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PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: Glory Days — Bleacher Seizure
By Harry Haun
07 May 2008
The dramatic engine of the piece is Call's Andy, who takes Jack's coming-out the hardest. "I hate his behavior about that obviously, but I also love that he's so passionate. He's so passionate about everything. Sometimes his mouth gets away from him. The greatest flaw of Andy is that he trusts too much. He's so simple, but that makes him so complex at the same time. I love this character. He's like born out of my own heart. James and Nick let me go through this whole process and let me bring in my own thoughts and ideas. From the start, it has been so creative."
When or if Call returns to Cry-Baby, they're keeping an iron lung warm for him. His big on-stage moment is a polio-victim sight gag with the moniker of Skippy Wagstaff. "Wagstaff was the maiden name of [co-author] Thomas Meehan's wife," he confided.
As Will, the first to arrive and the last to leave, Booth admitted to "a selfish favorite moment: coming on stage at the show with everyone cheering. It was pretty amazing, to sit there and look around and take it all in. Nothing compares to that."
Booth got the wake-up call to Broadway just as he was going to bed when Schaeffer phoned him the good news. A sleepless night followed — and many more afterward.
"Since then, it has been a roller coaster. Every morning, waking up and getting out of bed and knowing what's ahead of me. My first day walking to the theatre — getting out of the subway and walking to work, and work is the theatre. I'm in New York where I've lived about two years. Ever since I've lived here, I've worked out of town. Every day since, it's just gotten better and better — and tonight was the ultimate."
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Kathie Lee Gifford, Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee, Theodore Mann, George Dvorsky and Rebecca Luker, Donald Saddler and Marge Champion, and Rob Ashford.
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| photos by Aubrey Reuben |
Blaemire may just qualify for a niche in "The Guinness Book of Records" for making two Broadway debuts in 13 days — first as a Cry-Baby performer and now as a Glory Days songwriter. "It's like running from a better place in the world to another better place in the world — like having two of your biggest dreams come true at the same moment," he said. "The fact that this is happening just proves to me and, I think, to all of us that anything is possible. There's no age limit on Broadway anymore. It's possible to be 23 and write a show and people are going to see it on Broadway."
He can claim 23 two more months. Gardiner hit 24 last month but still thinks young. "What Nick has been able to accomplish at such a young age is so inspiring to any artist. I totally agree with him about staying true to who you are. If you write what you honestly believe in — and it comes from a genuine place — you can go anywhere."
No I.D. was required to get drinks at the after-party, which was held at Moda, an open-aired courtyard running between 52nd and 53rd just off Sixth — a good idea, that (given the young high spirits that were still euphorically bouncing off walls).
The only star at the party eclipsing The Glorious Ones was the one Schaeffer brought to Broadway in 1999's Putting It Together — Kathie Lee Gifford, then nearing the end of her long TV reign with Regis.
Now Reeg's channel competition via NBC's "The Today Show" and looking ridiculously stunning, Gifford chose her words gingerly like a true friend of the court: "I love the effort that went into it. It's a different generation. Having a teenage son at home, I know there's a lot of reality to it. I will always be the biggest fan in the world of the classic book musical, so it's hard for me to go to that Spring Awakening place — and yet I respect it. I know every generation has to bring its newness to it. I thought there were glimpses of great raw talent there. I love the youth and the exuberance and truly some beautiful intricate harmonies happening and things. There was a lot to like about it. I thought that it was an incredible first effort."
Mary Poppins had the night off, and its stars showed up in force — Ashley Brown, Gavin Lee and Rebecca Luker. The latter's hubby, Danny Burstein, joined the festivities late, in from South Pacific. Also present: Martin Moran, late of Spamalot; the Cry-Baby choreographer, Rob Ashford (his second viewing); Lisa Lambert, the composer of The Drowsy Chaperone, and, best of all, Marge Champion and Donald Saddler, fresh from one of their twice-a-week dancing sessions — a glamorous set of 88's (albeit, "Marge claims to be four and a half months older than me"). A Tony-winning choreographer of No, No Nanette, Saddler said he'd catch the Encores! rendition the next night. "Those beach balls were [producer] Harry Rigby's idea."
The Playbill lists Circle in the Square "under the direction of Theodore Mann and Paul Libin," and both of these gentlemen were in attendance. If not exactly humming "It Seems Like Old Times," they were plainly pleased to see their old Circle twirling to such an exuberant — and young — beat.
Mann was one day away from the Lucille Lortel Awards, one of which he received for his considerable body of work Off-Broadway. His acceptance remarks, according to one observer, traced the entire movement of theatre from 1483 on. He countered with a good offense, brightly leading with "How did you like my speech? It wasn't too long, was it?"
Brightman, who understudies the roles of Will and Jack in the show, was feeling his oats from his opening-night bow, even though he has yet to go on. "I gave them one — now I'm going to break all their legs," he cracked. When last seen at the party, he was wearing sunglasses and a Hitler mustache. Forewarned is forearmed, guys.
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The cast of Glory Days at curtain call.
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben |
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