Confessions of a Teenaged Theatre Geek

When I was 14, I hated musicals.  I didn't know who Stephen Sondheim was.  Heck, I didn't even know who Andrew Lloyd Webber was, and I didn't understand what was causing this phenomenon around something called Les Miz. The only musicals I really liked as a kid were The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins. 

I have no excuse; I was a late bloomer.

Then fate intervened.

My English class was brought to the theatre auditorium to watch a "teaser" of my high school’s play.  A comedy called Play On by Rick Abbott (not the musical, that would come years later). I remember thinking two things, 1) I don't like theatre... theatre is dumb, and 2) but this is funny and everyone onstage looks like they are having a lot of fun.  

I had a difficult time reconciling those two things that afternoon.

But fate is fickle and it wasn't done with me, yet.

I was flipping through channels, since reruns weren’t doing it for me, and came across this bizarre show on KQED, or as I called it back then "Channel 9".

A girl was singing, not dancing, just singing.  And the story looked familiar… it looked like Little Red Riding Hood. 

The weirdest part was I was enjoying it.  This wasn't a movie musical, this was a real, actual musical (even if it was on TV) and I was enjoying it.  I sat transfixed. I watched the rest of Act 1 and all of Act 2 of American Playhouse’s Into the Woods.

It was the first time I'd ever seen a musical where the music actually seemed important to me. The music was mixed into the action. People didn't just stop and start to sing and dance. Yes they were singing, but most of the time it seemed like dialogue.

Maybe I had this musical stuff wrong. What was this all about? Who wrote this show?

Hadn't that Drama teacher said that they were going to need help on the next production? Maybe I should get involved.

And I did. I joined Drama Club at the end of my freshman year.  It wasn't a school big on musicals, in fact we only did one while I was there.  But it was an easy springboard from Drama Club to devouring musicals.  Starting of course with Stephen Sondheim, the man whom I thought had crafted the perfect (and for a time only good) musical.

It would take me a few more years to learn about Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, and the others.  I lived on the CastRec Listserv (an email group for people who liked Cast Recordings), spent most of my extra money on used cast recordings, and slowly realized that even Rodgers and Hammerstein and the other golden age musicals not only had a place in my collection, but were glorious.

Rodgers and Hammerstein weren’t "old hat," as I previously had believed.  They were the originators! The reason Sondheim was able to do what he did.  

But for me, it all started with Sondheim.  Sondheim brought me into musical theatre, a passion I have sustained ever since.  A passion that led me here to Moon!

And that's why I was so excited to find out that we were going to be producing a Sondheim show this season.  Since Sondheim is the composer that brought me to musicals and 18 years later, 42nd Street Moon; I believe that Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will do the same for others.  Bring new audiences to fall in love with Musical theatre, and fall in love with Moon.  

If you have a friend that thought the way I did…  bring them to see Forum, I’ll bet Sondheim will transform their lives (maybe just a little) like he did mine!

Stephen Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Megan Cavanagh, plays through Oct 24th at the Eureka Theatre.  For tickets call 415 255 8207, or avoid box office fees and buy online.

A Funny Plot Happened on the Way to the Forum

Alas, it is that time, the season is upon us.

Forum rehearsals started last night and MoonSpace (42nd Street Moon's administrative and rehearsal space) is jumping.

In this era of digital gossip, minute by minute updates, and texts replacing phone calls, I thought "How would I tweet about Forum?"

"How will I express what Forum is all about in just 140 characters.  I mean, after all, you can barely get the entire title of the show out in 140 characters!"

And then I thought, "You know... I'm not that clever, I should ask other people do it for me." And so I did.

Here are some plot tweets from our Facebook and Twitter friends!

1. "A Roman slave plays matchmaker to his master’s son and the courtesan next door. Eunuchs, maids, and dirty old men make comedy tonight. "
2. "Hilarity ensues as Plautus’ based Sondheim musical chockablock with prostitutes, freed slaves, soothsayers and cross-dressing is lovely."
3. "Sondheim+ Plautus=Roman farce gone wild. Ev’rybdy ought to see this show."
4. "Forum makes Plautus more fun as Pseudolus helps Hero win the girl next door. Hysterium will try to stay calm! If only he had a maid…"
5. "Not a lost classic, but will you be in the end"
6. "Slave dude (lady?) forgets the verses for the opening song while the rest worry about how their legs look in short togas." 

There you go... so... which do you think is the best?  Vote in our poll (on the right side of the blog page) and the winner will receive two tickets to opening night.  If you think you've got a better tweet-able plot, leave it as a comment!

Then join us for 42nd Street Moon's first show of the 18th Season, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Megan Cavanagh.  Playing at the Eureka Theatre Oct 6 - 24.  For more information and tickets (415) 255-8207 or click here.

