THEATRE GOSSIP #433. Beanie’s Beanie’s and nothing but BEANIE’S

Shit Op. Utter shit.

Should have been something like 'Alice Ripley to star in 'Oleanna - The Musical.'

Read it and weep.

Wow, OP, what an amazing thread title. So glad you pulled the trigger. We could NOT have lived another moment without your wit, especially about a topic that everyone else stopped discussing days ago. Can we appoint you full time thread starter? Is there a vote happening?

Not a single one of those apostrophes is correct. Not a one.

Writing - anything - is not for you, OP.

The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals' is a musical horror-comedy by StarKid Productions. It was funded through Kickstarter and had its premiere run in Los Angeles, CA in October, 2018. It features a book by Nick & Matt Lang, and music & lyrics by Jeff Blim.

Some fun facts for you guys:

-Starkid is an independent theater company founded by a group of friends at the University of Michigan in 2009. -Alongside this musical they have eleven others that are all on YouTube. -The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals has a sort of squeal called Black Friday (they also did a short story style thing called Nightmare time which also takes place in the hatchetfield universe). -A third musical set in the Hatchetfield universe called Nerdy Prudes Must Die is hopefully going to come out sometime in 2022. -The music and lyrics where written by Jeff Blim (who is the guy who plays Sam/Mr. Davidson) and the story was written by Nick and Matt Lang. -Robert Manion who plays Hidgens is Australian. -Lauren Lopez and Joey Richter who play Emma and Ted are engaged in real life. -Mariah Rose Faith who plays Alice/Zoey played Regina George in the national tour of Mean Girls the Musical. -Starkid has a sister company called The Tin Can Bros who have a fantastic musical called Spies are Forever which is also on YouTube.

None of those facts were "fun," R5. You lied.

Last thread...

Let's get started with some Miss Stritch.

I just put this in the last thread, but this dress deserves double mention...

R8 Did she play Van Helsing?

That's interesting ornamentation around Stritchie's nipples, R9.

I give young Elaine points for her glamour and goofy sex appeal in the absence of actual looks. She really wasn't very pretty by conventional standards, but she turned herself into someone memorable looking.

Did anyone consider Bonnie Milligan from "Head Over Heels" for Fanny Brice? I don't know how she'd handle the comedy, but she sure had a much more thrilling voice then Beanie Baby.

They've been going absolutely nuts on ATC the last week or so on both Alice Ripley and Laura Noses. People are name-calling (by their handles), being really nude (you'd think it was DL!) and some even told Ann over there to delete the threads, something she refuses to do; she doesn't see them as personal attacks. Even BroadwayWorld, with its younger posters generally, deleted the Ripley conversations. I notice that some of the nicer posters over at ATC have steered clear of these threads. Who needs extra stress in their lives to even read more than a sampling of them, at most?

Belting Bonnie Milligan deserves a show built around her, not a retread.

"Funny Girl" with the right person and great reviews could mint a new star though.

Bonnie Milligan is a big girl with bigger talent and a bigger voice than the Beanie Baby.

Good lord, Bonnie is even bigger than Beanie.

[quote]being really nude

Wow things *have* gotten spicy over at ATC.

People threatening each other at ATC, being called "disgusting", telling them to apologize to Ann, insulting each other and Ann, and without her late co-owner Mike over there to help moderate, she doesn't know when to say enough. It's a real circus over there.

oops, "rude" not "nude" -- I might hang out there more often if, but still don't want to even imagine Mockingbirdgirl nekid. What a disagreeable... beyonce she is as a poster.

Ann deserves every bit of pain and suffering her evil minions can dish up over there. She is horrible.

R12 For someone so conscious of the camera, why did Stritch's face and complexion look so much better in later years than she looked in that documentary?

Looking at Poor Little Person, Priscilla Lopez is in yellow with long hair. The girl in the red checked coat is Chris Bocchino who would replace Priscilla in ACL.

Will the overenthusiastic reviews of Pass Over by Jesse Green and others get anyone to buy tickets to this disaster?

No. I don’t believe there is any appetite for Pass Over, despite the good notices. Further cementing the truth that there is a HUGE disconnect between the critics and the box office.

So what do we think will next go into the August Wilson, assuming Broadway's still running in the winter-spring?

Ultra-liberals are terrible businesspersons! They care more about promoting a leftist agenda than creating successful art. They also don't seem to get that theatergoers are overwhelmingly white and many won't want to sit through angry black play after angry black play, especially to be lectured and made to feel guilty. I honestly thought that post-pandemic, Broadway would return to cheerful escapism to lure audiences back, but they seem to have gone heavy with the angry black plays. This will NOT bring Broadway back.

R27 I don't trust theater/film critics anymore. They seem to give anything with a woke agenda a rave regardless of quality. Anything that veers from the status quo gets poor to bad reviews.

Bway will close again by late October.

Delta don’t play

Ben Platt has a film out now, Broken Diamonds.

Never even heard of it.

As it should be.

Streisand owns Funny Girl. She peed all over those songs and they're so uniquely tied to the Streisand Creation Story that it can't be broken.

And, Merman did the same thing to a certain degree. Other actresses have played Annie Oakley and Mama Rose but it's Merman's voice I hear when any one mentions "There's No Business..." or "Everything's Coming Up Roses".

I think the difference is, "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Gypsy" are both strong shows with fully formed characters. As has already been mentioned on these threads, Funny Girl wasn't supposed to be a vehicle for Barbra but in order to save the show, they tailored the production to her strengths with the result it really is a show totally tied to the actress who created the role.

That said, I think the only actresses who can succeed playing Fanny are people who are unique talents themselves. Midler could have played it, when younger, but why would she have taken "Streisand leftovers"?

Beanie Feldmanstein just isn't unique enough to carry this show.

R34 I agree with a lot of what you say, but I think you left out one crucial point. Streisand made the movie. That’s true of two other iconic roles “owned” by actors: Rex Harrison for My Fair Lady and Robert Preston for The Music Man.

Streisand had a truly magnificent voice. Probably unique. Beanie does not own a similar set of pipes.

For the person in the previous thread who asked about the Titanic the Musical ad in Times Sq. It's on West 45th Street between 8th and 9th. Uptown side of the street. I think it's in a parking lot.

[quote]They've been going absolutely nuts on ATC the last week or so on both Alice Ripley and Laura Noses. People are name-calling (by their handles), being really nude (you'd think it was DL!) and some even told Ann over there to delete the threads, something she refuses to do; she doesn't see them as personal attacks. Even BroadwayWorld, with its younger posters generally, deleted the Ripley conversations.

ATC deleted two previous threads on Ripley before finally allowing the current one, r14. KingSpeed (who I think may have been C-list actor here?) had a bit of a meltdown then disappeared.

The whole thing is very weird.

I would add Yul Brunner in "The King and I" as another actor who *owns " his role and who also starred in the movie version, R35.

R38, very true. And a more recent example is Ellen Greene in Little Shop of Horrors.

And we all remember how great Betty Hutton was on Broadway when she created the role of Annie Oakley.

She's not a household name, which is what Funny Girl really needs, but Jessie Mueller would have been a good Fanny.

And Lea Michelle saying this Funny Girl is going to be "epic" was a masterwork of shade.

Jessie Mueller is not Streisand either. And she wouldn't sell tickets.

Pause from Beanie a moment because someone mentioned Creel. Can anyone explain that career to me? Seems nice enough, good enough, tall enough, voice is good enough, but is there any personality or sound there at all? I know a couple of youngsters who say they [italic]love[/italic] Gavin, but I truly truly don't get it.

Well... it could be because of this.

I think Patti LuPone owns Evita. No other actress has been able to create her electricity, although others have danced it better and sung it to where you could understand the lyrics. As we saw on the Grammys a few years ago, it was Patti they asked to come and sing from the Evita score.

These days we don’t talk much about signature songs, but I think those helped to cement legend status in a performer. In the 1960s and 70s, the song “People” was all over the place. We even sang it in our Junior High School Choral Concert. I think that was an element in cementing Barbra’s legend status. Every time someone heard the song, they would think of Barbra.

R45 in the world at large, Madonna is more associated with EVITA, sad to say.

Gavin's voice is a lot better than "good enough". Jessie Mueller is the definition of "good enough".

[quote]I think Patti LuPone owns Evita.

I beg to differ.

Fuck all of you wannabes.

Soy más original que cualquiera de ustedes. La canto en el español original.

Thanks so much to whoever posted the link to the Menier MERRILY on the last thread. I stayed up way past my bed time to watch it all.

So many thoughts! Did this production have a re-worked script? I don't know the show all that well (only saw the 2000 Kennedy Ctr and recent Roundabout abomination) but I don't remember so many long extended book scenes or Gussie being such a major character, present throughout the entire show. Jenna Russell really allowed herself to look appropriately dumpy as Mary, a truly raw characterization. I kept thinking by the end (in her youth) she's strip off the body padding but it never happened. The fellow playing Charley Damian Humbley seemed a bit hampered by his wig, wish he'd been a bit more physically unleashed. I loved Mark Umbers as Franklin, what a character arc he accomplished. What else has he done in LOndon? Is he well-known there for musical comedy or more for drama? Handsome guy, wouldn't have guessed he's gay. The Beth was awful....and that Texas (or Southern?) accent that came and went!

This production used a lot of middle aged actors and it was clear to me why the original Broadway production could not succeed with 20-somethings. It's really only the final scene that requires that kind of naivete and innocence and the Menier actors acted it very believably.

Creel’s career is a mystery to me. He’s the male Sutton Foster, but down a rung.

How come the British can make American musicals work that Americans can’t make work? Follies and Merrily being two examples?

FOLLIES worked just beautifully when it was first produced on Broadway in 1971. It worked well enough to make it theatrical legend.

MERRILY has been reworked, reimagined, rewritten, restaged, and generally sent through the wringer time and again. There is no consensus that it works yet.

I don't think either of the British productions of FOLLIES or MERRILY WE ROLL ALONE can be described as improvements.

[quote] I don't think either of the British productions of FOLLIES or MERRILY WE ROLL ALONE can be described as improvements.

You didn’t see Blythe Danner in Follies. Even in her ugly dress, Janie Dee was a million times better.

I've seen two productions of 'Merrily,' and after both I couldn't help but wonder what the show would be like if it were just done in order instead of reverse. It's not a favorite of mine by any stretch, but I know some people who adore it. When it comes to Sondheim shows about looking back, I prefer 'Follies.'

Jesus, r56, you know what happens when you mention..

[quote]in the world at large, Madonna is more associated with EVITA, sad to say.

Not really accurate. Between US and Canadian box office, the movie didn't even break even , and then only made a slim profit internationally. By no means a popular hit, and definitely not a critical one.

As high-profile movie musicals go, it's mostly forgotten. It doesn't seem to have ever found an enthusiastic audience, even in the world of DVDs, streaming, etc. And I'm not a Madge hater: I think she has some decent moments in a pretty mediocre film.

It took the Brits to reimagine Cabaret. Had they not, Broadway would have wheeled out Joel Grey and the big question would be if they hired a Sally like Liza or a Sally like Jill Haworth. But no matter which direction they went, it would have been a tired production because all directors working on Broadway today have zero imagination.

R59 younger people who have discovered Madonna have also discovered her in scenes from EVITA. They are enthralled by her from a 21st century POV.

Wow—that Blythe Danner clip is … atrocious ! She always seems excessively detached from what she’s doing but this!! It looks as if Phyllis Stone were an actual person who has been cast in a musical based on her own life. But she has no talent: can’t sing, has no sense of rhythm, can’t dance and hasn’t even any idea how to fake it! That production seems to have been a nightmare all round. But I bet Gregory Harrison was good or at least hot. Too bad his musical theatre ambitions never really worked out. He is a talented hot guy!

Since this is supposed to be about gossip - does anyone have the details on what caused the split between Isaac Cole Powell and Wesley Taylor?

Since this is supposed to be about gossip - why don't you tell us what you suspect r63?

R63-How about, Isaac is talented and has a career, and Wes TAYTAY isn't and doesn't.

Also, Wes is a whore.

"Since this is supposed to be about gossip - does anyone have the details on what caused the split between Isaac Cole Powell and Wesley Taylor?"

Isaac was fresh out of college when Wesley, someone he admired from the same program, snatched him up. He was new, inexperienced in the temptations of Broadway, and easily manipulated. He needed to explore. We all go through it.

Why is she Beanie Feldstein rather than Beanie Hill, like brother Jonah Hill? Is that so folks don't call her a hill of beans?

Because she looks so much like Benny Hill she's afraid people would get mixed up.

Or Benny Hill r67.

Cue the Benny Hill music!

And... go.

Maybe Beanie could host Jeopardy instead.

I hated the addition of Franklin Shepard’s young son in Maria Friedman’s production.

I agree, he did seem unnecessary with no pay-off that I could discern, r73.

I loved the production but (predictably) they really fucked up "Jackie and Bobby and Jack" (or whatever it's called). Clearly, Maria Friedman and the actors had no understanding of who they were singing about.

where is the news about Wes and Isaac breakup?

They deleted the photos of each other from their IGs and Wes posted a story with "a new chapter begins" or something similar

In the current political climate, it’s going to be a long time before we see a bad review of a black play.

R77 which means Broadway will go kaput?

The most important review will be how many butts in the seats these shows get. Not too many will want to put up with white guilt shaming in countless plays.

R79 Which we won't know given they aren't releasing grosses.

Lol where is the news! It’s on NPR, Rose.

