Oprah skips sweeps to tout 'Color Purple'

More news from the League of American Theatres and Producers conference in NYC (delayed by transmission problems)

We previously had the good fortune to see "The Color Purple" while it was in previews.

In a dazzling May 11 lunchtime of Tony voters and potential tour venue representatives, the show's producers brought out the ultimate trump card: Oprah!

Plus the entire cast of the show.

Oprah lobbied hard to get her role in the Spielberg movie. And now she's lobbying hard for this musical whose marquee reads "Oprah Winfrey presents The Color Purple."

(It's not an insignificant push. The same day as the luncheon, The New York Times ran an article about her endorsement clout. "Getting on Oprah is like winning the lottery," one company PR person said. "Because her audience really trusts her, if Oprah or her producers sincerely fall in love with some product or person, the results can be spectacular.")

Here's what Oprah had to say about "The Color Purple" -- the Alice Walker book, the Steven Spielberg movie and the Broadway musical:

I passed out copies to all my friends. I told them, 'if you don't read this, you are no longer my friend.'

The Color Purple is about transformation. It is transcendent in its ability to touch the human chord of validation. Everybody is looking for validation. 'Do you hear me?' 'Do I matter?'

What people realize through these characters is 'I do matter.'

We need more vehicles that say hope is possible. I'm grateful to be part of something that says and does that.

We like your votes, but ultimately it's beyond awards, votes and critics. It's about how people feel and are moved and touched to do more in their own lives.

I don't believe in luck. I believe there is a divine current moving through all our lives.

- Michael K

Catching a buzz during theater week

Notes and more from this week’s League of American Theatres and Producers annual spring conference in New York City

You gotta love theater conferences. Where else would you break at noon on Wednesday to make sure people had time to get to matinees? And there’s a lot of buzz right now because the Tony nominations will be announced next week. The Tonys are Broadway’s Grail. Wait, that was last year’s Best Musical.

Attended by 500 touring Broadway producers, presenters and press agents, The League conference is a mix of the practical (“Data Mining in the Information Age”) and the productions; it’s not unusual for attendees to see seven shows in five days. There also are star sightings (Tommy Tune, Frankie Valli) and even some in-depth conversations.

On Tuesday, director John Doyle interviewed the two stars from his acclaimed new production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd,” the demon barber of Fleet Street, now playing at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.

In his first Broadway production, Doyle had the notion to have everyone in his cast act, sing and play instruments on stage. Down from the original 1979 cast and orchestra count of 54, the 10 multi-talented cast members play tubas, violins and other instruments – trading off instruments like relay race runners. It started in England in small houses, but then Sondheim caught wind of it. He blessed the new production, and even wrote some new music.

Eavesdropping on director Doyle, Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris:

• Michael: It was the first Broadway show I ever saw. I saw it seven times in the next year and a half. I’ve come to think that Sweeney is the Hamlet of musical theater. It takes everything you have and asks for a little more.
• Patti: You just have to be pliable in the hands of your director.
• Michael: I’ve come to realize that the best thing is, just show up bring your bag of tools.
• Patti: I don’t know what I looked like to you, but I felt sexy.
• Michael: The first thing you had me do is lie down in the coffin and I thought, ah, this is how it’s going to be. (on joining the cast a week late with Patti) I was gobsmacked by the musicianship and skill of the company. We felt like the dumb kids in class trying to catch up.
• Patti: It was the best experience I have ever had. Ever. It was civilized and that’s not a word you hear in the theater.
• Michael: Steve’s intimidating because you make him intimidating.
• Patti (on Sondheim watching rehearsals): This is history. This is living history. Audiences are desperate for an emotional connection.
• Michael: Theater sometimes thinks it has to compete with the movies.
• John: We are storytellers. That’s what we got into this d--- business in the first place. (hearing that Sondheim was coming to English to see the show) I’ll have to sell my house. He’ll sue me because of what I’ve done to his musical.”

“The Wedding Singer,” based on the Adam Sandler movie of the same name, name checks (and sometimes face checks) symbols of the 1980s like Pong, Mr. T, Tina Turner, greed, “Flashdance,” cell phones, mullets, aerobics and Van Halen. Two-time Tony nominee Laura Benanti plays the title character’s love interest Julia.

At a “Jersey Boys” party Tuesday night, the four Broadway cast members of the hit show sang “Rag Doll” a capella in front of original members Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio. Not too intimidating.

– Michael K.

Red Hot Tony News

TBPAC is excited to help the League of American Theaters & Producers with an initiative to share information on the annual Tony Awards (and hopefully more inside news down the road) in a real-time environment via RSS feeds. The League is adopting a lot of new technology via a partnership with IBM On Demand Business.

A little after 3pm today, the Tony Awards launched a page for RSS feeds on this year's awards. You may subscribe to Tony-related feeds from Broadway.org here, including getting this year's news before the mainstream press has a chance to get it out!

The actual Tony Award nominations will be announced May 16, with the award ceremony to be held on June 11.

We wanted to give you live, fully-integrated updates here at CULTURE SHOCK, but it appears that Blogger isn't set up to mirror/syndicate other feeds like that. We're looking at other options and should be announcing our upgrade soon.

As an employee of the League told me today - we're really leading the theater industry in this technology, and we even say that knowing how behind we are as compared to a lot of other industries!

- David J.

Goodbye to Angela

After just more than 5 years of dedicated service to TBPAC, our very own Angela Lakin will be heading off to greener pastures. She's been a pretty frequent contributor to this blog. You may recall her name from many of the opera stories.

Angela started here as a PR intern and moved up to a full-time position in that department before transferring to Marketing. She's been an invaluable asset in handling kid shows (including our annual Eggstravaganza event), classical arts (including our own Opera Tampa company), Latin programming and various other niche shows.

Not only has she put her brain to task as an employee, she's been sighted in some classes at the Patel Conservatory, she's been a singer in the Opera Tampa Chorus and (as many of us have been in the department) she's been a frequent model for photos we've needed for various purposes.

As we say farewell to Angela today, I'd like to leave you with a few of her more "memorable appearances." (Thanks, Mei!) In my mind, though, she will go down in history as the recipient of the very first Best Actress in a Phone Conversation Award.

We'll miss you much, Angela. Don't be a stranger ...


Angela is everywhere. Even hubby Lorne is amazed


Glinda, the Big Boss and Elphaba


Angela even helped me film a commercial on a moment's notice.


In addition to a mastermind marketer, she could be a dancing queen.


We bid this Girl of the Golden West a fond farewell. Happy trails!

- David J., on behalf of the TBPAC Marketing Department

Deborah Voigt in the news again

A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog entry about Deborah Voigt’s gastric bypass surgery. Well it appears this dramatic weight loss has led the singer to add a new role to her repertoire ... Tosca! This past weekend she debuted in the role at, where else, the Metropolitan Opera.

In a review from the New York Times, reviewer Anthony Tommasini said, “Ms. Voigt gave an involving, impetuous and vocally burnished portrayal.” Other comments include, “Her bright and penetrating sound recalls Birgit Nilsson’s Tosca.” and “...she brought undeniable vocal charisma to the role and some tender personal touches.”

Want to read more about her performance? Check on the full review at New York Times.

- Angela L.

Dame Edna pulls a (your choice: Sheen, Clooney, Crowe ...)

I saw this link on CNN.com just now, and it's just too weird not to pass on. 72-year old Barrie Humphries (the actual person who plays the character Dame Edna, who has been no stranger to the area with her shows the past several years) knocked out a photographer. From the way the story reads, Humphries packs quite a punch despite his age.

- David J.

From mocha to movies?

Starbucks Films? Starbucks Book Club? They may not be too far away. The Business Day section of Monday's New York Times announced the coffee chain is looking to begin promoting books and movies as they have currently done with CDs.

The first film release is about a child and a spelling bee (did you wonder when the TBPAC tie was coming?) - Akeelah and the Bee, which stars Laurence Fishburne.

They believe the high level of trust their customers have in what they sell will directly carry over to these new ventures and they'll be able to use their brand and massive corporate apparatus to make themselves as a fixture of the entertainment industry. And while the company is controversial to some -- including those in Seminole Heights, many who still don't want a store in their area -- it was able to propel the Ray Charles' "Genius Love Company" CD onto the best-seller charts. The 6 million pairs of (bloodshot) eyeballs hitting those more than 8,500 locations daily in 30 countries provides a great marketing opportunity. No two ways about that.


