Keeping Up with Brian and Court; Revisiting "Arcadia"

Posted by Bruce Miller
Despite its size, whenever I go to New York I bump into old friends as if the streets of the Broadway theatre district were little more than the aisles of my neighborhood Ukrop's. (Saying "my neighborhood Martin's" just isn't the same.) I can't think of a single Big Apple excursion in decades when this hasn't been the case.

This trip, the first reconnection was with Brian Kalin (pictured to the left) who hollered out my name as we passed each other on 47th between Broadway and 8th. Brian was my manly scenic designer for The Little Dog Laughed, who not only delivered a terrific, stylish set, but also brought his fair share of testosterone into every production meeting. It was great to see him again.

Brian's career has been progressing nicely since his move to NYC in 2008. For the last few years, Brian has been assisting Court Watson (pictured below and to the right), a fellow VCU alum who also designed at Barksdale (The 1940's Radio Hour, 2002). A lot of their work is in Germany and Austria, such as:

Jekyll and Hyde & West Side Story
Theater Magdeburg - Magdeburg was one of the most important medieval cities in Europe; today it is the capital of the German "state" of Saxony-Anhalt

Frau Luna & Der Himmel über Berlin
Salzburger Landestheater - the best known and oldest theatre in the Mozart town of Saltzburg, where much of The Sound of Music film was shot

Elton John's Aida & Rockville: A New Musical
Musical Sommer - a summer theatre located in Amstetten, a town on the western edge of Lower Austria. For reasons unknown by me, Lower Austria is a "state" actually located in Upper Austria, the Northeast corner, surrounding the city of Vienna

In between all these European gigs, Court and Brian have managed to fit in a healthy dose of stateside work as well:

2011 - the recently closed Liberty Smith at Ford's Theatre in D. C.
2011 - Annie Get Your Gun at the Glimmerglass Festival, with hot young director Francesca Zambello
2010 - Off Broadway, It Must Be Him
2010 - Off Broadway, Dear Edwina
2010 - The Shakespeare Theatre in D. C., All's Well That Ends Well, directed by Michael Kahn
2010 - Engeman Theatre, Run for Your Wife and Fiddler on the Roof, both directed by B. T. McNicholl

Court also posts earlier credits as Assistant Scenic Designer for the recent Broadway runs of High Fidelity, Lestat and Little Women, and Assistant Costume Designer for Broadway's Cry-Baby, South Pacific and Mauritius.

It was great to learn that Brian and Court are doing so well. One of a regional theatre's institutional responsibilities is to give work experience to its most talented hometown theatre artists, so that if and when they make their move to NYC or other larger markets, they have the professional resume credit(s) needed to get their foot in the door. Barksdale is proud to be an early credit on the resumes of both Brian and Court.

In between bumping into old friends, Hannah and I also saw a few shows while visiting the Great White Way. On the second evening of our trip (Friday), we purchased half price TKTS tickets to the show that wound up being the favorite of both of us--the brilliant revival of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

Arcadia has been among my favorite plays since I saw the American premiere at Lincoln Center in 1995. We've never produced it at Theatre IV or Barksdale because I believe a successful production of the play requires resources that we simply don't have. More than most plays, Arcadia must be performed with the utmost artistry in acting, design and construction if it is to effective. In my opinion, this play that deals brilliantly with the sheer wonder of chaos theory must have a pristine acuity in its presentation if the audience is to fully engage with the mystery and the magic. I've never had any desire to produce a partially-realized Arcadia. To do so would do a disservice to one of favorite plays by a living playwright.

Thankfully, the current Broadway revival offers all that one could want from what many regard as Stoppard's masterpiece. I loved it even more than the original. David Leveaux's direction is invisible and seems to make the play more accessible than I remember it being in '95. Lia Williams (pictured above and to the left), Billy Crudup, Tom Riley, and especially Raul Esparza (also pictured) tear into their roles with zest, humor, charm, and equal measures of erudition and emotion. Margaret Colin, Noah Robbins and David Turner are perfectly suited to their supporting roles. Only Bel Powley as young Thomasina Coverly seemed heavy-handed--too brassy and brash for her upper-crust British surroundings.

The design work of Hildegard Bechtler (sets) and Gregory Gale (costumes) was sumptuous and, where appropriate, understated--right on target.

Watching the play, we sat about four rows behind Victor Garber, who originally played the role of the literary scholar wannabe, Bernard Nightingale. In this production, Nightingale was played by Billy Crudup, who took Broadway by storm as Septimus Hodge in the 1995 production. After the show, Hannah and I waited with a small handful of theatre lovers at the stage door (with no Hollywood stars, the hangers on were few). After a few minutes, Garber and Crudup emerged together, and we had the chance to talk with both of them for two or three minutes. They were gracious, and it was very fun.

If you've never seen Arcadia in a first-class production, and if you love great theatre, I recommend the play and this production heartily.

--Bruce Miller

What's In a Name?

Posted by Bruce Miller
If someone were to ask me to name the #1 reason TheatreVirginia went out of business way back in 2002, I'd say declining ticket sales. If he or she further asked why TVA sales decreased from a peak of 12,000 subscribers in the early 90s to 2,300 subscribers on the date of closing, I'd speculate that the main reason (not the sole reason) was that TheatreVirginia allowed Broadway Under the Stars (the touring road show season at the Landmark) to "own" the name and the perceptions associated with "Broadway."

Not only do I believe this mistake was fatal, I think it was unnecessary. Had TheatreVirginia continued to do big musicals (perhaps two a year) and bring in actual Broadway actors (as they sometimes did), they could have been just as deserving of the name "Broadway" as was the so-called Broadway Under the Stars.

