Reel Thoughts Interview: The Whole Package

Isn’t it great when someone good-looking also has a great sense of humor about themselves?

When you head out to see Legally Blonde: The Musical (and you better – it’s so gay, it’s like catnip for gay people), keep an eye out for Ven Daniel – not that you’re likely to miss him.

The handsome Channing Tatum look-alike is making manicurists all over America swoon, as the hunkiest of UPS men. He also gets to play two other roles that proves that while he may look like Tatum, Daniel can act.

In the gorgeous posters for 2007’s Broadway Bares, Daniel looks like a Maxfield Parrish print come to life as a dreamy Cupid, a show which was also helmed by Blonde’s fabulous director Jerry Mitchell. What’s a pleasant surprise is how funny and personable Daniel is in his interview, on his blog and other postings.


In case you never saw Reese Witherspoon’s original, Legally Blonde tells the story of gorgeous but unchallenged Malibu sorority queen Elle Woods, who follows her no-good boyfriend to Harvard to win him back, only to win her self-respect back instead. Along the way, her relentlessly positive attitude overcomes hostility, snobbery and sexual harassment, and even helps others find true love.

Songs like “Ohmigod You Guys”, “Bend and Snap” and “Legally Blonde” are representative of the show’s and the heroine’s bubbly enthusiasm. I spoke to Daniel, who was back in New York taking care of an injury he had sustained on stage. The personal trainer was clearly eager to get back to his cast mates and the tour.

NC: Why were you away from the tour?
VD: This was because I had knee surgery about four weeks ago. I sustained an injury during one of the shows and continued to do a couple of shows on it, so I took a leave of absence to have the surgery and heal. It just worked out that I’ll be able to join the tour in Costa Mesa, California.


NC: I have to say, you really rock a brown uniform!
VD: (Laughing) You know, I try and make the costume look as good as possible. It helps me out too.

NC: How do you get into playing everybody’s dream UPS man?
VD: How do I get into it? I just start walking around a certain way to get into character, the little strut.

NC: It’s all about the walk?
VD: (Laughing) It’s all about the walk.

NC: I know that you’re a certified personal trainer. Do you base it on guys you see at the gym who are testosterone junkies?
VD: No, it’s all about proportion. If they’re going to put you in short shorts and a tight top, everything’s got to be working cohesively. I sort of pictured him as a guy in a movie, so I had the opportunity to tour in Saturday Night Fever and play Tony. It just added something to the character, so I allowed myself to be influenced by that energy, and it seems to be working.


NC: You were also the face (and body) of Broadway Bares in 2007. How was that production to perform in?
VD: That was exhilarating. It’s just a great celebration of life and the community comes together to raise money to help people out. And then also to be on the poster and the face of it that year was just so gratifying. If that image could help bring people together and bring attention to the event, I’m more than happy to be a part of it. The photo shoot was just fantastic; the photographer was so great to work with. Everyone who was involved was supportive and positive. I’m so happy, I felt blessed to be part of that and to have been able to meet and work with Jerry Mitchell then and on this show.

I mentioned to Daniel that I had just seen Mitchell’s work on Catch Me If You Can and loved it, and he was happy to hear it. “He’s just so nice,” he said, adding that Mitchell had been very supportive of him during his knee injury and helped him find one of the best doctors in New York for the surgery.


I asked him how he likes life on tour.

“It’s its own entity, but I enjoy it because it allows me the opportunity to work closely with some really talented people, and because you’re traveling somewhere new every week or every couple of weeks. These people become your family, and the relationships you make last a long time.

“It allows you to forge friendships, because you’re living with people and working with them. It’s a lifestyle that I enjoy because you get to see the greatest places and meet some pretty cool people along the way,” Daniel said.

And he spoke of some of the funny tour stories he has put on his blog. Speaking about an unwanted gift he got while staying in Florida, he said, “That was pretty interesting and funny as well. There was a used catheter on the floor of my bathroom in the hotel room. They came and picked it up and they didn’t even mop the floor. Disgusting,” he said, laughing.


