April 2008 Archives

TV viewers got a rare glimpse of a relaxed Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber when he returned to Season Seven of American Idol for two nights this week as "mentor" to the six remaining contestants: David Archuleta, Jason Castro, David Cook, Syesha Mercado Carly Smithson and Brooke White.

Normally, quite ill at ease in front of the camera and audiences, ALW speaking from the stage of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian Casino and onstage at the Kodak Theatre was relaxed with the "kids" and reported he "gave them a belief in themselves."

A natural charm and recognition of people as people often eludes the erudite Sir Andy, who lives in a strata all his own; but here he worked with the singers in a down-to-earth way helping them select songs that best suited them. The majority of the tunes had lyrics by Charles Hart [POTO] and Tim Rice [Jesus Christ Superstar].

On the second night, after playing on the concert grand as the "Final Six" performed "All I Ask of You," ALW sat with host Ryan Seacrest. Though Sir Andy appeared to be nervous, often slapping his hands against his knees [he could have been preoccupied measuring the beat of a new tune he was composing in his head for the sequel to POTO], he was highly complimentary of the six and, lo and behold, even cracked jokes [a couple, spot on].

When Seacrest brought up the moment the night before when White lost the lyrics just as she began "You Must Love Me," he called it a "very unique moment," a-first-time-ever; but White had gone blank before, and only three weeks ago Archuleta, who normally gets praised to the high heavens, took heat for forgetting the lyrics to a Beatles classic. ALW pointed out this happens to some of the best singers "and has happened here, just last night, on the [judges'] panel." Simon Cowell was playfully and devilishly pointing to Paula Abdul, who often gets tongue-tied.

We've seen instances where Barbara Cook has gone blank on tunes she's sung a hundred or more times. There's never a performance by country queen Loretta Lynn when she's not whispered lyrics to tunes, even some she wrote, by her bandleader.

"You Must Love Me" is the song that reunited Webber and Rice, albeit briefly, for the film adaptation of Evita [it was incorporated into the score of the 2006 West End revival],

The judges weren't too impressed with White's interpretation, but audiences gave her a typical thunderous standing ovation. And she survived the massive voting [28 million] to return next week.

The judges and Webber were puzzled at Castro [he's the white, non-Jamaican with the dreadlocks] and his choice of "Memory." Cowell felt "it came over as if you were a young guy being forced by your mom and dad to sing a song at a wedding you didn't want to sing." Randy "Dawd" Jackson labeled it a "train wreck." A critic termed it "grueling." ALW noted it was "most curious."

Seacrest asked if the contestants had taken his advice. Some had, "but I don't think Jason would take my advice whatever I said. I didn't want to agree with Simon last night [Tuesday]. Jason's very talented and he wanted to do it and that's that."

He and Seacrest discussed the "discipline" of singing onstage as opposed to TV. Webber said that onstage singers have more mannerisms. As far as connecting with audiences, he noted that the singers on Idol have it far harder. "This is a live show and they not only have to impress the panel of judges, the audience here but also those watching at home."

Jackson displayed a great knowledge of ALW's body of work and spoke of the difficulty pop singers have trying to take songs from a musical and make them their own - as Archuleta quite successfully and spectacularly did with his rendition of POTO's "Think Of Me." It's often been said that he could sing the names in the phone book and make it entertaining.

The bombshell came at the very end of the hour when Seacrest announced that strong-willed rocker Carly Smithson, she of the colorfully tattooed right arm [and the totally tattooed husband], who at ALW's urging had sung the rousing "Jesus Christ Superstar" when she had planned to sing the poignant "All I Ask Of You" would be going home. Disbelief erupted - not only in the Kodak but on chat rooms galore. Smithson, a class act with a phenomenal range, didn't break down in tears. She took it in professional stride and let it be known she'd be heard from again. On the American Idol tour!

Amazingly, chat rooms were buzzing that Smithson had committed "blasphemy," which might give you an idea of of the naivete of those who vote [not just once but numerous times]. From its Broadway debut to performances today, it's not unusual to see the landmark rock opera picketed by shouting protesters. Had ALW, noting Smithson's bold tattoos and remembering her rock timbre, not suggested she sing "JCS," she certainly would have been very much at home with "I Don't Know How to Love Him," but undoubtedly someone somewhere would have taken offense at that.

The show also took a look at Idol contestants currently starring on Broadway, such as Clay Aiken in Spamalot [as Sir Robin and Brother Maynard through May 4], Tamyra Gray in Rent and Fantasia's acclaimed run in Color Purple.

Speaking of Aiken, the multi-platinum-selling recording artist, has also been busy in the studio. Next week, his fourth CD, On My Way Here [RCA/19 Entertainment] is dropping into retail and online stores. The album chronicles Aiken's experiences over the last five years, as he ascended from contestant on AI Season 2 to pop superstar. The "message" on the 12 tracks [why aren't there more?] is "how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults."

For more on Aiken, visit www.clayaiken.com.

And the Drama Desk Award Nominees Are

Nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced Monday at 9:45 A.M. by multi-award winning stage, screen and TV stars Bebe Neuwirth and Len Cariou at the Friars Club. Once again, the theater community will see the importance Nominating Committee chair Barbara Siegel and the committee of five very serious theatergoers [Dan Bacalzo, Robert Cashill, Celia Ipiotis, Gerard Raymond and Richard Ridge] put on recognizing not only the best of Broadway but also of Off and Off Off.

The DDs, hosted for the first time by the cast of a show, [title of show], which opens in July on Bway after its successful Off Bway run two seasons ago, take place May 18 at 9 P.M. in the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center.

Alan Menken Saluted

The Broadway League bookers and shakers were in town seeing all that's new and hot on Broadway and every night it was party time. Disney Theatricals pulled out all the stops with a concert honoring Oscar, Tony and DD-winning composer Alan Menken, hosted by no less than DT chief Thomas Schumacher with performances by Disney's past and present Broadway stars. It was held in the sparkling jewel box Hudson Theatre, once a legit house [still spectacular with its Tiffany mosaics lining the boxes]. [Another Hudson claim to fame is that runs the entire East/West block of West 44th and thus has a quite spacious lobby, something that is missing in most Bway houses [and the way the theatre owners keep adding rows to the back of the orchestra, soon you'll walk into the theare right off the sidewalk].

Schumacher, aptly aided by surprise guest superstar sidekick Donny Osmond [looking 30 in spite of what his driver's license states; and in a white leather jacket], announced that partygoers would hear probably for the first time songs that were cut from Disney shows.

