Ooh!

I almost forgot that tomorrow I am going to see the Jude Law Hamlet on Broadway. No, I'm not going because Jude Law's in it; it got great reviews and I honestly like the play. I'll be back with my "review"... and I'm sure you're all really excited. Wooooo

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

Angels in America to get its first New York revival.

Def the best part of the Tonys

i hope

everyone in the cast of this play i'm doing the costumes for forgets all their lines and falls off the stage. basically, anything that would make them all look like complete idiots. that would make my life amazing. that's all.

Nothing better has ever existed.

Alec Baldwin praises Patti LuPone.

Coincidentally enough, way to get mentioned in two completely unrelated posts in a row, Alec!

Another EW list...

The New Classics: Stage. I've commented on the ones I'm not like "huh, what is this?"

50. Chess
Oh no. There are so many better musicals to choose.
49. Topdog/Underdog
48. Fool for Love
47. Burn This
46. Rabbit Hole
It's a great play, but I wonder if I'd like it if Cynthia Nixon hadn't been so amazing.
45. Sunday in the Park with George
Well, it's Sondheim. Of course I love it.
44. Wit
I only saw it on HBO, but it was fantastic there.
43. Spring Awakening
It's neither THE GREATEST THING TO EVER HIT BROADWAY!!!! nor a piece of overrated crap. It's just a good musical. It deserved Best Musical last year, but that's because the nominees were totally below average. I don't mind it being here. At least it tries to be daring and different.
42. subUrbia
41. Cirque de Soleil: O
40. Fires in the Mirror
39. Grey Gardens
Way overrated. Not that great.
38. Noises Off
37. This Is Our Youth
36. The Substance of Fire
35. Stomp
A ton of fun.
34. Brighton Beach Memoirs
Eh... we did this at least three times in high school in some way (as a lab show, as a mainstage, and in my drama class). I'm not that crazy about it, probably because every time we did it the guy who played the lead, though a different person every time, was a smug fuck who I wanted to punch in the face. Wow, that was angry!
33. Hairspray
I love it. It's just one giant bundle of fun.
32. Prelude to a Kiss
31. Three Tall Women
30. City of Angels
It's very underrated ("You're Nothing Without Me" is one of the most spectacular showtunes ever written), but I don't think it belongs so high.
29. The Piano Lesson
28. Speed-the-Plow
27. La Cage aux Folles
Meh. I'm still bitter about Jerry Hermann insulting Sondheim when he won with this.
26. Dinner with Friends
It's quite good. I feel like I need a drama teacher to walk me through all the subtext and story arcs and whatever, though.
25. Falsettos
Oh God, Falsettos is so incredibly beautiful. One of my favorites.
24. Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk
23. M. Butterfly
22. Into the Woods
Again: Sondheim. Of course I love it. That second act is easily one of the most twisted things ever written in theater, and it's so great.
21. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
I hated the movie - it was a mess - but the show itself is glorious and campy fun.
20. Three Days of Rain
The play's really not that great, Julia or not...
19. Six Degrees of Separation
18. Elaine Stritch at Liberty
17. Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de la Lune
16. Wicked
I despise Wicked so, so much. The music and lyrics, "Defying Gravity" aside, are terrible. Words can't decide how happy I am that it lost Best Musical.
15. Les Miserables
I know Les Miz is schlocky crap, but I don't even care. It's my unabashed favorite musical, and one that's influenced my very life in many, many ways. I love it and can't listen to it without crying hysterically. It's just... it's special to me, you know?
14. Frost/Nixon
13. The Lion King
Back before Disney was debatably ruining Broadway, The Lion King existed. And oh my God, it was simply breathtaking. The amount of imagination and sheer wonder that went into it is simply amazing. The other Disney stuff on Broadway can die, but this is just...amazing.
12. The Phantom of the Opera
Cheesefest, but at least the music is kind of pretty and it's nice to look at. In terms of the BIG musicals, it should be obvious which one I prefer. That said, at least it beat Cats for longest-running musical.
11. The Coast of Utopia
10. The Producers
The original cast was quite literally one of the funniest things I've ever seen. That shitty movie (the 2005 one, not the original 1968 one which is amazing) has tainted my thoughts on it, but it's still so, so funny. That said, I'm not sure if it's the cast or the actual material.
9. The Heidi Chronicles
I hate most things feminist, but The Heidi Chronicles is a terrific play.
8. Avenue Q
My favorite musical of the 2000s, bar none. And it's not even close with anything else (well, okay, Urinetown).
7. Glengarry Glen Ross
Such a great play.
6. Fences
This one, too. I cried like a little bitch.
5. Jersey Boys
I don't think it should be this high, but it really is terrific and definitely deserved its Best Musical Tony. It was incredibly well-crafted, and notice I didn't need to put "for a jukebox musical" before that. It's just great.
4. Doubt
I remember kind of thinking it was a smudge overrated, and if I'm honest I like The Pillowman more (and think it belongs on here!). That said, it's really fantastic.
3. August: Osage County
Still haven't gotten around to seeing or reading it.
2. Rent
Before the hype, before the stunt casting, before the terrible movie, before all that bullshit, there was a musical that could, and though it wasn't perfect and pretended to be all bad-ass, it really had a huge heart. That musical was Rent, and all things considered, it was pretty amazing and revolutionary and, yes, Justine Credible loved it. Wow, that was awful, but yeah, Rent is spectacular and totally deserves its place here.
1. Angels in America
Absolutely. Angels in America belongs up there with, I'm not even kidding, stuff like Macbeth; it should be a classic of theater forever, not just recognized as a great contemporary play. It works and exceeds on so many levels.