The great secret in mid-size markets around the nation, markets like Richmond, is that many of the so-called "Broadway" road shows that come to town are produced in neighboring states like Maryland, and feature performers who have never worked on a Broadway stage. Ticket buyers don't know this because tens of thousands of dollars are being spent to convince them otherwise. Theatre marketing is an art as well as a science. The fine folks who market the various "Broadway series" around the country are doing exactly what they should be doing. They're doing everything they can to sell tickets. That's their job, and they're good at it. I commend them.

Wicked, I hasten to add before someone seeks to correct me, was an exception. It really was a national tour of a Broadway production. But some (not all) of the touring shows that come to mid-size markets like Richmond represent "Broadway" more in name than in reality. There is nothing wrong with this. That's just the way it is.

No one should be surprised that ticket buyers misunderstand. When one subscription series is labelled "Broadway in Richmond" and commonly called "the Broadway series," and countless ads tout "Broadway is Back," ticket buyers naturally believe that the actors they will be seeing in this series have appeared on Broadway. Certainly the prices are high enough.

So what is a resident professional theatre to do, when it produces big Broadway musicals, staged and choreographed by Broadway directors, and starring actual Broadway performers? The one thing we mustn't do, and shouldn't do, is roll over and play dead.

In a metro area the size of Richmond, the resident professional theatre must market to the general audience with just as many bells and flourishes as are employed by the road shows. The word "Broadway" is not owned by one company and off limits to another. Firehouse Theatre has been marketing itself as Richmond's "Off Broadway" theatre for years--and with great effect. TheatreVirginia should have held on to that magic word, "Broadway," because in many ways, their Broadway musicals were more connected to the Great White Way than the road shows that came to Richmond for a weekend and then headed on to the next burg.

At Barksdale, we're hoping not to repeat the mistake. In anticipation of what was to come, we began producing major Broadway musicals in the Empire in 2008. We're promoting these major productions (Guys and Dolls, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, White Christmas, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, etc.) as "Broadway at the Empire." Or perhaps we will use some other, similar catchphrase. Our marketing department is working out the language, and there will be more details forthcoming regarding our specific Broadway connections.

We invite and encourage anyone who cares about professional theatre in Richmond NOT to cede the word "Broadway" to any and all shows that are booked in from out of town. In my opinion, it's in ALL of our interests to celebrate and elevate the excellent, professional, "Broadway"-caliber theatre that is created right here at home.

We applaud CenterStage and its work. We respect them enough to take them seriously. They're doing their jobs quite well. Our JOB is to keep Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV growing and going strong, even as CenterStage also thrives.

A commenter to a previous post referred to Wicked and CenterStage's "Broadway in Richmond" season, saying, "Behold, the Broadway behemoth is back." I would phrase it differently. The road shows are back. Many of Richmond's strongest connections to Broadway never went anywhere.

--Bruce Miller

Two Wonderful Broadway Productions

Posted by Bruce Miller
I thought I'd write two last blog posts about Hannah's and my recent trip to NYC--this one covering the first two of the five shows we saw.

I know many of you may think we're insane to tackle five productions in three days. Of course, you're right. If we were in the city longer, or more frequently, we'd be happy to spread out the good times so that each show could steep a bit before it was time for us to gulp down the next.

Unfortunately we don't have that luxury. As it is, not only do we crowd five shows into too short a stay, we also leave town with five or ten shows we're eager, but unable, to fit in.

This trip, we flew into JFK on Friday morning, took the E train into Manhattan, shouted "Martha Newell" as our feet hit Broadway, and had lunch at Europa Cafe, a nice, simple and moderately-priced chain restaurant at the corner of Broadway and 53rd. We had an early check-in at the Edison, then made it to the ticket line by 3.

On most days, the TKTS booth in Times Square has one loooong line for musicals, and a very short line for plays. We wanted to see the revival of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, so we stood in the "Play Only" line for about 3 minutes before making to the window and buying our tickets for that evening's 8 pm performance--50% off.

A View from the Bridge is considered by many to be the last (and perhaps the least) of Miller's masterworks: All My Sons (1946), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge (1956). But I'll go see a lesser Miller masterwork any day of the week.

This production starred Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson. under Gregory Mosher's direction. Hannah and I both enjoyed the production a lot. Being a presumptuous nitpicker, I'd have to say that Liev Schreiber never quite let loose enough as Eddie Carbone, at least for my taste. The narrator, wonderfully played by Michael Christopher (playwright of The Shadow Box) says that he admired Eddie because he "let himself be completely known" (or some phrase very close to that). Eddie is a character of great Italian passion. To be honest, I thought Liev Schreiber always maintained a little bit of masculine reserve, never truly revealing that passion. But maybe that's just me.

Scarlett Johansson was understated and actually very good--not at all the starlet one might expect. In fact, the entire cast was terrific and both Hannah and I recommend the show without reservation.
On Saturday, we saw the matinee of A Little Night Music, for which we had purchased tickets in advance. Night Music is a sold out hit, and there's no chance it will be on the TKTS line anytime soon.

As I mentioned before, we both loved the production. If you want a broader take on Night Music, watch the "Word of Mouth" reviews on Broadway.com. Two of the three intelligent theatregoers loved the show as we did. The script, score and production left the third theatregoer cold.

Truth be told, the script and score are somewhat esoteric, and will not be to everyone's liking. I'm not trying to be pompous, but I'll go out on a limb and say that Night Music is a "thinking man's" musical.

If you are a reader, if you enjoy Masterpiece Theatre, if you look forward to seeing plays as well as musicals, if you enjoy language, then I think it likely that you'll love A Little Night Music.

