THEATRE GOSSIP #550: The 'Chits is Dead but MLOP Isn't' Edition

Oh I like that title. Thank you, OP for getting us going.

La Dolce Chita.

We Bajour you, and we adore you!

Let us pray mlop's hideous Christmas sweaters are lost in the sands of time.

Liza loved Chita and not Rita. So the last few days for international treasure Liza Minnelli has been tricky

I just finished Chita’s surprisingly candid audiobook of her autobiography and she apparently is going to her grave continuing the confusion about the proper pronunciation of BAJOUR since she pronounces it both ways - BAH-jur and bah-JOUR - in the section about it. Nevertheless, it sounds like it was a sorta fun show… did anyone see it?

R5, does she go in-depth on The Rink?

Yes, R6. She is diplomatic about Liza’s troubles but paints a generally pleasant picture of the experience - after all, it was written for her by two of her best friends (Kander & Ebb) and she won her first Tony for it. That said, a much more complex and unpleasant account of the whole The Rink experience that probably paints a more accurate picture is in rehearsal pianist Paul Ford’s recent memoir which certainly is required reading for anyone in this thread - shockingly scathing and refreshingly no holds barred candid.

Does anybody like Rita? Seems that good friend George Chakiris had enough of her endlessly trashing Natalie.

Listening to Chita’s memoir now, it’s well written and of course she does a great narration.

In the 1st hour she made two remarks about Rita that I think in prison would be referred to as a shiv. lol

What's the name of Paul Ford's memoir?

Lord Knows, At Least I Was There: Working with Stephen Sondheim by Paul Ford

Ford's book is a total mess, I could barely get through it. Not even that gossipy and fun.

It definitely needed an editor. Think it was self-published.

Paul Ford thinks a lot of himself but he’s so bitchy, you have to laugh.

FOLLIES!

God, they were so young!

[quote]Does anybody like Rita? Seems that good friend George Chakiris had enough of her endlessly trashing Natalie.

Why do you think that?

Wait. There's going to be production of FOLLIES in Vegas with a full orchestra, actual showgirls and.... Ted Chapin in the cast?

I saw Caroline O'Connor in a revival of The Rink in London a few years ago - Chita paid her a visit at one point. It was in a smaller venue, The Southwark Playhouse. Loved it

Thoughts on Aaron and Sutton photo shoot ?

None, whatsoever.

Next …

MLOP is still alive?!

We were trying to keep it from you, r18. We only discussed it behind your back.

Those Follies stars were 46 to 50.

I think to be a lead today in Follies you've got to be between 65 and 75.

R21 hater!

R20 Aaron's looking great! 😍 Can't wait till next week. It'll be my first time seeing him live AND my return to Broadway, post-Covid.

I recently became a fan several years ago, so I missed out on his early Broadway stuff. I had planned on seeing him in MOULIN ROUGE, which has his return to Broadway after nearly a decade, but then Covid happened.

Afterward, I was reluctant to return to NYC. Plus, they weren't producing anything worth my time. But now I have reason to go. 🥰

Has anybody else noticed all frontal nude photos of Mike Doyle have been scrubbed from the Internet? I don't see why he certainly enjoyed being nude in front of an audience. At one point you could even see a video of his nude scene from The New Century. Has turning 50 suddenly made him regret his youthful indescretions? I bet he still looks great romping naked.

Paul Ford is one of the grimmest, dourest old bitchy queens alive, and the odd thing is, he's a perfectly decent guy. I imagine he was exactly the same at age twenty-five. You know the type.

I think Paul Ford said in an interview something along the lines of, "my publisher is the guy in the apartment above mine."

Paul Ford’s memoir is literally “the nastiest people on Broadway” in book form. Clearly, he very talented - Sondheim himself gave him respect in his Tony Awards speech - and the great artists he worked with repeatedly proves that he’s a good egg, but he also recognizes the changes from late-1970s to 2015 of how much things have changed (in his opinion, not in a good way).

Case In Point: “The Gershwins” Porgy & Bess chapter.

[quote]And, according to Tveit and Foster, it’s also a love story. “We’ve talked a lot about how this is a love story, and for the people who don’t already know Sweeney Todd, how long can we delay the inevitability of the end? How long can we instill hope for these characters?” posits Tveit.

Dear god, this will be a trainwreck

R29 Jesus, will that girl ever stop fucking up the roles I made indelible?

[quote] Has anybody else noticed all frontal nude photos of Mike Doyle have been scrubbed from the Internet?

No, we've sometimes been doing other things over the last few years.

Disagree, r30. No idea how they'll do, but the love story angle doesn't seem off-base to me. She's absolutely in love with him, and with this casting - as with Nicholas Christopher and now Aaron, , a handsome Sweeney gives Mrs. L a lot to play, including attraction, that explains why they're together. Did wacky Angela really have the hots for morose Len or creepy George? or Patti for comatose Cerveris?

Thanks to this thread, I ordered the Paul Ford book - I can't wait to read it!

Enjoy, R34! I’ve listened to the audiobook twice myself… if you search for Paul Ford on Facebook and message him he will send you an additional 200 pages (!) or so that were cut from the final version, as well. Some even juicier stuff than what made the final edit of the book (apparently, yes, there was an editor at some point).

[quote] Did wacky Angela really have the hots for morose Len or creepy George?

Even with the strange center parted hair and pale white make-up, Len had a sexiness to him. He was really magnetic in that role.

I prefer Original Recipe Paul Ford.

[quote]Did wacky Angela really have the hots for morose Len or creepy George?

Absolutely. What a silly question.

You'll get to read a lot about how drunk Mr. Ford was.

Yes, of course she did, according the script - but we took it on faith. Seeing Jenna de Waal drool over hot, lost Nicholas Christopher was more relatable. We will see about Sutton and Aaron. Will Hugh be there? Has he been spotted at Mattress?

Considering Len Cariou bedded most of his leading ladies, from Lauren Bacall to Glynis Johns to Glenn Close to Roberta Maxwell (who was his first wife) to god knows who else, I'd say he must have had a very strong sexual magnetism.

Come on, if you'd never seen Aaron Tveit before and watched that Insta PR video you'd think he was perfectly appropriate and thoroughly intriguing casting for Sweeney, looks-wise. I think he will surprise many of you in this role and it may just be the beginning of more adult character-y type roles for him.

[quote]Seeing Jenna de Waal drool over hot, lost Nicholas Christopher was more relatable.

You relate to a throat slitter and his accomplice, r40? The characters aren't meant to be eye candy.

Nothing that says that can't be, r43. And her attraction to him was always a bit of a leap of faith. But it's certainly not necessarily an invalid approach. She falls for him instantly in the script and score. I relate, r43, to being infatuated by someone who is a bad idea for dating. Who doesn't?

[quote]And her attraction to him was always a bit of a leap of faith

It certainly wasn't for me when I saw Lansbury and Hearn, r44. Theirs isn't a great love story. They're desperate characters.

It’s clearly a one-way, unrequited love story. Mrs. L fancies Todd, who couldn’t care less & has ‘is mind on one thing only. R-E-V-E-N-G-E

(not pussy)

Sometimes I think this thread has juvenile or illiterate comments...but then I took a gander at the Heartstopper thread to see about Joe Locke in Sweeney. Holy mother of god. Are those screaming tweens or desperate fraus? Whichever, they make us here sound like the Vidal/Buckley debates. Look at your own risk.

Wonder if Locke will be the big draw for this version rather than Tveit.

[quote]Look at your own risk.

newp

I just hope we get to see Aaron's thick, hairy thighs.

My only concern about Tveit is the vocal range, but he addresses it in the interview by saying he hasn’t used that part of his voice professionally. His Billy Bigelow role in Schmigadoon suggests he can play Sweeney.

Sutton? She bombs with accents, overplays comedy, and has a limited voice. I suppose you could say all of that about Annaleigh Ashford, who I really liked. Maybe this will work.

R32 Considering you're spending time on DL I'd hardly haughtily reproach anybody for looking for nude photos on the internet because you have better things to do with your time when it is clearly not the case.

R41, Cariou also fucked his ALNM costar Victoria Mallory, until she ran off with Mark Lambert. Victoria also had Kurt Peterson so she must have had something good as well. Seriously, Victoria was one of the true ladies, so not surprised so many men wanted her.

[quote] [R32] Considering you're spending time on DL I'd hardly haughtily reproach anybody for looking for nude photos on the internet because you have better things to do with your time when it is clearly not the case.

Sorry, but R32's response was funny. You have to admit the way you phrased the question begged mocking.

I had never heard she was with Cariou also, r53, but that is a great case of life mirroring art.

I would have thought Kurt Peterson's gay.

R53, Victoria talks about her relationships in ALNM with Seth Rudetsky. It starts around 30:00.

Victoria and Len doing You Must Meet My Wife. Vicky was, what, 60 when she did this? It's simply remarkable how incredible she looks. Watch her cover for Len as he goes up on the lyrics.

R47 That Joe locke sho is ugly!

First preview of Doubt cancelled. Non Covid related illness in the cast. Interesting that the Father Flynn understudy in the original production is covering the same role 20 yrs later in this production.

Nobody saw him the first time.

Liev is no Brían.

Don’t tell the Heartstopper thread you think Joe Locke is ugly. They think he’s the most beautiful man ever born. They will come for you HARD. Seriously.

Does anybody know anything about Redwood starring Adele Dazeem at the La Jolla Playhouse? It opens in a couple weeks and I’ll be in San Diego at the end of the month. Should I get tickets?

r62 Meh, how hard can two fraus come for anyone?

R64 I know, right?! However the level of obsession is shocking. You almost can’t believe it’s real—they are fucking insane. If you doubt me just post a Joe Locke comment that questions his beauty. He was described on those threads as the most delicious twink EVER. They’re too nutty even for DL.

Can’t anyone just sing a song anymore without little riffs all over the place?

sha la la

Redwood is directed by Tina Landau who also give us the ghastly Transparent musical fiasco.

All the Tic boom clips look hysterically overwrought

I unabashedly love the score of Tick, Tick…Boom! and I thought the film adaptation was magnificent (dodging bullets here, I know) but it never works onstage as well as it does on the album(s) or the film, which filled in a lot of plot holes and made a lot of smart changes. That said, I was excited that perhaps there would be a future for this new production given some renewed interest in the material thanks to the generally quite successful film, but these clips are not giving me much hope. That “Come To Your Senses” clip is absurd with the seemingly endless melisma/riffs/affectations/etc.. Just sing the damn (and pretty damn good) song, for chrissakes!

Where I live there is a large network of libraries. There is one copy of the Ford book in all of them and I snagged it so I'm waiting for it to be sent to my local library. Really looking forward to it. When I wanted to take out Shy I was backlisted after 100 people.

"Indelible", R31?

Don't you mean "indecipherable"?

You know NPH is eyeing Broadway. But with this cast, would anyone go?

Lower your expectations, R71.

