http://www.playbill.com/news/article/95531.html
Renters, McDonald, Wilson, More Sing Elvis Costello in "Brilliant Mistake" Concert, Oct. 31
By Ernio Hernandez
06 Oct 2005
Broadway stars Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Audra McDonald, Mario Cantone, Alan Cumming, Sherie Rene Scott, Norbert Leo Butz, Molly Ringwald, Patrick Wilson, Raul Esparza, Eden Espinosa and more will take part in a Halloween night concert of Elvis Costello songs.
"Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello" will perform for one night only, Oct. 31, starting at 8 PM, at John Jay College's Gerald L. Lynch Theater. Proceeds from the concert benefit Friends In Deed, a crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends.
Avenue Q and Rent's Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller produces the event directed by Jason Eagan. Tom Kitt provides musical direction and arrangements.
Among the lineup of stars to honor the special guest Elvis Costello will be Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb, Kevin Cahoon (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Alan Cumming (Cabaret), Raul Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Eden Espinosa (Brooklyn), Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Matthew Morrison (The Light In The Piazza), Adam Pascal (Rent), Billy Porter (Ghetto Superstar), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Molly Ringwald (Cabaret), Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Traci Thoms (film "Rent"), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Patrick Wilson (Full Monty).
The concert — at which costumes will be welcome — takes its name from the opening track of Costello's 1985 album "King of America." The 2003 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is known for his work with The Attractions and The Imposters as well as collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, T. Bone Burnett, and many other artists.
Costello earned a Grammy Award for "I Still Have That Other Girl" from "Painted From Memory," his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from "Cold Mountain." Other recordings include "This Year's Model," "Goodbye Cruel World," "Imperial Bedroom," "Blood and Chocolate," "Spike," "All This Useless Beauty" and "When I Was Cruel."
Previous Friends In Deed fundraisers include the 10th anniversary concerts of Passion, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, an evening of short plays Short Talks On The Universe. Mike Nichols and Cynthia O'Neal founded Friend In Deed in 1991. The organization "is a crisis center for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening physical illnesses; the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill; and those dealing with grief and bereavement," according to a release.
Tickets to "Brilliant Mistake" at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 899 10th Avenue (between 58 and 59 St.) range from $100-$250-$500 (the latter two prices include a post-concert party) are available by calling (800) 996-5443 or visit http://www.friendsindeed.org.
Broadway sings EC
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sweetest punch
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Broadway sings EC
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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Extreme Honey
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Masterpiece?
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Hmm...sounds like he's been invited but hasn't necessarily RSVPd yet...Among the lineup of stars to honor the special guest Elvis Costello will be
Being a showtune-luvin' EC freak, I would love to go to this, but the price! Oy!
Everybody's hiding under covers... who's making Lover's Lane safe again for lovers?"
http://theater.about.com/gi/dynamic/off ... ndeed.org/
EVENTS
Monday October 31, 2005 8PM
BRILLIANT MISTAKE
Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
A benefit for Friends In Deed
WHEN: Monday, October 31st at 8pm
Halloween (Costumes welcome.)
WHERE: Gerald W. Lynch Theater
@ John Jay College
899 Tenth Avenue
(between 58th & 59th Street)
Who's Singing:
Norbert Leo Butz
Justin Bond
Kevin Cahoon
Mario Cantone
Gavin Creel
Alan Cumming
Raul Esparza
Eden Espinosa
Audra McDonald
Matthew Morrison
Adam Pascal
Billy Porter
Anthony Rapp
Molly Ringwald
Sherie René Scott
Traci Thoms
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Patrick Wilson
(Cast subject to change.)
And our special guest, Elvis Costello
DIRECTOR: Jason Eagan
MUSICAL DIRECTOR/ARRANGER: Tom Kitt
PRODUCER: Jeffrey Seller
Ticket Prices:
$500 best seats and post show party
$250 great seats and post show party
$100 great seats no party!
All but $150 of each $250 and $500 seat is tax deductible.
Party at O'Neals' 49 W. 64th Street.
We thank O'Neals' for their generous support of this event.
EVENTS
Monday October 31, 2005 8PM
BRILLIANT MISTAKE
Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
A benefit for Friends In Deed
WHEN: Monday, October 31st at 8pm
Halloween (Costumes welcome.)
WHERE: Gerald W. Lynch Theater
@ John Jay College
899 Tenth Avenue
(between 58th & 59th Street)
Who's Singing:
Norbert Leo Butz
Justin Bond
Kevin Cahoon
Mario Cantone
Gavin Creel
Alan Cumming
Raul Esparza
Eden Espinosa
Audra McDonald
Matthew Morrison
Adam Pascal
Billy Porter
Anthony Rapp
Molly Ringwald
Sherie René Scott
Traci Thoms
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Patrick Wilson
(Cast subject to change.)
And our special guest, Elvis Costello
DIRECTOR: Jason Eagan
MUSICAL DIRECTOR/ARRANGER: Tom Kitt
PRODUCER: Jeffrey Seller
Ticket Prices:
$500 best seats and post show party
$250 great seats and post show party
$100 great seats no party!
All but $150 of each $250 and $500 seat is tax deductible.
Party at O'Neals' 49 W. 64th Street.
We thank O'Neals' for their generous support of this event.
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Eamonn Singer
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- Location: Evesham, Worcestershire
Pop quiz
At least one of these artistes is a big fan of EC. In an interview with the Alternative Press (1998-05-01) Molly Ringwald said:
I've always loved Elvis Costello. I remember my age by which Elvis Costello record I was listening to at the time."
And at least one of the other artistes on the bill for this show has also starred in a film in which EC appeared - but which one......?
I've always loved Elvis Costello. I remember my age by which Elvis Costello record I was listening to at the time."
And at least one of the other artistes on the bill for this show has also starred in a film in which EC appeared - but which one......?
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martinfoyle
- Posts: 2502
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 5:24 pm
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Contact:
Re: Pop quiz
Alan Cumming, Spiceworld?Eamonn Singer wrote: And at least one of the other artistes on the bill for this show has also starred in a film in which EC appeared - but which one......?
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Extreme Honey
- Posts: 622
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- Location: toronto, canada
http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=5486
McKay, Chase and Harriell Sign On for All-Star Elvis Costello Concert, Oct. 31
by BWW News Desk
Nellie McKay (the album Get Away From Me, the upcoming The Threepenny Opera), Will Chase and Marcy Harriell (both of Lennon) have signed on to a concert honoring Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello will be presented on Monday, October 31st at 8 PM at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater (899 10th Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets).
In addition to those three stars, Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb, Kevin Cahoon (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), comedian Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Raul Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Eden Espinosa (Brooklyn), 4-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Matthew Morrison (The Light in the Piazza), Adam Pascal (Rent), Billy Porter (Ghetto Superstar), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Molly Ringwald (Cabaret), Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Traci Thoms (film version of Rent), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty) will join special guest Elvis Costello (who will sing a few songs himself) for an evening of song and celebration to benefit Friends In Deed, the crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends.
