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Theatre World Award Winners on Their First Time

June 5, 2018 Leave a comment

At the 74th annual Theatre World Awards, luminous performers, including this year’s winners — a dozen honored for their New York stage debuts — talked about when they first knew they would be professional performers.

“My father owned a theater when I was growing up, so I never knew a life without the theater,” says Hailey Kilgore, who is one of the winners in 2018 for her role as Ti Moune in Once Upon This Island.

“Around 20, life sort of hit me in the face, and I said I’m going to do something,” says Harry Hadden-Paton, a 2018 winner for portraying Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.

Click on any photograph to see it enlarged.
Hailey Kilgore
Hailey Kilgore
Victor Garber
Victor Garber
Rodney Hicks
Rodney Hicks
Katy Sullivan
Katy Sullivan
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Noma Dumezweni and Ben Edelman on the press line of the 2018 Theatre World Awards
Noma Dumezweni and Ben Edelman on the press line of the 2018 Theatre World Awards
Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga
Jamie Brewer
Jamie Brewer
Harry Hadden-Patton
Harry Hadden-Patton
Anita Gillette
Anita Gillette
Daniel N. Durant
Daniel N. Durant

Also, Wesley Taylor, explains how he lost his embarrassment over not being Daniel Day Lewis.

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Filed under Awards, New York Theater, Performer, video

2018 Theatre World Award Winners for Spectacular NY Stage Debuts

May 8, 2018 Leave a comment

The Theatre World Awards for outstanding New York stage debuts during the 2017-2018 theatrical season have been given to:

Anthony Boyle from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Anthony Boyle from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Debra Monk, Jamie Brewer, Mark Blum
Debra Monk, Jamie Brewer, Mark Blum
Noma Dumezweni as Hermione and David St.Louis
Noma Dumezweni as Hermione and David St.Louis
Johnny Flynn
Denise Gough as Harper Pitt
Denise Gough as Harper Pitt
Harry Hadden-Paton as Henry Higgins
Harry Hadden-Paton as Henry Higgins
Hailey Kilgore, from Once On This Island
Hailey Kilgore, from Once On This Island
James McArdle as Louis Ironson, who abandons his lover Prior when Prior reveals he has AIDS
James McArdle as Louis Ironson, who abandons his lover Prior when Prior reveals he has AIDS
Lauren Ridloff from Children of a Lesser God
Lauren Ridloff from Children of a Lesser God
Charlie Stemp 1
SpongeBob SquarePantsThe Broadway Musical for Everyone
Katy Sullivan in Cost of Living
Katy Sullivan in Cost of Living

Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Jamie Brewer, Amy and the Orphans

Noma Dumezweni, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Johnny Flynn, Hangmen

Denise Gough, Angels in America

Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady

Hailey Kilgore, Once on This Island

James McArdle, Angels in America

Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God

Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants

Charlie Stemp, Hello, Dolly!

Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living

 

The 74th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony will be held on the set of the Tony nominated Broadway Revival of Once on This Island on Monday afternoon, June 4, 2018 beginning at 2:00 p.m at Circle in the Square.

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Ring IN The Old: Saluting Broadway Stars, aged 91 to 105

December 31, 2017 Leave a comment

Here again, celebrating the new year by saluting a dozen Broadway veterans, aged 91 to 105. Click on any photograph to see it enlarged and read the caption.

Angela Lansbury, 92, veteran of 14 Broadway shows, winner of five Tony Awards.
Angela Lansbury, 92, veteran of 14 Broadway shows, winner of five Tony Awards.
Dick Van Dyke, 92, veteran of four Broadway shows, winner of the Tony Award for Bye, Bye Birdie.
Dick Van Dyke, 92, veteran of four Broadway shows, winner of the Tony Award for Bye, Bye Birdie.
Norman Lear, 95, has not performed on Broadway, but he WAS a producer of a Broadway show -- a revival of (appropriately in retrospect) "Arsenic and Old Lace"
Norman Lear, 95, has not performed on Broadway, but he WAS a producer of a Broadway show — a revival of (appropriately in retrospect) “Arsenic and Old Lace”
Cloris Leachman, 91, veteran of 12 Broadway shows.
Cloris Leachman, 91, veteran of 12 Broadway shows.
Olivia de Havilland, 101, veteran of three Broadway shows.
Olivia de Havilland, 101, veteran of three Broadway shows.
Carl Reiner, 95, veteran of seven Broadway shows.
Carl Reiner, 95, veteran of seven Broadway shows.
Kirk Douglas, 101, best-known as a movie star, of course, but a veteran of eight Broadway plays
Kirk Douglas, 101, best-known as a movie star, of course, but a veteran of eight Broadway plays
Patricia Morison, 102, veteran of five Broadway shows, including the original Kiss Me Kate and King and I.
Patricia Morison, 102, veteran of five Broadway shows, including the original Kiss Me Kate and King and I.
Norman Lloyd, 102, veteran as director or performer of 14 Broadway shows.
Norman Lloyd, 102, veteran as director or performer of 14 Broadway shows.
Gertrude Jeannette, 103, veteran of six Broadway shows, including plays by Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, and James Baldwin.
Gertrude Jeannette, 103, veteran of six Broadway shows, including plays by Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, and James Baldwin.
Connie Sawyer, 105, veteran of four Broadway shows.
Connie Sawyer, 105, veteran of four Broadway shows.
Carol Channing, 96, three-time Tony winning veteran of a dozen Broadway productions (three of them "Hello, Dolly.")
Carol Channing, 96, three-time Tony winning veteran of a dozen Broadway productions (three of them “Hello, Dolly.”)

