Marc Shaiman talks about returning as music director of the Oscars ceremony

Tony winner Marc Shaiman is headed down Oscar's red carpet once again. The stage and film composer is returning as music director of the 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held March 7 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Shaiman, who won a Tony for his work on Broadway's "Hairspray" and has received five Oscar nominations, is a veteran of the Academy Awards ceremony, having written comic medleys for shows in years past. He also served as musical director for the 2004 ceremony.

Speaking from New York, Shaiman said he's already started working on potential musical numbers for the show. "We've had just a few meetings, and some ideas have started to be put into place," he said.

"The show is a huge ship that takes off every year. It's never too early to start work, but it's not until the nominations are announced that we can really begin."

The Oscar nominations are set to be announced Feb. 2.

Shaiman said he was happy to be re-teaming with his "Hairspray" collaborator Adam Shankman, who is producing the telecast along with Bill Mechanic. Shaiman added that his job entails all aspects of music during the show, except for conducting the live orchestra.

The composer revealed some tidbits about his current and upcoming stage and screen projects. His musical adaptation of the film "Catch Me if You Can" is currently looking for a home on Broadway, after out-of-town tryouts in Seattle earlier this year.

"We're circling theaters like Broadway vultures," he said. "You have to actively hope for a show to fail. It's a terrible thing to think."

He also discussed his in-the-works Showtime project with director Steven Spielberg -- a scripted series about the world of Broadway musicals: "We've just begun, but the ideas are flowing. And it seems to be on the fast track."

In addition, Shaiman is working on a new musical version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," for which he is writing the score along with Scott Wittman.

As for the Oscars, Shaiman refused to say whether hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin would be performing a musical number together.

"Who knows?" he said. "I can tell you there will be surprises, but of course I can't tell you what they will be."

-- David Ng

Photo: Composer Marc Shaiman, at right in the blue pimp outfit, at the 2000 Academy Awards ceremony, with "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. (They worked together for the film "South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut.") Credit: Los Angeles Times

Monster Mash: LACMA's red ink; Charlie Chaplin museum in Switzerland; Galileo's fingers

-- Financial trouble: LACMA loses 23% of its investments in the last fiscal year. One victim is Jeff Koons' dangling train project, which was scheduled to arrive at LACMA in 2011-12, and is now delayed for three more years. (Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg)

-- Little tramp: A long-planned museum dedicated to Charlie Chaplin, pictured, will be constructed at the site of the actor's former home in Switzerland. (Radio Suisse Romande)

-- Discovery: Two severed fingers and a tooth belonging to Galileo have been identified by a museum in Florence, Italy. (CNN)

-- Landing on their feet: Two actors from the recently closed Broadway revival of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" have landed roles in the upcoming revival of "A View from the Bridge." (New York Times)

-- Major project: A $208-million concert hall in Helsinki, Finland, is intended to improve on the existing Finlandia Hall, but it's already 50% over projected costs. (Bloomberg)

-- Winner: Jez Butterworth's "Jerusalem" was named best play at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards. (Playbill)

-- Operatic great: Swedish soprano Elisabeth Soderstrom has passed away at age 82. (Telegraph)

-- Moving up: "Enter Laughing," which has had two runs off-Broadway, is aiming for a Broadway engagement in the fall of 2010. (Variety)

-- And in the L.A. Times: The L.A. Philharmonic's "West Coast, Left Coast" festival begins; a look at the Broadway production of "Fela!"

-- David Ng

Photo:  Charlie Chaplin with Virginia Cherrill in a scene from "City Lights." Credit: Los Angeles Times

Broadway finds its Fela, thanks to Bill T. Jones, Jay-Z, et al.

Until the mid-1970s, the music and dance of Africa was largely “folkloric” to Bill T. Jones.

“It was beautiful people in the bush, dancing and singing," says the modern dance choreographer. “I was much more preoccupied with the rock counterculture at the time.”

That is, until Jones heard the music of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the Nigerian human rights activist and recording star.

“Modern Africa hit me in the face with the music of Fela,” says Jones. “This was a man who was using horns like James Brown and Sly and Family Stone, the jazz saxophones of Max Roach, and the drums of Africa. This was no maiden dance from some small village in Africa. Fela's music was an instant education.”

