Aural Havoc: Flop Show CDs
Can you believe they made a musical of The Goodbye Girl? I have to say that I'm a little biased on this one. Martin Short is one of my heroes. So is Bernadette. And Neil Simon is as much an influence on my life as coffee. Maybe even more.
I liked this CD enough to make it the first full-length album to upload onto my spiffy new CD burner.
I actually don't remember this show ever existing, which is unusual, because it came out in 1993. I remember the poster: Both in the hallway 'o flops in the Marriott Marquis lobby and in a local "New York-style" deli we used to frequent. So, this was adapted from the movie of the same name, had two name stars, and a legendary director, Michael Kidd, as well as a great composer, Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) teaming up with a brilliant lyricist, David Zippel (City of Angels). Basically, there was no way this show could fail.
It ran for a little over 100 performances. And it didn't win any Tony Awards, either, though both Bernadette and Martin were nominated. Although, the 5 people who actually saw this show live must have been in for a real treat. Whoever was in, you even knew they weren't going to suck: The understudies were Betsy Joslyn and Michael McGrath.
I'm actually debating which song from this show to put on a mix CD for a friend of mine. Should I use "A Bit Behind," "Good News, Bad News," or "Richard Interred"? I ask this, because all three of these songs are wonderful in their own way, but I tend to only include one song per show when it comes to creating my own. "A Bit Behind" is great, because it's very much a Hamlisch self-parody of Chorus Line, and it takes place in a Broadway dance class. It's funny because the guy who plays the dance teacher, Scott Wise, also currently teaches a weekly master class at Broadway Dance Center. And he won a Tony, which is a great reward for appearing in pretty much every big dance musical of the 80s. Too bad he capitalized on that by playing the William Katt role in Carrie. Then there's "Good News, Bad News," which is another one of those infectiously hummable showtunes that expresses both of the lead character's opinions on the main conflict while they're on different sides of the stage. And "Richard Interred" perfectly encapsulates the single funniest scene in the movie: Where Richard Dreyfuss is in an Off-Off-Broadway production of Richard III, and he has to play the title character as a woman in drag playing a man. It singlehandedly gets in everyone's perspective on how bad the show is, from Martin's frustration at basically playing Jackie Rogers Jr., to Bernadette in the audience falling for his dedication, to Martin's agent, and the actors in the show and the audience watching it. Wise gets the best (however dated) solo line.
On second thought, maybe I won't include that. I'm already using "Chekhov" from Birds of Paradise anyway, and I think it's inappropriate.
The Rink is interesting. Actually, I checked it out mere hours before I found out that it was going to be John Doyle's next show. And that's funny, because there's nothing more frustrating for an actor than to sing, dance, play your own instruments, and rollerskate at the same time. Actually, he's not doing anything new: Scott Ellis and Susan Stroman beat him to it.
The great thing about The Rink is that it stars Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, and they get plenty of solo turns and duets to show off their diva-tude. The rest of the cast consists of a few young men who play several roles in the show, including skate punks, and at least one drag role for each. Jason Alexander has a beautiful voice. He was one of Liza's potential suitors in this show, and, when he sings "Marry Me"? Man, I'd take that proposal and run with it. And former actors-turned-future-directors Ellis and Rob Marshall(!) have lovely singing voices as well. It's very retro-cool, but in a Kander and Ebb style. I don't know if I'm that excited for Curtains, but if it involves any skate punks like The Rink does, count me in!
Somewhat off-subject: I was so bored today that I checked some of the official web sites of the people in Company either to get more jazzed for the show - or, at least, to alleviate my worry that it won't be anyone's cuppa tea, least of all, mine. Anyway, I guess I have no reason to worry (even though they apparently got rid of the "doot-doo"'s in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" - and decided it would be much cuter and funnier and not at all a dumb idea to instead teach the three actresses playing the girlfriends how to play one note each on the alto sax - which gives me less the impression of an experimental Broadway play and more the impression of a bunch of monkeys playing banjos and xylophones in an old-timey black-and-white filmstrip. Do you know how hard it is to stay on-key with a reed instrument? Doyle, you sick fuck!). According to his web site, the guy who plays Paul apparently went to Steinhardt and lists his favorite book as "Skate Punk." Also, he speaks fluent gibberish!
All kidding aside, the woman who plays Sarah is also a licensed realtor in the state of Connecticut. I should contact her through her website about finding a nice piece of property in the Hartford-Hamden area.
I'm all for Doyle's vision, ideas, and unconventional casting choices. If it gets some far-out people who can act, sing, dance, and play sousaphone in front of some casting intern at an open call, and then a casting associate, and then a casting director, maybe they'll be called back and called back and brought to the final round. If you saw Sweeney Todd, you probably noticed that a lot of the people in the cast were making their Broadway debuts. I'd worry about where some of them are now, but at least now they've had their big moment on a Broadway stage while it lasted. On the other hand, I'm extremely happy that Doyle's methods of madness have caught on, because, if it gets more legit musicians up onstage in the spotlight, maybe we'll be seeing more credible Broadway actors who have the multi-talents and chops to pull off difficult things like it. Like getting two of the original Broadway Raouls from Phantom of the Opera for Company? Brilliant move! Doyle, you rapscallion!
