Month: June 2024

Second in a series

NEW YORK – You’d never guess what the first musical I saw on Broadway during my first trip to New York in 1974.

It was the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Nnight Music,” in 1973, precise date unknown. It played at the Shubert Theatre, and was that season’s hot ticket – which means getting tickets were not easy.

My wife Vi and I booked a room at the quaint Algonquin Theatre, on W. 45^th St., the same street that the Shubert was located. So we dropped off our luggage and headed to the box office, seeking matinee tickets.

Back in the ‘70s, you could have ordered tickets via a phone call and a credit card and snail mail was not appropriate, because you’d have to seek specific seats and it too long to keep the seats tied up. Remember, there was no internet nor the iPhone to order electronically.

If you had a friend or relative, he or she could go to the box office and secure seats, with your permission.

Or you could show up yourself at the box office in person, which is what I did.

I was meek and uncertain, since this was my first effort in securing Broadway tickets. And this show had been a major sellout.

Bu if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

The box office attendee declared that officially, “A Little Night Music” was sold out. But the woman behind the cage said there were two seats left, with partial visibility. What’s that? Simply, seats that could not afford complete view of certain scenes because of pillars that would, for brief moments, shield visible scenes for a moment or two,.

Of course, I bought the tickets – sorry, I don’t remember what admission was back then.

What I do recall is that I was such a country jack, when I was seated. I looked up, left, right, rear … just to soak in the glory of being inside a legit Broadway venue. I couldn’t see the balcony seats, because the tickets I got were beneath the balcony, in the second to the last row in orchestra.

Well, “A Little  Night Music” earned 12 Tony nominations and won six including Best Musical, and formally introduced me to the Great White Way luminaries, like composer Sondheim, songs he wrote like “Send in the Clowns,” book writer Hugh Wheeler, director Hal Prince, and such actors like Best Actress in a Musical winner Glynis Johns and Best Featured Actress in a Musical Patricia Elliott.

So much education, from one show!

Over the decades, the Schubert has been home to such hits as “Hello, Dolly!” with Bette Midler, “A Chorus Line,” “Spamalot,” “Matilda the Musical”  and  “Memphis.”

Worth noting: For all its gloried past, the Shubert does not have ADA compliance when it comes to providing restrooms for handicapped guests. On site, all bathrooms have steps to encounter.

Worth remembering: Handicapped viewers at the Shubert can use the facilities in a Sardi’s restaurant building across the street from the theater. To the right of Sardi’s restaurant, enter the adjoining building and use the escalator to the fourth floor. There, there’s a bank of toilets open to all, not just the handicapped. There’s no frenzy and crush of the usual intermission break. This secret was shared by Joy Abbott, the widow of famed Broadway writer-producer George Abbott…

And that’s Show Biz…

First of a series

NEW YORK – New York 2024 is like any other year – the sights, the sounds, the scents are very familiar and welcoming. Every time I visit, it’s a happy reunion, filled with anticipation of good times.

Times Square, in the heart of the Theatre District, is my hub, my home, my hideaway. It’s plain fun to sit (there’s a bunch of seats and tables) and soak in the atmosphere. It’s teeming  with a life of its own.

I like it all.

To me, Times Square is a circus of cabbies, buses, vehicles, and an occasional  speeding motorcycle, accompanied by never-ending foot traffic, parading and pedaling in never-ending movement. Visitors check out the discounted Broadway shows at the TKTS booth. Hawkers sell cheap T-shirts. Vendors prepare boiled hot dogs in buns, with the strange odor of gas fumes mixed with snacks creating a moveable feast.

Look up and around, and neon marquees of Broadway shows – like the durable and delightful ”The Lion King” — competing  for attention with oversized ads of fashion and ticker tape of news headlines dancing in electric billboards.

Yep, the undisputed hot ticket remains “The Lion King,” posting $2-million-dollar grosses week after week at the Minskoff Theatre. Can you feel the loot tonight?

The current buzz is that Alicia Keyes “Hell’s Kitchen,” featuring her music (she’s not in the show), is a leading contender for the Tony Awards later this month. The show focuses on that  NY region where creative life surges among the young and the eager.

A few theaters possess star-power this summer. Eddie Redmayne, who won an Olivier Award in London for his portrayal of the Emcee in “Cabaret,” stars in this revival, which now boasts a longer title: “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.” The production also is hosting a first, a 75-minute pre-show party with songs, dances and expansive liquors to launch a party before the 8 p.m. curtain at the August Wilson Theatre. And over at the Hudson Theatre, Daniel Radcliff (“Harry Potter”) and Jonathan Gross (“Hamilton”) have been extended in Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” so many times, but the show finally rolls to a close in July.

