HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bevans@carina.unm.edu (Mathemagician)
Subject: Re: Stars and refunds
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 14:40:38 GMT
Organization: Society for the Preservation of E. coli
Distribution: na

In article <4pyxakp@rpi.edu> garrem@vccsouth16.its.rpi.edu (Matthew Olsen Garretson) writes:
>...no one with
>a clue would want to pay to see an understudy (unless they know it's a really
>good understudy). Maybe during the stars' vacations, the show should just be
>put on hold. They could extend the run to make up the lost $$.

I couldn't disagree more!

Oh, I'll admit that billing a star will do nothing but help a show and
I do often go to see something because a certain person is in it, but
I won't *not* see a show because the star isn't performing that night
and it's the only night I can.

When I saw _The Phantom of the Opera_ in London, I didn't see the
original cast...no Michael Crawford...no Sarah Brightman.  What I
*did* see, however, was a *much* better cast than I heard on the
album.  Claire Moore played Christine (who went on to be in the
original cast of _Miss Saigon_ as Ellen).  I don't have my program
with me so I can't recall who played the Phantom, but he was *much*
better than Crawford.

Also, while I was there, I seemed to "chasing" a certain actor around.
He was in _Starlight Express_ but had left the cast for _Chess_ just
before we got there so we didn't see him.  When we went to see
_Chess,_ it was his day off and the understudy was playing his role.
Well, we like _Chess_ so much that we saw it again...this time he was
there...and we liked the understudy better (he was playing the
Arbiter.)

So I'll happily see an understudy if I have any interest in a show at
all.  I rarely see something because someone is in it unless I know
said person personally (I always make an attempt to see friends'
work.)  I will, however, avoid something because of somebody (I cannot
stand Tom Cruise and will not willingly see anything he's in.)

-- 
Brian Evans                |     "Bad mood, bad mood...Sure I'm in a bad mood!
bevans@carina.unm.edu      |      I haven't had sex...*EVER!*" -- Virgin Mary
Organization: Masters student, Information Networking Institute, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 14:12:35 -0400 
From: Anish Bharat Bhimani <ab4n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Hines / Jelly

Doers anyone know how long Gregory Hines plans to continue in "Jelly's
Last Jam" and, also, what the ticket situation is like? Any info would
be greatly appreciated.

- Anish
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: slg@slgsun.att.com (The Idealistic Cynic)
Subject: "Extra" Verse of Wick (The Secret Garden)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Columbus, Ohio
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 15:04:33 GMT
Summary: Available in Piano/Vocal

This weekend I picked up the piano-vocal to "The Secret Garden".
Contrary to what I thought I had read in this group, the additional
lines *are* there.  At least there are about four lines that are
not on the recorded version.,

(If the person who wanted that verse will contact me, I'd be happy
to email those lines to him.  I've lost your address...)

Other than that, for those of you interested, I highly recommend
this piano-vocal.  A good set of pictures, and the arrangements
are true piano vocals, not simply piano arrangements with a vocal
line on top.  And though I haven't got a chance to compare with
the recording, it seems that most of the arrangements are very
close -- certainly "Wick" is.

Sean.

---
Sean L. Gilley
sgilley@cbnewsl[.cb].att.com, slg@sunray[.cb].att.com, slg2@cblph[.cb].att.com
614 236 5031 (h), 614 860 5743 (w)
From: menolly@garnet.berkeley.edu ()
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: Les Mis plot question..
Followup-To: pam@btr.com
Date: 26 Jul 1992 08:51:38 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Jul22.174719.8908@math.okstate.edu> kruger@math.okstate.edu 
(Valentine) writes about Cosette:
>her behaviour after the incdient of the barricades seems so thoughtless
>as to be cruel. If _I_ were lying in bed having dreams of my dead friends
>I would not want my fiancee, however much I loved her, to be telling me
>"Oh, don't think about it, after all--you have me!" which was, IMO,
>what Cosette was saying during "Every Day"

Try this.

***
Cosette:	A  heart full of love.
		I'm here, I'm Cosette -- 
		Forget that male-bonding shit!
		I'm here, right now, 
		Unlike your alcoholic pals.  
		Can *they* do THIS?  [kisses him soundly]

Marius:		[stunned]  Bloody hell!