Light in the Piazza and ESPECIALLY Urinetown should be on here. Maybe Ragtime, The Secret Garden or The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Tony Predix!

Best Play: August: Osage County
Best Musical: Passing Strange (alt. In the Heights)
Best Book of a Musical: Xanadu (alt. In the Heights)
Best Score of a Musical: In the Heights (alt. Passing Strange)
Best Revival of a Play: Boeing-Boeing (alt. Macbeth)
Best Revival of a Musical: South Pacific (alt. Gypsy)
Best Lead Actor in a Play: Mark Rylance - Boeing-Boeing (alt. Patrick Stewart - Macbeth)
Best Lead Actress in a Play: Deanna Dougan - August: Osage County (alt. Kate Fleetwood - Macbeth)
Best Lead Actor in a Musical: Lin-Manuel Miranda - In the Heights (alt. Paulo Szot - South Pacific)
Best Lead Actress in a Musical: Patti LuPone - Gypsy (alt. Kelli O'Hara - South Pacific, ugh, Kelli O'Hara is the Anne Hathaway of Broadway. Beautiful voice, incapable of acting.)
Best Featured Actor in a Play: Raul Esparza - The Homecoming (alt. Jim Norton - The Seafarer) (c'mon Raul! I don't care that it's a make-up award!)
Best Featured Actress in a Play: Rondi Reed - August: Osage County (alt. Mary McCormack - Boeing-Boeing)
Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Danny Burstein - South Pacific (alt. Robin de Jesus - In the Heights)
Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Laura Benanti - Gypsy (alt. Andrea Martin - Young Frankenstein)
Best Direction of a Play: Anna D. Shapiro - August: Osage County (alt. Matthew Warchus - Boeing-Boeing)
Best Direction of a Musical: Bartlett Sher - South Pacific (alt. Arthur Laurents - Gypsy)

So, basically, it'll be an orgy of love for August: Osage County, and I actually won't want to kill myself with the acting winners this year... hopefully. Patti, Raul, and Laura are three of my favorite Broadway actors. I haven't seen anything aside from Gypsy and Sunday in the Park with George, so I can't really speak to preferences.

Sunday in the Park with George

Really great, yay Broadway. Whoever did the set/projections should be the lockiest lock that ever locked for the Tony. Jenna Russell (Dot/Marie) was very funny, but a little bland otherwise; Daniel Evans (George) definitely faired better. Both were good, but neither is so good they demand a Tony, like Raul Esparza in Company last year. The production was gorgeous in every way. God, I love Sondheim musicals. Though it was kind of weird to see one without that austere black/white palette and without someone dragging a tuba across the stage ;)

Oh, and in the taxi on the way to the theater they had one of those Taxi TV things and Brian Baumgartner was on it!!! I shrieked in joy.

Tony nomination reactions.

Best Play
August: Osage County
Rock 'N Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

August has this all wrapped up.


Best Musical
Cry-Baby
In the Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

To be fair, Xanadu is a ton of fun. It's kinda schadenfreuden-ly good to see Young Frankenstein get snubbed after what a terrible disappointment it was and Mel Brooks' obnoxiousness (though I love him) in promoting it. I've heard In the Heights is "the new Rent!", which is, of course, what we all heard about Spring Awakening last year.


