Nrthwnd Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 ^ Ooooh Ross, I would have loved to see this musical ...and Chita of course! I had the awesome fortune of seeing her three times! 1966 tour of Sweet Charity, as Charity; 1976 Velma in original CHICAGO; and lastly (forget the year) Lead in tour of "Kiss of The SpiderWoman"! That being said, and from every review of ALL musicals' openings up till now, the closing date (day after) I want to make a prediction, and declare... Best Lead Actress In A Musical - Chita Rivera - The Visit They tailored it to Chita's many powers, including dancing her best stuff. And from all accounts, she's earned it with this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azza29 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Book of Mormon is finally getting a Melbourne run, announced for early 2017. Better late than never, I guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 ^YAY! Hey, it took over four years to get to us, for only six nights! But like you say, "better late than..." And I found this quote from Broadway.com, just posted... A whole lot of Mormons are heading down under. The Tony-winning The Book of Mormon will receive a sit-down production at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre beginning in January 2017. Casting for the Australian mounting will be announced at a later date. But - what the heck does it mean a "sit-down" production? Was the audience originally going to stand for the entire performance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I'm guessing "sit down production" refers to the fact that it will be a "permanent" show at whatever theater it is going to, instead of being a tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 ^ Ah, of course. That makes sense. Thanks for that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) I didn't know that. I learn something new every day! Saw Chicago last week and really enjoyed it. I'd never seen the movie and had no clue what it was about. Definitely not what I was expecting but it was a great show! John O'Hurley was Billy Flynn and he did a great job. I also had no clue there was an Internet Broadway Database like IMDB! I will definitely be looking through that a lot! Edited April 30, 2015 by jray21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 ^ Cool Joey! You would have LOVED the original production, circa...1976? And John Hurley has gotten great reviews for Billy Flynn, through the years he's done the part. ~~~~~~~~~~~~* But - separately - I just realized. From hearing it on the radio. The absolutely ONLY thing I have ever loved about the musical "Candide"... Was the Overture. Huh. Speaking of "Chicago"... Here's the original (1975) Velma Kelly - Chita Rivera! Now nominated for a 2015 TONY award as Lead Actress in A Musical, for "The Visit". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosscoe Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Saw On The 20th Century on my recent trip as well, it was light, bubbly, funny, and over all enjoyable. Kirsten Chenoworth is a joy to watch on a stage and really is a superstar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) ^ I would go to see that, along with Andy Karl in it! (In the bow photo, he's on the right of Kristen.) (He was the original UPS guy, in "Legally Blonde: The Musical". And in "Edwin Drood". And as "Rocky...The Musical" last year.) Edited May 6, 2015 by Nrthwnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 This be the right place for it, so.... Happy 15th Birthday http://www.Broadway.Com ! You don't look a day over 14. (Great site for keeping up to date with Broadway shows) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosscoe Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Wolf Hall Part One, Bringing Up The Bodies Part Two Who would have guessed that seven and half hours of English history would be so exhilarating and magnificent, King Henry VIII, Cardinal Worsley, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cormwell square off over Tudor England and the heir to the throne. I loved everything about this stunning production from RSC, this is event theatre at its finest, if I had the time I would have gone back to see it again! Lydia Leonard as Anne Boleyn gives a thrilling, terrifying performance as a woman who will do what it ever it takes to stay on the throne Ben Miles as Thomas Cormwell never leaves the stage in seven and half hours and is as equally thrilling as a man who will seek revenge over the death of Cardinal Worsley. Nathaniel Parker as King Henry VIII, who will do anything to get the son to heir the throne, including removing the Catholic Church. A towering Performance Nominated for 8 Tony awards including Best Play, Actor, Featured Actor, Featured Actress Buy a ticket, it's that good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Just bought myself two pairs of tickets, to our summer musical theatre in town, Theatre Under The Stars...or TUTS. This year, it's Hairspray and Oliver! I did the original first years of shows (1969-77) that TUTS did, including Carousel (chorus), Hello Dolly! (dancer), My Fair Lady (dancer), Brigadoon (dancer), Fiddler on The Roof (Perchik), and West Side Story (Riff). And there was nothing like performing outdoors, competing with the crows, seagulls, planes, and the 9 o'clock gun that went off every night, in another part of Stanley Park, lol. Me and the poster of TUTS' first (1969) musical, Carousel. I was in the chorus. Back then, it was called"Theatre In The Park." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianojohn Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Since we're talking about musicals, a quick little plug for MY new show! Brief synopsis In January of 1995, I turned thirty years old. What had I done up to that point with my life? Where was it headed? Who would I meet in the future? Who had I let fall by the wayside? These and a million other thoughts were going through my head for about a year before my birthday. I began to jot things down, write lyrics, compose songs, establish situations and characters, most of whom were basically me. I wanted to tell what it was like for me, what it is like every day, for anyone who ever wondered “What now?” The songs deal with the many aspects of love, relationships, families, dating in both the straight and gay worlds, death, loneliness, and the search for answers in a world so filled with unanswered questions. I staged a production on Just This Once in August 1995 and have been working on it ever since, adding songs, creating scenarios, and basically trying to bring the story to life. The cast consists of three men and three women, all strong singers and actors. Fast forward to 2015, and I am finally restaging the show at the Orlando Fringe Festival. I plan on recording it as well in the coming months. If you're in Orlando, PLEASE check it out! Tickets available here: http://orlandofringe.ticketleap.com/just-this-once/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 ^ Great to read! And although we won't be able to make it to seeing your show, we want to wish you Break A Leg! as they say. Have a great opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Congratulations John! That looks very exciting! You will have to fill us all in on how it goes. Sad that I live in Nashville and won't be able to see it. I'll just have to wait for the touring company to get to TPAC. You have all my best wishes for the most awesome of shows! Speaking of awesome, NEWSIES on the 31st! Woo Hoo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianojohn Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Last post on this show! (I promise....sorta) Here are the reviews of my show. We don't open until Saturday, but I invited three reviewers to our final tech/dress. ORLANDO SENTINEL Matt Palm Orlando Sentine May 11, 2015 In "Just This Once," John B. deHaas has created a cycle of songs dealing with the hope and dreams and fears surrounding love, dating and life from the perspective of someone approaching 30. It's familiar ground, to be sure. But the joy in this lovely production directed by Andrea Canny is in the moving melodies deHaas has composed and the superior cast he has assembled to sing them. DeHaas's hummable tunes would be right at home in any professional cabaret — well any good, professional cabaret. One of the show's several comedic highlights advises "If you're gonna do bad cabaret, don't do cabaret at all." Songs like that have extra appeal to the Broadway crowd, and there are musical-theater flourishes throughout, but this show is for anyone who has ever been in love — or wanted to be. In this well-traveled territory, there's bound to be the occasional lyric that feels derivative, perhaps one too many trip to the "Where am I going?" motif, but more often than not the words hit home. One clever medley has the guys (Kevin Kelly, Paul Padilla, Shawn Walsh) singing about different stages of love, all tied to that moment when you want to fall asleep but your racing mind won't let you. The guys also score with a comic ode to washboard abs. (Imagine the Andrews Sisters… if they were a trio of gay men.) The women (Kelley McGillicuddy, Susan Williams, Stephanie Warner) have their turn to shine, too, especially in "My Child" with its lovely, interlocking melodies. I saw an early technical rehearsal in which the performers masterfully ignored microphone pops and hisses and lighting miscues. Those glitches, easy to fix, couldn't detract from "Just This Once." That's a testament to how strong this cast is, and how strong this show is. • Gold venue, 60 mins., 7+, $11• Remaining shows:May 16: 6:30 p.m.May 17: 2:15 p.m.May 21: 7:45 p.m.May 23: 12:15 p.m.May 24: 6:30 p.m. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ORLANDO WEEKLY Fringe 2015 review: "Just This Once" Posted By Seth Kubersky on Mon, May 11, 2015 at 11:59 am The Orlando Museum of Art has finally fully embraced the Fringe this year, opening their auditorium up as the festival’s Gold venue. Between the newly installed color-changing LED lights and comfy padded seats with excellent sightlines, this could become one of the best performance spaces at the Fringe, provided they can work out some sound system snafus. So it’s appropriate that the first Fringe show to preview in this gem of a venue is John B. deHaas’ delicately crafted song cycle "Just This Once." deHaas has been one of Orlando’s most in-demand pianists and prolific composers for nearly two decades, but this piece dates to his days as Williamsburg, Virginia, theme park employee. Originally written for his 30th birthday, deHaas has revived the work for his 50th, and most of it still feels surprisingly relevant (if endearingly naive) 20 years later. Unlike some of deHaas’ other creations, this song cycle is not a fully formed musical, but a plotless series of loosely related numbers, with little movement and zero dialogue to connect them. Characters go unnamed, existing only for the length of a song, but a common theme of longing for love links the vignettes together. deHaas’ Broadway pastiche melodies always seem oddly familiar, as if you’ve always known the tune, and if the lyrics