Disclosure: TBPAC has a Starbucks connection, they are the official coffee of The Center and they are the title sponsor to our Expanding Horizons series. I've been enjoying the free joe handed out before opening night shows all season. Please don't send me any hatemail. I really like coffee.

We're all yolks ...

For the past 10 years TBPAC has been home to Magic 94.9FM’s Eggstravaganza. It’s a free family Easter event held here the Saturday before Easter with free breakfast, activities for the kids and an egg hunt. But it doesn’t require a calendar for the TBPAC staff to know it’s time for Eggstravaganza. We know by all the “egg jokes” in emails. Need an egg-xample? I can give you an egg-cellent one (get it?). Yes ... they are rather silly and corny, but it’s tradition and who am I to fight tradition.

Each year we continue to be amazed at the number of people that come out for this event. To give you an idea, this past year the staff served breakfast to about 1200 and that doesn’t count the people who were “bringing food back to their families who are sitting down.” To give you another image, we put 25,000 plastic Easter eggs on the lawn in Curtis Hixon Park. The egg hunt starts at 11 a.m. It’s over, no joke, by 11:01 a.m.

Check out a couple pictures from this year’s event.





- Angela L.

New feature - Subscribe to this feed!

Check out the right toolbar of this blog. Towards the bottom, below the Archives heading is a small button that says FEED solosub. If you click that button it will take you to a page that will let you select your RSS feed reader and have CULTURE SHOCK delivered right to you.

Leeann posted about the virtues of feed readers a while back, and I thought it would be a good idea to offer you a one-click solution to setting that up for you. I use a desktop reader, built into Mozilla Thunderbird.

Enjoy!

- David J.

10 years of Rent

This Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the original Broadway production of Jonathan Larson’s hit musical Rent. On Monday night, the original cast reunited once again on the stage of the Nederlander Theater to perform the show that launched many of their careers. The event was a benefit for three special organizations: the New York Theater Workshop (the theater where Rent was staged before it made the move to Broadway), Friends in Deed (a support organization for those dealing with life-threatening illnesses) and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.

I first saw Rent in January of 2000, here at TBPAC. I was a senior in high school and really didn’t know much about the story going in. I left with the songs in my head and a passion for the show. It was so much different than anything else I had ever seen.



I couldn’t deny for long that I had become a “Renthead.” That’s what they call those of us who are die-hard fans. Over the past six years I’ve seen the show 25 times in six different cities. I’ve camped out on sidewalks, sometimes for as long as 24 hours, just to get front row tickets. Along the way, I’ve met some amazing people from all over the country. Those friendships have made it all worth it. Rent has become more than just a show to me. It’s an experience.

Rent is now the seventh longest running show in Broadway history and with the recent release of the movie, I imagine it will stick around for some time to come.

- Tara M.

New releases - Tool and Pearl Jam

There are two albums coming out in the very near future that have me a little excited. I can't imagine either artist ever playing These Hallowed Halls - but a boy can dream, right? This is the first time I've been as simultaneously excited about two new albums coming out as when Foo Fighters In Your Honor and Weezer's Make Believe hit the streets.

First up there's Pearl Jam's self-titled album. I saw the latest cover of Rolling Stone and it says Best Pearl Jam Album in Ten Years. Wow. That's a mighty big statement there. You can read the full review of the album here. When PJ first broke big and all the world was stocking up on flannels and letting their hair grow shaggy, I was immersed in the gothic-industrial subculture and so took a pretty pretentious pass on listening to anything like them with the few exceptions like Sonic Youth, Fugazi and Soundgarden. The wife is a huge fan, and so of course retold the great story of all the Seattle bands, their backstories and the giant family tree that seemed like it sure had an awful lot of heroin in it.

In recent years I've really admired Eddie Vedder's politics (and I'm not always want to jump on a singer's opinions - see: Stipe, Michael and O'Connor, Sinead) and there's a line in particular from that RS review that gives me a lot of hope for the new CD. "The politics on Pearl Jam are not those of right or left but of engagement and responsibility." I like that. A lot. We don't get enough of that these days.

The second album that has me excited is Tool's new effort - 10,000 Days. Despite Maynard's work with other projects such as A Perfect Circle, it's been 5 years since Tool's 2.3 million copy selling Lateralus. I'll hopefully be listening to an advance copy of the album with tomorrow morning's coffee. I'm hearing interesting things about tabla and sitar orchestrations, ethereal soundscapes and of course the signature sonically relentless rock Tool has come to be recognized for. Even going a step further than the last Tool and A Perfect Circle albums, apparently most tracks on 10,000 days are 7 - 12 minutes long. That's a lot of rock.

With Maynard stating in this month's Revolver that he's probably done with APC, let's hope it's not another 5 years before the next Tool effort.

- David J.

Getting in the act

If you're a local performer, new to the area or just "out of the loop," or if you've only flirted with the idea of performing there are a lot of ways you can ply your trade here on open of the many stages at TBPAC.

The Center's resident opera company, Opera Tampa, holds annual auditions for the Opera Tampa Chorus. I've known quite a few people who have done chorus work, some that have done it now for many years. Enormous sets, great costumes, a chance to sing on the Morsani stage - it could be quite an opportunity for a diva-in-the-making.

Similarly, The Center's resident theater company, Jobsite Theater, also holds annual auditions for their season.

If you're interested (or know someone who is), be sure to check out that information and apply by the deadlines.

If you're looking for an opportunity to learn more or just try some things out - even if you've never been on stage - The Center offers an opportunity there also in the annual Community Arts Ensemble event. A little birdy tells me that information on how you can sign up to participate will be available by the start of next week. Check back at TBPAC.ORG or patelconservatory.org for more information.

Break a leg!

- David J.

Non, it's not easy being green ...

When it comes to opera and wine, I like the 40-weight stuff: A good syrah and something heavy like La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Carmen.

But we recently jumped at the chance to see an opera -- any opera -- at the spectacularly beautiful Palais Garnier opera house in Paris. Turns out it was the opening night of a light, comic opera titled Platee and written by a French composer named Jean-Phillippe Rameau in 1745.

First, this building makes Lincoln Center, which I love, look like a poor cousin. Ordered by Napoleon III and completed around 1874, it's simply an incredible space. The discovery of a hidden lake on the site, and some "mysterious" deaths during construction, helped inspire The Phantom of the Opera. The ceiling was painted in the early '60s by Marc Chigall.

As for the opera, I wasn't expecting much. The English translation of the synopsis explained the thin plot: Juno was jealous of Jupiter, so Mercury decides to stage a fake wedding between Juniper and Platee, the Frog Queen. The idea was that Juno would find that whole idea so ludicrous that she'd forget to be mad.

The staging and costuming and choreography totally updated the centuries-old piece. It opened on a stage designed to look like a theater with seats very much like the ones we in the audience are sitting in. Mercury looks like James Dean in a cool suit. The Frog Queen is a man. The diva is costumed in a dress of sheet music pages, which she pulls off in random swipes and hands to the startled musicians in the pit. A lovelorn Frog Man sits in a mezzanine seat then climbs a rope ladder into the orchestra.

I still prefer La Boheme, but Platee provided quite a night of entertainment -- and I didn't even mention yet the dance that mimed couples figuring out how to have sex. (Foot in an armpit? No. Elbow to the head? No.)

- Michael K

Soon: Skinny Valkyries?

Gastric bypass surgery has received quite a bit of press in recent years when The Today Show's Al Roker, American Idol's Randy Jackson, Roseanne Barr and Carnie Wilson from the 90s musical group Wilson Philips all underwent the procedure. Now gastric bypass is crossing over to the genre that is known for the stereotype of large women in horned helmets. Check out this interview with legendary dramatic soprano Deborah Voigt whose gastric-bypass surgery put her in the headlines.

- Angela L.

More on music

Last night I was on the couch relaxing after a long day of work and rehearsal when one of those "1000 Songs" campaign ads for iPod came on. I'm a bit of a sucker for those spots, and overall I think that Apple has done an outstanding job of advertising.

I'd heard the commercial before, but I've never paid much attention to it. This is probably heresy for an advertiser, but I hate ads. I hate watching ads. Typically I just tune them out by staring at a dog or cat. When the spot ran last night the wife says she wonders who the band is, and adds that they sound like The White Stripes. I snap out of my zone and agree with her, noting I actually thought it was The White Stripes. She tells me they're singing about being in a cubicle. Hey, sounds like a great companion piece to the songs from Blue Man Group's The Complex.

