It might be nice if they eased us into a new theater season but, no, it’s full speed ahead! So today’s news roundup is going to be a light speed round the world tour…

• New York: The 20th Broadway on Broadway Concert is this Sunday at 11:30 am in Times Square. A right of passage for all Broadway fans (like your Mandy Patinkin phase), the event is free and set to feature musical performances from Bring It On, Newsies, Once, a sneak peek at Season 2 of Smash and more.

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  Jennifer Coolidge. Image via PlaybillVault.com.

  Los Angeles: What I wouldn’t give to be in the City of Angels this Sunday to see the 25th anniversary reading of Steel Magnolias. A benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the cast includes Alexis Bledel, Frances Conroy, Elizabeth Perkins, Annie Potts and…wait for it…Jennifer Coolidge. Seriously, get me on a Virgin (flight, that is) to LAX stat ’cause Coolidge is divine.

• Chicago: According to Playbill.com, my Tony-winning talent-crush Norbert Leo Butz is officially headlining the musical adaptation of Big Fish in the Windy City spring of 2013. The world premiere based on the 2003 Ewan McGregor (speaking of crushes) fantasy will be directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by the original screenwriter John August.

• Detroit & Pittsburgh: Producers announced impending Broadway runs for two new musicals. Motown: The Musical, written by and based on the life of record label founder Berry Gordy, will jukebox its way into the Lunt-Fontanne on April 14, 2013. A few months later in August, that gritty film expose of steelworkers with ballet dreams Flashdance is hauling its welding tools and leg warmers onto the Great White Way. This follows a separate tour that will begin in its setting, Pittsburgh, January 2013. What a feeling, indeed

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  Richard Roxburgh & Cate Blanchett in "Uncle Vanya". Photo by Lisa Tomasetti.

• Sydney: Speaking of hopping a Virgin, the 2013 season announcement for the Sydney Theater Company contains two flight-worthy productions. First up, an adaptation of Kate Grenville’s beautiful novel The Secret River by playwright Andrew Bovell (of Lincoln Center’s acclaimed When the Rain Stops Falling). And, building on the exquisite Uncle Vanya that came through New York a few weeks back, Cate Blanchett will be starring in Jean Genet’s The Maids opposite French icon Isabelle Huppert. Be still my film goddess-loving heart.

• London-ish: The British smash War Horse posted a closing notice for its stateside run at Lincoln Center following a summer dip in ticket sales. You’ve got plenty of time to cry yourself silly, though; the final performance is scheduled for January 6, 2013

• Heaven: The new Theresa Rebeck (Seminar, Smash) play Dead Accounts revealed its complete cast and I am on cloud nine. Seriously, this just shot to the top of my must see list for fall. Joining the previously announced Norbert Leo Butz (him again) and Katie Holmes (work that divorce) will be the deliriously good Jayne Houdyshell (Follies, Well), the handsome and charming Josh Hamilton (The Coast of Utopia) and, I’m giddy here, the film scene stealer Judy Greer (The Descendants).

Finally, if you’d like to make sure new and original music theater finds its way to the stage, here’s a simple and inexpensive way to play your part. This year’s NAMT Festival of New Musicals is raising money to support demo recordings for the eight new shows being presented (full disclosure: I co-wrote one of them). There’s only a day left to contribute at Rocket Hub but as little as $5 will help artists focus on the writing and allow fresh songs to be heard.

• If I were a betting man (and I am if you get me near a church-picnic bingo table), I’d say the Outer Critics Circle just laid out a rock solid slate to mark off on your Tony pool ballot. Announced yesterday, the organization’s awards in major categories went to War Horse (Best Play),  The Book of Mormon (Best Musical), Mark Rylance (Best Actor in a Play), Josh Gad (Best Actor in a Musical) and Sutton Foster (Best Actress in a Musical). The only wrinkle for us prediction junkies was their choice for Best Actress in a Play: a tie between Nina Arianda and Frances McDormand. It’s hard to guess which number will be called when you’ve got two great draws in the irresistible “star is born” newcomer and the beloved Hollywood star-power vet.  My favorite win, though, was Laura Benanti’s well-deserved trophy for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the much-maligned Women on the Verge of a Nervouse Breakdown; just thinking back to her hysterical turn makes me want to climb up on my folding chair and shout, “Bingo!”

Continue reading after the jump for the Obie Award winners and video of a surprise Broadway wedding proposal…

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The May reviewapalooza continues today with a look at three shows that are pulling out the big guns and taking Broadway by storm.

Photo by Joan Marcus.

THE NORMAL HEART

Larry Kramer’s flame-throwing, autobiographical play about the early days of the AIDS crisis in New York City gets a starry revival directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe.