While I have my doubts about Sutton Foster's suitability for Mrs. Lovett, she can't be any worse than the charmless bulldozing of Patti LuPone in the part or the self-absorbed, audience-fucking nightmare that was Annaleigh Ashford (more and more grotesque as the run went on).

To be fair. LuPone had some memorable moments. The tuba and blood buckets for sure, but also the final sequence. Because of Doyle’s presentational staging, LuPone was facing downstage and unobstructed as Sweeney “pushed” her in the oven. You got to see her realize what was happening. Immensely satisfying, especially for the LuPone haters.

Ashford, I can’t defend except to say I find her genuinely goofy. The performance worked for me, especially since it lessened the acting burden on Groban.

My memory is probably foggy on this but I seem to recall that Cerveris didn't push LuPone into the oven and instead slashed her repeatedly with his razors (after which she put the blood-stained coat on to indicate she was dead). Perhaps that was another character? In any regard, it was very effective and quite chilling.

[quote]And, according to Tveit and Foster, it’s also a love story. “We’ve talked a lot about how this is a love story, and for the people who don’t already know Sweeney Todd, how long can we delay the inevitability of the end? How long can we instill hope for these characters?” posits Tveit.

Incredible that he actually made such a stupid remark. I guess he's pretty dim, aside from being a very limited talent. That quote almost sounds like it's from a parody interview in The Onion.

[quote]No idea how they'll do, but the love story angle doesn't seem off-base to me. She's absolutely in love with him,

We all know that Mrs. L. is in love with Sweeney. Not exactly front page news. But the idiotic thing about the Tveit quote above is the idea that the actors should try and be able to "instill hope" for the characters in the emotions of the audience.

He’s not 100% wrong, but the language is. I don’t think the audience has hope for Lovett and Sweeney after she betrays Toby and he betrays Anthony, but the reason those moments are effective is because we all bought into the journey up to that point.

Sondheim, Wheeler, and Prince managed to somehow make these characters sympathetic for most of the show. It’s similar to The Talented Mr. Ripley, where I was jolted by actively wanting Ripley to kill the Cate Blanchett character.

[quote]I unabashedly love the score of Tick, Tick…Boom! and I thought the film adaptation was magnificent (dodging bullets here, I know) but it never works onstage as well as it does on the album(s) or the film, which filled in a lot of plot holes and made a lot of smart changes. That said, I was excited that perhaps there would be a future for this new production given some renewed interest in the material thanks to the generally quite successful film, but these clips are not giving me much hope. That “Come To Your Senses” clip is absurd with the seemingly endless melisma/riffs/affectations/etc - .. Just sing the damn (and pretty damn good) song, for chrissakes!

I saw TTB live at the Kennedy Center. Denee Benton gave a beautiful performance of "Come to Your Senses" that stopped the show. I really do not recall any egregious "melismas/riffs/affectations" in the performance, and if they had been there, I'm sure I would have noticed, because I hate that shit. I haven't watched the clip above, but if she's riffing all over the place in that performance, I don't know what that's all about.

[quote]Sondheim, Wheeler, and Prince managed to somehow make these characters sympathetic for most of the show.

Agreed, but to me, there is a huge difference between having sympathy for the characters and having "hope" for them. So yes, Tveit's words were poorly chosen

That ST poster with Foster and Tveit looks like an advertisement for the annual college musical.

[quote] Stupid….dim…idiotic

So sorry, baby. How many times did he turn down your offer to blow him at the Moulin Rouge stage door, r78?

Has The Talented Mr. Ripley ever been musicalized?

No, thank goodness.

Mary Martin was a trailblazer in her own little way, openly advertising her sapphic lifestyle at a time when others remained hidden.

COMPANION magazine? Gurl!

R86. Dyke ya know

Sweeney Todd is not a “love story.” How utterly idiotic. And Aaron Tveit’s casting is an embarrassing joke. The show will flop with them in it and quickly close.

If the producers had really wanted it to run, they should have cast Sutton and Hugh Jackman, He couldn't sing it properly, of course, but their fans wouldn't care, especially if they treated like a Carol Burnett Show sketch and kept "accidentally" causing each other to break up.

In a loving way, of course.

I hope Cheyenne Jackson does the show in LA. I'm pretty sure Annaleigh would return for that.

R89 NAILS their lack of professionalism .

I’d rather see Lane and Broderick as Lovett and Sweeney.

Sara Ramirez would have been inspired casting as Miss Lovett.

Who's that gal with Mary Martin on that mag cover?

With TJ Knight as ST!

I think Annaleigh is tied up with a new series, Happy Face for Paramount. Earlier, I thought she and Groban might do it in London, but perhaps his concert schedule is too tight.

r96, I thought it might be Kaye Ballard, but that would be TOO funny. It's not Janet Gaynor, is it?

Could Josh Groban pull off Tevye?

R95, that’s Heller Halliday, the daughter…

Dunno r99, but he could probably finger him a bit.

[quote]r95 Who's that gal with Mary Martin on that mag cover?

[quote]r98 I thought it might be Kaye Ballard, but that would be TOO funny. It's not Janet Gaynor, is it?

[quote]r100 That’s Heller Halliday, the daughter…

The gdamn [bold]nepo baby [/bold]you mean…

Was only in mommie’s projects.

Who you callin' a nepo baby?

R26 I typed "Mike Doyle Nude" into my search bar, and lots of hits came up.

R95 R100 that’s Gladys, sister to Henry in TSoOT. Henry was played by 🔥Don Murray—who is now dead to us. The circle of life …

R104👏🏼 well done

[quote]If the producers had really wanted it to run, they should have cast Sutton and Hugh Jackman, He couldn't sing it properly, of course, but their fans wouldn't care, especially if they treated like a Carol Burnett Show sketch and kept "accidentally" causing each other to break up.

Why not just get Carol Burnett and Dick Van Dyke?

R86– that was Women’s Home Companion, aka Ladies’ Home Companion.

Legit—see cover re articles by Clare Booth Luce and Shirley Jackson(!) in that issue. Lots of general women’s mags actual published top short stories, poetry and non-fiction…back in the day. Now it’s just bullshit from People.

R93 I’ve walked out of a Broadway show once in 40 years: Nathan and Matthew in The Odd Couple 🤮😵‍💫

^ Boothe

sorry

Possibly r99 or perhaps a quick knee-trembler if pushed for time.

[quote]Their fans wouldn't care, especially if they treated like a Carol Burnett Show sketch and kept "accidentally" causing each other to break up.

I saw a clip of them doing that, and I thought it was pretty appalling, especially when I read that they had worked it into the show and were doing it at every performance. Of course, most unfortunately, NO one was going to tell them to stop, because the dumb audiences freaking loved it. Most of them, anyway.

^^^ Sorry, I meant in THE MUSIC MAN, for anyone who didn't know what I was referencing.

Sorry your ass

[quote]that’s Gladys, sister to Henry in TSoOT.

Everyone loves TSoOT!

Sutton Foster LOVES inserting Mama’s Family sketch work into her musical roles. It’s the only thing that makes sense when looking at her body of “work”

But, r115, not everyone loves TPOS.

Poor Borle. Still bitter. Still ugly.

R118. No pictures of him in drag from SLIH?

Since Chita is now gone and Paul Ford is a topic in this thread, he has some interesting stories about her in his memoir; dor My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies concert back in 1998 or whenever, DL icon Karen Ziemba and Chita were set to perform “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag” and apparently Karen “bullied” Chita to do the Chicago revival choreography (since that’s what she knew) and Chita insisted on doing Fosse’s original only so after the first rehearsal Chita quit and a last minute beg was made to Bebe Neuwirth who ended up doing it in the show/PBS Special.

[quote]r But, [R115], not everyone loves TPOS

Nonsense . Everyone lives Topol.

R120. If anyone should have been replaced it's teeny titties, not Chits. And I cannot imagine Chita walking out. She wasn't a quitter.

R120 I remember reading that Ann asked permission from Gwen Verdon to use Fosse’s original choreography for Hot Honey Rag in the Encores production. Maybe the conflict was about new choreography for Nowadays?

[Quote] Lots of general women’s mags actual published top short stories, poetry and non-fiction

You don’t say

I did say…and I wrote it as well.

R120 Karen is always a car wash cunt.

If Sutton and Aaron sell well, I suppose there's a possibility of the production continuing beyond their run. Are there any big names you could imagine handling Sweeney and Lovett well AND selling tickets? I have a feeling we'll never see in a Broadway production again, but Toni Collette could be an incredible Mrs. L.

Norm Lewis. Brian D’Arcy James. Josh Henry. Steven Pasquale. Maybe Raul Esparza. Maybe Alan Cumming.

Carolee Carmello. Jennifer Simard. Audra. Maybe Laura Benanti.

But these are mostly theater names. I don’t know how Groban powered those ticket sales, but he did, and replicating that is a huge challenge.

Chita was only invited to do Hot Honey Rag? Not America or All That Jazz? There were few women in that show who had a bigger name. I don't believe the story. Aside from the Chicago Medley, Ziemba also did I Wanna be a Rockette.

R128 - interesting list! I think, perhaps with the exception of Audra, any of those actors would have to be paired with a bigger name actor in the other role to sustain Groban-level sales. Can't imagine Alan Cumming handling the vocal requirements of the role, though.

Sutton Foster LOVES inserting Mama’s Family sketch work into her musical roles. It’s the only thing that makes sense when looking at her body of “work”

By the way, has anyone who has reviewed ONCE UPON A MATTRESS mentioned that someone inserted that MTM line referring to Chuckles the Clown into the MATTRESS script? "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down his pants." And no, I'm not kidding.

^^^ Sorry again, that was supposed to be:

[quote]Sutton Foster LOVES inserting Mama’s Family sketch work into her musical roles. It’s the only thing that makes sense when looking at her body of “work”

By the way, has anyone who has reviewed ONCE UPON A MATTRESS mentioned that someone inserted that MTM line referring to Chuckles the Clown into the MATTRESS script? "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down his pants." And no, I'm not kidding.

We will brook NO Karen Ziemba disrespect!

I'll disrespect KZ. I sat through Steel Pier.

[quote] Karen “bullied” Chita to do the Chicago revival choreography (since that’s what she knew) and Chita insisted on doing Fosse’s original only

Except there’s only one slight difference between the original Fosse “Hot Honey” and the version Reinking recreated for Encores

It's also wrong because Chita did the revised choreography in Vegas. So complete bullshit.

It's hard to imagine Chita being "bullied," and especially not by Karen Ziemba.

R137, I am only repeating what Paul Ford says in his memoir, but he also has a whole chapter on Steel Pier and gives Debra Monk respect for her artistry and somewhat Kristin Chenoweth. I, myself, wasn’t there for these things but apparently everyone here is too cheap to buy his book or audiobook so you get what you give since I guess I’m the only one who has it… and certainly “theatre gossip” in any event, either way. You can get it all for free on audible with a membership. FYI!

PS Ford also discusses the “disastrous” KZ Rockette song and Liza having to be post-dubbed since her “Some People” was judged not suitable for broadcast.

