Remembering Papermill Playhouse's FOLLIES...13 years later!

Happy Wednesday! Anyone who knows me knows that I always have music surrounding me. I can't imagine not having that sense to be able to hear music. I get up each morning, start my coffee, and grab a CD. I don't even know how many CDs I own. I do have over 5000 songs on my Ipod always on shuffle.
This morning, I got up and grabbed FOLLIES, the original cast recording. I am listening to it as I write my morning blog. The picture you see here is me and Danny backstage with Ann Miller (she said call me Annie!) at The Papermill Playhouse which we saw in 1998.
Wow, has it really been that long!?!?! Dick Kelly, a very dear friend (who introduced me to Dody Goodman) was a friend of Ann Miller's.
I was dying to see the show. He called Ann and told her about me and that I wanted to meet after the show. She said, "Of course!". It was incredible to see her on stage. I, unfortunately, never saw her in Sugar Babies, and I envy everyone who saw her in MAME.
I also have a playbill of her in HELLO, DOLLY! Can you imagine? I bet that was a tour de force! Anyway, back to Ann. We went to a Saturday matinee in May of 1998. It was a gorgeous day. The entire cast was superb! It was equally exciting to see my friends Donna McKechnie and Meredith Patterson (who I had done summer stock at Theatre By The Sea with). When Ann sang"I'm Still Here", electricity went through that theatre and beyond.

It still is strong in my mind.
There was talk at one time that that production was going to go to Broadway.
A huge shame that it did not.
After the show, we went backstage to see Ann. Anyone who has ever been backstage at The Papermill Playhouse knows that the dressing rooms are slightly larger than shoe boxes. Ann was sharing a dressing room with Phyllis Newman (ask her to tell you sometime about Ann Miller's wigs!).
Ann popped her head out and asked if we wouldn't mind waiting while she took off her make-up. 45 minutes later she emerged wearing more make-up than she wore in the show: her street make-up! (See photo!)

But we had about a 45 minute visit with Ann and her dogs. We talked mostly about her doing THE LOVE BOAT with Carol Channing. Carol has some great stories about working with Ann Miller.

It was a day and a memory that I will always cherish! I'M STILL HERE! Opened April 15, 1998 at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Milburn NJ
Closed May 31, 1998
Produced by the Paper Mill Playhouse
[Angelo Del Rossi, Executive Producer] Angelo and I eventually became good friends. Robert Johanson, Artistic Director]
Associate Producer: Roy Miller
Produced in association with Gene R. Korf
Directed by Robert Johanson
Choreography by Jerry Mitchell. Jerry, of course, produces BROADWAY BARES every year. (Pictured) Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the theatre community’s response to the AIDS crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $175 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, or HIV-related illnesses.

Jerry Mitchell is a Facebook friend. And, of course, he is represented on Broadway right now in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which I saw a few weeks ago and loved!
Catch Me If You Can, the new Broadway musical from the hit-makers behind Hairspray, began at the Neil Simon Theatre March 7, 2011.(DanceOn presents the fifth episode of DIARY OF A CHORUS GIRL! It's the final week in the rehearsal studio before the cast and crew move to the Neil Simon Theater.

DIARY OF A CHORUS GIRL is an original webseries that follows the making of Broadway's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN through the eyes of Alex Ellis, a cast member making her Broadway debut!)

The ORIGINAL production of FOLLIES:

Tryouts ran February 20 - March 20, 1971 at the Colonial Theatre, Boston



Previews began March 24, 1971 at the Winter Garden Theatre, NYC
Ran for 12 preview performances
Opened April 4, 1971 at the Winter Garden Theatre
Closed July 1, 1972; Ran for 522 performances
Produced by Harold Prince
in association with Ruth Mitchell
Directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett
Choreography by Michael Bennett(This video is an excerpt from the highly recommended 1992 concert DVD "Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall".)
Scenic Production Designed by Boris Aronson
Costumes by Florence Klotz
Lighting by Tharon Musser
Dance Music Arranged by John Berkman
Musical Direction by Harold Hastings
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Cast included

Major-Domo - Dick Latessa [replaced by Joseph Nelson]
Sally Durant Plummer - Dorothy Collins
Young Sally - Marti Rolph
Christine Donovan * - Ethel Barrymore Colt [replaced by Terry Saunders on 7/7/71, then by Jan Clayton on 2/27/72]
Willy Wheeler - Fred Kelly [replaced by Donald Weissmuller]
Stella Deems - Mary McCarty
Max Deems - John J. Martin

Back to Papermill's Follies: (Original Choreography by Michael Bennett and Bob Avian for "Who's That Woman")
Scenic Design by Michael Anania
Costumes by Gregg Barnes
Lighting Design by Mark Stanley
Sound Design by Craig Cassidy
Co-Musical Direction by Jim Coleman & Tom Helm
Cast

Dmitri Weismann - Eddie Bracken

"The Weissman Girls"
Sally Durant Plummer - Donna McKechnieDonna McKechnie certainly has had a life worth writing about: She left her dysfunctional Detroit home at age 16, made her Broadway debut at age 19 in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, became one of the Great White Way's premier dancers in the landmark musicals Promises, Promises and Company -- in signature pieces choreographed by her friend and future husband, Michael Bennett -- and helped to create the autobiographically inspired role of Cassie in Bennett's A Chorus Line, which earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress. But life hasn't been all statuettes and glitter for McKechnie; there was her painful divorce from Bennett in 1977 and his untimely death in 1983, coupled with a career that saw more downs and up for almost two decades until her return to Broadway in the revival of State Fair and her spectacular performance as Sally in the 1998 Paper Mill Playhouse production of Follies. (Source Brian Scott Lipton, Theatremania.com)
Young Sally - Danette Holden
Phyllis Rogers Stone - Dee Hoty
Young Phyllis - Meredith Patterson
Carlotta Campion - Ann Miller
Young Carlotta - Jillana Urbina
Hattie Walker - Kaye Ballard
Young Hattie - Krista Lepore
Stella Deems - Phyllis Newman(An original song written for her by her late husband Adolph Green, from her 1968 LP "Those Were The Days").
Young Stella - Pamela Jordan
Solange La Fitte - Liliane MontevecchiYoung Solange - Jean Marie
Heidi Schiller - Carol Skarimbas
Young Heidi - Ingrid Ladendorf
Emily Whitman - Natalie Mosco
Young Emily - Pascale Faye
Christine Donovan - Ann Cunningham
Young Christine - Temple Kane
Sandra Crane - Laura Kenyon
Young Sandra - Julie Connors
Dee Dee West - Billie Thrash
In 2007, Encores did a critically acclaimed production of FOLLIES that included Victoria Clark, Donna Murphy, Victor Garber and Christine Baranski.It still kills me that I missed that! Follies
Encores at NY City Center - NYC
February 2007
Review by John Kenrick

"As the audience roared through the tumultuous curtain calls on the final night of the triumphant Encores series staging of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, a friend asked why I looked so damned sad. I told him it was simple -- I have no reason to believe that anything else I see this season will be nearly as glorious.

