In 1949, the very first Tony Awards were given, and the big winner that year was 'Kiss Me Kate', the great show with music by Cole Porter, was named Best Musical, as well as winning Best Author (Musical) for Samuel and Bella Spewack, and Best Original Score for Porter. The show was a look at the lives of an acting troupe performing in a musical production of Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew', and the hijinks and drama that goes on. The original production was Porter's most successful and longest running musical. Fifty years later, the show was back on Broadway, and once again was a Tony favorite, being named Best Revival of a Musical, and saw Brian Stokes Mitchell winning Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, and Best Director for Michael Blakemore.In 2001, the revival opened on London's West End, also directed by Blakemore. This production was also taped and released for PBS, and later released to DVD. This is the long version of the hit song "Too Darn Hot", featuring Nolan Frederick and the West End cast.
You can purchase the DVD for the West End Revival of 'Kiss Me Kate' from Amazon. You can find the 2000 Broadway Revival Cast album on iTunes. You can also find the 1949 Original Broadway Cast Recording on iTunes.
Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cvitešić sing "Falling Slowly" an the Graham Norton Show.
First, I'd like to admit to those people who haven't paid close attention to me in earlier posts that I am a huge Declan Bennett fan. The British singer/songwriter has been making music fro several years. Bennett has been cast in several musicals through the years, with roles in 'Rent', 'American Idiot', and ''Taboo'. His performance in these shows caught the eye of several people, and and just recently he has done that in a a new show which recently opened on London's West End. The show, with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, upon whom the musical was based on. Well the musical, as well as the and the movie of the same name. Anyway, please enjoy Declan Bennett and costar Zrinka Cvitešić sing "Falling Slowly" from the West End production of 'Once'.
For more about Declan Bennett, visit his official website. To find out more about 'Once The Musical', be sure to visit their official website. Once there, you will be able to check out their great love story, and enjoy some great voices.
La Cage aux Folles is a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and lyrics and music by Jerry Herman. It was based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, and focuses on a gay couple: Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction. The farcical adventures that ensue when Georges' son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancée's ultra-conservative parents to meet them truly allows the show to kick into full-gear.
The musical's original 1983 Broadway production received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. The success of the musical spawned a West End production and several international runs. The 2004 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival, and the 2008 London revival garnered the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.
The show opens with Georges introducing the Cagelles for the first time. In the original Broadway production, there were at least 2 females in the Cagelles, and they ended this number by taking off their wigs, revealing their sex. This caused some controversy, as many thought it a sell-out move to make the audience more at ease. In subsequent productions, they are played by men. The following clip is from the 2008 London revival.
The show was groundbraking, bing the first Broadway musical to star male lovers. This, of course, was made easier by the success of the French movie of the same name, but was still provocative at the time. Song On The Sand was a beautiful love song, with Georges singing about his love for the star of the drag show and his long-time love, Albin. This clip shows Davis Gaines singing from a 1993 concert, Jerry Herman's Broadway at Holiday Bowl.
The most memorable gon from the show is I Am What I Am, a show-stopper to be sure, as well as an international hit pop/disco for Miss Gloria Gaynor. It is sung by Albin, who flies in the face of societal pressures and proudly proclaims 'Life's not worth a damn 'til I can say world, I am what I am.' George Hearn played it to perfection in the original production, but there was many complaints when he went on the Tony Awards and sang the song in a tuxedo rather than doing the number in drag. In the revival on London's West End, the role of Albin was played by many different stars, including Graham Norton and most recently by John Barrowman. This is a clip from Barrowman's appearance on the Paul O'Grady Show in September.
The show most certainly broke some barriers for the LGBT community, showing gay men and drag queens to be real people to the musical audience. It might not have suited everyone's taste, but it certainly helped open the minds of many who went to see it. And it gave us I Am What I Am, a song that is a staple at every Gay Pride Parade I have ever seem. The official website of the London revival here.
Avenue Q is an interesting musical to be sure. I have to admit I didn't see it myself, but know many who have. I did buy the Original Cast album [available on iTunes] and enjoy it very much. Avenue Q is like Sesame Street on steroids, going through a bit of a 'roid rage episode. The characters are both human and puppet, and the puppets are often worked by the humans who give them voice and movement on the stage. The characters discuss more adult topics, like sex, porn, and racism. And they curse, often and freely.
It opened off-Broadway in the spring of 2003, and moved to Broadway by mid-summer. It opened to rave reviews, and people lined up to buy tickets. Here is a basic taste.
Like Sesame Street, the characters in the show live on a city street, and the puppets speak with the humans. Unlike the PBS counterpart, Avenue Q is not fare meant for children. However, both contain lessons to be learned. Take, for example, this scene when the cast discusses racial issues.
And who hasn't woken up some morning thinking about your life, and how it could be better? When life is just not the bowl of cherries you were hoping for, we all start to think It Sucks To Be Me.
The London cast of Avenue Q perform Better The Devil You Know by Sonia, the UK's 1993 Eurovision entry.
Speaking of the London production, one of my favorite British stage stars, Daniel Boys, will soon be concluding his run in Avenue Q. Obviously, I will not get the chance to see him in the show - where he got rave reviews - playing Princeton/Rod for the last two years.
The cast of London's Avenue Q appeared on the BBC this past weekend for the Children In Need charity. Here is the clip. I think Daniel looks terrific! So does Tom Parsons, another blog favorite.
Avenue Q is now running off-Broadway in New York City, has a National Tour Company, and continues to run on London's West End. For more information about the show, or to find out about getting tickets, click here.
We all know I love all things John Barrowman, and this is no exception. And, really, any excuse to talk about him and run pictures makes me happy. So, anyway, I got this link off Twitter via @WestEndUpdates, a great source for information about the news and information about shows playing on London's West End. So watch and enjoy!
At a special appearance by London's West End cast of Avenue Q in 2007, Simon Lipkin and Julie Atherton perform the song Popular from the musical Wicked. This is part of Luurvefest. Avenue Q is still running in London, featuring Daniel Boys, a favorite of mine.
So, I really couldn't let the moment pass without posting a video with Daniel, right? So here he is singing For Now with Julie Atherton and the rest of the cast at West End Live, an event to promote live theater.
