Andrew Jackson He's Our Man

After reading all the glowing reviews I decided that I should probably go see one of the most buzzed about shows of the season, The Public Theater's commercial Broadway transfer of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Told through a series of sketches and forgettable songs that don't really move the plot forward. The show does employ a device that I have long missed in the musical theater setting, The Storyteller. Although they never really explain if she is a tour guide, or an Andrew Jackson superfan, who just happens to show up during the middle of a very awkward rock concert. They end up killing her ala Into The Woods, although unlike in that show, she comes back, twice.

The performances in the show are strong, especially Benjamin Walker who is only person who doesn't play more than one role, as Andrew Jackson. He exudes a macho sexuality that although at times can be one dimensional, he manages to capture the audiences attention the whole show. The other stand-out in the cast is NYC improv and sketch mainstay Jeff Hiller in a variety of roles including John Quincy Adams. Hiller manages to steal every scene that he's in, he also received the loudest applause during the curtain call.

The show's main flaws are the songs and the narrative. There were points when the music was playing that I couldn't understand what was being sung. The songs also did not help to move the plot along, they seemed more random than anything else, and the lyrics sounded like they were being made up on the spot. The songs contributed to the problem with the narrative. The narrative was almost non-existent, the book just appeared to be a series of sketches with song interludes. Killing off the storyteller may have not been a good idea, because she could have been the through line that held the book together, explaining what was happening onstage for those of us in the audience who just knew that Jackson was responsible for The Trail of Tears, but not of his dealings with the native tribes before the ultimate end result.

The show ran about an hour and forty-five minutes without an intermission. The show could have been trimmed a little and the book tightened up before it moved to the Broadway stage. Considering how long the show has been in development, the book should have been tight and the narrative stronger. You should go see the show because I have a feeling that Benjamin Walker's star is on the rise, and you can say you saw him when, you should also the show for Jeff Hiller who's comedic styling's are almost custom tailored to him.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is playing an open ended run at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theater located at 242 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036. Tickets are available through Telecharge.

photos copyright BroadwayWorld.com 2010

75 Minute History Lesson?

If you have to see one one man show this year, playing at the smallest Broadway theater make it Colin Quinn: Long Story Short now playing at the Helen Hayes Theater.

Long Story Short started Off-Broadway at the temporarily closed 45 Bleeker theater and moved to the Helen Hayes Theater in October of 2010.

I had no expectations going into this show, and no knowledge of what the show was about. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by Quinn's sharp dialogue and the pacing of the show. Much of the show's fast paced style is probably attributed to the direction of Jerry Seinfeld.

The use of of the multimedia in the show was fun, but at the same time it was distracting. Much of the time my focus was drawn to the giant screen behind Mr. Quinn as opposed to Quinn himself. The blackouts used to distinguish the separation of different periods of history were at times a bit jarring, I am sure they could have used a better device for transitions.

The show although only 75 minutes managed to put to sleep some of the audience members in the theater. It at times could drag, but for the most part the show was very well paced. There was also a pamphlet inserted in the program that reminded people to refrain from "hooting and hollering" which I guess the couple next to me didn't seem to read, they managed to treat the show like a midnight viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and finished lines and talked back to Mr. Quinn.

Sales for the show are not doing well, the balcony to the theater was closed the night I went, and they were moving people to the orchestra, which still had many empty rows.

Overall if you enjoy Colin Quinn's brand of humor and world history then go see this show, and if you're on the fence, go see the show anyway.

Colin Quinn: Long Story Short playing the Helen Hayes Theater at 240 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 through January 8th. Tickets may be purchased through Telecharge.

Promise Me That Sean Hayes Will Do More Musicals.

Promises, Promises the first revival of the 1968 show penned by Burt Bacarach, Hal David, with a book by Neil Simon, now in residence at the gigantic Broadway Theater, left me feeling less than fulfilled.

I guess the show itself can't be faulted, because it's a product of it's time, but I can see why it hasn't gotten a major revival in 40 years. The show is very dated, and without script changes to make the show's 60's flair more contemporary, I must say it's a relic of a bygone era.