I do think Paul is telling the truth because the Liza song was clearly shot/dubbed a couple times. It looks like a stand alone piece when u watch the concert like they wheeled her out and wheeled her back.

Hearing Isabel Keating gave a smashing performance going on in a preview for DOUBT. She's the standby for Tyne Daly. Must be a great feeling to go on for a star actor the audience was paying to see and kill it. Someone told me once that when an understudy goes on for a major name, the actor undertsudying the role can hear the audience groan when the announcement is made.

[quote] I don’t think the audience has hope for Lovett and Sweeney after she betrays Toby and he betrays Anthony

Surely the death knell for Mrs Lovett is that Sweeney realizes she knew who the Beggar Woman was, failed to share because of her "love" for Sweeney, and thus allowed him to become his true love's doom.

Well, yes.

The Aladdin marquee on 42nd Street says “more than Broadway. Disney On Broadway. What an arrogant prick message from a controlling force in the Broadway Leagur that is supposed to be promoting Broadway as a brand to then turn around and diminish it.

R141. Not surprised. Isabel Keating is an amazing actress and they're lucky to have her standing by.

I adore Isabel Keating and I hope this understudy gig publicity leads her to great role on Broadway of her own.

She's an interesting choice for that nun. While I can easily imagine what Tyne would do with the part - so easily, I have no interest in seeing her do it - Isabel would undoubtedly (no pun intended) surprise me.

Tyne Daly works as a nun because you believe she hasn’t had sex since season two of Cagney and Lacey.

Clever

[quote]If Sutton and Aaron sell well, I suppose there's a possibility of the production continuing beyond their run. Are there any big names you could imagine handling Sweeney and Lovett well AND selling tickets? I have a feeling we'll never see in a Broadway production again, but Toni Collette could be an incredible Mrs. L.

It could be like the stunt casting of "Chicago." Up next: Ryan Gosling is Sweeney and Margot Robbie is Mrs. Lovett! Taylor Swift is Mrs. Lovett and Travis Kelce is Sweeney! Andy Cohen is Sweeney and Nene Leakes is Mrs. Lovett!

Isabel is an astonishing and intelligent actor, and a genuine, warm, decent person. If a triumph in DOUBT rescues her from ever having to do the likes of A SHERLOCK CAROL ever, ever again in her career, justice will have been served.

The reason Mrs. Lovett dies is obviously because she lied to Sweeney, which led him to kill his own wife. But she crosses a line with the audience’s sympathy when it’s clear she will sacrifice Toby for Sweeney. It’s not a coincidence that her scene with Toby comes immediately after Sweeney writes his letter to the judge betraying Anthony. The show shifts gears at that point, which is something the current revival demonstrates particularly well with a major scenic change.

⬆️ Spoiler alert. 🚨

Seriously? For a 45 year old musical?

Isabel/Judy

For future Sweeney casting? Easy. Kelly and Mark.

Sara Ramirez IS They/Them Todd!

Sweeney 2025: George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene

I’d love to see Michael C. Hall give a crack at playing Seeeney. He has a lovely voice and wonderful stage presence, plus he’s famously played one of the most famous serial killers in TV history.

Great idea, R158! And perhaps he could hook his former costar Toni Collette (THE REALISTIC JONESES) in for the Mrs. Lovett so many of us have yearned to have for so long.

Love this

I’m surprised Lea Salonga wasn’t considered since she got such strong reviews for her Lovett in Old Friends in London. Plus she displayed a gorgeous temperament. It’s not easy to be the second leading lady when the first leading lady is BELOVED and gets the best songs.

I’m not sure playing a Bronx nun is right for Lea.

Some Like It Hot just won Best Musical Theater Album at the Grammys.

So we’re supposed to believe that Sweeney doesn’t recognize who the Beggar Woman is? Did she get plastic surgery?

What was Donna Murphy’s reaction when she got the role in Passion and found out she was playing the ugly one? Did Sondheim have to tell her?

I'm assuming her reaction was something like "Fuck, Yeah! I smell Tony!" ...Really, r165, keep your Clara.

Aw, Chits.

R149, although it sounds funny to mention Nene Leakes as a replacement, she's already been in two shows -- Chicago and Cinderella.

Maybe not a top level performer, but that's two more Broadway musicals than I have been in, and I suspect two more than you have been in.

So J. Harrison Ghee, a middling "entertainer" we'll likely hear very little from going forward, is now halfway to an EGOT.

I think they’re starring in Midnight in Garden of Good and Evil

Well, it looks like Miss High & Mighty Thespian Teacher, Uta Hagen, had to rely on the commercial advertising business to pay her rent. It makes Stanislavsky weep!

Hey, so Uta pushed Blatz, who am I to judge?

I'm more surprised anyone would think Uta had a fan base that drank beer.

Or a fan base.

Blatz beer is a is a real blast from the past. Do they still make it?

Uta had just divorced Jose Ferrar and she had a kid to support. Regular Mildred Pierce she was.

An Actor Prepares (and drinks Blatz).

Respect for Drinking

Ghee is not an engaging performer.

Hey...

[quote] Ghee is not an engaging performer.

What did you expect from someone who takes their stage name from clarified butter?

SOME LIKE MY TWAT

Feud 3: Uta vs Stella: Showdown at the Moscow Art Theatre.

Apparently Tyne's understudy had a last minute, one-day rehearsal to prepare to go on as understudy rehearsals weren't going to start until they were in previews. Even more impressive!

Milwaukee good-time girl Uta was clearly the inspirational for Laverne DeFazio, and Blatz for Shotz.

Not to beat that same drum, but yes Paul Ford recounts in his book that he rehearsed all of the prospective Mrs. Lovetts for the film of Sweeney Todd, with Tim Burton himself in the room; certainly, any of them were better than the ultimate choice, sadly. That said, it was: lBernadette Peters, Toni Collette, Reese Witherspoon, Geena Davis and Cyndi Lauper.

R185 it was also between Cyndi Lauper and Patti LuPone for the revival in 2006 and LuPone got cast at the last minute.

Why did they go though the sham of rehearsing "potential" Lovetts when he was going to cast his partner all along anyway.

[quote] Apparently Tyne's understudy had a last minute, one-day rehearsal to prepare to go on as understudy rehearsals weren't going to start until they were in previews. Even more impressive!

I'ts not at all uncommon for Tony nominated or Tony winning actors or in some cases, a Tony winning actor to take a standby job, but what is so appalling to me is how someone can give an excellent performance on Broadway and not have that really mean something in terms of their career. Especially with theaters like MTC who do everything possible to engage stars and still retain a non-profit status. My partner was very close friends with a (now deceased) casting director who was quite well known and was as influential as a casting director can get. This person told us they were retiring because the business changed in the 80s and all the power was with accountants and shareholders. They felt advocating for talent was getting harder and harder, so they just retired. The quote I remember was " Dustin Hoffman would never have become a star today (this was mid 90s) and Meryl Streep would never have become the star she is today because the "basis of her career" was she was a "brilliant theater actress" The casting director went on to say many casting people don't go to the theater the way they used to. She said a producer once said to her when she suggested Streep for something " She's unfuckable, no sexual energy" Is it even possible to have a Broadway career without Hollywood stardom?

Is Tyne’s medical condition serious?

[quote]Is it even possible to have a Broadway career without Hollywood stardom?

Why don't you ask Patti?

Remember when she showed her miserable tits in “Summer of Sam”? The notion of that woman nude is scarier than that of a fully clothed Berkowitz.

I hope Chip Zien wins a Tony this year. The man is a gift to every show he's in.

R191, How about when she was taking it from behind on a stairway in the “Hollywood” series?

R192 . . .

The question now is how to market The Connector for a Broadway audience. This may turn out to be a musical that's too smart for Broadway because it requires you to pay attention and think. Daisy Prince has outdone herself.

Uta Hagen-Daas.

I’m sure all the ice cream money came in handy when the acting work dried up.

Yeah, but could she make ‘em laugh?

I'm not one of the Theatre Gossip thread regulars, so I hope you'll forgive me for interloping. Just wanted to say the thread title reminded me of how hard the Fake MLOP troll used to make me laugh in the old days of DL. Hope that person is still here and doing well.

Isn’t Daisy Prince the queen of nepo babies?

Excuse me, R200?

[quote] This may turn out to be a musical that's too smart for Broadway because it requires you to pay attention and think.

It made me think how amazing it is that JRB can still get his musicals produced despite never having a single financial success.

It must be because of his classic good looks.

[quote]Ghee is not an engaging performer.

And he always seems to be missing shows for one reason or another, whether scheduled absences or not.

The VERY wealthy queen of Nepo babies...

So now when a cast album wins a Tony it's considered a personal win for everyone on the album and they can be called Grammy Winners? Really?

R206: As it currently stands, it goes to the composer and lyricist (as long as a previous recording of the score was never nominated in the category), the album producer(s), and the principal soloists. The number of principal soloists allowed per cast album is currently capped at four.

For Some Like It Hot, the four principal soloists were Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks, and NaTasha Yvette Williams. So they all won a Grammy last night.

Rehearsal video (no audio )of Aaron and Sutton.

[quote]no audio

Shades of Beanie in the pre-opening Funny Girl promos

In stunt casting news which would even the Weisslers would side-eye, Cara Delevingne will be the next Sally Bowles in London.

R205 not in the real world. It’s just as bad as when any “producer” winning a Tony tries to latch onto an EGOT otherwise related to performance.

A little consistency is called for, but in the age of social media rational voices are drowned out.

R210. As Fran and Barry will tell you, stunt casting sometimes pays off handsomely.

[quote] Ghee is not an engaging performer.

I didn't see :"Some Like It Hot" but I did see his version of "Knock me over with a feather" online. It's a pleasant enough voice but unremarkable. Was Ghee much more compelling on stage? Sometimes things onstage don't translate. Again, it wasn't bad, just not remakable. Did they give Ghee the Tony for his performance or for his life's journey?

I didn’t like the show at all, but Ghee has a lot of presence. The height and almost stoic approach made the character more watchable than everyone else onstage who were all trying way too hard. I didn’t see Colton Ryan, but I don’t think any of the other nominees had a much stronger claim to the Tony.

Come to think of it, I guess it makes sense that at least some of the vocalists on a cast album should be considered winners when the album wins a Grammy, but the big question is, where do you draw the line? And I'm sure many people would disagree on that point.

[quote]Is Tyne’s medical condition serious?

Prostate cancer.

Get in line!!

r210 - honestly, can see it. I could see her doing very well in this production of Cabaret. Whether she has the chops for stage work, I have no idea, though, but she definitely feels like a Sally B.

No R213 he was just another 14th street Tranny stomping around trying to be fabulous. Glad I had a free ticket. It closed early for good reason.

I wonder if Sutton will be directed to copy some of what Annaleigh did. They might not suit her as well.