A partial song list for the concert follows:
"The Judgement" sung by Norbert Leo Butz and Will Chase
"Alison" sung by Anthony Rapp
"Everyday I Write the Book" sung by Daphne Rubin-Vega
"God Give Me Strength" sung by Raul Esparza
"Indoor Fireworks" sung by Patrick Wilson
"So Like Candy" sung by Sherie René Scott
"Veronica" sung by Gavin Creel & Adam Pascal
"Pump it Up" sung by Mario Cantone
Brilliant Mistake, which takes its name from the opening track of Costello's critically-acclaimed 1985 album King of America, is produced by Tony Award-winng producer Jeffrey Seller (Avenue Q, Rent), and is directed by Jason Eagan with musical direction and arrangements by Tom Kitt.
Grammy Award-winner Elvis Costello's career spans more than 25 years. He is perhaps best-known for his performances with The Attractions, The Imposters, and for recent concert appearances with pianist Steve Nieve. He also has enjoyed acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, and T. Bone Burnett, among other artists.
In 2003, Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During that same year, he was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founder's Award and nominated for three Grammy awards for his album When I Was Cruel. He has received a Grammy for "I Still Have That Other Girl" from Painted From Memory, his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach; and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from the film Cold Mountain.
In addition to King of America, Costello's other recordings include This Year's Model, Imperial Bedroom, Blood and Chocolate, Spike, Useless Beauty, When I Was Cruel, and the single "God Give Me Strength" from the film Grace of My Heart.
Founded by Mike Nichols and Cynthia O'Neal fourteen years ago, Friends In Deed is a crisis center for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening physical illnesses; the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill; and those dealing with grief and bereavement. Among the free services offered are support groups, one-on-one crisis counseling, bodywork, nutritional counseling, and outreach services to clients who are homebound or hospitalized. Friends In Deed also runs life-saving HIV prevention workshops for at-risk teens in New York City Public School, having already reached over 75,000 students.
Previous Friends In Deed fundraisers include the 10th Anniversary concerts of Passion, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George; an evening of short plays, Short Talks on the Universe; Mike Nichols & Elaine May on Broadway; and Simon & Garfunkel Together Again on Broadway, as well as major photography and dance events.
Tickets to the concert range in price from $100-$250-$500. (The $250 and $500 tickets include post-concert party.) To purchase tickets, call 1-800-996-5443 or visit http://www.friendsindeed.org. Halloween costumes are welcome.
McKay, Chase and Harriell Sign On for All-Star Elvis Costello Concert, Oct. 31
by BWW News Desk
Nellie McKay (the album Get Away From Me, the upcoming The Threepenny Opera), Will Chase and Marcy Harriell (both of Lennon) have signed on to a concert honoring Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello will be presented on Monday, October 31st at 8 PM at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater (899 10th Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets).
In addition to those three stars, Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb, Kevin Cahoon (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), comedian Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Raul Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Eden Espinosa (Brooklyn), 4-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Matthew Morrison (The Light in the Piazza), Adam Pascal (Rent), Billy Porter (Ghetto Superstar), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Molly Ringwald (Cabaret), Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Traci Thoms (film version of Rent), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty) will join special guest Elvis Costello (who will sing a few songs himself) for an evening of song and celebration to benefit Friends In Deed, the crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends.
A partial song list for the concert follows:
"The Judgement" sung by Norbert Leo Butz and Will Chase
"Alison" sung by Anthony Rapp
"Everyday I Write the Book" sung by Daphne Rubin-Vega
"God Give Me Strength" sung by Raul Esparza
"Indoor Fireworks" sung by Patrick Wilson
"So Like Candy" sung by Sherie René Scott
"Veronica" sung by Gavin Creel & Adam Pascal
"Pump it Up" sung by Mario Cantone
Brilliant Mistake, which takes its name from the opening track of Costello's critically-acclaimed 1985 album King of America, is produced by Tony Award-winng producer Jeffrey Seller (Avenue Q, Rent), and is directed by Jason Eagan with musical direction and arrangements by Tom Kitt.
Grammy Award-winner Elvis Costello's career spans more than 25 years. He is perhaps best-known for his performances with The Attractions, The Imposters, and for recent concert appearances with pianist Steve Nieve. He also has enjoyed acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, and T. Bone Burnett, among other artists.
In 2003, Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During that same year, he was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founder's Award and nominated for three Grammy awards for his album When I Was Cruel. He has received a Grammy for "I Still Have That Other Girl" from Painted From Memory, his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach; and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from the film Cold Mountain.
In addition to King of America, Costello's other recordings include This Year's Model, Imperial Bedroom, Blood and Chocolate, Spike, Useless Beauty, When I Was Cruel, and the single "God Give Me Strength" from the film Grace of My Heart.
Founded by Mike Nichols and Cynthia O'Neal fourteen years ago, Friends In Deed is a crisis center for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening physical illnesses; the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill; and those dealing with grief and bereavement. Among the free services offered are support groups, one-on-one crisis counseling, bodywork, nutritional counseling, and outreach services to clients who are homebound or hospitalized. Friends In Deed also runs life-saving HIV prevention workshops for at-risk teens in New York City Public School, having already reached over 75,000 students.
Previous Friends In Deed fundraisers include the 10th Anniversary concerts of Passion, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George; an evening of short plays, Short Talks on the Universe; Mike Nichols & Elaine May on Broadway; and Simon & Garfunkel Together Again on Broadway, as well as major photography and dance events.
Tickets to the concert range in price from $100-$250-$500. (The $250 and $500 tickets include post-concert party.) To purchase tickets, call 1-800-996-5443 or visit http://www.friendsindeed.org. Halloween costumes are welcome.
I'd love to see this show, but I presume it'll never surface on DVD, what with being a charity concert.
Some of the song choices sound odd for Broadway types - Pump It Up?! - but some choices make more sense.
Of the ones that aren't in the above list, The Long Honeymoon is straight out of Broadway, as is Still Have That Other Girl and Still Too Soon To Know.
I can also imagine This Is Hell in a musical, as well as London's Brilliant Parade.
Anyone lucky enough to be going?
Some of the song choices sound odd for Broadway types - Pump It Up?! - but some choices make more sense.
Of the ones that aren't in the above list, The Long Honeymoon is straight out of Broadway, as is Still Have That Other Girl and Still Too Soon To Know.
I can also imagine This Is Hell in a musical, as well as London's Brilliant Parade.
Anyone lucky enough to be going?
Last edited by Neil. on Sun Oct 30, 2005 6:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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sweetest punch
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- Location: Belgium
The official website ( http://www.elviscostello.com ) mentions this event:
Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
Some of the hottest young Broadway stars will be singing the music of Elvis Costello and he will be there and will join them onstage! It benefits FRIENDS IN DEED which is a crisis center providing emotional support for anyone with life-threatening illnesses, the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill, and those dealing with grief and bereavement.
The cast includes: Norbert Leo Butz, Justin Bond, Kevin Cahoon, Mario Cantone, Gavin Creel, Raul Esparza, Eden Espinosa, Marcie Harriel, Nellie McKay, Matthew Morrison, Adam Pascal, Billy Porter,Anthony Rapp, Molly Ringwald, Sherie René Scott, Traci Thoms, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Patrick Wilson. And special guest: Elvis Costello.
Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
Some of the hottest young Broadway stars will be singing the music of Elvis Costello and he will be there and will join them onstage! It benefits FRIENDS IN DEED which is a crisis center providing emotional support for anyone with life-threatening illnesses, the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill, and those dealing with grief and bereavement.
