#laura benanti tony season

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas MASTERPOST

Welcome to my passion project. It has come to my attention that some viewers of HBO's The Gilded Age are unfamiliar with the extensive theatre credits, alcoates, and vocal talents many of the actors possess. As the resident Broadway Diva expert, it is my responsibility to fix that.

Pictured: 20 Tony Awards and 52 nominations. Audra McDonald...well, she kind of inflates the numbers a little. Edit: Justice for Tony winner Debra Monk. She's main cast.

Introducing my new series of blog posts where I will be highlighting two theatre veterans per day in the lead-up to our much-anticipated season two finale episode.

This series will heavily focus on a select few musical performances that are widely available for viewing, in addition to a brief career rundown. I will be limiting myself to no more than five videos per Diva, otherwise we'd be here for a lifetime. These performances will include popular songs and hidden gems alike, all curated to specifically show off the actress's considerable range in the theatre, especially juxtaposed against their roles in the show.

With respect to Michael Cerveris, Nathan Lane, and the other theatre gentlemen, I will be focusing this series on the women because I am a lesbian and this show is about the women, dammit. But fear not, they will most certainly be making appearances throughout because everyone has worked with everyone on stage.

The Divas:

Christine Baranski (Agnes van Rhijn) Donna Murphy (Caroline "Lina" Astor) Kelli O'Hara (Aurora Fane) Katie Finneran (Anne Morris) Debra Monk (Armstrong) Celia Keenan-Bolger (Mrs. Bruce) Laura Benanti (Susan Blane) Linda Emond (Clara Barton) Amber Gray (Bea) Denee Benton (Peggy Scott) Audra McDonald (Dorothy Scott) Jeanne Tripplehorn (Sylvia Chamberlain) Bonus: Duets, Trios, and Other Crossovers

[ginger1982]

🎉🎉🎉

[hazelcallahan]

mood going into tonys season is: laura benanti talking abt tootsie

[brothermarc7theatre]

Musical Monday...errr....Tuesday

Hello and welcome to this delayed but lovely Musical Monday highlight. It is, yet again, another tech week for me, so I must feature the show in which I am working on. This gem of a musical is one that is seldom done, but when it is staged, it is an audience favorite. Let’s take a trip to the local parfumerie and take in the smells of this wonderful piece!

Musical Monday date: 10/22/2019

Musical: She Loves Me

Book, Music, and Lyrics: Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick

Broadway Run: ORIGINAL CAST= April 23, 1963 - January 11, 1964

                           1ST REVIVAL CAST= June 10, 1993 - June 19, 1994

                           2ND REVIVAL CAST= March 17, 2016 - July 10, 2016

Awards Won: ORIGINAL CAST= Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Jack Cassidy)

                       1ST REVIVAL CAST= Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Boyd Gaines)/Drama Desk Award for Outsanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Boyd Gaines)

                        2ND REVIVAL CAST= Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical (David Rockwell)/Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Jane Krakowski),Outstanding Orchestrations (Larry Hochman), Outstanding Set Design for a Musical (David Rockwell)

Other: There was a one-night concert engagement in 2011 that starred Josh Radnor (Georg), Kelli O’Hara (Amalia), Gavin Creel (Kodaly), Jane Krakowski (Ilona), Rory O’Malley (Arpad), and Victor Garber (Mr. Maraczek). 

Fun Fact: The legacy of names who have played Amalia include Barbara Cook (Original Broadway Cast), Judy Kuhn (1993 Revival Cast), Kelli O’Hara (2011 Concert), Laura Benanti (2016 Revival Cast) among others.

She Loves Me runs at Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theater from October 25th - December 22nd. It’s also the currently featured show on Drunk Broadway’s season five exploration into musicals over the years. So, point is, there is no shortage of She Loves Me for you to enjoy. Go fall in love with this charming score and tack on a gallon of vanilla ice cream to keep you company. 

[tveitz]

The 2018 Broadway.com Fall Preview, Hosted by Laura Benanti

You may know me from my Tony-winning performance in the Tony-winning revival of Gypsy, opposite Tony winner Patti Lupone, my hilarious impressions of the First Lady or my delightfully personal and enriching presence on social media, AKA oversharing. I am here to match the walls, and to talk about the fall theater season, which I am joining as the star of My Fair Lady.

