Here I am at a very early hour writing my blog on Christmas Day. Danny and Horace and most of the world are still asleep but I'm up and on a high and here at my desk. I had an incredible Christmas Eve. Almost a sold out show and mostly strangers and tourists! I like that! But I also had Joe Franklin, John Tantillo, Florence Ferrare, Barbara Flood, and Joan Jaffee (celebrating her birthday!) among others in the audience! Thank you all! As you already know, I’m opening off-Broadway at St. Luke’s Theatre308 West 46th Street. Check out our promo video created by Russ Weatherford:
Tomorrow afternoon is my third preview of Richard Skipper as "Carol Channing" in Concert. I would love to spend it with you. The show is at 73PM and I promise you will continue to stay in the holiday mood throughout as we celebrate my favorite Christmas “CAROL”. Check out www.RichardSkipper.com for more info. If you can make it, please call me. I can get you tickets at half price! St. Luke’s Theatre 308 West 46th Street. Also makes a nice Christmas gift! Please call me! Richard Skipper 845-365-0720
RICHARD SKIPPER AS “CAROL CHANNING” IN CONCERT Off-Broadway Premiere Special Day after Christmas show at 3PM! Opening Night is Wednesday January 12th at St. Luke’s Theatre
“Richard Skipper is a true musical comedy star! He is FABULOUS as me!” -- Carol Channing
RICHARD SKIPPER AS “CAROL CHANNING” IN CONCERT celebrates the career and persona of the unique theatrical legend. Accompanied by a three-piece band led by John Fischer, Skipper blends Channing’s standards with original material and other familiar songs sung in a spot-on Channing-on-Broadway perfection. The musical surveys Channing's life with many stops along the way for Skipper's unique --and riotous-- "ad-lib" interactions with the audience. New York City has gotten a very special Christmas “Carol” this year! Richard Skipper brings his critically-acclaimed show RICHARD SKIPPER AS “CAROL CHANNING” IN CONCERT Off-Broadway at St. Luke’s Theatre, 306 West 46th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Ave.) Opening night will be Wednesday January 12th. The production will be directed by Mark Robert Gordon. A portion of the proceeds from this Off-Broadway premiere will benefit The Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for The Arts.
The Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts is dedicated to building a nationwide awareness campaign heralding the benefits of arts in the curriculum of public schools and providing musical instruments for low income school districts via the funding of scholarships for students and teachers in the arts.
Special added performance tomorrow night! December 24th (7:30pm). Here are three audience comments from yesterday! (Taken from guest book at www.RichardSkipper.com) Keep checking website for additional comments.
I was lucky to be at Richard Skipper's amazing show today (12/22/10). Every song was perfectly done and I loved the way he had the audience involved with sing alongs and lots of laughter. Richard was Carol Channning on that stage! I still have a smile on my face, and I know this is just the beginning of a very successful run! What a great way to kick start the holidays! Everyone should go see this wonderfully enjoyable musical experience as soon as possible..Carol Siwek, NYC
Larry Olin saw your show yesterday (12/22/10) and could not stop complimenting you. This is not a small compliment, Larry has seen Ethel Merman on Broadway, Barbra Streisand, and Judy Garland "live" three times. Larry knows theater and could not stop raving about the way you reworked the show and of course your amazing ability to improvise with the audience. Congratulations! Michael Austin, http://www.michaelvincentaustin.com
We went to Richard Skipper's show today. We howled with laughter, sang along a little bit, watched with awe how masterfully he delights his audience. Oh yes, I almost forgot, he sings like a powerhouse! He is doing this preview again on Christmas Eve. Go!! http://www.janestuartmusic.com
Richard's performance called to mind the words: Ardor, dedication, enthusiasm and integrity. I came to see his "Carol", as a friend and because I'd never seen it on stage before. But I left with a greater sense of my own humanity and an even greater love of theatre, which is Richard's amazing gift to the world. I think his powerful talent and respect for Carol Channing allows him to mesmerize the audience with not only her charm, but moreover his own. If I could I would carry a sandwich sign over my back to tell the theatre community..."NOT TO MISS HIS MAGICAL PERFORMANCE". Don't you miss him either! Paula (PJ) Riley
Hope you and/or your friends comments will be added tomorrow night! With grateful XOXOXs for your support! Richard Skipper 845-365-0720
. . . 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 Follow me on Twitter www.Twitter.com/RichardSkipper
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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 HOLIDAY SEASON!
"Tis the season! I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR! I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for this time of year! I love decorating our house, I love the parties, I love the excitement that pervades everything around us. A friend of mine stated on FACEBOOK last week that he hated Christmas songs! Bah, humbug! As a child of the sixties, I grew up on the Christmas specials of Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Doris Day's Christmas episodes of her TV shows. I often think what a shame that so many of our cabaret friends who put together Christmas shows aren't necessarily household names to be seen by a wider audience. One such performer is Mercedes Hall. How excited I was to get her e-blast that she was doing a Christmas show AND that it was falling on a night in which I was actually available to go see her! I first saw Mercedes several years ago at The Metropolitan Room and became an instant fan. Unfortunately, because of conflicting schedules, I don't get to see her as often as I like. I actually believe that it has been two years. So, tonight, with a group of friends, to celebrate this special time of year, we will be at Kitano's to see The Mercedes Hall Christmas special. Perhaps in a different era, if you listen carefully, you might even hear, "Tonight, brought to you in living color, The Mercedes Hall Christmas Spectacular!" To learn more about Mercedes, please visit her website at http://www.mercedeshall.com In my lifetime experience playing with singers, many of whom constantly strive for individuality; Mercedes Hall has few peers when it comes to that rare combination of spirit and energy - which does indeed help to define her very own true identity"- Jerry Dodgion, Arranger, Composer, Musician
Mercedes spirit and joy is evident throughout her second release as a leader, so aptly titled, Pure Emotion. She uses a core group that features pianist Glafkos Kontemeniotis, who takes the lead in showcasing the trio as an integral part of the project. Among her guests are the jazz luminary Jerry Dodgion on flute and alto saxophone, percussionist Bashiri Johnson and the extraordinary pianist-arranger Arturo O'Farrill. Mercedes Hall is heard in memorable form on 14 well-chosen songs. The program includes "Ghost Of A Chance" which alternates between three tempos, an unusual samba version of "What Is This Thing Called Love," a beautiful arrangement of "The Masquerade Is Over," the relatively obscure "Satan Never Sleeps," an adventurous interpretation of Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't" and a unique interpretation of "You've Changed."
Mercedes was born in Boston to a very large and musical family. "I came out of the womb singing!" Studying piano as a child, it wasn't long before she realized that her voice was her true instrument, along with her penchant for performing from an early age. After an early marriage which produced a son, the actor Anthony Michael Hall, she ventured far beyond Boston to work professionally, taking her son along with her. After performing across country including stints in Las Vegas and Arizona, she spent a year in Los Angeles, making a name for herself, garnering rave reviews including from world renowned jazz critic Leonard Feather who wrote in the LA Times: "Mercedes Hall is an ANOMALY... her sound quality, phrasing and feeling are more likely to conjure up memories of Dinah Washington or Aretha Franklin...There is nothing simulated or contrived about the soulful conviction and intensity she brings to a set of contemporary songs." Playing top jazz/R&B venues gaining recognition through press and live appearances on national television including many guest spots on the Merv Griffin Show, Mercedes worked with great jazz musicians including trumpeter Red Rodney, bassist John Heard and pianist John Hammond to name a few. The Hollywood Reporter stated, "Mercedes Hall, a wicked generator of moods, has superb phrasing and musicianship" - Arranger, Composer, Musician - Lanny Meyers
In the early 1980s Hall stopped performing for awhile, turning her attention to managing her son's emerging acting career, starting a successful second marriage and giving birth to a daughter (singer Mary C). Heeding the advice given her years earlier by the famous vocal guru, Boston's own Dante Pavone, who was very impressed by her natural ability, she began teaching privately in New York City attracting students as far away as Asia and Africa.
