NaBloPoMo: I did it! Well, almost.

Hey, today is the last day of November, which means NaBloPoMo is over! Wow, I can't believe how fast it went by. And a whole Broadway strike, and I still managed to have something to write about! I'm still pissed that I missed that one day when I was stuck in Pennsyltucky. I've learned a lot from blogging every day this month, but the most striking thing I've realized is that writing begets more writing - that the more you write, the easier it is to do, and the more naturally it flows. I expected this month to be really tough, but it was easy!

So here are two fun things to check out, one theater-related and one totally off-topic.


First, warm your winter-frosted heart with Bixby Elliot's list of the best of Broadway Youtube. He compiled it as a cure to the bway strike blues, but everything on there is great musical theater fun, strike or not. Highlights: Carrie the musical, Jeff Whitty doing a Katherine Hepburn rap in 1986, high school versions of Les Miz with through-the-roof production values, Lea Salonga's Miss Saigon audition, and of course, the legendary performance of Jennifer Holliday at the Tony Awards, singing THAT song.


And then there's this, the blog of a woman who rescued Charlie, a wild Coyote puppy, and is raising him and blogging the whole thing. Dooce says it better than me, "the photos alone will make your heart explode". Charlie the Coyote's mama says:

“What are you going to do when Charlie grows up?” Well, only one can answer this question, and it’s not me. It’s Charlie.

I took Charlie in because the alternative was him being drowned in a water tank. There was one clear answer at that moment in time, one clear answer of what I needed to do for him. And I know the answers will continue to come as he grows up and as we grow together....

...From the beginning, I have made the commitment to let Charlie decide his destiny; to do right by him without attaching my own desires to the outcome or interfering with human logic. You can join me in seeing what unfolds.

Obligatory Broadway Strike Post: It's Over!!

Crying babies everywhere are shedding tears of joy, for the strike is finally over. All That Chatters look forward to returning to the "usual schedule of kvetching and bitching", which will probably be all about this, which I saw coming.

Songco's Spike Marks

Check this out: artist/designer/photographer Jeffrey Augustine Songco created an art installation in his studio out of spike marks. So cool and whimsical, and a nifty little niche of his art that examines the theatrical in real life. Check it out for a refreshing take on a small, oft-overlooked little part of the process of making theater.

I hear...

That Zoe Kazan won't be seen at the Biltmore this spring as planned. Shortly after MTC announced it's casting for Come Back, Little Sheba, Zoe booked a role in the big comic superhero move Justice League - a direct conflict with the show. Pretty sure MTC's already seen every actress in NYC for that role, so who will they cast?

Jugi totally called it!

In The Heights photos

Remember when they were filming that ad for In The Heights over the summer? Well they've released some still shots that look amazing, and reminded me of why I adored that show. Here are a few pics, Stage Notes has more.

A Festival? Pour Moi?

Just stumbled on an old post from Mike Daisy on Moxie. He says:

My brother on Moxie:

Moxie: The soda that tastes like root beer and dead fish, mixed with love and dirt.

That's right folks, tastes like root beer and dead fish, mixed with love and dirt. I'd say that about sums me up! Well, you know. Except for maybe the dead fish part.

And look! A festival! All for Moxie!!!

"I've always known I was meant to dominate your sex and avenge my own."

It sounds like Laura Linney is finally confirmed to be cast in Les Liasons Dangereuses, playing La Marquise de Merteuil, the sexy villainess. After hearing about this for what seems like YEARS, I'm kinda over it. She's a great actress, yes, but... Merteuil? Something just doesn't fit to me. Isn't it more of a role for someone like, say, Helen Mirren? Laura Linney feels a little miscast, a little midwestern and plain, and that role really has to be seductive and manipulative and fabulous. Not that I'm not looking forward to seeing it, and seeing her in it. I am! It just doesn't seem like such a natural fit, and I have doubts.

Any guesses on who's playing Valmont?

Update: Announcement came today that british actor Ben Daniels will play Valmont. Here's his bio:

Olivier Award winner Daniels (who earned the honor for the Royal National Theatre staging of All My Sons) has appeared on the London stage in Therese Raquin, Three Sisters, The Wild Duck, The God of Hell, Tales From Hollywood, Naked, Waiting for Godot, Entertaining Mr. Sloane and more. He has been seen on television in "The State Within," "Elizabeth-The Virgin Queen," "Ian Fleming-A Life in Pictures," "Truth or Dare," and "Romeo and Juliet." Film credits include "Beautiful Thing," "Luna," "Doom" and "Madeleine."