[customdesignnnn]

‘The Gilded Age’ Adds Laura Benanti, Robert Sean Leonard As Recurring – Deadline

‘The Gilded Age’ Adds Laura Benanti, Robert Sean Leonard As Recurring – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: HBO’s The Gilded Age is adding two more Tony winners to its cast for Season 2. Laura Benanti and Robert Sean Leonard are set to recur on the period drama, created, written and executive produced by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Also joining Season 2 as recurring guest stars are Christopher Denham, David Furr, Ben Lamb, Matilda Lawler, Dakin Mathews, Michael Braugher, and…

[thelatestnews1]

‘The Gilded Age’ Adds Laura Benanti, Robert Sean Leonard As Recurring – Deadline

‘The Gilded Age’ Adds Laura Benanti, Robert Sean Leonard As Recurring – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: HBO’s The Gilded Age is adding two more Tony winners to its cast for Season 2. Laura Benanti and Robert Sean Leonard are set to recur on the period drama, created, written and executive produced by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Also joining Season 2 as recurring guest stars are Christopher Denham, David Furr, Ben Lamb, Matilda Lawler, Dakin Mathews, Michael Braugher, and…

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Susan Blane (Laura Benanti)

Newly widowed Susan Blane has one purpose on this show, and apparently it's to get railed by a younger man and then get chased off by his mother and have her heart broken. Again. And then we never see her again. The end. Justice for Susan.

Now, I will preface this by saying that Laura Benanti lands outside my scope of interest--she's a little young for my tastes. However, I've always been amused and delighted by her performances, and I appreciate how raunchy she is, even if the quirkyness can be a bit...much at times. Laura is a five-time Tony nominee who won in 2008 for her role as Louise in Gypsy alongside Patti LuPone.

Starting off young, Laura Benanti made her Broadway debut at eighteen as the understudy to the late great Rebecca Luker's Maria in The Sound of Music, and eventually replaced her. She's had roles as Cinderella in Into the Woods (2002), Candela in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Eileen Sherwood in the Encores! Wonderful Town opposite Donna Murphy, our beloved Mrs. Astor.

#1: "Wouldn't it be Loverly?" My Fair Lady (2018)

Lincoln Center is soprano territory. As one of the classical soprano dying breeds, Laura took over the role of Eliza Doolittle from Lauren Ambrose in the recent Broadway Revival. Her Eliza was older than most (Laura was on the cusp of forty when the took the role), and a delight, I must say. This show is, of course, a classic, and as such is dated like a classic. The production did attempt to give Eliza more agency, and it seemed to go over fine.

As Susan Blane spends most of her time in the white clothing of Newport, I just kept thinking about the Ascot Gavotte the entire time. The ladies of Newport would fit right in at the racetrack.

Fellow soprano Kelli O'Hara has also played this role in a different Lincoln Center theater back in 2007.

#2: "Model Behavior," Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2011)

A critical failure despite its stellar cast, this show closed in less than three months, but nevertheless earned Laura a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk. Watching this masterclass of a breakdown, you can see why. Set in 80s Spain, the show features Candela, played by Laura, who's freaking out because her romantic interest might be a terrorist. But other than that, he's perfect. She sure knows how to pick 'em...

Tension behind the scenes between leading lady Sherie Rene Scott and Diva Patti LuPone made things a little...well. Anyway.

#3: Laura Benanti & The Skivvies - Passion Massion (2014)

So, I'm gonna be honest, I was going to go with a different Skivvies video, but then I saw Sexy Fosca, and I am baffled, horrified, and delighted.

The Skivvies is a hilarious cabaret group that performs, as you can imagine, in their underwear, and they have guest singers come on, also dressed in lingerie and other underthings. Most of their guest singers are working theatre actors, but sometimes we get Laura Benanti. She was a Skivvies regular for a time, and has a collection of comedic clips you can all enjoy on your own time.

#4: "Vanilla Ice Cream," She Loves Me (2015)

Broadway sopranos pass around roles like hot potatoes. Kelli O'Hara played Amalia Balash in the 2001 concert, and while some members of the cast transferred to Broadway five years later, Kelli was already in The King and I, and since Broadway has like four sopranos of this age that they rotate around, enter Laura Benanti. Though the show and her role was largely overshadowed by a little show called Hamilton that season, the production has a PBS proshot I'd recommend watching.

She Loves Me is yet another adaptation of an early 30s Hungarian play that was also the inspiration for You've Got Mail, so if you've seen that, you know the plot of this. (Side note: Gilded Age's Katie Finneran had a small role as Maureen, the Nanny who runs off with the kids' mother(?) I've never seen it, and that plot wasn't in the musical.)

