Drama Desk Awards: Tuesday Night Quarterbacking

The Drama Desk Awards, held Sunday evening, were once again shown via web cast on Theatermania. I recall the time they used to show them on PBS, but I guess that's ancient history at this point. Anyway, this year the quality of the live stream was better than ever. However, from a technical standpoint there were some unusual shots, angles and closeups. I know it takes place in a glorified high school auditorium, but can't they place the winners closer to the stage? Most of the time was filled up waiting for them as the presenters looked out during what seemed dead air.

The ceremony itself was rather uninteresting on the whole. Patti LuPone was an adequate host, who got in a couple of laughs but was really just there to keep things moving (at a clip). No performances, nothing too too exciting in terms of winners. The onstage pianist played far too many bizarre pieces, most jarringly "Don't Fence Me In" every time Fences won an award. Many of the wins had me nonplussed; I was genuinely bored at a second tie between Montego Glover and Catherine Zeta-Jones for Best Actress in a Musical. (They shared the prize with the OCC too). Let's not go for the trifecta on that front, folks. However, there a couple of surprises including Christopher Fitzgerald's win for Finian's Rainbow. Santino Fontana's unexpected win for Brighton Beach Memoirs provided the most memorable of all acceptance speeches. He was genuinely shocked and completely amazed, and it added to its charm

Another surprised winner was Jan Maxwell, who won for Best Actress in a Play for her superlative comic turn in The Royal Family. She's likely to be bested by Viola Davis in Fences (who was a Featured winner here) at the Tonys, so it was nice to see her recognized here for that work (Maxwell is a Drama Desk regular, but a Tony bridesmaid). She was very emotional and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm usually an aloof bitch. Surprises get to me."

Martha Plimpton inadvertently established a memorable running gag following a spirited non sequitur about Mitzi Gaynor complimenting her shoes. Other Mitzi comments would follow, but the biggest laugh went to Outstanding Solo Performance winner Jim Brochu who started his acceptance with "Oh, and Mitzi Gaynor just told me to go fuck myself." Brochu, who won for his turn as Zero Mostel in Zero Hour declared F. Scott Fitzgerald a big fat liar, stating, "there are second acts."

For a ceremony that boasts recognition of Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, the deck seems quite stacked in favor of Broadway. I'm not saying it's a crime, but it just seems that you're more likely to get it if you're a Main Stem show. There were five major Off-Broadway wins - The Scottsboro Boys won for lyrics, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson won for its book and When the Rain Stops Falling won for its sound design. Love Loss and What I Wore took home Unique Theatrical Experience and Zero Hour won Outstanding Solo Performance. Other than that, it was all Broadway. Scottsboro and Yank! are now ineligible for Drama Desks next year, so automatically next year's nominations should be interesting.

Seeing as it was the Lost finale, there were fewer fellow watchers on Twitter and environs this year. However, participants inside the auditorium were encouraged to tweet so that kept it somewhat interesting throughout the night. Let's hope the Tony Awards are more interesting.

Quote of the Day: Patti's Encore

"When she returned for her encore, LuPone winked at the event and her reputation as the Terminator of poorly-behaved audience members. While she sang "The Way You Look Tonight," she was snapping photos -- with a flash! -- using a disposable camera. The crowd waved and cheered and posed."

Joe Brown, in the Las Vegas Sun on Patti LuPone's performance of her solo show The Gypsy in My Soul, where an audience member got LuPwned for texting

You Just Got Patti LuPwned

Something tells me this is never going to die.

Patti LuPone to Guest Star on "30 Rock"

That shy, demure star of light musical fare will be guest starring on 30 Rock as the mother of Judah Friedlander's character Frank. Not sure when the episode is airing, but it's sure to be something zany and off-the-wall. Perhaps they can have a mother from hell showdown between her and Elaine Stritch's Colleen...?

Penultimate Patti

Audio only. Warning: the kids may get nightmares...

The Curtain Comes Down on the Great American Musical

When Patti LuPone wasn't busy eviscerating the hoodlum taking her photograph (which may have actually been someone doing a piece on her), she was closing out her Broadway run as Rose in the latest incarnation of Gypsy.

The show, which closed Sunday after 27 previews and 332 performances, was the end of the road for an event which by all accounts should never have happened. Librettist Arthur Laurents was never to let Patti LuPone near any of his work in a major revival. Bernadette Peters scored a personal triumph (naysayers be damned, she was nothing short of fantastic) as Rose in a 2003 revival that closed after 13 months and a financial loss. I recall just prior to that production posting its closing notice the people on the webboards speaking of the impossibility of Patti LuPone replacing Bernadette.