Why, you may ask, is Betty White, 95, not in this gallery? She’s never been on Broadway. Now’s the time, Betty!

Filed under New York Theater, Performer, Photographs

Favorite New York Stage Performances in 2017

December 20, 2017 Leave a comment

My ten favorite individual performances in New York stage shows that opened in 2017 are listed alphabetically, with explanations for my choices largely excerpted from my reviews, but let’s begin with three noteworthy ensembles:

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Sondheim Originators on His Advice to Them

November 7, 2017 Leave a comment

Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Len Cariou, who originated roles in Sweeny Todd and A Little Night Music
Len Cariou, who originated roles in Sweeny Todd and A Little Night Music
Company
Company
Pamela Myers and Teri Ralston, both in the original company of "Company." Ralston also originated a role in "A Little Night Music"
Pamela Myers and Teri Ralston, both in the original company of “Company.” Ralston also originated a role in “A Little Night Music”
Anyone Can Whistle
Anyone Can Whistle
Follies
Follies
Harvey Evans, who originated roles in Anyone Can Whistle and Follies
Harvey Evans, who originated roles in Anyone Can Whistle and Follies
Kurt Peterson, who originate role in Follies
Kurt Peterson, who originate role in Follies
Sondheim Originators

Len Cariou, one of the five performers who recently reminisced about having originated roles in musicals by Stephen Sondheim, recalls getting the script for “Sweeney Todd” and thinking “You’ve got to be kidding!”  At the end of the first preview, although it was plagued by technical glitches, Sondheim came backstage and exclaimed about the audience: “The understood it! They f— understood it,” and performer and composer hugged. By that time Cariou had long since come around: “We realized this was one of the great musicals of all time, a work of genius.”

Cariou and the others — Harvey Evans, Pamela Myers, Kurt Peterson and Teri Ralston, who variously originated roles in “Anyone Can Whistle,” “Company,” “Follies,” “A Little Night Music,” and “Sweeney Todd,” (and performed in the original “West Side Story” and “Gypsy”)  — gathered over the weekend to talk for 90 minutes about their experiences with the composer who changed their lives. The video below is an 18-minute excerpt, answering the question: What advice did Sondheim give you?

“I don’t remember his giving us too many notes,”says Harvey Evans, who performed in the original Broadway productions of West Side Story, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle and Follies. “I wish he had given me more personal help.” But he did give them stories.

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Filed under history, musical, New York Theater, Performer, video

RIP Barbara Cook, 89

August 8, 2017 Leave a comment

Barbara Cook, the self-proclaimed poor, naive Southern Belle who became the reigning soprano in the Golden Age of Broadway and then a cabaret and concert hall star of the first magnitude, has died at age 89.

Broadway will dim its lights in her honor on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.

Read my review of her memoir published just last year., about a life full of 19 Broadway shows, 45 albums, 40 yrs of sobriety — and one glorious golden voice that never failed her.

She would tell students: “Concentrate on what you’re trying to say with this song; the words have to matter.”