Cast of Thousands (well dozens, anyway.) - Update

For a small theatre company, 42nd Street Moon definitely boast some pretty large casts.  This fall 31 actors will grace the Eureka's stage.

Considering that our second show, Murder For Two, has only has two actors in it.  That leaves 30 actors for A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (16 actors) and Babes In Arms (14 actors).  For those of you who are trying to figure out how 16 + 14 + 2 = 31, you'll see below.

I thought I'd share with you the casts for the Fall 2010 Season. There is only one role left to be  cast, but once it is, you my dear readers will be the first to know.

As I'm sure most of you know, Moon shows generally have about a 50/50 split between new and returning cast members. Next season, we're gonna be seeing a whole lot of new faces!

Twenty of the 31 actors comprising the casts A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Murder For Two, and Babes In Arms are new faces to Moon. (They are denoted below with a double asterisk.)

But that doesn't mean there won't be some Moon favorites as well!

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
PSEUDOLUS – Megan Cavanagh, our Moonie favorite from Jubilee, High Spirits, and Out of This World, will be heading our Forum Cast. Megan has also appeared in the major blockbusters A League of Their Own, and Mel Brooks' Robin Hood Men in Tights. Currently touring in Menopause: The Musical, she will be joining us this October for her fourth show with 42nd Street Moon.

HYSTERIUM – Mike Rhone**

PHILIA – Meghan Ihle**
HERO – Luke Chapman
SENEX – Bob Greene
DOMINA – Chris Macomber
MARCUS LYCUS – Rudy Guerrero
MILES GLORIOSUS – Rob Hatzenbeller
ERRONIUS – Elmer Strasser**
GYMNASIA – Kate Paul**
VIBRATA – Christine Bagube**
TINTINABULA – Janine Burgener**
FIRST PROTEAN – Isaiah Boyd**
SECOND PROTEAN – Jack Sale**
THIRD PROTEAN – Tyler Costin**


Murder For Two

ALL 13 SUSPECTS - Joe Kinosian**
Joe isn't just starring as 13 different characters (the Peter Sellers of our day perhaps?) But he also co-wrote the book, composed the music, and created 13 character backstories for Murder For Two. This is truly a tour de force and you won't want to miss it. Look for a multi-part series of interviews with Joe and co-writer/lyricist Kellen Blair, here on the blog. There will be additional footage of the interview exclusively on facebook.

*** UPDATE (7/20/2010)***

Adam Overett has been cast as Detective Marcus.

*** END UPDATE***

Babes In Arms
[Babes is an extra special case. Not only are there a number of new actors, but there is some amazing young talent in this show. Starting at age 10, Annie Donahey first joined Moon for Finian's Rainbow. She is now a seasoned actress at age 17!  At at age 13, Gabriel Stephens will be the youngest actor to work with Moon since Ben Franklin in Paris. We are so happy to have so many wonderful young actors working with us on Babes In Arms.]

VAL – Michael Scott Wells **
BILLIE – Alexandra Kaprielian
GUS – Caleb Haven Draper
BABY ROSE – Sophia Rose Morris **
MARSHALL – Joshua James **
DOLORES – Tyner Rushing **
PETER – Jonathan Shue**
IRVING DE QUINCY – Isaiah Boyd (making his debut in Forum)
LEE CALHOUN/FLAMBEAU – Zak Franczak
SAM REYNOLDS – Ben Euphrat **
PENNY – Maeve Martin **
BEAUREGARDE – Gabriel Stephens **
MAIZIE – Annie Donahey
SHERIFF REYNOLDS/DAN LaMAR – Dirk Leatherman **


We are so happy to have all these new actors become Moonies (no Kool-aid needed). If you'd like a chance to see them all next season, consider a season subscription. Click here.

A New Dawn, a New Day, A New Moon - 42nd Street Moon's 2010-2011 Season

While the first of our spring 2010 shows, Lady, Be Good!, is already rehearsing at MoonSpace, the 2010-11 Moon season, “Lovers, Liars and Clowns!” is also officially “off and running.” The Early Bird subscription campaign for our eighteenth season has moved into high gear, and the press announcement has found its way into the San Francisco Chronicle and several New York theatre websites.

Interestingly, the plans Stephanie and I had for next season took several twists and turns before we arrived at A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Murder for Two, Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band, and Silk Stockings.

Remember the ballot from last spring? Sure you do. Our intent was to include two of the top vote-getting shows in 2010 -11, Gigi and Forum, but alas, the rights to Gigi were unavailable (a major revival is in the works for the show). Gigi, then, gave way to Cole Porter’s Silk Stockings – probably my favorite “underrated” Cole Porter show, and one I’m so glad to have a chance to revisit.

Our complete reconstruction of the Kern-Hammerstein Three Sisters (which has absolutely nothing to do with Chekhov’s same-titled play!) is delayed till the fall of 2011, so Rodgers and Hart have moved into that slot although our Jerome Kern celebration continues with the Jerome Kern Salon in October.

Strike Up the Band was always targeted for Moon’s Ira Gershwin multi-year salute, but we moved it up to 2010-11 because George S. Kaufman’s deft anti-war satire seems particularly timely.

The first two shows of the season are perhaps the most unusual for Moon. Since we focus on “uncommon musicals,” we normally wouldn’t do a show as widely seen as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Forum, however, is consistently one of the most-requested shows from our audiences (you!), which won it a place on the ballot last season.

This is Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday year, so this is the year that Forum will land on the Moon!

Taking our cue from the 1996 revival, in which Whoopi Goldberg followed Nathan Lane in the role of Pseudolus, we decided we could give the show a fresh twist with Megan Cavanagh taking on the role. If you’ve seen Megan’s comic turns in Out of This World, High Spirits, or Jubilee, you know what a treat we’re all in for.

When we founded 42nd Street Moon in 1993, Stephanie and I did not necessarily see it as a home for new musicals. Our productions were strictly bare bones, script-in-hand concerts at the time. It seemed to us that new work deserved a shot at a full production before going the “concert route.”

Seventeen years later, the theatrical climate has evolved dramatically, as have our shows.

Murder for Two represents a first for 42nd Street Moon – a brand new musical which will be making its West Coast debut on the Eureka Stage, following a summer run in Glens Falls, New York. [Bonus points to anyone who can name the musical – which Moon has done! – that takes place in Glens Falls.]

Two dynamically talented young writers, Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair, have written this spoof of the Agatha Christie murder mystery genre: a murder in an old house, a group of eccentric and enigmatic suspects, and a body count that keeps rising. The book is so funny and the score is so fresh – as if Jerry Herman and Cole Porter had given birth to a score midwifed by Stephen Sondheim – that we couldn’t resist giving our Moon audiences the chance to enjoy this before it gets snapped up for a major production.

Is it a dramatically different turn for us? Not really – it’s certainly an “uncommon” musical, just not a “vintage” musical. (It does share many qualities with the great old musicals of the Golden Age). Although we have focused heavily on 1920s through 1970s musicals, we’ve never had a strict “time frame.” Murder for Two is the precursor to a dazzling surprise we have in store for our 20th season in 2012-13 – but rest assured that Porter, Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, Rodgers, Hart, and Hammerstein will always be on the bill at 42nd Street Moon.

Thank You to Guest Blogger Artistic Director Greg MacKellan.


If you'd like to take advantage of the Early Bird Pricing for your subscription, click here.  Hurry, offer ends March 25, 2010.

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor: 42nd Street Moon Goes to the Commercials?

Some of you get to the Eureka and you come out during intermission saying... "I know I've seen him before."  "She reminds me of someone, but I don't quite know why."  Well...

Hidden in your subconscious might be memories.  Memories of seeing some of these commercials...

Who's that Gal in the Diner with Paul Reiser...?

I think it's the same actress who's controlling this absurd air traffic....

Recognize her yet?  It's Queen Butch herself, Megan Cavanagh.  But do you think she's the ONLY Moonie to have a commercial? 

That client is very reminiscent of Prince Rudolph wouldn't you say?  Ben Pither you know how to sell a pen!

"What the.." is right.  This was one of Nintendo's most acclaimed commercials, and if you listen closely, you can here just a faint bit of Eva Standing in that cute cuddly little bear.  Dyan McBride provided the voice over for that spot.

Come  see Megan, Ben, and Dyan at the Eureka Theatre in 42nd Street Moon's Production of Cole Porter's Jubilee playing now through December 13.  For tickets click here or call (415) 255-8207

Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Donna - Donna McKechnie to Host Ira Gershwin Salon

There are Stars among the Moon this season.

Internationally renowned cabaret sensation and MAC-award winning Klea Blackhurst begins the second half of Moon's Call Me Madam this week, while our own home town star and chanteuse Connie Champagne begins rehearsal's of Destry Rides Again.

(Klea Blackhurst and Connie Champagne)

Megan Cavanagh, star of hit films A League of Their Own and Robin Hood: Men in Tights -- not to mention the voice of Jimmy Neutron's mom -- will be joining us this holiday season for Cole Porter's Jubilee.

(Megan Cavanagh)

As if that wasn't enough Tony-winner Cady Huffman just sent us a note telling us how much she loves the script for I Feel a Song Coming On: A Dorothy Fields Salon (which is this Tuesday, Oct 13th).

(Cady Huffman as Ulla in The Producers)

How could this season get better?

How about Donna McKechnie joining us for the Ira Gershwin Salon this January? (Thursday, January 28th at 7:00PM to be exact.)

(Donna McKechnie)

Yes, once again all my devoted Moon Blog readers you get the scoop.  Donnie McKechnie who changed Broadway forever by helping shape A Chorus Line and then went on to win the Tony-award with her role as Cassie will be hosting the Ira Gershwin Salon. 

We are so excited here at Moon we've decided to re-introduce the Salon Series pricing.  See Cady Huffman and Donna McKechnie for only $100 dollars. Click Here for the special rate.  Hurry, this is a limited time offer.

Shoot the Moon

Ever wonder where all those amazing pictures from the brochures, postcards, and posters come from?

Well that would be resident Moon photographer David Allen.

David has been taking pictures since his days at Miramonte High School, in the East Bay. In fact, he started working as a photojournalist right out of High School.

Now he does mostly public relations photography for art groups. He has worked with EVERYONE—from Cal Shakes, to the now defunct American Musical Theatre of San Jose, and just about every art organization in between!

He’s been working with Moon for well over a decade, taking all of our publicity shots and most of our “action” shots (production shots and gala pictures).

He enjoys our new intimate productions. “It’s more theatrical. It makes it more visually appealing as well, and the players can move more freely. That makes for a better image.”

If you can imagine, he takes somewhere between 500 and 600 of those images, which then get whittled down to just a couple of dozen for our use.

Artistic Director Greg MacKellan is the one who helms all the photo shoots, figuring out the shots, and consulting with costumer Louise Jarmilowicz on the "look" each show will need for publicity purposes. Says MacKellan:

It's hard work - but fun work! - planning a photo shoot. It's a completely different animal from actually doing the show - in the case of the shoot, the number one priority is getting shots that will "sell" the show and also offer a bit of the flavor of what people will be seeing months later. We have to try to capture the spirit of the show in an hour or hour-and-a-half. In many cases, it's the first time the actors have actually gotten together as a group -- the first chance to see how the chemistry actually works. We were really lucky at the shoot for Jubilee and Destry, because there was an immediate working chemistry between actors in both.

For the actors, performing for a camera is also very different from stage performing. Sometimes we'll just set them up in a situation and ask them to improvise through it as David shoot continuously. That happens with a dance routine, too. Some of our best shots come out that way (as opposed to the "posed" shots, which are also effective).

(Dyan McBride, Andrew Willis-Woodard, and Alison Ewing in a candid moment,
one of the 500 pictures that won't make the cut onto a poster. Photo by David Allen)

So which shows has David enjoyed shooting the most?

”One Touch of Venus was a great show to shoot. Red, Hot and Blue was also nice, really animated and a lot of energy. Plus, Klea Blackhurst is a blast; I love working with her, lots of energy!”

But from a visually artistic stand point, it’s Coco that he fancied the most. He used low-key lighting, which is “visually more creative and dramatic. I prefer that, but it takes more time so it's a luxury. It reflects more of the mood and more of the dramatic, you're dealing with shadows and light.”

(Alison Ewing helping demonstrate 'low-key lighting. Photo by David Allen)

His last photo shot was for our upcoming production of Cole Porter's Jubilee. Megan Cavanagh, Dyan McBride, C. J. Blankenship and Peter Budinger took part in the shoot. According to Peter, the actors have a ball doing it; "It was quite funny, while they were taking pictures, [Dyan] was running around creating dialogue – in character. Her character in Jubilee name drops and talks quickly, so she was doing that while posing."

C. J. recalls the shoot with a laugh, "It was pretty funny we [C. J. and Peter] were supposed to be these athletic guys. So David says, 'You guys wanna do some push ups or something?' Our egos' slightly bruised, we did it anyway. And he started taking pushup shots."

(C. J. Blankenship, Megan Cavanagh, and Peter Budinger gettin' pumped.

Photo by David Allen.)

That dovetailed into a series of shots between C. J. and Peter that reminded Peter of the gym scene from the film version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. "We were staring at each other in these series of shots, on a lark, ignoring Megan completely."

(C. J. Blankenship, Megan Cavanagh, and Peter Budinger channeling Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Photo by David Allen.)

What of David’s work for Moon have you liked the best? Which posters or postcards still stick out in your mind? Tell us in our comments. Three of you that answer will be chosen for concession coupons and entered into our quarterly drawing.

_________________________________________

Last week’s trivia answer: The first recording of Leave It to Me was from a production in Stuttgart and was recorded in German.