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DIVA TALK: Catching Up with Avenue Q's Ann Harada Plus News of Buckley and York
By Andrew Gans
03 Jul 2009
Question: Was there any talk of any of the other original cast coming back?
Harada: There was always talk. It was always speculation. I just had to say to myself, "I loved my original cast, and I would have loved to be reunited with them in some way, but if for whatever reason it just didn't work out, scheduling or commitment, I just had to think, 'Okay.'" [Laughs.] This is the opportunity that I have been given, and I'm really excited to be a part of it again.
Question: How did London audiences react to Avenue Q?
Harada: They loved it.
Question: Was there anything that they laughed at differently than New York audiences?
Harada: It was pretty much the same. Seriously, the laughs were absolutely the same. We were so worried they weren't going to get so many of those little in-jokes. And we did change some of the jokes, but it was so minor. We had to change "Korean deli" to "Chinese restaurant," because they didn't have Korean delis. We had to change Long Island Iced Tea to Absinthe Daiquiri. Little things.
Question: Do you think that your take on the character has changed at all since you started?
Harada: Oh God, I hope so! I just feel like she's going to be more myself than she's ever been in a way.
Question: What do you mean?
Harada: As I've gotten older, I just appreciate her so much more… her honesty and her spontaneity. I'm hoping to bring as much of that as I possibly can into the character when I have another shot at it.
Question: I'm looking forward to going back again. I haven't seen the show in a couple years.
Harada: I think you'll find, as I found — of course, everybody brings their own spin to the character — essentially everybody is embodying that same feeling of what that's like to not really know what you're doing and just keep floundering around and hang out with your friends and just try to make sense of it. I think it's timeless and fantastic. You'll see what I mean. As I've seen different casts play it out, I'm always amazed at how successful it is with every different cast.
Question: Have you ever seen it from the audience?
Harada: Oh, many times.
Question: What it like for you seeing someone else play the part you created?
Harada: I enjoy it thoroughly. [Laughs.] You know, it's really flattering to think, "Oh look somebody's doing this joke, and not the same way I do it, but with their own spin on it!" But it's fantastic. It's so gratifying that that piece works. It just works. It doesn't matter. They've done it all over the world and they've had to change it for each different production, and it still plays! It's got its own life way beyond what we brought to it originally. It's just a great show. Now that I've been out of it for a while I appreciate it so much.
[Avenue Q plays the John Golden Theatre, 252 West 45th Street; for more information visit www.avenueq.com. For tickets call (212) 239-6200 or go to www.telecharge.com.]
DIVA TIDBITS
Tony Award winner Betty Buckley will offer a Song Interpretation Workshop in July and August at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center in Fort Worth, TX. Presented by Imagination Celebration, the six-session course will kick off Tuesday, July 14. Classes, which last four or five hours, begin at 6:30 PM. Auditors who participate in all aspects of the class except the individual singing are also welcome. The classes will be held at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center in the Museum District at 1300 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, TX. Prospective participants should call (940) 300-4944 or email marjorie@unt.edu for further details and to arrange an interview. For more information visit www.bettybuckley.com or www.icfw.org.
Cabaret singer Klea Blackhurst will reprise her Ethel Merman tribute, Everything the Traffic Will Allow: The Songs and Sass of Ethel Merman, for New York audiences at the Snapple Theater Center. Blackhurst, who received the 2002 Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs Award for Best Female Vocalist for Traffic, will offer her Merman evening Saturdays, July 18 and 25; Aug. 1, 8, 22 and 29; and Sept. 5 at the Manhattan venue. All shows begin at 5 PM. Blackhurst will be accompanied by the Pocket Change Trio. The Snapple Theater Center is located in Manhattan at 210 West 50th Street. Tickets, priced $35 and $45, are available by calling (212) 921-7862 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
Casting is now complete for the upcoming production of the Stephen Schwartz musical Godspell, which begins performances July 13 at the St. Louis Muny, the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre. Directed by Jen Bender and choreographed by Darren Lee, the cast will be headed by Eric Kunze as Jesus and Demond Green as Judas/John the Baptist. The company will also feature Uzo Aduba, Adam Kantor, Chelsea Krombach, Tracy McDowell, Orville Mendoza, Ruth Pferdihirt, Rashida Scott and Chris Spaulding. Performances continue through July 19. For more information call (314) 361-1900, ext. 550 or visit www.muny.org.
Rachel York, the singing actress who starred in the recent world premiere of Turn of the Century, will go it solo at The Inner Circle at the Magic Castle in Hollywood later this month. York will offer For the Love of It July 26 and 27 at 8 PM. Cabaretgoers can expect "an evening of stories and song including favorites from the stage, screen, and American Songbook." The Inner Circle at the Magic Castle is located at 7001 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA. For tickets, priced $40 (non-members), call (323) 851-3313, ext. 434.
Small Pond Entertainment and Stephanie Rosenberg will present a benefit concert for the Humane Society July 20 at Don't Tell Mama. Entitled Broadway Meows, the 7 PM evening will feature the songs of composer/lyricist Seth Bisen-Hersh. Bisen-Hersh will be joined onstage by Brian Childers, Jenna Coker-Jones, Kimberly Faye Greenberg, Westley Todd Holiday, Autumn Hurlbert, Christopher Kale Jones, Caitlin Kinnunen, Mary Orzano, Zach Reiner-Harris, Brandon Ruckdashel and Darryl Winslow. The evening will feature pet-themed songs as well as songs about New York and relationship hardships; expect to hear "So You Wanna be Feline," "The Fag Hag Lament," "I'd Rather Take a Nap," "This is Awkward," "I Like Big Girls!" and "Hey!" Don't Tell Mama is located in Manhattan at 343 West 46th Street; there is a $20 cover and a two-drink minimum (cash only). For reservations call (212) 757-0788 or visit donttellmamanyc.com.
Songwriters Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, most recently represented Off-Broadway with the family-friendly musical Dear Edwina, will return to the famed jazz club Birdland in a few weeks. The latest installment of The Marcy and Zina Show will be presented July 20. The 7 PM concert will feature Jill Abramovitz, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Mike Croiter, MaryAnn McSweeney and special guest Clinton Kelly. Birdland is located in Manhattan at 315 West 44th Street. Tickets are priced $30 with a $10 food/drink minimum; call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com for reservations.
Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.
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