Five years ago, that was wishful thinking. We would never see her star in a revival. Then in 2006, Ravinia announced Lonny Price would direct Patti (an annual staple at the Chicago festival herself) "in the role she was born to play." People (not me, that was the summer of the 'hard times') flew out to see the icon in one of the most iconic of musical theatre roles. And that was that. Given the financial risk of mounting a commercial revival, especially since it was only a few years since the recent Broadway mounting, it was highly unlikely that we would see the show in NY. Then the City Center came along. A three week run, with Arthur and Patti making nice after years of feuding, played a summer run at the City Center. Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti joined the cast, now under the direction of Laurents. Nancy Opel, Marilyn Caskey and Alison Fraser would take on the choice extended cameo as the trio of strippers in the second act. The show opened to positive reviews, some hesistancy on the part of the NY Times which didn't stop the show from becoming one of the must-see events of 2007. And that was that. Rumors swirled of a Broadway transfer, but it was once again dismissed. "Too soon." "They'd be crazy." Et, al.

March 27, 2008. The St. James Theatre. There is a red carpet. The crowd is electric. Stars are out, including another legendary Tony-winning Rose, Miss Angela Lansbury. Patti LuPone opens to unanimous raves (which included Benjamin Brantley of the NY Times eating his words, and his "hat"). The show is a critical success on the strength of its acting. I was there. The critics were not wrong.

June 15, 2008. The Tony Awards. Laura Benanti wins. Boyd Gaines wins. The first actress and actor to ever win the Tony award for playing the roles of Gypsy and Herbie. Then Best Actress in a Musical: Patti LuPone. "Shut up, it's been twenty-nine years!" I was not there, but in Sarah's living room where we as an enclave cheered like lunatics and even took pictures of the the paused TV screen.

June 17, 2008. "Sing out, Louise!" The entire audience at the St. James Theatre stands in an ovation for the freshly won Tony. Still riveting. Winners all regardless of whether or not they possessed a statuette.

January 11, 2009. Curtain down. The revival closes. This is where my latest odyssey into the city begins. Originally, we were anticipating the March 1 close, marking the end of LuPone's one year contract. However, given the nature of the economy, the producers decided to pull the plug two months early. So then it came down to who wanted to go and when. So many of the bloggerati were making one final pilgrimage to the St. James Theatre to see this legendary performance. There were all my friends going to the second to last performance on Saturday evening; so it was decided that it was perfect timing for yet another blogger's brunch, this time at Thalias on 50th and 8th. Roxie and I, as well as Kari, were going to the final matinee, but we had our first-hand witnesses Steve, Doug, Sarah, Chelsea and Leah to tell us all about the Penultimate Patti incident, which goes down into theatrical lore as the night LuPone had enough. For those who aren't aware, a photographer out in the orchestra was given a tongue-lashing he or she will never forget by Ms LuPone. She continued after the perpetrator had been removed much to the unending delight of the crowd (akin to that bizarre fear-driven euphoria that comes after traumas like narrowly escaping death, or in this case being taken by the human boa constrictor that is Patti LuPone at her most terrifying).

It must be said, I always have a good time whenever this group gets together. The talk is always good, we have many fun items to share with one another and the rapport is always spot-on. The moon's full, the gin's in the bathtub and... wait, that's Mame. From theatre to decapitated chickens on the highway, we run the gamut from class to crass and are damned proud of it! After an aperitif at the Marriot, it was showtime. We were going out separate ways - none of the Penultimate Patti crew was having an encore that afternoon, so we headed to the St. James for the fun to start. Here is a run-down of the highlights from the afternoon's events:

