Mike Birbiglia at Union Hall

Mike Birbiglia’s one man show Sleepwalk With Me opened off broadway on November 11, 2008 and Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times had some very nice things to say about it. Here are a few choice excerpts from his review:

An 85-minute monologue lives or dies on the pacing. It’s easy to peak too early or drown in detail or lose your audience in a dead spot or a poorly structured story. Mike Birbiglia’s pacing is simply perfect in “Sleepwalk With Me,” his funny, appealing one-man show at the Bleecker Street Theater.
…
He shows a great knack for dropping in quick, sly jokes (on a girl who caught his eye in college: “I kept running into her” — pause — “because I was following her.”) and a welcome respect for the audience’s ability to follow the long detours he takes from the main story. If some of those detours feel as if they might really just be excuses to work in material from his stand-up routine, they’re never less than rewarding. The laughter comes early and often. [NYTimes.com]

There is also new discount code for the show from the folks at Union Hall and The Bell House for up to 30% off tickets to the post-opening night performances. Visit broadwayoffers.com and enter the promotional code SWBHUH29 to get the following discounts:

$34.50 offer valid for all performances from 11/11/08 to 11/23/08
$39.50 offer valid for allperformances from 11/25/08 to 01/18/09
All prices include a $1.50 facility fee

Woyzeck at BAM

The Nick Cave scored Woyzeck starts tonight at BAM and I gotta tell you, this video trailer looks pretty badass. Woyzeck plays Oct 15, 17 and 18 as part of the BAM Next Wave Festival.

On October 15, there will be a free after-party for BAMfans and Generation Advance with the cast of Woyzeck at Deity, featuring DJ Nicole Leone and drinks from Iceland Naturally (RSVP required).

Like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Mike Birbiglia’s new Off Broadway show, Sleep Walk With Me, is starting this week at The Bleecker Street Theatre (and being presented by Nathan Lane no less). If you were thinking about going, but thought tickets were a little pricey, I’ve got some good news for you, you can now use the code SWUCB33 to purchase $29.50 tickets (40% off the original price) through November 9, 2008. Previews for Mike’s show begin this Friday, October 17, 2008 in advance of a November 11, 2008 opening.

It has been a long time since I’ve written about Fela! but since the show opened off broadway at the 37 Arts theatre it has been extended once and received a very positive review (but not quite a rave) from Ben Brantley of the New York Times.

As played by the Brooklyn band Antibalas, standing in for the army of musicians that accompanied Mr. Kuti on his world tours, this is music that gets into your bloodstream, setting off vibrations you’ll live with for days to come. And the choreographer and director Bill T. Jones has come up with startling visual equivalents for the primal and sophisticated fusion of cultural elements that is Afrobeat, the music of Fela. [NYTimes.com]

The show ends on Sunday, October 5 and though no news of a Broadway transfer has been announced, you never know what could happen. Buy tickets for the final four performances of Fela! here.

Because they don’t like to take a lot of time off apparently, Antibalas is playing the Spiegeltent on Sunday October 5, the same day that Fela! has its last matinee performance.

Stand-up comedian and frequent Tearing The Veil of Maya guest Mike Birbiglia has turned his storytelling talents into an upcoming one-man off-broadway show. Tickets are now on sale for Sleepwalk With Me at The Bleecker Street Theater, previews begin on October 17, 2008 and the show officially opens on November 11, 2008. Here’s a brief synopsis of the show:

In Sleepwalk with Me, Mike Birbiglia takes the audience on a hysterically funny and intensely personal journey through stories of his life and bouts with sleepwalking. As he finally confronts his fears of love, honesty and growing up, we see that many a problem will work itself out with a nice long walk– but not Mike’s.

To hear a version of Mike’s famous “sleepwalking story”, check out this recent episode of PRI’s This American Life. (As an aside, Season 1 of Showtime’s This American Life will be widely available on DVD this starting on Tuesday, September 23. As you may recall, the season 1 DVD set was previously only available at Borders.)

