it off, it might actually make me interested in seeing the freakin Miracle Worker. But maybe such a challenge is too risky for Broadway these days.

The casting of A Behanding in Spokane, Martin McDonough's next Broadway venture, seems to be a fun alternative to the usual ickiness of stunt casting. Having read it, I have very little doubt that Chris Rock will be absolutely terrific, and I would watch Sam Rockwell and Zoe Kazan every day if I could. It's a ridiculous, scary and fun play, and absolute vintage McDonough. Get excited.

Miss Saigon: Now a Major Motion Picture?

2009-10-26T09:00:00.004-04:00

Just got a great email from an old pal:

I just read about the Miss Saigon movie that is going to be made... everyone on ATC is speculating about who will play the leads. Isn't it obvious, in a post-Glee world, that no one but Matt Morrison will even be considered for Chris?

Matt Morrison is an obvious choice, but what about Hollywood movie star and Broadway's own Patrick Wilson? And may I suggest the two mud wrestle for the role? I also have to admit, if they have to cast a big fancy movie star, I wouldn't mind seeing Zac Efron in the role. Aside from Disney's big ugly HSM machine, the kid's got talent.

Other casting suggestions from the "chatterati" include Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr, and Jackie Chan (!), for the Engineer. I have to wonder if the idea of casting an actual Asian actor in the role will be taken seriously. With the recent casting controversy over hearing actors playing deaf roles onstage, it will be interesting to see how the decades-old clash over race and casting in Miss Saigon will play out this time around. Director Lee Daniels put Mariah Carey and Monique in his Oscar-buzzy indie Precious, and knowing Daniels, he's more than clued in to the history here and already has some surprising ideas up his sleeve.

Release is tentatively planned for 2011. Here's a little something to whet your appetite:

Brantley's Birdie Smackdown

2009-10-16T19:29:00.000-04:00

The highly-anticipated revival of Bye Bye Birdie opened last night, and call me crazy, but I don't think Ben Brantley liked it very much!

If you get a chance, send a few dozen get-well cards to Henry Miller’s Theater... Flu season has arrived, and an especially mean virus appears to have attacked the cast of the revival of “Bye Bye Birdie,” which opened Thursday night. I don’t think it’s the swine flu that has flattened Robert Longbottom’s production...

The symptoms in this case include tin ear, loss of comic timing, uncontrollable jitters and a prickly disorientation that screams, “Where am I?” and “What am I doing?” Theatergoers may feel an empathetic urge to rush home and bury their heads in their pillows.

Ouch! He goes on with a systematic take-down of the Roundabout's starry revival. The cast is a "painful example of misapplied talent". The director has "lost his sense of direction". The concept evokes "an old Old Navy or Nick at Nite ad" and not in the good way. Oh and John Stamos and Gina Gershon "tend to slide distractingly off key — not violently, but just enough to make you want to hit your ear." It goes on.

Aside from the comic effect of Brantley's purple prose, I have to confess a deep, sick appreciation for the big sloppy failures of star-fucked Broadway shows. When will they learn? These people cannot sing! And are not stageworthy! Do Stamos and Gershon really make such a difference in ticket sales that it's worth having a giant creative failure? I suspect not.

Another Single Ladies video?

2009-10-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

I know what you're thinking. "Can yet another Single Ladies video really be worth watching? Can anything Single Ladies-related still make me smile? Even after Glee exploited it within an inch of the song's sassy life? Really? Another Single Ladies Video?"

Yes it is, Yes it can, Yes.

Behold! Beyonce's Single Ladies, covered by Pomplamoose. Excellent band name - pamplemousse means grapefruit in French.

(via Kottke)

Gonna Run This Tour for Heights

2009-10-09T09:00:00.002-04:00

This shit is hot. I just love In the Heights, now and forever. Here's my original review.

MilkMilkLemonade

2009-10-07T19:20:00.001-04:00

MilkMilkLemonade, recently seen at the theater Under St. Marks, was smart, subversive, and pee-your-pants-laughing hysterical. Playwright Joshua Conkel tells the tale of a gay child who lives with his grandma on a chicken farm, where his only friends are a hen named Linda and a bully from down the road. He dreams of leaving the farm for a glamorous life in MallTown, but finds that the ribbon-twirling dance breaks of his dreams might not be so attainable in real life.

There's an argument to be made that MilkMilkLemonade is a 21st century version of Grimm's fairy tales - the story might be about children, but grisly plot twists and seriously dark subject matter whisper in the ears of grown-ups, "This is for you, so you better listen up and listen good." A roundly superb cast did excellent work under director (and blogger!) Isaac Butler's discerning eye, putting comedy front and center and treating the "issues" at hand with pitch-perfect delicacy. It was a stellar production and a complete delight, and though it has closed, I hope New York has not seen the last of it.

Mad Men, via Sesame Street

2009-10-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

"I wish I had said hi... so I figured I would on here."