“More than a quarter of a century after it first scorched New York, “The Normal Heart” is breathing fire again.” New York Times

“It’s a snapshot of a city and era that feel long gone, and this production, co-directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, gives it a worthy frame.” New York Post

“…this is a spectacularly well-cast production in which every role has found its ideal interpreter.” Hollywood Reporter

“How does it hold up? Better than I expected, but not as well as I’d hoped.” Wall Street Journal

Mizer’s Two Cents: This is passionate, essential theater brought to life by top-tier actors working as a perfect ensemble. Larry Kramer can be a real pill and Joe Mantello’s central performance as Kramer’s stand-in Ned Weeks doesn’t shy away from the loud and off-putting aspects of the character, but he also manages to let us see the insecure, romantic beneath. John Benjamin Hickey is the key, allowing us to fall in love with Larry through his smart, unsentimental eyes. Yes, the play is political, lopsided and “sad;” but it is also timely, scathingly funny and stuffed with spoken arias that ring show-stopping applause from the audience. Plus, you walk out of the theater feeling like you want to kick some butt. It is unmissable for all serious, adult theatergoers.

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Photo by Michael Brosilow

Extra! Extra! I’ve got my little newsboy cap on today (and darned if it’s not fetching) with a trio of headline making theater stories. Perhaps I should audition for the upcoming Paper Mill Playhouse adaptation of the film Newsies–with a new book by Harvey Fierstein, fascinatingly enough. If they put some filters on the lights, I could look dewy fresh and yet still hungry and hardscrabble enough. But I digress. Let’s get to the scoop:

• The Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which I raved about after seeing it at Arena Stage in D.C., is headed for Broadway with its entire original cast, including Amy Morton and Tracy Letts. Don’t start lining up for tickets, though; it’s not scheduled to hit the boards until October 13, 2012, exactly 50 years after the play’s original Broadway opening. Look at it this way, you’ve got something to look forward to next year other than the Mayan-predicted end of the world.

• Speaking of the grim reaper (I’m on fire today), Roundabout announced the full company for their upcoming world premiere of Death Take a Holiday, a new musical with book by Peter Stone (1776) & Thomas Meehan (Annie), music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (Nine). Previews begin June
  

  Image via Google.

  10 with a cast that includes some seasoned Broadway pros like Rebecca Luker (Mary Poppins), Simon Jones (The Real Thing), Matt Cavenaugh (West Side Story), Jill Paice (Curtains) and Max Von Essen (the recent revival of Hello Again). Sounds like something worth living for.

• The intel on a new musical headed for the West End called Viva Forever reads like one of those good news/bad news situations, but darned if I can tell which is which. Make up your own mind as I tick off the players. It’s a jukebox musical featuring the music of The Spice Girls; written by Jennifer Saunders, the genius behind Absolutely Fabulous; produced by Judy Craymer, the mastermind behind Mamma Mia; and (per a recent press release) to be directed by Marianne Elliot, co-director of the gorgeously staged, current Broadway smash War Horse. Would you pay to see a 10-foot tall, Victoria Beckham puppet wearing some Lacroix, Sweetie?

A final note: The star-studded revival of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer’s scorching manifesto about the beginnings of the AIDS crisis, opened last night on Broadway. I’ll have coverage of the reviews and my full response next week in the “See or Not to See” column, but until then let me say that it is frighteningly timely and overflowing with passionate performances. While I’ve heard some people question its dramaturgical merits, the play feels absolutely necessary; it is a voice crying out to be heard. Now it will be heard, loud and clear.

Photo by Joan Marcus.

The 2010-2011 awards season is beginning to take shape with the announcement of the Outer Critics Circle Award nominations today. On the musical side, the biggest news is the field-best tally of nine nominations for Sister Act (beating out the six nominations for perceived steamroller The Book of Mormon), as well as a surprisingly strong showing for the much maligned Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown (Laura Benanti’s performance was a true wonder so I’m glad she’s still in the mix.) On the play side, the best actor category is a blockbuster with four performances, Al Pacino (The Merchant of Venice), Mark Rylance (Jerusalem), Joe Mantello (The Normal Heart) and Bobby Cannavale (The Mother… With the Hat), that would all seem to be clear winners in other years. On the other end of the spectrum, the acclaimed revival of Arcadia was completely snubbed, receiving no nominations.

One note: The Outer Critics mix Broadway and Off-Broadway so the list can be a bit skewed. Shows like Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson weren’t eligible here because of prior Off-Broadway runs, but they will be eligible for Tonys. However, one can’t help but notice that this season is stuffed with quality shows in categories that are often sparse; this could be an unusually exciting race.

Photo by Joan Marcus.