The Tony Award-winning choreographer (“Spring Awakening”) is now bringing that music to Broadway in “Fela!,” the part-concert, part-fever dream, for which Jones is also acting as director and co-librettist (with longtime collaborator Jim Lewis). The show received rave critical notices for its off-Broadway tryout run in September 2008, during which it attracted a number of celebrities. Three of them -- Jay-Z, Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett-Smith -- have signed on as producers, bringing with them a sizable investment in the show.

But Jones says what really makes him excited about the project is the cast itself. “Everybody on that stage is either African, Carribbean or African-American, a first for me, and that in itself is an incredibly rich communal experience,” he says.

“All sorts of subconscious and psychological elements are at work because of this confluence of cultures and beliefs. And all that too goes into a work that is dreamlike in aspiration and yet, amazingly, of Africa and its people.”

Click here for the full story on "Fela."

-- Patrick Pacheco

Related story:

Bill T. Jones takes on Lincoln

Photo: "Fela." Credit: Monique Carboni.

Monster Mash: Metropolitan Museum of Art in the red; Shubert's Broadway deal; Thom Mayne's Dallas museum

-- Red ink: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has reported an $8.4-million deficit for the fiscal year that ended in June. (CultureGrrl)

-- Broadway deal: The Shubert Organization has entered into an unusual, three-year deal with producers Robert Cole and Frederick Zollo, which guarantees Cole-Zollo projects one of the Shuberts' 17 Broadway theaters. (Variety)

-- This old house: Britain's National Theatre is planning an $83-million renovation of its London home. (The Stage)

-- Massive project: Groundbreaking has occurred in Dallas on the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, designed by architect Thom Mayne. (Dallas Observer)

-- Financial trouble: The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is trying to cut its current deficit of $2.8 million, the highest ever in its history. (Indianapolis Star)

-- In the works: A proposed museum honoring the Negro Baseball League in Baltimore would cost about $4.1 million. (Baltimore Sun)

-- Winner: New York landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh has been selected to redesign the northeast corner of Grant Park in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune)

-- Controversial: A dance artist in Britain plans to induce an epileptic seizure on stage. (BBC News)

-- And in the L.A. Times: Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne examines the designs for the proposed Bush presidential library; Santa Monica vies for Eli Broad's contemporary art museum.

-- David Ng

Photo: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Credit: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg

Monster Mash: Kander-Ebb musical to debut off-Broadway; Andrew Lloyd Webber in hospital; UC Berkeley scraps museum plan

-- Eagerly awaited: "The Scottsboro Boys," a new musical from John Kander and Fred Ebb, will begin performances February at off-Broadway's Vineyard Theater. (Variety) 

-- Scrapped: UC Berkeley has abandoned its plan to construct a new Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in downtown due to a shortage of funds. (San Francisco Chronicle)

-- Speculation: Did David Mamet hurt business for his "Oleanna" on Broadway by refusing to participate in post-show audience talk-backs? (New York Post)

-- Health scare: Andrew Lloyd Webber is back in the hospital because of an infection after his surgery for prostate cancer. (Playbill)

-- Iconic art: The Dia Art Foundation considers documenting Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" as part of a conservation effort. (New York Times)

-- Well-endowed: The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center has received a large donation that is believed to be as much as $25 million. (St. Petersburg Times)

-- Photo finish: The Tate in Britain has selected Simon Baker as its first photography curator. (The British Journal of Photography)

-- And in the L.A. Times: Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne discusses possible sites for Eli Broad's planned museum; Hollywood's composers and lyricists seek to join the Teamsters; architects in the U.S. received more contracts in October.

-- David Ng

Photo: Fred Ebb, left, with writing partner John Kander. Credit: V. Richard Haro / For The Times

'Oleanna' set to close on Broadway Jan. 3

Class soon will be dismissed for David Mamet's "Oleanna."

The Broadway premiere of his 1992 play, starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, has posted a closing notice. Producers of the intense, two-person drama about sexual politics in a university town said the play will close Jan. 3 at the John Golden Theatre.

Directed by Doug Hughes, the production of "Oleanna" first opened at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. in June featuring the same cast. It opened on Broadway in October, receiving mixed to positive reviews.

Some reports have stated that the production was struggling to fill seats on Broadway, although the producers did not directly address that in their statement today. 

