Pal Joey cancelled at KC so Chris Ashley can do Leap of Faith?

[DaveyG]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 2:57pm

Makes sense. Everything happened so abruptly - Leap of Faith this spring must be true.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Kennedy-Center-Cancels-New-PAL-JOEY-Production-Scheduled-for-2012-20120105

[theatreguy]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 3:11pm

Looks like you're correct . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/kennedy-center-cancels-centerpiece-pal-joey/2012/01/06/gIQAkp9CfP_story.html

In the eternal game of musical chairs that goes on in the theater, Ashley has signed on to “Leap of Faith,” the new musical suddenly on Broadway’s agenda, with the apparent faltering of the Harry Connick Jr. revival of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.”

“We got a call yesterday morning at 10 that we lost a director,” Kaiser said. “This wasn’t just a revival, it was with a book newly interpolated, and it was a collaboration with Chris. There was no way to resurrect it.” The company, Kaiser said, had feelers out for casting, but nothing was yet firm. A workshop for “Pal Joey” had been held in New York, he added, with four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald and Colin Donnell, currently appearing on Broadway in “Anything Goes.” Updated On: 1/6/12 at 03:11 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 3:33pm

I'll just be here refreshing Playbill, you guys.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 3:54pm

Interesting. I'm kind of surprised they'd cancel the entire production because of Ashley's withdrawal. It would seem easier just to replace a director than to scrap an entire production, but what do I know?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 4:00pm

Well, it says in the article that he was more than "just a director," so to speak, since there was a new book being created in collaboration with him. It's harder to just substitute another director when that's the case, unless they just wanted to use the old book, but that'd go, I take it, against the point of their even doing this production.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 4:25pm

I'm surprised Ashley didn't have a contract (written or oral) to do JOEY which has been on the schedule for a while. LEAP has jumped up rather quickly or CLEAR DAY was slated for disaster early on. Broadway has become such a Crap-shoot (double meaning intended) that a show like LEAP which has been brewing for years all of a sudden is on the fast track? And I know Menken has been writing new songs for NEWSIES to make it TONY Score eligible(and perhaps pit him against himself), he is spreading himself pretty thin.

Oh, and Audra as Vera? Wow!

[theatreguy]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 5:02pm

If he did have a signed contract for Pal Joey, he probably had an "out" in there if Leap of Faith was going to move to Broadway during the same time.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 5:08pm

It may have been in his contract,
if so the KC should have had a backup director in place.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 5:13pm

Why are they writing another new book for Pal Joey? And why Terrence McNally??? The guy is a great playwright, but his books for musicals are never my favorite.

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 6:25pm

"Why Terrence McNally???" 3 question marks, huh. Were the books to Ragtime, Man of No Importance, and The Full Monty so terrifically terrible? Catch Me if You Can wasn't terrific but I'm not sure he gets the greatest blame there. Who's on the list of your favorite librettists you think would be better?

Updated On: 1/6/12 at 06:25 PM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 8:02pm

'And I know that Menken has been writing new songs for NEWSIES to make it Tony Score eligible ...'

I wouldn't presume to know exactly why Menken does what he does, but it's only fair to point out that the stage version of 'Newsies' has a NEW book, a NEW love interest, etc., and that requires Menken AND Feldman to write new songs for these situations. If these additional tunes make the score Tony-eligible, that's a bonus, but I imagine their first priority is to create a stageworthy version that can be done regionally, etc., because it's one of the most requested titles.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 8:23pm

With all due respect Wayman, you can tell what Menken is thinking by his tweets and their timing.
I had small problems with NEWSIES at Papermill, where it had the new book. love interest etc. but that version would do perfectly well on tour and in high schools, since Menk has yet to win a TONY and NEWSIES needs just a tune or two more to be eligible ans new score is a weak (number-wise) category this year, I think it's safe to say that might be one of his reasons to tweak it up.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 9:58pm

"Why Terrence McNally"??? Only because he is the best living musical theatre librettist, and winner of two Tonys for his musical librettos (KISS...and RAGTIME) that's why, and it is common knowledge that the PAL JOEY book simply doesn't work.

This is a damned shame; a new version of PAL JOEY, which would finally have resuscitated the amazing Rodgers and Hart score with a book by McNally would have been amazing.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 10:03pm

Terrence McNally is hit or miss with musical librettos, but I think he can be great (Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Ragtime, Man of No Importance probably being my tops). But does Pal Joey really need a book from him? The original libretto doesn't work? Is that really the common true or just something people have repeated over and over until it's the perceived common wisdom?

[ck12]

Posted: 1/6/12 at 10:15pm

Just to be clear. This version of PJ was to make Joey a radio singer & not a club hoofer. The song "Zip", among many others from Rodgers&Hart's original PJ score, was to be cut and replaced with songs pulled from their trunk at random such as "My Funny Valentine" and "The Lady is a Tramp". If i hear one more person say they thought this woulda been better than the last Bway revival i'm gonna force Audra McDonald to sing a song all the way through without shaking her head even once.

Updated On: 1/6/12 at 10:15 PM