THEATRE GOSSIP #555: The “Into Idina Woods Versus Kristi Dawn Queen” Edition

Old thread:

First listen to a song from Idina’s new musical, live recording. She sounds great and the song isn’t terrible (unlike whatever Kristin is doing in Queen of Versailles).

The winner will be Nicole for Sunset Boulevard

Yes, the new Sunset Blvd is very sexy, with everyone performing in their underpants. Ground breaking stuff.

First listen to premiere song from Kristin Chenoweth in The Queen of Versailles, written by Stephen Schwartz.

The only Broadway show I might want to see performed in underpants is The Heart of Rock and Roll, and only if it became a one-man show for Corey Cott.

Is Corey Cott as well endowed as Huey Lewis?

If you want to see underwear, they could revive American Psycho

Anti-Clown Circus Protesters Interrupt Performance of Water for Elephants. Story at 11.

Well, I never...

Lempicka in front of first paying Broadway audience. Stay out of the Theater District. There may be riots.

Lempicka vs Suffs for the Tony I tell ya

Matt Smith and Jonathan Bailey in original American Psycho West End.

Oops.

How’s Boy George doing? Good attendance? Relaxed in the role?

So Rudin's back?

Hope not.

Is Miss Adjmi here, shilling her play?

r15 Does it get much more relaxed than going on stage with your AirPods in?

[quote] So Rudin's back?

Back how?

Is Rudin going in Adjmi's back door?

Are Lempicka and Suffs both expected to be flops?

I know a sure flop- the title of this thread.

What's the word on Lempicka?

Chenoweth looks like something straight out of the old British science-fiction tv series, Thunderbirds.

Who's the whore of this thread?

Is it limited to one?

Not at all. Any carry-overs?

OP (and we all know who he is) is a witless moron. Not only is this title bad, it's easy to confuse with the title of the previous thread.

Reddit has a post about Lempicka, but those kids decide they love a show months before they see it.

I want Jonty Bailey in me, quite deeply.

‘An Enemy Of The People’, ‘The Notebook’, ‘The Outsiders’ & Other Broadway Newcomers Draw Crowds As Box Office Bounces Into Spring:

Who the hell is going to see The Outsiders?

which original TV cast member is joining smash as a producer? Isn’t that exciting? I mean, it could really, oh my God I can’t catch my breath, be Christian Borle or, wait for it, Deb Messing. Or, and now I know I’m really dreaming too big, it could be Angelica Huston. Does anybody care who joins as a producer of the thing?

Does anyone want to see SMASH on stage?

No R34.

I would be interested in seeing BOMBSHELL on stage but not SMASH.

[quote]which original TV cast member is joining smash as a producer?

Maybe Liza Minnelli is the Smash on Broadway donor. She had one more Warhol shoved in the back of her closet.

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Recoups $12M Broadway Capitalization:

12 million?? For THAT? That’s insane.

That's the new Broadway survival kit. Charge obscene ticket prices, recoup, close, then find another vehicle, rinse and repeat.

What I don’t understand is why this one succeeded where the original failed.

Was Lindsay Mendez (who was out more than in) really that much better than Ann Morrison?

Well, she was bigger.

Great reviews and Daniel Radcliffe & Jonathan Groff instead of bad reviews, Lonny Price and James Weisenheimer or Jim Walton. Plus a beloved dead songwriter.

It's still backwards.

Deaf, Dumb & Blind Protesters Interrupt Performance of Tommy. Story at 11.

Unfortunately, they all gathered at Lempicka.

[quote] it could be Angelica Huston

Oh, dear.

[quote]Unfortunately, they all gathered at Lempicka.

If they were deaf, dumb and blind, they're probably the only ones who could enjoy it.

Anyone seen Lempicka yet?

Anyone really want to?

Anyone seen Patti’s “Notes” show? She’s touring around the country and I thought about seeing her when she comes through SF. Recommended or not?

SeatGeek is selling tickets for Illinoise for the worst seats possible and trying to make you think it's a bargain.

R51. The whole first act is rock music from the 50s-70s. Then act 2 has 5 showtunes, then some more rock music.

If you are wanting Patti belting showtunes…this isn’t the best show for you.

If you are a LuPone super fan, she does sing I Dreamed a Dream which she doesn’t sing much anymore

Today's matinee of Tommy canceled due to illness in the cast.

[quote]Anyone seen Patti’s “Notes” show?

I'd rather see her "Notes" show than her "Nudes" show.

[quote] Anyone seen Patti’s “Notes” show?

Has she learned how to enunciate yet? I was always surprised Juilliard admitted they trained her. She’s never had good diction.

r56 no one has mentioned that before.

$4000-5000 per week is not a good salary for an actor. Agent and manager each take half. Good voice teachers are expensive. Liz Caplan charges $500 per lesson. If you have a publicist, that is $3000/month minimum. Then there’s taxes. And then there’s the fact that the show most likely bombs and closes within 6 months, Then you must stretch what’s left while you’re looking for the next job.

Agent and manager each take TEN PERCENT I mean

R59, no one is out there, on that level, with both a manager and an agent AND a publicist for that kind of money every month. It's generally true that half gets taken in management fees and taxes.

Water for Elephants premieres tomorrow. Any early bets on the reviews?

[quote]Agent and manager each take TEN PERCENT I mean

We only get 7.5%

It wasn't stated before the last thread ended so I'll say it here and now:

BAJOUR!

Kristin could get this year's sympathy Tony.

[quote]no one has mentioned that before

No, Patti, nobody has.

MSNBC fave Andrew Weissman has a Playbill for ENEMY displayed prominently in his office background. Wonder if he's an investor.

R65 I told her repeatedly.

Isn’t anyone on Broadway fucking anymore? What happened to all the salaciousness that used to be a hallmark of these threads? Are Max’s cheeks permanently closed?

[quote] Isn’t anyone on Broadway fucking anymore?

R68, from the last thread, it might seem Eli Gelb is fucking everyone.

Eli Gelb? This?

That's the one, R70.

How does Charlie Williams make a living? He hasn't been in a Broadway show in years.

R72 Hi Ryan! Sorry the breakup was bad. We were all rooting for you guys. Welcome to DL!

Sex work.

It’s the “oh, hi” troll.

The Broadway box-office is smashing right now:

Lion King $2.1 million

Wicked $2.1 million

Hamilton $2 million

These are usually Thanksgiving-NYE numbers. What's behind all the current smashery? Is Broadway really back?

Spring vacation for schools and colleges?

[quote]What's behind all the current smashery?

Hey, if Trump can get away with inflating numbers, we can too.

The Shuberts, the Jujamcyns, the Roths, the Mackintoshes, the Lloyd-Webbers

Charlie Williams is the perfect chorus boy. Tall, handsome and a lovely dancer.

Well, call me an outlier.....or a grumpy old man, but I saw Oh, Mary! the other night and found it utterly stupid and Cole Escola charmless. Admittedly, everyone around me, including my friends, were laughing their heads off but I just sat there waiting for it to be over. I truly didn't get it.

MARY!

R81, Cherry Jones gave it a rave. Two thumbs up. A show you could learn from.

Apparently tout le monde are going to see "Oh Mary!"

I remain skeptical, esp. with $200 tickets for the freaking Lortel.

The price for those tickets is fucking ridiculous, R84.

Fuck that.

Is Oh Mary! any good or is it just warmed over Charles Ludlam?

Not as intelligent or satirical as Ludlam, more farcical, more Carol Burnett. But Escola is the reason to see it. He's a force of nature. Didn't laugh my head off, but smiled a lot.

R81 I felt the exact same way. And I’ve been a fan of Escola for years. I thought it was stupid. And I know Escola is funny, he usually makes me laugh outloud. I didn’t find him funny in this at all.

The rest of the audience was laughing hysterically though, so I guess we are the outliers.

Definitely not worth $200 a ticket.

Any predictions for the "Water For Elephants" reviews?

A stampede of critics left wanting.

The non-Equity tour of Shrek is shockingly cheap-looking. Even their website sucks.

Apparently, Lindsay-Abaire and Tesori changed the show so that there's now a framing device of a community "telling" the story of Shrek. I know it's a device that has been done to death, but applying it to Shrek feels like a lousy bastardization of "Mr Burns."

Also, is it common for writers to come in and work on/change the show for a non-Equity tour? Are the unions okay with that?

Future Tony winner Jeremy Jordan will be on with Kelly and Mark this morning to promote The Great Gatsby.

I saw a preview of Lempicka. It’s okay but a lot of the songs stop and start again.

R94, will it last very long?

r93=Wayman

[quote] But Escola is the reason to see it.

Not for $200 he isn't, R87.

Heard from a friend that Lempicka is a disaster of Moose Murders proportions.

[quote]48th Street, home to ‘Hadestown’ and ‘Lempicka,’ is renamed ‘Chavkin Way’ in honor of director Rachel Chavkin

Is this permanent?

R98: Details?

Go see “Doubt”

Amy Ryan really holds the stage

Carol Burnett skits are Pulitzer-worthy compared to Oh, Mary!

[quote]Amy Ryan really holds the stage

Doesn’t it get heavy?

r91 It looks like Lavarious Slaughter had a hand in this production.

Oh Mary! was exactly what I hoped it would be: light, funny, campy, low-budget off-Broadway. I wish there were more shows like this.

A show that's "low-budget" costs $200 a ticket to see, R105?

Vultures rejoice! LEMPICKA is exactly the disaster you prayed it would be. Hideously ugly, boring, and stupid. And Ms. Espinosa is off pitch for every. single. note.

Wasn't Lempicka in the making for a dozen years? How can something take that long to be created and still be that insufferably bad? And who pays to workshop and produce it? Amazing, the energy, time, and resources that go into something if it's that bad.

Who could ask for anything more, r107?

What are we predicting for a Lempicka closing date - May, June, after the Tonys?

R110, I would need to hear more responses to weigh in.

I would imagine if there's a hope in hell it can squeeze out a couple possible Tony nominations, it will try to hold on to the awards.

*hold on until the awards.

I forgot she was even on Smash

Is "playwright" Theresa Rebeck attached to the Smash stage production, I assume, since she was responsible for that crap TV show? Oh, joy--yet another foray into medicority with one of the most overproduced hacks in theatre!

Jennifer Hudson joins the Smash producing team.

Which means she'll sit on her ass doing nothing, investing nothing and being nothing, just like she did for that other disaster she stole a Tony award for.

How is her talk show still on the air?

It’s horrible, as is Drew Barrymore’s.

Channel flipping yesterday, I caught a few minutes of Drew. Her guest was unrecognizable Marie Osmond and Drew was dressed as Donny.

I enjoyed Liev Schreiber's performance in DOUBT overall, but I do think he could have/should have made the character seem much more outraged and cornered in his last scene. The way he played the scene, it seemed like he wasn't THAT upset and the stakes weren't all that high.

Drew's talk show was cut from one hour to 30 mins. Not a good sign.

It's a good sign for me. I hate that cunt and hope she gets drummed out the business.

