Saturday Matinee

Happy Friday, everyone.

Summer doldrums have definitely set in. It feels like how 110 in the Shade must have felt like – waiting for the rain to come. And it’s coming soon! Be prepared, here are some important ticket dates:

• John Doyle’s Sweeney Todd tickets currently on sale! Click here to get yours, can’t WAIT for this show.
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre single tickets for its 40th anniversary season go on sale on August 19.
• San Francisco Symphony tickets go on sale on August 30.
• SF Ballet Nutcracker tickets go on sale on September 4. If you haven’t seen Helgi Tomasson’s new production of this magical ballet, you have to see it. It was one of those shows where I was smiling the entire time. It brings back such personal memories for me as well.
• Avenue Q is currently playing at the Orpheum Theater in SF! Press coverage of the tour have come out, with the usual descriptive words of “irreverent”, “hilarious”, and “touching”.

On a random note: broadwaysecrets was particularly good this week. Some of my favorites:

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I just finished the 7th Harry Potter book two nights ago, staying up til 3 am reading it. I don’t know about having a musical about it, but I love the casting choices made by whoever made this.

I was trying to describe Spring Awakening to someone today who had never heard of it (in the real world, many of these people exist, which always surprises me ), and I ran across a Youtube music video of this show. I was reminded of how mesmerizing certain aspects of this show is.

I know how this show has been on Broadway (and off) for a very long time and it comes after a Tony sweeps which includes one for Best Choreography, so it’s not exactly cutting edge news, but it brought back old thoughts. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of this show, but I hold the unpopular opinion that the choreography made the show for me. After the Broadway show, Jen asked me if I liked it, and I replied that I thought the choreography really brought the show to another level. Choreographed by Bill T. Jones, a modern dance choreographer and definitely not “Broadway”, he really brought a deeper level of artistry that extended beyond what is normally seen on a Broadway stage. This complemented the highly charged emotions and angst that permeates onstage.

The genius of his choreography is more striking in my situation – I’ve been listening to the Spring Awakening soundtrack in my car stereo or on my ipod, and to all of a sudden watch the choreography that complements this music I know so well, I was able to appreciate the raw emotional impact of the dancing.

I only say this in my defense because during the show, a lot of people actually laugh out loud when the boys would burst out into what may look like interpretive dance, and many have vocally opposed the choreography. But I think people laugh at the same reason why people laugh in the Melchior/Wendla cane scene. I can only chalk it up to the fact that some people can’t see what others can see, or people handle emotions differently.

The NY Times review states, “Unobtrusive choreography by Bill T. Jones is neatly woven into the show’s texture, allowing us to see how children can develop a physical language to channel urges they do not have the words to express.” Isn’t this one of the many definitions of dance? It is to me – channeling emotions that words cannot express.

I always see things in a different light when I read about how things were created, and why. “Before starting to choreograph to the music, Mr. Jones worked with the actors to develop movement that would feel natural to them. “For the song ‘The Bitch of Living,’ Bill asked us what the word bitch meant to us as young men,” Mr. Groff said. “He made us say it over and over, stand up and scream the word into his face, and see what it was doing to our bodies. Then that became the basis for the choreography. As nondancers it was so exciting to be able to express ourselves clearly in a nonverbal way.”” (Rest of the article titled, “It Takes a Rule Breaker to Create Dance for Rebels“) If you click here for an audio slide show of Jones and the show, you can hear his internal struggle at the fear of having sold out in doing Broadway (as he says, “step ball change”), and almost trying to convince himself that this was a lofty endeavor, which is considered by many a lower art form than dance.

I hope that the same flavor of the choreography – the intensity, the commitment to movement, which is probably a direct result of working directly with the choreographer who choreographed it – carries over in its touring form. It’s always scary to see a show when I’ve already seen the original Broadway cast, I just hope that the general heart of the show remains with its different actors. This show will come to San Francisco next year at the SHN series. Click here for more info.

On a different note, I would have loved to have seen this off-Broadway, to see it performed inside a church. I’m glad I got to see it when I did though, before too much of the Tony hype.

Gosh I hate this preview picture of Skylar Astin in the video, but I have no idea how to change it. If anyone knows how, drop me a line.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6707962513653613980&hl=en]

Steve Gouveia, Jarrod Spector, Drew Gehling and Jeremy Kushnier

Warning: this is probably not going to be a typical review. I also have been putting off writing about the Chicago cast, currently playing at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, for the big reason that I know that I am completely biased. I have loved and enjoyed the Sherry cast, which was the first cast that I saw perform Jersey Boys, and getting to know them I know is coloring my perception. With this disclaimer, here it goes.

