IF/THEN: An Ordinary Story About Ordinary People

People, we have a new turntable on Broadway, and no, I'm not talking about the revival of Les Miserables. Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey's new musical IF/THEN opens tonight on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. This is a modern musical about everyday people doing everyday things. Elizabeth (Idina Menzel) is a recently divorced almost-forty Urban Planner who has recently returned to Manhattan. Urban Planning, how modern? She is faced with a series of choices, both personally and professionally, that will affect her life drastically. Pretty ordinary, right? None of this screams, "let's make a musical," right? I've always loved the old saying "the characters sing when they can't speak anymore," but I rarely felt that these characters were pushed to the emotionally brink, at least not enough to merit a song. The only thing really intriguing about the plot is the overlapping exploration of Elizabeth's multiple lives. The audience gets to watch both sides of her choices play out, which is fantastic in theory, but really makes for a confusing plot. If you're a fan of the show LOST, think of those flashes-sideways and you'll have an idea of what is going on here.

The opening scene, set in Madison Square Park, is reminiscent of Sunday in the Park With George as the actors seem to spring out of the set. The opening number speaks repeatedly about choices, and though it is didactic and basically hits you over the head with the themes of the show, at least it let's the audience know what we will be seeing. It is very Comedy Tonight in that way, which is no surprise since Tom Kitt has mentioned more than once that he is a Sondheim disciple. 

Elizabeth (Idina Menzel) faces an endless series of choices in the show, beginning with the decision to go by 'Liz' or "Beth". She carries this show on her back and vocally, she is stunning as always. Her vocal power hasn't regressed at all in the ten years since she last Defied Gravity. The highlight is certainly the 11 o'clock number where she questions why she did what she did before finding contentment in the finale. I didn't find the character particularly interesting, but she does well with what she is given. You can see how tortured she is when her life doesn't go the way she planned, and she's way too proud to ever ask for help from friends, even though she is always a rock for them.

Kate (LaChanze) is the standout of the show. Her performance is what the "Best Featured Actress" TONY was made for, a bright light in an average production. She delivers the one liners perfectly with snap, and sometimes with bite. Her energy is absolutely palpable, even from the rear mezzanine where I so humbly sat. Her confidence and strength play perfectly against Elizabeth's confusion and uncertainty.

In the show that is a not-so-subtle love letter to RENT, it's fitting that Anthony Rapp plays Lucas like he played Mark. Lucas is all "power to the people" and sexual confusion, which is both annoying and frustrating. It just seems so been there, done that. In the past, and in one of the many alternating presents, Lucas and Elizabeth had/have a romantic relationship. Maureen and Mark anyone? Do we see it yet?

Ultimately, Michael Greif's production begs us to ask ourselves "what happens to the other versions of ourselves when we make different choices?" It certainly makes you think about your own life choices, and for that, we should applaud this production. Cut the plane crash, the bisexual bestie from 1994, and the shmaltzy melodrama and we could have something here, but as of now, it's nothing all that special. 

2010 ISU Grand Prix Final: Junior Competition

December 9th
3:45am Junior Short Dance
5:10am Junior Ladies Short Program
6:35am Junior Men Short Program
8:00am Junior Pairs Short Program

December 10th
1:15am Junior Free Dance
2:45am Junior Ladies Free Skate

December 11th
12:45am Junior Men Free Skate
2:20am Junior Pairs Free Skate

Men:
1) Gordei Gorshkov (Russia)
2) Zhan Bush (Russia)
3) Max Aaron (USA)
4) Richard Dornbush (USA)
5) Keegan Messing (USA)
6) Joshua Farris (USA)
7) Han Yan (China)
8) Andrei Rogozine (Canada)

Ladies:
1) Zijun Li (China)
2) Kristiene Gong (USA)
3) Yasmin Siraj (USA)
4) Christina Gao (USA)
5) Polina Shelepen (Russia)
6) Risa Shoji (Japan)
7) Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (Russia)
8) Adelina Sotnikova (Russia)