The cast includes: Norbert Leo Butz, Justin Bond, Kevin Cahoon, Mario Cantone, Gavin Creel, Raul Esparza, Eden Espinosa, Marcie Harriel, Nellie McKay, Matthew Morrison, Adam Pascal, Billy Porter,Anthony Rapp, Molly Ringwald, Sherie René Scott, Traci Thoms, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Patrick Wilson. And special guest: Elvis Costello.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
-
Extreme Honey
- Posts: 622
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: toronto, canada
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sweetest punch
- Posts: 5986
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:49 am
- Location: Belgium
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/95958.html
Audra, Norbert, Sherie, Eden, Raul and More Sing Elvis Costello Songs for "Brilliant Mistake" Concert
By Ernio Hernandez
31 Oct 2005
Elvis Costello
photo by Mark Seliger
A starry lineup of Broadway performers will belt their best renditions of Elvis Costello songs in "Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello," Oct. 31, along with the singer-songwriter himself.
The one-night-only concert, starting at 8 PM, will play at John Jay College's Gerald L. Lynch Theater. Proceeds from the concert benefit Friends In Deed, a crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends.
Avenue Q and Rent's Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller produces the event directed by Jason Eagan. Tom Kitt provides musical direction and arrangements.
Among the lineup of stars to honor the evening's special guest Elvis Costello will be Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb, Kevin Cahoon (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Will Chase (Lennon), Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Raul Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Eden Espinosa (Brooklyn), Marcy Harriell (Rent), Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Nellie McKay (the upcoming Threepenny Opera), Matthew Morrison (The Light In The Piazza), Adam Pascal (Rent), Billy Porter (Ghetto Superstar), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Molly Ringwald (Cabaret), Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Traci Thoms (film "Rent"), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Patrick Wilson (Full Monty).
The songlist (subject to change) currently includes:
"Peace, Love & Understanding" - Performed by Creel, Espinosa and Harriel
"Radio Radio" - Harriel
"She" - Porter
"The Judgement" - Butz and Chase
"Monkey To Man" - Cantone
"I Wanna Vanish" - Ringwald
"Lipstick Vogue" - Cahoon
"Alison" - Rapp
"Accidents Will Happen" - Espinosa and Morrison
"I Don't Want To Go To (Chelsea)" - Bond
"Everyday I Write The Book" - Rubin-Vega
"God Give Me Strength" - Esparza
"Indoor Fireworks" - Wilson
"Party Girl" - McKay
"Beyond Belief" - Pascal
"So Like Candy" - Scott
"Veronica" - Creel and Butz
"Brilliant Mistake" (and more) - Costello
"The Scarlet Tide" - Costello and Cast
The concert — at which costumes will be welcome — takes its name from the opening track of Costello's 1985 album "King of America." The 2003 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is known for his work with The Attractions and The Imposters as well as collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, T. Bone Burnett, and many other artists.
Costello earned a Grammy Award for "I Still Have That Other Girl" from "Painted From Memory," his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from "Cold Mountain." Other recordings include "This Year's Model," "Goodbye Cruel World," "Imperial Bedroom," "Blood and Chocolate," "Spike," "All This Useless Beauty" and "When I Was Cruel."
Previous Friends In Deed fundraisers include the 10th anniversary concerts of Passion, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, an evening of short plays Short Talks On The Universe. Mike Nichols and Cynthia O'Neal founded Friend In Deed in 1991. The organization "is a crisis center for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening physical illnesses; the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill; and those dealing with grief and bereavement," according to a release.
Tickets to "Brilliant Mistake" at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 899 10th Avenue (between 58 and 59 St.) ranging from $100-$250-$500 (the latter two prices include a post-concert party) are still available by calling (800) 996-5443 or visit http://www.friendsindeed.org.
Audra, Norbert, Sherie, Eden, Raul and More Sing Elvis Costello Songs for "Brilliant Mistake" Concert
By Ernio Hernandez
31 Oct 2005
Elvis Costello
photo by Mark Seliger
A starry lineup of Broadway performers will belt their best renditions of Elvis Costello songs in "Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello," Oct. 31, along with the singer-songwriter himself.
The one-night-only concert, starting at 8 PM, will play at John Jay College's Gerald L. Lynch Theater. Proceeds from the concert benefit Friends In Deed, a crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends.
Avenue Q and Rent's Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller produces the event directed by Jason Eagan. Tom Kitt provides musical direction and arrangements.
Among the lineup of stars to honor the evening's special guest Elvis Costello will be Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb, Kevin Cahoon (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Will Chase (Lennon), Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Raul Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Eden Espinosa (Brooklyn), Marcy Harriell (Rent), Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Nellie McKay (the upcoming Threepenny Opera), Matthew Morrison (The Light In The Piazza), Adam Pascal (Rent), Billy Porter (Ghetto Superstar), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Molly Ringwald (Cabaret), Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Traci Thoms (film "Rent"), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Patrick Wilson (Full Monty).
The songlist (subject to change) currently includes:
"Peace, Love & Understanding" - Performed by Creel, Espinosa and Harriel
"Radio Radio" - Harriel
"She" - Porter
"The Judgement" - Butz and Chase
"Monkey To Man" - Cantone
"I Wanna Vanish" - Ringwald
"Lipstick Vogue" - Cahoon
"Alison" - Rapp
"Accidents Will Happen" - Espinosa and Morrison
"I Don't Want To Go To (Chelsea)" - Bond
"Everyday I Write The Book" - Rubin-Vega
"God Give Me Strength" - Esparza
"Indoor Fireworks" - Wilson
"Party Girl" - McKay
"Beyond Belief" - Pascal
"So Like Candy" - Scott
"Veronica" - Creel and Butz
"Brilliant Mistake" (and more) - Costello
"The Scarlet Tide" - Costello and Cast
The concert — at which costumes will be welcome — takes its name from the opening track of Costello's 1985 album "King of America." The 2003 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is known for his work with The Attractions and The Imposters as well as collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, T. Bone Burnett, and many other artists.
Costello earned a Grammy Award for "I Still Have That Other Girl" from "Painted From Memory," his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from "Cold Mountain." Other recordings include "This Year's Model," "Goodbye Cruel World," "Imperial Bedroom," "Blood and Chocolate," "Spike," "All This Useless Beauty" and "When I Was Cruel."
Previous Friends In Deed fundraisers include the 10th anniversary concerts of Passion, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, an evening of short plays Short Talks On The Universe. Mike Nichols and Cynthia O'Neal founded Friend In Deed in 1991. The organization "is a crisis center for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening physical illnesses; the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill; and those dealing with grief and bereavement," according to a release.
Tickets to "Brilliant Mistake" at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 899 10th Avenue (between 58 and 59 St.) ranging from $100-$250-$500 (the latter two prices include a post-concert party) are still available by calling (800) 996-5443 or visit http://www.friendsindeed.org.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
http://photoaday.blogs.com/photo_a_day/ ... _2005.html
October 31, 2005: I Spent Halloween with Elvis Costello
Went to an amazing benefit concert tonight... "Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sing Elvis Costello." After 17 covers by the Broadway folks, EC came out and played a few songs, including "God's Comic" and "The Scarlet Tide." I have to admit I don't know all his music, but, I really enjoyed the show... really, really great.
