Author: Chris Van Patten

Random Non Sequitur

An unusual and random tidbit about me: I have “The Internationale” on my ipod. I’m not a Communist by any stretch of the term, but I have to say that it’s one of the most stirring anthems I’ve ever heard. Especially when heard in Reds where it seems that Warren Beatty’s John Reed single-handedly brought about the Russian revolution. I kid, I kid. (Even though the crowd starts singing it as he makes an impassioned speech, then segues into a brilliant montage of uprising…) It’s a unique and politically complex epic about the unabashedly leftist Reed, who famously documented the Bolshevik Revolution in Ten Days That Shook the World and his frustratingly passionate romance and marriage to Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). Aside from its stellar Oscar-winning direction (by Beatty), the film boasts one of Keaton’s greatest performances, Maureen Stapleton in an Oscar-winning turn as anarchist Emma Goldman and the beautiful, if sparse original score by Stephen Sondheim (who is also interviewed in the DVD extras). Anyway, now I want to watch Reds again in all its 194 minutes of glory. (It’s also heard in David Lean’s beautiful adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, that other glorious epic about romance set against the Russian Revolution, but it’s impact is not as important as it is in Beatty’s film. Maybe if I find seven hours, I can make it a double feature…)

"It’s a Great Day for America, Folks"

So says Craig Ferguson in the introduction to his monologue every evening on “The Late, Late Show.” Today I am doing my civic duty and voting in our presidential election and I do hope that all of you are doing the same. After my parents and I hit up the polls, we will be venturing down to Manhattan for dinner and this evening’s performance of South Pacific. What could be more patriotic than that?

Once again, I turn to a personal favorite for musical theatre support:

“To Make Us Proud” (Bernstein-Lerner)
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (cut out of town)/A White House Cantata (finale)

To burn with pride
And not with shame
Each time I hear
My country’s name
Not hide my head
When the flag goes by,
But feel I’m soaring
Where eagles fly:
Not walk away.
But stand and say:
I love this land!
It will prevail.
If love be strong
We will not fail
Let rage be fearless and
Faith be loud.
This land needs love.
To make us proud.

Quote of the Day: Elizabeth Ashley

Stage legend Elizabeth Ashley, currently in previews at the Booth Theatre for the Broadway premiere of Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate, was interviewed by Broadway.com.

In your memoir, you expressed ambivalence about your talent. Has that changed? Can you embrace the fact that you are an outstanding stage actress?

I think I’m good at my job. Because I look at it as labor. Life is a series of tasks, and ideally we find the tasks to which we are well suited. I understand what my task is on the stage. It’s not “look at me,” it is to serve the playwright and tell a story. I see myself as being part of something really ancient: Let me tell you my story, and if I do it well, maybe you’ll know a little more about being alive than you did before you heard my story. It seems to me that we are smugglers, and I’m a pretty good smuggler of ideas. I like that. But I am only at best a tool of the playwright. The ship is the playwright, the director is the captain of that ship and I am a damned good first mate.

Observation of the Day

Peter Filichia commenting in his October Leftovers column. I had to share it:

Saw A Man for all Seasons with a most unresponsive audience. How I remember experiencing the tense feeling in the house back in the early ‘60s when the same play unfolded. I suspect that back then, people had a better sense of honor and a feeling that “A man must stand up for what he believes is right.” After decades of our increasingly becoming jaded — assassinations, Vietnam, Watergate, Enron, Lewinsky, steroids, and plenty of other scandals — today’s audiences may not have as noble a mindset. Instead of being impressed that Thomas More is standing up to Henry VIII and won’t sign his loyalty oath, they may well be thinking, “Oh, just put your name on the thing, will you, and don’t ruin your life, not to mention your wife’s or your daughter’s.” Whatever the case, the cast is terrific in the Roundabout revival.

"A Little Priest"

I’ll never forget the night I watched Sweeney Todd the first time. I was home on break from college and had borrowed the VHS tape (heh, anyone?) from the library, figuring that I might as well give this musical a viewing. I hadn’t heard that much about it, except for what I’d read about it in the MTI licensing catalogue in my high school drama teacher’s classroom. It was the dark one about the people being turned into meat pies. Plus, there was a girl on our drama executive board who wanted us to do it. However, the director was adamant – he would never do Sondheim. I didn’t think much of it until my first spring break a year later and figured with little else to do aside from some homework, why not?

I popped it into the VCR late at night after everyone else had gone to bed and settled in. Within minutes I was entranced – by the prologue, the dark, gritty quality of the set and costume design. Everything. However that night I ended up watching only the first act. I was so mesmerized by “Epiphany” and “A Little Priest” I ended up rewinding and rewatching those 12 minutes for almost two hours. My mind blown at the genius, especially in the structure of the act one finale, but in it’s brilliant word play, it’s bouncing waltz melody and the duplicitous music hall entertainment provided (we are loving it; all the while we’re accepting what they’re actually singing about – genius).

“A Little Priest” may very well be my favorite Sondheim song. It’s certainly one of the best list songs I’ve ever heard. When I was a guest lecturer in New Paltz and gave my talk on Sondheim, I would make it a point to show the entire sequence. It was always fascinating to see; the last time I did it, the theatre students and some of the more literate really understood the underlying Juvenalean tone of the number, while I had others who were disgusted, including two girls who actually had to leave the room. Truth be told, it was one of the most memorable moments of my collegiate life. I loved it!

