Seussical at UDPAC
Posted on July 31, 2004
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Here’s a photo of Kerry in the production of Seussical that opened at Upper Darby Summerstage last night. (There is a slide show with lots more images on the UDPAC website.
Certainly a lot of the praise that follows might be dismissed as proud-papa-ism, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that D’Arcy and I were both knocked out by what we saw last night. The skillful and energetic cast put the material across in a completely engaging way. Seussical is, in a way, the ideal Summerstage vehicle, in that it provides a horde of young actors a chance to strut their stuff in a colorful, imaginative and utterly confident way. Furthermore, there is a kind of connection between the show and its audience – its community – which I’ve experienced only rarely in the theater. The audience embraced the cast and returned their joyful energy in the form of an enthusiastic ovation. Afterwards, in the lobby, sweaty make-up-stained actors greeted their friends and families with a sense that they’d accomplished something quite remarkable. The whole experience was a great affirmation of the power of theater and music and youth, and I was (and still am) deeply moved to see my son play such a successful role in that event.
The Final Bow – With A Bang, Not A Whimper
Posted on July 20, 2004
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A packed house stood and roared for a good five minutes as the cast of the Roundabout Theater’s production of Assassins took their final curtain call on Sunday night, July 18. It hardly seemed like a show whose closing notice had been posted in response to dwindling sales, though I suppose the impending closing motivated more than a few stragglers to get themselves in line for a ticket before there weren’t none to be had.
The performance was a little wired, as closing-night adrenaline seemed to etch each moment a little more deeply. The carefully modulated production that Joe Mantello had orchestrated still led the audience adroitly through the script’s wild mood swings. From our seats in the center of the house, the sound mix was divine, and the stereophonic effect of the orchestra placement added a spatial frisson to Michael Starobin’s multi-hued arrangements. It was a feast for the senses, to be sure. Katie, one of my students, saw the show the day before and said it left her breathless, and that was the effect on closing night, too.
After it was over, we shook the authors’ hands and made our way to the exit in a daze, hoping to pick up something at the merchandise kiosk, but the only thing left was magnets. Magnets! (We bought two.) John Weidman said it right when he told me beforehand, “there’s nothing as gone as a show that’s closed.” So, now – the aftermath. Does the imprimatur of Broadway and a bagful o’ Tonys means there’ll be a new spate of productions in the A-list regional theaters in the next few years? Bring ‘em on!
Special Guest Appearance
Posted on July 14, 2004
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Why is Linda Hart (Velma Von Tussle from Hairspray) making an appearance on the ChazzyBlog? Could it have something to do with Gemini casting?
More on F9/11 and SM2
Posted on July 11, 2004
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The Big Ones is an essay by Ed Halter in the Village Voice that explores some other aspects of Frank Rich’s theme, and discusses the tangled web of social activism and self-promotion in Michael Moore’s work.
Spidey Crushes ‘Fahrenheit’ in 2004
Posted on July 11, 2004
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I’ve grown increasingly fond of the op-ed pieces Frank Rich is writing for the Sunday New York Times. His latest one analyzes the zeitgeist based on two current hit movies. Such penetrating and intelligent exploration of the territory inhabited by politics and the arts is rare and welcome.
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