Missing the Tonys

We'll be telling stories about 2020 for a long time. June 7, 2020 was meant to be the night of the 74th annual Tony Awards. The new musicals this season included:

Girl From the North Country - jukebox musical
Jagged Little Pill - jukebox musical
Moulin Rouge! - jukebox movie adaptation
The Lightning Thief - novel adaptation
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical - jukebox bio

There was only one original score in the bunch. Truth be told I wasn't excited by any of these shows. I was more interested in the gender swapped revival of Company and the large crop of new plays.

For a list of potential nominees, check out JKS Theatre Scene's sample ballot here.

EDIT: One more original musical was on the horizon: Six

Tootsie

Tootsie didn't work for me. The 1982 film was about a cis man who disguises himself as a woman to get a role on a television soap opera. The musical had him win a role in a Broadway musical in 2018, yet the characters seemed to have learned nothing more about gender, sexuality or hiring practices since 1982. Putting it in a contemporary setting only made the sexual politics seem more retro.

The leading man's arc was also lost. He claims that his time as Dorothy has taught him humility and compassion but nothing in the libretto allows us to see that. At the performance I saw he didn't seem to grow or change one bit.

The Lightning Thief

Fans of the books hated the movies. They liked the musical but it's small scale hurt it in a Broadway house. Now Disney's making a TV series which has given the fans fresh hope.

Hadestown

"It's a sad song. We're gonna sing it anyway."

I don't like this show. The score's not my style and I don't agree that Orpheus should be forgiven for his failure because "he tried." But I respect the folks who do. Here's a collection of the Broadway reviews.

Whisper House

Duncan Sheik's 2009 concept album was adapted to the stage in 2010. The Chicago premiere runs through February 15 at Black Button Eyes Productions. An Off Broadway production opens on March 12, 2020. Jarrow and Sheik discuss the musical in an interview here.

Zero Patience

"Tell the story. Clear my name.
Why do they need someone to blame?"
~ Zero Patience

Gaétan Dugas, a French-Canadian flight attendant, was falsely accused of spreading the AIDS virus across America. He was dubbed "Patient Zero." Evidence was found to clear his name but the myth persisted for years after. John Grayson's musical sends Zero's ghost on a journey to prove his innocence, debunking other myths about the virus along the way. The film is angry, funny, sexy and bittersweet. It's strange to watch now as it came at a time when people were still in crisis and much about the virus was still unknown. The film is hard to track down but clips are floating around. You can read a spoiler filled recap here.

Head Over Heels

Take one 16th century play. Add one 1980's pop group. Sprinkle some genderqueer aesthetic. And voila! Head Over Heels was considered too slight for Broadway but it's the ideal fit for a black box theater during Pride season. One caveat: if you're not a fan of the Gogo's going in, the repetitive song arrangements won't change your mind here. The clowns belt and the sexy chorus dances but the plot stops dead every time there's a song.

The Chicago premiere runs July 1-August 25. Details are here.

Ghost Quartet

So... eight months. How's everybody doing? I'm not back back but I've a few more ideas for comics.

The success of Dave Malloy's The Great Comet has renewed attention to the earlier Ghost Quartet. My synopsis doesn't do it justice. Four artists take the stage to tell four intertwining ghost stories. The sisters at the center, Pearl and Rose, provoke a cycle of revenge that burns for seven centuries. Malloy says he was playing a board game with his friends and said "The four of us should make a show." The result is something that will confuse, impress and lodge itself in your mind.


The Chicago premiere runs July 12 - August 17. Details are here. 

110 in the Shade

"The rainmaker doesn't change the weather: he changes people, turning them into what they really are." ~ Ethan Mordden. Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960's 

110 in the Shade has been compared to The Music Man. Both involve a con man who charms the town and a spinster who stands against him. While Marian domesticates Harold, Starbuck awakens a drive in Lizzie. Lizzie's been held down by her well meaning family. She needs to break out of her comfort zone and find some independence before she can settle down with a spouse. The show is more respected than beloved but Lizzie is a fantastic role for a singing actress. The role won great praise for both Inga Swenson in 1963 and Audra McDonald in 2007.

I'll be taking a break from this comic to work on some other projects. Have a safe winter and a happy new year!

A Star Is Born

The 1954 remake of A Star is Born features one fantastic song: Gershwin and Arlen's "The Man That Got Away." I assumed it would be the grand finale but it turns out to be Judy Garland's first number. She sings it in a bar when James Mason stumbles in. It's the moment that draws him to her and establishes their unhealthy dynamic.

That song is the only thing I really enjoy about the film. The other music is forgettable and the story is dour. Streisand and Gaga's remakes somehow feel even bleaker. The story is interested in the leading man's fall but the audience wants to see the leading lady shine. She does, in moments, and those moments are what people take away from each remake. I don't need to watch the 2018 film again but I'm sure I'll see the scene where Gaga performs "Shallow" many times to come.

Teen Beach Movie

Disney's Beach Party movies were a hit in the 1960's. Disney's High School Musical was a hit in 2006. Would these two great tastes go together in 2013? Critical reviews were mixed but ratings were high enough to merit a sequel. Afterwards co-stars Garrett Clayton and Ross Lynch would graduate to racier projects, which would renew interest in their musical theater beginnings.

High School Musical

How did a low budget TV movie launch a franchise and a film career? Today's high school themed musicals are loaded with snark and angst. High School Musical has a mean girl and with a coded-gay brother but the overarching tone is earnest.

Quick. What's the hit song from High School Musical? I'm not sure either... but it has four compelling lead players who Disney was able to contractually secure for two sequels.