Pairs:
1) Brittany Jones & Kurtis Gaskell (Canada)
2) Taylor Steele & Robert Schultz (Canada)
3) Ashley Cain & Joshua Reagan (USA)
4) Anna Silaeva & Artur Minchuk (Russia)
5) Natasha Purich & Raymond Schultz (Canada)
6) Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran (Japan)
7) Xiaoyu Yu & Yang Jin (China)
8) Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov (Russia)

Ice Dance:
1) Marina Antipova & Artem Kudashev (Russia)
2) Anastasia Galyeta & Alexei Shumski (Ukraine)
3) Victoria Sinitsina & Ruslan Zhiganshin (Russia)
4) Evgenia Kosigina & Nikolai Moroshkin (Russia)
5) Charlotte Lichtman & Dean Copely (USA)
6) Ekaterina Pushkash & Jonathan Guerreiro (Russia)
7) Alexandra Stepanova & Ivan Bukin (Russia)
8) Ksenia Monko & Kirill Khaliavin (Russia)

Roles They Could Have Had

I've been reading a lot lately about prominent actors that audition for or were considered for parts in Broadway shows or movie musicals that either turned down or were denied the roles. I find this fascinating because I think we all feel that once you reach a certain point in your acting career, you can have any role you want. Well prepare to be surprised, because some of these names are big, I'm talking Patti LuPone and Meryl Streep big. Some of these casting situations are confirmed by the actors and some are just rumors, but nonetheless they are all juicy

• West Side Story (film)-Elvis was offered the role of Tony but his manager turned it down as "Elvis only does Elvis movies"
• Sunday in the Park with George-Patti LuPone auditioned to replace Bernadette Peters as Dot/Marie but was denied the role
• A Little Night Music(Broadway revival)-Patti LuPone reportedly contacted director Trevor Nunn about playing the role of Desiree but he never returned her call
• A Little Night Music(Broadway revival)-Broadway heavy hitters Sherie Rene Scott, Marin Mazzie, and Victoria Clark were considered for the role of Desiree but producers decided to go the way of "star casting" with Catherine Zeta Jones; Laura Benanti was also offered the role of Charlotte but turned it down to star in In the Next Room/The Vibrator Play
• Crazy For You-Karen Ziemba was up for the female lead but lost to Jodi Benson; Ziemba later toured with the show and was much more acclaimed in the role than Benson
• Wicked-Stephanie J Block played Elphaba in the first workshop but was later recast by Idina Menzel
• Thoroughly Modern Millie-Kristen Chenoweth was cast as the original Millie, but left to film her sitcom Kristin and was recast but Erin Dilly and ultimately Sutton Foster
• Little Shop of Horrors-Nathan Lane and Faith Prince were considered for the original Seymour and Audrey but neither got the part; ironically both were later cast together in the revival of Guys and Dolls
• Sunset Boulevard-Hollywood stars Meryl Streep, Faye Dunaway, and Barbra Streisand were considered for the role of Norma, which was ultimately played by Patti LuPone in London and Glenn Close in LA and New York
• Into the Woods-Patti LuPone reportedly auditioned to play the Witch, but it was given to Bernadette Peters
• Wicked-Sara Ramirez was considered for Elphaba before Idina Menzel was hired
• The Rocky Horror Show (revival)-Matthew Morrison was offered the role of Rocky but turned it down to be in a boy band; when the band failed he joined the production in the chorus
• Grease (movie)- Henry Winkler was offered the role of Danny but he turned it down because "it was too similar to the Fonz"
• Sunday in the Park with George- Kelsey Grammer played a soldier when the show debuted off-Broadway but left to play Frasier on Cheers
• Sweeney Todd (film)- Meryl Streep was offered Mrs. Lovett but turned it down to do the film version of Mama Mia
• Young Frankenstein- All 4 principle actors from Will & Grace auditioned, but only Megan Mullaly was cast, in the role of Elizabeth
• Wicked- Mandy Moore received an offer to replace Chenoweth as Glinda, but "didn't want to follow someone like Kristin"
• Hello Dolly- Ethel Merman was offered the role of Dolly Levi but turned it down and it went to Carol Channing; ironically Merman later played the role as the final  Broadway replacement and the last role of her career
• Passion- Patti LuPone was offered the role of Fosca but turned it down to do Sunset Boulevard in London
• Cabaret-Madonna seriously considered playing Sally in the revival but turned it down for "security reasons"; Anne Heche was rumored to headline the first national tour but the role ultimately went to Terri Hatcher
• Sweet Charity (revival)- Brittney Spears turned down the offer to replace Christina Applegate as Charity
• Moulin Rouge (film)- Renee Zellweger was on the short list for the Nicole Kidman role but ultimately lost out
• Chicago (film)- Kristin Chenoweth lost the role of Mary Sunshine to Christine Baranski and was also considered for Roxie; Catherine Zeta-Jones was cast and given the choice of Roxie or Velma
• Wicked- John Gallagher was considered for a role in the original production but told producers he "could never do musicals"
• Ragtime- LaChanze was almost cast as Sarah until the producers insisted in Audra McDonald
• The Light in the Piazza- Celia Keenan-Bolger was the original Clara out of town but producers thought she "read as too young" and promoted Kelli O'Hara to play Clara after originally playing Franca
• Evita (film)- It seems like everybody in New York and Hollywood was considered for this film role, from Patti LuPone to Michelle Pfeiffer but it ultimately went to Madonna
• American Idiot- Constantine Maroulis played the role of St. Jimmy in workshops until Tony Vincent joined the production

