The Musical of Musicals - Sondheim on Sondheim - Musical Review Review

Sondheim on Sondheim - Studio 54 - Broadway, New York, NY - *** (out of 5 stars)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Conceived and Directed by James Lapine, Musical Staging by Dan Knechtges
Opens Apr. 22nd 2010, Closes Jun. 13th 2010. Note: Review based on preview performance.

To musical theatre fans, Stephen Sondheim is probably already a god for writing the "intelligent" musicals. To everyone else, Stephen Sondheim who? Oh, the guy that co-wrote West Side Story? (Actually, just the lyrics, but will non-musical fans know that? Or care?)

The Roundabout Theater Company now presents a new musical review celebrating the songs by Stephen Sondheim. It intermixes old and new interview clips with Stephen Sondheim himself, talking about his life, explaining the choices he made as he wrote some of his most famous songs, while a wonderful cast performs those songs live. A few songs that were cut from shows are explained and performed for our listening pleasure, and the interviews give us a peak into Sondheim's creative process, while we simultaneously get to enjoy his creative results. It's basically like a DVD extra come to life on stage.

Except, as much as I enjoyed the results of the night, particularly the top notch cast they've assembled (that includes Barbara Cook in her first Broadway musical appearance in 40 years, Vanessa Williams coming off the high of a terrific series finale for Ugly Betty, Norm Lewis (The Little Mermaid), Tom Wopat (A Catered Affair), and up and comers Euan Morton, Leslie Kritzer (On the Town, A Catered Affair), Matthew Scott (Ace) and Erin Mackey (Wicked)), I couldn't help but wonder if anybody but theatre geeks would enjoy this. (I brought my friend who enjoys musicals but is no expert and she seemed to politely appreciate the show while hiding her boredom).

To be honest, while I thought the interviews were fascinating, I thought they would go even further in depth into Sondheim's creative process, and only felt like he skimmed the surface of what how he truly works and thinks. There's some interesting tidbits about his personal life, but again, felt like it just hinted at something deeper that may or may not have affected his writing (though he claims most of the songs he writes are not at all autobiographical in any way with the exception of Merrily We Roll Along).

The staging and turntable set for the show helps move the show along with some clever usages of screens. And the cast is absolutely wonderful and the musical interludes are staged with enough theatricality to give the song a framework to understanding it.

There's a playful sense of humour amongst the cast, wonderfully mined by Broadway legend Barbara Cook who seems to lap up being the grand dame to her younger co-stars.

Vanessa Williams exudes sultry sophistication singing Sondheim's songs (sorry, I just had to!).

Matthew Scott is surprisingly wonderful (whom I missed as the lead in Ace the day I saw it) while Erin Mackey (probably the actor with the smallest show list in her bio) nicely fits in with her more seasoned castmates. A fave of mine, Leslie Kritzer shows again why she's moving up in the musical theatre world, while Euan Morton is so charming that I wish I had gone to see Taboo.

But overall, the excellent cast, singing some of Sondheim's incredible music, only made me want to see the original musicals even more (seriously, I know Company just had an excellent Broadway revival but can we have it back? Ditto with Sunday in the Park with George). Sondheim on Sondheim is well done, but in the end, still seems like an elaborate musical theatre history lesson you would take in university, except with an all-star cast presenting it.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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My Gleeful Support

So we love Jonathan Groff on Glee don't we? Yah, who wouldn't.

Now get his cousin James Wolpert on the show! Vote for him here.

Here's his audition video singing "Rehab".



Here's some of his other vids he's made for youtube. Adorable and listen to that VOICE. (Apparently it runs in the family):

"Mississippi" - (Original Song by James Wolpert)


"Breakeven" (by The Scripts):


"I Don't Need No Doctor" (John Mayer and Ray Charles):


"Lucky" (by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat) with sister Rachel (seriously, apparently it's in the genes)


"June" - Original Song by James Wolpert


And yes, he was on ABC's reality show (to win the closing credits in HSM3) High School Musical: Get in the Picture. He lost. What a sham.
With Bailey Purvis singing "Bleeding Love"


Stan Carrizosa, Tierney Chamberlain, Christina Brown, Isaiah Smith, TJ Wilkins, and James Wolpert performing popular TV Themes: One Day At A Time, Mary Tyler Moore, Greatest American Hero and Cheers:


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Green Grow The Lies and Attacks - American Idiot - Musical Review

American Idiot - St. James Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music by Green Day, Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer, Directed by Michael Mayer, Choreographed by Steven Hoggett
Opens Apr. 20th 2010. Note: Review based on an early preview.

