Success

What can a guy like Harry Potter teach me about how to succeed in business without really trying? Well, maybe not a whole lot, but he sure can school me about how to succeed on Broadway. In the current revival of the musical, the boy wizard himself, Daniel Radcliffe, plays window cleaner J. Pierrepont Finch, who, with the help of Shepherd Mead's book of the same name, quickly rises up the ranks at a large corporation where no one really knows what anyone else is doing, and a smart, savvy, and charming guy like Finch can get ahead just by knowing the right people and saying the right things at the right time. The show was first produced in 1961, and was revived in 1995 with Matthew Broderick and a pre–Will & Grace Megan Mullally in the lead roles. This production opened in March, and I finally got a chance to see it over the weekend when I was in New York.

I'm a fan of the show (I saw the 1995 revival twice during that run, once with Mullally, and once when Sarah Jessica Parker replaced her), and while it's not perfect (the first act drags toward the end, for example), it can be good fun. Thankfully, this production is fun — lots of it. Directed (and choreographed) by Rob Ashford, it's colorful and lively, with bright costumes, an attractive set, and some appealing performances by an enthusiastic cast, including ones by Rose Hemingway (as Rosemary) and Tammy Blanchard (the daft sexpot Hedy La Rue), as well as fellow Brandeisian Mary Faber (American Idiot). Anderson Cooper supplies the voice of the narrator. And yes, John Larroquette is also in the show; he won a Tony Award for his performance as company president J.B. Biggley, but I was less impressed by him as I was with others in the cast.

It's really to Radcliffe's credit that the revival works so well. While not the strongest singer that's ever hit the Great White Way, the erstwhile Harry Potter brings an appealing quality to the role that no doubt has much to do with the fact that we've all watched him grow up and want him to succeed here. It's hard for "Ponty" to come off as slimy because Radcliffe portrays him as smart but not pushy, ambitious but not threatening (in any way other than a comic one, of course). Radcliffe's got decent comic chops and he throws himself into his choreography. The kid's got a future in musical comedy if he wants one. (Glee's Darren Criss takes over for Radcliffe in January, and Nick Jonas follows after that. It'll be interesting to see how different the show is with them in the lead role.)

Not all the songs in How to Succeed are classics (I could do without "Coffee Break" and "Paris Original," for example), but by the time the cast performs "Brotherhood of Man," you'll have a complete smile on your face. That the show has a happy ending is redundant after watching that number, but it does and you can't help but leave the theater singing.

Those Good and Crazy People

The truth is, I'm not anti-marriage. One day I hope to find someone I love enough to want to spend the rest of my life with — and hopefully she'll feel the same way about me. But until that happens, I'm a perpetual third- or fifth-wheel. And admittedly, I go back and forth between being alright about it and yes, being lonely. Kind of like Bobby, the lead character in Stephen Sondheim's Company. The classic musical, one of my all-time favorites, was recently revived in New York with a cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Patti LuPone, Jon Cryer, and Christina Hendricks, and for a brief time, you can watch a recording of those performances on the big screen.

Company has no real plot. It's basically a collection of anecdotes strung together as 35-year-old Bobby (Harris) goes from couple to couple, each of them either doting on him or too wrapped up in themselves to notice Bobby's not comfortable being around them. None of the couples presents a real good example of why Bobby should want to be married, and yet they all feel sorry for him because he's not married. What does Bobby himself want? He doesn't seem to know, nor does he seem to be in any rush to figure that out. As a result, he continues to be emotionally detached, watching everyone live their lives while he is essentially watching from the outside. As one friend tells him on her wedding day, "I'm afraid to get married, and you're afraid not to."

The show is awesome for a number of reasons, one of them being Sondheim's songs, which at times have such a contemptuous attitude toward married people, and at times hit the single person's conflicted attitude toward settling down right on the nose. The show is funny, thought provoking, insightful, and not the typical "jazz hands" kind of musical. And as a 37-year-old singleton, I can identify with a lot of it.

The last time I saw Company, five years ago, the show left a real impression on me. So any future productions get measured against that one. This one just didn't have that same effect. Produced by the New York Philharmonic, the draw here was certainly the cast. However, the talent across the board was mixed. Harris makes for a truly charming Bobby; it's not hard to see why all these people would love him. He's more than capable of carrying the show, and his performance is eager to please. The problem is that while Harris has a fine singing voice, it's just not as strong as the character requires. For example, "Marry Me a Little" was fine, but "Someone Is Waiting" sounded like it was more of a challenge.

