One of the current Hits on Broadway, this Holiday season, is 'A Christmas Story' and did you know it made its Debut at Seattle's 5th Ave Theater? Below is the OUTscene Re-view by Ryan Burr from December 2010, we assume that the new version may be different or improved from the 2010 version. Please take that in consideration.
By Ryan Burr
The music is not the most memorable take-away from the musical foray of “A Christmas Story.” The success of the musical lies in its clever expansion of some of the famous scenes from the film.
When the family arrives at a Christmas tree lot, Ralphie’s Old Man starts his wheeling-and-dealing, with a successful conclusion. To highlight this back-and-forth, human Christmas trees spring to life, sliding and singing on the tree lot. It’s superb.
All the pre-teenagers in this musical are quite impressive, and while many childrens’ laughs could be heard during the show, it’s by no means a G-rated “Bambi” fest. After all, one of the most hilarious parts of the film is when Ralphie, played by Clarke Hallum, utters the “F-word,” which results in his soap-swallowing.
The show keeps an excellent pace throughout, with the exception of a kind-of-slow beginning. Dazzling the packed-house at 5th Avenue Theatre was an appearance off-stage by Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the 1983 film.
I met up with our very own Ryan Burr over the weekend and learned he is moving to New York for the summer (or Longer) and I got nostalgic about the 2 years Ryan has given the OUTview Brand as a commentator for OURview and as a RE-viewer for OUTscene.
As I did more research, I discovered he was shot in the leg, during Memorial Day weekend and it made the news. Anyone would feel a little shaken.
We wish Ryan well and hope to welcome him back in the future. Take a look at what we dug up!
The life of Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) in the Sex and the City series and movies is one of indulgent sex and a pricey lifestyle. In “Meet Monica Velour,” releases this week on DVD, Cattrall reveals the sad life of someone who used sex just to pay the bills, and after decades have passed, she is in low demand.
She is challenged to jumpstart her life, shedding the “has-been” existence and rebuilding her family life. The catalyst? A dorky, lanky 17-year-old (Napoleon Dynamite-look-alike) whose bedroom is enshrined with pictures and images of Monica during her heyday.
A more intellectual sort of comedy wound its way into Benaroya Hall on April 29 by way of Hal Sparks, a former sitcom star turned comedian-rock star.
April 29th's show delved into religion, social issues and...even zoology. Note: Hal hates the notion that every city needs a zoo. While he didn’t rag on Seattle for having one, he lambasted Dallas, particularly for carrying a polar bear exhibit in such a warm climate.
As the news cycle continues to churn out one terrible event after another (such as the recent tornadoes in the South which killed a historic number of people), Hal shared his consternation with religious devotees who find a way to blame events like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina on homosexuality. When something awful happens to those religious extremists, like the tornado outbreak, then it’s viewed as simply a challenge from God, something they must embrace as part of their destiny.
He appeared onstage in his newly renovated rocker garb. In some shows across the country, his hair has been long and brown, streaked with red and blond -- a far cry from his days in Michael Novotny’s Polo shirts and buzz cuts. However, that animated attitude, trimmed figure and piercing smile were still there. Sparks even mentioned his updated look in his 90-minute act.
WA's Gay Congress
(Murray, Pederson, Liias, Moeller,
McDermott)
by Ryan Burr OUTview Staff Writer
Companion bills affording full marriage rights to same-sex couples were introduced this year in the Washington state House and Senate, but neither were voted on in committee, let alone the full floor of either legislative body. A key leader of this effort, Sen. Ed Murray, says in addition to the task of pinning down more support among his colleagues, a more herculean chore looms: winning at the ballot box.
“We are completely unprepared for a referendum campaign,” said Murray, who represents the 43rd District. “I think Oregon has developed an organizational model we should develop. Outside of Seattle we are so, very, very, far behind in developing a legislative and ballot strategy. The last election is a good example, LGBT financial contributions were fairly marginal.”
Plus, Murray, who introduced the first marriage bill in any state Legislature in the country in 1997, insists some Republicans will need to vote “yes,” as well, which was the case with the LGBT Civil Rights Bill of 2005.