Here's the song list:
Peace, Love and Understanding... Gavin Creel, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriell
Radio Radio... March Harriell
She... Billy Porter
The Judgement.... Norbert Leo Butz, Will Chase
Monkey to Man... Mario Cantone
I Want to Vanish... Molly Ringwald
Lipstick Vogue... Kevin Cahoon
Alison... Anthony Rapp
Accidents will Happen... Eden Espinosa, Matthew Morrison
(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea... Justin Bond
Everyday I Write the Book... Daphne Rubin-Vega
God Give Me Strength... Raul Esparza
Indoor Fireworks... Patrick Wilson
Party Girl... Nellie McKay
Beyond Belief... Adam Pascal
So Like Candy... Sherie Rene Scott
Veronica... Gavin Creel Norbert Leo Butz
More comments here -
http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/read ... ead=873622
October 31, 2005: I Spent Halloween with Elvis Costello
Went to an amazing benefit concert tonight... "Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sing Elvis Costello." After 17 covers by the Broadway folks, EC came out and played a few songs, including "God's Comic" and "The Scarlet Tide." I have to admit I don't know all his music, but, I really enjoyed the show... really, really great.
Here's the song list:
Peace, Love and Understanding... Gavin Creel, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriell
Radio Radio... March Harriell
She... Billy Porter
The Judgement.... Norbert Leo Butz, Will Chase
Monkey to Man... Mario Cantone
I Want to Vanish... Molly Ringwald
Lipstick Vogue... Kevin Cahoon
Alison... Anthony Rapp
Accidents will Happen... Eden Espinosa, Matthew Morrison
(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea... Justin Bond
Everyday I Write the Book... Daphne Rubin-Vega
God Give Me Strength... Raul Esparza
Indoor Fireworks... Patrick Wilson
Party Girl... Nellie McKay
Beyond Belief... Adam Pascal
So Like Candy... Sherie Rene Scott
Veronica... Gavin Creel Norbert Leo Butz
More comments here -
http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/read ... ead=873622
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verbal gymnastics
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sweetest punch
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Well this is just my two cents... Waited on line for nearly 5 hours today, and it was worth every minute of it. the show didn't start till nearly 30 minutes after 8pm.
Peace, Love and Understanding: Gravin Creel, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriell
--It was so exciting the first number! So much energy both onstage and in the audience, everyone was just so pumped. Marcy had bunny ears and a bunny tail on, she was SO cute!
Radio Radio: Marcy Harriell
--SO good. Like always. This woman can do no wrong in my eyes.
She: Billy Porter
--He was awesome, I've never seen him before and I'm glad I did!
The Judgement: Norbert Leo Butz/Will Chase
--Will had a very small backup part, but Norbert was awesome, as usual. I love his voice so much.
Monkey to Man: Mario Cantone
--"They told me to come out and be funny for a minute!" Haha, he SO was. When the beginning of the song started playing, he said, "Oh god damn, let me get these words right!!!" and then he forgot the words at one point so he stopped the music and said, "I have to go back!!" He was great though, I like his voice a lot.
I Want to Vanis: Molly Ringwald
--How did SHE perform in Cabaret? I wasn't impressed at all by her performance.
Lipstick Vogue: Kevin Cahoon
-- Kevin was FANTASTIC. love him, love him, love him. His song was really energetic and he just tore it up!
ALISON: Anthony Rapp
--This was my multiple orgasm of the night. Because, hello, it's MY NAME!! This is the song that my uncle has sung to me since I was a baby, and now Anthony was performing it?! He was awesome. Loved every minute of it, front and center.
Accidents Will Happen: Eden Espinosa/Matthew Morrison
--I don't remember too many specifics, but it was great. They're both GREAT.
(I Don't Wanna Go To) Chelsea: Justin Bond
--Justin is a dragqueen, and said he thought this song was about Chelsea, England, and he remembered why he didn't want to go to Chelsea, England, and he said it was an incident having to do with drugs and a boyfriend and he was like, "Hopefully I'll remember the words... Well, if I hadn't done the drugs, I would, but if I hadn't done the drugs, I wouldn't have any inspiration for this song!!" And he had lyrics written on his hand, he was great!
Everyday I Write a Book: Daphne Rubin-Vega
--OMG, OUTRAGEOUS OUTFIT. Fishnets, redboots, a black tutu with a red pleather pair of lollipops under them, a button down white shirt that was tied, and a oversized-captains hat. AMAZING. I love her voice, and she was great. She's amazing
God Give Me Strength: Raul Esparza
--I have to be honest, I really don't like it when he does that high pitched vibratto, he was just beating it tonight. But I still adore him as a performer.
Indoor Fireworks: Patrick Wilson
--Not too much to say. He's pretty and he sings like a god.
Party Girl: Nellie McKay
--Who is this woman? The song was really cute, she performed it well, i guess.
Beyond Belief: Adam Pascal
--I love Adam's voice so much, it's so "rock." I have so much love for him again.
So Like Candy: Sherie Rene Scott
--Loved it. One of her boobs was about to pop out of her shirt, but that's okay. She looked and sounded amazing though! I loved her beginning rant though!
Veronica: Gavin Creel/Norbert Leo Butz
--A really strong and awesome-almost ending. They both exude so much sex and power that it's insane.
Then the man himself, Mr. Elvis Costello, came out and performed five songs. He recieved a standing ovation when he came out. On the last song, the entire cast came out and performed it with him. Some of them had their sheet music with them, nice of you to learn it, guys!! just kidding...
--------------------------------------
"just want to say how perfect it was to see so many people I love sing their hearts out to some really amazing music. This is what they love to do, and it's so obvious when you watch it.
Highlight: Raul Esparza. That man is... unreal. The song was perfect for him, and he made it so heartfelt. Yay, Raul.
This was one hell of a show, and worth every single penny."
I couldn't put it in better words. And while I certainly agreed Raul was talented and such, I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan or really view him as amazing, etc...but I do after tonight! There were so many great performances, to pick his above all else says a lot. In addition to singing amazing notes, he "acted" the whole song, looked at the floor, breathe, you could see the feelings in his eyes. I was...blown away.
Thought I didn't know any Costello songs, but I did know "She" b/c of Notting Hill.
I won't be sleeping for a while, so I'll provide a song list, add a couple highlights here and there:
Peace, Love and Understanding-Gavin Creel, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriel
Radio Radio-Marcy Harriel
The Judgement-Norbert Leo Butz w/ Will Chase (more Norbert w/ Will jumping in for a higher harmony in the chorus, but both were pretty amazing)
Monkey to Man-Mario Cantone
I Want To Vanish-Molly Ringwald(clarinet played along, he was amazing!!!)
Lipstick Vogue-Kevin Cahoon(put a lot of energy into this one, and it showed!)
Alison-Anthony Rapp...just amazing...gorgeous...and of course eloquent Anthony gave a speech about Friends In Deed and how the original Rent cast met some people from the organization and Jonathan Larson was very close w/ the organization.
Accidents Will Happen-Eden Espinosa & Matt Morrison-very nice, especially Matt who was dorkily having fun, trying to "rock out"...kinda wished he sang solo, Eden did tend to oversing him volume wise, and he really reached some beautiful notes near the end. Oh well.