Broadway's reigning Ariel, Sierra Boggess, sang "Never Again" [Menken/Tim Rice] from the King David concert that reopened the New Amsterdam Theatre after Disney's multi-million dollar restoration of the former home of the Ziegfeld Follies. Little Mermaid's prince Sean Palmer sang "Proud of Your Boy" [Menken/Rice], which was cut from Aladdin when the decision was made to send the rogue's mommy to the cutting room floor.

Mary Poppins herself, Ashley Brown, performed "Change in Me" [Menken/Ashman] Richard and Robert Sherman], dropped from Beauty and the Beast. Tarzan's New York adventure came to life in the form of returning jungle man Josh Strickland, singing "Made of Stone" [Menken/Steven Schwartz, from Hunchback of Notre Dame, which came to life onstage in Europe and may have Quasi ringin' them bells on Bway soon.

Menken introduced by Schumacher as "the most talented person I know - all that amazing talent and all that ego." The composer stumbled onstage in disbelief. "Me? Ego? What?" Then he sang "Shooting Star" [Menken/David Zipple], a tune cut from the animated Hercules. Menken has a fine voice and should consider an evening of cabaret followed by a one-man show showcasing his and his collaborators work.

Guests included LM's evil Ursula Sherie Rene Scott, looking quite stunning, and others from LM's underwater kingdom, such as John Treacy Egan and Tyler Maynard.

Menken, with late partner Howard Ashman and other collaborators is an eight-time Academy Award winner in the Song and Score categories [with 15 nominations] and a Tony [B&B] and DD-nominee [Little Shop of Horrors].

For the LM film, Menken and Ashman won Oscars for Best Score and Best Song, "Under the Sea"; and were nominated for Best Song for "Kiss the Girl."

"Many friends in theater ask me, 'Why do you keep working at Disney. Don't you want to come back to Broadway?'" says Menken. "Now, I'm back. It's where I am right now." And he's back with a lot of projects, including adaptations of his film musical Newsies; Sister Act, "which for now has gone back to the drawing boards" before its planned West End debut; and Leap of Faith, [with LM collaborator Glenn Slater] which he sees as a throwback to his and Ashman's early musical, God Bless Mr. Rosewater. He announced that film director Taylor Hackford [Ray, An Officer and a Gentleman] will make his theater directorial debut with Leap.

"Taylor's movies have been very musical," Menken points out. "Many aspects of his films show that he'll be very comfortable moving about in a theatrical place."

As Disney's Number One musical go-to guy, Menken said, "I found a very good medium for what it is I do and what I enjoy - projects that are tuneful, uplifting and that will appeal to a wide spectrum of audiences. That's my wheelhouse. I do it well. I understand it. I love it. I love catchy songs. I love tongue-in-cheek."

In addition to launching the refitted Mermaid, Menken and Stephen Schwartz had a huge movie hit with Disney's musical fantasy Enchanted, just released on DVD. It was Oscar nominated for three Best Songs and two Golden Globes: Best Song and Best Actress, Musical or Comedy, Amy Adams [soon to be co-starring opposite Meryl Streep in the film adaptation of Doubt].

How to Put the Show On

Thomas Schumacher has not only been busy traveling and supervising the world-wide Disney stage shows but also working on the Second Edition of his very popular How Does the Show Go On?, An Introduction to the Theater [with Jeff Kurt; Disney Editions; 120 pages; Vastly illustrated; SRP $20], a book that gives interactive a new definition. It's a gorgeous collectible and a must for theaterlovers.

Full of surprises - some pop up, some pull out - HDTSGO gives readers the opportunity to meet the casts and behind-the-scene workers and explore the inner workings of theater and theatre buildings. With the new edition, expanded to include The Little Mermaid and more Mary Poppins, it's a complete guide to what goes on behind and in front of the curtain [from playwright, director, choreographer, actor, designers and stage manager to the ushers].

Schumacher stated, "I wanted to create the kind of book about the theater that I would have enjoyed when I was a kid." Another goal was to craft an indispensable guide "for young theater lovers to show the countless career opportunities that do not involve being on stage."

He launched a Gift-A-Book pilot program to provide drama teachers and students throughout New York public schools with gift copies of HDTSGO. "This book exists because of the great inspiration of my childhood teachers," he explains. "When I heard from people that they were buying multiple copies to give as gifts, I thought it would be great to offer that concept to anyone who wanted to gift a book to a public school."

Recently, he visited with students at Chicago's Hitch Elementary School and signed several thousand copies.

Individuals interested in gifting a copy of How Does The Show Go On? to a City public school can go to www.howdoestheshowgoon.com for instructions.

Hot Mama McNight Is Back

After much, much, much too long an absence in a city she loves, Tony-nominated actress and singer Sharon McNight [Starmites] is back and unleashing "a star-shower of erudite show business fun" with her incredibly powerful chops but, sadly, it's two nights only. McKnight is announcing her return in style with a new show, Gone, But Not Forgotten, tonight and tomorrow at the Metropolitan Room, both shows at 10 P.M.

In a to-say-the-least eclectic repertory that ranges from blues and country "to good old-fashioned entertainment," McNight gleefully channels "a rogue's gallery of some of the juiciest, funniest and down-to-earth lady legends of the silver screen, the stage and the recording world." Among the grand dames are Pearl Bailey, Ozark Opera comedienne Judy Canova, Patsy Cline, Bette Davis, Hildegarde, Madeline Kahn, Martha Raye, Sophie Tucker and, adds, McNight, laughing, "the Ethels - Merman and Waters."

McNight, winner of East Coast and West Coast cabaret awards galore, including the MAC, Bistro and Nightlife, has a huge following. Bistro-winning musical director Ian Herman will tackle the keyboards.

Tickets for Sharon McKnight and Gone But Not Forgotten are $20 plus $15 minimum. Reservations recommended. Call (212) 206-0440 or book online at www.metropolitanroom.com. For more information on McKnight, visit www.sharonmcnight.com.

Country Takes Manhattan - One Night Only

Tuesday at 9:30, for one night only, Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Larry Gatlin returns, joined by brothers Steve and Rudy, presented by Jamie deRoy. Steve Smith will accompany on guitar. Special guests will be the Nynth Avenue Drifters.

The bros' mastery and art of family and gospel harmony spawned some of country music's most memorable hits.

Tickets for An Evening with Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers are $35 plus $15 minimum. To reserve, call (212) 206-0440 or book online at www.metropolitanroom.com..

Come on Down(town)!

