Monday's Easter Bonnet Competition — Page 3

"I remember there being a joke where Little Sally says something about 'Don Imus at a Color Purple cast party' but my memory fails me what the theater joke was. Does anyone else remember the rest of the joke?"

Pretty much. It was "My insurance and health care benefits are beaten up as badly as Don Imus at a Color Purple cast party"

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I'm confused. Did one of the cast members on stage "play" Doyle, or was it just a voice?

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My pleasure, minty!

There were SO many fast lines, I will need the DVD to catch them all - and to preserve the brilliant opening number by Hunter n' Jeff n' friends...

"Is this an Easter Bonnet CIRCUT PARTY?"

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since you asked:

Journey’s End – Easter Bonnet Presentation

(COLONEL BOGEY MARCH PLAYS. THE COLONEL ENTERS PUSHING A FLAG FOLLOWED BY HIS MEN. HE SALUTES. THEY STAND TO ATTENTION)

RICHARD
Good afternoon.

Our play, Journey’s End, is the best reviewed show of all time…

When I read John Simon’s review, I could have kissed the son of a bitch.

We have no gimmicks in our play, no TV stars, no fancy pants dance numbers, no razzle dazzle…and no audience. We are playing to 3% capacity.

We have an intimate relationship with the audience…11 of us…11 of them.
Each week when the grosses come out, there is Journey’s End by alphabetical fluke listed just below Jersey Boys.
And our grosses are identical… except for the one…in the millions column.

How do we get an audience to come to the haunted old Belasco, on Sixth Avenue for christsake, to see a straight play, full of straight actors?!

Well, we decided to do what our dear Hun brothers across no man’s land did: launch a desperate all-out suicidal attack.

(MUSIC STARTS, SOLDIERS START TO GROOVE TO THE BEAT)

Company….Commence pandering!!!

“JOURNEY BOYS” medley
Music by Bob Gaudio, Words by Nick Berg Barnes & John Behlmann

STARK
Oh, what a play!
Manly love and alcoholism,

KIERAN
Perfect fodder for a Tony win.
Ben Brantley told me, “What a play.”

JOHN B.
Oy! What a play.
World War One? Who really gives a sh*t?

JUSTIN
No cute chicks, and only one real Brit,
Who would want to see our play?

RICHARD
What to Do?

JUSTIN
Brighten up our shadowy lights

(DRAMATIC LIGHT CHANGE)

RICHARD
Get a Clue!

JUSTIN
Add some girls in fishnet tights

(NICK AS “GIRL DANCER” ENTERS ACROSS BACK)

RICHARD
Don’t act Dumb

JUSTIN
Everybody knows damn well

ALL
Straight plays don’t sell!

STARK
Empty seats can be cru-u-uel

JUSTIN, JOHN B., KIERAN
Don’t be cruel

STARK
Soldiers can be cool

JUSTIN, JOHN B., KIERAN
Let’s hit the pool

RICHARD
Curtain Up

JOHN B.
Change the uniforms to Shamrock green

RICHARD
Light the Lights

JOHN B.
Have Hugh Dancy do a shower scene

(HUGH DOES TOWELLED ENTRANCE)

RICHARD
You’ll be Swell

JOHN B.
Add some music and a glitter drop.

(FLAG GLITTER DROP RELEASED)

ALL
Sell Outs Don’t Flop

(BOYS DROP THEIR JACKETS, NICK & PUPPET ENTER THE LINE)

Strike up the band!
Put a puppet on your hand!
Choose our new leads on reality TV.

Riverdancing Feet!
Will put Butts in our Seat!
A show for the whole damn family.

(JOHN A. ENTERS WEARING EASTER BONNET)

Journey Boys!
Our Show Needs You!
We want you!

(JOURNEY BOYS POSE ALA JERSEY BOYS POSTER).



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At first I thought he was played by Raúl

That would have been the best. Didn't he sing, though? And yeah, there were a number of understudies in the performance.

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did you see how raul seemed a bit miffed after little sally's jab about Company's balcony seats?

:)

he gave a wave to the people sitting in the balcony.

I heard "year" as well wickedrent. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me too, lol. The Nathan Lane joke was "We all know Nathan Lane doesn't go to Angus's for just the [insert food here]". I don't remember what it was, but the audience laughed.

The Journey's End thing made me laugh out loud. Thanks for posting that. I wish I'd been able to go!

did you see how raul seemed a bit miffed after little sally's jab about Company's balcony seats?

Heh, what did she say?
ETA - nevermind, found it. Sadly, soooo true.

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Updated On: 4/24/07 at 08:31 PM

Company's skit got overlooked!!

Did anyone else think it was interesting how much "Fiddler on the Roof" music pervaded a lot of the skits? Esp. since it's not even on Broadway anymore.

**edit* I totally agree that Company and In the Heights should have tied for second. Racial stereotypes (like the ones in Hairspray's skit) just aren't entertaining anymore.

Updated On: 4/24/07 at 09:41 PM

"Did anyone else think it was interesting how much "Fiddler on the Roof" music pervaded a lot of the skits? Esp. since it's not even on Broadway anymore."

Oh that's right!!! They did it at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast as well. I had forgotten.

Those "JOURNEY BOYS" were hysterical and it was a well deserved win.
The COMPANY skit was very well written and performed but A CHORUS LINE is just kinda too easy to mock and has been used many, many times.
One of the best was MISS SAIGON many years ago (AT THE PALACE)
And we haven't had a good SMALL HOUSE... since, well I don't really remember one.

The Opening number was one of the best in years, it very much followed TITLE OF SHOW, and the "two guys" were the amazing Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell.

IN THE HEIGHTS was terrific, as was the moving tribute to Daniel McDonald by the cast of MAMA MIA.

THE COLOR PURPLE was a sweet tribute to the PRETTY LADIES of the cast and used the stage very nicely.

WICKED was a fun Country Western Version of ONE SHORT DAY with wonderful costumes that looked like they cost a pretty penny.
Lisa Brescia as Elphaba: "C'mon GlendaJean!"

THE LION KING had a song called THARI E NISHO with a touching slide show of AIDS victims and workers in Africa.
It was superbly performed by it's writer, Selloane A. Nikehela
Brava.
it was followed by one of those dances THE LION KING usually does as the HAIRSPRAY skit so aptly stated.

I do hope there are more pics of the JOURNEY BOYS with their coats off, very impressive.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST's skit was a very loving (and at points funny) Tribute to all involved with the show over the years, when that scrim went up and the large group started singing, the audience and all involved were obviously moved.

Not being a Raul fan, I wish THE PRODUCERS back up singers had performed the song alone, but that's just me.

Did I mention the bare chested JOURNEY BOYS?

And the MARY POPPINS and TARZAN skits were pulled by the DISNEY powers for reasons that they were using DISNEY characters and obviously someone has no sense of humor and doesn't understand what the whole benefit is about, oh well.

Updated On: 4/24/07 at 10:45 PM

Caitie:

$3,345,997

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=17788

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