The Color Purple

Brokeback The Opera.

Megan Hilty.

Did other Taylor Trensch and BLR also break up? Same premise on their Instas …

I disagree about Jessie Mueller and Funny Girl. I think she's on par with Beanie Feldstein in terms of fanship, it's just a different demographic, and in Mueller's favor, it's a demo that actually buys tickets. Beautiful was a huge hit, and largely on the back of Mueller, who was the ONLY reason to see that terrible show. That thing would have closed in three months if not for her making it seem better than it was. By the time she left, its reputation was minted (much like Funny Girl after Streisand left) and people thought they were going to see a show that was much better than its leading lady.

Mueller also gained a lot of fans from Waitress, and in a different demographic. Again, she took a mediocre show and made it seem better with her performance. People know Jessie and she's got a great reputation. She can sing and she can act.

I'm not saying Mueller has a huge fan base that will see *anything* she does. Carousel proved that. I'm a fan of hers and even I wouldn't touch Carousel with a 10 foot pole. However, whatever fan base Beanie has, they don't buy tickets. And she already has bad buzz months before the show even starts rehearsals, which means the producers are going to have to work overtime with all sorts of Beanie press, trying to stem the flow of bad WOM.

No, Jessie isn't a star, per se, but the idea of her singing that score would have sold more tickets than Feldstein, and certainly would have garnered more anticipation.

Jessie is doing The Minutes. Not available.

she'll be available in a minute

Mike Richards might be available for the Eve Harrington role in the next revival of "Applause" though.

Curious to see if Waitress sells tix and if they’re fan base is eager to return.

R74, The evening I saw it in Boston, Maria was standing on the sidewalk outside the theatre greeting audience members as they arrived.

Please, if Jessie would have been offered Funny Girl, she would have left The Minutes in a heartbeat.

didn't hack Michael Mayer sort of 'discover' Jessie in that Clear Day monstrosity?

"Did other Taylor Trensch and BLR also break up? Same premise on their Instas …"

After this number which really showed they were in love and not faked? And BLR has BDF.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1928, "The Lido Girl" opened at the Edyth Totten Theatre.

[quote]THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1928, "The Lido Girl" opened at the Edyth Totten Theatre.

I was disappointed by it.

R85 Intriguing, though they only ever seemed to use their social media to repost 'queer' people begging for/demanding money

Who is BLR?

Blanche Lyce Rabies

Ben Levi Ross

Trensch must have a huge cock, because he has no body to speak of and he's ugly as sin. Yet he ALWAYS has some cute little boyfriend.

I just got an email for $49 tix for Chicken n Biscuits at Circle in the Square. This is what passes for a Broadway play these days? It looks like something you'd find on the Chitlin Circuit 25 years ago, one of those plays like "God Don't Like Ugly," or "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got," that would come into town for a week at some convention center.

"THE LIDO GIRL" TAME.; One of the Merits of New Play at Totten Is That It Is Short.

Someone needs to step in next time. This is just the worst title ever. This OP’s creative juices are completely dried up.

Who is BLR?

[quote] They are enthralled by her from a 21st century POV.

You mean the point of view that mediocre or worse is acceptable as long as a few woke boxes are checked?

Read the fucking thread, R105, that question was already asked and answered.

BLR.

r86 =Jessie’s mom.

I do not believe that Jessie Mueller would be okay with coming to Broadway repeatedly in failed revivals of Barbra Streisand's old movies. One is plenty.

Jessie Mueller is competent. But she lacks the glamour and authority of a real Broadway star.

It's not about being pretty. Barbra projected glamour and star appeal even when she was a homely little thing right out of Brooklyn.

Disagree about authority. Jessie holds the stage and helps elevate most of the material she's been given. Even the not very good On a Clear Day only came to life when she was on. She saved Beautiful, and she acted and sang Waitress wonderfully.

I'm not saying she's the perfect choice, or even the first choice, but the producers would have had something with her over Beanie, who has nothing to offer.

[quote]I just got an email for $49 tix for Chicken n Biscuits at Circle in the Square. This is what passes for a Broadway play these days? It looks like something you'd find on the Chitlin Circuit 25 years ago, one of those plays like "God Don't Like Ugly," or "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got," that would come into town for a week at some convention center.

Oh, fuck off!

I respectfully suggest we change this chick's name to "Bini." Saving two key strokes every time someone bitches about her between now and when this show implodes is no small consideration.

Clear Day...

Mueller does sound great in that clip. But the costumes and set are the ugliest, least flattering things I've seen in recent memory.

Another clip of Mueller in Clear Day

Mayer's production of On a Clear Day was not good (and it was especially hampered by a woefully miscast and bored Harry Connick Jr) but I liked that he took the chances he did. I thought Mayer's concept was fascinating and thought provoking. Unfortunately, it didn't work in the production he structured it around.

I would rather watch an interesting failure than a lifeless cruise ship version of a musical usually presented by the likes of Kathleen Marshall.

Interesting to note that the original ON A CLEAR DAY only ran for 7 months--280 performances--back in 1965/66. I'd assumed because it was a bigger success, what with such high-caliber talent (Barbara Harris) and the movie adaptation.

It was not.

The male Daisy was kind of lackluster, too.

I wonder if ON A CLEAR DAY might have lasted longer with original lead Louis Jourdan, who was fired out of town, and replaced by little known at the time John Cullum. Jourdan had a contract where he still got paid, but apparently composer Burton Lane really wanted his music, and especially the beautiful title song, sung well. Also apparently Jourdan wasn't getting laughs, but he thought he was -- it was actually Barbara Harris getting them. Point is that Jourdan was the top-billed star at the time, and Harris had gotten a supporting Tony nomination for "From the Second City" prior to that, but was otherwise not that well-known. She was shifted to top-left star billing and unknown John Cullum to top right, but to the general public, they weren't yet proven to even carry the show yet. That changed after opening.

R58. Good god! I generally like Danner (so much more than her untalented spawn), and I’ve always assumed people were exaggerating about the Follies debacle, but it’s truly awful—not even FUN awful.

There was a CLEAR DAY revival at Irish Rep some years back with Melissa Errico and Stephen Bogardus. Really uneven but largely entertaining. I think they stuck pretty faithfully to the original script. ON A CLEAR DAY is one of the nuttier musicals ever, even for the sixties.

And no, R122. There was nothing fun about that FOLLIES revival. I saw it as well. It was depressingly bad. Not a single really good performance in it (though some people really liked Polly Bergen).

Polly Bergen was grotesque. But I don't blame her because I saw how the rest of it was directed. The director sent Bergen down a few rabbit holes that made impossible for her to be successful.

Gregory Harrison was hot. The two young couples were awfully good. Those roles often get lost in the shuffle, but they were quite good. I liked Judith Ivey, though I know many did not. They were all badly directed and I hate to blame them for that.

Loveland was entirely rendered in Pepto-Bismol Pink. And it was simply awful.

Say what you will about Blythe Danner. Her work was infinitely better than that of Matthew Warchus.

This article by Robin Pogrebin gives you insight into what everyone was up against in that production.

[quote] I’ve always assumed people were exaggerating about the Follies debacle,

Judith Ivey chose the Bette Davis does Jane Hudson interpretation of Sally. I guess they were so busy with La Blythe that they didn’t have time to direct Judith, or sew her a costume or build her a set. They just handed her the script and said, “See you on opening night.”

[quote] Polly Bergen was grotesque.

The problem was Bergen was too dyke-y for the role. Carlotta is a sexpot. She brags that she’s sleeping with a younger man and may have a different one next year. No man wants Butch Bergen.

Encores did “On A Clear Day” with DL fave Kristin Chenoweth. Peter Friedman was the doctor.

Fun fact about On A Clear Day, it’s one of the few musicals that is not based on a previous source.

Carlotta is the ONLY person at the party who is still working it in show business. The only one. She should look like it. She should be the one thing that is not like the others on the stage.

Polly Bergen's Carlotta showed up looking like anyone or anything other than a working celebrity who has done it all. She looked like an alcoholic at a wake. She sang "I'm Still Here" like an alcoholic at a wake.

Had Warchus had a clue about this character and her importance to the structure of the play, he night have guided the very talented Polly Bergen to a character that meant something to the play. I don't blame her for it.

If Jourdan had been kept Clear Day would have had a longer run. With his good looks and charisma and Harris's delightful performance it would have been an exciting event despite the uneven book. It had enough really good songs. And it would have sold big time to all those middle aged theater party ladies. Putting Cullum in was a big mistake and I wonder why the producer didn't fight Lane on this. He has very little charisma next to Harris. Jourdan would have even been better than Montand in the movie. Sinatra would have been best of all. I know their egos wouldn't have allowed it but Streisand and Sinatra singing in the same movie at that time would have been dream casting. Lane and Lerner could have added a couple of duets and they don't end up together so the age differential wouldn't have been such a big deal. But they probably hated each other.

[quote] I know their egos wouldn't have allowed it but Streisand and Sinatra singing in the same movie at that time would have been dream casting.

Streisand and Sinatra were both Friends of Judy. If anyone could have brought them together, it would have been Miss Garland.

Clear Day....there's also a full soundboard recording on Youtube.

I saw the original ON A CLEAR DAY and it didn't matter who else was onstage with Barbara Harris. She was absolutely phenomenal.

I disagree about Beanie's fanbase.

She is HUGE (no pun intended) with the very same teen girls who've made WICKED a hit forever. Those girls do buy tickets, see the same show multiple times and love seeing an underdog singing her heart out in the lead. And they pay no attention to reviews. Or Datalounge.

Her fan base couldn't help Booksmart or How to Build a Girl. And those only cost $10 to get into.

Booksmart was such shit. Beanie and other the lesbian girl were charming but the movie itself was painfully unfunny.

I thought BOOKSMART was much ado about very little. Not terrible, but basically a teen coming-of-age/pop-the-cherry movie with girls instead of boys. Some critics treated it some visionary feminist treatise, though.

Beanie was good in it. Not great.

Beanie's voice reminds me of a Disney princess, high and sweet voice which is probably why younger women like her.

[quote]Streisand owns Funny Girl. She peed all over those songs and they're so uniquely tied to the Streisand Creation Story that it can't be broken.

Only for those old enough to remember Streisand from her best years. Younger audiences don't give a shit about Streisand, if you find the right person it could be a success. Hell I'm an elder gay and enough time has gone by that I could enjoy a new brilliant talent in that role. I'm just don't have the love for Streisand I used to and I'm ready to fall in love with someone new.

I'm not sure how Sinatra felt about Streisand, but she's one of the only few people I recall on talk shows when asked about who her favorite male pop singers were, didn't automatically do the standard response ("and of course, Frank Sinatra"), but said she really liked Johnny Mathis -- I forget who else. People generally (and male singers especially) were afraid of Sinatra and his connections to not bow down to him in public (like on Carson or other talk shows).

Actually it was great seeing Joan Roberts, who still sounded almost exactly as she did on the OCR of "Oklahoma!" in very good voice indeed! I recall that Betty Garrett was fun, too. Bergen was pushing her voice throughout the whole song -- really very overpraised performance.

[quote]Actually it was great seeing Joan Roberts, who still sounded almost exactly as she did on the OCR of "Oklahoma!"

EXACTLY. Heidi Schiller looked and sounded like she came from Oklahoma. Which is not good.

Being able to say I saw the original Laurey was the high point for me, r141. I was a bit disappointed by Garrett.

In no rational world, Beanie is not HUGE. How did her publicist get on Datalounge? Or is that you Ben, trolling for more comments on your movie hair (which according to rumor Daddy is having digitally altered...)

Betty's still here...

I was working with the great Broadway wig designer Paul Huntley when that Roundabout Follies was in previews and Paul would groan every few days when they would send back Judith Ivey's wig, requesting a new one in a different color. He said the same thing happened before they fired Carolyn Mignini form the Guys and Dolls revival.

They always blame the wig.

I have to admit, I like Judith Ivey's take (acting more than singing, of course) on "Losing My Mind." Admittedly, it has to be seen to fully register.

Good lord, I used "admit" twice as a qualifier. "I'm R147 and I'm a Judith Ivey in Follies fan!"

It was such a tepid Follies.

So um not to be accused of being a Republican but what exactly happens when the Broadway community keeps talking up diversity and putting up BIPOC offerings and no one buys tickets?

Pass Over is not selling and it's the only game in town right now. It's not just delta concerns keeping people away, concerts are full... is that Broadway audiences aren't interested in BIPOC shows?

Yup. And it's going to take a season of flops for that to become apparent.

But Jourdan in a musical had marquee value at that point. Cullum had none. Harris I have no doubt wiped him off the stage. A popular charismatic male lead might have helped the success of the show just to bring in ticket buyers.

Go to sleep...

Revivals succeed on Broadway usually because it's a terrific new production helmed by a director able to breath some life into old material with a fresh young cast OR because there's a huge star attached that people want to go see.

The revival of Pippin from a few seasons back would be an example of the first type and the Bette Midler starring Hello, Dolly would be an example of the second.

A bland production with a middle of the road director and starring a badly cast minor new personality doesn't really bode well for success.

What kind of bullshit did they feed the investors for this one?

No one is butcher than Karen Morrow, and she was a decent Carlotta.

I thought Polly was the best part of that Follies. And Yvonne DeCarlo was a sexpot in those days? I missed that.

Best "I'm Still Here" belongs to Nancy Walker, but she's never be mistaken for a former sloe-eyed vamp.

But she sure could sell the fuck out of that song R156.

Never done better.

