Busker Alley

[othell]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 10:28am

I found this clip of rehearsal footage on Blugobo - anyone have any remembrances on this almost production? http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php?var=10367

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 12:24pm

I saw this in it's "Buskers" incarnation way back when - was it '96? '97? I remember it being a pretty enjoyable mess... the standout in my memory was the older Busker lady... Marcia somebody. She had a really funny Hawaiian pastiche song.

[goodoneinlou2]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 12:48pm

Marcia Lewis...

Ms Lewis and Jeff Calhoun (Director) were fresh off of the '94 revival of Grease (with Rosie.) The show was meant as a star vehicle for Tommy Tune.

It tech'd in Louisville Kentucky (at either the Palace Theatre, Macaulay or the Brown.) It then toured and underwent several revisions including name changes... to "Stage Door Charlie" and "Buskers." It was pre-Broadway, and along the way Tune broke his ankle. Jeff Calhoun stepped in and danced the role as Tune narrated it.

The show flopped, shuttered and closed on the road.
Updated On: 9/30/10 at 12:48 PM

[castlestreet]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 1:51pm

I have seen a lot of "archival" footage of the show while it was in Florida I believe.

The show def. needed some work, but there were some good numbers too.

The title tune has always been one of my favorites, and I believe was the number performed on the 95' Tony Awards when they did the "Broadway On The Road" segments due to the lack of shows that opened that year- the infamous "Sunset Blvd" year!

[sipos]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 2:03pm

Saw it in Tampa. Really liked it. Darcie Roberts was fantastic in it!! Triple threat. I enjoyed this show then, knowing it was struggling. Would have loved a recording of the score with Tommy Tune, Darcie, Brent Barret, Marcia, and company.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 5:24pm

Go to BroadwayWorldTV. Seth Rudetsky has an episode with Brent Barrett and he talks about it.

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 10/1/10 at 12:01am

I don't think the show technically flopped - Tune broke his ankle, and the producers chose not to continue without him in the lead with his expected long recovery time. I guess we could check Variety for it's weeklies...

God, remember the strangely interesting pole-dancing choreography? Some of it was amazing. (Pole dancing + the Sherman Bros. = AMAZING)

[temms]

Posted: 10/1/10 at 9:49am

I remember a 30-second or so clip they showed on the Tonys that year where the buskers were all dancing around the light poles, and I remember the poles were so flimsy that whenever the dancers swung on them they swayed like they were made out of rubber. I also remember the St. James fully pained and decorated with the logo.

And I laughed very hard at the Forbidden Broadway moment where Tommy Tune enters to plug his new show, "Busted Ankle - I mean, Busker Alley!"

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 4:38pm

I saw it in Denver, I think it was "Busker Alley" at that point. It was a mess. Tommy Tune swung around a lamp post so many times during the show that I was dizzy by the end. Whether it was his injury or not, this show really didn't deserve to open on Broadway without a major overhaul. I can remember thinking that I was sorry that my first time seeing Tune perform onstage had to be in this show. I had met him years ago though.