Cosette:	[aside to audience]	Our first kiss!
***

(... from my great work-in-progress, FORBIDDEN GEARY ;-) ;-) ;-)

pam@btr.com
From: jeff@panix.com (Jeff Poretsky)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: Show Boat recordings?
Date: 28 Jul 92 02:03:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

>This (on EMI) is my recommendation.  Get the whole 3 CDs, you won't
>regret it.  It includes all the music Kern wrote for Show Boat, in any
>of its versions, and is the only recording that does (some of the songs
>have had no other recording).  Also, the performance is fabulous.  It
>has an impeccably chosen mixture of opera singers (good ones) for the
>"legit" roles, and theater performers for other roles.  It includes the
>important underscored dialog, and is near-ideal in every respect.  This
>is a classic recording.

>Jon Alan Conrad

A couple of years ago the Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ had a production 
of Showboat.  It was reccorded for PBS and they also had taped a recording
session.  Was that ever released.  I had heard the EMI 3 cd set and didn't 
care for it.


Jeff Poretsky	
jeff@panix.com
From: eliz@WORLD.STD.COM (Elizabeth Lear Newman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: STARMITES
Date: 28 Jul 92 14:52:23 GMT


I saw it on Broadway on the next-to-last night of its run, and I had a
pretty good time.  I don't think it should have been on Broadway, but
it was a fun spoof of comic books and SF movies and worth the
half-price tickets.  I'd probably go and see a local production of it,
since my overall memory of it is that I liked it (I must have, since I
remember wishing that I could buy a cast recording, and I did buy a
t-shirt).  I'm sorry I can't really help with specifics, but it was
three years ago and we went on the spur of the moment.

						...eliz
From: CSC3GSG@VAXC.HOFSTRA.EDU (Gary Graffagnino)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: STARMITES
Date: 28 Jul 92 15:42:00 GMT

|Greetings. Our local community summer theatre is doing STARMITES soon-
|anyone out there familiar with this show, which opened and played
|briefly in 1989? Any tips, suggestions, warnings, etc? It's been
|a challenge to say the least. The story is a comic book fantasy
|based in outerspace (actually Innerspace) with good guy Space
|Punk, love interest Eleanor, Diva, Queen of Innerspace and
|evil Shak Gra. Any info would be appreciated...Rotsa. Joanne.

I saw a little clip on the 1989 Tony Awards where the show was nominated for
best musical.  It looked pretty bad.  The music was unpleasant as was the
staging.  But, there may be someone out there who liked it.

Gary
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: aku@leland.Stanford.EDU (Andrew Chia-Tso Ku)
Subject: Re: Guys and Dolls Question...
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 13:31:11 GMT

("Bill Rubin") writes:
>Andy Ravenna writes:
>
>> I got to see Guys and Dolls about a week before it opened whilst Sarah
>> (somebody) was playing one of the leads.  From what I've read, she was
>> fired and opening night, Jose played that role... Does anybody know the
>> full scoop ?  I'd be really curious to hear how somebody who labors
>> through previews, gets canned on opening night !
>
>Actually, it was Carolyn Magnini (I remember her only because I saw her in
>Tintypes many years ago, with Lynne Thigpen who currently plays the DA in
>LA Law, or some other lawyer show).  Anyway, as I recall, she got the boot
>a week or two before opening, not on opening night itself.  Jose de Guzman
>was the understudy, and rather than hiring someone else to play the role,
>she ended up getting it.

I don't know if this is the "real" story, but when Carolyn Mignini was
dismissed from Guys and Dolls (about two weeks before opening), the reason 
given was that there wasn't enough chemistry between her and Peter Gallagher.  

Curiously, Josie DeGuzman had the experience of being fired from a show 
herself, when she was dismissed during previews of Nick and Nora.  

Andrew
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: mjmc@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Michael McNamara)
Subject: Re: theatre software
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 15:28:00 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.140901.4774@bradley.bradley.edu> larry@bradley.bradley.edu (L. D. Stratton) writes:
>
>   I'm in need of some suggestions for theatre software in the
>   areas of CAD for set design and lighting design.     I have
>   two leads in lighting:  Lightright by Roscoe and ARGUS by
>   San Francisco Theatrical Supply ($500.)  Price is not a 
>   factor at this time.
>
>   The only requirement is that it reside on a Mac/Apple but
>   that could be a Quatro950 if necessary.