Yes! If she wouldn't have been a convincing Carlotta onstage, I would have loved to have seen her in one of these productions as Stella.

[italic]Hélas, d'une manière ou d'une autre, nous discutons une fois de plus Le Follies.[/italic]

No "alas" about it r159, we should ALWAYS be discussing Follies.

Wow I'd never heard this before!

When I saw Follies I only knew DeCarlo from the Munsters. I thought she had name value only because of that TV show.

No comments about the NYT story today about the diversity changes on Broadway. I’m wondering about the pledge to ban all white creative times, Yikes.

…teams. Also diversity seems to mean black. What about an all white group but a Pakistani is included. Is that ok?

The irony is that, historically, the theater has looooooooong been welcoming of diversity. Except for a hair salon, there was no other place a gay person could go and work and be accepted and thrive.

Actually the best thing in that FOLLIES production was Carol Woods as Stella.

No.

Actually the best aspect of the Roundabout production was Joey Sorge. But when Young Buddy is the best part of the show, there's a big problem. But Mr. Sorge was terrific.

[quote]I honestly thought that post-pandemic, Broadway would return to cheerful escapism to lure audiences back, but they seem to have gone heavy with the angry black plays.

Well, there will continue to be lots of escapism also. The production of ALL these angry black plays at the start of the post-COVID return is merely to fill that quota and check off those boxes. All of those plays will fail at the box office, but the producers will be able to say they did them and move on to produce other shows that people will actually pay to see.

R163 And Shubert, Nederlander and Jujamcyn have all pledged to name a theatre each after a black person (it's unclear if the August Wilson counts for Jujamcyn)

R164 Reminds me of what happened at English National Opera recently - they opened a scheme to recruit five non-white instrumentalists, to help diversify their players. Those five spots went to two Koreans, two Japanese and one Turkish player. Asians being hardly represented at all amongst professional orchestras!

Oh and as for that representation - they're basing the demands for representation not on national figures, but local New York City demographic figures.

Sure. Name a Broadway theater for Ellen Stewart.

That makes sense.

Right?

[quote]Pause from Beanie a moment because someone mentioned Creel. Can anyone explain that career to me? Seems nice enough, good enough, tall enough, voice is good enough, but is there any personality or sound there at all? I know a couple of youngsters who say they love Gavin, but I truly truly don't get it.

His voice is gorgeous, he can sing very well in different styles of music from HAIR to HELLO, DOLLY!, his acting is fine, and he's very charming and appealing on stage. Sorry you don't "get it," but you don't have to.

[quote]For the person in the previous thread who asked about the Titanic the Musical ad in Times Sq. It's on West 45th Street between 8th and 9th. Uptown side of the street. I think it's in a parking lot.

I don't remember exactly where it is, but I'm almost certain you've got the wrong block. Maybe it's on that street between 7th and 8th aves?

Creel’s got zero charisma and a face which is unrelentingly nondescript. That’s a big problem for a leading man. Which is why he’ll never be a successful one.

Creel has voice to burn. His instrument is absolutely top-drawer.

But like Josh Groban, also possessed of a splendid instrument, Creel often doesn't sing well. With both of them, there is often NOTHING going on to make the singing special. Just the voice.

Speaking of On A Clear Day, Burton Lane, Barbara and Barbra, I remember reading a quote from Burton Lane (can't remember where I saw it) which I think he made about the time that the On a Clear Day movie was being made or was about to come out. It was something along the lines of "I'm sure Barbra Streisand will do a nice job in the movie, but there is no way she will hold a candle to Barbara Harris." I wonder what Streisand thought of that! I wish Barbara Harris had made more movies. She was so good in the few that she made.

John Cullum was the Gavin Creel of his day. Good singing voice but boring as fuck.

R165 that's not the diversity metric that's getting the public's primary concern, or institutional priority, these days. Here's the NYT article. If it is followed to the letter with tangible actions, it really will be a sweeping change from what has gone before.

Those changes you saw in the Maria Friedman's MERRILY -- all those additional scenes for Gussie, the addition of Frank's son as a character -- were not original to that production. Sondheim, Furth, and the idiot James Lapine did a lot of tinkering with the show after the first epic-flop production.

[quote]Curious to see if Waitress sells tix and if they’re fan base is eager to return.

"Waitress" is returning with Sara Bareilles in the lead, and somebody I know who's involved in the ticket resale market (what used to be called "scalping") told me there was great demand for tix to that show whenever she was in it. Of course, by this point, maybe everybody who wanted to see her in the show has already done so.

[quote]I don't remember exactly where [the Titanic ad] is, but I'm almost certain you've got the wrong block. Maybe it's on that street between 7th and 8th aves?

Possible, I suppose, r172. It is, for sure, between the 8th and 9th Aves, not far off of 8th. It is on the north side of the street quite some distance from the sidewalk. In a parking lot.

It could be on 44th instead of 45th, though.

Or has died of Covid.

[quote]Bergen was pushing her voice throughout the whole song -- really very overpraised performance.

For me, it was her heavy back phrasing on EVERY SINGLE LINE that totally destroyed the song. Too bad, because if not for that, I think she might have been a great Carlotta.

R178, the addition of the son to the Chocolate Factory’s production was Maria Friedman’s idea according to an interview she gave when it was opening in the West End.

I don't like when they add mylar scenic elements to Who's That Woman.

How about Richard Kiley for "On a Clear Day?" Would he have been a possibility?

r62 I saw that production; Danner was the weakest link. The guys, Harrison and Trent Williams, were sweet eye candy, and Judith Ivey, while miscast, did her best with Sally, especially in Losing My Mind. I recently saw a clip online of her version, and it is quite moving.

I believe he was doing La Mancha at the time, r185.

[quote] I [italic]recently[/italic] saw a clip online of her version, and it is quite moving.

Like exactly 60 posts up, maybe?

[quote] John Cullum was the Gavin Creel of his day. Good singing voice but boring as fuck.

r176 there's no way Creel could be powerful enough to lead [italic]Shenandoah[/italic] or nail "Molasses to Run" with conviction.

R189, well, gee, that’s a kind of dumb reaction to my post.

John Cullum doing a fine John Barrymore-inspired performance with great singing in "On the 20th Century" was sure not boring. He was excellent.

I don't think so, r190. Do you think he was boring in those shows or On the 20th Century?

You owe me a Coke, r191.

John Cullum is/was an excellent actor who shines when he has good material. Whether or not he possesses innate charisma is a matter of opinion, but he sure was charismatic in SHENANDOAH, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, and the movie of 1776.

Exactly, r194. There isn't much to Dr. Bruckner to delineate his character. Maybe Cullum should have used a French accent.

We got Annie

R182 also don't forget Polly's modulation DOWNWARD (so she could blast the high notes at the end). In the score and most productions of the show it's a half-step modulation up.

[quote] that’s a kind of dumb reaction to my post.

why r190 (And that's definitively a dumb reaction to my supposedly dumb reaction, since all you say is it's dumb)?

[quote]R95 THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1928, "The Lido Girl" opened at the Edyth Totten Theatre.

Wasn’t it originally titled “The Dildo Girl”?

Amazing they thought they could get away with that!

So Jeremy O Harris will get a theater named after him before Oscar Hammerstein does? Makes sense to me.

No...no, it wasn't, r199.

[quote] John Cullum was the Gavin Creel of his day. Good singing voice but boring as fuck.

Poor John Cullum. In one of the Shenandoah reviews, the critic said, “You kept hoping for Robert Goulet.” That sort of missed the point because Goulet was very refined and Cullum could be believed as a Virginia farmer.

But John Cullum has had a great career. He was hilarious on Patty Heaton’s show “The Middle” as the grandfather.

Cullum was also great on "Northern Exposure". One of the inside jokes was that the DJ character used to play recordings of Broadway stuff sometimes, occasionally featuring Cullum's singing voice.

I find the decor of that awful r153 bedroom (and all the cutesy matching clothes) jarring for some reason. And yes, I have stated my boundaries.

What did she have?

[quote]Wasn’t it originally titled “The Dildo Girl”?

Yes -- it was written for Helen Lawson. When she dropped out, the name became inappropriate since her replacement didn't have Helen's "skills."

Someone has to do a comparison of Streisand’s freakishly loooong fingernails in different movies. I just can’t get past them in ON A CLEAR DAY… they’re horrific and sinister.

I'll never understand all the hate Judith Ivey got for her performance in Follies. She handled the singing much better than expected and had some good moments. She might have been a little miscast. She strikes me more of a Stella, Hattie, or maybe Carlotta.

She doesn't have the voice for those three roles, r208. As far as the hate for that production, I don't think the highest levels were directed at her.

Ivey screamed the high note of "Losing My Mind" at the performance I went to. And no, that wasn't a good choice dramatically, whoever tries to use that as a thesis to cover her lack of vocal technique.

and cullum was a hoot in Urinetown during something completely different, confirming that r176/r190 is the dumb one

Treat Williams might have been all right if they didn't stage his number throwing around chairs. Blythe was detached throughout the show, so you really didn't care about her. Harrison didn't really register as memorable in this show, though he was very good in "Steel Pier".

R210 He's the bunny!

oops, I mean R211 !

In all fairness to Harrison, Ben is easily the worst role to be saddled with in the show. There's nothing to play.

Phyllis is probably the most fleshed out and that's usually a fool proof role, but Danner botched it somehow.

Ben has some lovely music to sing. I don't recall Harrison as being bad, just not memorable -- the ones most people talk about were bad. A few like Joan Roberts and Betty Garrett were fun.

Blythe Danner on stage is kind of like ordering mole sauce at a Mexican restaurant. You usually think you'll be getting something really great that turns out to be disappointing in execution. Beside "Follies", saw her in "Philadelphia Story" and "Betrayal", among other things. Maybe she was great back when in "Butterflies are Free", and I do like her on tv and in films generally (though miscast as all out in "Brighton Beach Memoirs").

Betty Garrett seemed so frail, I didn't find it at all fun. The problem with Blythe was she played the whole thing drunk, which was a terrible choice. Joan Roberts was fine, but I heard she was hell backstage. They couldn't wait to get rid of her.

So the NBC Annie is going to be all black except for Warbucks?

John Cullum was also excellent in Urinetown and Scottsboro Boys. I'm not sure I understand all the John Cullum hate, he's had an amazing career!

The risk of kowtow-ing to writers of diversity in some of these subscription companies like MTC, Playwrights, and Roundabout, who could never be bothered to hire minorities before, will have subscribers dropping them in droves, because they always catered to the older, white crowd. On Broadway, these shows will just quickly close. The companies that have been diverse for years, such as The Public, Atlantic, and Signature, will do just fine.

Blame the decision to cast Gene Nelson, r212. It never made sense for non-performer Buddy to have that spectacular dance number pre-Loveland. But it was Gene Nelson and what were they going to do? It's just made the role tricky to cast. Rarely do they cast an actual dancer and you've got to fill the dance break music with....something.

I never understood why Elaine Stritch in later life abandoned her signature song “Ladies Who Lunch” in favor of butchering “I’m Still Here.” And why Sondheim didn’t stop her.

Doubt SS would stop anyone from singing one of his songs in a tribute concert.

And I think he has said that Walker's version is his favorite.

I’m watching Gigi on TCM right now. It’s clear Louis can’t sing so not sure why anyone thought he could handle the Clear Day score.

[quote] And I think he has said that Walker's version is his favorite.

Steve always did have eclectic taste!

I think we can all agree that Mary's version is definitively ________

Gene Nelson was superb, based on the video clips of him in the show. They could have changed some of the dance music, shortened it or just better choreographed it for a person who is more of a mover. Throwing chairs -- just a bad idea. Besides, Buddy could have picked up some steps from Sally and Phyllis when they went out dancing after a performance at the Follies. Michael Bennett knew he had the real deal in Nelson as a dancer, and he wasn't going to pass up giving him a great showcase. He was like 51 when doing those acrobatic moves as well! Incredible. No, subsequent performers playing Buddy can just be showcased doing moves they can do well and that show them to best advantage, and the choreographer failed to do so for Treat Williams.

Louis Jourdan kind of spoke-sang the "Gigi" score, so perhaps Alan Jay Lerner, who wrote both that show and "On A Clear Day" thought he'd do the same thing and it would be accepted, liked Rex Harrison in his "My Fair Lady".

Maybe Treat couldn't dance as well because of carrying that big dick

John C.

Arthur Freed never came across an actor who he didn't want to have lip synced by a singer. Yet he had Jourdan sing the entire Gigi score and I believe the song Gigi won an Oscar. Nobody complains about Jourdan in Gigi. His handsome European good looks and skillful charm are undeniable. There is not hate for Cullum he just at the time of Clear Day did not have the wattage to star in a big expensive Broadway musical especially next to Harris. I certainly saw him develop an ability to command the stage as his career moved on.

And as much I would have loved to see Harris in the film of Clear Day there would be no film without Babs who does some of her best singing in it. And looks smashing in those Beaton gowns.

[quote]John Cullum was also excellent in Urinetown and Scottsboro Boys. I'm not sure I understand all the John Cullum hate, he's had an amazing career!

"All" of that hate for Cullum is undoubtedly coming from one or two assholes who have no taste and no idea what they're talking about.

[quote]I’m watching Gigi on TCM right now. It’s clear Louis can’t sing so not sure why anyone thought he could handle the Clear Day score.

Not true. He had a lovely singing voice that was fine for light ballads and patter songs, not power ballads. It is true that he talks many of the songs in GIGI, but that was a choice, and when he does actually sings, his voice is very pleasing.