A YouTube video of him also prompted a response: “In the show I play a character, Dewey, and just to make him as gross as possible, I included a giant belch. Since I was younger, I’ve had the strange skill of being able to burp really loud. And then I got hurt during a show and I was out for a couple of days and I was so bored, so I took my camera and tried to videotape myself burping and see how long I could go and if I could make 'em funny."

"So that’s what I have broadcast to the world, the YouTube world,” he laughed.

Daniel admitted he’s always wanted to be an actor, and that he was influenced by his father, an accountant who also performs onstage a lot in Florida.


“I remember seeing him in a production of Fiddler on the Roof and thinking, ‘Wow, I want to do that. If my dad can do it, I want to do it, too.’ One of my dreams is to share the stage with my father. I don’t know if the show’s been written yet or if it would be a regional production, but yeah, my dad, he’s the greatest creative guy in the world.”

Daniel said he looks forward to the future.

“I always enjoy thinking about the future, because if you don’t have a plan or don’t have an idea of where you’re going or what you want, you don’t really have any idea of what action to take. I know that eventually, I would like to go into television and film and continue to work in New York in the Broadway community.”

When I told him about his resemblance to Channing Tatum, he said, “I get that a lot, which is okay, except that he has my career. He’s a good-looking man, so I’m okay with that.”


I joked that he could accidentally push Tatum down some stairs and take his place, and he responded: “It’s like that movie, Showgirls. I’ll just rip off the pearl necklace and he can slip on the pearls.”

For now, Daniel is enjoying Legally Blonde and meeting the fans, even the large gay audience.

“I’m okay with that. To have the gay community following is so fun, especially when there’s a huge tour group of guys that come in and have a great time. The energy in the audience picks up and it makes the show even more fun to do.”

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Reverend's Reviews: No Dumb Blonde

Legally Blonde: The Musical had its southern California premiere last week at the fabled Pantages Theatre in LA. Despite the Pantages' equally-fabled acoustical problems — which rendered some lyrics unintelligible — the opening night performance cast a crowd-pleasing spell over the packed house.

Adapted from the 2001 film that made a star of Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde follows the efforts of Malibu-bred, UCLA sorority girl Elle Woods (played here by the winning Becky Gulsvig) to get into Harvard Law School and win back her ex-boyfriend. This cheerful, brightly-colored show had a successful run on Broadway in 2007, and had its popularity among young people sealed by an MTV telecast. The tour recently won several special Tony Awards for touring productions including Best Musical, beating Wicked and critical favorite Spring Awakening.


While its plot may seem feather-light, Legally Blonde: The Musical has intelligent things to say about women, ambition and personal empowerment. It probably helps that a woman, Heather Hach, wrote the show's book and another woman, Nell Benjamin, wrote its score, the latter with Laurence O'Keefe. The score is excellent, packed with tunes both appropriately perky ("Omigod You Guys," "What You Want" and "So Much Better" are but a few) and, on those rare occasions when called for, more meditative ("Chip on My Shoulder," "Find My Way" and the title song).

Jerry Mitchell's high-energy choreography is impressive — especially during the Act II opener, "Whipped Into Shape" — but his direction is even better. The pacing is brisk and there isn't a sluggish moment to be found. Though this is Mitchell's Broadway directorial debut, his sharp eye and sure hand ensure future directing assignments.


The touring cast is uniformly strong. In addition to Gulsvig, standout performances are given by Natalie Joy Johnson as the unfortunate-in-love beautician, Paulette (memorably played by Jennifer Coolidge in the film); D.B. Bonds as Emmett; Ken Land as the smarmy Professor Callahan; and Megan Lewis as Elle's bitchy rival, Vivienne. And one mustn't neglect to mention the cute and talented canines Frankie and Nellie, who play Bruiser and Rufus, respectively.

