First, let me get the equality question out of the way.  Yes!  Yes - we will do the "Girlz on the Broadway" very soon.  I just wanted to start with the guys because it seemed like the right timing and I didn't want to appear to be sexist by starting with the ladies.  We are having a "national conversation" about gender so I am sensitive to these sorts of things. Ok?  Ok.  Now, on the important topic at hand...(oh, fyi, the "z" on the end of girlz and boyz is to show you I am young and edgy. It's working, right?)

A few announcements hit yesterday that will have the ladies (and gents) swooning on the rialato.  A bevy of attractive young men will be jumping into the Great White Way in a variety of roles.  Yes, yes, yes - they are all very very talented and will do wonderful work and give us moments of thrilling theater, but on top of all that - they are really smokin' hot.   Here's the news...

 

Gavin Creel

I am really excited about this one because I think Gavin is a tremendous performer and we have missed him on The Broadway.  He has been in London playing the lead in Mary Poppins for some time now, but he is back and will step into the lead of the new Broadway production of Godspell.  Playbill.com announced it today and apparently Gavin himself made an announcement on board the Rosie O'Donnell cruise.  The musical is expected to land on 42nd Street in July with an August opening night.  Danny Goldstein will direct and Christopher Gattelli will choreograph.  The show was recently mounted by Mr. Goldstein at the Paper Mill Playhouse and much of the team is expected to return for the B'way run.  It is unclear who else may be joining the cast, but I am sure that info will begin to trickle out very soon.  I guess I should fess up here... a month ago I had predicted that Jonathan Groff would take this part - looks like I am wrong [insert frowning face here] but I actually think Gavin Greel is an AWESOME choice! 

Just a side note and a bit of "name dropping".  I knew Gavin, tangentially, a few years ago - before he made it big (before he was nominated for a Tony for his work in Thoroughly Modern Millie and starred in the B'way revival of La Cage aux Folles).  I remember once going to "Broadway on Broadway" with him and hanging out in the middle of the craziest crowd (think New Year's Eve in Times Square, but with theater folks).  It seems like 100 years ago...but somehow he still looks young and I got really old.  Bummer!  Check out Gavin's website HERE.

 

Adam Kantor

You may not have heard of Adam Kantor yet, but you might want to make a mental note of the name.  This young, talented (and attractive -that is the theme today - I have to point it out) newcomer has taken over the role of Mark in Rent on Broadway.  Fresh from Northwestern University, Adam makes his Broadway debut in the hit musical written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif.  He came to the attention of director Greif when he directed a musical called In the Bubble at Northwestern while still in school.  Proving, once and for all,  that old myth - if you have a huge Broadway director come to your undergrad and direct a show there is a chance you can land a role in a Broadway musical. Who knew?  Kantor began performances last night.  Click HERE for more info on Rent.

 

Hunter Parrish + Jonathan Groff

Yesterday I posted that Hunter Parrish (hottie from the hit Showtime tv show Weeds with Mary Louise Parker) was possibly going to be stepping into the hit musical Spring Awakening.  It seems that this rumor is gaining more and more traction.  It is rumored HERE and HERE.  The gossip is starting to make more and more sense - Jonathan Groff (yet another hottie on the rialto) has to leave S.A. very soon to begin rehearsals for Hair in Central Park.  Hmmmm.  So, I am thinking that we can expect Mary Louise and Hunter to be sharing between-show-meals at the Edison Diner any day now. (Parker is currently starring in Dead Man's Cell Phone at Playwrights Horizons. Get it?  They can have lunch together.  Oh forget it - it wasn't that funny!)

 

From Hotties to Notties

That headline may seem tasteless when you realize that I am blogging about the West Coast opening of the new musical Mask (based on the Cher movie of the same name).  Click HERE to check out the Variety review of the new show.  The criticism is mild but in the end it seems that reviewer Bob Verini is not a fan, he says:

"Musicalization of the sentimental 1985 biopic "Mask," now premiering at the Pasadena Playhouse, might as well be called "Rocky's Song," so much more does it come across as a '70s pop song cycle than a conventional tuner. Whipped up to sometimes uncomfortable extremes by helmer Richard Maltby Jr., "Mask" will likely satisfy an appetite for a string of heartfelt toe-tappers tied to highly emotionalized situations, though the evening rarely catches fire as a musical play."

I am sorry to be so unkind, but I don't think this is a good idea for a musical.  I guess that the creative team was moved by the story and found inspiration to write a musical, but it seems ripe for ridicule.  The original movie was heartfelt and nuanced - adding musical numbers just seems - well - wrong.  That's my opinion; what's yours?

Oh, to keep with the theme - the show does star former tv heartthrob Greg Evigan.  He is most famous for his roles on the television shows B.J. and the Bear and My Two Dads.  There - I included a "hottie reference" in here.  Check.

 

Coming soon - Girlz on Broadway, a blog post where I will struggle to make comments about actresses' physical attributes without becoming sexists.  Can you spell difficult?  Until then, I will...

 

~ See You On The Aisle