Yes it is! Green Day has made it to Broadway! Well, the band isn't on Broadway themselves, but their new musical, based on their concept album American Idiot (originally thought of as a base for a musical movie) has made it to the Great White Way and they're painting it Green!

Now thanks to Michael Mayer and most of his team from Spring Awakening, including Christine Jones and Kevin Adams designing a simple and bold look with their sets and lighting, layered with Darrel Maloney's Video and Projection Designs, have turned one of my favorite albums into an exhilarating and visceral theatrical experience. Hearing Green Day songs sung in a chorus is simply wonderous and chilling.

Green Day's album American Idiot always felt like it had a story in it, and was built as a thread for something operatic (and their music video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" hinted at it) so Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer have pieced the album and some new songs off Green Day's latest album (including the song "21 Guns" into a big Broadway musical. While the story is threadbare and almost non-existent, the musical is shaped more as vignettes (much like Spring Awakening or Company) to tell a more generalized story of three bored, angry and ambivalent youths which becomes less about a particular character or their story and more symbolic representatives of an apathetic and angry generation.

The "story" follows Johnny (John Galagher Jr., above right, Tony winner for Spring Awakening) and his friends Will (Michael Esper, above left, A Man For All Seasons) and Tunny (Stark Sands, above centre Twelfth Night) as they rage from bored teenagers in suburbia before the real world forces them out of their cushy anger. They're young people who are angry at the lies they've been fed and they're ready to attack at... well... something... maybe... everything... maybe... well, nothing really. Welcome to the new generation. "Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alien nation."

Will finds himself stuck when his girlfriend Heather (Mary Faber, above with Esper, Saved) becomes pregnant, Johnny meets Whatsername (Rebecca Naomi Jones, Passing Strange) but still falls into the traps of drugs via St. Jimmy (Tony Vincent), while Tunny tries to find himself and his purpose by enlisting in the army.

It's a simplistic tale, told in an intermissionless 90 minutes, but Green Day's songs, Michael Mayer's direction and Steven Hoggett's pulsating choreography holds it mostly together, with only a few moments that slow to a dragging pace from an oversimplified story. It's an interesting development in musical theatre that continues to shift the Broadway musical into a more artistic ethereal artform. Long are the days when Oklahoma (which improved upon the play Green Grow The Lilacs it's based on) was one of the first musicals that used the songs to advance the story. Now the songs ARE the story.

With the thin (but sometimes surprisingly humourous) book, the show relies on the staging to define the songs. The unexpected choreography by Steven Hoggett (who also did the brilliant Black Watch) injects some real emotions into the characters (and the ensemble) and makes the movements into theatrical brilliance. Hoggett's movements give the story a depth it may lack with the spoken words, and the ensemble is spectacularly game in the physicality of it all.

John Galagher Jr. leads the show as the most central character Johnny and gives an honest stripped down performance in a highly stylized show.

Tony Vincent wails out Green Day's songs as the impish evil St. Jimmy, the enticer to all of Johnny's weaknesses and ultimately his demise. With his punk rock look, Vincent's gives a wicked and terrifically piercing performance.

Stark Sands, almost unrecognizable from his good-boyishly good looks, gives a beautifully heartfelt performance as Tunny, the man who gets easily seduced by the army (Joshua Henry (The Wiz) singing "Favorite Son") and then loses a limb in the casualty of war, while winning the love of The Extraordinary Girl (Christina Sajous, above with Sands). Sands (who was previously nominated for a Tony in the revival of the play Journey's End) has such a stunning voice that works beautifully with Green Day songs that it's a wonder he hasn't been in a Broadway musical before (though he did do the recent Bonnie & Clyde musical at La Jolla).

Rebecca Naomi Jones plays more of an idea of a girl than an actual one (she doesn't even have a name, and is referred to as Whatsername), but Jones' gusto (so fabulous in Passing Strange and Wig Out) gives the outline of a woman the depth to counter John Galagher Jr.'s Johnny.