R220, did Sutton really get over to the audiences in Mattress? I've seen several YT bows and the audiences are enthusiastic but nowhere near as much as I expected judging from the press.

the night I saw Mattress the crowd went Wild, and she deserved the love.

Ghee was so remarkably underwhelming in Some Like It Hot that it really undermined whatever woke message they were going for.

Borle was a joy (and I’m not a fan).

Natasha Yvette Williams Was terrific.

Kevin del Aqua gave a performances that was every bit as understated as it was over the top. He was a daffy joy.

The chorus was on fire, particularly when dancing. The book was very, very funny. The score, less than memorable (save for the title song and the mariposa song — I was underwhelmed by “Feather”).

Adriana Hicks (whose name I had to look up, that’s how unmemorable she was) was a non-entity. And what’s SLIH without Sugar? I was too bored to cry. She just didn’t register.

The show was, overall, quite good, if uneven. The Shubert was too big for it.

But the buzz around Ghee, I didn’t get. Yes, it’s terrific that folks are cast, binary or not. But if they’re dull? Not such good news. Quite the opposite. I wanted to root for Ghee, but he walked through it. Lazy, indifferent, and all I could think was “there are 30 performers within half-a-mile that could have done it better. You can hear Ghee’s near-indifference and lack of performance on the cast recording.

I’d have given the Tony to Groban. Ghee’s is a wildly undeserved Tony.

Poor Max von Essen, plugged into CHICAGO as a replacement Billy Flynn......

Sutton Foster is as interesting as dirty dishwater.

With a reality ho!

[quote] Poor Max von Essen, plugged

Max von Essen got plugged by some of Broadway’s best.

[Quote] Adriana Hicks (whose name I had to look up, that’s how unmemorable she was) was a non-entity. And what’s SLIH without Sugar? I was too bored to cry. She just didn’t register.

They didn’t write her part. She was only a theory. They had no idea what to do with lead female character and any ideas for that they gave to Ghee

Yeah, I really wouldn't blame Adrianna Hicks. There was no role there.

SLIH was a misbegotten hot mess. Well, not even hot, more luke warm.

Ghee was terribly miscast in SOME LIKE IT HOT, and not only because of his height, although that was a major part of it. His actual performance was no more than adequate, because he doesn't have the comic chops for that kind of show. His Tony Award was undeserved. And now he seems to have an established career based on that Tony -- so much so that he got away with missing a LOT of performances of SLIH for whatever reasons, AND three performances of MATTRESS for a previous commitment, incredible as that may be.

Agreed, R228 and R229. I'm amazed SLIH lasted as long as it did, though according to rumor it was kept afloat by huge loans, for whatever reasons. If that's true, obviously somebody has to pay back all of that money.

“AND three performances of MATTRESS for a previous commitment”

Was it a wedding?

Zachary Quinto and Matt Bomer attended Carnegie Mellon University together.

Do you think they ever . . .?

[quote]Kevin del Aqua

Oh, DEAR.

I'm taking my young nieces to see Chicago next Sunday (they're fans of the woman from Vanderpump) and just tonight I noticed Max von Essen is playing Billy Flynn and I was glad.

But now I see that some here don't think that's a good fit for the part. Can anyone elaborate?

Ghee played Velma in Chicago at The Muny and I would not be surprised if Fran and Barry try and get him for the Broadway company.

The thought of seeing Max Von Essen's ass in a tight suit almost makes me want to see CHICAGO again.

Almost.

And it's very tight.

Punchbowl News reports that Mitch McConnell has once again caved to Trump:

"The Senate’s $118 billion bipartisan border security supplemental stunningly unraveled Monday less than 24 hours after it was released, with top Republicans reversing their previous positions and indicating they’ll block the measure from advancing for the time being.

This wave of opposition prompted McConnell to recommend to Republicans behind closed doors Monday night that they vote against cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill this week, according to multiple attendees — effectively halting the effort in its tracks and throwing new aid to Ukraine into serious jeopardy.

McConnell, according to attendees, said his view was that the problem isn’t the bill itself but that the political mood in the country has shifted since the Senate first began this effort four months ago."

R239 wrong thread, dear

Certainly is, my apologies.

[quote] But now I see that some here don't think that's a good fit for the part.

R235 You misunderstood or misread my comment at R224.

I didn't say he was a bad fit for the part. I was surprised he wasn't in a more prestigious role. Being in Chicago at this stage of the game seems like only a step or so above being in a tour company. It was actually a compliment to Max.....because I thought he'd be starring in something more tailored to him.

Max Von Essen’s ass hasn’t been tight for at least fifteen years.

R243 - Max Clayton, understudy for Mr Von Essen

Whatever happened to Max’s one time partner who went nuts and left social media for a time?

Are there nudes of Max?

[quote] Are there nudes of Max?

Cell phones weren’t invented at the time Max was a desirable bottom.

And Matthew Brady was not a theatre fan, R247.

Is it true Matthew Brady took Joan Collins’ first head shots?

And I wrote her first play.

Which Max are we talking about?

Mitch McConnell IS Sweeney Todd!

Elaine Cho IS Mrs. Lovett!

TJ, r251.

Elaine as the Beggar Woman is better casting.

^ r254 Stritch too!

^Joyce!

[quote]Wonder if Locke will be the big draw for this version rather than Tveit.

His presence didn't have an impact on the grosses this past week.

"Donald Trump’s expected massive loss to the New York Attorney General in his bank fraud case suddenly took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, when lies that his longtime company accountant apparently told on the stand potentially opened the door for an even more devastating multi-million dollar judgment that could destroy the Trump Organization.

In an email to the AG and Trump defense team on Monday, Justice Arthur F. Engoron asked for both sides to respond to the news that former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg is secretly negotiating a guilty plea with another law enforcement agency: the Manhattan District Attorney."

Are you under the influence, r258?

Sorry, I have to delete either Theatre Gossip or Treason Thread from my thread-watcher, I obviously can't distinguish between them at a glance.

R260, Cataracts can be a bitch.

[quote]And I wrote her first play.—Clyde Fitch

Like hell you did, bitch !

Does anyone know if Tyne Daly is back in Doubt yet?

Broadway will dim its lights for Chita on February 17th.

Link.

[quote] His presence didn't have an impact on the grosses this past week.

Well Sweeney went up $81K while the two leads are still played by understudies. Low average ticket price, but one of only four shows that had an attendance increase.

[quote]r164 So we’re supposed to believe that Sweeney doesn’t recognize who the Beggar Woman is? Did she get plastic surgery?

You may be underestimating how years of sleeping under a newspaper on the grimy streets of Victorian London, how being a crazy hag picking bones and rotten spuds out of alley ashcans, can weather one’s complexion.

[quote]R168 Maybe not a top level performer, but that's two more Broadway musicals than I have been in, and I suspect two more than you have been in.

I’m [italic]big boned!

Broadway is dimming the lights for Tyne Daly as well. She didn’t die…but it seemed like the right decision

Chits should get the lights dimmed for 2 minutes. One for each one of her Tonys.

[quote]r185 Paul Ford recounts in his book that he rehearsed all of the prospective Mrs. Lovetts for the film of Sweeney Todd… it was: lBernadette Peters, Toni Collette, Reese Witherspoon, Geena Davis and Cyndi Lauper.

[quote]R187 Why did they go though the sham of rehearsing "potential" Lovetts when he was going to cast his partner all along anyway. I heard she used her own clothes in the movie

Bonham Carter was just a pathetic choice. Mainly her “singing” (tho it might have been better than Reese Witherspoon??) Toni Colette was obviously the best option.

What does Mr. Ford say about the various candidates’ voices?

[quote] You may be underestimating how years of sleeping under a newspaper on the grimy streets of Victorian London, how being a crazy hag picking bones and rotten spuds out of alley ashcans, can weather one’s complexion.

I recently went to my 40th high school reunion. I neither had sex with nor had children with any of those people. I’m only Facebook friends with three of them, the rest I hadn’t seen in 40 years.I remembered the ones that I had daily classes with.

I’m not buying that part of the story.

[quote]I heard she used her own clothes in the movie

Well then, it was nice of her to donate this frock to the Hollywood Museum. Of course it's no Ruta Lee.

[quote]Elaine as the Beggar Woman is better casting.

Mitch as Sweeney's fifteenth customer seems about right to me.

I see his throat slit, r274, but I see no blood forthcoming.

We are thrilled to welcome Academy Award and two-time Tony nominee Amy Ryan to the company of DOUBT: A PARABLE, who begins performances next Tuesday, February 13. Until then, Tony nominee Isabel Keating will play the part of Sister Aloysius.

Tyne Daly was unexpectedly hospitalized on Friday and unfortunately needs to withdraw from the production while she receives medical care; she is thankfully expected to make a full recovery. “With respect and admiration for Tyne, we wish her the best and a quick recovery. We are grateful that Amy Ryan said yes – in a quick minute – to join our company and take on the role of ‘Sister Aloysius.’ We deeply appreciate Isabel Keating, who remarkably stepped in with a day of rehearsal and allowed us to get the production up on its feet during this first week of performances,” says director Scott Ellis.

It's Carol and Fade Out/Fade In all over again.

They should have kept Keating in the part. She'd sell as many tickets as Amy Ryan.

R278, Irene Ryan would have sold more tickets than Amy Ryan.

[quote]So we’re supposed to believe that Sweeney doesn’t recognize who the Beggar Woman is?

I can understand that, but I've always had trouble with the fact that neither the Judge nor the Beadle recognize Sweeney. Wheeler/Sondheim try to paste it over with Sweeney's comment that "the years no doubt have changed me; but then, the face of a barber, the face of a prisoner in the dock, is not particularly memorable" but it's not enough. Because Benjamin Barker [italic]wasn't[/italic] just the face of a prisoner. He was the man that the Judge actively conspired to condemn and transport for life, in order to steal his wife. Hell, the Judge is still raising his daughter. And now, on top of everything, "Sweeney Todd" is practicing the exact same profession in the exact same location as Benjamin Barker. That's a shit-ton more memorable than being just "a face in the dock".

I know, 'suspension of disbelief' and all that. But still, it irks me.

[quote]They should have kept Keating in the part. She'd sell as many tickets as Amy Ryan.

I wish Tyne a speedy recovery. She's really a very nice woman, an outstanding actress and a very easy person to deal with. I suspect MTC bungled this situation owing to adherence to the same fucked up mentality that holds them back artistically over and over again: Star fucking. MTC's obsession with getting as many "names" as they can most likely led them to draw up a list of ungettable big names, ALL of whom passed the unenviable opportunity to take over a complicated lead role in an extremely truncated period of time. What I imagine happen is that one of the agents for those big names also reps Amy Ryan and so she was suggested, she was game and the rest is history. My guess is the first call was to Cherry Jones and I guess she turned it down. So they had Isabel Keating already playing the role and to most tri state theater goers, Isabel is no less a draw than Amy Ryan. Both are wonderful actresses, and I assume the praise filled reports of Isabel's performance are accurate, why the hell not just give her the role. When you think of this role, first played by Cherry and then Meryl in the movie, do you think of Amy Ryan? Does MTC think anything of possibly insulting an excellent actress like Isabel who saved their ass in previews by bringing in Amy Ryan? I mean, if Meryl or Glenn or Cherry Jones had said yes then of course, she'd understand. WTF is wrong with them?