If you would choose to see Hairspray, Nunsense, or Joseph...Dreamcoat for the third time rather than venture out to the revival of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, then Night Music may not be your cup of tea.

Regarding this production, anyone and everyone should go if for no other reason than to see Angela Lansbury in a career-defining performance. Granted, I saw and loved Lansbury as Mame, as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and as Mama Rose in her revival of Gypsy (my favorite Gypsy, by the way). Her Night Music character, Madame Armfeldt, is a former courtesan approaching the end of her days. She observes the wild romantic antics of the other characters from a distance, recalling the artfulness of past romances, regretting the wantonness of "modern" society.

"Where is style, where is skill, where is forethought," she sings. This from an extraordinary actress who has personified style, skill and forethought throughout a nearly 60 year career. Not only is her current performance close to perfection, the resonance that her mere presence on stage adds to the proceedings turns this into a history-making moment that no theatre lover should miss.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, as Desiree, actually holds her own among exalted company. Now I'm sounding pompous again. Who the heck am I to even comment on great stars like Liev Schreiber and Catherine Zeta-Jones? I'll just say this. Her star power is undeniable. Her acting, singing and movement impress. Her's is a Desiree with whom it is easy to fall in love.

Personally, I think she's a little too young and gorgeous for a character whom I believe should be a bit closer to a turning point in life when she feels that her most attractive days will soon be behind her. Personally, she'll never erase my memory of the luminous Glynis Johns. Having said that, I enjoyed and respected her performance, and felt she contributed to the overall wonder of the show.

Trevor Nunn, who I think is a brilliant director, urges at least two of the supporting characters to be a little too broad, again, in my humble opinion. To me the characters are simple, but they are directed in this production also to be a bit buffoonish. Again, that is nitpicking.

I missed the eloquence and heightened formality of the grand dinner in Act II of the original production. When Henrik purposefully shatters his glass, it has less of an impact when it happens at a picnic on the lawn.

Also I missed the full orchestra of the original, but only to any measurable extent on A Weekend in the Country, the rousing finale to Act I.

What I LOVED was the spirit of the piece, and the production's commitment to the depth of a story which can easily be treated as frivolous fluff. I found it moving, thoughtful, and filled with romance and delight. Again, Hannah and I recommend it without reservation.

Soon I'll be back to talk about Ragtime, God of Carnage and Time Stands Still.

--Bruce Miller

My Regards to Broadway - Part II

Posted by Bruce Miller
Any sane person would see three NYC shows in as many days and call it a night—for financial reasons if nothing else. Even at the TKTS booth—which now offers more 30% off and 40% off discounts than the previously standard 50% off—you still wind up averaging $80 to $90 per ticket. Even Off Broadway—which in the good old days of my thirties and forties could be counted on for some real bargains—you still can expect to lay out between $60 and $70 for a popular hit.

But we insane theatre junkies don’t know the meaning of moderation. And so my show attending saga continues.

On Saturday afternoon, Hannah and I caught a matinee of Avenue Q, which despite its long and successful run we had yet to see. Terrie and Curt did the sensible thing and went shopping at the street fairs in Greenwich Village and elsewhere.

Hannah and I agreed on our opinion of AQ. We both found it overrated and a little too reliant on frat boy humor for our tastes. But in the interest of full disclosure, let me quickly say that the audience that surrounded us seemed to think it was hilarious. Every ribald turn of phrase generated a laff riot.

Hannah loved 9 to 5 so much she went to see it a second time with Terrie on Saturday night. And both of the Miller women LOVED it.

Curt and I scored a pair of great Saturday night specials for Jersey Boys, paying cash to one of the street brokers. Since we bought them at the last minute, I was able to talk the vendor down to a hundred bucks each, as opposed to the printed price of $126. Street brokers normally sell at the printed price. Can you believe it, talking about a $100 ticket as if it were a bargain?!

But, the Miller men LOVED Jersey Boys. I loved reliving the songs of my youth, and Curt—my rock star in the making—thought the story was pretty cool. Male bonding Broadway style.

Sunday matinee Hannah and I went to see the revival of Hair. More than in most instances, I realized how much you really needed to have lived through the time period of the show in order for it to make any visceral sense. I think Hannah appreciated the music but sort of wondered what the fuss was all about. I actually found myself shedding a tear when Claude contemplated burning his draft card during What a Piece of Work is Man. Been there, brother. Just like you, I didn't burn mine either. And the final coup de theatre at the end of the show blew me away.

Lucky for us, we saved our favorite show of the theatre marathon for last. Our Town, Barrow Street Theatre, Off Broadway. What a GREAT revival. You’re in a teeny tiny theatre, and the action takes place all around you and about three feet from your elbows, and there is very little scenery or lighting or sound. And yet the acting, direction and brilliant script absolutely transport you to Grovers Corner. As fate would have it we saw director/actor David Cromer's final performance as the Stage Manager (in pic to left), and were privileged to be in the audience for all the heartfelt speech making after the final call.

We laughed, we cried, it was better than Cats.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Parts I and II. Seven shows in five days.
And here’s the kicker. I’ve only been home a couple weeks, and already, I can’t wait to go back.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

My Regards to Broadway - Part I

Posted by Bruce Miller
No NYC trip is complete, or even conceivable for me, without spending time at the theatre. Two weeks ago, I arrived in the Big Apple on Wednesday morning and headed back to Richmond the following Monday. In between, I conducted two full days of auditions, participated in a couple meetings, took in some sights with my family, and saw seven shows.

I know. I’m a theatre fool.