- A closing night crowd has a palpable energy that is hard to top. Fans are back in droves and you can practically see it.
- Mo Rocca and Arthur Laurents are in the house. Thus endeth the celebrity sightings.
- There's the house announcement. He has to wait because the audience is screaming too loudly. Heh, the actors can see you taking photographs. Talk about a colossal understatement.
- The overture. Always a good time, every time. The audience can barely contain itself. It feels like we are at a rather raucous wedding. We are all in our pews sitting politely waiting for the entrance of the bride, occasionally glancing over our shoulders to get a look at her.
- We rise on the bride's entrance.
- Patti LuPone freezes holding Louise's chin, as I've seen her do before. She briefly acknowledges the applause in order to continue with the show.
- Lengthy applause on the entrances of Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti.
- The show carries on. There is intense audience reaction. If Laurents' hadn't put in so many blackouts on musical buttons, we'd be standing a lot more.
- There has been talk of the three leads fooling around and adding shtick to their performances. Contrary to this, we find the performance considerably tight. They are very organic in their acting; the chemistry is unbeatable.
- Benanti still wows. Her performance is the one for the ages. There will be other turns as Rose by many actresses, but it is unlikely I shall ever see a Louise this spectacular in my lifetime. The glamorous Benanti effectively inhabits the awkward adolescence of Louise, rounding the character in remarkable ways. She bursts into tears after delivering a final, affecting "Little Lamb." (Unlike everyone else in Christendom, I have always liked the song. *shrugs*).
- Lenora Nemetz gets a hand on her entrance as Miss Cratchitt. Hilarity ensues.
- Leigh Ann Larkin is a bit too broad as Dainty June, which makes the "WHY NOT, DAINTY JUNE?!" gentleman even broader. His line gets applause today. (*shrugs*)
- Lenora gets applause on her little exit dance as she's chased off during "Broadway, Broadway"
- We might as well add Tony Yazbeck's Tulsa to the list of superlative performances. He brings great honesty and heart to his brief scene leading into "All I Need is the Girl." He also understands that the song is there as a showcase for him, but knows its dramatic function to let the audience know that Louise wants to be the Girl. Stunning in every way. Yazbeck, after Gypsy and On the Town at Encores! is poised for musical theatre stardom.
- The train depot. The most intense scene in act one. Brilliantly executed as always, we head to the doom that is "Everything's Coming Up Roses." One of the best act one finales in existence.
- Two ladies to our right are seeing this musical for the first time ever. The mother knows it from catching the Rosalind Russell movie (anyone? you know the one where Louise runs off with Yonkers instead of Tulsa, innocuously ruining Louise's dramatic arc at that moment). They are stunned by intermission. I tell them "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
- We're back in the theatre, they're back on the stage. Patti gets emotional during "Together Wherever We Go." Then she accidentally tosses her pan off into the wings, which brings about smiles and laughs all around, onstage and off. The pan is kicked back out for her to collect. The tempo is brisk. Three Tony winners are off and running with the charming trio, arguably the highpoint of the character's relationships all evening. The number stops the show cold.
- There's that ominous burlesque vamp from the overture. We are at 'the Bottom" aka Wichita's World-Famous Burlesque. Applause on Marilyn Caskey's entrance as Electra. A second hand for Nemetz's appearance as Mazeppa; and of course for Alison Fraser's Tessie Tura.
- Benanti is a thrill to watch as the most human Louise this side of 8th Avenue. Moments to love, her reaction to Rose's latest "I had a dream last night." So many subtle moments to be cherished in her nuanced portrayal.
- "You Gotta Get a Gimmick." Arthur Laurents said it best when he told Sam Mendes that Saddam Hussein and his two sons could get a hand with it. He was not wrong. Show once again stopped.
- The first dressing room scene. This is where it starts to end in tears. Those who applauded the marriage proposal in the scene before sparked incredulity from us. Really, people? Most of you know where this is heading... and it's not pleasant.
- It's not pleasant. Mother sells out daughter for stardom. Cue Herbie's ulcer. Cue audience's contempt.
- Dynamite devastation from Gaines on standing up to Rose. His exit line prompts applause.
- "Momma, I'm pretty... I'm a pretty girl, momma!" Damn right, you are! One of the most beautiful moments in all musical theatre, leading directly into...
- "The Strip." If there's any real argument for why this production should have been taped, it was for Benanti's transformation from Louise Hovick to Gypsy Rose Lee over the course of the number. Mixing nerves, anxiety and disgust, she socks out "Let Me Entertain You." She realizes for the first time that she is center stage, and she has an audience in the palm of her hand. Watching the confidence grow in each segment till she is a bonafide superstar for Minsky is riveting.
- Laura Benanti stops the show dead with the line "Where were you last night...?" You can all figure out why...
- The second dressing room sequence. The tension is high, the mounting conflict between mother and daughter coming to head with this superbly crafted fight. The animosity is seething from both ends. A monologue of defiance that trumps all. "I am Gypsy Rose Lee." Interesting acting moment: the maid re enters to tell Gypsy that her publicist is there and Benanti yells the line at her. When the maid has closed the door, there was a moment where Benanti brought back Louise as she looks at the door, amidst her tears and quiet mouths to her now-absent maid "I'm sorry..." That's an actress.
- The moment the crowd has been waiting for. "I thought you did it for me, Mama." Cue breakdown. The crowd is hushed. With expected tension we wait for it. And it comes...
- "Here she is boys. Here she is world." Patti LuPone takes it someplace in the recesses of Rose's mind I've never seen before. She whispers those lines, striking fear into the audience's mind. She proceeds with an earth-shattering Turn. She clearly and frightfully throws off Rose's smock revealing the tattered edges of what once was her character's sanity. That last for me is the war cry of one who has reached the end of her rope.
- A Routledge of five minutes ensues. The crowd is on its, feet and is beyond ecstatic. LuPone continues to bow in her swirling vortex of doom. A single rose is tossed onto the stage. As the ovation starts to die down, audience members start shouting "We love you Patti" to the stage. LuPone smiles and tries to bring them back in. However, upon hearing someone shout "Patti for President," she gives that boa constrictor look to let us know she's about to lose it. Thankfully the last scene is allowed to continue. In the moment just prior to her breakdown, she picks up one of the roses, kisses it and puts it back down before the scene continues.
- The show ends. The crowd is on fire. Full house on its feet. Bows. Tears. Patti LuPone takes her solo bow. In what feels like a return to the old school, the first row is tossing countless roses onstage. while she bows. For the company bow, Patti LuPone personally hands out a rose to every single actor she can. In spite of her legendary divatude onstage, she is still a member of an ensemble - a respect you can see in the way she interacts with every single person onstage. When the cast turns upstage to the orchestra, they begin to throw the flowers at them. The conductor poses with a rose between his teeth.
- Patti brings out Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim for a bow. Roxie has a near-stroke when she realizes she's in the same space as SJS for the first time ever. Patti makes a brief curtain speech aknowledging Jule Styne and Jerome Robbins. Tears, hugs, the usual are shared. Patti shows genuine affection for every single person in the cast, particularly among the child actors.
- The ladies to our right are smiling broadly. The mother is vocally grateful about the opportunity to have seen the show. The daughter is quietly wiping away a few years. Perfection.
- Gypsy is over.