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea-Justin Bond
Everyday I Write The Book-Daphne Rubin-Vega...dressed as a policewoman, was great to finally see her live, she was great and talked to her a bit after, she's really sweet
God Give Me Strength-Raul Esparza(already discussed)
Indoor Fireworks-Patrick Wilson(see Beacs, this time we know, so we don't hafta keep you in confusion/desparation wondering what he sang)
Party Girl-Nellie McKay
Beyond Belief-Adam Pascal...just great...first time I've seen him sing solo live in 3 years...sang the first part in a quiet tone very Adamish w/ his gorgeous voice, and then went very rockish...he was definitely having lots of fun and he did a great job, was fun to watch...and I know ppl have had different experiences but have to add this was...well my second encounter w/ Adam(first was a brief pic and a "you were great from me" and I would just like to say from my experience he was incredibly sweet and nice and gracious.
So Like Candy-Sherie Rene Scott-made cute comments about the Halloween Parade before singing, and Sherie's just great, reaches amazing notes
Veronica-Gavin Creel and Norbert Leo Butz...whole song was essentially harmonized, Gavin on the higher notes, Norbie doing lower...also had fun here, especially Norbie who did a bit of jumping around the stage, some kicking and ended it w/ a big bang like he does in Dirty Rotten Number
Then Elvis Costello sang like 4, 5? songs himself and...maybe others can help me out here? Then everyone sang together.
Just a fantastic, amazing night. What a treat!
http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/read ... ad=1545049
Well this is just my two cents... Waited on line for nearly 5 hours today, and it was worth every minute of it. the show didn't start till nearly 30 minutes after 8pm.
Peace, Love and Understanding: Gravin Creel, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriell
--It was so exciting the first number! So much energy both onstage and in the audience, everyone was just so pumped. Marcy had bunny ears and a bunny tail on, she was SO cute!
Radio Radio: Marcy Harriell
--SO good. Like always. This woman can do no wrong in my eyes.
She: Billy Porter
--He was awesome, I've never seen him before and I'm glad I did!
The Judgement: Norbert Leo Butz/Will Chase
--Will had a very small backup part, but Norbert was awesome, as usual. I love his voice so much.
Monkey to Man: Mario Cantone
--"They told me to come out and be funny for a minute!" Haha, he SO was. When the beginning of the song started playing, he said, "Oh god damn, let me get these words right!!!" and then he forgot the words at one point so he stopped the music and said, "I have to go back!!" He was great though, I like his voice a lot.
I Want to Vanis: Molly Ringwald
--How did SHE perform in Cabaret? I wasn't impressed at all by her performance.
Lipstick Vogue: Kevin Cahoon
-- Kevin was FANTASTIC. love him, love him, love him. His song was really energetic and he just tore it up!
ALISON: Anthony Rapp
--This was my multiple orgasm of the night. Because, hello, it's MY NAME!! This is the song that my uncle has sung to me since I was a baby, and now Anthony was performing it?! He was awesome. Loved every minute of it, front and center.
Accidents Will Happen: Eden Espinosa/Matthew Morrison
--I don't remember too many specifics, but it was great. They're both GREAT.
(I Don't Wanna Go To) Chelsea: Justin Bond
--Justin is a dragqueen, and said he thought this song was about Chelsea, England, and he remembered why he didn't want to go to Chelsea, England, and he said it was an incident having to do with drugs and a boyfriend and he was like, "Hopefully I'll remember the words... Well, if I hadn't done the drugs, I would, but if I hadn't done the drugs, I wouldn't have any inspiration for this song!!" And he had lyrics written on his hand, he was great!
Everyday I Write a Book: Daphne Rubin-Vega
--OMG, OUTRAGEOUS OUTFIT. Fishnets, redboots, a black tutu with a red pleather pair of lollipops under them, a button down white shirt that was tied, and a oversized-captains hat. AMAZING. I love her voice, and she was great. She's amazing
God Give Me Strength: Raul Esparza
--I have to be honest, I really don't like it when he does that high pitched vibratto, he was just beating it tonight. But I still adore him as a performer.
Indoor Fireworks: Patrick Wilson
--Not too much to say. He's pretty and he sings like a god.
Party Girl: Nellie McKay
--Who is this woman? The song was really cute, she performed it well, i guess.
Beyond Belief: Adam Pascal
--I love Adam's voice so much, it's so "rock." I have so much love for him again.
So Like Candy: Sherie Rene Scott
--Loved it. One of her boobs was about to pop out of her shirt, but that's okay. She looked and sounded amazing though! I loved her beginning rant though!
Veronica: Gavin Creel/Norbert Leo Butz
--A really strong and awesome-almost ending. They both exude so much sex and power that it's insane.
Then the man himself, Mr. Elvis Costello, came out and performed five songs. He recieved a standing ovation when he came out. On the last song, the entire cast came out and performed it with him. Some of them had their sheet music with them, nice of you to learn it, guys!! just kidding...
--------------------------------------
"just want to say how perfect it was to see so many people I love sing their hearts out to some really amazing music. This is what they love to do, and it's so obvious when you watch it.
Highlight: Raul Esparza. That man is... unreal. The song was perfect for him, and he made it so heartfelt. Yay, Raul.
This was one hell of a show, and worth every single penny."
I couldn't put it in better words. And while I certainly agreed Raul was talented and such, I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan or really view him as amazing, etc...but I do after tonight! There were so many great performances, to pick his above all else says a lot. In addition to singing amazing notes, he "acted" the whole song, looked at the floor, breathe, you could see the feelings in his eyes. I was...blown away.
Thought I didn't know any Costello songs, but I did know "She" b/c of Notting Hill.
I won't be sleeping for a while, so I'll provide a song list, add a couple highlights here and there:
Peace, Love and Understanding-Gavin Creel, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriel
Radio Radio-Marcy Harriel
The Judgement-Norbert Leo Butz w/ Will Chase (more Norbert w/ Will jumping in for a higher harmony in the chorus, but both were pretty amazing)
Monkey to Man-Mario Cantone
I Want To Vanish-Molly Ringwald(clarinet played along, he was amazing!!!)
Lipstick Vogue-Kevin Cahoon(put a lot of energy into this one, and it showed!)
Alison-Anthony Rapp...just amazing...gorgeous...and of course eloquent Anthony gave a speech about Friends In Deed and how the original Rent cast met some people from the organization and Jonathan Larson was very close w/ the organization.
Accidents Will Happen-Eden Espinosa & Matt Morrison-very nice, especially Matt who was dorkily having fun, trying to "rock out"...kinda wished he sang solo, Eden did tend to oversing him volume wise, and he really reached some beautiful notes near the end. Oh well.
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea-Justin Bond
Everyday I Write The Book-Daphne Rubin-Vega...dressed as a policewoman, was great to finally see her live, she was great and talked to her a bit after, she's really sweet
God Give Me Strength-Raul Esparza(already discussed)
Indoor Fireworks-Patrick Wilson(see Beacs, this time we know, so we don't hafta keep you in confusion/desparation wondering what he sang)
Party Girl-Nellie McKay
Beyond Belief-Adam Pascal...just great...first time I've seen him sing solo live in 3 years...sang the first part in a quiet tone very Adamish w/ his gorgeous voice, and then went very rockish...he was definitely having lots of fun and he did a great job, was fun to watch...and I know ppl have had different experiences but have to add this was...well my second encounter w/ Adam(first was a brief pic and a "you were great from me" and I would just like to say from my experience he was incredibly sweet and nice and gracious.
