Duncan Sheik gets electronic with American Psycho and goes indie with Spring Awakening movie
Duncan Sheik is still knee-deep in theater projects. The Tony-winning composer is getting ready to mount the first staged production of his new musical The Nightingale this June in San Diego, he’s still polishing away at the musical version of American Psycho, and he’s also trying to get the much-anticipated film version of Spring Awakening off the ground. Yet while the stage calls, Sheik is taking some time to focus on his music career. Sheik is co-headlining a concert tour with Suzanne Vega (most widely known for “Tom’s Diner”), which will play New York’s Highline Ballroom on April 25 and 26. Sheik phoned Stage Rush on the drive to his first rehearsal for the tour to chat about how American Psycho is influencing his next solo album, Spring Awakening going the indie film route, and why he’s wanted to dodge his biggest hit, “Barely Breathing,” for so long.
How did this collaboration with Suzanne Vega come about?
We’ve known each other for a really long time because we’re both practicing Buddhists. We knew each other through those circles and we’d see each other at various places when we’d be touring for our records. For a long time, Suzanne had this idea about writing a show where she would play Carson McCullers and perform these songs that were inspired by her writing. Suzanne’s daughter is a huge fan of Spring Awakening, so Suzanne thought that since I’ve done the theater thing before, she’d call me up. We ended up writing a score for this piece together. She performed it a year ago at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and she’s been performing a few of the songs in her concerts since then. So we decided to do this co-headlining tour. Read more 
Stage Rush TV: Episode 19
Talking points:
- Jonathan Groff at Joe’s Pub
- Talking with Afton C. Williamson, former understudy, current star of Race
- Stage Rush’s free ticket giveaway: Fela! and The 39 Steps
- Broadway grosses
Did you catch Jonathan Groff at Joe’s Pub, Rushers? What did you think of his set list? Have you seen Afton Williamson in Race yet? What do you think of her story? Have you entered the Fela!/39 Steps ticket giveaway yet? What are you waiting for, Rushers? Leave it in the comments!
Concert recap: Jonathan Groff at Joe’s Pub
It was obvious that Jonathan Groff was utilizing his newfound Jesse St. James moves at his solo concert Sunday night at Joe’s Pub. Coming off his hugely popular Glee guest role as the star singer of the fledgling club’s main competition, the Spring Awakening and Hair star channeled the cocky Jesse’s moves into his performance. With a set list of funk and R&B tunes, Groff got down in a playful, silly manor that he has seldom been able to display on stage.
The set list, Groff explained, was inspired by his time at Glee. While sitting in LA traffic on his way to and from the set, which he explained as a “blessing and a curse,” Groff said he immersed himself in music and the songs he chose to perform at the concert were those he sang at the top of his lungs in his car.
Opening with Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” the song choice came as a surprise from the usual mellow rock Groff has sung in shows. The performances came across authentic, as Groff infuses a hefty amount of genuine emotion into his delivery. Over the course of the set, which lasted just shy of an hour, Groff sang with a huge grin and constantly reminded the audience how happy he was to be there.
This performance at Joe’s Pub marked Groff’s first ever solo concert. He told the audience that the day he moved to New York, he attended a concert at Joe’s Pub featuring Legally Blonde star Laura Bell Bundy, and that while sitting in the audience, he vowed the day would come that he would headline the stage as well. Read more
Glee Live plays Radio City Music Hall
The national spotlight that such Broadway veterans as Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, and Jonathan Groff are receiving due to the hit show Glee makes the news and events of the Fox show a direct interest of Stage Rush and its readers. Rusher and Glee fan Irina Gonzalez attended the Saturday Glee Live concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and reported from the fan-crazed scene.
There wasn’t a single warm seat in the house Saturday night—that’s what happens when an entire show becomes a standing ovation. The kids of Glee delivered fun and entertainment in their Glee Live tour, which hit New York this weekend.
Guest blogger Irina Gonzalez
Starting off the show was the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the dance troupe of cast member Harry Shum Jr. There was a lot of jumping and break dancing for the mostly-male cast, and a huge round of applause as Shum, aka Mike “Other Asian” Chang, came on stage at the end for a “idle shoes” inspired dance sequence which sent the audience to its feet for the first time that night. The LXD ended the show sans Shum to a standing ovation.
After a 30-minute intermission, Jane Lynch came on a screen to welcome the Gleeks to Radio City Music Hall as her alter ego Sue Sylvester. “Hello, suckers!” was her opening line, greeting everyone as “idiots” and having McKinley High cheerleaders pass out “barf bags” through the audience. Matthew Morrison then stepped in to introduce the kids of New Directions as they opened the show with their biggest hit, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”. Read more
Stage Rush TV: Episode 5
- Duncan Sheik spills details on Spring Awakening movie
- Sheik in concert in South Orange, NJ
- Broadway double-header: rushing A Little Night Music and The Miracle Worker
- Broadway grosses
Duncan Sheik: Original Broadway cast will not reprise roles in ‘Spring Awakening’ film
‘Glee’ concert tour: What is it with Lea Michele and May 18?
May 18, 2008. It was a big day for me, as I had seats (excellent ones, might I add) to Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff’s final performance in Spring Awakening. Sitting there in the audience, with an electricity of excitement in the air, I knew it was a very important day in Michele’s life too. What I didn’t know is that this date—May 18—would continue to be a milestone day in her life each time it came around for the next two years running. 
Last year on May 19 (give me a little wiggle room here), the pilot episode of Glee broadcast on Fox after part one of the season finale of American Idol. I couldn’t believe that almost exactly a year ago, I was watching Michele perform live to a packed Broadway house, and now I was watching her in a lead role in a debuting major television series, following the most successful show in America. As everyone knows, Glee became a huge hit and threw Michele into superstardom, as well as earning her a Golden Globe nomination just half-way through the show’s first season. 