First off, it is well known that the show itself is a hit in every sense of the word. Meticulously and smartly written to a tee, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s writing ensures that audiences will be entertained, even if you didn’t grow up listening to the Four Seasons, such as myself. In addition to the writing, the energy packed music and dancing adds excitement that equals a live rock concert and makes Jersey Boys an exceptionally singular theatrical experience.

Jarrod Spector leads this talented cast playing Frankie Valli. His pitch perfect singing is always a joy to experience (especially for audiences with perfect pitch! It’s a rare but grateful experience), and I love when he plays with the rhythms in “Moody’s Mood for Love”. It adds so much to the musicality of a simple melody, and nobody sings that song as easily as he does. I am also happy to report that his intensity in his acting in the more dramatic scenes gets better and better – at initial glance a few months ago, he seemed too nice of a guy to play Frankie Valli. But there was a very brief moment – the moment when Frankie Valli grabs Lorraine’s hand as she’s leaving and begs desperately, “Go tomorrow” – that was absolutely heartbreaking, and spoke volumes about the acting involved in this scene.

The cast is rounded out by Jeremy Kushnier as Tommy DeVito, Drew Gehling as Bob Gaudio, and Michael Ingersoll as Nick Massi. My favorite is Michael Ingersoll, previously of the Sherry cast; he is excellent and hilarious and heartbreaking and touching as the guy who’s always overlooked. He makes the role bigger than some of the other Nick Massi’s that I’ve seen. Drew Gehling gives Bob Gaudio a charming and awkward lanky quality, while Jeremy Kushnier plays the intense bad boy Tommy Devito with flashes of self-deprecating humor.

The Jersey girls deserve a few words as well, which I often feel are the hardest working members in the cast, as well as the most overlooked. Jenny Lee Ramos is fantastic as Mary Delgado. Jennifer Naimo, who plays the same role on Broadway, has said good things about her, and when I watch Ramos, I can’t help feeling like this is what the original writers had meant the role of Mary Delgado to be – a tough cookie with a broken heart. She is also a beautiful singer as well, and I can picture her playing Mary Delgado on Broadway someday. Lauren Marshall also shines and simmers as Lorraine, Frankie Valli’s girlfriend.

Supporting cast also includes Craig Laurie, who plays the hilarious Bob Crewe. He is not only in the moment at every moment he is onstage, but genuinely seems to be having a great time. He also is very funny as the passenger in the car shooting scene, one of my favorite scenes in the show. His acting is so good that most of the audience probably doesn’t know that he is the same actor who plays Bob Crewe.

One thing that I’ve also enjoyed with this cast is getting to see the talent of the swings. Swings are actors that are hired to understudy often multiple roles, and have to face the difficulty of memorizing very different roles, and not getting to perform the role everyday and often very rarely (which can hinder memorization and character development). The swing that I have experienced most is John Hickman – I have seen him play three very different roles (Nick Massi, Gyp DeCarlo the mob boss, and Billy Dixon), and he brings something different to every role. Every time, I have been impressed with the breadth and specificity of his acting ability. He seems very comfortable in each role that I’ve seen him play, which must be hard to do as a swing. I’ve seen John Michael Coppola perform once as Joe Pesci, and thought he absolutely nailed it. The role of Joe Pesci is a finicky role, because it has to skirt the line of screwball humor, as well as fighting the urge to be too over-the-top (which Broadway performs very well, possibly in order to not offend the real Joe Pesci?). Coppola did it very well.

Another person worth mentioning: John Michael Dias, who plays the Frankie Valli twice a week. I have never had the desire to see an alternate in general, but Dias has changed that. For the lack of better wording, I love his portrayal of Frankie. His Frankie is very comfortable and natural, and his singing divine. I got chills the first time I heard his “Moody’s Mood for Love”, and the melody in “Fallen Angel” soars and takes flight – it’s so unique, which must be hard to do being the fifth Frankie (or so), and very moving.

I know that this review sounds like a big lovefest, but I’ve tried to be specific in my descriptions, and tried to leave out the negativity (after all, this isn’t a real review that you would read in a newspaper.) In all, Chicago is in for a treat when this cast moves there in October.

This cast plays at the Curran Theatre until September 30. Click here for more info.

Hi all, theater’s been a bit slow these days for the summer. I’m hoping to catch the San Francisco Symphony soon (some really good programs coming up), but nothing is set yet. I’m eagerly waiting for the new season of theater to begin.

