THEATRE GOSSIP #556: The “Oh, Mary Me a Little!” Edition

Old thread:

Will the Tony committee announce a special Tony Award for Best Replacement?

R2 they tried that years ago and they couldn’t figure it out

Hoping this thread will be more exciting than the previous geriatric thread.

Put some effort into it, r4.

What effort are you referring to?

You keep bitching how "geriatric" the Theatre Gossip threads get, r4. Now I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but... you're an abrasive, ageist cunt.

[quote]What effort are you referring to?

Bring something to the table other than being an abrasive, ageist cunt.

Is anyone interested in shrill Suggs after 1776 tanked?

Suffs!

R7, I have in the last thread, only to be exhausted by reading, yes, geriatric arguments about Sondheim and Herman. So don't lecture me, bitch.

Imagine--being abrasive on Datalounge!

Girls! Girls! You're both abrasive cunts!

A frau friend guilted me into seeing Suffs with her I. A few weeks….. how bad is it?

Having worked with both Jan Maxwell and Alec Baldwin (on separate projects) I'm Team Jan all the way. Everyday I had to go into work to deal with Baldwin my stomach was in knots. Jan was lovely RIP.

[quote]I have in the last thread, only to be exhausted by reading, yes, geriatric arguments about Sondheim and Herman.

"Exhausted", r10? Exactly who was forcing you to read them to the point of "exhaustion"?

As corny as it may be, I'm going to be on pins and needles waiting to hear the chatter from tonight's first preview of Suffs. And I thought the buzz from Lempicka was fun?!

r15 Presumably the same person forcing you to read and respond to r10's posts.

So when do the discount cards come flooding in for all these shows?

R19 Shit Shows.

Here’s a fun fact: Alec Baldwin sits on the board of the NY Phil! Is he pro or anti Sondheim??

How’s that for a thread killer?

From end of last thread where someone posted "Yesterdays" from Roberta. Why is the underlying material source novel, Gowns by Roberta, so hard to find? The Bradford Ropes source novel of 42nd Street just came back into print after years of being very hard to find. Maybe someone will rescue the Alice Duer Miller book too. It's a show no one does anymore that at one time seems to have been very popular.

Here's the 90 minute color special with Bob Hope, Janis Paige, John Davidson, and Michele Lee.

There really is something to be said about diva's who do not sing their hits. Imagine going to a Liza concert and she doesn't sing NY, NY or Cabaret. Yes, she likes to sing boring Gershwin ballads that I've heard a million times before, but I'll sit through them knowing that she's gonna sing the hits. At least Bernie includes the songs she's known for, as well as throwing in new arrangements of Beatles/ Billy Joel songs or her version of Sondheim songs that she didn't get to sing. LuPone's show sounds like a college recital. Glad I saw her years ago.

I had no idea there was a source novel for 42nd Street. I think Alice is delightful in this number...

R22 that’s what I’m saying.

You see Elaine Stritch you want Ladies Who Lunch

You see Barbra you want Don’t Rain on my parade

You see Betty you want Memory

You see LuPone you want big belting showtunes

I’ve seen Betty Buckley live twice now and have yet to see Memory.

I’ve seen LuPone three times where she didn’t sing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina. I’ve never seen her sing Rainbow High, Rose’s Turn, Send In the Clowns or As If We Never Said Goodbye, even though she has sang all of those at other concerts. Yet, I’ve seen her sing Sleepy Man 4 times and I hate that song.

[quote]I’ve seen LuPone three times where she didn’t sing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.

Doesn’t she have to pay Andrew Lloyd Webber every time she sings it? You know that ain’t happening.

You should see her Surabaya Johnny. The most overwrought performance of a song ever! I saw her sing it in NYC and people in Secaucus were rolling their eyes and looking at their watched.

Patti Lu should sing something more tasteful and understated... like the 1812 overture

Did anybody happen to see the first preview performance of Suffs?

Patti should do like Ethel Merman used to do: go on talk shows, shove peanut brittle in her mouth and sing “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

I saw that ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE with Alec Baldwin and Jan Maxwell, and the main thing I remember about the experience was that the theater was freezing. I later heard through the grapevine that this was at Baldwin's insistence, because in order for him to be completely comfortable onstage under the hot lights, the temperature of the entire theater had to be kept very, very cold.

Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel *are* 70, Girls, 70!

Call Telecharge today!

*

[quote]You see Elaine Stritch you want Ladies Who Lunch

Not in that last Sondheim concert. LuPone did “Ladies Who Lunch” and Stritch scream-screeched her way through “I’m Still Here”. I’ve seen that same thing when Stritch was denied a Scotch at the Oak Bar.

In concerts and cabaret there is a general agreement on the rights to music, so LuPone doesn’t have to pay ALW to sing the song.

I’m just saying I saw both acts of Far Away places and kept waiting for the “hit” songs that never came.

Then I saw her with Seth Rudestky and was very upset because he usually made her sing the songs I wanted to hear like Rainbow High and stuff from Oliver; but on my night it was Ya Got Trouble and Sleepy Man.

I also saw songs from a hat and everytime she picked a standard song she said “I don’t want to sing that” and then picked again and sang “calling you and fever”

I don’t need to see Patti sing Fever.

Its fine on a Peggy Lee record, but I don’t need to see her sing it when I paid $200 to hear her standards

R22 You are neat.

It would be like going the a Barbara Cook concert. Perhaps, the one that never happened, with the moving stage and swinging pieces of stage. if that show happened and then Babs did not sing any Candide or Music Man. I would have rioted.

So, I utterly agree, sing the fucking songs, bitches.

