NYS Music 20​16

Author: Dani Riggs

  • Once at Proctors Captivates with Enchanting Music and Love Story

    Think about the first time you heard your favorite band. Remember that feeling when you discovered the way that certain music changes you? Well, that’s the feeling you’ll get again after seeing Once at Proctors.

    Once is a musical like no other. You’ll be transported to Ireland – the only set is an intimate Dublin bar that transforms into a music store, a home, a bank, and a music studio just with lighting and the changing of tables and chairs. Most unique about the show is that the actors double as the orchestra, all of them singing and playing their own instruments on stage.

    It’s the story of Guy, an Irish street musician and vacuum-cleaner repairman, who is still overcoming a tough breakup. We meet him when he is ready to give up on his music career, until Girl, a Czech singer-pianist, comes along. They begin making music together and quickly change each other’s lives.

    Theatre-goers are invited to enjoy the real on-stage bar before the show, and, unlike any Broadway show I’ve seen before, most of the cast comes out about 15 minutes before the show for a jam session. From the very first note, it sets the captivating atmosphere of the evening and reminds you that this isn’t your normal Broadway show.

    once the broadway musical

    The house lights didn’t even begin to dim when Sam Cieri, who plays Guy, began the first song of the night, LEAVE. But you become so enveloped in Cieri’s unique voice and the power he puts behind the music, that you don’t even notice when the lights finally go out.

    Mackenzie Lesser-Boy, who plays Girl, makes you fall in love with her immediately with her charm and quirky personality. Her chemistry with Cieri is so strong you’ll catch yourself leaning forward in your seat waiting for a kiss between the two.

    The Oscar-winning song from the show (and movie the musical is based on), FALLING SLOWLY, is only the second song of the show with a reprise at the end. But in-between, you’ll be immersed in all of the enchanting songs like GOLD, IF YOU WANT ME, and WHEN YOUR MINDS MADE UP.

    Once isn’t a Big Broadway show. It doesn’t have big dance numbers or bright costumes. But it does have a real story with real music that will resonate with you, and not just on the drive home. It’ll stay with you when you wake up the next day and go with you into the next week, reminding you of the power of the perfect song. It gives you that feeling like you’ve just discovered the way music can change you, all over again.

    When: Now – May 15
    Where: Proctors Theatre, 432 State Street Schenectady NY
    Tickets: $20-$80 on proctors.org

  • 2016 Tony Award Nominees

    History has its eyes on the hit musical, Hamilton, which has 16 Tony Award nominations in 2016 – the record for nominations in Broadway history.

    I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing any of the New Best Musical nominees, but based on not only the cast recordings, but reviews as well, I’m on Team Hamilton. I’ll be honest, when I first heard about Hamilton last year while it was running off-Broadway, I scoffed at the thought (not knowing at the time that Lin-Manuel Miranda of In the Heights fame had written it). But I haven’t stopped listening to that cast album since it was released early last fall.

    2016 Tony Award It won’t be a surprise when Hamilton takes home most, if not all, of the awards they are up for on June 12, all simply because they deserve it. Plus, I think the Tony Voters are more than happy with the attention and money Broadway is getting thanks to this hit.

    The only “snub” I think we will see is if Leslie Odom Jr. gets the award for his performance of Aaron Burr instead of Miranda earning it for the title role. Although it is based solely on the cast album, I’m rooting for Odom.

    I believe this year we will also see a historic number of  Tony Award viewers. Typically ranked last out of the the EGOT Award shows in viewership, people won’t want to miss the performance of Hamilton. I just hope that it will also shed some light on the other musicals who also deserved their nominations this year. Those include Shuffle Along, Waitress, School of Rock the Musical, and Bright Star.

    As for Best Musical Revival…I think we all know where my opinion stands on that as I had the pleasure of seeing Deaf West’s Revival of Spring Awakening back in January. I think this is another groundbreaking hit that also expands the audience like Hamilton has done for theatre. What I think will really happen with Tony Voters though….I think it’ll be a tough call between Spring Awakening and The Color Purple. Other revivals include Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me.

    The Tony Awards will air on Sunday, June 12 at 8pm on CBS.