#5: "So Many People," Saturday Night (2010)

If you thought we were going to get through Laura Benanti without a Sondheim, guess again. While Audra McDonald and Donna Murphy were part of the Ladies in Red, Laura Benanti instead gave us the other oft-sung cabaret number of Saturday Night in the Joanna Gleason dress, only reversed in color. Look it up and you'll see what I mean.

Laura was the last person to perform before the Ladies in Red segment, and thus isn't often remembered. But I remember. (Incidentally, "I Remember" is the song she sang for the Sondheim 90th.)

LINK TO MASTERPOST

[courageiswhenwefaceourfears]

as tony season approaches...

bring back the broadway.com award show

I wanna see Laura Benanti drunkenly host the whole thing

[brothermarc7theatre]

Musical Monday

Hello and welcome to another Musical Monday post. It is Earth Day, but that has nothing to do with today’s musical highlight. This musical wraps up our journey through the 1999 Tony Awards season. A highly beloved musical for those who have seen it; it is a show that has deeply affected me, and it’s a crime that there has not been a revival yet. With that, let’s see how this musical fared in 1999!

Musical Monday date: 4/22/2019

Musical: Parade

Book, Music, and Lyrics: Alfred Uhry, Jason Robert Brown, and Jason Robert Brown

Broadway Run: December 17, 1998 - February 28, 1999

Awards Won: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Musical Score/Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Brent Carver), Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Carolee Carmello), Outstanding Orchestrations (Don Sebesky), Outstanding Music

Other: Parade is currently Harold Prince’s most recent Tony-nominated stint as a Director.

Fun Fact: The cast of Parade boasted such Broadway names as Brent Carver as Leo, Carolee Carmello as Lucille, John Hickok as Governor Slaton, Christy Carlson Romano as Mary, Evan Pappas as Britt Craig, J.C. Montgomery as Riley/Ensemble, and Megan McGinnis in the Ensemble. 

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing the Jason Robert Brown-conducted concert of Parade. That cast boasted such names as Jeremy Jordan, Laura Benanti, Joshua Henry, Ramin Karimloo, Allie Trimm, and a slew of other stars in what was nothing short of incredible and moving. The story is tragic and dramatically sound as a musical, especially with Mr. Brown’s sweeping score, much like most of the scores in his body of work. Do yourself a favor and get the cast recording if you don’t already have it, and give it a listen. Do yourself an even bigger favor and grab a box of tissues because you will need them. 

Next week is 2000 as we enter the new millennium of musicals. Susan’s Stroman’s dance-alicious musical, Contact, took the Best Musical title, leaving three musicals in its wake. Until then, go see a show, y’all!

[lordsondheim]

Last night I saw the national tour of Bright Star, so it’s time to update my lists of award winning/nominated performances I’ve seen:

Tony Award Winning Performances:

Audra McDonald (Bess, Porgy and Bess)

Lena Hall (Yitzhak, Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Michael Cerveris (Bruce Bechdel, Fun Home)

Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr, Hamilton)

Daveed Diggs (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton)

Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler, Hamilton)

Cynthia Erivo (Celie, The Color Purple)

Glenn Close[1] (Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard)

Bette Midler (Dolly Levi, Hello, Dolly!)

Gavin Creel (Cornelius Hackl, Hello, Dolly!)

Tony Award Nominated Performances:

Gavin Lee[2] (Bert, Mary Poppins)

Norm Lewis (Porgy, Porgy and Bess)

Phillip Boykin (Crown, Porgy and Bess)

David Alan Grier (Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess)

Montego Glover (Felicia, Memphis)

Tammy Blanchard (Hedy La Rue, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)

Eva Noblezada[3] (Kim, Miss Saigon)

Jefferson Mays (The D’Ysquith Family, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder)

Lauren Worsham (Pheobe, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder)

Beth Malone (Alison Bechdel, Fun Home)

Judy Kuhn (Helen Bechdel, Fun Home)

Sydney Lucas (Small Alison, Fun Home)

Emily Skeggs (Middle Alison, Fun Home)

Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton)

Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton, Hamilton)

Jonathan Groff (King George III, Hamilton)

Christopher Jackson (George Washington, Hamilton)

Brandon Victor Dixon (Eubie Blake, Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All that Followed)

Adrienne Warren (Gertrude Saunders/Florence Mills, Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All that Followed)

Zachary Levi (Georg, She Loves Me)

Laura Benanti (Amalia, She Loves Me)

Jane Krakowski (Illona, She Loves Me)

Jessie Mueller (Jenna, Waitress)

Christopher Fitzgerald (Ogie, Waitress)

David Hyde Pierce (Horace Vandergelder, Hello, Dolly!)

