#talkinbroadway

[twoontheaisle]

"Gala" by Transcendence Theatre Company

The venue is the same, the warm greetings from the staff are still there, the logistics are still handled with efficiency, the cast is still committed and energetic...but this last show of the TTC season simply didn't live up to their high standards.

My full review is up at TalkinBroadway.

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://www.freenews.today/2021/04/04/william-biff-mcguire-tony-nominated-actor-dies-at-94/

William “Biff” McGuire, Tony-Nominated Actor, Dies At 94

William “Biff” McGuire, whose Broadway career spanned over seven decades and included a role in the original 1958 South Pacific, died according to a statement released on April 1. He was 94.

His death was announced by the Seattle Rep, a theater that McGuire shared a long history with. He performed in over 30 productions there, including Saint Joan (1979-80), Noises Off (1986-87), and A Flaw in the Ointment (1993-94). With dozens of films under his belt, he has appeared in scenes with Al Pacino in Serpico, Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair, and Alan Arkin in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Biff was also a regular on television from the late 1940’s to the early 2000’s. In his seventies, he was nominated for two Tony’s for his roles in The Young Man From Atlanta (1997) and Morning’s At Seven (2002). 

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In 1960, he was cast opposite British actress Jeannie Carson in a 1960 revival of Finian’s Rainbow. They married in November of that year, and then starred in the original national tour of Camelot. He played King Arthur while Carson played Guinevere. This was just the beginning of their lifelong romance and acting partnership. Together, they moved to the Pacific Northwest to bring playwrights’ works to life, including Shakespeare, Shaw and Ibsen. 

Former Seattle Rep Associate Artistic Director Doug Hughes remembers the late actor as “reserved, even shy in real life.” However, Hughes says that Biff gained “a nearly scary confidence once he stepped on a stage.” 

McGuire got his famous nickname from playing football as a kid growing up in Camden, Connecticut. He attended the University of Massachusetts, where he studied agricultural engineering and later left to join the US Army in the midst of World War II. Stationed in England, he studied acting, directing, radio, and television, eventually setting his sights on set design, only to return to acting. 

In a 2004 talkinbroadway interview, McGuire attributes his love for theater to his big family and his love for entertaining them. “We had all of these big gatherings of the whole family on Saturday nights, and everybody had to do something, so that was my theater. I shared it with a very large family,” Biff reminisced.

McGuire is survived by his wife, two children and two grandchildren.

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[tombestor]

“Dames at Sea”

Despite talented performers and a lovely stage design, 42nd Street Moon’s production of the 60s-era parody of Busby Berkeley-style musicals can’t overcome the weakness of the book, which lacks any real satirical (or even parodic) bite.

Read my full (though brief) review at TalkinBroadway.

[ismael37olson]

I've Come to Sing a Song About Hope

Out on Broadway: The Third Coming has come to an end. We closed the show tonight. I never thought in 1996, when I created the first Out on Broadway, that twenty-one years later, we would still feel the need for a show like this. But we do still need it. This has been a deeply personal show for all of us. These five actors and I all live openly gay lives, but it's so empowering, so gratifyingly defiant, putting our gay lives and emotions and challenges and insecurities and joys onstage, insisting that the Others aren't in fact Other at all. I'm monumentally proud of this show of ours. It didn't sell out like the first two editions, and we'll never know if that's because the gay community is more a part of mainstream culture now, because Will & Grace happened and is about to happen again, because there's so much more cool theatre in town now (including the Fringe Fest, Ragtime, In the Heights) than there was twenty-one years ago, or because we're still rebuilding our audience after our move a year and half ago. Whatever the reasons, we spent very little on this show, so it won't hurt us financially. Plus our audiences really loved our show. The word I heard most often in the lobby after performances was "wonderful." People both straight and gay found so much to connect to in these amazing theatre songs and in the honest, heartfelt performances of our five actors. The critics all agreed... “If you've ever been in love with musicals, don't miss this show.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway "Brassy, sassy, tender, and touching." – Lynn Venhaus, OnSTL “A wonderful evening of musical theatre.” – Kevin Brackett, ReviewSTL "A celebration of life and love for all." – Jeff Ritter, Critical Blast "An easygoing mood, favoring sophistication over splash." – Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Well-disciplined velvety voices." – Keaton Treece, St. Louis Limelight “A collection of songs which underscore the ever-changing musical vitality of Broadway." – Mark Bretz, Ladue News Keith, the only actor to appear in all three editions of our show, was scared shitless this time because I gave him three comedy songs. "I'm not funny!" he whined. "No," I replied, "You're honest." And he is, and so his comedy songs were really funny, but also really rich and truthful and human. More than anything, I just feel profoundly proud and grateful. Putting a song list together for a revue or concert is an art, and through the first two OOBs and the five concerts we've done at the Sheldon, I've gotten better and better at constructing an evening of songs. The guiding principle for the show has always been Dignity. Since the first edition all those years ago, there were just two rules. We didn't mock any orientation, or each other, and we didn't sing about how hard it is to be gay. Our OOB shows have always been about our shared humanity, more than anything else, the idea that a love song written for a hetero couple really doesn't change at all if two men sing it instead. (I hate the Broadway Backwards events in NYC. It's not "backwards.")