As expected, the variety of the Seventh Annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express and running indoors and outdoors all over West Side/East Side Lower Manhattan and up into the Teens, is staggering. Selections, running from shorts and docs to big-ticket feature premieres, have been entered from around the world by high-profile and newcomer directors. So, come on downtown. And the price is right.

Since its founding, by Tribeca movers and shakers Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to boost downtown morale and business following 9/11, the Festival has attracted over two million and generated more than $425 million in economic activity.

Go to www.tribecafilmfestival.org or call (866) 941-3378 for package ticket purchase, senior and student discounts, venues, panels, free events, schedules, the complete film roster and film showcase categories. Single tickets, at $15 each, can be bought at the Festival box office at 15 Laight Street, online and phone.

At the Ballet

The jewel box Dicapo Opera Theatre [184 East 76th Street at Lexington Avenue] will host acclaimned Dances Patrelle for its 19th repertory season, Women, Men ... and Women, May 2 -4. The program will include a world premiere as well as two classics by founder Francis Patrelle.

Is That All There Is? [premiere] features the hit vocal by music great Peggy Lee. The presentation is supported by a 2007 choreography award from the Choo-San Goh & H. Robert Magee Foundation. Black & Blue ... and Bartok, with music by the composer, predates the company's 1988 founding. Fuoco a Fiama, with music by Respiggi and staged by dance legend Cynthia Gregory, is based on the love letters between Lucrezia Borgia and Pietro Bembo. Gregory stages.

A.D. Patrelle has created ballets for distinguished dancers worldwide [including Lynn Aaron, Lourdes Lopez, Douglas Martin, Jock Soto, Tim Wengerd and Gregory]. In additioin to preserving Patrelle's works, dP provides a forum by which experienced dancers mentor young dancers.

Tickets are $20 and $50, with Patron seating at $100. Ticketholders are invited to join the company for the May 2 opening night reception. To purchase, call (212) 868-4444 or go online at www.smarttix.com and www.dancespatrelle.org.

White Will Host Lortels

Julie White, currently starring in Manhattan Theatre Club's From Up Here [City Center, Stage 1], will host the 23rd annual Lucille Lortel Awards, which recognize Off Bway achievement, on May 5th at the Union Square Theatre [100 East 17th Street of Park Avenue South].

White won acclaim Off and on Bway as the Hollywood agent in The Little Dog Laughed for which she garnered a Tony for Best Actress and DD and Obie nominations, among many others.

A complete list of nominations can be found on the website, www.lortelaward.com.

New On CD

Karen Akers, international award-winning chanteuse and star of stage, screen and TV, returns May 13th for one month for her ninth consecutive Spring engagement at the Algonquiun Oak Room. The new show is titled Move On and will feature Flaherty and Ahrens, McBroom, Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Sondheim and the poetry of controversial Algonquin habitue and wit Dorothy Parker.

Ms. Akers will be accompanied on piano by her longtime musical director Don Rebic and directed by Eric Michael Gillett.

Performances at 9 P.M. Tuesdays - Thursdays with 11:30 shows added on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is a $65 music charge plus $30 minimum. At the weekend early shows, there is a $70 prix-fixe dinner with dinner seatings at 7 and 7:30. For reservations, call (212) 419-9331.

Akers's current CD "Simply Styne" (DRG Records) has just been released. For more on Akers, visit
www.karenakers.com

New from William Finn is a deluxe, two-disc set of his Off Bway revue, Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn [Ghostlight Records] recorded live duing its New World Stages run. The musical was conceived and directed by Rob Ruggiero. Darren Cohen was musical director; Michael Morris, musical supervisor.

Feinstein at Feinstein's

Following Linda Eder, whose engagement ends this weekend, Michael Feinstein will be returning to, of course, Feinstein's at Loews Regency from May 8-17 with a show celebrating the 50-year collaboration of the Oscar, Grammy and GG-winning lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Alan Bergman will appear as a guest vocalist along with nightly guest stars.

Feinstein plays to perform such Bergman standards as "The Windmills of Your Mind," "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" and "Where Do You Start?," in addition to some of their rarely heard songs. Musical director John Oddo will lead an "all-star" quintet.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday shows are at 8:30 P.M.; and 8 and 10 on Friday and Saturday. All shows are $100 [$125, premium seats] plus a $40 minimum. Jackets suggested, not required. To reserve, call (212) 339-4095 or go online at feinsteinsatloewsregency.com and TicketWeb.com.

Lincoln Center Theatre and Bob Boyett have a winner in their sumptuous revival of South Pacific, which has just been extended into January because of ticket demand.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, which was adapted into a libretto from the short stories in James Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, is blessed with four outstanding stars in lead roles:Tony and Drama Desk nominee Kelli O'Hara as Nurse Ensign Nellie Forbush of Little Rock; the celebrated Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot as French planter Emile de Becque; Tony and DDesk nominee Matthew Morrison as the love-smitten Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable; and Tony nominee Danny Burstein as mischievous Seebee Luther Billis.

The revival received rapturous raves. Szot, who comes to the Beaumont from the world of opera, is the first Broadway matinee idol in some time. In opera, singers receive audience adulation all the time, but it's rare in theater to hear audience members shout "Bravo!" In S.P., Szot gets bravos at the end of his rapturous "Some Enchanted Evening" and his big 11:00 number, the equally poignant "This Nearly Was Mine."

When that prospect and the mention of women swooning as he sang was mentioned, he seemed flattered and smiled, but wasn't quite sure what "matinee idol" status meant. He said a few cordial words in Portuguese. Then, in the hall outside his dressing room, he may actually have understood as, suddenly, he was surrounded by eight women and two teenaged girls all heaping praise on him.

As an internationally-acclaimed baritone Szot's New York credits include starring roles in NYCOpera productions of L'Elisir d'Amore, Carmen and Le Nozze di Figaro; and as a cover in numerous operas at the Met. He's actually better known here than in his native Brazil, where one of the leading newspapers, Folha de S.Paulo, reported on New York's sudden "passion" for a "strange" singer, previously "unknown" to Broadway.

"That's not surprising," says Rio-based actor/director Claudio Bothello, who presents Portuguese and English-language productions of Broadway musicals with writer/designer Charles Moeller in Rio, Sao Paulo and in Portugal. "In Brazil, opera singers aren't famous except to a small crowd of connoisseurs. Opera is very far from an intense activity. Of course, Paulo is very famous among these people. He's simply wonderful onstage, both vocally and as an actor. It's a pleasure to see an opera singer who's also handsome and in shape." He added, "Since we present musical theater, I'm very enthusiastic that Paulo has been so positively accepted in the Broadway community and that, as an artist, he may become more interested in musicals than opera."