Project Runway: with special guest Sarah Jessica Parker!

Just catching up on some missed television from the holiday, checking out last week's Project Runway and - WHOA SJP got some work done! Yikes. I guess she's getting in gear for the upcoming Sex and the City movie (which Gothamist had it's eye on today). Those squinty cat eyes are scary! Ugh. And another perfectly attractive face bites the dust.

Saturday Ramble: Musings on Broadway, Art, the Future, etc.

Check out Terry Teachout's strike-inspired essay today on the rising expense of a Broadway ticket. Terry asks an essential question: If Broadway costs twice as much today as it did in 1968, is the product twice as good? Are the current crop of plays and musicals even worth the outrageous expense?

It seems to me that the obvious answer is no, Elle Woods and her peers couldn't hold a candle to the Broadway of 1968, with its new plays by Arthur Miller and Brian Friel, performances by Dustin Hoffman, Lotte Lenya, and Zoe Caldwell, and long-running original productions of "Hello, Dolly!", "Hair", and "Fiddler on the Roof". But Terry has a great, and important point that beyond Broadway bashing, the forum for great new work has simply relocated, with the highest quality coming from Off-Broadway and regional productions, which also manage to remain affordable.

Don't get me wrong: I like musicals, the same way I like ice-cream sundaes. But man cannot live by dessert alone, and now that most of Broadway is shuttered, it has become clearer than ever before that there are better and cheaper places to get a steak.

I think we can (mostly) all agree that Off-Broadway and regional theater deserves a lot more attention for all the new work generated. But with the "arbiters of taste" promoting stuff like visits to grocery stores, and spending more time slamming some of Broadway's less interesting fare than discussing theater that's interesting and engaging but happens to take place in smaller houses with less funding... how do you get the butts in the seats? When art gets replaced by reality television and child-star idols, how do you wipe the slate clean? How do you shift the average American's appetite for cultural consumption, and change it from a craving for pink sugary fluff to a desire for something more unknown and adventurous? If we continue down this path we're headed on, is there any room for real art at all?

And hey, I'm not saying the only good theater (or art) is that which does something totally new/experimental/whatever. I really just want to see good stories well-told. That's what I crave. It just happens to be true that the artists who create good stories and tell them well, those artists often run with the creators and innovators who end up doing new, non-traditional work. I think of the innovation more as a positive result of good art, rather than the point and purpose of good art.

Technical Difficulties

Please pardon our appearance - we're experiencing some sort of bizarre technical difficulties in which Blogger isn't displaying my banner. Anybody else having problems like this? Drop me a line if so... Should be fixed soon!

the rasturbator

Here's something super-cool and FREE - The Rasturbator, a website that takes any image, enlarges it into giant size, and sends it back to you as a PDF file. You then print the image and put the pages together for a free mural! I'm picking what photo I'm going to use right now...

(via Apartment Therapy)

Gobble Gobble.

Happy turkey day! My mom's cooking and my own special "cranberry martinis" (ok they were cosmopolitans) were the highlight of my day.

But there's something else I can't stop thinking about, replaying it in my mind's eye... the ridiculous, absurd lip syncing extravaganza that is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My own shameless indulgence in nostalgia keeps me tuning in every year, but it's just getting so awful. I mean, Wynonna Judd was clearly singing entirely different lyrics than we were hearing. And most of the performers were 14-year-olds from High School Musical or something. Isn't it time for the parade to get some new producers to bring the whole hulking thing into the 21st century? Please!?!

What the fuck, Chuck?

I need a few minutes to let the steam stop shooting out of my ears, but WHAT THE FUCK? Seriously, Isherwood??? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Thoughts on Bug.

Watched Bug last night - I've got a massive head cold so I kinda dozed through the first half, but I was terrified and riveted for the entire second half. Michael Shannon is fantastic, and Ashley Judd is really, really good. It actually reminded me why, throughout her career missteps, I'm always thinking "but Ashley Judd can really act." Her Broadway moment didn't show it, and most of her movies don't show it, but she's totally the real deal, and it's coming through loud and clear in Bug.