There are gay and lesbian characters and camp moments galore to please GLBT theatregoers. Aside from Wicked, no other recent musical offers as much sheer joy and entertainment as Legally Blonde: The Musical. It is running at the Pantages through September 6, then transfers to the Orange County Performing Arts Center September 8-20.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Reverend’s Interview: Going Blonde with Jerry Mitchell

Whereas many theatre professionals and critics are bemoaning the glut of Broadway musicals based on hit movies of the past (Billy Elliot, 9 to 5, The Little Mermaid and Shrek are but a few current examples), Jerry Mitchell rejoices in it. The openly gay, Tony Award-winning choreographer has been a major creative force behind many of the most acclaimed film-to-stage adaptations of the past decade, including The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Hairspray.

Mitchell recently added the title “director” to his resume with the Broadway sensation Legally Blonde: The Musical. It is based on the 2001 motion picture that starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a ditzy LA sorority girl who unexpectedly succeeds as a Harvard law school student. The musical will play August 12-September 6 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, followed by a run at the Orange County Performing Arts Center September 8-20.

The delightful Mitchell — whom I was privileged to meet at the recent world premiere of Minsky’s in LA — spoke with me from Seattle, where he is staging the dances for yet another Broadway-bound musical based on a movie, Catch Me If You Can.


CC: What drew you to Legally Blonde: The Musical as your Broadway directorial debut?
JM: Let’s see … pink, Chihuahuas, timpani and a story that I absolutely could relate to. I also liked that it had a leading character that was larger than life.

CC: How smooth or challenging was the process of adaptation?
JM: You always look at something and ask, “How am I going to make this work on stage?” This has a leading lady, a heroine, who come hell or high water gets what she wants. That’s the essence of every great musical character, so in that respect Legally Blonde is universal. Also, I wanted to draw out the supporting characters, like (Elle’s fellow student-turned-admirer) Emmett and Paulette (the salon owner memorably played in the film by Jennifer Coolidge). I wanted to help them get what they want, too.

CC: Have you been pleased with the results?
JM: Oh, yes! We just won three Touring Broadway Awards for this production, including Best Musical. The tour is going to pay off like gangbusters!


CC: Has Legally Blonde succeeded in drawing a younger audience and exposed them to musical theatre?
JM: That’s my hope and prayer. You come to your first musical and, if you like it, you want to see the next one. MTV exposure (the original Broadway production was broadcast by the music channel) also helped a lot in getting PR out about the show across the country, and it’s part of the reason the tour is doing so well.

CC: What do you think is good and perhaps not so good about the current trend of adapting popular movies for the stage?
JM: There’s nothing not good about it. I’ve heard many people complain about it, but it’s been my and my friends’ livelihood. I want to say, “People, wake up!” We live in a digital age. I’m sure fifty years ago, producers handed a composer a book and said, “Make this into a musical” because people were familiar with it. The same thing is going on today but with movies. We are so quick to judge in this world.

CC: What did you think of this year’s crop of Tony-nominated shows? Do you have a favorite show or two currently?
JM: I literally love everything! I can see Next to Normal (an award-winning musical about bi-polar disorder) one night and Shrek the next and love ‘em all. I haven’t kept up with the plays as well, but I am going to catch up when I get back to New York.


CC: When did you make your Broadway debut as a dancer?
JM: In a 1980 revival of Brigadoon, under Agnes DeMille.

CC: But you made your biggest splash as a nearly-naked Native American in 1990’s The Will Rogers Follies, correct?
JM: (Laughing) Well, that certainly caught a lot of people’s attention!

CC: How have you seen musical theatre and Broadway develop or change since you started out?
JM: When I walk into a show, a musical, what I take from it is the score. That’s what makes or breaks a show. Very few shows since I got to Broadway have musical appeal beyond the show, unlike prior to 1980 when many show tunes crossed over into mainstream popularity (perhaps most notably “Send in the Clowns” and “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”). That’s the biggest change I’ve seen.


