08/20/04
Mimi Le Duck is a quirky, fabulous vehicle for that quirky, fabulous rock and roll musical theater gal Annie Golden, most recently seen on Broadway in The Full Monty. My love for Golden is so strong that I would probably cheer for the creative team of any musical smart enough to give her a lead, but could I have ever dreamt of something as perfect and worthy as Mimi?
Golden plays Miriam, a Mormon housewife/artist living in Ketchum, Idaho, across a lake from the home where famed scribe Ernest Hemingway blew his brains out in 1961. Disgruntled with her profitable yet dull career--painting ducks in oil for the QVC Network--Miriam opens the show singing about “Painting Beaks and Marking Time.” Naturally, she's a little taken aback when the ghost of Hemingway enters her workroom one day (who wouldn't be?), but she still heeds his advice to pack up her life and move to Paris, in an attempt to find her purpose in life.
I'm not going to tell you much more because you need to stop reading and reserve seats for one of the remaining performances of Mimi Le Duck. Here are your choices: Saturday, August 21 at noon, Sunday, August 22 at 8:45pm and Wednesday, August 25 at 10pm. What I will tell you now is that you're in for a treat—the cast is pitch-perfect, the score is bouncy and eclectic (composer Feinstein collaborated with librettist/lyricist Diana Hansen-Young) and Golden shimmers in the lead, poignantly landing the 11 o'clock “The Garden is Green" that brings the evening to an emotionally satisfying close.
But if you can't meet Mimi, don't fret. There are plenty of other song and dance pleasures to be found at FringeNYC this year. There's been buzz aplenty for Believe In Me… A Bigfoot Musical, thanks in part to some early, well-placed plugs by The New York Times. I caught the show at an awkward performance earlier in the week where, halfway through a peppy Act One number called “A Most Singular Aim,” an older woman in the row in front of me whipped around and screamed at me to call 911 for her husband, who may or may not have been having a stroke.
After the theater cleared out for a good 30 minutes and the paramedics attended to the ailing theater fan (who turned out to be okay), the story of Arlene and her Bigfoot adventure carried on. Believe In Me actually had a lot in common with Mimi Le Duck in that both pieces concern disillusioned women who find happiness (and wacky new friends!) in unlikely places. Unfortunately, I had a harder time caring about the journey of Arlene, a politically minded filmmaker working on a Bigfoot documentary for some easy cash. It didn't help that director Drew Geraci and choreographer Erin Coakley oversell just about every moment of the show with a cast that is extremely uneven (by far the standout is earthy leading lady Christina Norrup, a former Producers showgirl who clearly deserves to step out of the chorus more in the future).
The real talent of Believe In Me is sure-to-be-Broadway-bound composer Michael Holland, who I have plugged in the past for his work with cabaret cohort Karen Mack in their sensational lounge act Gashole. I'm also a huge fan of Holland's last two indie solo albums: Darkness Falls and Beach Toys Won't Save You. Holland is without a doubt a songwriter to watch. He works in several styles with his Believe In Me score, creating song after memorable song. Among my favorites: “Do It For Love,” “Going Under,” “Kiss Me Clever” and “Out of the Darkness.” If he was able to make this goofy Bigfoot show sing, just think of what he could do with a great story!
I thought that Eric March, the man who wrote the book, music and lyrics and directed Granola! The Musical was a talented guy as well and then I was floored to learn that he's just a kid! Well, sort of. March is actually now a sophomore at Yale, but he wrote Granola! when he was just 15. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that March wrote the show after getting home from a performance of Fringe-to-Broadway hit Urinetown as his show follows the same basic formula of spoofing the classic musical theater structure with over-the-top characters and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production numbers. Still, the results at Granola! are still a heck of a lot of fun, with a sprightly ensemble working their butts off and a leading lady (newcomer Jennifer Wren) exhibiting real star potential.
Speaking of hard working ensembles, Young Zombies in Love has a crew of 10 stone-eyed, bloody “Stolid Cold Dancers” that fill the tiny stage of the Players Theatre with complex gymnastic moves and boundless enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the show itself is a stinker—-random, overamplified pop songs wrapped around an unfunny, paper-thin story about two teenagers fending off a zombie attack (that somehow required prominent credit in the program for a dramaturg). It seems the creators smartly cut the intermission out of their two-act tuner at some point during rehearsals. For that, I am appreciative.
Oh well. Three out of four ain't bad.