So Like Candy-Sherie Rene Scott-made cute comments about the Halloween Parade before singing, and Sherie's just great, reaches amazing notes
Veronica-Gavin Creel and Norbert Leo Butz...whole song was essentially harmonized, Gavin on the higher notes, Norbie doing lower...also had fun here, especially Norbie who did a bit of jumping around the stage, some kicking and ended it w/ a big bang like he does in Dirty Rotten Number
Then Elvis Costello sang like 4, 5? songs himself and...maybe others can help me out here? Then everyone sang together.
Just a fantastic, amazing night. What a treat!
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Photo_ ... ?ci=520476
A Rockin' Halloween with Elvis Costello and Stage Celebs
Date: 10/31/2005
' Brilliant Mistake, a one-night-only concert, brought together many Broadway stars to sing the music of rocker Elvis Costello. Costello, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, joined the stage celebs at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre at John Jay College. The event raised proceeds for Friends in Deed, the crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS as well as their family and friends. Take a look at your favorite theater people (some in fun Halloween costumes) and the uber-talented Costello.'
36 Photos by Bruce Glikas for Broadway.com at above link
A Rockin' Halloween with Elvis Costello and Stage Celebs
Date: 10/31/2005
' Brilliant Mistake, a one-night-only concert, brought together many Broadway stars to sing the music of rocker Elvis Costello. Costello, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, joined the stage celebs at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre at John Jay College. The event raised proceeds for Friends in Deed, the crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS as well as their family and friends. Take a look at your favorite theater people (some in fun Halloween costumes) and the uber-talented Costello.'
36 Photos by Bruce Glikas for Broadway.com at above link
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Broadway mavens flank Elvis Costello, as they recreate the songwriter's tunes at the Friends in Deed concert benefiting HIV/AIDS.
Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
(Gerald L. Lynch Theater; 611 seats; $500 top)
A Friends in Deed presentation of a Jeffrey Seller production. Directed by Jason Eagan. Music director, Tom Kitt.
Band: Randy Landua, Mike Aarons, Jim Abbott, Gary Seligson. Rick Kriska.
By DAVID ROONEY
Agile genre-hopper Elvis Costello emerged from pub rock, punk and new wave in the late 1970s to dip successfully during his long career into everything from reggae to country, folk to soul and, more recently, opera. But he so far has steered clear of the Broadway musical. Monday's Friends in Deed benefit probably didn't serve as an enticement. Titled "Brilliant Mistake," after the opening track from Costello's 1986 album "King of America," the evening of Broadway stars covering Costello songs was about 25% brilliant and 75% mistake. And most of the brilliance was concentrated in the final set, when the king himself took the stage to show how it's done.
For such a prolific songwriter, whose lyrics rank among the most bitingly eloquent of any contemporary music artist, the Costello canon is remarkably unsullied by random cover versions, the main exception being a handful of lackluster Linda Ronstadt excursions. Hearing many of his songs either mangled or rendered as dispiritingly bland karaoke in this New York show benefiting the HIV/AIDS and life-threatening illness crisis org only underlined the indelible quality of their original interpretations.
The sharp-edged cynicism, raw wounds and barely suppressed anger of Costello's songs connect as they do with his admirers because they seem to come from an authentic well of feeling and not from cultivated rock-poseur romanticism. Whether it's the jagged anti-corporate skepticism of "Radio Radio" or the bruising tenderness of "Alison," the songs require a deep probe into their meaning, otherwise vocal prowess becomes almost redundant.
Raucous, rocking renditions of "Radio Radio," by "Lennon" star Marcy Harriell, or "Peace Love and Understanding" by Eden Espinosa, Gavin Creel and Harriell showed how unnuanced effusiveness can drain the passion from even the most enduring anthems. Worse was Espinosa, plying the "American Idol" screech that became her trademark in the regrettable "Brooklyn" as she grandstanded through "Accidents Will Happen," overpowering the solid work of her partner on the song, Matthew Morrison.
The beauty of Costello's songs is that they don't need dramatic hard sell, but restraint is not always a Broadway musical virtue. While there's no denying the powerhouse force of his vocal talent, Raul Esparza's overwrought take on "God Give Me Strength" was a showy betrayal of the spirit of that heart-stricken Costello-Burt Bacharach ballad. Similarly wrong was the insipid coquettishness of Daphne Rubin-Vega's vulgarized "Everyday I Write the Book."
Misfires like those made Patrick WilsonPatrick Wilson's respectful treatment of the sorrowful, country-flavored "Indoor Fireworks" all the more appealing. Likewise Kevin Cahoon's rowdy, glamrock-inflected "Lipstick Vogue," though the gogo dancers seemed both gratuitous and underused.
The most genuine surprise of the lineup was a wrenching version of "The Judgment" led by Norbert Leo Butz, with subtle harmonies from Will Chase. Worlds away from Butz's wise-ass Jerry LewisJerry Lewis style in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," the perfperf indicated one of the few instances of a singer truly getting to grips with the wracked emotions and unflinching harshness of a Costello song, in this case a man standing trial for loving the wrong woman. Butz later delivered a punchy "Veronica" with Creel.
Nellie McKay (whose link to Broadway is forthcoming in Roundabout's "Threepenny Opera" revival in the spring) recalled the messy outspokenness of vintage Costello appearances in her rambling political comments -- lamenting how the exit of Harriet Miers has made way for a far more dangerous force and then lurching into an anti-fur spiel. And the young singer channeled a jaded Peggy Lee indifference that worked well in her airy, eccentric take at the piano on "Party Girl."
Justin Bond (of Kiki and Herb) also injected a shot of personality, strutting in semi-drag like a Kit Kat Club floozy through "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," and frequently jettisoning the lyrics in favor of crazed Kiki-esque growling. While Bond's particular brand of drugged-out anarchy seemed jarringly out of context, it was preferable to banal walk-throughs like Anthony Rapp's "Alison," Adam Pascal's "Beyond Belief" or Molly Ringwald's lifelessly flat "I Want to Vanish."
Unsurprisingly, it took Costello's entrance to supply the evening's most sustained jolt of electricity. The acute sense of betrayal and tightly capped rage that fuel his best work was all there in the lacerating "The River in Reverse," a rootsy new song about a world riven by war and injustice.
Costello followed with "Almost Blue" and "She Handed Me a Mirror," the latter from "The Secret Arias," a work-in-progress about Hans Christian Andersen commissioned by the Danish National Opera. Narrating Swedish soprano Jenny Lind's rejection of Andersen, the song's cruel account of unrequited love is pure Costello. He followed with a playful, sing-along version of "God's Comic" and closed with the haunting "anti-fear" hymn, "The Scarlet Tide" from "Cold Mountain," drawing mid-song applause with the pointed relevance of new lyrics: "Admit you lied/And bring the boys back home."
Far more consistent than the performers, the show's five-piece band smoothly embraced Costello's eclectic musical range, adhering largely to original arrangements. But there was very little to match the thrilling spareness of the final bracket, with the singer-songwriter going it solo on guitar or piano.