R281, I wonder if they contacted Meryl.

I GUARANTEE you they contacted Meryl.

Roundabout!

[quote]I know, 'suspension of disbelief' and all that. But still, it irks me.

It's a penny dreadful, r280, not a documentary.

[quote]Elaine as the Beggar Woman is better casting.

Elaine Joyce?

Thank you, r285. Was about to say the same thing.

[quote]I know, 'suspension of disbelief' and all that. But still, it irks me.

Perhaps, if you look deep within, you will find the strength to shoulder on.

[quote]So we’re supposed to believe that Sweeney doesn’t recognize who the Beggar Woman is? Did she get plastic surgery?

In staging any production of SWEENEY TODD, it's essential to make it clear that Sweeney never gets a good, close look at the Beggar Woman until that moment in the bake house, after he has killed her, when he realizes the truth.

No one looks at the homeless. That’s part of the point

It’s Megan Mullally and Lips Together, Teeth Apart all over again.

It's SushuGate all over again.

The great post @ R281 is sort of ruined by their inability to distinguish MTC from Roundabout.

With thanks to r293. Mea Culpa. Damn DL has no edit function. I had been bitching about MTC to a colleague on another matter and had them on the brain> but i do stand by everything I wrote and I was writing about Roundabout. Thanks for your patience :)

I wish Tyne a speedy recovery. She's really a very nice woman, an outstanding actress and a very easy person to deal with. I suspect Roundabout bungled this situation owing to adherence to the same fucked up mentality that holds them back artistically over and over again: Star fucking. Roundabout's obsession with getting as many "names" as they can most likely led them to draw up a list of ungettable big names, ALL of whom passed the unenviable opportunity to take over a complicated lead role in an extremely truncated period of time. What I imagine happen is that one of the agents for those big names also reps Amy Ryan and so she was suggested, she was game and the rest is history. My guess is the first call was to Cherry Jones and I guess she turned it down. So they had Isabel Keating already playing the role and to most tri state theater goers, Isabel is no less a draw than Amy Ryan. Both are wonderful actresses, and I assume the praise filled reports of Isabel's performance are accurate, why the hell not just give her the role. When you think of this role, first played by Cherry and then Meryl in the movie, do you think of Amy Ryan? Does Roundabout think anything of possibly insulting an excellent actress like Isabel who saved their ass in previews by bringing in Amy Ryan? I mean, if Meryl or Glenn or Cherry Jones had said yes then of course, she'd understand. WTF is wrong with them?

R293 you’re a day late and a dollar short….

R284

Those questioning the plot points in SWEENEY TODD have clearly never read a novel by Charles Dickens or Anthony Trollope. Or Wilkie Collins or Thomas Hardy.

r294 no one asked you to repeat the whole damn thing

Where will you boys be when they dim the lights for Chita?

46th Street /Richard Rodgers or the Broadhearst or...

^I know I spelled it wrong.

[quote]Where will you boys be when they dim the lights for Chita?

The Shubert in San Francisco.

R300, that was a stupid lie and easy to expose.

r301 is too short for that gesture.

Oops.

[quote]No one looks at the homeless. That’s part of the point

I know, and I was going to make that point in my post, but I thought it so obvious that it wasn't necessary.

I've been railing against the Roundabout/Todd Haimes and their star-fucking ways for decades. There was a period when they were doing one horrendous show after another with at least one big name star in the cast. One got the impression that they didn't care if the star fit the role, if the rest of the cast worked well with the star, if the director was incompetent, etc., AS LONG AS THEY HAD BIG STAR WATTAGE IN THE CAST. That's why, if you look back at their history, there were a lot of shows with name stars that got terrible reviews. Things got so bad at one point that I remember a friend of mine canceling his subscription in disgust.

I would so much prefer seeing Isabel Keating onstage than Amy Ryan, in just about anything. Ryan is dull. dull, dull.

Todd is dead. I blame this all on Liev Schreiber.

Well, Santino Fontana had to leave the cast of "A View From the Bridge" when he was injured in a fight scene with Liev. Just sayin'

Amy Ryan as Sister Aloysius screams of "Well, let's just give our Rolodex a spin and see where it stops."

Chita was one of the most talented performers ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her life. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in Hollywood. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her struggles and she theirs.

I'd never heard of Amy Ryan until a couple of months ago when I watched The Office on Peacock.

While she seems a little goofy on that show, she has the angular features that could be an asset in playing Sister Aloysius.

A real coup would have been had they cast Sharon Gless.

[quote]I'd never heard of Amy Ryan until a couple of months ago when I watched The Office on Peacock.

She was Stella to Natasha's Blanche

Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper *is* Sister Aloysius.

Lord, Sister James! You remind me of my simpleton daughter in law Naomi.

Iola, what the hell are you doing?

I guess I had heard of her then, because I saw that Streetcar; I left at intermission because I could not abide a production where Blanche was stronger than Stanley.

Santino Fontana was fired from that View From the Bridge when the director Gregory Mosher overheard him bad-mouthing him to leading lady ScarJo. He was replaced by DL fave Morgan Spector of The Gilded Age. Considering there are all those lines about the character being blonde and girlie, they couldn't have done worse casting with both actors.

r305 what didn’t they cast you in?

I saw a very early preview of that VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, and Fontana was terrific and quite convincing as Rodolpho. It's hard to picture the spectacularly hunky Spector in it, especially as a blond, but Fontana made it work.

Elaine from Seinfeld.

Amy Ryan was a last minute replacement for the debut of HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS off Broadway in 1997. She had something like 3 days to prepare and got a rave in the Times. I don’t know who the original actress was.

They should have called in Stockard Channing. It’s theater, so her face wouldn’t be as distracting as it was on Julia.

[quote]r272 I’m not buying that part of the story...

She's a wicked one, she'll deceive you. With her fancy gowns. And her fancy airs. And her— Mischief!

[quote]She was Stella to Natasha's Blanche

R312 and John C. Reilly's Stanley.

I admire her. She completely transformed herself for Gone Baby Gone. Most actors can’t do that.

The extraordinarily humble Jason Robert Brown’s new show seems to have landed with a critical thud. Perhaps his wife can berate everyone, a la Jay-Z?

Why the Amy Ryan hate? Admittedly, I've never seen her on stage, but she usually delivers on film and TV.

Tony winner Scarlett Johansson was brilliant opposite Liev in that very rough and tumble A View From The Bridge; as much as everyone hates Hollywood stars she probably should have gotten a second Tony for her Maggie in Cat/Roof, too, in a much weaker production.

I watched an excellent quality boot of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and was surprised that ScarJo received absolutely no entrance applause.

LaPaglia, Janney and Murphy were much better.

Incidentally, anyone remember how irate many Broadway actors were after the 2010 Tonys, when ScarJo, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Denzel Washington all won that night and Green Day performed?

Sutton Foster's brother, Hunter, spearheaded this so-called movement:

[quote]Broadway star Hunter Foster (Million Dollar Quartet) has created a New Group on Facebook - 'GIVE THE TONYS BACK TO BROADWAY!!'. The group's mission is "A group for all actors, directors, writers and fans who want to see the Tony awards given back to who it belongs to: US!! No more movie stars invading Radio City, no more rock bands playing more than one song; we want Broadway stars as presenters and Broadway people performing. And if that means leaving CBS for Bravo or Lifetime or TNT, then so be it! We've had enough!"

A big fat pan in the Times for JRB's newest.

R329 - that's hilarious. I never heard about that at the time. Also, those are three dumb ones for Sutton's brother to be picking on. Denzel has come back to the theatre many times over his career, is box office gold and a good stage actor, ScarJo did a fine job that season and CZJ of course got her start in the theatre in the UK.

R327 , is entrance applause what matters for your “excellent quality boot”? Just asking; I saw it live in the theater and loved Scarlett and Ben, myself. You, “on boot”?

[quote]Why the Amy Ryan hate? Admittedly, I've never seen her on stage, but she usually delivers on film and TV.

No Amy Ryan hate, she's an excellent actress. The point is that Amy isn't a name that has impact at on a Broadway box office any more than Isabel Keating. Maybe the poster who suggested Schreiber is behind it is right. If he was unhappy, they'd do what they could to address that. But no hate for Amy, very talented woman. just a ? about why not go with Isabel

Leave it to pathetic cunts like R332 to stink up a DL thread so early in the day.

Sarah Lancashire *is* Mame. If they’re ever going to do a revival, they need to do it now with Sarah, while Americans still remember her from Julia.

I would think Sarah is best known from Happy Valley, not Julia. But, regardless, I don't think Mame is EVER getting revived beyond short-run programs like Encores.

R336 it really is 2024 theatre’s worst nightmare

1) Asian stereotypes

2) glorification of the south and southern tradition

3) antisemitism

Its as if Christopher Guest did another of his movies and this was the plot they came up with

Sarah Porkalob *is* matinee Ito.

[quote]Santino Fontana was fired from that View From the Bridge when the director Gregory Mosher overheard him bad-mouthing him to leading lady ScarJo. He was replaced by DL fave Morgan Spector of The Gilded Age. Considering there are all those lines about the character being blonde and girlie, they couldn't have done worse casting with both actors.

Are you saying Santino WASN'T injured? I think it's well documented that he was. But of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that's the reason why he left the production.

Morgan Spector didn't come across as especially hunky in the show. He seemed miscast to me, but I don't know why he would be any more or less believable as a blond than Santino, who of course has very dark hair.

[quote]Tony winner Scarlett Johansson was brilliant opposite Liev in that very rough and tumble A View From The Bridge; as much as everyone hates Hollywood stars she probably should have gotten a second Tony for her Maggie in Cat/Roof, too, in a much weaker production.

Really? I thought she was very good in BRIDGE but very bad in CAT, no doubt done in by a terrible director.

Also, R337, the script of MAME (based, of course, on AUNTIE MAME) tries to mine hilarious humor out of the fact that a young, single woman becomes pregnant against her will and then is abandoned by the man who fathered the child.

Yes, r339, I'm saying Santino was fired from VIEW. Heard about it from someone who worked on the production.

I'm spoiled. When I was a teenager I saw the glorious off-Broadway production of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the downtown Circle-In-the-Square in which a young pre-MIDNIGHT COWBOY Jon Voight played a naturally blonde Rodolpho and embodied everything that character was written to be: young and gangly, impetuous, exuberant, playful and comfortable enough with his less than macho demeanor to be a threat to the brilliant Richard Castellano as the troubled Eddie Carbone.

Neither of the 2 Broadway revivals came close to the memory of that production.

[Quote] a young, single woman becomes pregnant against her will

“Would I recommend you? And howewww!” Not in the [italic] slightest [/italic] against her will. Relax, Gloria.