    The full list of the 70th Annual Tony Award nominees:

    Best musical
    “Bright Star”
    “Hamilton”
    “School of Rock — The Musical”
    “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”
    “Waitress”

    Best revival of a musical
    “The Color Purple”
    “Fiddler on the Roof”
    “She Loves Me”
    “Spring Awakening”

    Best play
    “Eclipsed”
    “The Father”
    “The Humans”
    “King Charles III”

    Best revival of a play
    “Blackbird”
    “The Crucible”
    “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
    “Noises Off”
    “A View from the Bridge”

    Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
    Alex Brightman, “School of Rock — The Musical”
    Danny Burstein, “Fiddler on the Roof”
    Zachary Levi, “She Loves Me”
    Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton”
    Leslie Odom Jr., “Hamilton”

    Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
    Laura Benanti, “She Loves Me”
    Carmen Cusack, “Bright Star”
    Cynthia Erivo, “The Color Purple”
    Jessie Mueller, “Waitress”
    Phillipa Soo, “Hamilton”

    Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
    Gabriel Byrne, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
    Jeff Daniels, “Blackbird”
    Frank Langella, “The Father”
    Tim Pigott-Smith, “King Charles III”
    Mark Strong, “A View from the Bridge”

    Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
    Jessica Lange, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
    Laurie Metcalf, “Misery”
    Lupita Nyong’o, “Eclipsed”
    Sophie Okonedo, “The Crucible”
    Michelle Williams, “Blackbird”

    Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical
    Daveed Diggs, “Hamilton”
    Brandon Victor Dixon, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”
    Christopher Fitzgerald, “Waitress”
    Jonathan Groff, “Hamilton”
    Christopher Jackson, “Hamilton”

    Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical
    Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
    Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Hamilton”
    Jane Krakowski, “She Loves Me”
    Jennifer Simard, “Disaster!”
    Adrienne Warren, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”

    Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play
    Reed Birney, “The Humans”
    Bill Camp, “The Crucible”
    David Furr, “Noises Off”
    Richard Goulding, “King Charles III”
    Michael Shannon, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”

    Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play
    Pascale Armand, “Eclipsed”
    Megan Hilty, “Noises Off”
    Jayne Houdyshell,” The Humans”
    Andrea Martin, “Noises Off”
    Saycon Sengbloh, “Eclipsed”

    Best book of a musical
    “Bright Star,” Steve Martin
    “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda
    “School of Rock — The Musical,” Julian Fellowes
    “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed,” George C. Wolfe

    Best original score
    “Bright Star,” Music: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell; Lyrics: Edie Brickell
    “Hamilton,” Music and Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
    “School of Rock — The Musical,” Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: Glenn Slater
    “Waitress,” Music and Lyrics: Sara Bareilles

    Best direction of a play
    Rupert Goold, “King Charles III”
    Jonathan Kent, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
    Joe Mantello, “The Humans”
    Liesl Tommy, “Eclipsed”
    Ivo van Hove, “A View from the Bridge”

    Best direction of a musical
    Michael Arden, “Spring Awakening”
    John Doyle, “The Color Purple”
    Scott Ellis, “She Loves Me”
    Thomas Kail, “Hamilton”
    George C. Wolfe, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”

    Best scenic design of a play
    Beowulf Boritt, “Thérèse Raquin”
    Christopher Oram, “Hughie”
    Jan Versweyveld, “A View from the Bridge”
    David Zinn, “The Humans”

    Best scenic design of a musical
    Es Devlin and Finn Ross, “American Psycho”
    David Korins, “Hamilton”
    Santo Loquasto, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”
    David Rockwell, “She Loves Me”

    Best costume design of a play
    Jane Greenwood, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
    Michael Krass, “Noises Off”
    Clint Ramos, “Eclipsed”
    Tom Scutt, “King Charles III”

    Best costume design of a musical
    Gregg Barnes, “Tuck Everlasting”
    Jeff Mahshie, “She Loves Me”
    Ann Roth, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”
    Paul Tazewell, “Hamilton”

    Best lighting design of a play
    Natasha Katz, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
    Justin Townsend, “The Humans”
    Jan Versweyveld, “The Crucible”
    Jan Versweyveld, “A View from the Bridge”

