THEATRE GOSSIP #577: The "Maybe a Happy Ending for Darren Criss?" Edition

Here's the old thread.

I'm sure Darren is no stranger to happy endings.

Dolls! I have tickets for Audra’s Gypsy on Saturday. I’m hoping she is in and I hope it’s good!

[quote]After starring together in the 2019 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate, Corbin Bleu and Stephanie Styles will reunite in a private industry reading of the new musical Get Happy, based on the 1950 film Summer Stock. The reading will be held January 17 in New York City, with Donna Feore directing and choreographing.

I just saw The Roommate through TDF and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it after reading these threads. There's not much to it, but the performances are sharp and well-timed and every laugh and emotion lands.

Anyone else hearing the rumors that backstage at The Roommate is pretty chilly. So much for friendship...

I can't say I'm surprised, R6. Neither of those ladies seems like a walk in the park for a prolonged period of time.

Girls, I'm at Audra Gypsy!

What in the fuck is that key change in they added to the middle of Everything's Coming Up Roses?

[quote]r8 = What in the fuck is that key change in they added to the middle of Everything's Coming Up Roses?

Please tell me she doesn't trill.

Kern Troll, please come back and give us your notes on Audra/Gypsy. I really trust your taste.

The Roommate's grosses have not been great. Will it even recoup before its limited run ends?

Any guesses how long it will be before Patti is back on Broadway?

By Christmastime Tammy Faye will seem like a distant memory. And an unpleasant one, at that.

R11 because she said shes “never coming back” im guessing September, at latest.

Closing notices coming soon for Louie Armstrong and Swept Away?

Louis Armstrong and cannibalism on the high seas. Who the fuck did they think their audiences would be??

[quote]Anyone else hearing the rumors that backstage at The Roommate is pretty chilly. So much for friendship...

I'm going to guess it has been A LOT chillier since that Tony Award winner in HELL'S KITCHEN recklessly charged Patti with racism for objecting to the fact that their show was too loud and the sound was bleeding through to THE ROOMMATE. As far as I know, Patti uncharacteristically made no public response to that charge, but it must have made her furious, so I wouldn't be surprised if she has been very unpleasant to be around ever since.

R15: Tell me about it.

This Gypsy is severe depression era. Costumes are ugly (including the strippers), sets are cheap-looking and minimal, and everything is dark as shit. And to the boneheads in the audience standing and cheering halfway through Rose's Turn-FUCK OFF!!! Her bows to cheering crowds are supposed to be imagined.

Audra is fucking incredible. Defining performance of her career!

[quote] What in the fuck is that key change in they added to the middle of Everything's Coming Up Roses?

There’s a ton of bizarre musical choices in the Gypsy revival.

R10, I'll probably have more polished notes in a few days, but some general thoughts.

Audra does very well with her scene work, in particular I found myself hoping against hope Rose would give it all up for Louise to have a normal life. Danny Burstein held his own in his heavier scenes, not revelatory but well done.

What maddens me about Audra's vocals is that she would produce a great resonant chest tone on one note, then seemingly lose all confidence and flip into head voice. It's not the vocal placement or production that bothers me, it's the dynamics. Rose sings most all of her money notes in the least resonant part of her and it voice undercuts the songs.

Physical production was nice but unremarkable, seeing "GRL" monogrammed on Louise's dressing room floor amused me more than it should have. Sound design and music direction were all over the place for me, really bizarre to advertise a large restored orchestration only for it to be so muddled: barely audible strings, no crazy trumpet solo in the overture or Rose's Turn. I think I died a little inside when most of the theatre talked over the overture.

At the end of the day Gypsy is still a damn god musical and I could never trash it, but I have a distinct feeling I would have liked the LuPone production a lot more. If you're not sick of revivals of Gypsy I'd recommend Audra's go at it, but regret spending as much as I did.

Will there ever be an age appropriate Rose in a Gypsy revival again? She should be 35-40.

People who talk during overtures should be put in jail.

Audra was great in Gypsy but I ain't buying the cast album.

I have a dream!

I'm reading that PART of the reason that the overture has talking over it is that they start playing it at 8-sharp while, inevitably, latecomers are still streaming into the theatre, finding their seats etc and the house lights are still up. Can anyone confirm? I wonder if Audra has set this demand so that she can get home as soon as possible. Everyone knows the actual curtain time is always 5-10 mins after the actual posted time. Such a shame that one of the most iconic overtures is becoming background music.

OP, you’re like an apologetic premature ejaculator.

Can’t you just give it some thought??

Maybe Liza should replace Patti in The Roommate. She and Mia are good friends.

[quote]Can’t you just give it some thought?

Perhaps you could give it a try.

Liza has a big year ahead -- a documentary, her memoir, and just for the the hell of it, two more knee surgeries!

[quote]Everyone knows the actual curtain time is always 5-10 mins after the actual posted time

Ugh, you sound like you're chronically late but always blaming someone else for it

R31 - No, actually, I prefer to get there early. What I meant (and, apparently, wasn't clear enough about) was that it's standard practice for the curtain to be held 5-10 minutes past the printed showtime. Given that common knowledge/expectation, it's a shame that this Gypsy production's apparent rigidness in hitting its curtain means that the overture is apparently becoming background music while the last audience members find their seats.

Very little has been said of Joy Woods. Is she that bad?

Right now i'd bet that the Best Actress in a Musical will go to Jennifer Simard. Nicole? Damaged Audra? Disappointing. Sutton? Who? JS has long been a fan and critical favorite. Your thoughts?

If someone knows enough about theatre to know the curtain isn't until after the scheduled time, they know enough to shut the fuck up for the overture. So let's not pretend that it's the start time that's the problem here.

I know I'd vote for Simard.

I'm not in the conversation anymore?

The "Gypsy" overture conversation reminds me of this interesting Playbill interview—‚

[quote]The overture was never something you sat down and listened to in the golden age shows, that's a new idea. I remember Bruce showing me the original cello part for The King and I, and the overture that shows a long timeline. The cellist kept notes in the corner of each page: on what time he was to hit his marks; remember that curtain is at 8:30. What we learned from that is that the overture started at 8:24 or 8:25, and completed at 8:31 or 8:32.

[quote]It wasn't, "Oh, the show starts at 8:30, now we've started the overture." It was, "Oh, listen, they're playing the overture. We should go sit down. We've got a couple of minutes." I think that mentality changed in the '70s or '80s when there was less new theatre, and more people buying old cast albums, and getting back in touch with old shows. When we started the age of revivals, suddenly people knew those overtures, they expected them and they wanted them.

Well David Chase wasn't around. So how would he know for sure? The theatergoers who could have told us have, well the last of them have recently died off. I can't imagine the original overtures of My Fair Lady and Gypsy were meant as background music. They were meant to create a mood. But I guess we'll never know for sure. Who knows maybe the audience members were catching up with each other, drinking their slurpies and unwrapping their fried chicken and fries to be consumed during the I want song.

If they could wait that long.

The stink of "orange drink" burps hung over the Mark Hellinger's orchestra section.

R21, thanks for that very well written if equivocal review. Sounds like you definitely know what you're talking about musically, and that you have explained clearly why this role doesn't work for Audra vocally. Persoally, I think the only way the role might have fit her vocally would have been if the keys had been lowered to the point where she could have sung all of the songs entirely in her chest register, with no need to ever venture in her soprano range. Her soprano sound is ALL WRONG for this music stylistically, because she always sounds so "operatic" when she sings up there, even in in the lower part of her soprano register.

[quote]R32, you were perfectly clear in your original comment. It's not your fault that R31 can't read.

There's nothing I hate more on DL than people whose reading comprehension level is so tragically low that they end up slamming others for things they never wrote, because they are unable to properly process what was actually written.

Well, that ridiculous woman who runs PERFECT CRIME and "stars" in it has hit a new low with the announcement that John Schneider will be joining the cast on December 9.

You read that correctly, and no, today's date is not April 1.

If they incorporate a shirtless scene for John Schneider, even the elder John Schneider, I might consider finally seeing Perfect Crime.

Hard to believe that folks chatted during the overture to CANDIDE.

r43 I read it fine. But there's only one type of person who makes excuses for latecomers, and that's a latecomer.

No, you completely, utterly misread R26. He was not "making excuses" for latecomers, he was remarking on the fact that there are ALWAYS latecomers, which is why Broadway shows usually hold the curtain at least 7 minutes past the stated starting time, and sometimes a few minutes beyondt, so that the bulk of the audience will have fewer disturbances once the show begins. In starting the GYPSY overture on the dot of 8pm (or 7pm for early shows), the management is more or less saying that the overture should be treated as "find your seat music." And no, it SHOULDN'T be that way, because ideally there were would be no latecomers, but we are not living in an ideal world.

If they would stop selling shit ( mainly drinks) in the lobby, people might get to their seats earlier. They linger in the lobby until they hear the overture or the clock hits 8 o'clock. Then they start going to the seat. And, of course, the unwritten rule of theater is that anyone who sits in the middle of the row must arrive last in order to disturb everyone who arrived on time. Overtures from classic musicals should be part of the show, but, with the modern musicals, there are no tunes worth playing before the curtain rises, since overtures should have melodies.

^^^^The fact that, for most shows, the orchestra musicians are completely hidden from the view of the audience is a MAJOR reason why audiences now talk through overtures. I'm surprised you didn't mention that. Another issue is that it takes people longer to get into the theater because of bag checks, security lines, etc. I really don't think the fact that refreshments and merch are sold before the shows has much to do with it.

Three B'way shows are out to producing team members for priority loans to keep running.

[quote] the management is more or less saying that the overture should be treated as "find your seat music."

To be honest, that's exactly why the overtures exist in the first place

Fortunately, R52, not everyone shares your opinion. Or, at least, back in the day they didn't.

[quote]Will there ever be an age appropriate Rose in a Gypsy revival again? She should be 35-40.

I should be ready by 2035.

I'd pay to watch Corbin Bleu and Darren Criss give each other happy endings.

Which 3 shows, R51?

Fauci was at Suffs the other night with what looked like six bodyguards.

R57, Very sad statement about the condition of America when Fauci has to have bodyguards

But, chances are very good that the audience for Suffs would be very pro-Fauci.

Patti LuPone was just nominated for a Critics choice award to add to her Spirit award nomination from yesterday. I hope she gets a Golden Globe nomination next week!

R4 - Howdy, neighbor! Happy harvest!

I hope they have a tractor for that song.

"Someone call Vincente and tell him to get me off this damned thing and take me home!" JG

Merman was in her 50s when she did Rose. Who in the 35-40 year old range ever played Rose? I would genuinely like to know. The youngest I know would be Angela who was about 46.

[quote] But, chances are very good that the audience for Suffs would be very pro-Fauci.

He can never let his guard down, considering the threats

R62, if you would genuinely like to know, you could have done some quick, easy research and math calculations. Tyne Daly was about 43 when she played Rose, so I guess she was the youngest of the Broadway Roses to date.

Doesn't Audra actually have a kid (with Will Swenson) who is about the age of June and Louise at the start of GYPSY?

I meant 35-40. But ok so Daly is the youngest.

Who are the 35-40 year old Broadway stars who could sing Rose that you'd actually like to see play her on Broadway?

I can't think of even one. The role needs a gravitas and a well-worn maturity that no one under 40 could muster, let alone the acting and singing talent.

Are there any actual Broadway stars between ages 35-40?

Maybe not actual Broadway stars, but ...

Cristin Milioti (39)

Annaleigh Ashford (39)

Adrienne Warren (37)

Joaquina Kalukango (35)

and not there yet, but Phillipa Soo (34)

Was this posted already? If so, apologies (just found it in my emails from yesterday):

Is "Teeth" selling well?

[quote]standard practice for the curtain to be held 5-10 minutes past the printed showtime.

It's officially, but never admitted to that the curtain goes up 8 minutes past showtime unless there is a large crowd still entering or a show like "Les Miz" which was so long it had to break on time per the union and is announced as 8PM Sharp, Curtain

That “Howdy Neighbor, Haopy Harvest” song is AWFUL. Surely one of the worst Judy ever recorded.

"Swept Away" closing on December 15th.

What were all these references to Cole Escola being a whore in the last thread? Did he turn tricks to make ends meet before Oh Mary made him rich?

Swept Oy Vey

Who wants to see this downer of a show? No one, apparently.

r69, do you really think any of those talented ladies could get a Broadway musical, costing upwards of $25,000,000 going now?

And are any of them really right for Rose, beyond their ages?

SWEPT AWAY was one of the shows out asking people for priority loans. Guess we know the answer...

r75 - yes, he's spoken openly about being a sex worker in the past.

I think Cole is a great actor…but if I paid for a sex worker and Cole showed up…I’d ask for a refund.

