My roommates must hate me sometimes. I just realized that what started out as softly humming along with my music has gradually developed into full-on singing - the way I used to practice back when I was in musical theatre. Loud. And after midnight.

But, hey, after over a month of not smoking, some of my range is starting to come back to me.

Posted: June 5th, 2008 under music, theatregeekery.
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We’re rapidly approaching D-day for the 2008 Tony Awards, and in my completely personal guide to the greatest moments in the Tony Awards we’re rushing toward the present day.

I watched the 2000, 2001 and 2002 awards shows. I know I did. I remember Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Gregory Hines and Bernadette Peters hosting. But after college I went through a bit of a theatre slump where I didn’t eat, sleep and breathe theatre all the time, and there wasn’t anything particularly exciting about the lineup of musicals over those years.

Apparently, most people agreed. In an attempt to revive the flagging ratings and save the show from permanent banishment to PBS, the 2003 Tony Awards pulled out all the stops with a handsome newcomer to Broadway who’d made a name for himself in a few movies you might have heard of like X-Men, Kate & Leopold and X2. The Australian hunk was currently playing gay in the Peter Allen biographical show The Boy from Oz. Could Wolverine Hugh Jackman save the Tonys?

Hugh Jackman opens the 2003 Tony Awards

At the end of the clip, Jackman jokes about singing “Rose’s Turn.” I would have loved to have seen that, but instead, he let the star of the 2003 revival of Gypsy do the honors. The woman I’d turn straight for (as long as she sang to me all the time and we never had to have sex)… Bernadette Peters.

“Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy by Bernadette Peters at the 2003 Tony Awards

But, of course, the big musical of the year was a quirky tale about a fat girl who longs to dance, segregation, and Harvey Fierstein in drag. This was my first exposure to Hairspray, and although I wouldn’t really fall in love with it until the movie version of the musical based on the original movie came out (I think I needed to see it to get it), this song is infectious no matter who you are.

“You Can’t Stop the Beat” the cast of Hairspray at the 2003 Tony Awards

Moving into 2004, this year was the battle of the sympathetic witch versus the naughty puppets. I was rooting for Wicked, but have to admit that I wasn’t completely disappointed when Avenue Q took home the best musical award. But that battle was nothing compared to the drama over which leading lady of Wicked would snag the best actress award. I feel bad for the three nominees who weren’t from Wicked, because this was a contest between Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth…

“Defying Gravity” with the cast of Wicked at the 2004 Tony Awards

Menzel won (which I agree with), but Chenoweth had the most mainstream success when she appeared on The West Wing and landed a regular role in Pushing Daisies.

And for good measure, here’s the Avenue Q number…

“It Sucks to be Me” by the cast of Avenue Q at the 2004 Tony Awards

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Sunday, June 15 when the 62nd annual Tony Awards take place at Radio City Music Hall. And check back next Monday for the final installment of the Music(al) Monday’s Countdown to the Tony Awards.

Posted: June 2nd, 2008 under music, theatregeekery.
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You know what’s nice about the Tony Awards? We know for sure that it will be over on June 15. No superdelegates to consider, no disqualified states, no 24-hour news punditry examining every angle and every conceivable racial/sexual/class breakdown of voters.

As we continue Jere’s guide to his favorite moments in the Tonys, we’ve come to 1997. There’s not much to say about this year’s show. I didn’t care much for the offerings in general and I think the most exciting part was Rosie O’Donnell’s amazing tour de force opening sequence. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say it’s the best opening the show has ever had. In 14 minutes, Rosie managed to sum up everything that was relevent to late 1990s Broadway. Innovative musicals redefining the genre like Rent and Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, long-running holdovers of the 80s like Cats, jukebox musicals Smokey Joe’s Cafe, revivals with stunt casting like Grease, and the Disneyfication of Broadway Beauty and the Beast. It’s almost prophetic about the future of Broadway theatre. On top of it all, you can tell Rosie O’Donnell is living the dream - singing alongside some of the most celebrated performers of the decade and inserting herself into nearly everything playing on the Great White Way. Show me a showtune queen who wouldn’t kill to do exactly what she did.

