Musical Theatre Monday

This is a new weekly feature I'm adding to keep me engaged with theatre fans! Here are a few musical theatre songs & scenes I'm currently obsessed with. Enjoy!




Sherie Rene Scott: "I Know The Truth," AIDA




Laura Benanti & Patti Lupone: "The Dressing Room Scene," Gypsy





Laura Benanti, Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott: "On The Verge," Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

2010: The Year I Saw All Of My Broadway Idols On Stage!

For me as a theatre-goer, 2010 was a year of firsts, my first time seeing my idols on stage that is.


My quest to see all of my musical theatre heroes started in May when I saw Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises. We had these tickets particularly far in advance but Kristin gave us a little scare the week we were set to see the show, announcing on twitter that she was sick and would be missing shows. Luckily, she was well enough to perform the night we had tickets and seeing her live was unreal such a special experience for me. I've loved Kristin since before I can remember but I just happened to miss her in Wicked and The Apple Tree but was so grateful to have caught her in Promises, Promises. 

Read my review of Promises Promises here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/06/promises-promises.html

Barbara Cook is a performer that I have come to admire more recently than some of the others. I started listening to Barbara after Kristin Chenoweth mentioned in an interview that she was "her idol." After purchasing one of her  albums, I understood why. As a fellow soprano, I related to Barbara and her recording of "Glitter and Be Gay" was my savior when I was learning this complicated aria. While Sondheim on Sondheim had its flaws, it was the perfect vehicle to showcase Cook because while her coloratura notes are gone, she is still the master of interpreting a lyric, and that is exactly the kind of singer that Sondheim requires.


Read my review of Sondheim on Sondheim here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/06/roundabout-theatre-companys-sondheim-on.html

I've said this many times, but prior to seeing Everyday Rapture, I was not a fan of Sherie Rene Scott. I went to the show because a good friend of mine was a big fan and needless to say I was blown away by Sherie. Yes she has talent, but many people have talent. What really struck me about her was her commitment to the show and her performance energy. Having seen her later in the year in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, where she clearly was not as committed to the piece, I realized just how important it is that an actor is invested in the work and how much of a difference that makes to an audience.

Read my review of Everyday Rapture here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-would-judy-do.html

When I heard that Bernadette Peters may be replacing Catherine Zeta-Jones in A Little Night Music, I held off seeing the show and I am so glad I waited. Bernadette was a revelation in the role of Desiree and I have never been so captivated by a performer. I idolize Bernadette in a big way, but oddly enough, I was only star struck for a moment. After the initial exhilaration wore off, she was no longer Bernadette Peters, but rather she became the character of Desiree Armfeldt. Her Send in the Clowns was phenomenal, but I remember it more as a scene than as a song. And in my opinion, forsaking the vocals for the character is the mark of a true actress. For the price of that one theatre ticket, I saw a remarkable performance and took an acting class from a legend. How often can you say that?

Read my review of A Little Night Music here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/09/barbie-award-for-acting-song-miss.html

I will probably never forgive myself for missing Kelli O'Hara in South Pacific (I saw Laura Osnes as Nellie) but I was fortunate enough to see her in concert at the Kennedy Center this season. I'm actually glad that my experience with Kelli was in concert because her voice is simply divine and you get to hear more songs in a concert than in a musical. Because I am a soprano, most of my repertoire is from the Golden Age of Broadway and Kelli happened to perform songs mostly from that genre so it was like a master class for me in that respect. I  thoroughly enjoyed her musical selections and I felt that I got to know her a little better through her banter between songs, and though she was cheesy at times, my goodness was she genuine. I think she truly is a cockeyed optimist.


