Random Notes on This and That: 10/26/05
But I think it's misleading when shows like Broadway's forthcoming Johnny Cash musical, Ring of Fire, are dubbed jukebox musicals. Ring of Fire is an evening of Cash songs, and thus no different from such songbook-anthology shows as Jacques Brel..., Side by Side by Sondheim, Ain't Misbehavin', Sophisticated Ladies, Smokey Joe's Cafe, and The Look of Love. None of those shows was referred to as a jukebox musical, nor should they have been. But at the moment, it seems that any show that features old songs is automatically deemed a jukebox musical.
The release of the film versions of Chicago and The Phantom of the Opera greatly helped the box offices of the Broadway and touring companies of the original shows; the movie version has added years to Chicago's stage life, and, since the movie, the stage Phantom has done better than it has for years. I have to wonder, though, how the Broadway production of The Producers will be affected by the forthcoming release of the film version. Will people still flock to see the show when they can see a film co-starring the original, irreplaceable Broadway stars? And from what I'm hearing, the film of The Producers, unlike those of Chicago and Phantom, looks a good deal like the stage production. If people can see a film of that stage production with much bigger stars than the ones currently co-starring in The Producers on Broadway, and for a fraction of the Broadway ticket price, might they not be less interested in seeing the Broadway show? Or will the Broadway Producers simply continue the pattern and--like the Broadway Chicago, Phantom, and no doubt Rent--have its box office boosted by the film?
It's rare these days for an off-Broadway musical to thrive commercially. So it's possible to note that New York has perhaps received too many off-Broadway musicals in a relatively short space of time. We've had Once Around the Sun, The Miracle Brothers, Doctor Sex, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, A Woman of Will, Slut, See What I Wanna See, Five Course Love, Bingo, The Ark, Captain Louie, and Normal. Of those that have already opened, not one has received widespread strong reviews. Once Around the Sun, Miracle Brothers, Doctor Sex, and A Woman of Will have already closed, with Slut scheduled to depart soon. Of the commercial productions, Trailer Park looks to be about the safest bet to stick around for a while.
I am among those not entirely convinced that Oprah Winfrey's involvement as a producer of The Color Purple guarantees that the show will be a commercial smash. Not being a viewer of Winfrey's TV show, I am probably underestimating Winfrey's powers of persuasion. But I do think that if The Color Purple doesn't get good reviews, Winfrey may not be able to turn things around and make the show into a hit. Of course, if Purple gets mixed-to-good reviews or better, Winfrey should have no trouble edging the show into the hit category.
Richard Greenberg's A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, currently on Broadway in a Roundabout production, is an unsatisfactory, unsatisfying play that still manages to be moderately entertaining. That's chiefly because the play, while attuned to contemporary sensibilities, is so stylistically reminiscent of Broadway and summer stock comedies of decades ago. Naked Girl is the sort of thing rarely seen on Broadway these days, so it can be at least partly enjoyed as an amusing throwback.
I have considerable fondness for Alan Ayckbourn's darkly comic Absurd Person Singular. I first saw it in London, with Sheila Hancock and Richard Briers in leading roles. Then I saw it with the remarkable Broadway cast of Geraldine Page, Sandy Dennis, Carole Shelley, Richard Kiley, Larry Blyden, and Tony Roberts. And I have a videotape from A&E of an excellent 1985 BBC TV version, with Prunella Scales, Michael Gambon, and Maureen Lipman.
Unfortunately, this fine play only comes to fitful life in Manhattan Theatre Club's new staging, directed by John Tillinger. Paxton Whitehead comes the closest to the requisite style. But in general, it's the sort of production that may leave those unfamiliar with the play wondering why it cried out for a revival.
"Wicked": The Grimmerie is a companion book released by Hyperion to coincide with the show's second Broadway anniversary. The cover of the lavishly illustrated, coffee-table-style tome is cleverly distressed-looking to resemble the show's Grimmerie, heroine Elphaba's ancient book of spells. Accompanied by photos featuring the original cast, Broadway replacements, and the cast of the national tour but not the Chicago production, the text of The Grimmerie is by David Cote, theatre critic for Time Out New York, but most of the book is taken up with interview quotes from the various participants in the show.
The book begins with a history of Oz and its many incarnations, then moves on to Wicked's beginnings, when Gregory Maguire's novel was initially to have been made into a movie until composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz urged producer Marc Platt to see the book in terms of a stage musical. In workshop, the casting of Kristin Chenoweth made the show more about the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, with the latter character shifting from a supporting role to a protagonist.
A discussion of how a sprawling, dense novel was adapted to the stage librettist Winnie Holzman says, "After reading the book, I put it aside" is followed by interviews with the principal actors about their roles. Chenoweth says that "Wicked is about love, acceptance, and forgiveness. I think that is why it appeals to so many people." Director Joe Mantello makes a couple of good points when he says that "Ultimately, we felt it was really a story of the two girls," and "Stephen and Winnie don't get enough credit for the plotting of the show-it really is their own construction."
Songwriter Schwartz offers a song-by-song analysis of the score; in reference to the number "Wonderful," he writes that the theme of the show is how "people need to look at things in black and white, to label one person a villain and another a hero." Schwartz believes that the song "No Good Deed" is "the most ambitious thing in the show."
There's a handsomely illustrated analysis of the design elements, including Eugene Lee's giant-clock-interior set and Susan Hilferty's "twisted Edwardian" costumes. We learn that the record time for "greening" the actress playing Elphaba is seven minutes.
In the section entitled "The Songs and the Story," we get the lyrics, surrounded by bits of the dialogue; its too bad the complete script was not included, but then those involved probably wanted to avoid spoiling the show's plot surprises. Near the end, the book raises the interesting question of why Wicked is such a monster hit. Author Cote avers that its "themes operate on multiple levels at once: It is simultaneously a story of friendship and politics...a skillful balance of comedy, tragedy, and morality tale." Mantello says it's because the show is "an old-fashioned musical comedy." The book concludes with some notable fan letters and an Ozian glossary.
Because, like all such tie-in books, The Grimmerie is puffery, no mention is made of the three principal actors including original Wizard, Robert Morse dismissed from the show after the San Francisco tryout. Also not referred to is Wicked's surprise loss of the Best Musical Tony to Avenue Q. And there is only a hint about the numerous negative reviews Wicked received on opening night.
Wicked: The Grimmerie is your average musical-theatre tie-in book. Nicely designed and assembled, it's neither profound nor revelatory, but it's sure to be treasured by the show's multitude of fans, and should sell quite well.