[quote]I enjoyed Liev Schreiber's performance in DOUBT overall, but I do think he could have/should have made the character seem much more outraged and cornered in his last scene. The way he played the scene, it seemed like he wasn't THAT upset and the stakes weren't all that high.

This is a problem with setting it in a religious setting. His stakes aren’t that high. He’ll just be moved to another parish.

If the story had been set in a regular public school, the stakes would have been higher because he might have lost his job and possibly had to register as a sex offender, ruining his life and limiting where he could live and work.

Good point, R121. But I think even in a Catholic school/church the Bronx in 1964, he would have been more greatly upset that he was being accused as a sex offender. That's how I recall Brian O'Byrne playing the final scene, and I think it seemed more natural.

Original cast of Doubt on Charlie Rose. The scene R122 is talking about is shown around 20:24.

R121, the reason that would not be the case is because the play takes in the 1960s. Priests had all the power, especially over nuns, so that's the fundamental problem with the play. Sex offender registry lists also did not exist then.

Drew's show should be cut again to 90 seconds and moved to Tik Tok.

In the performance I saw last night, just before he calls the Bishop, Liev sits, stricken, his eyes just welling with tears.

It was a wrenching moment.

I liked both his and O’Byrne’s performances.

[quote]The reason that would not be the case is because the play takes in the 1960s. Priests had all the power, especially over nuns, so that's the fundamental problem with the play. Sex offender registry lists also did not exist then.

I understand about priests having all the power back then, and Sister Aloysius even says as much in the play, at least once. But I STILL think Father Flynn would be quite upset about being labeled a child molester and having Sister Aloysius threaten to expose him.

[quote]In the performance I saw last night, just before he calls the Bishop, Liev sits, stricken, his eyes just welling with tears. It was a wrenching moment.

Interesting, I really don't remember him having that moment just before calling the bishop. I don't remember him having tears in his eyes or looking stricken. Maybe Schreiber just had an off night when I attended.

Vapid fag Brandon Lankar is a Drew Barrymore Show producer.

Thanks, R123. On the night I saw this production of DOUBT, Schreiber did not have a moment of rage against Sister Aloysius like that, and I missed it.

I blocked OP so I guess he’s a cunt.

My husband and I saw OH MARY! for less than $200. It was hilarious. Highly recommend. You don’t need to buy a $200 ticket to enjoy. Sit in the fucking balcony.

Gwen Stefani replacing Amy Ryan!

Anyone seen this production of SUNDAY? What sayest DL?

[quote] Sit in the fucking balcony.

I don't sit in the fucking balcony, R131. I'm past that age. If I want to see a show I'll properly see a show. But that has nothing to do with price-gouging. We're talking OH, MARY at the fucking Lortel. Not worth $200, not to me.

There is nothing I would pay $200 for that involved Cole Escola.

Exactly, R135.

The rake in the house is so shallow at the Lortel, sitting in the balcony will probably give you a much better view of the actors. I sat in the last row of the orchestra and was constantly craning my neck trying to see over the people in front of me.

Rave review for "Water for Elephants" in the NY Times—what a twist!

R137, how is the redesign and upgrade of the theater? The place was a shithole the last time I was there (which, admittedly was 20 years ago). I went to see a horrendous play, the name of which I can't even remember, with Jeffrey Carlson and Veanne Cox. The seats were falling apart, the entire theater stank of mildew and dust and the night I went there was a torrential downpour. During the first 20 minutes of the show, we started hearing loud dripping noises all over the house. The roof was leaking in multiple places.

Oh dear

It’s the best thing since The Greatest Show on Earth!

r139, I didn't walk around the Lortel, just stayed in my seat but it looked to me like a good renovation (also hadn't been there in decades). It's all still quite tiny and intimate, of course. Very clean. My only complaint is I wish the house was more deeply raked and the seating was staggered so that you aren't sitting directly behind the person in front of you. Oh, the seating is pretty tight, too. I'm just 5'7" but I bet it'd be uncomfortable for anyone large or tall.

Haven't seen Water for Elephants but I thought the novel it's based on was utter trash.

Nice profile of Dutch performer Milan van Waardenburg, who just made his West End debut as Valjean in Les Miserables. He has a very cute partner, too, There’s English closed-captioning with this video.

[Quote] After suffering through the new Broadway musical The Notebook, I thought I had seen the worst of what the 2024 season would bring. I was wrong. I had not seen Water for Elephants yet. Now I have. It can’t get any deadlier than this.

Oh Rex

Rex, who loved Beanie to distraction.

Johnny Oleksinski, who is the only theater critic these days I enjoy reading because he isn't afraid of anyone and actually knows a little something about theater, gave it 2 stars. He praised the design and the acrobatics, but didn't like much else.

Rex is fun to read, but can't be taken seriously.

[quote]There is nothing I would pay $200 for that involved Cole Escola.

I guess I'd better lower the price of my OnlyFans subscription then.

I have to say, Cole Escola is a pretty cool name...like Dixie Dunbar and Mitzi Mayfair.

[quote]The rake in the house is so shallow at the Lortel, sitting in the balcony will probably give you a much better view of the actors. I sat in the last row of the orchestra and was constantly craning my neck trying to see over the people in front of me.

Very disappointing that they didn't address the rake issue when the theater was renovated some years ago.

R134- Past what age? I’m about to turn 50. If you could afford $200 tix, you’d buy them. You’re obviously poor since you consider $200 to be a lot of money. So sit in the balcony. It’s a tiny theater. You’ll see everything.

R119, Drew's show was reformatted into two half-hour shows each weekday.

I actually enjoy her. I know she can be over the top and emotional, but she seems to have a good heart and she's a pretty good interviewer.

And she is a big Broadway promoter, always having theater guests on, and talking about current shows that she's seen.

I understand what R134 is saying. There's a point where you just don't want to be uncomfortable while watching theater. Maybe the Lortel's balcony has a high rake and there's no leg room. Once I hit 30, I became very picky about where I would sit to watch theater. I was an LCT subscriber for many seasons, and many seasons I got stuck in the horrible rake of the Beaumont, where there is absolutely no leg room if you're not on the floor. I remember suffering through their 98 production of Twelfth Night (for many reasons, but the seat was the worst of it), and leaving at intermission. And I'm just under 6 feet, so I'm not abnormally tall or anything. But when you're in the raked seats at the Beaumont, your knees are literally pressed up against the back of the chair in front of you.

I also stopped doing stuff like TKTS because it wasn't worth standing in line for hours and not even knowing where you were going to sit until you bought the tickets. That kind of stuff is for college students and tourists. I prefer to sit on an aisle and I'll either pay for it or skip the show.

I do belong to TDF and will sometimes buy through them, but only if it's a show I know is doing poorly and it's a weeknight. I can usually move seats if I'm not on an aisle. I'll even sit in the back row if it means no one is on top of me. People are horrible, even in the theater, these days. I don't enjoy sitting next to food chompers, talkers, people who can't keep off their phones, etc.

And with the theater that's been happening for the past decade or so, I'm not missing much if I decide to not go.

Adam Feldman wants the Tonys to remember shows from earlier in the season:

[quote]I was an LCT subscriber for many seasons, and many seasons I got stuck in the horrible rake of the Beaumont, where there is absolutely no leg room if you're not on the floor.

Same for me the last time I was in the balcony of The Hirschfeld. I’m 5’10” and I couldn’t even cross my legs. My knees were against the seat in front of me. I was so stiff at intermission.

I used to love going to the theater but I can’t sit in the cheap seats and can’t afford the good seats.

R147, Rex Reed can’t understand why Betty Bacall isn’t returning his messages.

Helen Hunt sucked in Twelfth Night.

If you’re gonna keep bitching about uncomfortable Broadway seats, take it to a separate thread. It is the oldest and dullest of topics—you want to see the show?—suck it up.

R152, Stations are given the option of airing the 30 minute or 60 minute versions.

Boston wisely chose to go with 30.

[quote] If you’re gonna keep bitching about uncomfortable Broadway seats, take it to a separate thread. It is the oldest and dullest of topics—you want to see the show?—suck it up.

Fuck off.

You really like making tiresome posts, don’t you. 0 for originality.

Fuck off is more than you deserve. Relish it.

So bitter. You must be fun to sit next to at the theater. I bet you sigh and hmm A LOT.

As if anyone on this thread actually goes to the theatre any more

Was resisting WNE AND ROSES because the cast recording hurt my ears. But thanks to TDF—4th row center in the orchestra—I gave it a shot. Glad I did. It's a show with admirable goals and integrity of purpose that makes it impossible to dismiss. Great performances, as has been noted everywhere, and a score that does not pander or flatter the listener. I'm still not enough of a musician to appreciate what Guettel does, but it's presented with consummate skill and sincerity. So good on them for making the effort, despite its flaws. Best $50 bucks I've spent in quite a while.

[Quote] you want to see the show?—suck it up.

Sounds like the attitude of every Broadway producer.

No r157 [italic] you [/italic] are the oldest and dullest.

This will be sacrilege, but I found Oh Mary much funnier than the average Charles Ludlam show. I loved going to The Ridiculous Theater Company, but those show weren’t all home runs.

R133, they do get that it's about Seurat, not Degas, don't they?

R151, you seem to have reading comprehension issues. I said clearly I can pay $200 but I wouldn't for Escola. Do you understand now, stupid?

Rumors are rampant that Oh, Mary! is moving to Broadway later this spring. Can that be true?

[quote] So bitter. You must be fun to sit next to at the theater. I bet you sigh and hmm A LOT.

Says the person who wrote...

[quote] If you’re gonna keep bitching about uncomfortable Broadway seats, take it to a separate thread. It is the oldest and dullest of topics—you want to see the show?—suck it up.

You're a gigantic cunt.

I think we should all agree that we are all gigantic cunts and move on.

No, R172, I would agree with R171--THAT CUNT is the biggest cunt here.

We're ready.

[quote] This will be sacrilege, but I found Oh Mary much funnier than the average Charles Ludlam show. I loved going to The Ridiculous Theater Company, but those show weren’t all home runs.

I would agree with you (but not about Oh Mary because I haven't seen it). I was doing some research on Ludlam a couple years back and I watched whatever TOFT had available and some of their most acclaimed shows I found just leaden. I hated Galas, which was so praised. I did love Irma Vep, and there was a production of Ludlam's Medea done shortly after Ludlam's death and directed by Everett Quinton that was amazing. But everything else left me cold. I will say the collection is quite incomplete and there were shows I wish I would have gotten to see that I may have liked more.

[quote]Was resisting WNE AND ROSES because the cast recording hurt my ears. But thanks to TDF—4th row center in the orchestra—I gave it a shot. Glad I did. It's a show with admirable goals and integrity of purpose that makes it impossible to dismiss. Great performances, as has been noted everywhere, and a score that does not pander or flatter the listener.

Neither does it entertain the listener or give the listener any aural pleasure, except in very brief spurts.

[quote]I'm still not enough of a musician to appreciate what Guettel does, but it's presented with consummate skill and sincerity.

It seems Guettel is now writing only for an audience of trained musicians who can appreciate the technical skill of his writing, rather than for the general public. A huge mistake, and it's the main, overwhelming reason why this show is closing SO quickly on Broadway.

