THEATRE GOSSIP #587: The "Jesse Green Is The Villain" Edition

Here's the previous thread.

Good title!

The NY Times sucks!

Let the Audra bashing/blessing continue.

Jesse was so off on his last few reviews

Maybe the GYPSY album is a BOOTLEG!

So Jesse is a Green Goblin?

Not a bootleg, R6, but there seems to be some confusion on the label.

Do we really need another "Gypsy" soundtrack?

I adore Audra but have never liked her sound on recordings. Her full bloom doesn’t record well

R10, you're saying you like her sound live but not on recordings, even though she sings the same way on both?

Saw Gypsy on Thursday—had no idea Megan Sussex was there—and thought Audra was mesmerizing, totally committed, full-on energy, fierce—but for me never moving. Went away thinking more about the star than the character. Thought the rest of the production lackluster,

John Proctor is an interesting, diverting, but underdeveloped Me Too product. Feels a lot like Eureka Day, but not as biting. Men are bad, girl power and bonding, and resistance dancing. Still entertaining, if a few notches short of what it could be.

R11, some voices record better than others. (But I like Audra’s recordings just fine.)

I'm surprised Duchess Meghan didn't make the audience stand and curtsy.

Audra has lots of dedicated fans but I'm also hoping there are Tony voters who think "she already has way too many Tonys".

Bitch Done Already Had Herses.

[quote]Do we really need another "Gypsy" soundtrack?

Oh, dear.

Just saw real women have curves. Maybe the best thing I’ve seen in a long time.

"Skid Row" on the Today Show.

I’m tired of seeing fat girls on stage.

Don't worry, r19, I'm sure Ankles Aweigh will be revived any day now.

The fat girl subplot in Smash is absurd.

Tony noms for Best Musical:

Maybe Happy Ending

Dead Outlaw

Operation Mincemeat

Real Women Have Curves

Death Becomes Her

I think it's between those five and Buena Vista Social Club.

One of them won't make the final cut.

BVSC will take the spot of Death

[Quote] [R10], you're saying you like her sound live but not on recordings, even though she sings the same way on both?

Yes, the recordings don’t capture her full sound.

Just got out of Real Women Have Curves, which I enjoyed. It feels timely, entertaining, and warm. Even if I wish it had brought the depth of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, which covered similar territory.

Still, it is another new musical with good acting, direction, and physical production to cover up shallow writing and composition. Every character says exactly what they think, and the audience is expected to receive that message. Good acting can create subtext and complexity where there is none. Especially with Michael Arden directing.

I’m holding out for Dead Outlaw.

r22 What about "Boop" and "Smash"?

Boop will get lots of noms, but probably not “Best Musical.”

.....

SMASH is trash.

What do you all think are the best non-musical plays currently open in NY? I have limited slots for an upcoming trip and am deciding between the following...

PURPOSE

JOHN PROCTER

GHOSTS

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

WE HAD A WORLD

DORIAN GRAY

(and totally open to other suggestions, too. I saw Oh, Mary! last year.)

Serious question from a former New Yorker.... How do you guys afford tickets?

Discount coupons come in the mail

Skip Dorian Gray.

R32 - it's much tougher for tourists because, presumably, you have a very limited window and waiting until the last minute to buy tickets can be too risky. But, people who live in the region can sometimes snag a surprisingly good deal on tickets waiting until the last minute. Dynamic pricing is awful, but, occasionally, it can benefit the consumer. And, since they can see a show any week, not just on a limited-window vacation, they can find a date for which there is less demand and get a better deal that way. There are also local orgs that offer discounts -- like TDF (though not everyone will qualify for that) and there are papering services which provide free and low-cost tickets for select performances that are trying to get more capacity in their theatres.

"Little Shop"on "Today...Milo has very weak vocals, and screws up the ending of the song and who the Hell is Liz Gillies?

[quote]Do we really need another "Gypsy" soundtrack?

Not after ours.

Okay totally Mary moment.

I saw Sunday in the Park with George at the Nashville Reparatory last night. I had never seen the show before, though of course have watched the video recording many times.

Well…when they all started to bow to George at the end, I legit had a tear streaming down my face. It was all so beautiful and moving.

I always lose it at that point, r38, and I’ve seen the show probably a dozen times.

One of my secretly favorite Sondheim lyrics was the line cut from one of the Celestes about the soldiers: the one on the left is right for me, so the one on the right is left for you.

Truly one of the greatest shows.

I usually begin to cry during Color and Light, become a blubbing gay mess at the end end of both acts and remain close to tears through much of it.

It's over 40 years old, and in my mind no other Broadway musical over almost the past half century has come close to the ambition and artistry of Sunday.

[quote]One of my secretly favorite Sondheim lyrics was the line cut from one of the Celestes about the soldiers: the one on the left is right for me, so the one on the right is left for you.

I don't understand, if that line was cut from the show, why was it cut, and how do you know about it? (I don't know the show all that well.)

Also, it's such a great line, why would it be your "secret" favorite?

If you don't know all the lines Sondheim cut from all his songs by heart, R41, what are you doing on this thread? It is you we don't understand.

R42, before he died, Sondheim compiled and commented on his lyrics in a two volume set (Finishing the Hat, Look I Made a Hat). The lyric is included there, but it has been recorded (cut song: The One on the Left). A lot of the peripheral stories and songs got trimmed from Sunday, but this one in particular was cut because he thought it showed too much cleverness for the character.

“Secret” is, of course, wry humor. Both because there is no real secret and because this is Datalounge, a confessional community. If there’s any truth, it’s because there are so many from songs that weren’t cut that are better songs.

Saw Gypsy and noticed that right before "Small World "is sung, Herbie and Rose talk/sing a couple of lines about, I think, "confidence." My friend and I—both Gypsy lovers who have seen many productions—agreed that this was new to us. So I consulted the published text and Finishing the Hat. No luck in finding where these lines originated. Any help? Please?

My great-grandfather was an artist, and one of his portraits was of my great-grandmother. I can't hear "Children and Art" without thinking of my grandma, and, well, it's Niagara Falls every time.

What will you queens when Audra loses the Tony, followed by the early closure of the show?

^ what will you queens DO...

I'd re-word the question, R46/R47. It seems clear that some folks around these parts are eagerly waiting for that to happen. The (relatively) stinging question would be "What will you queens do when Audra wins the Tony, and the show hangs on after all?"

Thanks, R43.

Here’s what I’ll do. I won’t care too much about the award, since the Tony voters’ judgment has been proven wrong, compromised, and foolish over time. I may go see the show again because I thought she brought something intelligent, raw, and moving. I would have done the same for Bernadette if I could go back in time. Not for Patti.

Every great actor aspires to play Hamlet. It seems every great female musical theater diva aspires to play Rose. Who is next on the list: Billy Porter, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo?

Me!

I think the most closely watched Tony race will be between Jeremy and Darren with Darren perhaps getting the slight edge because his show will probably win Best Musical. Though, I suppose Jeremy's show just might win Best Musical Revival.

Thoughts?

I think it will be easier to weigh in, r53, when Floyd opens and is reviewed. The reactions of the critics are often Tony harbingers.

[quote] Nashville Reparatory

Oh, dear.

Darren Criss halfway to EGOT???

R53, I think there's another strong candidate for the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical, someone who's not on many people's radar because his show has not yet opened: Andrew Durand for DEAD OUTLAW.

[Quote] I think the most closely watched Tony race will be between Jeremy and Darren with Darren perhaps getting the slight edge because his show will probably win Best Musical.

More likely no one will care about this Tony because they are both in forgettable musicals, only made prominent by the fact that the year sucks for theatre

R58, are you saying that both FLOYD COLLINS and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING are "forgettable musicals?" If so, I hope you realize you're part of a tiny minority in that opinion.

Even if Audra does annoyingly win another Tony she doesn't really need/deserve, Gypsy isn't suddenly going to start selling out. This production is a bit of a bomb. She doesn't fill seats and she's vocally all wrong for the role. It's not a must see show.

To be fair, it never has been. No production has ever been a runaway hit. It tells uncomfortable truths about how parents use their children and how the children outgrow them and then end up being the parent.

[Quote] are you saying that both FLOYD COLLINS and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING are "forgettable musicals?"

Absolutely. Just reading your post made me yawn

[Quote] Even if Audra does annoyingly win another Tony she doesn't really need/deserve

No one “needs” a Tony. And yes, she totally deserves this Tony

If Gypsy isn’t doing well at the Box Office, a Tony for Audra could give it a short lift

Floyd Collins got rather middling reviews.

Many Happy Endings gets praise like “it’s such a sweet musical.”

AKA completely forgettable

R61 And, that's simply not true. The original production of Gypsy was very much a must see show. It ran for nearly two years and spawned multiple tours and sold lots of albums and had a huge movie sale. There's some odd idea that shows were bombs if they don't run for years and years and years like they need to do today.

The Lansbury remount was also very successful on BOTH sides of the Atlantic.

Tyne Daily's production was highly praised and had a good run. The Peters and LuPone productions were too close together but people were excited about them. Unlike Audra's because...she's not really a star like they are.

People mount productions of Gypsy because it's a great show. It'll be around for a very long time.

[quote]r66 = Unlike Audra's because...she's not really a star like they are.

Audra is *exactly* a star like they are.

[quote]Absolutely. Just reading your post made me yawn.

I'm not sure what post you're referring to, but I don't think it was mine, and anyway, my point is that your opinion of FLOYD COLLINS and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING as "forgettable musicals" does not seem to be shared by many people other than than you.

[quote]Many Happy Endings gets praise like “it’s such a sweet musical.”

The title is MAYBE HAPPY ENDING, and the assessment of the show that I've heard from just about everyone is far more enthusiastic than what you quoted here.

R68, yawn

R66, Audra’s run is likely going to be as successful as Lupone’s at least. That said, Audra’s production comes at a time that all of Bway is still recovering post pandemic

R66, your post shows exactly why GYPSY has the odds against it—it’s dated, old fashioned. Plus so many people have seen a few productions of it already.

Even I’m sick of it. The only reason I went is because Audra is in it. And she’s astounding, the best Rose I’ve seen

"The Peters and LuPone productions were too close together but people were excited about them."

As usual on DL, the argument from one's own vague impression. Peters' production ran 4 months longer than LuPone's (even though the latter won multiple Tonys, as the former hadn't), but unlike Daly's, neither of these productions inspired serious talk about replacement casting. They were revived for specific leading ladies, and that was that.

"Unlike Audra's because...she's not really a star like they are."

Oh, please.

[quote]—Everyone

You don't speak for everyone, r69. The rest of us don't find terminal ennui the height of sophistication.

R73, thanks. R69, sorry if you're bored to yawning over my challenge of your vast minority opinion that FLOYD COLLINS and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING are "forgettable musicals," but someone had to challenge such a weird statement.

Gypsy is not doing well at the box office because Broadway is still recovering post pandemic? What about the hit shows that sell out weekly? It's pretty clear that audiences are tired of Gypsy and this production has some problems. Audra could be giving the performance of a lifetime but if the production stinks people are going to stay away just like they did with Peters and the Mendes revival.

r60 = Mrs. M Sussex

[quote]She doesn't fill seats and she's vocally all wrong for the role.

Because it MUST be said on DL for the 2,000th time.

Exactly, R75. I'm sure GYPSY is not doing well due to a combination of the facts that, as you said, many audience members are tired of the show, plus reviews and word of mouth on the production have been very mixed even though Audra's performance was generally (but not universally) well received, plus word has gotten out that Audra has had a number of unscheduled absences.