Afterwards, Roxie and I headed to Angus for our post-show dinner and obligatory drink. We were seated immediately, and as Rose standby Linda Balgord sweeps past us into the upper level it dawns on us that the cast is coming here for their post-show festivities. We have order our food, we discuss 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as more and more cast members file into the restaurant. After getting over initial fears that we were in Deadwood, Roxie warms to the surroundings and begins announcing everyone as they enter. Much to our surprise, Marilyn Caskey sits at a table adjacent to us. Fortunately we are in Angus, so not much is said when I get up in the course of our 1600 conversation singing "Rehearse!" to illustrate a point.

We introduced ourselves to Ms. Caskey before leaving, just to let her know how much we enjoyed her performance as Electra. She is not only talented, but quite lovely. I brought up the long-forgotten, one performance wonder The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall in which she had a major role. She said I was the first person to ever ask her about it and she was so pleased to chat about her experiences. She talked with great affection for the show, which is about a British boarding school headmistress slowly driven to insanity by the antics of her students. The musical opened and closed at my beloved Mark Hellinger in 1979, starring Celeste Holm (who judging by the cast album - yes, there is one - shows that she is miscast). Three years prior, Caskey performed in the piece, written by Clark Gesner in a California production that starred Jill Tanner, who brought the British sensibility required for the part (the part calls for a Patricia Routledge type). Ms. Caskey, and you wouldn't know this from Gypsy, is a lyric coloratura who has essayed the roles of Cunegonde in Candide and Carlotta in the Broadway and Toronto companies of The Phantom of the Opera, with plenty of voice and class to spare. One of the real highlights of this entire evening was having the chance to spend a few moments with this lovely and warm character actress. I hope to seeing her onstage again very soon.

The day was long, eventful and highly memorable. It mirrored the first time I saw Gypsy on Broadway, which was the closing performance of the Bernadette Peters revival in 2004. It was a bit surreal to have done two closings of the same show in less than five years. The audiences react with the same ferocity at the book scenes, the songs and the overall ambience that comes with this classic musical. My only hope for the next revival, which we can pretty much guess will be longer than five years away, is that it restores the complete libretto, still my only official gripe with this most recent incarnation. It's always an event when the Great American Musical comes to town.

Other than that, it's time to move on and look forward to the new musicals and revivals (and plays!) of this season. And I say it here: one of the non-profits should stage a revival of The Rose Tattoo for Ms. LuPone.

The Day Somehow Calls for It

Details pending...

One Last "Turn"

Roxie and I are heading in to take in the final performance of the acclaimed revival of Gypsy. Anyone within a ten block radius of the St. James Theatre should brace themselves for this earth-shattering last Turn.


However, the NYC shenanigans start at a pre-show brunch with Steve and Doug, Sarah and friends (who were at the penultimate performance of Gypsy, forever to be known as the one where Patti tossed out the photographer), Jimmy and Kari (who will also be in the house with us).

Another Closing, Another Show

The acclaimed, Tony-winning revival of Gypsy appears to be the latest victim of our current economic crisis. It was announced today that the show is going to be closing on January 11, 2009 earlier than originally anticipated March 1 closing date. So if you've not had a chance, now is the time to see the three superlative characterizations of Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines as you've got less than a month. Will any of the bloggerati who were at the opening night or post-Tony show be out for the last performance?

It's a little frightening when you consider the shows that will be gone over the next few weeks: Spring Awakening, Hairspray, 13, Boeing Boeing, Grease, Spamalot and Young Frankenstein. That doesn't include the current limited engagements of Liza at the Palace, Dividing the Estate, All My Sons, The Seagull, Equus, Speed the Plow, and A Man for All Seasons, which ended today. I wish the new shows still to open this season the best of luck, as it becomes more and more apparent that they will be facing an uphill climb to find an audience and establish a long term run. If you were hoping to see any of these shows, go! There are discounts to be had via the Playbill, Theatremania and Broadway Box websites. The shows may be going, but they haven't gone yet!

Patti LuPone's "Gypsy" to be filmed?

Those purchasing tickets for the final performances of Gypsy have been receiving the following notice as per an article on Playbill:

"IMPORTANT NOTICE: This performance of 'Gypsy' may be filmed for future purposes. Please be advised that stationary and moving cameras may be placed throughout the theatre as we attempt to capture this historic production on film."

Hm....

Quote of the Day

"In the 29 years since I won my last Tony [for Evita], I've worked with a lot of incredible people, and I wanted to thank all of them. I actually don't even know where the old speeches are. I have to say, if I had lost this award, I would've been disappointed, but like with the others, I would have gotten over it. But with this part, because it's so much better than any other part in a musical, if you lose the Tony, maybe you feel like you just didn't do a good job or people don't like you."