Best Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liai - ah, fuck it. Dangerous Liaisons
Macbeth

Apparently Macbeth rocks. But Dangerous Liaisons has Laura Linney...


Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
Gypsy
South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George

I've heard amazing things about the last three, and I've heard that Grease is beyond horrendous. I'm seeing Sunday soon, so I'll report back, and I hope to catch Gypsy.


Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Daniels :: Dangerous Liaisons
Laurence Fishburne :: Thurgood
Mark Rylance :: Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell :: Rock 'N' Roll
Patrick Stewart :: Macbeth

Again, what I've heard about all these guys is just great.


Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best :: The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan :: August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood :: Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson :: Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton :: August: Osage County

Yes, I've heard Dunagan, Morton, and Fleetwood are outstanding. You know who else I heard is outstanding, and I certainly believe it, and I will be running out to catch her play ASAP? LAURA LINNEY. I repeat: THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS DON'T KNOW HOW TO ACT.


Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale :: Mauritius
Raul Esparza :: The Homecoming
Conleth Hill :: The Seafarer
Jim Norton :: The Seafarer
David Pittu :: Is He Dead?

Lord knows I love me some Raul Esparza. After being quite tragically robbed last year, I'm hoping he wins it here. Though, I've got no idea who's "supposed" to win. Bobby Cannavale is hot.


Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cusack :: Rock 'N' Roll
Mary McCormack :: Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf :: November
Martha Plimpton :: Top Girls
Rondi Reed :: August: Osage County

The Osage County chick will probably win. Top Girls is an absolutely fascinating play... I don't know if it's any good play-wise (it's so weird, and I don't know if it ever really makes any sort of statement...), but it's totally bizarre.


Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans :: Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda :: In the Heights
Stew :: Passing Strange
Paulo Szot :: South Pacific
Tom Wopat :: A Catered Affair

Stew? Is that like, his entire name? Szot is a weird name too, but at least he's got an actual first and last name. I heard A Catered Affair is awful.


Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler :: Xanadu
Patti LuPone :: Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara :: South Pacific
Faith Prince :: A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell :: Sunday in the Park with George

I can't stand Kelli O'Hara. She's like a vacant wind-up doll that stands there and sings and looks pretty when you want her to, but who can't really act. Hopefully, and I am under this impression from reading around and stuff, my personal goddess LA LUPONE has this mofo.


Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker :: Passing Strange
Danny Burstein :: South Pacific
Robin De Jesus :: In the Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald :: Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines :: Gypsy

Sure. Fitzgerald was good.


Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
de'Adre Aziza :: Passing Strange
Laura Benanti :: Gypsy
Andrea Martin :: Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz :: In the Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre :: South Pacific

Martin was good, but I love Laura Benanti, and by all accounts she's quite spectacular in Gypsy. Hopefully, it can capture both "Actress in a Musical" categories :)

Dude. It took THIS LONG to get Sondheim an honorary Tony for lifetime achievement in the theater? THAT AIN'T RIGHT. You know what else ain't right? SNUBBING LAURA LINNEY. THOSE FUCKERS.

Not-so-dear Tony voters,

YOU SNUBBED LAURA LINNEY???

YOU MOTHERFUCKERS DON'T KNOW HOW TO ACT.

Not love,
Justine Credible

PS more comments later on these, even though I haven't seen much (and I forgot the Tony nominations came out this week...surprise, surprise)

mama, don't let your babies grow up to be theater kids...

I am hideously bored, so my choices in some major categories at the Tonys from 2000-2007. A * means they actually won.

Best Musical
2000: The Wild Party
2001: The Producers *
2002: Urinetown (best new musical of the 2000s)
2003: Hairspray *
2004: Avenue Q *
2005: hard to call. Spamalot *
2006: Jersey Boys *
2007: Spring Awakening * I guess. They all kinda suck

Best Director of a Musical
2000: Susan Stroman, Contact
2001: Susan Stroman, The Producers *
2002: John Rando, Urinetown *
2003: Baz Luhrmann, La Boheme (yay Baz)
2004: Joe Mantello, Assassins *
2005: Mike Nichols, Spamalot * (maybe?)
2006: John Doyle, Sweeney Todd *
2007: John Doyle, Company

Best Revival of a Musical
2000: Kiss Me Kate *
2001: 42nd Street *
2002: not sure. Neither was very good. Oklahoma! because it's much lesser material.
2003: Nine *
2004: Assassins *
2005: Sweet Charity
2006: Sweeney Todd
2007: Company *