Like other states that have taken legislative votes on full marriage rights for same-sex couples, Murray expects Washington will not “have a lock” on Democrats voting in favor of it.
OUTview Cutie, Ryan Burr with Finalist, Jallen Rix!
Congrats to OUTview's very own, Jallen Rix who's book, 'Ex Gay, NoWay" has been named a finalist for the Non-Fiction Category at the Lambda Literary Awards. With all the publicity, OUTview did, WE should be nominated! But, Jallen totally deserves the Honor!
Others in his Category include:
Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community, by Noach Dzmura, North Atlantic Books
Inseparable, by Emma Donoghue, Alfred A. Knopf
King Kong Theory, by Virginia Despentes, The Feminist Press
The Right To Be Out, by Stuart Biegel, University of Minnesota Press
Also Congrats to OUTview Fan and MK's Favorite Author, Michael Thomas Ford in the Gay Romance category!
The music is not the most memorable take-away from the musical foray of “A Christmas Story.” The success of the musical lies in its clever expansion of some of the famous scenes from the film.
When the family arrives at a Christmas tree lot, Ralphie’s Old Man starts his wheeling-and-dealing, with a successful conclusion. To highlight this back-and-forth, human Christmas trees spring to life, sliding and singing on the tree lot. It’s superb.
All the pre-teenagers in this musical are quite impressive, and while many childrens’ laughs could be heard during the show, it’s by no means a G-rated “Bambi” fest. After all, one of the most hilarious parts of the film is when Ralphie, played by Clarke Hallum, utters the “F-word,” which results in his soap-swallowing.
The show keeps an excellent pace throughout, with the exception of a kind-of-slow beginning. Dazzling the packed-house at 5th Avenue Theatre was an appearance off-stage by Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the 1983 film.
One bone of contention is casting and dressing the mother as a neat-and-tidy, pristine housewife greatly missed the mark. The producer must have known this, and whatever the reasoning for not being true to the frumpy character that she was in the film, it hurts a bit not to see a messy mom in this role.
The Old Man, played by John Bolton, deserved his extended standing ovation. He had some amazing dance numbers, particularly his self-aggrandizing of “A Major Award,” which is the beloved leg lamp. It was quite unexpected for all the man’s neighbors to start a routine with their own leg lamp, followed by a line of kids with their mini-leg lamps parading across stage. What a great way to articulate this film scene in music.
Truthfully, the musical did justice to the film, adding its own flavor in just the right quantities. The mother-spanking-their-sons bit was accentuated wonderfully with the mothers on the first floor, creating “smack” sounds with wooden sticks, along with the screams of their sons, one floor above.
Miss Shields, played by Carol Swarbrick, is a convincing presence, especially when she’s joined by various monsters on stage to haunt Ralphie for his bee-bee gun wishes. It’s quite a barrage of harassment on the poor boy. The movie achieves this with just two scary creatures, but the movie expands the army of influences, even including Frankenstein and his bride.
It’s an adjustment to take in a movie musical that doesn’t take on a weighty theme, such racial inequality (“Dreamgirls”), media manipulation (“Chicago”) or artistic stagnation (“Nine”). “Burlesque” revels in the skin-deep-only parameter. And since it avoided another a self-conscious need to dig for significance, it deserves props.
It consistently stays “surfacey.” But it gets hard to watch some of the cheesy dialogue after a while. More importantly, more music is begged for in this musical. Usually, non-theater theater-goers complain of too much music in a show.
The storyline begins with Christina Aguilera, playing Ali, abruptly deciding to leave the Iowa restaurant she is tethered to for L.A. Upon making this leap, we are dazzled with her rendition of Etta James' "Something's Got a Hold on Me." This woman has one of the great voices, and from that moment on we live in anticipation of the next time she'll burst into song.
As an actress in her first leading role on the big screen, she more than holds her own. Not that this screenplay offers much of a challenge. Ali's character arc goes from determined sweet young thing to really determined sweet young thing. But Aguilera sells it with a minimum of fuss while being very, very watchable. Really, she saves the film from being a total disaster.