R158, Stations may be given the option to play one 30 minute show or two 30 minute shows, but there is no 60 minute version.

The thing about Oh, Mary! that differs from most of Ludlam and Charles Busch's plays is that theirs are usually parodies of familiar genres or even specific plays or films. Whereas Oh, Mary! is about Mary Todd Lincoln at the end of the Civil War wanting to become a cabaret star (and yes, that's the term she uses).

So it's totally arbitrary in its handling of the subject matter and its sense of humor and not based on any kind of truth. And for those who find that hilarious, it's hilarious for those who find that hilarious.

R177, 30 + 30 = 60

R179, I'm sure you know what R177 means. At least, I HOPE so....

R180, The 60 minute version is simply an extension of the 30 minute version.

Got that?

Dearest R180 . . .

“Instead of one-hour episodes, The Drew Barrymore Show will now be produced as "two half-hour episodes that can seamlessly run together back-to-back or be split apart to air separately."“

I wondered if Cole Escola was basically down-market Ludlam.

The thing that made Ludlam a comic genius was his deep knowledge of classical theatre. His best plays managed to smash highbrow and lowbrow art together into a truly amazing joyride.

The younguns, they got no respeck fer the classics, etc. etc. etc.

If I can get a cheaper ticket I'll go.

I love that much of this thread is an argument about the price for "Oh, Mary!" Yeah, that's gossip...

Would you rather discuss the outdated seats?

[quote] Would you rather discuss the outdated seats?

If you're asking, we'd rather you shut the fuck up about it already.

So Broadway News "critic" Brittani Samuel wrote the following about [italic] Water for Elephants [/italic] :

[quote] book writer Rick Elice pens a compelling-enough narrative for a man working with dated (the action takes place during the Great Depression) material.

So now something is "dated" if it takes places before TikTok? We're doomed.

How the fuck did this turn into a Drew Barrymore thread?

I loved all you bitches crapping on Elephants before it opened to a rave from the NYT. Bye Felicia!

Drew would be a TERRIFIC Hattie.

The other thing about Charles Ludlam was that his plays were designed for a very specific audience: gay men who liked camp. There was a reason he called it the Ridiculous Theatre Company. His theater in Sheridan Square was very small, and had a Keith Haring mural in the lobby.

There was also Howard Crabtree who wrote musicals for the same audience, gay men who liked the humor of over the top campy shows.

[quote] Rumors are rampant that Oh, Mary! is moving to Broadway later this spring. Can that be true?

I'd so much rather see OH MARY go to to the Orpheum Theatre rather than Broadway (once they get the stink of Eddie Izzard's one-person HAMLET out.

Oh Mary, which I liked a lot, should stay in a small theater.

The discussion on TikTok about Oh Mary! Is that you can't see anything from the 2nd row balcony and you pay just as much as the people doing rush who get booster seats behind them. It stinks that the seats aren't staggered. Wonder if it will transfer.

And they have the balls to charge what they do, R194?

But I guess Miss Sit-in-the-Balcony will still argue "Suck it up!" like the cunt she is.

I sat in the very last row of the balcony when I saw Oh Mary. My view was slightly obstructed but fine. I just wanted the show to end because I was bored after the first 5 minutes.

But the seat wasn’t an issue. Sit whenever. The theater is tiny.

[quote]Sit whenever.

I typically sit before the show starts, r196.

I like to sit through the applause.

Unike every idiot who gives a standing ovation to everything, R198.

[quote] (once they get the stink of Eddie Izzard's one-person HAMLET out.

Recently, I was watching the taped performance of “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” with Izzard and Victoria Hamilton, and she must have really got pissed off with him going off book because she suddenly breaks character, turns to the audience and tells them how much better he has it than she does. Hilarious!

[quote]I like to sit through the applause.

I pretend that the applause is for me. I sit there while everyone else is standing. I put my hand on my chest, lower my head and say, “I’m so honored.”

R197 I just laughed outloud.

Oh dear indeed.

If you can bear it, I just thought of another unpleasant aspect of watching Oh, Mary!

As I said upthread I sat in the last row of the orchestra and my view was blocked by the tall guy sitting directly in front of me. But there was also the issue of the balcony overhang which blocked out the upper 1/4 view of the set. It was like watching the show though 2 slot machines, one on either side of the fathead in front of me.

Everyone’s a critic!^

[quote]But there was also the issue of the balcony overhang which blocked out the upper 1/4 view of the set.

Well that's just sloppy direction & set design.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Elaine Stritch posed the question, “Does anyone still wear a hat?” because everyone was tired of sitting behind women with monstrosities on their head.

As well as shitty sight lines, no decent rake in the orchestra, and viewing issues in the balcony, R205--all of which are on the theatre.

I have high hopes for Death Becomes Her mostly for the casting of Hilty, Simard and Seiber.

I admired “Days of Wine and Roses.” It is a [italic]beautifully[/italic] acted opera/operetta.

Still, Guettel’s no Puccini (not even a Richard Rodgers).

I'm watching Blithe Spirit. I didn't realize that Margaret Rutherford had been svelte.

The Great Gatsby will take Broadway by storm.

When has Gatsby ever taken *anything* by storm?

Of course, I could be wrong, but GATSBY sounds to me like a quick flop. First of all, although I think many people still recognize the title, I'm not sure how much that novel is still in people's consciousness -- bearing in mind that there has never been a successful movie version, which is not too surprising, given the style in which the novel is written. Also, I've heard from people who saw the show at Paper Mill that the score is bad and the whole conception of how the property was musicalized is misguided. Finally, a lot of the casting of this production seems way off, and although Jeremy Jordan is a pretty big star on Broadway, I don't think he's bit enough to carry a bad show with a title that's not very marketable.

Exactly, R212.The Redord movie was a flop. I didn't hear much about the DiCaprio movie. I don't see a musical changing any of that.

It’s taught to every high school kid in America …

Yeah, R215, and you think because of that as adults they're all running to see the musical version?

I'm curious how the success (or not) of this season's Gatsby will impact on the reception of the other adaptation due to begin performances at ART in May. The latter version, in my mind, has a much more interesting and appealing creative team.

R216 don’t be a dolt. It was reply to a poster who discounted awareness of the book.

Look dolt, R218, this is a thread with one post after the other. Why don't you address that person by number directly?

I saw the production where the cast performed the novel from beginning to end. Interesting approach but loooong. There was a dinner intermission. Glad I saw it, but didn't feel more fondly about the novel than I did before. Best thing was sitting in front of DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire who were already set to do a film version. Leo didn't make it back from the interval.

Gatsby is one of my favorite books, but I have zero desire to see it musicalized. None of the characters are written to be open hearted enough for singing. Even movies have never captured this story effectively. It’s just too internally driven.

[quote]I didn't "discount" awareness of the novel THE GREAT GATSBY, I questioned it. And I had no idea if it was still on the reading lists for high schools, so thanks to R215 for that info -- assuming it's correct.

But even if the book is still on the high school reading lists and is still considered a masterpiece, the fact remains that there has never been a successful film version or straight play version, which in my mind does not bode well for a musical.

R222. Actually the Elevator Repair Service’s HATZ was pretty amazing, but sui generis

[quote]Gatsby is one of my favorite books, but I have zero desire to see it musicalized. None of the characters are written to be open hearted enough for singing. Even movies have never captured this story effectively. It’s just too internally driven.

Exactly. So much of the brilliance of the novel is in the authorial voice, rather than in the dialogue.

Here's an interesting thought: I haven't yet seen the musical, but someone I know who saw it said they felt Jeremy Jordan would have been much better cast as Nick. They also said they did not like the show overall and thought the story had been poorly musicalized.

Jeremy Jordan is a Phyllis not a Sally.

I think he’s too “working class” to be Gatsby.

[quote]Actually the Elevator Repair Service’s HATZ was pretty amazing, but sui generis

And lacking in millinery.

R176 thinks that he speaks for everyone: "Neither does it entertain the listener or give the listener any aural pleasure, except in very brief spurts." You speak for yourself, not for "the listener."

"It seems Guettel is now writing only for an audience of trained musicians who can appreciate the technical skill of his writing, rather than for the general public. A huge mistake, and it's the main, overwhelming reason why this show is closing SO quickly on Broadway." So confidently asserted, yet without (of course) a shred of evidence.

I'm starting to think the theatre comfort issue has less to do with the seats and more to do with the sand you girls seem to have in your cunts.

The Redford "Gatsby" was a box office hit, not a flop.

That's right, R229. It was a critical flop.

It grossed over $26 million against a $7 million budget...but the critics were divided.

No one is going to go that musical of The Great Gatsby. Not from what people are saying.

Don't forget the huge flop Gatsby made at the Metropolitan Opera.

It's a great book that falls flat in adaptation--stage, opera, or movies.

The casting of Daisy for the Redford Gatsby was almost as crazy as the casting for Scarlett O'Hara. Mia snuck in and grabbed it.

[quote] It's a great book that falls flat in adaptation--stage, opera, or movies.

That’s because they never get that it’s a dark tragedy. They always make it about the glitz

R223 Does anyone still wear HATZ

Is that video online r200? Although what I’d really love to see is a capture of Jim Dale/Stockard Channing. Man, that was extraordinary

R238, I downloaded my copy from a torrent site. Here it is on YouTube broken up into several sections.

^^That link may not work so try this.

The fun starts around 3:00. The zinger comes around 6:00.

Thanks!!

Sutton out of ST tonite.

R243, A romantic dinner with Hugh?

Is r201 Eve Harrington or Phoebe?

I don’t think Victoria Hamilton is seriously upset. Plus everyone approved this for airing on BBC, and then she transferred with Izzard to do it again on Broadway. If it was that difficult, she could’ve gotten out of it.

[quote]Sutton out of ST tonite.

She and Lindsey Mendez are being initiated into the Sara Porkalob club.

Max Clayton, looking good.

[quote]The Redford "Gatsby" was a box office hit, not a flop.

[quote]It grossed over $26 million against a $7 million budget

Yes. That would be the equivalent of $163 million and $44 million today.

Wow, that means The Exorcist grossed $1.2 billion in 2024 dollars.

And yet it still made a loss

Your mother sucks cocks in Hell, Karras/R250!

R251 Accountants only slow things down, figures get in the way

Michael R Jackson is down in the comments section of the NY Times review of "Teeth"—

[quote]Let’s clear one thing up: Teeth is not “an MJ show.” It was written in deep collaboration with the composer and co-bookwriter Anna K. Jacobs, whose contributions are all over the script and who should not be minimized/erased just so people can heap their scorn on me for either disappointing them for daring to not write A Strange Loop Part Deux or for daring to ever write anything again. It also bears mentioning that many of the criticisms hurled at me and Teeth are actually more about the people hurling them than anything I did. Folks need to start taking responsibility for their own tastes and values without needing everyone to share them. Audiences don’t owe artists their undying adoration but artists also don’t owe audiences (or critics) nonstop affirmation of everything they believe and love about the world, storytelling, or art.

