Company on Screen

There are magical times when you just wish something you saw live was on film.  For instance, I've adored Rent forever and wished that I could just pop in the DVD to watch it whenever I wanted.  And then the movie came out and I took that back (blech!).  Rent I can see again and again and that way it's special every time I see it.  


But a couple of months ago, we took a weekend trip to see a show of a lifetime.  Something that would never happen again.  And they filmed all four performances of it!  Meaning we get to see it again in our city!  So we marked the date and bought the tickets.  As there were only four shows of it at the New York Philharmonic, there are only four showings of it in theaters as well.  

This was an interesting experience though.  I didn't know quite what to expect.  And largely in part to Company's performance on the Tonys the weekend before, the shows had sold out in Chicago.  So we decided, best not take any chances and get there early.  And when we arrived about an hour before showtime, a line had already formed!  Dedicated fans.  

Inside it was an older crowd, though by eavesdropping on conversations, all huge fans of musical theater.  I'm assume these are the same people that come for the Metropolitan Opera showings that they do in the theaters now.  A way for people that can't jump on a plane in a gut decision and see a show in NYC.  I think myself and my wife, and a coworker and her roommate were the youngest ones in the theater.  


Annoyance and hilarity ensued when a disgruntled gentleman tried to get the gentleman that were first in line to move so he could sit with his date.  He left the theater, only to come back to announce that "the assholes won today!" with an embarrassed date off to the side.  Only to be followed up with the queenie-ist of voices going, "what we'd miss? was there a fight?!" and laughter was had to break that short tension.  I hope that woman left that guy, cause, yeesh, anger issues!


So not knowing what to expect, the lights went down and clapping began!  The only time I've ever been in a movie theater and people clapped was when I've been at a premiere or something nerdy on opening weekend like X-Men, Batman or Harry Potter.  


And the funny thing was, the clapping continued!  Throughout the movie, just as you would in the Philharmonic itself  these audience members clapped after every number!  It was adorable.  And I wish that the magnificent actors that were in this show could have seen/heard this.  

All-in-all, seeing this on screen was amazing.  It sank in halfway through while staring at Neil Patrick Harris, someone I have adored since childhood, that we *saw* this.  In person.  How privileged do I feel?  How lucky am I?  And how amazing was it that I got to share it with friends that didn't get to jump on a plane to New York?  I really love that they released this into theaters, and I hope the response was great around the US.  


And please, please, please come out on DVD because I will watch it again and again and again.
And there's two more showings this weekend of Company.  If you can make it (and if it's not sold out) go see it!  It's one of the most hilarious shows with incredible people.  You won't be sorry.

Next to Normal (minus one star)

Whoops!  In the whirlwind of summer beginning and us going to the Kentucky Derby, I forgot about Next to Normal.  One of the primary reasons we purchased season tickets with Broadway in Chicago.  


After watching it nominated for 11 Tony's in 2009 and winning three of them, we knew this is one that we would jump on if it came to Chicago.  I mean, it also won the Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for Drama making it the eight musical to ever be given that award, the previous winner (and my personal favorite) was in 1996 when Rent was given the prize.

We were tickled when Broadway in Chicago announced that Alice Ripley was going to be continuing her role as Diana Goodman.  She won a Tony for playing this part - and she was coming with the touring show!  Super exciting   


Until......*cue the foreshadowing music*  .....because nothing can ever be perfect.


We enter the Bank of America theater, nab our Playbills, sit down in our seats (complete with an annoying paper stickered to them reminding us to renew our subscription yeah no and read all about that HERE) opened them up and CRAP.  The dreaded piece of white paper falls out into our laps.  "Alice Ripley will not be in this performance".  Well that's just lovely.  And she didn't perform what seems like 5 performances that week, with no explanation.  Nothing.  Usually you get something - and she performed some charity event or whatever on Belmont a couple of days later, but couldn't show up to the shows.  Hope she's okay, but don't keep toting that a super star of Broadway is going to be in something and then she doesn't even show up!


Moving on.....this show was incredible minus Alice Ripley.  It has a three tiered set that moves and changes colors based on what's going on.  The actors were all fantastic.  Ms Ripley's understudy was even quite good - though I felt bad for her when there was clapping at the very beginning that ceased as soon as they saw it wasn't the star they were looking for.  

It's hard to write a review about this show though because there are plot twists in it that I don't want to give away.  I'll just say this though.  There are few shows that I don't know the storyline of, and maybe because this one was a newer show and all I knew was the soundtrack - I don't know.  But during the birthday cake scene I had an "OMG I had no idea that's what was going on!!!" moment.  Something huge that I never knew and never realized from listening to the soundtrack.  