I go investigate in the ol' iTunes Music Store and, lo and behold, the song is indeed called "Cubicle" by a band called Rinocerose. Well, there are some funky accents associated with half the letters, but I don't have my ASCII conversion table. You get the gist, right? Looks like the band is about to celebrate their 10th birthday and are a pretty big deal in Europe. Like Michael before me today, I have to remark at how I find new bands these days.

I'm not really what you'd call an "early adopter," even if I'm usually well ahead of the curve on knowing about things. I didn't even get my iPod until last year on my birthday, a silver mini. I quickly followed that up by getting the wife a nifty new nano the second they hit the shelves.

That said - I've become quite an iJunkie since then. I exclusively use iTunes on my computer (after close to a decade of loyalty to WinAmp), I have an AirTunes base station set up on a router to stream my music through the house, and of course the iPod itself which I use while gardening, in the truck (While transmitting on an FM band, not while wearing headphones!) and at my desk.

As a result, I listen to a lot more music than I used to, and it's made me a lot more adventurous musically. I find I crave more different types of music and I often binge on something new til something else comes along. Let's see if Rinocerose becomes a binge or a one-hitter I keep around for the novelty factor.

Got anything new you're listening to? Let us know about it!

- David J.

When the music is better than the food ...

On a recent flight, I again discovered that airlines -- while cutting costs on many areas -- somehow have managed to get a lot hipper in their music selections. It wasn't that long again that airline music was unlistenable.

But Song's low-cost flights, being closed by Delta unfortunately, would let the listener construct personalized MP3 song lists from a series of CDs.

And cruising through the many channels available on our Air France flight, I found Teddy Thompson (Richard's son), Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall), Rosanne Cash, Philip Glass, Tom Waits, Ben Harper, blueswoman Marva Wright and James Blunt (OK, so that's not so hard, but it was the harsh, anti-war "No Bravery," not just "You're Beautiful").

Not to mention a host of acts I had never heard of: The Greenhornes? The High Dials? I've since discovered that The Greenhornes had a song in the Bill Murray movie, "Broken Flowers," and opened a bunch of dates for The White Stripes. Shows how much I know.

So, next time you need a new music fix, you might just have to take to the air ... although I'm pretty sure Mick Jagger would be dismayed to find his "Sweet Thing" listed on the Easy Listening channel.

- Michael K.

Catchup with Catie

One of the more popular Club Jaeb artists we brought in this year was singer-songwriter Catie Curtis.

She does a pretty good job of keeping her fans posted. Here are some excerpts from her most recent email:

It's been an exciting week around here. Mark Erelli and I were awarded the International Songwriting Competition Grand Prize for our song "People Look Around," which we wrote after Hurricane Katrina. For the whole story, go to: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm
Ben Wisch just finished mixing the song for my upcoming album (Long Night Moon, due out in August 2006), so we posted it on http://www.catiecurtis.com as a pre-release download. Hot off the press ... or out of the studio in this case.

This weekend I play in Massachusetts and Maine. Then I'll visit Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Texas and Oklahoma at the end of this month. For those of you who asked, I definitely will return to Chicago and to the west coast in the fall. I'm sorry we couldn't schedule it this spring.

It snowed here yesterday but I think spring is really on the way (although my 3 year old says it's going to keep snowing until next Christmas).

Hope to see you,
Catie

We've got some promising leads on next year's offerings, and as soon as some things are firm I'll be sutre to share.

Did you come to any of the shows? Have suggestions on future artists to bring? Let us know!

- David J.

A nice note from a happy customer

In our Me First/Gimme society I don't typically see a lot of gratitude floating around. We do a lot of contests with the media and third party partners for tickets (which I'm sure you're familiar with if you listen to local radio) and I always find myself surprised when someone takes the time to write us a thank-you letter. Too many times, I've seen the exact opposite: winners complaining about seat locations, they wanted a better prize or want more special preferential treatment etc.

I got a lovely note today from a patron who won tickets to see I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change in our Jaeb Theater and I wanted to share it.

Dear Mr. Jenkins,

Thank you for a most enjoyable afternoon in Tampa. Winning the tickets to [the show] allowed me to get reaquainted with [TBPAC] after several years' absence and to realize just how accessible it is for driving from St. Petersburg.

Our seats provided a very good vantage point, and we enjoyed the table seating. The show was so clever, the performers were just marvelous in their many various roles, and the pianist was pretty terrific too.

My guest and I had a thoroughly delightful time. And I will not hesitate to venture to Tampa/TBPAC in the near future.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,
C. C. (name withheld)

Who says the art of the thank-you letter is dead? Thank YOU, C. C., for giving us another chance.

- David J.

To rush or not to rush?

As a person who spends most of their time in These Hallowed Halls (40 hours as a marketing dude and most nights and weekends as Artistic Director for Jobsite Theater), I get perspective from all sides - employees, volunteers, patrons and of course artists.

One of the more recurring things I think I see, specifically in regards to our Jaeb Theater and Shimberg Playhouse, is a mindset that advance ticket purchases are not required and that you can always walk up right before a show and buy tickets.

That notion sends both the marketing dude and artist in me into fits. First, both sides hate to see anyone get turned away at the door. It's awful. It's embarrassing and disappointing. Often it makes people mad enough to at least say they won't be back at a future date to see the show because they just wasted all this time coming down for nothing. With shows in the Jaeb and Shimberg, there are often plenty of other performances that people could have gone to had they called ahead and bought tickets in advance. It can be rather feast or famine. We can have a Tue. or Thu with a third to half a house and then Fri. and Sat. nights where we turn 20, 40 people away at the door. There are of course the entire sold-out weekends or runs, or entire weeks without a sold-out show.

I just can't stress enough that the thought that those shows "never sell out" is just an ugly old lie. A current illustration: Saturday night performances for I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change are consistently selling out, and the show has been running since Feb. We've also had the same happen with Fri. or Sun. night or any of the weekend matinees. All of the Sat. evening performances of The Goat in the Shimberg sold out prior to the day of show as did most of the Fri. shows.

So what to do about all of this? As a person who goes and sees shows myself, I too deal with this. In the hopes of not sounding preachy or condescending (Which is genuinely not my intention. Both artist and marketing dude have no greater desire than to see all patrons happy and all seats sold), I have a few bits of advice. But, considering you're reading a blog off the TBPAC website, I may just be preaching to the choir. If that's the case, feel free to share.

• You wouldn't just walk up to see Chris Rock or Harry Connick the night of the show and expect there'd be tickets, right? Truth is, any show can sell out, especially if it's in the smaller theaters (268 for the Jaeb, 75-130 for the Shimberg). If a Fri. or Sat. night is the only day you want to see or can see a show - buy in advance.
  
• We know ticket surcharges are less at the window. Instead of just coming down right before the show to save the money, why not call and check on availability first? The TBPAC Ticket Office operators should be able to give you a good indicator if advance purchases are necessary (though they can't give out exact house counts) or if you might fine to walk up.
  
• If you really want the walk-up surcharge, why not come down in advance on your lunch hour or after work and get the same lesser service charge instead of waiting to just before the show?
  
• You're not sure of your plans til the last minute? Sure, that makes sense - we're all busy. Again, call before you come down and just check. I met a woman one night who drove down from New Port Richey and arrived 5 minutes prior to curtain of a popular show in the Shimberg and couldn't believe there were no seats, when in fact the show had sold out days before.
  
• Also keep in mind that most shows in the Jaeb and Shimberg have student, senior and military rush ticket opportunities as of 30-90 minutes to curtain. It may appear there are plenty of seats open until a class or two of college students or a senior group comes down right before curtain and buys the rest of the seats up. I've seen it happen! Arrive early if you simply can't buy in advance!

Have any other myths about TBPAC you want to see busted? Looking for other helpful bits of advice? Have you always wanted to know something or have anything about the facility you'd like to see demystified? Ask me!

- David J.

Mined from a TMG press release we recently received. I tried to edit out most of the marketingese here and just leave you with the facts:

Sprint users will be the first wireless customers in the U.S. to experience Broadway on demand via the most off-off-Broadway medium imaginable: the wireless phone. The Emmy-Award winning Sprint TVSM soon will feature The Broadway Channel(r), showcasing Broadway's hottest shows, national tours, interviews with its brightest stars and exclusive red-carpet events including the upcoming 2006 Tony Awards.

Theatre-lovers nationwide will be able to instantly access exclusive, customized video content previously available only on a dedicated channel in New York City hotel rooms, or online via www.broadwaychannel.com.