OK does any of you know what actually went down with Charlotte St. M? Or even good rumors?

[quote]Yes, [R339], I'm saying Santino was fired from VIEW. Heard about it from someone who worked on the production.

Well, he has recounted in detail how he sustained a concussion during a fight scene, and I very much doubt he was being untruthful about that. So maybe what you heard was not accurate, or maybe both things are true, and Santino did sustain an injury but was fired not because of that but for the reason you stated.

[quote]2) glorification of the south and southern tradition

R337 Really? I've always thought that MAME was satirizing the South.

Then again, satire seems to be a lost art these days.

[quote] Then again, satire seems to be a lost art these days.

Certainly the wit and intelligence to recognize it and appreciate it is a lost art these days.

I saw AIDA on tour and Mickey Dolenz was playing Radames' father.

I was the only one who applauded when he came on......

[quote]Certainly the wit and intelligence to recognize it and appreciate it is a lost art these days.

Fran Lebowitz correctly observed that not only did AIDS take some of our best and brightest creators, it also claimed our best audience. Hard to imagine Broadway would have turned into a juke box musical/straw hat mentality revival house if AIDS hadn't decimated the creative community and the audience that supported it

[quote] is entrance applause what matters for your “excellent quality boot”? Just asking; I saw it live in the theater and loved Scarlett and Ben, myself. You, “on boot”?

This may be the dumbest, most unnecessary response to a post I've ever read.

r350 congratulations you just beat r332 at your own game

[quote] [R350] congratulations you just beat [R332] at your own game

You're just angry because I didn't get a look at the number of inane, cunty posts you've written. And man, there are a LOT.

Fine, I take the award back and give it to you.

Kay McClelland was just on Ben Rimalower’s Into the Woods podcast and she said toward the end of the run, she finally assumed the role of the Wife, BUT one of the creatives wrote her notes about how dissatisfied and disappointed they were in her performance but because the show was closing soon, she would stay in the role.

She wouldn’t say who it was.

Of course the whole thing sounds like something Sondheim would have done. Am I right by guessing him?

That sounds more like Lapine. Sondheim was very old school about supporting actors.

Kay McClelland was a carbon copy of Joanna Gleason. Now that's not a bad thing but maybe someone wanted her to bring something new to the role. After ITW she stood by for Joanna in Nick and Nora.

[quote] maybe someone wanted her to bring something new to the role.

If so, that would be a rarity, considering they usually want the replacement to follow very closely what the original cast member did.

Will that be true of this SWEENEY??

R355, if you listen to the podcast, she says that she felt it was her job to follow Gleason’s performance. Also, she went right from Into the Woods into City of Angels. She stood by for both Gleason and Baranski. Nick and Nora’s brief run was near the end of City of Angel’s.

[quote]“Would I recommend you? And howewww!” Not in the slightest against her will.

Sorry, but I really don't take that lyric to mean that Gooch is perfectly fine with being an unwed mother. Aside from everything else, please remember that MAME is set at a time when there was a terrible stigma about such things. In fact, the big joke at the end of the show was changed from the play AUNTIE MAME so that, instead of Mame saying that she bought the upstate property next to the Upsons to found a home for Jewish refugees, she says she bought it to found a home for unwed mothers -- news that shocks the Upsons so badly that they immediately leave Mame's apartment in a huff.

Will Foster and Tveit be reviewed by the Times, etc.?

Why wouldn't they be, r360?

Because there are 4,536 new shows about to open and the critics will be tired. But they probably will because it's Sondheim and they will probably find a way to mention Lin Manuel Miranda. Because.

[quote]Nick and Nora’s brief run was near the end of City of Angel’s.

Oh, dear.

R354 except when he ripped Patti LuPone to shreds during Passion, Patti LuPone during Sweeney Todd and Patti LuPone during the 2011 New York Phil Company.

Maybe it was just Patti LuPone?

[quote]except when he ripped Patti LuPone to shreds during Passion, Patti LuPone during Sweeney Todd and Patti LuPone during the 2011 New York Phil Company.

And telling her that outside of Broadway, she was a nobody.

R365 he did that during a joint interview with her to promote the recent COMPANY revival, like two years before his death. Very recent.

I had second-hand embarrassment for her.

What was the basis for Mr. Sondheim getting so bent out of shape about LuPone? Because she wouldn’t kowtow to him?

She was very appreciative of him. It’s hard to believe she wouldn’t do anything to please him.

Pffft.

The delicacy and insight the song requires:

oh jebus. and it seems to never end!

Did someone say Sondheim?

Did someone mention my chum?

And in the novel AUNTIE MAME, Gooch is something of a horny slut who practically rapes Patrick in the back of a taxi.

Isn't she his nanny?

No. She was Mame's secretary.

All three of Eleri Ward’s Sondheim albums are very lovely.

" Chicago" breaks records.

Broadway is dead

R379. But I just got here!

The Broadway run for "My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?)" has been cancelled, but what can you do?

Agnes Gooch doesn't appear in AUNTIE MAME until well into Act I, maybe even Act II. It wasn't until the musical MAME combined the characters of Gooch with Irish Nanny Norah (from the play) that Gooch had that early scene and song about St. Bridget. Hell, it saved a whole salary and the cost of a couple of costumes.

I have no idea about the novel.

Where are you reading this r381? I can't find it anywhere...

oof

Boy George is 62 years old and jumping into MR must feel like being shot out of a cannon. Give him another week and he'll be terrific.

[quote]No. She was Mame's secretary.

Actually, r376, she was her...sponge.

[quote] The Broadway run for "My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?)" has been cancelled, but what can you do?

You'd better spill.

They are still selling tickets for it on Telecharge, but I clicked on several dates and there are a TON of unsold seats. And the only seats sold are mezz and balcony.

It's like going to a Janet Jackson concert.

You should read the novel, r382. It's far more sophisticated and satirical than the play or the film.

Yikes! Wtf are they all screeching about in that horrendous Boy George clip at r384??

People pay money for this crap? Dick and Oscar are rolling over in their graves with Cole, Jerome and Irving.

It's absolutely killing that dear Aurora already disabled comments on this MUSIC MAN video. I guess he can't handle Sutton Foster hate.

Preview of the Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert that will be shown in UK/Ireland cinemas next week and will air on PBS in May.

Also this month, a remastered LES MISERABLES is being re-released in theaters in the US/Canada/UK/Ireland/Australia/New Zealand.

And Aaron starts SWEENEY TODD tomorrow. He's going to have a hell of a banner month!

The My Son's a Queer rumours are from talk on social media that the crew were told to stop work on the load-in and that it's been delayed until fall. Some people then went to the Lyceum box office and it was closed when it was meant to be open, which is being seen as confirmation.

That’s incredibly sad for Rob Madge if it turns out to be true.

But also: what did the producers expect? Despite what one might think about the show itself, he’s barely a known commodity in the UK. I have do idea why they thought enough American audiences would pay Broadway prices to sustain a run of several months.

R392 - God, that R&H sound never fails to give me chills. A.T. sounds a bit strained on those high notes, no? And here I was worried about his low notes for Sweeney.

For those, like me, who were unaware of the concert....

They are selling tickets on line as of 2 minutes ago…

Oy—another PBS pledge drive Broadway special. I’ve had sufficient.

Lots of plummy tones on the R&H material.

Nobody these days can sing R&H.

All the drama schools have produced bland actors who don’t know how to play the supporting characters and the actors who play the lead characters are too self-focused.

Who was the last person who could handle R&H material?

The singing in that Music Man clip is HORRENDOUS. She did that for a YEAR?? God help Sweeney Todd. She needs to retire. She sucks.

Ah, the pathological Sutton hater has arrived!

From the language in the description of that YouTube post from THE MUSIC MAN, "Aurora Spiderwoman" would seem to be a fan of Sutton Foster. Which is odd, because her singing of that song in that clip is indeed quite horrendous -- because she had no business being cast in that role to begin with. If Aurora wanted to do something positive for her, it would have been far wiser to post a clip from ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.

R401, one doesn't need to be a "pathological Sutton hater" in order to criticize her performances in certain roles for which she is wildly unsuited.

[quote] That’s incredibly sad for Rob Madge if it turns out to be true.

Yeah, cry me a river.

I've seen the self proclaimed QUEEN twice on the reality show Below Deck. She and her family are pigs. Low life trash. The husband is revolting. They must be backing this financially.

Cancelled/delayed....

That thing will never come back to Broadway. Postponing it a year won't help sell any more tickets.

[quote]God, that R&H sound never fails to give me chills. A.T. sounds a bit strained on those high notes, no?

Who the hell is A.T.?

[quote]That thing will never come back to Broadway. Postponing it a year won't help sell any more tickets.

But what can you do?

Seriously, who is the audience for that?

Audrey Totter, R407.

Okay, so which one of you lives in Wisconsin?

[quote]Who the hell is A.T.?

Are you following the thread *at all*, r407?

Wow, Sutton Foster really was horrible in MM. Here she sings Til There Was You, which is one of the most surefire songs in theater history. I would have a hard time saying one single good thing about anything she does with it.

Jeez, Julian Ovenden got grey. Still handsome, though.

when has Aurora [italic] ever [/italic] turned off comments before?

He deleted any critical comments about Issac Cole Powell's overacting in the West Side Story clip

What has kept Julian Ovenden from being a bigger star? On stage, film or TV?

R414 Julian Ovenden is only 47 years old, so the gray is just premature. Yes, he's still handsome. I had the privilege of seeing him nude on stage - a moment I'll never forget or regret.

Julian Ovenden was the hottest George ever when he did SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. I wonder if withdrawing from DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY hurt his career.

Yowza! Hot?? I think Ovenden looks like a woman in drag as George in your clip, r419. Horrible wig and facial hair.

The hottest George will probably always be Jake.

Has anyone seen Oh Mary? Cole Escola’s play? A review mentioned a gay sex scene with Conrad Ricamora. Is it worth it? Haha

Escola sounds "obnoxious, grating, a nuisance." His own words! Sorry, THEIR own words.

R419. Didn't he lose his voice during a performance of Death and never returned so the show opened with his understudy.

Will Hugh be there tonight for Sutton’s debut as Mrs. Lovett?

[quote]Will Hugh be there tonight for Sutton’s debut as Mrs. Lovett?

Right along with Hunter and Christian.

R424, I’ve seen a boot of the performance where he left the show after the first 15-20 minutes, there was a pause and his understudy, Kevin Earley, finished the show.

R427. That's right! I saw that bootleg ages ago. The swap was seamless. Julian exited and a few moments later there was an announcement that Kevin would be taking over as he walked up on the stage from the back of the house without missing a beat.

[quote]R414] Julian Ovenden is only 47 years old, so the gray is just premature.

Most people start going gray in their late thirties or early forties.

By late forties, it's not premature.

He's just not coloring his hair like most actors his age or younger.

The man can sing.

[quote]Will Hugh be there tonight for Sutton’s debut as Mrs. Lovett?