2009-10-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

Sophie Blackall creates beautiful and whimsical posters from the missed connections section on Craigslist. Here are a few, but they are all worth a look. The images seem to lend a surprising, wistful kindness to the nutty dreamers on missed connections. Kind of poetic and charming, no?

Monday, September 14, 2009
Look: historically, I'm not a morning person. And to top it off, I was grimacing
through some lower back pain that flowered over the weekend. So when you noticed me
(white guy, brown hair, blue/white striped shirt, earphones, red book) and I noticed you
(white girl, brown hair, nosering, headphones, blue book) for however brief a moment this morning,
it was bolstering and made me forget the knife in my back.
Haven't noticed you before, but if there's a next time,
maybe I can slap myself out of the morning slumber and say hey.
No promises, though.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
- m4m - 29 (astoria)
we were both swimming around 5-6 in astoria pool.
we ended up walking the same direction in the park for a while but didn't talk.
i wish i had said hi...so i figured i would on here.
worth a shot.

2009-09-23T17:33:00.002-04:00

Someone just sent me this...

The Subliminal Mind Fuck America

2009-09-16T09:30:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here looking at these photos of American Idiot at Berkley Rep, and making sounds reminiscent of the little cleanup robot in WALL-E, "whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa..." Newsprint, grime, media overload, and some serious wailing seems to be ensuing. Opening night is Wednesday the 16th, there's more photos and video fun here.

someone please tell me what is going on here

2009-08-31T11:34:00.005-04:00

Actress Stacy Haiduk brought a special guest to the Daytime Emmys yesterday. Is it her purse, or her plus one? I can't make heads or tails of it... more photos here.

I'm working on adapting this into a fringe show

2009-08-26T18:02:00.002-04:00

"A little town with a really big secret."

2009-08-21T09:45:00.002-04:00

Buzz on the heart wrenching documentary The Cove started at Sundance, and has continued to grow as the film screened at other festivals this year. In fact, it seemed like every film festival wanted to screen the doc that exposes animal abuse and threats to human health in a highly-guarded cove near Taijii, Japan - well, every festival but one. Despite having an ecology theme this year, and despite rolling out a "green carpet," the Tokyo Film Festival refused to screen The Cove. See, in order to film the "fishery" where thousands of dolphins are brutally killed each year, the filmmakers had to go guerrilla. They infiltrated the highly-guarded cove using cameras disguised as rocks, underwater microphones, and other secretive and risky techniques to capture and expose the horrifying truth. In one part of the trailer, one of the filmmakers says, "I do want to say, we tried making this story legally." Japan wants the filmmakers behind bars for exposing the largest slaughter of dolphins on the planet, and naturally, the Tokyo Film Festival wants no part of it.

Doesn't mean you can't see the film though - it's currently playing in New York at the Angelika. Watch the trailer here.

Sorry Spidey

2009-08-07T12:35:00.005-04:00

Julie Taymor's big-concept, bigger-budget musical Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark is running into some significant misadventure. Michael Riedel reports that the musical, currently budgeted at a whopping $45 million, is "in chaos," of both the financial and managerial variety. The center of the problem seems to be failure of leadership on the part of producer David Garfinkle, who may be ousted by Sony and Marvel as soon as this weekend. Riedel has the whole saga of how Garfinkle, with little previous experience as a theatre producer, came to preside over what may turn out to be Broadway's most expensive musical ever. Oh and Bono and The Edge are pissed, too. You can read all the dirt here.

Now let me just say that I love a big, glitzy musical full of technical effects. Razzle-dazzle could be my middle name. But in spite of my appreciation of the flashy stuff, there's something about the idea of a 45-million dollar superhero musical that reminds me of a dude driving around hard-times Wall Street in his brand-new Maserati. It's gross. What's happened to us as theatergoers that we require this incredible level of spending to entertain us in a theater? What can you possibly put on a stage that costs 45 million, even if you're Julie Taymor? The current Broadway revival of HAIR cost an initial investment of 5.76 million, allowing it to recoup in about 6 months. It would seem that Spiderman would require years and years to break even, unless producers plan to supersize ticket prices.

I'd love to see what Taymor is plotting. But I hope she has the support to do it in a way that makes sense. The last thing we need is another Young Frankenstein, bursting with production and void of substance.

David Cote asks bloggers for "more arguments, more dirt," but can we deliver?

2009-07-24T16:25:00.007-04:00

Time Out's David Cote has proposed Nine Wishes for NYC Theater, with a list that varies from a plea for better scores of Broadway musicals (amen!) to an entreaty to bloggers to "engage/enrage" with "more arguments, more dirt, more bloody knock-down-drag-out fights." Hmm.

The responses to Cote's wish list make an interesting read - one fairly well-known theater actor even weighs in in the comments with, "Eek! To want to give bloggers more power seems not only a frightening prospect, but a downright dangerous one. I am an actor who has admittedly scoured the internet for bloggers' "reviews" and "dirt" and have found them to be more often than not dangerous, cruel, irrational, and from an uneducated POV!" Eek, indeed - the old saying springs to mind, don't ask the question if you don't want to know the answer. Or in this case, don't google if you don't want to read the review, whether it's from All That Chat, a bitchy blog, or the New York Times.

