Melissa Errico Sings for Sondheim and TheaterPizzazz during COVID-19

Halloween at The Lambs

Encompass Salutes Barbara Cook & Lee Adams

Remembering Edith and Ervin Drake - the showgirl and the songwriter in love forever.

"FALLING FOR EVE" - God's Little Secrets"

July 15, 2010

The Garden of Eden has a new twist in this musical one act romp currently at the York Theatre as we’re privy to some of God’s little known secrets!

Tony Award Winner Joe DiPietro’s latest offering (he wrote Memphis), puts a new spin on the real first couple and procreation. With Angels Sarah (Jennifer Blood) and Michael (Nehal Joshi) as narrators never far behind, droll matter-of-fact God (Adam Kantor) tells it like it is in a swinging pop opening “God, It’s Good To Be Me” – “when you are the architect, you get respect!”

Creating good looking Adam (Jose Llana), with strong vocals and muscles galore, adorned in a teeny weeny gold lame loin cloth, was a good move as it turns out. But even in Paradise, where green grass rolls out onto a revolving platform with trees of glass lights and multi-colored pillows (genius of Beowulf Boritt), something is lacking in Adam’s obedient life. It is purpose. After all, the only man in town can’t loll around looking gorgeous 24 hours a day by himself singing “Another Day in Paradise” forever! What to do? Enter God She (Sasha Sloan). Yes, they are interchangeable after all. In an instant, that famous rib is ripped from Adam’s body to produce the lovely Eve (Krystal Joy Brown) whom Angel Michael would like to call Man-Rib.

There are a lot of wise-cracking laugh lines and familiar but trite messages such as female God’s “the way to keep the children is to let them go in “Only Human,” as the more curious Eve wonders why birds leave Paradise. A contemporary version of that forbidden fruit tree comes with liquid filled red glass apples, tempting the couple in “Apple, Apple, Apple, Apple” – “I want to bite that sucker.”

More sobering references to good and evil, innocence lost, obedience, horrors, wars and cruelty to man balances the on-going levity. Eve bites into the forbidden fruit and is banished from the Garden to wander the dark, angry earth in a terror-filled “Where Will I Sleep Tonight?” Brown provides an exquisite interpretation, her heart longing for Adam as she walks the Earth seeing another kind of Paradise and aging over many years, temporarily returning to Paradise to ultimately temp Adam to join her. Meanwhile, God and the Angels are in turmoil as to how the human race will evolve but seeing the future they know “Good Things Are A Comin’” in a clever laundry list of lyrics by David Howard (Galaxy Quest) and music by Bret Simmons (The Megan Mullally Show):

“IF YOU COULD SEE THE FUT-CHA YOU‘D FIND THINGS THAT‘LL SUIT YA…
THERE‘S GONNA BE CLOTHES, FIRES, WHEELS, TIRES, PRINTING PRESSES, SILK DRESSES, BOATS, OARS, WOODEN DOORS, THE ALPHABET AND MARBLE FLOORS, RAVIOLI, GUACAMOLE,‗LECTRIC POWER, EIFFEL TOWER, MOZART, CUIZENART, ARISTOTLE AND DESCARTES…JAMES BOND, HARRY POTTER, BRIE, CHEDDER AND RICOTTATEX-MEX, MALCOLM X, GROUCHO MARX, THE JOY OF SEXEINSTEIN, PATSY CLINE, KRISPY KREME, I HAVE A DREAM…
EDITH HEAD, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, LAMBOURGINIS, MARTINISYELLOW POLKA-DOT BIKINIS…”

There are also musically beautiful ballads “Eve” and “Once A Life Ago.”

An array of wonderful color and design is accomplished with Herrick Goldman’s lighting and Bobby Pearce is responsible for the effective gold lame and white robe costuming. The clever direction is by Larry Raben working with a talented cast. Kudos to Artistic Director Jim Morgan for making this frolicking new take on a tale as old as time possible! The production runs through August 8th at the York Theatre at St. Peters, 54th & Lexington Ave. Tickets: 212-935-5820 http://www.yorktheatre.org/

AWARDS REIGN SUPREME

Mr.& Mrs. William Wolf
Pres. of Drama Desk

Fran & Barry Weissler, Producers

55th ANNUAL DRAMA DESK SEES “RED,” “FENCES”,
“MEMPHIS” and MUCH MORE
May 23, 2010

By Sandi Durell

It was another ‘can you top this event’ at LaGuardia Concert Hall. The evening was hosted by multi Award Winner Patti LuPone. Seated next to me was John Kander who was a winner (see below) and Geoffrey Nauffts nominated playwright for “Next Fall.”

The event is Executive Produced by Robert R. Blume together with a large dedicated staff and volunteers. It reminds me of "homegrown" because of the ease with which Bob Blume presents and includes everyone when he thanks so many. Here is the list of winners and presenters.