[quote]Right along with Hunter and Christian.

What about former boyfriend, Bobby Cannavale, and his son, Jake, who were her dates when she won her second Tony for ANYTHING GOES and who she thanked in her speech?

Ovenden has the best male voice on either side of the Atlantic.

So why isn't Julian a bigger star? Is he really considered a big star in the UK?

Isn't he short?

Julian in NY

The Sutton hate here is officially pathological. She sounds fantastic in both those clips. Someone in their mother's basement needs to take their meds.

Us theatre queens have Barbara Cook's renditions of Marian's song indelibly etched into our brains, of course Sutton sounds terrible in comparison.

And I usually like Sutton!

R437, she just sounds terrible, period. Aside from Cook, you could also put Rebecca Luker into the conversation of dream Marions.

[quote]Isn't he short?

Well, as an actor, there are certain gestures Julian Ovenden just can't do.

[quote]419 Julian Ovenden was the hottest George ever when he did SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

[quote]421 The hottest George will probably always be Jake.

They’re no Betty - -

[quote]Didn't he lose his voice during a performance of Death and never returned so the show opened with his understudy.

I once spoke to someone who was in the cast of DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY and they basically said, though not in so many words, that Ovenden was very neurotic about his voice -- that he would be vocalizing before a performance and sounding glorious, but if he felt his voice was only at 90 percent instead of 100 percent, he wouldn't go on.

Didn’t Rebecca Luger get booted to the Canadian production of SHOW BOAT because she was banging Marc Jacoby. Mrs. Jacoby wasn’t happy and was making very serious problems?

Luker?

[quote]Didn’t Rebecca Luger get booted to the Canadian production of SHOW BOAT because she was banging Marc Jacoby.

Her punishment was to be banished to Canada? 😂

Not to add another misspelling of Becca’s name (and she was a truly sweet lady that died tragically and far too early), but she got around; back in the mid-1990s Rebecca’s nickname was “Filthy Lucre” (she was a “pageant girl” from Alabama, after all).

Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham playing husband and wife in new Stephen Schwartz musical.

[quote] Based on Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning 2012 documentary about socialite and TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel, The Queen of Versailles concerns her family’s quest to build a $100 million mansion outside of Orlando styled after the Palace of Versailles.

I'm surprised Cheno would play such a despicable character. I thought she was horrifying in that documentary...

[quote] I'm surprised Cheno would play such a despicable character.

A girl’s gotta eat. And how many Broadway roles is Cheno being offered these days Other than a couple of concerts, she hasn’t done Broadway since 2015.

You can count on a musical version to soften the Cheno character.

I’m sorry but this will flop. Nobody wants to see her with F Murray Abraham.

Rave reviews for "Oh, Mary!" Here's Adam Feldman's 5-star review in Time Out NY. I can't wait to see it at the end of the month.

With Kevin McCollum producing, what are they chances this moves uptown? Is it too niche for that? Has a Lincoln play ever played the Booth?

[quote] but if he felt his voice was only at 90 percent instead of 100 percent, he wouldn't go on.

Seems more than sufficient to me.

R452. I concur.

Actually it was Mark Jacoby who was banished to the Chicago company and Rebecca remained in NYC.

I never miss an F. Murray Abraham musical.

True that the advances for Tveit and Foster are weak?

So curious to hear reports from today's Sweeney!

R456, i am going to New York in early March and checked out of morbid curiosity. Not a difficult ticket, and the prices weren’t crazy. Most shows I looked at are not selling that well, but still are priced in the $300 zone for orchestra or front mezzanine.

What actress would turn down the lead in a new Broadway musical by the guy who wrote Wicked?

The answer is no one.

So r455, you liked Triumph of Love?

He won an Oscar in a musical!

Adam Feldman is a nice guy but he has zero taste. In his reviews, if any piece is shrilly camp or OTT gay, he loves it. Every. Single. Time. And don’t get me started on his awful cabaret “performances “…

I didn't find "Oh, Mary" as funny as everyone else in the audience. Yes, parts are hilarious and no doubt the actors are talented. But the "everyone is gay" trope is getting old (and yes, I know I'm in the DL here where EVERY celebrity is rumored to be gay) but it's a tad predictable at this point. Also, I read somewhere that Cole became a "them" only last year, and wondering if he did it to avoid backlash that he was dressing up as a woman in this show.

What backlash could be expected? It’s called acting.

R464, if you can't imagine what sort of (ridiculous) backlash might be expected, you must be living in a cave with no internet service.

I can’t. Please explain the expected backlash for a “man” dressed as a “woman” on a New York stage. Was there such a backlash the previous 10,000+ times it has been done?

He's not "dressing as a woman," he's playing a woman. There's a difference.

Point taken. My question still stands: Was there such a backlash the previous 10,000+ times it has been done?

[quote]Please explain the expected backlash for a “man” dressed as a “woman” on a New York stage. Was there such a backlash the previous 10,000+ times it has been done?

No, there wasn't, but unfortunately, things are very different now. Not to say a backlash to this show is guaranteed, and I hope it doesn't happen, but it's certainly possible, ridiculous as that may seem to any rational person.

[quote]R454 Actually it was Mark Jacoby who was banished to the Chicago company and Rebecca remained in NYC.

The LOVE!

Who knew Mary Todd? Seriously R469 you ARE sounding ridiculous.

[quote]Who knew Mary Todd?

In the minds of those who WOULD object to Cole Escola playing a woman -- specifically, Mary Todd Lincoln -- in this show, whether or not anyone "knew her" has absolutely nothing to do with it. And if you care to take the time to check, I was not the first person here to suggest that some people might object to this show on those grounds.

Rebecca Luker was a worthy successor to Barbara Cook. Sutton Foster has been fun in a lot of fun in some shows, including Once Upon a Mattress, but The Music Man score was WAY beyond her abilities.

[quote]Sutton Foster has been fun in a lot of fun in some shows, including Once Upon a Mattress, but The Music Man score was WAY beyond her abilities.

Agreed, because her voice was all wrong for that role in terms of both range and quality. Blame Scott Rudin for that bizarre star-fucker casting.

I didn't really appreciate Rebecca Luker until she was (tragically) done with performing. I listen to her now on all sorts of recordings, many concert collections and those albums of old shows in which she's one of the singers. Her gorgeous voice is always a stand out.

The perfect purity of her voice in The Secret Garden is so striking.

^^ Luker's role is the one Sharon Scruggs from a few threads ago originated in the pre Broadway production at Virginia Stage Company (1989)

…who WOULD object to Cole Escola playing a woman?

You still haven’t answered the questions.

*

I look at Cole Escola like I do Kiki and Herb or the comedy troupe The State. I just don't find anything about them funny or clever.

It all comes back to Sharon Scruggs.

This is cute. At the [bold]49:26 mark [/bold]fellow-Christine Sierra Boggess is amazed at how slow Luker can handle the tempo

[quote]…who WOULD object to Cole Escola playing a woman? You still haven’t answered the questions.

Why don't we just wait and see if it happens? If it does, then your question will be answered. If not, and I hope not, then it's a moot point.

Cheno has been offered all sorts of musicals since 2015, given interviews that she was doing them, talked about what she wanted to do....And then backed out. (Death Becomes Her...). She must believe in this one to finally commit.

[quote] She must believe in this one to finally commit.

She wants to be known as the chief interpreter of Schwartz.

Like Bernadette was considered the chief interpreter of Sondheim and LuPone thought she should be.

Saw the new Ivo van Hove Jesus Christ Superstar in Amsterdam tonight.

It’s like he saw the Jamie Lloyd Sunset Boulevard and decided to show that young whippersnapper how to properly deconstruct a Lloyd Webber musical.

Thrilling, terrifying and more coherent than any other production of JCS I’ve ever seen.

[quote]Thrilling, terrifying and more coherent than any other production of JCS I’ve ever seen.

It was the freewheeling patio number, wasn't it?

A truly bad title. I thought it was about the French Royal Family.

R486 I love Von Hove.

R488 to what are you referring?

Prayer to the French Republic is the logical guess.

Cheno “accepted” The Queen of Versailles because it’s her project. She fell in love with the property and took it to Schwartz and convinced him to write it.

[quote] What actress would turn down the lead in a new Broadway musical by the guy who wrote Wicked?

Hugh Jackman did, when he pulled out of the Barnum musical that Stephen Schwartz was writing for Broadway.

I've never seen, or, more to the point, heard a modern production of Jesus Christ Superstar that comes within a mile of the original Broadway cast recording or the film soundtrack. The score is such a product of its time. That 70s rock and rock opera sound is part of what makes the score so dazzling when its played well. But, productions I saw in the 90s and 2000s because the musicians and the music directors just weren't up to that task and the score sounded anemic and soulless in comparison to those recordings. You'd really need to hire incredibly talented session musicians and an md and producers and engineers who know how to reawaken the fidelity and special quality of that 70s rock sound. Plus, of course, we don't make vocalists like those casts these days.

To a lesser extent, I feel the same way about Company. The SOUND of that Sondheim score is so late 60s / early 70s. It's almost Sondheim's Bacharach sound and subsequent productions (with, perhaps, the exception of Pauly G's expert music direction of the NY Phil concert) really take all the color and flavor out of the musical score. That early 70s "sound" is another reason I don't think setting the production in a later decade works. Sure, you can change a lyrical reference here or there, but the score still SOUNDS so of its time.

Sorry, that should have read

[quote]But, productions I saw in the 90s and 2000s never worked for me because the musicians and the music directors just weren't up to that task and the score sounded anemic and soulless in comparison to those recordings.

Sutton and Tveit first bows.

I just don't get those Sweeney costumes.....why does everything look so spanking clean and freshly laundered?

Holy shit! Sutton's Worst Pies in London is the worst I've ever heard.

[quote]To a lesser extent, I feel the same way about Company. The SOUND of that Sondheim score is so late 60s / early 70s.

I love at the end of “Ladies Who Lunch” when Stritch is screeching “Rise…rise…rise” how the horns are playing “ba da da da da”. To me, that invokes the 1970s.

R498, She sounds like Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker.

[quote] Holy shit! Sutton's Worst Pies in London is the worst I've ever heard.

(Said in the same voice Merman used when she heard Bacall’s singing): Jesus!

That clip above of Rebecca Luker singing All the Things You Are is so, so lovely, I am glad that I got to see her in Showboat back in the day.

[quote] [R498], She sounds like Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker.

She sounds like a high school kid trying to copy Angela Lansbury.

She sounds like a community service lady way over her head.

I'm a longtime fan, but between MUSIC MAN and this, I'm losing faith fast. Sad.

r493

Houdini, not Barnum.

I like Sutton’s Worst Pies. She’s getting all the laughs. Nothing wrong with it at all,

[quote]Cheno has been offered all sorts of musicals since 2015, given interviews that she was doing them, talked about what she wanted to do....And then backed out. (Death Becomes Her...). She must believe in this one to finally commit.

