THEATRE GOSSIP #598: The "Audra Jokes, 65% Off!" Edition

The previous thread.

Thank you to OP for starting this thread at the very last minute in post 600 in the prior thread! Thank you for keeping our theatre gossip alive, OP!

I really wished the Gypsy were recorded. Audra’s performance is extraordinary and should be saved

There is a huge difference between Minnesota and Missouri. It’s an outside theatre and it’s 91 right now

I’m sure Norm is sweating his bulging balls off!

Norm Lewis seems to be one of those fellas who's asexual.

Wow! That video at the end of the last thread about Ryan Whateverhisnameis and Lindsay Mendez is scandalous! And is the Kirsten (or Kristen?) Anderson mentioned at the end the wife Bobby Lopez?

In the 60s and 70s the MUNY would often get the national tours of Broadway shows and even shows that were trying out, prior to Broadway. It's where I saw the original Mack & Mabel, which was fabulous (except for the 98 degrees heat).

[quote]Norm Lewis seems to be one of those fellas who's asexual.

WHAT???!!! (choking on my beads).

Norm Lewis is one of those actors who, with more and more leading roles, has tried to climb back into the closet. I do wonder what his partner of many years thinks.

R8 who’s his partner? I thought I read somewhere that he dated Lachanze in the 90s.

Also isn’t his leading role career pretty much done?

He’s doing La Cage in St. Louis for fucks sake!

[quote]He’s doing La Cage in St. Louis for fucks sake!

Well, smell you, r9.

[quote]who’s his partner? I thought I read somewhere that he dated Lachanze in the 90s.

Yeah, and Liberace dated Sonja Henie in the 50s. Your point?

[Quote] There is a huge difference between Minnesota and Missouri.

They look the same when you fly over them…

[quote]They look the same when you fly over them…

They actually don't.

I hope Norm does La Cage at Encores although I wouldn't wish Billy Porter on anybody.

R6, I assume he meant Kerstin Anderson, the terrific performer who understudied Lauren Ambrose in MY FAIR LADY and regularly did the Sunday matinees.

Norm is now, and has, for all of his adult life, been gay. He never fucked LaChanze.

[quote]I really wished the Gypsy were recorded. Audra’s performance is extraordinary and should be saved

What are you talking about? There is a cast album, and I'm sure the whole show has been or will be recorded for the TOFT collection at the NYPL at Lincoln Center.

[quote]Norm Lewis seems to be one of those fellas who's asexual.

Only on DL, kids. Only on DL.

Ryan Scott Oliver looks pretty creepy, even on his own website.

But Norm has never come out publicly as a homosexualist, has he?

Perhaps because he isn't one, R20.

I don’t think Norm is gay. I think he’s in the grand tradition of musical theatre straight men that date all the women

See also

Christian Borle

Norm is 100% gay and has a big dick. He has never even seen a vagina.

Perhaps he closed his eyes and thought of England?

Anyone know this guy? Pretty astounding story.

Which one of you got the cuff link collection?

I prefer snuff boxes

Would Follies have run longer with Sally Bowles and Phyllis Lindstrom?

NY Magazine non paywall article on Pietraa

R12 Los Angeles and New York City are one and the same -- woke socialist sanctuary hellholes, crime-ridden, lawless, dirty, rampant homelessness, etc.

Yes, R25. He was tangentially around my circle at the Met. He was basically the return of Alberto Vilar. I was surprised to read that the admin took him so seriously. One would think that they’d learned from Vilar. Apparently not. He was weird and plastic and detached and creepy, but most of the 1% pretenders are like that at the elite classical institutions. You can still get away with this sort of scammery in NYC, at least for a little awhile.

R30, shouldn’t you be on Truth Social?

[quote]Norm Lewis seems to be one of those fellas who's asexual.

I actually kinda know what you mean. Unlike the Literalist Lizzies on here, I don't actually think he is asexual. I know he's gay. But, yes, as a performer, I don't think he exudes a particular sexual energy. Regardless of their personal lives (for all I know, he's terrific in the sack and has amazing sexual chemistry with his partners), there are some performers who just don't exude that kind of energy on stage. I've only seen him twice, but, yeah, I get it.

R30, people in LA have cars.

[quote]Would Follies have run longer with Sally Bowles and Phyllis Lindstrom?

It would have run longer with Sally Rand and Phyllis Thaxter.

I saw The Muny La Cage last night.

It seems like it was a tuneup for the Encores next summer as it was also an all black cast sans Billy Porter.

The cast was good and I felt bad they were doing so much choreography in full costume in 90 degree weather.

R25 where have you been? This has been covered in NYMAG and elsewhere.

The best part is that “elite” institutions like the Met and the Frick are so lax in their standard of review for big donors!

He was the George Santos of “culture” Lol

[quote]I felt bad they were doing so much choreography in full costume in 90 degree weather.

Pit pads!!!

When it came to culture, Pietras was the first hog to the trough.

Metropolitan Opera Credit Outlook........

I read the NYT—you live in Manhattan—it is a necessity.

Yet, my jaundiced eye can’t help but wink at the Times …a day late and a dollar short, NYMAG beat them to the punch and —now?—they play catch up? I’m glad for the sr. discounts—the Met and the Frick have inmates running their insane asylum philanthropy depts.

R40 I'm available for Aida if the Met needs a box office boost.

the idea that someone in the Met's inner circle of billionaires couldn't blow the whistle on this guy... really quite unbelievable.

NY Magazine's coverage of the story was woefully bad, because billionaires are not going to answer questions about being bilked out of millions when it's only a drop out of their ogliarch buckets.

R44. Indeed. I am sure that Soros does not even care that he spent so much money. It means nothing to him. We should be casting the movie.

The story wasn’t bad at all.

The story wasn't bad, but the writing is.