I stand by my choice of Nick & Nora as one of the worst, if not the worst musical ever. I heard the soundtrack, and, if you've ever read Second Act Trouble by Steven Suskin, then you'd probably know about the many catastrophes that cursed this show even before it went into previews. Stories like the rehearsals being postponed for weeks, because Barry Bostwick contracted malaria(!) and Josie de Guzman, who played the stereotyperiffic Latin temptress in the rehearsals, getting replaced at the very last minute by a white actress. If there are two things that are to be learned from this book, they are these: Never make a musical out of The Thin Man, and Never make a musical out of The Thin Man.
The single worst thing about Nick & Nora isn't that they adapted Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled noir characters into a conventional Broadway musical comedy period murder-mystery farce, although that's a close one. No. The worst thing is that Barry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason are the leads. And, before you rag on me for writing this, have you actually heard the soundtrack to Nick & Nora? I can only assume you haven't, because, judging from their singing on it, it's the worst either of them has ever sounded. Not only that, even if I hadn't read Suskin's book, I would have just assumed that Bostwick and Gleason hated each other. And not with a mad passion, but they just seem incredibly apathetic and detached when they sing together on the album. Also, overwrought.
I don't know why they were cast in this. A friend of mine affectionately renamed this musical The Asshole and the Baker's Wife, and that's seriously the most accurate description of it I can muster right now. The only redeeming thing about the show was that it closed after 9 performances. Well, that, and the fact that Gleason met her husband while doing it with him. As for the rest of the cast, Christine Baranski plays a boozy, old-timey movie star (Is there any other kind in a period Broadway musical comedy?) and comparing her to Beth Leavel in The Drowsy Chaperone would be way too nice. Faith Prince plays a whiny airhead, and she screams a lot on the album. As it turns out, she and Hop Sing - at least, a very dated Asian stereotype worse than Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, were the murderers. I can only assume that Thom Sesma, or, at least, his agent doesn't have a selective mind when it comes to work. Because? This and The Times they are a'Changin'? Way to pick winners, man.
Although, while I was looking up the deets on when Nick & Nora actually existed, I came across this page for a Broadway show that opened and closed on the very same night. Just click the link and read through the cast very slowly and thoroughly. You will be very glad you did. I hope it brightens your day as it did mine.
I liked this CD enough to make it the first full-length album to upload onto my spiffy new CD burner.
I actually don't remember this show ever existing, which is unusual, because it came out in 1993. I remember the poster: Both in the hallway 'o flops in the Marriott Marquis lobby and in a local "New York-style" deli we used to frequent. So, this was adapted from the movie of the same name, had two name stars, and a legendary director, Michael Kidd, as well as a great composer, Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) teaming up with a brilliant lyricist, David Zippel (City of Angels). Basically, there was no way this show could fail.
It ran for a little over 100 performances. And it didn't win any Tony Awards, either, though both Bernadette and Martin were nominated. Although, the 5 people who actually saw this show live must have been in for a real treat. Whoever was in, you even knew they weren't going to suck: The understudies were Betsy Joslyn and Michael McGrath.
I'm actually debating which song from this show to put on a mix CD for a friend of mine. Should I use "A Bit Behind," "Good News, Bad News," or "Richard Interred"? I ask this, because all three of these songs are wonderful in their own way, but I tend to only include one song per show when it comes to creating my own. "A Bit Behind" is great, because it's very much a Hamlisch self-parody of Chorus Line, and it takes place in a Broadway dance class. It's funny because the guy who plays the dance teacher, Scott Wise, also currently teaches a weekly master class at Broadway Dance Center. And he won a Tony, which is a great reward for appearing in pretty much every big dance musical of the 80s. Too bad he capitalized on that by playing the William Katt role in Carrie. Then there's "Good News, Bad News," which is another one of those infectiously hummable showtunes that expresses both of the lead character's opinions on the main conflict while they're on different sides of the stage. And "Richard Interred" perfectly encapsulates the single funniest scene in the movie: Where Richard Dreyfuss is in an Off-Off-Broadway production of Richard III, and he has to play the title character as a woman in drag playing a man. It singlehandedly gets in everyone's perspective on how bad the show is, from Martin's frustration at basically playing Jackie Rogers Jr., to Bernadette in the audience falling for his dedication, to Martin's agent, and the actors in the show and the audience watching it. Wise gets the best (however dated) solo line.
On second thought, maybe I won't include that. I'm already using "Chekhov" from Birds of Paradise anyway, and I think it's inappropriate.