Among his co-stars, the acting was good, but again, singing was the real problem. Songs like "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" sounded off, and, well, Cryer, Colbert, and Hendricks aren't known for their singing anyway. Better were Martha Plimpton and especially Kate Finneran, whose "Not Getting Married" was one of the show's highlights. And then there was LuPone, whose performance was the best of the lot, not surprisingly. "The Ladies Who Lunch" was definitely the show's peak.

In addition, the show felt long and it dragged at times. I seem to recall the 2006 revival using an abbreviated book, and this production had no such tweaks. Also, the recording was basically a video of the show and not a high def film, which made watching the show on screen instead of live less engaging and fun. It wasn't exactly a home video, and it wasn't a film either. I never knew if I should be applauding, even though that seemed to be the natural reaction.

So is it worth finding a theater showing Company in the next couple days? Perhaps only if you're a devoted fan. Otherwise, check out the well produced DVD from the much more elegant 2006 revival.

2010's Entertainment Stays with Me

A couple nights ago, I re-watched the series finale of Lost for the first time in about four months. I'm happy to report that I enjoyed it as much, if not more than, I did when the episode first aired in May, and the last time I watched it back when the DVD was first released in August — and that's not just because I'm still blown away by how great Evangeline Lilly looked in that black dress. That's a relief, because when the finale aired, I was lamenting the end of one of my all-time favorite TV shows. The last episode of Lost not only lived up to the hype, but it endures and continues to be great.

Good entertainment does that: It stays with you and doesn't lose its appeal over time. 2010 had a handful of those kinds of things. In addition to Lost, I got immense pleasure from watching Community, Modern Family, and Glee (the second season, not the second half of the first). I'm still really enjoying Jamie Cullum's latest album (it's even better live in concert), as well as the new release from Maroon 5. I was excited to see American Idiot the week it opened on Broadway, and I even finished a book I really enjoyed, The Accidental Billionaires.

And then there were the movies. As of this writing, I've seen 57 of the films considered 2010 releases. (Some films I saw in the early part of the year were considered 2009 releases.) Of them, I have my favorites. It should be noted that the list that follows is not a list of the best movies of 2010, and it's also incomplete because there are a couple films I have yet to see that may make this list. So with those caveats, here are the 10 movies I saw in 2010 that I enjoyed more than the rest:
1. The Social Network (which I've seen three times)
2. The Fighter
3. Inception
4. 127 Hours
5. The Kids Are All Right
6. Toy Story 3
7. Greenberg
8. Solitary Man
9. The Town
10. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work/Winnebago Man
Honorable mention: The Expendables, which was crap, but really fun crap.

And rather than list the 10 worst movies I saw, let's call this list the 10 movies I enjoyed the least:
1. Piranha 3D
2. Valentine's Day
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. Knight & Day
5. Secretariat
6. The Tourist
7. Shutter Island
8. Little Fockers
9. Due Date
10. Dinner for Schmucks

What were your favorite movies, TV shows, albums, etc.? Please do share your thoughts with me.

Chatting About Culture with Mr. Crane

There's a pretty good chance that David Hyde Pierce won't see this. That's because when I interviewed him for Continental magazine a few months back and I asked him about whether he uses social media and is on Facebook or Twitter, the erstwhile Niles Crane responded rather quickly and tersely, "I'd rather die." Alright, fine. So that subject was a dead end. But thankfully, there was plenty else for us to discuss, and some of that conversation is now on planes and on the magazine's website for all to read.

No surprise, the man folks know from his TV, film, and stage roles is not much different from the man I "met" on the phone back in August. He was well spoken, even-keeled, polite, and calm, and happy to chat about subjects as varied as Alzheimer's research and the difference between theater audiences in New York and London. I thought he'd be turned off by a question or two about Frasier, the show on which he starred for 11 years, but instead he told me he's always happy to talk about it. "I have only been blessed and not been cursed by 11 years of Niles," he said of the role for which he won four Emmy awards.

Pierce and I conducted the interview so he could promote his role in the current Broadway revival of La Bête, which opened in mid-October and is scheduled to close in early January. In the play, Pierce plays a sophisticated director who clashes with a boorish performer, and that gave me the perfect opportunity to ask him for his thoughts on the current state of pop culture. I figured he'd have something to say about the gap between silly reality shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and more substantial fare, and I was right:

"There’s always going to be a large market for crap, and there’s always going to be a smaller market for high art. And the really great works of theater are the ones that manage to bridge the gap. Shakespeare did that. He had his clowns smack in the middle of Hamlet because he understood not only the theater, but that life is a mixture of extreme comedy and extreme tragedy. Life very seldom separates itself into one or the other. The things I’ve been drawn to, Frasier included, are things that mix both the high art and low art, or comedy and seriousness."