R21, great idea, and I'm available...!

Do you all know Patti's live concert album she recorded just as she was leaving LA, finishing up Life Goes On and about to begin rehearsals for Sunset Boulevard? That is a brilliant album of songs that I can still listen to over and over again. And the chat between songs is genuinely hilarious and utterly endearing. Made me a fan for life.

I just read Patti's autobiography and was pleased to learn that Scott Wittman and (former DL'er) Marc Shaiman of Hairspray, among other things, helped her put that show together. Those boys also were in the Club 1957 scene in the arty NY early 80's with Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and the like. The more I learn about those two, the more I find to love about them.

Alec kept the theater cold to ensure his nipples were perky.

R2, Could they make that posthumous, as well?

R34, Barbara Cook refused to sing “Glitter and Be Gay” upon request in her concert appearances, knowing she could no longer do so.

Poor old Larry Kert. He deserved a lot more than he got, and it seems he was really loved.

Why would Larry need it? He actually got nominated for replacing.

R42, Why wasn’t Judy Kaye for replacing Madeline?

Barbara also rarely sang Till There Was You in concert. If you look at her live albums, it’s rarely listed

[quote]Barbara Cook refused to sing “Glitter and Be Gay” upon request in her concert appearances, knowing she could no longer do so.

I hope I don't have to point out that this is a special case, considering the extreme difficulty of the song (or aria). Patti LuPone can/could still sing all of her hits, but often she simply refuses to do so.

R43, the rule is that someone is only eligible for a Tony if they were part of the opening night cast. There was a petition by Hal Prince to nominate Kert for COMPANY because of the special circumstances, and the Tony administration agreed in that case. I don't recall if a similar petition was made for Judy Kaye in OTTC.

I mean, I doubt Patti can sing much of the score of Evita other than “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” now, R45. She struggled with it when she originally did it.

London reviews all over the place for von Hove's Opening Night. In NYT, a critic I've for one have never heard of (his byline: By Houman Barekat. The critic Houman Barekat saw “Opening Night” in London. And his name doesn't link to anything, which is unheard of for Times writers) says it's a travesty, saying a work of art is being desecrated.

She sang the hell out of it at the 2018 Grammys, r47.

Hourman Barekat sounds like an acronym for someone who doesn't want to be identified.

Turns out he's been reviewing from London for the NYT for a couple of years but they don't have their stuff together enough to have his byline link. However, I do!

He has been reviewing all of the recent major London productions for the NY Times. If you scroll down to the bottom, you can find his reviews of For Colored Boys..., Picture of Dorian Gray, Hills of California, etc. Good writer, I think.

R46 I thought the story was that Prince promised Madeline Kahn a Tony nomination if she left the show. Obviously, they couldn't have two nominees from the same show who did the same part. Liza was going to win regardless but Eartha Kitt was a likely nominee. Frances Sternhagen for Angel wasn't. The odds that Prince could do it were good.

Speaking of Hal Prince, it's too bad Ruth Mitchell didn't write a book. I didn't know Florence Klotz was her partner.

R47, I doubt if Patti could sing “Rainbow High” very well anymore.

R44, In concert at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, MA in the mid-1970s, an audience member shouted out at the curtain call “Come back in the fall”.

Barbara misheard it as a request for “After the Ball” from Showboat and let out a quizzical “Seriously?”.

R55 she sang it just a few years ago (2019ish) with Seth Rudetsky in concert. This video was 2012

R57, In the original key?

My relative pitch say yes, r58.

I said “other than” DCFMA. I know she can sing it. I’m talking about Buenos Aires, etc. R49.

[quote]I thought the story was that Prince promised Madeline Kahn a Tony nomination if she left the show.

Prince would have been able to promise Madeline that he wouldn't petition to have Judy Kaye eligible for a Tony nom instead of Madeline, but that's not the same as promising Madeline a nom, because of course he had no control over that.

It is in key R58, and it’s pretty impressive. It’s also 12 years ago.

I'm far from the biggest LuPone fan -- at least, not any more -- but her voice is really in remarkable shape , especially for her age.

I've always had a suspicion Barbra has terrible taste, R56's anecdote has proved me right. Show Boat still has one of the most beautiful scores written for the Broadway stage.

Barbara Cook refused to ever sing Don McLean’s “Vincent” because it included a suicide.

She was under constant medical supervision during her Evita run because she kept blowing her voice out, r63, and I think that's paid dividends. Patti's not perfect, but she does listen to experts and do what they tell her...mostly.

R66, She admittedly allowed her hip to become “bone on bone” before agreeing to replacement surgery.

[quote]because of course he had no control over that.

At that point in his career, nobody was going to say no to Hal Prince. He probably dined weekly with at least one member of the Tony voting committee. I’m sure if he quietly asked for special consideration for MK, he would have been able to get her the nomination.

It’s the same with Bernadette Peters and Into the Woods. I’m sure she quietly made it known not to nominate her because she wouldn’t have the time to campaign for the vote as she was headed to another project.

The Opening Night reviews are brutal but I’m not surprised - it always sounded like a terrible idea. Doesn’t even sound like Rupert understood the film.

R69, who's Rupert? And at least one of the reviews -- in the Guardian - is a rave, though I'm sure it's undeserved :-)

And your Tony host is ... Ariana DeBose!

I remember seeing Patti LuPone live in the 90's with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and she closed Act 1 with Being Alive. She cracked on the last high note "Beee-ing" Alive and the audience still applauded politely. She came back after intermission and stopped the conductor and asked him to go back to the bridge of Being Alive from the "but alone" part and sang the whole ending perfectly. The audience went wild. I was very impressed.

