At 2 PM today, I'll be celebrating 30 years of attending Broadway shows. Yes, on Saturday, August 20, 1983, I entered the the recently newly re-named Gershwin Theatre and marveled at how HUGE the place was! I mean, as if the parking garage/driveway right outside the door wasn't enough, there were escalators to the seating area, and giant waiting areas with bars! Surely, all Broadway theatres has to be this enormous and glamorous, right? But where were the rest of them? Weren't they all on Broadway in one big, fabulous row with flashy marquees? And why wasn't this theatre on Broadway? As we waited for the tuxedo-ed (yes, they had on black tuxes!) ushers to open the doors, all of my questions were answered by my drama teacher, who had been so amazing as to take a group of us drama kids to see her favorite show of all time.Mame was the show, and it starred its original lead (and many from the original cast as well), Miss Angela Lansbury. I knew her voice from hearing her on the Cast Recording, which my teacher played over and over, as well as the Cast Recording of a weird show called Sweeney Todd, which played this same theatre when it was still called the Uris. And I saw her in Bedknobs and Broomsticks when I was a kid. Did many people know who she was? Apparently, the audience did. That day, she got three standing ovations: one when she entered, blowing a bugle at the top of a spiral staircase in a sparkling gold pant suit, then at the end of "Bosom Buddies" which she and Anne Francine killed - it was AMAZING, and of course, at the curtain call. 
The Playbill title page
A flyer for the 1983 production of MameMy seat was Orchestra row T112. It was an expensive ticket at $37.50. (That exact seat at this Saturday's matinee of Wicked, would cost $142.00, including the restoration fee, but before any fees for buying elsewhere than the box office.) Boy, did we get out money's worth! Tons of scenery - drops, staircases, huge set pieces that moved by themselves! And the costumes! The huge cast! The dancing! The orchestra! It was way better than the record!I just looked through that Playbill and smile at the flood of memories. And I get a huge kick out of the show listings in the back! Who would have known that A Chorus Line would run another full seven years? Or that the newest Best Musical, Cats, would eventually run even longer to become Broadway's longest-running show? And how cool that the very next day, a little show called La Cage aux Folles would open, starring George Hearn, and would change theatre history?! It tickles me that Diahann Carroll, soon to star this season in A Raisin in the Sun, would be finishing up the acclaimed run of Agnes of God, and that Cicely Tyson was in previews for The Corn is Green, the last show she was in before this year's Tony-winning turn in The Trip to Bountiful! Amadeus was advertising "last weeks," and a play called Passion was playing the Longacre, starring Frank Langella. Other theatre greats on Broadway that day included Chita Rivera(Merlin at the Mark Hellinger), Harvey Fierstein (La Cage at the Palace AND Torch Song Trilogy - the newest Best Play at the Helen Hayes), Tommy Tune (fresh off a double Tony win for My One and Only at the St. James, while his Tony winning Best Musical, Nine, at the 46th Street), and legends Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst were starring in You Can't Take It With You at the Plymouth. Talk about your star power!Among the shows not listed is 42nd Street, the show that would end up being my second Broadway show. It was in the middle of its own record-breaking run at the Majestic Theatre. Yes, 30 years ago, that theatre was not home to The Phantom of the Opera. Times sure were different!August 20, 1983, as it turns out, is one of the most important dates in my life. That was the day a high school activity became my true passion.Tomorrow, I'll talk about the 10 biggest changes in Broadway theatre-going over the past 30 years. And how many things really haven't changed, too!Jeff4.309Source:http://jkstheatrescene.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-20-1983-my-first-broadway-show.html
August 20, 1983: My First Broadway Show Images
Broadway Shows || Jaunted
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... Broadway Photo Stop | Broadway's Best Shows | Broadway's Best Shows
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Nick Pitera One Man Tribute to Disney's The Lion King on Broadway
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Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: August 2011
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Matt Damon spoke out to Esquire about stardom and family life for the August cover story. Damon, 42, claimed that he feels lucky that his marriage to Luciana Barroso, who isn't a movie star, means he can enjoy a level of calm that eludes his pal Brad Pitt."If you can control the celebrity side of celebrity, then it's worth it," Damon explained, noting: "I look at Brad - and I have for years - and when I'm with him I see the intensity of that other side of it."
Damon continued: "And the paparazzi and the insane level of aggression they have and their willingness to break the law and invade his space - well, I wonder about that trade.""I remember telling him that I walk my kids to school, and his face just fell," Damon recalled, adding: "He was very kind, but he was like: "You bastard." Because he should be able to do that, too. And he can't."Damon revealed to Esquire: "I got lucky. I fell in love with a civilian. Not an actress and not a famous actress at that. Because then the attention doesn't double - it grows exponentially. Because then suddenly everybody wants to be in your bedroom. But I don't really give them anything."
"If I'm not jumping up and down on a bar, or lighting something on fire, or cheating on my wife, there's not really any story to tell," Damon was quoted as saying.Damon stated: "They can try to stake me out, but they're always going to get the same story - middle-aged married guy with four kids. So as long as that narrative doesn't change too much, there's no appetite for it."Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!
I was definitely getting tired of hearing the same old Calvin Harris and David Guetta-produced songs on the radio day after day and enduring the Flo-rida's and Pitbulls. After a while, they all seem to sound the same. Along came Suit & Tie, i got a little bit skeptical when i first heard it but slowly grew it grew into me. And then there was Blurred Lines, finally that breath of fresh air.While the song itself is over almost three months old, the song is now number one on the Billboard hot 100 and probably will be the most addictive song of the year. The song is the lead single off of Thicke’s upcoming album with the same name.Intended or not, “Blurred Lines,” featuring producer Pharrell and Atlanta rapper T.I., is fair competition or rather the better version for Timberlake’s current single with Jay-Z, “Suit and Tie.” In this playful single, Thicke samples the famous Marvin Gaye hit, “Got to Give it Up.”“Blurred Lines” is a flirty song about Thicke and a woman, who portrays to be a good girl, sending signals back and forth to each other. The contrasting styles of Thicke, Pharrel and T.I. blend together in the song to create a classy, feel-good product. Even on this quirky, playful song, T.I. kills his verse and complements the song tremendously with his lyrical balance and swagger. Thicke, Pharrell, T.I. and three diverse models seem to be having a good time in the video with innocent flirting, off-beat dance moves, random goats and T.I.’s James Brown dance impersonations. The music video for “Blurred Lines” caused quite the controversy. The video was released March 20 and featured Thicke as well as the other artists that collaborated on the track with him, T.I. and Pharrell. The original, unrated version features the three artists surrounded by topless models and can only be found on the popular video-sharing website Vevo. The video bought into the popular Twitter hashtag language, stamping the video every few seconds with #THICKE. Critical reactions to the song were mostly positive. Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song 4.5 stars on 5, lauding Pharell's production and "Robin Thicke's seriously sexy vocals" and deeming it "the catchiest and sexiest pop dance hits of the year."The Michigan Daily's Jackson Howard graded it an "A" and praised it as "one of Pharrell’s best beats in years ... by the time the multilayered and carnal harmonies of the chorus come in, the song is completely on fire."Writing for Billboard, Chris Payne compared it with Justin Timberlake's Suit & Tie and called it a "bubbly bit of disco-shuffling R&B", while also noting its racy content.