If you remember the Palace Theatre, it just reopened with “Ben Platt at the Palace Theatre” as the premiere act, in a limited 18-performance running through June 15. The Palace, which has a storied past (with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Shirley MacLaine and Elvis Presley gracing the stage over the decades), is nestled below a new hotel, Tempo by Hilton, a curiosity that has spacious rooms but no closets (there are pegs to hang your clothes), no restaurants but a grab-and-go snack bar, and spectacular views depending on where your room is situated, at $300 to $600 a night. I wanted to give this hotel a whirl, but my wife said no, but we’ll be comfortable ensconced at nearby Hotel Edison, on W. 47^th St., offering easy access to all Broadway theaters

Just as I did last year, I’ve rented a power wheelchair to the mix of my walker and my cane. Navigating New York’s challenging sidewalks and roadways will require caution and effort.

Wheelchairs require special attention; crossing streets mean you have to be certain you’re at a corner, where pathways include that dip to the road; never jaywalk where curbs lack that tilt for the chair. I’ve checked with all of the theaters I’ll be heading to, and most have accessible seats for the handicapped, and the venues provide help to remove and store chairs or walkers till intermission and/or exit time. So it’s possible to go show-hopping, if you have the inclination and funds. Pssst: tickets are slightly expensive at a few productions, but prices are not like the years when Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton”  and  Hugh Jackman in “The Music Man” were the rage, spiraling ticket costs.

For a week, I’ll take in a bunch of shows, navigating Times Square and its challenges: crowds, uneven roads, theaters with some ADA considerations. For those who don’t know, I became walker-worthy after I was hospitalized for two weeks in Queen’s last summer. Didn’t realize that being horizontal for two weeks would make your legs go on vacation, impacting mobility, or lack thereof, when walking.

On a trip, like my current one, the wheelchair is an option for distant outings, but after last year’s attempt to board a city bus (ever tried parking a chair, while the rest of the bus patrons watch?), I will only use the chair for sidewalks and streets. If you can handle a chair, go for it; no license required, just patience and guts to tool around the city (with limitations). Let your confidence decide whether you can handle the wheelchair, or if you’re fearful, the walker is a good buddy; you just will take longer to get to your destination.

Oh, there’s always a cab or an Uber or Lyft…and walkers can board, too.

Trust me; the worst thing to do on a trip is to remain secluded in your hotel because of fear. If I can do it, you can too, whatever your environment or destination. Be cautious but be mobile.

And that’s Show Biz…

Diamond Head Theatre’s titillating “Tootsie” is on a roll – on several fronts.

Structurally, the musical based on the 1982 comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman, is formulaic, predictable, and potentially offensive because of the notion … that a Broadway actor who cannot land a role, until he puts on pumps, dons a wig, wears a padded bra, and slips into a dress and ultimately a seductive gown, denying an actress of the gig.

Reyn Halford – the actor portraying Michael Dorsey as a dude and Dorothy Michaels as a dame — turns in a delightful dual performance. He’s a likely winner as a handsome Leading Actor in a Musical as well as a charming Leading Actress in a Musical, embellishing his pliable voice to suit the he and the she.

Halford and a cluster of his fellow lead players survive the constraints of the book by Robert Horn and songs by David Yazbek.

John Rampage, DHT’s artistic director, displays a career-best directorial turn and co-choreographic achievement (Celia Chun is director and dance collaborator), working with a sizeable 25-member cast of principals and ensemble members, in a powerful mounting of dedication, teamwork and unity.

Coupled with Candy Dungca’s and Emily Lane’s costume designs – astonishingly vibrant, eye-filling garb, ranging from splendid festive dresses and gowns to stock dance and casual gear – exceed hues you’ll find in a Manoa rainbow, and matched by hair and makeup by Aiko Schick, whose work is nothing short of spectacular. (She acts, too, as Sandy Lester).

Thus, “Tootsie” is a marvelous achievement, not believable but entertaining. Songs are repetitive and live mostly in the moment, but reprised, in case you forget ‘em.

The plot is giddy fun, with lots of clever one-liners, but laced with naughty words not suitable for the young. Michael is a desperate, struggling actor who cannot find an acting gig, so he auditions as Dorothy, thus robbing his neurotic former girlfriend, Sandy Lester (the aforementioned Schick, a bolt of energy with her own bright veneer), eager to be in the Broadway show, “Juliet’s Nurse,” a spin-off of “Romeo and Juliet.”