If you’re in San Francisco, check out the Stern Grove Festival. It’s a series of free concerts held outside in a huge amphitheater. A great setting for a picnic, and/or a date, it’s a chance to see companies that would be hard to catch during the summer season (such as San Francisco Ballet, and the SF Opera). I’ve been there in previous years to see the SF Ballet, which was such a treat to see in the middle of summer. It’s a beautiful setting. Plan well for parking, however.

More news: SHN has announced its fifth “secret” show of the 07-08 season, which is going to be the Tony award winning Spring Awakening. It’ll be interesting to see how this show changes when it’s on tour, and who’s going to replace John Gallagher Jr. as Moritz??

More Broadway news:

• Grease will not be selling rush tickets, which many people are upset about. Its lowest ticket price is $71, and many feel that this is unfair for a show that targets students, to not offer cheaper alternatives to students. I’m a bit indifferent about this issue, since it’s a show I probably wouldn’t have seen anyways.
• Lance Bass will play Corny Collins in Hairspray. It’s hard to believe that Lance Bass was probably considered “too old” to play Link Larkin. That point aside, Hairspray is continuing with its stunt casting streak. I agree that it works sometimes (good examples: Fantasia Burrino in The Color Purple, and Diana DeGarmo in Hairspray where she was absolutely hilarious), but… Lance Bass? Ashley Parker Angel as Link Larkin?? This last casting seems so sad next to the original Link Larkin, Matt Morrison.
• Speaking of stunt casting – I just saw that Claire Danes will play Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, opposite of the brilliant Jefferson Mays. sigh. Jefferson Mays alone will be worth seeing the show, as well as his Journey’s End sidekick, Boyd Gaines.
• Back to Hairspray, I’m so excited about the movie! I’m sure it’ll be imperfect, and some of the “stars” will not be able to sing well, but I love this musical and I’m sure it’ll be really fun to watch. I met Marc Shaiman (who wrote Hairspray) briefly, who told me, “You’re my kind of girl!”. That statement stands better without context, so that way it’ll stay. Queen Latifah looks amazing – I really can’t imagine another movie star playing that part. Her “I Know Where I’ve Been” in previews was staged during a protest, which I thought was really imaginative and appropriate.

Ooh, more news! A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with the amazing Melissa Strom for the Jersey Boys Newsletter website. It’s finally up! On my computer, the website is easier to read in Explorer rather than Firefox. Click HERE for the interview. Melissa is a part of the Sherry cast of the Jersey Boys, currently playing at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. She plays Francine (Frankie Valli’s daughter) and others. The interview was a blast for me to conduct – I got to sit down with an actor in my favorite show, and was given permission to talk at length about my favorite show. Despite the many times I’ve seen it, speaking with Melissa really made me realize how much work really goes behind everything on stage. Every moment onstage is well thought out by all the players involved.

On top of this, Melissa was such a fun person to interview. Within minutes, we were gossiping and giggling like schoolgirls. Before we talked about the show, we also got to gossip at length about Broadway, actors on Broadway (Stark Sands anyone? ), and more.

Edited to add: Here’s a snippet of my interview with Melissa Strom

“J: What’s it like playing so many roles?

MS: It’s so fun – I love it! In most musicals, like when I did the Music Man, you’d come on and then you’d leave, and then you’d wait in your dressing room. During the first act, I never go to my dressing room, I have no time! I’m constantly changing, running backstage.

I don’t even think that my agent knows that half the time it’s me, and my mom didn’t know it was me in “Short Shorts”. It’s funny because you can completely transform and then there’s also a safety because if you really mess up, no one will know it’s you! That’s what Jackie and I say to each other, “Oh! I messed up – but it’s ok because everyone will think it was you.” I know we say it to be funny but it’s sort of true! No one can tell us apart up there!

But I’m also ready after this project, to do something where I can have that character arc. In my mind, even in Jersey Boys, I’ve made arcs for all these characters, you just don’t see it! Like [in the "Cry For Me" scene] I’m backstage, thinking, ‘My name is Trixie, and Jackie and I are best friends, and I’ve been working here and I have a crush on the bartender, and the boys come in and sing’ – I have this whole arc going on in my mind, and no one gets to see it! And I only say two lines in that scene, but in my mind, I’m acting out my character arc! (laughs) But definitely in my next project, I’d like to play a part that you see the character’s story arc in the entire show. Like in act one, AND act two, playing the same person! That’s my next goal.

J: What are you guys doing behind the doors in the Brill Building?

MS: Awful things. (laughs) At first, we’ve never quite figured out the music. Me and Jackie and Nato [Klau], we’re like, ‘What is this music?!?’ Mine is Hispanic, “Hola, senorita!” and I come out as a bookworm. And Jackie comes out as Patti Lupone, but her music is classical. It’s very bizarre. We’ve never figured out who it is singing. They won’t tell us, they think it’s funny because it’s like a secret.