R71: Noooooooo!

thanks R21 for Roberta link

I think the Tony powers that be would have been justified in hiring Ariana to host again if only because she hosted last year under incredibly difficult circumstances, but way over and above that, I thought she did a superb job of it. So I'm very happy about this news.

[quote]I’m sure if he quietly asked for special consideration for MK, he would have been able to get her the nomination.

I'm assuming it was more like he told Madeline that if she left, come Tony time that she and not Judy would get the nomination.

Well this explains a lot

Fun interview with Bonnie Langford. The first ten or fifteen minutes are about her time in Gypsy in 1973/1974 and Old Friends this past year.

[quote]Well this explains a lot

Not really. The baby is due in "the fall" and Mendez is planning to "keep performing" in the show through July 7, so all those performances of MERRILY that she missed would have been very early in her pregnancy -- some of them maybe even before she got pregnant, depending on when in the fall she's due.

IVF^^

There's no fucking way that fiancee got her pregnant the normal way. the last vagina he was near was the one he came out of at birth.

R81, I have no idea about that, but the woman is barely divorced from her second husband and now she's having a baby with her third before they're even married. She sure doesn't let any grass grow under her feet!

She's merrily rolling along!

true, r64, but After the Ball was not written for Showboat. And not by Kern.

It’s interesting that someone who has played Mary Flynn for over a year has so many problems that she compounds by bad choices!

Life imitates art, R85 :-)

I'm sure Lindsay will be so happy that when people put their hand on her stomach and ask when she's due, she can finally have an answer for them.

[quote]She sure doesn't let any grass grow under her feet!

Mooooooo!

The Mendez girl is really a mess....

In other news, Lea Michelle is preggers with baby #2.

Yay! Gossip! More more more...

Is it Jonathan's?

That’ll be another reason for her to get the desk lamp out.

DON'T MAKE ME GET OUT THE DESK LAMP, JONATHAN!

Because you know I will!

R84 . . .

“The song was later famously used in the musical Show Boat to exemplify the 1890s style of music. There it was performed by Norma Terris. In the 1936 film version of the musical, it was performed by Irene Dunne, and in the 1951 film version, by Kathryn Grayson. Only the first verse and chorus were sung in Show Boat.“

. . .

. . .

Yes, r96. I know. That was my point.

A Tonya Pinkins custody tragedy in the making, perhaps? Or maybe Jonathan Groff is the sperm donor?

[quote]A Tonya Pinkins custody tragedy in the making, perhaps?

For whom? What baby?

And yet, she can, r55.

Oh, Mary moving to Broadway over the summer.

R100, she’s already got problems with her second hubby over their daughter. But she has solid custody and he has done some weird shit that made him look unfit.

[quote] Oh, Mary moving to Broadway over the summer.

Where the ticket prices will go down or will be half-price in order to get asses in Broadway seats.

Stop trying to make Ariana DeBose happen!

She’s terrible. Truly. She is Exhibit A why I haven’t dated an actor since the 90s…

It’s an undeniable fact that Patti took criticism for her diction and technique to heart, being a better vocalist in her 60s and 70s than she even was “in her prime”. I get that she doesn’t want to do 8 shows a week grind in a musical anymore, but it would be interesting to have her play a limited engagement or short run while she is in incredible voice. Since she loves 60s/70s rock/blues stuff so much it’s a shame somebody like Elton John or Paul Simon wouldn’t write her a song cycle/album/show.

[quote]Barbara also rarely sang Till There Was You in concert. If you look at her live albums, it’s rarely listed.

She sang it on the 1987 Tony Awards (in the original key) as part of a tribute to Robert Preston following his death.

[quote]Since she loves 60s/70s rock/blues stuff

You know who else loves that? Andrew Lloyd Webber! If only Whistle Down The Wind had a grandmother role!

R108, Obviously, since they were both in the show and it was a tribute to him.

Fuck Andrew Lloyd Webber and his Tory ass.

Thanks for pointing out that they were both in the show, R110.

R112, Apparently R108 didn’t.

R108 just wanted to post that clip, R113.

R108, Thanks for that clip! A bit of Barbara in the morning is always a good idea.

R108, How awkward was it backstage between Barbara Cook and Mary Martin, who also participated in the Preston tribute?

Barbara revealed in her memoir that Mary had stopped speaking to her many years before after she forgot the first name of Martin’s gay husband when they both visited Barbara in her dressing room after a performance.

[quote]Barbara revealed in her memoir that Mary had stopped speaking to her many years before after she forgot the first name of Martin’s gay husband

Geez, I just said, “Hello Janet” and the bitch got all up in my grill. Merman would have told me to go fuck myself and then laughed it off. Mary was working on Kaye Ballard level of crazy.

Mary Martin seemed like a fake bitch while Ethel always came off as a real broad who spoke her mind.

Martin's gay husband, Richard Halliday, seemed to be a drunken asshole if Mary Rodgers is to be believed.

[quote]Mary Martin seemed like a fake bitch while Ethel always came off as a real broad who spoke her mind.

Wasn't Larry Hagman estranged from his mother Mary until he was middle-aged and she was elderly?

He was raised by his grandparents, while Mary pursued a Hollywood/Broadway career, which he resented.

He also did not care for his stepfather.

Afterward, Mary resided in Brazil for many years, while he was a young man.

So Mary could be near Janet and the ranch she owned with her gay husband, Adrian. Cozy!

