Ranting Details

No Talent in the Room

Last night I stuffed myself into a corner and pulled out my zoom lens.  A rather typical Sunday night, to be honest, but this time instead of hiding outside of Anderson Cooper's Manhattan abode pretending I'm papparazzi (like I used to pretend I was Harriet the Spy), I was at the band rehearsal for the NewMusicalTheatre.com Launch Concert.

The unfortunate thing about this concert is there is a major shortage of talent in all areas.  I mean...Tony Award-nominee Kelli O' Hara?  Never heard of her!  Not to mention performers like Matt Doyle (Spring Awakening), Stephen Booth (Glory Days) , Emma Hunton (Spring Awakening), Betsy Wolfe (Everyday Rapture), Jay Johnson (Hair), Alex Brightman (Wicked), De'Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Lindsay Mendez (Everyday Rapture), Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture) and Krysta Rodriguez (The Addams Family).  Not a decent Broadway credit in the bunch.  They'll be performing music by composers Pasek and Paul, Lowdermilk & Kerrigan, Nick Blaemire, Adam Gwon, Joe Iconis, and Ryan Scott Oliver, so it's sure to be just awful (translation: out-of-this-world amazing). 

Who am I kidding?  With a lineup like this, it's gonna be a night to remember.  Pick up a ticket and get down to Le Poisson Rouge tonight at 10 PM!

 

(Emma Hunton)

(Krysta Rodriguez)

(Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan)

(De'Adre Aziza)

(Alex Brightman and Steven Booth)

(Betsy Wolfe)

 

(Director David Ruttura)

(Jay A. Johnson)

(Composer Ryan Scott Oliver)

 

(Pianist Adam Wachter)

 

(Emma Hunton and Matt Doyle)

 

(Matt Hinkley)

(Adam Gwon)

 

(Sheet music to Ryan Scott Oliver's "Twisted Teeth"--making its world-premiere tonight-- from our upcoming show 35mm)

Won't You Stay?

Yesterday was a special moment in the world of composer Ryan Scott Oliver and bookwriter BT Ryback: a closed table reading of Darling, their musical deconstruction of JM Barrie's beloved Peter Pan. Many fans, including myself, have fallen in love with various songs from the show during performances of Rated RSO (the final third of which is made up entirely of material from Darling), but this reading was the first time I was able to hear the music in the context of the story.  Of course, I'm not allowed to disclose too much, but I will say that musical theater fans have something very special coming their way! I can't wait to see how it develops.  But for now, I leave you with a few pictures...

(The cast reads through the script)

(Katie Gassert)

(Morgan Karr)

(Jay A. Johnson)

(Caissie Levy)

(Andrew Kober)

(Lindsay Mendez)

Picture of the Day: 2/11/10

(I spent the past few days in Washington DC for Ryan Scott Oliver's Kennedy Center concert and snapped this pic of Hair's Jay Armstrong Johnson in the green room before the show.)