While performing one night at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, Mercedes caught the ears of Alma and Lee Berk, the founders of Berklee School Of Music, who immediately offered her a fulltime position at Berklee. She reluctantly turned it down due to her busy teaching schedule in New York City but agreed to return for a two day Vocal Clinic which concluded with a successful concert at the Berklee Performance Center. "Ms. Hall imparted many practical insights to our students who attended our vocal clinic and were thoroughly entranced. She demonstrated both by her performance and years of experience the wisdom and congeniality so essential to good teaching. Her ability to perform in virtually all contemporary musical styles enabled Ms. Hall to reach home to the diverse Berklee College of Music student body." - Kenneth Greenhouse, Chair/Voice Department/Berklee College of Music - Boston.
Now with the release of Pure Emotion, to rave reviews and successful engagements this past summer at Birdland, Jazz Standard, Metropolitan Room in NYC and Andy’s Jazz Club in Chicago and her return at Cape Cod Jazz Festival were she played to sold out crowds for the last three years. She will be returning to Birdland where she launched her new CD and live DVD performance. There’s an edited 8 minute clip of the performance that can be seen on her gallery’s page.
Mercedes continues to teach privately in NYC and is available for clients. She also has plans to perform at many more jazz festivals and tour around the world. "I love performing; it is such an extension of who I am." As Scott Yanow, jazz critic stated, "She is not a performer that one can forget easily, for Mercedes Hall is quite unique, a jazz stylist who has created her own category". Please join us this evening as we celebrate this joyous time of year AND Mercedes Hall!
OK, Santa, I have a Christmas wish! I want to play Carol Channing as Dolly Levi in The Upcoming Revival of "HELLO, DOLLY! Don't laugh. I'm serious. It was done in London many years ago with Danny LaRue in the title role. From what I understand, he camped it up. That is NEVER my intention. But rather, to be true to the original intentions of all that were involved.A certain trifecta is taking place in 2011. Carol Channing turns 90, I turn 50, and Jerry Herman turns 80. All milestone birthdays! As I write this, Carol just came on my Ipod singing The Motherhood March! It must be meant to me. I did get the chance to do it several years ago with The Revision Theatre in Asbury Park and "God willing, will happen again! Go to RichardSkipper.com, Go to Testimonials, Click on Revision Theatre to read what Thomas Morrissey, our director had to say about my performance.
So, you can imagine how my heart races when I hear yesterday that Patti LuPone is slated to do this on Broadway! Hello, Patti: What’s Next for La LuPone? By PATRICK HEALY
Even as a supporting character in the Broadway musical “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” Patti LuPone is letting her diva flag fly as the scorned wife and domineering mother Lucia. What next for La LuPone after “Women” closes on Jan. 23? Among the projects that the two-time Tony Award winner (“Gypsy,” “Evita,”) is considering is a return to the center-stage spotlight as another diva, the title character in the musical “Hello, Dolly!”
Nederlander Presentations has been developing a revival of the show with Ms. LuPone in the central role of a spirited, meddling matchmaker in New York, and Ms. LuPone is eager to make the show happen, according to two people who work in Broadway theater and have spoken with the producers and Ms. LuPone about the project. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the producers do not want the project discussed publicly since it is not a done deal. The two people cautioned that Ms. LuPone could well undertake a different project next, but they said that her interest in “Hello, Dolly!” was high. Nederlander executives declined to comment through a spokesman; representatives for Ms. LuPone also declined to comment.
“Hello, Dolly!” first ran on Broadway in 1964, winning the Tony Award for best musical and nine others, including a best-actress award for Carol Channing as Dolly. Ms. Channing has long been associated with the role, though Barbra Streisand played it in the 1969 film version. The last Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!” was in the 1995-96 season, with Ms. Channing once more in the title role. Well, the bottom line is that I do LOVE Patti!
And now for something frivolous!
And don't forget ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! Previews start for Richard Skipper as "Carol Channing" in Concert
Off-Broadway Premiere Begins December 22nd Opening Night is Wednesday January 12th at St. Luke’s Theatre
“Richard Skipper is a true musical comedy star! He is FABULOUS as me!” -- Carol Channing
New York City is getting a very special Christmas “Carol” this year! Richard Skipper, brings his critically-acclaimed show RICHARD SKIPPER AS “CAROL CHANNING” IN CONCERT Off-Broadway, with performances set to begin December 22nd at St. Luke’s Theatre, 306 West 46th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Ave.) Opening night will be Wednesday January 12th. The production will be directed by Mark Robert Gordon. A portion of the proceeds from this Off-Broadway premiere will benefit The Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for The Arts. RICHARD SKIPPER AS “CAROL CHANNING” IN CONCERT celebrates the career and persona of the unique theatrical legend. Accompanied by a three-piece band led by John Fischer, Skipper blends Channing’s standards with original material and other familiar songs sung in a spot-on Channing-on-Broadway perfection. The musical surveys Channing's life with many stops along the way for Skipper's unique --and riotous-- "ad-lib" interactions with the audience. Richard Skipper is a four-time recipient of the MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabaret) Award and a Back Stage Bistro Award for Best Performer. He was named one of the Top Ten Cabaret Performers by Cabaret Hotline and one of the Top of the Century Premiere Cabaret Acts by Cabaret Scenes Magazine. Director Mark Robert Gordon is the Founding Artistic Director of Do Gooder Productions (2 1/2 Jews, On Deaf Ears), has co-starred in a dozen Off-Broadway plays (Grandma Sylvia’s Funeral, The Magic Formula, the dreamer examines his pillow), has directed New York premieres by noted playwrights, and is the author of multiple plays. Later this season, he will perform in the Off-Broadway premiere of his one-man play about Alexander Hamilton, “H”: Hamilton or Honour. Carol Channing made her New York debut in Blitzstein’s For an Answer and is the winner of three Tony Awards: Best Actress in a Musical (for her legendary portrayal of Dolly Levi in Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly!), a Special Award, and Lifetime Achievement. Other notable Broadway credits include: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Show Girl, Lorelei, and The Vamp. Among her numerous TV and film successes was the madcap Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, which earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award. The Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts is dedicated to building a nationwide awareness campaign heralding the benefits of arts in the curriculum of public schools and providing musical instruments for low income school districts via the funding of scholarships for students and teachers in the arts. RICHARD SKIPPER AS “CAROL CHANNING” IN CONCERT is presented Off-Broadway by The Camelback Kid. Performances will be every Wednesday at 2 pm and 8 pm; special added performances December 24th (7:30pm), Sunday January 2nd (3pm) and Monday & Tuesday January 10th & 11th (7pm). Tickets will be $41.50 to $66.50 (with Premium Seats at $76.50) and are available at www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. For more information, visit www.AsCarol.com. PRESS CONTACT: David Gersten & Associates 240 West 44th Street / Penthouse New York, NY 10036-3906 212/575-0263 info@davidgersten.com
Check out our promo video created by Russ Weatherford:
THE FOLLOWING ARE COMMENTS FROM http://www.richardskipper.com/guestbook.html
What a fun and fabulous night of great entertainment at the Iguana! Richard, you and Dana are the King and Queen (you decided who is which) of herding a huge group of crazy singers into a wonderful show. I loved the eclectic mix or performers, the friendly vibe, and the fact I could actually hear myself when singing on stage! Oy! What a relief. There was never a dull moment, never a lull in the energy, and that's hard to accomplish in this kind of show. Now I understand why Wednesday Night at the Iguana is an award-winning production. Thank you for including me, and I will definitely be taking that 2-hour train ride from Kingston to the city to be at the Iguana again. Nancy Tierney, http://nancytierney.com
Thank you Richard for such a great time at the Iguana! I think that there may be no where else in NYC where you can hear such a wonderful diversity of style and talent. It is an honor and a pleasure to be included in your Company. Vicki Burns, http://www.vickiburnsjazz.com
I have seen Richard's show many times! OK I am a big fan. This summer Richard brought the show to Provincetown. How perfect. My friends and I could not have enjoyed it more. Congratulations Richard. Phyllis B. Frank, http://www.gaypriderockland.org Phyllis B. Frank (middle), VCS Gay Pride Director, with Juried Art Exhibit & Sale to Benefit Gay Pride Rockland Curator Susan Harrington and Exhibit Chair Hal Parker.