CC: You have a new burlesque-inspired production, Peep Show, in Las Vegas. How is it doing?
JM: It’s stripping away, nipples to the wind! Holly Madison from TV’s The Girls Next Door just replaced Kelly Monaco in it, and my dear friend Shoshana Bean is replacing the Spice Girls’ Mel B. Shoshana played Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray for me.

CC: You are also the creator and director of New York’s super-successful, annual AIDS fundraising event, Broadway Bares. How is this year’s edition coming together?
JM: This year we have an Internet theme, “Click It!” We also have a new website, and we’ll have our first online strip-athon hosted by Broadwayworld.com. Everyone can donate and/or participate!

CC: On a more personal note, are you currently partnered, married or in a relationship?
JM: I’m deep in a relationship.


CC: Are children in your future?
JM: (Laughing, along with some of his Catch Me If You Can cast members who have gathered) I have 36 children right now in this dressing room! They are all unruly too, and need to be punished!

CC: What’s next for Jerry Mitchell as director and/or choreographer?
JM: Well, after Catch Me If You Can, director Jack O’Brien and I — we’re joined at the hip, having worked on several shows together — are off to London. We’ll be doing Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera (with songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater), and I’ll be mounting Legally Blonde in the West End.

CC: Sounds fabulous!

For more information about Legally Blonde: The Musical in LA or to purchase tickets, click here.

Interview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Tony Tube 2009

Here's a video round up of the best of Broadway, as seen on the Tony Awards this past Sunday night:

- Another openin', another show ... and what an opening number, a show tune smorgasbord complete with a viral video moment courtesy of Bret Michaels (surely not the first time that the word "viral" has been associated with Mr. Michaels). The Poison frontman suffered a broken a nose, while the unfortunate set piece he smacked into has since tested positive for gonorrhea ...
- Best Musical Billy Elliot rocks its number, while its young stars David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik charm in their joint acceptance speech for Best Actor.
- Christopher Sieber steals the show with his campy Lord Farquaad song from Shrek The Musical, while his fairy tale co-stars strut their stuff in some never-before-seen audition footage.
- Here's the numbers from the other two Best Musical nominees, Next to Normal (introduced by Carrie Fisher and her pantsuit) and Rock of Ages (complete with Liza cameo).
- Best Musical Revival winner Hair brought the house down, led by its two hunky stars Gavin Creel and Will Swenson.
- Also in the Musical Revival category, the cast of West Side Story (including the dreamy Matt Cavenaugh as Tony) go for a "Dance at the Gym", while those Guys and Dolls (which, as I predicted, closes this Sunday) suffer through sound snafus and bad staging in "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat".
- Touring shows were also on hand, represented by the "Dancing Queens" of Mamma Mia!, the sorority gals of Legally Blonde and no less than five Frankie Vallis from Jersey Boys.
- And last, but certainly not least: dapper Tony host Neil Patrick Harris and his already legendary "11 O'clock Number".

MD Poll: Secretary's Day

It may not be nominated for a Best Musical Tony Award, but 9 to 5: The Musical can take solace in being named your favorite "screen to stage" Broadway production of the 2008-2009 season in our most recent MD Poll. Two tuners who are up for the top Tony, Shrek The Musical and Billy Elliot, The Musical, came in second and third, respectively. See the comments section below for the complete stats.

And speaking of the Tonys, this year's ceremony will be broadcast live from New York tomorrow night on CBS. Performing on the three-hour show will be the casts of all the nominated musicals (Next to Normal and Rock of Ages, in addition to Billy Elliot and Shrek) and musical revivals (Guys and Dolls, Hair, Pal Joey and West Side Story), as well as special performances from the touring companies of Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde and Mamma Mia! And last, but certainly not least: Elton, Dolly and Liza.

