hey y'all! last night i had the extreme pleasure of attending (with my pal joey as date) a performance of PARADE - a tony award-winning musical (best book / best music, 1999) now playing at downtown los angeles' mark taper forum (an incredibly intimate venue ... there's literally not a bad seat in the house) i posted about the show a few weeks ago - it stars cutie T.R. knight and lara pulver - and i cannot say enough about it ... everything about the production was top-notch - if you happen to be here in LA do not miss this show - it's playing through november 15th! (check for tickets) i'm a huge fan of musical theatre and honestly this serious & gripping show is definitely one of my faves - i saw it twice in NYC back in the day - i loved seeing it again! many thanks go out to my pals from center theatre group for always taking such great care of me! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
Based on the true story of Leo Frank, convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1913, Parade recounts the press frenzy and public outrage about Frank's trial, and his wife's crusade for justice. Amid religious intolerance, political injustice and racial tension, this stirring Tony Award®-winning musical explores the endurance of love and hope against all the odds.
good evening! here's a first look at cutie T.R. knight in his first project since leaving the cast of grey's anatomy - mr. knight is starring in the musical parade at downtown los angeles' mark taper forum! now i love musicals as you all know and i can honestly say this one definitely lands a spot in my top five of all-time - i saw it twice back in NYC in 1998 where it had a short run (85 performances) at lincoln center yet it did manage to garner nine tony award nominations - and won two - for best book & score! (this particular production is based on london's 2007 donmar warehouse production) the material is quite serious - set in the deep south in 1913 - it's based on the true story of jewish factory manager leo frank (originally hailing from brooklyn) he became the main suspect in the murder of a young girl named mary phagan who worked at the same pencil factory - the trial became a media sensation and brought strong anti-semitic feelings to the surface in atlanta - although his sentence was commuted due to problems with the trial - sadly he was eventually hanged by a lynch mob - his wife lucille frank stood by her husband and tried to help his case but alas she couldn't save him in the end (the case was never fully solved) it's an intense story but the music written by jason robert brown (the book is by alfred uhry) is excellent - i know it by heart - there's a bunch of amazing songs! since this coming sunday i'm going to see kylie minogue at the hollywood bowl - i'll be missing opening night (total bummer) but i've got tickets to see the show the following sunday with my pal joey - i seriously cannot wait - i've been looking forward to this for months now! (i'm also super curious to see how mr. knight handles all the singing - there's a lot of it - this is a total far cry from playing george o'malley) if you happen to be here in LA - this is one show not to be missed - trust me on this one people! (it's playing until november 15th) popbytes over & out for tonight ... xoxo
good morning y'all! a few weeks ago i posted pictures of cutie jude law (aka mr. virile) leaving london's donmar warehouse where he's currently starring in a production of shakespeare's classic play hamlet - now mr. law will be reprising the role on broadway at NYC's broadhurst theater during a 12-week run (previews start sept. 12th, the show opens on oct. 6th) jude last starred on broadway back in 1995 in a play called indiscretions which i was lucky enough to see - especially because he got completely naked on stage - unfortunately it sounds like this time he's keeping his clothes on but i'd still love to go see him take on the bard of avon! popbytes over & out for now .... xoxo
good afternoon! this past wednesday i went to the opening night of spamalot - the new musical 'lovingly ripped off from the motion picture monty python and the holy grail' - now to be totally honest i wasn't all that keen on seeing the show but it did win a number of tony awards back in 2005 (including best new musical) so i was quite curious to find out what all the hoopla was about - i'm super glad i did ... i LOVED it! thankfully - you don't need to be familiar with the film or monty python (since i wasn't) to enjoy the show - it's really upbeat and hilarious plus the music was fabulous (i've already picked up the soundtrack) this production stars john o'hurley (who was excellent) luckily clay aiken was not involved (although i think he must have done a decent job on broadway - the part he played was perfect for him) at the end - eric idle (one of the founding members of monty python - who also penned the book & lyrics) got up on stage along with john du prez (who wrote the music) to say a little something about the show finally making it to los angeles ... the show is in town until september 6th - so if you're looking for a really fun night out - i'd highly recommend catching this oh so silly and endearing show before it leaves! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
