If you're in NYC next Sunday, you may want to check out the reading of the play WTC View at Player's Theatre in Greenwich Village.
Michael Urie, who plays Marc on Ugly Betty and who originated the lead role in the play back in 2003 and starred in the film version a few years after that, will be reprising his character. Jason Tam, who plays Markko on One Life to Live and who completely blew me away with his audition for the role of Paul in the revival of A Chorus Line and who went on to win that role, will also be in the cast.
I saw the film version on DVD a couple of years back and I thought that Urie was very good in it. It revolves around a traumatized New Yorker trying to find a new roommate in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
I'd love to see what Jason Tam could do in this play, even in a reading. It looks like they're planning to mount a new stage production in 2011 as well, so maybe this weekend he'll be reading a role that he could end up playing in a full production.
Showing posts with label jason tam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jason tam. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Every Little Step
I just finished watching Every Little Step, a documentary that follows the casting process for the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, and I found it fascinating. I'd been waiting for this to come out of DVD for months now and it really didn't disappoint.
I've more or less fallen in love with the original cast album of the show over the past two or three months and I'm only sorry that I didn't discover it in time to see the revival's touring company last year when they performed in my neck of the woods.
Watching the documentary, I now have a new regret: that I didn't get to see this cast perform on Broadway! Is it too much to ask that Broadway plays and musicals be recorded and released on DVD for those of us poor souls who don't get to live anywhere near NYC? They did it quite well for the final Broadway performance of Rent, so I know it can be done. Why can't the mountain just come to Mohammad already?!
The biggest surprise of the whole documentary was Jason Tam, though truthfully it wasn't a surprise tonight, but rather several months ago when I saw the clip online. That was actually before the documentary was even released on DVD and before I ever listened to the music or even really knew what the show was about.
I've been watching Tam as Markko on One Life to Live for nearly two years now and while I've found him to be a likable young actor I can't say that he's ever impressed me on the show the way he did in his audition for the role of Paul. He was just astonishingly good and I had tears rolling down my face by the end, both while watching it online a few months back and again tonight on the DVD.
I was hardly the only one who was impressed, either, since he moved the casting people in exactly the same way. Bob Avian, the director, even commented that it was the first time in thirty years that he'd cried watching the scene where Paul talks about a pivotal moment with his parents.
If only I could have seen Jason playing Paul on Broadway! It also would have been nice if he'd been featured more in the film, since aside from the one shining moment that is really the emotional high point of the entire film, we don't see anything else about him at all. Maybe he just didn't want to participate in the documentary?
The movie actually focused mostly on the casting of the female parts, which was a bit disappointing, though not enough to seriously detract from my enjoyment. I just wish we could have seen them casting all the roles, but I suppose there were time constraints to consider.
I'd recommend Every Little Step to anyone who is interested in the workings of show business and/or musical theater. I enjoyed it a lot more than I did the feature film version of A Chorus Line, which sadly is as close as I've come so far to seeing a production!
Rent is my favorite musical ever, but A Chorus Line has become a very close second. If I ever actually do manage to see a real production, I may even find that I can't choose between the two shows.
I've more or less fallen in love with the original cast album of the show over the past two or three months and I'm only sorry that I didn't discover it in time to see the revival's touring company last year when they performed in my neck of the woods.
Watching the documentary, I now have a new regret: that I didn't get to see this cast perform on Broadway! Is it too much to ask that Broadway plays and musicals be recorded and released on DVD for those of us poor souls who don't get to live anywhere near NYC? They did it quite well for the final Broadway performance of Rent, so I know it can be done. Why can't the mountain just come to Mohammad already?!
The biggest surprise of the whole documentary was Jason Tam, though truthfully it wasn't a surprise tonight, but rather several months ago when I saw the clip online. That was actually before the documentary was even released on DVD and before I ever listened to the music or even really knew what the show was about.
I've been watching Tam as Markko on One Life to Live for nearly two years now and while I've found him to be a likable young actor I can't say that he's ever impressed me on the show the way he did in his audition for the role of Paul. He was just astonishingly good and I had tears rolling down my face by the end, both while watching it online a few months back and again tonight on the DVD.
I was hardly the only one who was impressed, either, since he moved the casting people in exactly the same way. Bob Avian, the director, even commented that it was the first time in thirty years that he'd cried watching the scene where Paul talks about a pivotal moment with his parents.
If only I could have seen Jason playing Paul on Broadway! It also would have been nice if he'd been featured more in the film, since aside from the one shining moment that is really the emotional high point of the entire film, we don't see anything else about him at all. Maybe he just didn't want to participate in the documentary?
The movie actually focused mostly on the casting of the female parts, which was a bit disappointing, though not enough to seriously detract from my enjoyment. I just wish we could have seen them casting all the roles, but I suppose there were time constraints to consider.
I'd recommend Every Little Step to anyone who is interested in the workings of show business and/or musical theater. I enjoyed it a lot more than I did the feature film version of A Chorus Line, which sadly is as close as I've come so far to seeing a production!
Rent is my favorite musical ever, but A Chorus Line has become a very close second. If I ever actually do manage to see a real production, I may even find that I can't choose between the two shows.
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