There was also a Great Gatsby that the Met spent a fortune on in the nineties with Jerry Hadley (well past his peak) and Dawn Upshaw that was a total flop. They brought it back a season later and no one has touched it since. There might have been a production in Houston or something at some point. It was endlessly long, and sucked, both theatrically and musically.

[R176] thinks that he speaks for everyone: "Neither does it entertain the listener or give the listener any aural pleasure, except in very brief spurts." You speak for yourself, not for "the listener."

Oh, come off it. "Neither does it entertain the listener..." is an expression of an opinion, not meant as a statement of fact. I'm sure you have expressed many opinions without including the phrase "in my opinion."

[quote]"It seems Guettel is now writing only for an audience of trained musicians who can appreciate the technical skill of his writing, rather than for the general public. A huge mistake, and it's the main, overwhelming reason why this show is closing SO quickly on Broadway." So confidently asserted, yet without (of course) a shred of evidence.

What "evidence" do you need other than the fact that it's clear a huge percentage of people who have seen the show find the score extremely unmelodic, inaccessible, and off-putting? Early on in the Broadway run, I was at a restaurant and ran into three gay guys who had just walked out on the show in disgust. "But there's no intermission," said I, to which one of them responded: "Exactly."

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES is a tremendous flop, unable to play out even its brief, limited engagement. And IN MY OPINION -- an opinion which many others clearly share -- that's because the score is so inaccessible and unenjoyable. If Guettel had written it more in the style of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, it might have been a hit and an award winner, but alas, he chose to go in an entirely different direction.

The Redfordand Farrow Gatsby is a giant fucking bore.

Thanks for the corrective on the box office of the Redford GATSBY, but I do seem to remember that the reviews were largely negative.

insufferable at r256

Does anyone remember the 2000 TV GATSBY that originally aired on A&E?

It starred Toby Stephens as 'Gatsby,' Mira Sorvino as 'Daisy,' and Paul Rudd as 'Nick,'

I remember liking it at the time, but I'll need to rewatch it to see if it holds up.

[quote]I don’t think Victoria Hamilton is seriously upset. Plus everyone approved this for airing on BBC, and then she transferred with Izzard to do it again on Broadway. If it was that difficult, she could’ve gotten out of it.

All she had was was a tiny flat and this play. 😆

I think she was probably annoyed that he does stuff like that all the time and some days she probably wants to get through a very difficult play and go home. Plus, nobody is going to turn down a chance to get exposure in NYC, even if it is just the crappy Roundabout with an annoying co-star. The exposure and international credit on her resume was worth dealing with him.

She was in the first two seasons of The Crown (although miscast) so she’s been able to book high profile work since this play.

R256, it's your ex cathedra tone that I find silly.

Is it the score? Maybe -- I agree that it's less user-friendly than PIAZZA's, but I really enjoyed it, especially as sung by Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James both in peak form.

But you're not even weighing other possibilities. It's objectively true that the show is a flop. But there are other factors that play a role. The show is a downer, which PIAZZA was not. It's even smaller than PIAZZA, in an era when people more and more want big, flashy, etc.

I can't imagine that anyone involved in its commercial transfer thought that they had a smash on their hands. They wanted the show to have a life after its initial run. It's had that (however briefly!), and it may well win a well-deserved award or two for its astonishing leads.

I admire the ambition of the show, flaws and all, and the power of the stars, and -- yes -- the sophistication and (to me) beauty of the score. Your mileage varies. Move on, and don't feel the need to proclaim that you know The One And Only Reason why it's bombed.

Huzzah r263

I mean 262

It bombed because it’s depressing and Guettel’s music is a dull bore. Simple as that.

Thank you, R262 (and “Boo” Rs265 and 256) I saw “Wine and Roses” twice and I’m glad I did, it was an involving theatrical experience with two stars at the top of their form. Given the subject matter it was never going to be a big commercial hit. But it was worth bringing to Broadway to give it a wider scope and a crack at Tony nominations.

It doesn’t happen often today but sometimes things are still done for love of the theater rather than a bet that some pre-sold piece of shit will have a big payoff. It’s worth supporting those when they come along.

"Days of Wine..." was an ego trip for its composer and stars. The show works so hard at making a 'STATEMENT' that you're bored out of your mind. Yes, Kelli is a treasure but she deserves better material, and the show is ultimately toothless because of its time setting, its take on addiction is passe.

R267, Can anyone imagine a high school production?

Kelli is right to champion new work, but Piazza, Far From Heaven & Bridges were all better than Roses. (My Life With Albertine was worse).

That cunty letter from Michael R. Jackson and all we can talk about is the dissonance of Roses? You whores are slipping.

Those who loathe W&R seem to take it as a personal affront that it even exists. I'm the poster above who went in expecting to want to flee mid-performanc, but ended up on the positive side. And to whomever suggested that Guettel should have "gone in the direction" of Piazza: Nonsense. He was writing to suit the subject matter, and two more opposite themes/stories than these can hardly be imagined. Just as Floyd Collins was miles apart from Piazza. I find it difficult to warm to Guettel, but I'm now more eager to sample his future work.

[quote]Kelli is right to champion new work, but Piazza, Far From Heaven & Bridges were all better than Roses. (My Life With Albertine was worse).

Agreed. Of course, people posting here are completely entitled to like or love DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, despite R262's objection to my "ex-cathedra" tone in my comments about the score. But there seems to be general agreement that the reason the show has flopped SO hard, even with the presence of two stars whose performances have been universally praised, is almost certainly a combination of the fact that (a) the majority of people find the score inaccessible, and (b) the story is so sad. But I really think it's far more "a" than "b," as I'm sure we can think of some other very sad musicals that have been far more successful.

[quote]"Folks need to start taking responsibility for their own tastes and values without needing everyone to share them."

What the f#$(k does that mean? Both parts of the sentence are meaningless, because who doesn't "take responsibility for their own tastes and values," and someone arguing their strong opinions is NOT the same thing as "needing everyone to share them."

Jackson is a total fraud who only got where he is for one reason.

I loved "Days of Wine and Roses," but I didn't go out of my way to recommend it to anybody, since it is potentially so alienating in both form and content.

And a puzzling thing about Jackson's comment is that Jesse Green's review wasn't even all that negative. It was lukewarm, which I guess maybe stings even more.

I'm old enough to remember that, back in the day -- but actually not THAT long ago -- it was practically unheard of for people involved in a show (or movie or whatever) to respond publicly to a negative review, whether in a letter to the editor or wherever. Two of the earliest examples I remember are that hot-head Alec Baldwin and that weirdo James Franco making public statements in response to negative reviews of their Broadway shows.

Which cunty letter are you referring to?

[Quote] Of course, people posting here are completely entitled to like or love DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES

Thanks much.

r272 most people who haven’t chosen to see the show have no idea if the score is good. It’s not just that the story is ‘sad,’ it’s that the premise sounds dreadful and off-putting. My impression as an outsider is that it’s a show about two losers who ruin each other’s lives with alcohol Pass. I may be wrong but that’s the impression I’ve gotten from what’s out there. It’s there job to give me a reason to see it and for me, they failed.

TOMMY is about Pete's trauma. Didn't he get busted for porn?

Correct link...

R276 Yeah, it's strange to see. A similar thing happened in the NYT's review of Bark of Millions, where "TM" left a few comments, though they were nowhere near as defensive as MRJ's.

Something tells me Lorna is not pleased with this.

[quote]I'm old enough to remember that, back in the day -- but actually not THAT long ago -- it was practically unheard of for people involved in a show (or movie or whatever) to respond publicly to a negative review, whether in a letter to the editor or wherever.

It was so much better when this was standard practice. If a performance or show or movie was good, time would eventually show its excellence (and sometimes that would take years). If it was indeed bad, then it would fall into obscurity, only with the most egregious cases being trotted out for a giggle.

Additionally, with live theater, it all depends on the creatives involved. The same piece can be brilliant or crap.

I’ve seen the play Crimes of the Heart several times. The actors and directors who understand Southern quirky produce excellent versions of this play. Those who don’t produce crap. (It was the same with the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. If you understand Southern quirk, then the story takes off. Eastwood didn’t and the movie suffered and was only watchable because it was styled well and by the performance of Lady Chablis).

I was molested in the Mark Taper dressing room.

R285. Was the dressing room blue? I like blue.

I was molested by Mark Taper.

I was adulterous with Ahmanson.

r283 This is the subject line of the email I got about that show:

[quote]On sale now 🌈🎶 Michael Feinstein & Judy Garland

I thought maybe they'd resurrected her corpse or were doing some kind of weird holographic thing to bring Judy back.

DL bete noire Sarah Porkalob is coming to stink up the Williamstown Fest this summer. It's a 1-person show (part 2 of a trilogy), as no one could possibly want to share a stage with her.

I don’t understand what the Williamstown audience sees in a show like that. Has the makeup of the audience changed or does the audience like patting themselves on the back because they support diversity?

It's all Williamstown can afford.

Williamstown is an embarrassing ghost of what it once was....Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.

50 years ago...

Jackson’s “White Girl in Danger” was the worst musical I’ve ever seen, and I saw Metro and Footloose!

[quote]Williamstown is an embarrassing ghost of what it once was

Same with Trinity Rep in Providence. They’re doing Fences (for the blacks) and La Cage for the (LGBQT+++). A theater company that once did brilliant work, in two theaters simultaneously, now pandering to the diversity crowd. And Adrian Hall (RIP), the man who made Trinity Rep famous, was gay himself but didn’t push his agenda on to his programming.

I agree with R295. It was the worst thing I have ever seen. The partner left at intermission, I stayed. Definitely the worst, ever.

That post Jackson made not only makes himself look bad for whining, but he's basically throwing his writing partner on the show under the bus, making sure Green knows- You know, I didn't write this alone, so maybe it's HER fault it's bad.

He's a little weaselly cunt.

[quote]Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.

That bitch is suing the bus company again?

Michael R Jackson only has one talent: telling his sad-sack life story. He has nothing else to say whatsoever.

Did anyone here actually like Strange Loop?

Sic Transit Gloria Upson.

I liked parts of A STRANGE LOOP, but after a while you just get tired of the general air of whininess. The lead actor was pretty one-note and the sound design was terrible - when the chorus sang behind the lead, you couldn't hear 98% of the lyrics - it was a mess. Plus, that take-off on Tyler Perry films went on way too long. Jackson needs a good editor, though I doubt he would be willing to listen to one.

Getting back to Williamstown, the Festival has staged a number of works by a diverse collection of playwrights (mostly in the smaller theater) and, before COVID, the ticket sales were good. So clearly there was an audience interested in these plays, and many of them were very good IMO.

But during COVID there was this huge scandal that erupted online where interns sent this long missive of grievances, including harassment (sexual and otherwise), toxic workplaces, absurdly long hours, etc. I'm sure many here recall this. Frankly, I think the interns had a lot of reasons to finally push back. Many non-acting theater professionals who came to Williamstown were probably the sort who looked at interns as people who are lucky to be in their presence and treated them poorly. The theater business can have a tendency to indulge in the "treat the low-level folks like shit" attitude.