O/T, but I love this Dorothy Lyman interview...

What 'hate' did you come across? That at the time of Clear Day Harris wiped him off the stage? It was said by somebody who saw her in the show. He said you did not see anybody else when she was on stage. My god the fucking dickheads on this site who can't read.'

Like R233. The real asshole.

R236, I was referring to idiotic posts like R176: "John Cullum was the Gavin Creel of his day. Good singing voice but boring as fuck."

So stuff it, bitch.

[quote]R227 I think we can all agree that Mary's version is definitively ________

She really makes the melody come ALIVE!

R235, Lyman now looks a lot like Ellen Burstyn in that clip.

You stuff it, R237/dickwad. I stand by my comment that both Gavin Creel and John Cullum have been boring as fuck. And yes, I have seem most of their stage work. Not so much film/TV because there is a good reason neither has done anything in that medium with any regularity or distinction.

Oooo, I just LOVE getting some of you useless queens riled up. Keep it going, gals.

Except one is straight and butch and the other is gay and nelly.

I heard you cackling when you posted that, r239...

R237. Oh I thought you were talking to me. I was the one who said I saw him develop into a commanding stage performer. Ok I'm the asshole here. Sorry.

Right, R176 / R239. I would not want an actor ever to suffer screen or television career like John Cullum's.

What a pity.

[quote]I stand by my comment that both Gavin Creel and John Cullum have been boring as fuck. And yes, I have seem most of their stage work.

Of course you stand by your comment. No one expected you to suddenly develop good taste and intelligence within the past hour. But, believe me, I really don't care about your stupid opinions enough to get "riled up" about them, I just find them mildly annoying.

I seem to recall reading somewhere (maybe Hugh Fordin's book on the MGM musicals) that Louis Jordan's vocals for the song "Gigi" had to be pieced together in the recording studio note by note...much the same way Lucy's "singing" in Mame was produced. That obviously won't work for a stage production. Maybe that's why he was fired from On A Clear Day.

Thanks, R243. You would think these assholes would be embarrassed to publish such bullshit opinions. But of course, they would never do so with their names attached.

I go back far enough to have seen Cullum in Carousel at Jones Beach after which I was in a puddle of tears. And by the way the opening was far superior to the one everyone raves about in the Lincoln center production which to be fair I've only seen on video.

But it was certainly one of the greatest scene changes I've ever seen on stage comparable to Loveland in the original production of Follies. I believe it was directed by John Fearnley and it could only be done at the Jones Beach theater. It would be impossible to duplicate anywhere else.

[quote]that Louis Jordan's vocals for the song "Gigi" had to be pieced together in the recording studio note by note

"Louis Jordan" wasn't in "Gigi."

[quote] So um not to be accused of being a Republican but what exactly happens when the Broadway community keeps talking up diversity and putting up BIPOC offerings and no one buys tickets?

[quote] And it's going to take a season of flops for that to become apparent.

Broadway can and will survive a season flops just fine. Each show is a separate entity and commercial shows will never lack for investors. But after a year and a half of COVID, a season of woke flops could effectively kill a raft of regional theatres.

[quote]I seem to recall reading somewhere (maybe Hugh Fordin's book on the MGM musicals) that Louis Jordan's vocals for the song "Gigi" had to be pieced together in the recording studio note by note...much the same way Lucy's "singing" in Mame was produced. That obviously won't work for a stage production. Maybe that's why he was fired from On A Clear Day.

I'm sure that's a wild exaggeration, but it does seem clear that Jourdan was doing a lot of experimenting when recording the GIGI songs as to how to best deliver them, how much to sing and how much to speak-sing. The evidence is that, if you listen to Jourdan's recording of the title song on the original mono release of the film soundtrack and the later stereo release, the performances (or most of them) are very different as to which sections he sings or speaks. It's quite fascinating to compare the two.

Karen Morrow was spectacular as Carlotta in Follies. Not butch at all, she was quite slender and wore a black gown that clung to her and it had a sparkly dark blue jacket. She looked and sounded better than she had twenty years earlier in The Grass Harp.

Did Cullum ever play Ben in Follies?

When Jordan toured in Gigi many years later in the Chevallier role his vocals were pre recorded. It wasn’t a secret.

A studio recording of GIGI was made in French with Maurice Chevalier. Louis Jourdan? No. His role was sung on the studio recording by Sacha Distel.

[quote] Joan Roberts was fine, but I heard she was hell backstage. They couldn't wait to get rid of her.

That wasn't exactly the case, r218. She sometimes behaved a little erratically, and blurted inappropriate language at odd times. In retrospect, she was probably sundowning. I don't recall any senior moments onstage.

She wasn't a difficult woman, but it was an uncomfortable situation. Fair to say that Marni as a replacement was a welcome relief.

There was a Weissman replacement, whose name I don't recall. His very first performance, he froze up completely the second the spotlight hit him. As in, rendered speechless. Treat Williams stepped into the fray, put his arm around the poor man's shoulders, and walked him around the stage. delivering Weissman's lines in a "I remember when you told me" kind of way.. An understudy performed the rest of the musical.

It was Kelli O'Hara's 2nd Broadway show.

Blythe Danner and Polly Bergen were thick as thieves. Together and individually, they were a joy to work with. Funny as hell, too.

Well, r255, Blythe's L&J *was* quite amusing!

well done r255, good stuff

So all of the geniuses behind GIGI—Lerner, Loewe, Freed, Minnelli, Previn, etc.—hired Jourdan without knowing that he couldn't sing?? Really?

R196 but of course! 🙄

R177 the SJWs are hellbent on destroying Broadway, aren't they? Or so it appears. Many of their decisions are boneheaded. And what exactly is wrong with a predominantly white creative team? Would they have the same problem with an all-black team? Whatever happened to finding the best person for the job? Hiring someone based simply on their skin color just breeds mediocrity, because talent/skill is not being considered. At all. No wonder the entertainment industry seems so hopeless and dire.

R260. And what’s wrong with Muriel Puce?!

[quote]Whatever happened to finding the best person for the job?

Didn't happen.

R260 It's interesting (to me at least) how few Broadway types are tweeting and posting about this deal. Especially the SJW types - and let's face it there's a lot of them - have very little to say. You'd think they'd be shouting about this from the rooftops - unless even they have now realised how stupid a list of demands it was.

O/T again....but it's a swell interview with Miss Archer...

Whenever a quota system is established in order to try to achieve diversity and representation in terms of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or whatever, it's a tragic mistake, regardless of the fact that the basuc intentions are so good. Quotas are the wrong solution to deep-seated problems that are extremely difficult to solve. But the fact that they are so difficult to solve doesn't mean that it helps to establish quotas, which are of course horribly unfair and tragically wrong in their own way. I should think any of these quotas would have to be judged illegal if it ever came to down to a Supreme Court case. If that ever happens, it will be REALLY interesting to see the result.

R262 that's another thing. They don't take suitability into account, either. There is such a thing as miscasting, people! You can only suspend so much disbelief. People already do watching live theater. But to expect the audience to suspend ALL disbelief is just insane.

In the '80s, Louis Jordan took on the Chevalier role in a national tour of "Gigi"; he pre-recorded his songs and lip-synched during performances. Betsy Palmer and Taina Elg co-starred.

Sorry, didn't read previous posts.

Judy didn't complain about his singing.

r253 r267 see r248

J-O-U-R-D-A-N

Assassins is being performed in my city, with four of the roles, including Hinkley and Lee Harvey Oswald being played by gentleman of colour.

Archer might have been a good Gooch

I love Dorothy Lyman and wonder why she never had much of a career on Broadway or off-Broadway. I think I've heard she's married or was formerly married to formerly successful director John Tillinger. But isn't he gay? Anyone know the story?

R270, don't be such an insufferable prick.

On DataLounge, just type in the name Louis Jourdan and you will see the red underline under the last name, indicating that it is misspelled. Don't forget, it's 12 year olds in Silicon Valley who are creating these technologies. They can't spell. They can't punctuate. And they certainly no know history.

My phone corrects "Jourdan" to "Jordan."

Next time you your sick mind screams "Gotcha!" at a misspelled word, just take a breath and remember that it's YOU who do not get what's happening here.

Nifty post, R255.

Can you elaborate?

Also, if the replacement Weismann was so unprepared to play, how come nobody knew about that before he was hired?

One of the ghost leads--the one who is the son of an actor who was in I Had a Ball--was really handsome. Got any dish?

[quote] I love Dorothy Lyman and wonder why she never had much of a career on Broadway or off-Broadway.

She turned to directing. She directed 74 episodes of The Nanny.

She directed A Coupla White Chicks..., r273.

Who did the replacement Weissmann replace, r255? Or did you mean the original Weissmann was quickly replaced after that embarrassing performance?

Sounds like you were personally involved in the Roundabout revival.....how thrilling! Please tell us more stories. How did the cast feel about Matthew Warchus' direction?

You’d think with Cynthia Erivo getting ethnically diverse Broadway shows shut down that they would shy away from diversity demands.

According to IBDB, they were married for five years and she only has one Broadway acting credit.

[quote] Did Cullum ever play Ben in Follies?

He didn’t because he refused to throw chairs.

I would have liked to see him do one of the Jerry Herman musicals. He could have played Georges in La Cage,

r281, Ben isn't the chair thrower, you dolt!

[quote] the one who is the son of an actor who was in I Had a Ball--was really handsome. Got any dish?

You’re talking about Richard Roland, the son of Steve Roland. Richard’s been out for years and years. He has a hubby and they live upstate, I think. He’s gotten kind of bearish with age.

Actually, I guess he’s teaching in Indiana now.

r274 But Louis Jordan is an equally well-known and completely different person.

We get what's happening, r274. You can't spell so you have to depend on your phone....which can't spell either.

according to this someone named Tom Brennan replace Louis Zurich as Weisman

[quote]Who did the replacement Weissmann replace, [R255]? Or did you mean the original Weissmann was quickly replaced after that embarrassing performance?

The unfortunate gent replaced the original Weismann, Louis Zorich, r278. I don't recall his name, but it wasn't his understudy, and he never returned to the theater.

[quote]Can you elaborate? Also, if the replacement Weismann was so unprepared to play, how come nobody knew about that before he was hired?

Happy to elaborate, but can you be more specific, r275? I don't really have "dish". The replacement Weismann had been rehearsed, but had not had a put in, complete with lights, and obviously, an audience.

It wasn't Tom Brennan, r287, and thanks, r257

R276 so she kind of did Broadway in a way, since Fran's boss (and love interest) was a Broadway producer. 😂

Why not an all-black " Follies"? It couldn't be more boring than the revival.

[quote] so she kind of did Broadway in a way, since Fran's boss (and love interest) was a Broadway producer.

Fran’s boss was going to be an airline pilot but Dorothy stamped her foot and said, “Broadway producer or I walk.” 😂😂😂

My husband was an airline pilot in my eponymous sitcom from which I was unceremoniously fired.

How did Richard Roland and his father get introduced into this thread?

r292 - Indeed you were, Val...

One of the interesting things about Assassins is that they are all white. Taking that away is unfortunate.

[quote]I should think any of these quotas would have to be judged illegal if it ever came to down to a Supreme Court case. If that ever happens, it will be REALLY interesting to see the result.

R265 basically, it's discrimination against whites. SJWs are such hypocrites!

Louis Zorich was Mr. Olympia Dukakis

Olympia Dukakis was Mr. Olympia Dukakis.

R297, what an ignorant thing to say about Louis Zorich. He has 91 credits on IMDb, going back to 1958. He has 20 Broadway credits, going back to 1960.

He has a very fine career of his own making.

R237. John Cullum exuded masculinity on stage, Gavin Creel not so much.

I saw Brian Stokes Mitchell on the recent commercial for Broadways reopening and I thought that it might be interesting, if they think of doing Dolly again to have him play Horace. I know I will get shit for this but I think Jane Krakowski could make a memorable Dolly and I'm not talking in the "it was a disaster" kind of memorable.

Dorothy Lyman was said to be infatuated with Ken Berry when they did Mama's Place and I believe it because they had great chemistry and really seemed like a couple.

Was Theoni ill at that time? The costumes were so subpar for her. I remember reading something in the Times and Sally Ann said she was late in getting the sketches to her.

Stokes does not do comedy well at all.

Neither did Bette Davis.

Horace Vandergelder is funny?

It was Theoni's first and only show at the Roundabout and she didn't believe them when they told her how tiny the budget would be.

Also, she was indeed quite old by then and was accustomed to having a fleet of assistants and Barbara Matera's super-expensive costume shop produce all the costumes, none of which Roundabout could accommodate.

[quote]R290 Why not an all-black “Follies"? It couldn't be more boring than the revival.

That would be FABULOUS! Kind of with a Cotton Club vibe in the flashbacks!

The late Lena Horne as Carlotta —

I just don’t see SS being as enthusiastic about this idea.

Oh that's right, r307, it was Matera not Sally Ann Parson that said that about the late sketches.

And of course, r307, the show in question had to be FOLLIES of all shows.

r145

good god! Would Sondheim need to approve those horrible lyrics changes?

Stokes could have been a good Ben

Agreed, r313, he could really toss those chairs!

[quote]Assassins is being performed in my city, with four of the roles, including Hinkley and Lee Harvey Oswald being played by gentleman of colour.

Aw, not Booth?

I'll bet Gregory Hines would have been an excellent Buddy.

[quote] How did Richard Roland and his father get introduced into this thread?

