offoffBway.com

The Tony Awards nominations have been announced and we think we should be pleased. Why? A couple of “smaller” shows (read: transferred from off-Broadway and/or have no stars in them) received a lot of attention, such as “In The Heights” and “Passing Strange.” Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” - or rather, “Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein” as it is officially known - received only 3 nominations, and none in the Best Musical category.

Are you asleep yet?

In case you haven’t guessed, we sort of don’t care much about this. But why not? Small is better, small is the new big, blah blah blah. The truth is, you don’t get to Broadway without a crapload of cash behind you. It’s a little bit like being so excited about Barack Obama’s “outsider” status. Do you really believe that someone can run for President without tons of money and connections? How “outside” could he possibly be?

When “Urinetown” was nominated and won lots of awards, that was a little different. This was a couple of guys who toiled on tiny stages for years, had no intention of making a run at Broadway, and got there anyway. I’m not knocking “Passing Strange”, which has a little bit of that pedigree. “In The Heights” seems like just more of the same. Regardless, it’s all Broadway, it’s $100+ for a ticket, so screw ‘em.

Liev Schreiber says, “I come off as psychotic . . . I’m misrepresented as a scary person. I’m not. It’s all about my size and my eyebrows.” Dude, if you have to tell us that… He also mentions that he made the beast with two backs on the Staten Island Ferry. Hey, whatever floats your boat (rim shot). At least he’s a movie star who does lots of theater. Even if he’s not psychotic.

I’M NOT SCARY - New York Post Online Edition: Seven

In our continuing efforts to put as much information about the original production of DREAMGIRLS as we can, here’s a piece by David Hinckley from the New York Daily News talking about the first three Broadway D’Girls (there’s something they’ve probably never been called before).

New York Daily News - Theater - How the first Dreams came true

Another Jennifer tidbit - Greg Braxton of The Los Angeles Times (reprinted in the Kansas City Star) interviews Ms. Holliday, who says:

Instead of being swept up in the hoopla over the new film adaptation of “Dreamgirls,” Holliday is being swept aside.
“Why is it necessary for them to wipe out my existence in order for them to have their success? It’s scary that they can be so cruel.” [said Holliday]

Well, I don’t think they thought about you at all, actually. Which may not be nice, but when studios produce a $75 million dollar movie, they usually aren’t that concerned with being nice. I don’t think the movie will do any damage to Holliday’s legacy, although admittedly future generations may see Hudson’s version as ‘definitive’, which it isn’t. Then again, this show business, and actors, especially stage actors, always get shafted (see also: Kathleen Chalfant not getting to play her role in Wit for just one glaring example).
As much as we do feel that Holliday is a little over the top in her criticism, this seemed unnecessary:

After weeks of suffering privately with the constant “Dreamgirls” onslaught — particularly the raves surrounding the other Jennifer — she said the final crushing blow came the night before her Ars Nova stint when she watched Hudson on “Entertainment Tonight” as Holliday’s version of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the original cast recording played during the segment.

“When I saw that, I just gave up,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is a hopeless situation. I am being canceled out as an artist.’ ”

Memo to Dreamgirls the movie’s producers: play the new version of the song. If not that’s just mean.

Kansas City Star | 12/25/2006 | It’s no ‘Dream’ for Jennifer Holliday

A second opinion on Constantine Maroulis, the American Idol castoff who has now KILLED OUR FAVORITE BROADWAY MUSICAL! (We’re only kidding, dude, we don’t blame you. Show just ain’t selling tickets. Whatcha gonna do? Simon Cowell, that’s whose fault it is!)

judgejru.com // judge jru’s American Idol blog: judge jru hearts Angela Ashman

We’re kind of sad to see The Wedding Singer close (we’ve mentioned it before, y’know). While not exactly a great piece of theatrical art, it was fun and mindless entertainment with numerous 80’s references. Does this mean “Teen Wolf: The Musical” is now DOA? Gosh, we hope not. (We kid. At least, we’re hoping we kid.)
Details of the closing (it ends December 31) are below, along with the holiday schedule.
You can also read this this bizarre article in the Village Voice titled, This Is Constantine Maroulis. He Wishes You Knew That. -
In which an American Idol runner-up tops it all by blow-drying his chest. Well all righty then.