The Times doesn’t care about NY culture any more. Met stories don’t get clicks unless they’re trashy stories like Pietras that make fun of the rich. Why do you think they fired their entire cultural desk? The Times is so out of touch with the elite arts world at this point that they just put up a job listing for a classical music reviewer requiring years of major publication writing experience, intense in depth knowledge of opera and symphonic music, on camera and social media experience, and so many other qualifications I can’t remember how ridiculous they were, and they think they can pay this total unicorn just 125k a year. I just point and laugh at the Times as they turn into a combination of Apple Games and Buzzfeed. Pathetic.

I think R42 actually IS Billy Porter. It’s just too spot on.

Billy Porter = Box Office Poison.

How long was Billy in Cabaret in London? Did tickets surge or drop?

[quote]Would Follies have run longer with Sally Bowles and Phyllis Lindstrom?

It would have run longer with Sally Struthers and Phyllis Coates. Both were known from television.

Sally Ride and Phyllis Kirk for matinees.

Lola Falana as Carlotta. If she’s still here.

It's Lainie Kazan's time to shine, and she can do the "I'm Still Here" lyrics from her nightclub act, the ones that Sondheim gave her a cease and desist order for.

R54. I’d rather see Lola Heatherton as Carlotta. And Putin Sclerosoo as Hattie.

I had the funniest experience the other night. I saw a nice production of Sunday in the Park With George. The George was very good. When I enjoy a performance, I generally look up the actor online. I was surprised to discover that I'd slept with the George's husband (or boyfriend?) about 6 years ago in the back of his sister's car. We were both visiting family from out of town and were a little bored and horny and with nowhere to go, we ended up in the literal back seat. It was 100% him. Absolutely sensational fuck. How lovely to be reminded me of that long ago late night excursion.

Has that ever happened to any of you? Perhaps at Follies?

yes, R57!!! It has!

I discovered that I had fucked Fred Gwynne in the back of a hansom cab right after I saw Yvonne in Follies!

He had a monstrous cock! Green and girthy!

He came first and started to pull up his pants to go and I had to snap at him, "Hey!!! Lurch!!! I'm STILL HERE!!!" and made him eat me out until I screamed:

"Car 54, where the fuck are YOU!!!!???!?!?"

It was grand.

R42 it’s a museum, not the opera house—duh

Kidding ;)

The Countess LuAnn as Carlotta

When we had the chance, Bonnie Franklin and Linda Lavin for FOLLIES !

I'm sure Fred was thrilled when you called him Lurch!

r58 - I buy it. Lurch definitely had BDF.

[quote]When we had the chance, Bonnie Franklin and Linda Lavin for FOLLIES !

I saw Linda play Hattie in D.C. She had some other commitment and wasn't in the show (the Bernadette Peters production) when it came to New York.

You missed nothing.

Waylon Flowers and Madame as the Whitmans

Linda Lavin was hilarious as Hattie. Like it was Special Guest Star Linda Lavin, who came out by herself to sing Broadway Baby, as if it was a totally different show, and they announced when she was done, "And now back to our production of Follies!"

[quote]Norm is 100% gay and has a big dick. He has never even seen a vagina.

Was he blind at birth?

[quote]r57 I was surprised to discover that I'd slept with the George's husband (or boyfriend?) about 6 years ago in the back of his sister's car. We were both visiting family from out of town

Was this gentleman and the George TOGETHER at the time? He has a right to the truth about who he’s joining his life with.

You have to let him know.

With the "both visiting family from out of town", I'm thinking R57 was in a Hallmark Christmas movie. The "[straying or future] partner of a musicals star" is a nice touch for a gay romcom.

[quote]Was he blind at birth?

How many babies are born with their eyes open?

Frankly, with the information provided, it’s not difficult to identify either the actor or the husband.

You rang?

Yesterday I saw Montego Glover as Rose and Shanel Bailey as Louise and it was a perfect production. I was able to enjoy a solid presentation without worry and I don't think I've ever seen a better Louise.

It was a joy from start to finish.

Back seat driver?

Reece Carney will be the next Emcee in London with Eva as his Sally. London gets much more interesting replacements than Broadway.

R74 Were there enough people in the audience to fill up the first four rows of center orchestra ?

It was a packed house

Who the hell is going to the umpteenth Cabaret production filled with anonymous nobodies no one cares about?

[quote]Reece Carney

REEVE, not Reece

R80. Sorry. I wasn't wearing my glasses.

R56 here. Should have been Perini Sclotoso—combination of autocorrect and bad proofreading. But Andrea Martin playing Perini playing Putin would be a sight to see!

You can have Lurch and Fred.....I'll take THING. Very handy.

This thread is hilarious.

I see what you did there! ^

[quote]Was this gentleman and the George TOGETHER at the time? He has a right to the truth about who he’s joining his life with. You have to let him know.

Dear, precious sheltered frau at R69, do you KNOW any gay men? Do you think only porn stars are in open relationships? But, in this case, I don't believe so. I'm pretty sure the guy was single at the time, but that was several years ago... who knows... I think he's gotten veneers since. I don't recall such prominent chompers, but that was the better part of a decade ago, at night, in the backseat of some beat up Chevy, so... grain of salt.

His instagram is up thread—take a look^^

[quote]R86 I'm pretty sure the guy was single at the time, but that was several years ago... who knows... I think he's gotten veneers since.

But wouldn’t you feel better if you KNEW? I know I would. You just wait for the George outside the stage door alongside the autograph hounds and then when he sails out, inform him you had sex with his partner six years ago. Then watch for the reaction.

I just think it’s best to be upfront and honest in these situations. You’re being given a second chance.