It was truly a pleasure to speak with David Hyde Pierce. If you'd like to read my article, just click here.

Everybody Loves Kristin

Kristin Chenoweth — the original Glinda in Wicked, the boozy April Rhodes on Glee, the Tony-winning star of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and an Emmy winner for her role on Pushing Daisies — is one of those actresses who everybody knows and everybody loves. So when I got the chance to interview her recently for Continental magazine, it was definitely a thrill. Chenoweth was just as sweet and nice and fun and bubbly as I'd expected her to be, and she gave me "good quote," which I used in the article I wrote about her, which is now live.

I interviewed Chenoweth because she's back on Broadway in the first-ever revival of Promises, Promises. If you've never heard of this musical, it's based on the Oscar-winning film The Apartment, which starred Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Chenoweth stars as Fran Kubelik (the MacLaine role), who is having an affair with an executive who will never commit to her. Sean Hayes, from Will & Grace, makes his Broadway debut as Chuck Baxter (the Lemmon role), a coworker of Kubelik's who has a crush on her. Baxter rises up the corporate ladder because he's gotten in with some horny executives, to whom he rents out his apartment each week so they can (individually) hook up with their mistresses. (Martin Lieberman fun fact: In high school, I was in a production of Promises, Promises, and I played one of those executives, a guy named Eichelberger.) Mix in a book by comedy God Neil Simon, great music from Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and an early 1960s Mad Men-esque setting, and you've got a fun, poignant, timeless and yet totally current musical.

As I learned during our chat, Chenoweth and I were both in productions of Promises, Promises when we were younger. "I was Fran, and I had a very limited understanding of what this girl was going through," she told me. "Now, I know." Regarding Fran, Chenoweth continued, "this is a woman who has spent a lot of time with the wrong man hoping it’s going to be different. And I don’t care who you are, I know just about every woman in my life has a story like that. It doesn’t even matter how old you are. You can be 19 or you can be 40. That’s something that stands the test of time."

Of course, I also asked Chenoweth why she thought Wicked has touched such a chord in so many people. "There is in every one of us a little bit of Elphaba and a little bit of Glinda," she explained. "Elphaba, who is green and is immediately outcast because of that, actually has quite a tough little exterior but is not so tough on the inside. Glinda is pretty on the outside, but what drives her? Insecurity. And then she grows into heartbreak. The show is about love and forgiveness and friendship, and those are the reasons why it has become a classic. Nothing makes me prouder than to have been a part of something like that."

So that's just a taste of what we discussed. If you'd like to read the whole article, go right ahead and click here. Enjoy!

It's Not "Jazz Hands Green Day"

For many years, Broadway's been trying to hop a ride on the rock and roll bandwagon. The results haven't always been spectacular. For every Rent or The Who's Tommy, there's a less successful effort that's not even worth naming. So it's with tempered expectations that the Great White Way welcomes the latest attempt to bring rock to Broadway, American Idiot. The show, which opened last week and which I saw Saturday night, is about as authentic a "rock musical" as you'll find and a real blast of youthful energy, but it's not without its problems.

American Idiot uses every song from Green Day's award-winning album of the same name, plus a handful from the band's follow-up, 21st Century Breakdown, and a couple of unreleased b-sides. It enhances the music by adding a story of three friends who seek an escape from their dead-end suburban lives but don't find any happiness: Johnny moves to the city and develops an addiction to a girl and heroin; Tunny decides to ship off to Iraq, where he falls victim to the horrors of war; and Will doesn't even get to leave town because he's accidentally impregnated his girlfriend.

As the show begins, we're barraged by a wall of sound and screens — George Bush, American Idol, Donald Trump, etc. — that set the scene: We're in the "recent past," a time of media saturation and too much noise. Just this little burst of instant replay is enough to put you on edge. Then the opening guitar chords of the title song ring out and we meet the cast of angry young men and women. How do we know they're angry? Because they stomp their feet, thrust their bodies forward in hard motions, throw their fists in the air, and sing with rage and intensity. (It's not exactly subtle.)

But anyway, at first, it's a little off-putting to hear Green Day's songs sung with harmonies and to see them choreographed. After all, this is not exactly the kind of music you dance to. But don't get the wrong idea: This is not "jazz hands Green Day." By the end of the second song, "Jesus of Suburbia," any awkwardness is moot. That's because of two of the show's biggest assets: One, Tom Kitt's awesome arrangements/orchestrations. Kitt, who was in my high school graduating class, and who won the Pulitzer Prize recently for Next to Normal, has maintained the integrity of the songs' punk rock origins while opening up many of them, and even making a handful of the tracks sound better. "21 Guns" is a particular favorite of mine. Maybe you saw the cast performing it at the Grammy Awards earlier this year.

