NBC Planning New Musicals After SOUND Success

NBC got a blockbuster audience of nearly 19 million people to watch the live broadcast of a musical last week. Given those spectacular numbers, they are already planning to do it again next holiday season. There's an article in today's TIMES saying that they've been getting lots of suggestions and have already narrowed it down to a few choices.

Though there was a cacophony of criticism about Carrie Underwood's performance as Maria, I just think it's great they are bringing the musical form back to television. I've always believed there is so much talent in New York theatre that could be presented in this way--hey, it worked pretty well in the 1950s and introduced stars like James Dean and Paul Newman to a national audience. In fact, SOUND OF MUSIC did the exact same thing with Audra McDonald last week.

Mainly known in NYC as an amazing actor/singer/Tony winner, Ms. McDonald is now a national treasure with her showcasing as Mother Superior last Thursday night.  It was a remarkable performance which was easily the highlight of the show and, during one of their songs together, actually made Carrie Underwood even better in her role (as many bloggers and critics have noted). I have seen her many times here in the city, most memorably in one of her first roles in CAROUSEL, and she is a truly incredible talent who deserves more attention on the national stage.

ONE TERM MORE--Musical Video In Support of Obama

This has been making the viral rounds today, in support of Obama's reelection. It's called a musical parody but it seems pretty serious (including an odd cameo by Trayvon Marin), though there are a few hysterical/clever rhymes as well. Was this funded by a Democratic superPAC? Or maybe the actors just chipped in. Either way, it's well done and almost stirring too at the end.  That picture of Obama in Rosa Park's bus seat helps.  One Term More--to the barricades, Broadway!

Tennessee Williams' Final Play IN MASKS OUTRAGEOUS & AUSTERE

This weekend, I had a chance to see the first production of Tennessee Williams' last play over at the Culture Project on Bleecker Street.  Williams spent the final four years of his life writing and rewriting (never to his complete satisfaction) this show about a Southern grand dame being held hostage at a mysterious beachfront home, popping pills and drinking Champagne with her gay husband and his young lover.

If the setup sounds somewhat familiar, it is a bit like Tennessee's greatest hits.  However, there was something strikingly modern about the language and the frank discussion of the sexuality of her husband. No hidden secrets and unspoken lies here....Williams lays it all out, going so far as to have the husband and his consort show their affection for each other right in front of Babe.  Written between 1979 and 1983, there is a blithe tone to the play's treatment of homosexuality and sexuality in general.  There is even a little Williams diatribe against "computers" which is surprisingly prescient. 

The show itself was beautifully produced with a surreal and somewhat hi-tech setting.  However, it ran a bit too long and could use some more strong editing.  This could be a very tight 1 1/2 hour show as opposed to a nearly 2 1/2 hour one. Shirley Knight (who was actually in a Tennessee Williams' movie, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH) did a remarkable job playing Babe but the rest of the cast was a bit uneven.  Yet, overall, it seems like there is a lot of potential in this swan-song of a play.

"My High School Boyfriend Was Gay" Is A Fun Show At UCB

On Monday, I went to check out an unusual show at UCB East called "My High School Boyfriend Was Gay".  It's unusual in that it's a show that started as a Tumblr of photos of gay guys with their high school girlfriends.  Now the creator of that blog Damian Bellino (pictured, left) has a live show of songs and storytelling all about when gay men played the heterosexual game back in high school.

I wrote about it for NEXT magazine's NEXUS blog and you can read my full report here. It's hilarious and touching and so much nostalgic fun. The next show is May 7th, with a prom theme. So you know I will be there for that one!

Prop 8 Play Premieres In LA and Online To 200,000 Viewers

This weekend, Dustin Lance Black's play "8" had its L.A. premiere with a star-studded cast and audience of more than 200,000.  Though there were only about 1,000 people on hand at the theatre, the balance watched the play streaming live on YouTube.  The play was a fundraiser for national efforts on marriage equality and raised more than 2 million dollars. You can watch the full play below here.

He Lights Up His Life--Mark Sam, Celebrity

I have spent a lot of time in the last couple months tooting my own horn on the blog, with WTC VIEW Onstage and AUGUST making their debuts.  Well, today I'm going to take a break from all that tireless self-promotion and toot someone else's horn for a change!