Few musicals are so suited to an all-star concert treatment -- Chicago being one of the obvious contenders. Like that Kander & Ebb treasure (which sprang from an Encores weekend into a still-thriving ten year Broadway run), Sondheim's Follies score is chock full of showstoppers, giving magical moments to all the lead players and several supporting characters. James Goldman's book does much of its work brilliantly, evoking the emotions that pour forth when old cast members of a long-gone series of Broadway revues reunite to celebrate the imminent demolition of their old theatre. True, the soap opera-like romantic tangles of the four leads get painfully smushed in the second act, leading up to a climactic nervous breakdown that no production has ever quite made believable."
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies), that played in that theatre between the World Wars. It focuses on two couples, Buddy and Sally Durant Plummer and Benjamin and Phyllis Rogers Stone, who are attending the reunion. Sally and Phyllis were showgirls in the Follies. Both couples are deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; and Ben is so self-absorbed that Phyllis feels emotionally abandoned. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.
Here are a few of my favorite BROADWAY BABIES!
Bernadette Peters!The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's FOLLIES began previews May 7. The cast will feature two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer,four-time Tony nominee Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, two-time Tony nominee Danny Burstein as Buddy Plummer, Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone and Olivier Award winner Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion.

The production will also star Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman, Christian Delcroix as Young Buddy, Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller, Colleen Fitzpatrick as Dee Dee West, Lora Lee Gayer as Young Sally, Michael Hayes as Roscoe, Florence Lacey as Sandra Crane, Linda Lavin as Hattie Walker, Régine as Solange LaFitte, David Sabin as Dimitri Weismann, Kirsten Scott as Young Phyllis, Frederick Strother as Max Deems, Nick Verina as Young Ben, Susan Watson as Emily Whitman and Terri White as Stella Deems.

Rounding out the ensemble will be Lawrence Alexander, Brandon Bieber, John Carroll, Sara Edwards, Leslie Flesner, Jenifer Foote, Leah Horowitz, Suzanne Hylenski, Danielle Jordan, Joe Kolinski, Amanda Larsen, Brittany Marcin, Edrie Means, Erin Moore, Pamela Otterson, Clifton Samuels, Kiira Schmidt, Brian Shepard, Sam Strasfeld, Amos Wolff and Ashley Yeater.

Follies will run May 7 to June 19, 2011 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. The production features a book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and will be directed by Eric Schaeffer with choreography by Warren Carlyle. James Moore will serve as music director and will conduct the 28-piece Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

When former members of the -Weismann Follies reunite on the eve of their theater's demolition, two couples remember their past and face the harsher realities of the present. In the crumbling glamour of the theater, The Shadows of their younger selves remind them of the complicated steps they've danced - both on the stage and throughout their lives. Containing such well-known songs as -Broadway Baby, -I'm Still Here, -Too Many Mornings, -Could I Leave You? and -Losing My Mind, Follies echoes the songs, exuberance and romance of the vaudeville days between the two World Wars.

Originally produced on Broadway by Harold Prince with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, Follies opened on April 4, 1971 starring Dorothy Collins, John McMartin, Gene Nelson, and Alexis Smith. It ran for 522 performances in the Winter Garden Theatre and received seven Tony Awards®, including Best Original Score.

The Kennedy Center production of Follies will feature scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Natasha Katz, and sound design by Kai Harada. The musical will feature Jonathan Tunick's original orchestrations.

FOLLIES will play at the Kennedy Center May 7 through June 19.

(Source: BROADWAY WORLD.COM)


DOROTHY LOUDEN who created one of the more indelible portraits in musical comedy history with her portrayal of the slatternly, orphan-hating Miss Hannigan in the orignal Annie, was 70 when she died (I STILL GRIEVE OVER THIS!). The cause was cancer.

Loudon won a 1977 Tony Award for Annie. As Miss Hannigan, the tippling mistress of a dank city orphanage, she first abused Little Orphan Annie, then tried to steal her away from the loving and rich Daddy Warbucks in hopes of a reward. She delighted audiences nightly with her comic-sour ode to "Little Girls." She shared a second rousing number, "Easy Street," with the characters of Rooster, Hannigan's conniving brother, and Lily St. Regis, Rooster's dim floozy girlfriend.

A blowsy, big-voiced, big-haired, big-eyed presence, Loudon did not shy from generous performances. She was in many ways a creature of the stage, where, despite appearing in a high number of flops, she found her greatest success.

Loudon landed the role of Hannigan only by chance, after a chance encounter Mike Nichols, who was Annie's producer. The two had known each other from their early cabaret days in Manhattan, and Nichols had directed her in her stage debut, an Off-Broadway production of World of Jules Feiffer. Nichols suggested the then-out-of-work actress audition. She did, and won the job.


Annie proved the culmination of a long, hit-and-miss career. Though she went on to a few more noteworthy parts—she played opposite Katharine Hepburn in West Side Waltz in 1981 and starred in the original Broadway production of Noises Off in 1983—she never again found a vehicle as good or successful as Annie. In recent years, she was seldom seen on the New York stage. Loudon was announced to act in Dinner at Eight last season at Lincoln Center Theater, but bowed out during previews. Marian Seldes took over.

A few other projects did not completely flower. In 1998, Varese Sarabande Records released a concept recording of a musical based on the film The Night of the Hunter, on which Loudon sang a role. No production resulted in the actress' lifetime. The next year, she acted at Signature Theatre of Virginia's world premiere of Over & Over, the John Kander and Fred Ebb musicalization of The Skin of Our Teeth. The show did not go beyond that staging and remains in development.

Dorothy Loudon was born Sept. 17, 1933, in Boston, MA, and went to school at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her first love was dancing. "I used to walk around with a turban and tap shoes, and I took tap-dancing lessons," she told Playbill's Harry Haun in one of her last interviews. "Then, for some reason, when I went to college, I thought 'Dancers are very disciplined, and I don't want to live that hard life,' so I got a drama scholarship to Syracuse and did a lot of acting there. That's really all I wanted to do from that point on."