It’s a quick wardrobe change, where I’m unzipping my dress, I take my glasses off and put them in my pocket, and a few times, just to be funny, I’ll take my entire dress off keeping my bra and my bloomers on. We do funny things to make each other laugh. Sometimes we dance, and Nato shows us his muscles, and other things. (laughs) It’s a lot of fun.”

Click here for the rest of the interview.

The Sherry cast in Los Angeles also stars Deven May, Michael Ingersoll, Erich Bergen, and Christopher Kale Jones as Frankie Valli.

The Sherry cast is leaving SF! I went to see their performance last night for my last time, and I am going to really miss their presence. From the leads to the ensemble, they were all great. They consistently brought it at every single show, and exceeded expectations every time.

The show felt different last night – the pacing didn’t feel as comfortable and some musical cues were a *tad* awkward. It made sense when I heard that the director was in the house, taking notes. But some of the performers really went for it last night, which made a big difference.

It was exciting to see that the new cast, which is taking over this cast, sitting in the back of the house. I got to see Jeremy Kushnier sans his Roger hair (not bleach blonde). I’m really curious to see what he’s going to do to the role of Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys. How different can two roles be, from Roger in Rent to Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys? The new cast looks so fresh – it’s going to be exciting to see what they’re going to do.

Also while we were waiting in the line, we heard the rehearsals going on inside the theater. Poor Joe Pesci was performing his lines over and over, “F*cking amazing! That was f*cking dynamite!” about 10 times in a row.

dang it.

the SF “sherry” cast of the national tour of jersey boys aren’t going to stay forever. i was relieved for the sake of my bank account – otherwise i was going to continue to trek out to SF for a long time to continue to go see them. with the second national cast replacing the current cast in a few weeks, i was going to give them about a month or so to get used to performing (the sherry cast also improved a lot from december to feb) before i go to check them out.

but now, with the addition of jeremy kushnier to the cast, that’s definitely not going to happen. he rocked as Roger in Rent and has a spine tingling voice and a heartbreaking commitment to acting the heart out of the role he’s playing. he’s jen’s favorite broadway performer, and jen is picky. ^^ definitely my favorite roger that i’ve seen. I can’t wait to see what he does to the role of Tommy DeVito.

It’s an important day at work today. My professor invited me to join three other professors and him for dinner. I hate shmoozing though, I’m just not very good at it and it’s intimidating company. It’ll be interesting today though.

it’s a slow monday. waiting for my agarose gel to solidify so I can run DNA on it.

i know i said in the previous entry that I wasn’t going to talk about the Jersey Boys anymore, but I lied. ^^ i realized that i forgot to talk about the star of the show, as well as the incredible deven may.

Christopher Kale Jones is a beautiful singer – and cute too! I always get chills when he sings “Sunday Kind of Love” in the church, his voice literally soars across the theater. I love his “My Eyes Adore You” as well. His acting is amazing as well – the whole auditorium stops breathing during the table scene when they’re negotiating for Tommy DeVito.

It’s such a difficult part – singing and acting wise. Singing – obvious, due to the high notes and having enough stamina to last through a show (or two) every day. Acting wise – it’s hard b/c you span many decades of Frankie Valli’s life. CKJ handles both aspects effortlessly and believably and always goes beyond expectations every time I see him.

Deven May – he’s an amazing singer! A Broadway veteran for reasons explained by his great stage presence and star-quality voice. My favorite part is watching what he’s going to do with his voice in “Apple of My Eye”.

Bottom line: go see it. Check out the tour schedule to see if it’s coming to your town.

my initial review of the show when it was in previews: here

sort of in the same vein – actually, not really, but jen‘s blog writes about a very important issue. Medical insurance is so important and there are so many people who are uninsured in the U.S. I love how Artist Access really targets a population of people who are often uninsured – artists in all different fields. This program targets people in the local area of NY, but serves as a good model for what other companies in other locales can also do to address this important need in society. This program basically offers medical care for artists, in exchange for their artistic services to the hospital, through performing in the lobby to helping cheer up sick children through puppets. It serves as a great option for artists who couldn’t pay for medical care otherwise.

Get the word out! Educate yourself and others.

michael ingersoll, deven may, christopher kale jones, me looking deliriously happy, erich bergen, and diane


christian hoff, jen also looking deliriously happy, daniel reichard, robert spencer

due to popular demand (or, admittedly, one person’s demand ^^), i’m posting up my pics with the SF cast of jersey boys, as well as jen’s picture with the original broadway cast of Jersey Boys. it was great, i got to take a picture with all of them together. they are really such a nice group of guys, they’re always nice enough to chat with me and answer my million questions and take pictures.

so, i finally got a chance to see the original broadway cast in NY two weeks ago. i was truly naive in order to really think that they couldn’t POSSIBLY be better than the SF “Sherry” cast. however, the original broadway cast is also phenomenally talented.