Read my review of Kelli's concert here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/10/kelli-ohara-in-concert-at-kennedy.html

The Broadway show I saw most recently was Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and it marked my first live experience with Patti LuPone. Though I wished I'd seen her in a better show where she was the star, like Gypsy, Patti has that rare ability to turn any role into a star performance. I recall the hilights of the show being Patti with a gun, Patti on a motorcycle, and Patti hanging from the proscenium. What I love most about Patti is her respect for the theatre and her commitment to preserving it as a high art form. Her respect for the theatre translates into her performance and from this show and from Patti, I learned that the actor's job is to commit to the character and deliver an engaging performance, regardless of how good or bad the show is.

Read my review of Women on the Verge here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/11/women-on-verge-of-nervous-breakdown.html

This was just a brief overview of my experiences with my Broadway idols in 2010. Check back throughout the week for posts dedicated to each of these divas and what it is exactly that I love about them!

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

The three most exciting things about great musicals should be the score, the book, and the performances. Well in the case of Lincoln Center Theater's production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown based on Pedro Almodovar's film of the same name, the three big highlights are Patti LuPone with a gun, Patti LuPone on a motorcycle, and Sherie Rene Scott singing next to a burning bed. To say that this show relies too heavily on its special effects is a gross understatement. I'm afraid that director Barlett Sher, who did a stellar job with the recent revival of South Pacific, missed the mark with this show. The use of projections to further the story is an attempt to make up for holes in the book and the score, but then that is simply a cop out for sub-par material. Sher underestimates the intelligence of the audience and presumes that we need to actually see a moving street scene on the scrim to believe the taxi is moving. The very idea behind theatre is that the audience will suspend disbelief and use their imagination to fill in the blanks.

Composer David Yazbek who delivered hits with The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels fails to write one hummable tune, aside from the act I closer "On the Verge." The lyrics are just as forgettable and a week after seeing the show, I can't remember a single line except "Welcome to the edge, to the verge," which the title practically gives us anyway. Having not seen the film, it is difficult for me to judge Jeffrey Lane's book because it is challenging to tell what is from the source material and what was written by Lane himself. There are certainly holes in the plot and loose ends are never tied up. For example, in the song "Mother's Day" Pepa's (Sherie Rene Scott) mother is introduced but is never addressed again in the play, leaving the audience hanging without a resolution. Also, we are led to believe that the uptight Carlos (Justin Guarini) has left his fiance for Candela (Laura Benanti), yet she has been flighty and noncommittal in the past and all he really wants is monogamy and security, so why choose her?

In terms of performance, Benanti in the role of Candela steals the show, turning a small part into a star turn. Her true commitment to the character is evident not only in her speech patterns but also in her body language and her walk, or well, her prance. We truly believe that she is a scatterbrained but lovable model who honestly would fall for a terrorist. Patti LuPone as Lucia gives a dominating performance as usual and her starpower speaks for itself. She is the only actor to get entrance applause and though the material given to her is shallow, she tries her damnedest to give life to this stock character and I did sympathize with her greatly. Sherie Rene Scott in the role of Pepa is tough for me to critique because I saw her at her finest in Everyday Rapture and nothing could ever live up to that. We get the sense in this show that Scott is unhappy as an actor because she does not seem to commit to this role as she has to others. Her Spanish accent is not as strong as that of other actors and in many of her songs, she drops it entirely. It doesn't help that she is given the weakest material of any character and while Pepa is supposed to be the central character, the one that we all root for, we feel no sympathy for her. But then again, I hate to fault Miss Scott for the problems with the book and the lyrics. Her singing is perfectly enjoyable in the show, but with the ballads she is given by Yazbek, she has no opportunity to show off her fabulous belt, which is what makes her truly special. Brian Stokes Mitchell as Ivan is in perfect voice and is lovely as always, though his character does nothing to further the plot and could be eliminated entirely. Guarini in his Broadway debut is surprisingly strong as Carlos and his confusion between his commitment to his fiance Marisa (Nikka Graff Lanzarone) and his infatuation with Candela is palpable.