Wednesday afternoon Phil and I got TKTS tickets to see Mary Stuart, a wonderful Broadway transfer from London’s Donmar Warehouse. Mary Stuart is a masterwork by 18th century German playwright Friedrich Schiller, sometimes referred to as “the German Shakespeare.” This production features a newly adapted script by Peter Oswald, and two magnificent performances by Janet McTeer (Mary Stuart) and Harriet Walter (Queen Elizabeth I). Mary Stuart is directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who also directed the polar opposite Broadway smash, Mamma Mia.

Phil and I both were tired when we saw Mary Stuart, having left our homes at 4 a.m.. Perhaps that is why we thought Act I was a little too “scholarly,” “talky,” “dry” … I don’t know the right word. We both thought Act II was riveting.

Wednesday night we went to bed early in anticipation of our Thursday auditions.

Thursday night the two of us got TKTS tickets to Ruined, the new Pulitzer Prize-winner from Lynn Nottage, author of Intimate Apparel. It was a beautiful production at Manhattan Theatre Club’s City Center Stage 1 space. If you sit in certain seats in this venue, the leg room is excruciatingly cramped. I’m not exaggerating. I’m 6’ 1”, and when I sit bolt upright, my 16” femur, measuring from hip socket to patella, is about two inches longer than the space provided. I was in some pretty extensive pain in Act I, so I moved into some unsold seats in Act II, where I could put one knee to the right of the seat in front of me and one to the left. Then, literally 10 seconds before the lights went out, a tall woman who was apparently having similar difficulties scurried into the empty seat right next to me. So I watched all of Act II with my body facing front and both my legs pointed 45 degrees to the right. More excruciation.

Which is a shame. Nottage’s breathtaking play is about the life and death struggle encountered by women in the Congo. My cousin died in the Congo as a college-age missionary, so I was very interested in Nottage’s moving and compassionate account. It was hard to enjoy the play with shooting pains traveling up my legs and spine. If I ever go to this theatre again, I’m going to have to ask to sit in an adult row.

Friday my family arrived on the train. Phil, Hannah and I went to 9 to 5 while Curt and Terrie headed off to Mary Poppins. Again, we got all the tickets at a discount at the TKTS window.

The three of us who 9 to 5ed it LOVED the show. The stars and ensemble were wonderful—Hannah and I are particularly partial to Allison Janney. West Wing and all that. Joe Mantello directs the piece within an inch of its life. And you’d have to be a stuffed shirt not to love Dolly Parton’s music.

And yet 9 to 5 is closing this week or next, after significantly less than a year's run. It’s a shame that Broadway no longer has room for musicals like this. It was fast, fun, filled with character, nicely written and beautifully crafted by men and women who really know what they're doing. In reminded me of shows like Seesaw, How to Succeed…, Promises Promises—big brassy musicals that were professionally assembled and determined to entertain. Not great classics, to be sure, but real crowd-pleasers constructed by people at the top of their game. The audience that was there with us at 9 to 5 that night LOVED the show. It’s too bad it’s not going to be around after Labor Day for more folks to enjoy. It deserves a much longer run.

Tomorrow—Part II

Give YOUR Regards to Broadway

Posted by Bruce Miller

Broadway.com published its Best of the Year list today for 2008, and the top three productions selected are South Pacific, Billy Elliott and In the Heights. You can read the full report at http://www.broadway.com/broadway_information_html/5018280.

You can catch video clips of the three shows at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Rd7Cpx-Ss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2EOjUqAKvg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S3rlvt5yCw

These three megahits also happen to be the shows we selected last spring for our March 2009 theatre junket to NYC. We purchased terrific orchestra seats nearly a year in advance to these sold out hits. We also lined up friends in the companies of South Pacific and Billy Elliott to talk with our group backstage after the show. (We’re working on lining up something from In the Heights as well, but can’t promise anything yet.)

Forty Richmond theatre enthusiasts will be venturing to the Big Apple from March 5 – 9. We’ll be traveling in our own Amtrak coach, staying at the sumptuous Marriott Marquis in Times Square, and seeing these three great shows (there's time for more shows for those who want to buy additional tickets on their own).

I’ll be leading a fun and fact-filled walking tour of Broadway’s theatre district, Phil will be leading enthusiastic post-show discussions in the Marriott’s bar overlooking Broadway, and we’ll re-connect with some of Barksdale’s Broadway alumni during a special breakfast in the Rainbow Room at the top of 30 Rock (the 56th floor of Rockefeller Center).

There's even an NYC welcoming dinner at the Playwright's Tavern.

There are still a few slots available in our group of 40. We already have enough people going to guarantee the trip. But if you’d like to join us, or if you know someone who may like to join us, we’d love to hear from you. It's going to be great fun!

You can learn more at http://www.barksdalerichmond.org/trip.html.

Interested in even more information? Contact our tour leader at Covington International Travel, Dee Dee White, at (804) 747-4129, or email deedeew@covtrav.com.

We’ll all yell “Martha Newell” when we set our first feet on the Great White Way. If you don't know why, we'll explain. Hope to see you there and then!

--Bruce Miller

Wear Black for Broadway??

Posted by Bruce Miller
On Facebook—yes, as many of you know, I’ve ventured recklessly into that brave new world—a “global rally” is being promoted. On Jan 4, it is suggested, any and everyone who loves theatre should show their support by wearing “Black for Broadway.” A black show tee shirt is recommended, but any black garment will do.

My friend Lizzie Holland—no one loves Broadway more than my friend Lizzie—has signed up for the event. Facebook being the fervent social secretary that it is, I was informed immediately. That's Lizzie below and to the left with Raúl Esparza.

