B'way Update: Music Man and the Critics; Tony Voters and Bias Training; etc.

A lotta news goin' on: 

Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster and cast
in The Music Man.
Credit: Joan Marcus

The Music Man, probably the most anticipated show of this entire post-COVID theater season, will not admit first-string critics until opening night on Feb. 10. This flies in the face of the usual practice of inviting the press during preview performances so the scribes will have time to consider their opinions and craft their prose instead of rushing up the aisles to make the morning edition. No reason was given for this move, but spokesperson Rick Miramontez issued the following snarky statement when the news broke: 

"We feel just terrible for offering dozens of theater critics premium seats to a Broadway show. I am sure they will simply loathe having to tell their grandchildren about the time they were forced to witness Broadway history in the making. Most of all, it pains me personally to imagine the burden of having to turn around a review on such a tight timetable, has such a feat ever been attempted before? Well, let it be seen as the greatest vote of confidence by this production in our beloved press corps that we think they just might be up to the challenge!"

Cinderella vs. Batman and the Passage of Time

Seeing the new version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway reminded me of how much I used to look forward to watching the 1965 version on TV every year (This should have been a sign to my parents that I was gay, but never mind that.) It was a big deal because in those days there were only three TV networks and a big, lavish, full-color musical worthy of Broadway was a rare event. Even though we saw it in black and white, it was still a thrill. We did have an aunt and uncle who had color TV and I used to ask if we could go to their house for dinner on Wednesday nights because that was when Lost in Space was on. This was in the second season when the Robinsons finally changed their clothes and got full-color outfits. Now that I think of it, I don't believe I've ever seen that Lesley Anne Warren Cinderella in full color outside of YouTube clips. We didn't graduate from B&W until the mid-1970s. So we must have seen it in grey tones with the whole family including my grandparents visiting from Maine.

More New Musicals and Plays

Ann Harada in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
Photo by Carol Rosegg

My reviews of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Passion, The Revisionist, and The Madrid were posted on ArtsinNY.com. All were somewhat disappointing, particularly Cinderella. Book-writer Douglas Carter Beane and director Mark Brokaw overthought the material and couldn't decide between a Disney or a snarky approach. Ann Harada, our beloved Linda the Stage Manager ("I ain't makin' no smoothies, bitch") from Smash, stole the show as the wicked stepsister. (OK she didn't really say that to Uma Thurman, but she said it with her eyes.) The 1965 TV Cinderella is the one I remember best. It used to come on every year and was a huge deal because it was in full color and they didn't have many elaborate musicals made just for TV. I remember watching it with the whole family including my grandparents visiting from Maine and getting to stay up till it was over at 9 o'clock.

Also I did a piece on flop Broadway shows for NewYork.com. I only included ten, but I'm sure there are many more you can recall.

More new musicals coming in--The Public Theater will be presenting a tuner version of The Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem's novel about two comic-book-obsessed boys growing up in 1970s Brooklyn. Itamar Moses (Back Back Back, Completeness) is writing the book and the songs are by Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). The Public will present the musical during the 2014-15 season after it has played the Dallas Theatre Center. This is one of my favorite novels and it should be interesting to see how it translates to the stage with the comic-book elements.