good evening! last night was truly a magical one - i had the pleasure of seeing an evening with patti lupone and mandy patinkin at downtown los angeles' ahmanson theatre - patti lupone and mandy patinkin were amazing - especially in combination with each other - both patti and mandy do happen to be tony award-winning stars of the stage - along with being true vocal powerhouses - i simply knew it was going to be an excellent show! i've seen each of them before on broadway ... mr. patinkin in the wild party (he was nominated for a tony award) and ms. lupone in master class (which unfortunately she didn't sing in but it was amazing nonetheless) but witnessing their chemistry together live - working with each other on stage was beyond tremendous (the two starred in the original broadway production of evita back in '79) the show is being billed as 'a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical event with two legendary performers' - i couldn't agree more! the songs they picked were culled from a variety of musicals (thankfully there was a bunch of sondheim tunes) and i loved how the show flowed from song to song (check out the incredible setlist below) all of the selections worked so well together - all linked by common themes of love and relationships! there wasn't a boring moment at all - and of course a big highlight for me was when patti took on don't cry for me argentina and everything's coming up roses (from gypsy) i was literally in pure musical theater ecstasy! the show is only playing through next tuesday - if you're in LA and happen to be a broadway junkie like myself - you certainly cannot miss out on this! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
AN EVENING WITH PATTI LUPONE & MANDY PATINKIN
ANOTHER HUNDRED PEOPLE / Stephen Sondheim (Company) WHEN / Stephen Sondheim (Evening Primrose) A COCKEYED OPTIMIST / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (South Pacific) TWIN SOLILOQUIES / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (South Pacific) SOME ENCHANTED EVENING / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (South Pacific) SOME ENCHANTED EVENING REPRISE / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (South Pacific) GETTING MARRIED TODAY / Stephen Sondheim (Company) LOVING YOU / Stephen Sondheim (Passion) A COCKEYED OPTIMIST REPRISE / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (South Pacific) I'M OLD FASHIONED / Jerome Kern (You Were Never Lovelier) I HAVE THE ROOM ABOVE HER / Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II (Showboat) BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE / Frank Loesser (Neptune's Daughter) EVERYBODY SAYS DON'T / Stephen Sondheim (Anyone Can Whistle) A QUIET THING / John Kander & Fred Ebb (Flora the Red Menace) IT TAKES TWO / Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods) I WON'T DANCE / Jerome Kern (Roberta) APRIL IN PARIS / Vernon Duke & E.Y. Harburg (Walk a Little Faster) APRIL IN FAIRBANKS / Murray Grand (New Faces of 1956) DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA / Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice (Evita)
INTERMISSION
OLD FOLKS / John Kander & Fred Ebb (70, Girls, 70) EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES / Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim (Gypsy) THE GOD-WHY-DON'T-YOU-LOVE-ME BLUES / Stephen Sondheim (Follies) THE HILLS OF TOMORROW / Stephen Sondheim (Merrily We Roll Along) MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG / Stephen Sondheim (Merrily We Roll Along) OLD FRIENDS / Stephen Sondheim (Merrily We Roll Along) LIKE IT WAS / Stephen Sondheim (Merrily We Roll Along) FRANKLIN SHEPARD, INC / Stephen Sondheim (Merrily We Roll Along) SOMEWHERE THAT'S GREEN / Howard Ashman & Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors) IN BUDDY'S EYES / Stephen Sondheim (Follies) YOU'RE A QUEER ONE, JULIE JORDAN / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (Carousel) IF I LOVED YOU / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (Carousel) IF I LOVED YOU REPRISE / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (Carousel) WHAT'S THE USE OF WOND'RIN / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (Carousel) IF I LOVED YOU REPRISE / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (Carousel) YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE / Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (Carousel) YOU'RE JUST IN LOVE / Irving Berlin (Call Me Madam) COFFEE IN A CARDBOARD CUP / John Kander & Fred Ebb (70, Girls, 70)
good evening! last night i had the extreme pleasure of attending the opening night of dame edna's two-week stint (june 9-21) at downtown los angeles' ahmanson theatre - in a show entitled my first last tour - now i knew it would be funny but i had no clue it would be side-splitting - i can't even begin to tell you how much i truly enjoyed the show - she was amazing - i haven't seen anything that funny in a long time! dame edna is the alter-ego of australian funny man barry humphries - who happens to be seventy-five years young - edna was so damn sharp and witty - i could have listened to her tear-inducing & hilarious banter all night long! the show was so engaging - she picked on numerous people in the audience - including one woman named paula who was heckled by edna as she got up to go the bathroom - once she left the room - edna instructed us all to say 'feeling better paula?' when she came back - i would have been so embarrassed but everyone was in great spirits and ms. paula politely smiled and told everyone that she was indeed feeling better - ha!