Szot made his opera debut in a Sao Paulo production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Shortly thereafter, however, he was singing lead roles with major opera companies throughout Europe and the U.S. In heavily-accented English, which he learned from watching American films, especially the screen adaptation of A Chorus Line, he explained that he never expected the sort of buzz and attention he and his performance is receiving.

Women, and no doubt some men, are literally swooning as he sings. He's got leading man looks, but it's that voice that makes him a standout.

Except, of course, for the requisite cell phone that must go off right in the middle of a poignant ballad, you can hear a pin drop in the vast Beaumont as Szot soars into song. This is one actor who doesn't need amplification thanks to his opera training. At a recent performance, a woman [and maybe a few more] gushed to her friend at the end of "Some Enchanted Evening," "I could fall in love!" Her friend replied, "So could I."

There's a lot to fall in love with in this production: O'Hara is everything you expected she would be after making splashes in Piazza and Pajama Game. She's got her game on, is fun. However, when the drama gets heavy, [although she rolls with it], the acting chops aren't quite there. That said, you cannot fault her vocal prowness or the spirit she brings to the uptempo numbers ["I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and "Honey Bun"].

Standouts in the cast of 40 include Morrison, who perfectly captures the torn Cable; and direct from his scene-stealing role as the outrageous Armando in Drowsy Chaperone, is Burstein as the outrageous Billis. Hawaiian-born Loretta Ables Sayre is making her Broadway debut as Bloody Mary.

Tony and DD-nominated director Bartlett Sher [Piazza] and Chirstopher Gattelli, who's done the musical staging, have created a whopper of a showstopper for O'Hara and Burstein's "Honey Bun." I can't put my finger on the reason, but the legendary "I'm Gonna Wash that Man ...," one of the few moments from the original production that was captured on film and has been seen again and again, comes off a bit flat.

Last but by no means least, there's Rodgers and Hammerstein's timeless score, with the original orchestrations of the brilliant late music director Robert Russell Bennett. How wonderful it is to hear it played by 30 musicians under the director of Ted Sperling. They're a hard-working orchestra with a lovely string section headed by Belinda Whitney, the concert master; and busiest of all, Bill Lanham, who's constantly moving from drums, cymbals, timpani, snare drum and all manner of percussion.

LCT A.D. Andre Bishop, Bernard Gersten, exec producer, and associate producer Boyett have, as Gersten put it so well, "pulled out all the stops and even a few starters," production-wise and allowed Michael Yeargan to create quite an evocative setting.

South Pacific premiered at the Majestic in 1949 and enjoyed a five-year run, winning countless awards set off by the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and nine Tonys, including Best Musical. The score also includes such favs as ," "Bali Ha'i," "Bloody Mary," "Happy Talk," "Honey Bun," "There is Nothin' Like A Dame," "(I'm in Love with) A Wonderful Guy," "Younger than Springtime" and "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught."


She's Back and in a Party Mood

Making her fourth Metropolitan Room [34 West 22nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues] engagement in a little over a year, Marilyn Maye is celebrating her 80th birthday by giving herself quite a musical celebration, It's My Party... and I'll Sing 'Cause I Want To in seven performances beginning tonight through April 16. "I've concocted a gift bag of my favorite songs from a Who's Who of my favorite songwriters," she explains. Last night, after recently being honored with a Nightlife Award, she received a Bistro Awards Lifetime Achievement tribute.

Miss Maye's '07 Metro Room engagement was her first here in 16 years. She stirred up a groundswell of excitement and acclaim. Now New York can't get enough of her, "and I can't get enough of New York," she says. "I'm excited about being back. There's a lot of love from the audiences there. They are, if I may use an old-fashioned word, hip; and cognizant of every little thing. They just get it." Elsewhere, that's not always the case else. "They get some of the stuff, but not everything. At the Metropolitan Room, they get everything."

What also impresses Miss Maye here is the age of her fan base. "Some are so young, I assume they're discovering me for the first time. I think some of them are historians. They're true music lovers. They've either researched a lot or paid attention to the singers of the past. It's amazing how many young people show up with an old album. I often wonder, 'Where did they get that? At a garage sale?' It's recycling!"

She notes that her audience range is young "to, shall we say, mature." Laughing, she continues, "Mature. That's a nice word. I've been using it a lot lately. Sometimes I'll go to say another word and I slap myself and say, 'No, mature!'"

Miss Maye reveals that she had a mother determined to make her into a superstar singer. She was already impressing folks with her brassy voice at 10; and, by the time she was 14, she had her own radio show.

In the 60s, Miss Maye was an up and coming recording artist. "I had done one LP and was the so-called 'overnight success,' but I'd been working for twenty years! I worked one club, the Colony, in Kansas City, my home base, for eleven years. Steve Allen heard a record I did and invited me to do his show in the 50s. He had me back many times. That led to a lot of positive things but not a lot of bookings."

It was on Allen's last show, than an executive from RCA saw Miss Maye and recommended the label sign her. When the LP came out in the late 60s, she was booked into the chic New York Living Room and, as fate would have it, Johnny Carson's forever sidekick Ed MacMahon happened to come in. "Afterward, he took my hand and said, 'You've got to do The Tonight Show.'" I said, "Alright." He told her she wouldn't even have to audition, and she didn't.

She was booked. Carson was knocked out by Miss Maye's jazz-tinged Broadway belt and kept inviting her back; often lavishing her on camera with high praise and singling her out as one of music's great vocal stylists.

"I started with Skitch Henderson in New York," notes Miss Maye. "It was very successful and when they headed West, I continued to appear with Milton Delugg and Doc Severinsen."

Watching some of the video from those years and listening to tracks she's been able to obtain from the Carson Estate, you realize what pipes she possesses. Those arrangements for the big band Carson favored on his show were big and loud, but Miss Maye was never drowned out.

Miss Maye was on the show 76 times, the most appearances by any singer. "It was an incredible career boost. Sadly, many of the tapes of the shows have been destroyed," she reported. "Only about twenty of the shows I was on still exist."

She became such a fixture on The Tonight Show that she became part of the Carson family and was chosen several times by the King of Late Night to open for him in Vegas.

"Johnny was adorable," she recalls. "He was a great music lover and a musician [played drums]." He had a reputation of being remote and keeping his distance [not becoming friends] with the majority of his regulars. That wasn't the case with Maye. "We didn't sit and have hour-long conversations," she admits, "but he was definitely my friend. In the early days, he was still performing on weekends. And he carried me many times with him.