- Patti LuPone to theatremania.com on winning Sunday night

"Everything's Coming Up Laura"

As per the tradition, I attended a post-Tony performance for the second year in a row (last year was Grey Gardens, where the entrance applause at the top threw the entire prologue off-track and Christine Ebersole received a standing ovation on her act two entrance). It was the revival of Gypsy, you know, the one with the short broad who sings loud? For those of you who know, Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti were all recipients of the Tony award the other evening for their work in this production. A whole gang of us ended up at the show - which included a pre-show dinner at Angus'.

The kineticism in a post-Tony win house is indescribable. A mutual admiration society develops between the kids onstage and the kids in the house. The overture began, always a crowd favorite. I noticed Patti LuPone had entered the house with a small stage management entourage and proceeded to get prepared to go on. I had deja vu flashbacks to the final performance of the 2003 revival. On her cue, LuPone vaulted down the aisle of the St. James to the reception of a standing ovation from the crowd. To assuage the fans, she broke and took a very short, humble bow, then got back to work. And here is where I express my disappointment. I had an almost immediate sinking feeling as she began her lines. In the first several scenes, LuPone overshot the runway. Her deliveries were extravagantly broad, and she was playing to the house, not for character. "I hope they didn't make a huge mistake Sunday night" was the thought that crossed my mind just before "Some People" (which is where the normalcy seemed to return to her performance). Well, it's not a huge mistake. Either she brought it back down, or I adjusted to her style because from that point onward I was okay with her performance.

Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti received extensive applause. Gaines is very amiable onstage - the perfect Herbie, unlikely to be better realized by other actors. For the latter, it was so lengthy, the alarm clock sound cue went to the intermission cell phone cue. (I sat just in front of the sound booth during the first act; second row center for the second). The audience was very genuinely moved when Benanti spontaneously burst into tears at the reception. Of course, that also proved to be the moment that Benanti gave the shining star-turn performance of the decade.

If I live to be 115, I will never see "The Strip" so brilliantly executed. Benanti was, if anything, even better than the previous two times I'd seen her in the production. Her moments - discovery of kinship with June in "If Momma Was Married," the crush on Tulsa - how "All I Need is the Girl" is there for her (great point, Noah), the devastation in the act one finale - both of Tulsa's marriage to June, and how that sets off her mother. Not to mention the moment she realizes she has an ally and the potential for the normalcy she's desired in Herbie. Then came the second act, with her refreshingly honest take on the dialogue, mining the moments without overshooting her runway. Dimensionalizing where so few have dared before. Many tears onstage and in the house when she looked into that mirror and realized she was pretty. And how. Her "Strip." The awkwardness and almost disgust at what's she doing, until she realizes she has the audience in the palm of her hand. It's a miraculous moment as you see the shades of her confidence grow - and turn into superstardom. It's all sorts of funny and sexy - her acting is superb. In the dressing room scene, she dominated Patti. The awkward silence that followed was brittle, real and ripe with the tension and embarrassment that follow confrontations of that calilber. How moving though, was the scene following "Rose's Turn"? I can't get over it. She is the heart and soul of this revival. Patti, for all her intensity (her ferocious "Turn" received the usual Routledge - an emotional tour de force so expected at this point, it's almost cliche - relax, I said almost) and pathos, just wasn't the highlight for me last night. It was Benanti, hands down.

I did enjoy the second act on the whole, more than the first. I made eye contact with both Patti and Laura. I winked at Patti, swooned over Laura. And the story goes on.

However, the show could use a stage manager or Mr. Laurents himself to give some notes. Actors should be allowed to test the waters during a long run, but they should also remember that it is their job first and foremost to tell the story. Leigh Ann Larkin is going over the top with her monotone Louise (particularly in the office scene). The show ran long last night, till eleven, and not just because of the standing ovations. Other stage business is superfluous and detrimental to the experience. And let's be real about this, kids- Gypsy doesn't need any help, just the restoration of the original libretto. Rose loses facets of dimension without the Kringelein scene and the necessary "Small World" reprise after Herbie walks out (among other bits that have been altered).

As I was walking away from the St. James towards Times Square, I passed Anderson Cooper the moment Patti came out of the stage and the stage door crowd's roar echoed through the cavernous city block. His look was priceless and I only wish I'd had a camera for it.

"I just zip up me cocktail slacks and get over there and get friggin"

Where does one start when they've exhausted all the superlatives in the thesaurus in describing the experience that is August: Osage County? I went to see the Sunday matinee, which also happened to be the final performance for Deanna Dunagan, Rondi Reed, Frances Guinan, Jeff Perry and Ian Barford. That's got to be surreal. You play your last show and your juggernaut play goes onto definite Tony glory that evening. Then you go home to Chicago. I couldn't do that; I would have to stay at least a couple of weeks to bask in the post-Tony energy glow, you know? On the otherhand, can you imagine being those actors replacing them at the first post-Tony show? I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, for certain.

This time around though, I was more taken with Amy Morton's Barbara than I was with Deanna's Vi, though I adore both immensely. It's not that Dunagan's performance is anything less - she is a fearless performer who's character provides incredible challenges for any actress, but it's the discovery that this is, in essence, Barbara's story. I also noticed that she also leads the company bow - and I think she has slightly more stage time. Tough call really. Both are superlative.

