Missed opportunities: Not living in New York has its disadvantages. One of them is missing limited runs and one-night only shows. This week I would have loved to see Carousel. It isn't my favorite show by far, but hearing the NY Philharmonic play the "Carousel Waltz" would be heavenly. Not to mention seeing Kelli O'Hara and Jessie Mueller... Ah, well...It is hard to be too sad. I did get to see two Broadway shows this weekend.
Saying "good-bye" can be tough: Mary Poppins leaves Broadway today. I guess it is difficult by some measures to be too sad, since Mary and Bert were practically perfect for 6 whole years. But part of me is sad because somehow, I never got back to see the beautiful production after catching a very early preview. Most of me is sad, though, because I had hoped to take my now 6 year-old niece to see it for her very first Broadway show. It closed after 30 previews and 2119 performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
Other closures: The week there were a few other closures, two of which we are likely to hear about again come Tony time. They are The Other Place, which closed after 34 previews and 61 performances at the Friedman Theatre and Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? which closed after 17 previews and 142 performances at the Booth Theatre. And "Copacabana" Man's Manilow on Broadway's concert closed yesterday at the St. James Theatre after 2 previews and 25 performances.
Watch out N'SYNC: OK, different genres altogether, but Broadway does have an all-boy band. They are called, appropriately enough, Shubert Alley. This hot new trio, consisting of Jamison Scott and Kevin and Patrick Massey. With cumulative Broadway credits including Tarzan, Hairspray and Memphis and opera credits including The Magic Flute and Cosi Fan Tutte, these guys clearly have the vocal chops. Most recently, they played 54 Below. To check them and their music out, go to www.shubertalley.net .
Welcome to Broadway: As sad as it is to see shows close, if they didn't, there wouldn't be room for new shows to open. This week saw a new show open and 3 others begin previews. The opener is tonight's debutante, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella starring Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana and a good friend of this blog, Cody Williams. The previewers are Tom Hanks in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy, Keith Carradine and Hunter Foster in Hands on a Hardbody, and Stark Sands and Billy Porter in Cyndi Lauper/Harvey Fierstein/Jerry Mitchell's Kinky Boots.
Good Can Come From Bad: Last night, I returned to my favorite show, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, looking forward to seeing Stephanie J. Block and Chita Rivera again, as well as checking out the new players, Erin Davie and Andrew Samonsky. And I was looking forward to saying "hi" to super friend of this blog, Eric Sciotto (check out his great series of interviews by clicking on his pics in the column to your right). As fortune would have it, he went on (for the very first time) as Jasper, for an ailing Will Chase. Maybe I'm a tad prejudiced, but he was AMAZING. The audience ate him up! Look for my full review on Tuesday!
BE SURE TO VOTE IN THIS WEEK'S "HOT OR NOT" CLICK ON THE KINKY BOOTS PIC IN UPPER RIGHT COLUMN!
Jeff
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