The well intentioned ideas behind this pro-Broadway, pro-theatre demonstration are these:

Sunday, Jan 4 will mark the closing of four Broadway musicals and one comedy: 13, Boeing Boeing, Grease, Hairspray and Young Frankenstein. Closing notices have also been posted later in January for Gypsy, Spamalot, Spring Awakening, Forbidden Broadway (Off Broadway), and “many others.”

The creator of the event, which was originally listed on Facebook as a “protest” and later changed to a “rally,” believes that the closings are premature and the result of our troubled economy. I doubt that this is actually the case, nonetheless ... “This event,” he or she writes, “is just a bunch of theatre fans showing our love and showing our support for something we care about during these difficult times. It’s a day of honor.”

I'm certainly in agreement with that sentiment, and so I'm getting my black Peter Pan tee washed and ready.

As of this writing, 7,548 theatre lovers on Facebook have signed up for the event, a figure that will no doubt increase exponentially over the next few days.

One cogent commenter, Chris Leavy of Orlando FL, added, “I'm actually going to a show on the 4th. Not on Broadway, but still—the best thing we can do to rally support is to keep seeing shows—any shows we can, as often as we can. Broadway is killing itself with $120 ticket prices. Hopefully some good will come of this recession and soon many more people will be able to afford to see live theatre.”

Apparently Phil and I are on the same wavelength with Chris. Hefty ticket prices are a problem not only in NYC, but also right here in River City. When the economy tightens, people look for bargains. At Barksdale and Theatre IV we’re trying to address these current realities by launching our Entertainment Stimulus Package, announced in a news story last week on Channel 12. Click here for more information and to view the YouTube coverage of the news broadcast: http://www.barksdalerichmond.org/stimulus.html#12

So what are we up to? The truth is this—thus far, ticket sales are doing really well. We’ve exceeded budgeted goals for Driving Miss Daisy and Sanders Family Christmas at Hanover Tavern, This Wonderful Life at Willow Lawn, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Empire.

But as we look to the future, we’ve come to believe that additional stimulus will be needed if we’re to match projections for Children of a Lesser God and Well at Willow Lawn, the World Premiere of Mona’s Arrangements and I Ought to Be in Pictures at the Tavern, and Sideways Stories from Wayside School and Annie at the Empire. With the exception of Annie, these shows have less name recognition that our recent hits. And if any of you are wondering if name recognition is a factor in ticket sales, I assure you in all caps, IT IS.

So we are continuing to sell our best seats at normal ticket prices (appromimately $38), reducing our second best seats to a very affordable $20 (you must purchase by Jan 31), continuing our $15 rush tickets for any and all theatre lovers who don’t mind waiting until 3-hours before curtain to purchase their seats, and providing Hanover County Students with $9 (same as a movie) tickets to all shows at Hanover Tavern.

And if these prices aren’t low enough, we welcome folks to write to me, tell me how much you can afford (on the honor system), and we’ll find a way to make tickets available to you for the price you name. This has always been our policy. We’ve never turned anyone away because of inability to pay.

It goes without saying that we need to continue to sell tickets at all price ranges in order to stay afloat. And we WILL stay afloat. I say this emphatically because literally every time we announce a new fundraising campaign or ticket sale initiative, friends and supporters suspect that we’re going under. Such is the legacy of the surprise closings of TheatreVirginia in 2001 and Broadway Under the Stars in 2006.

Friends. I promise. We are in no danger of closing. We’re merely trying to address strategically the economic challenges that ever business is facing.

So, you can wear your black show tee shirt on Jan 4, or you can pull out a $20 (or two tens and a five if you want to wait for Rush) and show your support by buying a ticket. This is a time for all of us who love theatre to stand shoulder to shoulder and rally behind the art form and the several nonprofit theatres that make our lives so much more fulfilling.

All of Richmond's nonprofit theatres need your support. I hope to see you soon at one of them!

--Bruce Miller

Buying B'way Tics from a Sidewalk Stranger

Posted by Bruce Miller
Last weekend, my family took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday and went to New York City. Hannah’s school was closed all day Monday; Curt was out for half a day. This post is my second installment about our NYC trip (see Our Journey to “South Pacific” below). Today I’ll continue with my personal tale of buying great seats to a sold-out hit from a guy I’d never met.

Like a magician, I’m tempted to say “don’t try this at home.” I can’t vouch for the practice I’m about to describe, nor can I promise that should you try to replicate the procedure you won’t get burned.

Nonetheless, on two occasions I’ve nervously purchased Broadway tickets valued at more that $100 each from guys shouting out show titles on the sidewalk adjacent to the TKTS line. On both occasions, I’ve obtained great seats to a sold-out hit for nothing more than the standard ticket price.

As I mentioned before, Hannah and I really wanted to see South Pacific at Lincoln Center. But tickets for the Columbus Day weekend had been sold out for months. Regular price tickets to South Pacific are $115 to $120. I could have bought Premium Seats in advance from the box office for $300 each, or other good seats from a broker for $225 each. There was no way I could handle that expenditure. So I decided to arrive in NYC empty handed and try my luck.

There are two ways to get good seats at the regular price at the last minute for a sold-out Broadway hit. Neither one is a sure thing.

1 – You can go directly to the box office several hours prior to curtain on the day you want to see the show and ask if and when unsold Premium or House Seats will be released. Often the box office associate will tell you exactly when to return and offer a guess as to your chances for success. Frequently two to ten great seats are released 90 minutes or so before curtain. Armed with this box office advice, you can return at the time suggested and hope you’re close enough to the head of the line to make it to the box office window in time to buy great seats at the regular ticket price.