Co-star Cher, playing the club's tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside owner, Tess, rules this roost like a bawdy mother hen. Aside from overly puffy lips, the 64-year-old looks pretty good. Plus she has one big production number and a more modest vocal solo that should keep diva devotees sighing contentedly.
Other characters served up by Steve Antin, the screenwriter, also come right out of central casting: Kristen Bell as the ego-driven cabaret star deposed by Ali; Cam Gigandet as the friendly bartender (don't be fooled by the eyeliner -- he's straight) who takes in our girl when her apartment is burgled (do we sense a romance developing?); Stanley Tucci as “Burlesque's” gay director/stage manager (basically his "Devil Wears Prada" role repurposed); Eric Dane as a real estate magnate on the prowl to buy the financially strapped club and build a high-rise.
No one will give Ali a job when she first slips into the club, so with the help of the handsome bartender , she creates one out of thin air. She grabs a tray and is now a cocktail waitress only one urgent plea/conniving manipulation/sensational audition away from that glorious stage.
She gets that shot, of course, and later gets to display that big Aguilera voice, which rocks the theater. A star may be born, but "nothing's what it seems" -- one of the many cliche lines that Antin's screenplay indulges in with glee.
Of course there has to be tension in the storyline, but the jealously of one of the other dancers just feels contrived, and the burgeoning romance Ali has with the bartender and the developer is full of silly one-liners. But that would be forgiveable if there was just more soul-moving music. We are only teased with it throughout the film. Pitty! The bodies, the talent, and the material are there to work with.
It would be a mistake, though, not to recognize another successful gamble “Burlesque” took: morphing a musical, traditionally a mating ritual, into a female-centric extravaganza. The movie backgrounds its male characters as best it can.
Giant inner-tubes made for an effective drum set in one of the many musically experimental sections of “STOMP.”
The show, which has run all week at The Paramount and ends Sunday, has gained attention since its debut the U.K. in 1991. Shortly after that, it was a candidate—and won—awards for “Most Unique Theatre Experience” in several contests.
Most of “STOMP” is, indeed, an inventive amalgamation of objects used to produce tunes. In several recent morning news broadcasts, the cast was asked to gather some random items around the studio office and come up with a beat. It was no problem for them.
To open the show, some “janitors” emerge one-by-one to do sweeping, which evolves into a brilliant dance and beat with flying brooms. Pans, pipes, wheel arches, newspapers and matchboxes were used to created imaginative sounds with the finale – the deafening Dustbin Dance – waking everyone up.
There was a bit more recorded sound than would be expected, as a STOMP virgin. And several sections are puzzling in that they lack so much intrigue compared to the rest of the production. For instance, the group—whose fashion is street garb (stained clothes and free-wheeling dreadlocks)—paddles away on newspapers at one point. Not every selection must be spectacular to be appreciated, but this was a bit too “under-whelming.”
There was one technical glitch during the match sequence: one members’ lighter was sub-par in its “glow” compared to the rest. Earlier in the show, one of the guys dropped whatever was thrown at him during a routine.
The audience loved watching the cast dangle like window-washers, clanging on the building’s signs and attachments, swinging back and forth wildly.
The biggest kudos to the cast and their show goes to eliciting audience involvement. Members challenged the audience, without any verbal demands or feedback, to repeat his/her moves and claps. If the audience messed up, the performer didn’t disguise his disappointment. With a decent-size child population on hand, this was a treat for them.
STOMP has had success worldwide, with shows in Chile, Brazil, Korea, China, Japan and Spain, to name a few. Their music is taken seriously by the industry. The original cast recorded music for the “Tank Girl” movie soundtrack and appeared on the Quincy Jones’ album, “Q’s Jook Joint.”
At the 1996 Academy Awards, STOMP made a special appearance with an original piece involving live synchronization of classic film clips and onstage action.
“In the Heights” tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. A little like “Fiddler on the Roof,” this community faces major forks in the road, tough choices, big dreams and hopes. The characters struggle on deciding which traditions to take with them, and which ones to leave behind.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who developed the musical and originally starred in it, grew up in Manhattan's vibrant and diverse Washington Heights neighborhood, and his background in a close-knit Puerto Rican family has inspired his work as a writer, composer and performer.