Meanwhile, a lengthier discussion of theater blogging and the Engage/Enrage concept is raging here, stemming from David Cote's cyber-evisceration of blogger (and playwright) George Hunka. Many theater bloggers make appearances in the comments section, including Surplus's Jaime, who questions how realistic it is for us to be the provacateurs of the entertainment industry when we ourselves have careers within that industry to consider. I've had my fair share of uncomfortable professional moments due to stuff I’ve posted. Even as an anonymous blogger, I have to be pretty thoughtful about what I post and who it might engage/enrage, and while it would be cool to be the Nikki Finke of the NYC theater scene, not getting fired is nice, too.

So how to proceed in being my gossipmongering self? Well, let's start here: I can't post most of the insider dirt I learn at work, but I sure can post yours. Got a tip? Why not drop me a line at moxiethemaven@yahoo.com.

forever on the dance floor

2009-07-24T11:06:00.005-04:00

This is the best thing I've seen all week - one couple's nontraditional choice of wedding entrance music makes for the coolest freakin wedding ever.

(thanks Clint!)

Update: New York Magazine's own Dan Kois has a piece on the now-famous Minnesota Wedding Dance Video, and why it might be "the best theater you'll see all year". It's a great read so go check it out.

What a setup, holy cow!

2009-07-20T10:02:00.002-04:00

Gotta love the Post's headlines - today they feature a story called "Broadway Invades Time Warner Center". Check out this great video of a spontaneous eruption of musical theater in front of Williams Sonoma. One passerby said "It's spontaneous, it's spectacular, it's New York." Amen!

hot

2009-07-17T12:31:00.001-04:00

This is why So You Think You Can Dance is unmissable television!

Totes Fierce and Brills

2009-07-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Musical Theatre Dictionary will school you in the linguistic idiosyncrasies of Brooaaadwaaaay. Here are just a few gems:

"On That Stage" -saying- When you don't want to be mean about an obviously terrible performance, but the person being "on that stage" is the ONLY nice thing you can say.
Meg: How was KiKi in H.M.S. Pinafore?
Abby: Um...she was... on that stage.

"Jawbrato" -noun/verb- Describes a belter-screamer who chooses to accent their vibrato by visibly shaking their jaw up and down.
Morty: Babe, who is that singer friend of yours, the one who shakes when she sings? you know, the one with turrets or something?
Rosie:Oh, Morty, that's Cheryl, the gal who sings at the JCC. She doesn't have Tourret's Syndrome , you asshole, she just has a heavy jawbrato.

"Effie We All Got Pain" -saying- Response to a costar when he/she is throwing tons of diva comments your way. A reference to the musical Dreamgirls when Effie White's laundry-lists of excuses are met with this statement. The point being: you have struggles, so do we.
Diva: My Laduca Strap broke, I'm not warm yet, and if they make me wear this bullshit costume I'm going to flip.
Smart Actor: Effie, we all got pain.

(Thanks Isaac!)

Constantine: What a Pro

2009-07-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

"SW kickin ass...unlike some people did. Oh well.. Movin on."

-Rock of Ages star Constantine Maroulis, on Amy Spanger's replacement Savannah Wise. Spanger recently departed the show for "personal reasons." (Via Twitter.)

Also, this is not Constantine's twitter page.

Dear Kalpen Modi,

2009-07-06T18:50:00.002-04:00

Wanna get married? I don't mind that you're looking a bit plumper now that you're formally employed by the White House. I think it's sexy that you've moved on from your stoner past. I even saw that cool indie you did, and I have to say, you were really really good. And I dig that you changed your name back from the SAG-approved Kal Penn. So, whaddaya think? Wanna get hitched?

__ Yes
__ No

hopefully yours,
Moxie

'lil blogging break

2009-07-01T10:24:00.003-04:00

Hi folks, as you might have noticed, posting is going to be light this summer - I have some professional stuff going on that's exciting but time consuming, and also some vacation plans that will hopefully untether me from my laptop. I'll continue to check in, and bring you stuff like this trailer for The Invention of Lying, Ricky Gervais's comedy about a world in which nobody lies, ever. All truth, all the time, for better or for worse - until one man (Gervais) discovers fibbing and all the power therein. A million fun cameos, and one of the funniest scripts I've ever read.

...and this, Michael Jackson's performance from the 1995 MTV Awards. Just a great mashup of his greatest hits. Sure, the lipsyching is plain as day, but his live performances were always about the moves, right? My first real attempts at "dance" were in first grade, in my best friends bedroom, listening to Michael Jackson and attempting what were probably some unwittingly perverse moves for a seven-year-old.