The play's harsh subject matter may not have helped ticket sales: a university professor (Pullman) gets involved in a war of words with a young student (Stiles), who accuses him of improprieties. Speaking in the clipped, abrasive style that is Mamet's trademark, both characters can seem unsympathetic and even off-putting.

In a statement, producer Jeffrey Finn said: "We've had great audiences since September, and as our sales are concentrated through the holidays, January feels like the right time to end."

Perhaps coincidentally, another David Mamet play begins performances this week on Broadway. "Race," a new drama that stars James Spader and is directed by the playwright himself, is playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, with an official opening date set for Dec. 6.

-- David Ng

Photo: A scene from "Oleanna," starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman, at the Mark Taper Forum. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

Related stories

Bill Pullman, Julia Stiles discuss 'Oleanna'

Review: 'Oleanna' at Mark Taper Forum

Chris Pine, Chris Noth take in 'Oleanna' at Mark Taper

Monster Mash: Zaha Hadid's Maxxi building in Rome; Glassell will is upheld in Texas; Ashlee Simpson on Broadway

-- Unveiling: Reviews are coming in for architect Zaha Hadid's National Museum of the XXI Century Arts in Rome, even though it is not quite finished. (Times Online) 

-- Legally binding: A Texas jury has upheld the final will of philanthropist and oilman Alfred C. Glassell Jr. against his daughter's attempt to invalidate it. (Houston Chronicle) 

-- Cultural debate: Experts wonder if antiquities really belong to their country of origin. (New York Times)

-- Red ink: The bankrupt Toronto-based Ritchies Auctioneers has $8.5 million in debt. (The Globe and Mail)

-- Real-estate hitch: The sale of a $5.1-million upstate New York home belonging to indicted art dealer Lawrence Salander hits a snag. (Bloomberg)

-- Outright theft: A former employee at Delaware's Winterthur Museum has turned himself in after spending more than $100,000 of the museum's money. (The News Journal)

-- Reserving judgment: Pop star Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will join the cast of Broadway's "Chicago" beginning Nov. 30. (New York Daily News)

-- New downbeat: The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has named Belgian conductor Dirk Brosse as its new music director. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

-- And in the L.A. Times: Art critic Christopher Knight reviews "Collection: MOCA's First Thirty Years"; theater critic Charles McNulty reviews "Mary Poppins" at the Ahmanson.

-- David Ng

Photo: the National Museum of the XXI Century Arts in Rome. Credit: Max Rossi / Reuters

Theater review: 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' at the Pantages Theatre

Aww, the Grinch is just an old softy.

OK, yeah, you know that already because as a child you, with someone you loved, flipped through the wild rhymes and even wilder illustrations of the original Dr. Seuss book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" and as an adult you, with someone you love, still make appointment viewing of the Chuck Jones animated special. Heartwarming as they are, those versions also convey a hint of menace – enough bad behavior to convincingly set up the Grinch's conversion to goodness once faced with the true spirit of Christmas. But in the stage extravaganza visiting Hollywood's Pantages Theatre this holiday season, the Grinch is harmless from the start.

That's good news if you intend to bring a young one who might easily be scared by the Grinch at his Grinch-iest, bad if you're a traditionalist who likes a Grinch with some bite. I ended up in both camps because, while I prefer some bite, I attended with a 12-year-old and a just-turned-3-year-old who sat pretty much squirm-free through the 80-minute presentation.

In keeping with its family orientation, this cuddly live version also supplies twice as much of grudgingly obedient dog Max: a graying Max who narrates the story and his puppyish younger self during the long-ago events. There's also more face time for the families of Who-ville, who, like those in the audience, are made giddy – and slightly crazy – by the holidays.

Shag-carpeted in green fur, the Grinch, as portrayed by "Lazy Town's" Stefan Karl (replacing the originally announced Christopher Lloyd), is first seen in what can only be described as a Bette Davis pose: haughtily draped across the entrance to his cave, his lips stretched into a sideways frown. Playfully over-the-top from the get-go, he's soon stalking the lip of the stage, pointing to the front rows and challenging: "You want a piece 'a me? C'mon, put 'em up."

The old and young Maxes ("Night Court" and "The Practice's" John Larroquette as the former, James Royce Edwards as the latter) are outfitted with stiff, curlicued tails reminiscent of Bert Lahr's in "The Wizard of Oz," which sway with merry abandonment. Larroquette delivers "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" – one of two key songs by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss that have been retained from the 1966 animated special – in a deep, gravelly voice that befits a dog but likely won't lead to an upcoming appearance on "America's Got Talent."