“My earliest memory takes place in a bodega on Dyckman Street in Washington Heights,” he says. “I am 3 years old, and walking hand in hand with my Abuela Mundi. Abuela Mundi isn't biologically my "abuela" (grandmother), but she lives in my house, feeds me, tucks me in and walks me to and from nursery school.
I grew up in Northern Manhattan, and if you've ever even driven through the neighborhood, you know that music comes out of every corner. Salsa horn lines wail from fire escape windows; bachata guitar lines blare from pimped-out car stereos. As a teenager, my father was the president (and maybe the only member) of the Puerto Rico chapter of the Debbie Reynolds Fan Club, so we grew up on a bizarre diet of Juan Luis Guerra, Marc Anthony, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Camelot.”
The central role in the musical is Usnavi, played on tour by Joseph Morales, who dispenses all that café con leche at the local bodega, the regular pit stop for a neighborhood full of outspoken characters.
In the terrific title number that opens the show, he raps and rhymes an introduction of the neighbors’ lives — overdue bills, overheated romances and overtaxed hearts. Abuela Claudia is Usnavi’s surrogate grandmother, whose purchase of her daily lottery ticket on this hot summer morning just before the Fourth of July will have significant consequences for almost everyone in the ’hood. Camila and Kevin Rosario run the gypsy cab company next door to Claudia’s home — still hailing the Irish name of the building’s predecessor, O’Hanrahans.
Benny, their prized employee, harbors a secret (and forbidden) crush on their daughter, Nina, who has just returned from her freshman year at Stanford with a conscience troubled by the economic stress the family is enduring to keep her there. Down the block Nina’s arrival adds new fodder for gossip among the women working in the hair salon owned by the tart-tongued Daniela, who is happy to fabricate artificial news to go with the fake nails, if necessary.
The set design is very detailed, but one wonders if it looks a bit too tidy and happy for a ‘hood. As The New York Times put it, “this sun-drenched block of Washington Heights could almost be mistaken for Main Street at Disneyland, or “Sesame Street” without the puppets. Stretches of Midtown would inspire greater anxiety.”
Winner of four Tony Awards—best musical, best score, best choreography and best orchestrations, “In the Heights” opened on Broadway in 2007 to critical acclaim. (Note: The New York Times said the book, by Quiara Alegría Hudes, is “unfortunately underspiced.”)
In the Broadway version, Nina is played by pop-star Jordin Sparks, who makes her Broadway debut. Sparks is the youngest contestant to ever win "American Idol" at the age of 17. In the touring version of the musical, Seattle-ites see Arielle Jacobs in the role.
Music and love were the sole focus of Scissor Sisters’ exuberant return to stage in Seattle this week. No political statements, just a reflection and regret that “we’ve been away for so long.” Jake ‘n crew promised never to let it happen again.
A mighty throng of gays (sold-out) were on hand at The Showbox Sodo to see lycra-laden, bear-chested Jake Shears, as well as vocalist Ana Matronic, Babydaddy, Del Marquis (yummy, gay lead guitarist), and drummer Randy Real jam away. The band, whose music fits the genres of glam rock, pop, disco, alternative and electro clash, pulled heavily from their new album Night Work.
We also heard “Any Which Way”, very Lipps Inc, Funkytown-esque, and of course the first single from the album Fire with Fire. Jake introduced a “Whole New Way” as a song about (GASP) sodomy… now you know that got the crowd salivating, especially with lyrics like “I found a whole new way to love you… my sneak up from behind is gonna blow your mind.”
Since this show had so many adoring fans, they of course had to bust out “Filthy/Gorgeous.” Ana Matronic showed her prowess as well as her claws as lead vocal on ‘Skin This Cat.’ The performances could be described as a crazy mashup with the energy of Gwen Stefani and the sophisticated gayness of Queen.
During the encore, the Scissor Sisters unleashed the lasers for the magical “Invisible Light.”
Opening act was Casey Spooner, who relayed how challenging it was going to be to put together his routine in time to join the Sisters on the road. He initially thought it just couldn’t be done; then it dawned on him that he should just make it happen, rather than pass up the opportunity.