If you dig horror, you will probably really enjoy this, even though I wouldn't say it belongs squarely in that category. Fun performances from Harry Connick Jr, Lynn Collins, and Brien F. O'Byrne, too. Give it a netflix.

Don't Tell Mama You Fell Off The Chair

Just enjoying some old posts from Bixby Elliot's superfun blog Two On The Aisle, including this one that directed me to THIS amazing video of Natalie Portman performing a number from Cabaret at everybody's favorite CAMP - Stagedoor Manor!! One of her co-stars has a little mishap...

Sunday To Do

Why don't you take a moment and donate a few measly bucks (or more) to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids? Now is the time of year when the group would normally be receiving huge donations from Broadway audiences, but the organization is surely suffering through this strike just like everybody else, from tourists to street vendors to those directly involved. Take a quick minute to look at their website, and consider making a small donation.

NaBloPoMo: Zut Alors, I Have Meeesed One!

Well, crap. The dog totally ate my Saturday blog post. Actually I was visiting a town called Middle of Nowhere, Pennsylvania, and there was no internet access. Ah well, c'est la vie, things happen, and I'm not stopping the NaBloPoMo now! And now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Breaking: O'Byrne Weds Goldenhersh!

A very reliable source tells me that Brien F. O'Byrne and Heather Goldenhersh just got married at City Hall! I love this couple! Hooray! I wonder if she's got a bun in the oven... that would have to be the cutest baby in the world, with a slight irish brogue and a slight goldenhersh-lisp... ohhh jeez it's too much! Too cute!

Theresa Rebeck's response to Jon Robin Baitz on the HuffPo

Several bloggers are discussing Jon Robin Baitz's excellent piece in The Huffington Post. The piece goes a long way in explaining why it's so hard for playwrights nowadays, why they go to television and film, and why nobody lets Chuck Isherwood sit at their lunch table. It's definitely a must-read, and you should certainly check it out.

BUT I'm interested in a response in the comments. A mysterious commenter named only "Rebeck" (who could it be?) responded:

HILARIOUS. your posting cheered me right up, Robbie. it has never been clear to me why they get so mad when we make a little money from the big old evil TV machine. would it be better for our craft if we jus sat around in crummy overpriced New York studios, worried about how we were going to pay the rent?

my experience has been it helps to have a little money in your pocket, when the New York Times whacks you on the head because of some utterly inane new rule they've come up with as an excuse to dismiss your play. Ben Brantley suddenly decides he likes David Mamet and uses his review of my play to express this fact? Oh brother. Maybe I should dip into my savings and go to Italy for a few days...

Theresa Rebeck's response is interesting, but also sadly unsurprising. She obviously has a point about how it helps to actually get paid, but her mention of the critical response to Mauritius is whiny and embarassing. It's one thing when Brantley and Isherwood carelessly eviscerate work that deserves at least a little respect, but Brantley's review of Mauritius didn't read as a discovery that he likes Mamet - more like an acknowledgement that Rebeck's play (as many, many others said) is just like American Buffalo - only less interesting.

Frankly, I find it difficult to place Rebeck in the same category as those playwrights who would really benefit from a bit more kindness from the critics. With a very few exceptions, her plays aren't really challenging the form. Don't get me wrong, she's written plays I've enjoyed, particularly Bad Dates. But Theresa Rebeck is not.. oh, Will Eno, Adam Rapp, Adam Bock, or the many other playwrights whose work sometimes gets trashed because they're taking risks, and that makes people uncomfortable. Nobody is calling Theresa Rebeck a hipster from Williamsburg in their reviews.

Acting: Takes All Kinds

"I love method acting, so any way that I am able to become a character, physically, mentally, definitely is something I would love to do. For instance, I did this short film that's going to be unbelievable. It's like Transformers. Basically I had to act with nothing there, but I remember this scene where I'm running away from this robot, this transforming robot, and I'm freaking out. All of a sudden I was so genuinely scared that there was a robot following me that I had an anxiety attack." — Laguna Beach star Talan Torriero

Via vulture, who always delivers the most outrageous, strange, fabulous celeb quotes.