But, oh boy. See this great American play. By all means. See it. I'm sure that Estelle and the new crew will bring their own distinctive yet successful interpretations to the Weston household. The dialogue is so sharp and incisive, the staging crisp and just the fastest and most rewarding three and half hours I've spent at the theatre in my life. It's so refreshing to witness hinging on every word, their genuine shock at the events of the plot. And might I add, not one complaint about the running time. Oh, did I mention I saw Hayley Mills on line? (To which .Roxie responded "Shut up! I love her!") I hope she enjoyed the show too. You could tell the repeat contingency from certain members of the audience, whose adulation poured out. The dialogue is extraordinarily rich. That second act dinner sequence is one of the most memorable you'll see in quite a while. The audience reaction for Morton's act two curtain line received the same stellar ovation it did on opening night - if you'd walked into the theatre blindly as the lights went out, you would have thought there was a musical showstopper going on with the screams of "Bravo!" ringing out. As per my usual, I started the applause - and clapped so hard my hands hurt. In all my years of theatregoing I have never done that before.

I took a friend with me as an early birthday present. We couldn't even get into the specifics of it, he was that stunned by what he saw. We parted ways on 44th and I headed uptown to Sarah's Beekman Place on 90th for Lady Iris' Annual Moon Lady Extravaganza, aka her Tony party.

First of all, there was a red carpet - lit up I might add. With logo art for all the shows around the banisters. Sarah greeted us at the door all dolled up, with her apartment open and ready for all the bloggers and friends who weren't fortunate enough to be at the awards (ahem, Noah and Steve on Broadway...) and I gotta tell you, I've never enjoyed the Tony awards quite like I did this year. I'm still more fond of the Theatre World awards, because the representation of a non-competitive, accepting arts community is more ideal than pitting actors together in a popularity contest. However, the musical performances were extensive (13! really??!?) and most of the awards a thrill to watch. However, was Best Revival of a Play that unnecessary to the telecast that it was lumped in with the "who cares" categories* of the web-cast hour? And speaking of which, I for one, would have enjoyed seeing the witty and endlessly entertaining Julie White present on the telecast proper, as I feel she should have, especially since she was last year's winner - not Mary Louise Parker, who it seems, is much more comfortable in character than as herself. (Can you be any less boring reading the teleprompter Milfie?)

* - that is this writer's assumed opinion of the network powers that be at CBS and not of himself. The aficionado loves him some designers. If there was a God, they would start at 7, or revert back to PBS so we can follow along without having to watch a brief recap in the middle of the ceremony. PS - Thank you for finally recognizing sound design, Tony people! It's about friggin' time!

Favorite acceptance speeches included Lin-Manuel Miranda's off the cuff rap (Look I made a hat, where there never was a hat, and a Latin hat at that"), Anna D. Shapiro (with her anecdote about her nieces and nephews just wanting Little Mermaid tickets), Deanna Dunagan's graciousness towards costar Amy Morton, and it's true - they should have shared that award. Mark Rylance's bizarre non-sequitur of a speech turned out to be a prose poem ("The Back Country" by Louis Jenkins . Unique. And highly amusing - especially the reaction shots from audience members (the most notable being his co-star Mary McCormack). Then there was Laura Benanti "Hi Arthur! You're standing!" and of course, there was "Patti's Turn," my official moniker for her speech in which she seemed to thank everyone involved with her career since she last won "SHUT UP, it's been 29 years!!" Boy, I would hate to be that conductor. However, was that also the conductor who brought Elaine Stritch's acceptance speech to an incredibly embarrassing halt six years ago...? Anyone remember that debacle?

Laura Linney looked gorgeous, though the ladies in attendance at the parties cried afoul at her choice of earrings. We all wondered why Faith Prince showed up in costume as Delta Burke - and why she sang like Delta Burke during A Catered Affair's performance. We gave Patti a standing ovation for "Everything's Coming Up Roses" - which is how every Tony performance should run. Fuck, they let Hepburn have 15 minutes for her big musical (Coco), now we're relegated to three minutes of awesome. And ten minutes of commercials on a loop. We also went completely off the wall with her when she won, her win becoming our Tony toast for the evening - there are pictures on Sarah's blog, of us capturing the pre-win look and the moment she yelled "Shut up!" with our camera phones. Yes, kids, we be a bunch of theatre geeks. I even offered to hand in the hetero card to Roxie. Turns out it was my metrocard, so I kept both. There was great fun to be had with this crowd, I doubt I would have enjoyed it anymore with anyone else. I also had my first - and last - cosmopolitan. I'll stick to my White Russians, thank you.