Mary Faber and Michael Esper do what they can but probably have the least amount and least interesting story to work with, though at least Faber gets to belt out her fabulous voice. Esper's voice is shaky at times but gives an endearing performance, especially considering the minimal information we have about Will.

The rest of the ensemble includes some personal favorites including Andrew Call (a standout in both Les Miserables and Glory Days), Gerard Canonico (Spring Awakening), Brian Charles Johnson (Spring Awakening) and Theo Stockman (Hair).

While the overall show didn't grip me as emotionally as other rock musicals (Rent, Hair, Spring Awakening, Tommy), there's something incredibly exciting about the theatrical nature of American Idiot. With a backdrop of screens scattered on a wall with huge projections overlaying it all, the youthful anger at the American middle class bourgeois lifestyle is wonderfully translated into an artistic emotionally angsty purge. The imperfect stage show still has more energy, soul and spirit in its 90 minutes than half of Broadway put together. While the show is "calling out to idiot America" (and would have been a good lesson to them), it will probably be most appreciated by those who "don't want to be an American Idiot".

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Crushworthy - Threesome

I have no idea where or when this picture (that Lindsay sent me) was taken (found here) but HELLO!

Hunter Parrish (Weeds, It's Complicated), Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl, Hot Tub Time Machine) and Jonathan Groff (Glee, Taking Woodstock)!??!!

One for me, one for DivaJames, and well... another one for me. Haha...

At first I thought this was the most random collection of young hotties, but then I also realized there's 2 Melchior's sitting there. The original Spring Awakening Melchior and the final Broadway Melchior.

So Jonathan Groff, now a TV star on Glee is going to do Deathtrap in London later this summer. To be closer with Gavin Creel (currently in Hair in London, or have they broken up like rumours say they have?

Hunter Parrish made such a surprisingly great Melchior that I hope to see him on the stage again.

Sebastian Stan has apparently broken up with Leighton Meester (so that he could be with DameJames?) and is gonna be in the new Captain America? Cool!

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Almost Sad - Death at a Funeral - Movie Review

Death at a Funeral = C
Written by Dean Craig, Directed by Neil LaBute
Opens Apr. 16th 2010

A mostly Black remake of the British comedy by Dean Craig from all of 3 years ago. It stars some big comedy stars like Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan.

But James Marsden is by far the funniest thing in the movie and steals the whole thing. Granted, he's been given the most to do, but pretty boy Marsden (who has already started expanding his pretty boy repertoire with Hairspray and Enchanted) proves again that his comic timing is impeccable and his facial expressions can be priceless.

With a cast that also includes Zoe Saldana (not blue), Loretta Devine, and Danny Glover (who is too old for this shit), this is basically a Tyler Perry movie for White people. You question my theory? Throw in Peter Dinklage (reprising the exact same role from the British original) and Luke Wilson (can an actor get whiter? Maybe only his brother Owen) and you can't refute it.

Chris Rock does what he can as the central character, while the annoying Martin Lawrence plays the annoying brother, but not even Tracy Morgan can really muster up as big laughs as Marsden alone can do.

In Morgan's recent interview on Oprah, he thanked Tina Fey for "getting him" and he truly owes Fey everytihng, because 30 Rock truly caters to Morgan's comedic sense, while here, he just feels wasted on silly stupid punchlines (as opposed to 30 Rock's absurdly silly stupid (but secretly smart) punchlines).

I still can't believe Neil LaBute, prolific playwright and screenwriter, directed this lightweight silliness. I haven't seen the British original but apparently the script is almost exactly the same, but I'm curious to see how different it all is, because this one feels a bit meandering and cobbled together. The American remake isn't a good movie, but Marsden is so funny that I'd hate for it not to be seen.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Say A Little Prayer For - Promises, Promises - Musical Review

Promises, Promises - Broadway Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music by Burt Bacharach, Lyrics by Hal David, Book by Neil Simon, based on the film The Apartment written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, Directed and Choreographed by Rob Ashford
In Previews, Opens Apr. 25th 2010. NOTE: Review based on an early preview.