So there was this huge "come-to-Jesus" moment at Williamstown about this: the artistic director left, and I suspect there was a lot of finger-pointing and perhaps even some soul-searching. Regardless, there was no real Festival in 2022, a sliver of one last summer (mostly readings, including a THREE SISTERS with the Gummer Gals), and only a few shows this year. I guess it's trying to slowly come back and figure out its identity. And this is going on as regional theaters are struggling to survive, if they do at all.

A.C.T. in San Francisco is doing A Strange Loop for a month starting in April. In May they're presenting the tour of The Lehman Trilogy. The three cast members aren't mentioned on their website, but the site does have this trigger disclaimer: "This production includes gendered language and references to s**cide and abuse." (The warning disclaimer for Loop somehow manages to avoid asterisk abuse.)

Broadway tours in 2024-25 in SF include Wicked (again, some more), Kimberly Akimbo, Some Like It Hot, Back to the Future, Parade, A Beautiful Noise and & Juliet. KA is the only one I'm remotely interested in seeing. Sigh...

I did not see that Feinstein/Garland show in New York at 54 Below, and for all I know it may be great, but I find it very weird that it's being referred to as a "musical."

[Quote] This production includes gendered language

The world‘s gone mad today

Does Williamstown have an apology for being on stolen land?

[quote]The world‘s gone mad today

Nothing a little banjo solo can’t cure!

Late to the party, but just finished James Lapine's PUTTING IT TOGETHER and it was wonderfully and unexpectedly dishy. Lenny Bernsteins surprise tongue kissing has already been discussed here, but we also learned that Steve Sondheim liked copious amounts of pot and would get high with Lapine before the workshop performances of Sunday. Also some seriously good chat from Sondheim about how much he loved Arlen's warm pathos.

R309, it’s really great and was also well timed. I remember reading it in the summer before Sondheim died, which seemed like a beautiful public coda to his life. Apparently, RJ Cutler is making it into a documentary.

Can someone please share the post from Michael R. Jackson

No. Go to the NYT and scroll through endless comments. Pretend you are reading a long DL thread.

Hell's Kitchen on The Tonight Show. So this will be one I'll skip...And this clip sort of suggests she's in it...

R311: His post is quoted at R254.

Is there a "book" in Hell's Kitchen?

More like an outline.

Wine & Roses is my favorite score (musical, opera, or otherwise) of the past decade. Ravishingly beautiful stuff.

Dolls!

I have a theatre trip planned for New York for the second week of April.

Here is my list of shows:

Monday April 8. Patti LuPone at Carnegie Hall

Tuesday April 9. Cabaret

Wednesday April 10 matinee Sweeney Todd

Wednesday April 10 evening Merrily We Roll Along

Thursday April 11 Ibsen’s Ghost-the new Charles Busch play.

Tokyo Happy Coats

^

I seem to recall watching the movie Days of Wine and Roses and Jack Lemmon, on a bender, passes out and wakes up bare chested having booze poured over him--is that in the movie, or am I imagining it?

Either way, it was hot.

I saw Lempicka and it’s not a debacle. The staging and choreography start off looking a little Springtime for Hitler but it settles down. Lots of good singing and I found the story of a real survivor moving. Maybe too conventional for Broadway success but lots of talent on the stage.

I believe Mark Nelson is in the touring company of Lehman Trilogy, reason enough to see it IMHO.

R317 = The ghost of Mary Rodgers

No trigger warning that the Lehmans made their starter money from cotton picked by slaves. Someone slipped up. I hated A Strange Loop and I’m not sure how a black audience could sit through that Tyler Perry parody. No white playwright could get away with anything close to that level of negative stereotyping.

Gendered language? Is it performed in French, Spanish or Italian?

*La* plume

*de ma tante!

Your mother sucks cock in hell.

“Ibsen’s Ghost” isn’t just bad, it’s puzzling AND bad. The first act is intermittently amusing, but Busch throws all the good stuff to his co-stars, choosing to be straightman-as-woman to everyone else. But no story, no point and no ending, and it isn’t nearly funny enough. Not sure how this half-baked pudding got a NY stage.

Did Sweeney Todd try to find people to replace Sutton and Aaron?

Any rumors as to who?

r330, I feared that and have been reluctant to buy tickets. Sadly, Busch just hasn't been as funny as he once was in a very long time. And his recent costars can't match the zaniness of his early collaborators like Andy Halliday, Julie Halston and Meghan Robinson (RIP). Those early shows, especially my favorite Psycho Beach Party were simply brilliant.

I found his recent autobiography disappointing, too, most of it rather surface and lacking honest introspection. He clearly just didn't want to dig deep very deep.

Strange Loop made me want to poop.

That's our pull quote!

Can't guess which will close faster -- SUFFS or LEMPICKA.

Did Williamstown ever apologize for abusing generations of interns?

r331 No names have come out, but the rumours were that the producers tried pretty hard to find replacements for Groban and Ashford, and Tveit and Foster were the only ones who said yes

If Aaron and Sutton had turned it down, their next choices were George Santos and Brenda Dickson.

thanks r337.

Pity. There are so many people I'd have loved to see do the show. (Audra, Kristen, Toni Collette especially, Raul Esparza, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mandy and Bernadette if they had the energy. Would have been cool to see them reunite.)

Who else would people have liked to see in Sweeney?

R339, Tony Yazbeck and Laura Osnes

R339 Wayland Flowers and Madame

Andrew and Celia Keenan Bolger!

Drew Barrymore and Ross Mathews!

Max Clayton and Matt Doyle!

Were Foster and Tveit asked to extend and they chose not to, so the producers decided to close the show because they couldn't find replacements?

They were originally signed on for just February to May, anyway.

The grosses were pretty dire (under $1 million) after Groban/Ashford left in mid January and the understudies took over for three weeks.

Since Foster/Tveit came on in early February, the grosses have been consistently above $1 million:.

2/6 - 2/11 = $1.260 million

2/13 - 2/18 = $1.479 million

2/20 - 2/25 = $1.424 million

2/27 - 3/3 = $1.199 million

3/5 - 3/10 = $1.312 million

3/12 - 3/17 = $1.410 million

I doubt if anyone we might consider box-office draws would have wanted to step in as second replacements.

Freddie Prinze Jr. and J-Love!

r94 was so disappointing

R203 = John Wilkes Booth.

The thing annoying me about Lempicka is how many liberties they took with her life. They changed so many important details, why even call it Lempicka? The romance at the heart of the story appears to be a total fantasy. And the feisty warrior for gay freedom was a Nazi collaborator in real life.

[quote]we also learned that Steve Sondheim liked copious amounts of pot

Meryle Secrest told us that in her biography. I remember feeling he was an insufficient custodian for his brain.

Maybe it explains Bounce.

What, R351, did Sondheim fail to reach his potential?

He smoked fabric softener?

He also had the Snuggle bear tied up in his dungeon.

He certainly did in Bounce, R352.

Rosie O’Donnell and Harvey Fierstein as Lovett and Todd!

R355, are we to forget all the other great shows he was responsible because of one show?

The way Sondheim talked about his working style in Lapine's book, I left it thinking he may have had ADHD or some other from of neurospicy thing going on.

Whatever he had, I wish he could have passed it along to La Chiusa, Brown, Pasek and Paul, aGordon nd all of the others seeking success in musical theater.

I love Sondheim but young composers today would be well-advised to follow in the footsteps of Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern instead and write some tuneful melodies. Why has that goal become such an anathema?

What's the last new musical that had good lyrics? Not serviceable but actually [italic] good [/italic] . A memorable turn of phrase, an original idea, something where you're really tuned in to hear the next line. I honestly can't think of one since [italic] Hairspray. [/italic] Maybe something by Yazbek.

Oh come on are you telling me these aren't good lyrics?

When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound? When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound? When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound? When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound? Did I even make a sound? Did I even make a sound? It's like I never made a sound Will I ever make a sound?

---

Your swagger and your bearing And the just right clothes you're wearing Your short hair and your dungarees And your lace up boots

And your keys, oh Your ring of keys

prosaic | prəˈzāik | adjective having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty: prosaic language can't convey the experience. • commonplace; unromantic: the masses were too preoccupied by prosaic day-to-day concerns.

As opppsed to “unpack the luggage, la la la”?

The Band’s Visit, Hadestown, Fun Home,Hamilton and others have some very good lyrics and songs. Maybe not for whole show. But “Days and Days” is a shattering moment as are “Omar Sharif” and “Satisfied.”

Can we get back to the theme of the thread please and thank you?

Nathan and Victoria.

The price of seats at Oh, Mary?

r360=Joe from "Merrily."

[quote] Can we get back to the theme of the thread please and thank you?

The shittiest thread titles of all time? That theme?

They can't all be winners, Miss R369.

Which would play which?

R367 more about how uncomfortable they are, dontcha know.

R372, do you ever fucking shut up?

Watch your language, Mary. There are ladies present.

r364

Days and Days is a poor lyric and mediocre song, put across by the mediocre and homely Judy Kuhn.

That probably says more about you than the song, r375. I’ve seen the show many times, and each time, the audience reaction was palpable. And ragging on Judy Kuhn is pretty low. You must be quite the ray of light!

This place used to be fun

Has 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down ever been heard from since it’s original off Bway run? Did anyone here see it ? Album is fun and quirky

From original Frank Rich review

[Quote] The show's creators - the composer Michael Rupert, the librettist- lyricist Jerry Colker, the director Andrew Cadiff, the choreographer Don Bondi - are bursting with daring ideas about how to do musicals even when the musical they've actually done settles for the banal.

The audience reaction is “palpable” at every fucking Broadway show now.

It has to be, R380, to justify the now-absurd cost of tickets.

Also, giving every fucking show a standing o. Ridiculous.

R382 I just looked at your history of posts and made you a thread of your very own. Please go there and don’t come back until you think about what you’ve done

r375 you can join your friend there.

R383, just because you have no standards doesn't mean the rest of us need to be cretins.

Please kindly fuck yourself, since no one else will touch you.

Agreed r376 it is a beautiful song and Judy Kuhn is fantastic and quite pretty as well.

[quote]I believe Mark Nelson is in the touring company of Lehman Trilogy, reason enough to see it IMHO.

He is a wonderful actor.

Huge Judy Kuhn fan. Talk about someone who is overdue for a Tony.

I thought “Gray Gardens” and “War Paint” had good scores, though many dismissed the songs as period pastiche. Maybe. But still . . .

Sondheim put the fear of god into any composer who wanted to make a tuneful melody that people would leave a show humming. He was scathing about Jerry Herman on that score. But Sondheim was a genius, who wound up writing some catchy tunes himself. And I’d settle for good craftmen (and women) like Herman rather than some of what we hear in theaters and opera houses from new composers.

Has anyone commented on the fact that, apparently, the critics were not invited back to SWEENEY to review Tveit and Foster? I find that very telling. And I'm a bit surprised that, as far as I know, none of the major critics bought their own tickets to see and review those two, given that their casting in the show got a lot of attention.

[quote]He was scathing about Jerry Herman on that score.

