It’s not going to happen but I felt that this old bit of news was relevant to both this blog and this weekend as The New Harry Potter film opens up to theaters world wide.

I have two huge loves. 1) Movies. 2) Michael Jackson. Thats why this piece of news gets me all giddy inside. Here is a bit of news from Perez Hilton and JK Rowling.

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J.K. Rowling says she was approached by Michael Jackson to turn her Harry Potter novels into a stage musical.

But the author turned him down because she was convinced that the musical wouldn’t be a success.

Even though she has agreed to many merchandising deals and even a theme park, she told Oprah Winfrey that there were many things she rejected. She said:

“Michael Jackson wanted to do a musical. I said no to a lot of things. For me, I love the films, I love the books, and there’s elements that I love around it… like the theme park. But I only wanted to do it because I knew it would be incredible.”

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Well, their you have it. I personally think it’s a good thing it didn’t happen but it does make me wonder what it would have looked and sounded like.

Well, at least we have Michaels new album in December to look forward too.

Until then, keep on dancing.

–Admiral Eo

Ok, so I don’t know a single soul who doesn’t LOVE the goonies film. It’s a classic. Apparently with the release of the 25th Anniversary DVD/BluRay, the powers that be announced they were working on a Goonies Musical for Broadway! Amazing idea right? Here is the interview with Richard Donnor:

“Hopefully we’re doing this as a musical on Broadway. It took forever to get on Broadway. It was a long, long process but it just got a lot shorter because there’s a great writer/producer (Tim Long) who does musicals on ‘The Simpsons’ which are classic. He just delivered a treatment on ‘Goonies’ as a musical and it’s friggin’ great.” — Richard Donnor

Not much but it’s something. I’m in. This is something I need to see!

Until then, keep dancing!

Admiral Eo

Well hello folks, welcome to this weeks blog.

We all know the films Scary Movie, Epic Movie, Disaster Movie and so on. If you don’t know about them I put a link up just below, if you do know about them don’t even bother giving it a view. Did you know about the off-broadway show that spoofs musical theater? Unlike the films I listed above its a very funny show.

I regret putting up that youtube link.

Here is a synopsis I found online that best describes the show:

The show is a cabaret revue sharply spoofing show tunes, characters and plots of contemporary and current Broadway musicals. Forbidden Broadway has mocked popular shows like The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Misérables, Annie Get Your Gun, Hairspray, The Lion King, The Music Man, Miss Saigon, and Rent, to name a few. It also targets famous Broadway actors, writers, composers, directors, choreographers and producers, including Carol Channing, Kristin Chenoweth, Bob Fosse,Elton John, Jennifer Holliday, Mel Brooks, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Mary Martin, Michael Crawford, Idina Menzel,Ethel Merman, Ann Miller, Mandy Patinkin, Stephen Sondheim, Harvey Fierstein, Barbra Streisand and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Forbidden Broadway is a four-person show, with two men and two women that has run for over twenty-five years. Forbidden Broadway has released eleven albums, as well as one entitled Forbidden Hollywood, a cast album of the show of the same title by Alessandrini. Like Forbidden Broadway, Forbidden Hollywood is made up of parodies, except that it targets movies rather than musicals. The New York and Los Angeles based companies of both “Forbidden” incarnations have served as a workshop for rising talent to hone their skills. Alumni include Jason Alexander, Brad Oscar, singer/impressionist Christine Pedi, actor Bryan Batt (of AMC’s “Mad Men”), Spamalot’s Michael McGrath, Chloe Webb (Sid and Nancy), Ed Staudenmayer (Fame Becomes Me), Barbara Walsh (Company, Ragtime), Ann Morrison (Merrily We Roll Along, LoveMusik) and many more.

Until next time, keep dancing.

–Admiral Eo

Well folks, a new Peter Pan show has hit the stage (I think this is about the 4th Peter Pan Stage Show I have heard of) and it looks nothing short of amazing.

Thanks to “theaterinla.com” for the scoop! Here’s what they had to say:

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The tale of Peter Pan has been adapted many times including the Walt Disney animated film and a Broadway musical. However, it was not until this 2009 production, presented by threesixty entertainment, that a production was performed in London’s Kensington Gardens, where Barrie was first inspired to create him and where the original statue of Peter Pan has stood since 1912. This 21st century Peter Pan mixes history and magic in equal measure to present a Peter Pan story for adults and children alike.

In Costa Mesa, tickets to see Peter Pan start are $30 to $70. Premium ticket packages are also available, and include admission to the performance, drink voucher, souvenir brochure, Peter Pan audio book and Peter Pan memorabilia. Tickets go sale to the general public on Sunday, July 18. They will be available at OCPAC.org, at the Center’s Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling 714–556-2787.

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This looks spectacular, nothing short of amazing.

What do you guys think? Will you buy a ticket today?

–Admiral Eo

Ok, not sure what to say about this. An informant of mine sent me this link and I’ll just post what it said. If it’s true, what on earth is the world coming to?

————————— broadway world . com ————————–

Ray of Light Theatre (www.roltheatre.com), San Francisco’s inimitable non-profit musical theatre company, is pleased to announce that the sensational, award-winning musical Jerry Springer the Opera will open its 2010–2011 10th Anniversary Season. This hilarious, crudely delightful yet heartbreaking operatic farce will rage beginning on September 10, 2010 at The Victoria Theatre in San Francisco’s Mission District — home of the company’s wildly successful and critically recognized productions of The Who’s Tommy in 2009 (winner of 6 BATCC Awards), The Rocky Horror Show in 2008 (nominated for 5 BATCC Awards), as well as Bat Boy: The Musical in 2005 (named a Top 10 show of the year by The SF Bay Guardian).

Ray of Light is among a select few theatre companies across the United States to be granted permission to produce this work and is proud to be present its WEST COAST PREMIERE!

The only work in British history to win all of their Best Musical awards: Olivier Awards, Critic’s Choice, Evening Standard, and What’s On Stage — along with many others; Jerry Springer the Opera is a fascinating mix of the highest form of art and the lowest form of culture — opera and daytime television.

————————— broadway world . com ————————–

Well, there you have it. This might be one of the worst ideas ever but I guess it could make a ton of money.

Only time will tell.

–Admiral Eo

Ok, here’s the deal. This play is kinda amazing and I am waiting patiently for the day when I can go see it. Hopefully with Alfred Molina in it. I know what your thinking, what is RED about?

It is the late 1950s and Mark Rothko, the famous Abstract Expressionist painter, is at a crossroads in his career. Intellectual, controlling and often bombastic, Rothko is at work on a surprising (and very well-paid) commission: a series of murals to hang at the Four Seasons restaurant in Midtown Manhattan’s Seagram’s Building. The play takes place in Rothko’s studio, where he works with the help of a smart, young assistant. The action follows the artist’s struggle for integrity and understanding in the face of fame, self-questioning and impending irrelevance. Will his paintings survive in a place that represents everything—greed, commercialism, bourgeois comfort—he detests?

Here’s what the people have to say that have seen it:

” So intense. An electrifying play! Molina turns in a robust portrait of the artist as a man of fierce intelligence and ferocious drive. Redmayne is admirably cool and subtle.” — Marilyn Stasio

“Finally a truly intelligent play on Broadway! Red is a compelling example of how a thinking theater can simultaneously entertain and educate. Molina and Redmayne are superb.” — John Simon

“A fresh, exciting portrait of a brilliant mind. The dauntless Mr. Molina gives his strongest Broadway performance to date. Possessiveness and perplexity glitter in his eyes like a fever. Mr. Redmayne’s Ken has a spine and a mind of his own, and you can feel both growing stronger throughout the play. Mr. Grandage is a canny craftsman of the theater, and he makes sure that the play’s intellectual arguments are sensually grounded.” — Ben Brantley

More to come about this new play as more details emerge.

–Admiral Eo

This week I look into a new musical with a sense of nostalgia to the original form of stage musical. It’s a return for broadway leaving the more contemporary rock shows to the classics such as “West Side Story” or “A White Christmas”.

A BRIEF MUSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Come Fly Away combines the seductive vocals of Frank Sinatra with the sizzling sound of a live 19-piece big band and the visceral thrill of Twyla Tharp’s choreography. Fifteen of the world’s best dancers tell the story of four couples falling in and out of love at a swinging nightclub on a sultry summer night, set to a score of beloved Sinatra classics including “The Summer Wind,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “One for My Baby,” “My Way,” “Theme from New York, New York,” and “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

Theirs no doubt that this musical would be a hit since it was directed by Twyla Tharp who is known to create spectacles on stage. One of her most famouse works on broadway was the song titled show “Moving Out” which was a musical told only in dance using the stunning music created by Billy joel.

Other works by Twyla Tharp include “Singing in the Rain” and “Hair”. Here’s the big question, should you see it? Well to be honest, I have not seen it yet but I do plan on a trip to New York very soon and I will definitely be checking it out. Curious though, do you guys think Sinatra music would be a good  choice for live theater?

–Admiral Eo