The other asset is the incredible cast. You kind of wish the Tonys had an award for best ensemble (like the Screen Actors Guild Awards does) because this cast would win it hands down. Each person gives a high-energy, fully-committed performance, and they all work together expertly. While I hesitate to mention anyone in particular, one person did stand out for me: Rebecca Naomi Jones (Whatshername) — and not because she spends most of her time on stage walking around in not much more than her underwear. When she first appears, during "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and adds her voice to the testosterone-filled air, it makes the song even more powerful. Jones' other vocal contributions ("21 Guns" among them) are equally impressive. I wish she had more to do.

There are a lot of great moments in the show. I liked "Extraordinary Girl," with its high-flying acrobatics, and thought "When September Ends" was a musical highpoint. I thought the direction of the show (by Spring Awakening's Michael Mayer) made the most of a stylishly minimalist set. And I liked that the 95-minute show moves forward at a great pace and doesn't stop or slow down for an intermission. On the other hand, I didn't think there was much about the three lead characters that made me want to root for them, other than the fact that one is played by John Gallagher Jr., best known for his Tony-winning performance in Spring Awakening. Johnny doesn't really have a great story arc, and when he retreats back home at the end of American Idiot, you get the sense that he's no better off than when he left. Also, I respect the show's creators' desire to preserve the order of the songs from the original American Idiot album, but after the emotional and musical peak of "Homecoming," "Whatshername" feels like an unnecessary, rather anti-climactic coda. I'd have inserted "Whatshername" before the last section of "Homecoming" (i.e., "We're Coming Home Again").

American Idiot didn't, ahem, rock my world like Spring Awakening did, but despite any issues I had, I still really enjoyed it. After all, the music is awesome, and as noted above, it's put to great use in this show. I dare say this is the best, most hummable, most instantly memorable score on Broadway — at least compared to some other shows I've seen in recent years. I foresee myself listening to the original cast recording repeatedly, and I see American Idiot enjoying a long, successful Broadway run.

One Hot Number

He's an Italian treasure. The "essence of Italian style ... the king of Cinema Italiano." But in the movie Nine (an adaptation of the Broadway musical, which was adapted from Federico Fellini's film 8½), writer/director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) is grappling with a midlife crisis that has given him an epic case of writer's block. Add to this the pressure he is receiving from all sides: his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penélope Cruz), his muse (Nicole Kidman), journalists (including one played by Kate Hudson), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), producers, and more. Suffice it to say, it'll take a miracle for Guido to make another film, and until then, he'll keep dangling along the various women, investors, and members of his creative team until he finally gets another idea.

Nine is, like the man at the center, not perfect. But man, did I ever enjoy it. The film is big, splashy, elegant, sexy, bold, tuneful, and really fun, and it's an incredible advertisement for visiting Italy. Nearly every performer gets his or her own chance to shine, even if one or two of the songs do let them down (Dench's "Folies Bergère, for example). Day-Lewis is great, though his singing and speaking voice sometimes made me think of the Count, from Sesame Street. And I was really impressed by Cotillard's singing voice, particularly in the song "My Husband Makes Movies." Heck, even Kate Hudson is good, and that's saying something.

Like in his big-screen version of Chicago, director Rob Marshall stages the musical numbers as if they're the thoughts in one of his character's head (in this case, Guido). While I liked that device more here than I did in Chicago, I think that in his next movie, Marshall is going to have to find a new gimmick. At one point, Guido sings, "I am lusting for more. Should I settle for less? I ask you, what's a good thing for if not for taking it to excess?" That applies to Marshall's filmmaking, specifically his less than subtle staging of some of the numbers, a few of which are so overtly sexual that he almost robs them of their sexuality (no pun intended). Which is, partly, why Cotillard's performance stands out. She's so graceful, so underplaying her role, that she's really able to shine.

I have some issues with Nine, but I still found myself smiling throughout, and I was happy to be singing the music in my head when it was over (maybe because "Be Italian" is a total earworm song). I'm not giving the movie a 9 rating, but I figure a B+ is close enough.

I Could Be Stamos' Wingman

Over the course of the nearly 7.5 years that I worked on Continental magazine, I was lucky enough to interview a fair number of big-name celebrities, including Nathan Lane, Jennifer Hudson, Mitch Albom, Jesse L. Martin, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idina Menzel, Jason Lee, Joan Allen, Jason Mraz, Roger Bart, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. But I have to say, none of them was as much fun to chat with as John Stamos, who I recently interviewed for a freelance article in the magazine (my first such assignment since I left that job). And of course, I'm telling you this because the article is now online.