Fox announced today that the cast of Glee will be hitting the road for a four-city concert tour, kicking off in Phoenix on… May 18. What other date would it possible be?? Knee-jerk reaction: ‘Hair’ cast 2.0 announcement
The second Broadway revival cast of Hair was announced today, and the news has fans rolling in the mud—some in joy and others in frustration. The new lead actors announced include Kyle Riabko, Ace Young, and Diana DeGarmo; the latter two have appeared as finalists on American Idol. @jeffreychrist says if Diana DeGarmo & Ace Young join the cast of his beloved HAIR, it will not only have JUMPED the shark, but EATEN by the shark…@PataphysicalSci I’m disappointment with much of the new Hair cast, but on the bright side, it’s a pretty good way to cure my Hair addiction.
@CrysDenn So unbelievably excited about the new cast of Hair..I’m gonna have to see it again and i have to sit front row to get played with again! :)@BroadwayJack The new @HAIRTribe is awesome! Especially excited about @joshlamon as Margaret Mead and Annaleigh Ashford as Jeanie… :)
Do I think the branding of American Idol with Young and DeGarmo will cause Hair’s ticket sales to surge? No. But stunt casting? DeGarmo has appeared in Hairspray on Broadway and The Toxic Avenger off. She has a substantial amount of professional musical theater experience now, and let’s not forget; she did come in second place during Idol’s third season. I hope that counts for something. 
Young has appeared in the recent Broadway revival of Grease, and although I haven’t seen him perform, I’ve heard he’s pretty charismatic. 
The casting of Riabko, however, gives me pause. The Canadian singer replaced Jonathan Groff as Melchior in Spring Awakening upon his departure, and then continued on in the role during the show’s national tour. Coming off of any original cast which you’ve loved is going to be a tainted experience. But I found Riabko to be quite wooden in the role of Melchior. A second viewing months later during the national tour didn’t reveal any progress. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the free-loving role of Claude (which was also played by Groff when the show was in its Central Park run. Do we see a trend?). Tony Awards announce first-ever student rush, aka. The Ultimate Rush
Get your game faces on, Rushers—your ultimate challenge has arrived. The Tony Awards has announced that for the first time ever, student rush tickets will be offered for the ceremony.
(Have you recovered yet? Well do so, because you’ve got a tough road ahead of you.)
When examining the details of this rush, all I see in my head is Mario struggling to hurdle over all the obstacles in the final, most difficult level of Donkey Kong. This rush is like jumping through fire and water, and then battling the most fearsome video game BOSS. This is The Ultimate Rush.
- The first 200 people in line will be eligible.
- They then must enter their names into a ticket lottery. This is a double rush!
Have you ever tried to play a ticket lotto with 200 people? My guess is that 50 tickets will be given away. A hundred seems like too much—that would make the odds 50/50 and that just sounds too good to be true. In addition, most people will definitely be signing up for two tickets (yes, each winner is entitled up to two tickets), so that will cut the number of names drawn down to about 25. And what time should you arrive? Is 3 a.m. even too late? Honestly, I’m thinking midnight/1 a.m. (shudders). But for Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele’s final performance in Spring Awakening, student rushers started lining up at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre during the performance the night before! This one’s a tough call, but I’ll be shooting for 1 a.m.
Here are the rest of the details about The Ultimate Rush:
- WHERE: The Broadway Concierge & Ticket Center, 1560 Broadway, between 46 and 47 Sts.
- WHEN: When you arrive is up to you. First 200 in line will enter their names into the lotto at 11 a.m. The lotto drawing will take place at 3 p.m. Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis from Rock of Ages and fellow cast member James Carpinello will conduct the drawing.
- HOW MUCH: $40 per ticket (cash only), up to two tickets per lotto winner.
- WHAT TO WEAR: Well, if you’re a winner, you must have black-tie attire for the Tony Awards ceremony.
That’s it, Rushers. The Ultimate Rush awaits you. Check back here at Stage Rush for full coverage of the Tony rush (I will be doing it. And it is supposed to rain. all. night.). May the best Rushers win!
The fall of ‘Spring’ rush
It’s not often that one gets to travel back in time, but thanks to Google (what can’t it do?) I have done just that, and re-witnessed one of the great eras in Broadway rush history.
During a short bout of procrastination, I was fooling around on Google Maps, using the “street view” function. Since it’s way too cold to take an actual walk through Times Square, I thought it’d be pleasant to go for a virtual stroll instead. While I was “there,” I was looking for clues to discover around what time the photography of the area was taken. Warner Bros. owns the billboard space that hangs above 7th Ave and W 47th St., and that space always advertises the company’s current major release. Low and behold, it was The Brave One, which was released in September 2007. My mind immediately jumped to Spring Awakening, which recently (and sadly) closed on Broadway. I thought, Wouldn’t it be nice to see the old marquee once again?
I decided to “walk” over to the Eugene O’Neil Theatre on 49th St. Once I “arrived,” what did I find there but… the student rush line!! Which means the photographs were taken in the morning, since rush tickets went on sale when the box office opened.
It was nostaligc to see the Spring Awakening student rush line, since I’d rushed the show 11 times (seen the show 18 times though). Spring Awakening‘s rush policy was not only one of the best offered (tickets were always available, and ususally in the first few rows, extreme right and left), but it was also one of the most popular.
It’s also special to see the original posters, featuring original stars John Gallagher Jr., Jonathan Groff, and Lea Michele (before they were later replaced by Blake Bashoff, Kyle Riabko, and Alexandra Socha).
Thus concludes today’s lesson in Broadway rush history.