Roland was young Ben in the disastrous 2001 Follies revival (not to be confused with the disastrous 2011 Follies revival).

'Horace Vandergelder is funny?'

I hate to have to say it but this is an anonymous board so I can. David Burns saying 'Chocolate covered peanuts. Unshelled.' brought down the St James. Even as a young boy I didn't think the line was funny. But the audience loved Burns. Of course I had no idea who he was.

I believe Harry Groener and Harvey Evans were able to dance it, r316. Unfortunately, Tony Roberts and Treat were not. I don't remember what they had Burstein doing.

[quote]I saw Brian Stokes Mitchell on the recent commercial for Broadways reopening and I thought that it might be interesting, if they think of doing Dolly again to have him play Horace. I know I will get shit for this but I think Jane Krakowski could make a memorable Dolly and I'm not talking in the "it was a disaster" kind of memorable.

I hope you're joking. If not, you're insane. Those are two of the worst casting ideas in history.

[quote] I don't remember what they had Burstein doing.

Working way too hard for very little result.

Yeah, r321, I really don't remember. I actually do remember thinking that at least it wasn't as forced as the chair throwing option.

[quote]I just don’t see SS being as enthusiastic about this idea.

He might if he could get Young Buddy and Young Ben on the casting couch.

I can see why they cut this...

Why did The Roundabout do Follies if they couldn’t afford it? “Design For Living” was playing in their main stage and “Cabaret” was playing at Studio 54.

Were they not making any money off Cabaret? Gina Gershon was playing Sally followed by Kate Shindle and then Brooke Shields was just starting as Follies was closing so they didn’t have huge star salaries.

And why would they skimp on costumes? Follies can get away with a cheap set but the costumes need to be spectacular, particularly for the ghosts.

Were they a bit too ambitious?

I saw Design for Living. It was a fucking snore.

Pomposity, r325.

"David Burns saying 'Chocolate covered peanuts. Unshelled.' brought down the St James"

Of course it would.

[quote]Why did The Roundabout do Follies if they couldn’t afford it? “Design For Living” was playing in their main stage and “Cabaret” was playing at Studio 54.

They did it as part of a continuing effort to worm their way into Sondheim's good graces. Sadly, it worked, even though almost all of their Sondheim productions were lousy. And of course, they eventually wound up naming one of their theaters for SS -- after they ineptly renovated it. And now the company doesn't even do their own shows in that theater anymore, they use it only as a rental. (The last show of their own that played there was ANYTHING GOES in 2011.)

[quote]I saw Brian Stokes Mitchell on the recent commercial for Broadways reopening and I thought that it might be interesting, if they think of doing Dolly again to have him play Horace. I know I will get shit for this but I think Jane Krakowski could make a memorable Dolly

You might as well propose Beanie to play Dolly. I'm sure it's going to be a long time before we see another Dolly revival on Broadway. In fact, by then, Beanie may be too old for it.

R324, you had to see it. It was quite funny as it was staged.

Gower never like “Hit Em On the Head,” which is why he asked Jerry for something new. “Call the Kops” was only in the show briefly before they went back to “Hit Em On the Head.” But Gower still hated it and lost interest in doing a big splashy Kops number, so Jerry finally wrote My Heart Leaps Up, and that’s what played Broadway.

Thought this was a thread about TY Beanie Babies! I was like "What the FUUUUCCCK!??!"

Blame the dumb fuck OP

[quote] And of course, they eventually wound up naming one of their theaters for SS -- after they ineptly renovated it. And now the company doesn't even do their own shows in that theater anymore, they use it only as a rental.

They don't own the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, they just program it. It is owned by Bank of America and the Durst Organization. Roundabout has a 20-year lease through 2029. They had no hand in the construction, which rather than a 'renovation' is an entirely new building behind the old facade of Henry Miller's Theatre. A few elements from the original theatre were preserved, but not a lot.

I saw Yvonne De Carlo in a bus and truck tour of Dolly in the spring of 1969 and she was absolutely fabulous. And she was one of the few women who noticed the character's name was Dolly GALLAGHER Levi and played the part with an Irish brogue.

"the Durst Organization."

You mean like that serial killer guy? The same Dursts?

I think it’s run by Kirsten Durst. From “Interview with the Vampire”.

No, it’s run by William Randolph Durst.

Yes, son of Elizabeth the Durst.

[quote] You mean like that serial killer guy? The same Dursts?

Yes, actually, it's the same family. Have fun on Broadway,

[quote]Mama's Place

Oh dear!

[quote]You mean like that serial killer guy? The same Dursts?

Yes, she's an heiress and gets all her money for her lawyers from The Durst Organization. Kind of the Black Sheep of the family.

Well, the rest of the family knows he's a serial killer and don't really like him all that much. But blood is thicker than water and all that.

I don't think he's actually been found guilty in court. Yet.

Roundabout's Design For Living was horrible. Left at intermission. I still don't know what happens. I should read the play. I heard a recent London revival was superb.

This was on the previous thread, but I had forgotten how awful Bill Irwin was in Bye, Bye Birdie until reminded. It's hard to describe how terrible he was in that show, and he can be very good. I thought he was excellent in WAOVW. But in BBB, damn, he was rock-bottom awful. Almost as bad as Parkey Posey in Taller Than A Dwarf. Or Aaron Tveit in Moulin Rouge. And yes, he's going to get a Tony for that performance, which is another Covid tragedy. The performance I saw two weeks before the shutdown he gave the most lackluster leading performance I've ever seen on a Broadway stage. Astonishingly shitty.

There’s still a chance that Tveit won’t get enough votes to win his Tony even though he’s the only nominee.

I didn't even know Roundabout was doing Design for Living. The pre-code film is quite astonishing for making making it clear that Gary Cooper and Fredric March are as much interested in each other as they are in Miriam Hopkins, although little of Coward's dialogue is left intact.

It was a pre-code Lubitsch film, r347. Of course it was "adult."

Wait, so that movie Kirsten Dunst was in with Ryan Gosling, All Good Things, which was about Robert Durst killing his first wife, they changed the characters names because Dunst and Durst were so close they didn’t want it get confused that she was related to him?

R346, Weren't the votes cast long ago?

It really is amazing to see Cooper and March cuddling up with each other. March was gay but deeply closeted and Cooper was known to play the casting couch game with either sex when he was young but never admitted to it later.

R351, Gary and Fredric?

Actors had such respect for Lubitsch they would do just about anything he asked. It was considered an honor to appear in one of his films. Really.

Veronica Lake shits on Fredric March @ 10:20.

And as hard to take

As Veronica Lake

Whoop, Whoop, Whoop, Whoop!

[quote]Aaron Tveit in Moulin Rouge. And yes, he's going to get a Tony for that performance, which is another Covid tragedy.

I question your use of the term "tragedy". Especially in a Theatre thread.

Vanessa Williams and LaChanze as Phyllis and Sally in Black Follies.

R335, Tovah Feldshuh claimed she was the first actress to play the role with a brogue.

Is Vanessa a credible actress?

[quote]Tovah Feldshuh claimed she was the first actress to play the role with a brogue.

Exactly the sort of narcissistic shit you can expect from that vile cunt Tovah Feldshuh.

R360, That cunt stole my Tony nomination.

R358 discussion of Dolly backstory here

No r320 I'm not joking.

It's sad that Broadway may die because old queens cling to the past. Both those actors are skilled and could pull off those characters and bring something that is new yet familiar.

Can't read it r362

Jane Krakowski has just about everything needed to play Dolly, except the willingness to look her age. She's in her early 50's. That's the IDEAL age to play Dolly. But she refuses to give up looking like a Barbie doll. And that is the exact opposite of what is required.

The play is filled with young people eager to start their adult lives. They want the world, or as much of it as they can find. They are balanced by Horace and Dolly, the two older characters in the play. They have already been where Cornelius and Irene and Barnaby and Minnie are as the play unfolds. They aren't looking for the world, as young people do. They are looking for a less lonely life, some companionship, and for slightly easier circumstances. Exactly as they should be in their 50's. It's the way of the world.

But unless Jane Krakowski is willing to take a long, hard, look at Shirley Booth and go there whole heartedly, this is not the role for her. She can't play Dolly Gallagher Levi as if she was Joan Van Ark,

The best Design For Living production I've ever seen remains the production at Williamsown back in '79. Patricia Elliot, Peter Evans, and Paxton Whitehead. All three were superb. The only other production to come close was the Circle In The Square production with Jill Clayburgh, Frank Langella, and Raul Julia.

Lillias White as Carlotta, Norm Lewis as Buddy

[quote] Lillias White as Carlotta

Part of Carlotta’s character is that she was once very desirable sexually. Ben still wants to have sex with her at the reunion. The most Miss White can hope for is Stella.

[quote]There’s still a chance that Tveit won’t get enough votes to win his Tony even though he’s the only nominee.

I'm not a fan of his, but I hope that doesn't happen, because it would be so excruciatingly embarrassing. What percentage or number of votes does he have to get to win the Tony?

Peter Evans!

What a wonderful young actor he was. Just so very special. Beautiful. So talented.

Goddamned fucking AIDS.

Jane Krakowski thinks she can still play Minnie Fay.

[quote]It's sad that Broadway may die because old queens cling to the past. Both those actors are skilled and could pull off those characters and bring something that is new yet familiar.

It's got nothing to do with that. Both Stokes and Krawkowski are all wrong for the roles of Horace and Dolly in terms of type. Also, why would Stokes, whose main talent is his singing voice, ever want to play a role that basically consists of one and a half songs?

[quote]Jane Krakowski has just about everything needed to play Dolly....

I love her, but I don't agree. There have been many successful Dollies (Dollys?) over the years, and each of them was quite different from all the others, BUT the one thing they all had in common was a very strong, outsized, unique, onstage personality and a talent for old-style vaudeville and Broadway comedy, from Channing to Bailey to Phyllis Diller to Ethel Merman, and so on and so on.

[quote] I'm not a fan of his, but I hope that doesn't happen, because it would be so excruciatingly embarrassing.

You want to talk about embarrassing? 1995, Best Actress in a musical. There were only two nominees: Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard and Rebecca Luker in Show Boat. Poor Rebecca knew she lost before the ceremony and had nobody to commiserate with. I hear she called up Patti LuPone and they got shit faced together at Joe Allen’s.

R373, agreed, that was quite embarrassing -- but STILL not as embarrassing as it would be if someone who is the ONLY nominee for a Tony in his category fails to win because he doesn't get enough votes. Again I'll ask, does anyone know what number or percentage of votes Tveit needs to get in order to win?

[quote} BUT the one thing they all had in common was a very strong, outsized, unique, onstage personality and a talent for old-style vaudeville and Broadway comedy

Jane is 52. She started on Broadway at 18. She has eight Broadway shows on her resume and probably more stage experience than any of her contemporaries. She didn't get those jobs, again and again, without a strong, outsized, unique onstage personality and the skills to back it up.

R371 nailed the problem.

[quote]Jane is 52. She started on Broadway at 18. She has eight Broadway shows on her resume and probably more stage experience than any of her contemporaries. She didn't get those jobs, again and again, without a strong, outsized, unique onstage personality and the skills to back it up.

But she has never once in her career played the kind of character or the kind of comedy necessary for HELLO, DOLLY! Not everyone, no matter how talented, is suited for every role, and Jane would be no more well suited for Dolly than Carol Channing would have been for Flaemmchen in GRAND HOTEL. You can keep insisting that she would be perfect as Dolly, but I just don't agree. And I wouldn't describe Jane's stage personality as "outsized." On the contrary, I think one of her strengths is the ability to appear so natural on stage.

Jane Krakiwski is more a Mame than a Dolly.

R273/280, John Tillinger isn’t gay, just British. It was a big scandale at the time (early 1980s) when Lyman walked out on him and their young daughter Emma to be with Vincent Malle, director Louis Malle’s brother. Emma is now an extremely successful producer, she started out as Martin Scorsese’s assistant.

"And the winner for best actor in a musical is..." {Rips open envelope} "Nobody."

I never wrote that she's the "perfect" Dolly. I stated she is as talented, skilled, and experienced as anyone, and more than most. I also expressed serious reservation about her willingness to take on the character and give it what it needs, i.e., a 52 year old woman and not a 52 year old girl.

How you get "perfect as Dolly" out of all that is only known to you.

Jane Krawkowski natural onstage?? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

If Bernadette can play Dolly, r376, so can Jane.

True, R380. Everything she does is calculated to a T. Everything.

Who wants to bet Lin-Manuel will be the first celebrity on that fucking Times Square ferris wheel?

He'll also rap about it.

Jane Lynch as Dolly!

Tillinger is quite gay.

I apologize, R379. It's true, you did not use the word "perfect," but you did express the opinion that Jane would be right for the role of Dolly if she would act her age (my paraphrase of what you wrote). I disagree. But anyway, it's a moot point, as I'm sure she'll never play the role.

And, although they are similar in some ways, I think Bernadette Peters has quite a different skill set and onstage personality than Jane Krakowski does.

[quote] Bernadette Peters has quite a different skill set and onstage personality than Jane Krakowski does.

God, yes. One is a Kewpie Doll. The other a Barbie Doll.

Krakowski has a very small voice.

[quote]Jane Krakowski thinks she can still play Minnie Fay.

Over my dead body!

R351 I never heard that Fredric March was gay; on the contrary, I heard that he was a real womanizer even while married. First time I heard a friend use the word "cocksman".

