BLOG: Met Opera hires Musical Theatre pros

by Trish Causey

This blog post is actually a response I posted to another blog, in which the writer bemoaned the fact that the Metropolitan Opera had contracted Musical Theatre directors to work on three upcoming productions. He also mentioned the so-called Tosca sets "fiasco", which is less a fiasco and more about the perception of opera and that the ticket buyer wants to see his or her money on the stage.

So, of course, I had to defend the Met's decision to hire Musical Theatre people, and add a few opinions of my own.

RESPONSE:

Opera doesn't have to change what it is, but it does need to change how it is perceived in order to survive. Unfortunately, the ghetto-ization of America and the dumbing-down of the culture, in general, will not continue to allow artforms that are perceived as antiquated, elitist, and only for fat white singers.

Bringing in Musical Theatre people will enhance the productions because it will bring in an entirely new audience to opera. Unless, of course, the money of the Musical Theatre crowd isn't good enough for the opera purists?

All of the live arts are suffering from the rise of technology (that young people prefer instead of sitting through a 4 hour opera), pirating of performances, CDs, and DVDs, and the time it takes to train and learn the craft --- hard to do in an instant gratification world. However, the live arts should stop complaining about the change and do something about it.

Demand your politicians put the arts back into the schools, with special grants for bringing artists in to talk to kids and do special performances and workshops. Demand more funding for the arts to individual arts as well as organizations. That is the best way to bring education and enlightenment to the younger audiences. Companies who only courted the blue-hairs to support their budgets are the ones struggling the most in this recession because they did not cultivate a youth or young adults program to foster opera in all age brackets. The blue-hairs are now saving their money for the "assisted living" they'll need shortly. The demographics with the buying power are the 18-25 year olds, who prefer performances they can download on their latest iGadget, and the baby boomers, who are looking to save money for their retirement.

So if the Met is trying a new avenue to survive, more power to them. The smaller companies around the country take their cue from the Met. Many an opera company has seen the brink of financial ruin trying to emulate out-dated costumes and sets they really couldn't afford. I would suggest any opera afficianado who doesn't understand the Met's tactics to volunteer at an opera company for 6 months and see what goes on to make a production happen. Sit in on their Board meetings, and take a look at their accounting books. Then you will see the reality of running a company while keeping it from going bankrupt or having to close its doors.

Education, activism, and experimentation are the solutions. Otherwise, the live performing arts will find itself an obsolete artform.

Patricia Causey
http://www.musicaltheatretalk.com/

GUEST: West End's CLARE BURT, March 7 @ 5 pm EST

London West End's incomparable leading lady, Clare Burt, will be a guest on "Musical Theatre Talk with Trish Causey" on March 7, 2010, at 5 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. CST.

To listen live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/musical_theatre_talk or call in: 347-237-5224.

BIO:

CLARE BURT - the acclaimed West End stage star who helped introduce London audiences to shows like Nine, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, Passion and more - will make her New York performance debut next month. Her show "Now You Know" will have an exclusive week-long run at the Metropolitan Room from Tuesday, March 9, through Saturday, March 13. "Now You Know" features theater songs by composers such as Stephen Sondheim ("Now You Know"), Jerry Herman ("Best In The World" from A Day In Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine), Jule Styne ("Cornet Man"), Scott Frankel & Michael Corie ("Another Winter In A Summer Town") and Adam Guettel ("Fable"), in additional to international favorites popularized by Charles Aznavour ("And I In My Chair'), Edith Piaf ("Padam Padam") and Antonio Carlos Jobim ("One Note Samba").

Musical Director and arranger Nigel Lilley- Musical Director for the London productions of Spring Awakening, Sweet Charity and the acclaimed Broadway-bound revival of La Cage Aux Folles -will lead a trio of musicians.

When this show debuted at London's Pizza On The Park in 2009, Mark Shentonin, What's On Stage, raved that Clare displays "the sort of intensity thatmarks out the truly great performers". Her New York debut will help celebrate the release of her debut solo CD recorded live in concert lastyear. A regular at London's famed Donmar Warehouse, Burt starred in the David Leveaux's production of Nine: The Musical that inspired the Tony Awardwinning Broadway revival. Her portrayal of Carla, which Jane Krakowski performed to much acclaim in New York, was hailed as "a major star turn" by The Spectator. She was called "superb" by the London Independent and "highlytalented and extremely glamorous" by The Guardian. According to the London Daily Express, "gorgeous, pouting Clare Burt wrapped in nothing but a towel gives Marilyn Monroe a run for her money." As "The Witch" in John Crowley'sproduction of Into The Woods at the Donmar, she was called "splendidly malicious" by The Times of London and "intelligent, powerful andfascinatingly equivocal" by What's On.

