What's Happening on Broadway

What's happening on Broadway? I don't know.

As I have said a thousand times, I now live on the bottom side of the world where an amateur production of Cats sells out an 8 week run... I swear that they were wearing pipe cleaner whiskers?

To keep me informed of what is happening on Broadway I check out Steve on Broadway who tells me about the downturn of funding and advance ticket sales. Or Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment where our beautiful hostess teaches me how to buy tickets for the Metropolitan Opera. Or Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals who explains why The Fantastiks has lasted 42 years. Or I read an interview with Tracie Thoms on Broadway World. Or I pop over to Blue Gobo where the most recent addition is (at this moment in time) a video of A Chorus Line from the 2006 production.

PS- SarahB, I will glady join you at the Met Opera next time I am in NYC, as long as you join me to see Cats next time you are Down Under.

Musical Monday

Today on Musical Monday: Living legend and musical queen Angela Lansbury… as stolen from Wikipedia.

Born on October 16, 1925 Angela Lansbury is an English actress highly noted for her work in theatre, cinema and television and widely respected for her versatility. To date, she has won four Tony Awards, six Golden Globes, nominated three times for the Oscar and 18 times for an Emmy Award.

Like a lot of folks out there, I grew up on the wholesome Angela Lansbury. You know Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Murder, She Wrote etc. So it was total mind blowing shock to me when I first saw a broadcast of her starring in dark and sinister Sweeney Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (for which she won a Tony).

I have loved her ever since.

What else does Angela Lansbury have to do to win a gay boy’s heart? Only originate the role of Mame in Jerry Herman’s musical adaptation of the same name (for which she also won a Tony) and co-star with Bea Arthur.

Oh yeah, and also star as Mama Rose in the first Broadway revival of Gypsy (for which she also won a Tony… you sense a theme here?).

Despite all of the above, do you know what moment sticks in my mind?

Ms Lansbury did a TV movie called, Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris. In that film (which wasn’t a musical) Mrs Harris saves her money and goes to Paris to buy a Dior gown… couture of course. But obstacles stand in her way, mostly with a horrible man at the design house.

At one point in the movie, the horrible man says something horrible to Mrs Harris and she walks out to a park bench and sits there. In that moment, in her eyes, you can see her shattered dream, life’s pain, embarrassment, hurt and frustration. That is the moment which always sticks in my mind.

Well, that and Ms Lansbury riding a bicycle through Cabot Cove.

Muscial Monday (18/50)

Thursday is late night shopping here in the semi-great metropolis on the western half of the sunburnt country. This means that the shops are open until the un-godly hour of 9:00pm instead of the normal 5:30pm. What this means for most of this fair city’s citizens is the only chance to do some serious shopping. For me, this means a sneak into my favourite DVD store.

This DVD store, in the outer working class suburbs, never fails to be fully stocked on musicals and Hollywood classics (a task most DVD stores in the gayer than gay inner city fail to achieve).

This last outing proved an especially good journey for me as I found some long sought after Judy Garland musicals, as well as the movie version of Hair, and the Tim Burton version of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

I once saw the PBS recording of Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury and a community theatre production. I love this musical; I love its dark quirkiness and stunning melodies, particularly “Joanna” and “Not While I’m Around”. Plus I love any musical that can combine brutal murders and somehow flawlessly works in the word ‘shit’ into at least one of its songs.

I try very hard to write reviews of movies, but they always turn out to read more like a synopsis. So I will give you my opinions in fast, efficient bulletpoints:

Ø Johnny Depp’s vocal are surprising
Ø I can’t understand anything Helena Bonham Carter says (never could and I doubt I ever will.
Ø Visually stunning
Ø Very moody (in a good way)
Ø Quick to set the scene, but slow to get to point.
Ø Made me want to learn how to make traditional meat pies minus the cock roaches and you know, human body parts.

Was this the lamest post ever? I sincerely apologise.

"What's a 'cliche'?" "A black woman serving pancakes to a white kid" (15/50).

I was fairly young when Gimme a Break was on TV, but I was glued to Nell Carter’s directness and what some would call, sassy love towards her family. I lived and died for each time she sang a song on the show. I was drawn to her, but had no idea why (well, you know, besides the fact that even at the age of 10 I was theatre fag in the making).

What I also didn’t know at the time was that the role of Effie White in the musical “Dreamgirls” was originally written for Nell Carter.

I also didn’t know that she won a Tony for her role in “Ain’t Misbehavin’”

I also didn’t know that it was Nell Carter who performed the song “White Boys” in the movie version of Hair.

I also didn’t know that, during a visit to New York 15 or so years later I would go to Feinstein’s and watch Nell Carter perform and affect me in a way that no other performer ever has.

In that intimate cabaret, she made me feel safe and connected and special. None of which I had felt for most of my life.

I wanted to write her a letter to thank her for a moving performance, but I also didn’t know that Nell Carter would die before I ever put pen to paper.

I Was Born Too Soon and Started Too Late! (5/50)

I had a very rough weekend. I will say no more, except that I am still on track with my 50-100-50 minus 100.

On Sunday, I watched the Bette Midler version of "Gypsy" for about the 100th time. Yes 100 times. If you think that is sick, I wanted to watch it again on Monday and I am thinking that I may put it on later tonight.

Bette Midler is so fantastic at in this role, the part of Mama Rose was made for her. (Ethel Who?)

I also read this weekend that the movie version of the musical version of Sunset Boulevard is getting closer to turning into reality.

