"We're in the Money", or What Recession?

I have two financial news stories to report about the Broadway community, one wonderful and one awe inspiring.

The first story -- the wonderful one -- is that this year's Broadway Flea Market, which was held this past Sunday raised a record high $713,986.  The annual event held in and around Shubert Alley in the heart of the theater district raises money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, a charity with close ties to the Broadway community.  The 28 editions of the flea market have raised a total of over $11 million in support of AIDS research and for AIDS-related causes across the country.  Since its founding in 1988, the organization has raised over $250 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, and related diseases.

In other Broadway financial news, The Lion King has become (surprise, surprise) the highest grossing show ever.  The show has taken in, from Broadway, touring, and international productions, in excess of $6.2 billion -- edging out previous record holder The Phantom of the Opera.  The news even brought about a congratulatory note from Cameron Macintosh and The Really Useful Group calling The Lion King "The pride of Broadway."

Concert Staging of Smile at 54 Below Tonight

Ok.  So, this post isn't exactly about Broadway or the Tony Awards, but I want to put it up here regardless.  A friend of mine in the theater community, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, is producing a concert tonight at 54 Below -- the new "it" venue of New York's theater community.  And by new, I mean it's been open for over 2 years now and is still the hottest place in town for a certain crowd.  By which I mean, go there NOW!  You won't regret it.

Anyhow … the concert there tonight, at 7 and 9:30 (yes, that's right, TWO showings!), will be a reunion concert of Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman's 1986 musical Smile.  The concert will be directed by Richard Biever and musical directed by Roberto Sinha, and will feature original cast members Jodi Benson, Anne Bobby, and Mana Allen.  The musical, with a score by Hamlisch and book and lyrics by Ashman, is being described as "a satirical portrait that follows the intrigue and exploits onstage and behind-the-scenes as Santa Rosa, California, plays host to the Young American Miss Pageant."  Tickets range from $35 to $70 and there is also a $25 food/drink minimum.

Love Letters Opens on Broadway

A revival of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters opened on Broadway last night at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and the reviews are in.  Most reviews focused on the place of letters in today's technologically driven society and the sentimentality of the writing without much comment on the production itself.  That being said, Mia Farrow's performance was universally praised as one of the strongest she's given in recent memory.  The fact that she does not do more stage work is a detriment to the theater community, most reviewers agreed.  Brian Dennehy's performance received much more reserved reviews.  He hit the right tone much of the time, but there was just something lacking in his perf, most people seemed to agree.  Gregory Mosher's staging of the production, however, was universally praised for its simplicity and sentimentality.

News From Around the Block

I have two interesting stories to bring you today.

Broadway.com has posted the first sound bite from the upcoming revival of Side Show.  The production stars Erin Davie and Emily Padgett as conjoined twins in a side show.  The clip is of the two singing "Who Will Love Me As I Am?" -- a song from the show, with music by Dreamgirls composer Henry Krieger and lyrics by Bill Russell.  The revival, which begins previews in late October in anticipation of a November 17th opening, will be directed by Academy Award winning screenwriter Bill Condon (Chicago, Gods & Monsters) in his Broadway debut.

In other musical revival news, Josh Kaufman, winner of season 6 of Television's The Voice, will be joining the cast of Broadway's Pippin.  Mr. Kaufman will be performing in the show's titular role in a limited engagement from November 4th, 2014, through January 4th, 2015.  

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

Earlier today, producers announced that the Broadway production of Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, has recouped its $13 million investment.  It is the first new musical of the 2013-2014 season to accomplish this feat -- a goal which it accomplished in roughly 10 months at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on 44th Street.  The show stars 2014 Tony-winning actress Jessie Mueller, who recently extended her contract through March 2015, as Carole King.  The musical will begin a West End run in London in February and a US tour will launch next September.

This Is Our Youth Opening

A revival of This Is Our Youth, Kenneth Lonergan's 1996 drama about disaffected youth set in Reagan-era New York City, opened last night at Broadway's Cort Theatre.  The production, which stars Kieran Culkin, Michael Cera, and Tavi Gevinson, and which was directed by Tony-winner Anna D. Shapiro, began at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.

The reviews are in and are about as strong as any I have seen of late.  The three stars have been given various degrees of praise.  Michael Cera has received the strongest reviews of the three, with reviewers generally lauding his abilities, even if he is simply playing the type of character he always plays and is well known for.  Mr. Culkin was in the middle of the pack, being reviewed as fitting in well in a strong production, if not adding anything particularly spectacular.  Ms. Gevinson got the weakest reviews of the set and, in fact, the only negatively reviewed part of the show.  She was, from my understanding of the review, described as having a shrill voice that would otherwise be annoying were she not so well directed into submission and competence.

