Happy VD, Racist Ranting and The Color Purple

Why are ethnic people late for everything? I know I’m making a blanket statement and it seems racist and all, but really, why? I saw The Color Purple yesterday (visit #2, #1 was with the “way-too-pretty-to-play-Celie” LaChanze) because my sister wanted to catch it before it closed. And because an acquaintance, Montego Glover, is the current Nettie - she’s faboo, by the way. No exaggeration, a steady trickle of latecomers arrived through the first forty minutes of the first act. The first forty minutes! And these latecomers didn’t seem apologetic at all, in fact, they seemed downright proud of their lateness, strutting up the aisle, taking their sweet time and then making the whole row stand up (or in our case, half the row got up and huddled in the aisle while two ladies made there way into the middle of the row). If you’re going to be late at least be discrete about it, hurry up and keep your head down so as not to block the people behind you who managed to get to the theater on time. More confusing was the signage conspicuously placed in the lobby stating that latecomers would not be seated. Lies! And how are signs inside the lobby of the theater going to discourage latecomers? Isn’t it sort of warning them after the fact? I know you can't control traffic or the weather or the subway, but I distinctly remember last month leaving the apartment late to a performance in the city, and on our way to the subway Trish and I realized we were going to be at least fifteen minutes late (FYI: show was Next to Normal). We promptly turned around, marched home, got in our PJ's and settled in for a TV night. We bought tickets for another performance and ate the cost. Why? Because it's disrespectful to the actors and to the other audience members. Granted, we didn't pay $120 a ticket, but does a high ticket price buy you the right to be rude and/or disrespectful? I don't think so.

And trust me, I’m not a racist. I say nasty things about everyone regardless of race. That said, Filipinos are just as bad as the heavily African-American audience at the theater last night - maybe even worse. Sometimes I think it must be a survival gene passed on from caveman days. The “early bird’s” didn’t catch the worm, they got eaten by a dinosaur, thus clearing the way for the latecomers who could tip-toe past the T Rex who was sleeping off the meal.

Anyhoo, enough racial mudslinging - about the show - way better than I had remembered from my first visit. Although I still find most of the music incongruous with the period and material, it sure is a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. Zonya Love was quite good as Celie, with a very believable emotional and physical arc. Her singing, though adequate, didn’t really blow me away, but she made up for it with her commitment and charm. I was most excited to see Chaka Khan but she was being sort of diva and actually waited for entrance applause before she said her first lines - she literally stood there and waited until people started clapping before she would say anything. Sad. Even sadder, she really can’t act and was mostly giving generic attitude rather than playing any specific objectives. She was sassy but ultimately forgettable. And although her voice is pretty amazing, she has mush mouth and I couldn’t understand half of what she was saying or singing. Bebe Winans came off better, but his character is somewhat underwritten. There was palpable chemistry between Bebe and Chaka that ultimately made up for some of Chaka’s weaknesses. Angela Robinson was pretty spectacular as Shug and I might actual prefer her portrayal over her much lauded predecessor, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes. The ensemble was giving their all, no “long-run-it is” in this cast, and I give props to American Idol, Lakisha, who sang and acted up a storm as one of the church ladies, showing twice as much personality than I ever witnessed from her on Idol. Now waiting anxiously, but with mixed feelings, for the next tenant at the Broadway Theater, Shrek, The Musical.

On a side note, it was Valentine's Day and since Trish nor I had any reason to celebrate, we ended up going to Applebee's, yes, Applebee's. Hear me out. We assumed that any halfway decent restaurant would be a mob scene, so we tried to think of the least romantic restaurant in town, thus, Applebee's. I guess our idea of romantic is way different than the average New Yorker because that place was hopping. A half hour wait for Applebee's!? And they mark that sh*t up for the city. Ten bucks for a bowl of mac and cheese? What ev's.

"Sunday" last Tuesday

My only exposure to Sunday in the Park… before last night was the Mandy/Bernadette video and CD. Now I loves me some crazy, overindulgent Mandy and squeaky, not-too-subtle Bernie, but watching last night’s revival clearly supports the fact that Sunday can exist thrillingly outside of the original, brilliant Lapine staging and concept. Companies rarely revive Sunday due to the intrinsic difficulty in staging the “painting come to life” aspect of it. Sam Buntrock has used modern projection technology to finally bring a fresh, new look to Sunday. I don’t want to spoil the effects for anyone, but the audience audibly gasped at several key moments - notably the opening “white, a blank page or canvas” moment, the dog scene and the transitions in the last 10 minutes of the second act.