I bet Billy Porter is great as the Emcee. It's such an over-the-top role, it fits his strengths perfectly

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1925, “A Lucky Break” opened at the Cort Theatre.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: Six years ago, the lead actor from regional theater’s “Sunday in the Park with George” was flagrantly cheated on in the back of a borrowed car by his man whore fiancé.

[italic]With a DataLounger.

I know Reeve for a long time since his Spiderman days and Hadestown R76 a sweet guy. I'll be in London in November staying right across the street from the Kit Kat Club. Not sure I can sit through that horror again but maybe I'll tell him I got a ticket and pretend I saw it and meet him and Eva after the show lol.

R91 you buried the lede… the man whore’s previous fucktoy was a young guy named Gus—well known to all here.

DL's contempt for Linda Lavin never ceases to amaze/nauseate me. Sometimes it feels like the only things you all know about her are ALICE and the SCTV skits in which Andrea Martin lampoons her.

Lavin was a lot of fun in FOLLIES in D.C. -- a tonic after Régine's disastrous "Ah, Paris!," and certainly preferable to Jayne Houdyshell's bizarre "bag lady" performance in the part when the show reached New York. (And I've loved Houdyshell in many other things.) And she was vastly superior to Judith Light in OTHER DESERT CITIES.

Seriously, the only DLers who mock Linda Lavin are those who never saw her onstage. That particular talent and charisma did not fully translate to TV. Talk about an actor who could effortlessly raise the quality of mediocre writing.

Linda was a brilliant actress who unfortunately thought her singing voice was far better than it actually was. I am CERTAIN this is the basis for Andrea Martin’s imitation.

Lavin's singing voice was godawful, but somehow she convinced herself and casting directors that it wasn't.

In her "big breakthrough" — "You've Got Possibilities," from "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" — she's flat and sharp all over the place.

R97, whether a person is singing sharp or flat (or not) is not a matter of opinion. Lavin does bend a few notes in "You've Got Possibilities," but that's not the same as singing sharp or flat. I think she sounds great in that recording, and there seems to be general agreement about that.

I will say, I think it was a big mistake for her to appear as the Old Lady in CANDIDE as her last major musical role in NYC, but I'm not aware of any other, previous occasions when she played a role that she couldn't handle vocally.

R98. Her voice was not suited to Rose in Gypsy.

Someone wrote on Broadwayworld that Mira Sorvino is joining Chicago on Broadway.

Will this be what finally kills that show?

If Alyssa Milano and Ashley Graham didn't kill Chicago nothing will.

Sorry, Mrs. S., but YOUR voice is the one that's not suited to Rose in GYPSY, as is now evident from the cast album.

[quote]Her voice was not suited to Rose in Gypsy.

Thanks, Audra.

[quote]I bet Billy Porter is great as the Emcee. It's such an over-the-top role, it fits his strengths perfectly

The show is absolutely tanking at the box office with Billy and that woman, who apparently is also all wrong for her role. I'm told that, last week, the show had the lowest gross of all the musicals currently running on Broadway, and a business acquaintance of mine reports that they are even having great trouble papering the house with free tickets. So, in other words, they literally can't even give them away.

The producers still buck off the booze

make bucks*

R104. I find this hilarious that he is bombing in the role since he was so self righteous in his media appearances about his this was

1) His turn

2) His time

3) HIS version!

Her turn!

Her time!

Her vision!

R103 see r99

There is only so much money that can be made from the sale of booze at a theater -- and also, isn't it true that the producers get only a small percentage of that?

Before this production of CABARET opened, someone crunched the numbers to figure out how long they would have to run at full capacity with premium tickets, two-thirds capacity, and so on in order to pay back and start earning a profit, and the numbers were insane -- partly due to the tremendous amount of money that was spent to rejigger the theater for this "immersive" presentation. So I would imagine only a tiny percentage of the investors' money, if any, will be returned to them when the show closes.

They'd make a lot more money if they'd sell the booze AND the boys.

R111, have you seen the boys -- and the girls -- in that show? I don't think selling them would add much to the show's coffers....

My friend saw the show with Peck and he said an understudy for Schneider was on and she looked like a 25 year old made up to look 50 but came off more like 30. That's just sloppy.

David Sabella from the original 1996 cast of Chicago has returned to the show for a limited run.

R110 that show offers much more than a simple intermission bar service.

[quote]That show offers much more than a simple intermission bar service.

I'm aware of that, but again, I think the producers of CABARET get only a percentage of the liquor sales. And even if they sell LOTS of liquor, it's very unlikely that can make up for all of the show's tremendous expenses.

The original post merely said they can still take in good $ due to the unique “atmosphere” of this show. That remains true.

Yes, I'm sure the extra liquor sales help. But my point is that, from all reports, the investors in this CABARET are going to take a huge bath because the show's expenses and running costs are SO high, and also because the show began to underperform after Eddie Redmayne left the cast, and now is underperforming to an alarming degree.

Grosses are out. Cabaret is $18k lower. Worst week for the show, again the lowest grossing musical on Broadway. Billy is setting new records every week!

I don’t think anyone told Billy Porter that Cabaret isn’t simply a musical version of Pose.

Cabaret can't hold on until October. I predict a Labor Day closing.

Every day is Labor Day, at the Boston Lying-In.

Nobody wants to see anyone in Cabaret any more. Enough already!

Smaller productions don't have much bargaining power and are lucky to get any Broadway house at all but this two-person show is getting...the Longacre!?

I’m sorry but this fall looks like a real shit show except for Chess and Ragtime.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) has got the Longacre.

Not for long.

This isn't a rhetorical question. What do you think was the last original musical to have originated in London that was genuinely well written (book and score.) Not revivals. Not British productions of American musicals. I'm struggling to think of one from the past two decades, but, admittedly, I only get to London occasionally and NY about two times a year. Can think of plenty of non-musical plays, but musicals...?

Operation Mincemeat.

And before that, Matilda originated in London before coming to New York.