I have owned Lightwright for about 6 months and have loved it. The only
problem is that it is only available for IBM at the present although there are
mumblings about an Apple version being released in the next year.

My own feeling about CAD is that it is still in the experimental stage. Though
a number of people I know have tried it for both set and lights, the pace of
changes to a show always seem to outrun the possible benefits of CAD.

Michael McNamara
Graduate Student-Stage Design
Northwestern University
From: pwhite@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Patricia White)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: A singer named Marian Montgomery
Date: 21 Jul 92 03:38:45 GMT
Reply-To: pwhite@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Patricia White)
Organization: Columbia University User Services


This isn't quite theatre but...  

I recently posted a request regarding a Cole Porter song used in an
episode of Inspector Morse.  It turns out that Marian Montgomery is
the singer.  I went over to Colony Records sorta/kinda hoping that, by
some fluke, I could find a CD with Ms Montgomery singing "Why Can't
You Behave".  Lo and behold, it's not on CD.  The salesmen looked in
the LP section and found two of her records.  (Incidentally, I nearly
had a heart attack when I saw the price tags on those things!  Colony
is really expensive.)  Unfortunately, neither album had any Cole
Porter tracks.  Can anybody help?  Can somebody provide a name of an
album?  Perhaps even more info on Marian Montgomery?

Thanks!

-Patricia
 pwhite@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: golds_ss@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Stuart S Goldstone)
Subject: Lynne Thigpen (was Re: Guys and Dolls Question...)
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 01:17:40 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.223326.8519@ncsu.edu> calexan1@eos.ncsu.edu
(CHRISTOPHER  ALEXANDER) writes:
>
>>Actually, it was Carolyn Magnini (I remember her only because I saw her in
>>Tintypes many years ago, with Lynne Thigpen who currently plays the DA in
>>LA Law, or some other lawyer show).  Anyway, as I recall, she got the boot
>>a week or two before opening, not on opening night itself.  Jose de Guzman
>>was the understudy, and rather than hiring someone else to play the role,
>>she ended up getting it.
>
>While she may also be on another show, the only place I've seen Lynne Thigpen
>is on a wonderful PBS game show for kids called
>
>Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
>
>She plays the "chief," and is one of the best parts of the show, the a capella
>rock group (appropriately named Rockappella) being the other. If you have
>time on your hands, watch it. It's for a children but every once in a while 
>is a great deal of fun for those of us older than 10 as well.


	I too watch this show, which is really a great kids' game show.
Makes me wish I was 10 again!  Now, what else has Thigpen been in?  My
friend told me she has been in quite a bit of theater, but I've never seen
her in anything, though she certainly looks very familiar.
-- 
         Stuart S. Goldstone	      |      "Christianity is like a shoe;
Internet: golds_ss@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu |	       if you don't fit into it,
       BITNET: golds_ss@jhuvms	      |	        we cut your toes off!"
         GEnie: S.GOLDSTONE1          |
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: arantamaki@tnclus.tele.nokia.fi
Subject: Stratford-on-Avon in November
Organization: Nokia Telecommunications.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 08:22:52 GMT

Hello everybody!

I'm going to Stratford in November to see the following
plays: Antony and Cleopatra, The Merry Wives of Windsor,
All's Well that Ends Well, Changeling and The School of
Night. Actually it's a group of students and teachers
from the Helsinki University that's going.

I was wondering if anybody's seen any of these productions
(if they are already being performed) or read any reviews
on them. I'd be grateful for any information that you
might have.