As for performances, I have to say I prefer the current British performers to Mandy/Bernie. Daniel Evans as George is a much more nuanced actor and not given to the “look ma, I’m acting” approach that Patinkin seems to embrace. It was also refreshing to see different characterizations for the Georges in each act. Jenna Russell’s Dot is a bit more grown-up than Bernie’s (in a good way) - more a youthful free spirit as compared to Bernie’s sometimes petulant child. I feel she found moments in the text and lyrics that didn’t even register for me when watching Bernie. Vocally, Evans and Russell are both wonderful, granted they can’t touch Mandy or Bernie, but I don’t feel vocals were compromised for the sake of finding better actors.

The “not-so-good” - I don’t think "Putting It Together" was improved by the projection technique and I think the original cut-out concept is much more successful. There was also some random reverb added to some of the singing. Overall, the balance in the group numbers was so homogenized that you couldn’t tell who was singing onstage - most evident in Act II Opening. Chorus also sounded a bit thin on "Sunday", not bad, just not full.

My biggest complaint - please God restore the French horn! The "Sunday" theme on a saxophone just doesn’t cut it! Otherwise, the reduced orchestrations didn’t really bother me. And though I can’t explain why, I started tearing up as soon as the accompanying chords to "Sunday" started playing in both acts.

This is a definite must-see since a Broadway revival of Sunday will likely not happen again anytime soon. They just don't write 'em like this anymore.

She waited three years? Really?

So I’m starting to change my mind about Madama Butterfly. I’ve always thought of it as kind of boring and frankly kind of stupid. I understand the whole “anything for love” idea, but after three years of not hearing from a guy, you’re just ridiculously naïve or just plain dense to believe this guy’s coming back for you. Yes, I know, she’s fifteen and he was probably one of the first men she’s slept with, but she’s a geisha for God’s sake! I know that’s not the same thing as a prostitute, but still. Maybe if she was isolated on an island or lived like a hermit on some mountain I could believe in her unwavering faith. But she lives in Nagasaki, a major city, and has easy access to the Consul who I’m sure she’s pressured on more than one occasion for the whereabouts of her deadbeat husband.

Kam (Butterfly), Jessica (Suzuki) and I have decided to play the religion card. Since Butterfly is basically an outcast and shunned by her family and friends, the only recourse she has now is faith, and that faith will be exemplified by her devotion to Christianity. I think this choice makes her unwavering belief in the sanctity of her union with Pinkerton much stronger. Modern audiences can easily relate to her religious zeal, which is actually just a substitute for the lack of real emotional support from family and friends.

I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but every production I've ever watched live or on DVD has basically just glossed over any type of explanation for why Butterfly would wait so long for this guy. The audience is just asked to accept this plot point simply because it is accompanied by beautiful music. So I've decided to open the second act with Suzuki praying to Buddha and Butterfly praying to God. For me, this explains her seemingly inexplicable behavior and raises the stakes for Butterfly until she has no choice but to believe that God has forsaken her. Her suicide is a combination of grief over her lost love, the renouncing of her adopted religion and an apology to her family, ancestors and country for forsaking them for the false love of a man. Now that's some deep sh*t yo!

I think Both Kam and Jessica are really investing in this concept and the relationship they are starting to develop is really quite beautiful. Of course, this was an added rehearsal so we didn't feel the pressure of time constraints. I have a feeling as the performance dates get closer, the relaxed, casual ease that marked tonight's rehearsal will collapse into full-fledged panic. I'm staying optimistic though. We have the makings of a first rate production and I don't want to jinx it.

On a side note, Trish has been spending hours scouring the basement of Pearl River (if you've never been, make a visit, it's like an Asian Target) to find just the right Asian props for the show. We've also been getting a steady stream of fake hair in the mail. Good times.

I Miss My Weekends...