^^^Well, we all have our sexual types, and I'm sure some people are into Cole's type :-)

"The Devil Wears Prada" gets two out of five stars from both the Guardian and the Independent.

@82 is Elton John officially a hack yet? He wrote some of the biggest hits in the pop music cannon, but outside of Aida, can’t write a score to save his life!

He writes the music, not the lyrics.

R83, totally agree

I would say AIDA was one of his lesser scores, even though the show had a pretty long run. His score for BILLY ELLIOT was far superior.

R86, too bad Billy Ellott is a complete bore

Didn't Shaina Taub write the lyrics solo in Chicago? It seems they've brought in a co-lyricist for the London go.

[quote]He wrote some of the biggest hits in the pop music cannon

Oh, dear.

[quote] Audra is fucking incredible. Defining performance of her career!

She is marvelous but I wouldn't rate it above "Porgy & Bess." It is interesting hearing Rose's songs in an elegant, quasi-operatic trill as opposed to a full-throated belt. My recollection is that Bernadette Peters used her Broadway voice not her recital voice.

"the pop music cannon"

Oh, dear.

Pedantic pet peeve -- musical theater people using the word "trill" to refer to soprano sound instead of what it actually means.

[quote]It is interesting hearing Rose's songs in an elegant, quasi-operatic trill as opposed to a full-throated belt.

It may be "interesting," but of course, it's not what the composer intended. Which is very bothersome to some people (pardon the pun), even if not to you.

[quote] Will there ever be an age appropriate Rose in a Gypsy revival again? She should be 35-40.

Maybe Jamie Lloyd can reimagine it with the youngest, most beautiful, most glamorous Rose of all time.

[quote]My recollection is that Bernadette Peters used her Broadway voice not her recital voice.

And what the hell do you mean by this?

After this bleak and dismal Gypsy, I don't want to see another production ever.

To R74, does the play have nudity& interracial Homo Sex? Jerk-off scenes, forced cabin boy rape, penis play!!

[quote] And what the hell do you mean by this?

It means she belted, Rose.

[quote] My recollection is that Bernadette Peters used her Broadway voice not her recital voice.

Peters sounded like a little girl, as she usually does

[quote] Maybe Jamie Lloyd can reimagine it with the youngest, most beautiful, most glamorous Rose of all time.

wearing a black nightgown that has blood on it at the end.

[quote] Peters sounded like a little girl, as she usually does

Yeah, well, it worked.

It's got some of the best reviews for a new musical in years and good seats are hard to find. I have 5th row orchestra seats for Jan2, 2026.

BANG!

It has R102

[quote] Yeah, well, it worked.

Totally didn't work. Rose shouldn't be played with a kewpie doll voice.

R100 better than the nightgown I wore at the end of Carrie!

R105 saw Gypsy twice with Peters. One of the best productions I've ever seen on Broadway.

"Most Mama Roses have been Butch or brash (Bette Midler, Tyne Daly and even Ethel Merman) too sophisticated (Angela Lansbury) or too ladylike (Betty Buckley) It remained for Peters to achieve the perfect blend of fanaticism and femininity, of monster and victim. Here for once is a demonic stage mother who can also convey sexiness, pathos and charm. We understand now how she could enslave a man, make children her thralls, breach hearts and barriers and steal restaurant flatware with puckish style." -John Simon

R98, I was questioning the use of the weird phrase "recital voice." Of course, Bernadette has done some belting when she has sung in "recital," as at Carnegie Hall.

R102, did you mean to type "It's got some of the best reviews for a new musical in years and good seats are NOT hard to find?"

Sexy slut

No, I meant good seats are hard to find. Esp if you want seats in the orchestra or on the aisle. Post holiday seats are more plentiful which is how I got good 5th row seats for Jan. 2. R109

Okay, R111. I'm delighted to hear that but a little surprised, as I had heard otherwise, but I've also heard and read that the show is doing better week by week.

It's the rare Broadway show these days that starts slow but overtime grows considerably and consistently.

Agreed, R113. I think a large part of that is because word-of-mouth on this show is apparently great, as it should be, in addition to the rave reviews.

Swept Away should've done Wednesday matinees.

So Swept Away got terrible notices in Berkeley, a qualified rave from The Washington Post , and then sinks fast on Broadway. Are there no commercial producers any more who understand what audiences want? Suffs? Tammy Faye? Notebook? Can nothing be pleasant and inspiring anymore?

Cud Darren Criss have made Swept Away a hit?

Will Darren Criss be halfway to EGOT by June?

R117 I don’t know, could he?

[quote]This Gypsy is severe depression era. Costumes are ugly (including the strippers), sets are cheap-looking and minimal, and everything is dark as shit.

So stupid. Just because it was the Great Depression doesn't mean that everything was and looked depressing.

In fact, people were seeking out escapism, and places like burlesque were providing it.

Even Hollywood, which during its Golden Age was run by religious conservatives via the Hays Code (1930s-1960s) was churning out escapist fantasies during those hard economic times and then during WW2 immediately afterward.

It is a very far-left thing to dwell in misery/pessimism/ugliness/victimhood.

[quote]Cud Darren Criss have made Swept Away a hit?

Only with full-frontal nudity.

I saw Swept Away in DC, and mostly enjoyed it. But it would have been iffy even without the twist that no one wanted. It made zero sense to transfer.

Will Miss Criss be giving out blow jobs to the cast while on stage?

To R117& R121, it would have helped fill the seats.

[quote] it would have helped fill the seats.

And dampen them.

[quote] Totally didn't work. Rose shouldn't be played with a kewpie doll voice.

Ok, Delores. Clearly, it's a matter of personal taste but I thought Peters was fabulous as Rose. Her "Rose's Turn" was devastating. And a pretty, young David Burtka was Tulsa.

[quote] [R98], I was questioning the use of the weird phrase "recital voice." Of course, Bernadette has done some belting when she has sung in "recital," as at Carnegie Hall.

Her recital voice:

Her Broadway voice:

I guess all that masculine eye candy didn't help Swept Away all that much.

^^^^ If they got naked, touch each other it would have sold more tickets^^^^

Swept Away ain't Newsies, r128.

The first half of Swept Away is actually very entertaining and most of the songs in it are catchy. The second half is bleak and boring as fuck.

[quote] I guess all that masculine eye candy didn't help Swept Away all that much.

I'm a frequent Bway attendee and I barely heard anything about Swept Away. No matter it's closing

But Bernadette sometimes uses her "recital voice," by which I assume you mean her soprano register, in Broadway shows, and also sometimes/often uses her "Broadway voice," by which I assume you mean her belt register, in concerts. So to me, those phrases are weird and not the best choice of words.

Gurl @r133. I don't sing for a living and don't have better words for what I meant. I made a good faith attempt to describe and give video illustration.

What's this about an all-nude Newsies?

You have my attention. Tell me more?

"Nudesies"

Benanti furious at Levi for the Creel memorial:

[quote]"For [Levi] to use [Creel's] memory – a person he was not friends with — to use his memory for his political agenda and to watch him try to make himself cry until he had one single tear, which he did not wipe away, I was like, 'F--- you forever,' " said Benanti.

And, suddenly, I'm a Laura Benanti fan.

You can see Benanti's discomfort with him in that old photo.

I remember some mild controversy about Laura missing performances during She Loves Me. Now we know why.

r134 Judging by their post history, that poster just likes going from thread to thread needlessly arguing with people over the most minute things.

R141. Laura was pregnant during She Loves Me and kept getting sick. She's a pro and I don't think an obnoxious co star would keep her from showing up.

Ah, thank you, R143.

I've started watching the Bette Midler Gypsy running on movies! and it's an odd duck. Bette seems insane from the first frame --- eyes bulging, neck muscles strained. I guess director Emile Ardolino was too distracted with his own health issues to have the strength to rein her in.

[quote] I guess director Emile Ardolino was too distracted with his own health issues to have the strength to rein her in.

No force on God’s green earth has the force to rein in Bette Midler.

[quote]Peters sounded like a little girl, as she usually does

This is such a silly, reductive and inaccurate comment. For example, her Rose's Turn was incredible. Here she is giving everything in the recording booth.

[quote]Are there no commercial producers any more who understand what audiences want? Suffs? Tammy Faye? Notebook? Can nothing be pleasant and inspiring anymore?

Bring back "Bring Back Birdie"!

I watched Bette's Gypsy on cable yesterday afternoon. I hadn't seen it since it first aired in 1993. Oy. Bette was really terrible. Her performances might have worked on stage but her bugged out eyes and manic energy were all wrong. Peter Riegert did nothing with Herbie and faded into the background. Jennifer Beck is the best June I've ever seen. Fun to see Elisabeth Moss as Baby Louise. There was no real transformation for lovely Cynthia Gibb. She looked like a mom in a PTA show. Jeffrey Broadhurst's ass in All I need is the Girl walked off with the whole thing.

Congratulations to Benanti for calling him out for his past, present, and even future wretchedness. Josh Radnor, who was originally announced for the role, could have made that weird revival much better. Levi gave one of the most try hard, unlikable performances I’ve seen as Georg. Sounds like that’s who he is.

It's too bad that the director wasn't able to rein in Bette's GYPSY performance, because if he had been able to do so, she might have been great in it.

It's always interesting (to me, anyway) when a Broadway show does an L.A. talk show. The cast of The Outsiders are performing on Wednesday's Jimmy Kimmel Live! Speaking of L.A., Michael Urie is appearing on Monday's episodes of The Talk and After Midnight. He's billed as plugging Shrinking, but hopefully Mattress gets a mention.

Cynthia Erivo's on Tuesday's Drew Barrymore. Kelly Clarkson's got Ethan Slater on Tuesday and a Death Becomes Her performance on Thursday.

GMA has a performance by the Annie tour on Tuesday. GMA3 has Renée Elise Goldsberry and Hank Azaria plugging All In on Monday and more with Hazel Vogel (the tour Annie) on Tuesday.

Richard Kind and Fred Armisen plug All In on Friday's Today.

Only to you. FIFY

Arthur Laurents was interviewed once upon a time and he said that in rehearsal Midler was an absolute great Rose, but panicked during the taping and resorted to her tried and true tricks.

Thanks, R154. That's sad if true.

Thoughts on this Facebook post from a cast member of "Swept Away"—?

[quote]Broadway community, theater goers, tourists, family members, friends… A new show cannot survive unless YOU support. I am 2 for 2 now in 2024.

[quote]If you are “tired of non-original musicals on Broadway and wan’t more “original, bold new works” that aren’t based off film or any pre-existing property….YOU. HAVE. TO. COME. AND. SUPPORT. That means your butt in the seats… EARLY into a run. The first few weeks of a musicals birth on Broadway are CHEIF to a shows success.

[quote]If a show plays to half empty houses within its first weeks it CANNOT survive. You have to put your money where your mouth is. You have to not be hypocritical and preach for change but not contribute yourself to said desired change. End of story. I am INCREDIBLY disappointed in my community and theater goers in general.

[quote]Huge commercial, film properties with a history of success typically don’t need as much support as new ventures. “I thought I had more time,” or “I had no Idea,” or I was coming,” is simply not good enough. COME SUPPORT NEW THEATRE IF YOU CARE. IF YOU WANT NEW ART TO THRIVE. IF YOU’RE TIRED OF COMMERCIAL FLUFF.

[quote]In addition I find it infuriating that The Heart of Rock and Roll was too camp for folks this season….yet Swept Away was too serious. All the while plenty of other camp properties and dramatic properties (that have commercial support) are juuuuust right.

[quote]Please do better people. If you want to support your friends, see great theater, watch our industry make way for innovate, beautiful, daring, dark (and light), original theatre….then contribute. We can’t survive without YOU... and contribute EARLY. Again, the first few weeks are integral to a new piece. Most did NOT show up for The Heart of Rock and Roll….did NOT show up for Swept Away. Both great pieces of new theater.

[quote]There are other variables, of course….but the “I’ll catch it sometime” attitude can no longer be the norm friends. It cannot.

The other problem with Bette Midler’s Rose was that the director was dying of AIDs and wasn’t as present as he might have been to guide Midler to a more restrained peformance.

Wasn't Midler said to be mean to Barbara Harris during the filming of Gypsy?

R158. Allegedly, she had Harris fired. Then Ebersole moved from Miss Cratchitt to Tessie and they brought Andrea Martin in for Cratchitt.

Like clockwork shows start selling out once a closing notice has been announced.

R156, I don’t think much of that cast member. First, tickets prices are hundreds of dollars more than they were before the pandemic, even for struggling shows. Second, neither Swept Away nor Heart of Rock and Roll had a plan for the obvious box office barriers that faced them. But they just had to be on Broadway and ignored people who knew better about the shows’ commercial prospects.