"After the show, we'd all go and have dinner," she continues, "and that's where we talked. One of the things that created a bond between us was the fact that we were both mid-Western kids. He was from Nebraska, I was from Wichita, went to high school in Iowa, then I married a man from Kansas City."

She says she and Carson had something else in common. "He worked to the audience. He worked for them. And so did I."

Miss Maye had a daughter, Kristi, who is a singer who lived in New York for a while before "going off to have a normal life" and becoming a teacher in Kansas City.

She says she doesn't know the meaning of "normal life." She's always been a nomad. "I'm insecure if my bags aren't out. I used to work four months a year, but in the last two years it seems I'm constantly on the go."

Wherever she goes, there's always a loyal group of fans who follow her from date to date. For her MR gig, fans from as far as Florida and California will be coming in; and seeing the show multiple times. When Miss Maye travels, she accompanied by her drummer of 45 years, Jim Eklof; and her long-time assistant Helen. On those rare times at home, Miss Maye relaxes by puttering around in her garden. But her daughter revealed, "Frankly, I've never seen mother relax! She never stops, which, I guess, is what keeps her going!"

At RCA, Miss Maye did numerous albums, always Introducing songs, such as "Cabaret" [one of her many hits and it was a hit long before the show ever opened on Broadway and other artists began covering it] from shows that RCA would be releasing as cast albums. "Sometimes, I recorded them fresh out of the composer's hand. In those days, there was radio play for showtunes and that helped box office."

She was also fortunate to introduce Bachrach/David's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" from Promises, Promises [and "What the World Needs Now" long before it ever became a hit for Jackie DeShannon]; and, among numerous other songs from Broadway-bound musicals, renowned film composer Elmer Bernstein and Carolyn Leigh's "Step to the Rear (and Let a Winner Lead the Way)" from How Now, Dow Jones. The latter became a must-have song for political campaigns in the mid-West. Says Miss Maye, "I've written several thousand versions of it for those running for office. Governor Robert Ray of Iowa used it for six campaigns."

Miss Maye was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 1965, "but by then it was too late for me to have a big career. I was in a category with Tom Jones, Sonny and Cher, Herman's Hermits and the Byrds. And I had albums, not singles that got airplay.

In the 70s, musical tastes had changed. "I found work by clinging to the mid-West and Texas. I was strong there. That was my market. I've always considered what I do a business. I never thought of it as a hobby. And if you don't draw, you can't make a living. People knew me and knew they'd be entertained when they came."

Nothing prepared her for the rebound in popularity. "It's simply astounding and amazing!" She attributes her longevity to the fact that she's never stopped singing. "Honey, it's all I know how to do. I've never done anything else." She adds that it has helped to maintain a very positive attitude.

Singing all those great Broadway tunes before they became Broadway hits did make her yearn to be on Broadway, "But the desire was never a burning one. However, later, I got to fulfill my dream of being onstage. I did a lot of regional theater, musicals such as Hello, Dolly!, Mame and Follies. I still want to do a one-woman show on Broadway. What a dream that would be! But right now, my Broadway is the Metropolitan Room and I'm happy to be back there among friends."

For her MR engagement, Miss Maye will be backed by Billy Stritch on piano, Tom Hubbard on bass and Eklof on drums.

Admission to Marilyn Maye's It's My Party... is $30 plus a two-beverage minimum. For reservations call (212) 206-0440. For showtimes, visit www.metropolitanroom.com.

They're back, too! One night only!

They've been away almost a year, but tonight -- for one night only -- Creation Nation returns straight from L.A. and Miami to the Zipper's Factory Theatre [336 West 37th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues] with Cynthia Nixon in tow as guest. Billy Willing and Robin Lord welcome the Tony and Emmy-winning star of stage, screen and TV [soon to repeat her role as Miranda Hobbes in the big-screen adaptation of her Sex and the City series].

The performance, at 8 P.M., will be a unique variety show with stand-up, comedy sketches, musical numbers and multi-media. Benjamin Salka will direct, with musical direction by Eli Bolin.

Tickets are $20 and available online at www.thezipperfactory.com or by calling (212) 352-3101. For more information, visit: www.creationnationstation.com.

On the Radio

Tonight at 7 [with various repeat dates] Playbill Radio at www.playbillradio.com welcomes Cry Baby's Wade Walker, James Synder for a CenterStage chat. Then on Wednesday, Sunday in the Park with George stars Jenna Russell, Daniel Evans, Jessica Molaskey and Michael Cumpsty drop in with director Sam Buntrock.

On Thursday host Robert Viagas welcomes Alan Menken, composer of Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and the Oscar-winning composer of tunes for Disney animated blockbusters.

Free Events at Lincoln Center Library

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, which really can be found through that maze of reconstruction, has an ambitious April planned.

Thursday at 6 P.M. in the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center Tony-winning composer/lyricists Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty will discuss their career and perform excerpts from their shows.

Saturday at 3, Hepburn niece Katharine Houghton will host with Irish Reps Charlotte Moore Remembering Kate, with reminiscences and readings.

On April 17 at 6, you'll have the rare opt to have Edward Albee in Conversation as the Pulitzer, Tony and DD-winning playwright, who last month celebrated his 89th birthday, reflects on his career. If you're lucky, he may even smile.

Programs are free, on a first-come/first-served basis, but tickets are required. They are distributed, one per person, from 1 P.M. on the day of the program at the Cullman Center auditorium's entrance at 111 Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street.

Tropical Isle On Rector Street!

Wildly experimental art group 3-Legged Dog invites you to get away to the isle of fun and sand a bit before the season begins with their ambitious multi-dimensional multimedia world premiere of Charles Mee's Fire Island at the 3LD Art & Technology Center [80 Greenwich Street at Rector Street] from April 10 - May 3.

Mee is this year's resident playwright at the Signature Theatre, where his Paradise Park debuted in February. Other works include Hotel Cassiopeia, Iphigenia 2.0 and Queens Boulevard.

The performance space has had an extreme island makeover, complete with adventurers in thongs or less on the dunes, weathered boardwalk, beach chairs, pine trees -- and blended drinks -- for the playwright-as-voyeur's exploration of "the birth and dissolution of relationships amidst the diverse and fragile ecosystems of a suntan lotion-stained barrier reef." Characters include such island inhabitants as hunks, drag queens, six-foot tall girls, freak clowns and, for good measure, Japanese bondage junkies.

Fire Island features a cast of 108 artists, including the "Tuvan throat singer" Albert Kuvezin.

Tickets are $30 [$15, student with ID]. To reserve, call (212) 352-3101.