Best Lead Actor in a Musical
2000: Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kiss Me Kate *
2001: Nathan Lane, The Producers *
2002: John Lithgow, Sweet Smell of Success * (or maybe John Cullum in Urinetown. Jeff McCarthy and Hunter Foster in Urinetown were better than both of these, though.)
2003: Brian Stokes Mitchell, Man of La Mancha
2004: Hugh Jackman, The Boy from Oz *
2005: Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels *
2006: Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
2007: Raul Esparza, Company

Best Lead Actress in a Musical
2000: Audra McDonald, Marie Christine
2001: Blythe Danner, Follies
2002: Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie *
2003: Bernadette Peters, Gypsy
2004: Donna Murphy, Wonderful Town
2005: Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza *
2006: Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
2007: possibly Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens * and possibly Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
2000: I think Stephen Spinella, James Joyce's the Dead
2001: Gary Beach, The Producers *
2002: Shuler Hensley, Oklahoma! *
2003: Dick Latessa, Hairspray *
2004: Michael Cerveris, Assassins *
2005: Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza (MUCH better than all the nominees but pretty blatantly lead, and Christian Borle in Spamalot and Michael Benjamin Washington in La Cage aux Folles [I think it was him, anyway.] were better than all the other nominees)
2006: Manoel Feliciano, Sweeney Todd
2007: John Gallagher Jr., Spring Awakening *

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
2000: Eartha Kitt, The Wild Party
2001: Cady Huffman, The Producers (I think) *
2002: Laura Benanti, Into the Woods
2003: Jane Krakowski, Nine *
2004: possibly Anika Noni Rose, Caroline, or Change *
2005: Sara Ramirez, Spamalot * (thank God Kelli O'Hara didn't win. Totally a lead, and a flat-out bad performance)
2006: Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone *
2007: Orfeh, Legally Blonde (oh yes...)

That was...pointless. Yay.

I'M SO BUYING TICKETS RIGHT NOW

I apologize for the caps. BUT THEY ARE COMPLETELY NECESSARY:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109148.html

Spike.
Cliiiiiive.
Stalag 17.
Omigawd omigawd omigawd.

he's just a sweet transvestite from sweet transsexual...

...Camelot.

Broadway...

Yes, I've seen all the shows currently on Broadway, at least occurring to my latest Playbill. Sad/weird. Here they are ranked, from best to worst:

Truly Amazing Theater.
Company
Avenue Q

Great.
Jersey Boys
Hairspray
Rent
The Lion King
Spamalot
The Drowsy Chaperone
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
A Chorus Line

Good/Respectable.
Spring Awakening
Grey Gardens
Chicago
Les Miserables (a great musical, but the current incarnation has no heart. Though I haven't seen it with Lea Salonga yet)
LoveMusik
Legally Blonde
Beauty and the Beast (earlier in its run, it would have been higher up. But it's really run out of steam.)

Meh.
Curtains
110 in the Shade (yeah, I ended up buying tickets anyway.)
The Color Purple
The Pirate Queen
Wicked
Mary Poppins

Don't Waste Your Money!
The Phantom of the Opera (WHY WON'T IT CLOSE)
Mamma Mia!
Tarzan

Grading the Tony Awards.

...or at least, the performances. The show itself gets an F for the abomination that was Best Lead Actor in a Musical (why did that have to be the upset???), obviously.

110 in the Shade - Audra McDonald is a goddess. I almost bought tickets to this...but I'm going to Spain in the fall and I really need to save my money. I'm kind of glad I didn't buy the tickets. Audra was fantastic and I heart me some John Cullum, but the song was really bad. Still, since it was all about Audra... B-

A Chorus Line - I wish they were actually singing, and it's not like they were SPECTACULAR, but they were pretty great. I adore this show. B+

Company - I love Raul, but it was bullshit that NOBODY else was on stage with him. That said, except for "MOCK ME WITH PRAISE!!!!" which was a little "okay, you like to emphasize that line. we get it," he was masterful, of course (and even the "mock me" can be excused because that auditorium is FUHREAKING HUGE and the TV cameras were placed about 2 inches from his face). I hope the Tony voters feel really, really stupid after that. B+

Curtains - Uh, well...shrug. People are saying the choreography should have won? Oh my goodness NO. It consisted of everyone standing in a semi-circle around David Hyde Pierce (GRRRRR.), and then when they had random lines, they would step out and say something. The song was dull. I love David Hyde Pierce, but just to reiterate: HE SHOULDN'T HAVE WON A TONY. C-