It was a genuine privilege to work with these five amazing members of our gay community, Ken Haller, Keith Thompson, Sean Michael, and Mike and Dominic Dowdy-Windsor (and our token straight guy, our music director Nate Jackson). I am beyond grateful that I get to run a company like New Line, that I get to create theatre pieces like Out on Broadway, and that St. Louis audiences keep coming back for more. Thank you, St. Louis, for believing that what we do is important to you. I am a very, very lucky guy. Thank you. I'll leave you with OOB3C's penultimate number, "Everything Possible," by Fred Small, one of two non-theatre songs in our show, one of the few songs that has appeared in all three editions of Out on Broadway. This is why we did the show.

We have cleared off the table, the leftovers saved, Washed the dishes and put them away. I have told you a story and tucked you in tight At the end of your knockabout day. As the moon sets its sails to carry you to sleep Over the midnight sea, I will sing you a song no one sang to me; May it keep you good company. You can be anybody you want to be. You can love whomever you will. You can travel any country where your heart leads, And know I will love you still. You can live by yourself, you can gather friends around, You can choose one special one; And the only measure of your words and your deeds Will be the love you leave behind when you're gone. Some girls grow up strong and bold; Some boys are quiet and kind; Some race on ahead, some follow behind; Some go in their own way and time; Some women love women, some men love men; Some raise children, some never do. You can dream all the day never reaching the end Of everything possible for you. Don't be rattled by names, by taunts, by games, But seek out spirits true. If you give your friends the best part of yourself They will give the same back to you. You can be anybody you want to be. You can love whomever you will. You can travel any country where your heart leads, And know I will love you still. You can live by yourself, you can gather friends around; You can choose one special one. And the only measure of your words and your deeds Will be the love you leave behind when you're gone.

And now onward to Lizzie, directed by our associate artistic director Mike Dowdy-Windsor. We start rehearsals Monday. Another wild, awesome adventure. I'll keep you posted. Long Live the Musical! Scott from The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre http://newlinetheatre.blogspot.com/2017/08/ive-come-to-sing-song-about-hope.html

[itsdlevy]

My TalkinBroadway.com Reviews

From 2004 to 2006 I was the Boston-area theater critic for TalkinBroadway.com. They list their review archives by show title rather than by date, so it's hard for me to direct people to my archives should they want to look, so I thought it would be useful (if only to me) to create a list of links here.

Company (SpeakEasy Stage, October, 2004)

Ears on a Beatle (Lyric Stage, October, 2004)

Big River (National Tour, November, 2004)

Johnny Guitar (SpeakEasy Stage, November, 2004)

The Value of Names (Theatre Cooperative, November, 2004)

John and Jen (Stoneham Theatre, February, 2005)

blue/orange (Zeitgeist Stage Company, February, 2005)

The Sound of Music (Wheelock Family Theatre, February, 2005)

Homebody/Kabul (Boston Theatre Works, March, 2005)

The Old Man and The Sea (Stoneham Theatre, March, 2005)

The Trojan Whore (Mill 6 Collaborative, April, 2005)

You Never Know (Trinity Repertory Company, April, 2005)

Promises, Promises (Animus Ensemble, December, 2005)

Brooklyn Boy (SpeakEasy Stage, March, 2006)

Talley's Folly (Lyric Stage, March, 2006)

Boots on the Ground (Trinity Repertory Company, April, 2006)

Caroline, Or Change (SpeakEasy Stage, May, 2006)

Into The Woods (New Repertory Theatre, May, 2006)

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (Encore Theater Company, June, 2006)

1776 (Lyric Stage, September, 2006)

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (National Tour, September, 2006)

Little Shop of Horrors (Animus Ensemble, October, 2006)

The Women (SpeakEasy Stage, October, 2006)

The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (SpeakEasy Stage, November, 2006)

[fuckyeahstephensondheim]

Earlier, I reblogged a video from The Brady Bunch Variety Hour with the following message:

This pales in comparison to the Bradys’ rendition of It’s Not Where You Start, but this blog isn’t called Fuck Yeah Dorothy Fields.

My friend (and esteemed theatre critic for TalkinBroadway.com) Matthew Murray responded: “Why ISN’T there a blog called that, I want to know. I’d go there every day!”

And he’s right.  So now there is.  And it’s dedicated to Matthew.

[twoontheaisle]

Moulin Rouge! at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre

Wow. Just wow.