Uptown

The OBIE and DD-winning Classical Theatre of Harlem will present Emancipation, a new play by longtime company member and OBIE-winner Ty Jones, at the Shabazz Center in the Audubon Ballroom [3940 Broadway, between 165th and 166th Streets] starting Thursday through May 3.

Jones, a veteran of NBC's Law & Order franchise, starred last year in Brian De Palma's controversial quasi-military doc Redacted. Onstage, he's appeared with Kevin Kline in Henry IV and Denzel Washington in Julius Ceasar.

The play is described by Jones as "a thoughtful, powerful, and visceral examination of Nat Turner's 1831 slave rebellion, which became a watershed event in America's long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict."

Jones heads the 13-member cast. CTH co-founder Christopher McElroen directs.

A Cast Party

Jim Caruso's Cast Party and TheaterMania.com will present The Leading Men III on April 21 at 7 P.M. as part of Caruso's long-running concert series Broadway at Birdland [315 West 44th Street, between Eights and Ninth Avenues].

Leading Men III concert is a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. John Tartaglia, the Tony-nominated star of Avenue Q, will again host the annual celebration of stellar male singers and actors from Broadway and cabaret. Alan Muraoka will direct, with Emmy-nominated writer/host Seth Rudetsky returning as musical director.

The star lineup includes five-time MAC Award-winner Tom Andersen, Skylar Astin [Spring Awakening], David Burnham [Wicked], Caruso, Tony and DD-nominee Jonathan Groff [SA], Norm Lewis [Little Mermaid], Michael McElroy [Rent], Sean Palmer [LM], Christopher Sieber [late of Spamalot], two-time MAC Award-winner Marcus Simeone, Bobby Steggert [110 in the Shade] and Jim Walton [original cast, Merrily We Roll Along].

LMIII is produced by NYDaily News editor Wayman Wong, who originated Playbill.com's Leading Men column from 2003-2006.

Tickets are $50 plus $10 food/drink minimum with VIP tickets at $100 and can be purchased online at www.birdlandjazz.com.

Ellen Stewart and La MaMa

After a whirlwind theatrical tour of Europe, the unstoppable Ellen Stewart, the artistic force behind the East Village's La MaMa, returns to present more cutting edge theater with the world premiere of Brothers, a multimedia work with live and canned electronic music inspired from a poem by Stewart, based on stories from the Old Testament. It will be presented April 24-May 11 at La MaMa's Annex [74A East 4th Street, between Second Avenue and the Bowery].

The piece, described by Stewart as "a haunting and explosive work depicting a world where centuries of conflicts have led to turmoil, upheaval and global struggles," is adapted and directed by internationally-acclaimed artist Andrea Paciotto, partnering with the Bosnian theater company Jacavaz. The score and video design are by visual artist Jan Klug.

Following New York, Brothers will be presented in Spoleto, Italy, and Banja Luka, Bosnia..

Tickets are $25 and available on-line at www.La MaMa.org, by calling (212) 475-7710 or at the main La MaMa box office.

Once she hops on the bike and revs the engines; once she stokes the furnace and reaches full speed ahead; once she takes off and reaches maximum throttle and roars into orbit, the luminous Patti LuPone is unstoppable as she gives the performance of several lifetimes in Arthur Laurents stupendous revival of Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim's beloved Gypsy.

As she enters down the St. James aisle, LuPone shouts, "Sing out!" Later, in her terrifying and breathtaking, horrific and edge-of-the-seat; electrifying and probably never-to-be-forgotten take on the musical's 11:00 number, virtually a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she shouts, "Let me, me, me, me entertain you!"

In her much acclaimed and fierce performance, the actress makes incredibly steep climbs and dizzying descents. And, WOW! does she deliver the goods. And then some. Then, there's that over-the-top bit.

LuPone's Rose is one for the ages. She accents her charming, adorable, heroic, playful, sexy, sometimes mean, sometime bitchy, ingratiating, often grating, sympathetic and tormented portrayal of the stage mother from hell with sly smiles, deadly stares and a face capable of as many grimaces and twists as Lon Chaney's. At times, it even seems she's channeling aspects of Medea.

The "musical star built for another age, an Ethel Merman without portfolio," as the New York Times' Jesse Green referred to her last summer when Gypsy inaugurated Encores! Summer Stars at City Center, is receiving cheers and standing ovations for her Rose's turn in the quintessential Broadway musical from another age.

Whether in glacial eye-to-eye combat with Louise, a stage manager or an annoying producer's secretary; charming the pants off Herbie with calculating but disarming ease; lurking upstage, tiptoeing through the scenery [what little she hasn't already chewed to shreds]; shaking her bootie; being twirled by Herbie in a playful dance that ends with him dipping her to a back-breaking depth [where they end up ROTFWL and he gives her a playful pat on the derriere]; or as a woman at the end of her ropes railing against the world in front of a ghost light, LuPone is, well, LuPone -- even LuPone Plus or LuPone High Octane.

It's no secret that LuPone is a musical force of nature. If beverage makers could discover the secret of what sustains and propels her at 59 [in two weeks], seven years older than Merman was when the musical debuted], move over Red Bull and all those assorted vitamin and caffeine-laced drinks.

Her Rose is a tour de force. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning belt queen is a formidable presence. She's not known for giving laid-back performances, and there's nothing laid back about this one. However, she seems to be drawing energy from a nuclear power plant. Her diction is so clear and precise you might think she works part-time as an elocutionist.

Forgetting, if you can, her other stage achievements, her dazzling performance alone merits her a prime page in the theatrical history books. If in 100 years, you wanted theatergoers to experience the definitive and classic Broadway backstage musical and the dynamics of a dynamic leading lady, put a video of this revival in a time capsule and bury it under the bleachers of the TKTS booth.

It's simply mind-boggling to think that when originally presented on Broadway in 1959, Gypsy didn't win Tonys for Best Musical, Actress and Director [Jerome Robbins] [back then a nomination for Best Musical, included the composers and book writer] and was totally overlooked by Drama Desk.

Can't you just hear The Merm's reaction when the Tony honors went to Fiorello! and The Sound of Music [a tie] and Mary Martin [SOM]. You have to wonder, especially with Merman's earth-shattering performance, what the voters were thinking.

LuPone, unless another miraculous performance emerges this season, undoubtedly won't suffer that fate.