Whilst I am not for Andrew Lloyd Weber, I am all for the making of more quality movie musicals. We have had a good run with Chicago, Dreamgirls, Hairspray and Sweeney Todd (although I have yet to see that one.) and I hope that Hollywood doesn't start to fuck up the renewed interest in this genre.

In relations to Sunset Boulevard, the names being tossed around for the role of Norma Desmond are Glenn Close (who won the Tony for this role) and Barbra Streisand. Whilst I loves me some Babs, I just can't see her as Norma Desmond.

I hope they scrap both of them and go for Bette Midler. She was born to be Norma Desmond! Sometimes I get the feeling that Bette even wishes that she was as Norma Desmond!

As I will not be jet-setting off to Las Vegas to see Ms Midler in her larger than life concert, my only consolation is her appearance in the soon to be released re-make of the The Women. That was not a link, I used the font colour of "Jungle Red".

Sunday in the Park with George

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

by Georges Seurat (1884 - 86)

My first conscious awareness of this painting was when I first saw Sunday in the Park with George starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. Sunday in the Park with George was written by Stephen Sondhiem and James Lapine after the two were inspired by a discussion they had regarding the Seurat painting.

This is probably the most famous painting by Seurat, who used the pointillism techinque for this painting. Pointillism does not combine colours on a pallate to create hue, but uses individual dots of varying colour that rely on the eye's perception to combine the dots to create an overall tones.

One could use pointilism as an excellent example of how all objects are inter-connected, but I will spare you the long analogy and refer you to hire a copy of I Heart Huckabees from Blockbuster.

Time to 'move on'.

I Always Thought My Life Should be a Musical

I was reading a great blog the other day ( ham & cheese on wry ) and there was a really fun activity listed on there… Creating the soundtrack to the movie of your life.

The rules are as follows:

Open up whatever program or device you use to listen to music (media player, iTunes, etc), put it on random and go through the list below.

The first song that comes up will be played during your opening credits, second song which is played will be played during your wake up scene, and so forth.

Here is the soundtrack to the movie of my life:

Opening Credits: "Angel" Aretha Franklin
Someone is sending for an angel, and here I come.

Waking Up: "Desormais" Charles Aznavour
The title means 'henceforth' but I am not really clear on the rest of the lyrics, I believe it is about revenge in love (the French are always good for lyrics like that). In any case, it is a good waking up song for several reasons, one being the literal 'Henceforth" as in "Henceforth unto the day." The next reason is because it's just a really peppy sounding song and if I actually did wake up to it I would be in a great mood all morning.

First Day of School: "Dancing on the Ceiling" Ella Fitzgerald
No, this is not the Lionel Richie song. Remember that video with all those people dancing on the ceiling? That was cool.

Falling in Love: "Treat Me Rough" Ella Fitzgerald
I don't wish to make an explanation for this one.

Fight Song: "One Night Only (Disco version)" Dreamgirls Movie Soundtrack
This is not the most aggressive of fight songs but just imagine all the great sparkly costumes and fantastic disco choreography! Plus Beyonce would be there… It is going to be the most fabulous fight scene ever!

Breaking Up: "Love for Sale" Ella Fitzgerald
This song just screams "I have been used and abused, but I will keep coming back for more!" …or maybe it is my window media player's way of calling me a cheap puta.

Prom: "I Come From a Land Down Under" Men at Work
This one is especially interesting since I did not go to the prom, therefore this song will not be appearing in my movie. And even though it is a movie and things will be altered to make me look good, I still am not going to re-write my life to go to the prom. The mere mention of a prom reminds me of a picture of my oldest sister at her prom. It was 1985. She wore a pink lacy dress that had a hoop skirt.

Life: "Espabilate" Josephine Baker
Don't you just LUUUUUUUURVE Josephine Baker? I have no idea what the song means. However once I fell asleep listening to a Josephine Baker CD and my entire dream I spoke and understood perfect Parisian French. It was the best dream ever.

Mental Breakdown: "The Half of It, Dearie, Blues" Ella Fitzgerald
To quote a lyric from this song, "You are just a duffer, who makes me suffer." So obviously in my life movie, my mental breakdown will be over some man. I reckon that my real life breakdown will happen when I wake up from a dream and realise that I cannot actually speak and understand perfect Parisian French.

Driving: "Dirty Harry" Bootie Brown/Gorillaz
I don't actually know how this song got in my library, but it has a really funky 70s blaxplotation movie meets Barney Miller feel to it. And of course, after having a mental breakdown, one always goes driving.

Flashback: "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" Johnny Mercer
Yes, I am a loser who listens to Christmas music even when it is not Christmas.

Getting Back Together: "One Way Ticket" Mama Cass
If you get back together with someone, it should be because you love them and they love you and both have placed issues and insecurities aside because you trust and feel safe with that other person. If you get back together with anyone, there is no going back.

Wedding: "You've Got What Gets Me" Ella Fitzgerald
Well, obviously.

Birth of a Child: "Fame" Fame, Original Broadway Soundtrack
Because any child that I spawn is going to live forever and learn how to fly.

Final Battle: "Where or When" Ella Fitzgerald
This song is about déjà vu. So when I make my final battle it will be one that I have fought before but from which I learned nothing.

Death Scene: "Human Behaviour" Bjork
Just seems fitting for a death scene.

Funeral: "By the Beautiful Sea" Some Like It Hot Soundtrack
I think it kind of turns my funeral into something more fun, like a New Orleans funeral only in 1920s Miami.

End Credits: "Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38" Chopin (composer)
Oh, well. No one stays for the end credits anyway