Will Harper (who's straight, and currently in Uncle Vanya), many years ago before getting on that TV show with Ted Danson, was broke and not making a living doing theatre. He posted on Facebook that he needed a regular job. One of the only black male Broadway producers (who was gay) at the time saw his FB post and reached out to him personally, giving him various assistant duties which included eventually, sexual favors. Harper was repulsed but did it for a while, then quit as soon as he could. This went on for a few months until Harper got out.

[quote]Mary Martin seemed like a fake bitch while Ethel always came off as a real broad who spoke her mind.

There are stories that Mary's gay husband would play "bad cop" with Mary as "good cop" whenever they had to manipulate matters to her advantage for her shows, even though they would work together behind the scenes to do so. One example is that Mary as Peter Pan wound up singing "Distant Melody" in that show, even though the song was originally intended for the character Wendy.

What the hell is this Lempicka post? It popped into my feed as an advertisement.

For those who can't see it, it's just a picture of Eden Espinosa superimposed with the text: "Eden Espinosa is best known to gay men across the country as one of the best Elphabas of all time."

R122 . . .

R125...

Why has no one mentioned how execrably bad the sound design is in Dead Outlaw? Durand is a fine musical theatre actor, yet Cromer has him screaming the lyrics half the time, and he's unintelligible. The band is over-amped and the actors under-miked in a tiny house like the Minetta Lane. What a terrific show this would be if you could just hear the lyrics. And Thom Sesma steals the show.

Well, r123, if you have Mary Martin in your cast, you're going to give her as many songs as she wants.

I keep seeing headlines on Deadline that The Outsiders is selling out and doing really good business, yet I've seen practically no marketing materials for it and it doesn't have any names. I am assuming it's selling solely due to the IP, but do people really feel that fondly about The Outsiders?

If you have Mary Martin in your cast, you're going to want to stand upwind.

R129 the '80s film, with its handsome all-star cast, is popular among young women/teenage girls -- and the book is still required reading in middle school -- but I'm not sure if many of these same people are musical theater geeks.

Not everyone is a fan of musicals nor wants to see their favorite movie/book turned into a musical.

As for the show, it started previews on a Saturday (3/16), so its first week (3/12 - 3/17) it only grossed $150k.

Last week (3/19 - 3/24) it did 7 shows and grossed $725k.

Is that considered selling out?

I thought anything under $1 million was a flop these days.

🤷‍♂️

THE CHITS THEATRE!

[quote]THE CHITS THEATRE!

Honestly, I think they could rename the Helen Hayes Theater. The last Broadway production she was in was in 1970.

But for Chita, it should be one of the musical houses.

Helen Hayes is called the first lady of the American theatre, so there's that.

There should be an Ethel Merman Theatre.

[quote]Helen Hayes is called the first lady of the American theatre, so there's that.

These days she’s only remembered for her movies. Anyone who remembers her last Broadway performance is now an eldergay. Put up a plaque in her honor and rename the theater.

The WML? panel shows Helen Hayes proper reverence on this 1957 mystery guest appearance @ 19:00.

No one under the age of 95 knows who Helen Hayes was.

The people who watched the wonderful film CANDLESHOE know who Helen Hayes is.

The theater should be renamed after Helen's more talented vaudevillian brother, Gabby.

R136, she's not remembered for her movies, either, unless you're an eldestgay.

A Jodie Foster movie from the seventies that isn’t even considered among her best kid movies? Gurl, please. Whatever Hayes was known for, it wasn’t film.

I didn't say it was one of her best movies, I said it was a wonderful movie and one younger people have seen.

R139, that movie came out in 1977--47 years ago.

All of Helen Hayes' "younger" fans of age 60 clearly remember it!

Angela Lansbury should also get a theater named after her.

Aunt Helen...

Would Lansbury be the first person born outside the U.S. to be the namesake for a Broadway theater?

We'll have a Lea Salonga theatre before an Ethel Merman or Angela Lansbury theatre.

[quote]Would Lansbury be the first person born outside the U.S. to be the namesake for a Broadway theater?

Martin Beck was born in Hungary. But then again, he no longer has a theater named after him.

The Porkalob Theater will forever be only three quarters finished.

The inaugural program for the Chita Rivera Theatre: "An Evening With Rita Moreno."

[quote]The inaugural program for the Chita Rivera Theatre: "An Evening With Rita Moreno."

Starring Ariana Grande

They should rename the Lena Horne theater for Chits.

The worst part about the Chits theater plan is that it is spearheaded by Eric Ulloa.

Chita had the Fred Astaire awards renamed for her. That should be sufficient.

R127, if your description of the sound at DEAD OUTLAW is accurate, that's very surprising and unfortunate.

Second Stage owns the Hayes, and they are holding out for someone to give them big bucks for naming rights. They would never rename that theater after Chita unless someone paid dearly for them to do so. But anyway, Chita should have one of the larger musical houses named after her.

[quote]Second Stage owns the Hayes, and they are holding out for someone to give them big bucks for naming rights.

Welcome to the Mike Lindell My Pillow Theater.

New York Times May 17, 2085

The Patti LuPone theatre was demolished yesterday to make room for the Bernadette Peters memorial bench.

Oh, Mary! has no business on Broadway. The flyovers will not get it, nor pay those prices for an 80 minute drag farce. How about the Orpheum? Stomp finally closed, didn't it?

You wonder, don't you, R161, what genius peodcuers are thinking when behind some of these decisions--like when Taylor Mac and the "Straight White Men" things moved to Broadway.

[quote]No one under the age of 95 knows who Helen Hayes was.

This is a fucking theater thread on DL. Go peddle your idiotic comments elsewhere.