This show is intense and highly depressing, but very reflective.  It's not afraid to show a modern family.  People have issues.  Families help each other out.  Love is still possible.  Next to Normal deserves all the praise and awards it's received.  See it if you can and hopefully you'll get to see Alice Ripley.


I know a ton of my friends and followers saw this show - what did you think?  Did you enjoy it even without Alice Ripley as Diana Goodman?

Company in New York City

No words can describe what Company was.  This is a show that hasn't fully settled in my mind the enormity of what I experienced.  It was in a word:  Perfect.

It was just announced that it will be in theaters starting June 15th, 2011, and if your theater houses it, do yourself a favor and see it.  I will even though I saw it live, and I probably will go more than once.  If it comes out on DVD (oh please, oh please, oh please) I will pre-order it and watch it yet again.  This show made me smile.  It made me think.  I laughed and in the end I sobbed.  

First off, I wish I had bought the Doogie Howser shirt in the NBC store beforehand and worn it but thought it wouldn't be appropriate.  Until Val pointed out to me the girl that had a sweatshirt that stated on the front "Legend-- wait for it..." and on the back "...-dary!".  Neil Patrick Harris fans a many.

Neil Patrick Harris got mad cheers as soon as he stepped out onto the stage.  To be expected.  And as soon as his mouth opened I got chills.  I've watched him since I was young and followed him throughout his career including musical which includes Rent, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog, and that glorious episode of Glee directed by the amazing Joss Whedon.  NPH was exactly what I had hoped, but didn't want to get those hopes up too high.  I hung on to every word and he was a perfect Robert - though weird to see him play a part so parallel to the Barney Stinson character on "How I Met Your Mother".  

Stephen Colbert was the one that most critics and fans alike were flocking to this show for.  Sure, he had a musical Christmas Special (A Colbert Christmas:  The Greatest Gift of All) but can he hack it on stage?  Oh, and how he did.  The comedic timing with him Neil Patrick Harris and Martha Plimpton (who played his wife) was excellent.  And the "karate" moves along with some other acrobatics were not only great, but just too funny.  

Another plus for us was Christina Hendricks.  Being the Mad Men fans (and lover of her *ahem* assets) this last minute addition just sealed the deal that we made the right decision in our slight second choice of buying these tickets and booking a flight to New York City.  She played one of the three women that Robert is dating, a stewardess that's kinda ditsy.  She was great, and who knew she could sing?  Plus watching hers and NPH's clothes coming off was quite the bonus....oh, to be that silk sheet......on a nerdy note: Joss Whedon-verse's collided with those two.  NPH being in several of Joss's works and Hendricks in two episodes on the short-lived but still loved, Firefly.

Some other notables would be Katie Finneran who got the daunting task of singing "Getting Married Today" (the Sondheim-like song of extremely fast talking lyrics).  Anika Noni Rose (otherwise known as the Dreamgirl who's name you didn't know from the movie) was amazing with "Another Hundred People".  And then Craig Bierko was a surprise to us of how good he was - a glance at the Playbill helped us realize he actually won a Tony for Music Man - so that answered that.  And then of course Patti Lupone who's "Ladies Who Lunch" was flawless - down to slinging her martini on the front row of the audience.

In the end it was the most perfect show I've seen in my life.  I'm not quite sure how any show, if any show, will ever live up to it.  Though it was cruddy to be in NYC for about 48 hours or so, it was worth it every cent and every minute.  Come on June 15th!  

Oh!  And also, as a bonus to our Company weekend - we upped the ante on the Neil Patrick Harris love fest and went and visited McGee's Pub - apparently this is the bar that Maclaren's on "How I Met Your Mother" is based off of.  We found nice people watching the Yankees versus Red Sox game and made ourselves right at home! 

*note most of these pictures are not my own - I'm sure you can tell which ones! *wink*  They're in fact from HERE and by the NY Philharmonic themselves. 

Has there been one show or event that's changed your life?  I heard of someone proposing right after the show to their significant other - I think that's definitely one to remember!

What do all these people have in common?

B

We'll be seeing them in Company with New York's Philharmonic on Saturday!!


Here's a fascinating article about how everyone is rehearsing without being in the same space:
HERE
and HERE is a slideshow of the above people rehearsing.  *dream cast* 

As soon as Neil Patrick Harris walks on stage I just may faint.  And Stephen Colbert. And Christina Hendricks.  


I cannot wait to report back on this one.  


Who would you fly anywhere in the country or world to see perform in person?