Barbara Cook in The Music Man, 1957
Barbara Cook in The Music Man, 1957
Barbara Cook as a teenager with her mother
Barbara Cook as a teenager with her mother
Barbara Cook in 1950
Barbara Cook in 1950
Barbara Cook with the Bil Baird Marionettes in Flahooley, 1951, her first Broadway show.
Barbara Cook with the Bil Baird Marionettes in Flahooley, 1951, her first Broadway show.
Barbara Cook young
Barbara Cook with her husband David LeGrant in the 1953 revival of Oklahoma!
Barbara Cook with her husband David LeGrant in the 1953 revival of Oklahoma!
Barbara Cook as the original Amalia in She Loves Me, 1963
Barbara Cook as the original Amalia in She Loves Me, 1963
Barbara Cook singing

 

Barbara Cook in Mostly Sondheim

Filed under New York Theater, Obituary, Performer

Broadway Newcomers Sum Up The Season

June 6, 2017 Leave a comment

Barrett Doss
Barrett Doss
Barrett Doss
CarloAlban
Johanna Day and Carlo Albán
Johanna Day and Carlo Albán
IMG_0858
Denee Benton as Natasha and Amber Gray as the villainous Helene
Denee Benton as Natasha and Amber Gray as the villainous Helene
Jonjon
Jon Jon Briones
Jon Jon Briones
Raymond Lee
Raymond Lee
IMG_0868

Current and past winners of the Theatre World Awards, given to exceptional performers making their Broadway or New York stage debuts, offer their take on the season just past, sometimes in a single word.

The following were interviewed outside the Imperial Theater (current home of “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812”) where the 73rd Annual Theatre World Awards were held on June 5, 2017.

Carlo Alban from “Sweat”

Jon Jon Briones from “Miss Saigon”

Barrett Doss from “Groundhog Day”

Amber Gray from “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812”

Raymond Lee from “Vietgone”

plus past winners, Phillip Boykin, Geneva Carr and Jonny Orsini.

Filed under Awards, New York Theater, Performer, video

2017 Tony Nominees: A Closer Look…and Listen.

May 3, 2017 Leave a comment

Below are 2017 Tony Award nominees who spoke at the Meet the Nominees press reception the day after the announcement, grouped more or less show by show. Click on individual photographs to read sometimes extensive captions that quote what they said about their show or their career or the theater in general.