[quote]He's billed as plugging Shrinking, but hopefully Mattress gets a mention.

Considering it's playing at the Ahmanson from Dec. 10 to Jan 5, I'm pretty sure it will.

Has it occured to that Swept Away cast member that perhaps it was a bad musical and no one wanted to see it?

Dolls I have tickets for Gypsy this evening.

Hopefully

1) Audra is in, so I can review her performance.

2) Joy Woods has figured out how to be more successful during the strip transformation.

[quote]2) Joy Woods has figured out how to be more successful during the strip transformation.

Maybe they should use a fan and blow her clothes off.

OMG! Midler gestures would be too large for stage let alone TV. She seems less Mama Rose and more like Joy Behar having a fit.

About the Swept Away cast member.... I think the population who used to go to the theatre regularly is disappearing thanks to outrageous prices. It is impossible to support all of them as we used to do not too long ago. Spending $80-$100 (lowest prices on TKTS) is too expensive.

Who is this Swept Away cast member and does this idiot not realize that nobody wants to pay full price anymore?

Patti was at Romeo + Juliet on Wednesday. Did she ever make it to Sunset Blvd?

R169 that’s nice that she was at Romeo and Juliet on Wednesday and then the performance of the Roommate was cancelled last night due to cast illness

It really is a shame about Bette. I was so looking forward to the TV Musical because I had seen her in her concert not that long before at Radio City. She performed possibly one of the best "Rose's Turn" I've ever seen. So I was shocked how bad she was in it. Ah well...

R171 I agree! She did the song well in concert but something about doing the whole role was just too much I guess

I'm sure cast members lecturing people to "do better" will definitely encourage people to buy tickets and definitely won't turn people off.

Josh Breckenridge is the one who posted it, by the way. He's also been cast in Urinetown, and his post on IG just three days ago reads:

[quote]A huge thanks to my @sweptawaymusical family for allowing this short leave to join this awesome new venture!

...

[Quote] This is such a silly, reductive and inaccurate comment. For example, her Rose's Turn was incredible. Here she is giving everything in the recording booth.

All I hear is squeaking

Watching Bette do Rose, it’s so disappointing because she could be the perfect Rose.

Sadly she’s a caricature in that TV production—bulging eyes and all. Not one tincture of subtlety

Poor Bernadette. She sounds so overparted in R147’s link.

Don’t ever want to hear the whole thing

R156, thanks for sharing this. I love being lectured to and admonished by an actor for not dropping hundreds of dollars to see a show that has no real star and features cannibalism. Sweeney fills my quota on cannibalism musicals, thanks.

I wish upon that actor a life of rectal woe.

What's worse is Josh Breckenridge seems to be castigating his friends for not coming to see his show, not general theatre goers, as if his friends could keep the show running for more than another week.

It must be very frustrating to the cast, though. I get it. They got lots of rave reviews. But who wants to see a musical about cannibals adrift on a life raft at Christmas time, no matter how good it is? I think if people really wanted to see it, they'd pay the high prices.

That Swept Away cast member should be taking to the marketing team. I have no idea what it is.

So, they have cannibalism but no Homo sex& male nudity with penis& ass!!

Even a testosterone driven, non-woke story isn't safe on Broadway.

Bette should play Helen Lawson in the stage musical of Valley of the Dolls

R182. Over my dead body!

I don't care much for this at all.

R6, Patti is incapable of genuine friendship. Shes far too narcissistic and histrionic. She makes Mia look balanced.

The problem with Swept Away wasn't that it was "serious." The problem was it was pretentious. The brutally serious story was ill-matched by The Avett brothers' simplistic music and lyrics. They are good ole country/Americana/folk singers and writers, and they are way, way in over their heads here. All the lyrics lived in this dreamy, drive-my-car-on-a starry-night, faux poetry, and they told us nothing of the characters. Every song sounded somewhat the same (incredibly bland orchestrations and arrangements), and it felt like we were in Branson until we spent a half hour watching four guys die and John Gallagher, Jr. telling us WHAT A GREAT ACT-TOR he is. This emperor really has no clothes, and good for the public for staying away from this mess in droves. It actually shows taste, not the lack of it.

[quote]who wants to see a musical about cannibals adrift on a life raft at Christmas time

'Tis the reason for the season!

Whatever good points, if any, that the SWEPT AWAY cast member may have are countered by his awful grammar, spelling, and vocabulary :-(

But he sure looks good in his skivvies.

In the end it just seems Josh Breckenridge was hurt that more of his friends didn't come see his show.

I really would not describe Josh Breckenridge's role in URINETOWN as making him "part of the principal cast." So I guess he's a little delusional in addition to being a whiner.

My brother Josh was always a scold…and an asshole.

They really screwed themselves opening during the holidays. If this was going to have any chance at all, it should’ve opened in the spring, a few months out from the Tony’s deadline when at least it would’ve received peak exposure and positioning as an awards contender.

Opening it in the run up to Christmas is just nuts, crazier than the decision to even bring it to Broadway. I mean, look at a calendar.

As for that little speech I gather John Breckenridge made - it’s not a non-profit.

As of 12 hours ago, the availability for the closing performance for Tammy Faye...ouch. Clinging to those ticket prices certainly isn't helping.

[quote]I find it infuriating that The Heart of Rock and Roll was too camp for folks this season….yet Swept Away was too serious. All the while plenty of other camp properties and dramatic properties (that have commercial support) are juuuuust right.

This comment alone points up that the rant above is extremely personal. If this whiner had been a member of the cast of one of the other "dramatic properties" or "camp properties" that are still running, I highly doubt he would have written anything to decry the lack of audience interest in SWEPT AWAY or THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL.

Is this a trend? Disney blames audiences for not coming to their movies because when they're that big they flop big and it's always the audience's fault. It's never because they made a movie most people simply did not want to see. The audience is too stupid not to see how wonderful their movie is. They then tell the audience they're patriarchal misogynist assholes so that people are excited to see their next billion dollar trainwreck.

It will happen big time with Snow White.

I love it every time a Bway show fails. Bway has become a money grab, a cesspit of shit just to separate tourists from their money.

[Quote] Is this a trend? Disney blames audiences for not coming to their movies because when they're that big they flop big and it's always the audience's fault

Despite the complaints of Little Mermaid being too woke by the MAGA crowd (and the trolls on DL), it turned out to be a worldwide smash hit.

Is anyone going to the final Water for Elephants or Tammy Faye performances today?

Will they be phoning in their performances?

The prices for the last performances are still insane

Little Mermaid was not a smash hit it made a few million and was a disappointment for the kind of money Disney needs to make. So stop being a woke extremist leftie brain damaged moron and know what you are talking about. And I didn't even bring it up. Is it 5PM somewhere in the world?

In terms of box office, The Little Mermaid is the middle ground. It did come below The Jungle Book's $967 million worldwide box office and Maleficent's $759 million worldwide total. It did just barely beat Cinderella's $542 million worldwide and also outgrossed Dumbo's $353 million. Notably, these were all remakes and reimaging of classic Disney films as opposed to the Disney Renaissance films, so the fan base for those other entries was not as prevalent as the new entries. So, The Little Mermaid is both a hit and a disappointment in some respects.

The Little Mermaid's box office haul comes in far lower than that of its live-action remake peers, many of which have grossed over $1 billion:

The Lion King: $1.66 billion Alladin: $1.05 billion Beauty and the Beast: $1.27 billion The Little Mermaid: $567.51 million Naturally, many of these high-grossing remakes have raked in massive profits - according to figures from Deadline - however, The Little Mermaid, unfortunately, won't be joining the ranks of these monster successes:

Blah bigot blah Burbank

Patti's standby had a put in rehearsal with Mia yesterday and almost went on but Patti felt better. Obviously, Mia has no problem working with understudies.

I saw Gypsy last night.

Here are my thoughts…

I never saw the LuPone revival (this is my first Gypsy) but I have seen the boot. I missed LuPone / Benanti’s dressing room scene. Woods and Audra were okay…but it didn’t have the power that that one did.

Audra- there are times when her voice is in a lower register and it’s really thrilling…when she goes to soprano….it just doesn’t land. I also don’t understand the southern accent. Was Rose southern? Her performance was really good during Rose’s Turn. I’m sure those who haven’t seen it have heard the audio and have heard that she slows down the “well someone tell me when is it…” parts.

Danny- he’s good in a thankless role.

Joy Woods- she’s fine…I’m glad she didn’t continue with Ragtime. I don’t think she would have been brilliant in that role. She seems like the “person of the moment” but I’m not sure why. She’s fine…but again…Benanti was really something in the boot.

Dainty June- I thought she was really good. Her scene with Joy before Momma Was Married was a strong point.

The strippers- people have said Lesli should be nominated and possibly win for Tessie. Have I missed something?? Is she revelatory in this? I thought she was good…but not nomination good. Maybe the other Tessie’s have been worse

My biggest complaint is the audience. People were talking not just during the overture but throughout. I’m sorry but if I paid hundreds of dollars for this experience I don’t want to hear you chatting the whole time. I’ve been a Broadway theatre goer for almost 20 years and this was the worst I’ve been too on this problem.

Overall a fine Gypsy…I’m glad I’ve seen it. I wish I could have seen it with Betty Buckley or Patti LuPone.

R203. ANDDDD.....Patti was out today and the standby finally went on.

[Quote] Little Mermaid was not a smash hit it made a few million and was a disappointment for the kind of money Disney needs to make.

It still made half a billion dollars in grosses and hundreds of millions more in associated products. With broadcasting agreements and years of playing and products, it will make at least one billion.

Disney and Black Little Mermaid are doing fine and send their love…

[Quote] I never saw the LuPone revival (this is my first Gypsy) but I have seen the boot. I missed LuPone / Benanti’s dressing room scene. Woods and Audra were okay…but it didn’t have the power that that one did.

Um…?

R207 here—never mind I realized what you were saying

A friend of mine who knows Patti's standby said she has been ready to go on from the first performance, so who knows what the hell is going on over there with canceled shows.

So, how many performances were canceled? Friday night and Saturday matinee?

How fast do you think "The Devil Wears Prada" will rush into town and we have two Meryl Streep musicals running?

R210. Based on the West End reviews? I think we'll have to settle for one Meryl musical. That's all.

[quote]Based on the West End reviews? I think we'll have to settle for one Meryl musical. That's all.

Isn't that one point in this thread, producers just rushing in? "Tammy Faye" "Sept Away", or The Cannibal Cruise", "Water For Elephants" never found a real audience, "Lempicka", The Heart Of Rock And Roll" "The Wiz".

R212 the wiz actually did okay and did REALLY well on tour which is why it’s going back on tour.

It’s a crowd pleaser which is more than I can say for the rest on the list

Wasn't "Lempicka" in development for 10 years? I don't think that qualifies as rushing in.

Just finished Bette's Gypsy and while I agree with all the comments on this thread, there is something indestructible about the piece that made it very enjoyable nonetheless.

I don't think it's so much about "rushing in" concerning these shows. It's about producers not calling a stinker a stinker and knowing when something simply isn't good enough and never will be. Or understanding there's no audience for their product, if that isn't mixing too many metaphors.

Knowing when to leave may be the smartest thing that anyone can learn....go!

Foolish as it seems...I still have my dreams.

When something walks in your life, you just better be sure it's right/cause if it's wrong, there are heartaches and tears you must face.

Shut up and deal.

[quote]How fast do you think "The Devil Wears Prada" will rush into town and we have two Meryl Streep musicals running?

Just wait until I finish my musical of "Sophie's Choice." I'm still trying to figure out where to put the free-wheeling patio number.

[quote]Was Rose southern?

They were from Seattle.

[quote]They were from Seattle.

The southern part?

R221. Joy Woods IS Sophie!

What have I missed about Joy Woods? I only remember seeing her last year in the CSC revival of I Can Get It for You Wholesale because I'm just reading now she was in it. She didn't especially impress me. Pretty, but nothing special.

Has she done something between then and Gypsy that people are trying to make her happen?

She originated the role of Middle Allie in "The Notebook."

Oh, I did not see that, r226. But thanks for the info.

R216 nails it.

Too many inexperienced but wealthy producers who are misguided and desperate for a mega-hit.

Bring back the visionaries!

R227 she also was a star replacement in the Little Shop revival and she was originally cast as Sarah in Ragtime at encores before she got Gypsy and had to be replaced.

And by the way she sang her tits off in The Notebook.

Why are audience members talking during this production of Gypsy? I guess I understand talking during the overture, although I hate it. But during the show itself?

R232,

She did, but to what end? The only performer from that cast who exuded star quality was... Maryann Plunkett. That's mostly more because of the material than the performances, but not entirely.

