|
 |
THE LEADING MEN: Chatting with Blonde's Michael Rupert Plus Christmas in July
By Tom Nondorf
02 Aug 2007
A CHRISTMAS WISH: MORE!
Christmas in July: Misfit Kids' Letters to Old St. Nick, Mary-Mitchell Campbell's July 23 concert benefit reading for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), mentioned in last month's column, was an absolute treat for all who attended and all who performed in it as well. The musical comedy revue of songs, with lyrics by Playbill.com managing editor Kenneth Jones and music by Gerald Stockstill (BMI Workshop alumni), were a laugh riot and offered remarkable showcases for the talent involved. I spoke to some of the performers after the show had wrapped (or was unwrapped, in this case).
Mary Poppins' Gavin Lee sang the droll song "Don't Bring the Reindeer 'Round" with his wife Emily Harvey.
Q: How much fun was that for you?
Gavin Lee: It was great fun, and it went down really well, and it's funny and just great fun to do. It's fantastic to do when you've been doing a role for as long as I have. You know, I'm in my third year of playing Bert. I've only done one tiny thing before this that isn't to do with Mary Poppins, so it's so nice to just get some new material and have a go at it, and we were just saying, "There are so many great songs. I'm sure we're all going to be nicking them for auditions because they're perfect."
Q: How long did you have to learn the song?
Lee: We literally . . . went to Mary-Mitchell's on Tuesday, she put it in our iPod for us, and we came in today at one and did it on the stage once with her, and we came here tonight.
Q: Your song had some fun choreography. You worked that out yourselves?
Lee: Yeah! We were in the lounge going, "Oh, let's put an arm in here, and a leg in here," and that's pretty much it. It was fabulous. Great songs, and I wish we could do it again.
*
Xanadu's Andre Ward had folks howling with his letter to Santa extolling the virtues of the Ken doll.
Q: How did you get involved in this benefit?
Andre Ward: I know (Christmas co-star) Sally Wilfert. We did a show together a couple years ago, and they were having trouble finding a man for this song, and she thought of me, and I'm so excited that she did. I rehearsed with Mary-Mitchell yesterday. It's sort of flying by the seat of your pants. . . . It was really fun; I had a ball. I'm so happy to be asked to do it.
*
Roger DeWitt, last on Broadway in The Woman in White, had a showstopper called "Showstopper," where he imagined himself upstaging Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a Christmas pageant.
Q: You pretty well knocked that song out of the manger…
Roger DeWitt: It's not the kind of song that demands any subtlety whatsoever, and that is my forte: No subtlety! It was a lot of fun. When you sing great material, it kind of sings itself. Everything is right there for you, and it just comes organically, so it was a blast!
Q: Is comedy your bag?
DeWitt: I have a big legit voice, but I excel in comedy because it's against type. If I sing big legit leading man stuff, it's against type. I'm a character guy. I've been a character guy all my life, so yeah, comedy is what I love.
*
Daniel C. Levine (Rocky Horror Show, Jesus Christ Superstar, the Chicago tour) sang as one of the four main "children" writing their "Winter Wonderings" to Santa.
Q: What was it like being onstage during all the madcap performances?
Daniel C. Levine: It was great. The writing was fantastic, so it was really easy to deliver a funny performance. It's challenging because we had no rehearsal with the rest of the cast, so we didn't get to see the performances beforehand. We were snooping around just trying to see what was going on, but it was good. These things are great, and Mary-Mitchell, of course, is incredible — the charity is incredible. These things get thrown together so quickly. This one came together so well. There were great people in this!
For more information about ASTEP, visit www.createsomethinggood.org.
****
HITHER AND YON
So you saw the latest Harry Potter movie, and you finished off the final book the day after it came out. Those suffering from HP withdrawal have a few more chances to catch The Magic of Mrs. Crowling, running at the Kraine Theater on East 4th Street through Aug. 5. The show, written by Brian Silliman with an original score by Larry Lees, tells of the writer of a Potter-esque fantasy series (the title character playfully portrayed by Shelly Smith) and what happens when she insinuates herself into the home of a dying boy who wants only to know how the story ends. This satisfying comedy ranges from pitch black to oddly moving. Dennis Hurley and Patrick Shearer stand out in a talented cast. Call (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com for more information. . . . Good to see Bruce Kimmel and David Wechter's sci-fi send-up The Brain From Planet X, which won hearts (and brains) in L.A., will be a part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September. Fans of the movie "Grease" will want to check out Barry ("Doody") Pearl as the title character. Alet Taylor, Merrill Grant, Benjamin Clark and the dynamic Cason Murphy will be reviving their roles from the L.A. production. . . . Hard to believe that Brian Stokes Mitchell has never had a solo gig at Carnegie Hall before. He'll remedy that situation Oct. 15 in an evening directed by Richard Jay-Alexander with guest stars Reba McEntire and Phylicia Rashad. Wonder if music director Paul Gemignani will don a turban for the event as he did when conducting for Stokes' Kismet at City Center last year. Tickets for the Oct. 15 concert are available by calling (212) 247-7800 or by visiting www.carnegiehall.org. . . . . Feinstein's at the Regency has announced that hit makers Ashford and Simpson will kick off the fall 2007 season with shows from Sept. 12-29. Check out www.feinsteinsattheregency.com for more info.
****
Tom Nondorf can be reached by e-mail at tnondorf@playbill.com.
 |
|
Gavin Lee and Emily Harvey performed in Christmas in July: Misfit Kids' Letters to Old St. Nick
|
| photo by Ernio Hernandez |
Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2008 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|