"The emergence of The Broadway Channel on Sprint TV will offer wireless phone users a truly captivating and entertaining wireless channel," said Matt Hege, vice president of The Broadway Channel. "Sprint customers will have a 'backstage pass' to the best of Broadway from wherever they are [on the Sprint PCS Nationwide Network], whenever it's convenient to them."

The Broadway Channel will be available to Sprint TV subscribers on Channel 57 in the entertainment category. Daily programming will include a "clip of the week" from one of Broadway's top shows; interviews with actors, directors and other theater insiders; special features from shows on tour; exclusive on-location segments from opening nights; star-studded red-carpet events and more.

- compiled by David J.

CHICAGO announces star casting!

John O'Hurley, currently playing the role of Billy Flynn on Broadway is taking off on the road, and heading to Tampa. You didn't know that he was a Broadway sensation? Here are some more fun and maybe surprising facts about Mr. Hurley (who you might remember from a little show called Seinfeld).

• Named one of People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive”
  
• Last summer, he danced his way into the hearts of America as the ultimate champion of the highly rated ABC show “Dancing with the Stars”
  
• He has a holiday book coming out on November 2nd called “It’s OK to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons Learned from Dogs”
  
• O’Hurley also just released a CD, called “Peace of Our Minds,” a collaboration of piano and cello compositions by O’Hurley and world renowned cellist Marston, sold out in 8 MINUTES on QVC and is a nationwide bestseller. “Peace of Our Minds,” the first completely independently produced CD to ever reach #13 on the Billboard Music charts
  
• O'Hurley is now the regular host of NBC's "The National Dog Show presented by Purina," a Thanksgiving tradition to 21 million viewers
  
• O’Hurley won a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Best Ensemble" for his work on "Seinfeld."
  
• John lends his voice to several of America's most popular cartoons. He is currently playing "King Neptune" in "SpongeBob SquarePants"
  
• It was O'Hurley's unique portrayal of the wry and witty "J. Peterman" on Seinfeld that led to dozens of advertising campaigns for companies such as Xerox, M & M’s, Progressive Insurance and The Travel Channel, earning him multiple advertising and marketing industry awards. In addition, life imitates art for John as he is John Peterman's (the real J. Peterman) business partner and part owner of the J. Peterman Company!

- Summer B.

A spicy mix

Merely calling The subdudes music "gumbo" doesn't quite get it. I mean, it definitely indicates the mixture of folk, soul, blues and cajun music that's mixed together in their sound. But it doesn't get at the heart of those incredible harmonies on "Why Can't I Forget About You." Or remind you that they released one of the greatest covers of an Al Green song, "Tired of Being Alone." Or that they're one of New Orleans' most durable exports. (The week after they play in Ferguson Hall, they'll be at the Jazz and Heritage Festival.) The new CD, "Behind the Levee," produced by Keb Mo, is hot on the Americana music charts and the boys were just featured on NPR. Come on down and party, y'all.

- Michael K.

Feedback on the Girl ...

A few patron comments on our recent The Girl of the Golden West opera production, submitted to me via Angela L.:

"Your production, which I attended on Sunday matinee, was superb. The singing, the acting, the conducting and in particular the staging were just right. Particular plaudits are due the director, Dorothy Danner. I came up from Venice and am a subscriber to the Sarasota Opera. I wanted you to know how exceedingly pleased I was with Sunday's performance." - Bill

"I am Kamal Khan, Resident Conductor and Chorus Master of Palm Beach Opera, and I must congratulate the entire company on the success of FANCIULLA. I had the pleasure of talking with Maestro Coppola and Dorothy Danner after the show to congratulate them personally, but this also extends to your wonderfully committed orchestra and chorus, as well as the fine cast. It is a very difficult opera , but both the Act One and Act Three curtains were enormously moving. Puccini worked his magic through you all. The very best of luck in the coming season."

- compiled by David J.

I gave in... and I'm glad I did!

I'm what marketers would call a "late adopter." It really takes quite a bit for me to jump onto the latest bandwagon. But once I do, I'm usually glad I did.

In December I had planned a cross-country trip and decided that I needed some reading material. So like most I headed over to Borders to check out the gigantic selection. Per usual the first thing I run into is the huge book displays and since they’re in the front of the store, you have to at least give them a scan, right? That's when I came across The DaVinci Code. I'm officially a sucker for a good display and heck, can millions of people really be wrong? (If you were wondering, I’m still not on the Harry Potter bandwagon)

The next day I hopped on the plane and started reading… and reading… and reading (the automatic response on a five-hour flight when the featured movie is The Dukes of Hazzard). From the start it had all the makings of a good book ... short chapters and an addictive plot. I finally finished the book this past weekend (totally not a reflection on the book, just that I’m a busy and rather slow reader). I can say with absolute certainty that it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. And if you’re wondering if I’m going to see the movie in May ... HECK YEAH!

- Angela L.

Things to be happy about ...

After reading this story, I was reminded how lucky we are to have the Tampa Theatre. No, I need to put my money where my mouth is and actually go watch more films there ...

- David J.

Back By Popular Demand

It’s an all-to-often overlooked fact that composer Giacomo Puccini based two of his most successful operas, Madama Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West, on plays by David Belasco. Often called The Bishop of Broadway, Belasco - a playwright, stage manager, actor, producer, director and all-around impresario – was a notable force in the New York theater world around the turn and the early decades of the 20th century. And while he was a prolific (and popular) playwright in his day – notably The Girl I Left Behind Me, Hearts of Oak and Zaza – nearly all of his work is overlooked by 21st century dramaturgy.

If an artistic genius the magnitude of Puccini was able find enduring merit in the vernacular of Belasco, perhaps we all might be well served to read a play of two of his.

Can’t you just see it up in lights now?

The Guthrie Theater (or the Goodman, or the Seattle Rep, or Arena Stage, or La Jolla Playhouse, or ...)
presents
JULIA ROBERTS and TOM HANKS
in
DAVID BELASCO’S
Lord Chumley
(back by popular demand)


- P. B.

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble

I was designing this week's e-Center newsletter and trying to find some interesting information on Nrityagram Dance Ensemble. I thought it was just this weird world music dance performance, but it looks like it will be so much more than that. I found the Nrityagram website and found myself browsing the entire site -- something I rarely do. It was captivating. That dance and holistic living is such an integral part of the dancers' lives astonished me. Nrityagram isn't just a dance ensemble, it is a community.

- Leeann D.

Got Goat?

The Jobsite Theater, TBPAC's resident theater company in the Shimberg Playhouse, enjoyed a great opening weekend for Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia? (For the sake of disclosure I am also the Artistic Director for the company.)

Local professional actors under the direction of TBPAC's own Karla Hartley played to 91% of capacity audiences - including two sold-out shows. That represents the best opening weekend so far for the 2005 - 2006 Play Series. The show runs through April 9.

The first review of the show printed Sunday in The Tampa Tribune. Here's a snippet, or follow the link for the full version.

"Compelling, crazy, sometimes brilliant.... The combination of an outrageous premise and its authentic, heart-rending aftermath creates a strange, often exhilarating tension between laughter and pathos." — The Tampa Tribune

EDIT: Weekly Planet's review was also quite good - 4.5 Planets.

"... a superb production ... the most provocative American play of the last quarter century ... See this fine play and you'll not only be entertained, you'll be challenged to remember -- and examine -- your deepest beliefs." - Weekly Planet

- David J.

Since when did they speak Italian in California?

I don’t profess to know everything about opera, but I do consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on the subject. A little over a year ago, when we decided to produce The Girl of the Golden West (a.k.a. La fanciulla del West) as part of the 05-06 Opera Tampa’s season, I had to raise and eyebrow. First off, it’s an opera I wasn’t familiar with. It’s a rarely performed Puccini piece about a mining town during the California gold rush and an opera Puccini himself considered his greatest work. But the more obvious reason for my puzzled expression ... "Puccini, an Italian who understood very little English, wrote an opera about America? Really?"

But perhaps the thought of an Italian writing an opera about America isn’t that strange. For example, Aida is an Italian opera set in Egypt and Madama Butterfly is an Italian opera set in Japan. Heck, Carmen takes place in Spain, but is sung in French.

In the past few days I’ve had the privilege of sitting in on some rehearsals and I must say, it’s really not that strange. Yes, there are guys with rifles in frontiersman clothing singing Italian in a saloon ... but the music, the drama, the artistic beauty and the spectacle we’ve all come to expect from grand opera is definitely there!

So, I say think outside the box, grab some whiskey and say "Grazie, Puccini!"

- Angela L.

