CAROLE KING MUSIC 'BROADWAY FOR BEAUTIFUL'
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
By: G. H. Harding
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Constantine Maroulis
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| Des McAnuff |
ROCKERS ON BROADWAY --- 20-years ago, Broadway-gadfly Donnie Kehr had an idea: Kehr, who appeared in the 1993 rock musical The Who's Tommy, created Rockers on Broadway, that benefits the ASCAP Foundation's Children Will Listen Program, The Broadway Dreams Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Thus past Monday was the year’s event, at Le Poisson Rouge in the West Village. Tony Award-winning songwriter Pete Townshend and Tony-winning director Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys; Fetch Clay, Make Man) were honored as "two visionaries who broke new artistic ground while bridging the gap between Rock & Roll and Broadway." Once again, New York City Rocks, and brings together the stars of the great white way.
The Monkees-Micky Dolenz was one of the featured acts as well as Norm Lewis, Constantine Maroulis, Eden Espinosa and 13-year old Megyn Rice, who just dazzled the audience. These events are always most enjoyable, because you get to see these so-called Broadway performers rocking out.
Dolenz, who performed “Pleasant Valley Sunday” just wowed the crowd.
Said Kehr (who was Dolenz's understudy when he was in Aida), “Rockers began because Pete Townsend wanted Tommy's cast of Broadway performers to get some experience performing in rock clubs to understand what he did, so our first event actually had Townshend playing backup for Alice Ripley, Norm Lewis, and, myself. And that spirit has guided 20 years of Rockers on Broadway." Congrats to Kehr and producer Cori Gardner.
CLOSING NOTES --- Monday’s The Blacklist was just terrific with the revelation that Megan Boone’s supposed father, was just an adoptive father; lending more credence that James Spader maybe being the real daddy after all. The NBC show is one of a handful of hits this TV season; not a stellar one in the annals of TV-lore. Pundits say that the cable-nets are killing the networks, but as far as I'm concerned, it’s just the lackluster quality of networks shows.
But, go figure: I saw an early preview of The Goldbergs, and I found it terribly boring and a re-tread of the terrific Wonder Years all those years ago; turns out, it’s one of the big hits of the year. Truth be told, some of the strongest TV so far this season has been from old-warhorses like The Good Wife; The Mentalist; and CSI: Las Vegas...
ABBA ABBA-- Agnetha Faltskog, one fourth of the group ABBA, has told a German newspaper that a reunion of the group for the 40th anniversary of their commercial breakthrough is "something we're thinking about."
Faltskog has been one of the main sticking points to any reunion due to her private lifestyle along with an aversion to fly; however, the success of her 2013 album A had led her back to public eye. On April 6, 1974, the band ABBA hit huge when they performed the winning song, Waterloo, on the broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest. A year earlier, they had hit the top ten in Australia with Ring, Ring but Waterloo was a totally different creature, going to number 1 in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Britain, 2 in Australia and 6 in the U.S.
She continues, "There seem to be plans to do something to mark this anniversary in some way. But I can't say at this point what will come of them."
Agnetha also said she doesn't want to dwell on a possible reunion "That eats up too much energy. Don't just think about it, just do it. We're all getting older. I can't imagine going onto the stage on crutches. I dream often lately of the other three members of ABBA. They are good dreams. ... ABBA is a big part of all of us still."
KING PREVIEW-- Come November 21, previews begin on Broadway for Beautiful - based on the music of Carole King. I'm a huge King-fan, so am particularly looking forward to this one. With the Janis Joplin-musical still on the boards, now King, and a Jersey Boys-movie coming (from Clint Eastwood of all people and due June 2014), can a play on The Monkees be far behind? Just saying!
Congrats to NY's WOR for nabbing the air-rights to The Mets beginning in March ...
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