On the Stage

First off, I'm excited because the two people's blogs that I found and liked a lot saw my comments and came and comment on mine and we got that whole thing going! AND, one is moving to Iowa, how weird is that, and the other one is really into theatre like myself! Sweet...it was SO fun to open my blog and see comments! Also comments from Jody and Doug are always welcome and good :-)

SICKNESS UPDATE:::: Still sick...however, it's mostly moved out of my throat (thank you God!) and it's wrecking hardcore havoc on my nose and ears and coughing! So...still sick...

Now on to theatre!

So...I'm fairly excited about a couple of theatre related things!

Check it out --> Phantom of the Opera -- The Movie . Yeah, it's coming out in the US about December 16thish, 2004. Not only do I love POTO, though not my favorite anymore...used to be, but starring as Raoul is none other than Patrick Wilson...anyone? Patrick Wilson...yeah? no? Ok! I'll tell you. He is the original Jerry from The Full Monty on Broadway, he's got a kick ass voice and he just rocks. Little side note...he also played Curly on broadway for a while and then was in "Angels in America." Now, about Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum...well I don't know. Never seen them or heard them before. I read mixed reviews of their performances in other movies, etc.

This isn't new news to me, but it refreshed my excitment because on another site I post to about theatre someone submitted this link FULL of pictures for our perusal.

Phantom of the Opera -- The Movie Pictures

There are some really good pictures in there, and there are a LOT!

Oh my...so I'm perusing that site I go to post theatre related things and someone had posted this article from playbill.com. Interesting I hadn't seen that yet and I'm a frequenter of playbill.com. So read this with excitment!


Playbill : What's the secret to The Producers longevity?

MB: I think it's just a matter of right time, right place. There was a thing called video and then there was a thing called DVDs, then it became more successful, and so the time was right for it, ripe for it actually, to go to Broadway. Now, it's the right time for it to be made back into a movie.

Playbill : With Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane?

MB: Most definitely. There might be a few changes, for instance an Australian chap named Bert Newton plays Franz Leibkind in the show down under and he gives the performance of that role I've ever seen frankly. I'd love Newton to be involved. I'd also like Nicole Kidman to be involved, and apparently she's keen.

Playbill : Will you have a role in it?

MB : It's doubtful, but I'm writing myself back into the Spaceballs sequel that I'm now writing, so you haven't seen the last of my face. Why another Spaceballs? It wouldn't feel right have anyone else play Yoghurt and the first one was the best experience I've had making a movie since Blazing Saddles.

Playbill : When can we expect that?

MB : Best case scenario : a week before the new Star Wars opens. Worst Case Scenario : a year after the new star wars opens.


So, in a nutshell, SPACEBALLS 2!!! How cool is that?! Yeah, you bet it is! Ok...I sound a little childish, but it's Spaceballs 2! Also a little tid bit about The Producers which is always ok.

Let's talk about Hair...and I don't mean the hair on your head...or anywhere else! No, Hair the musical.

They just had an Actor's Fund Benefit Concert with a freakin' all-star cast and it rocked my socks off. I haven't heard it, yet, but the cast list and the reviews were enough to knock my socks off!

Check out this bit from an article from broadway.com...


"If you missed the show, don't fret. You can catch a video feature with performance clips and interviews right here on Broadway.com next week and rumor has it there's serious talk of reuniting the concert cast in the coming weeks for a recording on the Sh-K-Boom label!"

Ok...so there's going to be a cast recording of that stellar cast! Now I don't much care about Hair, but with a cast like that, I DO care.

Ok, let me post the cast list and what they sang for all of you who don't know!


The curtain then rose on the likeable Harris Doran (as Claude), standing centerstage clad in white T-shirt and jeans. While he burned his draft card, the stage also revealed the small onstage orchestra, which was divided into sections by three staircases. As Lillias White, decked out in a large afro and sixties-era attire, began belting out "Aquarius," members of the chorus — standing on chairs in the audience — rushed to the stage in a burst of energy. Two large screens were also part of the stage design and projected various timely images throughout the concert.

Lea DeLaria, who bemoaned having to follow the vocals of White, offered a few off-the-cuff remarks to the audience before launching into "Donna." "Queer Eye" co-star Jai Rodriguez, sporting a long wig, sang about the pleasures of "Sodomy" and was followed by Taboo's Euan Morton, who delivered a somewhat lyrically revised "Manchester, England." Chuck Cooper's "Colored Spade" preceded Ana Gasteyer's belty "Dead End," one of the many highlights of the first half of the evening. Other Act I high points included Harvey Fierstein, who drew cheers with his raspy-voiced version of "Air"; Laura Benanti, who morphed from a prim-and-proper teacher into an LSD induced free spirit while she wrapped her glorious soprano around "Initials"; John Tartaglia and Christopher Sieber, who had some fun with an American flag and "Don't Put It Down"; Adam Pascal, who sported a shirtless open vest and let his rock-flavored tenor soar on "I Got Life"; Raul Esparza, who scored with the title tune; former "American Idol" contestant Jennifer Hudson, who raised the roof with a thrilling "Easy to Be Hard"; and Julia Murney, who managed to dazzle even with a cold, as she brought down the first-act curtain with "Where Do I Go," which began with a touching sincerity and climaxed in a Janis Joplin-style crescendo.

The second half of the concert got off to a rousing start with Toxic Audio's solo on "Electric Blues." That was followed by the exciting pairing of "Black Boys" — featuring belters Kathy Brier, Orfeh and Ann Harada — and "White Boys," with the equally belty Ledisi, Brandi Chavonne Massey and Shayna Steele. Annie Golden charmed with the gentle ballad "Frank Mills," and members of the chorus bared all during "Walking in Space." Other second-act notables: Billy Porter's gospel-tinged "Four Score"; Darius de Haas and Paul Castree, whose pure tenors blended beautifully on "What a Piece of Work Is Man"; Liz Callaway, who added class and simple, gorgeous tones on "Good Morning Starshine"; and Norm Lewis, whose rich, vibrato-filled voice echoed throughout the theatre on "The Flesh Failure," which segued into the wonderful finale, "Let the Sun Shine In."


There we GO, now you're excited just like me!

Now the other part of Hair to talk about...Veronica and I are going to see Hair tonight at Stagewest, for free! One of our good friends is playing Claude. The frustrating thing about this, and Taba if you read this I"m sure you'll understand, is that I could have been in this show. They needed more guys and asked me to come back for more auditions, but Veronica was in a show already and it was in Des Moines, which I drive to every day already, and there was just nothing convenient about doing it. Which pisses me off royally because it would have been my IN to Des Moines theatre and I could have been NAKED on stage, which I've always wanted to do. Grrrr....so I'm going to be frustrated while I watch this show tonight, but I'll be a good boy and take my medicine and realize it just wasn't meant to be...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! So frustrating...but I'm ok...but so frustrating!! Oh well...I'm being a good boy.