Have you been watching primetime TV this season? Some of our Broadway faves are making a great showing!
Of course, the lovely and very talented Sara Ramirez has been gracing the Seattle Grace Hospital on Grey's Anatomy for a while now (still waiting for a karaoke night though). She's great in the show, but it always takes me back to seeing her in Spamalot from the 3rd row. Sara was utterly captivating! Her stage presence was unparalleled and that is something that, sadly, a TV camera can't capture. Alas, I enjoy watching her.
How about Pushing Daisies? It's a quirky, new show on ABC (Wednesday night at 7p). They're swimming in Broadway folks which is great for us geeks. Kristin Chenoweth steals her scenes, for starters. She plays Olive – a slightly less-than-bright, innocently sexy server in a pie shop with a crush on her boss. She is wonderful! Again, I'm always sad to see outstanding singers doing something in which they're not singing... but I'm sure the money is a hard thing to turn down. And, it's great to see her up close and personal!
But the show boasts other Broadway folks as well. Imagine my delight when Raul Esparza walked into the pie shop a few weeks ago. I sat there with Mark and shrieked “That's Raul!”
“Raul who?”
“Raul Esparza!”
"Who's that?"
*exasperated sigh*
He was a traveling salesman of sorts peddling homeopathic mood lifters. Such a treat to watch Raul and Kristin have witty banter with each other... with a sort of a flirtatious undertone. I'm hoping they bring that character back – they left the story line open for such a return and I'm anxiously waiting!
Then Mark spotted Ellen Greene on the show. I know, I know, the name didn't ring a bell with me either. But she was none other than Audrey in the Steve Martin movie version of Little Shop Of Horrors. Mark was sure of it. It had been so long since I'd seen the show that I wasn't quite sure. We looked it up that night and sure enough, it was! She played that role on Broadway also for a few years. Again, in another non-singing role. She plays Vivian Charles a very eccentric former water ballerina (would that be the proper verbage?).
Tony Award winning Swoosie Kurtz is also in Pushing Daisies. She's the twin sister of Ellen Greene's character. Though not a musical gal, she's graced the Great White Way and is doing a great job in Pushing Daisies.
Taye Diggs is walking around, looking quite nice in his very-fitted shirts, in LA starring in the new Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice (ABC Wednesday, 8p). Don't you think they really should write some type of singing thing for these stars? He's a doctor in Private Practice and he's great. Of course, any time he smiles he absolutely steals the scene!! More Taye, more smiling and a some singing would be good too!Then there's Ugly Betty. I have some thoughts on a recent episode where the lead couple went to Wicked. Yes, I have some issues with it and we'll talk about that next week.
In meantime, tune in and support our Broadway stars. I know, we'd all rather have them on Broadway. But, since we're all interested in making a paycheck and hopefully it'll allow them the opportunity to grace the stage again, we should support them in their TV shows too! Besides, at least we still get to see them perform!!
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