I spoke (by phone) with the erstwhile Uncle Jesse, who is currently starring on Broadway in a revival of Bye Bye Birdie, and the real bummer was that the article was so short and couldn't adequately convey just how cool John was. I mean, he volunteered to dish on the Olsen twins (I said no thanks, that I knew all I needed to know about them). We discussed how we're both single, and how we could go out together and be each other's wingman (full disclosure: the wingman thing was my idea — but he agreed). He mocked his buddy Bob Saget (something he does often), and spoke affectionately about another good friend, Don Rickles. And he was just so easy to talk with, so charming, so open, and so nice, that I wished I could have extended the chat longer than my allotted time.

If you're interested, here are some quick quotes from our interview that fell on the editing floor.

On "creating" a role in a new Broadway production, after stepping into other productions in the past when they were midway through their runs: "I’m happy that I got to do the other stuff first because I think I needed to pay my dues. And maybe I wasn’t ready before to do what I’m doing now. So I think I’ve worked for it. This wasn’t just handed to me. And I’m up for the challenge."

On maintaining his youthful appearance: "I take care of myself for the most part. People who aren’t from Hollywood, they say it’s special creams and ointments. But I guess genetically I’ve just been lucky to hold on to my youth. I’ve never had any plastic surgery or done Botox."

On his time on ER: "It was the best. It was the best adult role that I’ve gotten to play. And probably, with how challenging it was, the best time I’ve ever had on television. I mean, Full House was fun, but on ER I felt like a real actor. And I worked with some really incredible people that I learned a lot from."

If you're flying Continental during the month of November, you'll see my article on page 52. If not, just click here to read it. And of course, if you're in New York, go see John's show!

Touch of Grey

I've been fascinated by the story of the Beales for only a short time now — ever since I watched the movie Grey Gardens on HBO — and when I heard that there was going to be a production of the Broadway adaptation here in Boston at the Lyric Stage Company, I decided to check it out (with my friend Nina). I'd never seen the Tony Award–winning show when it was on Broadway, never had much interest, but hey, why not see it now? The story remains fascinating to me, and thankfully this production (which ends today) kept the mystery alive.

Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little" Edie, were the eccentric relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In the 1940s, they were the toast of the town, living a high society life on East Hampton, Long Island. But their lives fell apart, and by the 1970s, they were broke recluses living in their now-decrepit mansion (called Grey Gardens). The co-dependent women, as dramatized in the musical, blame each other for their fate, but neither can quite live without the other. Little Edie is nothing short of a kook, going on about her bizarre "revolutionary costume for today" and her dreams deferred.

In the show, many in the cast of actors play multiple roles. Most notably, Leigh Barrett plays Big Edie in the first act (which takes place in 1941) and Little Edie in the second (which takes place in 1973). She was this production's obvious standout performer. The second act is definitely the more enjoyable of the two, and I didn't walk out humming any of the songs (other than "The Revolutionary Costume for Today," with its da-da-da-da-da), but overall I'm happy I saw the show. Now I feel like I want to watch the famous Maysles brothers documentary.

Springtime for Martin

Generally, I have a bias against seeing Broadway shows not on Broadway. They just never quite feel real to me, especially if I've seen the original cast and I've listened to the soundtrack more times than I can remember. So I was nervous about how much I'd enjoy Spring Awakening when I went to see it Thursday night at the Colonial Theater here in Boston. After all, when I saw the show in New York a year and a half ago, I was blown away by how much I liked it, and I've just about worn out my copy of the original cast recording.

Well, the good news is that this touring production is, in fact, quite good. The voices of this cast are not as strong as those of the original cast (which included, among other folks, the beautiful Lea Michele, soon to be seen in the FOX TV show, Glee), but the actors certainly give impressive performances — especially the lead trio of Blake Bashoff, Kyle Riabko, and Christy Altomare, who play Moritz, Melchior, and Wendla, respectively. And all the same choreography and music that I enjoyed in New York has arrived intact. Highlights include "The Dark I Know Well," "Don't Do Sadness," "The Mirror-Blue Night," and of course, "Totally Fucked," the high point of this production — in enthusiasm, anyway.