i also spotted a number of celebrities in the crowd including anjelica huston, martin sheen, judge judy and oh so handsome julian sands who was sitting only two seats away from me! i'm so very grateful i had the opportunity to see this show - by the end she passed out tons of gladiola flowers (her favorite) everyone was waving them in the air for the finale - then edna did a quick change and took a final bow as mr. humphries - he's so unassuming as a man - you can barely tell he's the man behind the magic! i can't stress to you enough - if you happen to be in los angeles - run - do not walk - to the theatre - you must see this show! last but certainly not last - i have to give say thanks to my pals down at the center theatre group who always manage to take such great care of me - you guys rock - along with dame edna! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
hey hey! last weekend i finally had the opportunity to see ain't misbehavin' - the tony award-winning musical revue (which just celebrated its 30th anniversary) here in los angeles at downtown's ahmanson theatre - and it was just as fabulous as i expected it to be! the music serves as a tribute to black artists of the 1920s and '30s - during the harlem renaissance (when places like the cotton club were jumpin') all five cast members (along with the band) did an amazing job of bringing the music to life (watch some video here) it definitely kept my toes tappin' (my favorite number was black and blue - which is an incredibly heartfelt and beautiful song) the show is playing through may 31st - if you happen to be local to LA - i'd recommend checking it out! many thanks to my pals at the ahmanson for helping to hook a blog up - you guys rock! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
good morning y'all! last night the cast of the 9 to 5 movie - dolly parton, jane fonda and lily tomlin - gathered in NYC for the opening night of 9 to 5: the musical on broadway! i had the opportunity to see the show not once but twice when it played here in los angeles' ahmanson theatre during its trial run and i LOVED it - i can't recommend the show enough! if you like the movie (and who doesn't?) you're really going to enjoy this! i'm hoping this show will score ms. parton a few tony awards (the show did just nab a record-breaking 15 drama desk nominations) she wrote all the music and has been the driving force behind getting this musical mounted on the great white way! below you can listen to one of my favorite songs from the show called get out and stay out - sung by the amazing stephanie j. block (who takes on the part of ms. fonda) if you're in new york city - please treat yourself and go see this show! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
hey y'all! i've been meaning to mention this - last weekend i attended the opening night of minsky's - the new musical comedy now playing at los angeles' ahmanson theatre (there's a bit of video posted below) of course being a huge fan of musicals in general - i simply had to go see this one! it's one of those feel good & romantic musicals with plenty of toe-tapping numbers (and sexy scantily clad ladies) i wouldn't call it one of my favorites but i did really enjoy myself - it's fairly conventional in terms of structure and plot (based on the film the night they raided minsky's - a NYC burlesque club is about to get shut down during the depression) but it was a great upbeat escape for a couple of hours (especially in this shady economy) everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well - including my dear mom who i took as my date - in fact she's the one who probably got me started on musicals!
