Michael Riedel

Michael Riedel

Theater

Woody Allen’s keeping a tight lid on ‘Bullets’ score

It’s no secret that Woody Allen is secretive.

An actor friend who’s been in a few of his movies says that when you go in for the audition, you’re given no details about the plot or the characters. They don’t even tell you the title. Allen barely makes any contact with you, looking at the floor. If you’re cast, you never get to see a full script, just your scenes.

Allen has brought his penchant for the furtive to his new Broadway show, “Bullets Over Broadway.” We know the story, of course — a young playwright in the 1920s gets some dramaturgical help on his new script from a gangster assigned to look after the ingenue, who’s dating a mob boss.

What we don’t know is the list of songs Allen’s using in the show. They’re all from the ’20s, but only a handful of people know the exact songs he’s chosen. Cast members were in the dark until they began rehearsal a couple of weeks ago, but they’ve been instructed to keep mum. The songs may not even appear in the Playbill.

“It is the best-kept secret on Broadway,” says a source. “Well, that and how much the Shubert Organization is really worth.”

We can look to the movie for some hints. Its songs include “Let’s Misbehave” and “Lazy River.” But a production source cautions that not all the songs from the movie are in the musical — and there are a lot more in the show.

In the coming weeks, I’ll try to get my hand on the song list. Woody’s playing on my turf now, and it’s about time he found out who he’s dealing with. They don’t call me Walter Winchell for nothing!

In the meantime, let me suggest a few tunes:

  • “Bye Bye Blackbird,” used to great effect in Bob Fosse’s autobiographical movie, “All That Jazz.”
  • “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” my favorite version of which is sung by Dorothy Fields, who wrote the lyrics, on the album “An Evening With Dorothy Fields.”
  • “Walk Right In,” always fun to hear the Rooftop Singers do it, but listen to the original 1929 version by Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers.
  • “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” one of my favorite songs of all time, and one Allen used in his 1999 “Sweet and Lowdown.” Django Reinhardt’s version is the most famous, but if you want the lyrics, you can do no better than Joe Brown’s rendition, which he played on his ukulele at George Harrison’s funeral.

Got any other suggestions?

I’ll pass ’em on to Woody.


Several readers e-mailed to ask why Marin Mazzie, who’s playing Helen Sinclair in “Bullets Over Broadway,” wasn’t on my list of contenders for the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.

No slight against Mazzie. I bet she’ll be great fun, and Allen did pick her over some more famous divas. But it’s unlikely she’ll be nominated in the Best Actress category. Dianne Wiest won a supporting Oscar for her turn in the movie, and my sources on the Tony committee say that unless the role has been substantially expanded for the musical, they’ll probably put Mazzie in the featured actress category.

I doubt the producers of “Bullets” will protest: The competition for Best Actress is going to be fierce. Mazzie will have a better shot as a supporting player.