As did Groundhog Day, which I really loved.

And not a peep out of THE EVIL WEARS PRADA. I guess that one will wisely stay put in London.

David Sabella?? WEHT Ernie Sabella? Is he still with us? Such a funny sweet man.

R93, you’ve left me speechless. Someone who knows it is “lede.” Take a bow, bitch.

I know how to use a caret also.

Can you spot the intentional error? ^

ATC folk are drooling over the STRANGERS star Sam Tutty. Twink with a Platt-like voice. Cute as a bedbug, but not likely to helm a huge Broadway hit.

Think I meant cute as a ladybug.

[quote]Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) has got the Longacre.

Didn't Jack and Karen do that on "Will and Grace" (although in that case it was to the top of a building.)

Sam Tutty performs " Waving Through a Window." He's not a cute as DL favorite Charlie Stemp.

Sam and three other Evan Hansens sing.

Rumors on B'way (don't know how accurate they are, though) is that 'Cabaret' will be posting an early closing notice by the end of the week for Labor Day weekend. Anyone surprised ? I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.

Is Tutty on the spectrum?

Tutty is the spectrum.

Is Tutty frutty?

[quote]What do you think was the last original musical to have originated in London that was genuinely well written (book and score.)

Despite one or two fairly major flaws, I think BILLY ELLIOT was well written overall in terms of both book and score.

Meanwhile fucking Rudin gets the Booth and "Art" literally could've gone anywhere else.

The last original British Musical I loved was Benjamin Button (before it moved to the West End.) The one before that was years before, Spend Spend Spend. Neither 9so far) have come here. (and all the one's who did come here didn't do much for me,)

Actually, IMO, the score was the major flaw of BILLY ELLIOT, r146. What do you think were the other flaws?

Swan Lake, the accents….

[quote]Actually, IMO, the score was the major flaw of BILLY ELLIOT, [R146]. What do you think were the other flaws?

Certainly not this little cutie.

[quote]R123 Nobody wants to see anyone in Cabaret any more. Enough already!

Well, I’d like to see Audra’s take on Sally…. ?

[quote]R110 There is only so much money that can be made from the sale of booze at a theater

Well… especially when the house is practically empty..

Tickets on sale today for Two Strangers.

When I saw Two Strangers at ART, it seemed very much a middlebrow tourist take on NYC. So maybe that’s who will go to see it.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

It's true! Mira Sorvino IS Roxie Hart starting Sept 15th.

Don’t know why my post didn’t go through above, but that link shows that Sunset lost 6 mil, and Cabaret will lose 25 mil, surprising no one. UK producers need to stop bringing their shitty mid revivals here. Countdown to no one going to see the hated Rachel Zegler in that Evita she is currently faking her way through in head voice.

I know two co-producers on CABARET who are threatening suit because the theater made millions on the Booze while the investors have lost everything. Don't think these are any Sunset co-producers are going to lose millions on EVITA so Sir Andrew Lloyd Drunkhead can have another Broadway outing.

Someone should write an expose on CABARET on Broadway...

[quote]r159 that link shows that Sunset lost 6 mil, and Cabaret will lose 25 mil, surprising no one.

But, but… [italic]the booze buys!

lol, R161. That discussion upthread is hilarious. As if the bar is going to save a show that’s been a giant black hole for months.

I don't get how SUNSET BOULEVARD could not have made a profit. Other than Nicole's salary, what were the overriding costs? Certainly not the sets and costumes or their upkeep.

R162 the earlier point was that plenty of $ was being made for a few even with a flop.

I’m sorry but if a musical can sell at 85-100% capacity for a year, win all the awards and be a “hit” AND lose 6 million dollars…the system is indeed broken!

Plenty of money was not being made if the show lost 25 million.

Again—plenty of $ has been made off the atypical booze arrangements.

Did the blockbuster plays with Clooney, Denzel and Kieran make money?

Sunset seemed like THE musical event of the season. So, what prevented it from being profitable? I'm guessing, although there wasn't a set, the tech aspects (including live camera operators) and the large orchestra would have required a higher average ticket to come close to the black?

One of them did

I assume producers blame unions, right? In the UK actors and musicians make a very poor living in the West End, right? And, I get that argument, but actors and musicians deserve to make a decent living when they're performing at the top of their industry. Maybe theatre owners need to start giving up more?

R168. All three recouped.

[quote]R167 Again—plenty of $ has been made off the atypical booze arrangements.

America is being FORCED to drink till DRUNK to support the theater!

One of the reasons I won’t have children…

You keep insisting that R167. You have zero evidence of that. Are you the fucking barkeep? 🙄

I can’t vouch for the economics, but I remember those cocktails being very expensive. Like over $30. And there were long lines at all the bars.

That said, the alcohol helped a lot. What a train wreck.

[quote]I know two co-producers on CABARET who are threatening suit because the theater made millions on the Booze while the investors have lost everything.

But bar sales and ticket sales are an entirely separate issue. And again, I may be wrong, but I think the major profits from sales of drinks go neither to the producers of the show nor to the "theater," but to whatever company runs the booze concessions.

Oh dear.

AGT, for this production, has an agreement as both landlord and lead producer. IIRC, they make money on “both ends” —that’s where the booze $ comes in.

But even if AGT is both landlord and lead producer of CABARET, isn't it true that the bulk of the money from booze sales still goes to the company that runs the concessions? Maybe I'm mistaken about that, I'll have to check it out.

The landlord controlled the concession. Check the news from when this production was in process for transfer.

STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT BOOZE!

What about the boys?

The early years of these Theatre Gossip threads would be filled with the names of hot chorus and the stars they were fucking. Now, we're talking about booze sales at a flop revival no one cares about and Audra, Audra, Audra.....who most of us don't really care about.

