Addams with a Twist

Avant-garde puppeteer Basil Twist has joined the creative team of the new Addams Family musical, set to open at the Lunt-Fontaine in April 2010.

Basil Twist is a true genius of puppetry, whose water-tank abstractions set to Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was an unexpected smash, and whose collaboration with drag chanteuse Joey Arias was renowned for its trippy inventiveness. Twist will no doubt be bringing life to Thing, Cousin It and who knows what other grotesques in the show.

Though I was originally trepidatious, with Twist on board, plus Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth and Terrance Mann in the cast and music by The Wild Party's Andrew Lippa, I have to say it's shaping up quite well.

Here's a great feature on Twist's work.

SCHADENFREUDE ALERT - Turn Off the Dark

Well, it looks like the Spider Man musical, with songs by U2, is kaput. The NY Post says it's the biggest Broadway fiasco of all time, with millions disappearing down the hole.

I was never a fan of this idea anyway, so I am not sorry to see it go. Still, we can likely expect a U2 album of Spidey songs someday. Joy.

MAN ON THE MOON

Did you know that Andy Warhol produced a space-themed musical with songs by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas? Neither did I, and by the looks of the clip below, it had a "grown-ups doing a school play" vibe that's pretty charming.

Plastic Bouquets-Man on the Moon from DANGEROUS MINDS on Vimeo.

I won't say that much about it, because the excellent blog Dangerous Minds has a long and fascinating post about it.
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