Kate Baldwin (Irene Molloy, Hello, Dolly!)

Denée Benton (Natasha, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812)

Josh Groban (Pierre, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812)

Lucas Steele (Anatole, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812)

Christine Ebersole (Elizabeth Arden, War Paint)

Patti LuPone (Helena Rubinstein, War Paint)

Carmen Cusack[4] (Alice Murphy, Bright Star)

[1] I saw Glenn Close play Norma Desmond in the 2017 Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard rather than the original Broadway production for which she won.

[2] I saw Gavin Lee play Bert in the original West End Production of Mary Poppins rather than the original Broadway production for which he was nominated.

[3] I saw Eva Noblezada play Kim in the 2014 West End revival of Miss Saigon rather than the 2017 Broadway revival for which she was nominated.

[4] I saw Carmen Cusack play Alice Murphy in the first national tour of Bright Star at the Ahmanson Theater in LA rather than in the original Broadway production for which she was nominated.

Olivier Award Winning Performances:

Gavin Creel[1] (Elder Price, The Book of Mormon)

Jamie Parker (Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)

Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)

Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)

Olivier Award Nominated Performances:

Gavin Lee (Bert, Mary Poppins)

Jared Gertner[1] (Elder Cunningham, The Book of Mormon)

Jon Jon Briones (The Engineer, Miss Saigon)

Sheridan Smith (Fanny Brice, Funny Girl)

Glenn Close[2] (Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard)

[1] I saw Gavin Creel and Jered Gernter in the first national tour of The Book of Mormon at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre rather than the Original West End production for which they were nominated/won.

[2] I saw Glenn Close in the 2017 Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard rather than the 2016 West End revival for which she was nominated.

Fun Facts:

The shortest gap between a win and me seeing the performance is 12 days (Bette Midler and Gavin Creel in Hello, Dolly!).

The largest gap between a win and me seeing the performance is 22 years and 18 days (Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard).

Bryce Pinkham (Monty Navarro, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and Danielle Brooks (Sofia, The Color Purple) would be included in the “Tony Nominees” list, however, their respective understudies performed at the performances I saw.

I have seen all four Tony-winning performances in a musical for the 2016 Ceremony.

I have seen three complete sets of Tony nominees (2016 and 2017 Leading Actress in a Musical and 2016 Featured Actor in a Musical) and I can very confidently say all three awards went to the right person

Two shows I have already seen (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Escape to Margaritaville) have announced Broadway transfers this season with much of the same cast who will be eligible for nominations.

[princessasmosprincess]

The Ultimate Musical Theatre Questionnaire

This is not originally mine, the link is below. I just filled in my answers.

Ultimate Musical Theatre Questionnaire

Some of these will include a Top 5-10…

1. What is your “go-to song” when you’re feeling sad?

 It really depends on what “sad” means that day. If I need a boost of confidence “Watch What Happens (Reprise)” or “Once and for All” usually does it. If I need to get out some anger “I’m Done” from Rocky is a fun one to sing. Comforting songs are good too, like “A Little Fall of Rain”.

 Honestly, playing a cast album like Newsies or Cinderella really lifts my spirits.

 2. What Broadway song do you relate to?

SO MANY!

Watch What Happens ~ Newsies

Santa Fe ~ “

If I Loved You ~ Carousel

Before the Parade Passes By ~ Hello, Dolly!

 3. Favorite female voice? Favorite male voice?

 This one is so hard. Obviously this isn’t a complete list but this is what comes to mind at the moment. 

Female:

Barbara Streisand

Laura Osnes

Laura Benanti

Sierra Boggess

Megan Hilty

Kelli O’Hara

Lea Salonga

Phillipa Soo

 Male:

Jeremy Jordan

Alfie Boe

Ramin Karimloo

Santino Fontana

Aaron Tveit

Christian Borle

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hugh Jackman

4. What is your favorite show based off the music?

Bonnie and Clyde

Death Takes A Holiday

Meet John Doe

The Secret Garden

Chaplin

Literally anything Rodgers and Hammerstein. Even if I don’t care for the show, I usually love the music. I love the wit behind the lyrics.

