06/18/04
I caught up with two of the new stars of the show at a recent put-in rehearsal, boy band survivor Joey Fatone and bumped-up understudy Jessica-Snow Wilson, as well as those always ovation-worthy urchins: Carla J. Hargrove, Trisha Jeffrey and DeQuina Moore. Also starting performances (as sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello) is the show's third new star, Robert Evan, best known as the matinee idol of those adorable Long Island housewives that we affectionately call “Jekkies.”
“I love this show so much,” cooed Wilson, who has been the understudy for Audrey since the show opened last summer (going on 12 times) and now finds herself in the lead. The blonde cutie, previously seen on Broadway as the umpteenth Eponine in Les Miserables and as an understudy for Jessica Boevers in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, sees Audrey as her chance to play a woman. “I've always played the young teenybopper, so this is great!”
I know what you're all thinking--what's with her first name? Jessica-Snow? “My Dad's a hippie,” Wilson shrugged. The paternal Wilson didn't stop at “Snow”--her sisters are named Jennifer-Sunset, Jasmine-Sky and Juliana-Star! “We're all J.S.W.,” she laughed. This was all too much nature for a city boy like me, so I told Snow that she had a new nickname befitting the onstage gal of a pop star: J.Snow. “I like that!” she said. “I've been telling people to call me that!” Good. I'm glad we got that settled!
When I got a chance to chat up Fatone, I asked him if he felt like the pressure was on him with his second stab at Broadway respectability. “It's a little more pressure,” he admitted, although he wouldn't agree with my assertion that unlike his experience in Rent last year, he's the star of the show this time. “I'm not the star,” he laughed. “I think of it as an ensemble. Audrey II--she's the main character.”
Speaking of Audrey II, has Fatone had a chance to get inside the behemoth of a puppet that he now calls a co-star? “My fat ass got in the plant,” he joked. “I have to squeeze in there and there's a guy working it. When I hop in, I'm face to face with him, and then I go up in the air. It's amazing, the mechanics of it. Unbelievable.”
Now that he's a Broadway boy, Fatone's looking ahead at future possible musical theater projects. Back when he was in high school, he played several roles--Chino in West Side Story, part of the quartet in The Music Man and an ensemble member in Guys and Dolls. He said he'd love another shot to rumble in West Side Story on a professional level, but his real dream is something a bit more swashbuckling. “I've always wanted to do The Pirates of Penzance,” he revealed. “I grew up loving that show more than anything.”
Seems like Fatone won't be saying “bye bye bye” to Broadway anytime soon!
ON THE BIG SCREEN
Now that the Broadway season is over, we can all turn our attention to the mindless attractions of Hollywood. I'm still breathlessly awaiting the arrival of the first trailer for The Phantom of the Opera (in movie theaters December 3), which is rumored to be appear before a couple of next week's releases.
Speaking of movies, I escaped from the heat a few days back with a frothy visit to Stepford, Connecticut, the setting for Paul Rudnick's redo of the camp classic The Stepford Wives. The comedy is nowhere near the disaster that many of us had feared (believe me, after She's So Great and Marci X, we were ready), but it's still a bit of a mess. Nevertheless, it'll be a great rental--thanks mostly to its top-tier cast. If Nicole Kidman never really eases into her role as a corporate shark in a suburban pond, Broadway fans will delight in Roger Bart's showy supporting work as her gay friend. Also on hand in small roles are familiar Broadway faces like Colleen Dunn, Tom Riis Farrell, David Marshall Grant, Mary Beth Peil, Carrie Preston, Kate Shindle and Christopher Evan Welch. But (almost) worth the price of admission is Glenn Close, a scream in the Martha Stewart-meets-Norma Desmond role of town matriarch Claire Wellington. Come back to the boards, Miss Close!
Also now in theaters is a long in-the-works documentary called Broadway: The Golden Age, By the Legends Who Were There. In putting together the flick, PBS filmmaker Rick McKay talked to almost a hundred stage and screen legends about their relationships with the Great White Way. There are too many names to mention, but it's an A to Z roster--everyone from Edie Adams, Broadway's first Eileen in Wonderful Town, to Gretchen Wyler, a star of several shows in the 1950s who relays a great Peggy Sawyer-style story of moving up from standby to star. Although the film is fascinating and always engaging (hell, I could listen to these stage greats talk for hours), I almost found it to be too much of a good thing. In an effort to spotlight dozens of personalities in under two hours, stars aren't properly identified and little is said about their credits. I would have loved to see McKay instead focus on a handful of the subjects, intertwining their stories into a more workable narrative. Still, it's hard not to recommend Broadway: The Golden Age, a toast to those who came first. If the film doesn't come to a city near you, don't fret--a jam-packed DVD is expected in stores for Christmas.
I was lucky enough to recently catch an early screening of De-Lovely, the Cole Porter musical biopic that generated mountains of buzz at the Cannes Film Festival and will open in select cities on July 2. Unfortunately, I was let down by the all-gloss, little-grit film, which was directed by Irwin Winkler off a Jay Cocks screenplay. Theater fans will appreciate the stylized sheen of the art direction and costumes, but it's hard for even old-fashioned folks like us to swallow the clunky dialogue and screenplay devices, which pays homage to a type of writing that went out with the studio system for a reason. Porter's songs play throughout the film and are put to good effect when used in naturalistic settings (i.e. Porter playing songs for friends on the piano or shown within in the context of scenes from shows like Anything Goes or Kiss Me, Kate). But when the film tries to concoct a musical number on its own, like the dreadfully zany take on “Be a Clown,” it falls on its face.