Chorus boys were cuter back then. Now, we don't care who they fuck .

Yeah, the chorus of the current Cabaret will make you celibate.

Well, you do have a point, r184.

R293 there is the poster who once fucked the current Glimmerglass George’s husband, who also happened to be the prior ex of Gus Kenworthy.

Doesn’t that count?!

Sorry R183

When you read headlines about investors in XXX hit Broadway show not recouping their investment, remember that with a successful national tour of that production, that can change. Costs can be cut, and a lesser star's salary can be substantially lower.

[quote]R181 STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT BOOZE! (Dracula's daughter)

Young lady, young lady, I want that screaming stopped this minute, do you hear me?

I agree with the above. Most of the chorus boys are they/thems and in poly relationships with girls and guys.

Less drama

[quote]R189 When you read headlines about investors in XXX hit Broadway show not recouping their investment, remember that with a successful national tour of that production, that can change.

Investors can also put up money because they like having access to the behind-the-scenes world of the theater… it’s not always about strictly seeing a cash return.

Okay, here's some old-style, sex-related, DL gossip: A certain B-minus level Broadway and TV actor, who had a featured role in one of last season's flop musicals, apparently is closeted and sometimes pretends to have a girlfriend, even though only a few years back he very aggressively but unsuccessfully pursued a beautiful male ballet dancer (who happens to be the brother of another Broadway performer).

They put up 10K or so to get .25 of the way to an EGOT.

[quote]Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) has got the Longacre.

Let's not forget that DL icon Bonnie Franklin got there first, carrying a cake under far more precarious conditions in the first few minutes of this short.

R193 body odor? Very small penis? Why the failure to launch…

It can’t be that difficult in Hell’s Kitchen ;)

R196, I find your post inscrutable.

R195 it’s missing some good mood music!

R197 you can get dick from a Broadway / ballet dancer just by sitting on your front stoop. It’s that easy in parts of Manhattan. Honest.

R193, if you are referring to Erich Bergen, the real surprise would be that he thinks he is fooling anyone.

DLers kept putting down Gypsy and blaming Audra for its losses. Now we see Sunset and Cabaret also have huge losses and Audra wasn’t in either of those.

Even my Black friend agrees with me…

r193' specified that the closeted actor was fixated on a BEAUTIFUL ballet artist. didn't want just any old dancing dick off a Hell's Kitchen stoop.

Trust me there’s young dick all over —west of 8th Ave

At first I thought the ballet dancer was Robbie Fairchild but he's far from beautiful.

Chicago is thrilled to welcome Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino in the role of "Roxie Hart" beginning Monday, September 15, 2025 at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St., NYC) through Sunday, November 2, 2025.

Also, would Megan Fairchild, sister of Robbie, really be called a Broadway performer after only starring in the On the Town revival?

R206. It's a stretch but, sure, why not.

Morgan Fairchild starred in the On the Town revival? How did I miss that ? I'm sure that was something to see !

Morgan Brittany

R208 it was right up there with Suzanne Somers in The Blonde In the Thunderbird

[quote]Even my Black friend agrees with me…

Does your Black friend also agree that you're a twit?

R193 here, and no, the beautiful male ballet dancer in question is not Robbie Fairchild. He's probably not anyone you would know, because he's not American and has not worked in this country.

Robbie Fairichild burst the hinges off his closet door as soon as he left Tiler Peck.

I LOVED Megan Fairchild in that On the Town revival. She danced like a dream. I adore that Bernstein and Comden & Green score, but that Miss Turnstiles number always seemed like some forgettable throwaway to me. Not with Fairchild dancing. I still remember the audience literally gasping at how incredibly beautiful her movement was in that number. ("MARY!" I know!!! )

I wish I could find a recording of that production to relive it.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1992, "The Real Inspector Hound" and "The Fifteen Minute Hamlet" opened at the Criterion Center Stage Right Theatre.

R213. Actually, it was before he left her.

I'm watching Sweet Charity on TCM and I'm bored. Even Chits can't save it.

Audra could have.

[quote]I'm watching Sweet Charity on TCM and I'm bored. Even Chits can't save it.

It has its moments, including Chits, MacLaine and Paula Kelly on the rooftop doing "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This." But, no, it doesn't come together, and the dated ending with the hippies is pretty lame, and really doesn't make up for the heartbreaking scenes with MacLaine that precede it. They probably should have gone with the alternative happy ending that was filmed, even though it doesn't seem terribly believable. But I guess that was deemed too square in the hippie era.

Marisha Wallace is NOT happy. She posted this on Threads.

I’m still not sure why people who say they love theatre would pray on the down fall of a production that would put 100s of people out of work. Make it make sense?

Someone suggested she take a pay cut to keep it running and others commented that the show and Billy stink.

Maybe the cat should do the performance as written and directed and then maybe the production wouldn’t be having a downfall!

Make it make sense? Easy. This production of Cabaret is garbage and should have stayed on the other side of the Atlantic where it belongs.

[quote]But, no, it doesn't come together, and the dated ending with the hippies is pretty lame, and really doesn't make up for the heartbreaking scenes with MacLaine that precede it. They probably should have gone with the alternative happy ending that was filmed, even though it doesn't seem terribly believable.

How Fellini did it in the original.

Alternate ending; more palatable to the sappy audiences.

How Broadway handled the ending of "Sweet Charity" through the years.

The original was a cartoon, with bold colors and exaggerated emotions. Putting that story in a hyper-realistic NYC was a big mistake. The Fellini ending was exquisite.

Does anyone here on the Theater Gossip thread have any ideas about why Michael Crawford is on the list of Kennedy Center Honors this year?

The rest of the ‘honorees’ are MAGA loons or fanatical Christians. Does Crawford fit into either category?