She first attracted national attention on television's "Gary Moore Show," where she replaced Carol Burnett (who would later get the Miss Hannigan role in the movie of Annie).

The actress made her Broadway debut in the revue Nowhere to Go But Up. The 1962 show lasted only a week, but Ms. Loudon won good notices and a Theatre World Award. Also short-lived were 1968's Noel Coward's Sweet Potato, 1969's The Fig Leaves Are Falling (for which she nonetheless received a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award) and 1969's revival of Three Men on a Horse (another Drama Desk Award).

She won a third Tony nomination for 1978's Ballroom, the Michael Bennett musical which lasted only a few months.

Her success in Annie led to a short-lived 1979 television series called "Dorothy," in which she played a former Broadway star who teaches at an all-girl school in Connecticut.

Touring engagements included a stint in the Harold Prince-directed Show Boat.

Ms. Loudon was married to Norman Paris, a musician and composer, in 1971. He died in 1977, during her run in Annie; she left the show shortly thereafter. She is survived by two stepchildren.

The comedienne displayed her ability to seize a comic moment with the best of them on opening night of the New York run of West Side Waltz. "Opening night we were doing a scene and the phone rang and it wasn't supposed to ring," Loudon recalled. "[Katharine Hepburn and I] both just sort of stared at it. Katharine was closest to it so she went over and picked it up and she say in that marvelous voice, 'Hello?' And then she held it out to me and said, 'It's for you.' I went over and took the phone and put the receiver to my ear and said, 'Well, whoever it was hung up.'" I was lucky enough to see her in JERRY'S GIRLS six times!


ELAINE STRITCH
(Photo by Barry Gordin last year's Bistro Awards)
Elaine Bawson Stritch (born February 2, 1925) is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs. She is known for her performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch" in Stephen Sondheim's 1970 musical Company, her 2001 one-woman show Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and recently for her role as Jack Donaghy's mother Colleen on NBC's 30 Rock. She has been nominated for the Tony Award four times in various categories, and won for Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

Have a GREAT Wednesday!

All you have to do today is bask in the LOVE and talent that surrounds you!
(Buy FOLLIES from Papermill Playhouse
http://www.fye.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=146935&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=146935)Available at FYE Music

Tomorrow's blog will be YOU TELL ME...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

STAYING FOCUSED: WHAT'S NEXT?

As I lied in bed last night, I tossed and turned about what today's blog would be about. I felt that I didn't really have much to report and then as I was making my coffee this AM, I decided to do a continuation of the themes I wrote about last week. Is it Part 2 or is it just a serial? It continues. It has now been a month since I co-hosted Wednesday Night at The Iguana. I do miss it. I still refuse to write about the events that led up to, what some assume and feel, was a quick departure. But please know there are many layers to this "onion". None of which has anything to do with the venue itself. I do appreciate the MANY phone calls and e-mails with your concerns. Those who have not reached out to me have deduced their own conclusions. That's OK. I know the truth and I can sleep at night knowing that the decisions I have made over the past 5 weeks were/are the RIGHT decisions for me. There is no reason why WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE IGUANA (which of course is an off shoot of what Joan Crowe started there) will not continue to soar without me. I thank EVERYONE who contributed to that evening. Audiences, entertainers, ALL the musicians who have played that evening, and of course, THE IGUANA!

If you saw my blog last Friday, you know about my class with Judith Light. What took place in that class has stayed with me...and will continue to do so. I don't know if I'm better in tuned with my emotions these days or if I'm just ready to receive.
Messages seem to be coming to me from all angles and I'M LISTENING! Last week, I was referred to as running things like the "gestapo" (their words, not mine). Last night, I was asked to co-produce a major event next year (for the second time!) bringing to the table the same skills that I use that were recently dismissed! I'm open to ALL possibilities...and we'll see what is at the next bend in the road.

Tonight, I'm taking a class on Web Marketing 301: Using FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and LinkedIn. I'm also reading a book now called LINKEDIN FOR DUMMIES. I am going to be launching a workshop/classes on building an audience and a following utilizing these skills that I have learned and honed over the years. Those who know me and have experienced my shows know that I know how to fill a house. I'm not being braggadocios, I'm stating a fact.

Stay tuned for several projects that I am working on! Trust me, I'm not collecting moss!
On another note, it's amazing how FACEBOOK is so much a part of all of our lives. One of my favorite features is the birthday reminders. Carol Channing used to say in her act that, "People are just people and they like to be acknowledged on their birthdays." I am also working on a monologue from Truman Capote's "CHILDREN ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS" for an audition I have next week. I did a show MANY years ago based on this novella. One of my favorites and now I am emersed in this. Perhaps I'm thinking a lot about birthdays because my 50th is on the horizon! Who knows? But right now, I would like to acknowledge my FACEBOOK friends who have a birthday today! The first is Meg O'Brien! (Pictured here on the right)One of the gifts of The Iguana was the incredible people I met. Meg came to us via Tod Hall, an incredible singer. Meg is an incredible singer in her own right.
She has moved to Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Mass' gain is our loss! Love and miss you, Meg!
It is also Chris America's Birthday! Chris is one of the best tribute artists in the world as Madonna..if not the best! AND she is a REAL WOMAN! I met Chris years ago at the IGCITA (International Guild of Celebrity and Tribute Artists) convention in Las Vegas and became a huge fan. AND Chris is a nice person to boot! Check out Chris' website at: http://chrisamerica.net.

It is also Lee Tannen's Birthday! Lee and I have actually never met. However, I became familiar with Lee when I read "I LOVED LUCY", Lee's memoir about his friendship with Lucille Ball in the later years of her life.
You can read a little bit about this book, Lucille Ball, and Lee by going to this link: http://www.lucyfan.com/leetannen.html

I Loved Lucy Stage Play Gives Look Into Later Years of Lucille Ball

(SOURCE: Published: October 25, 2010
I Loved Lucy
Lee Tannen knew legendary actress Lucille Ball like few others. A distant cousin of her second husband, Gary Morton, Tannen met Ball as a child. Some 25 years later, they became very close friends; from 1980 until her death in 1989 (save for a riff that lasted more than a year).