Lighting, Jason Lyons; sound, Brian Ronan; orchestrations and vocal arrangements, Kitt; additional orchestrations, Jim Abbott; production stage manager, Renee Rimland. Reviewed Oct. 31, 2005.
With: Justin Bond, Norbert Leo Butz, Kevin Cahoon, Mario Cantone, Will Chase, Gavin Creel, Raul Esparza, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriell, Nellie McKay, Matthew Morrison, Adam Pascal, Billy Porter, Anthony Rapp, Molly Ringwald, Sherie Rene Scott, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Patrick Wilson, Elvis Costello.
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Loads of photos -
http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=5672
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/arts/ ... gmRN86xaRg
Richard Termine for The New York Times
Elvis Costello sang a set toward the end of "Brilliant Mistake."
Music Review | 'Brilliant Mistake'
Broadway's One-Night Stand With Elvis Costello as Muse
Richard Termine for The New York Times
Elvis Costello sang a set toward the end of "Brilliant Mistake."
BRILLIANT MISTAKE
Gerald W. Lynch Theater
Forum: Popular Music
Just how anachronistic that cliché really is was illustrated on Monday evening by the show "Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello," a one-night-only benefit concert for the New York crisis center Friends in Deed. One after another, leading theater singers from on and off Broadway, caught up in the spirit of Halloween (a few wore costumes and masks), approached Mr. Costello's knotty, cantankerous songbook and tangled with its tricky angular melodies and thick, rapid-fire mouthfuls of clotted rhyme and half rhyme. The concert demonstrated that Broadway, after years of dragging its heels, has finally caught up with rock 'n' roll, but it has done so in its own way.
The sound might have been lower and the voices more polished than at a typical rock concert, but a contentious spirit stamped most of the performances. For traditional musical theater buffs, that may be bad news; for everyone else, it's reality.
As a new generation of theater performers, most under 40 and weaned on rock, trouped across the stage of the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, it was apparent how far this once insular musical world has drifted toward the pop mainstream. The hit show "Rent" and the flood of jukebox musicals that have threatened to turn the Great White Way into a giant karaoke bar - as well as the metamorphosis of Broadway into a tourist mecca that might be nicknamed Las Vegas East - have spawned a new breed of versatile singing actors who can stylistically turn on a dime.
A singer like Matthew Morrison, who poured out the gorgeous semi-operatic arias in "The Light in the Piazza" like a baby Jussi Bjoerling, can just as easily rough it up, blurting an Elvis Costello song like "Accidents Will Happen," which he sang as a duet with Eden Espinosa (from "Brooklyn: The Musical" and "Wicked"). Anthony Rapp, from "Rent," applied medium gloss to the Costello classic "Alison." The most traditional performance was Patrick Wilson's "Indoor Fireworks," in which he came across as a buffed-up grand-nephew of Pat Boone.
There was comedy (Mario Cantone's version of "Monkey to Man"), performance art - Justin Bond gleefully garbling and forgetting the lyrics to "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea") - and soulful schmaltz (Billy Porter crooning a gender-reversed "She," the Charles Aznavour-Herbert Kretzmer ballad Mr. Costello sang on the "Notting Hill" soundtrack). There was also provocative sass (Daphne Rubin Vega, dressed as a zany, leather-accessorized majorette, singing "Everyday I Write the Book") and lean, sinewy rock in the Costello mold (Adam Pascal's "Beyond Belief").
Raul Esparza delivered the evening's one indisputably great performance, with the arching, heartbroken Costello-Burt Bacharach ballad "God Give Me Strength." He charged up its melodic slopes to let out the title phrase in ferocious, operatic primal screams, never losing the song's musical thread.
Mr. Costello appeared at the end to sing several numbers, accompanying himself on guitar and piano. The most powerful was a brand-new political diatribe in which he demanded to be awakened from a nightmare.
The cast joined him for the final number, "Scarlet Tide." This antiwar song, written with T Bone Burnett for the soundtrack of "Cold Mountain," concluded the evening on a note of sorrowful defiance.
Broadway mavens flank Elvis Costello, as they recreate the songwriter's tunes at the Friends in Deed concert benefiting HIV/AIDS.
Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
(Gerald L. Lynch Theater; 611 seats; $500 top)
A Friends in Deed presentation of a Jeffrey Seller production. Directed by Jason Eagan. Music director, Tom Kitt.
Band: Randy Landua, Mike Aarons, Jim Abbott, Gary Seligson. Rick Kriska.
By DAVID ROONEY
Agile genre-hopper Elvis Costello emerged from pub rock, punk and new wave in the late 1970s to dip successfully during his long career into everything from reggae to country, folk to soul and, more recently, opera. But he so far has steered clear of the Broadway musical. Monday's Friends in Deed benefit probably didn't serve as an enticement. Titled "Brilliant Mistake," after the opening track from Costello's 1986 album "King of America," the evening of Broadway stars covering Costello songs was about 25% brilliant and 75% mistake. And most of the brilliance was concentrated in the final set, when the king himself took the stage to show how it's done.
For such a prolific songwriter, whose lyrics rank among the most bitingly eloquent of any contemporary music artist, the Costello canon is remarkably unsullied by random cover versions, the main exception being a handful of lackluster Linda Ronstadt excursions. Hearing many of his songs either mangled or rendered as dispiritingly bland karaoke in this New York show benefiting the HIV/AIDS and life-threatening illness crisis org only underlined the indelible quality of their original interpretations.
The sharp-edged cynicism, raw wounds and barely suppressed anger of Costello's songs connect as they do with his admirers because they seem to come from an authentic well of feeling and not from cultivated rock-poseur romanticism. Whether it's the jagged anti-corporate skepticism of "Radio Radio" or the bruising tenderness of "Alison," the songs require a deep probe into their meaning, otherwise vocal prowess becomes almost redundant.
Raucous, rocking renditions of "Radio Radio," by "Lennon" star Marcy Harriell, or "Peace Love and Understanding" by Eden Espinosa, Gavin Creel and Harriell showed how unnuanced effusiveness can drain the passion from even the most enduring anthems. Worse was Espinosa, plying the "American Idol" screech that became her trademark in the regrettable "Brooklyn" as she grandstanded through "Accidents Will Happen," overpowering the solid work of her partner on the song, Matthew Morrison.
The beauty of Costello's songs is that they don't need dramatic hard sell, but restraint is not always a Broadway musical virtue. While there's no denying the powerhouse force of his vocal talent, Raul Esparza's overwrought take on "God Give Me Strength" was a showy betrayal of the spirit of that heart-stricken Costello-Burt Bacharach ballad. Similarly wrong was the insipid coquettishness of Daphne Rubin-Vega's vulgarized "Everyday I Write the Book."
Misfires like those made Patrick WilsonPatrick Wilson's respectful treatment of the sorrowful, country-flavored "Indoor Fireworks" all the more appealing. Likewise Kevin Cahoon's rowdy, glamrock-inflected "Lipstick Vogue," though the gogo dancers seemed both gratuitous and underused.
The most genuine surprise of the lineup was a wrenching version of "The Judgment" led by Norbert Leo Butz, with subtle harmonies from Will Chase. Worlds away from Butz's wise-ass Jerry LewisJerry Lewis style in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," the perfperf indicated one of the few instances of a singer truly getting to grips with the wracked emotions and unflinching harshness of a Costello song, in this case a man standing trial for loving the wrong woman. Butz later delivered a punchy "Veronica" with Creel.
