"You're Timeless to Me"

This past Sunday, Tracy Turnblad sang Baltimore's praises for the last time, when the Broadway production, which opened in 2002 and garnered praise and 8 Tony Awards. Sunday's matinee was a celebration of everything "big, blonde, and beautiful" as around 80 Hairspray alum (as well as high profile guests like Christine Ebersole, Al Roker, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Matthew Broderick) stormed the stage for the show's finale.  The actors were greeted with thunderous applause and treated the audience to a high energy, moving show.

Photo Credit: Broadwayworld

Best Adlib of the night: "The Corny Collins Show...and the White House are now officially integrated!"







Scene and Heard: Marissa Jaret Winokur's son, Zev, "done up" for the occasion in a white tux with "It Takes Two" emblazoned on it, Laura Bell Bundy, Aaron Tveit, Hayley Podschun, Aubrey O' Day, Shannon Durig, Carly Jibson, Chester Gregory, Jackie Hoffman, Jen Gambatese, Shoshana Bean, Caissie Levy, Michelle Kittrell, John Hill, Tevin Campbell, John Pinnette, Paul Vogt, George Wendt, Ashley Spencer, Kerry Butler, Linda Hart, Mary Bond Davis, Alli Mauzey, Andrew Rannels, Annie Golden and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, book writers Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, director Jack O'Brien.

Apparently, You Can Stop the Beat

Rumor has it that something big has gone down at Hairspray.  Signs point to either an early closing or a new Tracy (possibly the return of Marissa Jaret Winokur?)

Sometimes, You SHOULD Stop the Beat

Hell to the No

Variety Show: Thoughts from the Week

I've seen some rehearsal videos of Aubrey O'Day and I'll admit...she's much better than I expected.  While I cannot confidently say she will be a stellar Amber, I do think there is potential there . Check it Out

I've also seen video from the open 9 to 5 rehearsal, but I was a little frustrated that all they showed was the title song. I understand that that is the most recognizable tune, but I really wish we'd gotten to see hear more of the score. There's no way to gauge the quality of the score. However, I'll give Dolly Parton the benefit of the doubt.  I am also a huge fan of Allison Janney, I think Megan Hilty is perfectly cast, and I'm excited to see Stephanie J. Block in another leading role.  I'm a huge fan of her voice, and it's a shame she hasn't had more opportunities to showcase her talent. Check it Out

The Search for the Next Elle Woods...Some how, though I didn't intend it, I managed to get incredibly invested in this show.  The reality show has pulled me in.


The reality is...not one of the girls left is a triple threat.  The best Elle would have a combination of Bailey's dancing, Autumn's vocal ability, Lauren's character choices, and Rhiannon's quirkiness and bone structure.  But the reality is...that's not an option.  The "What You Want" audition was insane; with the exception of  "Legally Blonde: Remix," it's probably the most challenging number in the show.  Autumn maintained good energy throughout but failed to master the tap combination and Rhiannon lost her breath (and sang with an extremely weak voice).  In my opinion, Lauren and Bailey probably did the best job overall (yes, folks, I just complimented Bailey.)  After the Amazon.com snafu (which sounds like Bailey unless Autumn is singing in some crazy head voice) and in the light of recent "spoilers," it's looking like  Bailey win with a possibility of Autumn earning an ensemble track, and honestly, that breaks my heart.  Bailey is very cute, but that's it; there's no depth there, her acting is weak, and she's merely giving an imitation of Laura Bell Bundy...and guess what, Bailey?  Laura Bell did it better.  I've resigned myself to the fact that come Monday, I will most likely be disappointed with the results...however, while this does make me upset about the New York production, I am looking forward to the tour even more.  I've learned to have a greater appreciation for Becky Gulsvig, and it'll be nice to see Lauren.

Moving on...

Several Confessions:

I absolutely love Mamma Mia.  The first time I saw this show, I was in the midst of breakup number two from the high school ex-boyfriend from hell and I cried during "The Winner Takes it All."  The second time I saw it, right before my high school graduation, my mother and I were both in tears during "Slipping Through My Fingers."  This show--as silly, campy, and ridiculous as it is--means a lot to me. 

I love Meryl Streep and Colin Firth.

I love the way Greece photographs on film.  It's gorgeous, and every time I see the landscape in a movie, I yearn to go there.