1997 Tony Opener with Rosie O’Donnell, part 1

1997 Tony Opener with Rosie O’Donnell, part 2

And now, gentle reader, travel with me 12 calendar months into the future to the year 1998.

I don’t know what it was about that year, but never before or since have I cared quite so much about the results of the annual awards show. Perhaps it was because I was coming into my own as a full-fledged drama geek who had worked up the courage to sing onstage with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Perhaps because there was just a lot of good quality musical theatre that year. I don’t know. I just cared. A lot.

That’s me on the far right - I was skinny and had hair. Oh to be 19 and a virgin again. Wait, nevermind.

I’ll say this, going into the Tony’s I wanted Ragtime to win. To this day, I can’t think of a musical that has more songs that still feel like personal anthems in my life: “New Music” “Wheels of a Dream” “Night That Goldman Spoke at Union Square” “He Wanted to Say” “Back to Before” “Make Them Hear You” and especially “Till We Reach That Day.” I thought the musical was pure, heart-tugging genius.

1998 Tony Performance - Cast of Ragtime

Although the show would lose the best musical statue, it did get best book (Terrence McNally), best original score (Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens), and best featured actress in a musical (the stunning Audra McDonald). I think Marin Mazzie was robbed of Best Actress, but I liked Natasha Richardson well enough.

Speaking of Richardson, the revival of Cabaretliterally stunned people. In a work that has always vacillated back and forth between shocking audiences and playing it safe (controversial elements like bisexuality, abortion, pro-Nazi sentiment, and more have come and gone since the original stories published by Christopher Isherwood in the 1930s). In the 1998 revival (which more or less dropped the boldering Bob Fosse stuff), the emcee went from being a disconnected clown (see Joel Grey in the movie version), to an emotional and highly sexual character as created by Alan Cummings, who took home a statue for his troubles (I just hope that someday I can look at him without thinking of Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion). Even in this censored-for-broadcast-television version of the show openner “Wilkommen” you can see the unique style and approach to a musical that had been revived a couple of times since it’s 1960s debut.

1998 Tony Performance - Alan Cummings and the cast of Cabaret

There were many other shows that year deserving of mention. 1776, The Scarlett Pimpernell, Side Show - not to mention plays like Art, Freak, Golden Child and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. But there’s no way around it. 1998 was dominated by one show (which is saying a lot considering everything else going on that year). It was favored by more people who bothered predicting such things, and despite my cheering for Ragtime, after seeing this performance, it became obvious why this show, helmed by Julie Taymor and backed by Disney, would take home numerous awards including Best Musical.

Ladies, Gentlemen, others, and prefer not to disclosers; I give you, The Lion King…

1998 Tony Performance - the cast of The Lion King

I mean, listen to it. Not the music - you can hear it in better quality on the CD. Listen to this crowd of presumably jaded long-time theatregeeks and professionals go crazy and applaud like children at the effects and the music. These aren’t polite end-of-number applause, there’s a light change near the end that gets applause! I mean, that alone should tell you something.

Anyway, for the purposes of my journey down memory lane vis a vis the Tony Awards, we’ve reached the end of the 90s.

“But wait, Jere, what happened to 1999?”

Excellent question, friend. In 1999, I was living in Alaska and the only television I had access to was in the employee housing rec room, which usually smelled like someone had farted and was always taken over in the evenings by dumb kitchen guys watching the sports through poor reception. Instead of watching the Tonys that year, I served old people salmon and ran the light board for the worst dinner theatre musical ever.

Next week, though, we’ll jump ahead into the 21st century and marvel at the Broadway of the future, where a gay adamantium-clawed mutant lights of the stage and everyone asks “hey, wasn’t that a movie before it was a musical?”

Posted: May 26th, 2008 under music, theatregeekery.
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With only 4 weeks until the Tony Awards (the night before my LSAT - meaning I’ll be in Utah), I thought I’d devote the next couple Music Monday blogs to some of my favorite moments from the Tony Awards. It’s totally subjective, of course, and pretty much limited to the last 13 years, but if you want a survey of great moments at the Tonys from the 60s, 70s and 80s, I suggest you support your local PBS station.