I had hate in my heart when the couple behind me quite loudly said "OHHHHH SHE'S GYPSY!" after Tessie told Louise Gypsy would be a good name if she ever started stripping.

I'm still weighing my disappointment with the production in general, but the audience behavior was abysmal.

Re: Joy Woods, she was okay. I liked how she emphasized Louise's practicality, but she just isn't a good enough actress to sell the transformation into Gypsy Rose Lee. Her voice is too strong for the part, and they should (but won't) cut that awful Garden of Eden dance sequence.

[quote]I had hate in my heart when the couple behind me quite loudly said "OHHHHH SHE'S GYPSY!" after Tessie told Louise Gypsy would be a good name if she ever started stripping.

And that unfortunate incident can lead us all to a good guess as to why some people in the audience were talking throughout the show....

IMHO, Joy Woods was the weak link in Wholesale.

^^^Because she was miscast, not due to lack of talent.

How can anyone cast in a role created by Sheree North be considered miscast?

I don't understand the question, R239 :-)

The discussion of PERFECT CRIME continues on ATC:

[quote]I've always been curious about the economics behind PERFECT CRIME. So much has been made of Russell running it almost as a one man band...working the box office, cleaning the toilets, working front of house, etc. Could the play have run this long if she were actually employing people to do all these jobs, as a "normal" production would? And does she earn a salary for her efforts beyond what she's paid as a actress as per her (presumably) AEA off-Broadway contract? I find it hard to believe that the play is generating much profit, but, I guess, as the producer, she'd get most, if not all, of whatever that might be.

Two possible, partial answers: Someone I know who worked there told me Russell only hires people for front of house, stage management, house staff, etc. for brief periods of time, and then rather than give them even small raises as time goes on, she fires them and replaces them. And yes, the fact that she does so many of the jobs herself obviously keeps the payroll costs even lower.

Is that the dumpy theater next to the decrepit strip club/porn shop? I worked at 1633 for over 15 years and never gave that place a thought…

I just checked tix for "Othello" and it is pretty much sold out. I guess next year, the top price ticket at the box office will be $1500 since people will pay up.

R221 put it right after Stingo drops the Spam.

Ben Brantley’s favorite Roses

Lupone was snubbed for a Golden Globe nomination today. Mia better get the axe before places!!

Best theater of 2024 (at least according to Jesse Green):

Watched Present Laughter with Andrew Scott on National Theatre at Home over the weekend. How much cocaine and Red Bull did the cast go through every night? Yes, it was fun and the jokes still land, but I wanted nearly everyone to take it down a gear or two (not Joshua Hill as the valet, though; he got laughs just from his low-key line readings). And I guess this is the version that Noel Coward would have written if he could, as there's a gender switch for one character that automatically makes half of the cast of 10 bisexual. Still, nice to see Sophie Thompson on stage again. After I finished it I Googled a few reviews and was surprised to see it had been done in 2019. Sheesh, I thought the production was only a couple of years old. Time flies...

Broadway Casting For Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ ‘Purpose’:

Oh God, can we please let Ben Brantley remain in the land of Twitter. Ugh...

West End Prada just extended through October 2025 so I'm assuming business is good.

Prada is a huge hit in London.

And Beijing. Not so much in Milan any more.

I hope Branden Jacobs-Jenkins can write Black folk better than he writes white folk.

r254, you are disgusting, even by Datalounge standards...

r254 is the same poster who, in the previous thread, complained about mean spiritedness, and also asked if Cynthia Erivo's nose piercing was a reference to slavery.

Someone on the Broadway Reddit posted Rupert Goold's closing letter to the company of "Tammy Faye" and... it's something.

[quote]Dear Tammy Faye company,

[quote]This hurts and there's no point hiding it or not grieving for it too. Sometimes life is very unfair.

[quote]Everyone on this show has worked so hard to make it the best it could be but we've been running up a couple of very steep hills. The first is the scale of the show which to some extent has been dictated by the size of the house and so the business model is very tight but the second is of course the subject matter. America, like Britain sadly, remains a deeply divided nation and the election only accentuated the fissures and anxieties of our times. People always said to me that Elton was a miraculously unifying artist. He is as popular in red states as blue, a frequently outrageous, ex addict, out gay man, parent of two lovely boys, avowed liberal who is welcomed across the wide mid west with open arms. Equally James is a writer who has built a career telling stories of unity and hope across both sides of the political spectrum, finding understanding and warmth and connection between the unlikeliest of people, bringing them together and always offering hope. Who better than these two and Jason who grew with Tammy every day to try and step into that cross-the-divide space of love and humanity that Tammy represented?

[quote]But clearly some things are just too raw for people to countenance a spirit of understanding and it feels like the message we were bringing was too problematic, too simple even, for such a knotty time and for a liberal media who had called the election all wrong and are bitterly awakening to a troubling new regime. The fact they weren't able to reflect the complete joy and understanding I see in the room at the end of each night, particularly since the election, is completely baffling to me. Baffling. Did they not see the way the audience whoop at Tammy's final speech - how onboard they are with our story throughout?? Is love and acceptance really too sentimental or soft-focus a message for the age of populism in their eyes?? Quiet frankly that's the kind of preachy judgemental bullshit one might find from the very forces Tammy was taking on.

[quote]This work was risky: financially, politically, and artistically. New musicals are hard. This isn't Elf or Back To The Future or even Gypsy, it's a story for the times we live in now and, my beloved friends and fellow artists, I would far far rather die on that hill than on the easier lawns of giving people something they knew what was before they'd even stepped into the foyer.

[quote]I'm sorry I couldn't lead this to where we deserve to be (and I take full responsibility for my own part in letting you down who deserve so much better) but I won't hear that this is anything other than a profound and beautiful show. It's maybe mistimed, and too ambitious or even contradictory in places, but it's heart-burstingly alive and I hope you can all find pleasure together bringing it to those folk out front who continue to love and find inspiration in it over these last performances.

[quote]As I said life can be very unfair. I guess for a lot of people they find consolation in faith. Well my faith is in all of you. We will rise again. So see you in heaven. Out there onstage.

In my opinion, the real reasons for TAMMY FAYE's deserved failure have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with anything Goold wrote in that ridiculous letter. Clearly, he long ago lost any objectivity he might have had about this show and is now completely delusional.

P.S. According to something Michael Cerveris posted on social media recently, it seems the same can be said for him, which really surprises me, considering that he has been in so many shows that were actually good.

Goold is nuts, and clearly knows nothing of the U.S. …which is why it flopped.

Brits can really be so pitiably obtuse when it comes to its American cousin.

[quote]Oh God, can we please let Ben Brantley remain in the land of Twitter. Ugh...

R250 - sue me, but I actually thought Brantley's article was a really fun read. Is anyone here old enough to have seen all of those performances (except for Ethel, of course)? I'd be so jealous of anyone who saw Angela, Tyne, Betty, Bernadette, Patti and Imelda!

R249 - that's a great cast! And, whatever her personal blindspots are regarding that predator Bill Cosby, Phylicia has done some fine directing work, too. I'm really looking forward to this one!

I saw Tyne, Imelda and Bette play Rose. Can I dance in half a cow suit with Tulsa as a reward?

Depends on which half of the cow suit.

Tyne will always be my favorite Rose and I loved that production. Crista Moore and Jonathan Hadary could not have been better and Barbara Erwin was the perfect Tessie.

Adam Lambert's just-released version of 'I Don't Care Much' is stunning. Heartbreaking and compelling and a completely different energy from Redmayne. Casting him as the Emcee in Cabaret seems to have righted that ship.

Lovely, R266.

r266 - I saw Adam Lambert a few weeks ago. I thought he and the new Sally were both excellent. I expected his singing to be impressive, but I forgot that he had a (long ago) history in theatre and he proved to be a fine theatrical performer, too. He was equally funny, charming and sinister. I'm so glad I didn't see that weird Muppets performance from Redmayne.

Adam is a sensational performer. Happy for him that he's having success in the role.

Adm at 22 as Charlie Dalrymple in " Brigadoon."

Lambert is so good but, I believed, he had tons of Bway rejections before American Idol

[quote]Depends on which half of the cow suit.

It had better be the front half!

I've seen Tyne (LA), Bernie (Broadway), Imelda (TV), Bette (TV) and Roz (movie.)

I'm late on my review of GYPSY (which I saw the matinee before Thanksgiving), but I've been away for a few weeks. I see that a lot of folks don't agree with my take, but here it is. These are the short and long text messages I sent to friends after the show:

Gypsy – looks like a lousy touring production. Audra is wrong for the role. Best Louise-transforming-into-Gypsy that we've ever seen. Good orchestra. Terrible choreography. SAVE YOUR MONEY.

For me, Gypsy was a disappointment. Audra's singing just didn't cut it (that annoying vibrato), and her acting ranged from A to B. Supporting cast was good, especially Louise and her transformation into a Josephine Baker-like Gypsy Rose Lee. Until the "I'm beautiful" moment, you never imagined that she could possibly transform into a star. Production was just average - could have been a touring show. The new choreography was terrible, but the Orchestra was fantastic. I blame George Wolfe for the lack of focus and the general mediocrity.

I had heard rumors about how Wolfe would handle a black Rose, and I actually found the concept interesting and plausible:

- Rose had been married to both black and white men. While June was light-skinned with curly hair, Louise was dark-skinned with traditional black hair.

- Herbie got them gigs because he pushed pictures of June to the theater owners, who thought they were getting an all-white act.

- Grantziger wants June because he can pass her off as white.

- Tulsa rehearses with Louise because she's a good dancer, and there seems to be chemistry.

- Tulsa runs off with June because she can ultimately pass as a white and ensure success in the act.

- Louise transforms not into a traditional Gypsy Rose Lee but a Josephine Baker.

If true, Wolfe abandoned these ideas and went for blind color casting without explaining how a black/white act would have been in mainstream Vaudeville at the time. I would have loved to see the former.

IMHO

Billy Boy, I'm confused by the second half of your post with the bullet points. In those points are you saying that's what you saw onstage or are you saying it's what you wish you saw onstage?

Forgive me if I'm being dense.

R274, Wolfe couldn’t have done any of that without a full re-write of the book.

And please, Audra, no matter whether you think her voice is right for the songs, never acts from A to B

What is going on with Michael R Jackson on Twitter? He's posted a few videos like this.

^^^^What is her problem OP^^^^ Does she mean my Luigi, that fat Bitch!!

R274, those ideas are interesting, but is there any way Wolfe would have been able to get them across without adding lines or otherwise changing the script?

Michael R Jackson's off-Broadway show just announced closing. So this, White Girl in Danger, and Strange Loop were total financial disasters.

Michael R Jackson has so little talent, these videos are showing all that really left or all that was really there to begin with.

Years from now, writers will write many WTF pieces on Strange Loop, and wonder why it could have possibly won The Tony.

Michael R Jackson is a mediocre, navel-gazing shvartze with no taste.

Rupert Goold has the self-awareness of the Democratic Party.

Rupert “Enron” Goold is such an egoist, thinking his shitshow suffered from the political divide in the U.S. And criticising the “liberal” media - who does he think goes to the theatre? FNC viewers? He’s always been an asshole.

[quote]Billy Boy, I'm confused by the second half of your post with the bullet points. In those points are you saying that's what you saw onstage or are you saying it's what you wish you saw onstage?

R275, I was saying that I heard rumors that this was a possible scenario that Wolfe was considering for making this production more believable. R279, as you and others have pointed out, some alterations to the script would have been required, which seems unlikely. To that, I say that every artistic person connected with the original production is dead, especially Arthur Laurents. And his trustee, David Saint, can be bought for a dime.

Again, these are just my opinions. Although I spent many, many years working on Broadway, I am ultimately just another theatre-goer.

"Tammy Faye" was a total failure of craft. All of the other reasons it failed are secondary.

[quote]I'd be so jealous of anyone who saw Angela, Tyne, Betty, Bernadette, Patti and Imelda!

In that case, feel free to be envious (not jealous) of me. I saw all six of them. I was a student when I saw Angela, who remains my favorite.

Interesting insight. Appreciate the review, R274!

r288 - Well, that is a fabulous accomplishment to have seen all those Roses! I know some of them were DECADES and DECADES ago... but any special memories? Any favorites from all of them? And, are you seeing Audra?

R288,

So very jealous that you got to see Angela do the part!

