Jeff Blumenkrantz

Okay, so a few months back I stumbled across the podcast of broadway composer Jeff Blumenkrantz.

I just wanted to throw it up here, because I think that Jeff represents another exciting new voice in musical theatre.

Everyone who knows me know that I'm a huge fan of Jason Robert Brown, and pretty much everyone down here knows who he is. Jeff Blumenkrantz is of the same league (in fact they worked together on Urban Cowboy), but no-one seems to know him. That's a freakin' crime.

So, follow the link above, and have a listen to his podcast. He has recorded over 20 live recordings of his songs, and some of them are just amazing.

That's it....auditions start tonight....I'm already tired.

Marty

Audition week...

It's audition week for the Wild Party.

This time around, I think we've got it quite easy, with only two days of auditions, and a day of call backs.

Auditions are a funny old thing....personally, I hate them.

I feel for the poor bastards who put themselves through this fucking awful process...waiting in the small room among the 30 other people who've turned up wanting their part. Having to stand around while you listen to people doing their warm-up exercises, wondering if they've picked a better number than you, if they're 'in the loop' with the production team etc, if their vocal coach has given them a silver-bullet of advice that's bound to secure this spot.

I understand how much it takes to walk through that room and be greeted by the table of people waiting to see you nervously stumble your way through a song, and can but imagine how awful it must be to see us either scribble a note down on a piece of paper, or have a quick whispered conversation.

What are they thinking? What are they saying? Do they like me? Did I pick the wrong song? Did I wear the wrong clothes? Do they remember me from my awful audition three months ago when I was hungover / sick / underprepared / forgot my words / hit that wrong note / made that bad joke...etc. should I....did I.....are they.....will I.....WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON????


So -- to all those out there thinking about auditioning, my heart goes out to you.

For anyone who's interested, here's a couple of my tips for auditionees.

1. NEVER sing any of these songs (unless it's part of a callback for that role)

• I don't know how to love him
• Everything's alright
• I dreamed a dream
• Castle on a cloud
• On my own

2. Know your words. There's no excuse to turn up to an audition without knowing your words.

3. It IS okay to bring your own pianist. In fact, if you're thinking about singing something by Sondheim or Bernstein, or La Chusia, or Jason Robert Brown, it's almost a neccessity. (Maybe not for JRB, since his stuff is so thrashed these days)

4. When it says in the audition notice that acapella & backing tracks are not allowed, it's not a kind suggestion....it's a commandment. Break that, and you just made it a truckload more difficult to get a part!

5. Pick something suitable. Don't go for Les Mis when you're auditioning for RENT, and don't go for your best Marilyn Manson (or even Marilyn Munroe) impression when you're trying out for Sound of Music.

6. Limit your selection....smartly. Don't turn up and have the piantist play a 16 bar intro while you 'focus' yourself. Don't sing 3 verses of the same shit, when there's a killer bridge or refrain coming up...you probably won't make it! Make sure you account for the fact that...

7. You probably will be cut off part-way through your song. It's not because we don't like you, or because you sang the wrong word, or hit a bum note....but it's because we only get 5 minutes per auditionee...and, in order to make sure you were'nt sitting too long out in the waiting room, we had to cut the last guy off too.

8. Personality counts. It doesn't matter if you can hit a top 'B' and hold it forever, or if you toured as Topol's understudy. If we think that you're a dickhead in your audition, you won't get cast. There's no way that we wanna spend the next 3 months fighting with your precious ego during rehearsals. We do this because we love it...and if you give the impression you're someone who's gonna be a pain in the arse to work with...don't wanna know you. I have often cast people who were less able than someone else in auditions, because I couldn't bare the thought of working with a pratt.

9. BE NICE TO THE PIANIST. They're sightreading.....and that's a hard gig. Don't talk down to them when you give them the music. Don't roll your eyes at us if they made a mistake (we already know, and we've already forgiven them for it....catch up). It's okay to tell them how you wanna do the number in terms of tempo, cuts, etc. But if you give expect them to do a new arrangement while they're sightreading, then you're shit out of luck. If you wanna be a priss about how they play your number, then see point #3. The way you behave with the pianist tells me as an MD a lot about how you're gonna be to work with in music rehearsals.

That's about it. Would've been nice to have 10, but I'm not that smart.

See you at auditions

Marty

Rent Closes - the torch is passed

There are these shows that exist, like urban legends in the musical theatre community -- Godspell is one, Les Mis was another (5 years ago), where no matter what happens, the cast forever refer to it as an amazing experience.

Rent was one of those -- not because it was a big budget production (because it wasn't), and not because we broke new ground or pushed barriers (because we didn't), but because for some reason, everyone clicked and bonded.