I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last, but this show would have benefited greatly from an out of town tryout. Performing the show in another city, away from New York critics, would have given Sher and the creative team a chance to hear audience reactions and correct some of the show's problems. The actors also would have had more time to experiment with making their characters less generic. This show is a limited engagement and will end in January, and I just get the feeling that the creative team realized the show would never live up to the hype it inevitably received due to its all-star cast and creators. However, because they didn't have to worry about the show's ability to sustain a long Broadway run, they settled for mediocrity. The box office sales may prove me wrong, but I feel pretty confident in saying that this is one limited engagement that will not extend.

My Most Memorable Theatre Experiences: #5 Everyday Rapture

I must admit that there were two reasons that I bought tickets to see Everyday Raputre. 1) My good friend is a huge fan of Sherie Rene Scott and wanted somebody to see the show with her. 2) I am a Roundabout Theatre Club Hiptix member so I got really cheap tickets. I had heard about this Sherie Rene Scott person before and while I thought her voice was good, I assumed she was just your generic Broadway belter. Also, I though it was highly narcissistic to co-write and star in your own show and actually have it come to Broadway. Nevertheless, I went to the show, expecting to hear a lot of vocal tricks and riffing and see a lot of camp.

Now we reach the point where I eat my words. My expectations were shattered within the first five minutes and I was completely enraptured, no pun intended, by this tour de force of a performer. I've written  several posts about this show already, including a formal review, so I'll post links to them. 

http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-would-judy-do.html

I'll try not to repeat what I wrote in earlier posts, and now that its been a good four months since I saw the show, I would like to talk about my fond memories. This was a big theatre season for me as I got the chance to see my three Broadway idols, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Cook, and Kristin Chenoweth, onstage in the same summer. But as much as I adored seeing these ladies onstage, none of them gripped me quite the way that Sherie did. Patti LuPone once said that performers are most exciting when they toe the line between in control and out of control, which is the perfect way to describe Sherie in this show. She speaks directly to the audience at the top of the show, telling us she is playing a character also named Sherie Rene Scott who is 50% real and 50% imaginary. This is one of the few musicals I've seen where the book rises to match the music and two elements work seamlessly together to make a cohesive show. Being a one-act, the show moves forward and the momentum is never broken, allowing it reach a climax and eventually a point of catharsis for the audience. The supporting cast is used sparingly, making it the closest thing to a one-woman show since Liza worked the Palace two years ago. Being a singer myself, I have a great deal of respect for good belting and Sherie is a perfect example. It just happens so naturally from good breath control and projection, as opposed to those other belters (I'm not naming names) who sound like their faces are going to fall off when they go for a high F.

I could go on and on about her vocal technique and her acting skills, but what really struck me about Sherie Rene Scott, and the thing I remember most from Everyday Rapture, is how warm and giving she was. I've been to many performances where the actors phone it in, but Sherie's passion and love for the show just radiated throughout the theatre as she put every drop of herself into the performance. I went on such a journey with this character that I felt like I'd experienced a lifetime of her emotions all in an hour and a half. This show actually changed how I feel about theatre and elevated my standards of what makes a perfect musical. I made a big bold statement that Everyday Rapture was the only perfect new musical since Sunday in the Park with George. Check out my reasoning here:

http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/09/barbies-big-bold-statement-of-day.html

Oh yeah, and did I cry? There was no eleven o'clock emotional ballad that instructed me to cry, but nevertheless the waterworks happened anyway, and it was during the final number, Up The Ladder To The Roof, an uptempo to be exact. And did I mention that song is also my ring tone? And every time my phone rings, its an Everyday memory of the Rapture.

Barbie's Big Bold Statement of the Day

Everyday Rapture is the first piece of truly perfect theatre to hit Broadway since Sunday in the Park with George.