Spam, coconuts and Guinness - an interesting recipe?

Ok, maybe that header is a little misleading ... this comes from a press release sent by the press agent for the blockbuster musical SPAMALOT, based on the cult favorite of high school and college aged guys and the gaming geeks they hang out with worldwide - Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

"Monty Python's SPAMALOT celebrated their first anniversary on Broadway by setting the Guinness World Record for "World's Largest Coconut Orchestra" today when it was announced that 1,789 people had gathered in New York City's Shubert Alley to join in a special rendition of 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.'

SPAMALOT cast members including Tony Award nominees Christopher Sieber and Michael McGrath "conducted" the crowd that braved the cold to participate.

Guinness World Record Official Stuart Claxton was on hand to certify the event and announced that the world record had been set."

"Directed by Mike Nichols, SPAMALOT features a book and lyrics by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, based on the screenplay of Monty Python and the Holy Grail by Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

SPAMALOT won three 2005 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and Best Director for Mike Nichols, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Album.

The National Tour recently opened to rave reviews and sold out houses in Boston. Other cities on the tour include Chicago, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Houston, Kansas City, and Toronto."

And hey, they'll be coming soon to Tampa. I wonder if they trebuchet that cow into the audience or hack up the Black Knight live on stage? Probably just wishful thinking on my part.

- David J.

Burn, Baby Burn

Even for a science fiction novelist, Ray Bradbury was especially prescient.

His Fahrenheit 451 in 1953 detailed his fears of censorship and "enforced ignorance." (Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns.)

Now, a play based on Bradbury's 1979 stage adaptation is set to open in NYC this week in a production by the Godlight Theater Company.

Bradbury told the company, as quoted in The New York Times Sunday, that the work was "more relevant than ever."

As noted in a posting last month about literary opening lines, the first line of the novel is gripping: "It was a pleasure to burn."

- Michael K

It's an opera. (Don't tell anyone.)

One challenge with opera is that the repertoire, while extensive, doesn't have any "new classics."

Even people who don't know opera probably have heard of the opera ABCs: Aida, La Boheme (and Madame Butterfly) and Carmen.

In Sunday's New York Times, a story detailed a slew of new operas either recent or scheduled for performances in the next year.

They may or may not become classics.

For the most part, they're familiar titles -- even if they're new operas:

Little Women. Dead Man Walking. Lysistratra. A Streetcar Named Desire.

Will it work? Who knows. Maybe more familiar material will bring opera back into the popular arts field, rather than the rarified air it's been breathing. That seems to be happening. More and more young people are discovering the joys of grand opera.

After all, what is opera except strong plots presented through brilliant costumes, extravagant sets and singing. Kind of sounds like musical theater, doesn't it.

Still, old fears die hard.

One opera company president had a novel idea about his company's 2003 opera based on Margaret Atwood's book, The Handmaid's Tale.

"Let's just say it's a theatricalization of {the novel}," he said. "Once you say it's an opera, people get scared."

- Michael K

06-07 Play Series subtitution

Jobsite Theater, TBPAC's resident theater company in the Shimberg Playhouse has announced a susbtitution to their 06-07 Play Series.

Originally slated to do Three Days of Rain, Jobsite has just acquired the rights to Neil Labute's (The Shape of Things, The Mercy Seat) newest release This Is How It Goes. Jobsite has been granted the southeastern US premiere of this work, as they also will have for Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman at the start of their season.

In This Is How It Goes Labute trains his eye on a small town in middle America for what is billed as a "new tale of manipulation, exploitation, race and infidelity," through "the story of an interracial love triangle." The original production was at New York's Public Theater in the spring of 2005 and starred Ben Stiller, Amanda Peet and Jeffrey Wright directed by George C. Wolfe. Wolfe and Wright were also a part of the premiere of Topdog/Underdog at the Public, which Jobsite closed in February.

- David J.

How could you miss it?

This week the Capitol Steps are in town at The Center, supporting what I think is a really funny title for an album - Four More Years in the Bush Leagues. If you've never heard of the group, the premise is this: mix a bunch of former Washington congressional staffers, add parodies of famous songs with lyrics reflecting current events and shake.

These guys work on material every day, and if you visit the website often, they're pretty good about posting new stuff. The show they're touring right now already has Danish cartoon jokes and of course the four remaining liberal Supreme Court justices singing "Keep Us Alive" (to the tune of "Stayin' Alive").

But here we are in Florida - land of Our Fearless Leader's brother, dangling chads, Terri Schiavo, Elian Gonzalez etc ... and they let the whole show pass without one crack on Katherine Harris. How can that be? I could probably make up several on her make-up alone.

And just to be clear if you were interested in checking them out - they're not liberal or conservative, they're just sorta mean. Well, you know what I mean, they're not afraid to take a shot at anyone. Equal opportunity offenders as it were. I seem to clearly remember their song "Bubba and the Blue Dress" ("Devil in a Blue Dress").

I probably can't go on any more about the group or the show lest my own leanings come out any more than they may have already. I was just really surprised that they left so broad a target alone. Maybe next time ...

- David J.

Blown out by the Rock School

Last Sunday afternoon, I came up to work for a few minutes after being out of town for the week. My first sights of the TBPAC campus made me question if I was in the right spot or not - the lawn facing the river was covered with approximately 400 people in folding butterfly chairs, on blankets, walking small leashed dogs and sitting in the grass. Boats had dropped anchor in the Hillsborough River and a stage was erected on the Riverwalk itself facing The Center. UT students returning from what looked to be various athletic practices mixed with parents and Rock School groupies and also patrons from the Little Women matinee behind the Blowout in Morsani Hall.

Seventeen bands played that day, all from the Patel Conservatory's Rock School classes. A co-worker rubbed it in that I'd just missed an 8-10 year-old belting out the AC/DC lyrics "lock up your girlfriends, lock up your wives" from their hit TNT, and another duo of rock-stars-in-the-making performing Soul Man a la the Blues Brothers - suits, shades, porkpie hats and all.

Conservatory Director of Administration Susan Alexander commented that the level of showmanship continues to come up with each and every Rock School Blowout, and even TBPAC Production Manager Mike Chamoun lamented that he needed to find a way to work the Blowout next time instead of the Broadway show playing in Morsani as it looked like Rock School was having all the real fun. I suggested to both that I believe pyrotechnics are in order for the next Blowout, which I hear will be in July. There's even talk of getting a tent or some other form of shade up - we'll certainly need it by then.

Slowly but surely, I think they're whittling away at my defenses and despite how busy a schedule I keep - Rock School is looking like more and more fun. Don't they say most actors want to be rock stars and most rock stars aspire to act? Well, I guess I just did if they don't. Hey, registration for the Summer Session is already under way ...

- David J.

We knew he had gained weight ...

... but now New Line Cinema has announced that John Travolta is going to play Edna Turnblad in the new movie version of "Hairspray."

The role was originated in the movie by the (late) transvestite actor Divine and reprised on the stage by that raspy-voiced scene stealer Harvey Fierstein, who won a Tony.

"Hairspray," of course started as a movie, became a hit Broadway musical in 2002, and now will be a movie again. While still going strong on in NYC and on the road (including a popular stop here in Tampa), it's also moving a production to Vegas to play in the casino theater recently vacated by "Avenue Q."

No word yet on whether Harvey is going to remake "Welcome Back, Kotter" in retaliation.

-Michael K.

Life imitating art ...

In a very "News of the Weird"-type story, the BBC reports that a Sudanese man is forced to "marry" a goat.

In related news: Jobsite Theater, the resident theater company in the Shimberg Playhouse, is oddly enough staging the area premiere of Edward Albee's new play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, in which the main character admits to carrying on an affair with - you guessed it, a goat.

Snow days

Over a long winter weekend in NYC, punctuated by 26 inches of snow, we managed to squeeze in three shows plus "Aida" at the Metropolitan Opera.

Andrew Lloyd's Webber's "The Woman in White," which was closing nine days later, provided the most fireworks in its computer-generated stage set. Backgrounds were projected, and then swirled and twisted like a steadi-cam dream. American reviews generally weren't kind to this London hit, but -- perhaps because I entered with low expectations -- I found myself liking it more than I had expected. "All for Laura" was a highlight song, even as some familiar Webber melodies seemed, well, familiar.

The jovial (and evil) Count Fosco set a confusing tone. A woman is killed in this musical. It's jarring to be expected to laugh at his foppish wooing in this context. Still, it will be interesting to see what further life "Woman in White" has, and whether other shows might try this new type of stagecraft.