The Premium Seats that may or may not be released are among the best seats in the house. They are the seats the producer has been trying to sell for $300 each to people who have the means to buy great seats at the last minute without worrying how much they cost. The House Seats that may or may not be released are also among the best seats in the house. They are the seats set aside for purchase by the cast and crew, playwrights, directors, designers, producers etc of the show. If you’re in the cast, and your Great Aunt Harriet comes to town and asks for tickets at the last minute, you as a cast member can purchase House Seats for her, if any House Seats are still available. Once in a while, some House Seats are unspoken for on the day of the show, and they are released for sale to the general public at the last minute.

2 – The second way to buy last minute, hard-to-get tickets is to buy them from one of the broker’s representatives who are sent out to the sidewalks before every performance. They usually ply their trade somewhere near the line of folks waiting to buy half-price tickets at the TKTS Booth. I’ve heard the horror stories about people who bought tickets on the sidewalk only to learn when they showed up at the theatre that the tickets were counterfeit or stolen. When you buy tickets on the sidewalk, it’s definitely buyer beware. Just because I haven’t been burned yet doesn’t mean I won’t be burned next time.

Having issued that warning, here’s what I’ve done. I’ve walked up and down and all around the TKTS Booth area, listening for someone hawking tickets to the show I wanted to see. Several years ago with The Lion King, and last weekend with South Pacific, I heard a man shouting the show title I wanted. I approached the hawker and asked what he had.

In both instances, the man produced a stack of tickets that appeared to be absolutely real and he let me look at them closely. I'm wary if someone is selling only two or four tickets to one show, as they might be stolen. I like it when the street vendor has several tickets for several different hits.

The tickets were marked for group sale and, in the case of South Pacific, the price printed on the ticket was the discount price of $75. I asked how much he was charging for the tickets. He quoted $115, which I knew to be the regular box office price. (The earlier you purchase your tickets from a sidewalk vendor, the greater the mark-up. As you approach curtain time, the mark-up decrease, but so do the available tickets.)

I told the seller that I was interested in buying two tickets, and asked how I could be assured that he was for real. Both times I've made these street transactions, without hesitation or complaint, the sidewalk sellers have given me the name of the broker they worked for, showed me their driver’s license with photo, name and address, and matching credit cards with the same name. They both reminded me that they were standing out in the open shouting loudly, obviously not worried about being noticed and/or questioned by the cops. They both seemed legitimate to me, and completely above board.

After engaging in this back-and-forth, I decided in both instances to purchase the tickets with cash. Checks and credit cards were not an option, but both broker’s reps would have accepted Traveler’s Checks. Several years ago, I purchased four great seats to The Lion King for something like $100 each. This time I purchased two great seats to South Pacific. In both instances, it worked out fine.

If you buy tickets in this way, here’s what you’re buying. When the major ticket brokers sense that a show is going to be a sold-out hit, they purchase tens of thousands of the best seats at group rates months in advance. They then resell those tickets to the public directly or through hotel concierges and travel agents, usually with a considerable mark-up over the regular price and a huge mark-up over the reduced group rate. More than a third of the people who see a sold-out hit buy their tickets directly or indirectly through a broker.

On the day of the show, brokers frequently have a handful of great tickets still available. They give these tickets to their sidewalk salesmen, who go down to the TKTS line and start shouting out the names of the shows they have. Usually the salesmen will have a small number of good seats to several shows. Usually the tickets will be marked with a discounted group rate. Usually they will sell the tickets to you at the regular ticket price. Usually they aren’t offended if you ask them to reassure you as to their legitimacy.

If you’re a gambler and want to see a show badly enough, it may be worth a try. I don’t recommend sidewalk sales of theatre tickets, but for those who want to know, this has been my experience. I haven’t done it often, but the two times I have, I haven’t been scammed.

And remember, of course, most shows aren't sold-out hits. Most shows will allow you to buy regular price tickets from the box office even at the last minute. Often you can buy half-price tickets from broadwaybox.com or at the tkts booth. The current sold-out hits for which last minute tickets are difficult include only Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, South Pacific, and Wicked.

Coming tomorrow: our backstage tour with Jerold Solomon, and meeting our should-have-been President outside Kelli O’Hara’s dressing room

--Bruce Miller

It's True, the New TKTS Booth is Open

Posted by Bruce Miller
The Theatre Development Fund guy who spoke to me last weekend was right on all counts. The newly designed TKTS Booth opened yesterday in Times Square. You can find the NY Times article about this long awaited step forward at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/nyregion/17tkts.html?ref=nyregion.

Best of all, the TKTS Booth will now be accepting credit cards for the first time, meaning you no longer have to wait in line for an hour on an NYC sidewalk with hundreds of strangers pressing in from all directions, trying to safeguard the $300 you just withdrew from the ATM.

See you in line!

--Bruce Miller

Our Journey to "South Pacific"

Posted by Bruce Miller
As I mentioned earlier, Terrie, Hannah, Curt and I ventured to NYC for Columbus Day Weekend. I love New York, and not just cause the slogan tells me so. My mother is an NYC native, and I’ve spent my entire life visiting the homeland at least once or twice a year, often more. I’ve always felt comfortable there, and it’s important to Terrie and me that Hannah and Curt feel comfortable there too.

So we don’t really need a reason to visit the Big Apple. New York is New York, with all that that entails. For us, that’s reason enough. But if we had needed additional motivation, seeing the smash hit revival of South Pacific would have been it.

The Tony Award-winning, Lincoln Center production stars the luminous Kelli O’Hara and features Richmond’s own super-talent, Jerold Solomon. Ever since seeing Light in the Piazza, Kelli O’Hara has been Hannah’s favorite leading lady under 40. I greatly admire her as well. (I have to include the “under 40” caveat out of respect for Kristin Chenoweth, Victoria Clark and Bernadette Peters, who also head Hannah’s short list of beloved musical theatre actresses.)