So another crazy weekend of rehearsals, auditions and random crap. Friday night - three hours of Madama Butterfly rehearsal, Saturday - was a live dress form for Val's kimono pattern and watched DVD's of old MB performances ad nauseum, Sunday - three more hours of MB rehearsal followed by four hours of auditions for our summer theatre program. A weekend in the country, this was not. Looking at my worn wall calendar (I'm old school, I actually write down my schedule - yes, with one of those long, skinny yellow things filled with lead - on a huge wall calendar in the kitchen), it appears I won't have a free weekend until May! Good Lord, May! So much for taking a break from the "business."

The good news is that MB is shaping up to be quite a spectacular production. Everyone in the cast has a huge voice and that little theatre is going to get it's roof blown off. I still can't believe that the theatre's regular tenant, CDC, uses mic's for all their shows. I can understand using mic’s for rock shows or for shows with more modern orchestrations, but we had a twenty piece orchestra for Fledermaus and there was no problem hearing any of those singers. Oh well, I guess the days of unamplified singing in musical theatre are over.

Auditions for the summer are crazy! It's obvious that high school students are way better trained than I was at that age. Either that, or I was the only geek interested in musical theatre, because I don't remember talent like this in high school. Unfortunately, Cameron Mackintosh may screw our program over and not give us the rights to Les Mis school addition for the summer. I guess a bunch of high school kids 80 miles away in Cranford, NJ are a major threat to ticket sales of a proposed National Tour sit-down in Philadelphia. We should be so lucky.

Anyway, I think the highlight of the whole weekend was running out to White Castle late Sunday night and purchasing the 30-burger case with fries, onion rings and shakes. They sure tasted good going down, but were considerably less pleasant on the way out this morning. I think I definitely need to get my fat a** down to the gym again. I think I'm going on 18 months sans workout! Pretty sad for someone who used to be a gym rat. Oh well, six-pack abs are highly overrated.

Feeling Electric

First off, Brian D'arcy James is the sh*t - amazing voice and great acting. Alice Ripley - great acting and the vestiges of a once amazing voice. Girlfriend needs to get a vocal coach. I admit she tore it up in Side Show, but her belt is not aging gracefully. Sounds like someone who pushed too hard early in the career and is now paying for it with consistently flat singing and ragged tone around the edges. She did not get through a single phrase without singing a note or portion of the phrase flat. It's really unfortunate considering her acting is so strong.

As far as the show, I have mixed feelings. The music on the whole is interesting and contemporary but some lyrics are ridiculously cliched. This perhaps wouldn't have been so evident if the lyric writing weren't so strong in certain songs ("I Miss the Mountains" and "Invisible Girl..."). It almost sounded like these songs were written by another lyricist. The story itself, the cause and effects of mental illness on the family unit, is interesting and original. It was easy to invest in and relate to these characters since their problems are so familiar to our modern day "Dr. Phil" sensibilities. The second act was particularly moving and I think most of that material within it works quite well. The first act is more problematic and is in need of judicious trimming. The Costco song, though amusing, could be cut in half. "I'm Alive" went on about three verses too long considering it seemed the only lyrics were "I'm Alive" - OK, you're alive - we get it. Quite frankly, I got bored during the tail end of some of the numbers due to their length and lyrical and thematic repetition.

The direction, too, is problematic. The constant stylistic change from realistic character interaction to presentational rock concert format didn't work for me. The presentational approach would often distance me just as I was beginning to get invested in the relationships onstage (much like Ripley's flat singing did). And did anyone else experience deja vu during the "Feeling Electric" number? Between Alice Ripley, the lighting, the music, the surgical gowns and the cheesy MTV choreography, I felt like I was watching a "cut out of town" number from the Broadway revival of Tommy.

There is definitely a moving, interesting, modern show here. But it is need of some cutting and perhaps a change in director which I doubt is going to happen before it opens next week.

What's your birth opera?

I'm passing this along from a post on parterre.com, an opera blog that I frequently read. They've posted the Met's archive page where you can do a date search of all the Met's performances. I'm proud to say that Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne were performing two of their signature roles in Norma the evening of my birth! Click here to check your own. Here's the full listing for my birthdate:

Metropolitan Opera House
April 14, 1970, NORMA {73}

Norma...................Joan Sutherland
Pollione.................John Alexander
Adalgisa................Marilyn Horne
Oroveso................Bonaldo Giaiotti
Flavio....................Rod MacWherter
Clotilde..................Carlotta Ordassy
Conductor.............Richard Bonynge

Joan Sutherland as Norma, Covent Garden, 1952

More Auditions

After enduring Oklahoma! auditions just a couple of weeks ago, the Pineda team once again found themselves munching Doritos and chugging diet Coke behind the table for another round of pitchy singing and bad acting. To be fair, there were several very good auditions sprinkled throughout the weekend. Friday night was for the opera company’s Young Artist production of Pirates of Penzance. Definitely, a lot of unrefined talent and enthusiasm on display, but not much lead material. More surprising was the attendance. Though we didn’t advertise the audition in any publication other than the opera company’s yahoo group list, over 30 kids showed up! We were expecting around 15. I mean, it’s Pirates?