Michael falls for Julie Nichols (Chandler Converse, the best voice in the company), cast as Juliet, and that’s when complications begin.

There’s a merry-go-round of insanity here. Jeff Slater (Moku Durant, splendidly comical), is Michael’s roomie who’s an unsuccessful playwright. Max Van Horn (Sam Budd, constantly hysterical), is an actor playing Craig, brother of Romeo in “Juliet’s Nurse.).  Ron Carlisle (Andrew Simmons, irrepressibly unstoppable), is the director-choreographer of “Nurse.”.  Rita Marshall (Mary Chesnut Hicks, refreshingly delightful in a return to the performing stage, instead of her usual role of musical director), is the producer of “Nurse.”

Dawn Oshima’s set and lighting design relies on several projections (brick wall with lamps, a park) and rollable segments of home interiors that reflect budget restrictions, with more monies seemingly going toward the bounty of costumes. The lighting is properly bright, matching the clear and crisp sound design by Kerri Yoneda.

Roslyn Catracchia, musical director, always turns in hearty orchestrations, and doesn’t disappoint here.  However, for a musical not known for identifiable hit tunes in the score, the opening overture, seemingly endless, is not her fault, but you won’t forget Ros’ funky show-ending rouser, with everyone singing and dancing and in frenzied communion likely to be DHT’s talked-about finale of the year…

And that’s Show Biz…

“Tootsie”

A musical based on a 1982 movie starring Dustin Hoffman, with book by Robert Horn and music and lyrics by David Yazbek, about a Broadway actor who is unable to find work until he dresses as a woman to finally land a role, resulting in conflicts, confrontations and complications.

Where: Diamond Head Theatre.

When: At 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, plus 3 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through June 23; best seats available for the extended run at 7:30 p.m. June 21 and 4 p.m. June 22.

Tickets: $37 to $62, available at the box office, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or (808) 733-0247.

Advisory: Not recommended for youths 11 and younger, due to adult themes and humor, including occasional foul language.

A Honolulu couple – Paula Rath and Gerald Mayfield – are first-time executive producers of a film, “The Big Bend,” screening June 7 to 13 at the Kahala Theatres.

Friendship and fanship with the film’s writer-director and his wife – Brett and Kathryn Wagner – made Rath and Mayfield backers and financial donors to help bring to the screen the life-changing indie film, which evolved after the Wagners and their daughters, Zoe and Delilah, were exposed to an event in Terlingua, Texas, near the Big Bend National Park.

Paula Rath and Jerry Mayfield are first-time film producers.

Deserts are like oceans; they hold lasting, untold secrets and trigger startling, life-changing experiences. And “The Big Bend” emerges as endearing, compelling storytelling.

“Jerry and I have been close friends with Brett and Kathryn for more than 10 years,” said Paula. “We also are big fans and followers of Brett’s,” who would come to Honolulu and stay with the Rath and Mayfield when he had commercial work here.

“There were many long and significant discussions over coffee in the morning or red chile enchiladas at night,” said Paula.

One morning, Brett shared thoughts about an incident that begged for a script to be converted into a film. Months later, he told Rath and Mayfield, “I’ve got a script. Wanna read it?” “I read it first, and literally could not put it down for a second until I was pau,” said Paula. “It was absolutely riveting, and the characters were totally believable and likable in all their complexity.” Jerry had the same reaction and their son Duncan also was sold on the project.

The film focuses on two families – the Prices and the Talbotts– who gather for a reunion in the remote West Texas desert, where things don’t go right as they explore and experience the boundaries of marriage, friendship and parenthood, attempting to endure and survive the unexpected experience.

The cast features Jason Butler Harner as Cory Price, Virginia Kull as Melanie Price, Erica Ash as Gloria Talbott and David Sullivan as Mac Talbott.

“The Big Bend” premiered in 2022 at the Texas Film Festival and has toured the festival circuit, including the 2022 Honolulu International Film Festival. The Kahala screening is the film’s first commercial booking here, with director Wagner speaking after the 6:30 June 7 screening. Showings continue through June 13, with an extension possible…

Behind the scenes ties in the making of “The Big Bend:”

• Brett Wagner, the writer-director whom Paula Rath describes as “sort of a second son to us,” has lived and worked in Honolulu for seven years and is known for his award-winning commercials he wrote and directed.
• Kathryn Drury Wagner, Brett’s wife, is a former manager editor on Honolulu Magazine.
• Paul Atkins, cinematographer, was a Hawaii Kai resident till last year; he moved to Savannah to reside near Wagner and continues to works with him.
• Nick Masciangelo, an actor, is a North Shore resident.

And that’s Show Biz…