Rent on Broadway

Photo: The Modern Age

Sunday, September 7th marks the 5,124th and final performance of Rent on Broadway, and while it’s definitely going dark for good tonight, elements of this evening’s show will be filmed for an upcoming movie scheduled for a limited theatrical release.

Astroland

Photo: wallyg

Astroland, the Coney Island institution, will also close its gates forever tonight at 9:00 PM, the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, however, both New York City landmarks, will reopen next summer.

Musically, nothing to be blown away by here, but St. Ann’s Warehouse always puts on quality shows.

THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND
Black Watch
October 9-November 30, 2008

DAN HURLIN
Disfarmer
January 27-February 8, 2009

MABOU MINES
DollHouse
February 12-March 9, 2009

THE WOOSTER GROUP
La Didone
March 17-April 26, 2009

CYNTHIA HOPKINS
The Success of Failure (or, the Failure of Success)
With Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg
Directed by D.J. Mendel
May 22-June 7, 2009

TKTS Brooklyn
1 MetroTech Center at the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Street Promenade.

Hours:
For same-day evening and next day matinee performances:

Monday - Friday: 11am - 6pm
* Matinee tickets are sold on the day before the performance at TKTS Downtown Brooklyn.

By subway:
A, C, F to Jay Street-Borough Hall M, R, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Court Street-Borough Hall, or M, R to Lawrence Street.

By bus:
B54, B57, B61 stop on Jay and Myrtle. The B67 and B75 stop at Jay and Willoughby, just down the block from the booth.

The (RED) organization, a nonprofit that raises money to fight the AIDS epidemic in Africa, has just announced the creation of a music service that will feature new songs by U2, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Emmylou Harris and Death Cab for Cutie. In addition to that exclusive content, subscribers to the (RED) music service will have access to almost all of the content from the forthcoming Sundance Channel series, “Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …“.

The still-unnamed service, which is scheduled to start in September, will deliver customers three new pieces of exclusive content a week for a monthly fee of $5. Half of that money will go through (RED) to the Global Fund, and the other half will go to the artists who contribute songs and to their record companies. As with (RED)’s branded products, like a special iPod and Motorola phone, companies will sacrifice part but not all of their profits, and consumers will know that some of the money they spend goes to the AIDS-in-Africa cause.

Each week (RED)’s service will deliver two songs in MP3 format, one from a superstar act like U2, whose frontman, Bono, was a co-founder of (RED), and one from a less established artist. The third piece of content will be a “crackerjack surprise,” a song, video or short story.
…
(RED) will get some of its songs from “Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …,” a music-theme talk show that will make its debut on the Sundance Channel this fall. The organization will be able to use almost all the music performed by Mr. Costello and his guests, although it will not necessarily take all of it. “If you’re going to create something,” Mr. Costello said, “it’s good to know that there’s more to it than profit.” [NYTimes.com]

This certainly sounds a lot more interesting that the new Shrek musical.

Fela! A New Musical

Music by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Conceived & Written by Bill T. Jones & Jim Lewis
Choreographed & Directed by Bill T. Jones

Previews Begin July 29 - Save Over 30%!

USE CODE NYTW07 for discount tix:
$41.25 July 29-Sept 3
$51.25 Sep 5-Sep 21

In this new musical, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones with a book by Jim Lewis, audiences are welcomed into the extravagant, decadent and rebellious world of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies), Fela! explores his controversial life as artist, political activist and revolutionary musician. Featuring many of Fela’s most captivating songs and Bill T. Jones’s imaginative staging, this new show is a provocative hybrid of concert, dance and musical theater.

Buy Tickets Here

Watch a promo video for Fela! after the jump.
“Fela! A New Musical | Discount Code” continued after the jump

I know I shouldn’t have really been surprised, but this announcement still took me a little off guard.