Richard, I just unearthed the CD of the radio interview we did 3 years ago, with you on the phone in NYC and Carol Channing on the phone in LA - I hope you still have access to it;we had so much fun and she was just so complimentary of you! Ginny Wolf, Spotlight On Connecticut, http://s121103653.onlinehome.us/SpotlightonCT/AboutGinnyWolf.html
What a joyous night! Richard and Dana, you are the most welcoming, entertaining, beautiful hosts in town (or, for my money, anywhere)! I had a terrific evening, surrounded by gracious, supremely talented people, greeting old friends, making new ones, and enjoying fabulous food. Thank you for including me in your roster of entertainers last night at the Iguana! Jackie Draper
It was great to see you again - this time in Provincetown. What a wonderful show!! Sam Sagenkahn, New York, NY
SEE FOR YOURSELF NEXT WEEK! DECEMBER 22nd at ST. LUKE'S THEATRE, 46th Street, NYC 2PM!
. . . 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
Follow me on Twitter www.Twitter.com/RichardSkipper
Google me!
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 HOLIDAY SEASON! With grateful XOXOXs for your support! Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com
Sue Matsuki's a little bit jazzy, and Edd Clark's a little bit legit, and this award winning duo is bringing their annual Christmas show to back to the Laurie Beechman! The show features great arrangements of familiar holiday tunes, and songs that will become holiday classics. There's even a new song by Sue and Paul Stephan.
Be sure and follow Sue's column in CABARET HOTLINE.
TOMORROW NIGHT, December 11th 8:00 p.m. The Community Church of Wurtsboro 134 Sullivan St. Wurtsboro, NY 12790 845-888-2798 (Reservations) General Admission $15.00/$10 students and seniors
With music director and arranger Paul Stephan. Special guest, Sarah Rice Stop by for a little dose of holiday spirit. and home baked goodies! SUE & EDD'S FABULOUS CHRISTMAS SHOW CD is the perfect holiday present, and is available at CDBaby.com and iTunes! Our CD is a celebration of the wonderful music of Christmas and it's also the perfect gift for your friends and family. We're very excited that it's now available at CDbaby.com and iTunes!! For more information, go to www.fabulouschristmasshow.com
A Little bit about Sue Matsuki...I have known Sue so long, I can barely think of my life without her! Sue and I met at this wonderful brunch MANY YEARS ago and we immediately hit it off. Sue, I think we should resurrect those brunches in the New Year. Sue has been a constant help to me over the years and I LOVE her! Visit Sue's website at http://www.suematsuki.com You can take Sue home with you! Sue Matsuki - A New TakeI have this CD and I highly recommend it. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Sue+Matsuki&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=546&ie=UTF-8&cid=15854408060546391254&ei=NSoCTfTaIISKlwevg7WACA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ8wIwAA# Speaking of Happiness, Bluesette, I'm Gonna Miss You, Your Brought a New Kind of Love, Quiet Night of Quiet Stars/Astrud, I'll Close My Eyes, It's Nice Weather for Ducks, I Whistle a Happy Tune/Whistling in the Dark, Moondance, Runaway/Love Is Blind, Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?, The Shadow of Your Smile/The Shining Sea, Shaking the Blues Away, Anticipation
And now a little bit about Ed Clark. I first came to know Ed when I saw him in 3 Tenors in Search of An Act. I saw that show one night with the late great Dottie Burman and Gerta Grunen. Danny, Dottie, Gerta, and myself were the only ones in the audience. We gave them the option of not doing the show that night. But, no, they said we were there to see them and they were going to do their show for us. Wow, were we all overwhelmed. What troopers. Another side note, Edd's life partner happened to do all of the arrangements for the show. I knew then and there that I wanted Paul Stephan to do my arrangements for me. One of the best career moves I ever made. You can hear some of Paul's fabulous arrangements in my upcoming show at St. Luke's. More about that later...The bottom line is, I LOVE YOU, EDD CLARK!
What can I say about Sarah Rice? The original Johanna in Sweeney Todd. I got to know Sarah during my run co-hosting WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE IGUANA. One of the perks of that run, I might add. Sarah, along with Sue Matsuki, is one of the hardest working people in the biz. Again, I love you, Sarah! What can I say about Paul Stephan? I owe so much to this man. He did most of my arrangements, he was my musical director for a while, and we've been on the road together! Paul 's vocal works .... Whether it's an art song or a choral work, his love of the voice is always evident, and his individuality is always present. His art songs have been performed on the St. Paul Chapel Concert Series, the Christ Chapel Chamber Series, and at the Armenian Evangelical Church of NY Concerts in the New York area. His choral works have been performed in many churches, and recorded by the Hickory Choral Society. His setting of the 23rd Psalm was written for and performed at the 9/11 Memorial Service for the Methodist Conference of NY.
His song cycles "Lullabies" and "Songs of War" have been premiered by The Phoenix Quartet. Paul studied composition with Karel Husa and John Easton, and is an alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engle Musical Theatre Workshop. Paul is a graduate of Ithaca College and the University of Utah, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in writing and directing musical theatre. He has studied composition with John Eaton and Karel Husa, and hiis songs have been performed on the St. Paul Chapel Concert Series, the Christ Chapel Chamber Series, and at the Armenian Evangelical Church of NY. Paul is an alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engle Musical Theatre workshop, and had his works performed in their evenings of “works in progress.” He has composed scores for several musicals, including A Fairy Tale , Beauty and the Beast, and Trudy, which premiered at Theatre 138 in Salt Lake City . His song Anymore can be currently be heard on Bettina Covo's debut CD Out of the Shadows. Paul's choral works have been premiered at many churches in the NYC area, including the Middle Collegiate Church, and Madison Avenue Baptist Church, where he is Minister of Music. His arrangement of The Sky Can Still Remember was recorded by the Hickory Choral Society, and his choral version of the 23rd Psalm was featured at the 9/11 anniversary service for the conference of NY Methodist churches. I wish I was available to go to Wurtsboro tomorrow night to celebrate you all. MUCH SUCCESS! If YOU see this and can make this, please go! 12 Days till my first preview of my up coming show: Richard Skipper as "Carol Channing" in ConcertThank you, Russ Weatherford for my promotional tribute. Check this out! All I want for Christmas is to have YOU at my first preview, December 22nd! Please help me start this off with a bang!
THE FOLLOWING ARE COMMENTS FROM http://www.richardskipper.com/guestbook.html
I have seen Richard Skipper in the past and he gets greater each time! It is my dream to have him perform for my Senior Club and all the Senior Clubs in Ramapo. I will certainly be in touch with him in the near future. Bernard Patashnik, Suffern,N.Y.
Thank you Richard for such a great time at the Iguana! I think that there may be no where else in NYC where you can hear such a wonderful diversity of style and talent. It is an honor and a pleasure to be included in your Company.
