Rock Theater
England’s Riots: We’ll Rumble Them Right?
The scene felt like it was in a movie. The mayor, white blond hair flopping in its Dulux dog way, bumbled down a cordoned-off Lavender Hill, past firefighters dousing what used to be a party shop. His smallish media mob—featuring fuzzy microphones, aides, camera and hangers-on—headed towards the much bigger broom mob, waiting to start … Continue reading
Half a Dozen Great Animated Broadway (or Broadway-style) Musicals
Oh, Streetcar—The Springfield Community Players. I’m one of those Simpsons fans who’s only conversant in the show’s first six or seven seasons. If they’ve ever done a better multi-part Broadway musical parody than this stellar takedown of A Streetcar Named Desire, I need to know about it. Runners-up (also from early seasons): The Planet of … Continue reading
Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock
It wasn’t really a musical event. It was a theatrical production of a musical event. —Barry Tashian in the October 2010 issue of Shindig! magazine, quoting bandmate Bill Briggs about what it was like for their band The Remains to tour with The Beatles in 1966.
I saw a smith stand with his hammer thus
At this point in our careers, we checked into hotels under pseudonyms. If you used real name, you’d have a tribute band delivering your room service or a girl larger than your whole family trying to climb through your window. Mentioning the name Aerosmith brought nothing but pain and penicillin . But then what else … Continue reading
Lenny Lives
Two Quotes About Lenny Bruce… plus recently rediscovered photos of Gary Cavello as Lenny Bruce in a production of Julian Barry’s play Lenny that I directed for New Haven Theatre Co. in February of 2000. (Other actors in the photos: Kim Mikenis in red, Rob Rocke in purple and Craig Gilbert in yellow.) Photos by … Continue reading
Long Day’s Journey Into Nightclubs
The phenomenon of a reunited band performing one of their old studio albums live in its entirety is not a new one. It goes back years or decades depending on how you define the craft. But now the practice has become not only ubiquitous but creatively stifling. Bands which, often for good reason, split up … Continue reading
Doors of Perception
All the hoopla earlier this month about the the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison’s death overlooked the rock icon’s considerable theatrical interests and influences. Musical theater geeks know that The Doors had the biggest mainstream pop impact with a Brecht/Weill song (“Whiskey Bar”) since Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin swung Mack the Knife. Morrison was … Continue reading
Where Are They Now?
A few months ago I wrote a cover story, and supplementary blog posts, for the New Haven Advocate on a couple of sassy, dressy burlesque shows at the music club Cafe Nine. (Those writings are, alas, no longer archived at the Advocate site.) Yesterday I finally made it to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not … Continue reading
Q&A, They’re The Monkees: Answers to the Monkees as Actors Quiz
The quiz is here. The answers are: 1. Oliver! 2. The Point 3. Grease 4. Pippin 5. The Prison 6. Vince Fontaine in Grease 7. Television Parts 8. The Uncle Floyd Show 9. “To Be Or Not to Be.” 10. Bugsy Malone 11. Fagin. 12. Videoranch 3D 13. Broadway Micky This also helps answer the … Continue reading
Talking About Acting
What made the Watts Prophets so different was that we were so visual. Each poem was to us a complete play and each poet contributed to that. We didn’t just stand on stage or walk back and forth… we would act it out. —Made Hamilton, co-founder of the 1960s Watts Prophets poetry collective, to Brian … Continue reading