What did he say about Jerry Herman, r389?

[quote]Has 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down ever been heard from since it’s original off Bway run? Did anyone here see it ?

It’s really very dated now. It may work on a college campus but I don’t think a general audience would be interested.

It was part of the Golden Age of off-Broadway. You could see a show like this in an intimate theater and not pay Broadway prices. If the show was good, you left the theater on cloud 9. If the show stank, you weren’t that bothered because back then even bad off-Broadway shows had some good qualities.

It didn’t get that much attention. And the moment they opened it any attention they would have had immediately died on the vine because everyone heard how terrible they both were that night on YouTube.

[quote]It didn’t get that much attention. And the moment they opened it any attention they would have had immediately died on the vine because everyone heard how terrible they both were that night on YouTube.

If you're referring to Tveit and Foster going into SWEENEY, I think that casting got a LOT of attention, even if much of it was negative. Which is why I'm surprised we've read no reviews from major critics, even if they weren't invited back by the producers.

Also, as someone else pointed out above with hard facts, the box office for SWEENEY with Tveit and Foster has been very good, no matter how wrong many of us think they are for those roles.

The critics have way too much to see this season to bother with a few more weeks of a new cast in a revival

I'd rather hear a song with a good melody, rather than some composer exercising tonal masturbation to try to get the critics to praise his boldness and genius. Give me Herman over Brown or LaChiusa any day of the week.

Oh, yeah.....fuck Sondheim. He just wishes he had the hits that Herman had.

[quote]Sondheim put the fear of god into any composer who wanted to make a tuneful melody that people would leave a show humming. He was scathing about Jerry Herman on that score.

[quote]The critics have way too much to see this season to bother with a few more weeks of a new cast in a revival.

But Tveit and Foster started in SWEENEY well before the onslaught of openings began. And as I said, their casting in the show was very newsworthy and seemed to get a lot of attention online, even if much of the response to their casting there was negative.

r396 - You'll notice that r389 hasn't answered my question. As I remember, Steve didn't trash living composers.

I'm pretty sure Sondheim never made any comments for the record in which he spoke out against Jerry Herman. And anyway, R389 seriously misinterpreted if he thinks Sondheim ever stated that it's bad for a musical theater composer to write a melody that the audience would be humming as they left the theater.

He basically said any tune was hummable if it was repeated often enough in a show.

Richard Rodgers reportedly had a serious medical condition where he peed melody.

[quote]He basically said any tune was hummable if it was repeated often enough in a show.

Right, and Sondheim mentioned "A Weekend in the Country" as an example from his own work. But I'd be willing to bet he ever said anything to the effect that it was a bad thing for the audience to be humming a melody at intermission or after the show.

R401, In the key of G.

A flat.

Julie Benko is doing a cabaret show called “Standby, Me.” Why can’t you bitches be that clever?

Give it a rest, Julie

[quote] He was scathing about Jerry Herman on that score.

Why you lie to me, Chino?

Who the fuck is Julie Benko? Oh, that untalented waif who thought she could be Fanny Brice! BWAAAAH, what a delusional nothing.

She's gonna ruin a fifth classic.

[quote]She's gonna ruin a fifth classic.

I think she'll knock it out of the park.

I didn't care for her Martha in Virginia Woolf.

[quote] I think she'll knock it out of the park.

Well, she'll bray it out of the park.

There's nothing about the role, character or vocal-wise, that's out of her lane.

I've seen her clips from GYPSY and singing "Losing My Mind" ans thought "eeewwww" but I saw her play Mrs Lovett in SWEENEY and she was fantastic.

[quote] There's nothing about the role, character or vocal-wise, that's out of her lane.

Except for the fact that she sucks onstage. Sweetheart, we get you love her, but she's absolutely fucking horrible onstage, both in musicals and stage plays. She's proven it time and again. Gypsy, Follies, Sweeney, Virginia Woolf- all screechy to the back row of the balcony horror shows. And there's evidence to show it. Just because you're an elderly frump doesn't make you right to play all those roles.

The thing is, she's a good actress on film. She's just appalling onstage.

[quote]Sweetheart, we get you love her,

r415 - Do tell, Muffin, where you get that?

Why, your insipid posts, dear.

[quote]I've seen her clips from GYPSY and singing "Losing My Mind" and thought "eeewwww" but I saw her play Mrs Lovett in SWEENEY and she was fantastic.

I'm thinking maybe the reason you liked Staunton so much better in SWEENEY is that there is certainly a history of Mrs. Lovett being played very broadly.

How amazing that producers continue to cast Staunton in spite of your reports of her hideousness on stage. I guess they don’t quite agree with your opinion - however impossible that is for you to comprehend.

They cast that plastic cooze to play Norma Desmond, so really, they don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to quality.

Sutton Foster. Imelda Staunton. KGB assets plotting to destroy the American musical from both sides of the Atlantic.

Worst thread ever?

Blame it on the Bossa Nova .

Sally Struthers for Madame Armfeldt

Sally's a Petra.

Though I laughed and cringed all the way, I took my mom to see Sally Struthers as Dolly since I had a friend in the show. She was absolutely charming and it was a nice performance. My friend got us backstage and Sally couldn’t have been more gracious to my mom, who is far from a sophisticated patron. My mom was thrilled. Since then, my mom has lost most of her memory so this is one I hold on to for her.

Sally usually only makes one appearance per season and it looks like she'll be playing the mother in Crazy for You.

r426

I have told this story numerous times but I went to see Sally in Hello Dolly just to see how bad she would be but she was great! The audience loved her

Clearwater or Boca Raton?

This will be shot down here amongst all of you, but Nell Benjamin's lyrics for MEAN GIRLS are quite good. The music, not so much, and Casey Nicholaw directed it like he was on extra Ritalin, but Benjamin's work was smart and witty and the perfect tone.

I was recently watching an old episode of Frasier and an actress, who I thought was Jan Maxwell (RIP), turned out to be Patricia Wettig. I never realized how similar they were.

Wettig has a colder visage.

Colder than Jan Maxwell????

There was some weirdo banging on ages ago on DL about Jan Maxwell's apartment in Manhattan Plaza, like she didn't deserve to live there because she was a Broadway star or something. How ridiculous.

Benjamin is an excellent lyricist. Legally Blonde is pretty fantastic too lyrically - CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER is clever.

I love Three Guys, great score.

Yes, r433, Maxwell could exude warmth.

What's opening soon--Stereophonic is next month, Lempicka, what else?

Judy Kuhn is a meskite, I tell ya.

Tony nomination predictions?

Jan Maxwell - Phyllis - FOLLIES

[quote]There was some weirdo banging on ages ago on DL about Jan Maxwell's apartment in Manhattan Plaza

It was actually a running gag about her having a rent controlled apartment.

For decades, Manhattan Plaza has been a point of argument with some believing those apartments should only be for struggling artists, while others realize you need the Jan Maxwells paying market rents to offset those who aren’t.

It’s also been a point of argument that non-artists live there (a couple gets divorced and the artist partner moves out leaving the non-artist partner occupying an apartment designed for an artist).

[quote] It’s also been a point of argument that non-artists live there

How did they get in to get in, though?

3 Guys Naked. “Dreams of Heaven”

I mean how did they get in in the first place?

Manhattan Plaza consists of 85 percent artists, and 12.5% elderly in the community and the community of that zone.

[quote]How did they get in to get in, though?

They are on the lease with an artist.

For example, the man is an actor, the wife is a lawyer. The man gets on the waiting list and eventually gets an apartment. Both names are put on the lease because to determine rent all income is considered. The couple gets a divorce and the man moves out. However, NYC law says they can’t evict the wife, so she gets to stay. However, she still has to pay rent on the scale equivalent to her salary, so she may be paying market rent but she’s still taking an apartment that was technically designated for an artist. But Manhattan Plaza is not going to push her out if she’s paying rent at market rate because they’re making bank on that apartment.

How many actors are married to lawyers in MP, R447?

Sob.

[quote]How many actors are married to lawyers in MP, [R447]?

72

NOT rent controlled. It is federally subsidized housing, where 70% of units are dedicated for performing arts tenants.

Correct, R451. 70% comprises performing artists, 30% community and elderly.

[quote]Wettig has a colder visage.

But a hotter husband...

Ken Olin hasn't been hot for decades.

[quote] Ken Olin hasn't been hot for decades.

Sad, but true.

Why are we talking about Ken Olin?

Jerry Herman's stuff is like an episode of the Andy Williams show. Time has not been kind. Sandheim, however...

R457, More people in this world can hum Hello, Dolly! rather than Send in the Clowns.

Probably because Send in the Clowns was written for a non-singer, R458.

[quote]Jerry Herman's stuff is like an episode of the Andy Williams show. Time has not been kind. Sandheim, however...

And yet Herman's songs are more beloved by the people who can actually sing them and perform them at a much higher frequency than "Sandheim"'s stuff ( "Send in the Clowns," his most popular song). SS is held as a deity by theater -types only. To the rest of the world, his is a name they might recognize, but can't name or sing one of his songs, even if told the title.

How scintillating--a back-and-forth bitchfest about Herman vs Sondheim. Can we move on?

I thought the rents in Manhattan Plaza were adjusted according to the tenants' income.

They are, R462.

I really loved Days of Wine and Roses, it felt like seeing an impressionist jazz opera.

I'd offer a defense of the score, but based on the tone of this thread I'd rather not.

[quote] And yet Herman's songs are more beloved by the people who can actually sing them and perform them at a much higher frequency than "Sandheim"'s stuff ( "Send in the Clowns," his most popular song). SS is held as a deity by theater -types only. To the rest of the world, his is a name they might recognize, but can't name or sing one of his songs, even if told the title.

If we’re talking about the general taste of “the world,” Herman’s songs, and this style of show music in general, is impossibly twee and cheesy. At least Sondheim’s music is appreciated by intellectuals. Herman’s music is appreciated only by very feminine men.

Sondheim = esoteric

Herman = exoteric

John Doyle directing a concert version of A Little Night Music at Geffen Hall in June. Hard pass until I read "new arrangements" by Tunick with a 53 piece orchestra. Cynthia Erivo as Petra!!! Marsha Mason as Madame Armfeldt.

[quote]Correct, [R451]. 70% comprises performing artists, 30% community and elderly.

These are the correct figures, I believe, or at least closest to correct than what anyone else has written in this thread.

Susan Graham as Desiree, Ron Raines as Frederick, Ruthie Ann Miles as Charlotte, Shuler Hensley as Count Carl-Magnus.

Speaking of Manhattan Plaza, my understanding is that Mouseboy's parents still reside there. I wonder if people come up to them and what the comments are like, positive or negative.

What an odd cast. Susan Graham is a big opera star…but wouldn’t this have been the chance to really come full circle with Bernadette?

She was amazing as Desiree and her voice can still handle Clowns. Ron Raines, her costar from Follies is male lead.

It would have been a good way to end her NY career.

Marsha Mason? Is Neil still getting her roles from the grave?

Bernadette is an Armfeldt now, at the age of 76.

R468. The precise breakdown is 70, 15, 15.