Zoe Kazan, future of American theater?

MTC's Come Back Little Sheba announced casting today, and Zoe Kazan will play Marie, the college student who boards with Lola (S. Epatha Merkerson).

Zoe Kazan is the future of American theater! Okay, maybe that's going overboard... (could it be possible for an actor to define the future of theater? talk amongst yourselves.) ...but is there anything she can't do? I still think she'd make an excelleng Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion - in fact, I'd rather watch her in roles she's not really right for than better-suited actresses, just because she's so damn interesting. No, entrancing. No, tranfixing. Not to mention smart, cool, and adorable. I love her, that's all.

I'm not a trekkie, I swear...

But for some reason, I'm excited about Zachary Quinto playing Spock! He's a really great, interesting actor. Above is a pic of him on set, via cinematical. Is anyone else weirdly psyched about this?

An Affront to Moxie's Childhood

Elizabeth Hasselbeck had a baby today, and named it Taylor Thomas Hasselbeck. Obviously, my next thought was, "as in JONATHAN Taylor Thomas??!!!??!" The brilliant, amazing ladies at Jezebel picked up the story, and a quick look at the reactions in the comments was enough to suck me into a shame spiral about my tween heartthrob of choice.

I mean did you even KNOW that JTT is vehemently anti-choice?!? He gives speeches at anti-choice events, and actually did the voice-over of a fetus in a pro-life campaign. In my tween years, I thought he was crunchy! He's a vegetarian, for christsake! What the fuck is going on here!? Did Hasselbeck name the baby after JTT because she, too, is anti-choice, anti-Roe V. Wade, anti-stem cell research, anti-not being an asshole? BTW here is JTT's fan site, if you're into that sort of thing.

Okay, I feel dirty all over. Enough of that.

Sunday To Do

Watch Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia.

It had been floating around my netflix queue since I saw Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, and I'm so glad I finally got around to watching it. The man is absolutely spellbinding, and his stories are hilarious, startling, frightening, fascinating... he's just amazing. In a way, he reminds me of a dark, philosophical Larry David - which is just another way of saying he reminds me of my dad. I find myself looking for quotes to put into this blog post to try and make you understand, but you really just need to sit down and watch this thing.

It's fucking gold. Check it out.

MTC cancels Lonergan's The Starry Messenger

Here's something that slipped under my radar during all the strike(s) hubbub: MTC has cancelled it's upcoming production of Kenneth Lonergan's new play The Starry Messenger. Matthew Broderick was slated to star in the play off-broadway, and there was a lot of buzz around the show, as one of the highlights of MTC's season.

Manhattan Theatre Club's only expanation was, "Scheduling conflicts make it impossible to proceed in the allotted time slot," which means exactly nothing. Indeed, the production is still listed on the company's website, a full day after the announcement. I'm sure their subscribers will be thrilled to hear about the cancellation, and wonder what in the world would have stopped them from proceeding with the production. Casting was in progress, with some pretty great people lined up to star alongside Broderick. I wonder if it's something personal going on with Broderick or Lonergan, who was also set to direct the play.

Shoot! I was looking forward to this.

Stagehands Strike - what lies beneath?

The Stagehands began their strike today, closing down most of Broadway. I have to admit, I'm often a little befuddled by strikes. I get that people are upset that they can't see The Grinch as planned, and the whole industry is going to suffer economically from it (well, unless you're Young Frankenstein or the stamp play). But looking at this and the WGA strike, it seems like the public often experiences the effects of a strike usually without much understanding of why it's really happening.

I find myself wondering, "what's really being argued about here?" According to Playbill.com, the union hasn't released an official statement, but fliers are circulating that read, "We truly regret that there is no show. . . Broadway is a billion dollar a year industry and has never been more profitable than now. Cuts in our jobs and wages will never result in a cut in ticket prices to benefit the public, but only an increase in the profits for producers. Unlike the producers, we are not fighting for our second or third homes: we are fighting to keep the one that we have."

Meanwhile, the League released a statement that uses vague accusations of the union being irresponsible and unfeeling towards the industry and the impact of the strike, but the only thing they actually say about why this is happening is this: "Our goal is simple: To pay for workers we need and for work that is actually performed."