The only thing that saved this show are two stand-out performances. The first being that of Sean Hayes, making his Broadway debut as put-upon corporate employee Chuck Baxter who lends out his apartment to executives so they can have affairs, hoping that this will lead to promotions. It does eventually, but not before he has his heart torn out when he realizes that one of his bosses is having an affair with the object of his affections Fran(played by Kristin Chenoweth). Mr. Hayes, filling the shoes of the late Jerry Orbach was absolutely fantastic in his first starring role on Broadway. He added a charm and energy to a show that was for the most part dull and lifeless. His voice sounded very tired, which makes me wonder how he'll be able to sustain the rigors of 8 shows a week, but he is forgiven since his character is onstage almost the entire show. Mr. Hayes has a very long career ahead of him as a leading man in Broadway musicals. Hopefully he'll be able to successfully make the transition from TV to stage like David Hyde Peirce did.

The other standout performance goes to Katie Finneran who, in her two scenes manages to make us forget that most of us came to the show to see Broadway star Chenoweth. Finneran plays Marge MacDougall a lush whom Chuck Baxter meets at a bar on Christmas eve after finding out that Fran is sleeping with his boss. She manages to wake the audience up after the sleepy first act, before disappearing and never to be seen again. She and Hayes are the true reasons the show manages to stay afloat as long as it does.

Onto Kristin Chenoweth, I have seen Chenoweth excel in comedic parts where she is able to inflect a hint of seriousness, such as her amazing turn in The Apple Tree a few years ago, but here, I don't know if it's just that fact that she is miscast in the role, or if she is too old to be playing a young naive executive lunch room hostess, but she fails to show the audience any of the star power that made us love her in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, or her guest spots on Glee. Add to her flat performance the fact that they shoehorned two extra Bacarach/David songs into the show specifically to beef up her part, and her performance just doesn't add up. While she sings beautifully and acts incredibly, Chenoweth as Fran fails to win any of the audience over, as we soon realize her character is a sad pathetic one dimensional person who can only be happy with the love of a man.

Overall the show was meerly okay, the good performances balance out the bad ones and the out of date book. The show would have succeeded more had they brought in a new bookwriter to update the sexist reference and made them more tongue in cheek and less blatant and offensive.

Promises, Promises
Broadway Theater
1681 Broadway(at 53rd Street)
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-239-6200

Book: Neil Simon
Music and Lyrics: Hal David and Burt Bacarach

I'll Wait for the Rapture if it's Like This!

I had the immense pleasure of being able to see Sherie Rene Scott's amazing one woman show Everyday Rapture which officially opens today at the American Airlines Theater.

First off I will say that in the past I have not been a fan of Scott's voice, I find it to be grating and very nasal. But live the nasal qualities of her voice that come through so strong on her recordings are not as pronounced. That being said, Scott won me over as a new convert.

Her show is a pitch perfect blend of popular songs and amazing storytelling. It never once felt like I was watching a one person show, which can sometimes drag an get boring as the performer tells tales of themselves and how great they are. I feel that the reason why the show doesn't drag, is because it isn't structured like a normal one person show, with bits and stories leading into songs from the performer's career, it's structured as a musical, with a story line and songs that help move the plot along. The show tells the story of Scott's upbringing in Kansas and how her family was half-Mennonite or as she refers to it as Amish Light, and her road to the Broadway stage.

The standout songs are a version of "You Made Me Love You" sung to a montage of pictures of Jesus and "My Strongest Suit," I would explain more about "My Strongest Suit" but I want everyone to go see it for yourself, because it was that amazing, and no words I can write would do it justice.

The show is filled with humor as well as touching moments, like Scott's story about her favorite cousin who died of AIDS.

Something must also be said of the supporting cast as well, which includes Lindsay Mendez and Betsy Wolfe as Scott's back-up singers the Mennonettes and Eamon Foley as a superfan(he plays a part in "My Strongest Suit" that's all I'm going to say) who were all fantastic and amazing!

So like the title of this post suggests, if this is what the real rapture is going to be like, then sign me up! As for all of you, get your asses down to the American Airlines Theater before July 11th to see this show before it closes it's limited run and you'll never be able to see it again.

Everyday Rapture
American Airlines Theater
227 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: (212)719-1300

Book by Sherie Rene Scott and Dick Scanlan
Directed by Michael Mayer

The Little Trainwreck

I was lucky/unlucky enough to catch a performance of the newest Disney musical to tread the boards of the Great White Way, The Little Mermaid. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I would like to say that I went into this show knowing about the bad reviews, and I pushed them aside and went in with an open mind. That being said here goes . . .