Will Lempicka even make it to opening night? It's going to be a disaster. Tommy isn't doing much better. They need to put A Beautiful Noise and KA out of their misery.

Sweeney is floundering with Aaron and Sutton. The flyovers want Josh Groban back.

Lion King and Wicked still doing over $2 million a week.

Doesn't pretty much everything make it at least to opening night?

[quote]Oh, Mary! has no business on Broadway. The flyovers will not get it, nor pay those prices for an 80 minute drag farce.

Not to mention foreign tourists NOT from Western Europe.

[quote]Oh, Mary! has no business on Broadway. The flyovers will not get it, nor pay those prices for an 80 minute drag farce.

It’s not for audiences. It’s for the following;

Tony Award exposure

Drag exposure

Advertising to promote a tour

R164 . . .

$1,362,144.90 95.36% capacity last week is floundering?

Drag exposure, R167?

Have there been any public sightings of Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster as a couple? They must be out in NYC if in fact, they are really dating.

[quote]Drag exposure, [R167]?

When was the last drag on Broadway? Harvey Fierstein in Hairspray?

R170, They’re probably waiting to go public until their divorces are final.

Saw "Hell's Kitchen" invited dress rehearsal last night. It is going to be a hit. People were going crazy.

Oh, Mary is more camp than drag. Just don't see the logic of putting that in a Broadway house.

[quote]Oh, Mary is more camp than drag. Just don't see the logic of putting that in a Broadway house.

Direct from Broadway, Oh, Mary will be playing the Sheboygan Playhouse.

[quote]Sweeney is floundering with Aaron and Sutton. The flyovers want Josh Groban back.

What are you talking about?

After Groban and Ashford departed in mid-January, the grosses got pretty dire during the 3 weeks with the understudies.

But ever since Foster and Tveit took over in early February, the grosses have been consistently over $1 million.

2/6 - 2/11 = $1.260 MILLION, 89% CAPACITY

2/13 - 2/18 = $1.479 MILLION, 91% CAPACITY

2/20 - 2/25 = $1.424 MILLION, 98% CAPACITY

2/27 - 3/3 = $1.199 MILLION, 89% CAPACITY

3/5 - 3/10 = $1.312 MILLION, 95% CAPACITY

3/12 - 3/17 = $1.410 MILLION, 98% CAPACITY

3/19 - 3/24 = $1.362 MILLION, 95% CAPACITY

"Lempicka"—thirteen years in the making!

[quote]You wonder, don't you, [R161], what genius peodcuers are thinking when behind some of these decisions--like when Taylor Mac and the "Straight White Men" things moved to Broadway.

Or like when Kiki and Herb played Broadway. Epic fail, both financially and artistically.

I was at the first performance of SUFFS. It should be called inSUFFerables. It wasn't horrible but the music was one note, Shaina Taub is fine but not great and if you are going to write a musical for yourself, you better be confident of your abilities. It needed someone with star power in that role otherwise the character becomes insufferable after a while. Lyrics were trite but the choreography was the worst thing of all - it was Waiting for Guffman-like. I don't know how that got on Broadway. I know it's only the first preview but that you can't fix. There were some good performances and some terrible ones. Also, the women are all heroic, the men are all idiots and buffoons - no nuance whatsoever.

I love Chits but why should she have a theater named after her. What about Verdon. Or Fosse. Or Bennett. Or Robbins. Or Martin. I know Carol Burnett was trying to get a theater named for Hal Prince.

The first Latino to get a named theater will probably be LMM.

R178, Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway had a limited 4-week run; Brantley in The New York Times loved it; and the duo got nominated for a Tony.

[quote]Saw "Hell's Kitchen" invited dress rehearsal last night. It is going to be a hit. People were going crazy.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but people always go crazy at invited dresses.

That's fair r182. I expected to be underwhelmed but it was actually a very good night at the theatre.

And perhaps I was a bit swept away by the excitement in the audience. I am curious to see how it is reviewed.

r180 Only because he's likely to buy a theatre and name it after himself

Instead of moving to Broadway, where it will die a swift and ignoble death, they ought to close that running on fumes, but still shockingly successful revival of Little Shop and put Oh, Mary in The Westside Arts. That theater was made for tripe like Cole Escola. I think it would do better there and might continue to burnish the revival of Off-Broadway.

I don't care what you bitches say, Helen Hayes was adorably funny in that WML clip. Did any of you bother to watch it?

The success of Little Shop is slightly less shocking when you learn it received a $10 million SVOG.

Jinxx Monsoon IS Mary Todd Lincoln!

Countess LuAnn *IS* Lempika!

[quote]Helen Hayes is called the first lady of the American theatre, so there's that.

I always saw that as an oversight.

Do you know that scene in ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY when an actress auditions for a part in an Oscar Jaffe musical, and the rehearsal pianist, Mildred Plotka, keeps correcting her? Finally, Jaffe realizes that the pianist is the one with the talent, and like Svengali, he transforms her into Lily Garland! It was a great scene.

Well, back in the mid-1970s, I was at an audition for a show under similar circumstances. A well-known actor was on stage trying to get through a musical number and was having quite a difficult time. The show's musical director made him try various vocal exercises and easy musical phrases and kept raising and lowering the keys but to no avail. I noticed that the actor's pianist - a young kid I had never seen - could go along with all the suggestions and changes without a sweat and subtly tried to help the actor with different arrangements that highlighted the melody line. After the audition, I leaned over to the musical director and said, "It's the pianist you should hire! He's going places."

That rehearsal pianist was Marc Shaiman.

[quote]Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway had a limited 4-week run; Brantley in The New York Times loved it; and the duo got nominated for a Tony.