 5. An overrated song.

Seasons of Love ~ Rent (I love to hate this one. It’s catchy and fun to sing… SOMETIMES…)

All I Ask of You ~ The Phantom of the Opera (I read the book, I’ve seen the movie, the live tour, and the 25th anniversary, but I just don’t like Raoul...)

I’m Not Afraid ~ Songs for a New World

Sixteen Going on Seventeen ~ The Sound of Music (there are other really great songs in this show!)

Tomorrow ~ Annie

I Feel Pretty ~ West Side Story (I mean, really, this is one of the defining songs of this amazing show? America, Maria, and Tonight are so much better in my opinion).

Green Finch and Linnet Bird ~ Sweeney Todd

 6. An underrated song.

Without You ~ My Fair Lady (everyone always does “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night” but I don’t think those two songs are the best in the whole show).

How Can Love Survive ~ The Sound of Music (this one wasn’t in the movie but it is an amazing song. It’s so witty and the tune is beautiful. Actually I did this one as a solo for a cabaret show).

Raise A Little Hell ~ Bonnie and Clyde (This one gives me chills every time)

 7. An overrated musical

Avenue Q ~ I am so tired of hearing about this one, and I don’t like the concept or the music.

Book of Mormon ~ I know there are a few good songs but as a Mormon and as a decent human being I find it offensive… Jk about the decent human being thing, but still, I don’t like this one…

Rent ~ I do appreciate that it’s based off of La Boheme, and that it’s a very revolutionary piece, but I’m tired of hearing about it.

Cats ~ why?

Chicago

Little Women ~ Everyone has Sutton Foster Fever and they need to stop. She’s a great actress, but there are other actresses out there and these songs are played too much.

Into the Woods

Songs for a New World ~ BIG TIME. It really bothers me that the songs I like from this show are less popular than the ones everyone raves about.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown ~ Any of the Charlie Brown musicals… I don’t really have a connection and I don’t think the music is particularly clever…

Seussical ~ I’ve been in one full production of this and I also played the Cat in the Hat in a dance recital (that one was actually fun), but I LOATHE this show. It’s very childish, and I get that that’s the point, but it’s really childish. It’s on a similar plane to Charlie Brown in my eyes.

Grease ~ Seriously, the story to this one is terrible. Yeah, go ahead and change yourself for your crush because he’s not man enough to tell his friends and society that your social status shouldn’t matter when you’re in love… Also some of the music gets on my nerves, and I don’t really like the movie either.

A Chorus Line

The King and I ~ Personally not my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein show. There are some good songs but I like some of their other shows far more.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ~ Ugh…

Cabaret ~ Another really poignant show but no one really focuses much on the story, they just like the suggestive and scandalous songs.

Pippin

Annie

Oliver

Sweeney Todd

Falsettos ~ Now I know I’m going to get a lot of hate for this one but I still had to say it. It is a really great show and I don’t hate it. It’s just there was so much hype before the Tony’s and so much hate directly after.  I just don’t like how negatively people acted when it didn’t win Best Revival. (I thought that Miss Saigon was going to win but whatever). I just really dislike the hate that goes along with not liking this show. I don’t think the writers would have appreciated that, and I don’t really think the actors would either.

 I’m adding an extra category because there are some shows that are overrated but I still like them a lot...

The Lion King ~ -ish… I still like the show, but everyone raves about it when there are some other really great shows out there.

Hamilton ~ Again, I like the show, but everyone is obsessed…

Dear Evan Hansen ~ I don’t know whether it really deserved to win best musical… But then again the lyrics and staging were really on point.

In The Heights ~ There is so much good about this show but I do think it’s a bit overrated...

 8. An underrated musical

Rocky (I think the music is adorable, but then again I’m a South Jersey girl so Rocky holds a special place in my heart)

Love Never Dies ~ Lots of people hate this but I really like it. This is definitely one that you need to actually see to appreciate it. I really like the character development, if you can get past all of the weird Coney Island stuff. Plus, you know I hate Raoul.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Dracula

Show Boat ~ This one is a classic but still, it doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

Death Takes A Holiday

Bonnie and Clyde

Meet John Doe

Chaplin ~ I will never get over how CRIMINALLY underrated this one is.

