20 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Broadway Lover

It's that time of year again! Having trouble coming up with the perfect gift idea for a die-hard Broadway fan?  Here are some ideas that I hope will be helpful to you! Happy Holidays!

1.) 2013 Playbill Wall Calendar 

Everyone needs a new calendar to start the new year! 

2.) The 2011-2012 Broadway Playbill Yearbook

Read about more than 70 Broadway musicals and plays from the 2011-2012 season and learn behind-the-scenes anecdotes from cast and crew members. 

3.) Be A Broadway Star Board Game
An interactive board game for Broadway lovers of all ages. Performing is required! 

4.) Playbill Binder

This is a must-have for any playbill-collecting theatre lover!
Can be found on playbillstore.com

5.) Broadway’s Carols for a Cure
Every year, the Broadway community comes together to create a Holiday Album to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. What better way to get into the holiday spirit than with holiday music that goes toward a good cause? Check out this year's edition here!

6.) The Broadway Musicals Quiz Book

7.) Movie tickets to see Les Miserables on Christmas Day! Check out the movie trailer below! 

8.) Tickets to see Cinderella on Broadway, opening in previews on January 24, 2013. Check out their performance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! 

9.) Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Celebration- at the Royal Albert Hall
This year, The Phantom of the Opera celebrated its 25th anniversary with this special performance at Royal Albert Hall!

10.) Memphis the Musical on DVD
Tony Award winning Memphis closed this past August after a very successful almost-three year run at the Shubert Theatre, but not before releasing this film of the Broadway production. For more info, click here. 

11.) “Show Biz, a novel”
An entertaining mystery novel set in the midst of Broadway scandal and told through the eyes of a young Broadway producer.  A must-read for the Broadway lover. 

12.) “Unnaturally Green”
A must-read for the Wicked fan! Written by former Elphaba stand-by, Felicia Ricci, this entertaining and hilarious memoir shares a behind-the-scenes look at what it is to be "green" in a show like Wicked. Read my review here! 

13.) The Broadway Cares Collection
If you want to buy a unique Broadway-themed gift while also donating to a great charity, you should check out the Broadway Cares Collection, which benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This Broadway-themed collection includes: holiday ornaments, tote bags, coffee mugs, shower curtains, T-shirts, snow globes, stationery, and many other unique items. Check it out here. 

14.) Green For Good Tote Bag 
Give the gift of being “green” with this Wicked-themed bag that may be used as an alternative to plastic shopping bags. 

15.) Smash, Season 1 on DVD
The new hit show, Smash, will release Season 1 on 1/8/13 (on Amazon). This might make a great belated holiday gift!

 

16.) Laura Osnes, “Dream A Little Dream, Live at the Cafe Carlyle”
This is one of my favorite solo albums released in 2012. Check out my review for more information! 

17.) The Book of Mormon Companion Book

To be released on 12/4/12. 

18.) Gift Certificate for a Broadway show
For more information, click here. 

19.) Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project
An ideal gift for a baby or young child, this is a collection of lullabies performed by various Broadway singers. 

20.) Once Sheet Music
For the musically-inclined Broadway lover, sheet music from the 2012 Tony Award winner, Once, may be a greatly appreciated gift. 

The Pros and Cons of “Tweet Seats”

Based on the experience of a one-time live tweeter

About a month ago, I was winding down from my work day when I received a text from a friend. She asked me if I would do a last minute favor and live tweet during the performance of Catch Me If You Can at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) that evening.  She was in charge of retaining ten “live tweeters” for this performance, but it seemed that theatre-goers were not interested in this new venture, and she had gotten zero responses.  Four hours before curtain, she was issuing a last-minute plea to her theatre-going friends via text messages.  

As a theatre-lover, I figured live tweeting would be an interesting experience, and so I agreed.  I picked up my complimentary ticket and was told to “keep my phone low”. I found my seat labeled as a “tweet seat” in the very last row of center orchestra. As other theatre patrons entered the theatre, many noticed the “tweet seat” signs posted in my row, and a few asked me what a “tweet seat” was.  I explained and they seemed disinterested. Two elderly ladies walked by and one said to the other, “Tweet seat? What the hell is that”? and proceeded to give me a dirty look before making her way down the aisle. Fabulous. 