hands down one of the highlights was seeing former SNL cast member rachel dratch up on stage (pictured here) who had a hilarious supporting part in the show - she's so damn funny (i miss debbie downer) if you're looking for something light & entertaining - i'd recommend checking out minsky's before it closes on march 1st (it may eventually end up playing on broadway) i do usually prefer shows that are a bit more out of the box (for example - anything sondheim... like say sunday in the park with george or follies) yet i think everyone can use something uplifting & mindless now & again - and seriously ... who can resist a big tap dance number? certainly not me (i should take tap lessons one day - it'd be such a hoot) popbytes over & out for now...xoxo
good evening! oh i bet everyone is watching the superbowl which i actually have on but you know me and sports - not the best of friends - however i am rooting for the pittsburgh steelers to win because of my pals CK and christienne (it doesn't look good right now towards the end of the 4th quarter but that can change in an instant) right now i've got some shots of nicole kidman and daniel day-lewis over in rome filming the screen adaptation of the tony award-winning musical nine - directed by rob marshall (who also helmed bringing chicago to the silver screen) the cast is incredible (posted below ... however there are two weak links - they are listed last!) i'm thrilled that legendary screen beauty sophia loren (age 74) is also starring - she's so awesome - i have a feeling this film is going to kick-ass (and probably pick up some awards) i am familiar with some of the music from the show (by maury yeston) but i've never had the opportunity to see it performed on stage - i simply cannot wait to see this movie which is due to hit theaters on november 25th - i've only got about a ten-month wait! popbytes over & out for now...xoxo (oh my word - is the weekend really almost over?!? it goes by so fast - ugh)
PS i love the large picture below - the light hitting the fountain is stunning!
• Daniel Day-Lewis as Guido Contini
• Marion Cotillard as Luisa Contini
• Penélope Cruz as Carla Albanese
• Nicole Kidman as Claudia Nardi
• Judi Dench as Liliane La Fleur
• Sophia Loren as Mamma
• Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson as Saraghina
• Kate Hudson as Stephanie Necrophuros
UPDATE! i'm back home - what a treat tonight was - i loved this production of pippin which incorporated deaf & hearing actors (in association with deaf west theatre) plus the entire show was performed in sign language - it all worked out so smoothly - i was truly blown away and inspired! in fact the character of 'pippin' was played by not one but two actors - one deaf who signed the entire time and the other did all the singing - it might sound a little odd and intrusive but it was really amazing - it's such the perfect show to be done in sign language - i really was impressed! plus kudos to ty taylor (pictured below) who played 'the leading player' to sheer perfection - he kicked serious ass! i highly recommend checking out this production if you happen to be in the los angeles area (it plays through march 15th) you will not be disappointed! popbytes over & out for tonight...xoxo
hey hey! i'm about to head downtown to meet my pal joey at the mark taper forum for the opening night of pippin - the 1972 musical which is making a comeback with a splashy new production! you know me - i love me some musical theatre and this show is one of my all-time favorites with music and lyrics by the oh so talented stephen schwartz (with a book by roger o. hirson) when i return home later on - i'll update this post with some quick thoughts about the show - and please keep an eye on my twitter page which i'll try to update through the evening! popbytes over & out for now...xoxo
Mischievous, humorous and captivating. A groundbreaking re-invention of a timeless pop musical! Tony Award-winning Pippin is the lively coming of age story of King Charlemagne's oldest son. Featuring music from the award-winning composer of Wicked and Godspell, this dazzlingly colorful and imaginative tale first captivated audiences on Broadway and continues to appeal to the young-at-heart everywhere.
Director Jeff Calhoun and Deaf West Theatre follow their popular hits, Sleeping Beauty Wakes (Ovation Award winner) at the Douglas and Big River at the Taper, by transforming this beloved classic into a wildly theatrical and original musical event featuring deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing actors as voice and American Sign Language are interwoven with music, dance, and joyous storytelling.