Sally Field, Best Actress nominee for The Glass Menagerie: Of her preparation for her role: "I was the one constantly going 'What?!' 'That didn't make sense!' There was a whittling down, a letting-go." On still working: "To have a longtime career as an actor, you have to want it more than you ever thought you'd want it." On how she became an actress. It started at age 12. The stage freed her. "When I was off stage I was all things little girls had to be in the 50s. I had to put it all back in the box."
Sally Field, Best Actress nominee for The Glass Menagerie: Of her preparation for her role: “I was the one constantly going ‘What?!’ ‘That didn’t make sense!’ There was a whittling down, a letting-go.” On still working: “To have a longtime career as an actor, you have to want it more than you ever thought you’d want it.” On how she became an actress. It started at age 12. The stage freed her. “When I was off stage I was all things little girls had to be in the 50s. I had to put it all back in the box.”
Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole, War Paint, each nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Musical
Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole, War Paint, each nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Musical
Laura Linney, Richard Thomas, Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes, respectively nominated for lead actress, featured actor, featured actress in a play.
Laura Linney, Richard Thomas, Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes, respectively nominated for lead actress, featured actor, featured actress in a play.
Danny DeVito, The Price, best actor in a featured role in a play
Danny DeVito, The Price, best actor in a featured role in a play
Playwright Paula Vogel and director Rebecca Taichman of Indecent. Paula Vogel: "Per inch on stage, there's so much love. Rebecca came to me with this amazing gift. 'Do you know this play?' We had both read the play in our twenties, 20 years apart... Taichman: "My idea was just 1923. Paul thought out this epic masterpiece." Vogel: "She turned over to me boxes of her research. I did draft after draft. The woman is an extraordinary editor. .When Rebecca goes 'Oh that's good,' you go back to your room and stay up all night to make it better..There are these mythic collaborations you read about in the American theater..It's very hard to tell where one voice ends and the other begins...I don't think it comes along very often that you share a sensibility like this. We're starting to get to the pitch" of another collaboration.
Playwright Paula Vogel and director Rebecca Taichman of Indecent. Paula Vogel: “Per inch on stage, there’s so much love. Rebecca came to me with this amazing gift. ‘Do you know this play?’ We had both read the play in our twenties, 20 years apart… Taichman: “My idea was just 1923. Paul thought out this epic masterpiece.” Vogel: “She turned over to me boxes of her research. I did draft after draft. The woman is an extraordinary editor. .When Rebecca goes ‘Oh that’s good,’ you go back to your room and stay up all night to make it better..There are these mythic collaborations you read about in the American theater..It’s very hard to tell where one voice ends and the other begins…I don’t think it comes along very often that you share a sensibility like this. We’re starting to get to the pitch” of another collaboration.
A Doll's House, Part 2. All four cast members have been nominated. Pictured here Chris Cooper, Laurie Metcalf and Jayne Houdyshell. Laurie Metcalf: I was thrilled at the audacity of the title of the play... There's a balance of all four characters. They're all right, and they're all wrong.
A Doll’s House, Part 2. All four cast members have been nominated. Pictured here Chris Cooper, Laurie Metcalf and Jayne Houdyshell. Laurie Metcalf: I was thrilled at the audacity of the title of the play… There’s a balance of all four characters. They’re all right, and they’re all wrong.
Lucas Hnath, playwright of A Doll's House, Part 2 I started by writing down the title, which made me laugh. Then I read a really bad translation online. The first draft was so much like an Ibsen play, it felt like a tribute band. The characters are not like the Helmer family. It's a little more abstract.
Lucas Hnath, playwright of A Doll’s House, Part 2 I started by writing down the title, which made me laugh. Then I read a really bad translation online. The first draft was so much like an Ibsen play, it felt like a tribute band. The characters are not like the Helmer family. It’s a little more abstract.
Condola Rashad, Chris Cooper, A Doll's House, Part 2. Asked when she knew she wanted to be an actress, she told the story of sneaking out on stage during a long blackout in one of her mother Phylicia Rashad's plays. "They couldn't see me, but I could see them."
Condola Rashad, Chris Cooper, A Doll’s House, Part 2. Asked when she knew she wanted to be an actress, she told the story of sneaking out on stage during a long blackout in one of her mother Phylicia Rashad’s plays. “They couldn’t see me, but I could see them.”
Jayne Houdyshell, A Doll's House Part 2, best actress in a featured role in a play.
Jayne Houdyshell, A Doll’s House Part 2, best actress in a featured role in a play.
Josh Groban, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, best actor in a leading role. See video below.
Josh Groban, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, best actor in a leading role. See video below.
Denee Benton, Great Comet, best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical. "It's really special, but I'm always exhausted."
Denee Benton, Great Comet, best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical. “It’s really special, but I’m always exhausted.”
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. "My parents forced me to take piano lessons -- and thank God they did."
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. “My parents forced me to take piano lessons — and thank God they did.”
Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, best direction of a musical. Asked if she preferred sing-through musicals -- which is what Great Comet and her Off-Broadway musical Hadestown are, she said: "You don't have to deal with strange jump from speaking to singing. Living inside that score, it's wonderful we don't have to break its bones."
Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, best direction of a musical. Asked if she preferred sing-through musicals — which is what Great Comet and her Off-Broadway musical Hadestown are, she said: “You don’t have to deal with strange jump from speaking to singing. Living inside that score, it’s wonderful we don’t have to break its bones.”
Brandon Uranowitz, Falsettos
Brandon Uranowitz, Falsettos
Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hanse, Best Actor in a Leading Role "To see how young people connect to this is why we're doing it."
Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hanse, Best Actor in a Leading Role “To see how young people connect to this is why we’re doing it.”
Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen, Best Performance by an Actress in a Feature Role in a Musical
Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen, Best Performance by an Actress in a Feature Role in a Musical
Mike Faist, Dear Evan Hansen, Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. "All I can ask for as an actor is to get to play complicated wonderful characters." How he got started acting: "I didn't have many friends. I was always acting out roles from movies. Luckily, my parents, instead of putting me on ritalin, encouraged me... Every step of the way, when I didn't think I could do it, they proved me wrong."
Mike Faist, Dear Evan Hansen, Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. “All I can ask for as an actor is to get to play complicated wonderful characters.” How he got started acting: “I didn’t have many friends. I was always acting out roles from movies. Luckily, my parents, instead of putting me on ritalin, encouraged me… Every step of the way, when I didn’t think I could do it, they proved me wrong.”
Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen, best orchestrations. "What I learned in Hamilton, I used in Dear Evan Hansen...As an orchestrator, you work on the page. It's a solitary art form. It's not until the moment you hear the band play that you know whether it works."
Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen, best orchestrations. “What I learned in Hamilton, I used in Dear Evan Hansen…As an orchestrator, you work on the page. It’s a solitary art form. It’s not until the moment you hear the band play that you know whether it works.”
Randy Adams, Sue Frost, actress Jen Collela, choreographer Kelly Devine, original score and book writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, director Christopher Ashley. Hein: We wanted to tell a 9/12 story about the people in Newfoundland we fell in love with
Randy Adams, Sue Frost, actress Jen Collela, choreographer Kelly Devine, original score and book writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, director Christopher Ashley. Hein: We wanted to tell a 9/12 story about the people in Newfoundland we fell in love with
Eva Noblezada, Miss Saigon. Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical. "I still haven't gotten over that I'm on Broadway...Lea Salonga told me to enjoy the ride."
Eva Noblezada, Miss Saigon. Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical. “I still haven’t gotten over that I’m on Broadway…Lea Salonga told me to enjoy the ride.”