However, it should be pointed out that at the St. James the overture doesn't quite seem to soar from the get-go as it did in those opening bars at City Center. It takes a while for this inception of the revival to get going. But, when it does, get out of the way because it's full speed ahead. However, one might wonder about at least once choice LuPone has made for Broadway [indeed, if it was hers]; and that's her prancing SR to SL, with kisses and Huhs thrown to the audience giving a thunderous ovation. The only thing missing is a shower of rose petals or people throwing flowers onto the stage. But until those antics appear, her incredible, earth-shattering and jaw-dropping take on "Rose's Turn" is one of the most breathtaking moments in theater history.

Though LuPone is the sum of all of Gypsy's parts, there are other noteworthy elements in this no-frills production.

The production is blessed with two extraordinary costars. Laura Benanti exhibits amazing range as she grows from awkward Baby Louise to a radiant, sexy Gypsy Rose Lee. She has a particularly mesmerizing moment late in Act One, just as the musical begins to steam roll. As she stands on the sidelines watching Tulsa's "All I Need Is the Girl" number smitten with love for him and then joins in the number, she paints a splendid picture of happiness and heartbreak.

Boyd Gaines tries hard to melt into the background as weak Herbie but his poignant, fine-tuned stage presence just won't let him.

A Tony nominee and DD winner for last season's revival of Journey's End, Gaines is back in his first "traditional" musical since appearing in later casts of Roundabout's Cabaret and Company revivals and his Tony and DD-winning role in their 1993 She Loves Me revival; for his non-singing role in LCT's 2000 Contact, he received the Tony and a DD nom.

It doesn't stop there, which is one reason this Gypsy never goes flat when LuPone's not center stage.

Book writer/director Arthur Laurents is a legendary pro's pro when it comes to book. His book for the show has been heralded as a master class in musical theater libretto, but one might forget its endearing moments and ton of one-liner zingers.

As director of the 1974 [Lansbury] and 1989 [Daly] Gypsy revivals, he's on familiar turf but, even at age 90 [is he emulating George Abbott?], he's never asleep at the wheel. He keeps this Gypsy moving fast, belying its two hour and 40 minute running time.

Laurents also has a flair for casting. Some examples are the scene-stealing Alison Fraser, Lenora Nemetz [replacing Nancy Opel; not only as trumpet-blowing Mazeppa, but also as wise-cracking Miss Cratchitt] and Marilyn Caskey; a star-making turn by handsome Tony Yazeck as Tulsa, channeling the wondrous ease with which Gene Kelly could inhibit a number; Leigh Ann Larkin's anything but subtle older Dainty June; Sami Gayle and Emma Rowley as young June and Louise; and a well-assembled ensemble [with special praise going to the acrobatic talents of the newsboy kids].

Gypsy, which doesn't have a huge number of songs, is nonetheless packed with showstoppers.

Of Act One's nine songs and production numbers, there's Rose's "Some People" with Lupone pulling out all the stops, "You'll Never Get Away from Me," June and Louise's yearning "If Momma Was Married," and the Act One curtain of Act One curtains: "Everything's Coming Up Roses." In Act Two, there's Rose, Herbie and Louise's "Together," "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" by Mazeppa, Electra and Tessie Tura; and the finale of all finales, "Rose's Turn."

Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler's original orchestrations and the dance arrangements by none other than John Kander [who was rehearsal pianist on the original production] are in the capable hands of music director Patrick Vaccariello and the 25-piece orchestra.

Let's not forget the imprint of another formidable force of nature, Jerome Robbins. Bonnie Walker faithfully recreates his choreography, a highlight of which is the time-travel sequence, which remains as jawdroppingly awesome as it was when first introduced.

Saluting Meryl Streep

The Film Society of Lincoln Center will honor multiple Academy Award-winning Meryl Streep at its 35th annual gala on April 14th at Avery Fisher Hal. Her extraordinary range of characters will be displayed in a medley of clips. In addition, the black tie, star-studded evening will feature tributes from her directors and co-stars as well as industry luminaries.

Gala tickets are $50 - $175. Tickets for the tribute and supper dance to follow at the New York State Theater are $1,500. To purchase, visit www.filmlinc.com or call (212) 875-5630.

Bette Davis Centennial Marked with DVDs

Smoking all those unfiltered cigarettes helped do her in. But during her heyday as one of the golden stars in the Hollywood galaxy, Bette Davis was as formidable as Madame Rose. Saluting what would be her 100th birthday, Warner Home Video showcases more of the legacy of the incomparable "First Lady of Warner Bros." with a new package of DVDs, The Bette Davis Collection, Volume 3 [Six discs, bonus features galore; SRP $60].

The just-released set, with all films fully restored, includes Oscar-nominated All This and Heaven, Too [co-starring Charles Boyer]; Deception [co-starring Paul Henreid, Claude Rains; and featuring one of Korngold's best scores]; the quite controversial for it's time The Great Lie [co-starring Supporting Actress Oscar winner Mary Astor and George Brent]; In This Our Life [co-starring Olivia de Havilland; directed by John Huston; powerful score by Steiner]; The Old Maid [based on the Wharton novel and Pulitzer-winning play; co-starring Davis' arch enemy and adept scenery eater Miriam Hopkins]; and Oscar nominee Watch on the Rhine [by Lillian Hellman, adapted by Dashiell Hammett; Paul Lukas (winning the Oscar), repeats the role he created on Broadway]. Release dates range from 1939 - 1946.

Among the bonus features, WHV introduces with this package Warner Night at the Movies, special selections that help recreate the authentic movie- going experience of the time with cartoons, newsreels and trailers from the years each film was released. This is in addition to new featurettes, archival radio dramatizations, commentaries and more.

It's getting to the point with these DVD sets that you can plop down on the couch, feet propped on the coffee table and with a supply of snacks on a side tray where you can be entertained for hours and hours [with only occasional breaks for some necessities]. With Bette Davis 3, your viewing time, not even counting the bonus items, can easily exceed 10 hours.

Often dubbed the "Fifth Warner Brother" for her confrontational, take-charge approach, Davis earned an impressive 10 Oscar nominations -- winning twice for her roles in Dangerous and, in her answer portrayal of Scarlet O'Hara, Jezebel -- during the course of her 60-year career. At Warner, she made more than 50 films and was the studio's most bankable asset for nearly two decades. For a time, Davis was the highest paid woman in America.

In 1950, just when the studio thought she was washed up and dumped her, she showed them by fastening her seat belt and giving them a very bumpy revenge. She was signed by legendary writer/director Joseph Mankiewicz for his classic show business tale All About Eve at Twentieth Century-Fox and won an Oscar nomination [in one of the biggest blunders in film history, she was only nominated].

In celebration of her centenary, Fox has released it's Bette Davis DVD tribute [SRP $60] which includes fully-restored prints of All About Eve, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The Nanny, Phone Call from a Stranger and The Virgin Queen.