Vicki Burns, http://www.vickiburnsjazz.com
I have seen Richard's show many times! OK I am a big fan. This summer Richard brought the show to Provincetown. How perfect. My friends and I could not have enjoyed it more. Congratulations Richard. Phyllis B. Frank, http://www.gaypriderockland.org Phyllis B. Frank (middle), VCS Gay Pride Director, with Juried Art Exhibit & Sale to Benefit Gay Pride Rockland Curator Susan Harrington and Exhibit Chair Hal Parker.
SEE FOR YOURSELF DECEMBER 22nd at ST. LUKE'S THEATRE, 46th Street, NYC 2PM!
. . . 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
Follow me on Twitter www.Twitter.com/RichardSkipper
Google me!
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 HOLIDAY SEASON! With grateful XOXOXs for your support! Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com
" She always studied her parts more through mental concentration-through meditation, in fact-than through any great external activity at rehearsals. She would sit alone for hours, in front of an open window, visualizing each character, listening for the sound of its voice, searching for its inner life, striving to lose herself in it through her imagination and will.
This singleness of purpose, this power of 'one-pointed' concentration-of action through inaction-was the foundation of that discipline of the spirit which enabled her, to an ever greater extent as she developed as an artist, to eliminate self, and become a clear channel for that higher force it was her aim to serve." -Excerpt from THE MYSTIC IN THE THEATRE: Eleanora Duse by Eva Le Galliene
Today was a very interesting day. I began the day with a very important meeting looking back over the past few weeks and events that changed the path I am on and to look ahead to my future. As the meeting started to end, I felt that my fate was sealed. Then the last few moments gave me a little more clarity. One thing is for certain, I deserve to be treated with respect for the work I have done. That is ALL that needs to be said on the subject. After the meeting, I took a "master" class with Judith Light. I have always admired Judith Light as an actress. WHO'S THE BOSS? is still one of my guilty pleasures. I have admired Judith as an advocate for gay rights. But today, I fell in love with Judith Light...thanks to Primary Stages. Last year I took Andrew Lanese's audition technique class. I'm still considered a "student" of Primary Stages. Since I was going to be in the city anyway today (and because I'm ready to take classes again). I signed up for the class. I EXPECTED a class where, if I was lucky enough, I would probably do a few scenes and/or get direction from a pro in the business. I got SO MUCH MORE. She began the class by saying that she didn't really like it being called a master class because she considered us all masters. She also said that she was not concerned with our careers, but rather, with our LIFE choices. Over the course of the next three hours in a class that included 31 "students" , a life affirming session unfolded. Not only did I receive so many blessings from Judith; I also received SO MUCH from everyone who shared in the class. It also gave me the clarity I needed from my earlier meeting today. The very things that were discussed In our meeting today were driven home LOUD AND CLEAR! I now know that decisions that I have made over the past few weeks (and made for me)are now the right decisions for me. I know to some (not knowing ALL the details), that my actions have been questioned. When the time is right, ALL will be revealed. Thank you Judith! I have seen the LIGHT"! Cannot wait to see you in Lombardi. Visit the website at http://www.lombardibroadway.com
Earlier this week, I saw Donna McKechnie. Another MASTER CLASS in how to do it.
The evening was brilliantly directed by by Richard Jay-Alexander with musical direction by Alex Rybeck.
McKechnie's autobiographical My Musical Comedy Life "encompassed music from some of Broadway's most celebrated composers, including Stephen Sondheim, Ed Kleban and Marvin Hamlisch, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Cy Coleman, as well as more contemporary artists including Francesca Blumenthal and Ann Hampton Callaway."
Best known for her Tony-winning performance as Cassie in the original production of A Chorus Line, McKechnie has appeared in a plethora of musicals both on and Off-Broadway, some of which include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Company, State Fair, Can-Can, Annie Get Your Gun, I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road, State Fair and Promises, Promises. In her first full length, one-woman musical celebration, Inside the Music, McKechnie performed songs from several of these productions and offered personal anecdotes about her experiences with some of the theatre's finest actors, directors, producers and writers. A live recording of that act was released on the Fynsworth Alley label. Simon & Schuster published McKechnie's autobiography, "Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life."I saw Donna McKechnie at The Laurie Beechman Theatre with a star studded audience Wednesday night. I have seen several incarnations of this show.The show is better than ever! This show is superb! It is a master class in HOW TO DO IT! Kudos to Richard Jay Alexander ( I want to work with him!) , Alex Rybeck, and, of course, Donna and to all who have been part of this remarkable career. We are all better for it.! To read more about Donna, please visit her website at http://www.donnamckechnie.com
Take Donna home with you! http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=donna+mckechnie&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hl=en&cid=10022299951653568385&ei=w6XUTPL6AajswgXvg4zzDw&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p
Saturday night, I did a gig that was a MASTER CLASS on how to present an entertainer...with class! It was one of the best private gigs I have ever had! Robin and Ken Kencel. Hired me to perform at their home in Greenwich, CT after they saw my July 27th show at St. Luke's. They invited 50 friends to their home for a surprise presentation.The guests knew they were going to see a show but had no idea what they were going to see! Very frightening for me (and Robin!) because we had no idea what the reaction was going to be. Chairs were set up in the parlor theatre style and a gorgeous baby grand piano. John Fischer accompanied me. I did my full show for them! One of the best audiences I have EVER ever played to! The care and consideration that went into last night was incredible. Robin, I will gauge ALL future gigs on the high standard you set last night! Thank you! With grateful XOXOXs!
Today, thanks to a FACEBOOK friend, Sandra Holiday, I received items from the London production of "HELLO, DOLLY! starring Danny LaRue!Danny is one of my idols. Read about Danny here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_La_Rue
Now, I'm going to be creating my own master classes on Building a Following: How to Increase your Audience and Fan base! Stay tuned!! What three things have you done in the past five days to move you to the next level? GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING!
Have something to promote? Please send a press release to Richard@RichardSkipper.com and I will include it in my next blog (November 5th)!
THE FOLLOWING ARE RECENT COMMENTS FROM http://www.richardskipper.com/guestbook.html
Thank you Richard for such a great time at the Iguana! I think that there may be no where else in NYC where you can hear such a wonderful diversity of style and talent. It is an honor and a pleasure to be included in your Company.
Vicki Burns, http://www.vickiburnsjazz.com
Richard, Thank you so much for making Wednesday Night at The Iguana such a memorable occasion. I was honored to be on the program with so many other wonderful, talented singers. What a bore Wednesday nights will be without the joy of you and the diverse group of artists you managed to bring each week to the Iguana. Wish it could have gone on, and on, and on and on. Alicia Terry Littman, NYC
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
. . . 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
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TILL NEXT WEEK...HERE'S TO A MUSICAL HALLOWEEN!
With grateful XOXOXs for your support! Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com
(JERRY HERMAN, pictured here with Producer/Director/Writer/Editor: Amber Edwards, WORDS AND MUSIC BY JERRY HERMAN) Jerry Herman: Enjoying the Latest “La Cage” Ride (SOURCE: Deborah Behrens)
Three is Jerry Herman’s lucky number.
He the only composer/lyricist to have three shows play concurrently on Broadway as well as the only one for decades to have three runs of more than 1500 consecutive performances until Stephen Schwartz caught up in 2007. Theatrical juggernauts Hello, Dolly! and Mame anchor both lists with Dear World briefly making it a menage a trois in 1969 and La Cage Aux Folles adding another pair of legs to the duos long distance team 14 years later. Now the second Broadway revival of the show that made “I Am What I Am” a national gay anthem, starring Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge this time around as St. Tropez nightclub owner Georges and his drag queen partner Albin, is poised to put Herman in the history books again as the first composer/lyricist to win three Tony Awards for the same musical. This production has already garnered four Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Drama Desk Awards and a Drama League Award for Best Musical Revival.