It was really interesting to note the differences between the two casts. The biggest difference was the pacing of the show – in NY, I could definitely tell that these guys had done this show a million times and knew the show inside out, and thus it was very fast paced. I felt like because of the fast pacing, a lot of the jokes were not able to be savored, or the message wasn’t able to sink in. It really felt that some of the lines were skimmed over. The biggest difference in character, I thought, was that of Nick Massi (played by robert spencer on broadway, and michael ingersoll in SF). In NY, the really funny parts were performed almost perfunctorily so that the audience didn’t really get a chance to react or to laugh b/c the moment passed too soon. In the SF cast however, michael ingersoll usually delivers lines and lets the audience really savor the humorous moments (“read the bible – improve your mah-eend“). perhaps in a way, robert spencer reflects the character of nick massi in a more “true-to-his-character” sort of way, because in the show, Robert Spencer is like the Ringo of the cast. I love how Michael Ingersoll makes his part seem like a bigger part of the show, compared to Robert Spencer. I hope I don’t sound mean, because Robert Spencer is still a phenomenal performer and the nicest guy. This is my opinion.

Daniel Reichard also doesn’t make his “Bob Gaudio” very funny. Someone was bold enough to ask Daniel Reichard at the stage door a question which I didn’t hear, but Daniel Reichard answered that the cast is very tired and they’ve been doing this for a long time. It sounded like a defensive response, which I’m sure he was trying to answer as honestly as possible, but I hope the question wasn’t too rude. I love how Erich Bergen makes his “Bob Gaudio” a more humorous representation – esp in the “Oh What a Night!” scene, which is supposed to be a very funny scene. One of my favorite sort of “not-so-obvious” moments in the show is watching him perform backup in the song, “Stay”. These little moments really make the show for me.

Having said this, the NY cast is phenomenal at singing. That is really exciting to watch.

ok, enough about blogging about the Jersey Boys!

the phenomenal SF cast of Jersey Boys on the Tonight Show this past week:

it was a really high energy, fun performance, which was worth staying up and being curled on my couch for. i also really thought terence howard’s interview was hilarious, which preceded the cast performance. altho most of the time, I don’t think terence howard was trying to be funny. ^^

back to the Jersey Boys – the SF cast is truly phenomenal, and the show is amazing, as I’ve mentioned many many times before (andy stop laughing). If you live in the bay area, go see it! No matter if you don’t know who the Four Seasons are (admittedly, I had no real interest in the group until this show), it’s still going to be moving, funny, and a great show. I also loved the writing – one of the writers was a writer for one of my favorite movies, Annie Hall.

i’ll write more on my thoughts on the Jersey Boys later – I got to see the original Broadway cast in NY last week, and the differences and similarities are so fascinating.

you wouldn’t think it, but I do work. ^^ gotta run to the hospital for class.

I *finally* got to see jersey boys! i knew that the last time I went to NY, since I went right after the Tony awards, there would be NO way to get tickets to see the Best Musical of the Year. So I’ve been waiting to see it on tour, even at the expense of missing out on some Tony award winning performances. Anyways, finally got to see it. The show is still in previews in San Francisco.

This show is, by definition, a hit in every sense of the word. Meticulously and smartly written to a tee, it transcends time and circumstance (in contrast to A Chorus Line), no matter if you grew up watching the Four Seasons (which I suspect, most of the audience has b/c I was the youngest one I think in the audience by about 40 years) or not. The setting and subject matter is so unique that if someone described it to me, there would be no way that I would be interested in seeing it (Frankie who?). Yet somehow the show takes a singing group that’s long past their prime, and makes their story relevant to touch and tickle every audience member. You know that the fact that this musical won a Tony for Best Musical, that its influence extends past the baby boomers who grew up in the Four Seasons era. To me, that is what makes this such a great musical. So many laugh out loud moments, and so many moving moments as well.

“I remember thinking at the time there’s something a little off about this guy. I mean, this was the sixties. People thought Liberace was just, y’know .. theatrical.”

I think Jen told me this next story – A story that remains with me about JB is that an elderly gentleman was watching Jersey Boys with tears streaming down his cheeks almost the entire show.

“Our fans didn’t have flowers in their hair [like the Beatles' fans]; they didn’t try to levitate the Pentagon. They were the ones working at the diner, pumping gas; they were the ones who understood our music.”