Sunday was the first day of auditions for our new Summer Theatre Conservatory. We deliberately held only a specific number of audition spots for each day (there are three days total) so we didn’t have to rush anybody and so that we could really spend time with each kid. I don’t know what parallel universe we auditioned in, but we actually had an equal number of boys and girls sign up. On top of that, the boys far out-sang, out-acted and plain out-auditioned the ladies. It will definitely be an interesting summer. Unfortunately, there are so many male parts in the show, we will never have too many boys audition. Hopefully, today’s audition will reflect the quality of our next two audition days later in the month. One thing is clear, people still LOVE Les Mis.

Go Giants!

I am in no way a sports fan. In fact, I do not watch sports unless alcohol, food or sex (preferably at least 2 out of 3) are somehow involved and there isn't some Broadway special on PBS. Well, the stars lined up yesterday for both me and the Giants, though sadly, minus the sex. First, the highlights - nachos, pigs-in-a-blanket, chocolate mousse cake, hamburger helper (I know, white trash, but delightful nonetheless), chips and dips, nachos, hot links, finger food a-plenty and beer. Oh, and the Giants won. Even I have to admit it was a great game and I found myself jumping up and down and screaming like a 12-year old girl at Wicked. I'm sure the whole underdog situation and home team loyalty helped me invest emotionally more than I normally would. And face it, the comeback surge and crazy Manning sack escape in the last minutes was dramatic - and what queen doesn't love drama!? I'm sure most of the viewing audience - clarification, MALE viewing audience - was not comparing the Manning siblings on their looks instead of on their QB skills. FYI: Peyton definitely wins that competition. Sadly, the commercials all pretty much sucked. Anyway, congrats Giants and thank you for a great lead-in to yet another freakishly good episode of House.

De-virginized at Lincoln Center

Get your minds out of the gutter! Last night was a first for me - my first live full-length ballet, Susan Stroman’s Double Feature. There was some suitable pre-show drama at the box office. Upon asking for the two tickets I had purchased for us (Trish and me), I was handed a single ticket. In a panic I checked my printed confirmation, and sure enough I had forgotten to change the "number of seats" box to "2". Luckily for us (not so much for the box office) there were plenty of unsold seats and he was able to exchange the ticket for a pair next to each other. Moral of story: always check your confirmations!

For me, it was a great introduction to ballet. Clear storytelling and characterizations and as far as I could tell, great dancing. I will not admit to being an expert on dance technique, but I was impressed. It’s nice to see what Stro, who I know only as a musical theatre director/choreographer, could do with a company of dancers rather than the measly little ensembles that pass for choruses in Broadway shows now (no cut on Broadway talent, just the skimping on cast sizes).

A bit melodramatic, though probably keeping with the period and style, the first act’s (“The Blue Necklace”) quasi-Cinderella-like plot didn’t hold many surprises, but did get to feature a remarkable solo by Damian Woetzel and some nice pairing with Ashley Bouder. The second act, “Makin’ Whoopee!” demonstrated Stro’s gift for stage pictures. The image of (seemingly) hundreds of brides-to-be in white wedding dresses (many in drag) chasing Jimmie (Tom Gold) brought sustained laughter from the audience - me included. Gold’s combination of graceful technique and Chaplin-esque angularity perfectly suited the style. I’m not sure if hardcore ballet lovers would consider this piece a true ballet, but it definitely has encouraged me to try some of NYCB other offerings (as I'm sure it did for other newbies).

FYI - we were able to move down to the front of the balcony because there were so many empty seats. I have a feeling that this may be a result of snobbery on the part of ballet fans and indifference from musical theater fans. I think Double Feature is probably the perfect combination of both worlds. Highly recommended.