A Google search is a wonderful thing—I wonder why it hasn’t caught on more here (not directed at you 468).

Let's talk about LEMPICKA...

Saw it Thursday night. Friend from out-of-town got me a ticket and then had to cancel her trip, so I went solo.

The verdict: A thuddingly conventional musical about a thoroughly unconventional woman. Meh from top to bottom.

The whole enterprise feels like 1985. Director Rachel Chavkin can't fix this mess, and it's possible she/s even made it worse. Two good songs (maybe three, if we count the second act opener), laughable choreography that feels absurdly out of place, and some dubious casting, including Eden Espinosa in the title role.

I never blamed Espinosa for the abortion that was BROOKLYN: THE MUSICAL, and I liked her a lot in GARDENS OF ANUNCIA, so I was hopeful here. She's not dreadful. Just colorless, and in a show about an artist, no less. So is Andrew Samonsky, who plays her husband. The only three who survive from the wreckage are Amber Iman, who basically steals the show; Natalie Joy Johnson; and, no surprise, Beth Leavel, in a too-small part.

I didn't flee at intermission. It's not a total turkey. But in this day and age, LEMPICKA isn't good enough for Broadway. The questions now are: How quickly will it close? And will Espinosa somehow get a Tony nomination for this?

. . .

When does Lempicka open?

See link.

Thanks, R478.

Lempicka your nose.

[quote] Hard pass until I read "new arrangements" by Tunick with a 53 piece orchestra

In “Here We Are,” Tunick managed to make 15 musicians sound like 4.

That's a stupid, nasty comment, R481. You obviously have a tin ear.

The Here We Are orchestrations truly carried the weight of the show, especially in the second act. The exit music alone was pretty incredible.

R475: Perhaps it's just opening week nerves but Eden was pretty flat. The costumes are absurdly ridiculous as is the choreography. If there's a snowball chance in Hell it squeezes out a couple of Tony nominations, I think they'll try to wait it out until the awards. I could see it closing in May, June, or after the Tonys.

Tamara, Tamara, I love ya...Tamara.

R475,

Agree on all counts. You think Eden is flat because of nerves? I can see that being a possibility. She is carrying the whole show on her shoulders. And at moments I'd see a spark, but then that'd disappear.

Are we talking flat, lifeless acting, or flat pitches while singing?

[quote]Are we talking flat, lifeless acting, or flat pitches while singing?

Or flat...?

Best lyrics in the last 10-15 years? Hadestown and Hamilton, especially the ballads/slower songs like "Why Do We Build the Wall" and "Who Tells Your Story". I have a bias towards 70s and 80s musicals but these 2 shows stand out among newer shows. I also liked a lot of Fun Home songs. We're never going to see constant crossover between pop and musical music like the 40-60s again, which is fine.

Teeth: boring and poorly paced. It feels like it took forever to get to the main action. I have forgotten the songs, but am more interested in watching the film b/c of the musical.

[quote]At least Sondheim’s music is appreciated by intellectuals. Herman’s music is appreciated only by very feminine men.

No one has ever considered DLers " intellectuals," but are constantly referring to each other in the feminine ( "she," "her.")

There was nothing in Hadestown that was the “best.” …Maybe the chorus boy

[quote]How scintillating--a back-and-forth bitchfest about Herman vs Sondheim. Can we move on?

Sounds good to me.

I’m sure Eden is a nice lady—but she ain’t much of a thespian.

BROOKLYN!

R493, I loved her on “I Dream of Jeannie”.

Oh, Lempicka We could make it together The further from here, girl, the better Where the air is fresh and clean Hmm, Lempicka Just take my hand, and I'll lead ya I promise life will be sweeter And it said so in my dreams

Lempicka, Lempicka

she's the girl for me

Lempicka

I just met a girl named

Lempicka

L is for life, that you live so well.

E is for enamoured, forever will your children be with you

M is for mild, your mild and gentle way.

P is for patience, the best of you!

I is for impartial, a great arbiter

C is for caress, a loving touch for your loved ones.

K is for kid, the child within.

A is for accepting, your forgiving nature

The Jerry Herman/Stephen Sondheim feud has been going on for decades.

This is where it really heated up. Sondheimites thought Herman was badmouthing their master.

Hummable Herman vs Sesquipedalian Sondheim

Bosom buddies . . .

Cole Escola & Conrad Ricamora go back in the closet to dish on being queer, playing dress-up & more:

R494 I'm one of the very few who liked BROOKLYN - THE MUSICAL. But it was Ramona Keller, not Eden Espinosa, who stole the show. Here's a video of Keller singing RAVEN fifteen years later, and she still holds her own on stage.

I hate when people talk about a lead "stealing the show." Um, they're the lead. It's their show. "Stealing the show" is something a supporting performer does.

R504, if you're referring to Ramona Keller in BROOKLYN, she was not the lead.

R505, I'm referring to the comment "But it was Ramona Keller, not Eden Espinosa, who stole the show." How would Eden Espinosa steal a show in which she was the lead?

I think what the poster meant was though Eden was the performer who got all the anticipatory attention, it was Ramona who finally got the raves and deserved them when the show opened.

That's exactly what they meant, r507.

There's a Playbill article about Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe having planned absences from MERRILY for vacation in April, when their roles will be played by their understudies. No reference to any vacation for Lindsay Mendez, I'm guessing because she has missed so many performances that her vacation was revoked. Which, of course, doesn't necessarily mean she won't have any more unscheduled absences.

[quote]I think what the poster meant was though Eden was the performer who got all the anticipatory attention, it was Ramona who finally got the raves and deserved them when the show opened.

Yes, of course. Although the poster's phrasing wasn't absolutely perfect, the meaning was 100 percent clear.

R500 - I'm so sick of that one. We can debate until the cows come home whether or not it was a shot at Sondheim, but Herman had been asked about it over the years and has said it was not. And, we know that Sondheim, as insanely talented as he was, was overly sensitive and easily bruised. I recall seeing Jerry on an episode of Theater Talk and Michael Riedel tried to stir up some dirt by asking about it. I'm paraphrasing here, but Herman vehemently denied it. He said he thought Sondheim was a genius and that he wrote beautiful scores. He said he was simply speaking about himself and his fear that, at that stage, his work was considered out of fashion and that there may not be a place for him in the theatre anymore, so, when he won that Tony for La Cage it felt like a lifeline and a reaffirmation of his place in the theatre.

And I say this all as a much bigger fan of Sondheim's than Herman's.

That Night Music concert casting is a bit unexpected.

They’re casting the Black woman as a maid!

[quote]They’re casting the Black woman as a maid!

Not just any black woman, but the one who closed down “Natasha, Pierre” because the producers dared to bring in Mandy Patinkin for a one month box office boost playing a role that Josh Groban had just finished.

How dare they replace a white man with another white man! It’s literal white privilege.

R514 Don't forget I 'forgot' to learn an instrument and set the whole shit fest off.

r32 Apparently Reddit users and people who were Newsies stans because of all the young shirtless boys.

who is oak r515?

r517 Okieriete Onaodowan. He was cast to replace Groban in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. But his starting date was delayed two weeks because he hadn't learned the music. Then when he finally did perform, he consistently failed to play the accordion correctly, and they reduced the amount of accordion and piano playing as a result - despite the fact they paid for him to take lessons. Cast and house staff have also since said he was an asshole to them.

Then producers reached a deal to get Mandy Patinkin to temporarily replace him - which he initially agreed to, as he'd continue to be paid while Mandy was on. But then Erivo and some others decided to criticise the move based on a black man being replaced by a white man, and he then started playing up the racial aspect and claiming he was a victim. This led to Mandy pulling out, the show get tons and bad publicity and closed.

Cast members have openly criticised him since - "poison Oak" - which really shows you how despised he was.

Oh and he also declared him leaving the show would mean there was no POC in a leading role in the show - essentially shitting on Denée Benton

[quote] We can debate until the cows come home whether or not it was a shot at Sondheim, but Herman had been asked about it over the years and has said it was not.

Jerry Herman was famously one of the nicest people on Broadway, so I would tend to believe him.

Also, Stevie has said he didn’t take it as a dig.

[quote] —oak - never to return to broadway

He was in the Jamie Lloyd-Jessica Chastain Doll's House revival, though sort of a weak link in it.

Great recap r518. It’s also worth repeating that the producers had replaced a white actor (Groban) with a black one—so accusing them of being racially insensitive by hiring a big-name white actor [italic] to temporarily play an originally white role [/italic] was ridiculous. (The producers were also ridiculous thinking that a minor [italic] Hamilton [/italic] player would be worth anything at the box office.

No fan of Oak, but he was very effective in DOLL'S HOUSE.

Incidentally, the British have turned BENJAMIN BUTTON into a musical and will open on the West End in the fall.

However, it is reset in Cornwall, England, and is not faithful to the Brad Pitt film, so I think that there will be some disappointed people.

Saw the Benjamin Button musical in London last summer and thought it was excellent, far better than the film. Glad it's coming back.

Most unfortunately, R515, "Poison Oak" has already returned to Broadway since the GREAT COMET debacle, in A DOLL'S HOUSE last year.

Saw last night’s preview performance of Lempicka. Let me put it this way: if you purchased a ticket for before May 1, you should be safe.

Thank you, R511. I'm sure Herman was sincere in saying that his remarks were NOT aimed at Sondheim. At worst, one might argue that it might have occurred to him they might be interpreted that way, but it's probably a bit much to expect that someone would be thinking that clearly when accepting a major award on live television.

Suffs begins previews tonight.

One of the oddest things about the NIGHT MUSIC concert is that, although it will take place in Geffen Hall, it will feature the Orchestra of St. Luke's rather than the NY Philharmonic, even though of course the NY Phil has already presented several of Sondheim's other musicals in concert. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Tunick will be conducting?

No surprise that Herman was giddy that night. Between Mame and La Cage, he wrote Dear World, Mack and Mabel and Grand Tour, all flops. Many had written off his career, so this win was especially sweet for him.

It’s not odd at all R531. The Philharmonic’s season ends the first week of June. They’re on a break before moving to Vail for their summer season. It’s contractual.

How much longer are we going to go down memory lane about Jerry Herman? Can we bring this threads back to 2024, please?

^^^ Jason Robert Brown

The rain is Tess, the fire's Joe, and they call the wind LEMPICKA!

So, what are my chances of winning another Tony this year?

Yes, R533. But what I meant was, given that the NY Phil has presented FOLLIES, COMPANY, and SWEENEY TODD (twice!), it's surprising to me that this NIGHT MUSIC isn't part of their season, either this year or next year or whenever. Don't you think?

Oof. Most seats for ALNM are $350.

Patti LuPone is in concert at Boston’s Symphony Hall on April 2nd.

Ticket sales must be sluggish @ $175.00 for a decent Orchestra seat.

I received a message that a 20% discount is now being offered for up to four(4) seats per transaction.

Not really, R538. Those Sondheim events were presented by an entirely different artistic administration. The whole artistic team at the Phil has turned over since then, and they’re not really interested in presenting concertized musicals, nor is the Phil’s conductor, or the orchestra for that matter. The hall is most likely being rented out to St. Luke’s during the Phil’s off season, and they probably took it because it was available and cheaper than Carnegie.