I was thinking about Everyday Rapture a lot today and I can't help but marvel about what an incredible piece of theatre it really is. I am going to go out on a limb and say it is the only new musical I've ever seen where every element works. Most new musicals have a strong score and a weak book, or strong actors and weak material, etc. But this show was simply fantastic. I cannot come up with enough adjectives to describe what I felt for this show. The book by Sherie Rene Scott and Dick Scanlan is, according to Scott, about 50% reality and 50% embellishment but the transition is seamless and one would never suspect that it was not all autobiographical. And her singing and acting abilities? Well they are unparalleled. I am going to agree with Barbara Cook and say Catherine Zeta-Jones did now deserve that Tony award, Miss Sherie Rene Scott did. I've seen a lot of Tony winning female performances including the revered Alice Ripley in Next To Normal and Idina Menzel in Wicked and in my opinion, neither of them even came close to the level of talent that Sherie Rene Scott displayed in this show.

Now I've seen some amazing revivals in my time, A Little Night Music, Hair, and South Pacific to name a few that were really spectacular, but this post is devoted specifically to new musicals and I stand behind my decision 150%.

Here is my review of the show as well as one of my favorite video clips.

http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-would-judy-do.html

Barbie's Showtune of the Day #13: My Strongest Suit

My obsession with Sherie Rene Scott continues with this showtune of the day, My Strongest Suit from AIDA. I do not know what to say about Sherie other than that she is fierce with a capital FIERCE. Just listen to her belt! Don't get me wrong, she is amazing on recordings, but to truly experience her talent, you have to see her live. Young drag queens often get their start by copying Sherie's performance of this song and posting their renditions on youtube. Also, we love her 1990s crimped hair in this wig. I'm posting two copies of this song. The first is a close shot but is only an excerpt and the second video contains the full song and the scene leading up but is a bit further away.


 

Barbie's Showtune of the Day #6: Up the Ladder to the Roof

I haven't posted in a few days, so what have I been up to? I started another part time job to support my theatre-going habits...that was necessary. So without further ado, here is my showtune of the day, which is actually more like a showtune of the weekend. This song is probably the most played recently on my iTunes. It is just so fun and uplifting, not to mention Sherie Rene Scott is a revelation and her Mennonettes are also pretty amazing.

This is "Up the Ladder to the Roof" as performed by the cast of Everyday Rapture during the opening number of the 2010 TONY awards.

A Trio Of Broadway Alums Join Lincoln Center Theater's Newest Production

An announcement was just made that Broadway veterans Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Sherie Rene Scott will join Lincoln Center Theater's newest production--Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. The production, directed by Bartlett Sher, will begin previews at the Belasco theatre on October 2nd with an official opening date of Novemner 4th. The show features a score and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane. This casting is truly monumental, not only because LuPone and Scott were just featured in "My Fave Five Broadway Belters" list, but also because a group of actors of this caliber has not been assembled in years. Two-time TONY winner LuPone has recently been focusing on revivals, so this will be her first original role in decades. TONY-winner Mitchell also makes a return to Broadway after a several year hiatus. Two-time TONY nominee Scott is fresh off her triumphant original show Everyday Rapture and I am praying that this upcoming role may finally give her the TONY she deserves. I hear that both LuPone and Scott will be playing featured roles so without even seeing their performances or knowing the rest of the Broadway season, I predict these two Divas will battle it out for the top prize at the 2011 TONY awards.

**photo courtesy of Broadway.com

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!

Fun Fact Of The Day: 3 Shows And Counting For This Dynamic Duo

If you know anything about Broadway or New York theatre in general, chances are you've heard of Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz. But you probably don't know that they have shared the stage 3, count 'em 3 times. As replacements in Rent and role originators in The Last Five Years and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the onstage chemistry between these two is undeniable. I hope that each of these three-named dynamos will stay on The Great White Way for a long time with many more shows together. If they are willing to perform as replacements again, I could actually see them as the next Diana and Dan in Next To Normal. Thoughts anyone?

What Would Judy Do?

