New superstar in Piazza

[IssaMe]

Posted: 9/17/05 at 4:34pm

Kim Grigsby.

Well, she's a superstar to ME.

Kim is the glamorous, flamboyant (remember when she conducted Broadway Bares almost completely nude) conductor --- most recently of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" this summer in the Park - but also notably for "The Full Monty" on Broadway where she established a big following of fans in her own right.

She has replaced Ted Sperling as conductor of "Light in the Piazza". Sperling was instrumental in the development of the show and now Kim will take the torch from him in the orchestra pit. The show is in good hands...and she is always fun to watch and be around.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/17/05 at 4:39pm

hmm....an excuse to see the show again?

Posted: 9/17/05 at 5:01pm

OMG, you scared me! I thought someone like Britney Spears was coming to play Clara or something...glad it isn't true.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/17/05 at 5:04pm

I find her distracting....she loves for the focus to be on her, and not what's happening onstage.

Will she conduct Piazza in the nude?

[shira467]

Posted: 9/17/05 at 5:17pm

I thought she was fantastic when she conducted. I'll have to see her, and the show again. Just another excuse to go again! Wheee!

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 9/17/05 at 5:19pm

I love Piazza. I wish I could get back to New York to see it again before January. (Keeps fingers crossed that it might extend again.)

[IssaMe]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 6:52am

It has extended to March 26 - and they will be watching the box office to see if a further extension into June will later happen.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 3:36pm

Grigsby is a real treat. She has a great sense of humor about herself and her job, as you can read here:

http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=4815&pn=1

During the San Diego tryout of The Full Monty she was front and center for the final pose of 6 naked men. As she says in the interview, Grigsby decided that she wouldn't look at the men, "until I gave them something to look at, and so the final show in San Diego I had a backless gown on that had just one snap around the neck. During that final pose when they took their clothes off, I dropped my top for them."

While she tends to dress beautifully, she conducts every show barefoot (with painted toenails).

If you haven't seen her, here's what you're missing:

Posted: 9/18/05 at 4:24pm

awww... I didn't realize that Ted Sperling left! I'm sure I read it somewhere, but it didn't really register to me. I loved him as the conductor!

[Composer9]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 4:34pm

Me too Kor! I had a short convo with him at the stage door when I saw it. He is such a wonderful man, and a wonderful musician!

Posted: 9/18/05 at 4:57pm

I agree... I wonder why he left? I thought he was great at following the performers. He is the first conductor that I actually felt the need to comment about. When I was sitting on the left side... I could see him mouthing the words at the beginning of ever song, and I thought that was cute.

[Composer9]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 5:01pm

He most likely has another project to start work on...he was an invaluable member of "Team Piazza", and I'm sure he wants to move on and fuel other projects.

Posted: 9/18/05 at 5:07pm

Hmm... I wonder what his next project is going to be. It's going to be weird to see Piazza without him! I know that sounds weird because he was a conductor, but he has an important presence in the show.

[Mamamia Sammy2]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 5:18pm

He's directing "See What I Wanna See" at the Public.

Posted: 9/18/05 at 5:20pm

Oh, is that with Idina?

Neat, thanks for the update.

[gwalke4]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 8:00pm

She's evidently following Jeanine Tesori around (or vice versa) conducting "Twelfth Night" and being involved from the beginning (and conducting) "Caroline, or Change."

Brantley even singled her out as the best part of "Two Gents" in the Park:
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2005/08/29/theater/reviews/29vero.html?ex=1127188800&en=8c3d002ea68650b7&ei=5070

Don't know her but she sound pretty cool, anyone doing both Tesori and Guettel is A-list in my book!

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 10:48pm

I saw her conduct "Caroline." She definitely danced through the curtain call as she conducted.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 9/18/05 at 11:40pm

I'm sad Ted Sperling is gone, because he made the show run so smoothly that I could tell when he wasn't conducting! He's such an essential part of the show...but good to know he has another major project in the works. I have a feeling that he's going to be even more sought after than ever before. I'm excited that Kim Grigsby is stepping in, because she's one of the most entertaining conductors out there; The Full Monty wouldn't have been complete without her dancing through the overture. I just hope she doesn't do that too much with Piazza, because then it would border on inappropriate! When does she start?

[IssaMe]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 7:19am

She's already in.

[IssaMe]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 7:19am

She's already in.

[IssaMe]

Posted: 10/12/05 at 11:02am

And congratulations to Kim Grigsby for just winning the Barrymore Award in Philadelphia for her musical direction there of Bill Finn's "Elegies" earlier in the year.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 10/12/05 at 11:08am

I saw the show recently, and while Kim wasn't doing her usual bouncing around, her movements were almost like watching a ballerina. And the show sounded great!

[lildogs]

Posted: 10/12/05 at 11:09am

Cool! I saw her do Full Monty and she was truly a highlight! Glad to hear she's going strong!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 10/12/05 at 11:33am

Am I the only one who thinks it is a BAD thing if the conductor is so flamboyant that they take focus off the stage? Yes, there are conductors who were known for their showmanship, Bernstein, for one, but that is when they are conducting symphonies, or perhaps during the overture only.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/12/05 at 11:45am

I totally agree Sueleen -- and that goes for ushers too. I've seen some ushers dancing in the back of the theare during numbers. One lady was practically doing a pole dance during Carol's numbers during the last HELLO DOLLY run. Talk about disturbing. Updated On: 10/12/05 at 11:45 AM