R374, Aaron has admitted that being the only N2N main cast member not Tony nominated sent him into a deep funk.

Should he lose a Tony when he's the only nominee would be devastating.

R391, Fredric March was not gay.

First I've heard about it, r351.

Frederic March was not a fag! And I’m the Dame who can prove it.

[quote] "And the winner for best actor in a musical is..." {Rips open envelope} "Nobody."

I can guaran-damn-tee you that won’t happen. The Tony committee is notorious for bending to the will of the producers and they have their own method of working.

My guess is they will either give him the award or fold Best Actor Musical into Best Actor Play category.

The Tony Awards is foremost a marketing tool and with Broadway already questioning what COVID will do to their business and with black workers demanding quotas, they will not allow even the hint of an issue to come from their ranks.

R376, Krakowski actually seems more a Lorelei Lee than Dolly or Mame, but those days have probably sailed on unless we're adding "Lookin' Back" to the show.

To bring it back to topic (FOLLIES!), Jane has the demeanor of a Carlotta, but I think a voice more suited to Sally. Of course, it's been a while since I listened to the Sarah Jessica Parker Once Upon a Mattress recording so maybe they fiddled with the keys, but Lady Larkin is usually cast with a soprano.

[quote]My guess is they will either give him the award or fold Best Actor Musical into Best Actor Play category.

It's too late to do the latter, they have already set the nominees and the categories. So I'm sure he'll just get the award for Best Actor in a Musical.

If Streisand could play Dolly at 27, I don't see how anyone can object to a Jane Krakowski "unwilling to look her age" in the part.

Miss La Rue

Ginger Minj might be a good Dolly.

r400 You rang?

Krakowski really would be perfect for Carlotta. She's the exact right type and I have the feeling she'd play "I'm Still Here" like a triumph instead of a bitter dirge. What the fuck does Carlotta have to be depressed about it? She went through some tough times, but she's in a much better place than the 4 leads.

She'd never be the first choice if there was a new revival, but she might make an interesting Rose in Gypsy. It might be nice to have a Rose who looks like she could have small children at the start of the show and she has a goofy charm and sexiness that could make her scenes with Herbie really interesting.

I find Krakowski reptilian and repulsive and devoid of any talent, I never have understood the draw, especially from gay men. She stops dead anything she’s in becomes about her, she sucks all the life out of every scene.

Carlotta is not world-weary. And I'm Still Here should be sung triumphantly and not regretfully. Did that begin with Nancy Walker's rendition? In any case, it's why Polly Bergen was not good in the role.

And Dolly has to be exasperating and pushy and more than a little off-putting to Horace. Even Streisand knew she had to play that. She's the last woman he'd want to marry at the top of the show....that's a MAJOR PLOT POINT. How would Jane K. ever convince of that? She may be in her 50s but onstage she looks 30. They'd have to cast a teenage Irene Molloy. And Stokes?? Frankly, Horace also has to be physically unappealing....that's the humor....but you just know she and Dolly are meant for each other.

Channing was 45 when she originated the role of Dolly and DeCarlo was 49 when she did Carlotta. Krakowski is aging out of the roles.

[quote]Krakowski has a very small voice.

And she doesn't have a "sound."

No, Krakowski is wrong for Carlotta, who’s a full blooded, full bodied woman completely comfortable with her age. Krakowski is a wind up doll in her 50s still pretending to be in her20. NEXT!

Harvey Fierstein as Dolly.

I never knew Krakowski was so hated here. I've enjoyed her in everything I've seen her in and she always ends up stealing the show.

Jane is one of the nice ones in show biz. She fights to stay young, but the business wants that.

The 'young' appearance she cultivates robs her of stature to do more interesting roles. She's getting long in the tooth for a sex kitten. She and her management have some hard decisions to make.

It won't be long before we see she's "Mrs. Lovett" in a regional theater in flyover land.

Margaret Cho as Dolly.

You know how bitchy fags can be, r410.

Miss Verdun...

[quote]Harvey Fierstein as Dolly.

What a fresh and original idea. We've already seen that performance and really don't need to see it again. And I'm sure people are dying to pay Broadway prices to hear him croak his way through those songs.

I could see this WSYWAT/SJW crusade to put Black artists first and foremost backfiring massively with other minority groups. It seems to have broken off from the BIPOC/AAPI/LGBT goals of broader inclusiveness to solely a Black centric agenda. I don't understand how quotas and demanding these outcomes is going to benefit anyone in the long or short run. Frankly, I could see it breeding a ton of resentment from everyone outside that realm -- and from people who would otherwise BE allies. The fact so few are speaking publicly about it at the moment says something...

There HAVE been past injustices, discrimination and inequities -- though on Broadway, I imagine still arguably less so than any other industry. But we're still talking about 14% of the population. It's not to say representation doesn't matter, or that equality of opportunity (especially at the most entry level) isn't important. It IS. But it's ridiculous to think it's going to be some overcorrection of 60/40 or 80/20 as some of the woke have suggested that rectifies past inequities.

It's also not actually representative of the population at large. And because that population at large are the ones buying tickets, theatre owners/producers/creatives need to naturally cater to the majority. And that's often not even based on ethnicity/sexuality as much as most commercially viable (read: easily digestible) properties. While they ARE discriminating in their choices, this is NOT actual discrimination. They're being savvy business people, catering to the largest group of people possible -- which can and often does include BIPOC/AAPI/LGBT people.

What most are advocating for here is actually over-representation. Which is well within anyone's right to champion for, but let's not lose the thread either. It's probably NEVER before been a more equitable, more inclusive time on Broadway or in Film/TV. There's always more work always to be done, but listening to the woke mob, you'd think we're still in 1965...or 1985...or even 2005! Progress IS happening. And at an exponential rate. But when you consider that WSYWAT manifesto is COMPLETELY insane and not rooted in any reality (or critical, rational or practical thought) it's not surprising we've wound up here. The illiberal, regressive far left are KILLING the arts with these marxist manifestos.

R410 “She always ends up stealing the show.” Precisely, she doesn’t know how to be part of the ensemble and she plays everything to large, she comes off as a monster that I assume she is.

You assume wrong, R417. Jane is the exact opposite of that. She's really one of the nice ones in show business.

Cho-Dolly

BD Wong - Horace

Harry Shum Jr - Cornelius Hackl

Karan Brar - Barnaby Tucker

Priyanka Chopra - Irene Molloy

Awkwafina - Minnie Faye

Darren Criss- Ambrose Kemper

Jenna Ushkowitz - Ermengarde

Jackie Chan as Horace

R415 = serious about his ideal Follies cast.

Ignore r417, r418. They think their obnoxious trashing is cute.

R411, Jane Krakowski belongs on that other thread about celebrities who aren’t as nice as they seem. Krakowski is “phony nice,” not genuinely nice. Her ex 30 Rock co-star Tina Fey also fits that description. Well, Fey is actually a cunt.

[quote]Krakowski really would be perfect for Carlotta. She's the exact right type and I have the feeling she'd play "I'm Still Here" like a triumph instead of a bitter dirge.

I've seen many productions of FOLLIES and heard even more recordings and seen a lot of clips of various women performing "I'm Still Here," and offhand, I can't think of ONE who performed it as "a bitter dirge." Sure, some women stress the anger and bitterness in certain parts of the song, especially the middle, and that's a valid choice. But considering the way the song ends, I don't think it would be possible to play it as a bitter dirge even if the Carlotta in question was so foolish as to want to do that.

[quote]I never knew Krakowski was so hated here.

I'm sure she's not generally hated here, only by unhinged idiots like R417, who really should be institutionalized.

Diana finally premieres on Netflix October 1st, a month before its Broadway premiere.

Which character sings 'Broadway Baby'? Jane Krak could play that role.

Excuse me-Diana: THE MUSICAL.

She'd be perfect for Hattie, r426...in 20 years.

[quote] Please ignore the 1969 movie starring Barbra Streisand.

Nope.

R416, Either say the word gay and spell it out or you are no fucking progressive.

Try 60 years, R428!

[quote]r425 Diana: The Musical finally premieres on Netflix October 1st, a month before its Broadway premiere.

Had Princess Di lived, maybe she’d have swooped in and done Dolly?

Krakowski could play Dolly while "touring in stock".

AND SHE'S HERE!

Victor Garber worked as a good-looking Horace, as did David Hyde Pierce, a good-looking character guy.

[quote] No, Krakowski is wrong for Carlotta, who’s a full blooded, full bodied woman

No r408 you're thinking of Yvonne DiCarlo. Absolutely nothing demands she be "full bodied." I agree that Krakowski -- still playing too young in her 50s -- is an interesting idea but that's besides the point.

R419's casting idea is kind of cute for the few of us who watched [italic]All-American Girl[/italic] until ABC ruined it and turned it into [italic]Friends with an Asian Girl and No Guys[/italic].

Back to Creel, now you can enjoy him singing songs about the Met Museum:

"Tony and Olivier Award-winner Gavin Creel was a museum novice for most of his 20 years living in New York City. Invited to create a program for MetLiveArts, he spent countless hours over the past year exploring the Museum’s galleries, finding inspiration, and falling in love with The Met. Experience Creel’s newfound passion and sense of wonder for The Met in his newly composed songs that make the art sing."

R417 obviously got beaten out by Jane for the lead of their spring musical and is still bitter about it.

When has it ever been a crime to be a scene stealer? All the best actors are. Don't blame them for the audience liking them more than another, less interesting actor. Maybe this is why Broadway is filled with no one above competent and pleasant these days. Are people scared of rising to the occasion and delivering something memorable?

[quote]I'm not a fan of his, but I hope that doesn't happen, because it would be so excruciatingly embarrassing. What percentage or number of votes does he have to get to win the Tony?

I think he would need to get 60% of the "yes" votes in order to win (or something like that). At least that's what I seem to recall hearing how it works.

And I agree -- I'm no Tveit fan (nothing against him, just not a fan particularly) but to lose as the only nominee would be horribly embarrassing and frankly a kick in the stomach he doesn't deserve.

How about Margaret Cho as Madame Liang?

It might have been one thing for Aaron to lose to no one in the deep days of Covid when the awards might have been given out quietly on line but now that the Tonys will take place at the Winter Garden with a live audience and be televised (somewhere) to millions, it will be beyond humiliating for him to lose the Tony.

I really think it was a mistake not to have simply declared him the unchallenged winner when the nominations were announced. Or if that was deemed impossible (why, I don't know), just cancel the category.

[quote] he spent countless hours over the past year exploring the Museum’s galleries,

I wonder if he got hassled by the cashiers at the door to pay the full “suggested price” like everyone else does? The Metropolitan is the worst for advertising “pay what you can” and then giving you a hassle if you don’t pay what they expect, all the while sitting on borrowed public land belonging to Central Park.

Thank you, 416. This hand has been very overplayed. And no one will say so.

I read that the Met got rid of pay what you can and people outside of NY must pay the admission price.

Are you talking about New Yorkers who if they do not pay the full admission price are hassled?

they brought up Jenna's(Jane's) age ALL the time on 30 rock and it never made Jenna look good

It doesn’t take Miss Cleo to see that diversity quotas will lead to less Broadway productions which will lead to more empty theaters which will lead to more churches buying theaters. Hope you like the Wintergarden Church of Scientology, the Gershwin Jehovah’s Witness and the Marriott Marquis Church of Christ.

The wrecking ball can have the Gershwin and Marriott Marquis.

R446 still blames the movie version of [italic]A Chorus Line[/italic] for the Mark Hellinger Theater becoming a church when it was a flophouse for years before that.

Legs Diamond is the reason for the loss of the Hellinger to the Xtianists.

The Nederlanders over invested in it. Way too much. The show tanked. The theater went on the block.

Plus the elder Nederlander turned down an offer from another producer to buy the theater. He couldn’t bear to see anyone else make it a successful theater. That’s how we lost it to the Christians. Fuck him and his shortsighted pride.

I would think the Shuberts would have wanted it, no?

R451 I could be wrong about this but I think it may have been several producers. And I think that Andrew Lloyd Webber expressed interest in buying it, too.

[quote]I think he would need to get 60% of the "yes" votes in order to win (or something like that). At least that's what I seem to recall hearing how it works.

So, tell me if I understand this correctly: Since none of the voters can vote for anyone else, as there are no other nominees, the only way Tveit would not get the award is if more than 40 percent of the voters abstain and don't vote (for him) at all?

[quote]Plus the elder Nederlander turned down an offer from another producer to buy the theater. He couldn’t bear to see anyone else make it a successful theater. That’s how we lost it to the Christians. Fuck him and his shortsighted pride.

Truly. His name should go down in infamy for that alone.

[quote]I really think it was a mistake not to have simply declared him the unchallenged winner when the nominations were announced. Or if that was deemed impossible (why, I don't know), just cancel the category.

Agreed, One of several epic mistakes made by those in charge as they planned how this year's Tony Awards would work. I think we all realize they were dealing with horrendous, unprecedented circumstances, but still -- holy shit, what a mess this is going to be (and already is).

[quote] And I think that Andrew Lloyd Webber expressed interest in buying it, too.

Yes, ALW had made an offer. The original Jesus Christ Superstar had played the Hellinger so he knew the theater. When he brought Sunset Boulevard to Broadway, he expressed regret that he couldn’t use the Hellinger because he thought it perfect for Norma Desmond’s house.