[via kottke]

the world is watching

2009-06-19T13:18:00.004-04:00

Everybody's tuning in to Bravo's most watched program ever (really!) The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Here's a brilliant creative riff from MCC on the "notorious and immortal" book Cop Without a Badge. That's right, the book that started it all, revealing Beverly to be a "whooooore!!!":

(for background, see here)

it's coming

2009-06-10T18:20:00.000-04:00

Countdown has us at 4 days, 3 hours, and 53 minutes from the Season 2 premiere of True Blood on HBO. True Blood follows the adventures of telepathic "fang-banger" (aka vampire lovah), Sookie Stackhouse, as she tries to balance her white trash waitress life with her forays into the exotic world of the supernatural. What will the second season bring? It looks like Sookie's (hot) brother Jason will be involved in some serious vampire-phobic evangelical christian action, and we'll likely see more from the shape-shifters. But the thing I'm looking forward to the most is Evan Rachel Wood's turn as the psycho queen of the vampires.

"She's 400 years old and she's the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. She's kind of a cross between Patrick Bateman and Paris Hilton. And she's crazy. She's supposed to be French but since she's 400 years old, they said you don't have to do an accent because they figured she can speak English perfectly well by now." — Evan Rachel Wood on her lesbian vampire on True Blood

Oh hell yes.

[via vulture]

Whoa, like, no way dude!

2009-06-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Zack Morris is back!?!

i want to go to there

2009-06-05T15:11:00.001-04:00

SuckWatch: The Tony Awards

2009-06-03T18:00:00.001-04:00

You know what sucks? The fact that Legally Blonde will be performing at the Tonys this Sunday sucks. It sucks that fluffy shows, shows that have been around for years, are getting substantial airtime when THIS YEAR'S nominees for awards like, oh, Best Revival of a Play aren't included in the broadcast at all.

Seriously?!??

Yes, seriously - awards for the design of Lighting, Costumes, and Sets, not to mention Choreography, and Book of a Musical will not be seen on CBS this Sunday. Instead, we'll be watching tired-ass numbers from Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, and Legally Fucking Blonde.

It's a disgrace. If it has to be moved to PBS in order to do the thing right, then for god's sake do it already. Don't let Les Moonves determine the proceedings of the biggest night in theater. Until then, Tony Awards, you're on SuckWatch.

Update: Kevin Spacey writes on twitter that "Tony Awards have reconsidered and Best Play Revival will now be on the telecast on CBS." Good.

2009-06-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Athens Park is your average gathering place for traditional Astorians to gather, and a typical Sunday afternoon would likely find groups of older men playing chess, couples with their dogs, and perhaps a skateboarder. The place was unrecognizable this Sunday - packed to the brim with folks of all backgrounds who had come together to demonstrate their support for marriage equality. There were speakers and performances, and stories that bring the issue vividly to life as a clear civil rights issue. The Broadway Boys sang "Imagine" in soaring a cappella. One speaker told the story of her mixed-race parents who were almost not allowed to marry. Another demonstrator spoke of a time when his wife was ill, and shared a hospital room with a lesbian woman whose partner was not allowed to visit after hours - they ended up sneaking her partner in as a part of their own family.

Marriage is a civil right. Click here to get involved.

“I would ask every man and every woman who’s had the blessing of having children, ‘Would you deny your son or your daughter the ecstasy of finding someone to love?' To love someone takes a lot of courage. So how much more is one challenged when the love is of the same sex and the laws say, ‘I forbid you from loving this person’?”
- Maya Angelou, phoning New York state Sen. Shirley L. Huntley (D-Queens) and asking that she support marriage equality.

[images via kempsternyc at flickr]

Just got my first-ever hate mail

2009-05-28T15:17:00.004-04:00

Does this mean I've "made it" as a blogger? Reader Brian Cashman writes:

You are a snarky fucking idiot. Your blog is beyond annoying, and who ever told you that your opinion mattered or had any merit whatsoever. Your reviews, theatre especially, are so unintelligent as to be laughable.

Oh my goodness! Thank you for reading, Brian, and keep on spreading cheer throughout the internets!

Meet Eugene Jerome

2009-05-28T13:25:00.002-04:00

Here's an utterly adorable video of Noah Robbins, who will star in Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway this fall. How cute is he?!?

Do you support marriage equality?

2009-05-22T19:59:00.005-04:00

If you do, it's time to stand up and speak out. The bill to bring marriage equality to the state of New York has passed the State Assembly and is now headed to the State Senate.

Opponents of the bill are aligning from across the country, already pouring millions of dollars into efforts to stop this bill from passing. These people are bent on restricting the rights of our neighbors, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, and they will work night and day to see that this bill does not pass. We must fight back and make our voices heard.

So listen up people: we have to act now. Click here to contact your state senator. It only takes a moment and a couple clicks to make a difference. Write a letter, send it along, and then tell your friends, your family, your colleagues, and everyone about how important is.

Equality is everyone's issue.

2009-05-22T13:59:00.002-04:00

I hope everybody has a delightful long weekend. Check this out in your sunshine-and-margarita-induced haze. Autotune is for the birds, yo.

Dorks Unite for Glee!