The Woman in White ~ Why doesn’t anyone talk about this?!

 9. How many cast recording albums do you own?

 Technically… I own Newsies, Cinderella, and the celebrity version of Finding Neverland...

 Of course thanks to the library I was able to download quite a bit to my computer so…

Wicked

Beauty and the Beast

The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary

Bombshell ~ Smash, I count this one.

Mary Poppins

South Pacific

 I also have various songs from some different shows.

 10. Do you buy the whole cast recording, even if there are songs you are not fond of?

Depends. I don’t really have that many. If there’s only a few songs I like I’ll just buy the songs separately, but if I like the majority of the album I would definitely buy the whole thing.

 11. What was the first cast recording you owned?

 Newsies, but I think I had some songs here and there before that.

 12. How many playlists do you have on your mp3 or iPod? If just one playlist, how many songs?

 I’ve got at least 5 different Spotify playlists. Usually I listen to songs on Pandora so I can get some new suggestions.

 13. Song that reminds you of someone else?

Beauty and the Beast ~ Technically the movie version but… This was going to be my parents’ wedding song.

The entire album for Show Boat

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again ~ The Phantom of the Opera

The Love I Meant To Say ~ Smash. Also not really from a show but this one touches my heart so much.

 14. Stephen Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Webber?

This is a really tough one. I think ALW’s music is a bit more accessible to me and he has many great shows (and some really overrated ones). Stephen Sondheim is also extraordinary, but I like his more melodic songs which can be few and far between. Sondheim is challenging to sing and understand sometimes.

 15. Favorite choreographed number?

 King of New York ~ Newsies

 I’m sure there are others but I can’t think of any right now.

 16. What do you think of shows based around the music of other artists? (i.e. American Idiot, Mamma Mia)

 I like Mamma Mia, and I’ve heard that All Shook Up is really good. If the storyline is as compelling as the music, then I’ll love it.

17. Favorite song cut from a show?

The Truth about the Moon ~ Newsies (I want sheet music so bad!)

One Man ~ Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

 18. Most powerful (vocally) song

Female:

Once Upon A Time ~ Brooklyn

When It All Falls Down ~ Chaplin

 Male:

Who Am I ~ Les Miserables

Raise a Little Hell ~ Bonnie and Clyde

Music of the Night ~ The Phantom of the Opera

 19. Favorite song from your least favorite show.

 I’ll just name one, “Stars and the Moon” from Songs for a New World

 20. No-Dry-Eye Broadway song.

 I cry in almost everything…

Letter from the Refuge ~ Newsies

Santa Fe (prologue) ~ Newsies

Santa Fe ~ Newsies

The entire score to Les Mis

I’ll Be Here ~ Ordinary Days (listen to it and you will bawl your eyes out if you have a soul)

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again ~ The Phantom of the Opera

When the Phantom sings a reprise of “All I Ask of You” during “Past the Point of No Return”. Also his reprise of “Masquerade” at the end and when he sings, “Christine, I love you…”

Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad ~ Bonnie and Clyde

Hold On ~ The Secret Garden

You Don’t Know This Man ~ Parade

 21. Your favorite Broadway duet

Love Songs

If I Loved You ~ Carousel

Something to Believe In ~ Newsies

 Non-Love Songs

A Little Fall of Rain ~ Les Mis

How Can Love Survive ~ The Sound of Music

Chip on My Shoulder ~ Legally Blonde (can’t actually remember if this is a duet or not…)

 22. Do you reenact/sing in front of the mirror/pretend you’re the character when you’re singing along to a song?

All the time.

 23. Top five Broadway songs.

 Nope, can’t do it.

 24. A broadway song that makes you cringe. (i.e. least favorite)

 I’m Not Afraid of Anything ~ Songs for a New World

Seasons of Love ~ Rent

 25. What shows have you seen?

On Broadway:

Newsies (Once with Jeremy Jordan and once with Corey Cott)

Cinderella

Wicked (With Aaron Tveit when I was 13 and didn’t even know who he was…)

 On Tour/Professional:

Mary Poppins

The Phantom of the Opera

Emma The Musical (I don’t think this one has been on broadway but Colin Patrick Hanlon and Annelise Van Der Pol were in it)

Peter and the Starcatcher

 26. If you could play any role on Broadway, what would it be?

Katherine Plumber

  27. Name some stars you’ve met at the stage door.

Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott (I chased him down the street before the show…), Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Annelise Van Der Pol, Carpathia Jenkins, Andy Richardson, pretty much the entire OBC from Newsies.