Barbie's Showtune of the Day #14: For Good

Ask me today what my favorite Broadway show is and I'll tell you one thing, and if you ask me tomorrow I'll probably give you a different answer. My taste in musical theatre is constantly changing and evolving, but the show that will probably always remain closest to my heart is Wicked. I have seen Wicked more times than any other show and each time I see the show or hear the music, I respond to a different aspect of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. The song For Good is near and dear to my heart and each time I hear it, it brings back some very specific memories. First of all, the first time I saw Wicked I had no idea what to expect, but what I took away from the show was this song and what it said about the people who come into our lives for a reason. Another memory is from my senior year of high school, in my last dance recital, where I danced a duet to For Good with my dance teacher who has always been, and still is, one of the closest people to me in my life. Finally, two years ago, I got the chance to play Glinda, my number one Broadway dream role, in a cabaret production where I sang For Good with one of my close friends.

What I love about this video is that it shows the progression of a song and the performance of that song from the rehearsal process to the show. I love the quote from Winnie Holzman, the book writer of Wicked about how the musical's script must rise to service the music. And what I love the most is watching Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth interact with one another in rehearsal as they discover their characters and their relationship with one another.

My Most Memorable Theatre Experiences: #8 Wicked

Those who know me well know that  my love for Wicked runs deep and may be surprised that it is not higher on my list of memorable theatre experiences. I think the reason is that I have seen it so many times, it must be 7 or 8 now, so the impact of my initial experience began to fade with each repeat visit. Because of this, I am a strong proponent of only seeing a show once if it has a strong effect on you the first time you see it. I saw Wicked for the first time in 2004 on Broadway. Most of the original cast had left by that time, including my idol Kristin Chenoweth, but Idina Menzel was still playing the role of Elphaba. I didn't know a lot about Wicked the first time I saw it, in fact I didn't know much about Broadway at all. While I had seen a lot of shows on their national tours as a youngster, Wicked was my first true Broadway show. I have a hard time deciphering what I remember from my first time seeing Wicked and what has been filled in by my repeat visits, but I do remember that the song For Good made a very profound impression on me. This representation of a friendship between two women was something that I had never seen in a musical before and it struck me as somewhat groundbreaking. I had the slightest inkling that this message of friendship would touch other people as it had me and that Wicked just might be the next big smash hit on Broadway. Well I think thousands of theatre-goers would agree with me and Wicked has become Broadway's juggernaut, running for 7 straight years to sold out houses at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre as well as several national touring companies, sit down productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and several international productions.