The run down - from the ones with the most to the ones with the least:

South Pacific: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Paulo Szot), Best Direction of a Musical (Bartlett Sher), Best Costume Design (Catherine Zuber), Best Scenic Design (Michael Yeargan), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Donald Holder), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Scott Lehrer)
August: Osage County: Best Play, Best Actress in a Play (Deanna Dunagan), Best Featured Actress in a Play (Rondi Reed), Best Direction of a Play (Anna D. Shapiro), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Todd Rosenthal)
In the Heights: Best Musical, Best Score (Lin-Manuel Miranda), Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler), Best Orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman)
Gypsy: Best Actress in a Musical (Patti LuPone), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Boyd Gaines), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Laura Benanti)
Boeing-Boeing: Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor in a Play (Mark Rylance)
The 39 Steps: Best Lighting Design of a Play (Kevin Adams), Best Sound Design of a Play (Mic Pool)
Passing Strange: Best Book (Stew)
The Seafarer: Best Featured Actor in a Play (Jim Norton)
Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Best Costume Design of a Play (Katrina Lindsay)

A posthumous honorary Tony award was presented to the most iconic of musical theatre orchestrators, Robert Russell Bennett, who has been dead since 1981. (For the outraged, Tunick fans, he comes in at a tie for second with Don Walker). So I could understand his inability to attend. However, what was Sondheim's excuse?

Our evening ended with Patricia Routledge as Kitty, especially since Roxie and I have decided that she officially won Best Musical - not Best Musical Revival. From whence cometh my title for this post, as it had us leaving Sarah's apartment on a continuing, champagne-induced high. On the train ride home, I saw my next door neighbor and said hello. I asked if she did anything fun while in NY. Her response: "I was at the Tony awards." Well, you can guess the topic of conversation for the next hour on the train.

And there you have it kids. 'Til next year.

"Click..."

(this second one is temporary till a better clip can be found)

she almost swallowed the orchestra whole...

Hello, My Name is Patti...

So vote for me, or I will unhinge my jaw and swallow you whole.

Patti LuPone rocking out her shirt at today's Tony Award press function, courtesy of playbill.com

And they're off...

The 2008 Antoinette Perry (remember her?) Award nominations were announced this morning. I shall spare you a complete listing, but will touch on a few talking points. In the Heights (13 noms? not bad...), Passing Strange (7) and Xanadu (4) seemed the most likely to receive nominations from the comittee, but I think most people were expecting the fourth slot to go to A Catered Affair before it went to Cry-Baby, a show that has received unanimous pans from everyone I know who's seen it. However, it's practically no surprise that the critically eviscerated juggernauts Young Frankenstein and The Little Mermaid didn't get much love. (Disclaimer, I've not seen a single new musical this season). In terms of Best Play, August was a no-brainer there, but I was also quite pleased to see The 39 Steps get recognition as well. Also, was it absolutely obligatory that the Tony committee had to give out four nominations for Best Musical Revival? It's asinine to think that Grease is anywhere near the other three superlative revivals. I've seen the latter three, but will not under any circumstances venture towards Grease. I even turned down a free ticket to that too. Another minor quibble: since when is it Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific? (However that's nothing in comparison to The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein. What the hell...?)

Let's hear it for Deanna Dunagan, Amy Morton and Rondi Reed, the three superlative Steppenwolfe actresses of August: Osage County in three landmark performances that are helping this play's reputation as the must-see of the season. Other nominated performances that I've seen and am thrilled for: Patti Lupone, Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines in Gypsy; Paulo Szot, Kelli O'Hara and Loretta Able-Sayres (who is such an unbelievably adorable person, I almost can't stand it) in South Pacific (not Danny Burstein though, I feel that Matthew Morrison deserved his slot); Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell in Sunday in the Park With George; S. Epatha Merkerson in Come Back, Little Sheba. (I was secretly hoping that they'd just give an award to Harriet Harris for her triumphant apartment trashing in Old Acquaintance, it's up there with the act two finale of August as one of my favorite moments in a play this season). There was no Tony love at all for the revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which scored zero nominations. Also, Kevin Kline didn't make the final cut for Cyrano de Bergerac.

Let it also be known that Robert Russell Bennett, quite possibly the greatest orchestrator in the history of the American musical, is getting a posthumous Tony award for his contributions. A recipient of a special 1957 award, I'm mildly curious as to why (other than the fact that his spectacular South Pacific, which is one of the best of the best in terms of orchestrations, is currently a smash-hit revival) they felt the need to give him another, not to mention waiting until 27 years after he died to do it. He is best represented in an abbreviated list of his original orchestrations: Show Boat, Of Thee I Sing, Anything Goes, Oklahoma!, Annie Get Your Gun, Finian's Rainbow, Kiss Me Kate, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Bells Are Ringing, Juno, The Sound of Music, Camelot, The Girl Who Came to Supper and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (to name only a few). Not too shabby, huh?

Oh, and Sondheim's getting one too for the whole "Lifetime Achievement" thing. ;)

I guess we'll see what's what on 6/15. Not that the Tony's play politics or award commercial shows based on whether or not they will tour. Hmmm? What's that you say? They do? Fiddlesticks! (Yeah, let's take another look at the Best Musical Cry-Baby).

The Theatre World Award winners will be announced on 5/15. I'm much more excited about what will happen there.

Quote of the Day

From Liz Smith's gossip columnin today's NY Post:


IN HIS review of "Gypsy" on Broadway, the Times critic Ben Brantley noted that the star Patti LuPone had gotten her role down so brilliantly that "she had made me eat my hat." Previously, he'd given her a lukewarm review.