 EXCEPT FOR TOMMY BRACCO...

 28. If you could go up to New York and see any and every Broadway show you want to, what would you go see?

 There are so many shows… Right now maybe Dear Evan Hansen or The Great Comet (if it’s still running…)

 29. Which Broadway star do you want to see live more than anyone else?

Laura Osnes, Hugh Jackman, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Benanti, Christian Borle, Andy Mientus, Santino Fontana.

 30. Favorite Tony Awards host?

Neil Patrick Harris

 31. Least Favorite Musical

 Any of the overrated ones, but for the sake of time Cats.

32. What is your go-to shower song?

 A crazy patter song like “Watch What Happens” (Newsies)

 Also “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” from South Pacific. My grandmother used to sing this song to me when she gave me baths when I was a toddler and young child.

 33. What does Broadway mean to you?

 It’s my life. I love Broadway and everything about it, and one day I will be performing there.

And I’m too tired to write anymore...

[wbwest]

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New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/07/14/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-71417/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 7/14/17

So, I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming. Unlike most of you, I didn’t love it. I really liked it, but didn’t love it. Part of the issue stems from the legacy of Spider-Man films. I kinda hate how every star has delivered a great performance as Spider-Man, yet the minute the roll is recast, fans with short memories start saying the last guy was “shit”. People love ragging on Tobey Maguire, especially after Spider-Man 3, but he was really good in those first two movies. There’s a Spider-Man for every generation, and he was the Spider-Man we needed in 2002. Sure, he wouldn’t work so well now, but to compare his movies to Homecoming is basically apples to oranges. I also kinda hate when people say “They finally got Spider-Man right!” Um, Tobey already got him right. Andrew Garfield, in his own way, got him right. And Holland is getting him right. For now. They’ve all brought something special and unique to the table, and I think it’s unfair to discount that because there’s some new, shiny thing to take your attention.

All that’s to say that I liked Homecoming, but it didn’t really offer anything new to me. I felt the same wide-eyed wonder seeing Holland do the ferry rescue as I did when Maguire did the same thing with the train in Spider-Man 2. Some might call that an homage, but it just felt…familiar.

What did I love? I loved Tony being there. I felt like there was just enough Tony Stark without the film becoming Iron Man 3.5. It’s always good to see Happy, and this movie did more with him than most of the Iron Man films ever did. I especially love movie Happy since comic Happy is no longer with us (sad trombone). I loved sexy, younger Aunt May, but I’ve loved Marisa Tomei ever since she filled out her college application wrong and ended up at that Black college. I loved the running joke of all the guys commenting on how hot she was. It’s a new concept for May, but it works. I loved the Miles Morales Easter egg (I won’t spoil it here if you didn’t catch it). I loved Not-Ganke (For those not in the know, Ganke is the name of Miles Morales Spider-Man’s best friend, who looks EXACTLY like actor Jacob Batalon), even if I don’t know why they insisted on calling him “Ned Leeds”. I loved that Damage Control was officially revealed. Keaton was great, even if he’s not an Adrian Toomes that I recognize. The Liz Allen swerve was cool, ’cause I really didn’t see that coming.

OK, now for the things I didn’t like. They introduced a good swath of Spidey’s rogue (Mac Gargan, Shocker), all at once as Vulture’s gang, only to be relegated to ancillary characters and henchmen. I know the MCU has a “Villain Problem” of wasting their villains, but this just takes the cake.

Now, this is gonna sound stupid, but I spent a good amount of time trying to reconcile the MCU timeline in my head. The movie starts immediately after Avengers, jumps 8 years to Captain America: Civil War, and then to the present day, which is shortly after the airport battle where Spidey debuted. Now, a big part of Act 3 is the fact that Vulture wants to steal a bunch of Avengers/Stark Tech on Moving Day – when everything was being moved from Avengers Tower to the upstate facility. Now, Tony’s rich, so it’s not like he can’t own multiple properties, but why is Moving Day happening NOW? I mean, the upstate facility debuted at the end of Age of Ultron, we saw it again in Ant-Man, and everyone seemed to be pretty moved in by Civil War. So, why the delay in moving everything up there? Does Homecoming maybe not take place when we think it does? Well, we know it’s post-Civil War because Cap’s hilariously referred to as a war criminal by gym teacher Hannibal Buress. If it were just a thrown away reference, I wouldn’t care, but the whole final action piece is based on this Moving Day concept. Anyway, I think it’s fair to say I probably wasn’t in the right headspace for this movie if that’s where my brain was going.