I think Idina Menzel said it best in her accetance speech for the 2004 TONY award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Elphaba when she exclaimed "I'm so proud to be in a show that celebrates women and our strengths and differences." I guess this aspect of the show is what has drawn me back to Wicked at least once a year since 2004. The universal message of friendship and accepting our differences speaks to the heart of every person. There are times in our lives when we relate more to Glinda and there are times when relate more with Elphaba, but nevertheless, we've all had close friendships that have grown from our differences and this show reminds us of how important those relationships truly are. Sure, we've all had our favorite Elphabas and Glindas and while many are still partial to the original cast, I actually prefer Stephanie J Block in the role of Elphaba and have grown to love Annaleigh Ashford's Glinda. But with every cast change on Broadway and around the world, the names of the actresses playing the lead characters become less important and the show itself has emerged as the true star.

My Fave Five Broadway Belters

Patti Lupone
Need I say more? Well obviously I'm going to. This woman is stuffed to the gills with attitude and sass. She doesn't take any crap from anybody, and that intensity and passion comes out in her voice. Sure, she is known to be a bit of a diva and has even screamed at the occasional audience member for taking photos during performances, but my goodness can this broad belt! From the title role in Evita to Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and most recently, Mama Rose in Gypsy, she has played the roles that every actress dreams of taking on. Listen to "Buenos Aires" from Evita for a taste of Patti's belting.

Sherie Rene Scott
She burst onto the scene in 1993 as Sally Simpson in The Who's Tommy and hasn't looked back since. She is choosy when selecting theatre roles, careful to take on roles that truly show off her vocal skills. Highlights of her career include Amneris in AIDA, Cathy in The Last Five Years, Ursula in The Little Mermaid, and Christine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, where she ranges from sultry to quirky to heartbreaking. The best representation of Sherie as a performer is in her recent show Everyday Rapture, where she portrays a stylized version of her life story. Her range is incredible, from gospel and blues, to motown and ballads, but the most impressive thing...her crystal clear belt. She makes belting sound effortless, and any singer will tell you, it is certainly not an easy thing. Check out "My Strongest Suit" from AIDA for a great example of Sherie's soulful side.

Idina Menzel
Whether you know her as Maureen in Rent, Elphaba from Wicked, or Glee's Shelby Corcoran, you know Idina Menzel can belt her face off. She definitely doesn't have the clear effortless sound of some of these other ladies, but her powerful, rock sound has served her just fine. Fans love her sound and from personal experience, I know that she is quite thrilling live. For some, she is an acquired taste, and for others, her voice is a bit too grating and rough around the edges. But regardless, nobody can dispute that this lady can belt, and she can belt high. "Defying Gravity" from Wicked is a great example of Idina's belting range and soaring rock sound.

Stephanie J Block
She is certainly the least known of these five women, but in my own humble opinion, she has the best voice. She made her Broadway debut as Liza Minnelli in The Boy From Oz, and after being replaced by Idina Menzel for the Broadway production, went on to play Elphaba in the first national tour of Wicked. Recent roles have included Grace O'Malley in The Pirate Queen and Judy Bernly in 9to5: the musical. While some belters use sheer force to produce sound, Stephanie doesn't even sound like has to try to belt and I could listen to her for hours. This woman has unfortunately been a victim of the all too frequent "great performer, average show" syndrome with all of her Broadway endeavors resulting in flops, despite her outstanding performances. I have never seen a single performer live as many times as I've seen Stephanie and I will continue to see any production that has the privilege of casting her. This woman has so much to give to Broadway and I can only hope she gets a change to play a fabulous role in a blockbuster show. I'm crossing my fingers that she is offered the role of Fanny Brice in next year's revival of Funny Girl and maybe one day she will be Gypsy's next Mama Rose. Run, don't walk to listen to Stephanie sing "Get Out And Stay Out" from 9to5: the musical. Her voice will break your heart and lift you up all in the same song.

