Tag Archives: Broadway

Sending Out An S.O.S.

Choice, chance, change
(Courtesy of Zig Ziglar)

They say that failure is good. That it builds character and allows us to grow. It helps refine us.

You know, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

Hmm.

I wonder if that’s how Sting feels at the moment.

Failure is never easy. Especially, if you’re in the public eye.

A couple of months ago, I watched an interview with Sting on NPR/Ted radio, “How to Get Over Writer’s Block.” During the discourse, Sting talked about his horrible bout with writer’s block that stretched for nearly a decade.

Now wait a minute. This is Sting. We’re talking about a legendary singer-songwriter. A member of the iconic band The Police. A ten Grammy, two Brits, Golden Globe award winner who has sold close to 100 million albums and was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Yes, that Sting! Writer’s block? Are you kidding me?

I guess if it can happen to Sting, it can happen to anyone.

But here’s what he had to say—

“Creativity is the ability to take a risk. To actually put yourself on the line and risk ridicule, being pilloried, criticized, whatever. But…you must take that risk.”

So what did he do?

He sent out an S.O.S. He took a risk. He dug deep into his past and found inspiration. He channeled stories of shipyard workers that he knew from his childhood. And voila! A Broadway musical was born.

An Englishman in New York?

No silly. The Last Ship.

It became his 14th solo album and a new play bearing the same name with music and lyrics by Sting. And it debuted at the Neil Simon Theatre at the end of October.

Then it sprang a leak.

The Last Ship was set against the downfall of the local English shipbuilding industry. It tells the story about a group of unemployed shipyard workers who want to take back their pride and build one last ship—not for their employer, not for the government, but for their own self-esteem, for humanity.

Of course, there’s more to it. There’s a love story that’s also weaved into the account. But the story really resonated with Sting. He felt that this story ran parallel to the narrative of many hard working people today who had lost their manufacturing jobs. Which in turn made him more determined than ever to bring his story to life.

Alas, the musical didn’t quite come across as well as Sting had envisioned. So much so, that by mid-December, Sting jumped into the fray and took on a supporting role in hopes of bolstering sales. But with all the lukewarm reviews, even though some thought that the story was seaworthy, it still didn’t help.

The Last Ship sunk.

On the eve of joining the cast onstage, the singer acknowledged his show faced a tough future: “This was never going to be easy. I didn’t anticipate a shoo-in at all. I expected a battle because I want to succeed against the odds.”

Send out an S.O.S. Sting!

Unfortunately, it was too late. There, amongst what was Broadway’s highest grossing year, Sting had failed. His story didn’t inspire audiences to tell their friends that The Last Ship was a must-see. It was a lack of word-of-mouth that had caused the show’s demise.

The lack of word-of-mouth that caused a 15 million dollar ship to go down.

Ouch!

Yet, this is his message in a bottle:

Just a castaway
An island lost at sea
Another lonely day
With no one here but me
More loneliness
Than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair

The Last Ship’s final performance will be on January 24th. If you wanted to see Sting’s musical, you better head over before it sails off into the sunset.

Yet, somehow I don’t think this will be the last thing that we hear from Sting. He’s too willing to make a choice, to take a chance, so his life will change!

And so should we.
 

Here’s Bruno Mars covering So Lonely/Message in a Bottle at the Kennedy Center in honor of Sting.


 

So what do you think? Have you ever seen a live performance by Sting? Did you know about Sting’s Broadway musical The Last Ship? Have you ever taken a risk and failed? If so, how did it make you feel? What did you do to pick yourself up? And what is your favorite song by Sting?
 

Cheers everyone! I hope that life is treating you well. And as always, thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

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Here’s Looking At You!

Lauren Bacall
 

Lauren Bacall.

She died last week at the age of 89.

And with everything else that happened–the death of Robin Williams, the horrible riots in Missouri, I thought we would take a moment and look back on a few of the highlights from the life of this beautiful actress.

Lauren Bacall became synonymous with the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn. Although unlike Katherine Hepburn who brought trousers to the forefront, or Audrey Hepburn, who gave us the little black dress, Lauren Bacall’s allure had nothing to do with fashion, but the use of her face. An irony since she started her career as a teenage fashion model who graced the covers of both Harper’s Bazaar as well as Vogue magazine.

It was the cover of Harper’s Bazaar that got her noticed for her first motion picture, even though she had already taken acting classes with Kirk Douglas and performed on the Broadway stage.

The picture?

“To Have and Have Not.”

It is said that during the screen test she was nervous—so nervous that her head would quiver. So in order to quell the shaking, she created the effect that has now became known as “The Look.”

You know, “The Look.”

That infamous pout, framed by high cheekbones and a long reaching delicate nose, with gothic arched eyebrows that framed the hood of her eyelids and the downcast edge of her lashes.

A “Look” that became her trademark and caught the eye of her co-star, Humphrey Bogart.

It is incredible to think that she was only nineteen when she made her extraordinary debut in that movie, acting opposite Humphrey Bogart in such a way that she appeared to be ten years older — the same age as Bogart, or perhaps even older.

Lauren Bacall was smart and sexy with a certain iconic toughness that was a contradiction which helped to shape a career that would span over 50 years. Yet, she confessed, however sarcastic and cool she appeared, she shook with nerves on set and suffered from stage fright for the rest of her life.

Her films included:

To Have and Have Not
The Big Sleep
Key Largo
How to Marry a Millionaire
Blood Alley
Written on the Wind
Designing Woman
The Gift of Love
The Shootist
The Mirror Has Two Faces

And there were numerous Broadway stage and guest vocal appearances in her later years

Lauren Bacall is quoted as saying, “I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.”

So perhaps, rather than her “Look”, maybe we should celebrate her willingness to age in public.

Here’s looking at you Lauren Bacall!


 

So what do you think? Do you like to watch old movies? What are your feelings about this famous actress? Have you seen any of her films? If so, which one is your favorite?
 

Cheers everyone! And as always, thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

 
 

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