A trio of cast changes

Was it something I said?

Three shows made a major cast change in midstream during the Broadway season that just ended and what do they have in common? I saw all three of them before the unexpected departure of the performer in question.

First, hoofer Christian Hoff hurt his foot on Nov. 21 and withdrew from the musical Pal Joey while the Roundabout Theatre Company revival was still in previews.

Then, in mid-December, Jeremy Piven told the producers of Speed-the-Plow that he had to leave the revival of the David Mamet play because of a high level of mercury in his body, presumably caused by eating too much fish.

And yesterday, the producers of the musical Rock of Ages announced that Amy Spanger would be leaving for "personal reasons" after being out of the show on vocal rest since the Tony Awards in early June.

I know people get hurt and I'm sure performing eight times a week can be a strain on your vocal chords. I suppose it's not unheard of that an actor has to drop out. And sometimes cast changes are made before a show starts previews or in between an out-of-town tryout and Broadway.

But still, isn't three major cast changes during the season unusual? And what are the odds that I would have seen all of them, especially since Hoff wasn't in Pal Joey for all that long and Spanger has been in and out of Rock of Ages?

Next season, I hope everyone stays healthy.

My Tony picks - the musicals

I haven't seen many of the new musicals and revivals that opened this season on Broadway, including 9 to 5, Next to Normal and West Side Story. And I never made it to [title of show] or White Christmas. So these aren't exactly the most knowledgeable picks but they are some of my favorite musical performances of the year.

Best Musical
*Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
Rock of Ages
Shrek The Musical

Of the three nominated musicals I saw, Billy Elliot is simply the one that touched me the most, that I thought was the most captivating and thrilling to watch. It has memorable characters and dramatic tension and moments of poignancy and humor and makes the story of striking British coal miners seem universal.

Best Book of a Musical
*Billy Elliot, The Musical - Lee Hall
Next to Normal - Brian Yorkey
Shrek The Musical - David Lindsay-Abaire
[title of Show] - Hunter Bell

Lee Hall wrote the original screenplay for the 2000 movie Billy Elliot and then adapted it for the stage. And it's a great story - about a young boy discovering a talent and how, in a time of great stress, a community rallies around him.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
*Billy Elliot, The Musical - Music: Elton John; Lyrics: Lee Hall
Next to Normal - Music: Tom Kitt; Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
9 to 5: The Musical - Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton
Shrek The Musical - Music: Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

This is Billy Elliot versus Shrek for me, since I haven't seen the other two. I didn't exactly leave the theatre humming the songs from either one. But I think Billy Elliot's score works well in the context of the story.

Best Revival of a Musical
Guys and Dolls
*Hair
Pal Joey
West Side Story

Okay, Pal Joey and Hair were the only ones I saw in this category. Hair is a 40-year-old show, tied to a particular time in American history. But instead of coming off like a relic, it seems so fresh and vibrant and thought-provoking. Unlike so many recent musicals, the songs are catchy and memorable. And I never get tired of listening to them.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish ‚ Billy Elliot, The Musical
*Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Here's where I get off the Billy Elliot bandwagon. I saw Trent Kowalik as Billy and he was a great dancer. But his performance as an actor didn't move me as much as Gavin Creel's in Hair. Creel just made me feel the conflict that his character was going through. He's also an adult and a more accomplished actor so it's not a fair comparison. But he gets my imaginary vote.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical
Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical
*Will Swenson, Hair

I thought Christopher Sieber and Gregory Jbara were both great and I'd be happy to see either of them win. But Will Swenson as Berger, the leader of the hippie tribe, was so charismatic and fun to watch in a role that requires a lot of physical stamina.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
*Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical

I liked Martha Plimpton and Carole Shelley but I absolutely adored Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson. She was so hilarious and unforgettable as the demanding teacher who becomes Billy's champion. I even thought the musical lost a bit of its spark when she was offstage.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls
Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
*Scott Pask, Pal Joey
Mark Wendland, Next to Normal

Ian MacNeil has designed a great set for Billy Elliot - it rises like a corkscrew from the Imperial Theatre stage and reminds me a bit of the game Mousetrap. But I really liked the way Scott Pask's dark set for Pal Joey evokes a seedy 1930s nightclub in Chicago. It helps sets the mood of the show and fits well with this rather dark story.

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages
Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical
*Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
Michael McDonald, Hair

For me, one of the best things about Shrek were the costumes. They made me smile for the way they evoked a classic children's storybook come to life.

Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Greif, Next to Normal
Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages
*Diane Paulus, Hair

I think Stephen Daldry, who also directed the movie, does a good job with Billy Elliot. But the choices Diane Paulus makes in Hair are a big part of the reason why it's so alive, so relevant. It evokes the spirit of the 1960s in a fun way but never lets the audience forget some of the sadder and more brutal events of that tumultuous decade.

Best Choreography
Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
*Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin's White Christmas

I loved the choreography in Hair and I'd be thrilled to see Armitage win. But Billy Elliot above all is a wonderful testament to the absolute joy of movement, to the artistry and exuberance and sheer athleticism of dance. It's the dancing I remember more than the score, so Peter Darling gets my vote.