aren’t as trickily witty as some of his later work, they a bear straightforward simplicity befitting the show’s tone of insecure optimism. The cast of "Just This Once" is directed by local favorite Andrea Canny, and includes some of the area’s most talented singers inside (or outside) a theme park: Kevin Kelly, Kelley McGillicuddy, Paul Padilla, Shawn Walsh, Stephanie Warner and Susan Williams. Each gets a solo or two (mostly midtempo power ballads about unrequited love) in which to shine, though my favorites were the comic combos – a barbershop ode to washboard abs, Padilla and Walsh whining about the worst dates they ever had, or Williams and Warner despairing at the deficit of suitable straight men. A few bits, like a twee lullaby with a trio of mothers-to-be, come across as overly precious, but the bulk are quite charming. The cycle’s best moments come during the full-cast opener and finale; when this entire ensemble joins their beautiful voices, the blend is something you’ll want to hear more than just once. "Just This Once"Lusty Lils Music Company – Ocoee, FLVenue: Gold Length: 50 minutesRating: 7 and up Price: $11 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ink19 http://blogs.ink19.com/…/2015/05/10/just-this-once-a-song-…/ Just This Once: A Song Cycle Just This Once: A Song Cycle Composed by John B. deHaas Directed by Andrea Cann Lusty Lils Music Company Gold Venue Orlando Fringe Festival Loch Haven Park, Orlando, FL With a nearly full-equity cast and material written by one of Orlando’s best composers, this is a sure-fire winner filled with the sort of relationship songs that make you actually long for a relationship. A dozen and half songs flow and mesh, and while there’s not an actual story line to follow you can see yourself in at least one of these emotionally laden melodies. Ensemble numbers open and close the show, but the best material is in the solos and duets. “Worst Date of My Life” (Paul Padilla and Shawn Walsh) brings down the wrath of the mislead on the heads of those who would start a relation with Metallica tickets, while “The Dating Guide” (Susan Williams and Stephanie Warner) offers pseudo-useful tips from the other side. I loved “If You’re Gonna Do Bad Cabaret” (Kelley McGillicuddy), but then I’ve been fortunate and not seen much bad cabaret in recent months. That leaves Mr. Kevin Kelly, his big number “I Can’t Get You Out of My Heart” was another sad love song that made you feel lucky for what you have. This show is in the new Gold Venue, I can happily report it has good sound, good sight lines and comfy seating. Stick around; maybe there will be an encore. This show was part of the 2015 Orlando Fringe Festival. Information on tickets and times may be found at www.OrlandoFringe.org. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Congrats John! It sounds awesome! You should be very proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Had to post all of this, here.... Just found these at http://www.Broadway.com Very enjoyable. And for a good cause, it was. And Jon Snow SINGS! Actually, it's Kit Harrington, but that's still awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 ^I had seen this a few days ago. Quite brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Happy TONY Awards Weekend, everybody! The Big Show is on Sunday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Saw Newsies last Sunday. It was good. The family had a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saldek Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 The Broadway casts of The Lion King and Aladdin had a sing-off at Laguardia airport while their flight to Orlando was delayed due to inclement weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbomser Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Not sure if anyone else saw this, but at the most recent Easter Bonnet Competition supporting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the cast of Avenue Q performed a hilarious spoof of The Lion King. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 ^ They do so many community-supported stage shows for charities, I would be ga-ga over all the "extra shows" that happen on Broadway. This one, Broadway Bares Sports Leagues Pets AIDS Support. When all these actors and crews work eight shows a week, and then do these charity events, and shows.... I am in awe of them all. And I would to see one of these special performances, if ever possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Something new to do for myself, this summer... http://tuts.ca/ This is what I just volunteered for, for the Oliver! run this summer; running at least 20 performances alternating with Hairspray until August 22. It's a challenge at my age, not having been "on stage" for a few decades or so... Well, here we go, lol. They are presenting a "Village Fair" in the hour before Oliver! starts. I am The Barker for this fair, and basically introduce the whole thing, then standby for introducing acts and foot races (20 Yard Dash). It's trippy and something well out of my comfort zone right now. But that's okay. There is a wonderful woman who is co-ordinating everything from the acts, to the schedule etc. And the dialogue too, for which I am forever grateful. She is definitely multi-tasking on an awesome level! So - photos hope to be taken back stage, with us in our costumes, ready to whip the crowd into a frenzy for The Main Event. "That Other Show" Where I am Barkering, in our charming Chelsea Village Fair. (o; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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