“I thought, I can’t expect any more from La Cage,” he acknowledges one morning in his Beverly Hills living room “It gave me my third show that ran over 1500 performances. It gave me two Tony Awards. And it gave me a new bunch of songs people are singing at bar mitzvahs and weddings and god knows where else. What more can there be, you know? I thought that it had given me its all.” Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, this third outing is not your father’s La Cage. Before crossing the pond to 48th Street, London’s Terry Johnson-helmed Menier Chocolate Factory production tossed out the high glam glitz of the 1983 original and stripped it down to its shabby drag club roots. Six Cagelles and the principal actors perform for an audience seated in a small theatre set up like a real club. It won 2009 Olivier Awards for Best Musical Revival and Best Actor in a Musical for star Douglas Hodge. When producers Sonia Friedman and David Babani approached Herman two years prior with Johnson’s fresh conceit, he realized they had uncovered a new way to expand the life of the show.
“They didn’t want me to change anything,” he explains. “They didn’t want Harvey to change any dialogue. They just wanted our blessing to do it in this very scaled-down fashion so the audience actually feels like they’re coming into a little club and having that experience of being part of the show. Harvey and I were thrilled because we recognized how life-giving that was to our baby. There would now be new ways and new places to do it. “Let’s face it, the original La Cage was expensive. I mean the Cagelles’ costumes used every sequin and bead in New York! They were magnificent but it was known as an expensive, heavy musical. And I loved every minute of it.”
Herman credits the London team with birthing the new La Cage concept completely on their own sans his input, which he admits was a new experience for him. “The three of them were very instrumental in how this was done. They did it. I wasn’t there. I supervised the two returns of Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! and I always have my hand in a Mack & Mabel production somewhere because I’m trying to get that into the perfect place. But I had nothing to do with it! So it was a real eye opener because neither Harvey or I were there to say ‘you can’t do that to this.’ We just let them go.” While some health issues prevented Herman from seeing the London production, he attended opening night at the Longacre Theatre and saw how letting go transformed his show. “Oddly enough my initial reaction was, this enhances my work more than the original,” he admits. “It is so much more moving and so much funnier because there’s nothing in the way. I didn’t realize that until I saw it. Not only is it a wonderful new way to do the show but now it directs more focus to the important things I was writing about. There’s a song in La Cage called ‘Look Over There’ where George scolds his son and says, ‘How can you forget about this man who brought you love and brought us all this joy and say he’s not welcome at your wedding?’ This production made that stronger. That’s what I’m thrilled about. That Harvey’s work and my work is stronger. And we didn’t change a thing.”
What did change in the ensuing 27 years since the show’s first 1983 mounting was public attitude towards sexual identity. Gay and lesbian characters now enjoy prominent storylines in television and on film. Gender bending performers like Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert top the music and style charts. Being metrosexual, having a bromance or kissing your gal pal are now mainstream magazine topics. Drag is viewed by a younger generation of out men as a relic of an era when gay life was more closeted. According to Herman, the new grittier La Cage taps into the modern zeitgeist in a way he could never have imagined.
“I have a word for it. Raw. It’s right out there in front of you. I’m not trying to denigrate the first production in any way. I want you to know that. I am so grateful to Arthur Laurents for what he did on that and to all the people who put it together with me because we created a statement at a difficult time. AIDS was just scaring everybody. I love that production and I always will. This is something totally different, which I didn’t expect. It has just been an extraordinary year for me because of all this.”
Searching for Mame & Dolly (LOOK NO FURTHER! READ HERE: http://www.richardskipper.com/h-testimonials/2008-06.16.html)
Jerry Herman is a gracious host who greets you in the marble floored foyer of his one floor Beverly Hills apartment with partner Terry Marler (pictured here) at his side, then asks what drink the house man can bring you before offering your choice of seats in a well appointed living room accented by a large red curled piece of wall art and a black grand piano.
Using La Cage as an example, Herman underscores why a good pairing is crucial to a show’s success. “Douglas and Kelsey together are an exquisite pair. First of all they like each other as people and it shows. You can’t hide that on a stage. I once had a male/female couple who hated each other off-stage and tried to hide it. It didn’t work. I’m looking for the right two stars for a Mack & Mabel now.”
A team that worked like gangbusters was Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur in Mame but Herman didn’t know it for sure until the out of town tryout in Philadelphia.
“A show is a living thing, specially one that’s in rehearsal and going through changes. You never know. You always think you have something wonderful because it’s your baby. I worked sometimes for two years on a score before I actually got it into rehearsal. And still you never know what you have until that first audience. We were in love with Mame and with Angela and Bea. What a combination! What a happy time it was. Fifteen minutes after the curtain went up in Philadelphia, I knew I had an enormous hit. I didn’t have to wait until the curtain call. They went crazy in that audience. It’s then that you really know what you have. And it’s tough to be greeted by less than that, which has happened to me.”
According to Herman Mame was a gift in every department as was turning Angela Lansbury into a Broadway star. His current challenge is finding an established star rather than anointing a new one for a possible revival. Producers don’t want to back an unknown in the current economic climate and the talent pool of triple threats has diminished over time. “If you have any idea who could do that today, please pass it on to me,” he says sincerely. “You have to put a star into a show like Mame today. And who do we have? You know we don’t train people like that anymore. We’re also considering a new Dolly. After the La Cage madness cools down, we will do one of them but we have to find that lady first.” That lady needs to be a 40 something or older actress with an established track record who’s a triple threat who can sell tickets and attract backers.
And that’s not all on Herman’s wish list.
“Between Dolly and Mame, the more difficult one is Mame because she literally has to be a lady.
She can’t be a clown. I did a film of Mame with a great clown, the most wonderful funny lady but she was not Mame. Mame is an elegant woman who lives on Beekman Place and who doesn’t think she’s funny. She has to sing because she’s naked out there with ‘If He Walked Into My Life’ and the opening number. I mean she’s got to have pipes. She’s got to dance and she’s got to be a very believable heartfelt actress. And she’s got to look great in a magnificent Bob Mackie wardrobe. She’s got to be able to do all that. I don’t know where you’ll find her.”
Not that Herman hasn’t tried. “I promise you I spend hours of my time looking through magazines, looking through books, watching movies to see if there’s somebody I’ve passed by who’s still with us who can do it. I’d rather just give people the original album with Angela and say ‘this is Mame’ than to have a half-baked version of it, you know?”
Interest in a new Hello, Dolly! came after a new generation re-discovered the film via movie clips utilized in Pixar’s animated 2008 blockbuster WALL-E. A scene showing Michael Crawford and Marianne McAndrew singing “It Only Takes a Moment” and holding hands form the basis for a robot’s understanding of love. Herman admits he had no idea what Pixar had in mind when he gave them the rights to use the footage.
“I have to tell you WALL-E affected me so deeply because I didn’t know. I signed a piece of paper that allowed Pixar to use pieces of two songs from Hello, Dolly! I said how wonderful you know, it’s Pixar. They’re not going to do anything to hurt those songs. And that’s all I knew. I had no idea the whole idea of learning about love and learning about happiness actually came from that brilliant idea of an old tape. I give them such credit. But I didn’t know when I went to the theatre. You should have seen me in there. When it ended with ‘and that is all that love’s about,’ I was in tears.”