Also, I haven't gotten so drunk in ages....cast parties to 8:00am rock!

Anyway, to Tyson and the crew who are next to pick up the Rent torch -- savour the experience. It's like a perfect shit -- blissful and rare, leaves you feeling warm afterwards, and constantly trying to recreate experience.

Rent is a Sellout Success!

As of two nights ago (I'm still shit at this blogging thing), RENT has officially sold out it's season.

The smallest capacity we've had in the whole season was about 85% full, with only two nights not completely selling out.

With only four shows to go, the end is fast approaching, and the response of those who have been has been outstanding! Standing ovations, and some extremely gracious comments from people after the show, some complete strangers!

What a bloody great end to a fantastic journey.

THIS is what musical theatre is about.

PS -- The photo of Darryn Gatt (our Mark) is living proof that you should never put a dorky face on for a photo...you never know what asshole is gonna stick it up on the internet.

A tip or two on what to do

Fact: I love Jason Robert Brown.

Not in a Joni-Loves-Chachi kinda way or anything like that....but on that auspicious day when Jase (as I like to refer to him) calls me to suggest I MD the Australian Premeire of 13, or Honeymoon, or whatever, (and it's merely a matter of time), I'll graciously accept with a wee wimper of hysteria.

Anyway...

On his blog recently, he posted some advice from Choreographer Carol Schuberg on what not to wear / do at an audition. Given that Wild Party auditions are just around the corner, I thought I'd post those here.

So...In the words of Carol Scheuberg-come-Jason Robert Brown....

Nevah! wear character shoes to sing in, especially the kind with the beginner heel.
Nevah! wear shoes you can't stand up in or walk in.
Nevah! sing in flip-flops.
Nevah! wear shoes with heels that are not proportionate to your body.
Nevah! wear boots that turn up at the tip unless you're auditioning for the role of an elf.
Nevah! wear a shoe that goes clip-clop-clip-clop when you walk unless you need your own personal underscoring.
Nevah! wear suede boots with a leather skirt.
Nevah! wear fringe, unless you're auditioning for "Hair." (And even then, be very careful.)
Nevah! wear jeans unless they make your butt look great.
Nevah! wear shirts that creep up your midriff unless you really want us to see your belly.
Nevah! walk in the room with the hem on your skirt falling down.
Nevah! wear skirts so tight that they cause wrinkles across the front and make you walk funny.
Nevah! wear a long skirt if you're a short woman.
Nevah! show us your belly hanging over your pants. Have some dignity.
Nevah! accentuate your bulges by wearing clothes that cling to your bulges.
Nevah! wear your prom dress.
Nevah! wear your prom hair.
Nevah! come in looking completely different from your picture.
Nevah! wear jeans under a dress.
Nevah! try to be black if you're not black. Please.
Nevah! spend the whole song closing your eyes on the "money notes."
Nevah! sing parodies.
Nevah! sing medleys.

and finally, a pearl of wisdom so deep and so rich it should be embroidered on every actor's résumé:

If you're beige, don't wear beige.

Ultimately, I boiled all of Carol's encomia to these three simple dicta:

Dress appropriately based on what you're auditioning for and what you're singing.
Your clothes and shoes should enable you to move, walk and stand with a certain amount of fluidity and grace.
And most importantly: Don't look like a clown unless you're auditioning for the circus.

What is this Wild Party, anyway?

I found a link to the Wild Party Tony Performance, and am posting it here for the benefit of all my fans, out there, in the dark...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9JwpM97NB2s&mode=related&search=

Go nuts.

Audition Notices are out -- Get Wild

Devanesen Productions

Presents

The Australasian Premiere of

THE WILD PARTY

In Concert

Music and Lyrics by

MICHAEL JOHN LaCHIUSA

Book by MICHAEL JOHN LaCHIUSA and GEORGE.C. WOLFE

Manhattan decadence in the 1920s provides the backdrop for this tough musical fable. Queenie, a vaudeville chorine, hosts the blow-out of the title with her vicious lover, a black-face minstrel. The guests are a vivid collection of the unruly and the undone; Queenie's conniving rival; a cocaine-sniffing bisexual playboy; a washed-up boxer; a black brother act; a diva of indeterminable age and infinite life experience; the fresh-off-the-farm ingénue whose naiveté quickly evaporates; a lesbian actress and her comatose girlfriend; and the bargain basement Valentino who catches Queenie's roving eye. The jazz and gin soaked party rages to a mounting sense of threat as artifice and illusion are stripped away. When midnight debauchery leads them to tragedy at dawn, the high-flying characters land with a sobering thud, reminding us that no party lasts forever.