I guess it was an accomplishment, R290. I saw every Broadway Rose except for the Merm. To see Betty Buckley, I had to schlep out to the Paper Mill Playhouse. I'm a huge fan of Buckley's and thought she would be a terrific Rose. She sang the hell out of those songs, of course, but her acting was very one-note (she seemed angry all the time) and uninteresting. I loved Tyne Daly, but she was having vocal problems when I saw her. I guess I saw Bernadette early on, because she struck me as working very hard in a role that wasn't a natural fit for her. Patti was Patti, but that wasn't a bad thing. I do hope to see Audra but don't have tickets yet.

a Strange Loop started out okay but by the end with the horrible Tyler Perry parody, it was unwatchable. The audience seemed to love it though. Not surprised everything else he’s done has flopped.

Final thoughts on Gypsy:

Audra and Danny were the highlights of the production, but only during their dialogue scenes together. I left thinking "this would have been a nice play about an interracial couple in the Depression era," hardly the impression I want from Gypsy. Rose is a character who should be titanic in her quixotic vision, Audra has created a naturalistic Rose that doesn't match up to that. It's a thoughtful and interesting performance to watch, but it just isn't Madam Rose.

I've seen a lot of praise for Jordan Tyson's June and Lesli Margherita's Tessie, but all I saw were two standard performances of minor roles. I genuinely cannot think of any other accolades to give them.

Wolfe's direction–after all the cheerleading about this production's thoughtful treatment of race–lacked intentionality. There is a somber quality to the performances in this production, but the direction works against that. The most egregious moment was aping the delusional bows from the Lansbury production: Audra's Rose's Turn is full of despair and regret, I don't see how that leads to her sinking into delusion.

I said I'd recommend this production earlier in this thread, but my opinion has changed. This was my first time seeing Gypsy on stage, and I think the creaky movie with Roz Russell and Natalie Wood was better than this production. I'm one of the younger people here, so I never saw the Roses of Broadway past (but I've watched/listened to all of them). If you have seen Gypsy before, I'd say this production is to be missed.

Anyway, I shall stop rambling about Gypsy and resume my usual schtick.

Audra's version of Rose's Turn is the worst ever. The way she uses her legit voice at the end of the song is painful to listen to. She sounds like a dying animal. She better be glad that Arthur Laurents isn't around anymore, because he would have ripped her to shreds.

Kern Troll, I had no idea you're so young. I'm even more impressed by your intelligent and delightful posts.

[quote]Years from now, writers will write many WTF pieces on Strange Loop, and wonder why it could have possibly won The Tony.

Well, if they're able to research and understand the cultural context of the time, they should be able to figure it out.

Call her Madame Rose!

[quote]David Saint, can be bought for a dime.

Thanks for that one, Billy Boy! Hilarious but true. David Saint (who is no saint) was made a "producer" of the Spielberg/Kushner WEST SIDE STORY in return for his allowing them to basically rewrite the script from the ground up.

As was his right pursuant to the trust.

I have to ask, R285, why did you use Enron for Rupert Goold. Who is he? Why that nickname?

Another one here who saw them all, except Lavin. Saw Lansbury twice, and hers was the only one who gave me chills. Twice.

R301 aren’t you always going on about your fancy education? Google is your friend—seek him out.

Ah, remember when ENRON came to Broadway and the London producers were so cocky they forced investors into other shows to get into ENRON, and then it flopped...

I'm another old poster who saw Lansbury twice. What was remarkable and different about her take on was Rose was that she played her all charming and warmly and motherly coaxing in the first act. The monster didn't come out until the end. An incredible arc which I'm always surprised other actresses haven't employed. Or haven't employed as effectively.

R305, how did that work with Everything’s Coming Up Roses?

Enron was a play??? What fucking moron would invest in that POS!!

Just watch "The Smartest Guys in the Room"-2005. Even better, read the book too!!

Wait til he finds out there was a play about Lehman Brothers. It was a hit!

[quote]Call her Madame Rose!

Mammy Rose, actually.

Don’t be ass—not a good look.

The less said about Linda Lavin's Rose, the better. She literally screamed and stomped her feet during the entire performance using an Irish brogue that came and went. But, Sondheim (or Laurents?) said she probably came closest to capturing the real Mama Rose.

[quote]I'm one of the younger people here

So you're under 80 then?

[QUOTE] But, Sondheim (or Laurents?) said she probably came closest to capturing the real Mama Rose.

For heaven's sake, they say that about every Mama Rose. "Joyce DeWitt could neither sing nor act the role, but she came closest to capturing the real Mama Rose."

I showed my panties!

R313. Oh yeah?

Andy Karl Joining Moulin Rouge In Jan as.....the Duke.

‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Broadway Revival Sets March Opening Date, Venue:

Again?

Is FRANKENSTEIN the last play to play The Palace?

I’ve always thought the overture is to introduce the audience to the songs so that they are familiar when heard during the show. But there is The Fantasticks and Urinetown which features no songs from the show.

Urinetown's Overture is a direct homage to The Threepenny Opera's Overture, which also doesn't feature songs from the show.

Dead Outlaw taking the Longacre. Announcement next week. They're plotzing over at "maybe happy ending" and "Death Becomes Her."

Surely, it's been posted here many times, but the real Rose Hovick makes a guest appearance on an early 1950s I've Got a Secret in which her "secret" was that she was Gypsy Rose Lee's mother. She's about as dull as can be.

R294 / Kern Troll - No, don't stop rambling! I love reading detailed reviews on a hot topic show like the Audra Gypsy. Sometimes DL posters offer far more insight into WHY they liked or didn't like a show than the professional critics do. Who knows if I'll agree with your assessment when I see Gypsy next year, but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts!

[quote]how did that work with Everything’s Coming Up Roses?

Yeah, I'm curious about that, too, R306. Perhaps one of the lucky ducks who got to see Angela's Gypsy can add some additional context to R305's post. I'm not a massive fan of Patti's Rose, but her Everything's Coming Up Roses was incredible -- partly because of how she was starting to show signs of an almost manic episode and partly because of Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines cowering in terror in the corner. If Angela was still all sunshine and warmth until Act II that seems like Everything's Coming Up Roses would be a wasted moment.

Roses is where she started the transition, r325.

Angela Lansbury's "Everything's Coming Up Roses" worked perfectly because it was the dropping of the mask. It was the moment when we truly saw the naked ambition, the success-at-all-costs determination, and the delusion that she could make Louise a bigger star than June.

Lansbury summoned a ferocity we hadn't yet seen in Act I for Everything's Coming Up Roses. She was never manic like Tyne or Patti. Much more subtext and shading to her performance. Lansbury was also tall and imposing onstage. Her stature allowed her to do much more with less.

I still remember her high kicks in Together.

Remember, that girl was capable of both Mame Dennis and Mrs. Iselin.

And now...the Baroness...

One of this currently announced closing shows will be announcing tonight it is extending at least 2 weeks.

I kinda hope it's Suffs, just for the MARY! of closing the day before Inauguration Day.

Hope it's SWEPT AWAY. I'm kicking myself for not jumping on TDF tix early on.

Has this been posted?

I don't want to spoil my first time so I only listened to the first 30 seconds of the actual Rose's Turn. I was struck by... the placement of Audra's voice/chest voice sounding odd and uncomfortable and some very awkward phrasing / accents? It sounds like an SNL character putting on an "old timey NY" accent. Also.. oof.. why does the orchestra sound so sloppy? I mean contrast that to how fabulous the orchestra sounded in the Bernadette revival. Night and day...

Where did it strike you?

R319 that would be Ben Platt's residency.

Now I'm imagining Marc Platt trying to buy Ben a Pulitzer.

Did DL icon Bonnie Franklin ever attempt Madame Rose?

R340. She was announced for Gypsy at Bucks County but Joyce DeWitt replaced her. This is not a joke. It really happened.

[quote]This is not a joke. It really happened.

Regardless, it's still a joke!

just heard Audra's Rose's turn on YT... was Rose from the south? Is she using a southern accent?

[quote]The less said about Linda Lavin's Rose, the better. She literally screamed and stomped her feet during the entire performance using an Irish brogue that came and went. But, Sondheim (or Laurents?) said she probably came closest to capturing the real Mama Rose.

I never saw the full Lavin Rose but did enjoy her singing it on the Tonys. In fact, only familiar with the Merman recording at that time, I thought, "I never realized those songs actually have tunes!"

[quote]just heard Audra's Rose's turn on YT... was Rose from the south? Is she using a southern accent?

see r204 and r222.

And try to keep up.

[quote]I never saw the full Lavin Rose but did enjoy her singing it on the Tonys.

When was that, r344?

Now we know what Marian Anderson's Rose might have sounded like.

Did anyone see "Gun & Powder" at Papermill? If so, how do you think it'll do when it comes into NY?

R338, I'm sure the other poster was referring to the last straight play (non-musical) to play the Palace. And there's no way Ben Platt's show could be described as a straight play :-)

Oh, I thought some joke about Ben and Frankenstein was being attempted.

I doubt that the “back story” here is her family had been in the PNW for generations—not likely. I guess y’all find it difficult to understand that Blacks in the North often spoke with a residual twang or lilt taken from their family’s earlier roots. And so they used it.

Or not.

The WEST BANK CAFE is closing (again) but reopening in the hands of these two...

Are they gay?

Star to be...

Who? Sandy?

I saw the Lansbury Gypsy on its pre-Broadway tour at one of the Boston area’s “music circuses.” I had a seat way in back on the aisle and at one point became aware of someone standing next to me. I looked up and saw Zan Charisse dressed in next to nothing waiting for her entrance. “Don’t touch me,” she said in a steely whisper, and I was embarrassed to be taken for a perv.

SC Justice to appear on Broadway

[quote]Back in September, she recalled acting out a scene opposite future Oscar winner Matt Damon while they were both students at the Ivy League school.

Isn't everyone on DL a perv? Zan was probably right. She just got it backwards.

I know she’s just having a lark but I’d rather our Supreme Court justices avoided silly things like that, R357.

And of course, as I write that, I’m well aware that she’s the least of the highest court’s problems!

In my review of GYPSY, I should have disclosed that I worked on the Angela Lansbury production at the Winter Garden Theatre. Some old-time DLers might remember my story about being punched in the face by Lansbury's husband, Peter Shaw, on opening night.

I agree 100% with R305:

[quote]What was remarkable and different about her take on was Rose was that she played her all charming and warmly and motherly coaxing in the first act. The monster didn't come out until the end. An incredible arc which I'm always surprised other actresses haven't employed. Or haven't employed as effectively.

That transition into the monster started with Everything's Coming Up Roses, as R326 mentions.

And R328 explains [quote]Angela Lansbury's "Everything's Coming Up Roses" worked perfectly because it was the dropping of the mask. It was the moment when we truly saw the naked ambition, the success-at-all-costs determination, and the delusion that she could make Louise a bigger star than June.

Why did Mr Lansbury punch you?

From the old **OFFICIAL** SUMMER STOCK THEATER MEMORIES /GOSSIP/DISH Thread:

On the opening night of the Angela Lansbury GYPSY production on Broadway, I was given the task of guarding the stage door for 15 minutes. Photos of the production had not come out well, and they were using the time before curtain to reshoot the entire cast in costume and makeup on the stage. I was told to let NO ONE IN, no matter who they were until I was given the okay. The few people who did arrive during this time were fine with the explanation. The one exception was Miss Lansbury’s husband, Peter Shaw. At the door, in front of several people, he confronted me. After I demurely explained the situation to him and repeated my instructions verbatim, he reacted with a full-force, closed-fist punch to my face. I fell to the ground. He then stepped over me and went in through the stage door. One of the co-producers was there and asked me not to do or say anything, that she would “handle it.” And being the dutiful employee, that’s what I did. And yes, I thought he was drunk. The explanation that I got later was that “someone told Mr. Shaw that his wife had been injured, and he was concerned and rushing to her side, and I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” This time, though, I had a big bruise on my face.

Billy Boy, do you live outside the US now? I'm just trying to figure out if I might know you.

You will find me at West Bank every Thursday after work sitting at the bar but not sure if that will continue if they change things and the staff. There is no need to change anything there. Don't let Matthew go. I've lost too many places here in NYC since Covid. I love to people watch at West Bank too, so many NYC characters. Any suggestions for other places to go?

R364 No, I live in Hawaii.

[quote]I was embarrassed to be taken for a perv.

Not for the first or the last time, I'll wager.

R352. Moisturize!!!!!

I guess we won't know for another hour, but any new word or hints about the show getting a final two-week extension?

It is "Swept Away."

Swept Away is getting extended to December 29th. This show's closing was always an inevitability. I think it's very inconsiderate to patrons and theater staff alike who may have already made plans to go away or purchased tickets to see other shows.

I've watched that clip at r331 about five times already. So damned clever and on point

And yet, r371, they might be grateful AF for two more weeks of pay.

Will it shut up that whining cast member?

Well, Josh's friends have no excuse now not to come see him and the other adrift cannibals.