Herman credits Pixar with making those two songs familiar to a new generation. “There are kids who know the songs now and me. So you know, my life has been so extraordinary. How you ever imagine as a kid who wanted to be a songwriter that it would turn out to be this? You don’t dare dream that you know. But it’s things like WALL-E that came at me unexpectedly that have made my life even more wonderful and richer.” So if a show like La Cage with its glamorous showgirls can be re-imagined in an intimate space, how would he feel about large cast productions like Hello, Dolly! and Mame making the same transition if asked? “Because if you had asked me three or four years ago would I like to see La Cage scaled down to that I probably would have said no thinking about the gorgeous Arthur Laurents production. But I would no longer say no to anything because I want people to hear my songs. If they hear them played with a 30-piece orchestra, I’ll be ecstatic.
If they hear them played by an eight-piece orchestra in New York, I’m just as happy because they’re getting the melody and the lyrics just as clearly. So there’s a whole difference in my thinking. I have to grow a little, too.”
He does admit, given current Broadway ticket prices, audiences expect to get some bang for their musical buck in terms of elaborate sets and large scale production numbers, which are the central attractions of both Dolly and Mame.
“Mame comes with glamour and it comes with Beekman Place. I don’t know if I would like to see it as a small musical. I do think honestly that Dolly is strongest with a chorus singing ‘Put on Your Sunday Clothes’ and 14 waiters singing ‘Hello, Dolly!’ But can it be scaled down? Yes, it can be because like La Cage it’s about people. It’s about Dolly Levi and Horace Vandergelder. Cornelius Hackl and Irene Molloy. Barnaby Tucker and Minnie Fay. I would never say no anymore!” he laughs.
Herman is one of the last composer/lyricists to have had a foot both in the golden era of Broadway musicals led by Cole Porter to Rodgers & Hammerstein melodies that influenced popular culture and the new Sondheim-helmed epoch of mathematical complexity and socio-political statement.
“I got into the business still in time to have songs of mine played on the radio,” he admits. “One threw the Beatles off the Billboard chart! ["Hello, Dolly!" sung by Louis Armstrong reached the number one spot in 1964 ending the Beatles streak of three number one hits in a row.] “Then to witness the great change in Broadway. I mean the great Sondheim came along and changed things. He writes beautiful melody. Nobody really gives him enough credit for that. But I was there writing pop songs that could be done by Eydie Gorme. So I had the best of both Broadways.”
The ability to sing or write pure melody lines has become undervalued in a Simon Cowell led world. American Idol’s influence on a new generation of singers and its blatant demeaning of traditional Broadway style interpretation has many concerned for the art form’s future. Herman thinks one shouldn’t have to be chosen over another.
“I don’t feel you have to lose a way of making music to gain a new way,” he emphasizes. "You don’t have to throw out the baby with the bathwater to go new places. The healthiest Broadway for me is when Next to Normal is playing across the street from Hello, Dolly! which is playing around the corner from A Little Night Music, playing two blocks away from a jukebox musical like Mama Mia. They all have their place. Even a Gilbert and Sullivan. You don’t have to throw one out to make room for the others. People don’t understand that.”
Herman walks down the hall to his office. Behind the desk is a nearly full-sized oil painting of him seated in a chair, handsomely clad in a Mad Men era suit when he was among Broadway’s youngest and brightest.
“I love it even now,” he admits looking at the portrait by Roger Robles. “You still want to look like that. Sometimes it’s hard for me because they would start an encore with ‘the new young composer’ and all of a sudden to be the oldest!
But I have to tell you there is absolutely no way I can wrap my brain around the fact I’m approaching my 79th birthday. I can’t imagine it because there’s nothing in me that feels like that. I know I don’t look like that cute kid anymore but I don’t feel like a man of that age or behave like one!
He gives a good deal of the credit to his partner of 12 years, Palm Springs real estate broker Terry Marler. “I have a guy in my life who is youthful and full of vigor and we go to South Beach and we walk along the ocean. We go to movies. We go to Broadway together. We have the most beautiful life. And neither of us, well he’s 15 years younger than I am to begin with, but neither of us feel like we’re anywhere near those numbers!” he laughs. “Maybe when the actual 80 comes, I’ll have to sit down with myself and say, ‘You know, it’s embarrassing Jerry not to realize where you are on the ladder!”
As for his life at this vantage point, Herman takes a page from his childhood days.
“I used to go on the Cyclone in Coney Island with my father who was a rollercoaster nut. I would scream my head off and my mother would stand down there and think we were both crazy. She would not get on it no matter what we tried to do. And it’s not stopping.”
The 14th Annual Tony Awards Party, hosted by Tommy Tune, featured the Julie Harris Award presented by Annette Bening to Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell in recognition of not only his theatrical accomplishments but also his leadership as Chairman of the Board of The Actors Fund. Jerry Herman was recognized with this award two years ago. The gala is produced and written by Marc Cherry and David Rambo with the only live feed in California of the Tony Awards broadcast from New York.
DIVAPALOOZA is a tribute to the Great Divas of Stage and Screen with an All Male Cast. On June 28th at 7:00 p.m. Jay Rogers,Eric Michael Gillett,Jaron Vesley,Jim Speake,Steven Hodge,Bill McKinley,T.Oliver Reid,Tom Gamblin,Shane Gallagher,David Colbert,Troy Cain,Aaron Lee Battle,with a special performance by Ricky Ritzel and Joseph Macchia. Kenneth Green Musical directs. The evening will benefit Help Is On The Way Today a non for profit that helps children living with HIV and AIDS.
DIVAPALOOZA The Laurie Beechman June 28th at 7:00 p.m. Doors oepn at 6:15 p.m. $20 Cover Charge and $15 Food/Drink Minimum
To make resevations call 212-695-6909
BOBBY BELFRY live at THE OAK ROOM with THE DAVID BUDWAY TRIO June 17th at 7pm & 9pm The Plaza Hotel 10 Central Park South, NY NY 212-758-7777 Reserve ASAP! $15 Cover/2 drink minimum No cover with dinner
Supper Club Thursdays with
Bobby Belfry
The famed Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel (10 Central Park South, NY NY 212-758-7777) is one of New York's most beautiful restaurants where some of the most famous faces have wined and dined. The Oak Room was also home to Truman Capote's legendary black & white ball and to this day hosts some of the most glamorous events in New York City.
Part of New York City nightlife has always been the supper club; a place where one can hear the sounds of a live band while enjoying a remarkable meal snuggled up to their loved one with a chilled martini in hand, while the singer crooned out a tune. Starting Thursday June 17 that experience returns to New York as Chef Eric Hara and his Oak Room team present singer/songwriter Bobby Belfry and his trio weekly with sets at 7pm and 9pm (no cover with dinner, $15 cover 2 drink minimum.) Chef Hara feels that the opulence and beauty of his dining room demands more than dinner and has always wanted to enhance diners' experiences by giving more; live music feels like a natural extension of what is already offered, and Bobby's style fits perfectly into the room.
A very diverse performer Bobby Belfry has performed at Feinstein's, The Metropolitan Club, and Brandy's, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, The Russian Tea Room, The Rainbow Room, Bitter End, China Club, CBGB's, Smoke, The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, The Kennedy Center, and The Cinegrill in Hollywood. He is award winning singer/songwriter, whose latest album, entitled ´LIVE: In The Heart Of The Universe¡ has just been released to great response.
"Bobby Belfry is one to savor, embrace and lend the hand of fame to...smooth jazz outlets will have a ball with this shrewd offering" said Chuck Taylor of Billboard Magazine.
Bobby has also appeared on national television on "The Morning Blend", a news/talk show on MSNBC, and is a frequent guest on WOR Radio's The Joey Reynolds Show, whose theme song, penned by Bobby, is played for an audience of 5 million listeners, nightly. He has also received the MAC Award for outstanding Pop/R&B Vocalist and several Critics Choice Vocalist Awards.