Years later, when the industry again thought she was washed up, she was lured back to Warner by director Robert Aldrich and teamed with arch rival Joan Crawford for their tour-de-force horror debuts in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. With that picture, both were discovered by a new generation.

Davis became became the first female president of the Motion Pictures Academy of Arts and Sciences [which administers the Oscars] and the first female honored with the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Broadway 1954

Scott Siegel and Town Hall's popular Broadway by the Year series has another installement on Monday at 8 P.M. with 1954.

Siegel and a line-up of stars that will include Sierra Boggess [direct from Disney's The Little Mermaid], Scott Coulter, Harvey Evans, Tony-winner Debbie Gravitte, Cheyenne Jackson [direct from Xanadu], Kendrick Jones, Sean Palmer [direct from TLM], Noah Racey [direct from Curtains] and Emily Skinner wil take the audience on a musical tour of such Great White Way shows as The Boy Friend, Fanny, The Golden Apple, House of Flowers, The Pajama Game, Peter Pan and more. Coulter directs, with musical direction and arrangements by Ross Paterson, accompanied by his Little Big Band.

There will surely be at least one "unplugged" moment and, certainly, memorable choreography from Racey and incredible tap from Jones.

Some tickets remain, at $45 and $55, and are available at the Town Hall box office and through Ticketmaster [www.ticketmaster.com] or by calling (212) 840-2824.

The BBTY season continues on May 12 with highlights from 1965 under the direction of Marc Kudisch; and on June 16 with 1979, directed by Skinner.

Show Offs

Incomparable actress/writer/comedienne Julie Halston and actress/writer/director Donna Daley have written Monologues for Show-offs [Heinemann, SRP $15], 74 all-new and original fun, bold and brassy monologues for men and women. The book includes performance notes and advice on auditioning from top industry professionals.

Halston and Daley have known each other for years and collaborated on several projects, among them the animated short Open Call and a book for young people.

"Donna and I know auditioning is tough enough," says Julie. "But when you connect with something fresh and vibrant, everyone remembers you."

"There's a window of opportunity at your audition to dig in fast and show personality," points out Donna. "It's important to establish the scene from the moment the actor speaks. And that's where Monologues for Show-offs comes in handy. Bold choices are built in. All the elements that help you pop are there."

To purchase Monologues for Show-offs, go online at www.heinemanndrama.com, www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.

Last Chance for Film Society's New Director's Series

Lincoln Center Film Society's New Directors/New Films Series is coming to a close. Screenings Saturday and Sunday at the Walter Reade and MOMA include La France [France, director: Serge Bozon; Set in 1917 as war rages across Europe and a woman goes to great lengths to save a relationship]; the highly-praised A Lost Man [Lebanon/France, director: Danielle Arbid; A photographer travels the globe in search of extreme experiences to document and embarks on a sensual journey through the Middle East]; Trouble the Water [U.S., directors: Tia Lessin and Carl Dea; Sundance-winning doc about the Katrina aftermath in Louisiana]; and XXY [Argentina/Spain/France, director: Lucía Puenzo; a hermaphrodite faces life choices].

For full schedule, showtimes and film details, check out www.filmlic.com. Tickets at $12 for the public [$10, members] for New Directors/New Films, at the WR and MOMA box offices and online or by calling CenterCharge, (212) 721-6500.

New to DVD

What an incredible time for quality releases of hit films on DVD!

Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling epic of family, faith, power and oil, There Will Be Blood [Paramount Home Entertainment, 158 minutes; SRP $40 ], winner of two Academy Awards [Best Actor, Picture] and praised by critics debuts on Tuesday [also as a single disc, SRP $30]. The film is set against the incendiary frontier of California's turn-of-the-century oil boom. Named by more than 200 critics as one of the 10 Best films of 2007, the film and especially star Daniel Day Lewis, whose character transforms from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son into a self-made oil tycoon, have a unique ferocity.

In addition to Lewis' Oscar nom, he won Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. Anderson came in for his share of praise, being called "a modern cinematic visionary."

The package is a two-disc set, with bonus features that include deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes doc and vintage images exploring the historical context of the film selected by Anderson that served as inspiration for the film's look.

Just released is the much-acclaimed and controversial The Kite Runner, based on Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel [PHE, 127 minutes; SRP $30] and directed by Marc Forster [Finding Neverland]. The picture was Golden Globe-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

Remarkably shot mostly in China, Kite Runner spans several decades and set against the backdrop of first the Soviet invasion and later the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the story explores social conscience. It tells of the friendship between well-do-do Amir and servant boy Hassan [beatifully played by Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada].

The film is slow in starting, but once it's set in motion by Amir's act of deceit and betrayal after he's not able to muster the courage to protect his friend from a violent rape, it propels into a gripping suspense thriller with a fascinating plot twist.

There are several other excellent actors, including Khalid AbdallaIn, who is Scottish/Egyptian, in the starring role as the older Amir, who must face his lifetime of regret over his betrayal; and Homayoun Ershadi, who plays Amir's kind father.

Composer Alberto Inglesias was Oscar and GG-nominated for Best Original Score.

For a complete change of pace -- for fantasy, comedy and a musical score by multiple Oscar winner Alan Menken [Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin] and Tony and DD-winner Stephen Schwartz [films, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame], there the new Disney family classic Enchanted [Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 107 minutes; SRP $30], a modern-day fairytale that incorporates animation and live action.

Enchanted is a clever, gentle spoof of Disney's animated classics. It tells of an animated heroine from a far away kingdom who's exiled from Andalasia by a sorceress and finds herself transformed into Giselle, a live storybook princess [enchanting Oscar-nominee Amy Adams -- a 2005 nominee for Supporting Actress for Junebug] lost in bustling New York City. Kevin Lima directed. Lisa Keene is animation art director

Providing excellent support are Patrick Dempsey as a contemporary knight in shining armor; Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon as the evil Narissa; Tony-winner and three-time DD-nominee Idina Menzel as Dempsey's gf; and James Marsden [Hairspray] as Giselle's handsome prince.

If you're sharp, you'll spot Tony-nominee Jodi Benson [on film, voice of Ariel in Little Mermaid], three-time Tony and DD-nominee Judy Kuhn, Tony and DD-winner Tonya Pinkins and Paige O'Hara.

There are enough bonus features, including games and pop-up adventures, to keep every member of the family entertained for years.

It might all be too good to be true, but in Enchanted the principals all live happily ever after in the true Disney tradition in one of the very best offerings from that studio in decades.