The thread about this suggests he was included because Trump lives in a cultural time warp where “Phantom of the Opera,” a theater sensation from the ‘80s, is probably the last show Trump liked. Or maybe even the last show he ever saw.

Is Crawford under the impression this award is apolitical and thus okay to accept? His body of work doesn’t merit it anyway, but why would he accept it? And is it too late for him to back out? It can only make him a joke on the Rialto.

Trump LOVED Phantom. The End.

[quote]R221 Maybe the cat should do the performance as written and directed

Cats have always made their own decisions. They're not team players. Sharing the stage with them is fraught with risk.

Fosse’s alternative ending belonged on “Love American Style.” His film direction got better fast.

I agree that the hippie ending of SWEET CHARITY is terribly dated, but I think the alternate happy ending is completely incredible. On the other hand, the stage version winds up very abruptly after Charity ends up in Central Park Lake for the second time, and that ending would certainly not have worked in the film, either. I wish Peter Stone, then at the height of his powers, could have come up with a really satisfying ending.

Maybe the movie could have ended with Charity somehow encountering Vittorio Vidal again, as he's the only man in the show who treats her well and seems to have real affection for her. Here's one possibility: The day after Oscar runs out on her, Charity heads back to the dance hall to try to get her old job back, because she has no other option. On the way there, she again happens to run into VIttorio, who is very glad to see her. He tells her that he's broken up with the Italian film star bombshell and he invites her to lunch. How does that sound? I know, it's very pat, but probably still better than all those other endings.

I just re-watched the ending of NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, which I hadn't seen in many years. Admittedly, the hippie ending of CHARITY is really quite similar to the ending of CABIRIA, so that must have been Peter Stone's inspiration. I think one reason why the hippie ending is so jarring is that it suddenly ties the movie to the late 1960s, whereas, when you think about of it, the rest of it seems more like it's taking place in the late '50s or early '60s. Not that the Broadway version of CHARITY opened in 1966, a year before the "summer of love" and the opening of HAIR Off-Broadway, and its sensibility is very much that of several years earlier.

so that must have been Peter Stone's inspiration.…

🤔

I seem to remember the Applegate Charity ending with Oscar running off then coming back and Charity tells him to fuck off. She was very good btw and I loved that they put Charity's Soliloquy back into the show.

Little Bear Ridge tickets on sale. What an unusually easy experience - good tickets available for a reasonable price.

Does Laurie serve beer in the foyer?

No idea, since it doesn’t open until October.

>>Not that the Broadway version of CHARITY opened in 1966...

Should be "Note that the Broadway version of CHARITY opened in 1966..."

Duly knotted

Thanks for the correction, R238.

John Proctor, also at the Booth, had really cheap preview tickets as well.

There is no professionalism anywhere. Three cast members were out last night at John Proctor is the Villain. One would kill to make their Broadway debut and these kids are taking off constantly.

Where are these decently priced tickets to Little Bear Ridge Road? I'm seeing decent orchestra tickets are $206?

That’s what I paid. Similar seat for sane day/time for John Proctor is $399.

There they are!

[quote]There is no professionalism anywhere. Three cast members were out last night at John Proctor is the Villain. One would kill to make their Broadway debut and these kids are taking off constantly.

I generally agree with you in sentiment, but....this is August, and therefore primary vacation time. So I think people should be given slack at this time of year, especially if you don't know whether they're out for vacation or it's just an unscheduled absence.

[Quote] Where are these decently priced tickets to Little Bear Ridge Road?

On Broadway nowadays? Seriously?

[Quote] this is August, and therefore primary vacation time. So I think people should be given slack at this time of year

It’s also the height of the N.Y. theatre season, with so many tourists in town. They should take off in the fall

The nice thing about Laurie Metcalf is she made 100 million dollars on The Conners so she can do Broadway at equity minimum because she loves theatre.

R246: I understand but if you're contracted to do 8 shows a week you do 8 shows.

[quote]It’s also the height of the N.Y. theatre season, with so many tourists in town. They should take off in the fall

You actually have a point there, but any performer is entitled to and needs a vacation depending on when they started in the show, and of course, that might not necessarily coincide with the fall.

[quote]I understand but if you're contracted to do 8 shows a week you do 8 shows.

Yes, but my point is that people have to take vacations or individual days off sometimes, and I doubt you necessarily know whether those three people were out of JOHN PROCTOR for vacation or as unscheduled absences.

John Proctor has extended a few times so it's possible some cast members made prior commitments or scheduled vacations thinking they would be unemployed by now.

With the crazy pricing for today’s ticket, I demand to see the cast I paid to see

The actors should return to find the locks on their dressing rooms changed. NO EXCEPTIONS!

R254 - Betty Bacall

lol, so let me get this straight, Broadway performers are never allowed to take vacations, even when they have them in Equity and personal contracts? You do realize that everyone on the planet, even the lowliest workers get vacations, right?

R256 I absolutely do!

Scott Bakula in the CSC Baker’s Wife.

A hot baker?

Will Scott show his hot cross buns?

Scott Bakula is 71. Paul Sorvino was in his thirties. Paul Sorvino also had a healthy operatic tenor of some heft. Bakula has what could be generously described as a light baritone with a short top. How is this going to work exactly?

Romance...

Chess is returning? WHY? Lots of theater people are obsessed with some of the lousiest shows on earth.

The original Broadway production was one of the worst shows I've ever seen, and not because of the inexplicably bad production alone. The material is beyond awful! Tired ass 80s, chest-beating power ballads as cringey as fuck! It is nothing but dated caterwauling which oddly is what some people like. The One Night in Bangkok number seems like it's from a totally different show, but it's cheesiness relieves the utter boredom for a few minutes. Laughably corny and just plain bad!

I'm sure a vocal group of Dataloungers are EAGERLY awaiting it!