Hair and Merchant of Venice

I'm going to make these next two quick, because one, there's not much to say, and the other we didn't come back after intermission.  So yeah, not so good. 

First off Hair - this was one of the list I wouldn't have purchased if we didn't have season tickets.  I saw the movie back in college and was not impressed at all.  I know some of the music.  I know my ex-hippie mom adores it.  That was about it.

But hey - it could be fun right?  

And it was.  

But.

The audience was the fun part for me actually.  Seeing these ladies around my parents age having a blast, wearing old rock band shirts, and basically they would be dancing in the aisles if the ushers allowed them too.  

Otherwise, the sound was off and I couldn't understand a lot of the lyrics.  The story is a bit lame.  The whole thing, audience included, reminded me of Rock of Ages.  So I can say I saw it, and I don't need to see it again.

The following weekend we saw The Mechant of Venice which was brought to us by Theater for a New Audience.  Updating old shit basically.  And it's still shit to say the least.  

I loathe this theater (Bank of America Theater) with a passion - but too bad since there's three shows being put in here this season - so this was the first one.  Our seats were cheaper and much better than the last time we were here for Rock of Ages.  Note to people going to this theater - even in the first row of the dress circle you cannot see the entire stage.  So our new seats are first row balcony.  And though STEEP you can finally see everything!  

This show is throwing around the name F. Murray Abraham like crazy.  He looks familiar....not *too* familiar....I had to have IMDB help me out on that one.  Oh, he was Noah in Muppets From Space.  Okay.  That's about all I know of him.

In short this was weird.  I know the story having studied Shakespeare for many years in college and high school.  Merchant is not one of my favorite plays to begin with.  And so with this one, it's taking place in a Wall Street setting and instead of three coffins to choose from it's three MacBooks.  Ummm....no.

Not to mention we could not hear ANYTHING coming out of the actors mouths.  And Mr. Abraham was the worst.  I think they weren't miked and for that large of a theater that was unacceptable.  Every time they turned their backs to the audience there was practically silence.  And you could tell every time a joke happened, the main floor would crack up while upstairs it was silent.

Needless to say we left at intermission.  I bitched to Broadway in Chicago on Twitter.  They contacted me.  I emailed them.  They found my wife's phone number (I would assume through our season ticket information) and called her.  I left a message regarding this and got no answer in return.  I didn't want anything out of it to be clear, I just hope they got my email and phone message so that perhaps they could make sure this won't happen again.  

It was a sad two shows though.  A waste of time and money.  

Next week we hit up New York to catch these fine folks in Company at the NY Philharmonic:

Neil Patrick Harris

Patti Lupone

Christina Hendricks

Stephen Colbert

Martha Plimpton

Jon Cryer

etc, etc, etc......

So hopefully that will make up for all the short falling as of late from Chicago's offerings.  

Has there been a show, concert, or anything you paid a lot of money to see and left early?  Movie even?  

Breast in Show

Yeah, you read that title right - so already you're off to a good start!  I'm going off my order of shows we've seen so far this year to skip ahead to this one since the run is almost over.   

GayCo Productions is a not for profit ensemble whose sketch comedy reviews have gay and lesbian themes.  I hadn't heard of them until it seemed like every other member of pH Productions starting getting in.  This was our first show of GayCo's to see and based on this one, we'll definitely be back.


It's $15 for an hour long show.  It's held in what can only be described as the basement of the Apollo Theater (current home of Million Dollar Quartet).  I had no clue there was a downstairs!  And after a few lost looks and going back up to use the restroom we settled in our chairs.  


It's an intimate feel, which I always adore.  A few rows of chairs, a small bar and just a simple stage, with a single curtain draping the back, and a guy on a keyboard.  Simplicity at it's finest.  


The ladies in Breast in Show are hilarious to say the least.  There's scenes that everyone will connect to gay/straight - I mean, *everyone* has dated before.  It's the same for all!  A scene about a woman who's no longer with her partner trying to get food stamps for her child, and the welfare office just can't understand.  A scene with Dora and Diego that left me scratching my head a bit.  Lesbian computer nerds which always gets me hot!  


Before the show, the audience members were given papers to write sentences on that could or could not be used in part of the show.  They were cut into strips and then the improv magic began!  The ladies got the strips of paper to miraculously fit in with the tale of mother and daughter!  Improv never ceases to amaze me - I have no clue how they think that fast.


It made fun of stereotypes.  It was charming.  It was hilarious.  And in the very end scene, it was messy (I won't give it away).  I highly, highly recommend this show to everyone if you get a chance.  It's on through April 10th and plays only on Sundays at 7pm.  Take your girlfriends and laugh together.  It's the best medicine there is.