On that note: Thanks to the poster in the previous thread who provided the number five as what I think is an exact count of the number of unscheduled absences that Audra has had so far. And for those who would argue that's not a large number of unscheduled absences, I would say it IS a large number for the only over-the-title star to have had during the first four months of a Broadway show's run -- especially after that unfortunate week-long cancellation of performances towards the beginning of the run, even though that was apparently not due (or not only due) to Audra's own illness.

R78, at least 2 of those, if not 3, were due to the death of her father-in-law.

GFY

R79. I posted 5 Audra absences in the previous thread and the missed shows due to her father in laws passing were not included. She missed 3 other performances that same week (so she performed twice that week) as well as two additional performances.

MAYBE HAPPY ENDING is the best new Broadway musical I've seen in the last decade, at least. Charming, inventive, fresh and actually quite powerful.

Maybe Happy Ending is great only because of Michael Arden’s brilliant direction. Dead Outlaw is great not just because it’s brilliantly directed, but because it’s got a great book and score.

No, R79. I would refer you to the explanation in R80, except you seem to have reading problems, so I'm sure it won't help.

ESAD :-)

Her father in law lived in Utah, so it’s not crazy that she wasn’t able to limit her time to R83’s demands. It was on a Tuesday, so 3 performances would be the minimum she would miss.

For those needing to pass judgment, here’s the score. She missed more than a week in December when the whole cast was sick, she missed 3 performances and 3 more the week when her father in law had his memorial, and then she missed two other performances. It’s been running just under 5 months. This doesn’t seem crazy to me, and I had tickets to one of the performances and missed.

There aren't enough dead horses for the beaters on here.

[Quote] sorry if you're bored to yawning over my challenge of your vast minority opinion that FLOYD COLLINS and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING are "forgettable musicals," but someone had to challenge such a weird statement.

Snore

[Quote] MAYBE HAPPY ENDING is the best new Broadway musical I've seen in the last decade, at least.

Wow, even better than Hamilton, apparently. Let me go rush to buy a ticket….oh never mind, they’re on TKTS nightly

[Quote] Gypsy is not doing well at the box office because Broadway is still recovering post pandemic? What about the hit shows that sell out weekly?

That’s just one of the possible reasons. While Audra is a Broadway legend, since Bway is now geared towards tourists, they will pay to watch a 3rd rate film star over Audra.

I don't know if it's better than Hamilton, but I enjoyed Maybe Happy Ending more than Hamilton.

R88. they will pay to watch a 3rd rate film star over Audra.

THANK GOD!

I hear Many Happy Endings is surprisingly good but, in this weird political and social time, it feels weird to try to forget real life at a Bway show.

It’s hard to explain but going to a show doesn’t seem like much of priority right now

[quote]Her father in law lived in Utah, so it’s not crazy that she wasn’t able to limit her time to [R83]’s demands. It was on a Tuesday, so 3 performances would be the minimum she would miss.

No one here is discussing those three scheduled absences, we're discussing her other three absences -- unscheduled -- in that same week. Plus two others, including one on the night of the same day when she had appeared on THE VIEW that morning, talking about how she does eight performances a week of the show despite the challenges of her role.

[quote]I hear Many Happy Endings is surprisingly good....

Do you purposedly keep fucking up the title of the show?

[quote]....but, in this weird political and social time, it feels weird to try to forget real life at a Bway show.

If you had seen the show, you would know that, even though it's about two helper bots, it's not at all about trying to forget real life. But also, I'm sure there are a great many audience members who don't really want to see a dark show about our weird political and social times.

Maybe Happy Endings was about twee robots. I wanted out 20 minutes in...

[quote]we're discussing her other three absences

Still?

FLOYD COLLINS is getting very divided responses from its audiences, and rightfully so. I moved to the city in the summer of 1996 after the original production at Playwrights Horizons had closed that winter, so this is my first time being able to see the show, though I've had the cast album for 25+ years. I've always sorta liked it but never loved it.

I saw this Broadway version of FLOYD COLLINS last week, and I seemed to like it more than most. (Except for Alfred Molina, who was behind me in the queue for the loo at intermission, and who I overheard telling the person behind him that he was "loving" the show so far.) General observations:

1. If Adam Guettel could have just tossed in a few strong, catchy melodies, this show might actually work. Instead, it's the same pretty stuff he always puts out, material that sits right on the edge of memorable. I find it more unforgivable this time than I did with LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA or even DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, mainly because the show's Kentucky setting in 1925 begs (BEGS!) for more bluegrass music, ditties that perk up the ear and heart. Instead, it's a lot of ballads or ballad-like songs that hang sweetly in the air then dissipate and are quickly forgotten.

2. The huge Beaumont stage at Lincoln Center swallows the show quite a bit, and I don't think the director and set creators succeeded here. For a show about a man who is trapped, there seems to be an enormous amount of free, flowing space to fill.

3. This isn't the show's fault, but audience members coming to see Jeremy Jordan in a Broadway musical come with certain expectations, and those expectations are not met here, especially before intermission. Things get bigger and perk up in Act 2, but for many that was too late; a stream of people exited at intermission.

4. Jeremy Jordan is fine here, but the show doesn't really allow for him to do that much, despite him being the titular character. Right after the opening number, Floyd has his big number where he crawls down into the cave to explore. At the end of that number, Floyd finds himself stuck, and Jordan then mostly spends the rest of the show on the side sitting up in a chaise lounge . (I think this set-up drove the JJ fans crazy, and not in a good way.) Moreover, near the end of the show, as Floyd is singing his final songs, I realized that his character arc is basically nil. Floyd hasn't really changed much from the beginning of the show. Without that arc, it's not the kind of part that can win awards. Jordan might end up being nominated for a Tony, but it's highly unlikely he can win in this role.

5. What surprised me is that there IS a part that has a great character arc, and that's the role of Homer Collins, played beautifully by Jason Gotay. This is easily the best role in the show, and Gotay makes the most of it. (And what a different part for him after doing TEETH just a few months ago!) DL fave Taylor Trensch has the second-best part in the show as a budding reporter and acquits himself admirably, though as the show went on and on, I kept looking at him and thinking: The DL gays are obsessed with HIM?

6. The show is at least 30 minutes too long and should all be done without an intermission. Why this hasn't been cut down is a major mystery to me.

7. Questions I'm still pondering: Why is this show being revived at Lincoln Center, and why now?

Speaking of Utah and caving accidents, does anyone remember the case of John Edward Jones?

He was a young Mormon from Salt Lake City who went spelunking for old time's sake with his younger brother (a family pastime) the day before Thanksgiving 2009 and got stuck upside down 400 feet (120 m) below the surface for 24+ hours before expiring.

He was only 26 but was already married with a daughter and had a son on the way. Also, he was attending a top-tier medical school on the east coast to become a pediatric cardiologist and was home visiting for the holiday.

Like Floyd Collins, he was able to communicate with his attempted rescuers and loved ones the entire time, including one final touching radio exchange with his wife.

In the end, they were never able to get him out and he's still stuck there to this day!

The cave was permanently closed and a plaque at the site commemorates his presence.

The sad thing about Audra's Gypsy being such a flop is the fact it probably means there won't be any kind of tour now. If it had been a success, they might have done some sort of tour; they will tour old musical revivals if it's had a successful run in New York and gotten good press for being a fresh, look at the material but this dud won't be going anywhere.

Please. There was not a tour of LuPone or Peters. Daly and Lansbury toured before the Broadway run. Only Lansbury’s toured after Broadway. And this is hardly “such a flop.”

Yeah but who could possibly play Rose on tour?

Jo Marie Payton?

Jackee?

Tonya Pinkins?

I'd pay to see Jackee do it!

Billy Porter - Rose Alex Newell- Louise Dylan Mulvaney - June

R98, if there were ever to be a tour, it would absolutely not be with Audra. And though some people liked this George Wolfe production overall (while others definitely did not), I don't think anyone feels it would do well on tour without Audra or an equivalent star name. So I'm guessing a tour is not a serious possibility.

That said, I certainly don't think the reputation of the show itself has been harmed by this unfortunate production. But sadly, that may be just what has happened with THE LAST FIVE YEARS, at least in some people's minds.

There is no equivalent star name….

They could send Gypsy out as a non equity tour. It might do well on the road since the title itself will sell tickets. Look at the successful Funny Girl tour which just closed after 18 months.

[quote]I'd pay to see Jackee do it

"Oh Herbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"

I'm available to be Louise on the national tour.

Jo Marie Payton and Reginald VelJohnson, together again!

With Jaeel White *IS* Tulsa!

[quote] Yeah but who could possibly play Rose on tour?

Mandy Patinkin

Does anybody else think a memorial service for your father-in-law is not really a decent excuse for a major star to miss performances in a show?

I kept thinking throughout the show that Pearl Bailey could have been a great Rose. There are lots of examples of her dropping the Pearlie May affections and playing it for real.

Okay then.

^Leslie Odom back to HAMILTON - thought the link preview would show.

It's official. The Keanu Reeves-Alex Winter Waiting for Godot has the Hudson from Sept. 13-Jan. 4. Opening night is Sept. 28.

R113 Recession indicator.

Show me the scrotum of Leslie Odom!

I can't imagine what the fan base of the Bill & Ted films will think of Waiting for Godot. Under the best of circumstances, that play can be infuriating.

Good point, R118. But on the other hand, when you think of how Reeves and Winter played Bill and Ted, that same sort of thing just might work in GODOT, in a weird way.

Gotta have a gimmick^

This is kind of interesting. Apparently, Lea Salonga has been out sick and someone documented which Old Friends stars covered her musical numbers. Must have been fun to see these ladies do the numbers (though I'm sure Lea is very good...)

Beth Leavel did the opening with Bernadette.

Jasmine Forsberg did Loving You.

Kate Jennings Grant did Children Will Listen and the other Witch material.

Bonnie Langford did Mrs Lovett.

Maria Wirries did Somewhere.

Joanna Riding did Everything's Coming Up Roses.

Paige Faure did Not a Day Goes By.

Beth Leavel took Salonga's spot down center, along with Bernadette, for the closing numbers/curtain call.

It's a sad day when we can't come up with a list of suitable names to play Rose in a tour of Gypsy.

Back in the day, we'd have a list of 20+ names within seconds.

Age will do that to you, r122.

[quote]Does anybody else think a memorial service for your father-in-law is not really a decent excuse for a major star to miss performances in a show?

Please. As Kaye Ballard pointed out in one of the Broadway documentaries, these days actors miss performances to go shopping for shoes.

R122, perhaps no one is anxious to see a touring production of " Gypsy."

Or eager to see it, either.

When Henry Fonda's wife (and the mother of his children) committed suicide, he went on as scheduled in Mister Roberts that night. Now, that's a pro.

Parenthetically: Will Swenson has spoken publicly of how he rejected his Mormon faith, or at least certain aspects of it, because of the Mormon faith's hypocritical hatred of gay people. So I wonder what kind of a relationship he still had with his father, and I wonder what it was like for him to go back to that world for the funeral.

127 we thought he was a total pro when our mother killed herself and Dad left us to go to the theatre that night!

Bernadette Peters Loves a Day Out in New York:

I thought it was terrible how one of the last articles on Arthur Laurents just before he died was that snuff piece by Jesse Green. Classless.

Has anyone ever won an Oscar and a Tony in the same year? It looks like it could happen this year.

Of course it has

Booth

A Hepburn

Burstyn

Didn't Fosse win an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy within a year's time?

R135 yes, on March 25, 1973, Fosse won a Tony for directing and choreographing PIPPIN.

A few days later on March 27, he won the Oscar for directing CABARET.

