All Entries Tagged With: "Roundabout Theatre"

Opening Night of “Tin Pan Alley Rag”, Co-starring Jenny Fellner

On Tuesday, July 14th, Roundabout Theatre Company presented the New York premiere of the new musical The Tin Pan Alley Rag. starring Michael Boatman, Michael Therriault, and Jenny Fellner (Linda English, Pal Joey) as Dorothy Goetz.

The Tin Pan Alley Rag tells the story of an imagined meeting of two of America’s greatest musicians, composer Scott Joplin (Boatman) and songwriter Irving Berlin (Therriault). Both men changed the landscape of music forever with their contributions to the first American musical genre, ragtime. Beneath Joplin and Berlin’s toe-tapping, syncopated rhythms lay fascinating stories of fame, love and loss. In The Tin Pan Alley Rag, these tales come to vivid life and two great icons realize they have more in common than they ever suspected.

Click here to watch the video from opening night in a separate window. For more information, click here to visit Roundabout’s website.

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On a “Tin Pan Alley Rag” related note, Jeffrey Schecter (Shecky), understudy for Irving Berlin, has been spending his summer on a true labor of love: he’s preparing to run in a half marathon and hoping to raise money for melanoma research in honor of a special person who passed away from the deadly skin cancer. Schecter shares his story here.

Martha Plimpton To Appear on Grey’s Anatomy

It really IS a small world, after all! Just last month we learned that Christian Hoff (who originated the role of Joey in Roundabout Theatre’s revival of Pal Joey) will be co-starring in the upcoming LA revival of Parade with former Grey’s Anatomy star T.R. Knight. (Hoff Set To Co-Star in LA Production of “Parade”). Knight, who was a fan favorite since the show’s first season, decided not to renew his contract at the end of last season. Now downhearted Grey’s fans can console themselves somewhat with the news that Martha Plimpton, who was nominated for a Tony award for her portrayal of Gladys Bumps in Pal Joey, has a (temporary) role in GA’s new Fall season.

Starting with the September 24th season premiere of the ABC drama, Plimpton will appear as the mother of a young patient in a multi-episode story line. I’ve never watched Grey’s Anatomy, but you can be sure I’ll tune in to watch Martha work her magic. What a treat!

LAST CHANCE! Pal Joey Plays Last Show March 1

Only a few days left to catch Stockard Channing, Matthew Risch and Martha Plimpton starring in Pal Joey at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Studio 54. The final curtain is Sunday, March 1, and tickets are available.

Bewitched, Bothered and Opening

The story of Roundabout replacing Christian Hoff as Joey continues, this time in the more staid New York Times (vs the freewheeling New York Post). Following is an excerpt from the article.

Bewitched, Bothered and Opening
By PATRICK HEALY
Published: December 17, 2008

After months of backstage turbulence, capped by the loss of its leading actor and the ascent of an understudy into the title role, the Broadway revival of “Pal Joey” opens on Thursday night with hopes of defying the problems that have clouded the show since previews began on Nov. 14.

Several people involved with the Roundabout Theater Company’s production at Studio 54, members of the creative and financial teams as well as actors, said in interviews that this “Pal Joey” seemed destined to enter theater lore as one of the more artistically troubled experiences of Broadway in recent years.

Just as Gene Kelly struggled to make audiences fall in love with the antihero club impresario Joey Evans in its premiere in 1940, and a 1976 revival was marred by recasting, the convulsions in this latest production have largely involved the cast and the tricky story of a bad-boy huckster who treats women shabbily.

Excerpt From Riedel’s Latest NY Post Article

Michael Riedel’s latest NY Post article, “WHEN ‘EX’ MARKS THE PLOT”, which maligns playwright David Mamet citing various “sources” sound familiar?), ends with, almost as an aside, a follow up of his ‘Great Boy But No Pal‘ article. While not exactly a retraction, Riedel must admit that not all his information was accurate: (red type indicates Catherine’s personal comment)

EXECUTIVES at the Rodgers & Hammerstein office called to say that, contrary to the rumors swirling around “Pal Joey,” they weren’t the ones who knifed poor Christian Hoff.

The Tony-winning actor left the Roundabout revival a few weeks ago. He suffered a minor foot injury, but when he asked to return to the show, he was told that he’d been replaced by his understudy, Matthew Risch.

“The Roundabout asked us if we were OK with the change,” says an R&H source. “We certainly did not push for it. We did not have a problem with Christian.”

Whoever did him in, it looks as if Hoff has dodged a bullet. Word of mouth on “Pal Joey” is pretty poisonous. (We’ll let the critics be the judge of that next week.)

Risch gets high marks for energetically jumping into the fray, but “the chorus boy is still a chorus boy,” says a source.

The one bright spot: Martha Plimpton, who, although not exactly known for her singing abilities, is stealing the show with her rendition of “Zip.” Look for her to walk off with the reviews next week as well.

Well, Michael, I can only hope you learned a valuable lesson - check your sources! And Pal Joey and Christian Hoff fans, remember - don’t believe everything you read!

Matthew Risch, The Luckiest Ex-Understudy In New York City

Max Abelson of The New York Observer visited with Matthew Risch in his new dressing room at Roundabout Theatre’s Studio 54. The first sentence of his subsequent article, which appeared on December 2, began like this..”Never having a real speaking role before…” Wow! Talk about pressure! Risch admits that he almost threw up when he heard that he would be taking over permanently for Chrisitan Hoff, who had injured his foot two days prior. But apparently not from nerves or joy, but because “I felt so completely horrible for him, because he had been nothing but the most generous person I’ve ever had the chance to work with…”

Risch has been receiving much appreciated support from his co-stars Stockard Channing and Martha Plimpton. “They’re like….We’re here for you. Whatever you need, just let us know.” And some welcome advice on playing Joey from legendary actress Elaine Stritch (who was in the 1952 revival). She told him “He’s (Joey) just spewing out all this vomit of charm…Vomiting up charm left and right to everybody, it’s nothing to him. That’s all he knows how to do.”

The full article covers many subjects, from what Risch keeps in his dressing room, to his childhood and through his career to present day - going from hoping to go on at least once as Hoff’s understudy, to becoming leading man in a Broadway musical. A dream come true for a man who had “never had a speaking role before”.

Click here to open the Observer site and read the complete article.

WABC-7’s “Broadway Backstage” TV Special

WABC-7’s “Broadway Backstage” TV Special Will Spotlight All My Sons, Pal Joey, Shrek and More

By Andrew Gans
23 Oct 2008

As previously announced, Tom Wopat, who is currently playing Billy Flynn in the Tony-winning revival of Chicago, will join WABC-TV news anchor Michelle Charlesworth to host WABC-7’s “Broadway Backstage: Fall Preview.”

Pal Joey is back!!!

Although previews for Roundabout Theatre Company’s fall presentation of Rodgers and Hart’s Pal Joey aren’t set to begin until Friday, November 14th (at Studio 54 on Broadway), I can’t wait to start talking about it. With an all-star cast including Tony Award winner Christian Hoff as Joey Evans, Tony Award winner Stockard Channing as Vera Simpson, and Tony Award nominee Martha Plimpton as Gladys Bumps, this limited run engagement is certain to be a smash hit!