Fall/Winter 2005 - BMI.com

Works
In Production
AVENUE Q in Vegas
The Tony Award winning show,
book by Jeff Whitty, music, lyrics
and original conception by
Advanced writers Robert Lopez &
Jeff Marx, recently opened to rave
reviews when it inaugurated the
1,200-seat Broadway Theater at
Wynn Las Vegas. Original Broadway
stars John Tartaglia—who
plays Princeton, Rod and others—
and Rick Lyon—who handles
Nicky, Trekkie Monster and
more—are joined in the doubled
ensemble (to allow for ten performances
a week) by Angela Ai,
David Benoit, Steven Booth, Minglie
Chen, Tonya Dixon, Rita Dolphin,
Natalie Gray, Phyre
Hawkins, Nicholas Kohn,
Michelle Lane, Kevin Noonchester,
Brynn O’Malley, Cole Porter,
Jonathan Root, Kelli Sawyer,
Sharon Wheatley and Haneefah
Wood.
Tickets for Avenue Q at the
Wynn, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd.
South in Las Vegas, NV are available
by phone or online at (702)
770-7000, toll free (888) 320 7123 or
w w w . w y n n l a s v e g a s . c o m
and www.ticketmaster.com/
wynnlasvegas. And of course the
show continues to play on Broadway
at the Golden Theatre, 252
West 45 Street. For more information
on the show, visit
www.avenueq.
com.
4
THE DEVIL’S MUSIC: The Life
and Music of Bessie Smith
The critically acclaimed play
with music by Angelo Parra
(Librettists), conceived and directed
by Joe Brancato, starring Miche
Braden, seems unstoppable. After
its off-Broadway success and
many subsequent engagements, it
surfaced this August-September
yet again, for a three-week run at
the Shadowland Theatre in
Ellenville, NY.
Angelo Parra
DOG SEES GOD: Confessions of
a Teenage Blockhead
the award-winning 2004 FringeNYC
take-off of the Peanuts
characters, written by Bert V.
Royal with original music by
alumnus Tom Kitt (Debbie Does
Dallas, Laugh Whore), will reach
Off-Broadway later this year for a
commercial run. The show brings
together the original gang a
decade later as their beloved beagle
companion dies. A missing pen
I will miss seeing him work an
orchestra. Or a band. He was one
hell of a conductor. Performers
and musicians would follow him
out the window, or off a pier. They
only had to work with him once to
bond with him, and they all knew
instinctively how good he was.
I loved being a couple with him.
I loved throwing parties and holidays
at our place, having him cook
his brains out and making me into
a very harried and somewhat
reluctant sous chef. I loved going to
our friends’ parties with him. Or to
shows, good bad or indifferent,
and listening to his tart comments
afterward. Basically, I just loved
having him at my side.
My family loved him. My
friends loved him. Pretty much on
sight. He inspired that, even in
doctors, nurses, health care aids
(the better ones, anyway.)
I’m angry, bitter, drained and
generally pissed off. I’m
also incredibly grateful he and I
found each other, stuck it out
through the ups and downs (and
there were many), and had the
time we had with one another. I
can’t imagine my life over the last
twelve and a half years without
him in the center of it. I wouldn’t
be the person I am. I know I
wouldn’t be as good a writer as I
am at this point if life
hadn’t thrown him in my path.
And I wouldn’t have known so
many incredible friends but for
him. I’m really grateful for that.
We were both really grateful for
that over the past couple of years.
It was easy to get the measure of
37
his worth from the devotion and
support we both received from all
of you when we needed it most.
So I sit at my gradually
reclaimed apartment in early
morning darkness and think about
what’s next. Whatever that turns
out to be, he will most definitely
be a part of it, even if he isn’t here
to witness it. I am definitely the
better for having him in my life,
and I will try very hard to temper
my pain with that thought.
My love and gratitude to all of
you.