Fantasia (from The Color Purple) - Damn, bitch can sing. Her acting was pretty good, too, but I can see why Jennifer Hudson was Effie and not her. B

Grey Gardens - Zzz. Zzz. Why is everyone going crazy for this show? I can't say I've seen it but if that's what Ebersole is like, errr, Audra or Donna any day. D+

Jersey Boys - *shrug* I looove this show, so it was good to see them there. That said...I'm not really sure why they were there, and the dancing of one of them was REALLY off. But they sounded great, and I just think they're fantastic. B/B-

Mary Poppins - Boring and totally forgettable. Whoever plays Mary Poppins is awful. Why was there a creepy (faux) naked guy dancing with a little boy? Ugh. D

Spring Awakening - At least it was energetic, but I hate every song except "The Bitch of Living." Also, the dancing of one of the girls was WAYYYY OTT. Also also (heh?), what was the point of singing "Totally Fucked" if you couldn't say "fucked"? We get it, your show is edgy, but you already proved that with the far superior "Bitch of Living." And dude, your show has the lyrics "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." The Tony-winning lyrics "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." C

The Tonys piss me off more than the Oscars.

Dear Tonys,

Please fuck yourselves, thanks.

Not love, me.

American Gangster trailer

http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?sid=37949179&sdm=web&qtw=640&qth=400

Gee, do you think they're trying to make this like The Departed. I couldn't get that at all. Nope. (/sarcasm)

That said, I'm impressed. It looks really interesting and Russell and Denzel seem great. Oh, and Roger Bart, why are you being hideously miscast in movies? In Hostel Part II (which I won't see even if you pay me a lot), he's apparently the psycho killer. In American Gangster, it appears as if he plays some kind of super-racist Mafia man (speaking of which: OMG is it REALLY the last Sopranos this week? SO WEIRD). Oh and wasn't he apparently on Desperate Housewives (gross) as a crazed pharmacist? People, this guy won his Tony FOR PLAYING SNOOPY. He also played pretty much the largest gay stereotype ever in The Producers. That doesn't exactly scream "please put me in Hostel Part II."

But yeah. American Gangster looks great. That and Ratatouille! I'm SO EXCITED for that!!!

Saturday night gratuitous man post.

Raul Esparza. Pretty damn hot, bisexual to boot (like my boyfriend. Trust me, it does things for me like you can't imagine.), and uhhhhmaaayyyyzing in Company, now on Broadway. Hopefully he can win the Tony - he's got all the precursor awards (not that there are too many for the Tonys) and it really is the best Broadway performance of the year. Love him.

thanks, theater...

So basically, what I've learned from this show is that it doesn't matter how talented you are. If you are sleeping with the director (or the director wants to sleep with you...), you will be a very important lead. And no, I don't know why it took me this long to realize it.

theatrical pause

Ranking the songs of both the musicals I've been in this year.

The Rocky Horror Show (it's not "Picture" Show, thanks ;) )
---- love 'em ----
1. "Time Warp"
2. "Touch-a-touch-a-touch-a Touch Me"
3. "Dammit Janet"
---- great to good ----
4. "Sweet Transvestite"
5. "Science Fiction Double Feature"
6. "Rose Tint My World"
7. "Hot Patootie"
8. "Planet Schmanet Janet"
9. "Sword of Damocles"
10. "I'm Going Home"
11. "Super Heroes"
---- dumb / clearly filler songs ---
12. "Eddie's Teddy"
14. "Charles Atlas Song" / "Charles Atlas Song reprise"
15. "Over at the Frankenstein Place"
---- bad ----
16. "Once in a While"

Urinetown
---- love 'em ----
1. "Run Freedom Run!"
2. "Act One Finale"
3. "Don't Be the Bunny"
4. "Cop Song"
5. "Follow Your Heart"
6. "Snuff That Girl"
7. "What Is Urinetown?"
---- great to good ----
8. "Too Much Exposition / Urinetown"
9. "I See a River"
10. "Look at the Sky"
11. "We're Not Sorry / We're Not Sorry reprise"
12. "Why Did I Listen to That Man?"
13. "Mr. Cladwell"
---- dumb / clearly filler songs ----
14. "It's a Privilege to Pee"
15. "Tell Her I Love Her"

The better musical: Urinetown kicks Rocky Horror's ass in every way, shape, and form.
The more fun musical: Urinetown too, surprisingly. Both fun, though.