Clay Aiken – Irene Closes Broadway!

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)
Sunday, August 28th, 2011

People throughout the world have been watching with concern as Hurricane Irene has hit the East coast of the United States.  CNN has been on my TV for many hours today.  I watched as Irene hit the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a place I visited with 3 Clay Aiken fans.

Now, I am watching as Hurricane Irene makes its way to New York City, another place I have visited with Clay friends.

Hurricane Irene prompted the cancellation of all Broadway musicals and plays for Saturday and Sunday.  This included performances of  “Zarkana” by Cirque du Soleil at Radio City Music Hall and Lincoln Center Theater’s “War Horse.”

Since New York’s extensive public-transportation system of subways, buses and ferries shut down, it would have made it almost impossible for many patrons to get to theaters.

I feel sorry for the poor ticket holders to shows such as Book of Mormon, sold out for months and months.  Will they ever get to see the show?

The cast and crew of the long-running production of “Chicago” will have to delay their celebration. According to Playbill.com, the Tony-winning Broadway revival of Chicago would have become the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history at the Saturday matinee, surpassing the run of A Chorus Line with a total of 6,138 performances.  Now, that milestone will be delayed until the Monday, Aug. 29, performance.

This is the first time Broadway has shut down for an emergency since the blackout in 2003.

Many of Clay Aiken’s fans were able to see him on Broadway when he starred in Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre in Broadway.  I keep thinking how disappointed I would be if I had flown to New York to see Clay and the show was cancelled…a real “bummer”.

Yollie950 put together a wonderful video of the highlights of Clay’s performance in Spamalot.  Even though I have seen this before, I had so much fun laughing at Clay’s amazing performance on Broadway.  Be sure and click on the video.  It is the perfect way to relax and laugh at a time when laughter is difficult.

CANN sends out positive thoughts to each of you who are facing the effects of Hurricane Irene.  I hope you are safe and sound!!

Are you OK??

 

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Clay Aiken – Enjoy Each Others Company

By musicfan123 · Comments (9)
Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Today I am writing the first of a series of articles entitled: Where Are They Now?  I plan on looking up some of the people that have performed with Clay Aiken and sharing what they are doing now. How many articles will be in the series depends of a lot of things:

  1. How long we go before we get up-to-date news about Clay
  2. If readers like or dislike the idea
  3. Up-to-date information is available to write an article.

So…here we go!!

Do you remember the song, Whatever Happened To My Part (The Diva’s Lament)?  I will never forget hearing that song at the Shubert Theatre in New York when Hannah Waddingham took to the stage during Act II of Spamalot.  Yes, the character had been on stage during Act I, but this song was a highlight and really showed the power and musicality of Hannah.  The role was not new to Hannah.  She originated the role in London and received an Olivier Award nomination for her efforts.

When Hannah left Spamalot in New York, she returned to her home in London and has been busy the entire time.

On November 22, 2008, Hannah Waddingham starred as Desiree in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory. The production started out at a small theatre, but was so popular, it moved to a larger theatre.  Hannah received amazing reviews from all the critics and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2010 as nest actress in a musical or entertainment for her performance in A Little Night Music.

During August and September of 2010, Waddingham portrayed The Witch in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods at London’s Regent Park Open Air Theatre.

I was lucky enough to see The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Regent Park Open Air Theatre a number of years ago.  It was an amazing experience even though my mother, sister and I sat in Trash bags in the rain so we wouldn’t miss a minute of the play.

Again, Hannah received rave reviews for her performance of the Witch and it took hours for her to get into her make-up and costume!

Currently, Hannah is starring as The Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch in the new Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz.

According to Broadway World:

“We’re off to see…”

The most magical adventure of them all.

Follow the yellow brick road over the rainbow and into The London Palladium, the capital’s home of the family musical.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all time classic, totally reconceived for the stage by the award-winning creative team that delighted audiences of all ages with their recent London Palladium revival of The Sound of Music.

Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay this new production contains all the much-loved songs from the Oscar winning movie score, all the favourite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their heart’s desires. Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for all the family.

Again, Hannah is receiving rave reviews for her role in The Wizard of Oz.  This talented lady seems to fit into whatever role she tackles.  At this time, Hannah is scheduled to leave The Wizard of Oz in about 2 weeks.  I hope she has a chance to take a vacation and relax for a few weeks.