2009-05-22T10:37:00.006-04:00

If you're reading this blog, odds are pretty high that you dvr'd, watched, and re-watched Glee this week. As a former band/drama/glee club geek, it is impossible not to love this show. Creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck, and Ian Brennan have done a bang-up job of establishing a high school story that takes on the highs and lows of nerddom and celebrates it in earnest as much as it satirizes it. The case is studded with gems of the Broadway world, with Matt Morrison and Lea Michele in two of the central roles. And yes, creator Ian Brennan is the talented actor you may remember from plays like Liz Meriwether's Mistakes Madeline Made and The Vineyard's Mary Rose. Insiders say the show's delightfully quirky humor comes directly from him.

Glee has already shot a full season that will air in the fall. To make good news better, Fox is pairing it with So You Think You Can Dance. As Mary Murphy would say, "AAAAAiiiiiaaaHotTamale!!"

oh my

2009-05-21T10:43:00.003-04:00

Chace Crawford will star in the Footloose remake.

gobama

2009-05-19T17:29:00.002-04:00

Michelle Obama on the arts:

The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.

The First Lady went on to discuss Rocco Landesman (no, not that Rocco), the nominee for Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, praising his entrepreneurship and "commitment to being a bridge between the philanthropic, non-profit and commercial arts community". Yeah!

[via The Clyde Fitch Report]

Hollywood brakes for duck crossing

2009-05-13T11:32:00.004-04:00

If you've ever been on a studio lot, you know that they are odd, odd places. They're kind of like small theme parks, but with offices and parking lots and seriousness instead of roller coasters and fat kids eating turkey legs (it's true). Well, the Fox lot's poultry factor has gone up recently, as a mama duck and her 9 baby ducklings are now making their home in a central fountain, right in front of the News Corp building. According to Nikki Finke, the family of fowl have endeared themselves to everyone from top executives to security guards. Groundskeepers have lightened the load of chemicals in the fountain to protect the family. Employees stop by the fountain to feed the ducklings on their lunch break. The Fox day care center has been making little trips to visit the ducks, Fox staffers have been seen escorting the ducks across the street, and now the lot has installed signs warning drivers to drive carefully and look out for "Duck crossing at Ave of the Palms". OMG the cuteness is unbearable.

Desire Under the Elms

2009-05-11T10:34:00.004-04:00

From the moment the lights come up on two sweat-soaked brothers hauling a massive load of rocks, Desire Under the Elms is loaded with heavy and hot-blooded emotional struggles. Watching an expert cast strain under the burden is fascinating, even if the release theatergoers may crave is lacking.

The level of blood, sweat, and tears packed into O'Neill's 90-minute melodrama is impressive to say the least. The impossibly, inhumanly alluring Carla Gugino manifests Abbie as a woman so scarred by life's hardships, it's plain to see how her hunger for comfort drives her to disastrous ends. Pablo Schreiber's Eben impressively matches her as a man desperate for a woman's attention and encouragement, particularly in the face of his father's relentless battery of mocking, emasculating dismissals. And of course, Brian Dennehy's Ephraim is brimming with a malicious spite that belies his ferocious obsession with all that he is master of, be it his farm or his own body - a body which threatens to live on for years to come despite old age and decades of hard labor. Watching these three duke it out is amazing to say the least - Carla Gugino is a marvel, and the ferocious sexual tension between her and Schreiber is exhilarating.

However, director Robert Falls has fashioned a strangely blunt emotional sledgehammer out of O'Neill's greek tragedy. Given so little space to fall in love with the characters before they begin clawing each other to shreds, the payoff is more exhausting than satisfyingly cathartic.

Desire Under the Elms is playing at the St. James Theater. By Eugene O'Neill; directed by Robert Falls; sets by Walt Spangler; costumes by Ana Kuzmanic; lighting by Michael Philippi; music and sound by Richard Woodbury; wigs by Charles G. Lapointe; technical supervisor, Larry Morley; associate producer, Broadway Across America. A Goodman Theater production. Starring Brian Dennehy (Ephraim Cabot), Carla Gugino (Abbie Putnam), Pablo Schreiber (Eben Cabot), Boris McGiver (Peter Cabot) and Daniel Stewart Sherman (Simeon Cabot).

Ladies and Gentlemen, Leonard Nimoy

2009-05-08T10:33:00.003-04:00

There are some great Leonards out there. Leonard Cohen, Robert Sean Leonard, and of course, the great Leonard Nimoy, of whom I never tire, despite my disregard for all things Star Trek. Here he is on Letterman last night. What a gem!

Ron Mueck Rocks

2009-05-07T16:49:00.003-04:00

Check out this photo of "Mother and Child," by Australian sculptor Ron Mueck. Speaks for itself:

[via Jezebel]

Just to be incredibly clear...

2009-05-01T15:36:00.004-04:00

As previously mentioned, Zoe Kazan is a S-T-A-R. Now she's gone and won Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival for her turn as a young epileptic woman drifting through a hazy summer in New York. The film is visually arresting, and features both Kazan and Mark Rendell in performances of startling nuance and subtletly. New York Magazine accurately described her as "one of those annoying people who comes from an insanely connected family...yet has talent enough that she’s made a name for herself in her own right".