Lovers of both food and music now have a wonderful reason to visit the Oak Room, too often one experience is sacrificed for the other, at The Oak Room they live in perfect harmony.
Mame' casting choice succeeds
(SOURCE:ROHAN PRESTON, Star Tribune)
Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Directed by Steven Meerdink for Minneapolis Musical Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sun. Ends June 27.
Illusion Theater, 8th fl., Hennepin Center for the Arts, 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. Tickets: $25-$28. 612-339-4944 or www.aboutmmt.org
Mame is defined onstage by theater and screen icon Angela Lansbury, who played it on Broadway in the 1966 original musical and won one of her raft of Tonys.
Onscreen, Lucille Ball brought a flighty sensibility to Mame in a 1974 film version of the Jerry Herman classic.
With husky voice, fetching figure and very careful steps, Twin Cities actor Kevin Hansen is delivering a Mame that wakes theatrical ghosts. Hansen has gleefully stepped into the pumps of the Bohemian auntie who meets misfortune with grace and indefatigability.
The Minneapolis Musical Theatre's staging that opened over the weekend and stars the handsome Hansen is not the campy production I half-expected it to be. Under the no-fuss direction of Steven Meerdink, Overall, the actor and the large cast play it straight.
If this "Mame" is ultimately cute and charming, it's not because the music, directed by Lori Maxwell, is live (it's not), or because the dance moves are new and dashing (the production draws heavily on Onna White's original choreography) or even because director Meerdink brings out new ideas in this revival.
Like "Hello, Dolly" and "Gypsy," "Mame" has great music, snazzy choreography and a story that affirms some national ethos. Mame lives in New York, her life an endless party with arty friends such as publisher M. Lindsay Woolsey (Paul R. Coate) and singer-actor Vera Charles (Karen Wiese-Thompson). She does not change her lifestyle when her deceased brother's son, Patrick (Graham Zima as the young Patrick and Max Wojtanowicz as the older version), comes to the big city to live with her. Through misfortune and fortune, Mame introduces Patrick to all the characters of her world, much to the consternation of Dwight Babcock (Brent Declaw). Hansen's surrounding cast draws their antic or credible characters vividly. Wiese-Thompson is true to Vera's haughtiness and weariness. Wojtanowicz's older Patrick embodies earnest pleasantness. And Crystal Manik gives a risible performance as nanny Agnes Gooch.
But it is Hansen, with vocal strength and spot-on comic timing, who carries the simple production on his strong shoulders. Vocally, he is at his best when he's singing with the full ensemble on such numbers as "Open a New Window" and "It's Today," both expressive of Mame's, and the show's, try-again philosophy.
Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390
Red, Memphis, La Cage aux Folles, Fences Win 2010 Tony Awards (SOURCE:Kenneth Jones, PLAYBILL.COM)
Red, John Logan's portrait of abstract-expressionist artist Mark Rothko, and Memphis, the story of showbiz aspirations and forbidden love in the Civil Rights era, were named Best Play and Best Musical, respectively, at the 2010 Tony Awards ceremony June 13 at Radio City Music Hall.
In other production categories, the Tony for Best Revival of a Play went to the late August Wilson's drama Fences starring Denzel Washington (who won the Best Actor Tony) and Viola Davis (who was Tony-blessed as Best Actress in a Play), and Best Revival of a Musical went to La Cage aux Folles starring British actor Douglas Hodge (who won the Tony as Best Actor in a Musical) and Kelsey Grammer.
Sean Hayes, a 2010 Best Actor nominee currently starring in Broadway's Promises, Promises, hosted the 64th Annual Tony Awards, which celebrate the best of Broadway's 2009-10 season.
The revival of Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's La Cage aux Folles originated (with Hodge as Albin/Zaza) at the tiny Menier Chocolate Factory in London and has been hailed by critics. Director Terry Johnson (who won the Tony for Best Direction of a Musical) reinvented the title's drag club not as a lavish Vegas-style venue but as a grittier, vest-pocket neighborhood joint. He also set the 1984 musical in the late '70s, before AIDS-era modern gay expression surfaced, making the Jerry Herman anthem "The Best of Times" more poignant than ever. Except for Hodge and one featured dancer (Nicholas Cunningham) from the U.K., the Broadway cast of La Cage is made up of American performers.
American playwright John Logan got the idea for his play Red when he viewed Rothko paintings in London while he was working there on the film of "Sweeney Todd."
Young British actor Eddie Redmayne, who plays Ken — a fictional assistant to artist Mark Rothko in Red — won the Tony as Best Featured Actor in a Play. His character brings out the best and worst in Rothko, illuminating the life of the passionate, troubled artist. Redmayne previously won the Olivier Award for his work after the play's debut at London's Donmar Warehouse.
Michael Grandage, Donmar's artistic director, won in the category of Best Direction of a Play for Red (he was a previous Tony direction nominee for Frost/Nixon). Grandage's entire design team (lights, set and sound) won 2010 Tonys. The play is set in Rothko's grubby-gray industrial art studio, where the color of the world is not only Rothko's scarlet canvases but the two vivid men who dwell there.
Lyricist-librettist Joe DiPietro, who has been writing for the theatre for more than 15 years, won Tony for Best Book of a Musical and Best Score (sharing the latter with composer-lyricist David Bryan, the rocker of the band Bon Jovi). DiPietro may be best known for his international hit musical I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.
Memphis, the tale of a white DJ who promotes and falls for a black singer in the Jim Crow South, has been in development for seven years, and was seen in readings, workshops and an out-of-town tryout co-produced by La Jolla Playhouse and 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle before coming to Broadway. The Tony win is a sweet victory for lead producers and the show's longtime shepherds Sue Frost and Randy Adams of Junkyard Dog Productions.
The one award for the musical Million Dollar Quartet — about the fateful 1950s recording-studio meeting of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley — went to Best Featured Actor in a Musical Levi Kreis for his fiery turn as Lewis. He and his castmates originated their roles in Chicago for a long run before the work transferred to Broadway.
The one award for the new revival of A Little Night Music went to Catherine Zeta-Jones as Best Actress in a Musical. The show goes on hiatus June 20 before Bernadette Peters steps into Zeta-Jones' shoes in July (with Elaine Stritch taking the role created by Angela Lansbury).
Bill T. Jones (pictured) won the Tony for Best Choreography for the expressionistic musical Fela!, about the late Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti.
Katie Finneran is on stage in the new revival of Promises, Promises for only about 15 minutes, but critics and audiences went wild for her performance as a tipsy one-song character named Marge MacDougall. Tony voters loved her, too: She won the Tony as Featured Actress in a Musical. It's her second featured-actress Tony after winning in 2002 for a revival of Noises Off
Film star Scarlett Johansson, for her Broadway debut as a niece struggling to grow beyond the grasp of her uncle, in A View From the Bridge, won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She thanked her mom for helping her pound the pavement when she was a child actress. Like her co-stars in the Arthur Miller play, glamorous Johannson disappeared behind a Brooklyn accent and embraced the clouds of working-class hardship that shrouded the acclaimed revival.
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient playwright Ayckbourn thanked two major New York supporters of his work in recent years — Lynne Meadow, artistic director of Manhattan Theatre Club, and Off-Broadway's 59E59 Theaters and its leaders Peter Tear and Elysabeth Kleinhans. This is the first Tony won by the author of such plays as Absurd Person Singular, Bedroom Farce and The Norman Conquests. He noted that this was a special Tony, and that he hoped to win in a competitive category one day. "If not, and it's my last, what a helluva good way to finish," he said.
When she accepted her Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement, Marian Seldes (pictured) walked to the microphone, put her hand to her cheek and wordlessly made a stunned expression before exiting (slowly, grandly) into the wings.