It was obvious that Clay and Hannah enjoyed each others company and became good friends.  It has been reported that Clay has visited Hannah in London.  I would think that they would have a great time talking about the “business” and I bet that they would help each other when needed!

I have the recording of Clay and Hannah singing David Foster’s The Prayer at The Easter Bonnet Competition.  It is amazing, even with the laughter for the roller skater!

Hannah has certainly had a successful career on both the stage and on the screen, and her current role will  surely raise her profile even further. Watch out at the next awards ceremony!

I am including two videos of Hannah.   The first is the amazing performance of The Prayer with Clay Aiken.  The second is the sjow stopping song that Hannah performs in The wizard of Oz.

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Clay Aiken – Emergence To The Stage

By musicfan123 · Comments (18)
Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Making An Entrance:  commonly refers to entrances that are particularly prominent or attention-grabbing.

Certainly, Clay Aiken knows how to make an entrance.  Whether it is an entrance to the stage on a TV show, the entrance from the back of the arena as he opened the show singing Kyrie, or just the stance that was so professionally lit at the beginning of his PBS special, Clay always puts that attention-getting spark into his emergence to the stage!

The following are a few of Clay’s arrivals to the stage.  Which one is your favorite?

#1 American Idol Tour - Raleigh

#2 Tour Entrance from "The Mother Ship"

#3 Today Show - 5-9-08

#4 PBS Special

#5 The View 6-2-10

#1

#6 The View - 5-8-08

#2 Rachel Ray 5-26-08

#7 Rachel Ray 5-26-08

#3

#8 Kimmel - 5-16-08

#4

#9 Tyra Banks - 11-22-06

#5

#10 - Kimmel 2-14-07

#11 Spamalot 2008

#12 Saturday Night Live 2-7-04

[poll id="3"]
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Clay Aiken – All The World’s A Stage

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

“All the world’s a stage

and all the men and women merely players:

they have their exits and entrances

and one man in his time plays many parts…”

…William Shakespeare

Last night, I found an interesting article by Arlene Schulman.  Arlene has over 25 years of theatrical experience in NYC and NJ.  She has directed many shows and has a passion for Shakespeare.  I thought her information about Broadway actors was interesting

A Broadway actor is one who works on Broadway.  There are very, very few of these.  Broadway is a very small community with very few jobs that thousands of actors want.  The way to become a Broadway actor – especially in musical theatre – is to:
1) work your tail off studying acting, voice and dance – only the very best get the chance to play Broadway;
2) work in lots of small professional and regional theatres outside NYC to earn your Equity card (Broadway does not hire non-Equity actors);
3) climb over everyone you know – Broadway is about business and status and prestige – it is a cutthroat business;
4) audition constantly – waiting all day for cattle calls were you get seen for 1 minute;
5) act in lots of unpaid NYC showcases in the hopes that you will be able to come to the attention of an agent who will want to represent you – most Broadway leads and supporting roles are cast by audition subnission by agents and are seldom available to unrepresented actors;
6) be prepared for years of rejection and disappointment – with thousands of actors auditioning for each role, many of which are precast anyway, the odds of getting cast are minimal and the more you are seen the better your chances;
7) network constantly all over NYC – getting cast in NYC is about who you know;
8) and be sure to find a good day job – living in NYC is very, very expensive and unless you are doing Broadway or Off-Broadway, most NYC theatre is unpaid or, at best, very minimally paid.

Acting, like any other profession – and more than most, requires in-depth training.  And if you want a career in musical theatre then you must study acting, singing and dance.  There was a time when a singer could take a lead in a Broadway musical, but more and more musicals require even the leads to be triple threats…And even more so for those not the leads.

If you are a professional, well-trained actor/singer it is possible to get musical roles without formal dance training, but you must be able to move well on stage – and that means more than just being able to walk gracefully.  It means that you can learn dance moves, that you are familiar with the basic dance steps, that you can look like you are doing more complicated moves without actually dancing.  But the more dance training you have, the more roles you will be eligible for.  And if all you want to do is musical theatre, then you better be sure that you can do any role they throw at you, or you will never earn enough to eat.

Even actors who aim for all theatre, and film and tv as well, have no financial security.  Less than 2% of all professional union actors are making a living as an actor.  Most are working at day jobs while they pursue their acting career, and the unemployment rate in the acting community is over 95%!  So if you are going to limit yourself to just a tiny portion of the acting field – musical theatre – then you better be sure that you are exceptionally talented, exceptionally well-trained, and able to do every part of your craft.