In his book, I Loved Lucy: My Friendship with Lucille Ball, Tannen gives a intimate look at the private self and world of one of television’s most popular performers. When not traveling for various events, functions or vacations, the two spent much of their time together simply playing Ball’s favorite game, backgammon, at her Beverly Hills home. Aside from offering lots of interesting anecdotes and insights, I Loved Lucy also gives readers some details about Ball’s only unsuccessful series, 1986′s Life with Lucy.
It was dumped by ABC after eight episodes had aired.

I Loved Lucy was first published in 2001 and Tannen has since adapted it into a two-person stage play.
It was recently presented at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California.
The production ran until Halloween afternoon and starred Jeffry Denman (as Lee) and Diane Findlay (a dear friend of mine!) (as Lucy). You can order I LOVED LUCY by Lee Tannen by going here: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Lee+Tannen&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hl=en&cid=14747547209067906203&ei=DbXaTMHsKqjswgXvg4zzDw&sa=title&ved=0CAgQ8wIwADgA#p
So what's next for Lee? I LOVED LUCY going to London in the spring of 2011. Lee is directing a show for Jason Graae in Palm Springs on Saturday, November 27. PERFECT HERMANY: Jason Graae sings Jerry Herman. Jason Graae Brings PERFECT HERMANY to The Arthur Newman Theatre 11/27 (SOURCE: BROADWAYWORLD.COM)

Read more: http://losangeles.broadwayworld.com/article/Jason_Graae_Brings_PERFECT_HERMANY_to_The_Arthur_Newman_Theatre_1127_20101101#ixzz14tVGmWz2Popular cabaret singer and Broadway star Jason Graae will brings his new show "Perfect Hermany," to The Arthur Newman Theatre at the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert on Saturday, November 27th at 7 PM as part of Les Michaels' Life Is A Cabaret Concert Series which began there in July and will continue through December.

Jason Graae has starred on and off-Broadway in "A Grand Night For Singing", "Falsettos", "Stardust", "Snoopy", "Do Black Patent Leather Shows Really Reflect Up?", "Forever Plaid", "Olympus on My Mind", "All in the Timing", "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" and many more. Jason Made his Metropolitan Opera House debut in Twyla Tharp's "Everlast" with American Ballet Theatre. In Los Angeles, he won his second Drama Critics Circle Award, the Joel Hirschorn Award for Oustanding Achievement in Musical Theatre, and the Ovation Award for "Forbidden Broadway Y2KLA!", an Artistic Director's Achievement Award for "Fully Committed", and a Santa Barbara Indie Award for "High Button Shoes". Jason originated the role of "Houdini" in "Ragtime" at the Shubert Theatre, "Marcellus" in "The Music Man" at the Hollywood Bowl, "Grand Hotel" and "The Grand Tour" at The Colony as well as many shows at Reprise' Broadway Series.

Jason has performed his one-man shows all over the country, including Rainbow and Stars and Birdland in NYC, Caramoor Music Festival, Wolf Trap, Feinstein's at the Cinegrill, and The Plush Room in San Francisco. He received the New York Nightlife Award, 4 Bistros Awards and was listed in TimeOut-NY's Top 10 Cabaret shows of 2006. In 2010 he toured with his cabaret show "Magically Delicious" - receiving critics' raves everwhere he played. Jason has recorded over forty CDs, including original cast albums, concerts, compilations, and his two solo CDs, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile - Jason Graae Sings Charles Strouse", and "Jason Graae LIVE at The Cinegrill". For the November 27th date, the audience will see the debut of "Perfect Hermany", featuring songs by local resident and famed composer and lyricist, Jerry Herman and directed by Lee Tannan and musical director John Boswell. Tickets for the show are $10 cash only at the door if available, reservations may be made at 760-325-2731. Show time is 7 PM and the box office opens at 6 PM with an optional wine and cheese social, also $10, which will benefit programs at The Joslyn Center.

WHO: Jason Graae in "Perfect Hermany" - directed by Lee Tannen, with John Boswell on piano

WHAT: Live cabaret music concert- Tickets are $10 at the door if available
Or on line at www.brownpapertickets.com

WHERE: Arthur Newman Theatre at The Joslyn Center
73-750 Catalina Way in Palm Desert, CA. 92260

WHEN: Saturday, November 27, 2010 - Show time 7 PM

HOW: Call 760-325-2731 for information or reservations

Read more: http://losangeles.broadwayworld.com/article/Jason_Graae_Brings_PERFECT_HERMANY_to_The_Arthur_Newman_Theatre_1127_20101101#ixzz14tV93f1t
Happy Birthday, Lee!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Marc Smolowitz! Check out Marc's IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810625



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUTH CROSON!Please visit Ruth's website at http://www.ruthcroson.com

Take Ruth home with you! http://www.amazon.com/Its-a-Good-Day/dp/B001A30RVS

ALSO IN THE NEWS: A New Kind of Torch Song: Harvey Fierstein Will Star as Albin in La Cage aux Folles (SOURCE: KENNETH JONES, PLAYBILL.COM)Four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein will return to Broadway, in drag again, to star as Albin in the 2010 Tony Award-winning revival of La Cage aux Folles, for which he also wrote the libretto. He will slip into feathers and bugle beads starting Feb. 15, 2011, for 12 weeks.

Fierstein won the 1984 Tony Award for writing La Cage, but this will be his first time appearing in the show. He replaces 2010 Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge. Fierstein's co-star at the Longacre will be announced soon.

The current stars of La Cage, five-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer as Georges and Olivier and 2010 Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge as Albin, will depart the production on Feb. 13.

La Cage aux Folles, about a gay couple who run a St. Tropez drag club, features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret. This production is choreographed by Lynne Page and directed by Terry Johnson, who won a 2010 Tony Award for his direction. It won the 2010 Best Revival (Musical) Tony.


"I've loved watching this new production of La Cage and think director Terry Johnson and the wonderful company at the Longacre have really mined the material for its humor as well as its heart and humanity," Fierstein said in a statement. "I'm thrilled to get the chance to play Albin a mere 25 years after creating him. It will be a challenge to follow in the footsteps of all the brilliant actors who have portrayed the role before me. But I do have one secret weapon — I know how to reach the author for rewrites."

Fierstein made his professional acting debut at La Mama ETC in 1971 in Andy Warhol's only play, Pork. He followed that with appearances in more than 60 Off-Off-Broadway productions before he began his playwriting career. Early plays like Flatbush Tosca and Cobra Jewels led to his underground hit, Torch Song Trilogy, which transferred Off-Broadway in 1981 and then to Broadway in 1982 where it won the Best Play Tony Award as well as Drama Desk, Obie and Dramatist Guild Awards. Fierstein also won Tony, Drama Desk and Theater World Awards for his portrayal of the Torch Song lead, a drag performer with a heart of gold. He won his third Tony for the libretto of the musical La Cage aux Folles. His other plays include Safe Sex, A Catered Affair and Legs Diamond.

