I guess this period of self-isolation has inspired me to self-reflect. I thought it would be a kick to outline shows that have influenced me throughout my 40 years on this earth, organized by decade. As I’m sure you’ll agree, in our earlier days we’re sponges. The list of my teens is vast, basic and… Read More From Cats to Company: My musical influences
What better way to occupy one’s mind at these times than dream-casting projects that will in no way materialize? In this spirit, may I present The Actors Fund One Night Only Benefit Concert of “Sunset Boulevard” starring all the Normas as they interchange scenes and songs (ala the Funny Girl concert Seth Rudetsky did in… Read More My dream ‘Sunset Boulevard’ benefit concert that will never happen
Hey. I hope you’re doing well right now. We’re fine. A big thank you to our heroes right now: medical workers, service workers, essential workers. I salute you. SO, I’ve had a few people reach out to me asking what musicals to watch online as we sequester in our homes. So I’ve made a list.… Read More Need your stage musical fix? What to watch online
Want something. Want SOMETHING. I really wanted to see celebrated director Marianne Elliott’s revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1970 classic musical Company when it premiered on the West End late in 2018.  Alas, the fates didn’t align. I resigned that I’d have to let this one go. But then late last year… Read More Thoughts on gender-swapped “Company” on Broadway
A year ago I’d read that Renée Fleming had signed on to play Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza in London. I may have peed a little. One of our greatest sopranos singing one of the most rapturous scores in the past 20 years? Sign. Me. Up! That production, which eventually made its… Read More The Light in the Piazza at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Look. I love CATS. It was my first Broadway musical. It changed my life. Yaddayadda (which is also my Jellicle* name). This all comes out of respect of a show I know and love. Random mew-sings about CATS (some of it post-movie reflection, some actual notes I took during the movie): 😺 The CGI Cat… Read More Thoughts on CATS the MOVIE
For anyone who may be reading this dusty, neglected blog… A few months ago my friend Eric and I created a new podcast: Exclusive Gay Moment. Sure. Everyone has a podcast these days. But, we feel ours is a fun, breezy listen covering topics we enjoy – which includes a lot of musical theatre. Also,… Read More New Podcast!
My 16th birthday proved transformative. No, it wasn’t being given the keys to the family mini-van with wood grain paneling after securing my driver’s license. Nor was it my Eagle Scout ceremony. Not even logging onto the internet for the first time (anyone remember AltaVista?). No – it was the magical moment at the Ford… Read More ‘Sunset Boulevard’ at Porchlight
“There is greatness in me!” When the unflappable Barbara E. Robertson – with her fiery eyes and large, expressive mouth – bellows this mere feet from a rapt audience, you have no choice but to believe her. Robertson plays Anna (Annie) Edson Taylor, the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in Firebrand Theatre’s stunning… Read More ‘Queen of the Mist’ at Firebrand Theatre
It’s hard to think of a show more iconic than A Chorus Line. Michael Bennett’s athletic, razzle-dazzle touch is all over it. Marvin Hamlisch’s pulsating score is peppered with tunes that have become nested in our pop culture. Even the costumes are part and parcel to the show. I mean: You need Cassie’s Red Dress… Read More ‘A Chorus Line’ at Porchlight
Gypsy. Sweeney Todd. Chorus Line. Chicago. Great American musical theatre rallies around a common theme: Desperation – and the great lengths we go to get what we want. Hands on a Hardbody – a show that didn’t get its due on Broadway – fits neatly into that realm. Seeing Refuge Theatre’s scrappy, soulful production last… Read More Hands on a Hardbody – Refuge Theatre
In a recent Chicago Tribune interview, the iconic Betty Buckley – who’s starring in the first national tour of Hello, Dolly! – told critic Chris Jones that even if she has to “put up with a little comparison to this lady or that lady,” it’s all worth it in the end. Full disclosure: I’m a… Read More “Hello, Dolly!” First National Tour at the Oriental Theatre
Gypsy is my favorite show. I’ve seen dozens of performances and productions. I can confidently say I know this show inside and out. That is, until I saw E. Faye Butler as Madame Rose in Porchlight Music Theater’s arresting production. Butler has always been a force. For decades she’s been stopping shows – either as… Read More Gypsy at Porchlight Music Theatre
It’s been a hot second since I’ve written here, but the passing of one of my very favorite performers awoke the muse. If you’ll indulge me… We all have those voices we’ve grown up with. For many it was Aretha. For others, Whitney or Prince. For me, it was a very small handful of… Read More Remembering Marin Mazzie
I can’t imagine a more utterly charming musical than Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s A Little Night Music. Like a bubbly glass of crisp Champagne, even the most middling Night Music waltzes through your senses with delight. Boho Theatre’s production at The Greenhouse Theater Center is disarmingly straightforward, with a few welcome surprises. Directed by… Read More Boho Theatre’s ‘A Little Night Music’