Nellie McKay (whose link to Broadway is forthcoming in Roundabout's "Threepenny Opera" revival in the spring) recalled the messy outspokenness of vintage Costello appearances in her rambling political comments -- lamenting how the exit of Harriet Miers has made way for a far more dangerous force and then lurching into an anti-fur spiel. And the young singer channeled a jaded Peggy Lee indifference that worked well in her airy, eccentric take at the piano on "Party Girl."
Justin Bond (of Kiki and Herb) also injected a shot of personality, strutting in semi-drag like a Kit Kat Club floozy through "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," and frequently jettisoning the lyrics in favor of crazed Kiki-esque growling. While Bond's particular brand of drugged-out anarchy seemed jarringly out of context, it was preferable to banal walk-throughs like Anthony Rapp's "Alison," Adam Pascal's "Beyond Belief" or Molly Ringwald's lifelessly flat "I Want to Vanish."
Unsurprisingly, it took Costello's entrance to supply the evening's most sustained jolt of electricity. The acute sense of betrayal and tightly capped rage that fuel his best work was all there in the lacerating "The River in Reverse," a rootsy new song about a world riven by war and injustice.
Costello followed with "Almost Blue" and "She Handed Me a Mirror," the latter from "The Secret Arias," a work-in-progress about Hans Christian Andersen commissioned by the Danish National Opera. Narrating Swedish soprano Jenny Lind's rejection of Andersen, the song's cruel account of unrequited love is pure Costello. He followed with a playful, sing-along version of "God's Comic" and closed with the haunting "anti-fear" hymn, "The Scarlet Tide" from "Cold Mountain," drawing mid-song applause with the pointed relevance of new lyrics: "Admit you lied/And bring the boys back home."
Far more consistent than the performers, the show's five-piece band smoothly embraced Costello's eclectic musical range, adhering largely to original arrangements. But there was very little to match the thrilling spareness of the final bracket, with the singer-songwriter going it solo on guitar or piano.
Lighting, Jason Lyons; sound, Brian Ronan; orchestrations and vocal arrangements, Kitt; additional orchestrations, Jim Abbott; production stage manager, Renee Rimland. Reviewed Oct. 31, 2005.
With: Justin Bond, Norbert Leo Butz, Kevin Cahoon, Mario Cantone, Will Chase, Gavin Creel, Raul Esparza, Eden Espinosa, Marcy Harriell, Nellie McKay, Matthew Morrison, Adam Pascal, Billy Porter, Anthony Rapp, Molly Ringwald, Sherie Rene Scott, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Patrick Wilson, Elvis Costello.
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Loads of photos -
http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=5672
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/arts/ ... gmRN86xaRg
Richard Termine for The New York Times
Elvis Costello sang a set toward the end of "Brilliant Mistake."
Music Review | 'Brilliant Mistake'
Broadway's One-Night Stand With Elvis Costello as Muse
Richard Termine for The New York Times
Elvis Costello sang a set toward the end of "Brilliant Mistake."
BRILLIANT MISTAKE
Gerald W. Lynch Theater
Forum: Popular Music
Just how anachronistic that cliché really is was illustrated on Monday evening by the show "Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello," a one-night-only benefit concert for the New York crisis center Friends in Deed. One after another, leading theater singers from on and off Broadway, caught up in the spirit of Halloween (a few wore costumes and masks), approached Mr. Costello's knotty, cantankerous songbook and tangled with its tricky angular melodies and thick, rapid-fire mouthfuls of clotted rhyme and half rhyme. The concert demonstrated that Broadway, after years of dragging its heels, has finally caught up with rock 'n' roll, but it has done so in its own way.
The sound might have been lower and the voices more polished than at a typical rock concert, but a contentious spirit stamped most of the performances. For traditional musical theater buffs, that may be bad news; for everyone else, it's reality.
As a new generation of theater performers, most under 40 and weaned on rock, trouped across the stage of the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, it was apparent how far this once insular musical world has drifted toward the pop mainstream. The hit show "Rent" and the flood of jukebox musicals that have threatened to turn the Great White Way into a giant karaoke bar - as well as the metamorphosis of Broadway into a tourist mecca that might be nicknamed Las Vegas East - have spawned a new breed of versatile singing actors who can stylistically turn on a dime.
A singer like Matthew Morrison, who poured out the gorgeous semi-operatic arias in "The Light in the Piazza" like a baby Jussi Bjoerling, can just as easily rough it up, blurting an Elvis Costello song like "Accidents Will Happen," which he sang as a duet with Eden Espinosa (from "Brooklyn: The Musical" and "Wicked"). Anthony Rapp, from "Rent," applied medium gloss to the Costello classic "Alison." The most traditional performance was Patrick Wilson's "Indoor Fireworks," in which he came across as a buffed-up grand-nephew of Pat Boone.
There was comedy (Mario Cantone's version of "Monkey to Man"), performance art - Justin Bond gleefully garbling and forgetting the lyrics to "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea") - and soulful schmaltz (Billy Porter crooning a gender-reversed "She," the Charles Aznavour-Herbert Kretzmer ballad Mr. Costello sang on the "Notting Hill" soundtrack). There was also provocative sass (Daphne Rubin Vega, dressed as a zany, leather-accessorized majorette, singing "Everyday I Write the Book") and lean, sinewy rock in the Costello mold (Adam Pascal's "Beyond Belief").
Raul Esparza delivered the evening's one indisputably great performance, with the arching, heartbroken Costello-Burt Bacharach ballad "God Give Me Strength." He charged up its melodic slopes to let out the title phrase in ferocious, operatic primal screams, never losing the song's musical thread.
Mr. Costello appeared at the end to sing several numbers, accompanying himself on guitar and piano. The most powerful was a brand-new political diatribe in which he demanded to be awakened from a nightmare.
The cast joined him for the final number, "Scarlet Tide." This antiwar song, written with T Bone Burnett for the soundtrack of "Cold Mountain," concluded the evening on a note of sorrowful defiance.
Last edited by johnfoyle on Wed Nov 02, 2005 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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verbal gymnastics
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Interesting reviews. The cause was the main thing and I'm sure Elvis only showed up because of it. It would have been disappointing if all of the artists remained true to the original songs as these would only have served the reviewers with more ammunition to say things like "Elvis does it better".
And what a good varied mini set from Elvis - just to emphasise the variations in his compositions.
And what a good varied mini set from Elvis - just to emphasise the variations in his compositions.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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King Hoarse
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http://www.elviscostello.info/setlists/051031.php
2005-10-31: NYC, Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello Solo
River In Reverse
Almost Blue
She Handed Me A Mirror
God's Comic
The Scarlet Tide
2005-10-31: NYC, Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello Solo
River In Reverse
Almost Blue
She Handed Me A Mirror
God's Comic
The Scarlet Tide
Similarly wrong was the insipid coquettishness of Daphne Rubin-Vega's vulgarized "Everyday I Write the Book."
http://www.elviscostello.info/pic/05/05 ... oadway_com(Daphne Rubin Vega, dressed as a zany, leather-accessorized majorette, singing "Everyday I Write the Book")
incl.
Elvis and Daphne Rubin-Vega discuss her performance.
Ms Rubin-Vega in Rent