A few months later on May 20 he won 3 Emmys for directing, producing, and choreographing LIZA WITH A Z.

What, no Grammy??

Amateur!

I think Helen Hunt won the Best Actress Oscar and the Emmy for Leading Actress in a Comedy in the same year.

Both highly undeserved.

Hardly the same R138

Culkin has no chance at The Tony. He'll be lucky to get a nomination.

Drop the pearls, R131.

Laurents lived over 2 years after that article appeared, and in any case the piece (which I thought was terrific -- I wish we saw more of THAT Jesse Green in print these days) isn't for an instant in the same universe of viciousness as Laurents' own memoirs, especially MAINLY ON DIRECTING.

Agreed, R142.

R136...

The Tonys were in MARCH?

Well, I thought that the Oscars were in JUNE . . .

-- P. Rudnick, author of IN AND OUT

I’m not going to weep for that enormous cunt Arthur Laurents.

Can someone please spoil John Proctor and tell us the twist?

John Proctor is actually a woman. And she sees dead people

He is a proctologist.

R144 & R145 from the first ceremony in 1949 until 1976, the Tonys usually alternated between April and March although in 1964 they were held in May and in 1965 and 1966 in June.

Starting in 1977, June became the traditional month, but there were a couple of outliers like the 1992 Tonys in May and in 2020 they were postponed until September 2021 due to the pandemic.

Sit through the first 15 minutes of JOHN PROCTOR abd you'll guess the twist. But the play isn't about twists. Which is why it's so good.

R150, the first Tony Awards ceremony was held in 1947, not 1949. Was that a typo?

JOHN PROCTER received mostly raves. Should Oh Mary! be worried?

r147, is John Proctor the villain because he fucked an underage girl and then treated her like shit?

Was John Proctor ever the hero?

WTF is up with Cole Escola's teeth? He was in a category on Jeopardy last night and looked like a twink vampire.

R152 You are correct! My bad.

The first Tonys were awarded in April 1947 and in March in 1948.

But everything still stands.

Slightly OT but TCM is showing Slaves of New York starring Bernadette Peters early Friday morning. This movie has all but disappeared and features lots of NY stage actors aside from BP.

It’s not a very good movie, at all.

Roger Ebert gave it a half-star rating. He opened his review with the statement "I detest Slaves of New York so much that I distrust my own opinion.”

r159, neither was the book. "Buffalo Stance" is a cool song though.

It disappeared as it soon as it opened. With Tama Janowitz's reputation.

[quote] JOHN PROCTER received mostly raves. Should Oh Mary! be worried?

It's fun and all (though I'll admit I liked it less than most people), but does anyone think Oh, Mary! is a good play? I'd say John Proctor now has an edge for Best Play, and English and Purpose are also strong candidates.

I never said Slaves of NY is a good movie. I thought it might be of interest here because of Peters.

It isn’t. She isn’t.

R165 - Patti LuPone

She isn't what, R165?

Bernadette seems to have been cast not for any reason related to her talent but because someone was struck by a similarity between her iconic curls and Janowitz's oversized 80s perm.

Oh, Mary isn't a play. It's a skit, with some songs at the end.

Remember when the revue FOSSE (1999) and the "dance play" CONTACT (2000) which utilized pre-recorded music won the Best Musical Tony back to back?

R167 of interest.

[quote] The huge Beaumont stage at Lincoln Center

Huge Beaumont? They named a stage after Beaver's daddy?

Good Night, and Good Luck still keeps making a shit ton of money.

Not looking too good for Boop and Real Women Have Curves.

I think Oh Mary wins Best Play or Best Actor. They will want to reward Cole in some capacity.

Whichever one they don’t give to Oh Mary will go to a different play.

Hilty out tonite.

DBH should be shut out of the Tonys just to reward all the absences by the two leads.

Clooney, Culkin and Washington once again proved their box office power, with soaring profits (Good Night at almost 4 million!) in spite of lukewarm reviews. Idina, Audra, Groffsauce and Nick Jonas did not.

R178, why do you say that about Groff? His show is doing extremely well at the box office.

For that matter, Last Five Years is doing ok, too, and largely due to Nick Jonas. I mean, the show's a bore...only a name can help it generate any interest.

I also don't think Culkin is THE reason for GGR's success...it's the cast overall. Culkin couldn't even make the film he won the Oscar for, a hit.

R180 I was going to say, Bill Burr has a large fanbase.

Ditto Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean because of the popularity of BETTER CALL SAUL and BREAKING BAD.

[quote]Bill Burr has a large fanbase

Pics please.

Tonite a woman famous for being a plus size model with no theatre training or experience take over as Roxie in Chicago. Fosse must be rolling in his grave. Again.

Don't know about Fosse, but birthday girl Fran Weissler is surely rolling adjacent to it.

R184. Fran is dead? Never noticed.

She's 97 today. Has anyone seen her the past 10 years or so?

[quote]She's 97 today. Has anyone seen her the past 10 years or so?

She seemed fine at Jazzercize on Saturday.

[quote]Tonite

Seriously?

Won't be just *any* nite, r188.

There will be no Morningstar. I have to make revisions.

What’s the deal with Morningstar?

R191. Marjorie?

Muriel's going to temp ban me for posting this, but I think it shows some serious courage from Ben given his father and brother's very black and white views on this one.

Ben’s bff Beanie finally landed a decent gig.

R194 - dear god, i hope she doesnt sing.

I know I'll get shit on for this, but I thought L5Y was fine. I thought some of the director's ideas were quite smart for a show I've seen many times the same exact way. Warren was great, and Jonas was good. His voice is tough in the lower register, but I liked a lot of his take. Solid night.

Beanie looks far more attractive in that photo at R194 than she does in real life, but of course, her looks wouldn't matter if she had any real talent.

Ouch, R197! I think Beanie's kind of adorable... not pretty in any traditional sense.. just... cute. Also, while she may have been a disaster in Funny Girl, she was generally well received in (admittedly, a MUCH smaller part) Hello, Dolly! She's also been quite good in films like Book Smart.

The whole Beanie Debacle was just so strange. Thinking that this modestly talented, "big boned", plain, Jewish lesbian was going to become the next Broadway superstar...in a role made famous by Streisand. When, at best, Beanie is a very minor musically talented singer.

I really think Delusional Thinking has taken over as part of the mainstream. People living in La La Land thinking impossible things will happen to them.

One day, I'll be rich and beautiful and famous!!!

Michael Mayer was a big reason why that production of Funny Girl crashed and burned.

Whenever a “successful” director has a decision that can’t be challenged by better judgement…then everything dies with it.

Also see Michael Patrick King

I've liked Beanie in a couple of movies, but she was terrible in Hello Dolly.

[quote]Michael Mayer was a big reason why that production of Funny Girl crashed and burned.

Yes, without question. A chart of his career looks like a brain scan of someone having a seizure, all those great highs wildly alternating with incredible lows.

What were the great highs??

Especially when you throw in the nepo baby thing, R199. Let’s be abundantly clear: we would not even know Beanie’s name were she not Jonah Hill’s sister, her connected dad’s daughter, and Ben Platt’s BFF.

R203, I would say some great highs of Michael Mayer's career have been SIDE MAN, SPRING AWAKENING, AMERICAN IDIOT, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.

[quote]we would not even know Beanie’s name were she not Jonah Hill’s sister, her connected dad’s daughter, and Ben Platt’s BFF

But perhaps we owe her some respect for surviving that tragic life.

This afternoons audience at DBH will be treated to performances by understudies for Hilty, Simard AND Williams.

Jesus Christ. Why are they getting away with that????

"Contact" won the Tony for one scene, and one scene only.

I hope Beanie plays the murder victim in "Only Murders." And dies within the first five minutes.

$750 for Orchestra seats see Keanu Reeves in a Beckett play no one ever needs to see again.

ATTENTION JOHN WICK FANS.

We already know who the murder victim is, r210 and it ain't Beanie.

One thing I noticed in the JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN raves is that Sadie Sink was singled out of an excellent ensemble cast for giving a powerhouse performance.

Since she doesn’t make her appearance until well into the play (though her character is avidly discussed before her entrance in true star-making tradition) does anyone know if she would qualify for Best Lead actress in a Play? Is she billed over the title? Or would she get a Supporting Actress in a Play nomination for being part of a strong nine actor ensemble?

Sadie has above the title billing. She's more likely to receive a lead actress nomination rather than supporting.

The Tony nominations come out Thursday, May 1. Call Me Izzy starts previews Saturday, May 24. Is there still a chance that we'll have even just one night with all 41 Broadway venues occupied, or do we see some shows closing May 4, 11, or 18? If so, which?

Patti's Gypsy closed because of the RECESSION!

R216 I had to keep saying that in her presence during The Roommate too!

[quote]This afternoons audience at DBH will be treated to performances by understudies for Hilty, Simard AND Williams.

well, I LIKE understudies.

love,

Shirley MacLaine

R218 well, I don't.

It was 100 years ago, but Michael Mayer did a great job directing Side Man with Edie Falco and Frank Wood. I would love to see a good revival of that show.

JFC Broadway is lame

Inexplicable to me that Sink would be considered a Lead Actress based on her contribution to the play. I wasn't sure which of the women she was playing until she made an entrance well into the act. And not because I recognized her, but because two people applauded. Two.

The 2025 Musical Awards Gala was held tonight in The Netherlands. Dear Evan Hansen will premiere there later this year and here’s what was included in the telecast. Let’s just say tgis Evan is a helluva lot cuter than Ben Platt:

A new production of West Side Story (not directed by Ivo van Hove) will also be touring The Netherlands later this year. I’ve never heard “America” performed in Dutch but these ladies are quite good:

Relish it, R224. It's probably the last time for a while you'll hear anyone say "I'd like to be in America."

R225 I know a boat you can get on.

Why is the Statue of Liberty in the West 60s?

Well, there did used to be a much smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty on top of a building across from Lincoln Center, but I doubt it was there in the era of WEST SIDE STORY.

Since Lincoln Center hadn’t been built yet, I don’t think it was across the street.

I know Lincoln Center hadn't been built yet, but the "Little Liberty" statue was atop what was originally the Liberty Warehouse, where it was installed in 1902 and where it remained for 100 years, until 2002.

I love this @ R230's link:

[quote]Things pick up for Little Liberty in 2002, when The Athena Group...donated Little Liberty to the Brooklyn Museum, where it can be found today.

Yes, there's even a photo of Little Liberty in situ at the Brooklyn Museum :-)

Yes— clearly a Dutch set designer was going for that reference 😵‍💫

Those clips were a lot of fun!

The Dutch set designer may have been going for that reference, but the fact remains that, since 1902, there was a smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty situated on top of a building directly adjacent to San Juan Hill. And that's kinda neat.

He was not. He was making a reference that is out of context for the scene.

[quote]A new production of West Side Story (not directed by Ivo van Hove) will also be touring The Netherlands later this year. I’ve never heard “America” performed in Dutch but these ladies are quite good:

Yes, but it's going to get quite loud in the theater during the high school dance with all those wooden clogs.

[quote]And not because I recognized her, but because two people applauded. Two.

I guess you were there the night her parents were in the audience.

r236 You're tedious.

I'm sorry if this was posted but this is wrong on so many levels

R240. Please don't start. Just when we were all getting along so nicely :)

For R239

High school Charity

Phantom's coming back, in some way or another.

Audra's rendition of "Rose's Turn" as posted by R240 is incredibly, ridiculously overacted and reckless by any subjective or objective standard. She sings very few of the notes as written, shouting instead of singing, and she back phrases horribly throughout. Epic fail. Of course, the audience gives her an ovation anyway, because they eat up shit like that, but I've got to believe that Styne, Sondheim, and Robbins all would have hated it. (Maybe Laurents would have liked it, because he too was into shameless overacting.)

