A perfectly recreated production of Broadway's original Evita, complete with those freaky helicopter launching pad lights on the stage deck, weirdo metal railings that represent the Casa Rosada, awesomely turning mic/balcony thing as Eva throws her arms up into that iconic pose, garish wood and mirror revolving door for "Goodnight and Thank You," and oddball solitary wooden door frame randomly placed stage right during "Another Suitcase in Another Hall."
A perfect, exact recreation, please, with Larry Fuller as choreographer and Hal Prince directing.
Maybe then we could celebrate one of the most thrilling theatrical presentations of our time, and bury the memory of the current, lackluster, pious tourist trap.
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
I think OLIVER! is ripe for a revival. Considering that the 1980 revival with Moody and Lupone had the same set and director as the original production, it is a show that has not had a NEWLY staged production since its original run almost 50 years ago. I would love to see the Macintosh version that has been hanging around the UK since 1994 make it to Boradway. But the last time he tried to bring it in, AE insisted he pay the Workhouse Kids for a full show even though they are only in the first ten minutes of the show and then are never seen again (except the 8 or 9 who are reused as members of Fagin's gang). Thus we were given the non-equity tour, which was still quite good. I wonder if he will bring the current UK tour over here to tour when its dates are done. It's a show that certainly has its fans.
I wish we could get that Funny Girl revival. Maybe Nina Arianda has the pipes? Or Sutton Foster?
My Fair Lady or The King and I at Lincoln Center would be ideal. Kelli O'Hara for both of those!
And I really want to see a revisal of The Unsinkable Molly Brown. I wish the production with Reba had come to fruition. That would be the perfect revival.
MAME with Toni Collette and Kristen Johnston SHE LOVES ME with Kelli O'Hara and Josh Radnor JUNO with Betty Buckley and Gabriel Byrne PURLIE with Anika Noni Rose and Sahr Ngaujah HIGH SPIRITS with Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Rachel York and Mary Louise Wilson or Harriet Harris ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY with Kevin Kline and Kristin Chenoweth MY FAIR LADY with Damian Lewis, Christiane Noll, and Alfred Molina KISMET with Paolo Schott, Jane Krakowski, Andrew Samonsky and Jennifer Damiano ERNEST IN LOVE with Penelope Keith, Laura Osnes, Sierra Bogess, Lee Pace, Santino Fontana, Jayne Houdyshell MY ONE AND ONLY with Hugh Jackman and Tari Kelly
Juno and the Paycock The Glass Menagerie M. Butterfly
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
Not to belittle anyone's choices here, but I never thought anyone would feel nostalgic for BABY or WILL ROGERS FOLLIES. Each show boasted a few nice songs, but never could make sense as a play as a whole.
My noms for musicals (I'll let others offer casting suggestions, but I'm dreaming of Nicholas Hytner-type direction a la the '94 Carousel for most of the shows on the list):
LADY IN THE DARK BRIGADOON THE APPLE TREE DEAR WORLD (needs a major revisal deleting the title song) MACK & MABLE THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM THE RINK BIG RIVER RAGS CITY OF ANGELS ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
1992 is sort of my cutoff year-- don't believe shows should be revived sooner than 20 years.