R441 The individual awards are being presented on the Paramount Plus section of the show, so Aaron can at least take solace in the idea that if he doesn't win barely anyone will be watching. Only Best Musical, Best Play and Best Revival of a Play will be on CBS. The CBS section is named "The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!" - which does sound like a title they'd come up for 30 Rock.

r453

I'm assuming the ballot said something like

Aaron Tveit No award

[quote] [R451] I could be wrong about this but I think it may have been several producers. And I think that Andrew Lloyd Webber expressed interest in buying it, too.

Cameron Mackintosh also tried to buy it. Pity he wasn’t successful. Say what you will about his talents as a producer, he’s an excellent landlord.

Just out of screening of 9/11 families’ drama Worth. It’s in theaters on Friday and on Netflix September 3rd. Don’t be too surprised if next year we’ll be referring to Laura Benanti as Oscar nominee Laura Benanti. She’s excellent in it in a very showy role as a 9/11 widow. Definitely the kind of performance which gets Supporting Actress Oscar attention.

Barring a miracle, I don't think we will ever get the Hellinger back. The current owners will likely never give it up.

So there are no write-in votes allowed for the Tonys? I guess that means I have to abandon my campaign to get Andrew Cuomo back on track for his EGOT.

I would rather there be something worth going into a Broadway theater for than getting back one more house where a POS musical no one wants to see will play.

[quote]The individual awards are being presented on the Paramount Plus section of the show, so Aaron can at least take solace in the idea that if he doesn't win barely anyone will be watching. Only Best Musical, Best Play and Best Revival of a Play will be on CBS.

I hate to say it but I don't think Tveit losing the award on a streaming service is going to reduce the embarrassment for him very much. Even though we're talking about the Tonys here and not the Oscars, if he loses as the sole nominee, it will still be a major entertainment story with video of his loss getting replayed on news broadcasts all across the country for the next day or so. It will still be a very humiliating moment for him in front of the whole world, not just people who follow Broadway theater.

[quote]So, tell me if I understand this correctly: Since none of the voters can vote for anyone else, as there are no other nominees, the only way Tveit would not get the award is if more than 40 percent of the voters abstain and don't vote (for him) at all?

Just a guess but this is how I'm thinking it works: if there are 100 voters and 60 of them vote yes, then Tveit wins. That's a majority right there, so it wouldn't really matter what the other 40 do -- vote no or say fuck it and not vote at all, it would still not be enough to overcome the 60, which is what he needs.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1980, "42nd Street" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre.

That opening night announcement of Gower Champion's death is still gut-wrenching.

Merrick was an evil showman.

What should Merrick have done? Announce it that afternoon and make it impossible to go through with the opening night?

I know, r467.

What was the backstage scene at 42nd Street like after David's little announcement? I wonder if one or two people felt like that was the last straw and knew they were going to get out when their contracts expired.

R469, It took three people to revive Wanda Richert.

You mean Rev Wanda, r470. She’s a self-ordained reverend and also a hardcore conservative loony now.

I never thought she was *all that*.

Richert was fucking Gower Champion and his son who was an assistant stage manager on the show. She was over-taxed.

The whole story around Merrick holding back the news about Gower Champion's death until the curtain speech, and the rotten deal he made with Randy Skinner that very morning (getting him to sign a run-of-show contract to direct/choreograph any replacements and touring companies at scale) shows what a manipulative, scheming "showman" he really was. Randy had done all the work "in the style of Champion" plus he had choreographed all the tap numbers - something that Champion knew nothing about - just to keep the show on track until Champion returned from his sick leave. Opening night should have been Randy's last day of work, but no now knew the show like him and Merrick knew it. Thank good for good lawyers

Randy Skinner did not choreograph 42ND STREET. All the numbers were choreographed before Gower went to the hospital. Gower Champion was not a tapper. Most Broadway choreographers have dance assistants. He hired Randy and Karin Baker because they were experts on tap of that era and could demonstrate steps to the cast. They showed him appropriate tap steps and he chose steps he could use in the numbers. Gower designed, constructed and programmed the numbers incorporating the tap combinations Randy and Karin showed him.

The contract thing is another matter.

Gower & Marge

[quote]I hate to say it but I don't think Tveit losing the award on a streaming service is going to reduce the embarrassment for him very much. Even though we're talking about the Tonys here and not the Oscars, if he loses as the sole nominee, it will still be a major entertainment story with video of his loss getting replayed on news broadcasts all across the country for the next day or so. It will still be a very humiliating moment for him in front of the whole world, not just people who follow Broadway theater.

But, seriously, what are the chances that this will happen? Does anyone think SO MANY of the voters hated or were so unimpressed by Tveit's performance that they would actually abstain from voting and thereby cause him not to get the award due to a lack of enough votes? That seems extremely unlikely to me.

[quote]What should Merrick have done? Announce it that afternoon and make it impossible to go through with the opening night?

Others have suggested that Merrick could have waited till after the final curtain call, then announced Champion's death to the cast while they were all still onstage, and immediately have had the show's publicist issue a press release with news of the death. Or, for that matter, Merrick or someone else could have told the cast immediately after the final curtain, and at the same time, Merrick or someone else could have come onstage in front of the curtain and announced it to the audience, which would have at least prevented that awful moment of the audience watching the cast react in shock and horror to the announcement.

Actually, the Neiderlanders offered to rent Cameron the Hellinger (taking it back from the church) for MISS SAIGON. Cameron wanted it, but in the end, felt a certain allegiance to the Shuberts and booked the Broadway instead.

[quote]But, seriously, what are the chances that this will happen? Does anyone think SO MANY of the voters hated or were so unimpressed by Tveit's performance that they would actually abstain from voting and thereby cause him not to get the award due to a lack of enough votes? That seems extremely unlikely to me.

R477, my guess is that Tveit will not be denied the award. Even though I'm sure there were voters who didn't feel he actually gave the best leading musical performance by a male that season, I'm also sure not enough of them were willing to check "no" on the ballot and risk causing him any professional harm either, not to mention personal embarrassment. So yes, I predict he will get his Tony.

"What a wonderful young actor he was. Just so very special. Beautiful. So talented.:

And I will never forget how he tsk-ed, tsk-ed during the second act of SITPWG 'cause he thought it was so awful (he was sitting behind me).

"Metropolitan is the worst for advertising “pay what you can” and then giving you a hassle if you don’t pay what they expect"

Never, not in my experience, and I've been several times since re-opening.

True artists subject to dictates as to whom they can select for their creative team? Laughable.

Will there be a picture of Alice Ripley’s career in the In Memoriam presentation at the Tonys?

R481, Yes, right next to Laura Osnes'.

I have to say, I'm delighted by the idea of SUNSET BOULEVARD playing the Mark Hellinger ...

I’ve read that people have horror stories about Wanda Richert yet no one ever posts anything. Anyone care to elaborate?

She replaced Anita Morris in NINE. She took the sexiest role on Broadway and played it as a total ice princess.

Did not work.

Wanda!

I saw her as Cassie in ACL on tour. She could dance peoples.

Judging Blythe Danner and Judith Ivey's FOLLIES performances by YouTube videos of their final numbers is misguided.

I saw the production 3 times. Its faults were several, to say the least, but I found plenty to like -- particularly the acting by both Danner and Ivey. Both women gave detailed, fascinating performances.

Ivey never begged for your sympathy (you might say she was the anti-Peters in that regard) and revealed more about Sally each time she took the stage. Vocally she was passable at best, which in this of all roles was a real shame. (Hearing her struggle through the final bars of "Too Many Mornings" was sad.) But I've never seen another Sally land lines like "Since when?" with greater depth. So I'm glad I saw her.

Danner was superb. She looked stunning, and she flooded her lines with detail and color. The speech before "Leave You?" was particularly memorable, but in fact many of her imaginative line readings stick with me to this day, 20 years later. "Lucy and Jessie" looked less clumsy from the audience than through a merciless pirate camera, but I'll agree it still didn't work. What infuriates me are claims that she "couldn't sing." She couldn't manage the last syllable of "Sweetheart, I have to conFESS," but otherwise she was on pitch with an appealing, dusky color, and I really enjoyed her singing. (I'm guessing most of you know why her voice -- both speaking and singing -- has been so distinctively husky for so long. Doesn't mean she can't sing.)

Gregory Harrison looked OK (the goatee didn't do him any favors) and sang well, but nothing of Ben Stone came through. Treat Williams did what he could but was miscast. (Michael McGrath at Encores! and Danny Burstein in the later revival were much more right for it.)

Polly Bergen was pretty wonderful at the early preview I saw; subsequent performances found her backphrasing more and more and more, which I found maddening. Joan Roberts was worth the price of admission -- one great casting choice that caught the FOLLIES "thing" ideally. Betty Garrett was a whole lot of nothing. Carol Woods (consistently loathed by John Simon) sounded great and was a lot of fun.

The young quartet was absolutely superb -- hands down the best I've ever seen, and anyone who says Kathleen Marshall doesn't know how to stage a memorable musical number didn't pay attention to "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow"/"Love'll See Us Through," right down to the final bars.

By the 3rd time I saw it, Marni Nixon had replaced Joan Roberts; she was quite good, as was unknown Kelli O'Hara when she graduated from Young Hattie to Young Phyllis.

Did John Simon pan Carol Woods in One Mo’ Time. He probably panned her in Follies because he thought she was a racially incorrect choice for Stella.

Merrick made 20th Century-Fox pay another million to get the movie [italic]Hello, Dolly![/italic] out before it closed on Broadway. That ended up being the difference between profit and loss. This was after he had already led the backlash against them for not hiring him to do it.

Even Jerry Herman called him "the antichrist."

Wanda left ACL on broadway to have a baby and when she returned it was as an understudy which must have been painful for her. She was a wonderful Cassie because, unlike some of the others who have played the role, she really did stand out and pulled focus so she was totally believable.

I don't recall him saying she "would have to do as Stella", r489.

Wanda's MatM

That was exceptional. She sang and danced it well enough but also really made you feel for her.

She was the real deal. She could sing and dance and act.

Why wouldn't Aaron Tveit win? Is he hugely disliked by the community?

Other than the usual cunts on here badmouthing him, I've never heard that Tveit is that unpopular. It seems very unlikely that he wouldn't win.

I think Jane Krakowski is great and she certainly could play Dolly...Dolly really isn't that uncastable. You just need someone who can carry a tune and play comedy and has some kind of Presence....you need a Star personality.

But, I don't really see her as Carlotta...Carlotta is dark and earthy and Krakowski is too airy.

Why didn't Champion ever direct any movie musicals, maybe Mame? He only did one movie and it was a colossal flop but his background was in movies so he should have had the ability.

Maybe it's me, r495, but I didn't find her particularly compelling in either 42nd Street or Chorus Line.

Gene Saks directed LucyMAME after having done it on Broadway. He had had some successes in film, mostly of Neil Simon plays.

Saks was a replacement for Cukor and also Mr. Bea Arthur. She suggests that he essentially forced her to do it because he wouldn't get the gig without her.

It probably destroyed their marriage.

Wanda at R486 is strenuously unsexy. And shout-y.

That number feels more like a pelvic exam in a woman's prison than a sexy romp.

[quote]That number feels more like a pelvic exam in a woman's prison than a sexy romp.

Gee, R502, tell us how you *really* feel....

He did, R503, so you wasted energy on a feeble stock retort.

My brother-in-law is a Tony nominator. He did not vote for Tveit, opting instead that “no award in this category shall be given.”

R505, Gee, he sounds like lots of fun.

R485, Have to wonder how bad Jenna Elfman was to have been denied being Jane's replacement in the revival.

Does Aaron Tveit have any baggage? Is he a Republican, or an anti-vaxxer?

"Does Aaron Tveit have any baggage?"

Other than those premature jowls?

Aaron’s baggage is he was the only major cast member not nominated for Next to Normal, and then couldn’t make Catch Me if You Can a Broadway hit.

Tveit? Sounds Russian to me. No Tony for you.

At one point Champion was going to direct the film of Birdie and a film of Carnival! but both projects fell through.

r484 Richert has been behaving oddly for a while now. She had some public breakdown/argument with her daughter on twitter or facebook (which DL followed obsessively) She sounded really crazy.

Then she became religious and a Trump fanatic.

I followed her on twitter and she followed me back. I barely use twitter and have like 6 followers. I noticed she was removed from Twitter in that big sweep they did after Jan. 6th. They removed tons of people who endorsed the uprising and she was one of them.

R508, Even if Aaron does win, the circumstances surrounding his win will always be remembered and cited in the future.

[quote]Does Aaron Tveit have any baggage? Is he a Republican, or an anti-vaxxer?

Last year he was paired romantically in a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie with notorious anti-vaxxer Laura Osnes.

Uh oh . . .

It premiers on fucking Halloween? Is that how early Christmas is beginning this year???

That movie was from last year, R517, but I do think Hallmark rolls out their Christmas movies starting in October. Actually, it already showed some of this year's batch during its "Christmas in July" event last month.

Why can’t we just judge people on merit?

A few years ago, Aaron's hometown of Middletown, NY named a street after him, with a glitzy ceremony.

Several days later, the street sign was stolen and had to be replaced.

[quote]R519 Why can’t we just judge people on merit?

Because that’s never been how it’s done. You think it would suddenly work all of a sudden?

Or are you saying people of color really aren’t as talented as whites and that’s what kept them out of most shows for so long? They lacked merit?

r514 That's why they invented asterisks.

R520 Aaron had his own set of teen stalkers from Next to Normal, luckily he knew better then to get involved with them.

R523, I have it on good authority that some nights he did not leave the stage door area alone.