Not all seats are created equal

The higher up and farther back you go in a Broadway theatre, the cheaper the seats get. So what about if you're off to the side?

I sat in the right orchestra for all three shows I saw last weekend: God of Carnage, Hair and Rock of Ages. Most Broadway houses have a fairly cozy orchestra section so it's usually not a problem if I'm not in the dead center. But this time, I definitely felt like I was at a disadvantage.

For God of Carnage, at the Jacobs Theatre, I was fairly close but a few seats from end. There were a few moments where I couldn't see everything that was happening with James Gandolfini's character on the far right side of the stage. It was just outside of my sightline.

Same thing for Rock of Ages, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. I was farther back, three seats from the end. My view of the video projections on the back wall was partially blocked by the set.

I was about six rows from the stage for Hair, at the Hirschfeld Theatre, but one seat from the end. I don't remember missing any of the action onstage, although I wish I'd had a better view of the band.

Now, I'm not too steamed because I don't feel like where I was sitting interfered with how I felt about the shows. It was just frustrating not to be able to see everything. And I paid full price for my tickets to God of Carnage and Hair.

I know producer Ken Davenport has written about variable pricing for Broadway shows. And Steve on Broadway has written about poor sightlines in the orchestra at Studio 54.

Isn't time to admit that not all seats in the same row are created equal and offer a discount for the last two or three on the end?

Rock of Ages

Gratuitous Violins rating: * out of ****

Well, I can't say I wasn't warned. I knew before I bought my (discounted, thankfully) ticket that Rock of Ages was a loud and not very good musical.

But I had a Monday night slot to fill on my trip to New York and I wanted to see something new. I'd seen the cast of Rock of Ages perform on Live with Regis and Kelly, and I listened to them on the Playbill Radio podcast and the show sounded like fun.

You know when you get really excited about seeing a movie based on the trailer and then realize that 2 1/2 minutes was the sum total of all the good parts? That's kind of how I felt with this musical.

The book, by Chris D'Arienzo, certainly had potential: a would-be rock star (Constantine Maroulis) and an aspiring actress (Amy Spanger) fall in love in Los Angeles. At the same time, a fabled Sunset Strip rock club is about to be torn down by an unscrupulous developer, (Paul Schoeffler).

There's an aging, lecherous '80s rock star with big hair (James Carpinello) who's brought in to try and save the day and a wickedly funny narrator (Mitchell Jarvis, who seemed to be doing a Jack Black impression.)

But Rock of Ages just felt kind of flat and crude instead of clever and inspired - more Spamalot than Spinal Tap. (Disliked the former, liked the latter.) This is one of those shows where everyone else around me was laughing and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, while I might have chuckled a few times.

Spanger is spunky and Maroulis is sweet and appealing. And I don't even mind cliches and a predictable plot if I care about the characters. But honestly, I didn't really care all that much about them.

Part of it was, I saw the show stone-cold sober while many of my fellow audience members took advantage of the in-seat drink service. (I think the couple sitting next to me had at least four beers apiece.)

Plus, loud doesn't even begin to describe the decibel level of this musical. Even before the show started, from the moment I walked into the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, the sound was overwhelming.

Now, I'll admit I couldn't name a Whitesnake song to save my life. Still, I was looking forward to hearing some familiar 1980s songs made famous by Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar, among others.

But Rock of Ages doesn't present them in a way that made them all that interesting, just loud. And it seemed like they didn't even play the full version of the songs.

Still, I don't think it was a total waste. If I hadn't gone, I would have wondered whether I was missing something. And like my blogging buddy Chris says, you have to see a lot of shows to separate the wheat from the chaff, to know what works and what doesn't.

I'll just chalk this one up to experience - one of the less-successful chapters in my ongoing musical-theatre education. Judging from the reaction at the performance I saw, Rock of Ages has a fan base. But it wasn't for me.

Fun and games on Broadway

In preparation for my upcoming trips to New York I've been scouring Broadway show Web sites:

Coolest download: Virtual Zippo lighter app for your iPhone at Rock of Ages. (Because you can never be too ready for a power ballad.)

Dumbest game: "Shoot your boss," at 9 to 5. I know it fits with the plot and all but isn't it a tad in poor taste?

Best use of video: Vblog entries from the cast of Hair are fun. The Easter Bonnet competition featuring the cast of 33 Variations doesn't tell you much about the show but it's very witty. Shrek's 10-part online video series on bringing the musical to Broadway is the most interesting and provides reasons to keep coming back to the site.

Best marketing slogan playing off a line from a song: Hair - We got merch, brother!

Best e-cards: Shrek, with their funny takeoffs on other Broadway shows.

Most unfortunate video trend: Watching scenes from plays without the sound. You can see a montage from God of Carnage, you just can't hear the actors. Instead, they play some background music. What's the point? At least Exit the King gives you a few lines of dialog before the montage.

Best blog: It's hard to beat Jane Fonda at 33 Variations. Although, strangely, I couldn't find a link to it on the show's site.

But I wish the two queens from Mary Stuart had kept up their blogging. Here's a sample from Mary, Queen of Scots: "I am in rehearsals for my upcoming trial. I am training hard as I suspect it will all be physically hard to endure. I have discovered protein shakes and they are helping me."