Breaking my bloggers block

Okay, I've started and abandoned a couple of posts over the past couple of days. Is there such a thing as bloggers block? I might have it. Or maybe because I have a big theatre trip coming up, I'm just conserving my creative energy.

But there are a few things on my mind. First, a couple of trivia questions:

When Rondi Reed appeared in the last performance of August: Osage County in the afternoon, followed by an Actors Fund benefit of Wicked that evening, someone asked whether anyone else had ever done a Broadway play and musical on the same day. Anyone know the answer? I bet it doesn't happen often!

Has anyone ever been successful at writing a musical's book and music? The only example I could find was Rupert Holmes, who wrote the Tony-winning book, music and lyrics for The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Although Drood was based on an unfinished work by Charles Dickens, so you could say he had a little help with the book.

Now, a couple of interesting observations from producer and fellow blogger Ken Davenport:

First, he summarizes a Broadway League report on touring productions. I was surprised that the number of tickets sold has been declining for six years - predating the recession. Has something changed over the past half-decade in the types of shows that makes them less appealing? Is it ticket prices going north of $100 for the best seats? I don't know. But as someone who sees a lot of shows on the road, the statistic troubles me.

At Just Shows to Go You, Patrick Lee has an interview with Ken, and it was interesting to read his thoughts on what might have kept the Jason Robert Brown musical 13 from becoming a hit. I saw the show last fall and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I wonder if it would have had a better chance opening in the spring and playing through the summer. And while it attracted a lot of attention for its all-teen cast and band, what really drew me in was the story - a Jewish kid from New York who moves to a very Gentile Indiana town. As I said in my review, the gefilte-fish-out-of-water aspect is something we can all relate to, no matter what our age.

Finally, I noticed my friend and fellow blogger Chris, of Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, will be taking in a staged reading of the under-development musical Tales of the City this weekend. I've only read the first volume of Armistead Maupin's Tales series but I really enjoyed it. And it takes place in San Francisco - one of my favorite cities.

I'm eagerly awaiting Chris' report. Until then, Frank Rizzo at The Hartford Courant has a rundown of the cast for the reading, at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He also talked with Jason Sellards and John Garden, of the Scissor Sisters, who are writing the music.

Some musical news and views

Okay, it's been a few days since I've had a theatre-related post and there's quite a bit of interesting news, so it's time for a little catch-up.

The Broadway revival of West Side Story is launching a national tour starting in the fall of 2010. I think this is exciting. Sure, it's fun to see the new shows when they come on tour but it's also nice to catch up with the classics, especially one with a new twist. And a production that incorporates Spanish dialog and songs hopefully will attract a whole new audience. I'm assuming the tour will keep the Spanish parts. So it's definitely something to look forward to.

The Tales of the City musical is going to be developed this summer at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., as part of the National Musical Theater Conference. It features a book by Jeff Whitty of Avenue Q and songs by the Scissor Sisters - Jason Sellards and John Garden. I've read the first book in the Tales series and I liked it. Sometimes you read about a planned musical and then, nothing. So I was happy to read that this one is coming together.

McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) is in talks to direct the movie version of the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, he does have experience making music videos and a lot of time, Spring Awakening does feel like you're in a club listening to a cool new indie rock band. On the other hand, McG directed Charlie's Angels. I just don't know. I loved Spring Awakening on stage and I don't want them to mess it up.

The songs of San Francisco

Add me to the list of theater fans excited by the prospect of a musical version of Armistead Maupin's 1978 novel Tales of the City.

While I've only read the first book in the series, I really enjoyed it. And unlike some ideas for musicals that have me wondering exactly how they'll do it, I can actually picture this one. The elements just seem so inherently musical, like you could write songs about them and it wouldn't be a stretch.

First, I think the story - about Mary Ann Singleton, a naive young woman who leaves her home in Cleveland for a new life, new adventures and new friends in San Francisco - is so appealing. There's just something about journeys of self-discovery that get to me.

Plus, I've been to San Francisco twice, and it's one of my favorite cities. (Yes, I admit I could ride the cable cars all day.) While there have been movies and a television show set in the city, I don't know if it's ever been the subject of a musical. So it's about time. (Ok, I just remembered Flower Drum Song. But what else?)

I have to admit, I don't know anything about Jake Shears (Jason Sellards) of the Scissor Sisters, who's writing the music with bandmate John Garden. While I've heard of the group, I don't think I've ever heard any of their songs.

In January, Shears talked a little about the project to Spinner.com. He said his friend Jeff Whitty, the Tony-winning book writer of Avenue Q, sent him a note a year ago asking what he thought of the Tales series. (I have to admit, I've never seen Avenue Q either).

"I'm crazy about 'Tales!' I grew up on the books," Shears enthuses. "They were a big part of my teenager-hood. They're just great, great books with amazing characters and I love the era. My heart just started racing. I got very excited about it."

Shears told Spinner that he's been working on the project for nearly a year and has written 15 numbers. "It's poppy and since there's no arrangement yet, all of our writing is just piano and my voice," he explains. "As it take shape, it's gonna even take on more of a style."

The stories first appeared in serial form in the San Francisco Chronicle. Steven Winn, the paper's arts and culture critic, writes that Whitty had been looking for a new project for three years. "I have such nostalgia for that period in San Francisco," he said, "even though I didn't live through it. It feels more real to me than the life I'm living now. I'd love to see the country get back to the place we were back then."

In the same article, Maupin said, "I had seen 'Avenue Q' and knew that they (the show's creators) had a marvelous sharp wit as a well as a real humanity. Doing 'Tales' needs both of those things." He said there's been talk of a musical for 20 years. "This is the first one that felt right."

And coproducer Jeffrey Seller says it's premature to speculate about a possible San Francisco tryout for the musical, which is supposed to arrive in New York during the 2009-10 Broadway season. But that's clearly where Whitty's heart is. "That's absolutely my plan,'' he told the Chronicle. "The only place to open is San Francisco."