Fierstein's starring role as Edna in the musical Hairspray won him his fourth Tony Award as well as another Drama Desk Award, New York Magazine Award and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance of the Year. This made him only the second person in history to win Tonys in four different categories. He recently completed a national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, playing Tevye, a role he played for more than a year in the show's 2005 Broadway revival.

For more information, visit www.LaCage.com.


THE FOLLOWING ARE RECENT COMMENTS FROM
http://www.richardskipper.com/guestbook.html

I had the best time at the Iguana last night. it was a night to remember. where else can you go and get that vast variety of a show. it was with out a doubt the most entertaining night of my year! Thanks DeOnzell Green



On Tuesday nite (7/27/10), I saw something at St Luke's theater I am still thinking about today. I saw Richard Skipper transform himself into one of the Grand Dames of American Theater, Ms. Carol Channing.
From the moment he stepped on the stage, I BELIEVED I was watching Ms. Channing. This wasn't your typical tribute show.
This was a show that was put together with love and respect and it showed. I learned more about Carol Channing from this show than I ever knew!
This show was about music and life. The life of Carol Channing and all of the wonderful music she brought to the world and put her signature on. Who could imagine the role of Dolly Levi or Lorelei Lee with anyone besides Carol Channing...maybe Richard Skipper!
Richard gives performers something to aspire to. He gives audiences something to enjoy. He gives the world the gift of Carol Channing with a touch of Richard Skipper thrown in for good measure. Thank you.

Fran Giannini Leonardis, Ringwood, NJ

Richard, the show at St. Luke's was amazing. I loved every minute of it, and judging from the enthusiastic response, so did every single person in the audience. You are incredibly adept at weaving biography, humor and fabulous entertainment into a truly engaging show. (I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard as I did during your "scene" with Evan!) I can't wait to see your show again!
Catt John, NY

Richard's class, wit and resourcefulness shines through, whether as "Carol" on stage at St. Luke's or as himself when he interviewed the "real, Carol at Barnes & Nobel last week. Always a joy to encounter Richard.
Bart Greenberg, Special Events, BARNES & NOBLE LINCOLN SQUARE NYC


. . . the first time ever I have been shown with such love, respect and polish. Richard Skipper is a true musical comedy star! He is fabulous as me!"~ Carol Channing

www.RichardSkipper.com

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Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm



TILL NEXT WEEK...HERE'S TO A MUSICAL WEEK!
With grateful XOXOXs for your support!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Back From China!

YAY! I'm back!

I'm still in zombieland, aka jet lag central but I have a couple of good posts in the works. :)

I just joined Facebook so make sure to stop by and say hi ;)

I missed you guys!!

xoxox

Remembering Judy Garland

It was 40 years ago today that Judy Garland passed away. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I remember where I was, I remember what I had for dinner that night,
I remember how sad I was. I cried and cried, I was eight years old! According to Wikipedia, Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy Award, won a Golden Globe Award, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her work in films, as well as Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.
She had a contralto singing range. Incredible career and life and yet people want to focus on the tragic. Not me! Today,I celebrate a wonderful career and life! Judy is still in the news! This past weekend, Many celebrated the Platinum Anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” -- the most-watched movie in the world -- in the birthplace of its brightest star, with the 34th Annual Judy Garland Festival, taking place all weekend in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. I just returned from Minneapolis where I appeared in LIFESONG 2009 APPLAUD AND PAUSE FOR A CAUSE for BECAUSE WE CARE. Because We Care hosted by Broadway star, acclaimed writer, and television personality, Bruce Vilanch. The event, was held at the Music Box Theatre (where Carol Channing did HELLO, DOLLY! while in Minnesota!). It featured performances by more than two dozen nationally recognized entertainers who donated their time for this one night extravaganza in the Twin Cities. I am honored to have been included.

Entertainers appearing with Bruce Vilanch included acclaimed actress and cabaret star Sharon McNight, entertainer Cindy Benson, Eric Michael Gillett, singer and pianist Mark Nadler, Karen Saunders, yours truly, with musical director Ron Snyder. WHO WAS INCREDIBLE! Other cast members included Miss Peggy Judy, Marcus Simeone and Irene Soderberg.
Because We Care Minnesota Performing Arts Alliance Responding To AIDS is a all volunteer, not-for -profit organization founded in 1994 by a group of people living with HIV/AIDS.
The LIFESONG performance series has become a living memorial to the founder's many friends lost through AIDS and with support from the entertainment industry providing resources to Minnesotans living with or at risk for HIV infection. Proceeds from this performance will benefit HIV services and prevention programs at the Minnesta AIDS Project.
This year's performance featured a special presentation Honoring Sharon McNight for her Humanitarian work in HIV/AIDS.

Sponsors of this years LIFESONG are the Millennium Hotel, Cenveo, Chambers Hotel,Saloon and My Scene City. Thank you Karen Saunders for asking me to be part of this!

Anne Hathaway has revealed that she must have been insane to agree to play the role of iconic singer Judy Garland, as she is not sure she has the talent to do the part justice.

Hathaway, 26, is terrified about playing the role of the late star in a big screen adaptation of biographer Gerald Clarke’s 2001 book ‘Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland’.
“I think I’m either naive or insane to play her - maybe a little bit of both!” the Daily Star quoted her as telling the New York Daily News.

But at least Hathaway has the backing of another musical veteran, Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about it yet, but I understand that as long as I treat Judy with respect - which of course I will - Liza is very happy about it,” she added.




Two separate national surveys gauging youth and adult participation in the arts reported last week that visits to art museums are declining.

The percentage of eighth-graders who reported that they visited an art museum or gallery with their classes dropped from 22 percent in 1997 to 16 percent in 2008!