With shows opening and closing like flashy tropical blooms, Broadway seems to be a little less about Dancin’ and a little more about Darwin. Survival of the Fittest. The Circle of Life. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night. Whatever the cliche, it’s a jungle out there. Let’s take a quick survey of the situation:

• Yesterday, one of the last big musicals to open in time for Tony consideration entered the fray: Sister Act. Based on the blockbuster Whoopi Goldberg film about a lounge singer hiding out in a convent, the new tuner was written by multiple-award winners Alan Menkin (Little Shop of Horrors), Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid), and Cheri and Bill Steinkellner (Cheers)–with a last minute assist on the script from Douglas Carter Beane (The Little Dog Laughed). With reviews coming in mixed to great, word is that the lead performance by Patina Miller is a winner and the motown-infused score is infectious. And nuns are funny. Especially nuns on bikes…but that’s another story.
• Hanging tough and flexing their muscles, a number of shows stated their claims to be King of the Jungle. War Horse, the Lincoln Center smash with the jaw-dropping stagecraft and the awe-inspiring reviews, settled in for an open-ended run. Meanwhile, three smaller productions, including the voyeuristic house tour Sleep No More, announced extensions.
• Finally, Kathleen Turner’s star turn in the new play High became the first major kill of the Spring. After 28 previews and 8 regular performances, the addiction drama will close Sunday. It would seem that Turner’s praised performance and the publicity warning of “Full Male Nudity” were not enough to goose ticket sales in this highly competitive season.

Sleep No More. Photo by Yaniv Schulman.

I’ve got a witches brew of unusual theater news to send you off into the weekend:

• Two envelope-pushing theatrical imports opened this week. First up, the UK company Punchdrunk transformed the abandoned McKittrick Hotel for Sleep No More, an immersive, voyeuristic head trip inspired by Macbeth and involving masked audience members roaming freely around the site. (According to my writing partner–who loved it–if you see “the cute guy with the faux-hawk,” follow him!)
• On a slightly more family-friendly note, the British smash War Horse galloped onto the stage at Lincoln Center with the tale of a boy and his horse facing the horrors of The Great War, as told through exquisitely emotional and stunningly complex puppetry. (A nearly wordless, early sequence between the boy and foal left me a blubbering mess. More on War Horse in an upcoming “To See or Not to See” post.)
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  Photo by Joan Marcus.

  In a very unusual return, theatermania is reporting that the first national tour of the recent Hair revival will play a limited engagement at a Broadway theater this summer. Damn hippies always got to break the rules.

• Speaking of delightfully unorthodox, playwright Christopher Durang (Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, The Marriage of Bette and Boo) will be the guest at a free symposium following the May 1^st matinee of his play Beyond Therapy at the Westport Country Playhouse. It’s an interactive conversation so be sure to bring your best questions about Catholicism and Sigourney Weaver.
• And, what would a post about the wild and unruly be without a mention of Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark? The mega-million dollar musical enters the history books again this weekend when it closes temporarily to begin a new round of rehearsals and reopen in a few weeks, a different show. Is it appropriate to use a butterfly metaphor when talking about a spider?

Every first Wednesday of the month, get caught up on what’s new on stage with a review round-up. And that vaguely hollow, clinking sound you hear at the end of each segment? That’s me tossing in my two cents.

With the spring season about to ramp up, I thought I’d offer a sneak peek edition of “To See or Not to See” featuring a critical look at two shows that are up and running (or tumbling into the pit) and a tease for the three shows I’m most excited to catch in the months ahead.

Image via Google (Sara Krulwich, The New York Times)

SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK

Following multiple delays and bruised bodies (as well as egos), the bank-busting, comic book musical—directed by The Lion King‘s Julie Taymor and with music by U2′s Bono and The Edge—still hasn’t officially opened.  But that hasn’t stopped most major critics from piling on like a spandex sale at the Justice League.

“Spider-Man is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway; it may also rank among the worst.” New York Times

“An inconsistent, maddening show that’s equal parts exciting and atrocious.” New York Post

“It’s by turns hyperstimulated, vivid, lurid, overeducated, underbaked, terrifying, confusing, distracted, ridiculously slick, shockingly clumsy, unmistakably monomaniacal and clinically bipolar. But never, ever boring.” New York Magazine

“Beyond the offstage drama and lavish budget, and all the feats and flash accompanying them, lies an endearingly old-fashioned musical.” USA Today

Mizer’s Two Cents:  If you love stagecraft, go for the jaw-dropping mixture of high tech wizardry and classic theater/puppetry techniques. And now with reports spreading that major reworking is about to happen (with script and music doctors), this could be a truly fascinating chance to see a new show being built before our eyes. But, at Broadway ticket prices, this graduate level theater class won’t come cheap. All that being said, I do hope folks can take a step back from some of the more sensational talk about the working conditions. One of the guys in charge of the flying harnesses actually flew me for a year when I was on tour and he would have thrown himself in front of a two ton set piece to protect me. Whatever stories have been spread, I’d wager my life savings that the crew of this show is doing everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the performers.

UPDATE: NY1 is reporting that Julie Taymor is out as director. What a tangled web, indeed.

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