I think it's an interesting, unfortunate situation where the industry and the public are all involved in the repercussions of the strike, but it seems like people aren't really talking about the negotiations, or what the strike is really about. And it can be interesting to delve into the gossip about what's being negotiated (or not being negotiated), but that can get sticky pretty fast. Theatreforte posted about how dismaying it is to see CNN wondering "What were the stagehands thinking... going on strike during such a busy time of year for the Great White Way?"

Anybody out there in the thick of it? Care to shed some light?

Recent Casting Developments

Jeanne Tripplehorn is going to play Jackie O in the upcoming Grey Gardens film. I'm still nowhere near over the casting of Drew Barrymore as Little Edie, but I freakin love Jeanne Tripplehorn, and look forward to seeing her in this. Beyond the fact that she so strikingly resembles Jackie O, my favorite part of her performances in Big Love is how she manages to remain composed and poised even when she's totally losing it, which seems like it would translate well to playing a first lady. Hey, remember when she was in The Firm opposite Tom Cruise, and she almost went all the way with sleazy Gene Hackman? Good times.

Winona Ryder is playing Spock's mom in the Star Trek movies that they're apparently still making. [Insert joke about Ryder's career here.] Heroes star Zachary Quinto will play Spock. Wait, don't those two only look about 5-7 years different in age?

And Mayor Bloomberg recently shot a cameo in the Sex and the City movie. Huh. Remember when Ed Koch was in the SATC fashion show episode? More good times.

Young Frankenwhatever

Young Frankenstein hasn't even opened yet and I'm freaking sick and tired of it. And now channel 7 is reporting that the fucking EMPIRE STATE BUILDING will be lit in purple, yellow, and green in celebration of tonight's opening. Yes, that's right - the color of vomit. Ewwww.

Please let it be a bad dream... Jessica Alba on Broadway?

According to Michael Riedel, Jessica Alba is being courted for a Broadway revival of Speed The Plow. It's Reidel, so who knows if there's any truth there, but the mere suggestion is horrifying. In fact, I just threw up in my mouth a little. Oh, the humanity!

Strikey Time

Hey, did you hear? The writers are on strike. Reruns are about to plague the airwaves, Jay Leno is bringing everybody doughnuts, the producers of Big Brother are salivating for those easy-win ratings, and suddenly every agent in New York is calling up theaters, trying to get some kind of work for their clients, even if its a play.

To shed a little light on how the rest of the country is taking the news, here's an article from the MetroWest Daily News of Massachusattes. Gems: "Kristen Titus of Waltham would be bummed if the strike threw a kink into her TV time routine - she records "Grey's Anatomy" and "Heroes" every week. "It'd be upset - those are my shows I like to watch.' "

And Gothamist checked out Seth Meyers on the picket line, who said, "TV is completely changing, the way people are watching is completely changing, and we just want some structure in place to make sure the union is treated fairly. I hope this ends as soon as possible; I’d be more than happy to do SNL this Saturday."

I think Tina Fey hit the nail on the head. From The Hollywood Reporter: "NBC is breaking away from iTunes," she said, gesturing to the company's headquarters up the street. "They know what they're doing with new media." Tru dat, Tina, tru dat.

"This is Danny Tanner reminding *you* that disco will never die!"

Ouch - only day 5 of NaBloPoMo, and I'm hitting a day when it's tough to post. Today was a very busy Monday, including the lengthy Artios Awards (for casting) this evening, which I'll post about in the next few days. Suffice it to say, it takes several drinks to sustain a jovial tone over the course of the evening. And if you don't take advantage of the free drinks, you'll be left sober at the end of the night with nothing but a gift bag filled with a Susan Lucci dermabrasion kit and backissues of Variety.

Highlights of the evening include Bob Saget's analysis of his current role as The Drowsy Chaperone's Man In Chair - produced by Bob Boyett, who also produced a little tv show called Full House. According to Saget, both shows feature him playing characters who wear cardigan sweaters and are ambiguously gay. More later on this, and other escapades in castingland.

P.S. The title of this post is an actual quote from Full House, taken from imdb's entertaining "memorable quotes" feature.