How do we think Dilys felt on Tony night in 1970?

Nominee Nominated Work

Lauren Bacall Applause Katharine Hepburn Coco Dilys Watling Georgy

r524

who did he leave with? a girl or guy?

Or a r524?

Jane K is the epitome of a second banana. Has she ever carried a show as a lead?

I have to say that I loved Blythe Danner as an ingenue (She was a superb Nina in THE SEAGULL and as the lead in ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE) but always disappointing as a leading lady. I always had high hopes for her, and was excited by seeing her in BLITHE SPIRIT, but she was, sadly, colorless. Ever since then, I expected so much more than I got. Certainly, FOLLIES was a good example of this. The poster above thought she was great in it, but I have to disagree, and I think most of the reviews said the same. I didn't even mind her dancing as much as her one note performance. Anyway, different strokes...

Blythe Danner was an excellent type for Phyllis. At every moment, she looked like Phyllis. She had the studied elegance and refinement of Phyllis. But, being an actress, Blythe Danner had undoubtedly climbed that very same ladder. She knows it well.

What she lacked was some fire behind her ice.

No one is ever going to do it as well as Alexis Smith. All the polishing she got from the Hollywood studio system served her well in playing a woman who is always completely under control. Until she just can't be any longer.

Watched the Wanda Richert clip above and was unimpressed, except for the dancing itself. Obviously, no one is Donna MacKechnie, but I would love to see what Ann Reinking did with it.

[quote]Jane K is the epitome of a second banana. Has she ever carried a show as a lead?

She was great in DAMN YANKEES at Encores! Too bad it was such a limited run.

[quote]I think Jane Krakowski is great and she certainly could play Dolly...Dolly really isn't that uncastable. You just need someone who can carry a tune and play comedy and has some kind of Presence....you need a Star personality.

Jane sings far better than just "carrying a tune," and she is a very talented comic actress, and she has brilliant stage presence -- but she's still the wrong type for Dolly.

[quote]...but she's still the wrong type for Dolly.

That's okay. LOTS of women have played this role who were the wrong type. I would never dream of Martha Raye as Dolly, but the NY Times raved about her performance and the soundboard recordings of her on YouTube back that up. I would never expect Dolly to take off her skirt in the middle of the show, but Ann Miller did it and it was great. If an actress can play the scenes to Ephraim and win over the audience, then she's the right type for Dolly. If she can't play those scenes honestly and affectingly, then the last bit of Thornton Wilder is lost and the evening will sink.

[quote] I would love to see what Ann Reinking did with it.

She sang it like William Warfield and acted it like a slab of drywall. But if you liked her dancing, then she did that pretty well.

R533, I guess you and I have very different ideas on what is or isn't required for the role of Dolly. And I can't imagine why you would never dream of Martha Raye in the role. To repeat, I think the MAIN requirement for the part is a an outsize, quirky personality, and she certainly had that.

To me, the one who sounds like questionable casting as Dolly is Ginger Rogers, and indeed, from all reports, she was not very good in the role.

I'd never seen Wanda Richert until R493's clip (I'm not American), but I don't get the enthusiasm.

She seriously can't act, to the point where the dialogue sounds dated and melodramatic, and while she can certainly make the shapes when dancing (she has backward dips lower than McKechnie's), there isn't the balance and discipline that makes McKechnie so much better. Once she revs up, her dancing is like LuPone's lyric-singing - slurred with the steps not properly articulated one from the other. Maybe Richert was aiming to show that Cassie was carried away by desperation, but the point of the number is Cassie showing Zach again just what a great dancer she is, so being all over the place isn't going to achieve that.

Like this, R531.

R532, That Encores! production of Damn Yankees was exceptionally good, shame it did not transfer to Broadway.

The entire cast was excellent, Jane, Sean, Cheyenne, etc.

Fortunately, there's a boot of nearly commercial quality in circulation to preserve it.

[quote]BUSINESS INSIDER: "I'm a professional 'Hamilton' actor. This is what Broadway's 18-month shutdown — and return — has been like." by Business Insider's Iris Dorbian - ""There is so much to wonder about," [Fergie L.] Philippe said. "We're ready to perform again, but it's not the theater we left. People in the audience will be wearing masks. We're going into something new." As the reopening looms nearer, Philippe does have one fervent wish. "I told my family to wait until November [to come]," he laughed. "I'm scared I'm going to forget my lines, my choreography, I'm going to fall off the stage. I told them, 'Please come three months later when I'm used to it again.'"

I like the way he describes himself as a "professional 'Hamilton' actor" (is that different from other acting?) but then also says he's worried he'll forget how to do his job. Such a pro.

R534, Merrick hired Ginger more for her name value than her talent, she was never a very good singer.

Martha had a beef with Jerry Herman because he never came to see her in the show, but I believe he was ill and even hospitalized during her run.

Cheyenne Jackson was perfect casting for Superman/Clark Kent.

We used to talk about him all the time on these threads.

[quote]the MAIN requirement for the part is a an outsize, quirky personality

I might have thought "damned fine stage actress" would be the MAIN requirement.

Carol and Ginger @ 3:20.

" Dolly will never go away....." Why didn't anyone think of this surefire box office bonanza?

[quote]I like the way he describes himself as a "professional 'Hamilton' actor" (is that different from other acting?) but then also says he's worried he'll forget how to do his job. Such a pro.

I had the same reaction. I mean, the show HAS gone back into rehearsal in advance of its reopening. If this guy was in the show previously, it's not as if he has to remember all the lyrics and dance steps from a year and a half ago without lots of opportunity to brush up.

[quote]Cheyenne Jackson was perfect casting for Superman/Clark Kent. We used to talk about him all the time on these threads.

He had magnificent thighs, but they couldn't last forever.

Damn Yankees would have had the same "long" run that the Encores! Finian's Rainbow had. Meaning none. That trio in Yankees was not a BO winner either. Sean Hayes proved he wasn't a draw in Promises Promises. Same with Finian. No star power.

Did Jerry Orbach take a swing at Merrick after the curtain came down? Somebody should have.

Hello Ginge!

R526- As far as his romantic life, Tveit has never been associated with a person of the opposite sex. Does that answer your query, dearie?

All I remember hearing was that the choreography didn't really fit Ann's body.

R529 Yes, Blythe Danner in a show is like ordering mole sauce at a Mexican restaurant -- most of the time you anticipate it being better than how it actually ends up being.

R549, When he starred in Company at the Barrington in the Berkshires in 2017, he rented a house for 6 weeks next door to a friend of mine for himself and his dog. No visitors, kept to himself.

He may be asexual, a la Hugh Jackman.

[quote]Blythe Danner in a show is like ordering mole sauce at a Mexican restaurant

Yes r551. So you told us at r217.

Just seeing if you were paying attention. There's actually one little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant that does make a great mole sauce in Manhattan that doesn't disappoint. Maybe I'll the get the mole chicken enchiladas later this week. So how did Blythe get the husky voice -- always sounded like nodes to me at its worst years ago. Didn't she start off as a soprano many years ago?

STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT MOLE!

Fosca had a mole in "Passion", and it should have been removed.

Blythe has that damaged voice from yelling at Gwyneth so much.

“You named your baby Apple? WTF kind of name is that? I raised you New England patrician. Do you see any Apples coming over on the Mayflower? You know I have a secret pact with Williamstown that they will always give me the roles I want to play. If they cancel that pact, you’re going to be Joan Crawforded right out of my will.”

Blythe Danner has always been a much bigger star on DL than in any, ahem, more conventional universe.

I like the old broad, but there's a weird recurring notion on here that she was some supernova talent who was deterred only by her family and the fickle finger of fate. Or something.

Danner made sure to do one very smart thing. She married within the business.

When one gets press, the other gets press. When one makes an appearance, the other makes an appearance. Openings. Charity galas. Picket lines. And on and on. The synergy is very valuable.

Marry someone who is not in the business, and you're on your own about publicity.

[quote] Marry someone who is not in the business, and you're on your own about publicity.

OMG! Catherine Zeta Jones posts on DataLounge!

[quote]He may be asexual, a la Hugh Jackman.

Please. Jackman is gay. Being in the closet and trying too hard to seem straight doesn't make someone asexual.

As to who Aaron Tveit is or isn't dating, maybe he isn't.

Maybe he's too gassy.

CHICAGO revival back on Bway: 25 years young!

[quote]Fosca had a mole in "Passion", and it should have been removed.

Triggered.

Weren't there rumors of Jean Smart and Sigourney Weaver being approached for Phyllis in that 2001 Follies? They turned them down, of course, but they'd have been so much better. Weaver even reminds me of Alexis Smith a bit.

She woulda danced the hell outta L&J, r565!

R561, If one posts even a mildly negative comment for one of the endless Daily Mail stories on the idyllic Jackman marriage, it will be deleted within minutes due to complaints from his adoring frau fans.

The one, the true Fosca...

What about Arlene Dahl’s mole? Or was that just a beauty mark?

R416 has the most cogent statement I've read.

Sorry, r570, tl:dr

That's a fun scene at R566, but Hope Davis is a bit broad in the beam (shall we say) to be playing Slim Keith. Even my beloved Sigourney looks a little...ample as Babe Paley in that unflattering dress. They're Capote's swans, not Purdue oven-stuffer roasters.

And is that supposed to be.... me?

[quote]CHICAGO revival back on Bway: 25 years young!

Feels like 50.

Tveit has a really solid career for someone who's talented but not very special. He works all the time, big TV roles and theater.

It’s because he has something else that’s big besides his TV roles, r574.

His hair?

[quote] Martha had a beef with Jerry Herman because he never came to see her in the show, but I believe he was ill and even hospitalized during her run.

Jerry did see her. He was indeed hospitalized when she opened, but got there about three weeks later. Raye treated him with contempt. “Oh, so now you show up. Where were you on my opening?” Jerry explained he had been in the hospital. “That’s no excuse,” Raye said.

She was the only one of the Broadway Dollys that he didn’t have anything good to say about.

[quote]Arlene Dahl’s mole

My new band name

Three new musicals getting staged readings at my local regional theater:

Angels of the Southern Accents

Music & Lyrics by Rus McCoy

MTW's "Raise Your Voice Playwright Competition" Winner! Margaret Mitchell, author of "Gone With The Wind" had a secret held for over 40 years after her death. She was married to two men, Red Upshaw and John Marsh, who were best friends in college and had a secret of their own. Her closest confidant was her maid, Bessie Jordan, who challenged her White privilege. Finally, there was Benjamin Mays, President of the prestigious Black university, Morehouse College that led Mitchell down a controversial path that could ruin her reputation. The only thing more dramatic than her novel, was her life...

The Importance of Being Earnest - A Wilde New Musical

Music by Bret Simmons

Book & Lyrics by David Howard

With mistaken identities, sudden engagements and outrageous coincidences, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest has delighted audiences for over a century, and is undoubtedly one of the funniest plays ever written. And how best to bring this timeless comedy into its next century than by adding the one thing it lacks, music! This delightful musical illuminates Wilde’s play through songs filled with his biting, cynical wit; brilliant social commentary; and soaring heart-felt romance.

On This Side of the World

Music & Lyrics by Paulo K. Tiról

On This Side of the World gives voice to Filipino immigrants navigating old lives and new beginnings, as a one-way ticket sends them on a journey 8,000 miles from home. Through glorious harmony, touching lyrics, and hummable tunes, Paulo K Tiról’s sung-through love letter to the Filipino-American dream takes you on a journey and will have you longing for more!

_____________________

I've never heard of any of these people.

Suddenly everyone in the world is writing a musical, it seems. Good for your regional theatre for encouraging new work, at least.

[quote]Angels of the Southern Accents

The first one sounds potentially interesting, but OY. That title! The worst.

Hasn't ERNEST been musicalized several times without success? No matter.

R577, I believe he expressed minor disappointment in Betty Grable's Dolly in his autobiography.

Gee, if we still had summer stock circuits like the Kenley Players and the various Music Fairs and Civic Light Operas, we could perhaps see Jane K as Dolly. (I saw Eva Gabor in ALNM at Kenley. She was... Not Good -- and forgot the lyrics to Send In The Clowns halfway through. But Ethel Barrymore Colt was great as Madame Armfeldt. No memory of who else was in the cast.)

For R583

The role Eva Gabor was born to play! Ten years later, Kenley did ALNM again with Polaroid spokeswoman Mariette Hartley as Desiree. A step up? A step down? Hard to say.

Why wasn’t this paywalled, usually it gets that way by the early 500 at least?

Gimme a fucking minute r586, I'm in the middle of my mani-pedi.

That you assholes pay for.

Paywalling is classist, racist, and elitist, R586. Paywalling merely enforces the socioeconomic status quo and social injustice.

Let's create a title for the next thread NOW. So there will be less bitching later.

Good luck with that, r589. And yes, r580, Earnest has been musicalized before.

"A Wicked Man" is also a fine number from "Ernest in Love" as well. It's a serviceable and fun score.

It really is, r591.

RIP Broadway composer Micki Grant. Your songs were the best part of Working”

But her arms were too short to box with God. Where did she wind up?

Wrestling with Bruno Sammartini?

The end is nigh!

New thread

Whoop-Up!

Ginger Rogers had songs written for her by Vincent Youmans, Irving Berlin, Harry Warren and George Gershwin. Who the fuck wrote songs for you?

Well, they were written adjacent to her is more like it.

The one...the only...

𝓑𝓐𝓙𝓞𝓤𝓡!

OP here. Have no fear! I will not be starting another thread.