Broadway

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Quick Hijack...

Does anyone know if "Broadway Across America" shows are (Actors) Equity or non-Equity? Are the musicians AF of M?

I'm curious since I have a son who is now an Equity member. He's back from his cruise contract and auditioning in New York again. He has two auditions today and a call back on Friday. Two of the shows are NYC, and one regional theatre.

I've never heard of Broadway Across America until reading the posts in this thread. Has it been around long? We don't have it here in Denver -- I suspect because Robert Gardner Center Attractions at the Denver Center For The Performing Arts (DCPA) is so good, and has been around for so long, that we get all of the first national tours and have actually premiered the national tours of Sunset Boulevard and Lion King, as well as the pre-Broadway runs of Little Mermaid and Broklyn, The Musical (which was done at the Denver Civic Theatre, not a part of DCPA).

We've seen one non-Equity (tour) show here, and while the performers were really pretty good (I'd say not quite as good as most we've seen), none had the big New York or national tour credits that we're used to seeing. And the music was a track instead of a live orchestra. That was not great. The excitement of the live music is part of the theatre experience to me.

OK, so maybe we're theatre snobs. I guess it comes from having a former theatre teacher/actor, two actor/singer/dancers and an actor/singer/director in the family. (None of the above is me, by the way, my director credits are in live TV)

Just curious.

I think they're Equity. Seattle has a huge theatre community and is filled with theatre snobs, though we're also very open minded. That's why we were the test market for Hairspray (actually developed locally), The Wedding Singer, and A Light in the Piazza (again, developed locally). Actually, all of those shows and many of the other "big" shows done in Seattle are at the 5th Avenue Theatre, which is a different theatre than the one that hosts the Broadway Across America series. All BAA is is a name to put all of the national tours under; the shows that come to town are the same national tours that go to Denver and other places, so yes, they have big credits and of course a live orchestra (I can't imagine going to a show without one!). It's probably a production company of some kind, kinda like Live Nation is for concerts...i dunno, just a guess.

[dgdramadawg]

Male Solo -- Fathers and Sons (Working), It's a Fish (The Apple Tree), If You Want to Die In Bed (Miss Saigon)
Female Solo -- Rose's Turn (Gypsy), Doatsy Mae (Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), Time Heals Everything (Mack and Mabel)
Male Duet -- Ballad of Booth (Assassins)
Female Duet -- Who's That Girl (Applause), There's Always a Woman (Anyone Can Whistle)
Male/Female Duet -- I Could Be Happy With You (The Boy Friend), The Next Ten Minutes (Last Five Years)
Trio -- There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This (Sweet Charity), Big Ass Rock (Full Monty)
Quartet -- How about a quintet... anything from Altar Boyz (especially Number 918 and Rhythm in Me)
Novelty (for instance by a narrator) - DeltAlum, I also love Shoes Upon the Table, but Summer Sequence is my favorite narrator number in Blood Brothers
Chorus Number - Overture: Audition (42nd Street), Touch Me (Spring Awakening), Something to Point To (Working)

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Seattle has a huge theatre community...

Interesting. I'm really pleased to hear that.

Denver does also.

We just got back from White Christmas at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Buell Theatre. The tickets came as part of our Broadway season, but it was not a tour, but rather a local effort of the Denver Center Theatre Company (a subsidiary of DCPA), in collaboration with the Fifth Avenue (street?) Theatre Company in Seattle and the Theatre Under the Stars (I think) in Houston. The three companies shared in financing and creative staffs on the production.

It was good.

A seventh grader from the Denver School of the Arts played Susan, and her mother bought our daughter and son-in-law orchestra seats because he cast her in a couple of shows (Sound of Music and The Secret Garden) and daughter had leads in both and kind of mentored her. She did a great job.

DCPA has also collaborated with The Royal Shakespere Company as well as others on projects. That is just so smart, and a great use of resources.

The Denver Center was really alive today with White Christmas at the Buell, Nutcracker at the ELLIE (Ellie Caukins Opera House), The Colorado Symphony at Boetcher Concert Hall and The Taffetas at The Stage. All three spaces are in the same complex. There are three other theatres in the complex, but they didn't have showings at the same time.

The theatre district was really busy after the shows and we discoverd a really neat 50's/60's type diner and had dinner. It was packed with after theatre folks.

Great day!

ETA that it's great to see the IATSE (stagehands) strike is over!

[DeltAlum]

Found some good fares and a friend of son's from "Millie" last year is subletting her apartment, so we're heading for the City 12/19 thru 12/25.

Thinking about what show to see...

[DeltAlum]

Back.

Saw Young Frankenstein (really funny), Color Purple with Fantasia (left me cold, but she can belt) and the Chorus Line revival (enjoyed it a lot).

Didn't pay full price for any -- ticket lottery for Frankstein ($26.50 per ticket, first row center), TKTS booth for the other two -- $60.50 per ticket for both shows)

Also walked all over Manhattan and my feet will be better some day. I hope. Stayed in a real need little apartment at 56th and 9th -- great location.

Had the chance to get standing room for Jersey Boys, but by the time (about 90 seconds) I checked with wife, they were sold. That would have been $26.50 per ticket. Frustrating.

[Taualumna]

NEW YORK – Rent, the acclaimed musical chronicle of counterculture life and death in Manhattan's East Village, will close in June after more than a dozen years on Broadway, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Rent Closing