S.T.A.G.E.
And so, S.T.A.G.E. 2006, is over!
Here is the always fantastic Bruce Vilanch, (Sans Beard...) doing the number he was going to do with Marissa Jaret Winoker, of whom he announced to the audience...
"I was supposed to do this song with Marissa Jaret Winoker, but she got a Pilot, Bitch!!!" which brought downthe house, needless to say...The song was, "And I can Cook, Too" from the stage production of "On The Town" music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Comden & Green our 2006 Honorees.
Everything Bruce said brought the house down...including all the 'Brokeback Mountain' jokes that, as he said, "....couldn't be used on the Academy Awards!"....(where he is one of the top writers each year, including this year....). And later, during intermission, he helped to auction off the things in the "live" auction, and as always, he was a superalative auctioner and had the audience rolling in the aisles...I could hear everything he said over the phone, at the Sunday performance when I was bidding....He is the nicest dearest man!
Here is a really wonderful picture of my dear friend and co-hort, Betty Garrett, who always brings the house down. Audiences love her and rightfully so...she brings everything about her persona to her performances....her loving sweetness; her realness; her talent; her optimism---at almost 87 she is the most optimistic person I know---and this year was no different. I recieved a number if emails and 'snail mail' notes from people and all of them said her number in the show was THE Highlight! She brings so much heart as well as talent to all she does...this year was even more so, because of ALL the performers in the show, Betty knew and had known Comden & Green, longer than anyone else. So much theatrical and film history here....
This next photograph is of an actress/singer named Ann Morrison.
She opened the second act walking through 'the house' and coming up on the stage from the house singing "The Usher From The Mezzanine" from the Broadway Musical, 'Fade In - Fade Out'....this is a wonderful number and pretty self explanetory right there in the title, though many of you probably don't remember that time, back in the day, when uniformed people called 'ushers' actually showed us to our seats in those big big movie palaces, like Radio City Music Hall, in New York City....Yup! Those were the days...
"Fade In - Fade Out" was all about 'the movies'....And when you consider that Comden & Green wrote the Screenplay for probably the best musical ever made about movies, "Singin' In The Rain", it's not exactly strange that they would write a Broadway musical about the movies, as well....and come to think of it, they wrote two Broadway shows about 'moving pictures', as they were known, when you consider "On The Twentieth Century"....They wrote 9 (nine) Broadway shows with composer Jule Styne. They wrote 9 (nine) Screenplays for films; and they wrote two Broadway shows with Leonard Bernstein and two Broadway shows with Cy Coleman, plus more! Their body of work is fantastic, to say the least....they were writing all through the Golden Age of Theatre, and films....and so very many songs that they wrote are what we call 'standards' even now. To name just one, "The Party's Over" from 'Bells Are Ringing'....
Here is a photo of Seth Hampton & Adam Wylie doing the Tap number called "Moses" from 'Singin' In The Rain'...
the number that Gene Kelly & Donald O'Conner did in the film....This, too was a huge favorite of our audience. There is something about Tap Dancing, isn't there? I saw it on Thursday night at the Dress Rehearsal, (though these two guys did not have their costumes on, at the time) and was knocked out by their fabulous talent! Then when I saw the Archival Tape of the Saturday night performance...(now of course, they did have their costumes on...) it was an even more stunning performance. I just remembered that when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer auctioned off much of their history, back in May of 1970...it was a very sad week to anyone who grew up during that great great studio's Golden Age...MGM was always known as "The Dream Factory and the famous line of Louis B. Mayor's (head of the studio for all those fabulous years), '.....more stars than there are in the heavens...'.....I went to MGM to that auction, which went on for many days....and while walking those deserted streets there, I saw Betty Comden & Adolph Green, walking, too....How sad was that for them, having worked there during it's Hay Day...(I'll write about the auctions in another post, sometime....)
Here's the fabulous Joanne Worley, doing a number from "On The Twentieth Century" called 'Repent'. Joanne is a fantastic performer...always grabbing the audience with her rather eccentric voice and her 'take no prisoners' stage persona...She was wonderful, as always! Another show stopping number...in fact, one of the great things about STAGE is that each time another performer comes out to do their one number, you think when they are done, 'well, no one can top that!'...and then the next person comes out and is even better than the last...We always have amazing amazing talent, thrilling talent, really.
Here is the sublime Valerie Pettiford. A beautiful woman and striking performer. She can do anything! Here she is singing, "Thanks A Lot But No Thanks" from the film 'It's always Fair Weather'. Valerie is a S.T.A.G.E. Favorite, having done our show six times, now. Valerie was a principal in 'Dancin' and in 'Fosse' both on Broadway...she has also done films and lots of television and is currently in the UPN show, "Half & Half". A Singer/Actress/Dancer...triple threat, as they say...and as nice as she is talented!
And here is the very exciting John Bisom, in "The Will Rogers Follies", repeating his Broadway title roll...with the 'girls' of the chorus. This was a very impressive number and a very complex number and one which the audience absolutely went wild over at the Big Finish.
All of the performers had been in this show and the precision with which they executed the moves was astounding! It did not dissapoint....You may recall I had taken a photo at the Thursday night dress, and it was a pretty good photo, but this is one fantastically exciting picture...Much thanks to Chris Kane, our official photographer for getting these to me so very quickly...I may try to post some more, as I get the rest from him.
So, all in all, I think this years Event was very very successful. Though we did not raise as much money as we did the year before, because the nature of fund raising has changed with the struggling economy. Statistically fund raising is down for all non profit's...sad to say. But we all feel we did the best we could and the audience certainly was pleased with the superlative show they witnessed. So S.T.A.G.E. 2006, our 22nd year, is history, and it is being put to bed as I write this....(of course, this will take many weeks to be completely finished....).
Everyone is tired, but a 'good' tired, and everyone feels good about another job well done! Of course we hope that next year we will be able to raise more money and the 2007 show is already in the works, so to speak. Being a part of this truly exciting and very meaningful event is important to me...it makes me feel that I am doing something to help many many people who would not get this help without what we do...and I think I can say that without a doubt, all of us connected to S.T.A.G.E. feel this way. So, we all look forward to next year, with hope and with a renewed committment to raise as much money as is humanly possible...Thanks to all of you dear wonderful blog buddies for your caring interest and your loving support, especially Panthergirl...you are 'The Best'!
Now, if Blogger will just let me Post this....
A VERY HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY TO ONE AND ALL....I LOVE THIS IRISH BLESSING AND EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT IRISH MYSELF, I DEARLY APPRECIATE ALL THE SENTIMENTS INVOKED HERE-IN....HAVE A LOVELY LOVELY GREEN DAY, MY DEAR BLOG PALS....
AND NOW.....
UNCONCIOUS
MUTTERINGS
Here's a list, or Meme, if you will....I don't even remember all the blogs I saw this on...But I thought it would be fun to do...something like being on a Therapists Couch and doing 'word association'....(Oh, yeah...not 'like it'...it IS it! (lol) well, I haven't had time to do much else because of S.T.A.G.E.)
Anyway, here are my Unconcious Mutterings...
1. Long distance:: Call...or...Too Far Away
2. Meant to be:: Born
3. Here:: And Now
4. Endless:: Sobbing...the name of a TV Soap Opera that would be fun to write...
5. Resentment:: Not a good feeling...
6. Insipid:: Stupid Sorry Simp
7. Bunny:: Rabbitt, Fur, & ".....Lake is Missing"
8. Slogan:: "If It's From Best's, It Last's"
9. Naked:: ...as a Jaybird...(however naked that might be...)
10. Sarcasm:: mean and angry masquarding as humor...Most of the time..
Now, it's your turn to do this if you feel like it!
I saw this on YellowRose's blog, and thought it might be fun to do, and it was! I don't think you are supposed to write as much as I did, but...I couldn't help myself....
THE RULES:
1. Choose a search engine (I use Google, mostly) and click on "Images".
2. Choose 5 random blogfriends (Or not so random, your choice)
3. Think of a word that you feel best describes your blogfriend
4. Do an IMAGE SEARCH on that word.
5. Pick the image that best fits your pal and post it.
Okay. So I need to do a little explaining...I found it hard to pick 'one word', but I did, though I don't think one word fully describes anyone!
So, here are my coices today:
Yellowrose - "Angel"
I think YellowRose has an Angel's Heart and I loved this picture, because it encomposed the 'angel' and the 'heart'...So, it certainly gives you an aspect of this delightful blog pal.
Panthergirl - "Activist"
Panthergirl is an activist, among many other things...fighting for the rights and lives of a special breed of dogs, The Greyhound, and in particular Greyhound Rescue & Rehabilitation....plus giving generously of her time and money to other worthy causes....Brava Panthergirl....
Sonia - "Music"
Sonia loves the music of her country, (and so do I)...Brazil...and she generously shares this with some of her blogfriends. (like me...thank you dear Sonia....) Of course, like everyone else this one word doesn't fully tell you everything about Sonia in any way, shape or form...it's just one aspect of her many faceted and multi-dimensional persona....
Plumbkrazee - "Caring"
As with each of my other pals that I chose today, this one word--'caring'-- doesn't really cover everything there is about PK, but it's one of the things that stands out in my mind. She cares a great deal about many many things, and acts on that feeling all the time. If I was in some kind of trouble, I'd want her on my side, for sure.
And, last but not least by any means...
Chickie - "Funny"
Dear Chickie has, among many many other wonderful attributes, a great sense of humor! And, I think that she would think this is funny! I know I do, and even though it's a rather gross exageration (That's what makes it funny to me....). It speaks volumes, and so does Chickie.
This really is a very 'fun' thing to do. So if you do decide to do it, let me know and I'll link you!
And do go visit all these lovely pals if you don't already do so. I think you will enjoy each and every one of them for different reasons...And there is one thing they all have in common BTW, they are wonderful terrific women!
**On a sad note, the superlative actress, Maureen Stapleton died yesterday. 
She was one of a handful of truly great theatre actresses of that Golden Age Of Broadway...Kim Stanley, Geraldine Page, Colleen Dewhurst, and Maureen Stapleton....the last of these four brilliant ladies and now, she too, is gone. I saw them all, I'm glad to say, and I even had the privilage of having Maureen S. at a small dinner party here on the hill, many years ago. She was a very very dear friend of another wonderful actress, Norma Crane, who was a very good friend of mine, too...(Norma died much too young at the age of 43, and all who knew her were devistated by her loss, Maureen, at the top of that list....)
Mauren Stapleton had a fantastic career having played Broadway, done Movies and Television and having won an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy...She worked with all the great writers, (Including starring in three Original Broadway Productions of Tennessee Williams plays. Also starring in Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite"--playing all three women's roles on Broadway, just to touch on a few). She was one of our greatest actresses and a very warm and witty woman, too. A standing ovation for this superb talent, whose voice is now stilled.You will be greatly missed**
S.T.A.G.E.
(continued)
When we are lucky enough, each year we try to get what we call a "Musical Quote"...similar to the one in the photograph...(this was actually a Birthday Gift to me from Betty G. when she was in "FOLLIES" back in 2001, cause she knows how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE, Stephen Sondheim. I love that he not only wrote out the music and the lyrics, but also said. 'from Steve (Sondhein, that is)' like we are good friends, or like I wouldn't know it was Sondheim....this genius of our time....this is a true treasure to me....).The song is from "Follies" and it is, 'Loosing My Mind'...
So, this year we have three of these kinds of original 'Musical Quotes from Jerry Herman...composer & lyricist of "Hello, Dolly", "Mame" and "La Cage Au Folles" to name just a few.....And, we also have a Musical Quote from Harvey Shmidt, one of the composers of "The Fantastics", and it is a gorgeous piece, framed beautifully too, by Los Angeles Preniere Framer, Jerry Solomon...all this, BTW is donated including the framing...to be sold in the live auction...and this particular one which is that beautiful beautiful song, "Try To Remember" is something I would LOVE to own...so, they are going to call me from the show at the end of intermission when they do the 'live' auction inside the theatre itself, so I can bid over the phone.....exciting....of course, whoever gets it will be incredibly lucky, and all the money goes to the charity, of course...
I would have scanned it into my computer but it was too big what with the frame and all to go on my scanner....but, IF I'm lucky enough to get it, I'll take a photograph of it so you can see it....these are treasures, to me and if you are a collector of things, which I am, especially Theatre Memorabelia...these, like the Sondheim, these are things that one must have!!! I hope I can afford to get it!!! (We'll see....)...They should be calling me somewhere btween 4:30 and 5pm....
I'll update you later this afternoon...
**Update: I din't get it! Drat! It went to high for me...but THAT'S good for The Charity...I have never been able to get one of these things during the Auctions over these last 10 years we've been doing the "Live" Auctions...so, I'm even more grateful to Betty and Sondheim for the one that I have...and that it actually says 'To Naomi'...that makes it even sweeter...!
Mark Cherry, of Desperate Housewives, came to the Event this year and donated three signed scripts of The Pilot Episode, plus a Visit To The Set, and Lunch with Denton...(Fabulous.....) Todays Visit and Lunch went for $800. Someone got a real bargain...We also had Two Tix to "The American Idol Final" that went for $1000. (another bargain....) and the piece I wanted went for $1,500. So...this is all to the good...that's why we do this event; To Raise Money.
More Later....** (5:22pm, Sunday)
S.T.A.G.E.
This was taken at the Dress Rehearsal on Thursday night....And this is Linda Michele and she has been in 21 of the 22 years of the STAGE Benefit...Linda has a beautiful Soprano voice...
So, I snuck in, (with our Directors knowledge,) and went up into the first row of the balcony, where there were no people...(my health issues, you know..) I had taken my camera with me and got a few shots...some good, some not so good, but fun anyway...
Today (Friday) I recorded my opening remarks to be played at the top of the show at each performance when Betty G. and I would normally be coming out together....Betty came up to visit me in the balcony Thursday night and that was fun...I got a very strange interesting picture of her...a triple image, sort of, when she was doing her numbers. She sang two songs of Comden & Green, having been in two films which they wrote the lyrics for...
and they showed film clips of those two films behind her as she sang...both clips were with Frank Sinatra...one from "On The Town" and one from "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"....here is this mysterious photograph....it's not a great picture by any means...(not enough light on her for my camera) but I just thought it was so interesting I couldn't delete it....
I did take quite a few photographs that I ended up deleting because they just weren't good at all....at times like this I wish I had a better camera and also a longer lens! There were any number of shots that would have been really terrific....but....(Aren't you glad I'm telling you about all these 'might-have-been-shots?...) And if I had been closer to the stage, like from the orchestra, I think I would have had more light to work with....But, given that...here are a couple of more shots.
This handsome young man is a fantastic performer named Kevin Earley. He is so incredibly talented...one of those voices that literally send shivers down your spine...and he ain't bad to look at either!
He has numerous Broadway credits including "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Les Miz" ...He did the National tour of 'Les Miz', and has appeared in numerous musical shows here in Los Angeles. Last year was his first year with S.T.A.G.E. and we are thrilled to have him back with us again this year...Here he is as one of the three sailors in "On The Town"...singing, "Lonely Town"....a heartbreakingly beautiful song which he did magnificently.....
This is another 'good' shot....Tami Tappen Damiano...playing Eileen, in "Wonderful Town" adapted from the film "My Sister Eileen"...
this was a wonderful show and another one of the great Broadway shows I was lucky enough to see in it's Original incarnation with Rosalind Russell, Edie Adams and the powerful gorgeous Baritone 'tones' of George Gaynes...In this shot, Tami is doing the 'Conga' number with The Fleet. This show takes place in New York City in the Greenwich Village area, and it is the 1940's. This is such a fun show....I'm not sure how often this is revived but it should be done all the time because it has great parts for both women & men...One of the other films that Betty made later on with Jack Lemmon and Janet Leigh and a young Bob Fosse, was the musical version of "My Sister Eileen", but not 'Wonderful Town'. Another score by different composers...I think it's one of the first times a film was adapted into a musical for the stage and then adapted again, for films as a musical, but with an entirely different score. And, it was originally a book, if memory serves!
Here's one more photo and then I have to go to bed....I need my ZZZzzzzzzz's, you know? This number is from "The Will Rogers Follies" and this was a pretty colorful and complicated number with terrific choreography....And here it is!
It was wonderful to see some of the Dress Rehearsal....and see some of my cohorts, too....I so wish I could actually be there for the performances but it's just too many people for my lungs...So, I will be thrilled to see the Archival tape and just being there for that rehearsal lifted my spirits no end....
One down, and two more to go....
More to come....
**Update: I just got off the phone with Bert C. a man that has been a “volunteer” on this event for as long as I can remember. He runs our Merchandise Tables…T-Shirts, Mugs, CD’s, etc…he gets no applause or recognition of any kind. And he brings a whole crew of people with him who are ALL volunteers too, and some of them have been working this event almost as long as he has…(a couple of them work the Green Room set-up…Food for the Cast & Crew, etc., etc.…)
Bert has a regular “Job-Job” in New York City. He flies out at his own expense, stays from Friday to Sunday and works ALL three shows and then flies back to New York on Sunday night….THAT’S true dedication to ‘The Cause’.
We thank you dear Bert, (And your hearty Crew, Too…) with all our hearts for once again giving so very generously of your time and your expertise!** (12:36pm)
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