Promises, Promises is promising promising, but what doesn't work in this revival is actually cemented into the original book and music, and some of its main casting. Unless Neil Simon agrees to major rewrites and Burt Bacharach is willing to re-write songs, I'm not sure how they can fix what's wrong. On the plus side, Sean Hayes, Katie Finneran and Rob Ashford's choreography give the show the energy its needed to make it a pleasant evening, while the fame of Hayes and now-star Kristin Chenoweth will make it a big ol' hit on Broadway and make it a hot ticket, at least until they leave.

Promises, Promises may be a revival and considered somewhat a classic, but while the story of The Apartment (which the musical is based on) is quite interesting (it's the swinging 60's and naive Chuck Baxter is lending his apartment to the higher ups at work for to use for their affairs, in hope that he'll get promoted for his gesture so that he can fall in love with the lovely Fran), the book by Neil Simon feels dated with jokes that almost require a drum set accompaniment. It makes Sean Hayes performance an even bigger accomplishment since he manages to milk every laugh from every line with his wonderful comic timing and oodles of charm and likability.

Sean Hayes, most famous for his uber-gay comic portrayal of Jack MacFarlane on Will and Grace, makes his Broadway debut with an abundance of stage presence, without relying on hysterical caricature and wonderfully plays a more subdued (and straight acting) role of Chuck Baxter with a nice leading man charm that reminds me of another star-turned Broadway presence Matthew Broderick. What holds Hayes back is his singing voice, which remains decent and serviceable if not exactly strong enough to carry a leading role and its required songs.

To counteract (or make even more obvious) Hayes' meagre singing voice, Hayes plays against Kristin Chenoweth's Fran Kubelik, Chuck Baxter's love interest and Chenoweth belts out Bacharach's songs as she's famous for. Except, as much as I love Chenoweth and as excited as I was to finally see her live for the first time, her voice doesn't seem to match Bacharach's softer song style and it just doesn't seem to click perfectly. On top of that, Fran is quite the dour character, almost unlikable.

Fran is the object of Baxter's attraction, but meanwhile, she has been secretly having an affair with one of the big bosses J.D. Sheldrake (Tony Goldwyn, Ghost), and while we know she would be with Baxter, it takes the whole show for her to constantly make mistake after mistake, including a drug overdose, before she realized nice guy Baxter is the guy she should be with. Why is Baxter in love with this troubled woman anyways? The perky Chenoweth tries to throw some dark drama into the darker role, but what's the point in casting Chenoweth if we can't get her perky self?

Instead, Katie Finneran (above with Hayes), who plays a character named Marge MacDougall who shows up for all of 2 scenes, steals the show with her HILARIOUS performance as a drunk woman who flirts with a bummed Chuck Baxter at the opening of the 2nd act. Finneran's Marge essentially comes out of nowhere and is supposed to be a device to push Chuck back into Fran's arms, but Finneran's performance is so winning, you wonder why Chuck and Marge don't just run away to live happily ever after.

All this is happening while there is the air of Mad Men mixed with 9 to 5 happening in this office comedy, with the famous-to-theatre-people song "Turkey Lurkey Time" somehow being thrown in as filler to identify a Christmas office party. Business men get horny over their secretaries, led by Brooks Ashmanskas (above with Hayes, She Loves Me, lovable but not at all believable as a man trying to sleep with any woman), and demand use of the apartment.

The sets are sparse and minimalist (and seem ready made to be transported easily for a national tour) in the first act but are workable and have a certain 60's simplistic flair, so I can buy it. The look of the 2nd act does a complete switchover as full on sets create a more intimate feel and a more specific story. It gives the 2nd act the dramatic weight the story calls for, something missing from the first half of the show, but by then, the true heaviness of the show has sunken a show that seems to sell itself on a light and airiness.

Rob Ashford's choreography is fun and Fosse-esque and make all the ensemble songs fun, but alas, most of the songs by Burt Bacharach are forgettable. Yes, there's "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" which became a famous hit, outside of the musical itself, but there's a reason why the other songs didn't become famous. In fact, the songs are so forgettable that they've inserted two of Bacharach's most famous songs, "I Say A Little Prayer" and "A House Is Not a Home" into the show (and when I mean inserted, I mean inserted, with very little lead up to work them into the book).

Dick Latessa does what he can with his thankless role, while Tony Goldwyn (above) seems a bit stiff playing the stiff suit that Fran falls for, and his voice, like Hayes' is serviceable but not great.