Indeed, after he saw Patti blow the audience away at the St. James Theatre, Brantley gave her the rave she deserved. The next day she sent him a chocolate cowboy hat in a deluxe hat box, with the note, "I hope you're laughing."

Everything's Coming Up Patti

"The Ecdysiast Play"

Oh you know the one I mean. Where crazed patrons choke one another. Where vents fall from the ceiling and light bulbs explode. Oh, and curtains come down on Laura Benanti. Yes. It's the latest revival of Gypsy. It's a little strange for me since its the first time I've seen a second production of a show on Broadway (especially in so short a lapse between). Bernadette Peters. Remember her? Well, anyway, Gypsy is welcome back on the Rialto anytime, as far as I'm concerned. And tonight was one of those electric nights where everything aligned for that certain 5'2" bundle of dynamite, Ms. Patti LuPone in what early ads were referring to "the role she was born to play." They were not wrong.

Patti came.
Patti saw.
Patti conquered.

Taking the early mold of her previous experiences with the musical, both at the Ravinia Festival in '06 (the start of the journey that culminates in her opening last night) and the City Center presentation last summer, LuPone has refined her character with the precision of a diamond cutter. Rose is a determined mother of two very lovely young girls that she thrusts into the throes of show business in an effort to assuage her own unfulfilled ambitions. It just screams musical comedy, no? Well, anyway. It's genius. The score. The orchestrations (and that overture. yowza!) The book. It's almost fool-proof (so why did you tamper with it, Mr. Laurents?) You follow through Rose, the character as she goes from unmitigated determination ("Some People") through desperation when she uses Louise in an effort to mask her emotional scarring and fear of failure ("Everything's Coming Up Roses") through her eventual breakdown when confronted with the reality that both show business and daughters have passed her by (her defeat: "Rose's Turn"). Might I add, Patti's diction was almost too perfect (not a problem, just an observation) and her vocals were the best I've ever heard live. Just for the record.

From Mr. Brantley, who was decidedly mixed this summer:

"When Ms. LuPone delivers “Rose’s Turn,” she’s building a bridge for an audience to walk right into one woman’s nervous breakdown. There is no separation at all between song and character, which is what happens in those uncommon moments when musicals reach upward to achieve their ideal reasons to be. This Gypsy spends much of its time in such intoxicating air."

Nuance, chemistry and impressively layered acting abounds. From Patti. From Laura. From Boyd. From Leigh Ann. From Nemora. From Alison. From Tony. All of whom are superlative in their roles. (For my money, Laura, Boyd and Tony are definitive in theirs). As for the ending, I'm not really sure what I think. I guess if you tamper with what has been for years, you're bound to notice. But on the flipside, the staging of the new ending is a bit more naturalistic and honed into the unresolved rift between mother and daughters. It's not really going to make or break the experience. That happened five minutes before.

Did I mention, it was opening night? Yep. Noah and I sat in the balcony behind a deluded crone and her rude mother. One insisted on leaning forward the entire show and the other chimed in with an extensive crinkling of a candy wrapper, for literally the entire show; except when she leaned forward. That group clearly had no idea what was going on and looked out of water when the crowd continually went to pieces, especially the overwhelming standing ovation received at the end of the "Turn." Thankfully it didn't detract too much from the overall experience. Kari and Sarah were also among the first nighters reveling in what was a thrilling experience. Post show, we had dinner at Angus McIndoe's. As Kari and I sat waiting like wallflowers for Noah and Sarah while they kibbitzed, I spotted none other than Mr. Stephen Sondheim at the bar. Kari and I immediately made our way over; not to speak with him make no mistake, but to sit near at the bar like the total theatre geeks we became in about, oh I don't know, 3 seconds. (Kari surreptitiously snapped a photo with her iphone - and no one was the wiser. And she was literally trembling from her proximity to musical theatre's living deity). Dinner was fantastic. The booze was fantastic - and I drank almost half a bottle of water - not a Poland Spring or Fiji, no I guzzled one the size of a large merlot bottle - as we made our way out. Pity it wasn't vodka or gin. I might have had another act to my evening.

Those sighted: Angela Lansbury, Mandy Patinkin, Laura Linney (flawless with little to no makeup), Martha Plimpton, Corky from Life Goes On, Thomas Meehan, John Weidman. Others I probably had no clue were in the house. They even had a red carpet and an official opening night sticker on the playbill.

Oh, and after her curtain call, Patti LuPone lay fully prostrate onstage to her cast. It was that kind of event. Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents got their props. And Sondheim gave a shout out to the late Jule Styne. (Class act). Though it appears Laurents gave Patti notes as they exited the stage...

Hey guys. Gypsy is back on Broadway. What the hell are you doing reading my blog? GET TICKETS AND GO NOW!!!!

Another Openin', Another Show...cont'd

Your tickets:

Gypsy

Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 6:45 PM
2 Tickets, Center Balcony Row B, Seats 102-103
Total Cost: $120.50

That's right! I'm going to the opening night of the Great American Musical!