Happy 95th Birthday Carol Channing!

Carol Channing and her late husband Harry Kullijian at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. — Patricia Gay photo

Well hello, Carol, I’m so glad you are celebrating your 95th birthday today!

Carol Channing immortalized at Sardi’s

I am forever grateful to you for bringing your own special brand of humor and joy to the theater. I will never forget as a little kid listening to my mom’s original Broadway cast recording of Hello, Dolly! I knew then and there I would forever be a Broadway musical and Carol Channing fan.

Singing to the record, (yes kids, we had vinyl records back then) I particularly liked how Carol sang So Long Dearie, with the drawn out opening notes. I sang this song many times when I was leaving a place, a job, or something else unpleasant.

The cast of All the Way serenades The Jersey Boys

The cast of All the Way on Broadway has an interesting Saturday night habit.

Could Broadway be ready for LBJ: The Musical?

Tony awards: Some misses, mostly hits

Skyler and Walter White, aka Anna Gunn and Bryan Cranston, reunite at the Tony awards.

It was so good to see Bryan Cranston win a Tony award for his role as President Lyndon Baines Johnson in All the Way. All the Way also won for Best Play. For you Bryan Cranston and Breaking Bad fans… do not miss this! I don’t know if he will be reprising this role anytime soon, (although there are talks about an All the Way sequel).  But if you want to see the definition of a tour de force performance — this is it.

Rocky the Musical: The set packs a punch

A sketch, that’s right, a sketch of the set for Rocky the musical, designed by Chris Barreca.

Come Sunday, I know who I’m rooting for to win a Tony award — Chris Barreca, who is nominated for best scenic design for his work on Rocky, the musical.

Matilda: Lice, lice baby

Cast members of Matilda on Broadway are dealing with a hairy situation.

Lice are a royal pain in the… scalp. Tiny little parasites that gleefully jump from human head to human head sucking the blood out of you.

Madison Dirks, keeping it real

Twitter exchange with Madison Dirks.

Following my Tony rant on my blog post yesterday, I had a brief exchange with actor Madison Dirks on Twitter. Glad to see he’s in good spirits.

Tony nominations: Déjà vu all over again

Bryan Cranston, as Lyndon Johnson, has a lot to be happy about, getting a Tony nomination for his first Broadway show.

Tony, Tony, Tony. There is something maddening about the Tony award nominations for Broadway shows. Each year there seems to be a “HUH, NO WAY!” moment for me.

All the Way with Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston is a tour de force on Broadway in All the Way.

Merriam-Webster defines “tour de force” as a feat or display of strength, skill or ingenuity. Next to that definition, there should be a picture of Bryan Cranston.

Happy Birthday William Shakespeare

His life was gentle; and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, THIS WAS A MAN!

Congratulations William Shakespeare on your 450th birthday! You are still the most important voice in the English language after all these days, fortnights, years, decades, and centuries.

We’ll miss Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman as a priest in Doubt. While he had a great body of work, I think this was my favorite performance.

It wasn’t time for Philip Seymour Hoffman to leave us. But he’s gone and will be greatly missed.

He could play a rumpled loser, a gadabout author, a nasty prep student, or a religious cult leader with ease. He also had his way with Broadway in True West, Long Day’s Journey Into Night and Death of a Salesman.