Unfortunately, Rob Ashford (making his Broadway directing debut), who so brilliantly directed recent Donmar revivals of Parade and A Streetcar Named Desire, tries to keep the buoyancy of the show alive as much as possible, but doesn't quite seem to know how to fix it all. With a somewhat miscast Kristin Chenoweth, with Tony Goldwyn out of his musical element, and with an incongruous 1st and 2nd act, Ashford will need to smooth things over before opening night to bridge Neil Simon's lame book and Bacharach's tepid songs. Sean Hayes and Katie Finneran luckily bring a needed zest to the proceedings (and who collectively give at least 2 to 2.5 of the 3.5 stars I'm giving this show), and the ensemble cast dances up a storm with Ashford's choreography, that there's still hope for the show, as it still has some promise to it.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Seeing Through The Looking Glass - The Glass Menagerie - Play Review

The Glass Menagerie - Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre - Off-Broadway, New York, NY - ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Tennessee Williams, Directed by Gordon Edelstein
Runs until Jun. 13th 2010, Transfers to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles - Sept. 1st - Oct. 17th 2010

I remember reading this play in high school and identifying with Tom Wingfield but I've forgotten why exactly. I just remembered loving the play, and that I thought I WAS Tom Wingfield. I have never actually seen the play performed and have just been left with the memories of being captivated by reading the play in High School English class.

The new production currently running at Roundabout's Off-Broadway location has apparently changed up the play in a radical way but since I only have vague memories of the play, I can only guess to the exact changes, most obviously, the setting (but if there were other major changes, I'm not really sure what they were). Director Gordon Edelstein has moved the setting from the Wingfield's house and into an old hotel room. How does that work? Well, at first it seems like some meaningless twist, though it gives for some nice theatrical staging effects, but it hints at the end results and gives the final moments an even bigger impact (though if you don't actually know the classic play, I won't give it away here).

Edelstein's production starts off a little slow, mainly because it is carefully gathering the glass pieces for a bigger shattering effect, but once the haze dissipates, a clarity in the characters makes this The Glass Menagerie truly shine. The terrific cast brings a realism and humour to Williams' artfully constructed words, and there's an ease and connectivity to the tragic story.

Judith Ivey (Designing Women) easily breathes the words of Amanda Wingfield, the overbearing mother whose protectiveness and bossiness hurts and hinders her two grown children. Ivey gives her Amanda a lightness that makes the ease of her manipulation and pushiness all the more startling. The Southern charm becomes a perfect foil and Ivey makes the character both very specific and incredibly universal.

Patch Darragh's (Mercy) Tom Wingfield perfectly balances his love and frustration with his family and his increasingly unbearable situation. Struggling to live life and further his career, he lives under his overbearing mother, while caringly protects his sister Laura (Keira Keeley). Tom's escapes to the "movies" become his constance excuse to live by his mother's rules while secretly having homosexual encounters. It's beautifully subtle (and sadly for me, very recognizable) and Darragh's superb performance is incredibly believable. The audience understands why he stays with his remaining family, and under the weight of his runaway father, and Darragh has a wonderful sibling rapport with Keeley.

Keira Keeley completely disappears in the first act, lost on the sidelines as she plays with her collection of glass figurines, and it's perfect that way. Tom and Amanda vie for control of the family which makes Laura pull back even further, and it's only when the Gentleman Caller's visit in the second act, that mother Amanda forces Tom to invite, forces Laura out of her secure protective hideaway.

When Michael Mosley's (Scrubs) Gentleman Caller Jim O'Connor shows up for dinner and blasts Laura and Tom's life with a burst of energy and enthusiasm, it starts a stir in Keeley's Laura and Keeley makes her Laura slowly bloom while retaining her fragility. Laura's transition in the presence of Jim only reinforces the intelligent move to the stillness in her performance in the first act, and Keeley's performance only enhances Williams' story.

Mosley turns a truly fine performance as a confident man unaffected by earlier failures. His high school's success is only fuel for his optimistic outlook for the future, as unrealistic as they may be. The Gentleman Caller gives Laura hope, but also rattles Tom, as an example to another way to live, and Mosley's Caller gives the fresh air needed to change the stale air within the Wingfield clan.