hey hey! yesterday afternoon i went downtown to see the 8x tony award-winning musical spring awakening for the 2nd time at the ahmanson theatre - but this time - many thanks to jason - i secured stage seating which is pretty unconventional - i can't think of any other musical that featured such close seats to the action (except for the NYC broadway revival of cabaret with alan cumming which had dinner tables set-up) i've seen many musicals and plays in my time but i've NEVER been so damn close (i marked where my seat was below) i freakin' loved every moment of it (of course seeing mega canadian cutie kyle riabko's (who plays 'melchior gabor') naked butt up close & personal was awesome) although the view is a little obstructed at times - it didn't matter - it was simply amazing to see actors doing an excellent job from such a close vantage point! if you haven't seen the show you have until december 7th here in los angeles and then the show will continue to tour the country until next august when it wraps up in washington DC - it comes highly recommended! below are a couple of pictures from the national tour production along with two videos - popbytes over & out for now...xoxo
UPDATE! oh my goodness - i had a superb time tonight - the show was EXCELLENT - and although i knew a lot of the music i didn't know much about the actual plot and it was definitely different than i expected but in a suprising & refreshing way (and i did manage to shed a few tears) it's certainly not your mom's type of musical - gosh i can't wait to see it again! i also saw a few celebrities who were also in attendance this evening - including actress jane seymour (who is gorgeous in person), a bunch of cast members from 90210 (like lori laughlin who's a lot smaller than i imagined) and mega hottie kellan lutz (he's starring in the upcoming twilight movie) if you live in the los angeles area - i'd highly recommend checking out spring awakening before it closes on december 7th! popbytes over & out for tonight...xoxo
hey y'all! tonight i'm heading downtown for the official los angeles opening night of spring awakening at the ahmanson theatre (where 9 to 5 just wrapped up its LA production) the musical swept last year's tony awards - winning eight awards including best new musical (it's set in late-nineteenth century germany and concerns a group of teens discovering themselves alongside their blossoming sexuality) i already picked up a ticket to go see it at the end of november so i was super excited to get an invitation to come down for the opening! everyone i know who has seen NYC's broadway production has loved the show (although it's closing in january after a critically acclaimed two year run) plus the show was also recently featured on 90210 (it was the 'west beverly high' musical and in the end was directed by 'brenda walsh' played by shannen doherty) i've also been listening to the amazing soundtrack (the music was penned by cutie pie duncan sheik with book & lyrics by steven sater) so i already know i'm seriously going to enjoy seeing the show live on stage! i promise to write a quick update on this post when i return home later this evening - popbytes over & out for now...xoxo
hey kids! i'm heading downtown again this evening...after seeing 9 to 5 - the musical a few weeks ago (read my glowing review) i decided that i simply had to go one more time (especially being a hugedolly parton fan) before it closes here in los angeles on october 19th (the show will then head east to NYC's broadway where it will play at the marriott's marquis theatre next spring) last time i was in the 2nd row orchestra but on the left side - tonight i'm in the 2nd row again but smack dab in the center...woo hoo! check out the video below which contains a few small clips from the show (i'm very curious to see if i will notice anything different from the first time around...) popbytes over & out for now...xoxo
...that was the message delivered to scientology loud and clear earlier tonight in NYC by a bunch of anti-scientology protesters held up near the schoenfeld theatre where katie holmes was just hours away from making her broadway debut in arthur miller's classic play all my sons...people are calling for katie to be freed from the grip of her hubby tom cruise who has come under major fire over the past few years for his heavy involvement with the wacky & secretive cult 'religion' first formed by sci-fi writer l. ron hubbard! the two (aka tomkat) make such an odd & awkward couple (just look at these pictures from last night's dress rehearsal) i can't see them lasting forever - once they split she needs to write a book about her whole 'stepford' experience...unless that's clearly forbidden in the contract she probably signed with xenu...hopefully ms. holmes will receive decent reviews for her broadway performance - girlfriend seriously needs some small ray of hope to hold onto like those flowers from joshua jackson or her adorable daughter suri! popbytes over & out for tonight...xoxo
