Friday, September 03, 2010

From Chic Silber #1


BFKEITH3, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.


The 1st National Tour of "Wicked" that played Tampa

last spring (for it's 3rd time) has just opened in Boston

for 7 weeks in the "Opera House" (also for the 3rd time)

I had opportunity to work on a couple of operas for the

famous director Sarah Caldwell when she hired me as

her technical director in the mid 80s

The attached is the history of that famous building

& a window card heralding the original opening

as well as the stage manager's performance report

The box marked Technical Notes is my 1st concern

Our 2nd National tour is currently in Minneapolis

If it weren't for dumb luck I'd have no luck at all

Chic


"Chic, I could lift neither the Boston Theater info nor the Wicked Performance Review, they must be blocked.
Shannon is coming by this afternoon and will take my computer outside and blast out all the dust, cob webs, bread crumbs and roach butts with a power washer. While here I will ask him to add these two items."

Buckles


Posted by Buckles at 9/03/2010 06:33:00 AM

13 comments:

Chic Silber said...

Thanks Buckles

I think the theater's history is

quite interesting but the show

report might not be to too many

Thanfully we have many restored

old "houses" all around the world

Many keep their original names

like "Orpheum" "Majestic" "Fox"

& "Shubert" which is certainly

better than "Foxwood" (the new

name for the Hilton & no better)

03 September, 2010 10:04
Chic Silber said...

Just remembered that our "Wicked"

in Minneapolis is playing in the

"Orpheum" by funny coincidence

03 September, 2010 11:13
Chic Silber said...

Also our San Francisco company

is in the "Orpheum" out there

That makes 3 out of 8 not bad

03 September, 2010 11:15
Buckles said...

Wasn't there a line in "Gypsy"?
......there I was in Mr. Orpheum's office!

03 September, 2010 11:59
Mike Naughton said...

The Orpheum line was used in the musical, "Gypsy, a musical fable", loosely based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee.

The song is, "Some People" and this is the part that you mentioned:

I had a dream,
a wonderful dream, papa,
all about June in the Orpheum circuit.
Gimme a chance and I know I can work it.

I had a dream.
Just as real as can be, papa.
There I was in Mr. Orpheum's office
and he was saying to me, "Rose,
get yourselves some new orchestrations,
new routines and red velvet curtains.
Get a feathered hat for the baby;
photographs in front of the theatre.
Get an agent and in jig time
you'll be being booked in the big time."

Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics, Jule Stein composed the music.

03 September, 2010 18:46
FRANK CURRY said...

Stephen Sondheim's father was a dress manufacturer who lived at 1010 Fifth Ave., New York City.

Stephen's mentor was Oscar Hammerstien II.

03 September, 2010 20:03
Chic Silber said...

You are confirming what Buckles

added earlier Mike along with a

little more detail

Of the effects work I did on the

recent revival with Patti LuPone

the most fun was the lighting on

the "Electra" costume that I sent

photos of that Buckles ran some

time back & the playbill credit

I asked for (just for laughs)

was "Electrafication By"

The show was directed by Arthur

Laurents who also wrote the book

Marilyn Caskey who portrayed the

stripper Electra & had the number

"You Gotta Get A Gimmick" with

Mazeppa & Tessie Tura is currently

Madame Morrible in our 2nd Tour

of "Wicked" (small world)

03 September, 2010 20:38
Chic Silber said...

Baby June was actually June Havoc

I did the special effects on the

British comedy "Habeas Corpus" by

Alan Bennett in 75 with several

big names including June Havoc

Celeste Holm Jean Marsh Rachel

Roberts Donald Sinden and the

debut of Richard Gere

03 September, 2010 20:55
Chic Silber said...

Sounds like a familiar address

to you Frank did you know anyone

else that lived there

Mums the word

03 September, 2010 23:17
Ole Whitey said...

There is a story that when June and Rose were children, their parents took them to see a production of "Rain" with I believe Jeanne Eagles as Sadie Thompson

Later a reporter was backstage and little June launched into her impression of the character Sadie including the line about "you psalm singing son of a b..." and the reporter although shocked wrote it up for his paper.

04 September, 2010 12:17
Ole Whitey said...

Of course there was no Mr Orpheum.

The Orpheum Circuit was established by Martin Beck, former actor and waiter, who started off by buying the San Francisco Orpheum and then adding to it. In time he dominated vaudeville in the western part of the country.

In the east B F Keith and his henchman E F Albee (two old circus men) had the UBO (United Booking Office, generally called "Keith Time."

Eventually Keith-Albee bought the Orpheum Circuit and thus Keith-Orpheum came into being.

In time Joe Kennedy on behalf of RCA (Radio Corp of America) bought into this company and RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) was born.

This is very abbreviated but I'm sure interested parties can find the vile details on the net.

04 September, 2010 14:39
Anonymous said...

I'm no historian, but Radio-Keith-Orpheum...sigh.

A Fan of the Good Ole Days

04 September, 2010 19:18
FRANK CURRY said...

TO CHIC;

They say that everyone who lives there has an interesting story.

Like the Dakota Apartments and the San Remo.

04 September, 2010 19:40

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