With the recently-confirmed Lincoln Center revival of Falsettos set to bow at the Walter Kerr Theatre this October, and with original director and librettist James Lapine (once again) at the helm of this William Finn masterpiece, it is interesting to look at how the world has changed in the 23 years since its original Broadway production. Is Falsettos as relevant today as it was back in the early 1990s? This story of a gay man named Marvin who leaves his wife and son for a male lover, and then loses him to a spectral illness that is presumably AIDS, was cutting edge and timely musical theatre for 1992, but does that translate for contemporary American audiences where gay marriage is now arguably a societal norm and AIDS, despite its continued threat, has somehow become a marginalized disease that doesn’t inspire quite the same fear? The answer is an astounding yes, but for very different reasons than in 1992.
The Color Purple – New Broadway Cast Recording: Hell Yes!
As I walked by the Jacobs Theatre the other night, I stopped and stared at the building for five-minutes, drinking in the marquee and all of the lovely pictures of its current production. After all, it pisses God off if you walk by The Color Purple and you don’t notice it, so I wanted to be sure to remain in his good graces. It turns out that the New Broadway Cast Recording of this revival produced by Broadway Records deserves similar attention thanks to the gloriously reimagined orchestrations and the earth-shattering, heart soaring performances by this revival’s cast. I seldom think a revival is an improvement upon an original, but in this case, I suggest you get this recording immediately and not waste one-minute waiting to explore its near perfection.
Back to Before: Part II The Very Model Framework for a Modern Broadway Musical
Picking up where we left off in Part I of this series, we started looking at the transition from opera to contemporary musical theatre via the vehicle of operetta. Operetta really began to take off with heightened popularity in Great Britain in the late 1800s, largely thanks to the commercial success of the composing and producing team of Gilbert and Sullivan. It would be these two gentlemen who would advance the art form of musical theatre style storytelling one step closer toward its contemporary conventions.
Dream Casting Dolly
With Bette Midler preparing to sashay down a grand staircase at Harmonia Gardens as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the forthcoming, 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!, there has been much speculation about who will play her supporting cast. With a wide range of terrific character actors out there, it is fun to assemble our dream casts to support Ms. Midler as she lends her big personality and voice to the matchmaker with a heart of gold and relentless spirit. This production will be something to look forward to.
It is important to remember that Hello, Dolly! is a musical comedy and that it requires able-bodied comedic actors to pull off the farcical situations. What also needs to be kept in mind is that Bette Midler is a BIG star and that the production will need strong, larger-than-life performers to hold their own next to her dominating personality. Each character needs to be carefully cast with a unique, colorful individual who will shine in their own right. For my money, these are the people I'd love to see working with The Divine Miss M as she spins a web of comedy and romance.