Years ago, one of the people who worked with her told me that she hates to say no to anything, so she winds up saying yes to everything but then backing out of a lot.

I'm so excited about seeing Moulin Rouge I could just......well, I could just tie a Scandinavian hustler to a radiator and whip him with chains!

Aaron doesn't do much better. His voice is way too light.

R509, He sounded great.

Was that Sutton or was someone strangling a cat. Of course the audience loved it.

Holy fuck. How does the star-making Tony winning sensation from Thoroughly modern Millie turn into….that?

It's called miscasting, r512. Sutton needs material that works towards her strengths.

Sondheim would have heartily approved Aaron’s casting.

And...

Why in the hell didn't they lower Worst Pies so the song would actually sit in her tessitura?

Scram, Tessie!

That ‘worst pies in london’ is the worst.

Her voice sounds unsteady.

I happen to think Johnny Depp sounded good in the movie? Am I crazy?

Oh, dear. Comment about Worst Pies in London clip:

[quote]Do I dare ask how By the Sea was? Did they rewrite it and cut the whole seagull bit out since she's opting to use the seagull voice for the full performance?

[quote]Sondheim would have heartily approved Aaron’s casting.

Does Aaron like hanging in a closet by a leather strap?

A jockstrap?

Re the backlash situation, there were many articles stating the opinion that men in drag are harmful to the trans community. But I think a “them” might get a pass from such activists.

[quote] I like Sutton’s Worst Pies. She’s getting all the laughs. Nothing wrong with it at all,

But she's not getting any of the laughs on the lines. The lines are going by and she's getting laughs in between them, no doubt from some awful schtick she's doing (which I'm Ashford did, as well.)

I am a Sutton fan, but that recording was painful to listen to. I'd have asked for my money back.

Whew that Sweeney stuff is rough going. Sutton particularly sounds dreadful and yes she’s getting zero laughs out of one of Sondheim’s funniest songs.

Wow. Those Sweeney clips are so much worse than I imagined. Glad I got to hear Groban sing the role exquisitely.

Aaron’s Epiphany sounds wonderful.

[quote]Sutton's Worst Pies in London is the worst I've ever heard.

How meta!

Aaron signing at the stage door!

I thought Aaron sounded marginally better than Sutton. But what was with that “bwah-ha-ha” evil laugh that he added towards the end?

Video snippet of "Worst Pies in London."

Actually, it's from It's Priest.

R532 You're correct. Sorry. I guess I was still thinking about the discussion above. 😂

The reaction on social media is decidedly mixed - and once you consider that the audience was packed with fangirls of either Tveit or Foster, that's not a good sign. A lot of fangirls are now suddenly of the opinion that first performances shouldn't be judged.

My favourite comments were that Tveit needs to pick an accent - he switches from attempting something like cockney to just his normal accent, and then the same thing when singing - sometimes singing in an accent, sometimes not.

Foster may be doing the staged break thing again on the "with or without his privates?" line. Looking directly out into the audience and making it look like she's trying not to laugh.

Oh and it was asked whether they'd create their own interpretations or mirror what went before - they're basically playing it the same way as DeLaney Westfall and Nicholas Christopher.

R534 Sutton is mirroring what we saw before. It just happens to be Carol Burnett’s Tarzan yell throughout all musical numbers.

r509 "...and I'll never see my gurrrl again"

Sutton and Aaron would be right at home in an NYU student production but this is Broadway and audiences deserve better. How embarrassing.

R523 you’re going to have to do better than one column by someone no one’s ever heard of on a site no one reads. That’s hardly a backlash. My larger point remains: there is no groundswell against, or general disagreement with, men playing women on Broadway—it’s deeply ingrained in the stage tradition. It’s not really an issue at all.

[quote]A girl’s gotta eat.

This is Cheno you're talking about. Are you sure?

[quote]This is Cheno you're talking about. Are you sure?

A girl’s gotta buy coffee and cigarettes.

Much better

Oh Jesus, ladies. Calm down. "I want my money back"? Well, given the insane hyperbole, you're either living in your mothers' basement in Hackensack or you're a freshman MT student in Denver, I don't think we need to be worrying about that...

R494 is 100% correct, but this issue really extends to most Broadway productions, not just the big seventies musicals. The musicians and singers to make the scores sound like they did don’t exist any more. The actual music making has become one of the least important things on Broadway now. You need look no further than the current casting of Sweeney Todd to understand that.

Broadway audiences will love Tveit and Foster for the same reason that every show gets a standing ovation: they paid outrageous prices to see the show, so they convince themselves that it was worth it by singing the praises of the leads and standing at the end and cheering as if Oprah had just told them they were getting a car. Even the crappiest show gets a standing O.

Are the crowds at the stage door as large as those for Groban?

Sadly, there is a lot of truth to what R544 wrote. But another part of the equation is that a large percentage of audience members today honestly think what they're hearing and seeing is great even when it's actually bad, because they don't know -- and don't WANT to know -- what it's supposed to sound and look like.

Damn, I can understand Tveit and Foster having fans but those clips are completely indefensible. Instead of roasting posters for pointing it out, on DL we should be having a good laugh about them.

One thing I think is certain: The show will close when these two finish their run.

That's more than a little condescending, r546.

[quote]The show will close when these two finish their run

That's seemingly been confirmed by Jeanna de Waal

r545 Judge for yourself. Looks hellish.

R548, is a comment "condescending" if it's true?

It’s not condescending in the slightest R548 when you listen to the absurd audience response to the vocal garbage and damage spewing from Sutton Foster’s mouth.

Don’t hold back!

Well, she's no Sutton Foster

This must be some kind of a record. Sutton Foster garners raves for Once Upon a Mattress and less than two weeks later performs Sweeney Todd as if she's doing dinner theater.

She was mis-casted!

Next up for Sutton:

Desiree in A Little Night Music

Mabel in Mack & Mabel

Francine Shepherd in Merrily We Roll Along

Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard

That should take her through the end of 2025. No doubt she will be competing against herself at the 2026 Tony Awards.

Sutton Foster IS Aida!

R557, how could you forget:

Cassie in A Chorus Line Rose in Gypsy Mame Velma or Roxie (and that would work)

[quote] Velma or Roxie

Velma AND Roxie. At the same time

This is kind of frightening. I've heard from more than one source Tyne Daly is on suicide watch. She was having enormous trouble with remembering her lines, is severely depressed and was found to be hoarding pills. In her fucking purse. Therefore the news blackout on her "hospitalization".

Tyne ain’t been right since she divorced her husband. Getting that black dick kept her in a state of nirvana.

I hope that's not true about Tyne but, if it is, Amy Ryan may have been approached about taking over earlier than last weekend.

Why should Tyne be suicidal?

Why shouldn't she, r564? Severe depression can happen to anybody for various reasons.

[quote]I've never seen, or, more to the point, heard a modern production of Jesus Christ Superstar that comes within a mile of the original Broadway cast recording or the film soundtrack.

JCS started out as an album. I'm pretty sure that's always been the definitive version.

Hold me, Tim!

You lookin’ at me?

Tyne Daly and Geo Stanford Brown divorced in 1990, though they share three daughters and remained friendly.

R569 They divorced while she was doing Gypsy?

[quote] JCS started out as an album. I'm pretty sure that's always been the definitive version.

Was there even an Original Broadway Cast Recording? I thought they just used the concept album.

There was a London Cast Re Recording

Jesus Christ Superstar started out as a concept album in 1970, opened on Broadway in 1971, then transferred to London in 1971. Then was revived on Broadway in 1977.

[quote]Was there even an Original Broadway Cast Recording?

The 1971 Broadway Cast Recording of JCS wasn't the complete score. Rather, it was a "highlights" disc.

With Ben Vereen as Judas and Jeff Fenholt as Jesus. Also Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene and Barry Dennen as Pilate, who both sang on the original concept album and would later go on to star in film version.

[quote]Jesus Christ Superstar started out as a concept album in 1970, opened on Broadway in 1971, then transferred to London in 1971. Then was revived on Broadway in 1977.

..and McAnuff's Stratford production was transferred to Broadway in 2012

I almost feel bad for Sutton. The reviews on Twitter (except for rabid fangirls) are brutal. She should never have said yes to this.

R575, You mean her career is in damage control based on one opening night performance?

It’s only a twelve week run, I’m sure she’ll survive.

Sutton and Huge need to revive They're Playing Our Song which, coincidentally, turns 45 tomorrow.

R523 yes, the person who writes all of those broadway drag articles was delighted to see oh Mary!

I saw JCS here. And I got a souvenir book.

[quote]Sutton and Huge need to revive They're Playing Our Song which, coincidentally, turns 45 tomorrow.

It really needs two Jews. (Yes I know Lucie Arnaz wasn’t). Sutton and Hugh are two white bred and don’t project neurotic.

What it needs is Sharon Scruggs.

[quote]The Distinctive Baritone said: "I've now listened to the full audio of Tveit's "Barber and His Wife," "My Friends," and "Epiphany." He sounds...like Aaron Tveit singing the role of Sweeney Todd. He can hit the low notes well enough and of course has a gorgeous voice. But that's part of the problem for me (and was with Groban too): Sweeney is not supposed to sound like Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance. This is an operetta, and Sweeney is a bass-baritone role. It requires a darker, heavier sound than Tveit's honey-tinged golden tenor. Add in the fact that even at 40 years old and with a beard, Tveit is still boyishly handsome in a way that is just wrong for the role. He's a wonderful actor-singer, but simply miscast, as predicted."

Is it surprising that "The Distinctive Baritone" feels that Sweeney requires a bass-baritone?

Sutton already did THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG, opposite DL fave Seth Rudetsky, as a one-night "benefit" for the Actors' Fund or something.

I’d rather see Sutton and Hunter Foster in Playing Our Song

So how is the advance for Aaron and Sutton? I'm taking it, not that great if there's already talk of closing the show after their run.

How did I miss this?

[quote]Is it surprising that "The Distinctive Baritone" feels that Sweeney requires a bass-baritone?

Sweeney is a man who has had a very rough life and has sworn revenge. A tenor just doesn't fit as well in this role

It's too bad we never got a Joe Feeney Sweeney.

With Norma Zimmer as Mrs. Lovett?

Cunt

R572 here.

Oy! That should say, "Then transferred to London in 1972."

Has there ever been a black Mrs Lovett?

Purely speculative, but is it possible that Tyne is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and is despairing about that?

Josh Groban is only two years older than Aaron Tveit.

Tyne is depressed because she heard that boot of Sutton’s Worst pies

[quote]Sutton and Huge need to revive They're Playing Our Song which, coincidentally, turns 45 tomorrow.

Great idea. All the DL-ers who won't shut up about this completely mediocre and instantly forgettable show could finally see why it wasn't revived before.

[quote]Mame with Morgan Brittany'

Morgan Brittany (billed as Suzanne Cupito) plays Baby June in the 1962 movie of "Gypsy." She grows up to be DL fave Ann Jillian, playing Dainty June.

it's the last midnight

BAJOUR!!!