A little back story, the show based on the Disney film of the same name, based on the most twisted Hans Christian Anderson morality story(it's how I would classify it), regards a young mermaid in this case Ariel, who is strong willed and adventurous, who seeks more for herself. She ends up saving a human, or a prince rather, and singing at him, he gets a boner for her voice and vows to marry her. Awwwwwww! Anyway, she trades her voice for a pair of legs, and tries to woo the price into kissing her before she turns back into seafood. Easy enough right? Wrong! Her Aunt the evil sea witch Ursula wants to teach Ariel's daddy King Triton a lesson, so she sabotages every chance Ariel has to make it with Prince Eric! Dun dun dun! Then some shit goes down, Ariel triumphs over evil and all is well with the world. The end! Now we can walk all day in the sun cos we're part of your world. Blah blah.

Okay this show is flawed on so many levels. The only things it has going for it are 1. It's Disney's most successful Princess property therefore translates well into profits from merchandising(they had a hairbrush that looked like a fork for christs sake!), and 2. The wonderful new additions to the already perfect score. Mainly "S
he's in Love" and "If Only(quartet)". The rest of the show is pure garbage.

The main problem with the show was the horrid staging, set design, costumes, choregraphy, special effects, oh everything. First off the staging, I get that you didn't want to use wire work to simulate swimming, I get that I do, but heely shoes, really? REALLY! Come on now! It looked retarded that the "mermaids" would run across the stage and then lean back on their heels and "glide" on the stage. It was the worst for Sierra Bogess, who played Ariel, she kept waving her arms to make it look like she was swimming, but she looked like she was trying to keep her balance. The rest of the staging was so random, like people would just kind of walk out and hang around then walk off stage. Uh what? Have a purpose with your directing Francesca Zambello, you're a hot tranny mess! All characters no matter how small or how non-speaking they are should have a purpose. And the wire work(when they had it), only worked once. The worst was when they had a double for Ariel's transformation into a human, and she/he? was about 15 lbs heavier than Sierra, and looked awkward kicking and flailing. And the big sea witch attack, when the tentacles burst out of the sides of the stage, that was so retarded! I think my reaction was something like "LOL what?"

The costumes! Yikes! Yikes! Yikes! The worst costume was Flounder's by far, a over sized yellow shirt with blue dots, and fins sewn on, and over sized shorts, and yellow underarmour. Yeah he looks like a fish? And Scuttle's costume, he looked so embarrassed, in fact all the cast members looked embarrassed. They would come onstage and be so self-aware that they looked retarded. I felt terrible for them. And the mermaid costumes, they were basically a tail sewn on to a skirt made to resemble seaweed or something? I don't know. And they all looked retarded. Like not just one mermaid, all of them! That is the one thing they should have redesigned from previews in Denver. They didn't even think about the bad notes they got, they were like "It's Ariel people will see it no matter how crappy it is" I guess.

The choreography, yikes! At least with The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Beauty and the Beast you had some semblance of someone who knew what they were doing. Puke! The most exciting number in the movie "Under The Sea" turned into this lackluster weird movement exercise. I wouldn't even call it dancing, they kind of loafed around and sang. I was so disappointed. I don't really know what else to say, but that that song, had so much potential to be a showstopper, but it failed. And "Kiss The Girl" I wasn't sure where to put this, because it's failure is a combination of factors, direction, choregraphy and costumes, there was someone who had weird abnormal frog puppets that were so distracting, and the see through tops on a lot of the dancers was terrible. Another instance where I can tell the performers were just embarassed and felt horrible so they just kind of gave up. So sad.

The performances, at least this can be a somewhat positive section.

Sierra Bogess as Ariel is what she is meant to be, pretty, charming, decent actor, and acceptable singer. Was she fantastic, no, was she good, yes. She embodied what the little girls in the audience wanted, a pretty girl with a nice body who gets the boy by being herself. Awwwwww.

Sherie Rene Scott was fantastic as Ursula! I kept wanting them to have them do more evil scenes because she by far the most fun part of the show. Funny, and amazing. More Ursula, less Ariel!

Norm Lewis was kind of lackluster as Triton, he just kind of stood there and had a pretty voice that's it.

Alan Mingo, Jr. , stepping in for an injured Titus Burgess excelled at Sebastian. He was funny and charming, sweet without being condescending, and had an incredible voice.

Brian D'Addario was cute as Flounder, showcasing his pipes on "She's In Love" recieving the loudest post song applause, I guess are always impressed with little kids can belt. Oh well. He's a kid so I am not going to say anything bad about his performance, and there wasn't really anything bad to say anyway.

