The Brooks Atkinson Hosts A Party Called ROCK OF AGES

This week, I had the pleasure of seeing Rock of Ages, which was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. I was especially interested in seeing this show, considering many think that 9 to 5 should be in their spot. For my money, I would pick Rock of Ages any day.

Upon walking into the Brooks Atkinson Theater, there was a different atmosphere than any other musical I’ve ever attended. There are waiters serving drinks, the theater is dressed as a concert venue, and the audience had such a fun and relaxed buzz. At the performance I attended, there were audience members who, at the start of a song they recognized and loved, would get up and start dancing. In most other pieces, you would be beaten back to your seat. At Rock of Ages, you are admired for being that bold!

Going in, I was skeptical that a musical using a pre-existing compilation of music from various sources could enhance any story. The way that book writer Chris D’Arienzo crafts his story, 80s music is the only suitable language for his characters. The musical takes place in the 1980s where a venue on the strip of LA is going to be shut down so that developers can remodel the community. Of course, at the same time, there is the love interest of a rock star and actress who are trying to make it big and fall in and out of love throughout the story.

Now as conventional as the story sounds, D’Arienzo never shies away from the simplicity. His characters understand that they are a part of a musical and with his narrator (Lonny) and the heightened campiness of the 80s music, he could do just about anything and get away with it. A lot of times, he doesn’t even use full songs; choosing to just use parts where the lyrics are helping the action of the moment. In other musicals, this just wouldn’t work. Given the context of this musical, it seems perfect.

The performances all around are very strong. Although he was very good in his role, I find it hard to believe that there wasn’t another performance worthy of the Best Leading Actor in a musical. As always, Amy Spanger gives a highly energetic and well crafted performance as Sherrie. It’s rare to find someone that is a true triple threat, but Spanger shines vocally, with her movement, and with the full exploration of her character. Other notable performances belong to Mitchell Jarvis as the narrator Lonny, who guides us through the story and plays a fun role within it and Paul Schoeffler, who plays the man who wants to demolish the Bourbon Room.

All is all, I recommend Rock of Ages for anyone who wants to have a less formal evening at a musical. Bring your earplugs (it’s really loud, but worth it) and a sense of humor and Rock of Ages will give you a great evening’s entertainment!

Broadway + 3D = Hmm...?

Today it was announced on Playbill.com that at the Broadway League's annual Spring Road Conference, a company named Fugobi pitched the idea of filming Broadway productions to be shown on movie screens in 3D! Their hope is to "capture five 3D films of Broadway shows for international release within the next 18 months.”

Over the past couple of years, every time I saw a movie that was advertised to be shown in 3D, I must admit that I chuckled a bit. For many years, 3D had been present in smaller doses. Recently, we can see anything from Hannah Montana to Harry Potter in 3 dimensions. Why do we want this? Is there something we’re not getting from the film itself that we need to see in 3D to fully understand? Also, with the little experience I’ve had with 3D film, it seems that the choice of what elements are made 3D can be awkward, and thus distracts me from the plot.

The prospect of having Broadway shows filmed for distribution in 3D troubles me on many levels. First of all, nowhere in the article does it mention that they will explicitly only film musicals. Is there really a possibility that we might see August: Osage County or Blithe Spirit in 3D? Or how about Joe Turner’s Come and Gone or Waiting For Godot? Let’s just hope for our sake and our children’s sake that we don’t have to see 20^th century masterpieces seen in 3D.

So let’s say that they meant filming musicals. What musicals today would be enhanced or work at all in 3D? Maybe a piece like Hair could be aided by this. Since concert movies are continually made into 3D extravaganzas, maybe the scale of Jersey Boys might work. Other than that, looking at the current fair on Broadway, there doesn’t seem to be any other musical that could survive being shown in the distracting form of 3D.

We then have the next issue: how does the 3D medium serve the musical? A good musical is well crafted with many layers and dimensions without the extra visual extravagance. The reason a musical is written for the stage is that it’s meant to be performed in a theatrical setting. If a musical is written or adapted for the screen, the audience has an informed expectation and will not expect a theatrical experience.