Thank you in advance.
Annu Rantamaki
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: wkm1@nestor.uucp (24102-messer)
Subject: LYNNE THIGPEN
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 19:55:11 GMT


Lynne Thigpen was also in the movie version of
Godspell, I think she was the one who sang "Turn Back, O Man.",
but I'm not certain.
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Tuesday, 28 Jul 1992 08:23:50 EDT
From: <JOANNE@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: STARMITES

Greetings. Our local community summer theatre is doing STARMITES soon-
anyone out there familiar with this show, which opened and played
briefly in 1989? Any tips, suggestions, warnings, etc? It's been
a challenge to say the least. The story is a comic book fantasy
based in outerspace (actually Innerspace) with good guy Space
Punk, love interest Eleanor, Diva, Queen of Innerspace and
evil Shak Gra. Any info would be appreciated...Rotsa. Joanne.
From: conrad@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Conrad)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: Directing Yourself
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:12:39 GMT
Organization: University of Delaware

I haven't followed all this, or responded before, but has anyone
mentioned the many Shakespearian productions that were directed by one
of the leading actors.  Olivier directed his own stage productions of
Antony and Cleopatra (and Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra), and Gielgud
directed his famous early-50s Much Ado About Nothing.  There are many
more.  Margaret Webster, one of the most successful and respected
classical drama directors of the first half of this century, frequently
acted in her own productions (she began as an actress, like many
directors): admittedly she would usually take a secondary part, like the
Old Lady in Henry VIII, or Emilia in the Paul Robeson Othello.  She was
a vivid and witty writer about her own work (read "Don't Put Your
Daughter on the Stage"), and found that when she was performing this
dual function, her directing didn't suffer but her acting could, as she
always had her eye on what everyone else was doing.  (When she asked a
friend for comments on that Emilia, the friend said thoughtfully,
"Welll....did you MEAN to play her like an efficiency expert?")

In article <7tpm51g@lynx.unm.edu> bevans@carina.unm.edu (Mathemagician) writes:

So the following quote (not by Brian, but by the person he was
responding to) is definitely incorrect.  He may feel that these efforts
are BAD productions; fine.  But they definitely exist.

>>Do you see any self-directed
>>shows above the semi-professional level?  No.  It's axiomatic that
>>in even the smallest Equity theatre there will no self-directed
>>shows.  

>What about Tommy Tune?  He's choreographed shows he's been in which is
>about 15 degrees off from actual directing.  

Actually, he directed AND choreographed "My One and Only," which he
starred in.  Admittedly he gave generous credit to an assistant
choreographer; and also he didn't plan to do all this, but the job was
kind of forced on him when Peter Sellars, the production's original
director, was fired in Boston.

>And hasn't he actually
>been in shows he's directed? 

I just mentioned the only one I can think of, though he may have put
together "acts" for himself for nightclubs or touring.  I could see him
stepping into Will Rogers rather well, but I've never heard the
slightest hint that he'll ever do so.

>(Wasn't he in _Grand Hotel_?  

No.

>Didn't he
>direct the production of _Meet Me in St. Louis_ 

He never directed that musical.

>in Seattle that was
>interrupted by the Tony Awards in '91?)

That was "Bye Bye Birdie," and he didn't direct that production.

No flames intended.  But we know from experience the way uncorrected
misstatements on the net can turn into "facts" when someone else
remembers having read them.  Otherwise, I'm staying out of this one, as
it's a discussion among practitioners, which I am not.

Jon Alan Conrad
From: adolphso@mizar.usc.edu (adolphson)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: 'I Hate Hamlet'
Date: 21 Jul 1992 15:43:17 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mizar.usc.edu

In article <1992Jul21.204454.6330@bradley.bradley.edu> 
larry@bradley.bradley.edu (Larry D. Stratton) writes:

>   This is a request for research information.  I'll be doing the
>   part of John Barrymore (sp. I always screw it up) and I'm 
>   looking for any films available on VCR that would help me 
>   study characteristics, etc.  Any help would be appreciated.

You should *run* to your local well-stocked video store and
rent "Twentieth Century".  Not only is it an absolute scream, 
what with Barrymore and the divine Carole Lombard bitching it
out for two hours, but Barrymore plays a character based on 
himself and he parodies himself to the hilt.  It's an absolute
must-see.

You might also find "Grand Hotel" helpful.

Arne
From: tcsg3046@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Timothy C. Sozen)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: Directing Yourself
Date: 28 Jul 92 17:00:10 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

Thanks, Gert, for an informative article. Thanks, at least, from someone without
a graduate training in theatre history.