Nevertheless, It was a piece of shit, judged by a friend of mine as "the worst Broadway show I've ever seen" -- and he has been seeing Broadway shows since the late 1960s.

That's a fantastic story r192

Having seen Little Shop at the Westside Arts last year, it’s pretty shocking that the venue passes any/all safety and/or inspection codes, especially in NYC. I assume there is some “grandfathered in” lenience, but it is a dump.

Saw the invited dress of THE WIZ tonight. Surprised how much I liked it -- every voice is incredible. The director spoke before (and later) and pointed out the orchestra was 19 pieces. Sounded great, although you could tell they were still working on the balance. Ruffin's book is funny, and all the sets and costumes are colorful and stylish. The girl playing Dorothy will get the reviews and a Tony nom. There was a cast injury and intermission was loooong and then they came back and did two numbers from Act 2. The first is a 3 part Emerald City dance and it was fantastic. The audience was insane. Then they did Wayne Brady's "Meet the Wizard" number and he was quite charming. I may even pay to go back.

NYT reviews "Tommy":

Deadline:

[quote]Oh, Mary! has no business on Broadway. The flyovers will not get it, nor pay those prices for an 80 minute drag farce. How about the Orpheum? Stomp finally closed, didn't it?

And why should they? If it flops, blame the producers.

I disagree with your friend, R193. I gather you yourself didn't see it, from what you say. I thought it was quite entertaining.

Is the Orpheum any bigger than the Lortel? There'd be no point in moving Oh, Mary! there.

I agree, R200. I saw the first preview. God knows they're not to every taste, but I was certainly in the mood.

I saw the Wiz tour in Cleveland and I agree about the Dorothy. Her voice was incredible and if Broadway was what it used to be, it would have launched her to stardom as the original did for Stephanie Mills.

[quote] Is the Orpheum any bigger than the Lortel? There'd be no point in moving Oh, Mary! there.

The Orpheum and the Lortel are almost exactly the same size. The point would be at The Orpheum it could play an open run at a similar scale. The show has to vacate the Lortel due to future bookings. Something could be lost in moving to a Broadway theater anything larger than the Hayes.

I am big - it's the theatres that got small.

[quote] Something could be lost in moving to a Broadway theater anything larger than the Hayes.

Namely the audience.

[quote] It was a piece of shit, judged by a friend of mine as "the worst Broadway show I've ever seen" -- and he has been seeing Broadway shows since the late 1960s.

Well that makes him a genius.

It actually just makes him old as shit.

"I didn't see the show, but my friend has been seeing shows since the 1960s and hated it, so it must have sucked!"

The "it will lose something uptown" is one of the most tired tropes around. People were saying that about both A CHORUS LINE and HAMILTON.

R207, It takes a hell of a lot more than that to be an esteemed and respected critic.

R210, are you planning on investing in Oh, Mary on Broadway, then?

R210 Top ticket price for A Chorus Line was no where near $100. Hamilton was a full-blown phenomenon. Oh, Mary is a 75 minute sketch. Big difference.

I can't believe anyone would pay $200 to see a 75-minute sketch by some no-name drag act in a dumpy, run-down little theatre Off-Broadway.

[quote] are you planning on investing in Oh, Mary on Broadway, then?

I’ve invested on Broadway once before, and I would absolutely invest in Oh, Mary! given the opportunity.

[quote] The "it will lose something uptown" is one of the most tired tropes around. People were saying that about both A CHORUS LINE and HAMILTON.

Hell, they even said that about “Hair”

Well, if you have money to throw away, R215, go for it.

[Quote] I’ve invested on Broadway once before,

Did [italic] The Black Crook [/italic] recoup, r215?

Any word on Suffs?

How much did you put into Lempicka, R215?

Nuffs.

The "Oh Mary" hate has replaced the Sutton Foster hate. Please God, let Sutton go into "Oh Mary" for 6 weeks and let the fun begin!

I don't think it's OH MARY hate as much as it is OH MARY, STAY OFF BROADWAY.

[quote]On the other hand, Townshend, or at least his avatar here, finds that “freedom lies in normality.” This is the opposite of rock’s countercultural pose.

The excerpt above, from Jesse Green's review, seems to indicate he's unaware that, for the first production of TOMMY on Broadway, Pete Townshend made the tremendous, weird mistake of rewriting the ending of the story so that what happens is exactly the opposite of what happened in the story and lyrics of the concept album.

Apologies, R200. In re-reading my post above, I see that my writing was unclear. I did see KIKI AND HERB: ALIVE AND KICKING, and I did think it was a piece of shit. As another friend of mine put it, Kiki and Herb could be entertaining for a few numbers in a club if you've got some drinks in you, but for a full-length show in a Broadway theater -- not so much. Having to listen to Kiki "sing" for a full-length evening was an unpleasant experience, to say the least.

[quote]"I didn't see the show, but my friend has been seeing shows since the 1960s and hated it, so it must have sucked!"

Although my phrasing was not 100 percent clear, I did not write that I didn't see Kiki and Herb on Broadway. I did see the show, and hated it. And the point of my friend who had been seeing Broadway shows since the 1960s saying K&H was the worst show he had ever seen on Broadway is: That's a very strong statement coming from someone who has seen so many shows, probably a whole lot more than most of you nasty bitches who are making childish, insulting, ageist remarks.

[quote]The "it will lose something uptown" is one of the most tired tropes around. People were saying that about both A CHORUS LINE and HAMILTON.

I never heard anyone say that about those two shows, and if they did, they're know-nothings who should keep their opinions to themselves.