Ok, given the problems I foresee with Broadway shows being seen in 3D, this is a great opportunity to discuss whether Broadway shows should be filmed for wider distribution. My answer is an emphatic YES, under the right circumstances.

First of all, I think it’s important that filmed versions of Broadway productions be seen AFTER their Broadway engagement closes. I was dumbfounded when I heard MTV was showing all of Legally Blonde the Musical before it had closed on Broadway. Although it did run for months afterward, you are giving a potential audience member a great reason for not spending $100 on seeing the show live, being that I can see it for free on television. Waiting until after the Broadway run becomes problematic for two reasons: 1. The original cast most likely will not be intact at the end of the run. Maybe there’s a way, after discussing this with Actor’s Equity, to get actors back into shows for them to be filmed. Maybe it can be done under a separate contract? 2. How would this affect the business of national tours? If an audience member in Philadelphia has the choice of seeing the national tour of Shrek at the Kimmel Center for $75 or the filmed version at the musical at the movie theatre for $10, in this economy people are going to choose the latter. This option might also be an advantage for shows that are not planning on launching a national tour. This gives them a way to maximize their profit and visibility of the musical around the country and around the world.

From a technical point of view, I think that the shows needs to be filmed with an audience and without. Having the audience there helps the viewer still have that sense of intimacy while watching the piece on the screen. At the same time, film gives us the advantage of getting close ups, something that audiences would want to see if we are watching a screen. This might be achieved by having the cast perform the show with no audience and have the director have the option of having cameramen on the deck and use cranes to get wider shots that might be distracting to mezzanine patrons during a regular performance.

There are many ways of packaging a Broadway show on film. One is having an initiative where every Pulitzer Prize winner’s New York production is filmed for distribution. These types of initiative work would especially benefit plays because it could potentially help a piece that would struggle to recoup its investment.

Lastly, here’s another thought. I would love to see this concept done in reverse as well. What if productions at major regional companies that are considered exemplarity and marketable are filmed and shown around country or in special engagements in large cities like New York and Los Angeles? Here’s an example: Signature Theater in Washington, D.C. (which suitably just won the Regional Theater Tony Award) is producing Michael John LaChiusa’s massive musical adaptation of the Edna Ferber novel Giant. Most likely, a musical of this scale will not be able to transfer to New York. So what if that production was filmed and shown in a special engagement in New York City? Since he’s had his work produced at Lincoln Center, what if on the dark night of South Pacific they showed Giant in the Vivian Beaumont?

There’s lots of ways to make filming Broadway shows profitable if inventive thinkers sit at a table and hash out the details. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts so please comment!

For more information, click this link to the Playbill.com article: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/129511-Will_Broadway_Productions_Be_Seen_as_3-D_Movies%3F

Why Altar Boyz Is A Great Musical

Last week I had the pleasure of revisiting one of my favorite musicals of the past decade at the Bristol Riverside Theatre: Altar Boyz. This production is special, in that the original choreographer, Christopher Gattelli, and one of the composers, Gary Adler, were the Director/Choreographer and Musical Director respectively. Both natives of Bristol, PA, it is such a pleasure to see two very successful professionals go back to their roots and give their community a fantastic evening of musical theatre.

Altar Boyz has played to packed houses at New World Stages for over four years. A product of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the musical has also been seen in various productions from Chicago to Korea to Australia. Why has this musical been so successful? Here are some of my reasons:

1. The piece is performed in a non-musical theatre context. The authors frame the evening as a concert, with the Altar Boyz attempting to cleanse the audience’s souls over the next 90 minutes. The concert frame gives the audience a different expectation than coming to your standard book musical. In this day and age, people like a more intimate and personal theatrical experience. Altar Boyz’s success is with how the creators blur the line between musical and concert.

2. The content of the musical celebrates a trend (boy bands) that is far away enough from the public eye that people can enjoy the story and music they are telling in a more personal way. Boy bands combined with Christianity brings a large and different demographic to the musical.

3. Although songs are the featured moments in the show, the authors understand that the book of the musical is the key to bringing the piece together. Each book scene does a great job at giving us vital information or sets us up for the next musical moment.