[quote] Swept Away is getting extended to December 29th. This show's closing was always an inevitability. I think it's very inconsiderate to patrons and theater staff alike who may have already made plans to go away or purchased tickets to see other shows.

I think it's very inconsiderate to patrons and theater staff alike that they will have to see two more weeks of Swept Away.

Broadway Box Office:

Did anyone attend the LCT South Pacific reunion concert? How were Kelli and Paulo? How's Matthew's treasure trail holding up? Was it semi-staged? Tell us more!

There was a kind of adorkable actor who was in the original cast of Book of Mormon and I THINK he was in the LCT South Pacific, too, who, surprisingly, was one of the best fucks I've ever had. The guy just had such powerful hip thrusters. I wish I could remember his name.

[quote]I saw the Lansbury Gypsy on its pre-Broadway tour at one of the Boston area’s “music circuses.”

Then you saw it post-Broadway. Angela's "Gypsy" played Boston's Shubert Theatre in its pre-Broadway engagement. That's where I saw it.

I love that they brought back the two young actors who played Emile's kids for the reunion. Of course they're all grown up and beautiful.

[quote] Did anyone see "Gun & Powder" at Papermill? If so, how do you think it'll do when it comes into NY?

I did and was pleasantly surprised by it. From the description, it sounded like it would be solemn and dutiful, but it's a fun story, the songs are terrific, and it's a good-looking production. The score allows the two sisters (Liisi LaFontaine and Ciara Renée at Paper Mill) to sing their faces off, as well as the fabulous Jeannette Bayardelle as their mother. It runs a little long, and there are some sequences that I hope they trim or cut, but it's one of the better new musicals out there. If they can come up with a better title that somehow better conveys what is in store, it could be a hit. Sharing the NY Times review from the Paper Mill production.

Naveen Kumar gave it a critics' pick. It'll come to Broadway and Jesse Green will shit on it.

At least Naveen can write about it again as the new critic for the Washington Post. If other critics agree, you can sometimes override an indifferent NY Times.

Everything's coming up Rose's what?

Jamie Lloyd-Directed ‘Evita’ Set For West End Revival This Summer At The London Palladium:

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1989, "City of Angels" opened at the Virginia Theatre.

Long overdue for a revival.

Honey, so is "Raisin".

r379, wouldn't a quick peruse of the original cast of BofM on IBDB give you a hint of the guy's name?

Re "Gun & Powder":

[quote]The musical traces the story of Black twin sisters who pass as white, and exact their own form of justice for the crime of slavery, in 19th-century Texas.

Sounds like a hit. 🙄

[quote]r385 = —J. Robbins

Jerome or Jana?

[quote]r389 = Honey, so is "Raisin".

newp

For those who were around in the '70s, did "Sidewalk Tree" become an auditions-recitals staple? It's a pleasant little tune.

I remember nothing about Raisin.

It’s about raisins in the California sun.

Raisin was a beautiful little musical with a great cast including Ernestine Jackson, Debbie Allen and Virginia Capers who won a Tony.

Three more weeks of the Swept Away torture.

[quote]r397 = Raisin was a beautiful little musical

I do remember it being small.

Every so often I listen to the cast recording of Raisin, think that it's quite pleasant, happy to encounter it again, and then it promptly flies from my mind.

R399. Little compared to the overproduced, garish crap that's on Broadway today.

[quote]You will find me at West Bank every Thursday after work sitting at the bar but not sure if that will continue if they change things and the staff. There is no need to change anything there. Don't let Matthew go.

In the statement that was released after the very unfortunate, highly misleading announcement that the West Bank would be "closing its doors" on Dec. 15, it was stated by the new owners that they intend to keep the current staff and basically keep the restaurant and the Laurie Beechman Theatre as they are now, with the same names. I have also been informed that the new owners have signed a 12-year lease.

^^^^^Forgot to mention that, apparently, the West Bank will be closed only briefly after Dec. 15 before it reopens under the new owners, though I don't know how briefly.

[quote][R399]. Little compared to the overproduced, garish crap that's on Broadway today.

Little compared to the other shows running at the time, r401. It's a small story that didn't allow for interesting sets, costumes or big production numbers. I don't think the songs strengthened the original play in any way.

Of all the Louises in the various Broadway productions of Gypsy, Zan Charisse was the worst. Angela had a terrific Herbie, Rex Robbin’s, but Charisse was so-so.Christa Moore, Tammy Blanchard, and Laura Benanti were all better.

R405. Zan's father, Robert Tucker, choreographed that production of Gypsy.

She's a real Zan Tucker, that one.

I have to wonder if Sandra Church as the original Gypsy was so dull, she set a low standard for all future Gypsies. Yet the show was a smash and she was certainly never blamed for bringing it down.

It's like nobody seemed to think it important to find a pretty young actress with the genuine spark and quirkiness of the real thing. Like after Rose and everything else wonderful, there's no room for a more dynamic Louise/Gypsy. Any bland brunette ingenue will do.

Benanti was the first Louise who finally seemed stronger and more interesting. I didn't see Church, so this is just me wondering.....

I'll get crucified for this, but Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee is not a great role.

[quote]Yet the show was a smash and she was certainly never blamed for bringing it down.

People don't go to GYPSY for who's playing Louise.

But that's my point. IMHO Louise/Gypsy is a great role and it's never or rarely been served by a young actress uniquely talented and interesting enough to play her.

Louise/Gypsy is a pretty great role if you look at the totality of the show, of course including the scenes of her transformation and her two big scenes with Rose after she has become a star, before and after "Rose's Turn." The earlier scenes and songs are not written in a bravura style, for obvious reasons, but it still takes a talented actress to play them convincingly.

BABY Louise can steal the show!

R397 and Good Times’ Ralph Carter! Tony-nominated and Theatre World Award winner!

Gun & Powder has the same idiot producers as the smash hit neurodivergent musical, How to Dance in Ohio.

They are incompetent.

How DO you dance in Ohio!

R413. I tried.

Cole out of OM! tonite

Speaking of Sandra Church...

Years ago, I worked in the box office at BAM. A nondescript blonde lady, perhaps in her late forties or early fifties, came in to purchase one single ticket for some avant-garde crap that permeated much of BAM's repertoire. She decided on her seat, and I asked how she wanted to pay. She handed me her credit card, and that's when I saw her name: Sandra Church. I looked up at her wide-eyed and, with adoring devotion, asked, "Are you THE Sandra Church?" She smiled and quietly said, "Yes, I am." That was basically the whole transaction, but I got the sense that I had made her day.

Swept Away will go away.

I do wonder what happened to Sandra Church's career. I can remember as a kid in the early 1960s being dragged by my parents to the film The Ugly American starring Marlon Brando and Sandra was his leading lady. Don't really have any memory of her in it, I think it was actually a small role, but I was already aware of her name from our cast album of GYPSY which I played a lot, of course.

But I couldn't tell you any of her credits on stage, film or TV after that. Did she just marry and retire? I guess I could google....but maybe someone here knows something interesting about her.

It's been said that Merman stopped speaking to Sandra when she found out she was fucking Jule Styne.

For every free ticket Tom and Michael asked for, I hope they’re asked for as many free meals.

My favorite apocryphal Ethel Merman story (I read it here years ago) involves someone asking her what she thought of Sandra Church getting cast in Under the Yum-Yum Tree, to which she quipped "that bitch pisses ice water, I hope they bury her under the yum-yum tree."

When Merman was asked to replace Lansbury in the West End Gypsy she allegedly said 'the only way I'd follow Angela is with a shovel '. They cast Dolores Gray instead.

But Merman was asked repeatedly to head up a London premiere of "Gypsy" and turned it down numerous times so that she would be sure to be around locally for her aging parents if they needed her.

Tyne Daly was going to do Gypsy in London but the Gulf War put an end to that. So she played a return engagement on Broadway instead. It closed early.

I’m 37 and live in Indiana. Diva shows I’ve seen:

Sweeney Todd with Patti LuPone in 2006

Sweeney Todd with Sutton Foster in 2024

Company with Patti LuPone in 2021

Gypsy with Audra McDonald in 2024

Follies with Bernadette Peters in 2011

Old Friends with Bernadette Peters in 2023

A Little Night Music with Julia Murney (Kathleen Turner was out) in 2024

Merrily, We Roll Along in 2022 and 2024 on Broadway

Into the Woods in 2022 and 2023 on Broadway / Encores

Hello Dolly with Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters and Betty Buckley.

Sunset Blvd with Nichole in London in 2023

War Paint with Patti LuPone in 2016 and 2017

Falsettos in Chicago in 2024

Cabaret in London and Broadway in 2023, 2024

Once Upon a Mattress with Sutton Foster 2024

Little Shop of Horrors with Sherie Rene Scott 2024

Yes, I saw Funny Girl with Beanie Feldstein in 2022 on Broadway

The shows I could have potentially seen but missed and hate that I missed

2006 Grey Gardens

2006 Company with Raul

2007-2008 Gypsy with Patti LuPone

2010 A Little Night Music with Bernadette and Elaine

R423, is there supposed to be some point to that nasty post of yours?

Don't blink or you'll miss her...

[quote]Tyne Daly was going to do Gypsy in London but the Gulf War put an end to that. So she played a return engagement on Broadway instead. It closed early.

At first I didn't know what you were referring to, but then I looked it up. I had totally forgotten that the production of GYPSY with Tyne had a brief return engagement at the Marquis Theatre.

GYPSY rehearsal

[quote] Audra's version of Rose's Turn is the worst ever. The way she uses her legit voice at the end of the song is painful to listen to. She sounds like a dying animal.

Rose is NOT supposed to be a good singer. I loved Audra in "Gypsy." I saw Bernadette Peters in it about 20 years ago, I loved her too. It is not the perfect musical, it is a good vehicle for Rose. I was impressed with Gypsy's Josephine Baker-esque transformation. Wolfe had to cut the Josephine Baker segment from "Shuffle Along" after previews, that was a great show too. Audra has never disappointed me.

In fairness, I'd seen "Sunset Blvd" two days before "Gypsy." So "Gypsy" seemed an unparalleled triumph in comparison. "Sunset" was surprisingly drab despite featuring the most beautiful Norma Desmond ever. Who also has the best voice of any actress who's played the part on Broadway.

[quote]Who also has the best voice of any actress who's played the part on Broadway.

I prefer Betty Lynn on those songs.

R434. Agreed. Nicole has a powerful voice but Betty put her heart into those songs and acted the hell out of them.

[quote]Rose is NOT supposed to be a good singer.

In googling Sandra Church to find out WEHT I came across an interesting interview she did in 2007 for PBS American Masters on Jerry Robbins, though probably most of what's there are outtakes that never officially appeared. The interviewer keeps pressing her for details about Robbins and Gypsy that she can't remember so it's a little all over the place, but if you have the patience, it's fascinating and a lot is revealed about Jerry, Ethel and Juke Styne.

She looks great btw, kind of like a red headed Shirley Jones. Sorry, I can't figure out how to link it but just google her name and PBS.

Also, in googling I discovered that role of Louise/Gypsy came down to Church and Suzanne Pleshette. They all decided that Pleshette could act the role better, but she simply couldn't sing.

Karen Moore won the role of Baby Louise over Babies Bernadette Peters and Patty Duke.

On right now...

Since when is "Rose not supposed to be a good singer"? Rose doesn't sing in performance, like Sally Bowles, she sings in character.

Good grief .

Patti LuPone finally made it to "Sunset Boulevard" tonight and some TikToker FILMED her watching it.

*

Those rehearsal shots are a treasure. And Ethel seems quite the happy little sprite on stage. Love the alternate lyrics, too.

[quote]Patti LuPone finally made it to "Sunset Boulevard" tonight and some TikToker FILMED her watching it.

Tragically, moments later the TikToker was unable to film Patti shoving his phone down his throat.

Yes, Rose is not supposed to sound good. That's why Jule Styne tailored the score to Ethel Merman's magnificent voice. Lord.

I'm just now listening for the first time to the original West End cast of Angela's Gypsy. What a vibrant, funny, well-performed achievement.

Thanks, DL, you never let me down. (Well, not usually.)

Tyne Daly said she was offered an opportunity to audition for Baby Louise in the original but she passed. Or her parents passed. Somebody passed.

You dumb bitches! Rose is a dramatic role, she is delusional in her belief that she could have ever been a star. She has no great talent so she's not supposed to sound like Barbra Streisand OR Audra McDonald. Ethel Merman is a foghorn, she does not have a magnificent voice.

R428 I live in Indiana, too, and I think I know you. You directed an Indy production written by a friend of mine from LA.

I watched the YouTube video Angela Lansburg watching herself sing Rose's song, "Everything coming up Roses" in the 1974 revival of Gypsy.

WOW!! She sang that song with a lot of anger, she says she thought it was okay!!