I do remember hearing some people say that AVENUE Q would "lose something" in a Broadway theater, but I never agreed with that. Obviously, I was right in that case. And so were the producers.

[quote]you nasty bitches who are making childish, insulting, ageist remarks

That is our responsibility as true Dataloungers.

R225/R226, Kiki and Herb are not for everybody, but you need to know going in what it will be or already love them. I love them, and enough people did to give them good houses for a month and a Tony nomnination. They were nominated for "Best Special Theatrical Event," after all. It wasn't meant to be like going to a play. And there's room for that on Broadway. Oh, Mary is neither mainstream play nor a special theatrical event.

Also, it was called KIKI AND HERB: ALIVE ON BROADWAY.

[quote]Oh, Mary is neither mainstream play nor a special theatrical event.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

Well, is it, R231?

IT'S A 75-MINUTE CAMP FEST.

Broadway? Good luck.

Oh, who the fuck actually cares, r232.

And yet, R234 persisted.

[quote]I do remember hearing some people say that AVENUE Q would "lose something" in a Broadway theater, but I never agreed with that. Obviously, I was right in that case. And so were the producers.

One of whom is the producer of "Oh, Mary!" Not that he hasn't had his fair share of flops.

Why not make A Prairie Home Companion into a Broadway show? It would sell to the tourists. Who would play Meryl and who would play Lily?

You can livestream "Tomorrow" tomorrow.

Wasn't Title of Show supposed to thrive on Broadway, despite warnings to the contrary. How did that work out?

A friend saw SUFFS this week. He said there were too many songs that pretty much all said the same thing. He was not impressed.

I laugh at the people who think "things can be fixed in previews." Hunny, if they did fix SUFFS sufficiently prior to getting to Broadway, they ain't fixing it now. Same for every piece of crap coming in from Chicago in the past 10 years.

Excuse me, R241?

I am dreading SUFFS. I can’t believe I agreed to see it in a moment of weakness when that frau called me.

[quote]Wasn't Title of Show supposed to thrive on Broadway, despite warnings to the contrary. How did that work out?

[titleofshow] did exactly what it was intended to do: make it to Broadway so that it could be marketed to colleges, regional theaters, etc. No one involved on that show except maybe Hunter Bell expected it to run more than a month or two.

Just making it to Broadway was their goal.

Just making it to Broadway was not their goal, nor was losing their entire capitalization. I’d be surprised if regional/college/amateur productions have made up the shortfall.

Producer #1- Y'know what would be fun- producing title of show on Broadway.

Producer #2- But it's not a show for Broadway audiences. No one will come. We'll lose our shirts.

Producer #1- Don't be silly. Whatever we lose here will more than be made up for in stock, amateur, high school, rights, etc. After all, it will have the imprimatur of BROADWAY on it.

Producer #2- You're right!! What 21st century high school student or hinterland community theater audience could resist a show that references Mary Stout!? And with only a four person cast, we're sure to be the top choice in towns where everyone wants to be in a show!

Producer #1- Yes, and all their family members will buy tickets. We'll be zillionaires in no time!

I have SUFFSicient.

r192=Paul Harvey

[quote]Kiki and Herb are not for everybody, but you need to know going in what it will be or already love them.

I certainly did not already love them, but I had seen them in small doses and liked them before seeing the Broadway show. I think their style of performance, and their musicianship and the quality of Kiki's singing voice, were not suited to a full-length show, especially not on Broadway.

[quote]They were nominated for "Best Special Theatrical Event," after all.

The competition for that award, whenever it has been given, has almost always been very thin because usually very few if any shows fit the classification. So in my opinion, Kiki and Herb were nominated just to fill out the category.

They certainly were nominated just to fill out a category. It's why the category didn't survive. The few years they had it, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel for nominees. And Kiki and Herb are the very bottom. Totally untalented.

Agreed, R250.. Well, maybe not TOTALLY untalented, but only talented enough to be entertaining in very small doses.

[quote] And Kiki and Herb are the very bottom. Totally untalented.

I couldn't disagree more. What a shallow assessment. I think we should move on.

The ONLY reason Kiki and Herb were nominated was because The Tony committee wanted to give Jay Johnson an award for being so successful with his one man show. They had eliminated the category the year before and the year after. And Kiki and Herb were the only other show nominated in the category. They should have just given Jay Johnson a special Tony and been done with it.

[quote] I couldn't disagree more. What a shallow assessment. I think we should move on.

When you buy Datalounge, then you can dictate when we move on. Until then, your opinion means zilch.

Huh, R254?

Pardoning that drunk R254, the lack of appreciation for Kiki and Herb is an opinion, not a fact. They sell out everywhere, because they're loved and appreciated.

Not by everyone, as much as you wish it were so. If you don't understand that you stomping your foot and dictating the subject be closed because YOU'RE a fan of theirs isn't necessarily going to happen, then I don't know what to tell you. You're beyond reasoning with.

Does anyone else have tickets to see LuPone at Carnegie Hall on the 8th?

Sorry, R256, just by going the fact they sold out Carnegie Hall twice.

And were on Broadway and got a Tony nomination.

And played the Sydney Opera House.

I think that was Peaches and Herb.

And recently sold out BAM and Town Hall.

Is r255 Kiki?

No, R263, a fan citing the facts.

Why the hate for Kiki and Herb?

I'll ask again: Why the hate for Kiki and Herb?

Herb should've stayed with Peaches, and Kiki should've stayed with Elton.

I'll ask again: Why the hate for Kiki and Herb? The most wonderfully endearing act of our time?

No answer for why you hate Kiki and Herb defines your utter shallowness.