Joining host Neil Patrick Harris as presenters will be such stage (and screen) faves as Kristin Chenoweth, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Edie Falco, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, James Gandolfini, Lauren Graham, Colin Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Lange, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, David Hyde Pierce, Piper Perabo, Oliver Platt, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey, John Stamos and Chandra Wilson.

Out in Film: Victor Garber

Idol worship: Victor Garber, actor.

- He made his film debut as Jesus in the movie version of the musical Godspell. His other film credits include Sleepless in Seattle, Jeffrey, The First Wives Club, Legally Blonde, Tuck Everlasting and Titanic, wherein he portayed shipbuilder Thomas Andrews.

- On Broadway, he has received four Tony Award nominations for his performances in Deathtrap, Little Me, Lend Me a Tenor and Damn Yankees, and also appeared in the original New York productions of Sweeney Todd, Noises Off and Assassins.

- TV movie roles have included Liberace in the biopic Liberace: Behind the Music, the King in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, Daddy Warbucks in Annie, Mayor Shinn in The Music Man and Sid Luft in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, which earned him his first Emmy Award nomination.

- Three more Emmy nods came his way for his most well known character, Jack Bristow on Alias, followed by two more for his guest spots on Frasier and Will & Grace.

- He can currently be seen on television in the final episodes of Eli Stone and at the movies as San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in Milk.

Good Knight, Spamalot and More

All the latest in From Screen to Stage news:

- The Broadway reign of Monty Python's Spamalot will come to an end January 18. The Tony Award winning musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail currently stars Bradley Dean, Merle Dandridge and Clay Aiken, who is scheduled in the show through January 4.

- The poorly received stage adaptation of To Be or Not To Be will close a little sooner then planned. Originally, the Manhattan Theatre Club comedy was to offer an extra week of shows beyond its subscription run, but will now play its final performance on November 16.


- The German production of Disney's Tarzan swung into Hamburg this past weekend. Starring as the Ape Man and his Jane are Anton Zetterholm and Elisabeth Hübert, who won their roles via the German reality TV show Ich Tarzan, du Jane!

- Rumor has it that Anne Hathaway and Sean Hayes may be heading to Broadway in a revival of Promises, Promises. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce the show, which is inspired by the Billy Wilder classic The Apartment.

- Wicked's Stephen Schwartz is turning Séance on a Wet Afternoon, the Mark McShane novel and Kim Stanley movie, into an opera (his first). Special workshop performances will be held in New York November 21 and 22.


- And finally: After weeks of speculation (and the untimely ousting of Cheyenne Jackson), Legally Brown has completed its Search for the Next Piragua Guy. And the results, as revealed in the series' grand finale, are a shocker!

UPDATE: Just when you thought that the Legally Brown saga was over -- wacky outtakes!

Lawyers and Secretaries, Drag Queens and Piragua Guys

A weekend round up of all things from screen to stage:

- Legally Blonde: The Musical will do its last "bend and snap" today on Broadway. I guess the Great White Way will be a little less pink from now on. Don't feel bad for the recently christened Elle Woods, Bailey Hanks, though: she already has her next gig lined up, as another blonde over-achiever, Sharpay Evans, in Disney's High School Musical at Paper Mill Playhouse.

- Speaking Legally, here are the latest episodes of the hi-lar-ious spoof from the In the Heights guys, Legally Brown: The Search for the Next Piragua Guy, starring 9 to 5er Allison Janney, Hairspray hottie Matthew Morrison and Xanadude Cheyenne Jackson (and don't tell me you wouldn't act just like Robin "I was in Camp" De Jesús if you were in the same situation).