The Rink is interesting. Actually, I checked it out mere hours before I found out that it was going to be John Doyle's next show. And that's funny, because there's nothing more frustrating for an actor than to sing, dance, play your own instruments, and rollerskate at the same time. Actually, he's not doing anything new: Scott Ellis and Susan Stroman beat him to it.
The great thing about The Rink is that it stars Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, and they get plenty of solo turns and duets to show off their diva-tude. The rest of the cast consists of a few young men who play several roles in the show, including skate punks, and at least one drag role for each. Jason Alexander has a beautiful voice. He was one of Liza's potential suitors in this show, and, when he sings "Marry Me"? Man, I'd take that proposal and run with it. And former actors-turned-future-directors Ellis and Rob Marshall(!) have lovely singing voices as well. It's very retro-cool, but in a Kander and Ebb style. I don't know if I'm that excited for Curtains, but if it involves any skate punks like The Rink does, count me in!
Somewhat off-subject: I was so bored today that I checked some of the official web sites of the people in Company either to get more jazzed for the show - or, at least, to alleviate my worry that it won't be anyone's cuppa tea, least of all, mine. Anyway, I guess I have no reason to worry (even though they apparently got rid of the "doot-doo"'s in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" - and decided it would be much cuter and funnier and not at all a dumb idea to instead teach the three actresses playing the girlfriends how to play one note each on the alto sax - which gives me less the impression of an experimental Broadway play and more the impression of a bunch of monkeys playing banjos and xylophones in an old-timey black-and-white filmstrip. Do you know how hard it is to stay on-key with a reed instrument? Doyle, you sick fuck!). According to his web site, the guy who plays Paul apparently went to Steinhardt and lists his favorite book as "Skate Punk." Also, he speaks fluent gibberish!
All kidding aside, the woman who plays Sarah is also a licensed realtor in the state of Connecticut. I should contact her through her website about finding a nice piece of property in the Hartford-Hamden area.
I'm all for Doyle's vision, ideas, and unconventional casting choices. If it gets some far-out people who can act, sing, dance, and play sousaphone in front of some casting intern at an open call, and then a casting associate, and then a casting director, maybe they'll be called back and called back and brought to the final round. If you saw Sweeney Todd, you probably noticed that a lot of the people in the cast were making their Broadway debuts. I'd worry about where some of them are now, but at least now they've had their big moment on a Broadway stage while it lasted. On the other hand, I'm extremely happy that Doyle's methods of madness have caught on, because, if it gets more legit musicians up onstage in the spotlight, maybe we'll be seeing more credible Broadway actors who have the multi-talents and chops to pull off difficult things like it. Like getting two of the original Broadway Raouls from Phantom of the Opera for Company? Brilliant move! Doyle, you rapscallion!
I stand by my choice of Nick & Nora as one of the worst, if not the worst musical ever. I heard the soundtrack, and, if you've ever read Second Act Trouble by Steven Suskin, then you'd probably know about the many catastrophes that cursed this show even before it went into previews. Stories like the rehearsals being postponed for weeks, because Barry Bostwick contracted malaria(!) and Josie de Guzman, who played the stereotyperiffic Latin temptress in the rehearsals, getting replaced at the very last minute by a white actress. If there are two things that are to be learned from this book, they are these: Never make a musical out of The Thin Man, and Never make a musical out of The Thin Man.
The single worst thing about Nick & Nora isn't that they adapted Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled noir characters into a conventional Broadway musical comedy period murder-mystery farce, although that's a close one. No. The worst thing is that Barry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason are the leads. And, before you rag on me for writing this, have you actually heard the soundtrack to Nick & Nora? I can only assume you haven't, because, judging from their singing on it, it's the worst either of them has ever sounded. Not only that, even if I hadn't read Suskin's book, I would have just assumed that Bostwick and Gleason hated each other. And not with a mad passion, but they just seem incredibly apathetic and detached when they sing together on the album. Also, overwrought.
I don't know why they were cast in this. A friend of mine affectionately renamed this musical The Asshole and the Baker's Wife, and that's seriously the most accurate description of it I can muster right now. The only redeeming thing about the show was that it closed after 9 performances. Well, that, and the fact that Gleason met her husband while doing it with him. As for the rest of the cast, Christine Baranski plays a boozy, old-timey movie star (Is there any other kind in a period Broadway musical comedy?) and comparing her to Beth Leavel in The Drowsy Chaperone would be way too nice. Faith Prince plays a whiny airhead, and she screams a lot on the album. As it turns out, she and Hop Sing - at least, a very dated Asian stereotype worse than Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, were the murderers. I can only assume that Thom Sesma, or, at least, his agent doesn't have a selective mind when it comes to work. Because? This and The Times they are a'Changin'? Way to pick winners, man.
Although, while I was looking up the deets on when Nick & Nora actually existed, I came across this page for a Broadway show that opened and closed on the very same night. Just click the link and read through the cast very slowly and thoroughly. You will be very glad you did. I hope it brightens your day as it did mine.
posted by Gypsy at 11:20 AM
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