Judy, as in Garland, god rest her soul, could certainly appreciate Everyday Rapture, the semi-autobiographical story of leading actress Sheri Rene Scott. She is a devout fan of Garland and constantly asks herself “what would Judy do?” Everyday Rapture, a part of Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2010 season opened at the American Airlines Theatre with a limited engagement run on April 29, 2010 and played its final performance today.

I caught the evening show last night and I felt so grateful to have witnessed the incomparable Sherie Rene Scott completely in her element. She is known for her crystal clear belt and comedic chops in shows like Aida, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Little Mermaid, but who knew she could deliver such a multilayered performance? I had never seen Scott perform live and I must admit that I was skeptical. I was expecting a “Broadway belter” performance, you know the kind I’m talking about, where the singer has to do deep knee bends to get the top notes out and it looks like her face just might fall off? But there were no “defying gravity moments” here and that was quite rapturous in itself.

While Everyday Rapture is indeed a musical, it reads more like a play with music in that the book scenes tell Scott’s story and the songs add sparkle and theatricality. She is one of those very special performers who does not separate her dialogue from the music, but actually continues to act through the song. While she is a fabulous singer with impeccable control, I barely took notice of the vocal technique because her performance was so transcendent. This gal runs the gamut from light ballads on travel trunks and up-tempo numbers complete with magic tricks to Motown anthems with her back-up singers and torch songs, some even performed while lying on the floor.

While this is primarily a one-woman-show, Sherie Rene Scott is supported by two back-up singers, Lindsay Mendez and Betsy Wolfe, or as she refers to them, the Mennonettes. The harmonies created by these three women are out of this world, particularly on the final number Up the Ladder to the Roof. There is also a scene stealing performance by the 16-year old Eamon Foley who plays a crazed fan that uploads his own interpretation of Scott’s My Strongest Suit to youtube. This hilarious segment of the piece depicts Scott’s frustration as she attempts to reach out to this young fan while he refuses to believe the emails are really from her. Foley’s character really gets his idol riled up when he mentions Idina, but Scott quickly reminds the audience that this other beloved Broadway belter was in fact her replacement in AIDA. This delightfully catty comment is exactly what makes Sherie unique and electric, her quirky, and sometimes biting sense of humor.

The subject of the show is Scott’s half-Mennonite upbringing in Kansas and her road to New York City. Her idols growing up were Jesus and Judy Garland, enough said. She opens by stating that a wise man once told her to carry two pieces of paper in her pockets every day, one stating “I am a speck of dust” and one stating “the world was created for me.” She waffles between these two philosophies throughout the show as her Mennonite half taught her to feel insignificant but her other, more theatrical, half leads her to believe that she is special and has the potential to truly shine. In the end, she rips pieces of paper into tiny pieces, showering herself in confetti, as she ultimately concludes that there truly is magic in the world, and specifically in the theatre, if she can only find “it” within herself.

Ever since this piece was rumored to make the move from off-Broadway to Broadway, I have been intrigued by it, partly because I found the idea of an autobiographical show incredibly self- indulgent, and also because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about surrounding this “phenomenal” actress. So I had my doubts, and Sherie Rene Scott, a woman whose talent cannot by confined by two names, proved me wrong, and she did it in a big way. Not only was I floored by her talent, but I totally connected with her story. There is absolutely nothing self-serving about this piece and in fact, she is one of the most giving performers I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Her story of a small town girl with a big dream and complete belief in herself resonated with me tremendously and based on the mood in the audience, I think she reached many others as well.

I found myself in tears by the final number, which was an up-tempo I must add! Maybe it was because of her character’s ultimate realization of the magic of the theatre, or maybe it was because I felt so honored to have been privy to this woman’s deeply personal story, but either way, the show struck a chord with me and pulled my emotions to the surface. I went into Everyday Rapture having never seen Sherie Rene Scott perform and I left the theatre as an eternal fan, and that is exactly what I told her when she signed my poster at the stage door.