That sounds nothing like the performance I saw three weeks ago, or any of the other bootlegs I’ve heard. To a shocking degree.

Kay Medford set the bar impossibly high.

A reminder that Patti has some awful, over the top impulses. I didn’t enjoy her as much as either Bernadette or Audra, but she certainly made better choices in the role when she did it on Broadway.

So does this new "Phantom" mean the CATS JELLICLE BALL is postponed again?

I've never heard that CATS JELLICLE BALL is coming to Broadway, only that it would be redone again at the PAC

I watched a bootleg clip of Lupone singing Rose’s Turn (shhhh!) and loved the first comment “whoever taped this is braver than any Marine”

(It’s funny cuz it’s true)

JELLICLE BALL is going into the August Wilson in the Fall.

Ok - after hearing that Audra rendition of Rose’s Turn, i thought we could use a palate cleanser. If I screw this up, I’ll try to figure out what I did wrong and post it again.

R252. Oh shit

[quote]Audra's rendition of "Rose's Turn" as posted by R240 is incredibly, ridiculously overacted and reckless by any subjective or objective standard.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah . . .

Jasmine was out of Boop this afternoon. She posted on Instagram that after 25 previews and 11 performances it was time to rest and she hopes to be back tonite. Chita, Angela, Gwen and Carol and Marian Seldes are all rolling in their graves.

R256. In the words of Kaye Ballard, "These days, people call out to break in a new pair of shoes!"

Here comes Kaye Ballard...

When I saw Audra, she was playing Medea not Rose.

[quote]When I saw Audra, she was playing Medea not Rose.

She been there done that, r259.

But could she play MADEA?

Audra was extraordinary.

High school " Sweet Charity." A star is born.

She plays Medea later this week…

[quote]In a new Instagram video – watch it below – Lloyd Webber, pretending to speak for the Phantom character, says that the musical is returning but at “a better address in New York, in a better area.” The video shows Lloyd Webber standing in front of what, as the website Broadway World points out, looks like the now-closed Lee’s Art Shop on West 57th St. not far from Carnegie Hall and various high-end retail shops.

[quote] but at “a better address in New York, in a better area.

Did he then go on to talk about the carriage trade?

The atrium at Trump Tower is available for the right price

R263's clip from a high school production of Sweet Charity is terrific. Took me a while to realize that the high school kid playing Oscar is...

Timothée Chalamet!

So CABARET is closing this summer? Christ, how much did they lose on that one?

Don’t they make a lot from their cocktails? They’re expensive even by Broadway standards.

high school Sunset Blvd

r253 - That was fantastic. And I say that as someone too young to have been brought up on Merman. In fact, I've never gotten her appeal (outside of a few comic roles in films)... that foghorn voice just wasn't for me. But, she was FANTASTIC in that soundboard recording. Far more... complex and psychologically compelling than I would have expected. Do you think she was always this strong or did she grow in the role as the production went on? (Arguably, that happened with Bernadette... I saw Bernadette in the latter third of her fun and she was sensational.)

I'm sure the theater owner did okay on CABARET but all the investors got plowed. The original investment documents said it had to run 3 years at 100% to even recoup. What they didn't account for is that Americans have taste in musicals and recognized the production for college-style crap it is.

R258 that YouTube channel has the whole Blonde in the Thunderbird production, which is the sacred text of Datalounge!

R273, I think that's a very good analysis of the situation. If it's true that CABARET is closing, it can't be soon enough for me.

This past week I've been told about two shows that are coming into town in the near future, or moving to The Broadway:

1. JELLICLE BALL (but I did not hear about it going into the Wilson; was told possibly Circle in the Square; but it could be the Wilson...)

2. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

[quote]I've never heard that CATS JELLICLE BALL is coming to Broadway, only that it would be redone again at the PAC

If they hadn't grabbed the Circle In The Sq (which is actually perfect for it) when it was available, then they ain't coming to Broadway.

I wish there were a YouTube video of the high school production of "Curtains" I saw a few years ago. The school is in a predominantly Asian area (mostly Chinese) and 80% of the cast was Asian; the David Hyde Pierce part was played by a guy who was easily 6'5" and weighed over 300.

And you would want us to see that, r278?

Was it good, R278, or do you want DL to ridicule it? My guess is the latter.

I'm not too surprised that Benjamin Button is making its way across the pond.

“Better That Than Prada” actually is a good title for the next theatre gossip thread, r281.

I'll strongly consider it, R282! Thanks.

[Quote] Audra's rendition of "Rose's Turn" as posted by [R240] is incredibly, ridiculously overacted and reckless by any subjective or objective standard.

Listening to Audra’s Rose’s Turn (and I believe that recording was from previews) makes little sense on its own. She builds that character so expertly that Rose’s Turn is a brilliant catharsis at the end. If you just heard it on its own, it doesn’t have the context it needs

R273 "Americans have taste in musicals"

Oh, my sides!!!

[quote]I'm not too surprised that Benjamin Button is making its way across the pond.

I'm not so sure about that one.

They reset the story in England and it's nothing like the movie.

From bad to worse, eh?

Just wait for…Midnight Cowboy. The Musical.

Or Naked Cowboy. The Musical.

Can't wait!

I’m walkin’ here…to tell you this is shit! Shite, in the London version.

Where's MY musical? At least I have a SONG!

Benjamin Button is one of those musicals that, if it comes to Broadway, everyone will go WTF were they thinking? It's about as good as "Blood Brothers."

Everybody's talkin' at me.

[quote]Listening to Audra’s Rose’s Turn (and I believe that recording was from previews) makes little sense on its own. She builds that character so expertly that Rose’s Turn is a brilliant catharsis at the end. If you just heard it on its own, it doesn’t have the context it needs

No, sorry. She is almost literally just screaming throughout that "song," and hardly matching any pitches. A "catharsis" is not the same as a performer completely losing it onstage. Very painful to listen to, and not in a good way.

R295, tell me you haven’t seen this Gypsy without telling me…

[Quote] A "catharsis" is not the same as a performer completely losing it onstage. Very painful to listen to, and not in a good way.

It actually makes complete sense in the theatre and it will make you weep for the character.

[quote]Tell me you haven’t seen this Gypsy without telling me…

Of course you won't believe me (not that I care), but I certainly did see it, about three weeks after the opening. And while Audra's "Rose's Turn" in that performance wasn't quite as insane as the one that's linked to above, it was close.

[quote]It actually makes complete sense in the theatre and it will make you weep for the character.

No, it made me weep for the performer, and also for the audience subjected to all that screaming and sobbing.

I must be such a philistine, because I really enjoyed this production of Cabaret. Thankfully, I did not see it with that weird Oscar winning muppet, but with Adam Lambert and Auli'i Cravalho, both of whom were sensational.

This production of Cabaret wasn't about anything but selling pricey drinks.

Loved that Cabaret on a rainy night in London a few years ago. White Lotus' Aimee-Lou Wood was Sally!

Sorry to hear it's not been all that in NYC.

R299, I did not see Lambert in this abortion that calls itself CABARET, but I would be very surprised if his performance was significantly less weird than Redmayne's, because that's the way the role of the Emcee has been horribly misconceived for this production.

R300- It's also there to give security guards and front of house staff the right to be as belligerent and obnoxious as humanly possible.

This coming week ...

MONDAY -- George Clooney and Jasmine Amy Rogers on CBS Mornings, Justina Machado on Today (9 a.m. hour), and Idina Menzel on The Kelly Clarkson Show

WEDNESDAY -- Robyn Hurder on The Jennifer Hudson Show

FRIDAY -- Bob Odenkirk and Sadie Sink on The Kelly Clarkson Show

I loved this Cabaret. I saw it in both London and New York.

I will say that I missed the Auschwitz uniform reveal at the end that came with the Mendes revival, but I don’t think this production was any worse or better than that.

I thought Bebe was really good in her quieter moments on Broadway.

[Quote] Of course you won't believe me (not that I care), but I certainly did see it, about three weeks after the opening. And while Audra's "Rose's Turn" in that performance wasn't quite as insane as the one that's linked to above, it was close.

Sure, whatever, but Audra’s Rose has evolved immensely since her early performances. Even you attest to her Rose’s Turn not being “as insane as” the one that was taken during previews

While I didn’t particularly love or hate the current Cabaret (except for the stupid Redmayne acting), I just know that I don’t need to ever see another Cabaret again

The version with Jennifer Jason Leigh at Studio 54 was worse. Worst show I've ever seen on Broadway.

Ever since the movie, it's been an endless game of "How offputting can we make Cabaret?"

Natasha Richardson as Sally: Jesus wept.

And now, she’s dead

There you go. C’est la vie.

The Audra debate is a throwback to the Bernadette debate 20 years ago. NO NO! BY THE END OF THE RUN SHE WAS INCREDIBLE! NO NO SHE WAS MISCAST! SHE WAS BRILLIANT! HER KEWPIE DOLL ROUTINE DIDN'T WORK FOR ROSE! HER KEWPIE DOLL ROUTINE WORKED PERFECTLY FOR ROSE! I'm a fan of BP and I thought she was Miscast and not very good. I have zero interest in seeing the current production and, since it's only playing to 75% capacity, I'm not alone.

No. Then, legitimately, Peters was *not* that great.

How nice for you, r313. How nice for us all.

[quote]I will say that I missed the Auschwitz uniform reveal at the end that came with the Mendes revival,

If you "missed" that appalling, disgusting "Auschwitz reveal," that tells us all we need to know to conclude that your idea of how CABARET should be directed and performed is as horribly wrong-headed as the direction of the current Broadway production and the last one.

[quote]I must be such a philistine, because I really enjoyed this production of Cabaret.

Or maybe you're just British.

Or without taste. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm sick of arguing about the current bad, miscast production of Gypsy...let's start thinking about the NEXT badly cast production of Gypsy which will probably happen about 8 to 10 years from now.

Parker Posey is Mama Rose!!!

"GYP-SEE! Hand your mama that bottle of Lorazepam! I'm getting one of my MIgraines!"

R316 is Joel Grey

Not even remotely funny, R320. You don't have to be Joel Grey to hate what has been done to CABARET over the past 25 years or so.

Sutton should do Mama Rose someday.

One of the perks of being an eldergay, is having gotten to see all those golden age shows. I was lucky enough to see the original Cabaret (with everyone but Joel Grey, who had just left. I doubt I would have known the difference betwen him and his excellent replacement.) It was one of the greatest experiences I've had in the theatre. I mean, come on... Lotte Lenya!!?!

r321 But you do need to be a tedious little cunt to think that only your opinion is the right one. As you've repeatedly demonstrated.

Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya!

AUDREY ROSE!

*

Toni Collette should star as Rose in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s film of Gypsy. If she still owns the rights, I mean.

[quote]But you do need to be a tedious little cunt to think that only your opinion is the right one.

And exactly how does my statement that "you don't have to be Joel Grey to hate what has been done to CABARET over the past 25 years or so" in any way indicate that I think only my opinion is the right one? On the contrary, my point was that it seems many people, NOT just me, hate what has been done to that show starting with the Mendes/Marshall production.

So please, bitch, save your insults for posts to which they at least remotely apply

Although Redmayne, yes, is awful, when you see this production of Cabaret with better actor/singers it's quite compelling. Kander & Ebb and Joe Masteroff's material is so rich and so strong, it can work with multiple concepts/adaptations.