- And speaking of Cheyenne (Mr. Jackson if you're nasty), EW.com floats an intriguing casting possibility for him: Patrick Bateman in American Psycho: The Musical. Alas, that may not be a possibility, as Jackson has been tapped to board The Band Wagon, penned by his Xanadu librettist Douglas Carter Beane. The stage version of the classic Fred Astaire/Cyd Charisse tuner was known as Dancing in the Dark when it played earlier this year in San Diego, but it has since been reconceived with Jackson replacing Scott Bakula in the Astaire role.

- Getting back to the ladies, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical wraps up its LA try out tonight, and it seems that Janney, Megan Hilty and Stephanie J. Block will be punching the Broadway time clock a little later then originally planned: previews at the Marquis Theatre will now begin on April 7, with the official opening now set for April 30. Perhaps they need more time to iron out some of the kinks that Chris mentioned in his review. In the meantime, Hilty will return as Glinda in the Los Angeles production of Wicked October 31 and stay with the show until it closes there January 11.

- Plans are afoot to turn last year's sleeper hit Once into a Broadway bound stage musical. The original songs by the fim's stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (including the Academy Award winning "Falling Slowly") will be featured.

- And finally, starting tomorrow, the lovely Les Cagelles will be kicking up their well-shaved heels once more in the London revival of La Cage aux Folles.

Omigod You Guys! Legally Blonde to Close

Following Xanadu into the Broadway history books, another Movie Dearest stage fave, Legally Blonde: The Musical, has set a closing date. October 19 will be your last chance to catch the pretty in pink tuner on the Great White Way.

Working Girls

The official opening night of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical is tonight in Los Angeles. Megan Hilty, Allison Janney and Stephanie J. Block star in the Broadway bound tuner, which continues through October 19 in preparation for a March 24 opening at the Marriott Marquis Theater in New York.


In more chick flick-turned-legit news, the national tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical kicks off tomorrow in Providence, Rhode Island. Original Broadway cast member (and Elle understudy) Becky Gulsvig will headline the tour, which also includes MTV's Search for the Next Elle Woods alum, Rhiannon Hansen and Lauren Zakrin. Check out Playbill.com for the full cast and announced tour dates.

Broadway: Camp Out

Sad news for fanadus everywhere: the Dearie Award winning, Tony Award nominated Xanadu, based on the camp movie classic, will close on Broadway October 12. The good news is that the roller disco musical does begin its national tour November 11 at the La Jolla Playhouse, followed by a six-month Chicago engagement beginning January 16.

That's not the only campy tuner to set a closing date in the Big Apple. Off-Broadway's long-running Forbidden Broadway, which launches its latest incarnation -- Goes to Rehab -- tonight, will come to end January 15 after 27 years (!).

But all is not loss for connoisseurs of musical outrageousness onstage. The Australian hit Priscilla Queen of the Desert has been announced for a London run. The disco-tuned tuner will travel from down under to the West End, with performances beginning March 10. Hopefully, Broadway will be the next stop on the bus's journey.


In the meantime, you can quench your thirst for cheeky show tunes with these two parody videos: the In the Heights guys launch Legally Brown: The Search for the Next Piragua Guy (featuring, among others, Xanadu's sassy Cheyenne Jackson and [title of show]'s hilarious Hunter Bell) and the 2008 election goes on for "One Day More" with Les Mizbarack.

UPDATE: Fanadus, get thee to Broadway by this Sunday -- Xanadu moves up its closing date to September 28.

Blonde Bundy Gets Blue Moon

As you can see, Laura Bell Bundy was positively verklempt over this cheeky parting gift from the chorus boys of Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Visit Broadway.com for more pics from Bundy's last night on Broadway in her Tony nominated role as Elle Woods.

UPDATE: Did you wonder how the Legally Blonde team kept the news of the new Elle Woods a secret during rehearsals? Playbill.com has all the answers, plus a hint at the musical's feature film possibilities.