The Cons of Live Tweeting

1.) It’s distracting to the tweeter and takes away from his or her theatre experience.  I don’t care if you can type 200 words per minute into your iPhone- the act of typing and tweeting takes your attention away from what’s happening on stage. Before you know it, you’ve missed a good joke or a critical moment in the story line that leaves you momentarily lost. And when you’re not tweeting, you’re thinking up your next tweet.  I saw Catch Me If You Can twice on Broadway and knew the story line very well, but I did not enjoy this performance because it was constantly interrupted by the need to tweet. Tweeting really does ruin the theatre experience for the tweeter. I guess I’d rather just sit back and enjoy the show. 

2.) Cell phone lights are difficult to hide. We were told to keep our cell phones low to avoid disturbing other theatre patrons. Some of the other tweeters dimmed their screens as well. Just because we were seated in the last row of the orchestra did not mean that there were no theatre patrons around us. There were people seated across the aisle directly to my left and I’m sure they could see the lights in their peripheral vision. I felt very badly for them. I also felt guilty because I usually take theatre etiquette pretty seriously. There’s nothing worse than the glare of a cell phone in a dark theatre (well, except for a cell phone going off or an unruly theatre patron...). Theaters will have to be creative and careful in the way that they seat tweeters in the future or paying customers will be complaining. (I can only speak for PPAC on this note; I do not know how other theaters seat their tweeters). 

3.) My followers were not engaged.  During this two and a half hour show, I tweeted about 42 times. My tweets were also posted to my (Broadway) blog’s Facebook page. A few followers commented on the posts, but I honestly did not feel that people were all that interested! This could be because a) I wasn’t tweeting in a way that interested people or b) I was tweeting about a show that is not currently running on Broadway and many of my followers are tied to NYC theatre. Who knows?! But live tweeting elicited very little interaction from my followers, which was disappointing for me. 

The Pros of Live Tweeting

1.) Supporters of “Tweet Seats” will argue that the theatre experience is “enhanced” by tweeting because you are given the opportunity to share and communicate your immediate reaction to followers. At the start of the show, I admit that even I felt the endorphin effect of live tweeting.  It’s kind of exciting and fun, despite the element of distraction. 

2.) Whether people want to admit it or not, live tweeting is a smart marketing move. Publicity is critical to the success of a show and producers need to be creative and keep up with the times to maintain theatre’s viability. This includes the acceptance of social networking as a necessary piece of marketing theatre.   

So where does this one-time live tweeter stand on the subject of “Tweet Seats”? 

-Pretty neutral and understanding of both sides. 

-Live tweeting is not for me (see my list of cons). 

-There are many theatre-lovers out there who WILL have “enhanced” theatre experiences in a “Tweet Seat”. 

-Theaters need to assure that etiquette is maintained by seating tweeters in a location where cell phone lights cannot be seen. The back of the theatre at PPAC doesn’t cut it. 

-I support anything that supports the success of theatre. 

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Broadway

Studio 54

11/3/12 matinee

Background: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (the musical) is based on Charles Dickens’ final novel, which was unfinished at the time of his death in 1870. Ironically, his final novel was a murder mystery and the murderer had not yet been named by Dickens; hence, there was a lot of conjecture in the literary community as to whom Dickens meant the murderer to be. Translate an unfinished murder mystery to the Broadway stage and what do you get? A musical with many possible endings to be decided by the audience! What fun for both the audience and the actors, who might never have to perform the exact same show eight times per week. 

The Show: The Mystery of Edwin Drood is told as a play within a play or a story within a story. The actual mystery that is Charles Dickens’ book is the inner story with the outer story portraying a group of actors who are putting on a play called The Mystery of Edwin Drood for the present audience. This also allows the audience to be informed of the book’s background and Dickens’ unexpected death. 

John Jasper is secretly infatuated with his young, beautiful student, Rosa Bud, but his feelings are complicated by her betrothal to Jasper’s nephew, Edwin Drood.  Jasper undoubtedly harbors anger toward his orphan nephew, while Rosa is terrified of her music teacher and yearns to be done with him. Further complicating the plot, Reverend Crisparkle arrives with newly orphaned siblings, Neville and Helena Landless, and arranges for Helena to stay with Rosa at The Nun’s House, while Neville (who is known to have a dangerous past) will be Crisparkle’s apprentice. Neville meets Rosa and is immediately taken with her. At this point, Jasper commits several suspicious acts that suggest he has a sinister plan up his sleeve. Drood and Rosa cancel their engagement and join the other characters at Jasper’s home for Christmas dinner. The next day, Drood is discovered to be missing, the victim of foul play. 

Act II begins six months later with the introduction of Dick Datchery, a detective who is investigating the disappearance of Edwin Drood. His identity is unknown, but is likely one of the known characters in disguise. 