The arts contribute so much to the economy, to the education, to the cultural life and I'm not convinced that everybody is always totally aware of that. I desire to raise the profile of the arts to give everybody an idea of the kind of thing we do. "The National Endowment for the Arts also released new data recently showing that fewer adults were choosing an art museum or a visual arts festival as a leisure-time destination. From 1992 to 2001, 26 percent of adults reported that they visited such attractions, but the number for 2008 dropped to 23 percent.
The decrease is small, but it may portend coming declines as the most loyal part of the museum audience ages. The exception, the NEA said, was in the D.C. metropolitan area, where 40 percent of adults said they had visited a museum in 2008 -- reflecting tourism and free admission at most major museums.
In addition, the agency noted sizable declines between 1982 (when it first started documenting arts participation) and 2008 in almost every performing arts field. It reported double-digit rates of decline for classical music, jazz, opera, musical theater, ballet and dramatic plays.
The NEA survey "shows that audiences for the arts are changing," said Patrice Walker Powell, the acting NEA chairman. "While many now participate in arts activities available through electronic media, the number of American adults who are participating in live performing and visual arts events is declining. The findings underscore the need for more arts education to foster the next generation of both artists and arts enthusiasts."
The National Assessment of Educational Progress report is part of a periodic federal look at how America's students fare in various subjects. Arts education was last measured in 1997, but because of budget constraints, the survey was limited this time to music and visual arts. The schools and students were selected at random, said a spokeswoman, and the questions took various forms.

Some results are promising. Students were asked to identify the instrument in the opening solo of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Fifty percent correctly identified the clarinet.

Other results indicated that students need improvement in basic skills. In NAEP's visual arts component, students were asked to do a self-portrait.

Only 4 percent received the highest mark of "sufficient," while 57 percent received a "minimal" rating, the third-best ranking.

General accessibility to arts instruction remained constant, the NAEP report said.
Music instruction was offered at least three or four times a week in 57 percent of the schools and visual arts instruction in 47 percent.

Yet there were several gaps in student scores. Whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders scored 22 to 32 points higher than black or Hispanic students. On music questions, public school eighth-graders scored 14 points lower than private school students and nine points lower than their private school counterparts in the visual arts sections.

The recession's impact on school arts programs has not been statistically evaluated, but anecdotal indicators are not encouraging.


"School budget cuts are underway, with more projected next year," said Eileen Weiser, a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, speaking of the economic climate in Michigan. David W. Gordon, the superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education, said California is cutting back on school buses, which would further jeopardize school trips. The first family of the United States (minus the nation's No. 1 jazz fan, who was busy with health-care reform) was there.


First lady Michelle Obama told the group that jazz was always in the air when she was growing up in Chicago. Her grandfather put speakers in every room of his house, turned up the stereo and listened to music all day long.

Bring your voice, bring your opinions, bring art back to our schools.


In 1943, the United States Armed Forces Institute published a second edition of War Department Education Manual EM 603 Discovering Music: A Course in Music Appreciation by Howard D. McKinney and W.R. Anderson.
The material presented in the book was a reprint of educational material taken from existing standard textbook matter used in American schools and colleges at that time and is significant to this discussion because the text included the following when discussing jazz:

Some may start with an enthusiasm for music of the jazz type, but they cannot go far there, for jazz is peculiarly of an inbred, feeble-stock race, incapable of development. In any case, the people for whom it is meant could not understand it if it did develop. Jazz is sterile. It is all right for fun, or as a mild anodyne, like tobacco.

The ambitious listener might better start from the level of Chopin's melodious piano music, or Grieg's northern elegiacs or Tchaikovsky's gorgeous colorfulness.


Today ask people under the age of 25, "Do you know who Louis Armstrong was?" "Do you know who Duke Ellington was?" "Do you know who Dizzy Gillespie was?" "Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Carol Channing?"
It tears my heart apart that young people today have no idea who the men were that put them (I'm talking about people in the entertainment field) on their shoulders and helped shaped who I was as a young musician.
Men who will forever stand at the foundation of popular music, and who I believe in years to come will be regarded as America's Chopins, Griegs and Tchaikovskys.

In the face of our record business collapsing around the world, I consider it a tragedy on the part of our educational institutions that our children are virtually devoid of their home-grown culture while that same culture is accepted and celebrated all over the world. With the belief that we must first clean our own house in regard to preserving our cultural legacy, networks and ideas to make music education an ongoing part of the lives of children in the United States must happen.

We should be creating a program that ensures our children are thoroughly grounded in the history of American music and its importance to the cultural identity of our nation.



Increase the quality and number of the most qualified music educators in the United States.
Develop shared advocacy and funding initiatives for youth music programs.

Our culture is as much a part of and just as important to our American history as Washington's crossing of the Delaware, the invasion of Normandy and the landing of a man on the moon and is just as important to our children's educational development.

It has been proven time and time again in countless studies that students who actively participate in arts education are twice as likely to read for pleasure, have strengthened problem-solving and critical thinking skills, are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair, three times more likely to win an award for school attendance, and four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay of poem.
Can you imagine the confidence it instills in them to overcome any obstacle that they are presented with?


Every great society from the Egyptians, to the Greek and Roman Empires, has been defined by its cultural contributions. The commercial benefits of the arts not withstanding -- our artistic endeavors are a consistent source of revenue in the United States and our nation's largest export -- can we really run the risk of becoming a culturally bankrupt nation because we have not inserted a curriculum into our educational institutions that will teach and nurture creativity in our children?
That when future generations look back our cultural legacy is an age of disposable, vapid pabulum.

I am of the mindset that you have to know where you come from to get to where you're going. The time has come to make a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors to put in place a system whereby our children and future generations will be aware of our county's rich cultural legacy and contributions to the world.
The arts, particularly our music, are the soul of our country. They are an expression of our spiritual ideals and a timeline of the emotional state of our nation... scars and all.
Beverly, Massachusetts' North Shore Music Theater announced recently that its fifty-four year run is over. An operation devoted to youth education and to the staging of original as well as famous musical shows, the theater will be missed by the thousands who supported it for a half century.


Our country has a long history of discarding and devaluing our cultural resources particularly where music is concerned.
And although we have thankfully evolved in this pursuit, we still have much further to go before we can claim that we are diligent protectors of our cultural heritage.

In the global landscape that we live in today where ideas are exchanged with the stroke of a send key, what better way to influence nations than by exposing them to the basic belief in freedom of expression that is inherent in our nation and witnessed through our culture.


The practical reason why many theatres are disappearing from our cultural landscape is that they have debts up to their hips with not a chance to pay them off. This includes millions owed to subscribers who pay in advance for upcoming seasons that will never arrive.









The real reason for many closings, the one that has been eroding the revenue base for years, is never discussed - the generation gap and its impact on American culture.

Without the mercy of instruction, I somehow came upon the works of Carmen Miranda, Julius Monk, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. They all did a number on me. I sat in my room in South Carolina and listened to them and the experience stays fresh to this day.
In the beginning, what got me going was an all instrumental record produced by Quincy Jones called "The Genius After Hours".
It's a Ray Charles piano record. Really fine stuff. From there I started picking up more stuff. Thanks Quincy for opening that door.






