You may remember Mary Gutzi as Norma Desmond, in a 2011 production of “Sunset Boulevard,” at Diamond Head Theatre.
Or perhaps, when Gutzi was Grizabella, the aging cat, awaiting ascent to the Heavyside Layer, in a Broadway tour of “Cats” at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
With other credits ranging from “Les Miserables” to “Ragtime,” Gutzi is no stranger to voice and stage technique and tryouts.
So in June, she’s tapping her skills to offer workshops for kids and adults interested in voice and acting lessons, with tips to prep for future auditions for stage, film and TV roles.
Mary Gutzi
Her agenda:
Acting and audition workshop for kids 7 to 14, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 22, at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace.
Acting and audition workshop for adults, 15 and older, from 1 to 5 p.m. June 12, at Medici’s, Manoa Marketplace.
Fee for each session is $50, confirmed upon advance payment.
Nudity on Broadway is nothing new, but infrequent. When someone goes au natural, it raises the buzz – and some barriers – like the latest incidence.
A baseball play, “Take Me Out,” features two actors – Jesse Willliams and Patrick J. Adams – in full-frontal nudity in a locker room scene. It’s playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway, and has been extended through June 21. Not sure if the nudity is part of the appeal, or simply brisk box office sales because of the controversy.
Whatever the reason, that theater has taken on new security measures, with playgoers required to isolate their cellphones in Yondr felt pouches with a magnet security tagging system, so calls or texting or photo-taking cannot be done for 2:15, the duration of the production. The regs are outlined in an insert of the show’s Playbill.
Jesse Williams: He has a locker roomnude scene in “Take Me Out,” a baseball drama.
But clearly, somebody didn’t abide by the rules – likely, refused disclosure that they had a phone, or the device was not discovered during the entry process – and took photos of the aforementioned nude scene, prompting the theater security folks to demand the images be erased after unauthorized images appeared on social media.
No word about charges being filed, but it is across-the-board illegal to take photos in any play, with or without nudity, and the ban-the-phones directive maintains privacy issues for the actors. No ifs, ands or buts about this house rule. There’s new technology in place, where the theater security can monitor and sense camera in photo mode.
The lock-the-phone element – new on the Great White Way — has been utilized occasionally by mainstream rock concert stars, not due to nudity, but because the performers didn’t want the distraction of phones aiming at them or they didn’t want patrons to limit access to have images that could be shared or sold, even on social media.
I saw the original “Take Me Out” when it originally was staged in 2003, with the nude scene but minus the uproar of illegal photo-taking. There wasn’t the ban on phones in the house either. And if memory serves, no pics appeared for gawkers.
The fuss and flurry about nudity on Broadway might go back to 1971, when “Oh! Calcutta” debuted at the Belasco Theatre. The nakedness was constant, making the raucous show a success in its original run and a revival production later. It wasn’t a good show – but I recall the notorious nudity, with actors cajoling in the buff.
The original “Hair” poster was a popular collectible.
But baring it and sharing it goes back a bit earlier, to 1968, when “Hair,” subtitled “The American Tribal Love Rock Musical,” opened at the Biltmore Theatre. For the record, the show had rock and pop hits and hippie cultural elements. But only about 20 seconds – amid flashing lights – of nudity.
I recall asking James Grant Benton, the island comedian-actor who was in the Las Vegas company of “Hair,” what the governing rules were for cast members who would strip at the show’s finale. You remember, when “Let the Sunshine In,” was sung and danced. He said peeling and baring were voluntary, not required; if you felt it, you’d do it. Or not. And it was a quickie, if you did.
More impressive, in a Los Angeles production at the Aquarius Theatre in 1968, was the policy of engaging audience members to join the ritual of letting-the-sunshine-in, by ascending to the stage. The last Broadway revival was in 2011, and at the performance I attended, audience members could get on stage for the “Sunshine” sing-along.
Among other Broadway shows with nudity:
* “The Full Monty,” about unemployed British steelworks who attempt to be male strippers, has a big reveal – just as the lights go out. Meaning it’s a teaser scene, where most audiences see nothing.
Daniel Radcliffe, in “Equus.”
* “Equus,” a revival of a psychological drama about Alan Strang, a disturbed youngster who blinded six horses, became a Broadway hit in 2007 when Daniel Radcliffe, by then a superstar thanks to his “Harry Potter” franchise of flicks, appeared naked, brightly and clearly. Nope, his young Potter fans could not attend, because of its adults-only restriction.
* “Spring Awakening,” a musical about boarding school teenagers in a repressive German society in the late 19th century, featured two young “Glee” faves, Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, in one steamy scene but the baring was brief and Groff’s butt probably noticed, only briefly.
B.D. Wong, in “M. Butterfly.”
