Profile for Byron Abens

Oddly enough I heard "In" tonight while I was rehearsing at City Center. Whatever dance class that was going on up on the sixth floor was using it. It took me a moment to realize what I was hearing, but it quickly hit me that I was hearing Darlene Love belting her face off. I can only imagine what kind of choreography was being done up there.

My problem with the orchestra on stage for Gypsy was that it then eliminated the passarelle (I have no idea if I spelled that right, it's the walkway around the outside edge of the orchestra pit that also sometimes has a center bridge). I think the Final Strip and ecdysiast monologue became that much more static without having Louise be able to physically break the fourth wall and come out that much closer to the audience. It had the same effect for me with Rose's Turn. In order to keep those...

If you are doing this design for a school project you might be able to get your department to order a persusal script for you.

There was a lot of creative bookkeeping going on in the Livent offices. I'm not quite sure exactly how it was done (not being an accountant) but the gist of it was profits from the hit shows were being moved around to fund the other shows that were not doing as well, but from what I understand, that money was never accounted for in terms of where it came from. So though Ragtime may have been making well over its weekly nut, the grosses would not reflect that because profits would be slid over...

That would be one super expensive stage effect to make the currently 60 year old LuPone looking young onstage. And of course that would be if the show goes up now, not to mention the extra years you would have to hide by the time the show could be written and mounted.

I don't think you can blame a financial failure of a show that ran for two years on the critics. Clearly there was a significant audience. The show was just too big, huge cast, huge orchestra, and huge physical production. Top it all off with a company that was practicing some shady business and creative accounting and you have a recipe for a financial flop. If Brantley was truly to blame the show would not have lasted two years.

Also, some people seem to have the impression that the "exchange" has to be simultaneous, which is not true, as evidenced by the Brightman/Crumb deal. The thing to remember with Equity is that so many things are done on a case by case basis. You can often get two different answers from them concerning the same question depending on who you talk to and which office you call. I even know people who have had two different people talk to the same business rep within the same week about the same q...

You know, why should we limit the rumors to female actresses? I heard the hold up is because Trevor Nunn is looking to have the part played by a man in drag?

Even as a limited engagement it wouldn't succeed. For Carrie to have even a remote chance of working it would need some very elaborate special effects. As evidenced by the original production, some weak flames on her hands (which really has nothing to do with telekinesis anyway) and a cheap black-light magic show are just not going to cut it. As we all know, elaborate special effects do not come cheap, and shows that can not be produced cheaply can't recoup on limited run. I do admit to havin...

PCLO does not use the Guest Artist contract. They are mainly under the RMTA (Resident Musical Theatre Association) agreement, though according to the Equity website they also use the LORT Non-Rep, LOA, and Cabaret contracts as well. Minimums for the RMTA agreement are as follows: Actors - $951 Stage Managers - $1310 Assistant Stage Managers - $989

The Prologue to City of Angels Fade Out-Fade In (as well as just about every other Jule Styne overture). Follies A Little Night Music And going more classical Carmen, The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, Cavalleria Rusticana.

A very interesting article about the Livent scandal. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/675314

You can purchase the script from Samuel French. I think their scripts normally run between $7-$10.

It seems lately that if you are not the first flight in/out of LaGuardia these days you are going to end up delayed. I can't remember the last time I was on time in that airport.

I think this is it. There might be a few minor changes to what we used on tour, but whether that is something that was actually changed, or just not hearing things I'm used to hearing due to a reduced orchestra, slightly different tempos, etc, I couldn't tell you for sure without finding my old rehearsal tapes and comparing. But god only knows where in my parents' basement those ended up, lol.

Like: "Screw the movie version! I will never accept it, And I will never do a Lloyd Webber show again! As for you Madonna, Now that you've had that kid, Wait 'til you start to breastfeed, And your pert little titties start sagging!"

In terms of flops and hits I prefer to go based more on the criteria Ken Mandelbaum used in determining what shows he would cover in "Not Since Carrie." I don't have the book with me, but I remember at least some of the aspects he also looked at were critical reception, audience reception, the length of the run, and the show's life after Broadway on the road, amongst regional, educational, and community theatres. To often we hear complaints about the crass commercialization of Broadway, but t...

Thanks for catching that, Smaxie. I had completely forgotten about it. Though I still feel he needed a surer hand guiding him, as well as a less restrictive budget. There are some moments in the film that I really did enjoy. I think "The Glamorous Life" sequence serves as both a treat and a disappointment in that it shows how good the film could have been if the rest had been done as well as it had. I'll still also lay some of the blame for Taylor's performance on him. There are plenty of act...

I'm not willing to place all of the blame for the film on Elizabeth Taylor. She had turned in numerous amazing performances prior to this movie and should have been able to do so here if the film had been in surer, more competent hands. The whole tone of the movie is wrong, dark and brooding where it should be light and romantic, and Desiree is played/directed as a clutching and desperate instead of the strong, confident Desiree that Sondheim & Wheeler wrote for the stage. I view the film of ...

Let's face it, the British have a long history of loving men in drag on stage.