    Best lighting design of a musical
    Howell Binkley, “Hamilton”
    Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”
    Ben Stanton, “Spring Awakening”
    Justin Townsend, “American Psycho”

    Best choreography
    Andy Blankenbuehler, “Hamilton”
    Savion Glover, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”
    Hofesh Shechter, “Fiddler on the Roof”
    Randy Skinner, “Dames at Sea”
    Sergio Trujillo, “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan”

    Best orchestrations
    August Eriksmoen, “Bright Star”
    Larry Hochman, “She Loves Me”
    Alex Lacamoire, “Hamilton”
    Daryl Waters, “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”

    Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theater
    Sheldon Harnick
    Marshall W. Mason

    Special Tony Award
    National Endowment for the Arts
    Miles Wilkin

    Regional Theater Tony Award
    Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, N.J.

    Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
    Brian Stokes Mitchell

    Tony Honors for excellence in the theater
    Seth Gelblum
    Joan Lader
    Sally Ann Parsons

    Tony nominations by production
    “Hamilton” — 16
    “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed” — 10
    “She Loves Me” — 8
    “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” — 7
    “Eclipsed” — 6
    “The Humans” — 6
    “Bright Star” — 5
    “King Charles III” — 5
    “Noises Off” — 5
    “A View from the Bridge” — 5
    “The Color Purple” — 4
    “The Crucible” — 4
    “School of Rock — The Musical” — 4
    “Waitress” — 4
    “Blackbird” — 3
    “Fiddler on the Roof” — 3
    “Spring Awakening” — 3
    “American Psycho” — 2
    “The Father” — 2
    “Dames at Sea” — 1
    “Disaster!” — 1
    “Hughie” — 1
    “Misery” — 1
    “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan” — 1
    “Thérèse Raquin” — 1
    “Tuck Everlasting” — 1

    Nominations courtesy of tonyawards.com

  • Deaf West’s “Spring Awakening” Revival Breaks the Mold for Broadway Shows

    The Spring Awakening revival on Broadway is really a revolution. It’s changing the way we should be looking at Broadway shows.

    Spring Awakening is based on a controversial 1891-banned play written German author Frank Wedekind. His work led to the original groundbreaking musical that opened on Broadway in 2006.

    The musical focuses on the lives of three teenagers in 1891 Germany while they are trying to figure out where they belong in the world as they move into adulthood. But trust me, this isn’t your Breakfast Club-type of teen-angst show. This goes much deeper. Touching upon still-controversial topics like teen sex and pregnancy, abortion, suicide, masturbation and homosexuality.

    The revival includes the barbaric 1880 resolution passed in schools in the United States and Europe, where sign language was no longer taught and Deaf students had to learn lip reading and speech mimicking. Those who could not learn in such a way were deemed failures.

    All 22 Deaf and hearing actors on stage in Spring Awakening use American Sign Language. The Deaf actors each had their own ‘voice’ on stage with them, acting as their character’s conscience.

    The voices for the two main characters were perfectly chosen. For Wendla, Deaf actress Sandra Mae Frank and Voice actress Katie Boeck were flawless together. Boeck’s soft and innocent soprano helped to portray Wendla’s innocence. For Moritz, Deaf Actor Daniel Durant and voice actor Alex Boniello were also a superb pair. Boniello’s sad, angry, and powerful voice brought back memories of John Gallagher Jr. – who originated the role on Broadway.

    The only disappointing moment for me was during ‘The Dark I Know Well.” Voice of Martha, Katherine Gallagher, fell short as she attempted to bring her own edge to the song, taking away from the lyrics.

    There were moments throughout the show where sign language or voice interpretation could not be used, so the words were projected on the wall of the set, using different fonts for each character. Those moments were the most incredible throughout the show, comparable only to the times when the Deaf actors spoke or yelled.

    There is no doubt that this show was meant to be portrayed with the inclusion of sign language. The addition of Deaf history and the extra symbolism that teens often feel like they aren’t heard by society, made the experience that much more special.

    You will leave feeling invigorated; you will have a rush of emotions. You will also wonder – why aren’t there more Deaf West revivals out on Broadway?

    Spring Awakening is a limited engagement on Broadway – closing on January 24.