Other West End credits include "Susan" in the Sam Mendes production of Company at the Donmar, "Maggie" in A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, "Rose" in Aspects of Love, "Grizabella" in Cats and "Fosca" in Passion. Ms. Burt has also worked extensively in film and television and was last seen playing the role of "Nurse Hulme" in BAFTA Award winning "Criminal Justice." Most recently,Clare has appeared at the Royal National Theatre as "Mrs. Milcote" in Coram Boy and "Jean Shehan" in The Miracle. Ms. Burt divides her time between London, England and Normandy, France.

Show times are Tuesday at 7:00PM; Wednesday at 7:30 PM; Thursday at 9:45 PM; and Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM. Please call (212)206-0440 or purchase tickets online at http://www.metropolitanroom.com/.

BWAY: Ambulance called @ A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

by Trish Causey

Those in attendance at last night's performance of "A Little Night Music" got more than they paid for when a woman in the audience needed emergency help. Twitter was all a-flutter with tweets by attendees relaying the message that the curtain had come down and an ambulance called. Of course, we all feared for one of the cast members.

According to sources, the woman was helped by a nurse in the audience and taken for medical attention by paramedics. So far, no word on the condition of the woman.

Thankfully, Ms. Lansbury et al are back on their regular schedule.

GUEST: Composer David Kirshenbaum 5 pm EST, Feb. 21, 2010

David Kirshenbaum has written the music and lyrics for Vanities, A New Musical (book by Jack Heifner) and Summer of '42 (book by Hunter Foster) off-Broadway, Party Come Here (book by Daniel Goldfarb) at Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the holiday musical, Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (book by Myles McDonnell).

Regional theatres that have produced his work include Goodspeed Musicals (CT), TheatreWorks (CA), Casa Manana (TX), Round House Theatre (MD), and Pasadena Playhouse (CA). TV: "Johnny and the Sprites" (Disney Channel).

Grants: The Jonathan Larson Foundation and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

CDs: The original cast recordings of Vanities (Ghostlight Records) and Summer of '42 (JAY Records), as well as solo albums by Lauren Kennedy, Alice Ripley, and Kate Shindle.

Now: His show Party Come Here is in rehearsal for a March 2010 production at NYU, and he is currently writing his first two (non-musical) plays. David is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.

GUEST: BETTY BUCKLEY on "Musical Theatre Talk" - Feb. 11 @10:30 am EST

by Trish Causey

"Musical Theatre Talk" features Tony-winner & TV star BETTY BUCKLEY on February 11, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. EST. Listen live via http://bit.ly/5kkhRz or Call-in 347-237-5224 to ask her questions. You can also send me your questions ahead of time via email or in the chat room during the show --- just go to the live site: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/musical_theatre_talk

BIO:
Betty Buckley won a Tony Award for her performance as Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS. She received her second Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a musical for her performance as Hesione in TRIUMPH OF LOVE, and an Olivier Award nomination for her interpretation of Norma Desmond in the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s SUNSET BOULEVARD, which she repeated to more rave reviews on Broadway.

Her other Broadway credits include 1776, PIPPIN, SONG AND DANCE, THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD and CARRIE. Off-Broadway credits include Lincoln Center’s ELEGIES, the original NYSF production of EDWIN DROOD, THE EROS TRILOGY and JUNO SWANS. Regional credits include GYPSY, THREEPENNY OPERA, CAMINO REAL and BUFFALO GAL. She starred in the London production of PROMISES, PROMISES.She most recently starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s THE HAPPENING released in June 2008. Other films include her debut in Brian de Palma’s screen version of Stephen King’s CARRIE, Bruce Beresford’s TENDER MERCIES, Roman Polanski’s FRANTIC, Woody Allen’s ANOTHER WOMAN and Lawrence Kasden’s WYATT EARP.

On television, Buckley appeared on the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors. She has also starred for three seasons in the HBO series OZ and as Abby Bradford in the hit series EIGHT IS ENOUGH. She has appeared as a guest star in numerous television series, miniseries and films for television including EVERGREEN, ROSES FOR THE RICH, the CBS series WITHOUT A TRACE and LAW & ORDER: SVU for NBC.