The revival of "Sweeney Todd" at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre was worth the price of admission just to see Patti LuPone lug that big tuba around the stage. You have to be in the right mood for the bloody work of "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," but if you are, it pays off.

Billed as a mix of "Forever Plaid" and "Nunsense," the cult hit "Altar Boyz" at Dodger Stages satirizes the easy targets of boy bands, specifically a Christian rock band on the last night of its U.S. tour. The Boyz (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham -- "he's Jewish") break some moves, flex, male bond, sing a variety of songs from rap to ballads to Latino crossover and save the souls of everyone in the theater.

Although not the ostensible lead, Tyler Maynard as Mark combines Pee Wee Herman moves with the voice of a (closeted) angel. The web site, including fake bios of the Boyz, extends the charade.

These faux five are not for the easily offended. But in NYC, they had fans screaming as if this were a real concert.

- Michael K.

One-liners

The New York Times reports that the current issue of The American Book Review will include a list of the 100 best first lines in novels, as chosen by a group of experts and fans.

The top five:

"Call me Ishmael."
-- "Moby-Dick," by Herman Melville (1851)

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
-- "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austen (1813)

"A screaming comes across the sky."
-- "Gravity's Rainbow," by Thomas Pynchon (1973)

"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."
-- "One Hundred Years of Solitude," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967)

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins."
-- "Lolita," Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Except for the troubling fact that I can't get through even "The Crying of Lot 49" (and I'm sure it's just me)," let alone the tome that is "Gravity's Rainbow" (that may be mostly me, but I gotta give him a little blame for the density factor), it's hard to argue against any of these great book-starters.

One of my favorites is this one from Pat Conroy's "The Prince of Times," a lyrical, sometimes overwrought, novel about growing up in the Carolinas:

"My wound is geography."

What's your favorite first line of a novel? Drop us a note.

- Michael K.

A journey of our own

This weekend I have an old friend coming into town to perform his one-man show as part of TBPAC's Starbucks Expanding Horizons Series - Ayinde Hurrey's Nappy Journeys.

It feels great to see someone that was in my graduate class at UF make it down here as part of the TBPAC season. When Ayinde and I met - we were like night and day. Here I was, a paunchy white goth kid with a penchant for interest in "weird plays" and on my first day I meet this well-built African-American guy with short dreadlocks and if I remember right a fimo/shell ankh around his neck. I'd heard he was a great drummer and dancer. We had absolutely nothing to talk about, and I know we both looked uncomfortable trying to find ways to relate at our first meet and greet as a class.

Despite the wholly two different worlds we came from, we eventually bonded amazingly. I think it must've been because despite our differences we were both iconoclasts in our own ways. We were the outsiders. Through our influence, our entire grad class was labeled "The Renegades" by the graduate chair for our program. Ayinde and I were most proud of that distinction. Ayinde taught me a lot about letting life flow to a degree, of giving up a desire to control things you'll never have control over. He also made me laugh - a lot. Here's a picture of us from 1996. It's pretty clear who is who.



What he's bringing to us is actually his graduate thesis, which has now undergone many years of metamorphoses. At the time, Nappy Journeys was called Nappy Roots of a Schoolboy. It's a multi-character one-person show all dealing with the overall idea of "black hair." Ayinde actually created this piece in lieu of doing a role in a mainstage show as his thesis (as I did with the titular character in Tartuffe). He'd been offered a few things, but nothing really spoke to him as an artist. So instead of just doing something to do it and get the heck out of Dodge, he took the time to develop and create his own piece.

The topic of his show had to have come in a way from his experience in grad school. At one point he was being looked at for the lead in Six Degrees of Separation, but there was a catch. His dreadlocks, now much longer than when I'd met him, would have to go. He wasn't willing to do it. That wasn't the only role he'd turn down in grad school, and it wouldn't be the only reason he ever gave. Ayinde certainly had a tremendous amount of integrity, as a person and an artist. He also put his money where his mouth was when it came to proving it. Renegade, indeed.

His tenacity though resulted in him having a whole show of his own. He's what we in the business call a "theatrical turtle." He can walk around just about anywhere with this show on his back and perform anywhere, anytime. You can certainly make a good argument for that being more useful to an actor about to embark on their career as opposed to doing a regular part in a play.

Good multi-character one-person shows - like John Leguizamo's The Freak or Eric Bogosian's Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll - are a real and rare treat to behold. I'm personally really looking forward to seeing this show again after many years and a lot of growth. It will also be nice to see an old friend. We've been on quite different paths since we left UF, but I know for a fact we've kept our "Renegade" reputation up with everything we've touched since.

- David J.

Another note from Catie Curtis

People Look Around, a song I co-wrote with Mark Erelli, is in the finals of the International Songwriting Competition (in the folk category). If you'd like to know more, or cast a vote, the website is: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/pvwelcome_2005.htm. The song is still available as a free download on my website, and is a response to Hurricane Katrina.

The new album in progress (tentatively titled "Long Night Moon," and scheduled for an August release) is almost ready to mix, with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Melissa Ferrick, Kris Delmhorst and Chris Trapper recording harmony vocals this week and next. Some new studio photos have been posted on my website: http://www.catiecurtis.com.

- Catie C.

Slim Pickin's

This Monday's Club Jaeb concert by Catie Curtis has really started to boom. At present, there are less than 50 tickets remaining, and the show is only a few days away. For those interested, you can follow the link off her name and even listen to a clip of her song "St. Lucy."

For anyone interested, don't forget about the Monday Music Mingle at 6:30. These concerts have so far had a good response, and I think are a very cool thing for TBPAC to be doing. As downtown's residency increases with all these condos, I have to think the market is also going to grow.

Actually, that growth could have a lot of positive impact on a lot of our varying types of programming. Exciting stuff, to be sure.

- David J.

Have CULTURE SHOCK delivered to your desktop!

Don’t come to us; we’ll come to you! Did you know that you can sign up for an RSS webfeed (a what?) and have this blog delivered directly to your desktop? Those of you who know this already can ignore me, but for those of you who don’t, check this out. You can download a free RSS reader to your computer and then subscribe to CULTURE SHOCK RSS.

What is RSS webfeed?
In a way, it's a "What's New" that is made available in a format that can be read by any RSS reader (see below for suggested RSS readers). The web feeds contain the latest headlines and descriptions in addition to a direct link to the story on CULTURE SHOCK. So instead of coming to our blog, our blog comes to you.

There are many feed readers available, most for free. You can search Google for "RSS reader" to view many options. A few RSS readers you can try are:

PC users: SharpReader
Mac users: NetNewsWire
Windows/Mac/Linux: Amphetadesk
Web-based reader: BlogLines

OK, I've downloaded the reader, now how do I get CULTURE SHOCK webfeeds?
Setting up a feed differs depending on the reader, but it usually involves copying the URL of the feed and pasting it into the reader. The URL for the CULTURE SHOCK webfeed is http://tbpac.blogspot.com/atom.xml

And depending on the reader you choose, you might need to update your computer. Personally, I had to do a Windows update (free, of course) and get the .NET framework installed on my computer to run the RSS reader.

- LeeAnn D.

Art deco

I just returned from Miami where their new performing arts center is shooting for an October 2007 opening. Since a fall 2001 groundbreaking, it's said to be about 92 percent complete. Interestingly, they began talking about building a performing arts center in Miami around 1980, the same time as Tampa.

Cost for the south Florida complex now is estimated at $446 million. The original construction estimate was $260 million. By most accounts, Miami's Performing Arts Center will be a spectacular addition to downtown Miami. The complex's 570,000 square feet sit on 5.9 acres on Biscayne Boulevard.

"The 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House and the 2,200-seat Carnival Concert Hall will be Miami venues for the Concert Association of Florida, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony, as well as premier venues for a wide array of local, national, and international performances ranging from Broadway musicals and visiting classical artists to world and urban music, Latin concerts, and popular entertainment from many cultures," according to the center's web site. "The Studio Theater, a flexible black-box space designed for up to 200 seats, will host intimate performances of contemporary theater, dance, music, cabaret, and other entertainment."

Its acoustician is Russell Johnson of ARTEC, Inc., who did the same job for our Center here in Tampa.

Reading about their project made me appreciate anew the foresight of those Tampa dreamers who moved to action and opened this facility in 1987. Cost then was $57 million for three theaters (and space in the building for a fourth, which was opened in the early 90s.) Since then, the Patel Conservatory, including a fifth performance space, opened in December of 2004 for another $8 million.