When we saw Piazza (also at Lincoln Center), Hannah LOVED the show, and wanted to meet the cast at the stage door following curtain call. (I loved being able to use Hannah as my excuse for wanting to do the same thing.) For reasons I don’t know, there’s usually a much smaller crowd at the stage door at Lincoln Center than at the stage doors of other Broadway musicals. So, when Victoria Clark and Kelli O’Hara exited, there was no mob, and both of them were very gracious in talking with Hannah and me. They made a terrific impression.

When Hannah saw Kelli O’Hara in South Pacific on the Tony Awards, that Rodgers and Hammerstein classic immediately became her #1 choice of shows to see. (She’s never quite forgiven me for seeing Pajama Game, which also starred Ms O’Hara, on a business trip without her.)

And then there’s Jerold. Hannah was very fortunate to have played the Oomiak in King Island Christmas years ago at Theatre IV, under Steve Perigard’s wonderful direction. Hannah won the role fair and square, and did a terrific job. Among her costars in that production was Jerold Solomon, who played Ooloranna, the Inuit leader who conceives of the plan to carry the oomiak (a walrus-skin boat) over the mountain that divides one half of King Island from the other, rescuing the island’s priest who had been stranded in an ice-bound ship offshore.

Every week, show after show, Jerold, Jake Mosser and the other men of King Island hoisted Hannah up high and carried her all around the stage. When you’re a little girl, and it’s your first starring role in a show, and a handsome and able 22-year old man is carrying you around stage for 90 minutes, it’s got to make an impression. Suffice it to say that Jerold will always hold a special place in Hannah’s heart.

Our only problem was this. We decided to take this trip sometime in August, and by the time the decision had been made, South Pacific was already sold out for the entire month of October. You can always go through a broker to buy tickets in advance to sold-out shows, but it winds up costing an extra $35 to $150 or more per ticket. And that's money we don't have. So I decided to take a chance, and try to buy a last minute ticket from a broker on the street. This is a risky venture, to be sure, but the two times I’ve tried it, it’s worked.

Coming tomorrow – Buying Last Minute Tickets from the Stranger on the Sidewalk … and LOVING South Pacific!

--Bruce Miller

TKTS Booth Set to Re-Open This Week

Posted by Bruce Miller
My family made it up to NYC last weekend for a fall visit to Broadway. Hannah and I saw In the Heights, South Pacific, [title of show] and The Marvelous Wonderettes. Curt and Terrie joined us for In the Heights, and saw Spring Awakening on their own. More on all that later.

While in the Big Apple, I visited the old TKTS Booth—the real one in Duffy Square that’s been closed for renovations for what seems like forever. A model of the re-design is pictured above.

Work on the remodeling seemed to be nearing completion, so I snapped these clandestine pictures, foisting my cheap trinket of a camera through rips in the black plastic and gaps in the chain link fence that has been installed to keep the new booth under wraps. I felt like Maxwell Smart, and kept waiting for my shoe phone to ring.

I asked the guys working the substitute booth located behind the Marriott Marquis when the newly remodeled old booth would reopen. The guy who seemed to know the most said, and I quote, “We’re supposed to open it for credit card sales”—yes, my friends, credit card sales—“on Tuesday and Wednesday”—that would be Oct 14 and 15—“and then transfer all operations back over there on Thursday.”

Maybe he was crazy or misinformed, but from what he said the real TKTS Booth may be re-opening tomorrow, and may begin accepting credit cards for the first time.

I don’t know how many half-price Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets I’ve purchased at the Times Square TKTS Booth since it first opened in 1973, housed in an old construction trailer. It’s certainly been in the hundreds. Some quick calculations indicate that I’ve probably saved about $14,800 and spent about 300 hours waiting in line.

I’ve loved every minute of it—well, almost every minute. And I seriously prefer the old booth in the open air of Duffy Square to the substitute booth crowded into that crossover space that's carved beneath the Marriott between 46th and 45th. I’m genuinely excited that the old booth will be re-opening soon.

It’s going to take me a while to get used to the new look. It’s very red, and looks like a huge bleacher plopped on top of the tkts booth, which appears now to be more of a lean-to than a booth. The bleacher faces downtown, and those sitting on it will have a great view of the back of the large stone cross behind the statue of Father Duffy, the beloved priest of Times Square.

I don't remember what the back of that cross looks like, and I don’t care. On my next trip up, I’ll stand in line with bells on.

Till then, I hope to see you at a theatre in Richmond!

--Bruce Miller

Update: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Debate

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Last week, I wrote about an episode of Theater Talk with Elizabeth Ashley and John Lahr debating the relevance of the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof featuring an all African-American cast.

In response to an email I sent, Theater Talk replied:

We are scheduled to have several of the cast members a couple of weeks from now who we'll ask about this, but I didn't want to "jinx" that by putting it in the press release. The show was supposed to be about the BACKGROUND of the play, but then Lahr started talking about how the play was really about people tainted by the legacy of being slaveholders (I trivialize his point), so a Black cast didn't make sense ("like an all-white August Wilson wouldn't make sense"). Ashley strongly disagreed, so it turned into this interesting debate. [sic]

--Billy Christopher Maupin

Panel to Debate Relevance of the All African-American Cast of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin
There has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding the revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Tin Roof, which opens tonight at the Broadhurst Theatre. Why? It's been seen on Broadway in four different productions before:

1955- Director Elia Kazaan, Starring Burl Ives and Ben Gazzara

1974- Director Michael Kahn, Starring Elizabeth Ashley

1990- Director Howard Davies, Starring Polly Holliday, Charles Durning, and Kathleen Turner

2003- Director Anthony Page, Starring Ashley Judd

This is the first of these five productions to feature an all African-American cast. However, in many of the articles about the show, TheatreVirginia is mentioned as having produced what is considered to be the ONLY all African-American production prior to this revival.