If you don't know Spring Awakening, it's a musicalized version of the controversial 1891 play by Frank Wedekind about sexual repression and rebellion in Germany. This adaptation, with contemporary music by Duncan Sheik, includes heavy themes of rape, abuse, homosexuality, suicide, and abortion, and it's definitely not your parents' type of show. Based on the half-empty theater tonight, it's safe to assume plenty of tickets are still available for the Boston leg of the tour (here through May 24). Good ones too — we bought mezzanine tickets but were moved down to the orchestra, row J. It's not the original cast on Broadway, but I still recommend seeing this production.

It's Pretty Ugly

There are a lot of children who will go to see Shrek the Musical and will love it. And then there are a lot of adults who will go — with or, in my case, without children — and will wonder why this is a Broadway show at all and not an attraction at Universal Studios. Because while Shrek the Musical is a colorful, cute, and mostly enjoyable show, it doesn't belong on Broadway. With top tickets costing more than $100, you half expect to get some rides with your admission.

This theatrical adaptation of the Oscar-winning animated film (which officially opens on December 14) tells the same basic story as the film: Shrek the ogre just wants to be loved. But it tries to deepen that plot by adding a heavy-handed message about tolerance and acceptance. Now, for example, not only are all the varied fairy tale characters like the Three Little Pigs and Pinocchio outcasts and comic relief, but they also have identity issues — here celebrated in a song called "Freak Flag," which calls for tolerance. This can be funny, until you start to hurt from being hit over the head so many times with the same themes. I mean, Milk has a similar message, but it's communicated in that film in a much more subtle and graceful style.

On the good side, the songs here are more tuneful and memorable than those in, say, Young Frankenstein, and the sets and costumes are colorful, fun, and totally appropriate given the source material. Daniel Breaker, who plays Donkey, has a great singing voice and I enjoyed his songs — even if he makes the character more effeminate than Eddie Murphy's version was (are you picking up a trend yet?). Christopher Siebert plays the diminutive Lord Farquaad mostly by standing on his knees, a gag that generally works pretty effectively. As a result, Farquaad's scenes are some of the funniest ones in the show. I also enjoyed some of the in-jokes about shows like The Lion King and Wicked.

But yeah, despite the attempts to broaden the story, Shrek the Musical is nothing more than an adaptation of an animated film. And unlike The Lion King, it doesn't try to be more that that. As a result, the show too often strands some very good actors — like Brian d'Arcy James, who plays Shrek, and Sutton Foster, who plays Princess Fiona — with nothing more to do than make some pandering farting and burping jokes, or mimic the well-known film actors' performances. James even maintains Mike Myers' Scottish brogue, though not always successfully. After this and Young Frankenstein, I really hope Foster will choose a next role that's less cartoony and that will be more worthy of her talents, like Thoroughly Modern Millie was. She deserves better, as do most of the other actors here.

Admittedly, when I decided to see Shrek, I wasn't really anticipating an instant classic show. (Why did I see it, then? Curiosity, I guess, and because I'd included it in a recent article.) On some level, when you see a show on Broadway you hope for something with a little artistic ambition. This one just doesn't have enough. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy Shrek the Musical. It's just that I wouldn't really call it worth seeing unless you're a child.

Temporary Insanity?

Todd and I were talking yesterday while wandering around New York City and I commented to him matter-of-factly that I was having such a good time that I could see myself being very happy living here. He said it was just because the weather was so nice, and because New York is a fun city to visit. I called it temporary insanity. After all, I know full well that I have absolutely no desire to live in Manhattan. Hell, I don't even like New York City. But that doesn't change the fact that I had those thoughts again after another day of playing tourist.

I was in the city to see Todd — in from Los Angeles with his wife and child, Naomi, who is already a year old — and we did a typical tourist thing on the day after Thanksgiving: wander around Fifth Avenue looking at the various store windows at Saks, Bloomingdales, and Bergdorf Goodman. (Oh, and it should be noted, we did all this with Kerri.) Then we went to 30 Rock to see the tree (unlit until Wednesday). And I've gotta say, the combination of perfect weather and being amongst people full of holiday cheer (not just Todd and co., but the entire city, it seemed) was really fun.

When we separated, I was having such a good time that I made the decision to stay in the city and try to see a show. After an hour-long wait at the new TKTS booth, I had tickets for (of all things) Shrek the Musical. (I know, I know. But I had included it in a recent article for Continental and I was curious.) I'll write more about the show a little later, but I'll say I am enjoying this annual tradition of getting spur-of-the-moment theater tickets (last year I saw Spring Awakening). For laughs and, well, because I had to go, I returned to Charmin's free public restroom, browsed the Virgin Megastore for a while, then fully embraced my inner tourist by grabbing a quick dinner at Planet Hollywood (mmmmm ... Chicken Crunch). Suffice it to say, it was a cheesy couple hours, but I enjoyed myself.