And I absolutely hated the Mamma Mia film.

And this isn't a case of "I saw the stage show and nothing on film could ever compare and the movie has to be exactly like the show."  I don't approach musical adaptations like that.  I enjoyed Hairspray and Chicago a great deal.  But this---not so much.

Meryl Streep gives her campiest, weakest performance to date, Pierce Brosnan cannot sing (and I actually laughed out loud during several of his numbers), and my favorite relationship, Bill and Rosie, was diminished; they barely interacted and "Take a Chance on Me" came off out of the blue, desperate, and awkward. 

Why the narrative plot holes?  Why the awful fantasy sequences in "Money Money Money"?  

The director staged this film in an awful, absolutely misguided way, with such frenetic over produced cinematography.  I actually found myself cringing at moments.  However, the movie does have its moments...and most of them involve the divine Christine Baranski and the hilarious Julie Walters.  Thank goodness for them.

"The New Girl in Town, Who Just Came on the Scene"

Aubrey O'Day in Hairspray.

And the stunt casting continues...

Much to my chagrin, it has been reported that Aubrey O'Day from Puff Daddy's (P. Diddy, Sean Combs, Diddy...what is he calling himself now?) Making the Band group Danity Kane will join Hairspray, taking over for Ashley Spencer as Amber. Are you all familiar with Aubrey?

Here's hoping she looks more like this...

than this...

There are so many talented actresses on Broadway and plenty hoping for their big break, and it is such a disappointment that the Hairspray producers would choose to hand over the role to the slutty lead singer of a subpar girl group. I look at the actresses who have taken on the role of Amber--Laura Bell Bundy, Tracy Jai Edwards, Becky Gulsvig, Brynn O'Malley--and I just don't see how Aubrey fits in.

In other casting news, the stunt casting at Spamalot continues. Stephen Collins, best known for his role as Reverend Camden on the uber wholesome family drama 7th Heaven, will join the cast as King Arthur and Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees and Dancing with the Stars will appear as Patsy. As skeptical as I am about this casting, I must give Lachey credit. He has managed to parlay his Dancing with the Stars win a few years ago into a lucrative career.

"Is it Brains? Is it Poise? No, It's Hairspray!"

Date of Performance: November 3

Whenever most theatre people hear a tour is non-Equity, they groan, and immediately assume it won't be a quality production. True, the actors may not have the pedigrees of Equity performers, the sets are parred down, and the orchestra is smaller, but this production of Hairspray, though not as glitzy (read: expensive) as the Equity version, proves that it is entirely possible to still present a strong, vibrant show.

Director Matt Lenz and choreographer Danny James Austin have faithfully recreated the work of Broadway's Jack O' Brian and Jerry Mitchell, and the cast, though relatively inexperienced, performs the moves crisply. A dynamic, bubbly, joyful bunch, they enthusiastically come together well and look professional.

The sets have been toned down a little and the orchestrations are not as lush, but with a show like Hairspray it doesn't matter. "You can't stop the beat," no matter the volume.

The cast overall, is quite strong. Dan Ferretti (Wilbur Turnblad) is lovable and demonstrates a genuine affection for his larger than life wife Edna, Pearl Thomas (Amber Von Tussle) has especially good comedic timing, and Christan White (Seaweed Stubbs) is a powerful singer and dancer--his Seaweed demands attention. However, the real standouts for me were Alyssa Malgeri (Penny Pingleton) and Angela Birchett (Motormouth Maybelle). Malgeri stole the show--receiving the most laughs, she stole attention from the principals even in scenes where she had only a minor role. It's a shame that the Penny in the theatre version of Hairspray is not the one we see in the film--all respect to Amanda Bynes, but she is given absolutely nothing to do in the movie. Malgeri on the otherhand, got to act dorky, spastic, and awkward, which makes her transition from a gum smacking sidekick into a sassy Checkerboard Chick all the more exciting. Birchett also stood out for me. As much as I love Queen Latifah and thought she was fantastic in Chicago, I thought she was less than satisfying in Hairspray. Maybelle is supposed to be sarcastic, wise, frustrated, soulful, but Latifah plays her like a character that could be found in Beauty Shop. Birchett's rendition of "I Know Where I've Been" is powerful and was extremely interesting to watch in Memphis, a city that has its own complex relationship between the races.

