A musical that doesn’t get brought up or produced nearly as much as it ought to is the campy and sublime, comic book-inspired Starmites. With music and lyrics by Barry Keating and a book by Stuart Ross and Keating, the piece follows Eleanor, an introverted teenager with a love for comic books, who imagines herself as the heroine sent to save the universe as part of an intergalactic band of guardian angels known as the “Starmites”
As I come to the conclusion of my directorship of a production of the musical Godspell for the Plain Great Players in Abilene, Kansas, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect upon this musical and to make a case for what a unique piece of theatre it is. Godspell, is, in fact, more of an outline for a musical than an actual script in the traditional sense. Yes, the spoken word, the music, and the lyrics are laid-out for the director and cast, but so much is left ambiguous, subject to interpretation. This is where the fun and originality begin. As you rehearse the scenes, everything is left open enough that the personalities of your cast creep into their roles, and suddenly your production of Godspell has taken on a life of its own.
Tony Nominations - Where We Are Wrong
Earlier this week the 2015 Tony Award nominations came out and we have seen the usual barrage of whines and complaints that “so-and-so was snubbed” or “this show was entirely overlooked.” We treat these honors as if every well-publicized piece of theatre that opens and that every show brimming with talented people deserves to rewarded for showing up. In a world where the out-of-town tryout is a luxury and not the norm, and where many Broadway musicals gestate in regional theatres, Off-Broadway, or open cold on Broadway, the fact they get that far is honor enough. You did your job by taking the risk, finding your support, and, again, showing up. If you run long enough and make your producers some money, all the better for you. If you create groundbreaking art, take your craft to whole new level that shows you at your personal best and begins to outshine the others in your field, then it’s time to talk about awards