The Wedding Singer

TO CLOSE AT

BROADWAY’S AL HIRSCHFELD THEATRE

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31

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They were having trouble casting Mel Brooks’ latest money machine (or so they hope - The Producers isn’t doing the kind of business that it once was), and they ended up casting Bryan D’Arcy James (who’s a good actor, but *yawn*. Obviously Greg Kinnear, Jimmy Fallon and Brooks’ mailman all said no). As for the rest of the casting, Kristen Chenoweth, you’re ok, but I’ve seen Madeline Kahn, and you, madame, are no Madeline Kahn. Shuler Hensley as The Monster is great casting, although it won’t sell a lot of tickets.

What will sell tickets is Mr. Brooks’ name. Thing is, Mel Brooks writes music by, well, humming. That’s right folks, he just does a “dum dum de dum dum de dum dum” and then someone else makes that into notes that the orchestra can play. We love Mel (at least the early stuff, although ‘Spaceballs’ had its moments), but come on. Do we really expect him to be able to pen a second Broadway score when he can’t even read a note of music? Of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber is a musician, and it didn’t help him a lick when it came to those songs (OH NO HE DIDN’T!). Basically, there’s no accounting for taste in this business.

With both of these, we’d much rather see the movie. The ones with Gene Wilder in them. And Madeline Kahn.

PERFECT PITCH? - New York Post Online Edition

Michael Riedel reports in the New York Post that “The ax is swinging again at The Times They Are A-Changin’, the new Twyla Tharp musical based on the music of Bob Dylan.” As usual, the blame seems to be falling on the performers rather than on, oh, I don’t know, the concept itself. (Try to imagine the initial meeting for this show. “Hey! It worked for Billy Joel! This is the same thing, right? Right? Someone get Twyla in here!”) According to Riedel (and while some people don’t like him, he’s usually factually correct), the show is on their 3rd leading lady. Here’s a list:
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THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, Douglas Carter Beane’s Hollywood satire-type-thing, is moving a few blocks away to Broadway. Good for them, we say. Julie White is a great actress who, though making a living, isn’t as big a star as she should be, and we hear Johnny Galecki (above; of ‘Roseanne’ fame) can act good too. Perfs start October 26.

DOUGLAS CARTER BEANE’S
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED
TO PLAY THE CORT THEATRE THIS FALL
TOM EVERETT SCOTT joins JULIE WHITE
and JOHNNY GALECKI
in Acclaimed Comedy
Directed by SCOTT ELLIS

Previews begin Thursday, October 26

Opening Night is Monday, November 13

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This is a real off-off success story. These two started out in clubs, and now they’re playing Broadway. BROADWAY. THE Broadway. Not to overstate it, but good for them. With a four week limited engagement, you don’t have that many chances to see ‘em, which is a good move on their part. If it’s a hit, they can extend. Hey, maybe they’ll win a Tony and get to perform on TV. No matter what, this is a big step for an act that’s been kicking around for a long time and have found big-time success - they’ve even played Carnegie Hall. The press release below is LONG, but there’s a lot to say about this pair. Check out their web site, and of course, the MySpace page for even more info.

A NEW MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA:
“KIKI & HERB: ALIVE ON BROADWAY”
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY
JUSTIN BOND (KIKI) & KENNY MELLMAN (HERB)

TO PLAY 4 WEEKS ONLY
PERFORMANCES BEGIN AUGUST 11

AT BROADWAY’S
HELEN HAYES THEATRE
(240 WEST 44TH STREET)

OFFICIAL OPENING:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 @ 7:00 PM
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