My good friend Mark Sam Rosenthal is doing a show next month in the NY Intl. Fringe Festival called I LIGHT UP MY LIFE: THE MARK SAM CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  I saw the first iteration of the show at Dixon Place last summer and it was fantastic.  It's a spoof of the whole celebrity autobiography genre but also a spoof of celebrity in general and filled with wonderful, true stories of Mark Sam's glamourous life.

He's just started putting out some promo videos for the show on YouTube which give you a sense of the whole thing.  The first one is posted here with more to come.  And the show itself will hit town in August, running for 5 performances the 12th through the 16th at Dixon Place.  Tickets will be available July 22nd on the Fringe NYC website.  Check it out and hope to see you there!

Charles Busch Returns As A Nun

Charles Busch is back on stage and back in the East Village in a new show about nuns called "The Divine Sister".  Busch got his start in that neighborhood back in the early 80's with his long-running show "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" so in some ways, his current run at Theatre for the New City is something of a homecoming.


"The Divine Sister" spoofs on movie nuns more than the real kind, with lots of references to classic movies like "The Sound Of Music", "The Bells of St. Mary's, "The Song Of Sister Bernadette" and even "The DaVinci Code".  The show is a riot of one liners and high camp as Busch and other downtown legend Julie Halston storm around the stage having a grand old time.  If you love the ridiculousness of old Hollywood movies and nuns in general, this show is defintely worth seeing.  


It's been a while since Busch was onstage, having made some movies and written the hugely successful Broadway show "Tale of the Allergists Wife".  But he said recently that he wanted to just do something fun. With "The Divine Sister" , he has succeeded.  Technically, tickets are sold out but you can put your name on a wait list at the box office for cancellations. Or just wait til it moves uptown, where it is surely headed. It's onstage until March 7.   

Life On The Fringe

The NYC International Fringe Festival kicks off today and this year the festival is biling itself as New York's best "staycation". Tix are cheap at $15 per show, less if you get one of the passes that are offered...my favorite being the "Lunatic Pass" which admits you to all the shows for $500. And with 16 venues and more than 200 shows, there's plenty to choose from, everything from confessional one man shows to wacky musicals.

The one thing about the Fringe is that quantity is not a problem. It's the quality of shows that can be rare. It's best to check the listings in TimeOut, New York Magazine or the NY Times, where they often highlight a few select picks. If you do, you may be lucky enough to see next year's "Urinetown", "Blanche Survives Katrina In A Fema Trailer Named Desire" or even "WTC View", which was my second feature starring UGLY BETTY'S Michael Urie. It started it's life as a play in a 50-seat blackbox on 4th and B in the '03 Fringe.

Finding a good show is tricky. Some show titles certainly jump out and are very Fringe-y, like "Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party", "Sperm-a-lot" and "I Can Haz Cheezburger: The MusicalOL", based on the infamous LOLz websites. But whether or not these are any good? There's the rub. I often will check with my theatre friends who might have some tips or know the buzz. Even though they generally believe that 4 out of 5 Fringe shows suck, doing that math still leaves 40 shows that technically could be decent. However, the only sure way you'll really find out is putting down your $15.

So the key is to shop around, don't jump at the craziest title and maybe take a look at the credits to see if the people or theatre company involved have some cred. But in the end, it's ultimately a crap shoot...which is part of the fun of the Fringe too. It's nearly the same cost as a movie and, given that August is the traditional dumping ground for studio movies that do suck, the bottom line is that even the worst show is gonna be better than seeing THE TIME TRAVELERS WIFE.

The Tempermentals

I recently saw a wonderful new play by Jon Marans called THE TEMPERMENTALS. It's all about the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization that got its start way back in 1950. The play is a fascinating look at a time when even saying the word "homosexual" was dangerous. Michael Urie, the lead from my film "WTC View" who is now on ABC's UGLY BETTY, plays a Hollywood fashion designer whose identity as one of the founders of the group was kept secret for more than 30 years.

Rudy Gernreich got his start with the studios but became a fashion force in the 1960's and even ended up on the cover of TIME magazine. But what I love most is that he was a guest star on one of my favorite episodes of BATMAN (a Catwoman episode, of course!). He even designed the outfits for another childhood favorite show SPACE: 1999. In his performance as Rudy, Michael is amazing in the show, as is the whole cast lead by Thomas Jay Ryan as Harry Hay.

After getting a great review in the NY Times, it will be moving to a larger space soon and running through June. Check SmartTix for more details on tickets and availability....definitely worth seeing.