Broadway Blogs - Betty Buckley 'BROADWAY BY REQUEST' - A MUST SEE!

By: Feb. 11, 2009
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Betty Buckley 'BROADWAY BY REQUEST' - A MUST SEE!
by Robert Diamond - February 11, 2009

Now, those that know me or read The Broadway Pulse know that 'reviewing' is NOT my thing, however, I was so moved by one of those special nights in the Broadway world (pun intended) that makes covering this business so fulfilling, that I just HAD to get the word out.

We were at Feinstein's on Monday night as part of the audience that was invited to 'test-drive' Betty Buckley's new show BROADWAY BY REQUEST, featuring Seth Rudetsky and directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, which officially opened the following night and runs through March 7th.

This show should NOT by missed by ANYONE who is interested in musical theatre or in any aspect of Buckley's extraordinary career. From the minute that Rudetsky hit the stage, showing some video clips (I won't 'spoil' the surprise of their hilarity) to Buckley's entrance, the audience was already in the palm of her hands. Everyone in the room was asked to fill out request forms, on which you could 'request' a song from either her stage or recording career or ask the glowing diva any question, no holds barred. From there, it was "'off to the races."

The evening jumped from Pippin to 1776 to Carrie to Sunset Boulevard to Promises, Promises and on and on and the stories were out of this world. It was a rare glimpse at a star, up close and personal. As we watched the gift of the talent and the magic spell that she cast over the audience, making us all laugh and cry and I kid you not -- I was among them.

The night of the dress rehearsal, Ken Page was in the audience and we learned that he was here from Los Angeles, rehearsing for Susan Stroman's new musical, HAPPINESS. Page was the original Old Deuteronomy in the Broadway production of CATS and as Buckley regailed us with an extraordinary story of how her Grizabella puzzle was put together, and, more specifically her delivery of "Memory" she used Ken in the audience, as living proof that the stories were true. "Memory" brought the house to its feet and she invited Ken Page up onto the stage who then regailed us with a story of his own from the Black production of Guys & Dolls, in which he played Nicely-Nicely Johnson and (after wiping away his own tears at Buckley's performance which he noted had only gotten better and more truthful), he took his turn and brought the house down with "Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat". He also announced that he'd been cast as Nicely-Nicely to reprise the role in this summer's production of Guys & Dolls in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl under the direction of Richard Jay-Alexander, who he also explained had been a long-time friend.

As if all of this weren't enough, Ms. Buckley then stood there and simply asked us "How often is it that you get to grow into a song some 35 years after it was written?" and broke everyone's heart as she sang Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music (can someone PLEASE get this show back to Broadway, and with Buckley in it!?!) This show had so many high points that it's hard to pinpoint a favorite, but the audience that evening - of professionals, aspiring actor/singers and friends (and my parents, who loved it too!), will never forget the show we saw in that room.

If you can make it, don't miss this one... It's truly a VERY special "must-see." I'll be going again myself and for those fans of hers, like me, who would love to see her back on the boards - it more than suffices as the "next best thing"!

Click here for more information. 

 

 

Shipwrecked! An Entertainment - The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told by Himself)
by Michael Dale - February 11, 2009

 

It's a somewhat tricky business describing what makes Donald Margulies' new play, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment - The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told by Himself), a worthwhile venture without revealing details best discovered during the performance.  Those familiar with the true story of de Rougemont will know exactly what I'm referring to but I'd advise those new to the facts to resist Googling for answers before taking in Primary Stages' charming new production.

What I will reveal, perhaps not made totally clear by Margulies, is that in 1898 the British World Wide Magazine began publishing what became immensely popular stories chronicling the Frenchman turned Brit's thirty years abroad.  Leaving home as a teenager, his head filled with bedtime adventure stories told by his mom, young Louis sailed off on a pearl fishing expedition, where, after an encounter with a giant octopus, his ship was wrecked by a whirlpool and the lad was washed to the shore of an island off the Australian coast where he lived for decades with an Aboriginal bride before returning home.

Shipwrecked! might be seen as a recreation of the performances the author started giving the next year, describing his tale to music hall audiences, although director Lisa Peterson's production blurs the line between period and contemporary.  Played on set designer Neil Patel's circular platform painted with a swirl that could represent either a whirlpool or a hypnotist's disc, costume designer Michael Krass has de Rougemont (Michael Countryman) dressed in the style of late-1800's Western Europe but his two supporting actors (Jeremy Bobb and Donnetta Lavinia Grays) sport looks clearly anchored in the 21st Century.  Bobb and Grays double as sound effect masters in the small-scale production but while the chain of keys that sound designer John Gromada uses to simulate chimes seems perfectly Victorian, the bubble wrap popped to sound like a crackling fire is certainly of a more modern time.

Originally conceived as a play for young audiences, Shipwrecked! is written and performed with an appealing wide-eyed enthusiastic innocence; especially evident in the performance of Countryman, who gleefully narrates the tale with delightful gusto.  While Grays plays for sincerity as both Louis' mother and wife, she gets to show off an animated cartoon swagger as a salty sea captain.  Bobb gets the flashier supporting material and is very funny as the hero's faithful dog and as a stately Queen Victoria.

While Margulies could have opted for approaching the tale of Louis de Rougemont as a more complex exploration of the issues that crop up before the adventure is done, Shipwrecked!, as it stands, is an enjoyable theatrical yarn quite suitable for both adults and children with an attention span.  (90 minutes with no intermission)  And it's always good to have a few of them around.

Photos by James Leynse:  Top:  Michael Countryman; Bottom:  Donnetta Lavinia Grays and Jeremy Bobb



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