Oh and my favorite song? I like "Bet On It", Efron's campy nervous breakdown in part 2.

The Light in the Piazza

Critics described this show as a delicate romance. I found it to be overwrought camp. I was in the minority when I saw it live and had to stifle my guffaws. Then I saw the Forbidden Broadway parody and learned I wasn't alone. Your mileage may vary.

Bloomer Girl and South Pacific

Bloomer Girl. Music by Harold Arlen. Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. Book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy. 1944 Broadway.

South Pacific. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. Book by Oscar Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. 1949 Broadway.

One of these shows is better known than the other but both concern race relations in war time. Both were considered progressive for the 1940's and both feature artists from the original production of Oklahoma!

Finian's Rainbow

Earlier this summer I wrote about Were The World Mine, a musical in which the homophobic jocks are magically transformed from straight to gay. In Finian's Rainbow a spell transforms the racist Senator from white to black. The Senator tries to undo his cruel policies but as a black man his staff will no longer listen to him. The leprechaun has to restore him to white to save the Sharecroppers. Pretty cutting social commentary for 1947.

A white actor put on blackface makeup on Broadway in 1947 and on film in 1968. When the show was revived in 2009 the switch was made with two actors. Critics praised the production but it only ran 15 weeks. 40's satire wasn't commercial in the 00's.

Glory Days

High school friends Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner wrote the show after their own graduation.  Blaemire called the show "a commemoration of our friendship and the friends we've had and lost between high school and college — and what happens when you're a kid, and then you realize that you're not anymore."

Glory Days premiered at the Signature Theatre in Virginia. It transferred to Broadway where it opened and closed on the same night: May 6, 2008. Blaemire and Gardiner spent some time apart, then re-united to write another show for a smaller venue.

The cast album reveals a spirited cast and a lovely ballad, Open Road, in which Jack comes out to his friends. Shows about angsty teenagers are big in 2018, with Heathers, Mean Girls, Dear Evan Hansen and Be More Chill inspiring passionate fan bases. I hope some of them will give Glory Days another look.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Before Dolly Levi, before the White Queen, Carol Channing's signature role was Lorelei Lee. Her rendition of "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend" is very different than Marilyn Monroe's but no less fantastic.

Subways Are For Sleeping

This jokey show about homeless con artists knew nothing about the realities of being homeless. With very little plot and a mediocre score the show quickly folded. It is best remembered for a publicity stunt. Producer David Merrick found 7 strangers with the names of the New York critics and got them to sign off on positive quotes. The poster said "7 out of 7 are ecstatically unanimous about Subways Are For Sleeping."

Were the World Mine

This film started off with a great idea. A modern gay remake of A Midsummer Night's Dream with a bullied gay teen, Timothy, serving as a combination of magical Puck and lovelorn Helena. The opening scenes won me to his side and the unleashing of the love potion felt cathartic.

Things fall apart soon after. The film can't agree on tone or internal logic. If the potion makes you fall for the first person you see, it makes sense the all boys school would fill with same sex couples. But why do all couples remain same sex when it spreads to the town? Why does the homophobic coach become a broad gay stereotype? Why do people have selective memories of what occurs during the course of the film? If Tim's point was to make the jocks understand bullying, why leave no straight people left to bully them? Why are the songs so forgettable?

Timothy's primary love interest is a mystery. We aren't supposed to know his true feelings till the end of the film. But we need to learn something about him to invest in the relationship. As is Tim's melancholy is never salved, leaving a streak of pain through the film. A lot of missed opportunities here. It frustrated me as the premise was fantastic.

Calamity Jane

At first glance Calamity Jane seems like a remake of Annie Get Your Gun. Independent pioneer woman swallows her pride to win Howard Keel. But Jane isn't chasing Howard Keel. She's chasing Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin. You know he's not important because he's in a musical but doesn't sing a note. To win him she needs to learn feminine drag.

Here's where the most interesting character arrives; Katie Brown. Katie is a maid impersonating a famous singer. Jane protects her from bandits, takes her to her first performance, and defends her from the mob when her identity is revealed. Howard Keel's at the performance too... in drag. He lost a bet with Jane. Katie finds the confidence to perform and suddenly... she's a maid no more. She has become the star she pretended to be. Jane is smitten. She wants Katie to teach her how to do drag. In the song "A Woman's Touch" Katie and Jane break out the tools and remodel their cabin. Jane trades her pants for a frilly dress and sings:

Then all at once the cabin that we knew
Becomes a shining castle built for two.
Me and you.

They're getting on fine till Lieutenant Whats-His-Name falls for Kate. Jane is heartbroken, kicking her out of the cabin and challenging her to a duel. The pants are back on. Katie grabs a gun and fights back. She can do drag too. Wild Bill splits them up and tells Jane he loves her. But there's no duet. Instead we cut to Jane alone in the woods singing "Secret Love." She sings the first verse in a dress and the last verse in pants, riding a horse.

Once I had a secret love
That lived within the heart of me
All too soon my secret love
Became impatient to be free

 

Who is she singing about? Did she love Bill all along? Or has Bill given her the excuse to save her friendship with Katie? She'll spend the last act of the film pursuing Katie and bringing her back home. They hold a double wedding with their forgettable men. 

How intentional was this lesbian subtext? Hard to say. Screenwriter James O'Hanlon also wrote the script for The Harvey Girls, another musical western focused on two strong women. He'd go on to write for the television westerns Maverick and Cheyenne. Whatever his original intention the film has gone on to play at LGBT film fests and was featured in Vitto Russo's fantastic documentary The Celluloid Closet. That's enough for me to feature it here for Pride month. 

Happy Pride!