On November 8, the most beloved swamp-dwelling ogre of all time will make his Broadway debut in SHREK THE MUSICAL. This all-new production is based on Shrek’s adventures in the classic William Steig book and Oscar-winning film. Joining Shrek on his journey from the swamp to the stage will be his wisecracking sidekick Donkey, Princess Fiona, Lord Farquaad and a chorus of everybody’s favorite fairytale creatures.

Tony(R) nominee JASON MOORE (Avenue Q) directs a powerhouse cast led by Tony nominee BRIAN D’ARCY JAMES (The Apple Tree, Sweet Smell of Success) as Shrek, Tony winner SUTTON FOSTER (Young Frankenstein, Thoroughly Modern Millie) as Princess Fiona, Tony(R) nominee CHRISTOPHER SIEBER (Spamalot, Into The Woods) as Lord Farquaad, and CHESTOR GREGORY (Cry-Baby, Hairspray) as Donkey. Tony nominee JOHN TARTAGLIA (Avenue Q) will play Pinocchio, and KECIA LEWIS-EVANS (The Drowsy Chaperone) is the Dragon.

With book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner DAVID LINDSAY- ABAIRE (Rabbit Hole), and a score by Tony nominee JEANINE TESORI (Caroline, or Change; Thoroughly Modern Millie), SHREK THE MUSICAL proves that there’s a whole lot more to this story than meets the ears.

Buy tickets to Shrek The Musical

BAM 2008 Next Wave Festival: New Voices From Spain

Photo: Maria Madrigal

Here is what the music portion of the BAM Next Wave Festival looks like:

New Voices from Spain
Huecco (BAM Howard Gilman Opera House)
Rosalía (BAMcafé)
Oct 11

ETHEL’s TruckStop: The Beginning
Directed by and created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen
Oct 14-18

Darwin’s Meditation for The People of Lincoln
Conceived and composed by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)
Oct 29-Nov 1

Arjuna’s Dilemma
Music-Theatre Group
Music by Douglas J. Cuomo
Nov 5-8

Red Hot + Rio 2
The Next Generation of Samba Soul
Dec 4 & 5

Check out the full 2008 Next Wave schedule here.

SUBSCRIPTIONS
Friends of BAM and Subscribers: Jun 16
General public: Jun 23
More Info

SINGLE TICKETS
Friends of BAM and Subscribers: Aug 21
General public: Sep 2

COMPANY by Stephen Sondheim (2008/Blu-Ray Disc)
By Robert James

Having listened to the original Broadway cast recording of Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY but never having attended a production of it, I looked forward to watching the Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2006 Broadway revival on Blu-Ray Disc. While the production is not a complete disappointment, it fails to inspire repeat viewings. Sure, John Doyle’s use and staging of mostly musical-instrument-toting cast members is innovative. Indeed, I welcomed the wit and sass of a three-woman brass section singing “You Could Drive a Person Crazy.” I appreciated the piano partnering in the powerhouse “Being Alive,” which marks the climax of Act II. And Barbara Walsh earns points for her deadpan mastery of the triangle in interpreting the role of blasé, bitter, wisecracking Joanne— the role indelibly created by Elaine Stritch. However, Doyle’s use of this onstage orchestral conceit proved far more successful in his 2005 Broadway revival of SWEENEY TODD. Rarely did the musical instruments add momentum to Doyle’s COMPANY. Rather, I found its overall pacing slow and the frequent marching monotonous.

A production of COMPANY is only as good as the actor tackling the lead role of Bobby, the thirtysomething bachelor who surrounds himself with, and is surrounded by, those “good and crazy people [his] friends, those good and crazy people [his] married friends.” The glue holding this COMPANY together is the stellar Raul Esparza. Esparza gives an honest, nuanced, sometimes nasal but ultimately moving performance. The angst of Esparza’s Bobby builds naturally toward and is released within “Being Alive” [If the American Theatre Wing had a category “Best Single Musical Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical,” Mr. Esparza would be a Tony Award shoe-in for his raw rendition of “Being Alive”]. Other cast members who shine are Elizabeth Stanley (as April, the charming yet flighty flight attendant in “Barcelona”) and Heather Laws (as Amy, the desperate, commitment-phobe bride-to-be in “Getting Married Today”).