Trivia Time: Alan Smithee, the World's Worst Director

2009-04-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a fun bit of trivia I learned via Nikki Finke today: the name Alan Smithee is an official pseudonym taken on by directors when they want to dissociate themselves from a film. Until 2000 it was the DGA's official moniker taken on by directors who didn't want their name in the credits of an unsatisfactory film. Guild rules even specified that once a director uses the Alan Smithee credit, they are required not to disclose the circumstances leading to detaching themselves from the project.

Films with direction credited to Mr. Smithee include Woman Wanted (actually directed by Keifer Sutherland), and Twilight Zone: The Movie, in which the 2nd AD credit for one segment is given to Smithee (actor Vic Morrow was killed during production on the film). There are also several films that credit Smithee as the director of the edited for television version, including Heat, Rudy, and Scent of a Woman.

[Alan Smithee - Wikipedia]

OH MY GOD

2009-04-24T13:01:00.004-04:00

Okay, this is absolutely NOT safe for work, or for the faint of heart, but can someone please tell me if this is real?!?!?!

[NSFW: Cheyenne Jackson NUDE]

Update: Here are just a few of the reactions I'm hearing:
"OMG, it's where-do-you-think-you're-putting-that huge!"
"My god, I'm screaming and covering the screen with my hand!"
"I'm in awe. I may make it my desktop."

one for the ladies

2009-04-24T12:51:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday! Here is a bit of brilliant marketing from the smart folks at Adidas. Enjoy!

[Jersey Swap]

Psst...

2009-04-24T12:06:00.002-04:00

I hear that Julia Stiles is doing a very hush-hush screenplay reading of Sylvia Plath's THE BELL JAR today. Among the participants are Lauren Ambrose and Christine Lahti! Christine Lahti! Now that's good casting.

It may be raining, but...

2009-04-22T18:15:00.003-04:00

It could be worse. You could be a contestant on the BBC's hit show Any Dream Will Do, recently eliminated and forced to sing "Close Every Door" while your fellow contestants weep for you:

They can take your coat of many colors, but they'll never take your dream, Daniel!

know what this is?

2009-04-21T18:58:00.004-04:00

Why, it's a photo a spying pal just sent me from the Nederlander. Guys & Dolls looks packed, huh? Even those ladies in the foreground look apprehensive, as they whisper "Is Nathan Lane still in this?"

Speaking of Suckwatch, A Tale of Two Cities was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award, for Outstanding New Broadway Musical! No wonder those critics are in the outer circle, they'll never get inside at this rate!

Review: Next to Normal

2009-04-16T18:56:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Alice Ripley's masterful, astonishing performance, Next to Normal is transporting from the first moment, and devastating to the last note. While it may not fit the picture of a buoyant broadway musical built for easy crowd-pleasing, this nuanced portrait of madness and grief provides more emotional payoff than most nights I've had in a theater.

The story tracks Diana (Ripley), wife, mother, and sufferer of mental illness. Her instability stems from events treated with such delicacy in the production that revealing them in a review would deplete one of the most thoughtfully achieved aspects of the production. As Diana's connection to reality slips through her fingers, her family becomes increasingly desperate to maintain their own connection to the wife and mother they love. Ultimately, the story is not only about madness - it's about the delicate nature of the human capacity for love, and both the destruction and the mending that love can do for the soul.

A long development period has paid off in spades for Next to Normal, which ran Off-Broadway at Second Stage before transferring to Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, and finally venturing to Broadway. Creators Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, with director Michael Greif, have created a finely detailed picture of one family that's been fragmented by the past, each member isolated but desperate to connect. A fine cast treats the material with the requisite sensitivity and nuance, and the design elements actualize the world they live in - sometimes scary, sometimes full of warmth. But Alice Ripley is the crown jewel in the production, radiating pure emotion with every note and gesture. She's funny and loving in one moment, a terrified child the next, while remaining credible as the person whose family would stick with her in the very worst of times. Her portrait of Diane will surely join the ranks of Little Edie, Evita, and Mama Rose in the legion of great unhinged grand dames of musical theater.

Next to Normal is playing at the Booth Theater. Music by Tom Kitt; book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey; directed by Michael Greif; musical staging by Sergio Trujillo; sets by Mark Wendland; costumes by Jeff Mahshie; lighting by Kevin Adams; sound by Brian Ronan; orchestrations by Michael Starobin and Mr. Kitt; vocal arrangements by AnnMarie Milazzo; music director, Charlie Alterman; music coordinator, Michael Keller; technical supervisor, Larry Morley. Starring Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Aaron Tveit (Gabe), Jennifer Damiano (Natalie), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry) and Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine).

this is embarassing

2009-04-16T12:19:00.002-04:00

Michael Cerveris, or rather his Fringe character The Observer, has been spotted "haunting" various Fox programs. The Observer, who is described in today's Variety as looking "like a 'Blue Man Group' star, without the paint" was spotted in the audience at American Idol, on the sidelines of an NFL game, a Yankees game, and a NASCAR race. All of the events were broadcast on FOX, naturally.