The strength of our Artistic, Musical and cultural heritage is that we've never had one.
We've never had a 'Paris Salon' telling us what is good, acceptable, & what is rubbish or drivel.
Jazz, Blues, Rock-n-Roll, punk, Rap, Hip-Hop... All derided as drivel or 'just noise' when they first emerged. Each have found their footing as true valid expressions and forms, and that is what other countries love about us. We are ever-changing, and irreverent of 'Art Czars'.

The Arts are crucial in education.

Our schools have been driven to the ground, focusing ad nauseum on a sterile curriculum of their interpretation of math, math and more math at the exclusion of everything else. Parents and students are thrilled anytime they are exposed to the arts.
I'll throw in the media -- there is no room on our 800 cable channels for any arts programming, except Ovation.
When was the last time a major network presented a biography of a writer or an artist? The arts have been marginalized - Coltrane and Monk should be part of the air we breathe.






98% of educators will tell you arts are what get kids' brains going. Study after study show listening to music, learning to play a musical instrument develop portions of the human brain that other learning doesn't. Music, Art, Foreign Language, Humanities, Physical Education: are all intensively important to our children's brain and physical development.

Unfortunately, educators are currently dealing with the effects of No Child Left Behind.
While it's essentially a good law with good intentions, there are so many inaccuracies, loopholes, and inconsistencies in it that it's yanking the focus off of LEARNING and onto: Passing the Test.

There's just not a lot of time in public schools today for the arts when we're scared out of our minds kids aren't going to pass the reading, grammar, and math parts of the test.


Has anyone noticed that some newspapers in most towns outside of New York don't even have an arts section? Entertainment does not cover all of the arts.



The reason we have seen a huge drop in arts ed in the past 8 years is more likely due to the desire to "dumb down" American children, especially the disadvantaged. The wealthier kids get the arts by paying for it as after school activities.
A creative person is one who is more in touch with his/her surroundings, who questions authority and challenges the status quo.
They are the innovators. I believe there are some in power, especially the last admin, who are bent on controlling and in some cases destroying the lower and middle class.
An intelligent and creative lower class scares the pants off the "repuglicans". Who would fight their illegal wars?
That means lowering standards for the public schools and even creating an atmosphere where kids will not even finish school due to frustration and the inability to think and do for themselves ( coming up with creative solutions).
We must change this situation. We also need to train all teachers to integrate art and music into the standard curriculum and bridge the arts with math, science, geography, history etc.



Are we becoming a cultural vacuum? I am witnessing the detour around the arts first hand. There is nothing in most school's curriculum that stokes creativity, nor imagination.
It is the medium, by which, an artist can give his (her) own take, express their own interpretation. Try to take it to another level each time you play. What am I contributing that one of my colleagues could build on? There is no greater loss, in our society, than depriving our youth of the arts.


It is imperative to restore art education and in my mind, it along with mandatory phys-ed should be reinstated in every curriculum. The reason the kids are testing poorly in the US and dropping out is because it's difficult to develop a passion for anything if all Johnny does all day is math and science and more and more testing, with no relief or outlet for creativity. All great scientists and inventors were/are artists and/or trained and used their right side of the brain through creative expression.
Carnegie Mellon University now has a program where the arts students and the engineering students work together, brainstorming and creating new technologies. We need each other and it goes both ways.


QUICK! Pick one of the world's great civilizations. What immediately comes to mind? The arts.

Italy is revered for Michelangelo's David. Ancient Egypt, Mayans, China, Europe, India and many others - the first image you have in your head is a work of art that could only come from that culture.

What ancient civilization makes you think, "Wow they sure had some great businessmen back then"?







During his Presidential campaign, Barack Obama assembled a blue-ribbon committee on the Arts, led by George Stevens, Jr., and they, in turn, produced a detailed plan for restoring government support for and promotion of the Arts. The plan was the most comprehensive plan since the WPA Arts projects of the 1930s. It's definitely worth reading.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/18384



Just because a subject is not taught at school doesn't mean that a child who is motivated to learn about it cannot do so.



Research studies show that students that participate in music programs get better grades and score better on tests.
Yet, arts programs are being eliminated because they are not part of NCLB and budget cuts cannot support "frills".

This is the same logic that eliminates school librarians so that the money can be used for literacy programs.



Music and art programs train the mind and a very few of these musician/artists end up being full time artists, but they do end up becoming business men and college grads.
We pump billions into football programs and what does that produce and if you say character let's start with Michael Vick as an example!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


"Blues is what connects us to the earth," Wynton Marsalis told students recently "It keeps us grounded, gives us the spirit behind this music. It makes us holler and scream and shout through our horns."

The Obama administration plans to continue its hands-on program in arts education in the future, but it was jazz, America's indigenous art form, that got the first turn in the spotlight.




For longtime Washington jazz musician and educator Yarborough, it was important to see not just the history of jazz honored at the White House, but its future as well.



The first lady was joined at the afternoon concert by her mother and her daughters -- because, she said, she wanted to introduce the girls to "all kinds of music other than hip-hop."

The dilemma facing public schools — with the realization that the arts might be important, if not essential, in cultivating the imagination and creativity of our children in order to reverse the blind progress of a culture gone mad with greed and individual success — is that they need artists to teach the arts. The world has become a place of terror and uncertainty, fueled by institutions that have learned the secret of controlling their members quite effectively by using fear.

Creativity is the opposite of conformity and is nurtured by a supportive, positive environment that allows students to engage in creative play and honest communication; a place where their fears and vulnerabilities are, at least, acknowledged and not ridiculed.

Teachers of the arts are no less affected by a punitive and stifling system than are their students.
Parker Palmer, in his groundbreaking book, The Courage To Teach, passionately believes that "good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher."
Palmer has been a sane voice for those who believe teaching is a "vocation of the heart, and many teachers may lose heart because of the troubled, sometimes toxic systems in which they work."

We can't blame the system entirely for this data-driven, dispassionate approach to administering education.

To not honor and integrate the wholeness of the arts would be an exercise in futility and guaranteed failure.
Most of the ills in the world have been created by highly educated people with advanced degrees who lead with their minds.

This is not an argument for ignorance, but rather a statement that the worth of education must now be measured against the standards of decency and survival — the issues now looming so large before us in the 21st century.
We, the generation that faces the next century, can add the . . . solemn injunction, "If we don't do the impossible, we shall be faced with the unthinkable."