Yeah, Todd was right: In small doses, New York can be a lot of fun. But small doses is key. I'm not moving anytime soon.

Best Blond Maria ... and other awards

High School Tony Awards Honor Nation's Biggest Drama Club Nerds

Lights Up on Washington Heights

Just a quick public congrats to Lin-Manuel Miranda, who won a Tony Award Sunday night for Best Original Score of a Musical for his In the Heights. His show also won Best Musical. And while Lin did lose Best Lead Actor in a Musical, I'd say he still had an impressive evening. Why do I care about this? Well, in case you've forgotten, I interviewed Lin for Continental, and his win continues a decent streak I've had of picking Tony nominees and winners. So yeah, congrats to Lin and congrats to me.

"King" of Broadway

The announcement today that Whoppi Goldberg will host the Tony Awards this year reminded me that I never put up a link to my story about likely nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway show In the Heights. Lin-Manuel, who is only 28, started writing his show when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan and never expected to act in it. But his collaborators found that no one knew the show's freestyle raps as well as he did, and thus, somewhere along the way to Broadway, Lin-Manuel became the star. The rest, as they say, is history.

A quick anecdote: The first time I called Lin-Manuel, I got his outgoing voice mail message. It gave a quick idea of what kind of guy he was. "Hello, you've reached [with an accent] Lin-Manuel Miranda, or in English, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Leave a message at the beep." For some reason, I found that really funny. When we spoke, Lin-Manuel was quick-witted, fast-talking, and very engaging; it was a really enjoyable interview. And for more insights about Lin-Manuel, check out his YouTube channel, where you can watch, among other things, Lin-Manuel lip-synching and dancing to "King of Wishful Thinking" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. Actually, the video is so priceless that I've embedded it below.

Anyway, here's a link to my article so you can read it if you'd like. We'll find out Tuesday morning if Lin-Manuel is among those who've been nominated for a Tony. I'd wish him all the luck in the world, but I really don't think he needs it. Chances are good this guy will collect not just one but a couple statues when they're awarded next month. Good for him.

Goodbye, Superstar

I've always known American Idol was a total crock, but tonight, with the premature ouster of Carly Smithson, the show proved again that the voters clearly don't recognize talent. This video below is of Carly's performance last night of "Superstar," from Jesus Christ Superstar (it was Andrew Lloyd Webber night), and damn if it wasn't one of the top 3 of the night (another being Syesha Mercado's performance of "One Rock & Roll Too Many"). Brooke White and/or Jason Castro definitely should have been in the bottom two, and one of them should have gone home. Sigh ... Oh well. Goodbye, Carly. Best of luck to you.

Raise this Roof

Hey there. Just a quick plug because an article I've written is now live on the Interweb for you to read and enjoy. It's about the new Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which for the first time features an all-African-American cast. I interviewed Debbie Allen (who you most likely know from the TV show Fame), and, well, you can see what she had to say right here.

Have I Got a Show for You

Just a quick TV PSA: A filmed version of the recent Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company, which I saw and loved, will be making its television debut Wednesday night on your local PBS station. Check the local listings for the station and time in your city. Here's an excerpt from the opening number. If you can't watch the show Wednesday, don't worry: it's going to be repeated a few times over the next couple weeks. Or just set your DVR. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Attend This Tale of Sweeney Todd

How excited was I to see Sweeney Todd? Well, as I've previously stated, it's one of my favorite musicals of all time, and I had high hopes based on the trailer. And now, having seen the film, I'm happy to say I was not disappointed.

Sweeney Todd tells the story of Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a wrongly imprisoned barber who returns to London having rechristened himself Sweeney Todd. He's hellbent on having his revenge against the judge who took his wife and child away from him. But when Sweeney decides not to stop at just the judge, and that "they all deserve to die," he hatches a plan with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), his downstairs neighbor, to grind up the bodies and turn them into meat pies. Soon the city population is a fraction of what it once was, and Mrs. Lovett is making the most popular pies in London. The film is directed by Mr. Macabre himself, Tim Burton, so needless to say, it's a very dark film and there's a lot of blood. And yes, if you missed it above, this is a musical. But it's safe to say you've never seen a musical quite like this.

As Todd, Depp doesn't have the strongest voice, but his forceful performance almost covers that over. I also sort of wish Burton had gone with someone whose voice was lower and not the baritone that Depp has. (Someone like, oh, Michael Cerveris perhaps.) But Depp is very, very good in the role, and he's certainly a better singer than Bonham Carter, who really can't sing all that well. She gives a fine performance, but she's not nearly as good as, say, Patti LuPone or Angela Lansbury (so I've heard; I've never seen Lansbury's performance). Across the board, it's clear that the cast was chosen not for their vocal chops but for their acting abilities, and from Sasha Baron Cohen's comical Pirelli to Timothy Spall's skeevy Beadle Bamford, they all inhabit their roles quite well.