More to come.

Filed under Awards, Broadway, New York Theater, Performer, Photographs, Playwrights

Ring IN The Old: Broadway Stars, aged 90 to 104

December 31, 2016 Leave a comment

For those understandably saddened by the premature deaths of so many beloved performers in 2016, here is a gallery of a dozen beloved theater artists who are still living — some still working — ages 90 to 104. Some are better known for their screen roles, one is not a performer at all, but all have been involved in Broadway productions. Click on any photograph to see it enlarged and read the caption.

Angela Lansbury, 92, veteran of 14 Broadway shows, winner of five Tony Awards.
Angela Lansbury, 92, veteran of 14 Broadway shows, winner of five Tony Awards.
Dick Van Dyke, 92, veteran of four Broadway shows, winner of the Tony Award for Bye, Bye Birdie.
Dick Van Dyke, 92, veteran of four Broadway shows, winner of the Tony Award for Bye, Bye Birdie.
jerry-lewis
Norman Lear, 95, has not performed on Broadway, but he WAS a producer of a Broadway show -- a revival of (appropriately in retrospect) "Arsenic and Old Lace"
Norman Lear, 95, has not performed on Broadway, but he WAS a producer of a Broadway show — a revival of (appropriately in retrospect) “Arsenic and Old Lace”
Cloris Leachman, 91, veteran of 12 Broadway shows.
Cloris Leachman, 91, veteran of 12 Broadway shows.
Olivia de Havilland, 101, veteran of three Broadway shows.
Olivia de Havilland, 101, veteran of three Broadway shows.
Carl Reiner, 95, veteran of seven Broadway shows.
Carl Reiner, 95, veteran of seven Broadway shows.
Kirk Douglas, 101, best-known as a movie star, of course, but a veteran of eight Broadway plays
Kirk Douglas, 101, best-known as a movie star, of course, but a veteran of eight Broadway plays
Patricia Morison, 102, veteran of five Broadway shows, including the original Kiss Me Kate and King and I.
Patricia Morison, 102, veteran of five Broadway shows, including the original Kiss Me Kate and King and I.
Norman Lloyd, 102, veteran as director or performer of 14 Broadway shows.
Norman Lloyd, 102, veteran as director or performer of 14 Broadway shows.
Gertrude Jeannette, 103, veteran of six Broadway shows, including plays by Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, and James Baldwin.
Gertrude Jeannette, 103, veteran of six Broadway shows, including plays by Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, and James Baldwin.
Connie Sawyer, 105, veteran of four Broadway shows.
Connie Sawyer, 105, veteran of four Broadway shows.
Carol Channing, 96, three-time Tony winning veteran of a dozen Broadway productions (three of them "Hello, Dolly.")
Carol Channing, 96, three-time Tony winning veteran of a dozen Broadway productions (three of them “Hello, Dolly.”)

Why, you may ask, is Betty White, 94, not in this gallery? She’s never been on Broadway. Now’s the time, Betty!

Filed under New York Theater, Performer, Photographs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Wit of Carrie Fisher (Oct 21, 1956 – Dec 27, 2016)

December 27, 2016 Leave a comment

 

carrie-fisher-on-resentment

Instant gratification takes too long.

Two of the saddest words in the English language are, ‘What party?’

I was street smart, but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive.

You know how they say that religion is the opiate of the masses? Well, I took masses of opiates religiously

You know how most illnesses have symptoms you can recognize? Like fever, upset stomach, chills, whatever.
Well, with manic depression, it’s sexual promiscuity, excessive spending, and substance abuse – and that just sounds like a fantastic weekend in Vegas to me!

Having waited my entire life to get an award for something, anything…I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. It’s better than being bad at being insane, right? How tragic would it be to be runner-up for Bipolar Woman of the Year?”

I do believe you’re only as sick as your secrets. If that’s true, I’m just really healthy.

As you get older, the pickings get slimmer, but the people don’t.

You know what’s funny about death? I mean other than absolutely nothing at all? You’d think we could remember finding out we weren’t immortal. Sometimes I see children sobbing airports and I think, “Aww. They’ve just been told.”

(Most of these quotes are from Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher’s memoir and one-woman show.

 

 

Filed under New York Theater, Obituary, Performer

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