The artist has only his or her story to convey, and if our stories are no longer valued, then a vision for the future has been obscured by willful neglect, and the outcome will be no less than disastrous.


Artist Gary Snyder reminds us that "art is the creative play of the human mind." If we are to cultivate the future minds of humanity in order to build a saner, sustainable, compassionate and peaceful planet, creativity must be honored, understood and nurtured in its entirety.
Again to David Orr:


"The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind."

In other entertainment news, Debbie Reynolds, the beloved, iconic and award-winning actress received The Friars Club honors by friends and colleagues in a star-studded tribute on Sunday, June 15th at The Friars Club (57 East 55th St). BroadwayWorld.com was there to cheer the iconic screen favorite on as she was honored by the starry crowd!
Debbie Reynolds earned an Academy Award nomination for her work in the movie musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." The triple-threat is also known for performances in "Singin' in the Rain," "How the West Was Won" and "The Catered Affair" as well as her TV show, "The Debbie Reynolds Show."

Reynolds was Tony-nominated for her performance in Irene, and later assumed the lead role in Broadway's Woman of the Year.

There is no institution that has embraced Shakespeare's observation with so much unbridled bravado than that of the Friars Club. They have parlayed one hundred years of antics into a reputation that has been elevated to legendary status.
Since 1904 The Friars Club has been wining and dining the top personalities of the times and in-between courses expounding and discoursing in their own unique fashion. From ribald comedy to musical merry-making the Friars have spent a century cultivating a tradition that has spanned several generations and spawned millions of laughs.
For more information please visit www.friarsclub.com.


Quick: who won Tonys this year? Awards are nice, of course, even if only the awardees and their mothers remember. As for the televised Tony ceremony, we found it a colossal bore with a few exceptions: James Gan-dolfini, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury. But it didn't take off until the last half hour when Lansbury talked about honoree songwriter Jerry Herman, followed by delightful clips from "Mame" and "Hello Dolly" and Herman's graceful acceptance speech.
The TV show's opening, a mélange of nominated musicals, was bizarre, with Aaron Tveit of "Next to Normal" confronting Stockard Channing of "Pal Joey." It was downhill from there until towards the end with the Herman tribute, accolades to the three boys who play Billy Elliot (accepting with oodles of modest charm) and talented host Neil Patrick Harris' concluding song, a clever salute to the night's winners.

Awards are here to stay, however: They look good in an artist's bio and can further careers. Not to be outdone, Connecticut Critics Circle Awards, recognized (see the Best Plays annual) as one of the more prestigious around, have just been announced and will be handed out tomorrow in a low-key ceremony. The 19-year-old CCC now even has both a Web site for articles, interviews, calendars and other pertinent information, plus a blog for a selection of state-wide reviews.

This year's CCC awards are spread out, except that Goodspeed Musicals, the state's one remaining all-tuner franchise, naturally walks away with most of the song-and-dance honors. Another favorite is the Michael Wilson-directed "Dividing the Estate," the Horton Foote drama that was also nominated for a Tony. Westport Country Playhouse picks up certificates for "Tryst" and "Around the World in 80 Days," including a special achievement for the skilled foley artists who provided effects for the Jules Verne show.

CCC's most prestigious accolade, the Tom Killen Memorial Award (named for the late critic), goes to Rob Ruggiero, the director who helmed two winners, "Big River" and "No Child." Ruggiero is spreading his wings beyond our borders: His production of "Make Me a Song" played New York and London, following its debut at Hartford's TheaterWorks. Upcoming is his "Camelot" at Goodspeed.

Congratulations to all.



The 2008-2009 Connecticut Critics Circle WInners


"Dividing the Estate" (Hartford Stage)

Musical: "Big River" (Goodspeed Musicals)

Actress in a play: Andrea Maulella ("Tryst," Westport Country Playhouse)

Actor in a play: Colman Domingo ("Coming Home," Long Wharf Theater)

Actress in a musical: Kristen Martin ("42nd Street," Goodspeed Musicals)

Actor in a musical: Russell Joel Brown ("Big River," Goodspeed Musicals)

Director of a play: Michael Wilson ("Dividing the Estate," Hartford Stage)

Director of a Musical (tie): Semina De Laurentis ("The Producers," Seven Angels Theater) and Rob Ruggiero ("Big River," Goodspeed Musicals)

Choreography: Rick Conant ("42nd Street," Goodspeed Musicals)

Set design: Michael Schweikardt ("Big River," Goodspeed Musicals)
Lighting design: Robert Wiertzel ("Of Mice and Men," Westport Country Playhouse)

Costume design: Ilona Somogyi ("Passion Play," Yale Repertory Theater)

Sound design: David Levy ("Around the World in 80 Days," Westport Country Playhouse)

Ensemble: Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Lizan Mitchell, Portia, Anthony Mark Stockard ("No Child," TheaterWorks)

Roadshow: "Marilyn: Forever Blonde" (Ivoryton Playhouse)
Debuts: Donnetta Lavinia Grays ("No Child," TheaterWorks) and Olivia Scott ("To Kill a Mockingbird," Hartford Stage)

Special achievement award: Elizabeth Helitzer and Mark Parenti (("Around the World in 80 Days," Westport Country Playhouse)

Tom Killen award for outstanding contribution to Connecticut theater: Rob Ruggiero



For further information on the Connecticut Critics Circle, visit the Web site at www.ctcritics.org and the blog at cccreviews.blogspot.com

GO SEE A LIVE SHOW THIS WEEK! Don't forget to contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/Foundation.htm

With grateful XOXOXs for your support!

Richard Skipper

Follow me on Twitter @RichardSkipper


AND DON'T FORGET TO RESERVE FOR: FAREWELL CONCERT OF "CAROL CHANNING IN CONCERT STARRING RICHARD SKIPPER!"

BOB EGAN ENTERTAINMENT in association with ELEGANT DIAMOND PRODUCTIONS presents CAROL CHANNING: A CELEBRATION Starring Richard Skipper! Musical Direction by Jon Weber, with a five piece band and back-up singers. In this intimate evening with one of Broadway s greatest treasures, Skipper takes his audience back to a time of clean wholesome entertainment, featuring highlights from two of Channing' s greatest hits, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello Dolly! One performance only, July 5th, 2008 at 8:00 pm. Tim McLoone s Supper Club, 1200 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ. Reservations: (732) 774-1155.
www.RichardSkipper.com