MD Poll: Prima Donnas

The latest MD Poll is for all the theater enthusiasts out there, specifically those who appreciate ... nay, worship ... a good diva. Over the years, there has been plenty to choose from, but for the purposes of this ranking, we'll take a look at the most recent Broadway babes to catch our attention ... and applause:

• Laura Bell Bundy: The original Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray, she was nominated for a Tony as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde - The Musical.
• Kerry Butler: Another Hairspray alum (where she originated Penny), she has played Belle, Audrey and now Clio/Kira in Xanadu.
• Kristin Chenoweth: Tony winner as Sally Brown, Tony nominee as Glinda, she is now known as Pushing Daisies star and Oscar show showstopper.
• Christine Ebersole: Two-time Tony Award winner, for 42nd Street and her tour de force as Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens.
• Sutton Foster: As Thoroughly Modern Millie, she was thoroughly Tony winning. Now in Young Frankenstein and next in Shrek The Musical.
• Patti LuPone: The original Evita (Tony win), star of the hit revivals of Anything Goes and Sweeney Todd, it will soon be her turn as Rose in Gypsy.
• Idina Menzel: From the bisexual Maureen in Rent to her Tony winning Wicked witch Elphaba to the big screen Enchanted, Idina rocks.
• Audra McDonald: One of the few actresses to ever win four Tony Awards, she shines in both dramas (A Raisin in the Sun) and musicals (Ragtime).
• Bernadette Peters: The last Broadway Rose, she was also The Goodbye Girl and the sharp-shootin', Tony winnin' Annie Get Your Gun.
• Sherie René Scott: Aida's original Amneris, she got Dirty for Rotten Scoundrels and is now under the sea as Ursula in The Little Mermaid.

Vote for your favorite in the poll located in the sidebar to your right, and check back in two weeks to see who will be crowned the biggest Broadway diva.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Grin and Bear It

Nothing quite puts a smile on the face of theatrical enthusiasts like the annual offerings of Broadway Bears. The cuddly teddy bears, each outfitted in original, handmade costumes by Broadway’s leading costume designers and representing memorable characters from plays and musicals, past and present, are put on the auction block to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS each year, and it is always fun to take a look at the latest batch.

Among the 45 dolls for 2008, each signed by a stage fave, are bruins bearing the likenesses of characters from Beauty and the Beast, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Color Purple, Die Mommie Die! (from Off-Broadway), Fosse (a quite disturbing Mr. Bojangles), Grease, Kiss of the Spider-Woman, Legally Blonde, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Lord of the Rings (from London) Mary Poppins, Rent, Monty Python's Spamalot, Tarzan, West Side Story, Wicked, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein.

There are even a few special lots this year: the Bad Idea Bears from Avenue Q (surprised they hadn't done such an obvious one before now) and what appears to be the Victor/Victoria Barbie, autographed by none other then Dame Julie Andrews herself.

UPDATE: The auction, held this past Sunday, raised $127,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The highest priced bear was the Monty Python's Spamalot one, signed by both the original Sir Robin (David Hyde Pierce) and the current one (Clay Aiken).

America's Next Top Blonde

Rumor has it that the next Elle Woods in Broadway's Legally Blonde - The Musical will be cast through an MTV reality show, à la Grease: You're the One That I Want.

In that case, maybe it should be called Legally Blonde: What You Want.

UPDATE: MTV has announced information for the nationwide auditions.

Number One With a Bullet

Billboard recently released their annual lists of the top-selling albums of 2007, including those for cast albums and soundtracks.

Regarding the latter, if it weren't for Dreamgirlsand Hairsprayyou would think that you stumbled onto the Kid's Music charts. Actually, make that the Disney Music chart, as seven albums from the House of Mouse dominate the top ten, including such Disney Channel favorites as Hannah Montanaand High School Musical(which together claimed the top four slots) and Cars. And the story isn't much different over on the soundtrack singles chart, where six songs from Disney-owned properties placed in the top ten, including ABC's Grey's Anatomy,which claimed the top spot.