The revival boasts a spectacularly talented cast with three Tony Award winners (Phylicia Rashad for A Raisin in the Sun, James Earl Jones for The Great White Hope and Fences, and Anika Noni Rose for Caroline, or Change, also recently seen in the motion picture adaptation of Dreamgirls), as well as the Oscar-nominated Terrence Howard. But the buzz doesn't center on all that prestige.

Today on Playbill.com a headline caught my eye: Ashley and Lahr Will Debate Cat Revival on March 8 "Theater Talk". They are to "debate the relevance and implications of doing Tennessee Williams' fifties Southern family drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with an all-Black cast."

There are four panelists in this discussion.

Elizabeth Ashley, star of the 1974 revival. (You may also remember her from Evening Shade or perhaps as the original Corrie in Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park.)

John Lahr, critic for The New Yorker

Susan Haskins, Executive Producer of Theatre Talk.

Michael Riedel, a writer for the New York Post.




These four people will be debating the relevance of an all African-American cast of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

What are your thoughts? The floor is open for comments!

(Oh, and if you would like to contact Theater Talk, you can click here. Their email address is theatertlk@aol.com.)

--Billy Christopher Maupin

Plays Rule on B'way - the Second Seven

Posted by Bruce Miller
It’s been more than 48 hours since I discovered that Broadway is enjoying an historic fall, having mounted more straight plays (The Ritz notwithstanding) in 2007 than during any other Fall Season in the last 27 years. And, yes, I know that everyone else probably noticed this months ago, but I didn’t notice it until now, and I’m excited.

It’s not that I don’t love musicals—I do. It’s just that I love plays even more. I’m so used to Broadway trending away from plays that this reversal gives me cause for rejoicing.

One of the questions I receive most often—it comes with the job title—is, “I’m going to New York next Tuesday and can go to only one show. What should I see?” Hopefully these last three posts will help to give at least a little guidance in that department.

Rock ’n’ Roll by Sir Tom Stoppard began previews on Oct 19 and opened on Nov 4 to nearly unanimous, heart-stopping raves. It’s a transfer of the London production that won just about every major award that London has on offer, and it jumped across the pond complete with its three amazing stars: Rufus Sewell, Sinead Cusack and Brian Cox. It’s directed by the deservedly acclaimed Trevor Nunn. It uses rock ’n’ roll as a roadmap to chart its way through the political and personal turmoil of the last several decades, finding connections between love, revolution and music that illuminate our current century. I’m passionate about seeing it and seeing it soon.

August: Osage County by Tracy Letts began previews on Oct 30 and opened on Dec 4, and it also received nearly unanimous, heart-stopping raves. As American as Rock ’n’ Roll is British, August is a transfer of the award-winning premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, based in Chicago. In the NY Times, Christopher Isherwood says, “Tracy Lett’s fiercely funny, turbo-charged tragicomedy is, flat-out, no asterisks and without qualifications, the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years.” When Tracy Letts wrote Killer Joe, Gary Hopper started talking to me about him. When he wrote Bug, Irene Ziegler started singing his praises. Now all of the American theatre community is paying attention. This is another play I’m desperate to see.

The Seafarer, written and directed by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, began previews on Oct 30 and opened on Dec 6, and again received great reviews—although not quite as great as its two predecessors. The Seafarer is a supernatural tale set on Christmas Eve in an Irish bar, where five Irishmen, one of whom may not be who or what he appears, descend into drunkenness and share spine-tingling yarns. I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but this play is surely as Irish as August is American and Rock is British. At the end, it’s also, from most accounts, unexpectedly uplifting.

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline is being revived on Broadway for the first time since 1923 in an all-star production that is lighting up the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center. The play began previews on Nov 1 and opened on Dec 2, starring Michael Cerveris, John Cullum, Phylicia Rashad, John Pankow and Martha Plimpton, under the direction of Mark Lamos. Again, the critics have been mostly enthusiastic, especially toward Michael Cerveris’s performance and Mark Lamos’s direction. Cymbeline was the first show to open after the strike, and it appears that it will have the successful limited engagement that had been planned.

Is He Dead? is that rarest of rarities—a new, previously unproduced farce by Mark Twain. Not known as a dramatist, old Sam Clemens nonetheless penned a couple of hoary chestnuts, and after this one was discovered in the University of California, Berkeley archives, it was “polished”—there’s that running theme again—by David Ives, and from all accounts turned into an effective comic vehicle for the Scott Wichmann of Broadway known as Norbert Leo Butts. The play’s a hit! A HUGE hit!! And, again, that rarest of rarities on 21st Century Broadway—a laugh-a-minute comedy hit!!! Exactly what Broadway used to have in abundance, seldom has anymore, and desperately needs. Our friend Lizzy Holland saw it a few days ago, and claims to have laughed herself silly.

The Homecoming by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter began previews on Dec 4 and opened on Dec 16 to, again, some truly amazing reviews. The NY Times starts out with, “First of all, it really is that good!” And Linda Winer of Newsday named it her Best Production of 2007. The Homecoming is, of course, a masterwork of 20th Century English language theatre, and apparently, after 40 years, it still sizzles with the right cast and director, both of which this current revival appears to have.

November, the new David Mamet play starring Nathan Lane, began previews on Dec 20 with a planned opening on Jan 17. There’s lots of promise. I’ll let you know more after the play opens.

Until then, have a Happy New Year. I hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller