Why More Shows Need Sign Language

The revival of Spring Awakening closed in January, but fans and critics are still talking about it.

Producers decided to add American Sign Language to the show in order to give it another dimension. This was one of the best decisions anyone could have made.

Audiences were captivated by the new staging of the beloved musical and it easily sold out its short run on Broadway.

American Sign Language is a beautiful language and only enhanced the already beautiful show.

Spring Awakening tells the story of teenagers growing up in Germany in the 1800's experiencing their sexual awakening, hence the title of the show.

The original production, which opened on Broadway in 2006, was traditional in the sense that the actors sang, danced and acted throughout the show.

In the recent revival, there were many Deaf or Hard of Hearing actors so they had additional actors to play their voices as well as be a part of the onstage band.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing actors signed their lines and songs while the voices translated.

This production exposed audiences to the Deaf community and their culture as well as show them a beautiful show that deals with real-life issues such as young relationships and sexuality.

Critics raved about this show even before it landed on Broadway.  The new production was conceived in California and performed at Deaf West Theater.

People like to see their favorite shows reimagined into something completely new.  That is why adding sign language into Spring Awakening was so successful.

Other popular shows should recognize this and add it to their repertoire.

Break Legs,
Sydney

PLEASE Turn Off All Phones

Cell phones are taking over the theater.
Photo Credit: Movie Buzzers

Anyone who has seen a live show, whether it be Broadway, a tour or even a high school production, is told to turn their phones off and refrain from using them during the duration of the production.

I remember hearing this announcement multiple times when I was waiting behind the stage curtain, waiting to perform. But, of course, many people did not, which then affected the way our microphones and sound system worked.

Also, when I tried my hand at directing, I remember watching people from the balcony text and play games on their phones, and completely ignore the show. It's offensive, but even more heartbreaking.

Many people have now been caught in the audience of a Broadway show texting or even making phone calls, right in front of the performers.

It is downright rude and disrespectful and needs to stop.

Many Broadway stars have been very vocal against audience members who use their phones during a performance.

In the middle of the show Violet, Sutton Foster stopped the musical number and simply said "We'll wait" to an audience member on their phone.

Patti LuPone, the always vocal and vivacious performer, actually stopped the show to snatch a cell phone from a woman in the audience.

LuPone said that she was texting during the entire first act of her show, Shows for Days, and had had enough. An usher later returned the phone.

Even worse, during a performance of Hand to God, an audience member jumped onstage to try and charge his phone. 

This is just utterly ridiculous.

While our lives may revolve around our phones, the performers' lives revolve around the theater and whatever show they are in.

No audience member can even begin to comprehend the amount of work that goes into just one scene of a show. All that hard work is overshadowed when someone decides to just play on their phone during the performance.

I am happy that many performers are fighting back and voicing their anger, but they shouldn't have to.

Put your phone away for two hours and enjoy the show. I promise it won't kill you.

Break Legs,

Sydney

Why Sutton Foster is the Queen of Broadway

Sutton Foster is one of the most well-known names in the theater scene. I believe that she is the undisputed queen of Broadway and here is why.

1) She did her time in the ensemble

Foster didn't just walk onto Broadway in a starring role, like some other performers.  She played ensemble or small roles in musicals like The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie and Les Miserables.  It is almost as if she earned her stardom and worked her way up to leading role.

Foster played a maid and the Star-to-Be in Annie.
Photo Credit: SuttonFoster.com

2) She's a Dancing Fool

Foster is so talented at dancing, especially tap, that writers and producers will write in numbers just so that she can show off, like her extended dances in both Shrek The Musical and Anything Goes.

Foster tapped her way through the role of
Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes in 2011.
Photo Credit: Tumblr

3) She has won not one, but two Tony Awards

The Tony Award is the highest honor any stage actor can receive and Foster has two.  She won her first Tony for playing Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002 and won her second for playing Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes in 2011.

Foster won her first Tony Award in 2002.
Photo Credit: Broadway World

4) That Belt Though

Yes, Foster is an amazing dancer, but she also has a great set of pipes.  I have had the privilege to see her perform live in Violet on Broadway and she can easily switch from opera singing to belting without breaking a sweat.  Her voice allows her to play a multitude of characters, which has definitely helped her career.

5) She is just an all-around nice person

Foster is one of the realest and sweetest people on Broadway.  She participates in many charities and will always talk to her fans.  She is also not afraid to get silly and make fun of herself, something we all need to do a little more.

Foster shows off her silly side.
Photo Credit: GifSoup

Feel free to agree or disagree, but I wholeheartedly believe that Sutton Foster is the Queen of Broadway.

Break Legs,
Sydney

Why 'Grease Live!' is Still the Word

Grease Live! premiered on Jan. 31 on FOX.
Photo Credit: Variety

Fans are still reeling from Grease Live! last Sunday. With its star-studded cast, elaborate sets and a new take on the classic musical, fans were all over it. I think that FOX has given NBC a run for its money.

I was very excited when NBC announced in 2013 that they would do a live version of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood. My excitement waned as I watched it. The same thing happened with Peter Pan and even The Wiz.  For some reason, these productions seemed a little awkward and too focused on the big name cast as the star.

I was worried that FOX was going to ruin one of my favorite musicals and movies. I had full faith in the cast but I heard that they were going to re-write the script and add a new song along with adapting many others.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The cast was amazing and performed the show very well. The live audience was a great touch too, something NBC has not caught onto yet.

I remember watching each NBC live musical and cringing each time a joke was made or a big song ended and there was complete silence. It's weird and makes everyone at home feel awkward. FOX obviously observed this and added an audience to their cast.

One thing that these two networks do not have to fight over though is how they are exposing America to the gift that is live theatre. Many people cannot get to New York or afford to see shows whether they are in their community or on tour, so broadcasting them gives viewers the chance to experience the magic.

I did not love everything about Grease Live! though. I did not like Frenchy's new song. I understand why the producers added it to the show but it did not fit and it seemed to go on forever. It was a nice transition into "Beauty School Dropout," however I think the show could have just gone straight into the song.

There were also a lot of sound issues that an NBC musical never had. It was probably because of it was FOX's first time doing a musical, but these issues definitely took away from some of the big numbers of the show.

Grease Live! is my favorite live musical produced for television for many reasons. FOX outdid themselves with it and this is the first time that I actually want to but the DVD of the show.

2015-2016: The Season of Diversity on Broadway

While Broadway is nowhere near perfect as I have stated in previous posts, I do need to give time to cheer. 2015 could be called one of the most diverse years on Broadway in a very long time.

Shows like The Color Purple, On Your Feet, and Allegiance have opened audience's eyes up to different cultures all while uniting people through song and dance. I think that it is great that so much diversity, in its different shapes and forms, is on Broadway now.

The Color Purple tells the story of a battered African-American woman who finds independence. This musical features many African-American actresses as well as the hardships African-Americans faced in the 1930s. Audiences can see a story that many are not familiar with, told by strong African-American women.

On Your Feet is the story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan. The show is about how the Estefans met and how they combined their Cuban culture with American music and dance to become worldwide sensations. On Your Feet, like The Color Purple, introduces audiences to the struggles different cultures had to face in America, only, this time, it is about Hispanic-Americans.

Allegiance was inspired by George Takei's childhood during the Japanese-American internment during World War II. It follows a family who is relocated from California to Wyoming following Pearl Harbor. Once again, audiences can watch the hardships from the perspective of Japanese-Americans as they go through this horrible segregation. This production stars Takei as well as beloved Broadway actress Lea Salonga.

"Whether it's providential, coincidence, or meant to be, the fact is what's happening on Broadway is so diverse it is almost utopian," Salonga said in an interview with The New York Times.

The president of Broadway League, Charlotte St. Martin, also told The New York Times that this was the most diverse Broadway season in the last ten years.

As someone who believes that the theater can and should be used to educate and inform, the diversity on Broadway during the 2015-2016 season is doing just that. Audiences are exposed to different cultures and the varying hardships and struggles that will make them think and hopefully leave the theater wanting to know more.

I believe that Broadway definitely took a step in the right direction with the current season.

To read the full New York Times article featuring the stars of The Color Purple, On Your Feet and Allegiance, click here.






 

The Secret Wage Gap on Broadway

Sienna Miller starred as Sally Bowles
in Cabaret on Broadway in 2015.
Photo Credit: People Magazine

The Broadway community was shocked when actress Sienna Miller, who had just starred in Cabaret, announced that she quit a show aimed for Broadway because she learned that she would be paid less than her male co-star. As a big Broadway supporter, I was shocked and angered. How could a community that preaches acceptance and inclusion support something awful like the wage gap?

Miller was going to be in a two-person play that included her and just one male actor. They would have done the same exact work and have the same size role. As someone who once dreamed of a career on the stage and is now minoring in women and gender studies, I am very irritated.

It seems as if the wage gap is nothing shocking to anyone anymore although it is still a very big and current issue. I think it is ridiculous that I, a woman, have to worry about not getting paid the same a as man in my future career. How can anyone think that this is fair? The fact that this has most likely been occurring on Broadway for a while now is also heartbreaking.

In an interview with Playbill, Miller said that she "was offered less than half of what [her male costar] was going to paid."

Miller went on to say that it would have been a completely different situation had two men been in the show, rather than one man and one woman.

I have to agree with Miller. If the show starred two men, they would most likely be paid the same amount. For some reason, a woman is not allowed to share the stage with a man and be paid as equals.

When I was in high school, I was planning on making a career onstage and hopefully land on Broadway one day. I never for once thought that I could be paid less than a man onstage for doing the same amount of work. It makes me fear that no woman is safe from this act. It needs to change.

There is only one solution to this problem and it is not a hard one to put into motion. Pay all women the same as men for doing the same work. This applies to all careers, but maybe Broadway can fix the mistake first and set off a chain reaction.

To read the full Playbill article, click here.

Hamilton and Diversity

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and
stars in Broadway's Hamilton.Photo Credit: Denver Center

Hamilton is Broadway's biggest hit with tickets sold out from now until October. This show tells the story of one of America's Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton has already changed the way audiences view history in that the casting directors used colorblind casting. They looked past an actor or actress' race or ethnicity that would have hindered them in portraying a character. For example, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is Hispanic, plays Alexander Hamilton and Leslie Odom Jr., who is African-American, portrays Aaron Burr.

The show has garnered much success with ticket sales already reaching $40 million, according to Playbill Vault. If a show can tell a traditionally "white" story with mixed races and still be successful then why aren't other show following suit?

Broadway has been upheld as a community that accepts everyone, but for some reason there has been a high number of shows in the past where there is little to no diversity in the cast. It is hard for me, who has followed theatre for years, to think of more than one live Broadway show that used colorblind casting.

 The Little Mermaid swam onto Broadway in 2008 and was a smash hit. Families flocked to its theatre to see one of their children's favorite movies. Everyone enjoyed the hit songs, colorful sets and elaborate costumes.  But no one ever mentioned how diverse the cast was which I believe was another reason the show did so well. Many of the lead characters, who were portrayed as white in the movie, were played by African-American actors and actresses. Many people, including me, can appreciate showing the diversity and how it added an extra element to the production.

Not only has Hamilton taken strides to create a diverse show and experience, its writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, announced that he would love to have women portray the male roles in his show, according to USA Today.

I feel that as long as the story gets told and its impact is felt, it should not matter if the traditionally and historically white and/or male roles are played by actors of that race or gender.

I have the feeling that Hamilton has paved the way for many more shows and productions to use colorblind and gender-blind casting.