Revue-ing the Situation

And while listening to these songs, I couldn't help but long for a time when composers (such as Bernstein) and lyricists (such as Stephen Sondheim, Alan Jay Lerner, and Stephen Schwartz, all represented in the revue) showed off erudition, intellect, and exceptional talent. That stands in marked contrast to today, when even show songs seem composed of a sweet little melody and a few lines that rhyme.

By the way, the Coconut Grove Playhouse is presenting another musical revue as its next show, opening January 25 A Sweet & Hot -- celebrating the songs of Harold Arlen, such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather." We obviously have to wait a little longer before a majority of theaters present drama on their stages. Until then, we have no other choice than to sing along with the greats and those who are costumed as greats.

Stage Notes
Juan Cejas of ACME Acting Company wanted to straighten out the impression that his company was not producing shows because they are in financial trouble, so he called me up to emphasize the point. He said that ACME was actually debt-free and that grosses from The Elephant Man were their highest since their last hit at the Colony Theater, Prelude to a Kiss. "We budgeted so that we needed only 50 to 75 people per night to cover our costs. However, if someone came into the Colony and there were only 75 people there, it may have looked empty."

Cejas says that ACME cannot pay high Miami Beach rents "of 20 to 30 dollars a square foot" for a permanent space, partly because there is little corporate support. Also, the Colony Theater, which they can afford, is heavily booked this year. According to Cejas, these were his main reasons for cancelling Death of a Salesman, scheduled to open New Year's Eve. "Our number-one priority is to stay open," he says, "we would have only had ten or twelve performances of the show and so we needed 300 people every night, which is not doable." Cejas does promise a new ACME production to grace the Colony in July of this year, with plays to follow in October 1994, and in January and March 1995. "For the first time in seven years, we're becoming smart, responsible business people," explains Cejas, saying that he will raise the funds first and produce the shows once ACME's foundation is even more rock solid. Good thinking.