Extra long top only. TIA

[quote]R256 Broadway performers are never allowed to take vacations, even when they have them in Equity and personal contracts?

My god - they sleep till noon and don’t even put in 20 hours a week. A vacation from WHAT??

Straight play slouchers.

Bernadette Peters attended Evita in London and posed backstage with Rachel.

Meanwhile, Patti is still cancelled

[quote]R263 It is nothing but dated caterwauling … I'm sure a vocal group of Dataloungers are EAGERLY awaiting it!

[italic]You know them so weeeeelllllllll!

80's hair

Yup, r268, the number only really works when lip-synched by drag performers.

I'm certain I saw queens at La Escuelita perform to this version back in the day.

3 actors in the same play should not be scheduled for the same vacation time.

How far into rehearsals before they realize Scott Bakula can't sing the score? You just know they didn't check before the offer was made.

Also, the Baker is not supposed to be hot. Though Scott probably no longer is.

Did anyone see Prince F***** at Playwrights? I am going to be in New York while it’s playing, and am seeing Ragtime and Little Bear Ridge. There isn’t much else that I am interested in seeing that I haven’t seen already.

Any good Sara Porkalob updates?

R271, what exactly are you talking about? Bakula has played Quixote, did the latest JRB show, and played the younger man in The Baker’s Wife early in his career. Plus, he was nominated for a best actor in a musical Tony for Romance/Romance.

[quote]R270 3 actors in the same play should not be scheduled for the same vacation time.

And shouldn’t they wait until it’s run a year? If something’s run less than that you don’t really need a vacation from it.

I mean, unless it’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf…

It's time for a revival of Woman of the Year and Applause. It's crazy how long it's been with no revivals.

The original production had some handsome chorus boys.

[quote]r271 - Though Scott probably no longer is.

But you can tell that he used to be.

Re Wki, Scott Bakula played Don Quixote for the Peterborough Players in 2024. Did you see him, r274? Anyone? He played Nathan Detroit, not exactly a singer's role, at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, 16 years ago.

The last time he sang on Broadway was in 1988.

HIs material in The Baker's Wife is almost operatic.

Time will tell....

Nothing could be as bad as Michelle Williams playing Sally Bowles. Her look was even all wrong, but of course nobody complained.

I'm sure Billy is fine. People have an hatred of him because he is unapologetically flamboyant. And for other reasons that are obvious.

Lauren Bacall writes in her second book about how impossible it was for her to be allowed to miss a performance to attend her son’s college graduation. She gave them tons of notice and finally David Merrick (?) let her skip ONE performance. He arranged a car for her and she wasn’t even allowed to spend the night out of town.

He (like everyone else) must have really hated her.

The first time I saw Bakula onstage was as Joe DiMaggio in Marilyn: An American Fable, with Betty Bacall right up the street in Woman of the Year.

I've earned my Datalounge stripes.

[quote]I'm sure Billy is fine.

Sure you wanna go with that?

Even Queerty said he stank.

[quote]He (like everyone else) must have really hated her.

Like Merrick was such a cuddlebug.

R271/r278, I’m pretty sure you are confused about the show. Aimable in the Baker’s Wife requires a decent singer, but not an operatic one. He has one solo. Are you thinking of Tony in The Most Happy Fella?

Bakula also played Hapgood opposite Bernadette Peters in a recorded concert of Anyone Can Whistle. He sounds great.

Have you actually seen him? He is charming , easygoing. and has a very nice voice.

I think we should all keep in mind that before Paul Sorvino took over in THE BAKER'S WIFE, Topol had been cast in that role. So I'm pretty sure the operatic flourishes and high notes we hear on the cast album were added for Sorvino and were probably not written in the original score.

All of that said, Scott Bakula does seem to me an odd choice for the role in terms of physical type.

[quote]Does anyone here on the Theater Gossip thread have any ideas about why Michael Crawford is on the list of Kennedy Center Honors this year? The rest of the ‘honorees’ are MAGA loons or fanatical Christians. Does Crawford fit into either category?

From what I recall reading about 25+ years ago, upon the release of his album "On Eagle's Wings", he said he was a Born Again Christian. As a matter of fact, he was focused on recording Christian and Inspirational music (though I'm not sure he released much since then). His album was very good (I play it during the Lenten season each year).

Unless it's a Major Name Above The Title, who really gives a fuck if the understudy is playing the role? Other than their parents, no one cares that "the role of Susie Cream Cheese, normally played by Jane No Name will be played by Karen Slightly Less Of A Name for tonight's performance"

When I saw The Secret Garden Mandy Patinkin was out.

I was disappointed - not because i LOVE him but because it’s always interesting to study a star.

You do feel a bit cheated.

This morning I was listening to a 'theater review' on Boston's NPR. They were talking to a theater critic recommending to the audience to hurry and plan a trip to Broadway before the summer season comes to a close. The critic must've had a bottle or two of hard liquor because:

1. He urged everyone to go see 'Gypsy' before it closes Sunday, starring Audra MacDonald. He said he's seen every revival of GYPSY since 1989 with Daly when he was a theater major in college, and by far - this ranks right up there as the best he's seen. Yes, this one. Yes. This. One.

2. If anyone misses "Izzy" with Jean Smart, you will be missing one of the greatest one-woman shows ever to play B'way. The writing is sharp, and Smart was born to play this character. She'll make you laugh, gasp, cry...she's a shoe-in for a Tony next year, as is the play. Yes, this one. Yes.

How was Cyd Charisse?

Other than Meadowlark, Paul Sorvino's high notes on Any-Day-Now Day are the only thrilling parts of The Baker's Wife's ho-hum score.

I'm going back to see her twice more, r290.

You don't like Where is the Warmth, r291?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.........

It's time for a revival of " Funny Girl."

[quote]It's time for a revival of Woman of the Year and Applause.