As for the camera work, it’s imperfect and oftentimes distracting. With a Blu-Ray Disc, picture quality is everything. In both clarity of picture and shot selection, this COMPANY fails to fully deliver. This reviewer grew frustrated experiencing almost a dozen instances of blurry images eventually, belatedly coming into focus. As for shot selection, although I found it to be generally satisfactory, bad choices sometimes undercut key moments. For example, in “Being Alive” overextended profile shots, too-extreme close-ups, and acrobatic long shots sweeping in from somewhere in the heavens above, all work against the raw vulnerability and strength grounded in Mr. Esparza’s performance.

For Sondheim savants and other such devotees, COMPANY memorialized on film is a long-overdue and welcome addition to anyone’s theatrical library. However, an overnight rental of this Blu-Ray DVD is probably plenty.

FULL CAST: Raúl Esparza, Elizabeth Stanley, Keith Buterbaugh, Matt Castle, Robert Cunningham, Kelly Jeanne Grant, Kristin Huffman, Amy Justman, Heather Laws, Leenya Rideout, Fred Rose

TECHNICAL SPECS: Color / 131 minutes
WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), Enhanced for 16×9 TVs
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (Blu-Ray also in DTS HD 5.1)

Editor’s Post Script: Little known fact, long before indie music took over this blog, I probably got out to more theatre in NYC than any other form of live entertainment. But sadly, times have changed, and I haven’t been to the legitimate theatre since well, I don’t know when. The good news is though, if you’re like me, and you need the theatre to come to you, I’m giving away a free copy of the Blu-Ray edition of Sondheim’s COMPANY to a random reader who emails me at contests@bumpershine.com and tells me which Stephen Sondheim musical was recently made into a Tim Burton directed film.

Extraordinary performance-artist Laurie Anderson returns to the Festival this season with her most sophisticated production to date, Homeland, a “concert poem” driven by the political urgency of contemporary American culture.

Another highlight is a concert featuring an eclectic group of artists from around the world — including Afel Bocoum, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kokanko Sata, Candi Staton, Lobi Traore, and Simone White — all of whom have recorded for Honest Jon’s, the record label founded by former Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, who will perform as well. The Festival also welcomes the return of the charismatic Goran Bregovic and his Wedding & Funeral Band, who had the audience dancing in the aisles in 2006 with their brass-powered Balkan folk arrangements.

Laurie Anderson: Homeland
July 22 - July 26
Rose Theater

Damon Albarn & The Honest Jon’s Revue
July 12
Avery Fisher Hall

Goran Bregovic: Wedding and Funeral Band
July 8 - July 9
Avery Fisher Hall

Check out the full Lincoln Center Festival calendar here.

Download the 2008 Season Schedule (PDF)

Now in our 7th year, BRICstudio’s 2008 Season shatters the boundaries of the creative process by connecting you to cutting edge dance, music and theater by artists from Brooklyn to the Mississippi Delta. See new work, learn about the development process, and offer feedback during BRIClab. Discover local choreographers at Danspace Project. Witness one-of-a-kind collaborations straddling genre and geography with 651 Arts. BRICstudio’08 is your invitation to new and emerging performance in Brooklyn. [briconline.org]

Tickets: $10 Students, $12 Adults or buy a labPASS for only $50!
(PASSes include access to 1 work-in-progress presentation and 1 eLABorate conversation for each BRIClab artist.)
Purchase tickets here, or call 866-811-4111.

Usually, there is some overlap between the BRICStudio season and the Celebrate Brooklyn! lineup, and this year is no exception. On May 8 and May 11 you can catch workshop presentations of Hall Willner’s Bill Withers Project which will have its premiere at Celebrate Brooklyn! Saturday, August 9.