When I saw excerpts of the production on TV I was genuinely repelled by what I saw. But, in the theatre it worked beautifully. I was dragged to the revival when visiting London in 2023 and liked it so much I had to see it again with Lambert in NY last year. Not something I ever would have anticipated.

Is the Hal Prince Cabaret the only way to stage the show? Didn't his own revival with his original staging tank?

The subject matter of Cabaret to be powerful and land, needs shock value. What shocked 'em in 1966 and 1999 is no longer gonna work now. And we don't have Lotte Lenya and Jack Gilford for charm and gravitas.

Are Christian Bale and Christian Borle ever confused for each other?

r329 Your post at r316 literally calls someone wrong-headed for having a different opinion from yourself.

It's remarkable how often you make a fool of yourself in these threads when you to try to run away from your own words.

I do worry about some of you in this thread who seem to get so virulently angry over differences in people's tastes and preferences in the theatre. Is this how you all interact with your friends? I mean, passion is wonderful, but... damn... some of you going to have to accept that some people like Audra in Gypsy and some don't. Some people like the Cabaret revival and some prefer no deviations from the Hal Prince original. Some people like Nick Jonas in The Last Five Years... okay... NO ONE likes Nick Jonas in the Last Five Years, but you get my point.

My parents are in their 60s now and that blood pressure is no joke.

Breathe, y'all! Be well.

R334. Some people ain't me!

[quote][R334]. Some people ain't me!

Nor me.

I want to hear more about Stanley Kowalski in flip flops please,

Mickey-Jo really likes the current Broadway cast of Cabaret (he wasn't expecting to), starring Orville Peck and Eva Noblezada. It sounds like they've "walked back" a lot of the more histrionic aspects of this version's characterizations.

Sounds a lot better to me.

Something’s apparently going on in this thread, but luckily, I’ve blocked most of the participants.

Now… Has anyone seen “Benjamin Button” in London? I’m going to the UK in July and have a couple of open evenings.

A friend whose opinion I don’t always trust (he liked “Smash”) said it reminded him of “Once”, which is almost enough to make me stay away.

Already rolling the dice with Ewan McGregor and Evita (have “Giant”, “Mrs. Warren”, and “Fiddler” booked already). I’ll miss “Here We Are” unless it extends.

Please and thank you, DL.

I think the people you blocked are the lucky ones, R339. Grow the hell up.

r339, I watched the Olivier Awards on TV and they showed a musical sequence from Benjamin Button. It looked godawful to me. But you might look around on youtube and find that moment or another one from UK TV.

The Prince Cabaret revival stunk.

[quote]The Prince Cabaret revival stunk.

People want to see the movie on stage.

Maybe, but the revival stunk. The casting was off.

[quote]The subject matter of Cabaret to be powerful and land, needs shock value.

Agreed, but there needs to be subtlety to the shock value. Which may sound like an oxymoron, but I do believe it's true in this case. If you try to play the ending of CABARET from the beginning, which is what the current production basically does, you destroy the show.

The Prince revival added material which made it verrrrrry long. And, yes, the casting was off. In the case of Greg Edelman and Alyson Reed, way off.

Poor Alyson Reed never really landed until she became a character actress....and a good one at that.

[quote][R329] Your post at [R316] literally calls someone wrong-headed for having a different opinion from yourself.

Whereas, whenever you disagree with someone, I'm sure you never describe their opinions as wrong-headed and instead only disagree with them in the politest possible terms. Right?

P.S. I am very curious as to how you identify me as the same person who has made previous posts you object to. As far as I know, in order to do that, you would have to block me in order to see what posts I have made, but then keep unblocking me to read the new posts I make that you object to. So is that what you do, continually keep blocking and then unblocking me? If so, that sure sounds like an awful lot of effort on your part.

R348...So, you admit that R329 and R316 are both you?

"P.S." Just have a civil disagreement rather than trying to "shame" those who call you out on your hypocrisy. Doing that only makes you look better in your own mind.

And yet *another* Theatre Gossip thread...

I saw Benjamin Button and I found it tedious. the music is bland and they try the everyone plays all the parts while we play instruments and it just got wearying. The story is weird, and the just make it episodic and never ending. Whomever wrote "Blood Brothers" above is right.

Thank you, R351! It sounds like another John Doyle-style crapfest. I’ll pass.

All these musicals with what is technically songs. Yeah, they are music and they have lyrics but none are memorable at all. 12 or more forgettable songs gone from you ear before the Playbills get kicked under the seats on the way out. Even pros are writing crap. How long since "Hairspray" which truly had the last great fun memorable score. I can't imagine being in a show and having to sing these lousy songs eight times a week.

I saw Benjamen Button a couple of years ago at the Southwark Playhouse and loved it. And that's coming from someone who didn't like Once and loathed Blood Brothers.

When Audra wins the Tony, the naysayers will bring up DEI and that they’ll vote for her no matter what shit she does and blah blah blah…

I was less enamoured with Benjamin Button than much of the critical response, but I really admired that it’s a dramatically coherent and imaginative reinterpretation of the source material. While so many new musicals seem to film adaptations that functioning as lazy and often inept mnemonic brand extensions for the original versions, there’s much to enjoy in the simple fact that it feels like a well-written and cohesive original work. I had no objections to it winning the Olivier over Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (whereas Why am I So Single? and MJ the Musical were both fucking turgid).

R339 - Till the Stars Come Down begins its West End transfer in July, and was one of my favourite things I saw last year. It’s beautifully and cleverly written - like a particularly melodramatic episode of Coronation Street refracted through the scale of a Greek tragedy.

Was there ever an attempt to bring Easter Parade to the stage?

We're down to the last week of the 2024-25 season. Just six more openings.

TOMORROW -- Floyd Collins

TUESDAY -- Stranger Things: The First Shadow

THURSDAY -- Pirates! The Penzance Musical

SATURDAY -- Just In Time

SUNDAY -- Real Women Have Curves and Dead Outlaw

R357. There was a workshop of Easter Parade with Tommy Tune and Sandy Duncan ages ago.

r348 Yes, well done, that's how adults debate. Minus the politeness of course, this is DL after all. If someone goes around insisting their opinion is the only right one, or that someone must be stupid to have a differing opinion (looking at you, The White Lotus threads) they only make themselves look foolish and more than a little insecure.

As for how I knew it was you - context. You posted at r316, r320 responded and then you responded to that. Only the person who originally posted would've been so thin-skinned as to respond in the way that you did. It's not that difficult to work out.

Lamenting the loss of the old Lortel Archives / the off Broadway data base / has this been mentioned on DL?

it appears to have been absorbed by a site with an unusable search engine

r361 Good god the About page on that group is a right old collection of cunts. And they're all related.

Not to mention a tech startup - which is how they describe themselves - that doesn't have a CIO/CTO. I guess none of the useless kids know how to use a computer.

So are opening nights on Saturday going to become a regular thing now?

R358, I’m guessing three terrible reviews and 2 middling reviews. Only Stranger Things will do well at the Box Office

Can someone explain why "Old Friends" is on TKTS every day and there are hardly any tickets on the website?

Actually, everything seems to be up on TKTS (Denzel and Clooney excluded, of course)

Hopefully people are pissed at Bway prices enough to say I’m not paying zillions for that shit

Meanwhile, I just purchased my AMEX Waiting for Godot for next Fall....the cheapest ticket is $139--top price $726.88.

R369, I’d be quite happy living the rest of my life not seeing about production of Waiting for Godot

"Godot" is the theatrical equivalent of "Seinfeld." It's truly about nothing.

I don't even understand what that Spectra company does? Aside from listing those theatre productions in a seemingly non-functioning database? R362 - you're right -- that family seems... overbearing and intolerable.

Are you a post-1975 baby or a musical theater nerd?

Beckett and Pinter are incredible showcases for really inspired producers and performers but when they don't get it right it's like torture.

Has the Beckett estate loosened up on the plays being performed exactly as written down the the stage directions? What's Jamie Lloyd gonna to with Gadot?

Waiting for Gal Gadot

Someone had to say it.

[quote]Someone had to say it.

Not really.

R374, you are so right. I’ve only seen one Pinter production that was really great.Others were unbearable to the point I left the theatre. I can’t imagine a decent production of Waiting for Godot with this cast and director. The audience will be ready to kill or off themselves once they see what they’re in for.

[quote]When Audra wins the Tony, the naysayers will bring up DEI and that they’ll vote for her no matter what shit she does and blah blah blah…

I hardly think the "DEI" concept could ever be thought to apply to someone who has already won six Tony awards.

The Godot of a few years back with Lane, Goodman, Glover, and Irwin was excellent.

R380 GOD-oh

Why? Because Ian and Patrick said so? It's Ga Doh and always has been.

It's Go Dot!

Little Lotta Lenya

Again, someone had to say it.

R382. Yes. Because Ian and Patrick said so.

I saw " Waiting For Godot" in Canada where they pronounced " Godot" " God - Ott" with the emphasis on the first syllable. This harkens to the religious overtones of the work.

" 30 Years of Disney on Broadway" concert at Disney World.

I don’t think “Waiting for Godot” is about nothing. I just think you glean what it’s about in the first 15 minutes but you have to sit there and see it reiterated for the duration of the play. It should just be a punchy one act.

Waiting for Godot is about the world After God but Before the iPhone.

R388, you didn't glean what it was about. You are supposed to sit there for two hours thinking, "Didn't something nearly the same as this happen ten minutes ago? I'm getting a bit bored," because it's making you live, for the length of the play, the life Vladimir and Estragon are condemned to live their whole lives, and to leave thinking about how closely that reflects your real life.

It's about how we can go on, knowing there is nothing out there that can give our lives meaning, no moral framework we have to live by, nothing we can meaningfully commit to and no external agency that cares about us. People thought about that stuff in the 1950s, when the two World Wars had convinced large numbers of survivors that there was no God, and ordinary people's apprehension of the Cold War was that the world might be destroyed any day of the week. The certainties and meaning provided all millennium (up to that point) by religious and moral frameworks had evaporated.

The trouble is, boredom and concern about the lack of an ultimate meaning are irrelevant to a population anaesthetised by the constant availability of screens, which embody a way to pass the next ten minutes, or the next seventy years, without a moment's boredom or introspective thought.

We need a new Beckettian play about how dark that is.

Or, maybe we just admit that Godot (and Beckett in general) is pretentious slop.

Audra must be relieved these Waiting for Godot tickets have gone on sale…

WHET John Young?

[quote]Audra must be relieved these Waiting for Godot tickets have gone on sale…

Not as relieved as readers of the DL theatre gossip threads.

Does anyone under 45 even know who Keanu Reeves is, not to mention his co-star?

WHET Josh Young?

When is "Waiting for Godot - The Musical" opening?

I'm only curious about how much (if anything) the Beckett estate will allow Jamie Lloyd to change. Mind you, not enough to check to out the production....

I strongly suspect that any changes Jamie Lloyd will make to GODOT will be limited to the staging and direction, not the text, which was pretty much the case with SUNSET BOULEVARD. And I don't know if the Beckett estate will try to police the staging.

They should just change the title to "Bill and Ted's Existential Adventure!"

Life and Trust closes.

R399, that's a brilliant idea. Thanks for the solid laugh :-)

[quote]Does anyone under 45 even know who Keanu Reeves is, not to mention his co-star?

These days, young people know him mainly from the JOHN WICK movies, which are quite popular.

Not to mention THE MATRIX and BILL & TED films also have a large following.