UPDATE! oh my word - i had the best time tonight...i was blown away...get ready broadway - you have one hot show coming your way! i was so very impressed and being a huge fan of the movie i was worried it might get lost in musical translation but dolly parton did an INCREDIBLE job with the all the music & lyrics (plus the plot remains completely intact - props to patricia resnick for the book) dolly is totally going to win a tony award for best original score and i can see 9 to 5 winning best new musical - it's that good! (trust me on this - i'm a huge musical theater guru) kudos to the entire ensemble but i must give specific shout outs to the three main gals allison janney, stephanie j. block and megan hilty (who i saw in wicked here in LA) and last but not least marc kudisch who plays their nasty sexist boss franklin hart jr. (a role originated by dabney coleman) i can't wait to buy the cast recording (the music was so good) tonight i picked up a cute orange t-shirt, a key chain, a magnet, and a souvenir program - i simply couldn't help myself - i loved every minute of the show and the sets were awesome (i thought the show might be a bit unpolished since it just started playing but it was super tight except one small mix-up with a phone cord that was supposed to be plugged in and the actors just rolled with it!) i highly recommend seeing it while it's playing here in los angeles (now through october 19th) i think i'll need to go to NYC when this show opens up on broadway in the spring! popbytes over & out for tonight - thank heavens tomorrow is friday - xoxo
hey kids! right now i'm heading downtown (for the second night in a row) to the ahmanson theatre to see the brand new musical 9 to 5 based upon the much beloved 1980 movie (the trailer for the film is posted below) i am totally beside myself with sheer excitement - not only is '9 to 5' one of my favorite movies of all-time but the legendary dolly parton (who you know i adore to no end and starred in the movie as doralee rhodes) wrote all of the music/lyrics for this new musical stage version (plus the book was penned by patricia resnick who wrote the original screenplay) tonight will be the third public performance so i'm expecting there still might be some kinks to work out (this past tuesday during the show's debut ms. parton was sitting in the audience and somthing went wrong but dolly entertained the crowd while the small technical issue was fixed) yet by the time the show heads to NYC's broadway in the spring - i'm quite sure it'll be a smash hit! when i get back home later this evening i will do a quick update with some of my thoughts on the show - popbytes over & out for now...xoxo
good morning! legendary comedian, entertainer and businesswoman joan rivers just made her london acting debut (at age 75) in a self-penned autobiographical play called a work in progress by a life in progress which is playing now at leicester square theatre through september 18th (ms. rivers will do another run in december & january - i'm so freakin' bummed i missed her play during its los angeles run) i know a lot of people like to take cheap shots at joan and her many plastic surgeries (making her look less than natural...) but she has done so much in her lifetime - which has been filled with many up and downs and thankfully she's still carrying on today - ms. rivers is a trooper and she's probably way more qualified to be vice president than alaska lady sarah palin! i seriously miss seeing her doing red carpet arrival interviews (with her daughter melissa rivers in tow) ms. rivers always added a wacky & unpredictable element to every event she covered (i'm sorry but watching lisa rinna & joey fatone doing red carpet interviews is not nearly as fun...and ryan seacrest is a bore) everybody seriously needs to appreciate joan more (just look at her below giving the one-fingered victory salute) she's not going to be around forever and i for one will miss her sassiness & spunk when she's gone - long live ms. rivers! popbytes over & out for now...xxoo
A four-handed, part-confession, part-performance comedy drama based on Joan Rivers own larger-than-life rollercoaster life. While it presents the Joan that we know, from her biographies, TV appearance and live stand-up shows, it also reveals the woman behind the public face that the public have never seen before. Set in Joan's dressing room backstage at the Oscars ceremony, Joan is preparing for one of her legendary annual TV catwalk commentaries on the fashion hits and disasters at Hollywood's biggest night of the year. But all is not well... her dressing room is B, not A!!; her complimentary cheese is puny, not plentiful; and her producer is the bigwig's nephew, not the bigwig! The tension and drama are the catalyst for an introspective look at aging, going through life's ups and downs and being a woman in Hollywood.
hey kids! oh yes - today was one of those lazy days - recently i've been completely addicted to playing lego indiana jones adventures on xbox - i finally finished all the chapters - it's such a well-crafted game and super fun but now it's time for me to jump back into grand theft auto IV (yet i do feel guilty sometimes playing video games since it's such a big waste of time but i can't help myself...) anyways i had to go pick up an audio cable at frys over in burbank (which turned out to be the wrong cable...) but i stopped by the DVD section for a hot second and company on blu-ray caught my eye - it's a filmed performance (the revival) of the 1970 broadway musical which ended up taking home the 2007 best musical revival tony award!