4. The musical has an intimate and inherently theatrical feel. The piece’s success hinges on its relationship to the audience. It’s a piece that would not be the same on film. It needs that performer to audience relationship, thus making attending the show in a theater a necessity.

I look forward to seeing how future audiences respond to Altar Boyz. Do I think Altar Boyz is the next Fantasticks? Probably not. Either way, Altar Boyz is bringing people Off-Broadway and giving them a reason to see what else is playing besides the fare on the Great White Way. Congrats on four years and I hope to be writing about the show for years to come!

A HUGE Win For Theater

I always believe it is important to celebrate big news in a big way. Today, we all need to go out and toast a hiring that could potentially play a significant role in the future of live theatre. The New York Times reported today that Rocco Landsmen, Producer and President of Jujamcyn Theaters, has been nominated as the next Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

For theatre artists and audiences, Landsmen’s hiring at the NEA poses the opportunity for the theatre to have a strong advocate on the national level. I have been following the potential hiring of this position since outgoing chair Dana Giola announced his resignation to continue his writing career. My hope was that the new chair would be sympathetic to theatre and lead the charge for a reimagining of the “contemporary model” for producing theatre in the United States. Landing a respected Broadway Producer like Landsmen immediately brings theatre into the forefront of the national arts conversation.

So as Mr. Landsmen will need ideas of what to strive for during his time in Washington, I figure I can suggest some ways that theatre can be aided on a national level.

1. National Theater: Although it has been discussed to death in various mediums, the United States absolutely needs to have a National Theater. How wonderful would it be if, for sake of argument, there was a national theater in residence at Lincoln Center that played 12-16 week runs of classic plays and musicals? The fiscal model would have to be developed so that unions would be happy, actors could be paid suitable to Equity standards, and that ticket prices would be extremely low. A good goal should be $10 tickets; or the same price as seeing a film. Even more interesting, what if the productions originated in New York and then put on NEA funded national tours? This would give an opportunity for the classics to be seen at reasonable rates all around the country. I’d love to hear some more comments from you all about what a National Theater should look like.

2. Development Program: How about a nationally run new play/musical development program? This would give writers a safe place to bring their work at various moments in development. The program could be multi-tiered, with pieces going from sit down reads, to music stand reads, to fully staged readings, to eventually workshop productions. This program could be a “stimulus package” to writers who need to make a living wage while creating new work.

3. Incentives Program: The NEA should fund “rewards” for theatre companies who are pushing the boundaries artistically and fiscally. Here’s an example: a theater like Paper Mill Playhouse should be rewarded for their new initiative of teaming up other arts organizations, like the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. The NJSO plays engagements throughout the year between productions, giving the Orchestra another venue to perform in and brings a different audience to Paper Mill. The NEA should award the vision of theaters that can share space and vision to complete their artistic goals. (For full disclosure, I frequently work in various capacities for Paper Mill so forgive me if this opinion seems biased. Their new model for operation seemed a fitting example.)

4. National Theater Events and Occasions: The NEA has reached great success with such programs as American Masters and Shakespeare in American Communities; initiatives that reward theaters for joining the NEA’s national agendas. Landsmen should introduce new and more specific initiatives that give theaters the opportunity to benefit from government support. Here’s the first one: Stephen Sondheim: Master of the Musical Stage- A Celebration of the Musicals of Stephen Sondheim in celebration of his 80^th birthday. Let’s challenge every theater that produces musicals to produce a Sondheim musical (and play. Yes, someone should do Getting Away with Murder). Imagine seeing everything from Saturday Night to Road Show hitting the marquees of theaters from San Francisco to New York. Let’s show the public the breath of a musical artists work. Other examples of themes could be initiatives by era (1950s musicals, George Abbot), Pulitzer Prize winning musicals, musicals originally produced Off-Broadway, NEW WORKS FESTIVAL, etc.

5. Your ideas! Comment to this post with your thoughts and revisions of my ideas and give me your ideas. I’ll take everyone’s thoughts and write a letter to Mr. Landsmen (remember when people wrote letters?). Thanks in advance for your input and look forward to reading your responses!

For more information about the hiring, please see the New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/theater/13nea.html?_r=1&ref=theater