Buckley has recorded 11 CD’s, among them QUINTESSENCE and BETTY BUCKLEY 1967 and the Grammy Nominated STARS AND THE MOON, BETTY BUCKLEY LIVE AT THE DONMAR.She received her second Grammy Nomination for the audio book THE DIARIES OF ADAM AND EVE.

For over thirty-seven years Ms. Buckley has been a teacher of scene study and song interpretation, giving workshops in Manhattan and various universities and performing arts conservatories around the country. She has been a faculty member in the theatre department of the University of Texas at Arlington, the Terry Schreiber Acting School in New York City and currently in Fort Worth, TX.

In April of 2009, Ms. Buckley received the Texas Medal of Arts Award for Theater and was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in 2007.

BWAY: FINIAN'S cast returns for album release

by Trish Causey

Gone but not forgotten, FINIAN'S RAINBOW makes a brief encore appearance when the Broadway cast reassembles for the cast album release today at the Barnes & Noble near Lincoln Center at 5 pm EST.

The cast album officially goes on sale at online and retail shops tomorrow, February 2nd, but this public appearance allows a jump start to the album launch just a couple weeks after the show's sudden closing on Broadway.

Singing familiar tunes from the show will be Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Christopher Fitzgerald, who will greet fans and autograph copies of the CD album.

TOUR: National Tours for Spring 2010

by Trish Causey

"Broadway Across America" presents the official national tours of Broadway favorites in 32 cities across the United States and 9 cities in Canada. With the upcoming tour of BILLY ELLIOT and possible tours for recently closed FINIAN's RAINBOW, now is a great time to see Broadway classics.

The productions currently touring offer something for everyone in the form of award-winning Broadway shows as well as shows touring before making the jump to Broadway. Musical phenomena like MAMA MIA!, WICKED, or A CHORUS LINE are currently on tour, plus family shows including MARY POPPINS, ANNIE, and LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Quirky or risque shows are also fun to see: THE 39 STEPS, AVENUE Q, ROCK OF AGES, or SPRING AWAKENING.

CELTIC WOMAN, RIVERDANCE, and RIGOLETTO are specialty productions featuring mostly vocals or dance. WEST SIDE STORY, CATS, and FIDDLE ON THE ROOF are legendary shows coming to a major cities around the U.S.

http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/

TOUR: BILLY ELLIOT to start tour in Chicago

by Trish Causey

BILLY ELLIOT kicks off its national tour with an extended stay in Chicago beginning March 18th!

The triple-cast role of "Billy" features triple-threat performers Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio and Cesar Corrales. Though young in years, these boys are professional actor/singer/dancers who have worked in theatre, ballet, and opera.

The Broadway production has earned phenomenal financial and critical success, thanks in part to the music by Sir Elton John, choreography by Peter Darling, and direction by Stephen Daldry. Based on the film of the same name, the Broadway production is an award-winning, inspiring tale, exploring a boy's pursuit of his dream to dance.

The American national tour opens March 18, 2010, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago. As thousands of people around the country will share in "Billy's" journey to dance, American boys will get the chance to see that ballet, dancing, and gymnastics are respectable (and manly) artforms of expression, not relegated only to little girls in pink tutus.

BILLY ELLIOT has a running time of 2 hours, 45 minutes. Tickets for the Chicago production are available here: http://www.billyelliotchicago.com/tickets.php

BWAY: Bittersweet Welcome to 2010

The year 2010 has gotten off to a rocky start for Broadway. RAGTIME and FINIAN'S RAINBOW, two shows that seemed destined for long runs, both closed after only a few months on the Great White Way. But other favorites, AVENUE Q and THE 39 STEPS are enjoying a transition to smaller houses, going from Broadway to Off-Broadway houses---but at least, they're still running.

For big musicals like RAGTIME and FINIAN's RAINBOW, venues large enough to contain a large cast and real orchestra in the pit are in short supply. (Not to mention, the lack of money available to front a move, from the producers' perspective.) Either way, it is sad to see the traditional musical swept aside.

Other musicals, such as FELA! , BILLY ELLIOT, and WEST SIDE STORY seem to be holding their own and recouping their investment, while WICKED is still breaking box office records. Let's hope that national tours are in progress and that the rest of the country will get the chance to see the RAGTIME and FINIAN'S on the road.