Outstanding New Play “Red” - Josh Logan
Outstanding New Musical “Memphis”
Outstanding Revival of a Play “Fences”and “A View From The Bridge”
Outstanding Revival of a Musical “La Cage Aux Folles”
Outstanding Musical Revue “Sondheim on Sondheim”
Outstanding Director of a Play Michael Grandage, “Red”
Outstanding Director of a Musial Michael Mayer, “American Idiot”
Outstanding Choreographer Twyla Tharp, “Come Fly Away”
Outstanding Actress in a Play Jan Maxwell, “The Royal Family”
Outstanding Actress in a Musical Montego Glover, “Memphis” & Catherine Zeta Jones, “A Little Night Music”

Outstanding Actor in a Play Liev Schreiber

Outstanding Actor in a Musical Douglas Hodge, “La Cage Aux Folles”
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Viola Davis, “Fences”
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Santino Fontana, “Brighton Beach Memoirs”
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Katie Finneran, revival ‘Promises, Promises”
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Christopher Fitzgerald, revival “Finian’s Rainbow”
Outstanding Book of a Musical Alex Timbers, “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”
Outstanding Music David Bryan, “Memphis”
Outstanding Music in a Play Branford Marsalis, “Fences”
Outstanding Lyrics John Kander & Fred Ebb, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Outstanding Orchestrations Daryl Waters & David Bryan, “Memphis”
Outstanding Costume Design Matthew Wright, “La Cage Aux Folles”
Outstanding Set Design- Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch & Basil Twist-“The Addams Family”
Outstanding Costumes Matthew Wright, “La Cage Au Folles”
Outstanding Lighting Design Neil Austin, “Red”
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical Acme Sound Partners “Ragtime”
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play Fitz Patton “When The Rain Stops Falling”
Outstanding Solo Performance Jim Brochu, Zero Mostel in “Zero Hour”
Jim Brochu

Unique Theatrical Experience “Love, Loss and What I Wore”
Outstanding Ensemble Awards for Acting were presented by Matthew Modine to
“The Temperamentals” and the Circle Mirror Transformation.

Edward Albee received a Special Award for “The Orphan’s Home Cycle.”

Special Awards were presented by Adriane Lenox to Godlight Theatre Company and Ma-Yi Theatre Company while Angela Lansbury presented a Special Award to Jerry Herman who, unfortunately, could not attend.

Other presenters included Michael Cerveris and Boyd Gaines, Jesse L. Martin, Cheyenne Jackson, Bobby Steggert who presented Scholarships to 2 outstanding LaGuardia High School Theatre students, bawdy and feisty Mitzi Gaynor who is in town doing her one woman show, Leslie Jordan gaining height on a pink box, Ana Gasteyer, Corbin Bleu and Brooke Shields.

The celebs were everywhere – in the theatre and the after party at Broadway’s newest premier venue, 48 Lounge on West 48th Street across from the Cort Theatre, including: Catherine Zeta Jones with husband Michael Douglas, Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johannson, Ben Vereen, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton and many more.

The profound words of the evening were spoken by the late August Wilson and quoted during the acceptance speech for “Fences” - “explore the dark parts of ourselves…use the pain as fuel.” A night to remember.

Broadway's 2010 Easter Bonnet Competition Raises over $3Million

It is 24 years since the first Easter Bonnet took place in the basement of the Palace Theatre and raised $1,200. Now, in 2010, over 300 shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring have raised a remarkable $3,265,700!

The Gaga themed opening introduced 106 year old former Ziegfeld showgirl Doris Eaton Travis, as Queen Bunny in her Basket of Egg-mobile. From there on it was non-stop stars and entertainment starting with Jan Maxwell and Dylan Baker, Corbin Bleu and Michael Urie, Chad Kimball and Constantine Maroulis and presenters Bebe Neuwirth, Nathan Lane and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The funnies flew as they roasted and toasted the obvious: Michael Feinstein & Dame Edna, Sarah Palin (she gets the most free press of anyone), even Stephen Sondheim. The three young kids from South Pacific had their fair share of zingers reading what they learned being on Broadway, including: “You don’t have to be gay to work here, but you do have to be fabulous!”

The special material presented by the various Broadway companies and bonnets made by the cast and crews didn’t seem quite as elaborate as previous years, but many were memorable, like Jim Brochu currently starring in his one man show “Zero Hour” who, with the help of other performers did a parody of “Tradition” while building a creative bonnet from a black hat while performing.

A special tribute to the West Virginia coal miners who perished was presented by the cast of “Billy Elliot,” while the cast of “Next Fall”did an imitation of their producer Elton John to parodied “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with a more risqué lyric. Funny man Leslie Jordan (My Trip Down the Pink Carpet), wearing a giant pink top hat with netting, told the story of how his Army Dad (they lived in Tennessee) went searching for a bride doll for him at Christmas when he was 3 years old and when it was given to him, he was so excited that all he could do was squat on the floor and pee.

“Memphis" performed a ballet version of "The Hurt Locker" called "Love Terrorists," with cast members in camo outfits, their bonnet a bomb that exploded into a heart. Yes, if all the terrorists could only be taught to love instead of hate. . .

The winning bonnet came from “Fela” and “Wicked” scored big as the largest fundraiser.

BCEFA. . . Congratulations! You’ve come a long way since those days in the Palace Theatre basement !