As far as how long to take acting and voice lessons – the simple answer is, that if you want to do this as a career, you will be taking voice and acting classes all your life.

Remember, acting is one of the most difficult professions there is .

When I read this, I thought of the talented Mr. Aiken who starred on Broadway and wowed the Broadway World.  Yes…..he is very talented!!

The remarkable SueReu put together another wonderful video.  Part 5 of her Clay Aiken – A Retrospective,  features Clay and his many performances on Broadway.

Thank you, Sue, for another wonderful video.

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Clay Aiken – All Is Well

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

If you are reading this, Congrats!  You have survived the Rapture!  The world didn’t come to an end.  It is Sunday and life couldn’t be sweeter.

I don’t know about you, but I was enjoying a pleasant meal with my husband Saturday evening and didn’t even realize when 6pm came and went!  Instead of waiting and watching for the end, I decided to just live in the now and enjoy life.

I thought a lot about Clay Aiken performances that might make sense as we look back to Saturday… We can celebrate the fact that we survived!

Joy Behar suggested “Looks Like We Made It” by Barry Manilow… well I want Clay songs!!

How about Ashes?  I thought we were all supposed to go up in ashes!!


Of course the song that makes the most sense…I’m Not Dead Yet!


But…at the end… ALL IS WELL!


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Clay Aiken – Fast Facts About Spamalot

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

As most of you know, Clay Aiken made his first starring role on Broadway, playing Sir Robin in the quirky musical, Spamalot. Clay’s first run in the show was from January 18 to May 4, 2008.  After taking the summer off, Clay returned to the show and played the show from September 19, 2008 to January 4, 2009.

Spamalot is the hilarious musical adaptation of the classic 1975 film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. Eric Idle who was an original Monty Python cast member created the Broadway musical comedy, Spamalot. Spamalot premiered on Broadway in 2005. The show won a Tony Award for best musical in 2005. Spamalot played more than 1400 shows during its run on Broadway before it finally closed its doors to go on tour in January 2009.

The following is a list of some of the interesting facts about the show.

  • “Spamalot” uses 40 wireless microphones, consumes more than 2,500 AAA batteries per month, runs more than 1 mile of cable and uses custom-built lasers to aim the speakers in each house.
  • Among the props is a cow that weighs 45 pounds and it takes two stagehands to catapult it over the castle.
  • Spamalot uses approximately 40 coconuts per month, supplied by the Coconut King in Florida.
  • The “Feet of God” weighs 1,700 pounds.
  • It takes more than 80 people on stage and off to run each performance.
  • The Electrics Department uses six tanks of liquid carbon dioxide per week to create the low-ground fog effect and uses eight fire extinguishers per week for the Feet of God “blast off” effect.
  • Six pounds of confetti are used at each performance.
  • The orchestra uses a Spama-horn, an instrument specially developed for and used only in “Spamalot.”
  • There are more than 100 wigs (including facial hair) in the show, all hand-tied and made of human hair, yak hair and synthetics supplied from New York, California and London.
  • The mud make-up is a formula specially designed for “Spamalot.”
  • The poorest peasants’ costumes in the show are actually made of raw silk.
  • Three feet of “blood” has to be ironed prior to each performance.
  • There are more than 100 undergarments in the show, including 30 pairs of men’s fishnets and 56 codpieces.
  • The Lady of the Lake’s costumes are all comprised of hand-strung glass beads.
  • The costumes are not only made of a wide variety of fabrics, but many are made of molded ABS plastics, and even nuts and bolts. You are as likely to see a costumer with power tools as you are a sewing machine.

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Clay Aiken – Still Teaching Us All

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)
Saturday, May 14th, 2011

My world has grown so much because I am a fan of Clay Aiken.  I have learned so much about the music business, the pros and cons of being a celebrity, the importance of  “People First” Language, and the fight for equality for all.  I feel comfortable visiting Raleigh, North Carolina, New York City and other cities and know that even if I travel alone, I will always be with friends . I know more about The National Inclusion Project, GLAAD, GLSEN, GIVE A DAMN, UNICEF and BC/EFA.

I remember learning about BC/EFA in 2008.  Clay Aiken was in the middle of his run in Spamalot and worked hard to earn money for the event.  I remember seeing the line-up of fans that donated money to have their pictures taken with Clay and the other cast members.  Clay let his fans know he wanted Spamalot to win, but 2nd place seems to be Clay’s spot! The competition raised a record 3.7 million dollars that year.