Sean Palmer as Prince Eric was kind of generic, nothing special.

Eddie Korbich as Scuttle was fun, even if he did play him off to be kind of retarded. Scuttle isn't retarded he's just misinformed. That's all.

One more thing about the production, the ending, which is different from the movie, was so anticlimatic. In the movie there is a showdown, here, it is just kind of like "Okay well that's that, Ursula is gone" Uh what? No! Be cool, don't just Ariel be like "I'll break your shell" and then she does. Messed up. Yeah anyway, unless you can get a ticket for free, don't go see this show.

A Little Brains, A Little Talent . . .

If you are lucky enough to go see the NY stage debut of Sean Hayes in the City Center Summer Stage production of Damn Yankees, please do so right now!

There are so many wonderful things about this new production, but first a little background, Damn Yankees, is based on the novel The Year The Yankees Lost the Pennant, a Faustian tale of a die-hard baseball fanatic Joe Boyd who will do anything to see his beloved Washington Senators walk away with the Pennant. His pleas happen to be overheard by the devil aka Mr. Applegate, who is willing to make Joe a strapping 24 year old phenom and get him on the team to help lead them to the Pennant. Joe being the salesman that he is, says he won't make the deal unless there is an easy-out clause, something that Applegate doesn't normally do, but concedes this one small rider for Joe.


I would go into more plot detail but I think you should go see the show to see how it ends. Now onto the performances, Randy Graff was perfectly cast as Meg Boyd, Joe's ever strong wife who has some of the most touching moments in the show, I am familiar with her name, but not her work, and this being the first time I have seen her perform I was entranced by her stage presence and her lovely voice especially in her higher register.

I was sad to hear that Ana Gasteyer hurt herself prior to rehearsals because I was looking forward to her take on Gloria, but they did manage to find a replacement in Megan Lawrence, whom I found to be a little weak during the normally powerhouse number "Shoeless Joe" the song required more of a powerful voice and Ms. Lawrence managed to too small to fill out the role the way that Gasteyer could have. The one positive thing I must say about Ms. Lawrence is that she has great comic timing and her dry delivery and amazing comic ability fleshed out the part of Gloria and made up for her lack of a powerhouse voice.

Cheyenne Jackson as Joe Hardy was amazing, he brought a naivete to the role that I don't think previous Joe's have brought to the role. I have only heard Jackson sing in his legit voice once when I saw him go on as Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, so to hear him sing in his amazing Baritenor was something that I won't soon forget. It also seemed that Jackson was as excited to be performing on stage as Joe was playing for his beloved Senators, which made him amazing to watch.

Jane Krakowski I felt would have been a better Lola had there been more rehearsal time. She had as Lola sings "All her aces, in all the right places" but there seemed to be something else lacking in her performance. It could just be that part is so iconically associated with Gwen Verdon who preserved her performance on film that it is hard to see anyone else tackle the role, or it could have been that Ms. Krakowski has to have some more time to get her stage legs back in proper shape. But she was still outstanding. For only three weeks rehearsal she managed to have most of the dances down(original Fosse choreography and all) and her singing was good, but like I stated before, for such a huge role with so much dancing I feel she would have succeed if she had a longer period of rehearsal, so if the show does transfer to Broadway, they would be wise to use the same cast and drill the hell out of the choreography.

Sean Hayes, Sean Hayes, Sean Hayes, he was perfection as Applegate, he brought the best comic timing to the role that I have seen so far. So he doesn't have the best singing voice, but he makes up for it everytime he has a line on stage. The best moment of the show is "Those Were The Good Ole Days" where Hayes accompanies himself on the piano(yes it was him playing, he majored in piano performance in college). I don't want to ruin anything, because it has to be seen to be believed. He would surely get a Tony nomination if the show transferred to Broadway.

A lot of the show is very dated, the choreography, some of the jokes, and some of the numbers. You can tell when watching it that Lola was created for one person the way that they structured the songs around Gwen Verdon's talents, and having a number that is not necessary("Who's Got The Pain"), it is just put in to show that Verdon was an amazing dancer. I am not sure that if this show were written today it would have survived amongst the Wicked's and Legally Blonde's of this world. But overall the show was fantastic and I hope it makes a commercial transfer to Broadway later this season.

(Photos copyright Broadwayworld.com 2008)

Ben, The Two of Us Need Look No More!

The above image pretty much sums up Ben at The Harry Warren Theater in Brooklyn. That is all.