Michael Yeargan's hotel room set nicely reveals its further layers as the walls become semi translucent to reveal the memories Tom recounts. Jennifer Tipton's lighting, especially considering it becomes a major plot point, is nicely handled, and the scenes relying on candlelight become intimate without becoming a technical hinderance. Edelstein has polished a beautiful production that has a sense of time and place while still feeling relevant and modern, and the superb cast gives new life to Tennessee Williams' oldest play.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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TVworthy - The Vacation Catch-Up

It's been a while since I've blogged about TV. Oh, I'm still watching lots (and tweeting about it), but since my Australia/New Zealand vacation, I've been trying to catch-up. Some, like Lost, I've caught up with right away of course (not that I have any idea what's going on) and the rest, I'm slowly working my way back to the current episodes (I'm finally caught up to late March for most).

Anyways, here's my thoughts in more than 140 characters (but not by much because I think my brain is starting work in 140 character thoughts now).

Lost - Seriously, I can't talk about it, because, I don't know how to talk about it. But man, I can never wait until the next episode, yet fear it because it's one less episode until the end. I'm assuming I'll get "it" on May 23rd at 11pm.

Bored to Death - Watched the first season. I always think I'll get annoyed at Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and Ted Danson, yet I'm reminded that I've enjoyed them before (Schartzman in Rushmore and any Wes Anderson film, Galifianakis in Hangover despite the movie being overrated, Danson in Help Me Help You and Damages) and I'm loving them in this and I can't wait for more episodes.

Ugly Betty - I am LOVING this season so far. Of course I am. It's cancelled! It can now join the ranks of Everwood and The OC. Shows that got cancelled in it's fourth, and best season.

Greek - Nothing is more comforting than going back to college and joining Cappie, Casey, Rusty and Beaver. Seriously, I'd go back if it was this fun. I'm enjoying the deepening of Evan and Rebecca's characters and kudos for the ongoing gay love story with Calvin and Grant and I love the Heath still lingers around.

American Idol - What can be said? Worst season ever. It's Bowersox's to lose but I don't even get that excited by her as I have past Idolers like Kris Allen, David Archie, David Cook, Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. Maybe it's cause of all the Lilith Fair vibe. Maybe it's cause despite it supposedly being a girls year, the boys have prevailed, despite sucky voices. But hey, it's what happens when everyone is a sob story this year.

Life Unexpected - How much do I love this show? It has that comfortable reminder of the good years of The WB. Love Kristofer Polaha and Shirri Appleby and love all the minor melodrama.

Community, Parks & Recreation, Modern Family and Cougar Town have become such awesome comedies! Love them so much. Amazing too since 3 of them had such a shaky start. In fact, I find myself looking forward to them more than the old standard The Office (which I will say, has at least gotten better again in the new year).

The Good Wife - The cast is superb to begin with but they keep adding amazing guest stars and re-occuring characters. How much do we love Gary Cole's mustache? Or a creepy Alan Cummings (though when is he not creepy?). The writing has gotten better and tighter too and while the mysteries/cases still manipulatively feed us viewers, the interplay between the characters are snappy and solid. And still love that Archie Punjabi is now in a big US hit TV show.

Undercover Boss - It's so set up and manipulated (I mean, there's no way EVERY employee the undercover bosses speaks to has a sob story like the ones that do on this show) but while I wonder about the OTHER worthy employees, I'm a total sucker for it all. I can't stop watching, as fake as some of it may be.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - When did Colby get so crabby? I'm still on team Boston Rob. I'm sad Cirie got kicked out so early. I wish Stephen (from JT's season) and Rob Cesterino was on this. UPDATE: Okay, I caught another ep. DAMNIT. Ugh.

Desperate Housewives - Okay, lesbian story aside (and I'm not totally caught up yet so bear with me), I've been loving this season.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Politically Incorrect - Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - Musical Review

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - Newman Theater at The Public - Off-Broadway, New York, NY - **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, Written and Directed by Alex Timbers
Review based on preview performance. Opened Apr. 6th, Runs until Apr. 25th 2010
UPDATE: Extended until May 9th 2010 UPDATE #2: Extended until May 30th 2010

Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States, and he was a hero to the people, or was he an American Hitler? To be honest, I don't know much about American history (that hasn't been cemented in film history) so a new musical about Andrew Jackson's controversial reign set to emo-rock music and presented in a satirical low-brow comedy style just sounds cool enough to work.

