To those who don't like non-Chicago news, move along. But I just can't not report this.
As reported by Playbill, there's a chance that the current revival of A Little Night Music won't close June 20th when the contracts of its current starts, Catherina Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, end. Because the producers are currently in negotiations with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.
Yes. Truly.
Now one could argue that both of them are sort of a stretch to play, respectively, Desiree and Madame Armfeldt. I have some sympathy with the idea, though I can see them both working. But more importantly, I don't care. I'm pulling my musical theatre dork card here. Both are stunning performers and utterly brilliant interpreters of Sondheim. And it's in A Little Night Music. Even if it doesn't work, it will be the awesomest train wreck ever.
Anyone want to buy me a ticket?
On a less interesting note: as Playbill also reports that the Tonys this year will open with a medley of pop songs currently featured on Broadway, describing the number thus:
Expect to hear tunes from most of the musical productions that debuted on Broadway this season, including Million Dollar Quartet (one of the 22 well-known songs featured in the production); Come Fly Away (one of the Frank Sinatra standards), Promises, Promises (one of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David classics), A Little Night Music (perhaps Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns"), American Idiot (one of the Green Day hits), Fela! (possibly the song "Zombie!") and more.
I am so tired of the efforts to make the Tony's popular with people who don't care about Broadway. It's not happening. Especially since none of those artists, with the possible exception of Green Day, is near the charts at this point. I doubt that many Bachrach/David fans are out there who will suddenly choose to watch the Tonys now. The same with the celebrity presenters. It won't work. I wish that CBS would just give up and give the Tony's to PBS, who could spend time actually getting into interesting theatre stuff. The current combination doesn't work at all.
Curious.
6 years ago
5 comments:
I gave up watching the Tony's because of the desperate bids to increase ratings. Having the awards on one of the broadcast networks is ridiculous anyway and I have no idea why the hell CBS continues to broadcast it. It should be on whatever the PBS station in New York is.
The Tonys blow more and more each year.
The news about Bernadette/Stritch makes me giddy.
This is further cementing how little I care about the Tony awards this year.
At this rate, I expect the Tonys to let CBS turn them into a NCIS spin-off, just to pump up ratings.
Or maybe Mark Harmon could take over one of the roles in "A Little Night Music"?
Well, I watch because it is free (or at least included in my cable bill & I can now see it in HD). Recording the Tony's show allows me to fast forward through the commercials, thus subverting the dominant paradigm but a switch to PBS would be the best idea in a long time! Then maybe there'd be a little "scholarship" in the mix!
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