The 25th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition was held this year on April 26th.  There were two star-studded, sold-out shows that featured hilarious original skits and songs, amazing dance numbers and, of course, extravagantly elaborate, custom-made bonnets from 17 of the participating productions.

The show started with an exciting Glee-inspired original opening number.  There were the  “Broadway Gleeks” and the “Cheerios,” along with Broadway’s version of Mr. Shue and Coach Sue.  The stage was filled with more than two dozen dancers and singers.  The talented cast battled against each other and their different musical styles.

The multi-talented Ben Cohn directed, arranged and orchestrated the opening number while Shea Sullivan served as the director.

In April, Christopher Sieber was co-star of the current La Cage aux Folles.  In a moving presentation, he shared the history of the Easter Bonnet Competition.

The first Easter Bonnet Competition was presented on the Saturday of Easter week in 1987 by the original cast of La Cage aux Folles between shows at the Palace Theatre. Ten Broadway shows created bonnets that were displayed in the lobby. A few hundred folks paid a dollar to attend and voted for their favorites by stuffing dollar bills into jars representing each show. They raised $17,138. It was an amazing accomplishment.  Sieber said:

Touched personally by the AIDS crisis, the company attacked the fear, the misinformation, and the panic with humor, style and grace.

This year, fifty-two Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies spent six weeks, working to raise the most money for BC/EFA.  They combined audience contributions, memorabilia sales, and exclusive auctions to raise $3,706,085.  The grand total raised was announced by Harvey Fierstein, Sutton Foster, and Daniel Radcliffe.  They also presented awards to the top fundraising show that included:

  • Broadway:  Top Fund Fundraiser How to Succeed in Business…
  • National Touring Shows:  Top Fundraiser Wicked – Emerald City
  • Broadway Play: Top Fundraiser That Championship Season
  • Off-Broadway: Top Fundraiser Avenue Q

According to their website:

Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including The HIV/AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Actors Fund Work Program, The Dancers’ Resource, The Stage Managers’ Project and three supportive housing residences.

BC/EFA also awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

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Clay Aiken – Raising Money For A Worthy Cause

By musicfan123 · Comments (15)
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

I wish I were going to be in New York City for Easter.  If I were there, I would spend two more days in the city so that I could attend the 25th EASTER BONNET COMPETITION for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

The two-day event will be held April 25 at 4:30 pm and April 26 at 2 pm.  It will be presented at the Minskoff Theatre which is currently is the home of Disney’s The Lion King.

I would love to see the different Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring productions as they perform their special skits, songs and dances.  The highlight of the show is the presentation of their unique Easter bonnet that is created specially for the event.

Last year, the EASTER BONNET COMPETITION raised $3,265,700.  Each company has six weeks to put on an extensive fundraising drive.  Some of the shows offer pictures with stars, a walk-on role, or drinks with the cast.  Others rely on the generosity of their audiences and just ask for donations. Since 1987, the 24 editions of this highly anticipated annual event have brought in more than $42 million.

Last February, I had the opportunity to visit the office of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.  I had already been a supporter of the organization, but after learning more about their work and meeting so many caring individuals, I am now a huge fan of the charity.  Everyone at the office, from Tom Viola, the Executive Director, to Skip Lawing who I spoke to on the phone, treated me as a special guest and stopped to chat.  A special thanks to Dan Perry who was my guide for the day. To the left is the ad that CANN put in the Playbill program for Broadway Backwards. Remember, you can click on the picture to see it better.

According to their website:

Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including The HIV/AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Actors Fund Work Program, The Dancers’ Resource, The Stage Managers’ Project and three supportive housing residences.

BC/EFA also awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

I remember learning about BC/EFA in 2008.  Clay Aiken was in the middle of his run in Spamalot and worked hard to earn money for the event.  I remember seeing the line-up of fans that donated money to have their pictures taken with Clay and the other cast members.  Clay let his fans know he wanted Spamalot to win, but ..2nd place seems to be Clay’s spot! The competition raised a record 3.7 million dollars that year.

I found the following video of the 2008 EASTER BONNET COMPETITION on YouTube.  In all the fun and excitement, the vocals really do stand out!!

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It is not always about performance art, but about receiving positive energy from people with positive spirits. Sometimes we can see someone's spirit, and those are the people with great energy. Those are the people that get me through the day, especially on Broadway. -Clay Aiken

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