The Prigs are Awesometown

May I please direct your attention to The Prigs, the least pretentious, most funnest ever band in New York? I finally caught them on Halloween at Rockwood Music Hall, and can tell you firsthand that they put on an awesome show. Go see them sometime at Rockwood, and if you don't jump up and down with feverish delight, I'll personally refund the price of admission. (Okay admission is free, but I seriously guarantee you'll have a blast, if not several blasts.)

Here is their myspace page, where you can listen to songs with lyrics like "It's party time with an evil magic genie bartender".

Isherwood says there are no stage actresses who could play Eliza Doolittle.

In tomorrow's Arts & Leisure section, Charles Isherwood discusses his enjoyment of Roundabout's current staging of Pygmalion. He describes Claire Danes, "making her adventurous, her admirable first foray onto Broadway," and goes on to say "I'm hard put to name a single New York stage actress who could handily pull it off, with the possible exception of the up-and-coming Lily Rabe." Yeah Lily Rabe would be good, but, wait - what?

I'm so tired of Isherwood acting like just because he can't come up with ideas of his own, that means that something just doesn't exsist. He recently did it about playwrights, basically saying that there are no young playwrights concerned with politics. Which is obviously hogwash. And there are totally a bunch of actresses who could play Eliza Doolittle! Just because he can't think of any doesn't mean they don't exist.

Here's my hypothetical casting list, with a little help from the theater think tank over at All That Chat. I'm not saying every one of them could "handliy pull it off" as Isherwood says, but there are OPTIONS, people.


-Yes, Lily Rabe would probably be pretty great.
-Lynn Collins, duh.
-Lauren Ambrose
-Bryce Dallas Howard
-Paige Howard - pictured above. Did anyone see Mary Rose? I think she'd be remarkable.
-Aya Cash
-Samantha Soule
-Lisa Joyce - would fucking rock.
-Alison Pill - please Alison, just do something different already.
-Amy Rutberg
-Maggie Siff
-Wynn Everett
-Celia Keenan Bolger
-Elizabeth Moss
-Kerry Butler
-Maria Dizzia
-Zoe Kazan (think outside the box! She would be awesome!)

And there have to be more! Post them in the comments if you have more ideas.

(Thanks to Jesse21 of All That Chat!)

Does Disney think large flying objects are more interesting than good performances?

Is it me, or does Disney design its productions in a way that ends up swallowing the actors whole? These pictures of The Little Mermaid look like the actors are getting eaten up by the set, and I felt the same way about Mary Poppins. Everything was so supercalifragi-ridiculous that I could barely connect with the actors over the general din of the production values. Like the message is "Hey, Ashley Brown can sing real pretty, BUT LOOK AT THIS HUGE UMBRELLA!!!" It feels so disrespectful to the whole performance aspect of live theater. How is Sierra Boggess supposed to command the attention of the 1,000 people in the audience when there's a GIGANTIC SHIP passing over her head? It's like the whole audience is at Disney World, riding the Pirates of the Carribean ride, and tucked away in back of all the fake puppet pirates is Johnny Depp giving an actual live performance.

Speaking of supercalifragelisticexpial-atrocious, these costumes look like the aquatic version of that number in Mary Poppins.



Whatever. Bixby is right - no matter what, it will still probably make bijillions, because it's got "that song". Sing it with me now: "I wanna be where the people are. Ask 'em my questions and get some aaanswers! What's a fire, and why does it - what's the word - buuuuuurn???"

I fucking love Roseanne

I love how straight-up she is. She seems totally bananas, but the stuff coming out of her mouth makes more sense than a lot of the more "reasonable" sources! From her blog, which is fantastic:

Don't Legalize It???

Hilary does not want to decriminalize marijuana and neither does obama... They should both be locked up for that outdated crap! You know they both smoke it.

I just love a woman who says what she means. Her and Arianna Huffington are my favorite guests on Bill Mahr. No tap dancing or tiptoeing in Roseanne World.

NaBloPoMo, Yo!

Hey, y'all - today is the first day of NaBloPoMo! That stands for National Blog Posting Month, where participants are challenged to blog every day, all month long. I have to admit to some trepidation as I set out on this task, and fear I may be subjecting you to some more-zany-than-usual whimsy. You know, as opposed to my usual beautifully constructed, well-thought-out posts.

Other participants include Jaime of Surplus, and 87 people who blog about knitting.