since i'm a huge fan of composer/lyricist stephen sondheim (now age 78) i've loved the music from the show for ages (there's a number of famous songs including being alive & the ladies who lunch) but i never saw it performed...when i got home i instantly tossed it on - i was hooked right away plus it got me all misty about new york city (as much as i miss the big apple sometimes - i don't think i could bear to leave los angeles - i truly love it here) where the story of single 'bobby' (played by tony nominated raul esparza who is amazing) is played out - if you told me this morning i'd be posting about this tonight i'd have said you're nuts but oh my gosh i do like to keep things random here on popbytes - company was incredibly smart & entertaining (plus the show is almost forty years old and still feels very relevant and modern - i could go on & on...) if you're a fan of musical theater at all - this is a total must-see - i wish i had taken my ass to new york to have seen it in person! popbytes over & out for tonight...xxoo
PS there's a great video below of angel desai singing 'another hundred people' - one of the best songs from the show - watch more clips here!
sweeping all the major theater awards for best revival of a musical, this beloved stephen sondheim-george furth classic is more relevant today than ever before. far ahead of its time with its unconventional look at love and commitment in modern manhattan, company is an honest, funny and sophisticated portrayal of the pros and cons of marriage as seen through a 35-year-old confirmed bachelor and his enthusiastically married, slightly envious friends. with a wise and witty score including "another hundred people," "side by side by side," "the ladies who lunch" and "being alive," this broadway production of company offers musical comedy at its finest.
UPDATE! oh my gosh - the show was freakin' amazing - i loved it! everything was way cool and trippy - my pal joey thought it was very 'twin peaks' - many thanks to ms. brenda for hooking a blog up! i will try and get my hands on some production photos - i would highly recommend checking the show out if you happen to be in los angeles! right now i feel all inspired to learn as much as i can about edie sedgwick - popbytes over & out for tonight...xxoo!
hey hey! tonight i'm dining out with my awesome pal joey and then we're heading down to the met theatre to catch a brand new musical/play called silver for gold (the odyssey of edie sedgwick) which just opened last night and was written and directed by david j (of bauhaus and love & rockets fame) it sounds highly interesting and off-beat and besides anything that relates to andy warhol and edie sedgwick is right up my alley! when i return home later this evening i will try and update this post with my initial thoughts on the show! i hope everyone else has themselves a truly kick-ass friday night (and is able to sleep late tomorrow - don't forget this weekend daylight savings time kicks in - so unfortunately we'll be losing an hour of sleep but at least it'll be lighter outside in the evening) popbytes over & out for now...xxoo!
David J writes and directs the world premiere production of Silver For Gold (The Odyssey Of Edie Sedgwick) at The Met Theatre in Hollywood, CA, beginning an exclusive two-week engagement on March 6th, 2008. Based on the life of Edie Sedgwick - Andy Warhol's brilliant muse - the stage production explores one of the most charismatic yet misunderstood figures in popular culture. Starring multifaceted performer Monique Jenkinson ( aka Fauxnique ) as Edie and Steven Oliver Price ( founder of the Ronin Ensemble ) as Norich, the wounded healer, Silver For Gold traces the heroine's dazzling rise and eventual downward spiral in a mythological theatrical experience that is part one-woman show, part chamber rock concert replete with avant-garde minimalist staging and video imagery.
hey kids - happy friday evening - can you believe tomorrow is december already?!? although the writers' strike is still on with sadly no real end in sight (there was some bad news earlier today for the staff of the tonight show w/ jay leno) there's one strike that came to a fairly quick ending - the stagehands of broadway are back to business! this evening at the marriott marquis theatre a bunch of broadway's best & brightest came together for a celebration called broadway's back and featured a number of cast members from shows currently playing on the great white way (such as wicked, legally blonde, avenue q and a few more) along with legends angela lansbury & bernadette peters! i seriously miss going to broadway shows in NYC - i was all excited to see the color purple when it lands in los angeles in a few weeks but tickets were way expensive - for a decent seats - they are running over $300 each - that's a bit out of my budget although i'm still going to try and see it - even if it's not the best seat in the house! right now i'm just laying low - i feel ok but i do have a case of the sniffles which i hope doesn't get worse! i'll check you all tomorrow - much love to all as always - popbytes over & out...xxoo!