That person filming Patti at SB should be shot in the face. Literally. Idiot.

[quote]You dumb bitches! Rose is a dramatic role, she is delusional in her belief that she could have ever been a star. She has no great talent so she's not supposed to sound like Barbra Streisand OR Audra McDonald.

Julie Andrews should never have been cast in "My Fair Lady." A Cockney flower girl would never have been able to sing that well.

[quote]But Merman was asked repeatedly to head up a London premiere of "Gypsy" and turned it down numerous times so that she would be sure to be around locally for her aging parents if they needed her.

R426 - your post reminded me of this wonderful episode of Theater Talk with first-hand remembrances of Ethel from two people who knew her well. Beyond some, of course, very funny stories involving her wonderfully course sense of humor, they paint a portrait of a woman with a lot of heart and compassion -- and, as I believe you were alluding to -- a deep love for familiy and close friends. I knew very little about Ethel, so I found it very interesting. Perhaps you will, too!

[quote]That person filming Patti at SB should be shot in the face. Literally. Idiot.

Hell, no! I'm deeply appreciative of them risking life and limb (can you IMAGINE if Patti had caught him?) to capture this moment. I am SO curious to know what she thought.

Rose isn’t supposed to be able to sing because her character isn’t supposed to have talent? Huh?

The characters themselves in most every show are not supposed to be great, talented singers and dancers, per se. That is not what the audience is supposed to see when the cast breaks into song and dance. They are seeing the stories come to life in an entertaining way.

R452, that makes no sense. Julie Andrews and Gertrude Lawrence were both lower-middle class at best, and both of them were able to originate classic musicals. There are all kinds of seriously trashy people who call themselves rock or pop stars these days. So there's no reason why a Covent Garden flower girl couldn't coincidentally have a nice voice. But there IS a reason why someone who could never make it in vaudeville (not a real high bar) wouldn't.

It is true that Rose is singing in character, not on a stage, so it's not a great argument. But yours is just a pure non sequitur.

R428, you didn’t miss much with Grey Gardens.

Jesus, R456, it was sarcasm, based on all the moronic comments in this thread about how various characters in musical theater shouldn't be able to sing well.

"a course voice"?

Oh, dear

I didn’t love Grey Gardens, but Christine Ebersole’s second act was one of the greatest performances I’ve seen, including many of the other ones r428 cites.

[quote]Rose is NOT supposed to be a good singer.

[quote]It is not the perfect musical, it is a good vehicle for Rose.

Two highly controversial opinions, to say the least.

R468, I'm hoping that you'll PLEASE tell us you're just being a provocative troll and are NOT serious.

R454, who the hell cares what Patti LuPone thought of the current production of SUNSET BLVD., seeing as how there's no way should could be remotely objective about it and her opinion would be ALL about her?

I cannot WAIT to see what r468, that provocative troll, has you so upset about, r462!

Is the new Rose troll the old Condi troll?

R453 thanks for sharing that. Very interesting and FUN!

Aside from being rude and intrusive, that video of Patti watching SUNSET wasn't at all worth it, because she's expressionless through the whole video -- as is everyone else in the audience whom we can see, because of what was or wasn't happening on the stage at that moment.

r453, or anyone who might have the info, were those infamous notebooks of which the gents speak, in which Ethel kept track of everything and apparently settled some scores ever published or made available for public viewing?

I don’t know if it was one of the greatest performances ever, R460, but yes, Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson were both terrific. Imagine if it had been a better musical.

I thought half of GREY GARDENS was a great musical, and I'm sure I don't have to say which half.

R448 I wish that were me! Unfortunately I’m not a director of any kind and only go to shows, no make them!

EW's Broadway Top 10 and Bottom 3.

Patti’s reaction to Sunset.

Whether Rose is a good singer or not is totally irrelevant. to the show. The point is that Rose thinks she is and fate robbed her of success..

R473. At least she didn't say I was too loud.

[quote]Whether Rose is a good singer or not is totally irrelevant. to the show.

I would say it's very relevant in terms of the audience's enjoyment of the show. What a ridiculous comment.

I remember when LES MISERABLES was revived on Broadway in 2006 (just 3 years after it closed) they cast Daphne Rubin-Vega as Fantine, who croaked her way through "I Dreamed a Dream."

I recall many people complaining at the time and some people excusing her saying Fantine wasn't supposed to be a good singer, anyway, because she was a destitute whore. haha

[quote]What a ridiculous comment.

What an unnecessary sentence.

So which one's more likely to get pity nominations at the next Tonys, Maybe Happy Ending or Swept Away?

R479-well it won't be Tammy Faye.

R478, if you're the same person who wrote that "whether Rose is a good singer is irrelevant to the show," please just take your lumps and admit your comment was ridiculous.

MAYBE HAPPY ENDING has just announced that it's now selling tickets through early September 2025, which of course doesn't necessarily mean it will run till then, but it's certainly a hopeful sign :-)

[quote]Rose is NOT supposed to be a good singer.

Then I guess Lauren Bacall and Elaine Stritch should have played Mama Rose, after all.

[quote] Rose is NOT supposed to be a good singer.

As proved on our albums!!

r473

holy shit... is that real or AI

I find it hard to believe that Styne and Sondheim wrote that score hoping it would be sung poorly.

Of course they didn't, R486. Someone's insistence here that "Rose is NOT supposed to be a good singer" is sheer lunacy.

What, Stephen “I've always preferred actors who sing to singers who act in all the shows I've done" Sondheim?

[QUOTE]So which one's more likely to get pity nominations at the next Tonys, Maybe Happy Ending or Swept Away?

Why would "Maybe Happy Ending" be a pity nom? People are loving it. Mickey Jo came from London for two weeks to see as many shows as possible and went back and saw it twice in that time. I've heard nothing but raves.

And who doesn't love and trust Micky Jo?

I saw ten shows in NYC over Thanksgiving week, and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING was my #1 favorite. SUNSET BOULEVARD was #2. GYPSY was #9.

I do have a question about the ending of MHE, but I can't discuss it without spoiling the ending for others. Oh well...

Get help. That is one hellish holiday.

This year I have seen in NY:

Cabaret

Sweeney Todd

Merrily We Roll Along

Isben’s Ghost

The Roommate

Once Upon a Mattress

Oh Mary

Little Shop of Horrors

Ragtime

Gypsy

(I saw sunset blvd in London in 2023)

Of the batch, I think Ragtime was the best. Merrily was a close second. I haven’t hated anything.

Mickey Jo has unbelievably lousy taste. That said, MHE is really good.

Got to love DL, where Patti LuPone is a great song stylist but Merman just a foghorn who didn't have much of a voice.

I adore Ethel Merman and her singing but would be the first to admit you'd find very few people today (other than eldergay theatre queens) who love her voice. It's like trying to explain why Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were so popular.

Well, with Merman, you could understand every word she sang. Patti, well..............

R496. No it’s not, at all. Crosby was the master of all crooners. He was bigger than Sinatra in his prime years.

R496 thought of Cosby when writing " Crosby."

Ethel had a clarion voice meant for the stage. She wasn't a popular recording artist. She kept in her lane, Disco album notwithstanding.

I just watched a bunch of YouTube videos of Gypsies. This one's a compilation of them singing Some People, all different. Take a look...

[quote]I haven’t hated anything.

Not even CABARET? I'm surprised, because that production is truly despicable.

Cool that Patti went to Sunset and generously called out the leads and other contributors for stellar work.

When I was growing up, I only heard Ethel singing on variety shows, and the vibrato was not pretty. I did love her in Mad Mad Mad World, but she didn't sing in that. It was only a few years later that I started hearing earlier recordings, and there was no vibrato and clear as a bell. Unfortunately, too late to see her in a show. (I did see the TV version of [Gr}Annie Get Your Gun, but she just seemed way too old for it.)

It's certainly not the best score she ever sang, by a longshot, but I think that the OCR of HAPPY HUNTING really captures Merman at her peak -- the voice is clear, focused, thrilling, and she gets a variety of things to do.

And for all that she was certainly no movie star, the movie of CALL ME MADAM gives some idea of her crackerjack comic timing and again finds her in radiant voice -- this time at the service of some wonderful material.

She sounds pretty terrific on both ANNIE GET YOUR GUN albums (however Granny-ish she may have seemed onstage in 1966). People who shrug her off based on her '70s and '80s TV appearances are either ignorant of -- or deliberately ignoring -- the clear evidence of how amazing she sounded from the late '20s through the late '60s. And even as the vibrato became more pronounced and the tone less lovely, she sang her numbers in their original keys right to the end. (LuPone herself has pointed that out, with genuine admiration.)

MARY!!!!!

Patti loved Nicole. Sorry, haters.

Gee, but...

'74

I had heard and read about Imelda's performance, but this is the first time I've seen it. She really acts the song, and even provides a few laughs that I didn't know were even in the lyrics.

What the fuck is up with Scherzinger's Diva attitude? She signed to do Broadway yet she has many scheduled absents coming up. Every other Broadway Norma did up it eight times a week and even had a grand staircase to climb a few times during the night.

If they're scheduled, who cares? Other than queens desperate to whine about something

[quote] Every other Broadway Norma did up it eight times a week and even had a grand staircase to climb a few times during the night.

Yeah, but did they have to twerk? I didn't think so.

Nicole plays 7 performances a week and has a 1 week vacation in January. By today's standards, that's not a lot. Glenn took a 2 week vacation after 3 months and didn't play a full year on broadway. Betty took two 2 week vacations during her one year run.

And Audra takes weekly vacations weekly!

Is there a precedent for Audra McDonald consistently missing performances before Porgy and Bess (having anyone sing Bess eight times a week is an absurd proposition), and Shuffle Along? Not trying to be a bitch, just curious.

I saw the original cast of Ragtime 3 times. I saw Audra one of those times.

Saw Gypsy last night. It's my sixth live production I've seen, after Angela, Tyne, Betty Buckley, Bernadette and Patti. I will always have fond memories of Angela, maybe because I was a gayling and it was one of my first theatergoing experiences. But I have to say that Audra may have eclipsed all of them. I went in with lots of doubts, having listened to the audios posted here. There were a few soprano-ish notes in "Some People" that gave me pause, but her versions of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn" were thrilling and devastating. She's using a different part of her singing voice that I've never heard before, at times somewhat guttural and somewhat belting, and it's very effective. Pair that with her acting skills, and I got chills. The audience jumped up to give her a standing ovation after "Rose's Turn," something I was dreading, but I have to say that it was fully deserved.

Happy to report that raucous trumpet break is in the overture, and audience chatter during the overture is not pervasive. I think they are starting the overture at around 8:05, which helps.

The new choreography is fine but not an improvement on the Robbins originals. I especially missed the strobe effect for the transition of kids to adults, and "All I Need is the Girl" suffers without the "lifts" that Tulsa initiates as Louise imagines herself being lifted. That's maybe my favorite piece of Robbins choreography in the show. Also, Rose picks up 3 little black boys for the act, but during the transition they are replaced by 3 white teens. WTF, George Wolfe?

The big disappointment is the strip number for Louise. Joy Woods makes no impression and gets no laughs as she adds dialogue to the strip progression, and then ludicrously the Garden of Eden portion turns into a Josephine Baker-like production number where Louise suddenly demonstrates outstanding dancing skills, easily keeping up with the gyrations of the scantily clad backup male and female dancers. It's the first production I've seen where Louise's transformation makes no sense at all.

The three strippers stopped the show (as usual) and Danny Burstein was maybe the best Herbie I've seen. There's a real Chowsie, and a stuffed lamb that at least looks realistic, unlike the awful marionette in the last Laurents-directed production. And the Majestic looks great. They've even expanded the men's room, which was helpful last night during the intermission because the line snaked all the way up the stairs, through the lobby, and into the orchestra session. Lots of eldergays in the audience.

[quote] I find it hard to believe that Styne and Sondheim wrote that score hoping it would be sung poorly.

So tedious...

The score is supposed to be sung well by a dramatic singer actress, not an extraordinarily talented singer like Streisand or McDonald. Or at least the audience should not expect that Rose is an exponentially better talent than Gypsy or June. I think it is clear from the show, its subtext and the commentary of its creators.

[quote]Is there a precedent for Audra McDonald consistently missing performances before Porgy and Bess (having anyone sing Bess eight times a week is an absurd proposition), and Shuffle Along? Not trying to be a bitch, just curious.

I remember Audra missed a number of Carousel performances. The bootleg video that's floating around has her understudy.

And I believe that Anne Brown, who originated the role of Bess did eight performance a week when "Porgy and Bess" made its debut at the Alvin Theater. Without a microphone, too!

[quote] Got to love DL, where Patti LuPone is a great song stylist but Merman just a foghorn who didn't have much of a voice.