Oh, and the thing I hated most: that effing MJ reveal! First of all, it accomplished nothing. It was corny, and it was executed just as poorly as when The Dark Knight Rises did it. Secondly, at the end of the day, her name is MICHELLE, not MARY. You can call her “MJ”, but that does not make her Mary Jane. And to be honest, the movie would’ve been fine without her character. While she was funny, it seems like she was woven into the movie solely to make that hamfisted name reveal at the end.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll watch this movie a bunch more once it hits the premium channels, but I just didn’t fall in love with it as much as a lot of you did. I’m really sorry about that, too, ’cause I really wanted to love it. Something just didn’t work for me entirely, and I can’t put my finger on it exactly.

Things were heating up in the news world this week. Back when NBC announced they had hired Megyn Kelly from Fox News, Today co-anchor Tamron Hall abruptly quit, reportedly because her contract was about to expire. Industry insiders, however, believe it was because it was rumored that Kelly would be given the third hour of Today – where Hall was currently the co-anchor of Today’s Take. Well, that’s somewhat true, as this week it was revealed that Kelly’s show will premiere September 25th, and will feature a live studio audience, like a traditional talk show. It will, in fact, occupy the third hour of Today, sandwiched between the regular Today and the Kathie Lee & Hoda hour of Today. Not to be outdone, it was also announced that Tamron Hall is developing a daytime talk show with Weinstein Television. It’s also believed that, in several major markets, this talk show will go head to head with Kelly’s daytime show. Now the race is on to see which one of them earns the coveted “Fake News” label first!

In other television news, CBS announced an upcoming animated special called Michael Jackson’s Halloween, which sounds kinda sketchy. Apparently, it’s about two Millennials (there’s THAT buzzword), which is basically to say “two shits too young to appreciate the King of Pop’s music”. Anyway, they meet at a party, end up at a weird hotel, and crazy stuff happens – all capped off by a dance number by an animated Michael. If you ask me, he already contributed his greatest gift to the Halloween industry: “Thriller”! Unless this is just a one-hour animated version of “Thriller”, I don’t think the world needs this. Somebody tell his mama to stop letting his estate make crap like this.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

John Cho joins Fox’s The Exorcist next season. While some are all, “Yay, representation!”, I’m like “Why the F is Sulu doing television?!” Well, I guess since Kumar’s already doing television…

In a move that’s somewhat baffling to me, Lucy Liu will direct the season 2 premiere of Netflix’s Luke Cage

Speaking of Netflix, Bojack Horseman season 4 will premiere on September 8th.

Fresh of the Boat dad Randall Park has been cast as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo in Ant-Man & The Wasp

Netflix has also renewed the Castlevania animated series for a second season

Jeremy Renner essentially broke both arms while filming the movie Tag, though it’s not expected to affect production on Avengers: Infinity War.

Smallville‘s Lois Lane, Erica Durance, is taking over the role of Alura from Laura Benanti on Supergirl.

Despite flopping in North America, the Baywatch film is on track to make $100 million overseas

Showtime is planning a sequel to the hit lesbian series The L Word. If it were up to me, it’d be called The K Word, and it would be about non-binary gender Millennials as they make their way through NYC, but nobody pays me for these ideas, so…

After 27 years of voicing Kermit the Frog, it was revealed that Steve Whitmire was fired back in October, and it currently lobbying to get his job back. Apparently, it’s not east being Steve.

In probably the biggest TV news this week (at least for the geek set), it was announced that AT&T Lily herself, Milana Vayntrub, has been cast as Squirrel Girl in Marvel’s New Warriors on Freeform. I cared NOTHING about this show until that announcement. It still doesn’t really inspire any confidence for me, as I don’t know if the superhero comedy genre works on television (see Powerless), but I’m definitely more inclined to check it out than I had been prior to the announcement. I mean, who doesn’t love that chick?! I love her in the commercials, I loved her in Other Space, and I even loved her as a bitchy ex-girlfriend in Love. Here’s hoping this leads to the big break she deserves. It was a slow entertainment news week so, ya know what, Milana Vayntrub had the Breas…I mean West Week Ever.

[keldachick]

It's just not Tony season without it.