And to a degree, it does, mostly because of Alex Timbers' college-style humour filled book that is secretly clever in its analysis on the stupidity of political life (of the 19th century that is a thinly veiled metaphor to the current political tea party's). Timbers' direction goes all out in inspired over-the-top antics, including a modern day wheelchair-bound nerdy teen narrator (a very funny Colleen Werthmann) and a wussy Twinkie-eating Vice-President Martin Van Buren (a hysterical Lucas Near-Verbrugghe).

Benjamin Walker is a handsome and sexy Andrew Jackson, a damaged young man (whose parents were killed by Indians) filled with anger, angst and confusion, and manages to climb through the ranks by inspiring the populists hatred toward common enemies (basically everyone who isn't American, and particularly the Indians). Walker rocks out the songs and nicely balances the dark yet silly humour and tone with a confident gravitas making quite a stirring star turn (that slightly reminds me of a Jonathan Groff's older straight brother).

Using emo-rock to represent the emotional stirring of the masses that Andrew Jackson milks to become the people's President is perfect in its depiction. The people want it and that's the excuse Andrew Jax uses, or is the populist thinking just an excuse for Andrew Jackson to carry out his damaging actions? It's a perfect forum for a rock musical and Donyale Werle's sets and Justin Townsend's lighting nicely paint a radical mood set in traditional times, with the entire theatre decked out in Red fluorescents and baroque chandeliers and picture frames.

Unfortunately, the entire show starts to weaken anytime the game cast starts singing one of Michael Friedman's songs. Walker and company rock them out as much as possible and they have the right attitude, but the songs never truly captivate in between Timber's smart-alecky book and the music slows down the cleverness of the musical.

The ridiculous style of the show recounting the controversial history of American politics makes for a clever mix, but its too bad the music loses whatever steam the ironic comedy builds up. The intermissionless show begins to drag with ever song and Benjamin Walker's charisma, a wicked cast (including a wonderfully cartoonish Jeff Hiller and springy Kate Cullen Roberts) and the politically incorrect jokes can only carry the musical so far.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Rebirth of a Nation

I've tweeted this a few times before but I haven't fallen in love with a song so fast and so much in a long time, so I'm posting it for Good Friday/Easter. Strange especially since this is a Canadian All-Star remake of a current Canadian radio hit (and upcoming South African FIFA World Cup song) that I don't actually like that much. K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag" is still currently making its way up the Canadian charts but now he's lent it to Young Artists for Haiti and I'm LOVING this new version.

Okay, so it's Canadian stars so the rest of you probably won't know many of them, and heck, there's a bunch of folks I still haven't figured out who they are, but I see Nelly Furtado, Sam Roberts, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan's Pierre Bouvier, Lights, Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Whibley, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, Jully Black, Jacob Hoggard, Justin Nozuka, Fefe Dobson, Corb Lund, Drake, Nikki Yanofsky, and Justin Bieber.



I love the french dude. Pierre Lapointe.

To donate to Haiti, go here. Or in general to Doctors Without Borders.

Oh, here's the full list of artists:
Soloists (in order of appearance)
K'naan
Nelly Furtado
Sam Roberts
Avril Lavigne
Pierre Bouvier
Tyler Connolly
Kardinal Offishall
Jully Black
LIGHTS
Deryck Whibley
Serena Ryder
Jacob Hoggard
Emily Haines
Hawksley Workman
Drake (solo rap)
Chin Injeti
Ima
Pierre Lapointe
Elisapie Isaac
Esthero
Corb Lund
Fefe Dobson
Nikki Yanofsky
Matt Mays
Justin Nozuka
Justin Bieber

Chorus (including the soloists)
Arkells
Lamar Ashe
Broken Social Scene
Torquil Campbell
Canadian Tenors
Aion Clarke
City and Colour
Tom Cochrane
Jim Cuddy
Jim Creeggan
Kathleen Edwards
Dave Faber
Jessie Farrell
Colin James
Patrick Kordyback
Brandon Lehti
Colin MacDonald
Jay Malinowski
Stacey McKitrick
Suzie McNeil
Fefe Dobson
Stephan Moccio
Kevin Parent
Josh Ramsay
Red 1
Hayley Sales
James Shaw
Shiloh
Tim Baker



Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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