GODOT A GO-GO

Variety are bringing their actors on actors circle jerk to Broadway. One session in particular seems to have been formed to give DLers something to hate:

George Clooney and Patti LuPone

Audra McDonald and Jake Gyllenhaal

Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook

Nicole Scherzinger and Jonathan Groff

Cole Escola and Darren Criss

Their little ego strokefest finally comes to Broadway. I'm sure we'll all be hate watching the Cole Escola/Darren Criss and Sarah Snook/Kieran Culkin episodes.

Variety knew what they were doing by pairing up Cole and Darren.

R404. UPDATE: Tryphena Wade will be stepping in for Audra.

Jake Gyllenhaal 19 minutes into the interview, realizing it’s Tryphena.

W&W for R399! Girl, you should be a copy editor. That would be the perfect title for a feature on the new Godot production!

R394,

John Wick would like a word.

R356, thanks for the recommendation! Just booked Till the Stars Come Down!

Is Til the Stars Come Down about a wedding in suburban England? If so, I saw it on National Theatre Live and thought it was hilarious. Loved it and should be even more fun live.

Til the Stars Come Down sounds very entertaining.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1996, a revival of "A Delicate Balance" opened at the Plymouth Theatre.

David Hyde Pierce interviewed on yesterday's "CBS Sunday Morning":

R414. That was a great revival with a stellar cast. I even liked Stritch.

You bet your ass it did, r414.

Pam Anderson does Tennessee Williams!

That DELICATE BALANCE was one of my most thrilling nights in the theater. I remember to this day Stritch's complete control of the audience and Rosemary Harris' poisonous grace and George Grizzard's shattering final "aria."

Has there ever been a successful production of Camino Real?

Stritch should have won the Tony for that.

I remember a radio spot at the time, r419, with Elaine's topless bathing suit bit.

I was in Camino Real! I was magnificent but treated poorly by management...in fact, I'm treated poorly everywhere!

Has anyone seen the Pirates revival? Any thoughts on the production and the cast?

R424 I'm real curious about it, too.

It looks cheap as fuck.

R400 who? What? Where?

R426 Exactly!

I mean, is that even the legitimate stage?

How much did this PIRATES! steal from the other PIRATES (the gordon Greenberg, nell Benjamin, Denis Jones version) that played Papermill. The took the title but what else? I enjoyed it a great deal.

Gordon Greenberg is an idiot.

R419, a friend was a stage manager of A Delicate Balance.

Two stories:

1. He’d go to “collect valuables” (an important task for an assistant SM). He’d knock on Stritch’s door, she’d growl “Come in!”, and she’d be sitting there in the nude practicing the accordion (a sequence in the show). Tits on either side of the instrument.

2. One night he came in early and found Rosemary onstage with a shoulder bag placing props into it (I distinctly remember a wooden cigarette lighter shaped like an apple).

My friend said, “Rosemary, you can’t remove props from the set!”

RH: “Then YOU tell HER to stop playing with them during my monologues!!! She’s shameless!”

And indeed, when I saw it, Stritch did everything but make balloon animals to pull focus from both Rosemary and Grizzard.

But yes, it was brilliant, especially the three of them. The Lithgow/Close revival was totally misguided.

Yeah, I was looking at photos of that Roundabout Pirates! and all I could think was how far we have sunk on Broadway. It looks so cheap and vulgar and trying way too hard. Even in a still photo everything looks so unfocused and crass and demented. I also happen to find David Hyde Pierce unbearably schticky onstage (though I'm sure he's a lovely man offstage).

Pirates didn't open tonight.

Camino Real is a lousy play. Those two should do SWEET BIRD.

Jesse gave another rave, this one to FLOYD COLLINS. Shouldn't he recuse himself from writing the review, given his close friendship (and collaboration) with the composer's late mother?

Laura Collins-Hughes was the reviewer, not Green.

Is Laura from the same family as Floyd? I smell collusion!

I bet his great aunt Joan could’ve gotten him out of that damn cave.

[quote]Has there ever been a successful production of Camino Real?

Our local high school's production of " Camino Real" was better than Broadway.

I'm confused, why is this revival called PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL and not THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE like the 1981 version with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt?

[quote]Camino Real is a lousy play. Those two should do SWEET BIRD.

Or perhaps TWEETY BIRD.

[quote]I'm confused, why is this revival called PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL and not THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE like the 1981 version with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt?

So that theatergoers old enough to have seen that 1981 version won't be expecting this one to be nearly as good.

Mickey Jo needs to lay off the fillers.

Will it be Goff v Jordan for the Tony?

I hope Pam Anderson gets some voice training before Williamstown or that will be one extra grating evening of theatre.

I guess the other one has been informed he has no chance of an Emmy nomination so might as well do summer stock and he can get his ass out there.

R443, vs Criss

[quote]I guess the other one has been informed he has no chance of an Emmy nomination so might as well do summer stock

Someone is posting from 1968.

Great stories, R430!

Sara Holdren wins for best line of the season with this gem from her Floyd Collins review: "Far over on stage right, Jordan pulls himself up onto what looks like a dentist’s chair for Fred Flintstone"

I think the nominees will be

Jeremy Jordan

Tom Francis

Darren across

Jonathan Groff

David Hyde Pierce

I think Tom Francis might sneak in and grab that Tony.

No love for Ramin?

[quote]David Hyde Pierce

Supporting.

Not since he vandalized his beautiful body with all those trashy tattoos, R451.

At some point, we'll have Jeff Ross on Broadway.

It would be a terrible shame if James Monroe Iglehart isn't nominated for his spectacular performance.

Add in Darren Criss and I think Leading Actor in a Musical could become the race of the night.

For the Papp production, the Major General was considered a lead role. George Rose might have won were it not for Kevin Kline's brilliance.

Maybe Happy Ending sucks and is boring. I hated everything about that terrible production.

Watch for me on Broadway - I'm tremendous.

Looks like everybody got a participation trophy.

[quote]Maybe Happy Ending sucks and is boring. I hated everything about that terrible production.

Lea?

George and Patti.

You gotta love Patti.

She bitched and moaned for 30 years about movie stars with no stage talent taking Broadway shows away from trained actors…only to kiss the feet of a movie star with no stage talent taking a Broadway shows away from a trained theatre actor.

Aw, and I thought it was gonna be George Rose and Patti Coheneour.

Real Women Have Curves is gonna get the first closing announcement after the Tony nods, isn't it?

Damn! Sunset took a big hit with Nicole out on vacation for the entire week. Gypsy at 77% even with Audra.

Will Real Women Have Curves even make it to the Tonys?

I'd be surprised if Real Women Have Curves makes it to Mother's Day.

I'd be surprised if Real Women Have Curves makes it to Friday!

Not looking too good for Boop and Redwood either.

I swear I'm not trying to start or renew something, but we've got to acknowledge Gypsy not being a blockbuster, either.

[quote]I swear I'm not trying to start or renew something, but

[quote]I swear I'm not trying to start or renew something, but we've got to acknowledge Gypsy not being a blockbuster, either.

Someone already did so at R466.

For R471

Real theater lovers should give credit to Clooney.. He has written a play with a cast of 27, a straight play not a musical. That's a lot jobs for NY actors.

[quote]I swear I'm not trying to start or renew something, but we've got to acknowledge Gypsy not being a blockbuster, either.

Acknowledge? This thread won't shut up about it.

The Drama League Awards must now be produced by Oprah...

"EVERYONE GETS A NOMINATION!!!!"

Real Women Eat Ads

Ass!

What does "real women have curves" mean exactly in this day and age?

R480 - Beanie Feldstein

[quote]I think Tom Francis might sneak in and grab that Tony.

His is the only performance I've seen thus far, so my opinion is... worthless. But, I certainly wouldn't be the least bit upset if he won. I thought he was fantastic in Sunset. I can't say I've really cared about the Joe G. character one way or another before. Francis was just perfect, though. I really thought he expertly calibrated his performance -- balancing Jamie Lloyd's deliberately presentational and artificial style with a real, grounded character. In fact, I think he did a much better job of that balance than Nicole. Nicole was tremendously entertaining and sang spectacularly, but I think her performance got overwhelmed by Jamie Lloyd's strong hand into something strangely goofy and OTT.

All that said, Jeremy Jordan is very well liked in the community, no? If FC is well received, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the front runner.

I was shocked to learn that Tom Francis is only 25 years old. He comes across as much older, cynical, and worldly. Great performance.

But Jeremy is due for his TONY.

And Tom Francis just landed a movie role.

Agreed on both counts, R483. I imagine, beyond his generally well regarded performances, Jeremy is one of the few younger leading men (known primarily for their theatre work) who actually sells tickets. I imagine THAT will be another reason the industry will want to recognize him.

I wish there had been a stronger writer involved with Real Women Have Curves. The book is strong, but the songs are so simple that it hamstrings the actors, who have to add complexity and reality to songs that don’t have it. We’re in a strange age, where actors and directors and designers can make a hollow show look great.

The one exception I have seen recently was the letter song in Operation Mincemeat. It felt so novel, a song that required the audience’s focused attention. Which it got.

Since I know some of the maiden aunt brigade on here has been watching Audra like a hawk, do we have enough data to, statistically, determine if she's more likely to be out early/mid-week or weekends? I'll be in NY for a couple of days and really want to see Gypsy, but only if Audra's in.

And, I know, no one here can predict illnesses in advance but figured I'd ask since apparently some of y'all have been keeping meticulous records.

Audra will be on vacation from June 30 - July 6. No other scheduled absences. Good luck.

Jeremy could win, but people love their Groffsauce. ATC's sergius sure does.

I hated that production of A Delicate Balance. I only saw it in previews so everyone was still trying to gel—but more honestly I was sick of “white family gets drunk and all the secrets come out” plays at the time

I still think Jeremy's biggest competition will be Darren Criss, not Groff.

As sensational as Groff may be, he's only playing his sensational self, not a character and certainly not Bobby Darin. If he hadn't won last year, he might have a better chance but not when the competition, especially Jeremy and Darrin, are so strong and are both in better written shows.

[quote]All that said, Jeremy Jordan is very well liked in the community, no? If FC is well received, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the front runner.

Really? He was snubbed last year for "The Great Gatsby" and his reviews were a lot better than this show where he is basically sitting in a recliner for the show.

Yeah, and though I loved him in Newsies, I don't think that performance was particularly lauded by everyone else.

Read the Jordan reviews at the link.

Variety: Jordan finds depth in Floyd, taking him on a journey from a hopeful and plucky explorer to a scared, desperate, starving, lonely, and trapped man on the brink of both sanity and death. His clarion tenor soars through his many solos and duets, delivering the impressive vocals he has become so known for.

Johnny O:Jordan rebounds nicely after last season’s theme-park “The Great Gatsby.” Here, the tenor is actually great, excavating layers of a man we’re not told much about. (Who are we told much about?) In the best sense, this was the first time I’ve felt that he hung up his “Newsies” cap for good. Jordan, now more mature, could make a swell Billy Bigelow down the line.

Chicago Tribune: Jordan’s Collins feels more reactive than proactive, even though I think Landau and Guettel intended him as a great American adventurer, a striving risk-taker who deserved a community and a country that had his back. Simply put, the emotional waves that all musicals need to surf in order to fully work just seem here to stop at the surface; we understand the issues, but don’t feel all the feels underground.

Vulture: As the crucial image for this story of confinement, physical torment, existential terror and revelation, and the brazen frenzy of commercial and media hoopla that accumulates on the surface above, it’s hugely disappointing. Even while acting pain and fear, Jordan looks far too comfortable, an issue that seeps into the production as a whole, where a visceral sense of the stakes of Floyd’s predicament never really develops. He’s also been shunted into the margins when he needs to be centered. Yes, he’s ever-present, but it’s too easy to forget him, or to lose a sense of the horror of his situation:

That Vulture reviewer's comments on Jordan's performance are interesting, as at least one of the other reviewers made a point of stating that Jordan fully communicates Floyd's fear and torment.