The audience was receptive to his tunes (slower-moving than Scissor Sisters), but he quipped, “Thank you for supporting me, even if you don’t know any of these songs.”
He became a little more universal, however, with his professed “love for dick,” which is stressed in one of his numbers.
It is a sensational time to be in Scissor Sisters. Shears and Sisters tour keyboardist John "JJ" Garden are writing a musical stage adaptation of “Tales of the City”-- a series of seven novels written by author Armistead Maupin--that will premiere at the American Conservatory Theater in 2011.
The Sisters formed in 2001, "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York,” as one critic put it. They derived their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism. It wasn’t until 2004, though, that the group rose to public attention with the release of their self-titled debut album.
Anyone in that frame of mind must be a “whore for the gore,” and so it is with Joshua Grannell’s directorial debut in the midnight movie, “All About Evil.” (Grannell is better known as the drag persona ‘Peaches Christ’).
Unlike some midnight shows at The Egyptian which fail to collect more than a handful of people, this event summoned an impressive crowd. Peaches ‘n company greeted theater-goers in a “Welcome-to-my-torture-chamber” fashion. “I’m a whore for the gore” was their main act, plus a competition for most frightening get-up.
The film takes us into the life of Deborah, a young librarian running the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, which is fledgling financially. Deborah’s first murder is not premeditated: her vile mother belittles her, causing Deborah (played by Natasha Lyonne) to kill her with a pen. Turns out the act was filmed by security cameras and shown accidentally on the main screen. Seeing the dramatic, excited and approving reactions of audience members, Deborah envisions and embarks on a career of real-life murder placed on the big screen—with much premeditation…and gore.
One wayward theatre-goer is thrown into an “off-with-her-head” device; except, it’s her tit that is lobbed off. The victim had been chased around in the bowls of the dark theatre by an old man (Jack Donner), who records the fleeing woman and records her torture. He does this for all murders Deborah commits—all for film!
Jack is only one of Deborah’s sidekicks: She attracts several other misfit-followers who worship her methods, including Thomas Dekker, Noah Segan, cult icon Mink Stole and Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvira). Dekker, though, is merely an adoring fan, not an accomplice like the rest of her co-workers.
The audiences keep growing and becoming as addicted to the gore as Deborah is. Really, Deborah was compelled do something creative to save the Victoria Theatre, because it was failing as an inherited family business. Her biggest fan, Dekker, begins to catch on to Deborah’s sinister reality-filmmaking, however. And the unraveling begins.
The acting is superb, and clever are the death scenes. Add in two demented twin sisters who join Deborah’s crew.
Peaches Christ, who makes several appearances in the movie, declared at The Egyptian that Seattle has some of the best fans for gore films, and she was delighted to be here.
This “Glitter” is far more memorable than the wretched piece of something Mariah Carey released a few years back. Just before Seattle Pride weekend, the Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus joined for a tribute to musical legends Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
Artistic Director Dennis Coleman made the concert, “Glitter and be Gay,” equally focused on long-time chorus members, marking the 30th anniversary of the men’s chorus. It began with 46 singers, and now sees 200 to 250 at each show. The women’s chorus joined the organization in 2002, with its 86 singers.
An especially strong performance of “I’m still here,” from Follies, was also poignant for the reference to the AIDS quilt hoisted behind the singers. The soloist and chorus chimed in alternately, and the song is always endearing for its “I Will Survive”-type message to those who have had a hard-knock life: certainly gays have, especially in the 1980s and before.
The audience fell in love with Megan Chenovick, who belted out the theme of the program, “Glitter and be Gay” from Candide, one of Bernstein’s most unusual contributions, considered an extraordinarily daring ventures in musical theater, mainly because of the demands on its cast, orchestra, designers and artistic and technical staff. It is a highly intellectual and satirical—French satire to be exact—operetta. Plus, it has important historical roots.. As in the musical, Chenovick sings an operatic “oh-la-la,” essentially, as she is dazzled with a jewelry box full of goodies.