I do applaud Winkler for finding a way to use pop stars like Alanis Morissette, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow and Robbie Williams in a way that isn't distracting and was thrilled to see John Barrowman as one of Porter's boy toys and Caroline O'Connor belting out “Anything Goes” as Ethel Merman. Kevin Kline's touching performance as Porter is a huge asset to the film; I wouldn't be surprised to see him toasted during awards season next year. Also quite lovely is Ashley Judd as his doomed wife Linda, playing the melodrama she's been handed to the hilt. Look, I don't want to dismiss De-Lovely because I'm thrilled that such a Broadway baby kind of movie even got made, and there is a lot to admire. If pretty people dressed in pretty costumes singing pretty songs (and saying pretty awful dialogue) is enough for you, then you might even like it!
IN BOX
Dear Paul:
Why do Broadway musicals have awards for Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical, but for straight plays, there is only the one prize for Best Play? Why is there no award for best book (script) of a play? Shouldn't a brilliantly written but poorly produced script earn an award?
----Tony Silk
----Sunnyvale, California
Dear Tony:
You bring up a valid point, but didn't you watch the Tony Awards? They could barely fit this year's 23 awards in a three-hour telecast! Seriously, up until 1970, the Best Musical prize went to all of the authors and the producers of the winning show. There was no breakdown to honor the book and score of a show individually; instead, the main musical trophy honored the entire show. In some ways, it was a cleaner way to honor the best musical of the year in one fell swoop, but I also applaud the decision to single out the work of composers, librettists and lyricists (but I'm not quite as sold on breaking up the music and lyrics as is practice at the Drama Desk Awards). I suppose what could work is honoring the Best Play Production of the year and the Best Musical Production of the year, categories which would include both new works and revivals. Then you could give out a separate Best New Play Award or something to the most deserving playwright. But this is all getting to be too much of an overhaul, no? I don't think it's that bad as is!
Dear Paul:
In reference to last week's column, you are correct in saying the title of the Shakespeare play is "Henry the Fourth." However, it is very common for actors, directors and other theater folk to refer to the play as "Henry Four." The same is done with "Henry Five." Think of it as an affectionate nickname and not an error.
----Tom Ford
----New York, New York
Dear Tom:
Thanks for the clarification. And my apologies to Sigourney Weaver!
Dear Paul:
I'm a bit tired of people degrading the puppetry in Avenue Q (Rob Wills' letter from last week). What would be the point of trying the show without the puppets? It was written to be performed with the wonderful puppets. It would be the same as doing Carnival with humans playing the puppets and "Paul" then giving his speech about being the puppets. Some people simply do not possess the imagination to accept puppets as a legitimate performing medium.
----Jim Menke
----Buffalo, New York
Dear Jim:
I definitely see your point. What I've said from the beginning is that I'd love to see a production of Avenue Q where you don't see the puppeteers. I would really love to get lost in the puppet characters in the way that I do when I listen to the cast album. I find it exciting in the moments of the show where the puppets are popping out of the brownstone set, with the puppeteer hidden from sight. I assume I'll get my wish of seeing such a production once Avenue Q becomes a film or TV show.
Dear Paul:
First, let me just say how much I enjoy reading your columns, and how often I agree with you in your taste of shows. However, I am deeply disappointed to continually read about your strong dislike of Caroline, or Change. After I read your thoughts, I was dreading sitting through it but it turned out to be one of the most inventive, beautiful shows I have seen in a long time. How can you endorse such cartoony fluff like Wicked, and so easily put aside such a bold new work?
----John Curtis
----Greenwich, Connecticut
Dear John:
I don't ever easily put aside bold new work. Since I've only been writing this column since last May, so you may not really have a good idea of my tastes, but I count recent risk-takers like Side Show, Parade and Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party among my favorite shows. I'm glad that you liked Caroline, but it certainly won't change my opinion of it! And I hardly think that Wicked is “cartoony fluff.” It's emotionally satisfying in ways that Caroline never is. But you have your Caroline and I have my Elphaba. Can't we all just get along?
Dear Paul:
I really loved the Tony Awards' "stupid opening number," as you called it. From the concept of "One Night Only," to the clever use of the three girl groups from three current Broadway shows to Hugh Jackman's ultimate showmanship, I was completely wowed. He even held his own during the high kicks with the Rockettes! To top it off, all the ensembles of that night's musical nominees came on stage! This year, the opening number made sense. There have been some pretty bad ones in the past years, like the one where Jane Krakowski and Jesse L. Martin sang with Rosie O'Donnell on how they made their start on Broadway before landing TV roles. Just putting my two cents in. Though, I will always love your column!
----Christopher Blaise
----San Francisco, California
Dear Christopher:
Thanks for the kind words about the column. I shouldn't have used such a dismissive word as “stupid” to describe it, but I simply didn't think it worked. I was especially bothered by the poor use of the Dreamgirls song, whose lyrics only worked in a surface way. But yes, I did think it was great to use the three girl groups (even if the Little Shop inclusion only highlighted the big snub of the show in the nominations) and the ensembles. But I still think it was ridiculous to see the Jewish gals of Anatevka belting out “One Night Only”! To each his own.
That's it for now. Talk to you next week. Please e-mail me any of your questions, comments or critiques!
Paul Wontorek
Editor-in-Chief
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