Each of the primary characters is vibrant and established. The Wild Party was nominated for 7 Tony Awards and starred Toni Collette and Mandy Patinkin on Broadway

AUDITIONS :

We are seeking a very strong ensemble cast of just 7 Women and 8 men.

‘Speechless’ 2 Denham Street, Hawthorn. (Corner of Wood and Denham Street)

Tuesday July 18^th

Thursday July 20^th

All auditionees must be available for Call Backs on

Sunday July 23^rd 1:00 – 5:00 pm.

Rehearsals take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights 7:30 – 10:30pm and Sundays 1:00 – 5:00pm in Hawthorn. Rehearsals commence Tuesday July 25^th. The show will play at Gasworks Arts Park in September.

For More Audition Information and all Audition Bookings

Email : sunnytheatre@yahoo.com

Rent to be followed by a Wild Party

I'm excited to announce to my audience of 0 that after Rent closes, I will be moving almost straight away to MD the Australasian Premeire of Michael LaChuisa's "The Wild Party"

Based of a 1930's poem, two musicals were spawned within the same year. LaChuisa's version is the more 'intense', heavy musical theatre piece, considered to be true-er (is there such a word?) to the original poem.

It picked up a total of 7 nominations in the 2000 season of Tony's, including Best Book, Best Score and Best New Musical.

It's got a very Sondheim-esque score, putting it right in my camp of styles I love!

Incidentally, we get one week between Rent closing and auditions start for Wild Party, meaning this will be the fastest turn-around I've ever had to learn a score!!

More pictures of rent...

Pictures of RENT

We begin...sorry I'm late.

Okay....

So three months ago I started rehearsing Rent.

I can say this casually now, like it's no big deal...got up, brushed my teeth, scratched a little, and toddled off to rehearsal on one of the most amazing pieces of musical theatre ever written.

And, I had intended on keeping this blog of my experience doing it. Working on RENT was a dream come true, and I thought -- bugger it -- I'll document it so that I can remember what the experience was like.

Oops.

Cut to the loft, three months later. Rent has opened, this weekend, and I didn't write a single thing.

So, here's a quick recap.

Auditions -- ~150 people. Some amazing, some not.
Callbacks -- Extremely difficult. So much talent, so hard to pick.

Anyone wanting a piece of audition advice... here's a classic.... If, at an audition, you were asked to attend a callback and given some sheet music...and then you arrive at the callback needing to use the music....don't expect good news.

Casting - actually proved easier than we expected, and thanks to Sunny's careful guidance (our esteemed director), a cast seemed to appear before our eyes.

Rehearsals -- Amazing! I love MD'ing this kind of material. I worked with an incredible cast who were so open and giving of their talent, paitence, emotion and passion.

Sitzprobe -- I HATE SIZTPROBES. It's part of who I am. If I knew more MD's, I'd say all MD's hate them, however, I somehow have lost my membership card to the secret MD meetings that I'm sure take place in some musical utopia. In my experience, the orchestra is always 1 call off being up to scratch, we're late starting, the cast screw up, my tempo's are all over the place, and the director and producer start shooting each other sly little 'uh-ho' looks.

Not this time...the sitzprobe WENT OFF! Cast danced, band nailed it, the studio rocked, like the proverbial casbah.

Tech week -- nuff said.

And then, this friday just gone, something amazing happened. The lights dimmed, the audience erupted into applause, and a single spot came up on our Mark, who proclaimed:

"We begin on Christmas Eve, with me, Mark, and my roommate, Roger."

The hours leading up to curtain down were intense. The cast stood and had a minutes silence for Jonoathan Larson, (which has now become a custom before each show). There was this huge energy in the air -- partly because the previous tech runs left much to be desired (the lights weren't finished plotting until 4:00am that morning...), and partly because...well....it's RENT!, and for pretty much everyone involved, this was a dream come true.

The actual performance was not without technical problems...a few dropped lines, the odd phone ringing in the wrong place...but ultimately it was a hit....and the standing ovation from the sell-out crowd confirmed what we all knew....this show rocks.

I'm fairly sure that no matter what else pops up in my career in musical theatre, I'm unlikely to ever recreate the feeling of that opening night. Everyone involved in Rent was so passionate, and we were all so totally committed to the project. There was no shortage of emotions before the performance, and everyone was in a daze after we finished the show.

There may be another Rent, and I'm sure to work with people who I like as much as this cast...but none of us will ever have a first rent again....our cherry has well and truly been popped, in a most spectacular fashion!

No day like that day.

Test one two, test one two...is this thing on?

I am the ultimate in procrastination.

If I was witty, or of the slightest impression that anyone would actually read my blog, then I would come up with a witty was of working my name into procrastination.

Like....

or how about....

or that...

But no-one will, so I won't