To begin, we’re going to travel all the way back to 1995, which is the first time I remember watching the Tony Awards. If I’d watched them before, I don’t recall, but in the weeks right after my graduation from high school, I remember having a rare Sunday night off from a rather intense summer job schedule (saving money for college). I think I only half-heartedly watched the broadcast. One number stood out, though…

Glenn Close and the cast of Sunset Boulevard - “With One Look”

What can I say, I was young, not yet aware that I would study theater in college, and infatuated with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I would learn. Even having outgrown the Lloyd Webber spell, I still have to admit that Glenn Close owns this song.

In 1996, I’d been bitten by the theatre bug. After appearing in The Normal Heart and helping out in a few backstage roles, I was volunteering for a summer production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, coming out of the closet, starting to date a boy for the first time, and generally discovering myself. So I recall fairly vividly the 1996 Tony Awards and the first Tony Awards party I was ever invited to.

But, of course, in 1996, there was really only one show worth mentioning*. Redefining and reinventing not just Broadway, but fashion and politics, and following the untimely death of the show’s creator, this show enjoyed enormous buzz - far beyond that of most Broadway shows. 1996 was the year every bisexual, trisexual, homo sapien bohemian said “Act Up, Fight AIDS!” and “We’re not gonna pay…” Rent.

The cast of Rent - “Seasons of Love” and “La Vie Bohème”

* There were other shows worth mentioning - Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, several notable revivals, and the scandal when Julie Andrews declined her Tony nomination for Victor/Victoria because the rest of the cast was overlooked. But in the long run, only Rent has had such lasting impact on me personally or the Great White Way.

Next week… the year I was most emotionally invested in the Tony’s.

Posted: May 19th, 2008 under music, theatregeekery.
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Another painful thrilling Monday has arrived and you know what that means… another pointless exciting edition of Music Mondays, wherein your fearless hero reveals the guarded secrets of the iPod playlist.

First off, you may or may not know that in addition to quitting smoking and studying intensely for the LSAT, I’ve also started seeing a personal trainer. With so many commitments, I’ve barely had time to obsess over my favorite hobbies: comics and musical theatre.

Well, thanks to these awesome guys, I can now combine my love of musical theatre with my fitness routine…

Sweating to Sondhein.

I’ll admit, I was a little bit late to The Dresden Dolls fan club, but I’m somewhat excited about their new album, No, Virginia. They’ve released the official video for the first single, “Night Reconnaissance.”

The Dresden Dolls - Night Reconnaissance

I’m looking forward to the album, even though I’m not blown away like I was with some of their earlier work. Specifically, “Coin Operated Boy” and their cover of Cabaret’s “Mein Herr”

 
The Dresden Dolls official YouTube Channel

Tomorrow another one of my favorite artists is releasing a new album. I’ve been a fan of Jason Mraz since I saw him in concert at the Hard Rock in Vegas. He’s ever so much better live than on albums, but since it’s illegal to kidnap him and tie him up in my room, we’ll settle for what we can get. Anyway, the new album is We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things and will be on sale tomorrow. The first single “I’m Yours” is more mellow than previous hits, but it’s nice.

Jason Mraz - I’m Yours

Yes, I continue to overplay the Scott Alan music from a few weeks ago. I’m also listening to Mayday Parade and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

Finally, I discovered a way to set up my camera for long-term interval photography, so here’s a pointless stop-motion video of my morning. God I look fat and why didn’t anyone tell me my collar was fucked up half the morning?

My Monday Morning

Posted: May 12th, 2008 under music.
Comments: 1

Since this morning’s Music Monday post was so short, I thought I’d throw in this bonus video/song I ran across on YouTube today.

Michael Arden - Run Away With Me

I have sort of an unreasonable crush on Michael Arden. While I don’t think this video of him singing “Run Away With Me” from The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown is the greatest representation of his singing, but I do think he did a far better job communicating the depth of the song than this professional recording by Josh Young.

Also, you should subscribe to the new nextstopbroadway YouTube channel. Je l’aime!

Posted: May 5th, 2008 under music.
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Alright, I’m probably not going to have time to do a full length Music Mondays post. Besides, my playlist hasn’t changed a whole lot since last week. I’m still mostly resisting the lure of Madonna’s Hard Candy, despite the fact that you can hear it everywhere you go in this, the gayest of all possible cities. I’m still doing the OCD-style listening to Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan.