This "Grinch" is a holiday tradition at San Diego's Old Globe, where it is about to begin its 12th year, and was glitzed to Broadway proportions for New York in 2006 and '07.

In its expansion to full-on musical, the story is given eight gooey-sweet songs by composer Mel Marvin and lyricist Timothy Mason (who's also the script writer) that too often feel like padding. Fairly entertaining, however, are a Grinch nightmare of screaming kids and their noisy presents, and a one-man production number, complete with solo kick-line, for the hammy Grinch.

A handful of scenes go on a minute or two too long, triggering fidgetiness in kids. The 3-year-old with me sat rapt until the show's final 10 minutes, when, as 6:30 approached, she was late into her day and becoming owlish about everything. As we gathered our things, the 12-year-old ran a checklist of costumes, dancing and singing, and declared, "It was all good." (While I was misting up during the Grinch's humanizing encounter with Cindy-Lou Who, I'd looked over at her and could have sworn she was wiping something from the sides of her nose, but she vigorously denied this afterward.)  

As for me: Well, even though my theater-geek side felt a tad undernourished, it must be admitted that, like the protagonist, "In Who-ville they say / That the Grinch's small heart / Grew three sizes that day!"

– Daryl H. Miller

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Performance schedule varies, but includes 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; and weekend performances at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 3. $25 to $100. (800) 982-2787 or www.BroadwayLA.org. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.  

Monster Mash: Barnes Foundation groundbreaking; 'Hair' moving to London; Hawaiian skulls head home

-- Moving forward: Groundbreaking has taken place for the Barnes Foundation's new museum in Philadelphia. (Philhadelphia Inquirer)

-- Hair again: The Tony-winning revival of "Hair" will open in London on April 14, featuring the original Broadway cast. (Broadway World)

-- In with the new: The Humana Festival of New American Plays has announced the world premieres for its 2010 edition, which runs February through March. (Playbill)

-- Eastern promises: Is Poland becoming the next international center for the world of contemporary art? (Wall Street Journal)

-- Public art stunt: An artist who scaled the Sotheby's building in New York in an attempt to drape it in masking tape has been arrested. (New York Post)

-- Heading home: A museum in Stockholm has returned a series of 22 tribal skulls to Hawaii. (Honolulu Advertiser)

-- Corporate largesse: Deutsche Bank has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Art HK, the annual Hong Kong art fair. (Bloomberg)

-- Two-hander: Sarah Paulson will join Linda Lavin in the cast of the Broadway premiere of Donald Margulies' "Collected Stories." (Playbill)

-- And in the L.A. Times: Eli Broad is considering three cities for his planned contemporary art museum; celebrities attend MOCA's 30th anniversary party over the weekend.

-- David Ng

Photo: a scene from the Broadway revival of "Hair." Credit: Joan Marcus

Monster Mash: Edvard Munch artwork stolen; Salonen makes Met Opera debut; Dame Edna's hoax

-- Without a trace: A lithograph by Edvard Munch has been stolen from a gallery in Norway. (Radio Netherlands)

-- Elaborate charade: Dame Edna and Michael Feinstein said they will merge their two solo Broadway shows after a public quarrel that turned out to be a publicity stunt. (Variety)

-- Onward and upward: Esa-Pekka Salonen made his Metropolitan Opera debut Thursday night conducting Janacek's "From the House of the Dead." (New York Times)

-- Honored: Artist Cindy Sherman will receive the Jewish Museum's Man Ray Award. (Art Info)

-- Change of heart: The Aspen Music Festival has offered to rehire Alan Fletcher as president and CEO after firing him a month ago. (The Aspen Times)

-- Restitution: Germany's parliament will return a painting that has hung in a lawmaker's office after learning that the work was looted by the Nazis. (Bloomberg)

-- Unsinkable: Debbie Reynolds will tour Britain with her one-woman show, with plans to play on London's West End. (Playbill)

-- And in the L.A. Times: MOCA looks on the bright side of 30.

-- David Ng

Photo: "Historien," a lithograph by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch that was stolen today. Credit: AFP/Getty Images