“Saga of Lenny,” written by Stephen Sondheim for Leonard Bernstein’s 70th birthday, was a great parody. Other lyrical contributions from Sondheim at the concert included, “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George, “Old friends” from Merrily We Roll Along, “Send in the Clowns” from ALittle Night Music, and “Comedy Tonight” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Some of the selections may not have lent themselves to overpowering vocals, but I feel like the chorus could’ve stepped that up a few notches at times. An important element of the two-hour-plus concert was the mingling of stage performers/dancers.
As the chorus enters its 31st year, Board President Jim Bachand noted that the chorus plans to take its entertaining and inspiring message outside Seattle—to places like Spokane, the Tri-cities, Yakima and other communities in Washington and northern Oregon, “where our message especially needs to be heard.”
A trans woman’s response to the revenge-oriented Ticked Off Trannies With Knives this past weekend at the Seattle International Film Festival was: How about we show no violence in any medium? Isn’t that likely to reduce violent, criminal behavior?
Our society, of course, is unlikely to ever give that experiment a real shot. For now, writer/director Israel Luna felt the time was right for a seriously disturbing storyline, where a group of transsexual women respond to the beating and murder of some of their comrades in kind.
The trannies assault, though, is more agonizing, tortured, and sickly entertaining. High-heels gouging out eyes, switch-blades shoved up the rectum (waiting to switch at the slightest twitch), and plenty of She-Ra-esque drop kicks and acrobatics.
At the conclusion of the midnight-showing at The Egyptian, one of the trannies jokes that there really is no difference between “them and us.”
The real intrigue of the film, though, comes in the form of making light of the serious injuries and conditions of the bashed-up trannies by their more fortunate, less battered, friends. It’s initially despicable to watch Willam Belli’s character mock Bubbles’ speech impediment—an effect of her beating—but after a few moments, you “get it.” The director is turning the victimization aspect on its head. Clever, pretty original, effective…I kind of loved it, actually.
An homage to the exploitation films of the '70s and '80s, (i.e. Savage Streets) Ticked Off was certainly inspired by the devastating increase in brutal hate crimes against people in the transgender community. Luna, the writer/director, along with his Dallas-based cast and crew, pour their hearts into creating the atmospheric '70s distressed aesthetic that glimmers with each woman's distinct, brassy groove.
It’s not surprising that this film has generated controversy—including objections from Trans activists and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. It is a valuable piece of cinema, however. Love the introduction of the violent femmes: catwalk, raunchy stage performances by Bubbles Cliquot, Tipper Sommore, Rachel Slurr, and Emma Grashun. And all respect is given to them in Pinky La'Trimm's nightclub, a hefty black chick who leads the revenge plot.
Luna said during Q & A that the controversy has probably, or will probably, both bolster and hurt movie attendance. At the one-night showing on Saturday, though, he noted that the size of the crowd was impressive.
It’s easy to see why composer Leonard Bernstein’sCandide is a cult favorite: it’s a bit jumbled in the story line, but novel for many reasons, like the sexual parlance uncommon to the 1950s when it opened, and a genuinely original cast recording. That recording has never gone out of print.
This week, The Fifth Avenue Theatre showed Candide as part of its tribute to Bernstein. Last month, On The Town was performed. Candide is engrossing and enjoyable more because of Bernstein’s score than a compelling story line.
Candide is considered on of the most daring ventures in musical theater, mainly because of the demands on its cast, orchestra, designers and artistic and technical staff. It is a highly intellectual and satirical—French satire to be exact—operetta. Plus, it has important historical roots. It was written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. It parodies many adventure and romance clichés. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism.
Another point of history: Immediately after its secretive publication, Voltaire’s book of Candide was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté. However, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it; most notably, Bernstein.
Bernstein was creating the score for West Side Story at the same time as Candide. They are polar opposites, but two melodies originally intended for Candide wound up in West Side Story: “One Hand, One Heart” and “Gee, Officer Krupke!”
The original 1956 libretto of Candide, written by Lillian Hellman, was an intensely bitter and somewhat loose adaptation of Voltaire, but Hugh Wheeler's new libretto, first produced in 1974, was a far more faithful adaptation of the novella, and the one which is still in use today.
Candide runs through Sunday, June 13. Go to The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Web site for tickets and show times, http://www.5thavenue.org/.