[quote]Jeremy could win, but people love their Groffsauce.

Didn't Jonathan Groff just win last year for MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG? Could he possibly join this exclusive group of 6 consecutive winners:

- Shirley Booth in GOODBYE, MY FANCY (1949) and COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (1950)

- Gwen Verdon in NEW GIRL IN TOWN (1958) and REDHEAD (1959)

- Sandy Dennis in A THOUSAND CLOWNS (1963) and ANY WEDNSEDAY (1964)

- Stephen Spinella in ANGELS IN AMERICA: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES (1993) and ANGELS IN AMERICA: PERESTROIKA (1994)

- Judith Light in OTHER DESERT CITIES (2012) and THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES (2013)

- Laurie Metcalf in A DOLL'S HOUSE (2017) and THREE TALL WOMEN (2018)

Yeah, if Groff hadn't just won last year, I think he'd be more likely. I think it'll be between Jordan, Criss and Francis.

R497. I think you are right. Criss has really championed MHE but he might split the vote with Jordan. I honestly do not know who I would vote for, I liked them all three.

Sounds like Jordan will have to wait until the next Carousel revival to win his Tony.

That George/Patti interview, so boring. Just rehashing all her grievances. I couldn’t get through it.

I think the reviews for Just in Time will tell a lot. A pile of valentines for Groff could go a long way to making him a Tony favorite.

How come everyone thinks Sally Bowles should be played by an actress who can’t sing but expects a small time loser like Mama Rose should be an incredible performer?

[quote]That George/Patti interview, so boring. Just rehashing all her grievances.

Isn't that what she has become most famous for, by her own choice?

Patti has always been bitter about never making it as a leading lady in Hollywood, or having a mainstream recording career. She'll never get over Madonna doing the film version of Evita. She thought she would go on to have the same film/music career of Streisand. Patti doesn't understand that Broadway and film/popular music are two entirely different animals. Ethel Merman, Mary Martin and Carol Channing were in the same boat as Patti.

[quote]How come everyone thinks Sally Bowles should be played by an actress who can’t sing but expects a small time loser like Mama Rose should be an incredible performer?

Sally Bowles should only be played as unable to sing well if it's by an actress good enough to carry that off, as Natasha was. It's the right interpretation because Sally is a small talent hiding behind an artificially inflated personality. There is very little "there" there. But if you're not good enough to get the subtleties across, by all means you should sing well and let the audience enjoy the songs.

Rose, on the other hand, is a full-fledged narcissist who wields what power she has ruthlessly and believes to the end that she should have had Louise's success. Of course she requires a powerhouse performer. Rose's Turn is a breakdown in which she enters her fantasy, so along with the great acting it demands, I'd expect to hear exceptionally good singing when she's belting in that. Her other songs, by contrast, are not especially difficult to sing.

Brooke Shields was painfully bad as Sally. One of the worst performances I've ever seen. And I loved her in Wonderful Town. But, as Sally, her vocals were dreadful and she couldn't act it. I wanted to plug up my ears during Maybe This Time. A low point in stunt casting.

There are two schools of thought regarding Sally Bowles: (1) She's performing in a sleazy Berlin nightclub because she has no talent, or (2) she's performing in a sleazy Berlin nightclub because, although she's talented, she's flighty and unprofessional and far more concerned with having a good time in life than in seriously pursuing her career. Obviously, the second approach is likely to be far more enjoyable for the audience.

That 1998-04 Cabaret was all over the place in terms of Sallys.

Natasha Richardson (Feb. 13-Aug. 2, 1998)

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Aug. 4, 1998-Feb. 28, 1999)

Mary McCormack (March 2-June 6, 1999)

Linda Romoff (June 8-15, 1999)

Susan Egan (June 17, 1999-Jan. 30, 2000)

Linda Romoff (Feb. 1-20, 2000)

Susan Egan (Feb. 20-June 2, 2000)

Joely Fisher (June 4-July 30, 2000)

Lea Thompson (Aug. 1-Nov. 19, 2000)

Katie Finneran (Nov. 21, 2000-Jan. 18, 2001)

Gina Gershon (Jan. 19-June 17, 2001)

Kate Shindle (June 19-July 1, 2001)

Brooke Shields (July 3-Oct. 28, 2001)

Gina Gershon (Oct. 30-Dec. 2, 2001)

Milena Govich (Dec. 3-17, 2001)

Molly Ringwald (Dec. 18, 2001-April 28, 2002)

Jane Leeves (April 29-July 14, 2002)

Heather Laws (July 15-Aug. 5, 2002)

Molly Ringwald (Aug. 6, 2002-Jan. 26, 2003)

Heather Laws (Jan. 27-Feb. 20, 2003)

Deborah Gibson (Feb. 21-June 15, 2003)

Heather Laws again?

Melina Kanakaredes (June 27-Aug. 31, 2003)

Susan Egan (Sept. 1-9, 2003)

Heather Laws (Sept. 10-18, 2003)

Susan Egan (Sept. 19-Oct. 25, 2003)

Katrina Yaukey (Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2003)

Susan Egan (Nov. 2, 2003-Jan. 4, 2004)

I saw Richardson, Egan, Gershon, Shields and Shindle. Gershon was my favorite and Kate Shindle was excellent.

[quote]How come everyone thinks Sally Bowles should be played by an actress who can’t sing but expects a small time loser like Mama Rose should be an incredible performer?

You have to consider that Sally's singing is diegetic, meaning her character is a singer and actually performing for an audience. Thus, she can be presented in two ways, as R507 pointed out.

However, Rose's songs are the character expressing her feelings/thoughts and isn't actually supposed to be singing. Since it's a musical, that's how it's conveyed, and the actress is expected to be a good singer.

[quote]Brooke Shields (July 3-Oct. 28, 2001)

So 9/11 wasn't the only disaster that happened that year.

Can you imagine Kate doing Cabaret as her Miss America talent? She wouldn’t have won the title.

Ohh 510 throwin’ those Greek words around!

Sonja Morgan is the new Sally Bowles.

That Cabaret was like Chicago today. If it had run any longer, they would have picked out random people from the street to play Sally

No way Groff will win the Tony two years in a row. Neither part had much emotional depth.

R509 I often mix up actresses who play Sally Bowles with actresses who play Roxie. Aren't both written as delusional talents?

Has any actress portrayed both?

Sherie Rene Scott gave an interview where she said she had the signed contract at her house to follow Brooke Shields. Kander and Ebb had personally asked her to do it. Then as she was getting the contract, her manager called and told her the reneged on the contract because Gina Gershon signed to come back. They felt after 9/11, if they didn’t have a star, it would close.

[[quote]I often mix up actresses who play Sally Bowles with actresses who play Roxie. Aren't both written as delusional talents?...Has any actress portrayed both?

Yes, Brooke Shields! Really.

Harold Hill had emotional depth Pseudolus? The Boy from Oz? J. Piepont Finch? Being charming and entertaining is often enough.

So, when do we get " Follies" with Patti and Bernadette? Can the old DL theater queens still orgasm?

[quote]r512 = Can you imagine Kate doing Cabaret as her Miss America talent?

Sure, why not?

No, no sane person insists that Sally has to be played by an actress who can't sing.

Sally is role best played by an actress who CAN sing but doesn't sing the role with a big professional belt OR as some coloratura diva.

So, no, Audra isn't suitable to play Sally....

I would have totally had sex with Pseudolus, Pierpont, and Harold...one at a time or all at once......especially Robiert Morse as Finch.

Just came back from the matinee of DEAD OUTLAW : Liked it a lot, a pageant of dashed hopes and cynical exploitation. This real life story is fascinating, sad, grotesque and very American. It’s a good, well-crafted show with a versatile score, if an unmemorable one (in the sense that I’m not sure any of the songs would stand up apart from the show. One or two might but I’m not sure.)

My problem with it is a kind of overall glibness about Elmer McCurdy’s story which keeps things from cutting too deep. I can see with an unusual, macabre story such as this you need to keep the tone light and “mischievous” (as the Times characterized it) but for me a little more heart wouldn’t have hurt. There is only one really moving moment in a show that could have used one or two more, but that’s me.

Think Andrew Durand is good enough to get a Tony nomination for Lead Actor in a Musical, though he doesn’t have a chance of winning since he’s a corpse for most of the second half of the show. But he’s good and does well with the many musical moments he gets in the first half. How many acting nominees are allowed? At least four and no more than six?

Think Jeb Brown (narrator and lead singer), Julia Knitel (all the women’s parts) and Thom Sesma (Thomas Noguchi’s lounge act number is a highlight) are possibilities in the Supporting categories, and it’ll certainly be up for Best Musical, Score, Director, etc.

I’m over Yazbek; he writes like a fat straight guy.

Matinee of Sunset canceled today due to technical difficulties.

This Thomas Noguchi?

Yes, Thomas Noguchi, the famous (notorious?) LA County Coroner, who was perceived as something of an attention whore, is a character in the real life story of DEAD OUTLAW and gets a lounge act number where he drops names like Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood and Sharon Tate.

Tom is still alive and kicking….

We were at the same matinee, R525. I felt similar to how you felt. It was an entertaining enough time, but it all felt rather empty, a series of sketches that didn't add up to anything in the end.

Even if it gets great reviews, I think it'll have a hard time running. It's anecdotal, but the snippets of chatter that I picked up on my way out were not what you wanna hear. I loved Julia Knitel.

I think of myself as someone who pays a lot of attention to Broadway and yet have NO idea what Dead Outlaw is about....or why I should see it. I don't think their PR is working.

The reviews of Stranger Things are so utterly brutal…and fun to read.

They're not that brutal. They all say the same thing: Amazing effects, no play. For some, that may be enough. They have no hopes of a Best Play Tony nom, but will score big in the technical departments.

R531, Yeah, though it’s a well done show which got great reviews off-Broadway and will probably get good ones now, and despite what might be a clutch of Tony nominations, I agree it will probably win none. It’s a novelty, but too superficial to stick with you.

Your observation about the word of mouth you overheard is interesting. I didn’t hear anything one way or the other, though the audience seemed responsive and appreciative at the end.

Saw a little off-Broadway gem, All the World's a Stage. Not a blockbuster, more of an after-school special, but rendered with wit and heart by a skillful quartet, especially Elizabeth Stanley. The kind of a show they used to do a long time ago but would have a hard time now. Still, very glad I saw it.

[quote]So, when do we get " Follies" with Patti and Bernadette? Can the old DL theater queens still orgasm?

We've already had "Follies" with a miscast and misdirected Bernadette. That was sufficient.

Tell us more!

R527 - Ha! I guess ol Nicole's quite the trooper. That was nice of her to do. But, gosh, that kind of story makes me so nervous about my upcoming NY trip. As tourists we have such limited windows. If a performance got canceled for technical difficulties, it's not like I could come back next week. Eek!

[quote]Saw a little off-Broadway gem, All the World's a Stage. Not a blockbuster, more of an after-school special, but rendered with wit and heart by a skillful quartet, especially Elizabeth Stanley. The kind of a show they used to do a long time ago but would have a hard time now. Still, very glad I saw it.

R536 - Love hearing about these lesser known shows on here! Elizabeth Stanley is such a talent. I feel like she should be a bit bigger. Maybe not Sutton Foster bigger, but, still.. I've only seen her twice: once in Crybaby's pre-Broadway tryout and on Broadway in On the Town. She was fantastic both times -- especially On the Town -- sung beautifully and comedically acted with just the right amount of loose screws.