Variety says the network won't comment on the appearances, but insiders at FOX are calling it the "Where's Baldo?" initiative. How embarassing must this be for Cerveris, a four-time Tony nominee? Good thing he's making crazy money to do each appearance...

24 Hours of Musical Theater Adventure!

2009-04-13T13:04:00.003-04:00

The 24-Hour Musicals are blazing today, with the likes of Cheyenne Jackson, Richard Kind, Rachel Dratch, Mandy Gonzalez, and more learning lines, listening to harmonies on their ipods, and getting ready to bust the whole thing out tonight in a one-night-only musical theater extravaganza. Notably absent are both Idina Menzel and Bebe Neuwirth, who were slated to appear. Wonder if the two divas decided to back out when they found out about the "orientation," in which all performers must sing for the whole group. I have a feeling Idina would give that part a big "aw hellll no!" The Times is blogging the whole thing as it goes down, and has some very nice accompanying photos.

Franz Ferdinand covers "Womanizer"

2009-04-08T13:59:00.001-04:00

Awesome:

(via stereogum)

Cherry Rocks

2009-04-08T11:53:00.001-04:00

Add this to the list of why Cherry Jones is a treasure:

What was your best drunken night in the city? “Coming home on my bicycle on the opening night of Macbeth. I momentarily lost a stiletto. But I didn’t do that again. I don’t ride under the influence.” —Cherry Jones

(via new york magazine)

Kal Penn Playing a New Role

2009-04-07T12:44:00.003-04:00

Actor Kal Penn, best known as Kumar, (spoiler alert!) was killed off in last night's episode of House, M.D. Why, you ask, would an actor want to give up a cushy series regular role on a massive hit tv show? Why, to go work for Barack Obama, of course! Penn told Entertainment Weekly, "I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison." Awesome!

Hopefully Obama won't catch too much flack in 2012 for hiring Hollywood's stoner hero.

By the way, if you haven't seen The Namesake (starring Kal Penn!), check it out. Mira Nair directed a quiet little coming-of-age story that quietly unfolds into a stunning character drama about family, love, and identity. One of those few movies I'll watch all the way through whenever it comes on cable (along with Annie Hall and Speed, if you're wondering).

Get Your Jenny Lewis Tickets Now

2009-04-06T16:30:00.002-04:00

Now that Rilo Kiley has stopped playing together (or so I hear), I've been wondering how I'm going to get my next Jenny Lewis fix. But I can fear no more, for the former frontlady has announced tour dates for the summer, including a June 9th appearance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Think I'm gonna go watch Troop Beverly Hills to get psyched.

Hair Makes Hippies Irresistible

2009-04-04T15:47:00.010-04:00

The Onion recently ran an article entitled “Oh No, Performers Coming Into Audience”. The piece was a frighteningly detailed account of a theater performance in which the cast descended “previously unseen stairs” in a “horrifying breach of the fourth wall,” bringing their singing, dancing, and cavorting right into the laps of their (captive) audience. My mind touched on this article at a recent performance of Hair, as Will Swenson’s heinie shimmied mere inches away from my mortified face. Three songs in, I was flat-out terrified he was going to drag me up onstage. But he didn't - thank god! - and once I came around to the flower children who aren't afraid to hug a stranger, the show was a total delight. Bottom line: Hair is a lot of fun, but don’t sit on the fourth row aisle unless you’re looking for a lap dance.

Conceived by two hippie actors in 1964, Hair was created as an autobiographical piece that took almost every political and social issue of the moment and fused them into a wild tribal rock musical, played fast and loose in a way that was unprecedented in the world of traditional musical theater. Concept musicals like Company, Follies, and even A Chorus Line were all borne, in a sense, of the creative freedom that Hair established when it burst onto the scene almost 50 years ago.

The big selling point of this new production of Hair is that it manages to manifest the untamed spirit of that era without appearing outdated or silly. The theater has been stripped down and decked out as a rainbow-infused hippie hideout, and the staging creates an intimate connection between the cast and audience from the get-go. Most importantly, the spirited cast shines as if ideas like peace and free love are things that they are creating right here and now. The urgency and innocence of their performances works in perfect harmony with the rich history of the piece to make Hair enchanting and irresistible.

HAIR The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. Book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado; music by Galt MacDermot; directed by Diane Paulus; choreography by Karole Armitage. WITH: Sasha Allen (Dionne), Allison Case (Crissy), Gavin Creel (Claude), Andrew Kober (Dad/Margaret Mead), Megan Lawrence (Mother/Buddahdalirama), Caissie Levy (Sheila), Darius Nichols (Hud), Bryce Ryness (Woof), Saycon Sengbloh (Abraham Lincoln), Kacie Sheik (Jeanie), Theo Stockman (Hubert) and Will Swenson (Berger).