Then, the music stops short and..... “Ladies and Gentlemen, it was at this point in our story that Charles Dickens laid down his pen forever”... 

And the remainder of the story is decided by the audience. The audience votes on three points: the identity of the detective AKA Dick Datchery, the identity of the murderer, and the lovers. After the identities of the detective and murderer are determined, the actors return to the stage and act out the winning scenario. There must be seven or eight different endings (or more?). 

You may be wondering how this particular show ended. Our detective was the Deputy, the murderer was Rosa Bud, and our lovers were (siblings) Neville and Helena Landless. I do not want to divulge any more details about this particular ending, as I do not want to spoil it for future Drood audiences. Suffice it to say that the audience participation in the show was so much fun and the ending was surprising and satisfying. 

Comments: This was such a fun and engaging afternoon of theatre. I felt like I was reading an Agatha Christie novel while playing a game of Clue. Was it Mr. Jasper with the opium in the cemetery? Great fun. The greatest fun was, of course, the audience participation and the anticipation of “whodunit”. I felt that the vote was legitimate- not rigged. 

The cast of Drood is a very talented ensemble of actors. Each actor brought something quirky and mysterious to his or her character and appeared to be having a great time on stage. Between the Victorian sets and costumes and Studio 54‘s holiday decor, I really felt like I was transported to an English music hall in a different era.

Perhaps the most comedic part of the show was when Helena and Neville were voted to be “lovers” despite their characters being siblings! The ad-libbing of Andy Karl and Jessie Mueller had the audience in stitches, as they sang about incest.  I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard in a theatre.  

I think Drood should have a lot of appeal to Broadway audiences and I would highly recommend it!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood opens on 11/13/12 and runs through 2/10/13 at Studio 54. 

The Performers

Broadway

Longacre Theatre

11/3/12

When I walked into the Longacre Theatre to catch last Saturday’s evening performance of The Performers, I was not sure what to expect of a play centered on the adult film industry (a politically correct way of saying porn). I was probably expecting something funny, light, raunchy, and not at all relatable, seeing that I’ve never been employed in the adult film industry myself. After walking around the desolate streets of NYC status post Hurricane Sandy, I wasn’t opposed to any of the above expectations as long as it provided me with a few laughs! What I found at the Longacre Theatre was more heartwarming, hilarious, and normal than I’d ever expected. Keep reading if you want to find out why....

Synopsis: In this romantic comedy, high school sweethearts Lee, a journalist, and Sara, a schoolteacher, have finally become engaged and decide to spend a night in Las Vegas for the Adult Film Awards so that Lee can interview his former high school classmate, Mandrew, an adult film star who has been nominated for several awards. Mandrew’s wife and fellow adult film star, Peeps, is dealing with her own insecurities after she learns she is pregnant. After seeing Mandrew and Peep’s seemingly racy and exciting lifestyle, Lee and Sarah begin to doubt their relationship and plans for the future, while Peeps questions her own relationship with Mandrew and wonders if conservative is the way to go. Enter Chuck Wood, a man with years of experience in the Adult Film business who accidentally becomes caught in the middle of these feuding couples, and ultimately helps them to resolve their issues. And they all live happily ever after (we hope). 

Comments: First and foremost, this show is hilariously funny. Unless you are extremely conservative, I can’t imagine someone not laughing steadily through the entire show. The surprise is the balance between humor and heart. The Adult Film Industry is merely a backdrop that is often forgotten as the story delves deeper into the relationships between the characters.The Performers isn’t really about porn- it’s about human relationships, love, and vulnerability. Don’t get me wrong. This is not a life-changing play, but something tells me that’s not what the audience is looking for at The Performers. The audience will get the laughs they want, and hopefully something a little more heartwarming than they were expecting! 

Besides having amazing abs, Cheyenne Jackson was charming and likable as Mandrew. He didn’t portray Mandrew as the stereotypical porn star, and brought out a more misunderstood side of the character. Ari Graynor stole the show as Peeps simply because of her impeccable comedic timing. Jenni Barber also provided many laughs as the more “stereotypical” porn star, Sundown LeMay. Alicia Silverstone and Daniel Breaker were good together as Sara and Lee and both played the “repressed” sides of the characters very well.  I particularly enjoyed Sara’s drunk scene with Henry Winkler, who impressed me with his ability to play a porn star at the age of 67.  Overall, the six characters had good chemistry and played off of one another very well.  

The Performers opens at the Longacre Theatre on November 14, 2012. Check it out if you want to see a hilariously heartwarming show.