The best year of Broadway ever?

[Clarinetbiter135]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:02pm

So I saw Gray Gardens tonight (christine was amazing and diane keaton stepped on my foot... fun night) and I overheard someone in the bathroom say "This has been the best year for Broadway in a very long time. I don't know how they will decide the Tony awards." And I've been pondering that all night. Opinions?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:02pm

Ever? No.

In a long time? Yes.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:10pm

I haven't been so moved in a theater since Caroline or Change. The great aspect about theater is once every few years, you get a show that is so wonderful and brillant that you don't ever forget your experience. Now, on to Diane Keaton, please do tell...

[Clarinetbiter135]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:17pm

I was leaving the theatre, trying to listen to a voicemail, and a woman, walking sideways, stepped on my right foot. She turned and (in a very stereotypical diane keaton fashion) apologized. I said it was ok (not realizing who she was) then stared for a second and realized who she was. She was obviously diane keaton (with the hat, sunglasses, and turtleneck) but being the nice chick I am, let her go off without bring attention to her.... besides, I didn't have my camera anyways. But yeah. That was my run in with diane keaton.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:18pm

How did you like the rest of the show?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:19pm

This season has been pretty good, but I've always thought 1959-1960 season was the best ever with Gypsy, Sound of Music, Fiorello!, Once Upon a Mattress, Take Me Along, and Greenwillow on the musical side and A Raisin in the Sun, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Miracle Worker, Toys in the Attic, The Best Man, and The Tenth Man on the play side.

Also there's the 1956-1957 season with My Fair Lady, Most Happy Fella, Candide, Bells Are Ringing, Lil' Abner, Happy Hunting for musicals and Long Days Journey Into Night, Auntie Mame, Separate Tables, A Visit to a Small Planet, Waltz of the Toreadors and The Potting Shed for plays.

And 1976 was a great year for the musicals with A Chorus Line, Chicago, Pacific Overtures, Bubbling Brown Sugar, The Robber Bridegroom, and Very Good Eddie.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:20pm

One of the better seasons, certaintly. Of this Tony Season, I would put musicals in the following categories:

GOOD:
-A CHORUS LINE
-COMPANY
-CURTAINS
-GREY GARDENS
-LES MISERABLES
-MARY POPPINS
-SPRING AWAKENING

OK:
-HIGH FIDELITY
-MARTIN SHORT: FAME BECOMES ME
-THE PIRATE QUEEN

BAD:
-THE APPLE TREE

(Haven't seen LOVEMUSIK, 110 IN THE SHADE, nor LEGALLY BLONDE)

Updated On: 4/10/07 at 11:20 PM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:21pm

I think, based on reviews, you might want to switch PQ and Apple Tree.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:40pm

I think its been a pretty good season... (which makes me happy for theatre and sad thet I can't get out to NY to see it...) Was the Apple Tree that bad? I love the OBC, but I guess Cheno is no Barbara Harris...

[gumbo2]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:41pm

I didn't think Apple Tree was bad at all. Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of new musicals are opening...actually I guess I'm pretty ignorant on the topic...how many shows usually open in any given year?

[Clarinetbiter135]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:47pm

I thought the rest of the show was ok. I mean, it wasn't bad by any means. I guess after hearing 3 months worth of praise, its hard for something to actually live up to expectation. I thought Christine(and the rest of the cast for that matter) was amazing. I guess the actual show just left me wanting more.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:49pm

I would say it is a lot stronger than many other seasons have been. When the Tonys were last year it was so blah and boring...I was happy to think about the year to come.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:52pm

I felt the same way, I think Broadway is in great shape, at least the new shows I saw.

GOOD:
-A CHORUS LINE
-GREY GARDENS
-SPRING AWAKENING
-THE APPLE TREE
-THE VERTICAL HOUR

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/10/07 at 11:52pm

Margo, how old were you in '59?

These kids just don't remember when there were like 20 musicals and 10 to 15 plays a season.

TIME HEALS EVERYTHING.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 12:01am

Oh, how we wish.

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:21am

Wasn't Dark at the Top of the Stairs 56-57? or Orpheus Descending? (granted a flop but my personal fave Tenn Williams play)

ANyway good lists Margo--I've always wanted to investigate Robber Bridegrooma s I know nothign about it but it intrigues me.

It's interesting how at the time the 70s were seen as such a bad era for Broadway musicals but nwo they almost look like a second Golden Age.

I also often think about years when you could see numerous important shows cuz of what was still running (If you went to Broadway in Spring 1971 you could see Promises Promises, Company and Follies for instance, late '66 you could see Sweet Charity and Cabaret and Fiddler, etc etc)

E

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:28am

The Apple Tree wasn't bad at all!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:31am

Really? I know of people liking APPLE TREE for the mere fact that Cheno was in it. But this production itself...it's the only show I've seen where I genuinely wanted to leave at intermission. I thought it was dull, tired, and boring. I didn't care about any of the characters nor the story.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:46am

You really shouldn't judge a season based on revivals. It really should be based on new musicals or new plays.

I thought THE APPLE TREE was very mediocre.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:53am

It may have been mediocre, I agree, but worse than High Fidelity? For shame!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 3:25am

I'm looking at the nominees and winners for the 1959-1960 season at the Tony Awards website, and some of the nominees are surprising to me. Like I'm surprised that Jerome Robbin's choreography wasn't nominated for Gypsy, or that both Ruby Dee and Diana Sands were not nominated for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a play.

Posted: 4/11/07 at 5:55am

That is strange though Peter Generro--who of course did a lot of West Side Story and was his old assistant was up for Fiorello. Havign seen the TV version of Gypsy which apparantly sibased quite closely on Jerome's staging (with a a few tiny changes like the big burlesque strip being no longer Xmas themed) there really isn't much dancing except the early vaudeville stuff, Gimmick, Wherever We Go and of course All I Need is the Girl--that and how everyone was so full of praise how "cohesive" Jerome's direction was maybe they thought giving him a director nod (win?) was enough.

The choreographer who did win was Michael Kidd--I've seen two big dance numbers from Destry Rides Again on the Ed Sullivan Awards from 1959 and the choreography is mermorable and pretty *spectacular* so though the show seems fairly forgetable (I never warmed to any Harold Rome score) I can see why it did win.


E

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 8:25am

Margo-
Chorus Line opened in 75. So did Chicago.

Going solely off of years, for me 1975 is (not the season, but that year), as we got not only Chorus Line and Chicago, but Rocky Horror had it's brief run, and The Wiz kicked off that year. And since three of those are in my top 10 musicals, for me, that was a good year.

[bschneid76]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 10:33am

I wish I was around during the 1975 theatre season on Broadway. I love Bubbling Brown Sugar! Chicago is great as is Chorus Line.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 10:58am

Eric, Robber Bridegroom is a fun little Grass Roots style of music, musical. It was too small for broadway and that's why it didn't do too well. I'd recommend picking up the OBCR but I think it's long out of print.

As far as this season goes; I'd say its one of the most exciting in my recent memory. It's the first time in a long time that no matter what, every week I find something else I want to see, be it Broadway, Off Broadway or WAAAY Off broadway. Everything from Grey Gardens to Company to Little Dog to Evil Dead to Hell House to Marat/Sade. Just feels like an exciting time to be an artist.