The focus of this thread has changed, I know, from Joe Zitt's show specifically
to productions in general, and in the last post (Gert Niewahr) to "modern
scripts". Getting back to the original problem, just for a minute, do we
know that's what Joe is doing? His description made me think that his show
is more like a narration illustrated by dancers. It seems to me that his
problems are significantly different from problems faced by someone
directing  a naturalistic play.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: ciula@cis.ohio-state.edu (Kim Ciula)
Subject: free Otterbein tickets
Originator: ciula@kazoo.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Distribution: cmh
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 14:28:13 GMT

I have two tickets to next week's performance of "The Heidi Chronicles" 
that I can't use.  The play is Thursday, July 30, at 8:00 at Otterbein.
If you'd like two free tickets let me know by Friday (July 24)!  

Here's part of the description from the Otterbein newsletter:  

"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award, ..., this significant and
celebrated show was described by critics as "the play of the season" during
its recent hugely successful Broadway run.  Composed of a series of
interrelated scenes, the play traces the coming of age of Heidi Holland, a
successful art historian, as she tries to find her bearings in a rapidly
changing world.  Funny, touching, and written with rare grace and sensitivity,
the play is a moving examination of the progress of a generation, from the
socially and politically activist sixties to the success-oriented eighties - a 
time in which the status of American women underwent profound, and sometimes
unsettling change."

      Kim Ciula
From: rubinm@WATSON.IBM.COM ("Bill Rubin")
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: Guys and Dolls Question...
Date: 23 Jul 92 14:41:49 GMT

Andy Ravenna writes:

> I got to see Guys and Dolls about a week before it opened whilst Sarah
> (somebody) was playing one of the leads.  From what I've read, she was
> fired and opening night, Jose played that role... Does anybody know the
> full scoop ?  I'd be really curious to hear how somebody who labors
> through previews, gets canned on opening night !

Actually, it was Carolyn Magnini (I remember her only because I saw her in
Tintypes many years ago, with Lynne Thigpen who currently plays the DA in
LA Law, or some other lawyer show).  Anyway, as I recall, she got the boot
a week or two before opening, not on opening night itself.  Jose de Guzman
was the understudy, and rather than hiring someone else to play the role,
she ended up getting it.

-- Bill
From: pape@rd1.interlan.com (Donna Pape)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: song and dance recording
Keywords: song and dance
Date: 22 Jul 92 12:06:38 GMT
Organization: Racal-Datacom, Sunrise, FL

In article <BrnM90.3zr@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ssg8898@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Sermpan Soontornchat ) writes:
>Does anybody know if there is a CD of "Song and Dance" by ALW?
>I have a copy of this musical sung by Bernadette Peters (in cassette tape) and 
>I want to have more in CD.
>Thanks
>Tui

When I was in London a couple weeks ago I bought Song and Dance at Dress
Circle.  Disc One stars Marti Webb in "Tell Me on a Sunday" and Disc Two
stars Wayne Sleep in "Variations".

The information on Dress Circle is:

	Dress Circle
	57/59 Monmouth Street
	Upper St. Martin's Lane
	London WC2H 9DG

tel.	071-240-2227
	071-836-8279
fax.	071-379-8540

Hope this helps!

Donna
From: lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
Subject: Re: Directing Yourself
Date: 28 Jul 92 14:31:38 GMT
Reply-To: lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow)
Organization: NCR E&M CLEMSON Liberty, SC

In article <#4lm5bd.bprofane@netcom.com> bprofane@netcom.com (Gert Niewahr) writes:
>
>shows above the semi-professional level?  No.  It's axiomatic that
>in even the smallest Equity theatre there will no self-directed
>shows.  Why?  Because professionals know that that is the kind of
>ego-driven stunt that invariably results in a poor production.

Well I agree with you that self-direction is likely to damage the show,
but I don't agree that it never happens.  In two of the theatres I'm
associated with, the director regularly casts himself.  And yes, one of
them is an Equity house.
.
.
.

Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
From: larry@bradley.bradley.edu (Larry D. Stratton)
Subject: 'I Hate Hamlet'
Organization: Bradley University
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 20:44:54 GMT


   This is a request for research information.  I'll be doing the
   part of John Barrymore (sp. I always screw it up) and I'm 
   looking for any films available on VCR that would help me 
   study characteristics, etc.  Any help would be appreciated.

   ld

Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre