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.

Questioning the Suspects: An Interview with the Creators of Murder for Two

In part two of our multi-part interview with Joe Kinosian (composer/co-book writer) and Kellen Blair (lyricist/co-book writer), Joe tells us about his 12 characters in Murder for Two, as well as his multiple roles in the creation of the show.

If you missed part one, click here for my last blog.

If you'd like to see Murder for Two, get your tickets early.  Call (415) 255-8207 or see our website.  Tickets go on sale August 17.

Let the Interrogation Begin: Interviewing the Creators of Murder For Two

There are so many things to be excited about next season at 42nd Street Moon, but for me personally, the most exciting is the production of Murder For Two: A Killer Musical.

This is the first time Moon has produced a brand new work.  San Francisco will be the first major city to produce this hilarious and innovative work.

Murder For Two is two parts Agatha Christie, mixed with one part old-fashioned musical comedy, added to that, a dash of 21st century flair (shaken, not stirred).

I had a wonderful opportunity to talk to the creators of Murder while in New York back in March.  This is a multi-part interview (each is about 2.5 to 4 min long), which will be posted over the next few months. There are also exclusive interview "snippets" (30 seconds to a minute each) that will only be found on Facebook, so if you haven't "become a fan" of 42nd Street Moon on Facebook, now is a good time!

In part 1 we meet the creators and learn their motivations for writing Murder For Two.

If you'd like to join us for our 18th Season and reserve your seats for Murder For Two, click here.  Otherwise, single tickets will go on sale August 15, 2010 and can be purhcased online or by calling us at (415) 255-8207.

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.