Fame gets a first trailer

2009-04-03T13:03:00.004-04:00

The Fame remake just release its first trailer, and judging by this all-singing all-dancing teaser, it's going to be Step Up meets High School Musical, which could be awesome, or could be totally mundane. All I know is, Bebe Neuwirth is in tights (above), and girlfriend on "Out Here On My Own" has got some serious pipes, so sign me up.

Rabbit Hole to be the next Hedwig???

2009-03-31T14:27:00.008-04:00

I'm hearing that John Cameron Mitchell is directing the Rabbit Hole film. No lie. Because when I think of Rabbit Hole, the tragedy, the grief, the dark humor and quiet introspection, what really springs to mind is Hedwig and Shortbus, the two features Mitchell has directed. I do love that Hedwig! This will be GREAT!

Actually, wait, no, this makes Absolutely No Sense. Someone, please explain? Because I thought April Fool's Day was tomorrow, not today.

Shooting starts June 1st, Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart will star.

words I never thought I'd read

2009-03-26T13:00:00.000-04:00

"Bono mentioned that they first got the idea to do a musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber, and name-dropped Rodgers and Hammerstein in their opening remarks."

That's from Modern Fabulosity, who attended a recent presentation of the Spiderman Musical. Bono and The Edge previewed eight songs, and Julie Taymor presented video demos of sets, costumes, and the web-spinning technology that will allow Spidey to fly over the audience. If all this isn't exciting enough, a new villain has been created who will join the Green Goblin, Lizard, Kraven, and Swarm in a mass effort to take down Spiderman - the new baddy's name is Swiss Miss, and she's described as being "dressed in immaculate white dominatrix gear and multiple knives". Um, yes please!

WMA/Endeavor Merger Update

2009-03-26T09:00:00.003-04:00

Supreme Gossip Goddess Nikki Finke says today's a big decision day for this possible merger. According to her sources, enthusiasm from Endeavor has been wavering as they weigh the pros against the cons. WMA has been "obstinate" about who would remain employed at the new agency, and everybody knows that Ari Emanuel doesn't play well with obstinate - especially when the bullheaded WMA chiefs are generally regarded as failed leaders. I'm hearing that the new company would still be called William Morris, but Ari would be running the show, which makes sense - Ari might not be warm and cuddly, but everyone agrees that he runs a very tight ship.

In addition to Nikki's comprehensive diary of the whispering gallery that Endeavor has become, her comments section provides a whole additional canvassing of opinions on the potential merger. One comment in particular was so noteworthy, Nikki twittered it last night. It's titled, "Dear W.M.A., I Quit!" It's an entertaining read, check it out.

this is totally my look when I dash out to the corner store

2009-03-25T17:31:00.006-04:00

...I wish. It's more like this, with slightly more, um, economical pieces.

(via the sartorialist)

Portia De Rossi Apologizes for Getting Married

2009-03-25T10:51:00.003-04:00

Speaks for itself:

Could Portia and Ellen be America's Sweethearts? This cockeyed optimist thinks so!

Brighton Beach possibly not as somnolent as expected

2009-03-24T14:25:00.005-04:00

Rumor has it that Laurie Metcalf will be seen on Broadway in the upcoming revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. Not only does this casting tidbit make perfect sense, it actually makes me a bit excited to see yet another production of Brighton Beach, a play that is typically the NyQuil of theater.

if you're trying to kill your husband...

2009-03-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

Feed him Pork Brains in Milk Gravy! Or you could opt for serving up a nice cold McNuggetini, the mysteriously named Secret Treasure Loaf, or any of the other delicious treats found on This is why you're fat.

Natasha Richardson

2009-03-20T17:41:00.002-04:00

Here is another chillingly outstanding performance from Natasha Richardson. I never got to see her in this role, but I remember listening the cast recording until I knew every lyric, every cymbal crash, and every snarl that Alan Cumming has now made his personal trademark. Every time I heard the songs, the raw emotion in her performance came through with a crystalline kind of clarity and sharpness that defined her as an actress. It's always sad to lose a member of the strange and wonderful entertainment community, but as it was with Heath Ledger, I think Natasha Richardson's death has hit everyone especially hard not only because it was so unexpected, but because these actors gave performances that felt so uncannily open, intimate, and vulnerable. Just so sad. Watch the video.

reasons to be pretty slims down

2009-03-20T13:00:00.001-04:00

Above is a photo I snapped on the subway this morning, an little artistic addition to a poster for Neil LaBute's play reasons to be pretty, currently in previews at the Lyceum. According to this morning's Michael Reidel, the play may be going under the knife, with "people involved" thinking it might be better off at 90 minutes than in its current two-act form. I enjoyed the play downtown at MCC, but I wondered if a leaner meaner edit of the play could more effectively convey LaBute's tenaciously unflinching examination of America's obsession with attractiveness. If they can make it work in 90 minutes, odds are it will be one hell of a ride.