Unfortunately, as good as this show is, there were a few weak spots. Kristin Colluras, normally one of the Nicest Kids in Town, was understudying for Tracy, and it just did not work. Not only was she too tiny and skinny, which made all the references to Tracy's weight a bit puzzling, but she simply lacked the overall charisma and giddyness required for Tracy. Tracy is a leader but Colluras never made me feel like Tracy was a leader. I only knew she was inspiring other characters to take action because I was told directly. Don't get me wrong, Colluras is a good singer and able dancer, but for a character like Tracy, you need more than just good--you need great. It was my fourth time seeing Hairspray so it left me frustrated; I'm not sure what a first timer would think.

My feelings about Jerry O'Boyle (Edna) are a little hard to wrap my head around. His interpretation is far from Fierstein's cartoonish original and more like Travolta's movie Edna. His Edna is insecure and plain, which works, but I felt like some of the humor was lost.

"Give My Regards to Broadway"...But Not to Sarah Brightman's Pirate Queen

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday...

Lea Michele and Jon Groff's "Give My Regards to Broadway" was good (though I wish it had been longer), yet so bittersweet. The parade was on this beautiful New York day, but there was a sense of sadness to it, I think. The parade always feels synonymous with Broadway, and knowing that so many shows were dark because of the strike was sad.

Legally Blonde was the only show of the four featured that was affected by the strike. Unable to perform with their regular costumes and props, they had some replacements (including some legwarmers on Laura Bell...tsk tsk). Though their performance was not as flashy as it traditionally is and not as glitzy as the other ones, they were genuinely happy to be performing together...and that was nice to see. This isn't my favorite number from the show at all, but I can understand why it was chosen--it's a scene that will be familiar to fans of the movie, and the dancing and overall giddyness will woo young girls.




Young Frankenstein...Mel Brooks' moneymaking machine. Not sure how I feel about this one...a couple things irk me...Roger Bart, the usually brilliant Stroman's banal choreography, Sutton Foster's in and out accent...but I do love Christopher Fitzgerald and Shuler Hensley, and this number, the last one in Act One, is good.



Xanadu...God Bless Kerry Butler. She's been cheated out of two rightful Tony nominations for Hairspray and Little Shop of Horrors, so let's hope this show will get her the nod she deserves. I think Xanadu suffered from the lack of exposition...the other shows had numbers that were easily identifiable with their plots, but Xanadu simply jumped right in with a medley. I'll admit, 'Du is just too campy for me, but I'll acknowledge that it might be perfect for other people.



Oh, Mary Poppins...I can't deny it. I really do like Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee. Check out "Step in Time" if you get a chance


Lea Michele and Jon Groff:


Not a theatre star, but Hairspray is on Broadway and Nikki Blonsky is just so darn cute:

"It's Turkey Lurkey Time"

More info on Macy's Parade

Lea Michele and Jon Groff will be on the M&M Candy Float. The colorful M&M’s are at it again, this time taking Broadway by storm. Red and Yellow, along with Blue, Green and Orange have transformed into Broadway stars taking the stage in the best productions on the Great White Way. Taking a ride on a Broadway themed float, the colorful chocolate bunch take on roles in some of Broadway’s best-hit musicals. Red transforms into King Arthur in Spamalot, Yellow and Orange tap dance their way onto the front of the line in A Chorus Line, Green defies gravity as Elphaba in Wicked, and Blue hides behind the Phantom’s mask in The Phantom of the Opera. Joining the tasty stars will be Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff, stars of the Tony Award(R) winning Spring Awakening, performing "Give My Regards to Broadway."


Legally Blonde will be performing "What You Want" and Mary Poppins will be performing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." The original Christine Daae Sarah Brightman will be performing as well as Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray and Anika Noni Rose (of Dreamgirls and Caroline, or Change), and I just read that Xanadu will be doing a medley of songs.

Exciting stuff in store, I'd say.


And in other news, Equus is crossing the pond and coming to Broadway sometime next year, complete with Daniel Radcliffe. Poor guy; Equus is a great play and I've heard he does a great job in it, but something worries me that most people are going to go just to see "Naked Harry Potter" and miss the point of the play and the strength of his performance.