As for cast albums, Wickedcontinued its reign over that chart, with other favorites such as Legally Blondeand Hairspray (again) making appearances. However, Disney even took a hold of a couple places here, with The Lion Kingand Mary Poppins. Added all together, that means Disney music made up exactly half of these three charts. And who says that kids today have bad taste in music?

Click on the above links to buy the albums from Amazon.com.
Links via Billboard.biz.

Broadway Back in Business

The Broadway strike is over: after 19 days, the striking stagehands will return to work tomorrow night and all the lights will soon be back on on the Great White Way. Local One, the stagehand union, and the League of American Theatres and Producers reached a tentative agreement late last night that will see all the shows that were shut down going on starting with Thursday night's performances.

Such shows as A Bronx Tale, A Chorus Line, Avenue Q, Chicago, The Color Purple, Grease, Hairspray, Legally Blonde - The Musical, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Monty Python's Spamalot and Wicked were all affected by the strike, while Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas was able to reopen last week due to a Supreme Court injunction. To celebrate its reopening, Chicago (currently starring The Sopranos stars Aida Turturro and Vincent Pastore) will be offering special ticket prices for their first pre-strike show.

Disney's The Little Mermaid, which was in the middle of previews when the strike started and subsequently postponed its planned December 6 opening, should be announcing its new schedule shortly.

UPDATE: And here it is: The Little Mermaid has resumed previews, and will have its official opening January 10.

Links via Playbill.com.

Tracy at Macy's

Boy, how did we ever live without the internet? I slept through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday, and forgot to record it. But thanks to YouTube, I was still able to watch the Broadway performances I mentioned the other day. Ain't technology grand?

I don't know how cold it was in New York the other day, but Cheyenne was a true trooper, doing the Xanadu in his regular costume of short shorts and tank top; love the bit with Kerry and the fan, too. Laura Bell Bundy strutted her stuff in the Legally Blonde number, although Elle Woods would never wear a tacky T-shirt, even if it was pink. Less impressive was Young Frankenstein's "Transylvania Mania", which is no "Time Warp". The choreography is surprisingly pedestrian; I expect more of Susan Stroham (granted, it may have been scaled down for this performance). To make matters worse, all the singing was not only canned, but also poorly lip-synced.

On the other hand, Nikki Blonsky belted out "You Can't Stop the Beat" live, accompanied by the Hairspray dancers (including a suitable Zac Efron stand-in, Nick Baga, a.k.a. Sketch). With all her jet setting to promote the movie (and now DVD), Miss Nikki appears to be slimming down a bit as well. And while we're talking about the 'Spray, here's Queen Latifah's powerful live performance of "I Know Where I've Been" from the recent American Music Awards.

Links via YouTube.com.

Before the Parade Passes By

Even with a stagehands strike crippling most of the Great White Way, nothing can stop this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Four Broadway shows will perform live during the annual event, and as luck would have it, all four are based on movies. Mary Poppins will trot out "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (yet again), while Legally Blonde - The Musical will give you "What You Want". Kerry, Cheyenne and the Xanadu gang will perform a medley of hits, and most of us will get our first look at Young Frankenstein when they do the "Transylvania Mania".

Other performances of note include Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky crooning "You Can't Stop the Beat" (solo?), Dreamgirl Anika Noni Rose will belt a Michael Feinstein tune and last, but certainly not least, the Radio City Rockettes will make an appearance (like they wouldn't show). The 81st (!) Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast live on NBC.

Speaking of Legally Blonde, MTV will re-air their hit broadcast of the tuner twice on Thanksgiving Day, with the added bonus of onscreen "sing along" lyrics. Now aren't you glad you were one of the many who ran out to buy the cast album after it originally aired last month?

UPDATE: Broadway.com is reporting that these Thanksgiving airings will be the last chance to see Legally Blonde - The Musical on MTV.

Links via Playbill.com, NBC.com, MTV.com and Broadway.com.