[quote]I guess ol Nicole's quite the trooper.

"Trouper" is the word you're looking for.

I think it's spelled "T-R-U-M-P-E-R"

R537 Bernadette was 63 during the revival of Follies, and was actually the right age.

She got a rave in the New York Times, was personally selected by Sondheim for the role, and was nominated for a Drama Desk award for Best Actress in a Musical.

But go ahead and list how you would have done the role better in your living room.

r544 with the best post in this thread

[quote]. If a performance got canceled for technical difficulties, it's not like I could come back next week. Eek!

Or, if the person you came to see in a leading role decides to take the performance off.

You’d see the understudy, as has been the case for a hundred years of Broadway.

r536, I was surprised to se Stanley in this show; everyone else was a relative newbie. She plays a high school secretary grappling with her Christian faith versus her inclination to "love thy gay neighbor" (the musical is set in 1996). Her aria "I Don't Ask" stops the show.

R547 - Bibi Osterwald

[quote] The "Jesse Green Is The Villain" Edition

Jesse Green is My Valley

I've worked with Elizabeth Stanley a couple of times and absolutely adore her. Far more talented and engaging onstage than Sutton or Kelli IMHO.

I felt Elizabeth Stanley was somewhat underused in ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE, a charming but underbaked new OB musical that feels like it could have (and should have) been written in 2005. But it's always good to see her on stage. My favorite performance of hers is actually from the infamous City Center MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. What a fabulous Gussie she was made, a gazillion and one times better than what we got on Broadway last season, though I blame that ghastly interpretation of the role more on director Maria Friedman than the actor who got saddled playing Gussie that way. And I think it cost Friedman the Tony as well.

[quote]Bernadette was 63 during the revival of Follies, and was actually the right age.

Sally isn't 63. Regardless of how youthful she looked, r543, Sally's songs were trickier for Bernadette to navigate than they would have been a decade earlier when she *was* Sally's age.

[quote]I think of myself as someone who pays a lot of attention to Broadway and yet have NO idea what Dead Outlaw is about....or why I should see it. I don't think their PR is working.

I understand why you would say that, but I believe DEAD OUTLAW will be the last show to open during the eligibility season for Tony noms, on April 27. With SO MANY other shows opening over the past several weeks, I'm thinking maybe the PR time has wisely been biding their time until all of those have opened and been reviewed and will then do a huge publicity push immediately before and right after DO opens.

You should see the show because the story is very interesting and compelling, the performances (especially Andrew Durand's) are great, and the score is the best one you'll hear in a new musical this season.

R535, do you really feel DEAD OUTLAW is more "superficial" than the other new musicals this season? If anything, I would say it's less so.

[quote]I felt Elizabeth Stanley was somewhat underused in ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE, a charming but underbaked new OB musical that feels like it could have (and should have) been written in 2005. But it's always good to see her on stage. My favorite performance of hers is actually from the infamous City Center MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. What a fabulous Gussie she was made, a gazillion and one times better than what we got on Broadway last season, though I blame that ghastly interpretation of the role more on director Maria Friedman than the actor who got saddled playing Gussie that way. And I think it cost Friedman the Tony as well.

Agreed, 100 percent. I think Stanley is one of our greatest talents but I thought her performance in ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE was a bit too mannered and quirky for the role of a secretary in a small town school. But yes, she was perfect as Gussie in MERRILY, miles ahead of that ridiculous performance in the most recent production.

Maria Friedman lost the Tony because of Gussie?

R557,

Hahahaha.

I do think it's a factor. The way that part played in the show didn't work and actually lessened the experience of the show overall, and I love MERRILY. As a result, I thought MERRILY was fine but not outstanding, a decent and often strong interpretation of the material.

And I am guessing enough Tony voters felt the same.

Guess again. Two more chances.

I agree with you, R558. Despite the general acclaim Friedman received for MERRILY, I think many of the Tony voters recognized that the main reason why the production was such a hit was due to the performances of the three leads, and that the actual direction of the show was not very good. Not to mention that the physical production was so dull.

For the record, tonight's opening night Playbill has Ramin, Jinkx, and David above the title for PIRATES!, so unless there's petitioning, all would be up for consideration as leads in this year's Tonys.

R555 : I’m not sure I would use the word ‘superficial.’ DEAD OUTLAW is a clever, well-crafted musical with an incredible true story. It’s as entertaining as it is interesting. My problem is with the tone, which is vogueishly snarky, works hard to find the humor in this macabre plot, but keeps things too light throughout for my taste.

As I commented above, I would have liked a little more heart and sincerity. Maybe that’s old-fashioned. Quite possibly this ‘mischievous’ approach is more commercial. But though I’ll always remember this bizarre story, I’m not sure this show will live in my memory as anything special, despite the evident talent everywhere.

Does anybody know if opening night is included in the weekly grosses?

I just saw the title Dead Outlaw and thought, that must be about the corpse from the Ask a Mortician podcast. Yup.

Harvey Fierstein won the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award

He’s won so many Tony’s did he really need this?

Is it so wrong?

All I can say is that when I look at photos of Dead Outlaw I'm totally confused and disinterested in whatever they're trying to sell. It could be a brilliant show but nothing intriguing or engaging comes through in those photos.

As for Maria Friedman, let me just add she had years and 2 (or 3?) major productions of Merrily to get it all perfect and she still failed. She was very lucky she had Daniel and Groffsauce there with her on Broadway.

[QUOTE] He’s won so many Tony’s did he really need this?

Jealous much?

Dead Outlaw sounds like it’s custom made for Walton Goggins.

R565. That's how I feel about Audra. Does she really need another Tony? She has so many already. Harvey is a legend and there will never be anyone else like him. He's made major contributions to the theatre and to the community and deserves to be celebrated.

Literally any chance whatsoever to mention Audra

[quote] She got a rave in the New York Times, was personally selected by Sondheim for the role, and was nominated for a Drama Desk award for Best Actress in a Musical. But go ahead and list how you would have done the role better in your living room.

Nothing like a bitter old queen accusing someone else of being a bitter old queen. Whatever you may think, genius, people are entitled to opinions that differ from yours, and opinions of Bernadette's performance in "Follies" were decidedly mixed. Coming here with your list of "facts" that supposedly refute opinions differing from yours is just sad.

Does anyone know if Fierstein is ill? I hope that's not the case, but If not, I too wonder about the timing of this award.

[quote]As for Maria Friedman, let me just add she had years and 2 (or 3?) major productions of Merrily to get it all perfect and she still failed. She was very lucky she had Daniel and Groffsauce there with her on Broadway.

And also very lucky that, apparently, so many critics and audience members couldn't pinpoint why that production of MERRILY was so successful, so they heaped praise on Friedman for being the first director to make the show "work," when that's not even remotely close to the truth.

I distinctly recall mixed reception to Bernadette's Sally on here and elsewhere, too. And I say that as someone who unapologetically adored her performance. The night I saw her, her vocals were sublime, too. Oh, gosh, the way her voice sits on "In Buddy's Eyes" hit me like... a moonbeam. "Losing My Mind" gets all the attention, but her Buddy's Eyes killed me!

Too Much Gussie.

Not enough Mendez

Is this thread close to Bonjour?

Christ, this thread is dying a SLOW death and I’ve been coming here for 25 years

[quote]Despite the general acclaim Friedman received for MERRILY, I think many of the Tony voters recognized that the main reason why the production was such a hit was due to the performances of the three leads,

No, it was a box-office smash because people went to see Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Jonathan Groff (Kristoff in Frozen).

Lindsay Mendez had nothing to do with its success.

[quote]r578 = Is this thread close to Bonjour?

[quote]and I’ve been coming here for 25 years

25 years and you make a mistake like *that*?

Mon cher.

I still don’t sign Playbills, bitches.

Has "Here We Are" managed to start previews or is the set still broken?

[quote]No, it was a box-office smash because people went to see Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Jonathan Groff (Kristoff in Frozen). Lindsay Mendez had nothing to do with its success.

Not completely true. Mendez received great reviews, as did her two co-stars, and much of the publicity surrounding the show was about the chemistry of the three leads onstage, what good friends they were offstage, etc. So I think Mendez's presence did have something to do with the show's success in that people wanted to see those three leads perform together....but when Mendez began missing SO MANY performances, the box office didn't really suffer because she wasn't that big a star that people were going to demand their money back, as long as both Groff and Radcliffe were on that night.

Saw Othello last night. Whatever bad reviews Denzel got a month ago, it was probably too early in the run to really review him, since he usually takes a while to get up to speed. He's going to get nominated based on the performance I saw last night, and if that what the nominators saw, he's a cinch. Is he better than Jake? No. But I wasn't crazy about Motormouth Gyllenhaal. He spews out his lines to incomprehension. The one actor who deserves the Tony in this production is Andrew Burnap. Beautifully played, clear and focused and precise. The production itself? Only Kenny Leon could ruin two classics in one season.

r583 - I think that's actually a very even measured and accurate summary of the situation. Mendez (or, perhaps at least, the producers) absolutely deserved the dragging they received online (it wasn't just on here) for all the unscheduled and unannounced absences, but I think she absolutely earned those reviews, and, you're dead right, the chemistry between the three leads was undeniable and likely increased the buzz around this production. I'm not suggesting it wouldn't have been a big financial and critical success if some other actress had been cast, but I think it's hard to deny the factors you outlined.

Interesting, R584! I wonder if they'd considered a longer preview period, perhaps that would have been wise.

Fortunately I'm in the "industry" and get to see all this shit for free. It truly is shit. It's a crime they get people to pay upwards up $100 to see it, and the give it standing ovations.

Bernadette eats pussy like a champ.

R567. It sounds like you are uninterested, not disinterested.

[quote]It's a crime they get people to pay upwards up $100 to see it

Sadly, I think Bernadette, in the last 2 dozen or so years, has become the kind of performer whose performances can vary wildly from night to night. Due mostly to age, I'd assume.

Six - 70 minutes of assaulting loud music music for a $200 a seat.

Muriel will now block me again.

Also Six -- An hour of bitchery among the ladies, then 10 minutes of "But isn't it wrong when we pit women against one another?"

Jesse Green on "Pirates!"

"Except for the central performance by David Hyde Pierce, marvelously underplaying the tongue-twisting Major-General, the production has a sweaty quality, bordering on frenzy, that’s hopelessly at odds with the cool wit of the original.

Taking cues from the Creole culture of New Orleans, (Rupert) Holmes steers the plot toward an uplifting if unconvincing new finale invoking the idea of America as “a patchwork, scratchwork nation” of immigrants. That nifty phrase notwithstanding, his lyrics, supplanting perhaps half the originals, are rarely as neat and thus rarely as funny as Gilbert’s.

(Ramin) Karimloo (gives an) athletic performance, hanging off a galleon and leaping over barrels (sets by David Rockwell) in abs-baring costumes by Linda Cho. (Jinkx) Monsoon’s Ruth, enhanced with an unnecessary second-act number from “The Mikado,” is more saloon wench than nursemaid, but her turn is rowdy camp fun nonetheless. (Samantha) Williams’s Mabel is as fetching and beamish as Donald Holder’s colorful lighting, and the ensemble, especially when performing Warren Carlyle’s choreography, is very hard-working.

The problem is that the musical-theater style of the adaptation is not ideally suited to the density of Gilbert’s verse."

Lines of pink and purple haired fat girls lined up outside the theater every morning for rush seats. R593. I see them everyday walking to work.

Here's the new thread!

Closing ...

this ...

thread ...

Out! BAJOUR!