We're looking to serve our one millionth patron soon, and beginning to plan our 20th anniversary celebration. I hope you'll come celebrate with us.

- Michael K

Your questions answered!

Q. How long do performers usually tour with a show?
A. Each actor's contract is unique. Many stay 6 months to a year, or more, but often lead performers contract a year at a time. Some performers may even stay with a tour for years.

Curious about something performing arts related? Ask us!

- David J.

Luck of the draw

The following is a great letter we got from a very happy customer:

To whom it may concern,

I won the WICKED Lottery at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on January 28th! It was the most incredible experience and I'm not sure who to thank for that. I went with a friend and won two tickets (that cost $25/ea) that were the front row, orchestra seats of the theatre. Being that close to the stage, experiencing WICKED with it's fabulous Emerald City costumes, the orchestra, the voices, and every facial expression and well delivered funny line was an experience I will never forget.

In Church the next day, I was still wearing my "I won the WICKED lottery" badge on my purse, and two teenage girls started pointing and dreaming that maybe they could win the lottery too. I encouraged them to try because it was an experience of a lifetime. That evening, they adjusted their work schedules and went with their grandmother (also a friend of mine) to wait 3 hours at the theatre for a chance at those front row seats. THEY WON! And they are still talking about the experience. Jenny told me that she couldn't believe that she was walking through the first door of the theatre. Kelsey already had the WICKED CD, so she was also in disbelief. And Patti, the grandmother, told me she not only enjoyed the show, but "it was fun just to watch the faces of 'the girls' (her granddaughters)" as they enjoyed the show. Those two girls really deserved something so nice. They are honor role students, one is in basketball, and one is in music, they both work at the movie theatre, volunteer at church, help their mother with their younger brothers, and the family loves music.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you! If you were the one responsible for having a WICKED Lottery! The show was fabulous, and the whole experience unforgettable!

Sincerely,
Linda Lyon

The Late Shift

Right now in the Shimberg Playhouse, audiences have a rare opportunity to see the room look two very different ways in one evening. As a black box theater, the Shimberg can really be used in countless ways. It's also not typically unusual to see two shows play in the room in one night, Jobsite has made a reputation for late night shows such as A Girl's Guide to Chaos and the blockbuster shows in the (abridged) series.

This year however Jobsite is completely testing the boundaries of what can be done in the room by doing two plays using two completely different setups. First, in the early position, Jobsite is producing Suzan-Lori Parks' 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner Topdog/Underdog. This play is performed in a "tennis court" style, meaning the audience is on both sides of the set which sits in the middle of the room.

Following performances of Topdog/Underdog on the weekends, Jobsite is offering another late night comedy, Phyro-Giants! That show is performed in the proscenium configuration, meaning the audience is directly facing the stage (what you'd normally expect when you go to a play) which is on the opposite side of the room from where you enter.

What makes this all the more interesting is that Topdog/Underdog ends about 20 minutes before the curtain goes up on Phyro-Giants! The shift between shows happens in 5 minutes with a crew of 6. First, the furniture for T/U is moved backstage, then the walls of the set are shifted back behind the curtains in the room. Next, the chairs on the secondary seating bank for T/U are moved to the floor (where the set was just a few minutes ago) facing that secondary bank, which then becomes the stage for Phyro-Giants! A ladder is brought out to hide the practical lighting for T/U, the table and chairs are set on what is now the stage for P-G! and then the house is opened for the second show while the final set dressing is going on for P-G! This all occurs while the T/U audience is exiting the theater.

This process only leaves about 15 minutes to get the Phyro-Giants! audience in the door and into their seats. Luckily, there have yet to be any problems. It's a testament to the planning on the part of the production team of Erica Porch (stage manager), Brian Smallheer (set design) and John Lott (light design) who have managed both shows with skill.

Both shows are getting excellent reviews, and are on stage now through Feb. 12.

- David J.

They called it "Wonderful!"

The After Wicked After Oz Broadway education initiative was a wonderful experience for so many people.

Pictures are forthcoming, so watch this space! The appreciative comments from Middleton and Blake High School participants and their families just keep on coming! The monologue, poetry and plot summary presentations in TECO Theater were so creative and a cherished experience for all 75 in attendance. Patel Conservatory instructors Leslie Shepard and Yolonda Williams were awarded as honorary Thespians of Middleton High!!

After the presentations, participants and partnership organizations enjoyed the WICKED experience. According to the instructors, 95% of the students (and parents) had NEVER seen a Broadway show in their lives.

Several members of the cast including Stephanie Block (Elphaba) and Sebastian Arcelus (Fiyero), provided an interview/talk back for the students, teachers and chaperones.
Meanwhile 37 family members and friends joined our public audience by attending Forever Plaid show in the Jaeb Theater.

They too were pleasantly surprised to enjoy a talkback at La Dolce Vita with members of the Forever Plaid cast while waiting on their students to be released from WICKED. A million thanks from the students, faculty, friends and teachers of the After Wicked After Oz project.

To teach is to change a life forever.

- R. Paramoure

Editor's note: Here are excerpts from a few emails we've gotten in response to this event.

I had a fabulous time last night ... It is really hard to say which I enjoyed more - WICKED or seeing how tickled our families were. Some were literally skipping up the Center. I have seen first hand now what wonderful work you do in getting families out that would not have a chance otherwise. Thank you from me and all of our families. - R Bruns, Sylvia Thomas Center for Adoptive and Foster Families

My husband had never been to the Theater in his whole life. And to think, his first time, he got to see our daughter and a really great cabaret show like Forver Plaid. Thanks a Million. - Unsigned

Forever Plaid was excellent!! I only regret my wife was too afraid to play along on the piano when they asked her. Now she wishes she did. - D. Cabrera, parent

Ronda,
Bravo! I think you managed last night’s event incredibly well. I wanted to let you know that the students that Yolanda and I sat with were absolutely blown away by the show and incredibly appreciative of the opportunity they had been given. - Leslie Shepard, Patel Conservatory instructor

Wicked numbers!

The Jan. 24 - 29 performance schedule of WICKED was the highest grossing eight-performance week in The Center's history. The first and second week of WICKED performances brought in more money than the highest grossing week of The Lion King, which previously held the record. The third and final week of WICKED is poised to break that record again. Because of the success of the first engagement, WICKED will fly back to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center next year for another three-week run from Feb. 21 - March 11, 2007.

- Tara M.

Get well soon

The young woman sat in Maestro's Restaurant, sipping a glass of wine.

She mentioned how excited she was about seeing Wednesday night's performance of WICKED. The Wizard of Oz is her favorite movie. Her dog is named after one of the movie characters. She has the soundtrack and a keychain from the show.

And now she was an hour from seeing the touring Broadway blockbuster live.

She seemed happy.

"I bought one ticket for little old me," she said. "I found out I was sick and I figured I could say, 'well, at least I saw this ...' "

I didn't respond quickly enough (what do you say when a stranger tells you that?), and she left the restaurant to make her curtain time.

But I've been thinking about that conversation. We talk sometimes about how theater can show us different lives and take us away from who, and where, we are.

I really hope she had a WICKED time, and that she gets well soon.

-Michael K

More Wicked curiosity

A few more questions we're received on Wicked, stemming from my last entry.

Q: How long do they travel at a time?
A: The WICKED Company travels every 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the tour itinerary

Q: How much do they practice before going on the road and once they get on the road?
A: They rehearsed 5 weeks before they went out on the road

Got questions about anything to do with the shows coming to TBPAC? Want some more insider knowledge? Ask a Wizard today!

- David J.

Wicked wondering

We get a lot of questions here about how these huge shows tour all over the country and set up in such a short amount of time. Wicked is bringing a lot of new people to TBPAC, and of course they have questions. It's prompted us to blog a few of these things, and it's also prompted me to offer to answer any of your questions here about TBPAC.

We'd like to make this blog a little more two-way, so if you have something you've always wondered about The Center - now is your chance to ask. We will select questions sent to the blog, or to comments@tbpac.org, and answer them here in this space from time to time.

Now I'll go ahead share some of the recent questions we've gotten:

Q. How long do shows like Wicked have to travel and get ready between cities?
A. Usually shows close on Sunday in one city then open on Tuesday in the next city. Travel time is only between those dates. So, a company gets out of town late on a Sunday night and typically drives to the next city to start it all over again. Wicked has an extra day, as they typically move out on a Sunday night and re-open on a Wednesday.