And Burton has streamlined the story, doing away, unfortunately, with "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" (which now serves as a lyric-free overture) and either shortening or eliminating other songs, but keeping the focus more on Todd's pursuit of revenge. The result is a film that's less than two hours long, not necessarily a bad thing. Burton's also done away with much of the theatricality, thankfully, turning Sweeney into an actual movie, not an adaptation. There's no factory whistle when someone's throat is slit, like there often is on stage. And when the characters sing (and if you don't know, they sing about 85% of the time), it's not so much a break for a song; instead, Stephen Sondheim's songs really do serve the plot. They're like sung dialogue, in a good way. If you generally don't like musicals, this is the one to see. And yes, the blood does flow, from the first frame to the last. It's a thick, tomato soup–like blood, and man, is it gory.

As with the show, my favorite song is "A Little Priest," where Lovett and Todd delight in the different types of pies created by different types of victims ("The trouble with poet is how do you know it's deceased?") On the other hand, I still get bored by the Anthony-Johanna subplot. But no matter. Sweeney Todd the movie is very entertaining, well-made, and cool. Not sure it's the kind of movie musical I'm going to run to see multiple times (unlike, say, Hairspray), but it stands alone as a singular vision and not a retread of what many have already seen on stage. And for that, I'm giving Sweeney a strong B+.

Bright Guy, Big City

So yeah, I took a couple days off from work last week and spent them down in New York. And for the first time in a long while, most of the time was spent in the city, playing tourist. Here are some snapshots from the weekend.

O Christmas Tree: Bean, meet the Christmas tree at 30 Rock. Decided to get my Christmas on, so I spent a bit of time at Rockefeller Center trying to take the perfect picture of the big tree (after all, it's never too early to start working on next year's A Very Marty Xmas CD). But as I kept learning, it's hard to take a picture of a lit-up tree at night. My damned camera didn't seem to want to focus. This one here is probably the best one I took.

Number one or number two, it's completely up to you: Best thing ever was Charmin's second annual, temporary, free public restroom next door to the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. That's all it is. You go up a tall escalator, wait on line, and you get to use one of the 20 or so toilets. They were spotless (cleaned after each use), colorful, and the attendants were having such a good time helping out that it was hard not to smile. As marketing gimmicks go, this one was pretty fun. And it was really convenient, because at the time, I really had to go.

People watching: Mitzi, Fetus, and I had a very very very minor celeb sighting Thursday night when we spotted Danny, from the New Orleans cast of The Real World, in the Times Square Toys 'R' Us just wandering around. And it occured to me how none of the current viewers of that show must know who he is. I think I also saw Andre 3000 from OutKast there. Oh, and Sean Dugan, an old college roommate, was on the same train into the city on Friday, but we didn't get a chance to talk. And though she's also on Broadway these days, in Cyrano de Bergerac, you'll be happy to know I did not stalk wait for Jennifer Garner outside the stage door.

Flame on: Turned a corner at 9th and 44th on Friday and saw this taxi on fire. No one seemed to know how or why it happened. And while I knew the thing could have exploded at any second, for a change I did the stupid thing and got out my camera to take a picture, instead of running for cover. (What?! It's not like the other people doing the same thing were any smarter than me.) Thankfully, the NYFD showed up just in time and put the fire out.

Show time: As I've previously mentioned, seeing Spring Awakening was unexpected. Here's why. After lunch with Anna on Friday, I decided to hang out in Times Square and go to a couple places, then head back to meet up with Mitzi, Jason, and Fetus for dinner. Long story short, a couple guys on the corner of Broadway and 44th were selling discounted tix to a few shows, including Spring Awakening. Of course I was skeptical, and I did some background checks, even asking a cop a few feet away if he knew if the guys on the corner were scalpers. As it turned out, they were totally legit. So I took the chance, changed my plans, and saved $40 on top seats (12th row center) for what ended up being an awesome show. Money well-spent, even if at the time I felt like I was a total sucker buying Broadway show tickets from a random guy on the street.

Hmmmmm...: Believe it or not, I so enjoyed the day and a half that I spent in New York City that for maybe 15–30 minutes I actually thought about moving there. The cold winds snapped that thought out of me quickly enough, but I suppose that only goes to show you how good a time I had in the Big Apple. I need to do stuff like this more often.