Anyway, here are Tony winners Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou in Hal Prince’s original Tony winning staging of the 1979 Tony winning Best Musical Sweeney Todd giving the act one finale that darkly delicious spin:

Dear FCC, WTF?

An official press release:

THE BROADWAY COMMUNITY URGES THE FCC TO RECONSIDER RULES THAT COULD SILENCE LIVE THEATRE

“Can you hear me now?” is NOT what the audience wants to hear actors say on stage.

Actors wear wireless microphones that transmit on frequencies soon to be compromised by consumer devices. Without publishing proposed rules and allowing public discourse, the FCC, pressured by leading technology firms, will vote on this issue on November 4, 2008: Election Day. The FCC’s own engineers’ report demonstrates that the technology in place to prevent interference is ineffective.

The Broadway League has asked the FCC to refrain from voting to approve new devices that will transmit in the “white space” radio spectrum, currently occupied by wireless microphones. Wireless microphones are an essential tool of the live performance industry, used in the daily operations of countless theatres and non-profit performance venues, sports arenas, and concert halls across the country.

These comments were filed in response to the FCC’s announcement that it will vote on an order potentially opening the white spaces to portable internet devices employing spectrum sensing technology intended to prevent interference with wireless microphones. However, a preliminary review of an FCC engineers’ report issued on October 15, 2008 demonstrates repeated failures of spectrum sensing to recognize wireless transmissions. While regulations that include reference to spectrum sensing technology would rely on unproven technology, the FCC may forge ahead and adopt new rules without allowing interested parties any prior opportunity to ensure the Commission took adequate steps to address the needs of all wireless microphone users.

Theatres in urban areas are at particular risk because the complex radio environment is beyond any measure of control. Not only is the quality of the performances at risk, but also the safety of all who work in these venues will be compromised. Accordingly, sound engineers will have no way to locate or report the source of interference should a portable device disrupt a live performance.

The Broadway League believes any action on this issue is premature. However, should the FCC go forward with new regulations at this time, they strongly urge the Commission to recognize incumbent white space users and, at the very minimum, employ basic protections to address the needs of Broadway. The Broadway League has been working with theatres across the country to help get the message to the FCC of the many consequences of a hasty decision. This week it also reached out to the Commission with an ad campaign (see attached) to help bring attention to the serious situation this premature vote creates.

The New York City Council recently adopted a Resolution urging the FCC to open a formal comment period on its engineers’ report before putting the issue to a vote and to allocate sufficient channels for current wireless microphone users.

Representative Carolyn B. Maloney echoed the City Council’s sentiments and said, “The FCC should not be trying to rush this decision out the door this way in the closing days of this administration without adequate public comment. This action puts the theatre industry at risk.”

Nina Lannan, Chairman of The Broadway League, commented, “Broadway contributes more than $5 billion to the City of New York and generates the equivalent of 44,000 full time jobs. We must be assured that these devices work, not only for Broadway, but also for theatres across America too. Touring Broadway productions help infuse the nation’s economy with over $3 billion annually. “

Tom Viertel, Producer, stated, “Our industry relies on clear, consistent wireless microphone transmissions. The Broadway Unions and Guilds have joined forces with us to demand notice and opportunity to be heard before any further FCC proceedings because our jobs and lives are on the line. Many groups, including the National Association of Broadcasters and Sports Technology Alliance, also oppose the FCC’s actions which threaten their ability to conduct businesses and employees’ livelihoods.”

THE SHOWS MUST GO ON!

The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.BroadwayLeague.com.

Frau Cloris

Does anyone remember last summer when Young Frankenstein was making its preparations to open in Seattle? There was an industry reading of the show that featured the great Cloris Leachman in her original film role as Frau Blucher, whom everyone adored. However, Mr. Mel Brooks and his producers opted against casting her in the production.

From the 6/13/07 issue of the NY Post:

Broadway insiders told Page Six that Leachman had a “wonderful audition . . . She was involved in a workshop recently and everyone loved her . . . but it was obvious she was too old” to perform eight shows a week.

Brooks told Archerd, “We’re afraid the show might stop her – it could kill her . . . We don’t want her to die on stage.” Actually, that’s how most actors would like to expire.

One insider told us Leachman got the bad news via a letter. “She was told the producers wanted the stage version to differ from the film version,” the source reports. “She was very disappointed.”

“Cloris was absolutely up for the role,” said a friend of hers. “She’s healthy and she knows she can do it.”

A spokesperson for the production said, “Cloris was a very funny and game Frau Blucher in our reading, but in the end producers thought the physical demands of doing eight performances a week were too much to ask of her.”

Thing are a lot different for Young Frankenstein these days. The show proved not to be a critical or financial juggernaut like The Producers and was mostly snubbed by the Tony committee, receiving three nominations for its scenic design, Christopher Fitzgerald’s turn as Igor and Andrea Martin’s Frau Blucher. It seems producers have changed their tune as Mel Brooks has called Cloris to reprise her role of Frau Blucher in the musical.

From last night’s post-elimination interview from “Dancing with the Stars:

“Mel Brooks called me this morning in the bathtub. He wants me to go to Broadway and [reprise] my role in the musical ‘Young Frankenstein.’ We’re going to talk about it and figure it out.”

If anyone caught Cloris on television during the series, they know that she pretty defied everything the producers said about her being too old, with her formidable energy and unique comic timing put to good use, making her a fan favorite.

In my humble opinion, if Cloris Leachman is going to come back to Broadway, I think the producers of August: Osage County should scope her out to replace Estelle Parsons. Now wouldn’t that be something to see?