Trey Graham

'Into The Woods' All Over Again, This Time In An Actual Urban Jungle

Trey Graham — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:59:00 +0000

Oh, the questions that circulated when this summer's Shakespeare in the Park revival of Into the Woods was announced.

Who'd play the Baker, that woebegone would-be father at the center of Stephen Sondheim's fractured musical fairy tale?

Who'd step into the star role of the vengeful Witch, played notably by Bernadette Peters in the premiere and by Vanessa Williams in the 2002 revival?

How would the show work in a giant outdoor amphitheater, amid the trees and lawns and urban clatter of Central Park?

And most critically, asked the chat-room chatterers, as they poured libations t

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Of 'Dark Knight,' Summer Games And Such

Trey Graham — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:31:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9rFtCRH_-Q

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Of True Tales, Fantasy Adventures And Happy-Making Things

Trey Graham — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:06:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAs07ZhCMio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpIYcyI7Uvo

Theater Diary: The After-Action Report

Trey Graham — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:14:00 +0000

The last few days of my post-Tonys theater week were so jam-packed that there was no time to write up what I was doing. Matinees, cabarets, stand-ups, burlesques, benefit readings; it was a mad dash of a weekend. So here goes, with the recap — and a few recommendations for things to try next time you get to New York:

'Backstage,' Sundays at 54 Below. What used to be the VIP room at Studio 54 has been given a loving overhaul by a crack team of theater people — set designer John Lee Beatty and lighting wizard Ken Billington, both Tony winners, are among them.

Theater Diary: When Reactions Speak Louder Than Words

Trey Graham — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:18:00 +0000

There's plenty of high drama going on in Porgy and Bess, and high drama can often mean intense acting.

God knows Audra McDonald is tearing up the stage as the drug- and drink- and sex-addled Bess: I've never seen her loosen up her joints and contort her body the way she does in two or three of the show's more scorching moments.

Theater Diary: Ludacris Meets The Von Trapps, And A Bartender Proves Unreliable

Trey Graham — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:14:00 +0000

On Monday night, a theater-critic buddy and I were hoisting a round at a 9th Avenue saloon called Flaming Saddles.

Theater Diary: In Which Our Hero's Head Explodes From Sheer Nerd Joy

Trey Graham — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:42:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9IqsC5hc_Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tStUnyvr8gQ

Tony Awards Recap: We Ponder The Highs And Lows Of A Show About Shows

Trey Graham — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:29:00 +0000

The Tonys, like all awards shows, are about successful people dressing pretty to congratulate each other for being successful. Can't get past that.

But the Tonys, to me, always seem just a little less gross than the Oscars or the Grammys or the Xtreme Video Music Firewalking Awards or what have you.

Maybe that's because so few people watch them.

Tony Awards Take Note Of A Little Musical That Emphatically Could

Trey Graham — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:46:00 +0000

Here's the thing about the Tony Awards: Sometimes you know what's going to clean up when the nominations are announced. (Think last year, and The Book of Mormon.)

And sometimes it's hard to get excited about the shows that get tapped — remember when Sunset Boulevard's only competition for Best Musical was the jukebox show Smokey Joe's Cafe?

Not this year: There's a real race.