So, until I have more time or until I pick out some new tracks for the iPod, please enjoy this brand-spanking new video from Jonny “The Gay Pimp” McGovern. And before you hit play, it’s most likely NSFW - unless you’re workplace is okay with some sexual language and the occasional full moon.

It is, however, full of good advice for the ladies: “Don’t Fall in Love With a Homo.”

{a wink, nod and tip of the hat to Kenneth in the (212)}

Posted: May 5th, 2008 under music.
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I know you won’t be able to start your week until you know what music has been endorsed by me. Fear not, Prophiteers, I am back with another installment of Music Mondays.

• “Now” sung by Jonathan Groff on Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan MP3 Myspace Buy It @ Amazon - Actually, the whole album is pretty awesome, but this song in particular is phenomenal. Cheyenne Jackson also has a song. Don’t take my word for it, check out the video from the launch party. And big thanks to Joe for drawing my attention to this one.
  YouTube video
• “Warhol Highway” by Mare Lennon MP3 Myspace Buy It @ Amazon - Not really new, but Mare is an old friend from the summer I spent in Alaska and every now and then I come back to her music. This is one of those weeks.
• “Harder Better Faster” by Daft Punk MP3 Myspace Buy It @ Amazon - Again, not a new release or anything, but a fun song. Truthfully, this one popped up on my radar almost completely as a result of this video:
  YouTube video
• “I Will Posess Your Heart” by Death Cab for Cutie MP3 Myspace Buy It @ Amazon - From their upcoming new album Narrow Stairs. I just like this song. I like that it’s 4:30 of music before the lyrics kick in. I’m also adding it to the list for the album I’m going to someday produce named The Stalker’s Greatest Hits. “You reject my advances and desperate plea. I won’t let you let me down so easily. So easily.” Other songs for my album include “Every Breath You Take” by The Police and “Without You” by Mariah Carey. Imagine those songs sung by a gravelly-voiced, chain-smoking ex-con and you’ll see the genious of my idea.

As usual, I make no guarantees about how long links to M3s or Videos stay active. Please don’t ask me to upload them again.

Finally, although I’m not a huge fan of NIN, I can’t resist posting this video for their new song “Discipline” - which you can download off their website.

NIN - Dsicipline

Say whatever you like about NIN, you gotta love a band that turns themselves into the Village People by way of early Final Fantasy videogames complete with rainbow flags.

Posted: April 28th, 2008 under music.
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I’m sure it’s crossed your minds, “I wonder what Jere’s listening to these days?” Well, ponder no longer gentle readers. Here’s the news about the song in heavy rotation on my iPod this week.

• “Hardly a Hero” by Levi Kreis. After hearing the song but not quite placing it in Kiss the Bride, I looked it up when I got home and recalled listening to the demo album he sent us before we booked him at Utah Pride 2006. I moved the song into my frequent rotation playlist for the week.
• “Tonight” by Lykke Li is still on repetative play this week.
• “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White Ts. I keep coming back to this song. I just don’t know how to quit it. I first discovered this song almost a year ago when I was making plans to visit New York and I was putting together an NYC playlist. A couple months later, it seemed like everyone knew about it.
• “Just Not Now” by Farah Alvin in the musical I Love You Because. A simple song with a simple message (I love you but I’m not ready to be in a relationship now) that tugs at your heartstrings and explores a real-life dilemma rarely expressed in modern song.
• “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath. Do I need to explain?
• “The Clock Strikes Three” sung by Michael Arden for the musical Forward.

p.s. Isn’t my graphic just the lamest? That’s what happens when I take an afternoon off from studying and have nothing else to do but surf the web and play with photoshop.

Posted: April 21st, 2008 under music.
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Last weekend, Jennifer introduced me to Swedish singer Lykke Li. I think I’m in love. The song in the video below is available as a free download on her website. (See “Secret Chapter)

It’s been a week of new music. Other songs and artists that have caught my attention…

1. 4 Minutes - Madonna & Justin Timberlake
2. You! Me! Dancing! - Los Campesinos
3. Accelerate - R.E.M.
4. Beat It - Fall Out Boy (ft. John Mayer)

Posted: April 12th, 2008 under music.
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