The final tally of winners follows: Red - 6 Memphis - 4 Fences - 3 Fela - 3 La Cage aux Folles - 3 American Idiot - 2 A View from the Bridge - 1 Promises, Promises - 1 Million Dollar Quartet - 1 The Royal Family - 1 A Little Night Music - 1
Nominees and recipients of the 64th Annual Tony Awards follow, with recipients marked in bold and with an asterisk.
Best Musical
American Idiot
Fela! *Memphis
Million Dollar Quartet
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Douglas Hodge photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises *Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles Chad Kimball, Memphis Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Finian's Rainbow Montego Glover, Memphis Christiane Noll, Ragtime Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture *Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music
Best Revival of a Musical
Finian's Rainbow
*La Cage aux Folles
A Little Night Music
Ragtime
Best Play
In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play Author: Sarah Ruhl Next Fall Author: Geoffrey Nauffts
*Red Author: John Logan
Time Stands Still Author: Donald Margulies
Best Revival of a Play
*Fences
Lend Me a Tenor
The Royal Family
A View From the Bridge
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises *Bill T. Jones, Fela! Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jude Law, Hamlet Alfred Molina, Red Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane *Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
*Viola Davis, Fences Valerie Harper, Looped Linda Lavin, Collected Stories Laura Linney, Time Stands Still Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian's Rainbow *Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet Bobby Steggert, Ragtime
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim *Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away Lillias White, Fela!
Best Direction of a Musical
Christopher Ashley, Memphis Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime *Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Best Direction of a Play
*Michael Grandage, Red((L-R) Director Michael Grandage, actors Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne and playwright John Logan attend the Broadway opening of "RED" after party at Gotham Hall on April 1, 2010 in New York City. March 31, 2010 - Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America) Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall Kenny Leon, Fences Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
David Alan Grier, Race Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts Stephen Kunken, Enron *Eddie Redmayne, Red
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge *Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles *Robert Kaplowitz, Fela! Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim
Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners, Fences Adam Cork, Enron *Adam Cork, Red Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Marina Draghici, Fela! *Christine Jones, American Idiot Derek McLane, Ragtime Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
*Kevin Adams, American Idiot Donald Holder, Ragtime Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles Robert Wierzel, Fela!
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Hamlet *Neil Austin, Red Mark Henderson, Enron Brian MacDevitt, Fences
Best Scenic Design of a Play John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter Santo Loquasto, Fences *Christopher Oram, Red
Best Costume Design of a Musical *Marina Draghici, Fela! Paul Tazewell, Memphis Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles
Best Costume Design of a Play
Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor Constanza Romero, Fences David Zinn, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play *Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family
Best Book of a Musical
Everyday Rapture Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott
Fela! Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones
*Memphis Joe DiPietro (Pictured David Bryan and Joe DiPietro)
Million Dollar Quartet Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Addams Family Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa Enron Music: Adam Cork Lyrics: Lucy Prebble
Fences Music: Branford Marsalis
*Memphis Music: David Bryan Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan
Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles Aaron Johnson, Fela! Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises *Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis
The 2010 Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre were presented to playwright and director Alan Ayckbourn, and Tony Award-winning actress Marian Seldes. The recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award is Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce. The Isabelle Stevenson Award recognizes an individual from the theatre community "who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre.
This year's Tony Honors are presented to The Alliance of Resident Theatres New York, B.H. Barry and BC/EFA executive director Tom Viola.
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT, is the recipient of the 2010 Tony Award for Regional Theatre. ***
Playbill.com blogged from the Tony ceremony press room throughout the evening. Playbill magazine editor Blake Ross tweeted from her seat in Radio City Music Hall to give theatre fans a view of the ceremony from the audience's perspective, including what's not captured on camera in the auditorium. Join Twitter and follow her at twitter.com/PlaybillBlake. Playbill staffers tweeted on Twitter throughout the evening, too. Join Twitter and follow twitter.com/Playbill. We'll also share Tony news on Facebook. Join Facebook and follow Playbill.
The new musical Fela!, which began life Off-Broadway, and the revival of La Cage aux Folles, earned 11 nominations a piece, the most of any production of the season. *
The 2010 Tonys are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Paul Libin is chairman, and Charlotte St. Martin is executive director. At the American Theatre Wing, Theodore S. Chapin is chairman, and Howard Sherman is executive director. For Tony Award Productions, Alan Wasser and Allan Williams of Alan Wasser Associates are the general managers.
Support THE ARTS! LIVE THEATRE! Go see a LIVE show this week!
Send me your reviews and suggestions and I will put them in my next blog coming out June 20th. Here's to an ARTS-filled 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 HERE IS WHAT AUDIENCES ARE SAYING ABOUT MY WORK:
The Following is from Rich Siegel's blog:To acknowledge one special professional relationship in particular, I've toured the US with cabaret star Richard Skipper , from Maine to Colorado to South Carolina and various points in between. I suppose I never expected back in my music school days that I would be working for a man who puts on a dress and becomes Carol Channing, but doing so has been an absolute delight! Celebrities! (This paragraph is not for the squeamish! I am dropping names!) Did I tell you that just before a Richard Skipper show in Mississippi Carol Channing herself called to wish us a good show?!! Part of the fun of working as a free-lance musician has been contact with celebrities, and I'd be lying if I denied it! (SOURCE: http://richsiegel.com/musicmaina.html)
What a fun night last Wednesday at The Iguana - and a great & fabulously talented crowd too! Thank you for creating this wonderful new room, Richard, and for creating this great community of singers in the city! xo, Lori Evanson
It was great to see Richard Skipper perform last night at Tudor City Greens AND The Iguana. He is the perfect host and has proven he is a great host anywhere. We can't wait to see his show in July. I'm getting some others to join us. Oh...and a friend of ours in California just LOVES him. She sees the reviews and testimonials and thinks he is pretty classy. We hope they will be out here in the fall and she can't wait to meet him. Mary Lahti
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NYC THE AWARD WINNING WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE IGUANA STARRING DANA LORGE, RICHARD SKIPPER, AND FRIENDS! Dana Lorge and I have put our OWN spin on the variety show format and are now hosting every Wednesday night in NYC at The Iguana VIP Lounge (http://www.iguananyc.com) in the heart of NYC (240 West 54th Street 8-11PM/with an intermission).
Cover: $12 - no food or drink minimums – but remember – the food is great! WINNER OF TWO 2010 MANHATTAN ASSOCIATION OF CABARETS AND CLUBS AWARDS (MAC) FOR OUTSTANDING VARIETY SHOW AND OUTSTANDING HOSTS! or more info, please call 845-365-0720 or visit _www.RichardSkipper.com_ RESERVATIONS A MUST!!!!!!!! 212-765-5454.
TOMORROW NIGHT!June 16th: 2010 Frederique Bessone, Nina Grand, Lisa Raze returns and Lorinda Lisitza joins us for the first time!
JUNE 23rd: CELEBRATING ONE YEAR OF WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE IGUANA!Daryl Glenn, Sigali Hamberger, Bobbie Horowitz, Dora Rubin, Pam Tate,and Catt John, Julie Reyburn!
June 30th: KEVIN DOZIER!, Barbara Gurskey, Evan Lawrence, TRAVIS MOSER RETURNS, Frank Torren!
JULY 7th: JON BURR & LYNN STEIN and JANICE HALL RETURN!
Here I am at a very early hour writing my blog on Christmas Day. Danny and Horace and most of the world are still asleep but I'm up and on a high and here at my desk. I had an incredible Christmas Eve. Almost a sold out show and mostly strangers and tourists! I like that! But I also had Joe Franklin, John Tantillo, Florence Ferrare, Barbara Flood, and Joan Jaffee (celebrating her birthday!) among others in the audience! Thank you all!
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