The strongest two elements of this production seem to be the direction and the writing -- at least of the first act.  Ben Brantley said of the show that "the acrobatics being performed in Anna D. Shapiro's sensational, kinetically charged revival of [the play] … aren't anything like those you'd find at the Cirque du Soleil.  But they're every bit as compelling, and probably (painfully) a whole lot closer to your own experience."  Marilyn Stasio of Variety Magazine generally agreed, describing the production as a "superbly directed staging" of Mr. Lonergan's play.  As for the writing, Mr. Brantley summed it up best.  "Though first performed nearly two decades ago, and set in the early 1980s, "This Is Our Youth" hasn't dated in the usual way of portraits of bright and sullen young things banging their heads against the walls of a society that doesn't understand them."  The only complaint about the writing, however, was an ending that was not satisfying.  In the last quarter of the play, it would seem that the magic deflates out of the play by seeming to feel the need to explain the meaning behind everything seen up to that point.  But I wonder if Mr. Lonergan was trying to make the point that this is what youth is about -- the need to have everything explained and given meaning in a world not yet understood.

New Productions in the Works

Several productions have announced this week that they are eyeing runs on the Great White Way -- one a revival of a screen-to-stage classic, as well as two British transfers.

A pre-Broadway revival of Lerner and Loewe's musical adaptation of Gigi, last seen on Broadway in 1974, will play the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  The production will feature a new book by British playwright and Emmy nominated screenwriter Heidi Thomas ("Cranford", "Call the Midwife", "Upstairs, Downstairs") and will be directed by Broadway vet Eric Schaeffer (Follies, Million Dollar Quartet), with choreography by Josh Bergasse (On the Town, TV's "Smash").  The Broadway productions has not yet announced dates, but will play the Kennedy Center in January and February of next year in hopes of coming to Broadway soon after.  The cast will include Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical"), Tony-winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza, Cinderella, Sister Act), Corey Cott (Newsies), Steffanie Leigh (Mary Poppins), and Tony nominees Kate Burton (The Elephant Man, Hedda Gabler) and Howard McGillin (The Phantom of the Opera).

In other news, British stage adaptations of two popular novels by Hilary Mantel.  The two novels, Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring Up the Bodies, are the first two parts in a planned trilogy about the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell.  The plays, written by Mike Poulton and directed by Jeremy Herrin, premiered at the Stratford's Swan Theatre, followed by a transfer in the West End via the Royal Shakespeare Company.  The potential Broadway transfer is rumored to be looking at the recently vacant Winter Garden Theatre in New York.

Big (and Little) Screen Broadway News

Several pieces of news have been released in the last several days about film and TV adaptations of Broadway material that I wanted to bring to your attention.  The teams behind the big screen adaptations of The Last Five Years and Annie, as well as the live TV version of Peter Pan, have all made big announcements, so the only question left is -- where do I begin?

I think the best place to start is with perpetual Tony bridesmaid (and friend to this blog) Kelli O'Hara.  It was announced yesterday that she will be joining NBC's live television broadcast of Peter Pan.  The five-time Tony nominated actress (Bridges of Madison County, Nice Work if You Can Get It, South Pacific, The Pajama Game, and The Light in the Piazza) will be joining the cast as Mrs. Darling, the mother of Wendy, Michael, and John Darling.  As previously reported, both Mr. Darling and Smee will be played by Tony-winner Christian Borle, continuing the tradition of casting two roles together to save money, since the two characters never appear on stage (or screen) together -- though the actor playing Mr. Darling traditionally doubles as Captain Hook, not Mr. Smee.  Christopher Walken will play Captain Hook and Allison Williams (of Girls fame) will play the titular character.  The production will air live on NBC on December 4th.

Next up on the docket is the upcoming film version of The Last Five Years.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie version of Jason Robert Brown's hit musical from the early 2000's was picked up for distribution by Radius, which is planning to release the film on Valentines Day, 2015.  The film adaptation stars Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in roles originated by Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott.  Ms. Scott will also appear in the film, along with Mr. Brown.

The last major piece of news I have for you all today is that the artwork for the upcoming remake of Annie has been released and can be found here.  The film will star Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan, Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Bobby Cannavale, and Rose Byrne, and will be released on Christmas Day.

Profile of "This Is Our Youth"

Playbill.com has published a profile of the upcoming revival of Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth, which opens on Thursday at the Cort Theatre which I encourage you all to check out at this link.

A Chorus Line Memorabilia Up for Auction

Memorabilia from the original 1975 production of A Chorus Line is soon to be up for auction on eBay. Proceeds will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.  The items currently belong to two fans of the original production, Gary Stevens and Alan George, who saw the show more than 75 times on Broadway over its 15 year run and also published a tribute book entitled The Longest Line.  The items will be up for auction in September, with a new slate of items up each week.  Check out the announcement Playbill.com posted for a listing of some of the items.