For more wow, read my review on TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"The Prom" at BroadwaySF's Golden Gate Theatre

I'm tempted to say The Prom is a bit of cotton candy - sweet, but short-lived. Except it was a hell of a lot of fun! Some terrific choreography by Casey Nicholaw, and a witty book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin. But the highlight was an astounding performance by Kaden Kearney as Emma, the teenage lesbian who just wants to take her girlfriend to the prom, and is helped in her effort by some narcissistic Broadway stars trying up their social justice cred.

Please, go read my full review at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"Indecent" at San Francisco Playhouse

Go. That would be my one word review. Because you don't want to miss this incredibly theatrical, moving, funny, heart-breaking, important play, currently staged in an equally incredible production directed by the very talented Susi Damilano.

My full review can be found at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"Circle Mirror Transformation" at Novato Theatre Company

Call me old-fashioned, but I love a play with a plot. A play with something real at stake for the characters. Although Annie Baker has created an interesting set of characters for her Circle Mirror Transformation, the story of a small town community center's beginning acting class, there's no real story to draw you through the show.

That said, this cast (under stellar direction) does a really terrific job, and make even this slow-moving play a joy to watch.

Check out my full review at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"To Kill a Mockingbird" at BroadwaySF's Golden Gate Theatre

Sure, you've probably read the book, and it was a long time ago, so you likely won't notice the changes Aaron Sorkin has made in his adaptation. But hey - it's an adaptation, you can't expect the whole book to make it to the stage. But being such a genius at dramatic structure, his work brings out the book's main themes with great power - as well as humor and pathos.

Want to know more? Read my full review at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"This Much I Know" at Aurora Theatre

I will admit, I'm a little exhausted. Last night was Moulin Rouge!, the second of a four shows in a row. (Plus the heat has had me in the garden hand-watering some of the more thirsty plantings.) So I will be brief: This Much I Know (the first of the four) is one of those shows I hope to see again, in the hope I will be better able to plumb its intricate depths.

Want more? Read my review at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"Let's Dance!" by Transcendence Theatre Company

I've been a fan of Transcendence Theatre Company almost from the beginning. With very few exceptions, their shows have been terrific. The pros at TTC assemble terrific casts (often filled with talented chorus members from Broadway shows) and put them in entertaining revues with great songs, wonderful choreography and simple (but effective) stagecraft.

But the show is only part of the "Best Night Ever" (the company's tag line): the experience of an evening at the Winery Ruins at Jack London State Park is a big part of the magic. It's a gorgeous setting - and the flawless logistics (parking, ticketing, etc.) and ever-smiling staff only make it better.

My full review is up at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

"Swept Away" at Berkeley Rep

Berkeley Rep is developing a reputation for premiering musicals that go on to much bigger things: American Idiot, Ain't Too Proud and Paradise Square.

I think they have another Broadway-bound show in the wondrous Swept Away. Featuring music by The Avett Brothers, and starring John Gallagher, Jr. (who also starred in American Idiot and Spring Awakening) with a book by John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge: The Musical) and directed by Michael Mayer (American Idiot, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Swept Away takes you on a journey with two brothers on a whaling ship at the end of the 19th century, when whaling was a dying occupation.

The set alone is nearly worth the price of admission, and the story is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful one.

Read my full review at TalkinBroadway and get your tickets for this so you can say you saw it before it hit the Great White Way.

[twoontheaisle]

"My Fair Lady" at the Orpheum Theatre

When Shaw wrote Pygmalion, he most decidedly did NOT intend it to be a love story. At least not a love story about a budding romance between street urchin Eliza Doolittle and the grand and haughty Professor Henry Higgins. It was a satire on classism and privilege. But when Lerner and Loewe got hold of it, it lost much of its bite. (But gained some gorgeous music!)

While it's still a charming musical distraction from the troubles of our contemporary world, director Bartlett Sher has added back in some of the sharpness Shaw intended. Spoiler alert, Higgins and Eliza don't walk hand in hand into the sunset.

On top of all that, the staging is magnificent, the costumes sumptuous, and the cast brilliant. But go read my full review at TalkinBroadway.

[twoontheaisle]

A Doll's House, Part 2 at Novato Theater Company

Slowly but surely, with occasional hiccoughs here and there, Novato Theater Company is becoming quite an accomplished community theater. They did a terrific job with August, Osage County, and their production of Company included the best performance of "Not Getting Married" I've ever seen - and that included when I saw it on Broadway.

Except for one unfortunate performance (sadly, it's from the lead), their take on Lucas Hnath's jewel of a play, A Doll's House, Part 2, is well worth your time. Mark Clark, who plays Helmer, the abandoned husband of Ibsen's A Doll's House, really loses himself in the role. Every gesture, every line reading felt spot-on.

So get yourself a ticket - and try to ignore Alison Peltz's hyperactive performance as Nora.

Full review is on TalkinBroadway.