Marc Blitzstein News

Though Julie Wilson was certainly not the first and by all means not the last great singer to have her heart stomped upon by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's 'Surabaya Johnny,' there is no one I can name more deserving to claim it as their signature song.  (Okay, maybe Lotte Lenya, but you know that's a special case.)  Though for many years now the 83-year-old beloved cabaret star has been singing songs less and less and speaking them more and more, there are few who can match her for painting vivid word pictures and bringing complex dramatic subtext to a lyric.  With pianist Christopher Denny doing a marvelous job of softly supporting her many pauses and tempo changes, Wilson's crushing performance of Marc Blitzstein's translation, played to a pin-drop silent crowd on opening night of her new show at The Metropolitan Room, is an emotionally striking portrayal of a woman who can explode with anger at the mistreatment she endures from her faithless lover while moments later barely control a sob at the admission that she still loves him.  Through the years I've seen Julie Wilson sing 'Surabaya Johnny' many times but her performance that night was the best I've ever seen or heard from anyone.  (And as is typical of her modesty, she actually introduced the song by complimenting Donna Murphy's performance of it on Broadway in LoveMusik.)  She follows it with a devilishly humored 'Mack the Knife' (also Blitzstein's translation) that builds so slowly and precisely that she goes through the entire song twice in order to hit the climax.  I heard no complaints.

With three different directors placing their marks on the material during its pre-Broadway tryouts and two actors who were not quite up to the vocal demands of the dramatic score playing the leads (Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas), Marc Blitzstein (music and lyrics) and Joseph Stein's (book) Juno, based on Sean O'Casey's Juno And The Paycock, limped into the Winter Garden in March of 1959 following high expectations (West Side Story had been ousted from the theatre to make room for it) and quickly closed up shop two weeks later.

The second act of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1984 musical, Sunday In The Park With George is centered on a then-contemporary artist/inventor named George who has created a series of machines called chromolumes, which electronically fill rooms with color and light. His latest, 'Chromolume #7' is intended to present a variation on themes inspired from Georges Seurat's revolutionary work of pointillism 'Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' (1884-86), the creation of which is the subject of the musical's first act. When a technical glitch short circuits the machine and causes a temporary delay in the chromolume's premiere presentation, George sheepishly explains to those gathered, 'No electricity, no art.'

It was announced today that the upcoming previously announced revival of West Side Story will begin previews on February 23, 2009 with an official opening slated for March 19, 2009.

The Museum of Performance & Design is proud to present HELLO, CAROL! A Celebration of Carol Channing.

WEST SIDE STORY, the landmark American musical, will return to Broadway in a new production directed by two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents.

Fifteen young actors from across the Bay Area join musicians from San Francisco's Bird School of Music for the world premiere of the A.C.T. Young Conservatory's 'I'm Still Standing: A Celebration of the Music of Elton John.'

Award-winning showbiz entertainers, Corky Hale and Charlotte Rae, will perform in a show emceed by Carl Reiner, with Jeff Lass serving as Music Director. The show, 'A Festive Evening For Westside Center for Independent Living,' is a benefit for WCIL.

PREMIERES, a not-for-profit musical theater development company, proudly announces the world premiere of INNER VOICES: SOLO MUSICALS, three new works created by and starring some of the industry's brightest talents.

Juno played its final performance on March 30th, 2008. The play starred Victoria Clark and Conrad John Schuck. Juno tells the story of the and Irish family in Dublin in the early 1920's.

Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark will be joined by Conrad John Schuck, Dermot Crowley, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Michael Arden in Marc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein's Juno, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008 season.

Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark will be joined by Conrad John Schuck, Dermot Crowley, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Michael Arden in Marc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein's Juno, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008 season. Directed by Tony Award- winner Garry Hynes with guest music direction by Eric Stern and choreography by Warren Carlyle, Juno will play for five performances, from March 27 - 30, at New York City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). This will be the first production since the original Broadway staging in 1959 to use the original orchestration by Blitzstein, Hershey Kay and Robert Russell Bennett.

BroadwayWorld and Broadway Beat's cameras takes you where no audience member has gone before - to the rehearsal room of the uber-popular and highly anticipated New York City Center Encores! series. Click now to watch interviews and rehearsal highlights from 'JUNO' starring Tony Award-winning Victoria Clark, Conrad John Schuck, Dermot Crowley, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Michael Arden which plays March 27th-30th at New York City Center.

American Conservatory Theater conservatory director Melissa Smith and Young Conservatory director Craig Slaight announced casting today for the world premiere production of playwright Amy Herzog's The Wendy Play. Directed by A.C.T. associate artist Domenique Lozano, the production features actors from the graduating class of the Master of Fine Arts Program as well as from the Young Conservatory. The Wendy Play plays March 21 through April 5 at Zeum Theater, located at Yerba Buena Gardens (Fourth and Howard streets). Tickets are $15.50-$20.50 and are available by calling A.C.T. Ticket Services at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org.

Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark will be joined by Conrad John Schuck, Dermot Crowley, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Michael Arden in Marc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein's Juno, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008 season, performances are March 27-30.

Gypsy, the great American musical, will return to Broadway starring Patti LuPone, the leading lady of the American musical theatre. Gypsy will reunite LuPone with co-stars Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti. Opens March 27, 2008 at St. James Theatre

Victoria Clark will star in Marc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein's Juno, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008 season. Directed by Tony Award winner Garry Hynes, with guest music direction by Eric Stern and musical staging by Warren Carlyle, Juno will play for five performances, from March 27 - 30, at New York City Center

The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) opens its 20th Anniversary season on October 16 and 18 at 8PM with 'No Song is Safe From Us,' an evening of song encompassing four musical genres.

Capsule reviews of Such Good Friends, Love Sucks and JC2K

Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin perform 'An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,' a theatrical staged concert at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia for 8 performances only from October 23-29. This is LuPone and Patinkin's first time on stage together since their Tony Award winning performances in Evita!