* “M. Butterfly,” the David Henry Hwang drama inspired by the operatic drama “Madame Butterfly,” tells the story of a military officer Rene Gallimard (played by John Lithgow) having a longtime love affair with Song Liling (portrayed by B.D. Wong), incredibly not knowing that his paramour is a guy, not a woman; a major disrobing nude scene features Wong.
* “Miss Saigon,”the hit musical with a Vietnam storyline about an American soldier and his tryst with a Vietnam woman, had a brief bedroom scene in a darkened moment, with mostly his butt showing. The disrobed solider in the original production was Willy Falk, a Punahou grad nominated for a Tony Award as a Featured Actor in a musical.
* “Love! Valour! Compassion!,” a gay Terrence McNally comedy with a lot of exclamation points, featured a company of eight skinny dippers, unclothed, in one frolicking scene. Broadway veteran Nathan Lane was in the cast.
* “The Lisbon Traviata,” another McNally endeavor, is an homage to opera singer Maria Callas, involving two aging men in a relationship, disrupted with the arrival of a younger gent, leading to an operatic finale of sorts, with nudity along the way.
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When actor Joe Chishold appeared nude in “Afterglow,” an off-Broadway hit at the Davenport Theatre in 2018, he shared meaningful thoughts about dropping trous in an interview.
“Every single one of us is naked at some point every day,” he said. “American culture has spent the last century demonizing nudity, making it into something naughty or bad, but it’s the most basic human state of being. Somewhere along the way, we sexualized the naked body. But I think it is important to reaffirm the fact that sex and nudity are two separate things. That is a big takeaway of this show. In my mind, nudity onstage or onscreen, as long as is it serves a purpose and is not gratuitous, is simply another costume (or lack thereof).”
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Three other shows – one on Broadway, two off-Broadway – further demonstrate the diverse ways nudity end up on stage:
“Avenue Q,” the slightly naughty but clever musical produced by former islander Kevin McCollum an an original cast member from Hawaii, Ann Harada, was an all-puppet show (the dolls were manipulated by actors) which earned Best Musical laurels when it played the Golden Theatre in 2007. The show, in retrospect, had naked puppets having sex!
“Naked Boys Singing,” an off-Broadway oddity with male singers and dancing totally nude (but with shoes) at the Actors Playhouse in 1999. I saw it, it was hilarious, but forgettable.
“Puppetry of the Penis,” at the John Houseman Theatre in 2001, was wholly gratuitous, with two guys, in the buff, creating genital contortions or penal origami in the first and only show where the actor played with their privates. …
CBS finally let the cat out of the bag and the message was somewhat of a surprise: No more than four.
Alas, “Magnum P.I.” – waiting for weeks for a green light – was shown the red/stop light yesterday (May 11) that a fifth season, which would have launched filming this summer, is off the books.
Thus, the May 6 episode – with co-stars Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum and Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins, exchaging smitten “I like you” sentiments after kissing each other – was the season’s finale and the series’ ending.
Perdita Weeks and Jay Hernandez of “Magnum P.I.”
The cast has reason to be disappointed, perhaps the viewing fan base more so. The reboot of the original Tom Selleck-led procedural was far more popular, sustaining a 8-year run in the height of Hollywood discovering and setting up anchor to film episodic shows that depicted the sun, surf, and lifestyle – plus the rampant crime in paradise – that viewers all over the world watched. The foundation then was set by the Jack Lord-era of “Hawaii Five-0,” the first episodic crime-in-paradise CBS shot here, which lasted for 12 seasons.
The “Magnum” reboot originally was a Monday night show but shifted to a better night Friday before the shutdown. Ratings were pretty good – not great— dipping down to 7.4 million viewers and a 0.7 demographics rating in season 4, a skosh below numbers during Season 3. In recent years, ratings and demos no longer seemed as important or relevant during earlier decades, when the demos, based on advertising rates – the higher the demo ranking, the more it would cost for primetime ads — mattered more.
CBS still has one other island show, “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” which completed its first year of production, and the show, led by Vanessa Lachey as lead agent Jane Tennant, recently earned its season 2 go-ahead, with filming set for this summer for the fall season. Thus, the NCIS brand apparently still has life and luster.
Robbie Magasiva
Other shows aiming cameras here include Disney* “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” starring Perton Elizabeth Lee. and Jason Scott Lee, with season 2 filming set this summer; and HBO Max’s “Kenui Road,” a lifeguard lifestyle drama written and directed by John Wells and set on the North Shore with principals Robbie Magasiva, Andrew Creer and Tessa de Josselin, which has a pilot in the can with air date not yet set. …
Note: Since this review was posted, Manoa ValleyTheatre has extended “Cambodian Rock Band” through May 22. See MVT website for specifics.’