Merman is just a loud belter who is ONLY known at DL. She is not considered one of the greatest musical theatre actresses of the last half century. She has a very limited artistic legacy and never enters any conversation of great singers.

R520, since Ethel Merman ended the original run of Hello, Dolly! on December 27th, 1970, it's perhaps not surprising that she is "not considered one of the greatest musical theatre actresses of the last half century." But your ignorance is showing if you don't know that she was widely recognized as the most successful and acclaimed musical theater actresses of her time, introducing a staggering number of standards and inspiring composers such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Jule Styne to write scores for her.

r521, just ignore r520 like the rest of us are doing.

[quote] But your ignorance is showing if you don't know that she was widely recognized as the most successful and acclaimed musical theater actresses of her time, introducing a staggering number of standards and inspiring composers such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Jule Styne to write scores for her.

I can live with my ignorance. She is an unremarkable talent. Today, I don't think she has the definitive take on any standard she originated. I do know she was eclipsed by a parade of better singers and stylists.

[quote] [R521], just ignore [R520] like the rest of us are doing.

You mean all 7 of your multiple personalities are ignoring me?!!!

That's unkind.

This is about as definitive as you can get.

R504. you don't seem to have a clear understanding of what "vibrato" means. I think you're trying to say that you feel Merman's vibrato got more pronounced as she got older, and though I would agree with that, to me it never became so pronounced that it turned to a wobble.

Ethel and the REAL Gypsy.

The best Rose would have been Judy Garland in 1962 opposite Liza as Louise. In either a film or special or limited stage appearance.

During the original run of Master Class, odds were better you’d see Maria Callas on stage than Audra McDonalds.

[quote]Audra McDonalds

Oh fucking dear.

R529 thanks. Asshole!

It is worth mentioning that dignitaries of the classical music world such as Arturo Toscanini, Luciano Pavarotti, and Grace Moore all marveled at The Merm.

###

When Arturo Toscanini heard Ethel Merman sing 'I Get a Kick Out of You' he said: 'Hers is not a human voice. It's another instrument in the band.' The great Italian conductor was not the only listener to get a kick out of the Merman voice. Another musical celebrity, the tenor Luciano Pavarotti, wrote in his autobiography about her singing: 'Ethel Merman's voice is remarkable. It is all one register. She has no passagio to worry about. She never has to shift gears.'

Miss Merman is nonplussed by Mr. Pavarotti's praise. 'I don't know what he's talking about,' she says. 'Don't ask me. I don't know. I really can't tell you.' What about her ability to belt out the showstoppers? 'I guess I'm blessed with good lungs. I don't know.' And does she do vocal exercises? 'I don't know how to vocalise. I know I sound like a dumb bunny, but it's true.'

The opera singer Grace Moore once said to Miss Merman, 'Your diction is perfect. Your projection effortless. You break all the rules of nature. Not once tonight did I see you breathe from your chest or abdomen. What do you breathe from?'

'Necessity,' Miss Merman answered. Somehow out of that necessity, Miss Merman has developed the sort of voice that has been astonishing listeners for more than a halfcentury. It even thrilled George Gershwin in 1930, when Miss Merman, a former secretary beginning her Broadway career in 'Girl Crazy,' stopped the show with her rendition of Gershwin's 'I Got Rhythm.' 'Ethel,' Gershwin asked her during intermission, 'do you know what you're doing?' 'No,' she said. 'Well,' he replied, 'never go near a singing teacher.'

###

You can read the rest at the link.

Thanks, R532. One thing many people simply don't understand about Merman is that her Broadway career began and ended before the era of really intense sound amplification on Broadway. So of course her very strong, loud, wonderfully focused belt voice was going to be greatly appreciate by people seated in the rear mezz or the balcony of a large Broadway theater, if not necessarily by people listening to her on recordings at home.

[quote]The best Rose would have been Judy Garland in 1962 opposite Liza as Louise. In either a film or special or limited stage appearance.

Who'd believe that people would pay to see Liza strip?

I'd say her versions of I Got Rhythm, Everything's Coming Up Roses, You're Just In Love, You Can't Get a Man With a Gun, and so many more are definitive.. It's worth repeating: Those who never saw Merman live can't appreciate her greatness.

"Can't *fully* appreciate her greatness," you should have written, R535. There's plenty to admire on her recordings from the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s, and I for one play them with far greater pleasure than most of LuPone's recordings.

Eadie...

R532, your post is the kind of theatrical esoterica that keeps me invested these threads.

God I love being a homosexual.

R385- Tyne Daly understudy Jana Robbins?

R448- the character may not be a singer, but the actress playing the role must be. Do all the characters in Les Miz have good voices? Is Javert SUPPOSED to be a good singer?!? You’re the dumb bitch.

R501 is interesting. This is first I knew they lowered the key for Patti but then she takes a high note at the end that no one else took. Odd.

R518- you’re an idiot.

R520- Merman hasn’t been on Broadway in the last half century. So many idiotic posts…

Tyne Daly was a great singer?

Suzanne Pleshette actually had a very good singing voice. There are clips on YouTube of her singing.

Well, she wasn't as good a singer as me!

Did anyone watch the Broadway Men PBS special tonight?

I found Maybe Happy Ending fascinating, but ultimately didn't move me.

[quote] odds were better you’d see Maria Callas on stage than Audra McDonalds.

Audra McDonald’s what?

[quote]So tedious... The score is supposed to be sung well by a dramatic singer actress, not an extraordinarily talented singer like Streisand or McDonald

Talk about tedious. We're being lectured by someone too stupid to understand the difference between a character such as Madame Rose and one such as Sally Bowles, who sings in performance in "Cabaret."

Anything worth seeing in London right now?

I've heard the Tower is nice.

I feel like there should be gay chips like you get for your sobriety in AA, only they should say, “Angie,” “Tyne,” “Patti,” “Bernadette,” “Imelda,” “Aura,” and the most coveted of all, “The Merm.”

Bringing it back to Merman, there is just something she had in live performance that made her such a huge star. The brassiness, the celebrated diction, plus a truly great sense of comedy that goes underappreciated. She can also do unexpected things, like her trademark grace notes or how her sound can turn warm and lush when singing legato. I play this live recording of "I'm Throwing a Ball Tonight" from Panama Hattie quite a lot. I have no idea where it came from, and the sound is not great, but boy, does she put that song over, and the audience is falling all over themselves from some of the delights of Cole Porter's lyrics. You understand what Porter, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin meant when writing for Merman, your song better be good because audiences would hear every word and note of it. I think it gives a sense of what she was like at the height of her powers.

John Gielgud was a big fan of the Merm too.

Just got back from London. Short answer: Not much (for musicals anyway). Benjamin Button is one-note and amateurish. I enjoyed Prada more than some of the critics, but I wasn't expecting much. Elton's music is meh, but the staging is great. For plays, Oedipus was the best I saw (had to pay too much for the ticket, but whatever...) Dr. Strangelove was interesting but hardly exciting.

Do you think they'll try transferring Button or Strangelove to Broadway, R556?

Next week's quiet when it comes to Broadway show promoting. It's all happening on NBC.

John Mulaney will be on TODAY on Tuesday, followed by Zachary Quinto on Friday. Seth Meyers has Darren Criss & Helen J. Shen on Monday, and John Mulaney & Simon Rich on Thursday. Jimmy Fallon has Fred Armisen on Monday, and Chloe Fineman on Thursday.

Merman was also an excellent comedienne, particularly with a competent director. On the audio of her last performance of Gypsy, you hear the audience laughing much more than I've ever heard in any recent production: she gets ALL the laughs, and delivers the heartbreak too. She was able to hold her own with Bob Hope and Jimmy Durante and Lucy on tv and all those comedians in Mad Mad World.

Also worth noting, the way she belted in her prime is not the same as the straight-tone Broadway squeeze belt of today that is all about pushing the chest voice up (to put energy and vitality into music that often wouldn't have any without the forced high belting, if you ask me). Women today belt much higher, with a pop-rock tone. Merman's belt through the mid-1950s is more open-throated, forward placed with a lot of healthy, ringing head tone in it, with a relaxed jaw. Today it would probably be classified as more of a "belt/mix" than a full belt. Also, she famously made it contractual that she didn't belt above a C, which kept most of the loud part of a song's tessitura in the area of F and Bb, rising only to a sustained C to climax the song.

With the changes women's voices typically experience over time, Merman actually had more of a full-chest tone belt later in her life, when the head-tone part of her voice was mostly gone. The same is true of Judy Garland's voice, which is lower than Merman's overall, anyway. On Garland's Capitol studio recordings there's often a lot of mix and head tone in the belting. By the time we get to The Judy Garland Show and after, it's all a chest belt and the optimal part of her voice has lowered slightly.

This interview is closer to what Ethel's relaxed, real-life affect was like.

[quote]Women today belt much higher, with a pop-rock tone.

Anne Runolfsson belting the end of Le Jazz Hot...

I don't think there's any question that Merman was beloved, admired, respected, etc. in the 30s, 40s and 50s.

But for today's ears, she's......something else. And I say that as a Merman fan.

This song seems so...uninspired.

Whoopi!

But, would Merman have been cast in " Follies"?

They must be good eggs, because they've all aged so well!

Merman was supposed the sing I'm Still Here at Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (perhaps better known as "The Scrabble Album"). Merman was unavailable and Nancy Walker sang it instead.

And Nancy was amazing.

Totally wrong for the character but she sold the ever-loving fuck out of that song.

She could sell a roll of paper towels to a Desi taxi driver.

R554, that’s a recording from the orchestra pit of a live performance of Panama Hattie. Supposedly Merman had all her shows taped with a wire recorder, but all that’s really surfaced are the Panama Hattie recordings.

All those clips of Whoopi's ANNIE but do they ever actually show her singing a note by herself?

R570 NOW you’ve caught on!

Was that in Whoopi's contract or was it the producers' choice?

Did Whoopi sing well in Forum?

As well as Rex Harrison on a bad day.

[quote]As well as Rex Harrison on a bad day.

Did Rex ever have a *good* day?

POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR MAYBE HAPPY ENDING:

I asked this upthread, but I'll ask it again for those who saw the show. In the final scene, did you think that the Darren Cris character actually did what he said he would do, or did he lie and not do it? Either way is heartbreaking, but the second moreso. It wasn't clear to me.

R346, Lavin sang Rose on the Tonys because Daly has left the show by then.

(I think. I was a kid and can’t remember where else on TV I would have seen the Lavin Rose)

There was a Jule Styne TV special where Lavin sang Some People.

R577 Tyne Daly (November '89-July '90) was still with GYPSY (November '89-July '91) when the '90 Tonys aired (June '90).

She returned less than a year later to finish the run (April-July '91).

Tyne would never have left GYPSY before the Tonys.

R575, I think it's clear from one key line that Darren Criss's character says to the plant in the final scene that he lied and did NOT do what he and the woman agreed to do. When he said that line at the performance I attended, some people in the audience gasped. Did you not hear that line, or did you interpret t differently?

“I Don’t Want Our Stories to Be Forgotten” — TOSOS Celebrates 50 Years of LGBTQIA+ Theater and Community:

The " Curse" of the Scottish Play strikes once again.

r562

Does it get any better than that? Cuz that is shite.

I don’t recall Tyne singing on the Tonys. Did she? Wouldn’t it be weird if she didn’t?

[quote]Wouldn’t it be weird if she didn’t?

Ask Bette.

[quote]Ask Bette.

Did Bette sing a number from "Two's Company"?

I was able to find a recording of the 1990 Tonys (hosted by Kathleen Turner).

Anyone here see DEATH BECOMES HER yet? Thoughts?

R588. That's the Tony broadcast where Kathleen Turner got more and more drunk as the evening went on.

^^^^You have to be "half-loaded" to watch the Tonys anyway^^^^

Pretty sure Sondheim named Walker's version of I'm Still Here as his favorite.

Jane Krakowski's bio is fun

Who cares what Sondheim said? He just composed flops.

Just turn her loose on Broad-way, r587.

BAJOUR?, anyone?

[quote]BAJOUR?, anyone?

No thanks, I haven't finished my first one.

[quote]Pretty sure Sondheim named Walker's version of I'm Still Here as his favorite.

Karen Waker?

R592 Didn't he say the same thing about Ann Miller's?

R590-If she was drinking, then she was coked to the gills as well. Back then, her two vices were her best friends. And her husband pretended not to see any of it. She had restaurant workers all over town slip her straight vodkas before she went into the ladies room to "powder her nose". And at this point in her life, you can see the damage it all wrought.

[quote]And at this point in her life, you can see the damage it all wrought.

The rheumatoid arthritis medication contributed a bit, r600.