But who is our Bonnie Franklin?

Fran and Barry tried reviving Applause and it tanked. Raquel dropped out and they got Stefanie Powers who wasn't very good. It was a very misguided production.

Margo takes a force. Stefanie would be suited for Phyllis.

Bacall is the most underrated stage performer ever. She couldn't sing for shit, but no one had as much charisma and glamour on the stage as Betty. She was a STAR.

I swear she would have made an incredible Mama Rose.

[quote] She'll make you laugh, gasp, cry...she's a shoe-in for a Tony next year, as is the play. Yes, this one. Yes.

If the critic (as opposed to the poster) actually wrote "shoe-in," nothing he says about these shows counts.

R300 He said it, not wrote it.

Can't Audra be cast in 'Woman of the Year' ? What a revival that would be ! She'd sell out half the theater.

Actually, Ariana DeBose would be interesting in Woman of the Year

Some night, when I've had a few, I'll share my dream version of THE BAKER'S WIFE. It includes a new character - the baker's son - a solitary, dour young man who is the same age as the wife and whom the baker adores. He hardly speaks, but rather signs, because his mother - the baker's first wife - was deaf. We, the audience, suspect that he has a crush on Genevieve because of the way he constantly stares at her and follows her. She thinks so, too. She thinks he's creepy. The son sees the budding romance between Genevieve and Dominique, and he is the one who discovers her when she is about to run away.

Who do you think you are?

What kind of weak-willed tramp do you think you are?

You're going to go with him,

Run off with him into the dawn.

Sneak away with him,

While Papa and I stay here, waiting, waiting.

Who do you think you are?

What kind of a man do you think I am?

Ah, I bake the bread.

But Dominique is not fooled. He knows what's going on. "Tell her. Tell her the truth. Everyman has a story, and his - his is the second oldest in the world."

Yes, the son sings/signs MeadowLark (with slightly different lyrics), revealing his big secret, and he and Genevieve both run off with Dominique.

I know it must be so.

I know that each of us must go,

Or we both shall perish and die.

So together we run,

My father's young bride.

And this beautiful young man,

This gorgeous young God,

We fly!

In the second act, "Endless Delights" becomes a trio.

I know, I know - MARY!!!! - but I like my gayer version much better. Be kind.

[quote]R299 Bacall is the most underrated stage performer ever.

Betty Bacall was one of the most talented performers ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her alcoholic blackouts. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in a foul mouthed, cut throat cunt. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her bitchiness and she theirs.

Bacall would have fabulous in Gypsy or Sunset Boulevard.

[quote]Bacall is the most underrated stage performer ever.

Her two Tonys belie that.

My eardrums beg to differ, R306.

Bacall is the femme Rex Harrison. Technically, not a singer but I love listening to them both.

If she wasn't already doing Applause, and with apologies to Alexis Smith, I feel like Bacall would have been *the* Phyllis.

Well Linda Ronstadt should have won over Bacall for Woman of the Year. Surprised it took Chita until The Rink to win as well.

Bacall had too much star charisma (and a stunning figure) to be believable as the desperate Mama Rose.

R286: At last a straight answer and obviously the correct one. Had no idea Michael Crawford had become yet another Christian fanatic. Maybe Mel Gibson recommended him.

Thanks for the info.

When she did Applause, r310, Betty became the toast of Broadway and it renewed her stardom. FOLLIES was cast with fading/faded careers in mind.

Will there *ever* be a movie version of FOLLIES?

So close, r292....

—My husband works in the [italic]area[/italic]!

Am I completely wrong? I thought Michael Crawford was British?

Yes, but Wikipedia says he has lived in New Zealand since 2007 to be closer to one of his grown daughters. He said living a quiet life there has helped his chronic fatigue syndrome.

[quote]Had no idea Michael Crawford had become yet another Christian fanatic.

He always seemed a bit gay to me. Maybe that has something to do with it.

[quote]Will there *ever* be a movie version of FOLLIES?

Actually, it's Richard Linklater's next project. But he'll be directing it over 30 years, so the same four actors will play Ben, Phyllis, Buddy and Sally in their youth and in middle age.

The perfect movie Follies already came and went.

Phyllis Rodgers Stone: Glenn Close

Sally Durant Plummer: Meryl Streep

Benjamin Stone: Kevin Kline

Buddy Plummer: Steve Martin

Carlotta: Liza Minnelli

Hattie: Bette Midler

Stella: Goldie Hawn

Someone should do a mini-series of Everything Was Possible. That would be fun to cast. Nicole for Alexis? All seen from the eyes of a young Ted Chapin. Miss Lopez for Yvonne?

Billy Boy, you should post that on An Archive Of Our Own.

[quote]Other than Meadowlark, Paul Sorvino's high notes on Any-Day-Now Day are the only thrilling parts of The Baker's Wife's ho-hum score.

I think "Gifts of Love," "Chanson," "Proud Lady," and "Merci, Madame" are four other terrific songs from that score.

[quote]R321 Phyllis Rodgers Stone: Glenn Close

Glenn as a former showgirl? Um, no.

I'm not a Phantom fan... a rather stupid musical with some (admittedly) nice Puccini'lite melodies. But can't deny that Crawford was fantastic in the role. Assume all recipients had to agree to receive the award before they were announced? If so... guess Gloria Gaynor is MAGA, too?

R326 I would say so! Her Wikipedia has a section where she talks about being a born again Christian and links articles titled “I’m no feminist”

Gaynor has said that she values her gay fans and views her role in life as leading them to Christ.

So they don't burn in hell?

Exactly R329.

For the poster above who asked about Prince F...... I loved it. Not perfect, but original in many ways. Some of my favorite critics praised it: Helen Shaw, Jackson McHenry. So did Tony Kushner in a long interview with the playwright. Well worth checking it out.