That's not even the usual Porkalab discount.

R541, I'm sure the administration at the Phil has turned over several times since FOLLIES, but the fact remains that the Phil's Sondheim concerts were huge hits in terms of ticket sales and generally well regarded artistically, so I'm surprised they didn't choose to present NIGHT MUSIC, the score that's probably best suited for that orchestra after SWEENEY TODD.

Also, I don't know what your source is for saying that the current admin is "not really interested in presenting concertized musicals." If that's true, it would surprise me, as they're certainly continuing to do populist programming like those film screenings with orchestra. And I'm not sure who you mean when you refer to "the Phil's conductor." If you mean the current music director, I wouldn't know, but I would think the incoming music director, Gustavo Dudamel, would be very much interested in presenting concert versions of certain musical theater scores.

This looks terrible. A geriatric Fredrik misreads everything about the character. Night Music is one of my favorite scores and I have zero desire to see this, though I might buy a recording.

The Phil’s current conductor and music director is Jaap van Zweeden, a Dutchman who has little to no interest in or cultural connection to Broadway. World class orchestras generally don’t like to play Broadway music unless it’s for a pops concert, and when pops concerts happen a lot of the orchestra’s central players and the main music director take the week off and it’s filled with ringers.

Broadway scores presents no challenge musically for top tier orchestras. No one in a major orchestra is clamoring to play Sondheim or Herman. Some of the reasons Sondheim was chosen in the last two decades was because the music director at the time was Alan Gilbert, an American who grew up in NY, and the artistic admin was a Sondheim queen. The orchestra was meh about it, at best. When they do film scores, they generally will choose artistically challenging ones of mostly classical music, like 2001, or they’ll do a John Williams score who is accepted as a borderline “classical” composer.

As far as financial implications, the Phil sells out pretty much every event it plans. It’s not worried about ticket sales like the Met is. It doesn’t need to plan Broadway to sell out to a group of buyers that only come for that event and don’t attend anything else during the regular season. As far as Dudamel coming in, that will have to be seen, but he wasn’t terribly interested in doing musicals in LA, he’s more interested in opera.

What's going on with The Wiz? I want online to buy tix and it looks like they are insanely sold. Is this real? Or are they all house seat holds?

A friend who worked with Gilbert said musicals like Sweeney and Showboat were very expensive to mount and not worth the effort. As I recall, ticket prices for those events were not ridiculously high.

R540 people don’t want to hear LuPone croak out rock songs from the 60s that aren’t even massive hits. They want showtunes and Patti hates showtunes so it’s always a dicy mix.

She ran into the same problem when she toured matters of the heart and was forced to add more showtunes than she wanted

This is the first I've heard that Patti LuPone "hates showtunes." WTF???

Yeah, sounds like bullshit to me, R549.

My guess is that, in line with her ego, LuPone wants people to think she's good at singing different genres of music, but that's not quite the same thing as "hating showtunes."

Not only that, but I couldn't tell you when I ever heard her sing anything other than showtunes or their adjacent.

I’m not even sure why the NY Phil is even being mentioned in the context of this ALNM. This is a one off concert produced by someone who is hiring the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and who rented Geffen Hall in the off season for its theater. The NY Phil is not mentioned at all in the announcement, as they have literally nothing to do with it.

This isn’t the specific article I was referencing but here she talks about specifically not wanting to sing showtunes for this concert

This article LuPone talks about not listening to musicals in her private life and instead on bonding with her son over their love of Dave Matthew’s.

This article LuPone says she doesn’t prefer showtunes but would rather listen to Rock music and bluegrass

[quote]This article LuPone talks about not listening to musicals in her private life and instead on bonding with her son over their love of Dave Matthew’s.

Oh, dear.

[quote]I’m not even sure why the NY Phil is even being mentioned in the context of this ALNM. This is a one off concert produced by someone who is hiring the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and who rented Geffen Hall in the off season for its theater. The NY Phil is not mentioned at all in the announcement, as they have literally nothing to do with it.

Because, to repeat, the NY Phil has previously done high-profile concert presentations of three other Sondheim musicals, one of them TWICE. So I would have thought they would have wanted to do NIGHT MUSIC, which has a score that would be quite appropriate for that orchestra in a larger orchestration, to continue the tradition. Plus this would have been their first presentation of a Sondheim score since his death, so that would have been further reason to do NIGHT MUSIC, as a tribute to a composer whose works they have presented in the past to great popularity.

And, umm, I know that the NY Phil is not mentioned at all in the announcement of this concert, and that they have nothing to do with it. That's my point.

[quote]people don’t want to hear LuPone croak out rock songs from the 60s that aren’t even massive hits.

Looking at the setlist, I would hardly call them "rock songs". A Song for You, Come On-a My House, Ebb Tide, Alfie, Those Were the Days, On Broadway, Time After Time, Make You Feel My Love, In My Life, etc.

And she still sings plenty of showtunes, including We Kiss in a Shadow, Some People, The Man That Got Away, Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, I Dreamed a Dream, Anything Goes, and Ladies Who Lunch.

[quote]I know that the NY Phil is not mentioned at all in the announcement of this concert, and that they have nothing to do with it. That's my point.

You need better points.

Your first paragraph doesn’t jibe with your second. And it’s been explained to you throughly why they don’t do Broadway music. And also why it’s overly expensive and not worth it financially. And there is no “tradition” of presenting Sondheim at the Phil. That’s not a thing. A few concerts over multiple decades is not a tradition. The Phil is not a theatrical presentation organization. It’s an orchestra that does concerts. It doesn’t present productions that require costumes and lights and multiple weeks of rehearsal. It’s not set up for that either theatrically or financially, and there isn’t interest in it. Also, their audience isn’t interested. Broadway and classical music audiences are almost two entirely different sets of people with not much crossover. I’m not sure what you’re not getting about this, but I’ve explained what I can. You seem to want to be deliberately obtuse for the sake of argument.

I'm not obtuse, R561, I just disagree with almost every word you've written, especially your unnecessary and pointless comment that "the Phil is not a theatrical presentation organization. It’s an orchestra that does concerts. It doesn’t present productions that require costumes and lights and multiple weeks of rehearsal." First of all, although this is apparently news to you, at least some of the past Philharmonic presentations of musicals HAVE had limited set pieces and/or costumes, for example COMPANY and CAROUSEL. But even so, that doesn't mean NIGHT MUSIC would have had to be presented by the Phil in that fashion. They could have just done a straightforward concert with no staging or any kind of sets or costumes.

Oh, and I have no idea what you mean when you say my first paragraph above doesn't jibe with my second. And if you are suggesting that the NY Phil will likely never again present a musical in concert, well I guess we'll both have to wait and see if that turns out to be true.

Stop it. Now!

Did anyone attend the Betty Buckley concert at Town Hall years ago, where she decided not to sing any of her hits, but decided to do all country western and folk songs? All the homos were sadly disappointed, we wanted to hear songs from Carrie!

Ya gotta give the folks want they want.

I may be an Eldergay, but I think If he walked into my life Today or Don't Rain on my Parade are as good as anything in the Sondheim canon.

Time heals everything, r566.

zesty

[Quote] Because, to repeat

Insufferable.

r 562 you’re banished to your proper home

R569, if repetition is insufferable, then you are one of the most insufferable people on DL, because you keep labeling others as "insufferable."

R570, stop trying to make your sad, unfunny thread happen. And maybe go there yourself until you learn how to format properly.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! What R572 said!

[quote] I'm not obtuse, [R561], I just disagree with almost every word you've written,

Sweetie, I don’t care if you agree. Rejecting what is fact is very Trumpian of you. I’m not going to argue with some queen who doesn’t have a clue how classical music organizations work, mmkay? Bye.

Oh, and I’ll just give you a little heads up that you’re going to be very disappointed about Sondheim or any musicals being presented at the Phil, because there are zero plans for that at least three years in the future, and most likely longer.

Boy, has this thread become a fucking bore. I can only hope the next iteration isn't just a bunch of sad old queens cunting back and forth about Sondheim and Jerry Herman like a bunch of geriatric cases, but I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up.

There is no fun or joy left in these threads, is there?

R169- Got it. You’re poor.

Cunty R578, you again, you silly shit stirrer?

I wish they had cast AKB as Petra

Tonite is Opening Night for Opening Night in London.

[quote] LuPone wants people to think she's good at singing different genres of music...

I'd love to hear her interpretation of " WAP."

Betty Buckley owns that she would rather sing songs other than her Broadway hits.

Yes, the gays are always upset and yet they always come back!

I keep hearing talk of Betty Buckley's "hits." Other than Memory, they were....?

And you harpies talking about "The Phil" were mad when we were discussing Jan Maxwell's rent at Manhattan Plaza. There's just no pleasing some people.

How did Maxwell's presence in MP ever become a thing on DL, anyway?

I ask, R585, just so we can annoy "The Phil" bitches here and put this thread out of its misery.

[quote]How did Maxwell's presence in MP ever become a thing on DL, anyway?

I think it was back when Jan Maxwell didn't like Alec Baldwin (Entertaining Mr. Sloane) and quit the show.

Somebody asked how she was going to pay her rent, walking out on a show. A DataLounger who had the gossip (back when such things were known) assured everyone that she lived in Manhattan Plaza and she would not be thrown out on the street. Her rent was based on income.

I see. Thanks, R588.

[quote]Sweetie, I don’t care if you agree. Rejecting what is fact is very Trumpian of you. I’m not going to argue with some queen who doesn’t have a clue how classical music organizations work, mmkay? Bye.

Your "knowledge" of how "classical music organizations work" does not accord with the history of the New York Philharmonic over the past several decades in terms of their presentations of musicals in concert. And that's a historical fact even if they never, ever do another musical.

P.S. I was particularly amused by the idea someone expressed above that the NY Phil musicians would turn up the nose at playing Sondheim music but have no problem playing scores for films like BABE and THE GODFATHER.

R581, are you in the UK? Was just reading about it. Curious to hear how it is, whoever sees it.

Anyone see BABE?

How'd they get that pig to learn all those lines?

Didn't Jan walk out after Alec punched a wall? They weren't getting along and she felt threatened.

Alec Baldwin was being the asshole Alec Baldwin has always been.

What am I, nuts?

Pigs can't learn lines.

They must've used cue cards.

[quote]Didn't Jan walk out after Alec punched a wall? They weren't getting along and she felt threatened.

She's lucky he wasn't holding a gun.

New thread—

[quote]Pigs can't learn lines.

You should have seen Betty Blue Eyes!

[quote]Didn't Jan walk out after Alec punched a wall? They weren't getting along and she felt threatened.

Quitter! Mandy Patinkin slapped me across the face. Did I walk out?

Now, I have a high profile movie career and he’s begging Patti LuPone to let him sing a duet in her new concert tour.

[quote]I'd love to hear her interpretation of " WAP."

As long as I don't have to actually SEE her WAP.

Again.

BAJOUR!

Bajour