Q. Are stages the same size in every theater?
A. Stages are different sizes from building to building, but a bare minimum area is required for any given show. Advance teams visit ahead of time and check out what's needed before the set arrives, and works up plans for any alterations that need to be made.

Q. Where was Wicked before it came to Tampa?
A. They were in Houston.

Got a question yourself? Fire away!

Road Watch

Another smash Broadway hit heads out on the road -- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

The tour begins Aug. 6 a the Paramount Theater in Seattle. Keep an eye out to see if it's heading our way soon.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (based on the hilarious 1988 film starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine) has quite a pedigree associated with it -- with three cast and crew members being inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame on Jan. 30. Who are the inductees? William Ivey Long (costume designer), Graciela Daniele (director and choreographer) & John Lithgow (actor).

Links:
DRS: http://ibdb.com/production.asp?id=383315
William Ivey Long: http://ibdb.com/person.asp?id=25067
Graciela Daniele: http://ibdb.com/person.asp?id=5948
John Lithgow: http://ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=15448
hilarious 1998 film: http://imdb.com/title/tt0095031/

- Summer B.

Many artists have learned to reach out directly to their fans through e-mails and their fan sites.
One of the best at harnessing this technique is the upcoming Club Jaeb artist Catie Curtis (Feb. 23).

Here's a recent e-mail she sent to her fans:

January 18th, 2006

When I was in high school, I learned to play guitar by listening to songs and picking out the chords. At least twenty of those songs were by Karla Bonoff. This weekend, I will share the stage with Karla (http://www.karlabonoff.com), in Weston, MA and New York City. We will each play our own set, but she suggested we end with "The Water is Wide," TOGETHER. Breathe.

The following weekend, on January 27th, I am playing the Ann Arbor Folk Festival (http://www.theark.org/776.html), which is the biggest winter folk festival out there. Worthy of a road trip… Then in early February I play two shows in Virginia (Vienna and Ashland). Guitarist, songwriter and producer John Jennings (Mary Chapin Carpenter’s collaborator and also the producer of Acoustic Valentine) will accompany me for both those shows. Next stop after that, Florida! See info below, and find more at http://www.catiecurtis.com.

I am deeply in to the process of recording the new album. Last week, my car transmission died at about 11:30 PM, as I was leaving the studio. Producer Lorne Entress and guitarist Mark Erelli followed me, going about 5 miles per hour until I arrived home. That's kinda what they're doing in the studio, too. Patiently following where I need to go. We tried lots of different approaches for each song, until we felt that "ahhh." I am loving the vibe of this project, thanks to Mark, Lorne, John Sands on drums and Mike Rivard on bass. I will be posting photos on my website in the next couple weeks as the process continues.

Best to you from a winter-warm blustery Boston,

Catie

- Michael K.

They're not kidding when they say FOREVER Plaid ...

Forever Plaid opened Thursday night to a packed and appreciative house. The show has a loyalty unlike any I've ever seen. It really put our Jaeb Theater on the map in contrast with the building's much larger halls, and to be fair it's really the perfect show for the space. It's one of those shows that people, for whatever reason, come to see again and again and ask about all the while in between engagements.

I also have an interesting thread that ties me to that show and this building. It was the first Center-produced show I saw at TBPAC in my 1993-94 school year at USF. I'd come through the building many times in high school as part of the State Thespian Festival, so I'd seen more than my share of high school productions, and I am pretty sure I'd seen Eric Bogosian at TBPAC earlier that same year.

My friend Neela in the theater dept. had a boyfriend named Billy who was the stage manager of the show. I recall thinking that the show was squeaky-clean and very well sung. It's a clever piece, to be sure. I also remember really enjoying all of the action that broke the 4th wall (what we call it when an audience disregards that invisible wall seperating the stage from the audience to interact with them), particularly when the cast runs into the house with poles topped with light-up bananas and multi-colored light strands into the audience. My absolute favorite though has to be the whole Ed Sullivan Show done in 3 minutes and 11 seconds.

Sidebar: What does Center-produced mean? There are many kinds of performances here at TBPAC. There are shows we book in with other partners, or co-promoters, which come as a ready-to-go packaged show (like the Broadway shows tens of thousands see here every year). There are shows that come through that simply rent the space from TBPAC and are usually self-sufficient otherwise. Then there are the shows that TBPAC builds from the ground up and are all "ours." We cast, rehearse, build the sets and costumes - you name it. Plaid is one of those shows.

Forever Plaid is the longest-running musical in Florida history, and it appears that most of the cast in this version of the show have been treated well by the musical comedy. Two cast members have done the show four times each (three of which were here) and the others, though having never played Tampa before, have also each done the show in multiple cities.

Try to catch this incarnation while you can.

- David J.

Soweto is hitting The Big Apple

It’s a long trek from South Africa to The Big Apple, but the Soweto Gospel Choir is going to make that journey to promote their album Blessed and the tour supporting it (which will stop here Feb. 1). If you’d like to see them in action before they come to Tampa, check out their upcoming TV appearances:

The Today Show (NBC), Monday, Jan. 16, during the 9 a.m. hour

Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC), Tuesday, Jan. 17

- Angela L.

Four-legged friends find fame and a home with Annie

Milo and Minkus, two adoptable dogs from The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, found fame and fortune (a loving home) with the touring Broadway production of Annie at The Center in December. I first met the energetic Milo and super-fluffy Minkus at the Kids' Night on Broadway event for Annie. That’s Milo (on the right, in case you can’t tell) playing with Jaxson Groom whose grandma had dressed him in a Dalmation costume to see the show. Adorable, right? Both of them.



The Center had partnered with The Humane Society of Tampa Bay to bring two of their adoptable dogs to have a walk-on part (they were actually rolled on-stage in a big cart) in Annie — playing stray dogs that had been caught by the dogcatcher. An announcement was made before each performance that the dogs were available for adoption. Minkus, a five-year-old black Pekingese, was adopted that same night. Milo, a five-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, went on with the show for a few more performances. (Me watching the Sunday matinee performance: “Turn around Milo! You won’t get adopted if the audience can only see your rear end!”) Milo was adopted by the end of Annie’s run. Happy ever after for both.

According to Cathy Bellatin, Special Events Coordinator at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Milo and Minkus were relinquished to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay for different reasons. Milo’s parents were not able to spend enough time with him. Minkus’ mom had very poor health and could no longer adequately care for him. There are lots of other animals who are waiting for loving homes and won’t ever make it on stage for an additional plug. So if you have room in your heart and home for a furry friend, contact The Humane Society of Tampa Bay. They would love to hear from you.

FYI - the next Kids' Night on Broadway (or KNOB for short) will be March 8, 6-7 p.m., before Little Women. This cool event is free and has performing arts-themed games, crafts, entertainment, etc. for the kids (and kid-like adults like me). There are even Buy-one, get-one-free tickets available. And who knows what new friends you might meet?

- Carol C.

Broadway gets a new long-running champion on Monday evening, Jan. 9 when The Phantom of the Opera plays its 7,486th performance to become the longest-running show in Broadway history.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will shatter the record held by current champ, Cats, which was also written by Lloyd Webber and produced by Cameron Mackintosh. Mackintosh is also the producer of Les Misérables, the third-longest-running show.

Since it opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988, Phantom has grossed nearly $600 million, making it the highest-grossing show in Broadway history. Total attendance is at 11 million. It has achieved a total worldwide box office gross of $3.2 billion, with worldwide attendance of more than 80 million people. On Jan. 26, Phantom will become the only production in Broadway history to celebrate its 18th birthday.

Phantom has played the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center four times in 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2004.

Here is a list of Broadway's longest-runs, as reported by Internet Broadway Database:

Production Number of Performances
1. The Phantom of the Opera 7,486 (and counting)
2. Cats 7,485
3. Les Misérables 6,680
4. A Chorus Line 6,137
5. Oh! Calcutta! (revival) 5,959
6. Beauty and the Beast 4,812 (and counting)
7. Miss Saigon 4,092
8. Rent 4,034 (and counting)
9. Chicago (revival) 3,812 (and counting)
10. 42nd Street (original production) 3,486

- Michael K.

Source: League of American Theatres and Producers

Bright lights, New York City

The lights are getting brighter on Broadway.

In addition to the annual numbers reported earlier in this space, the week that ended on Jan. 1 resulted in the highest gross receipts of any week since anybody started counting back in the early 1990s. Theaters played to 93.9 percent capacity, and took in $25.2 million. Big winners again were the musicals Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Light in the Piazza and the play Doubt.

- Michael K.

Source: League of American Theatres and Producers, New York Times