For me, the best thing about “Cambodian Rock Band” – playing through Sunday (May 15) — is that eye-filling, stage-expanding atmospheric set, designed by Michelle A.Bisbee. It depicts arcs of many hues of a ‘bow that dominates the stage, with ribbons of stripes enveloping the band to the right side of the stage, reaching out to the other side, and even spilling over onto the floor decor of the stage. Credit, too, to scenic artist/properties designer Willie Sabel for making the environment pop.
The scenics attract the selfie crowd and iPhoners who aim and shoot before the show, at intermission, and after the final curtain. When the set gets that kind of scrutiny, it evolves as a “character” in the storytelling.
A rainbow-highlighted scenic is at the heart of Manoa Valley Theatre’s “Cambodia Rock Band.”
It’s a beautifully bewildering statement that perhaps serves as a mindful reminder of the rays that depict the changing moods of the players. There’s a desk and a bit of furniture on the left side of the stage but there’s no denying: this trip to Cambodia will be remembered for this stellar rainbow.
The “Cambodia Rock Band” cast: front, Brenda Caban and Kelsey Bachrens; rear, Kevin Vann, Adrian Khactu, Jason Nomura, Miki Yamamoto and Michael “Mickey” DeLara.
Depending on what your expectations might be, “Cambodian Rock Band” is a tad challenging. It’s a little-known contemporary rock musical (it had an off-Broadway run, plus an indie film release) with historical and political implications of Cambodia in the 1970s, yielding questions that test your appreciation of non-traditional theater where the actors perform on instruments, too.
The play, by Lauren Yee, was bumped from MVT’s 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic, so it’s a bit tardy but provides a refreshing burst of invention. MVT is the first to stage the show in the islands.
The drama-with-music is a melange of different tiers, from a family drama to a staged rock concert, from a possibly tormenting drama about genocide to a dose of Dengue Fever (not the ailment but the rock band). This is foreign history put into words and lyrics that enhance a hip tempo. But a “Hamilton” it’s not.
Yee’s work is frequently wavering, with periodic disturbing turns, about a fictional band running afoul of the Khmer Rouge and potential demise, and tosses political bones with the reliance of prevailing surf-rock California vibes aired on Cambodian radio, with some tunes in the native tongue.
Yet the show is a rarity, with all but one of the seven-member cast singing and acting while performing on instruments and four actors have dual roles. Because several tunes are rock-oriented, be aware that the volume is occasionally loud.
The ensemble sashays in alternating time warps from the mid-70s to 2008 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the pearls are in the retrospective past, with costumer Kimmerie H.H. Jones fine-tuning the garb to reflect the era.
Neary (Kelsey Bachrens, attractive and agile) is a motivated American lawyer, who is a lead singer who delivers the Cambodian repertoire with authority; she is the daughter of Chum (Adrian Khactu, impressive as dad and a lead voice ), a Cambodian native, accused of being a spy and sent to prison. Not surprisingly, they are at odds with generational viewpoints.
Pou (Micki Yamamoto, sweetly fragile ) also tackles vocal leads, with bandsmen Ted (Michael “Mickey” Delara, dependable and comforting), Leng (Kevin Yann, fashionably young-spirited) and Rom (Jason Nomura, versatile) is the reigning musical director).
Duch (Brandon Caban, effective and sardonic) is the narrator/antagonist with a powerful grin.
This isn’t a production where you’ll be humming a tune as you head home, but a whimsical “Old Pot Still Cooks Good Rice” and “Champa Battambang” might be titles you’ll cheer. And a Bob Dylan tune also is tucked into the soundtrack.
There are a few ironic twists as the denouement sheds light on relationships, so be aware.
Remaining shows: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, May 12) and Friday (May 13), 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (May 14) and 3:30 p.m. Sunday (May 15).
Kevin McCollum, a former Honolulan and a veteran Broadway producer, is the lone Tony nominee with Hawaii ties competing as a producer of “Six – The Musical,” which is vying in eight categories this year.
McCollum also is a producer of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the new musical nominated for one award – –Rob McClure, for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. McCollum’s previous Tony wins include such hits as “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights.”
Kevin McCollum
By nomination numbers, “A Strange Loop” leads the pack with 11 nods, followed by “MJ” and “Paradise Square” with 10, “Company” with nine, and “The Lehman Trilogy” and “Six” with eight.
The Tony Awards will be staged June 12, in two parts: the main three-hour broadcast, live via CBS from Radio City Music Hall, will be preceded by an awards special hour via Paramount+.
Since most Hawaii folks are not frequent Broadway visitors who might be acclimated to nominated shows or talent, we thought a rundown of the 2022 nominees might be a helpful guide.