IN BOX
Dear Paul:
Do you think we will ever see Aspects of Love in NYC again? I would love to see NYC Opera do it, heck I would love to see a church group do it. Maybe Scott Ellis could direct the church group production!
----Michael T. Donegan
----Wallingford, CT
Dear Michael:
Nothing would make me happier than to see a return for Aspects of Love, which I feel boasts Andrew Lloyd Webber's most gorgeous score (I know every lyric and note). To answer your question, I definitely feel that we'll see it again in Manhattan, probably in a scaled-down production that can concentration on all that sumptuous music as many felt the original Broadway production was overshadowed with a lumbering set. I know you didn't ask, but while I'm dreaming, how about Gavin Creel for young Alex Dillingham? Carolee Carmello as Rose Vibert? Idina Menzel as sculptress Giuletta? Okay, I'll stop dreaming now. As for Ellis, I'm afraid he'd have a lot of pleading to land that job. After the triple tragedy of The Look of Love, The Boys from Syracuse and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I'd rather he stay away from this beloved show!
Dear Paul:
Do you have any idea when Gavin Creel's CD is coming out? I feel like the date keeps getting pushed back and now is not even in the distance. Do you know if he has plans for Broadway any time soon?
----Jesse Gold
----Shelton, WA
Dear Jesse:
Since you wrote to me, Creel did announce plans for a Broadway return: in the solidly-cast revival of La Cage aux Folles. I chatted with Creel earlier in the week and the first thing I asked him was whether or not he would have to cut his hair for the role! Turns out Creel broached the touchy subject with director Jerry Zaks, who's willing to work with the longer locks. Creel also wanted me to assure you that he is definitely working on his music with songwriter and producer Robbie Roth. He can actually be seen performing at Upstairs at 54 in a double-act with Alice Ripley's new band Ripley on September 29. So, yes, the album is forthcoming. Good things come to those who wait, Jesse!
Dear Paul:
Since I know how much you like belters (as do I!) I thought you might like the enclosed link. I directed and choreographed a production of Little Shop of Horrors that closed last week. It's through a program run through Village Theatre (which is near Seattle) that allows students age 16-20 to produce, direct, design and star in a summer musical. Little Shop was our biggest moneymaker ever, and it's gotten a lot of attention for the theater. If you'd like to check it out, there's a little five minutes video montage of the best moments from the show. And there's some crazy belting by a few girls. Hehehe. Here's the link:
Click it!
Thanks so much for writing your column! As I'm out here in Seattle I don't get to New York more than once a year and I love to hear all the dish.
----Brandon Ivie
----Seattle, WA
Dear Brandon:
Thanks for writing (again!). I immediately clicked on the link and loved what I saw. I encourage all of my readers to check it out, too! The white punk-rock urchins are one of a kind! Congrats to everyone at the Village Theatre for the success of the show. I can't wait to see what you put on next summer!
Dear Paul:
I'm a huge fan of The Wiz. What month is it coming back to Broadway? I really would like to see the show with its original cast. Oh, and you're not alone—I'm also thinking about the Tonys already!
----Drew
----Connecticut
Dear Drew:
The Dodgers produced revival of The Wiz, which ran for 1,672 performances on Broadway in the ‘70s, was originally set to open this past spring. Now, the goal is to get the show up for Spring 2005, just in time for the Tony Award races. Des McAnuff is set to direct, which would make him the busiest man of the season, as he's also lending his directorial eye to both Dracula and Billy Crystal's upcoming solo show 700 Sundays. Don't get your hopes up about seeing original stars Stephanie Mills and Andre De Shields--who reunited for a thrilling mid-‘90s tour that I'm lucky to have caught at the Beacon. McAnuff is looking for fresh blood for this Wiz.
Dear Paul:
I love reading your column and long forward to it every week. Anyway, a recent piece of news made me happy and sad. When I heard that Caroline, or Change was closing, I was very angry. I loved the show and have seen it many times (and plan on seeing it again before it closes). At least I have the CD to keep me happy. While reading your column this week I got a wonderful idea that made me smile. The wonderful Anika Noni Rose would be well, wonderful, as Dorothy in The Wiz!
----Mark Rosen
----Long Island, New York
Dear Mark:
Yes, it is a wonderful idea and the folks over at ABC thought of it first! Rose was set to play Dorothy in the proposed TV-movie that never got green-lit back around the turn of the 20th century. But now that she's looking for a gig, it seems ideal for Rose to step into those ruby slippers again. In fact, careful readers will know that Broadway.com has mentioned the ideal casting already in the past few months. Keep your fingers crossed!
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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