Ethel Merman
Last but not least, the woman who needs no introduction, the original Broadway belter, Ethel Merman. They broke the mold when they made this broad, and while we have some great voices on Broadway today, there will never be another Merman. She was bawdy, foul-mouthed, and the definition of the word "DIVA". She introduced audiences to some of the greatest musical theatre roles ever from Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun to Mama Rose in Gypsy. Other actresses went on to play these roles (Bernadette Peters played both) but none could erase the memory of the incomparable Merman. Her rendition of "Rose's Turn" is not to be missed. She was a machine and a work horse who rarely missed performances, if ever, and did it all before the age of microphones. That only intensified her greatness, as her belt was entirely natural with no help from amplification or auto-tuning. Because she had to produce enough volume to be heard in a Broadway house over a full orchestra, her voice lacked the nuance and detail of some of today's singers, but in any case, she was a revelation. There isn't a Broadway belter alive who wasn't influenced by Ethel Merman, and if they say they weren't they are lying, because my lord, they don't make them like that anymore.

Special thanks to Rick Westerkamp for contributing to this post!

My Pre-TONY Post...I Promise

All I've been able to think about recently is the TONYs so I'm going to list My Favorite Things (no pun intended)from each show over past decade. **Disclaimer: my 'favorite things' will probably only relate to musicals**

1999, Greatest Dynamic Duo: Both of my theater idols, Kristin Chenoweth and Bernadette Peters win the TONY -- Kristin wins for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for You're A Good Man Charlie Brown and Bernadette for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Annie Get Your Gun

2000, Revolution of The Decade: Contact wins Best Musical-- This win by a show that was primarily danced and include no original score was the controversy of the year, but it paved the way for what I like to call dance-icals like Movin' Out

2001, Most Predictable Ceremony Ever, The Producers Owns the TONYs-- I didn't enjoy this show, but I found it funny (funny ironic, not funny haha) that there was nothing else better in that season. Precursor of the 2010 season, anyone?

2002, Most Peggy Sawyer-like moment: Sutton Foster wins for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Thoroughly Modern Millie-- Sutton Foster was pulled out of the show's chorus when the original Millie was forced to step down and the result was Broadway stardom

2003, Yay For Cross-dressers: Harvey Fierstein wins for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of a woman in Hairspray-- This is only the second time an actor has won in a cross-dressing role, Mary Martin won previously in the role of Peter Pan

2004, Best Winner's Speech: Idina Menzel -- When she won the Leading Actress in a musical category for Wicked, not only did she thank the show's creative team for creating a show that celebrates women, but she also thanked her mom for taking her to see Dreamgirls and Annie when she was a little girl

2005, The Classical Musical is Reborn: Adam Guettel's The Light in The Piazza takes Best Score and Orchestrations-- While it ultimately didn't take the night's biggest prize, Best Musical, Guettel showed us that classical melodies, lush orchestrations, and well-trained sopranos still have a place in the musical theater

2006, La-Upset: LaChanze beats the Diva Quartet of Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Sutton Foster, and Kelli O'Hara in the Best Leading Actress in a Musical category-- I adore all five women in this category, but LaChanze's performace as Celie in The Color Purple blew the roof off of the Broadway Theatre

2007, Best Themed Opening: God I Hope I Get It-- Introducing every nominated show and presenter with their head shot against background of Marvin Hamlisch's One from A Chorus Line was pure genius. We all remember watching the cast of A Chorus Line performing the opening of their show in front of Radio City Music Hall, seeing the cast of Spring Awakening getting ready in a stairwell and watching Raul Esparza in the role of Bobby from Company as he read a newspaper with his feet propped on a dressing table

2008, Most Divalicious Performances: Patti Lupone singing Everything's Coming Up Roses-- too amazing for words, simply fabulous

2009, Most Exhilarating Opening Number: Liza, Dolly, and Elton, oh my-- I practically fell out of my chair during this opening performance. When I thought it was simply too fabulous for words, it kept getting better and better. We started with Elton John and the Billy Elliot boys, then we went into a rumble between the casts of West Side Story and Guys and Dolls. Then Aaron Tveit and Stockard Channing battled it out in a mash up of I'm Alive and Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered. Then Brett Michaels performed with the cast of Rock of Ages and got smashed with a moving set piece while the Shrek cast let their freak flags fly. But the moment that left me breathless was Dolly Parton singing the title song with the cast of 9 to 5, followed by Liza Minelli kickin' it like it was 1975. It all ended with a big dance party with the cast of Hair singing Let The Sunshine In with every performer from the whole Broadway season.