*

[quote] No, [R263], a fan citing the facts.

Who gives a fuck? No one is disputing they have fans. Can you not follow logic?

Much Ado About Cunting

Thanks for the explanation, R253. Makes total sense.

You wouldn't think Kiki and Herb would have enemies here. And yet there are the idiots.

One of the producers of DAYS AND WINE AND ROSES on Broadway is still crowing about producing it on social media, even though the Broadway run has been a financial disaster -- no exaggeration. Not to say he can't still be proud of it on an artistic level, as much as many of us may disagree with him, but if something is THAT huge a flop, I would think discretion would dictate that the producer would be too embarrassed to crow about it on social media.

[quote]You wouldn't think Kiki and Herb would have enemies here.

Why the hell not? Sounds like you're feeding into some ridiculous, outmoded stereotype.

So what is your argument against them, R276?

Now you're equating people who don't enjoy Kiki and Herb as their enemies? You've got a screw loose, hon.

No, R278, I'm asking why you don't like them.

I don't find them talented or amusing. And their stale act has been done better by others before and after them. How difficult is that to comprehend?

And by the way, I'm not the only person who doesn't like them who is posting on here.

[quote]I don't find them talented or amusing

Your opinion.

[quote] I don't find them talented or amusing

Again, your opinion.

[quote] And by the way, I'm not the only person who doesn't like them who is posting on here.

And yet they sell out everywhere they perform.

Who do you like?

Yes, my opinion. Duh. And I've never said otherwise or said anyone who liked them was wrong. You're having an argument with yourself.

Omg no one cares about Kiks and herbs SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THEM. They suck and are talentless and dull.

NEXT.

Worst thread ever.

Kiki DuRane is matinee Mary!

Kiki and Herb sounds like a new salad dressing.

Second shit theatre thread in a row.

[quote]R123 There are stories that Mary's gay husband would play "bad cop" with Mary as "good cop" whenever they had to manipulate matters to her advantage

Mary Martin was one of the very few stars ultra professional Edith Head disliked costuming.

R288 Helen wanted to eat her cunt.

No, R282, I have an argument with you.

This stuff belongs in a 99 seat off-off-Broadway theater. It does not belong in a Tony nominated category.

And Helen Hayes would vomit knowing that this crap played in her Broadway theater.

Well, R291, too bad for you because they were nominated for a Tony, and they sell out more than 99-seat theaters. They sold out Carnegie Hall--twice.

I like Kiki & Herb. It’s JVB’s solo act that is horrible. I mean, that voice (grrrrrrrrr) without a character to play …

Agree. When Kiki wandered into the world of real jazz singers—like Billie and Ella—she lost me. She's a great comic, but a lousy singer.

Selling out Carnegie is not a big deal. Please stop.

[quote] Your opinion

[quote]Again, your opinion

What a stupid non-argument

Were you expecting him to be giving someone else’s opinion?

My goodness this thread went off the rails quickly!

Any gossip on the Wiz?

Any gossip on Cabaret?

Any gossip on Tommy?

Anyone at first preview of The Huey Lewis thing?

All I know is that Wiz, Tommy and Cabaret are all going to be hits. The public wants things they know right now. Most of the new shows -- suffs, Lempicka, Heart of Rock n' Roll - will pass through pretty quickly. Elephants and Notebook will run, but not long and not profitably.

Saw Appropriate last night. Best play I've seen in years. Loved it.

Why is there no word on "The Outsiders"?

R301. I guess theatre has become so expensive that regular theatergoers can no longer afford to go very often.

That's a crock of shit, and the "it's too expensive" trope is crap. Right now, it's not hard to get discount tickets to Outsiders, Lempicka, Suffs, and Heart of Rock N' Roll. Some are as low as $50. Almost all Broadway shows are up at the booth every day, and word is HAMILTON is headed there this summer, which is going to hurt a lot of show. Tommy and Elephants have been consistently at the booth too.

Oh Mary! has NEVER been at the booth. Jus' sayin...

Paying full price is for tourists

Yea—because the line at TKTS is 100% locals….🙄

New Yorkers get coupons and promotions in the mail. And we buy at the box office.

Yes the frau friend got tickets for SUFFS for $59 each.

I paid full price for a ticket to see Appropriate in a couple weeks.

Most locals I know use tdf, codes or Today Tix.

Hilarious . . .

Hi Matt! R389 welcome to DL!

Is Patti truly the cuntiest cunt who ever cunted?

Is everyone excited for Tommy Bracco’s triumphant return to Broadway?

[quote]Is everyone excited for Tommy Bracco’s triumphant return to Broadway?

We'd rather see Lorraine.

Her are Kiki and Herb for anyone who doesn't know who the hell they are.

[quote]My goodness this thread went off the rails quickly!

And all because of Kiki and Herb!

[quote]Paying full price is for tourists

And only the little people pay taxes.

[quote] And all because of Kiki and Herb!

It's the most those has-beens have been mentioned in two decades!

Y’all getting excited to see my Tony winning performance in The Great Gatsby?

Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!

Gatsby is gonna be a big fat bomb.

It's no "Lempicka" or "Suffs," R318.

100% flop R318. It’s awful.

I've always liked Robyn Hurder. She has 'it.'

[quote]I've always liked Robyn Hurder. She has 'it.'

Has she tried antibiotics?

Looks pretty dynamic to me. I don't know how much of it works, but I think I'll prefer this Evita-style staging than the original's stodgy, standard-book-musical one.

R323 I saw the show in London and it was amazing! Now to be fair, I’m 36 so I didn’t see Patti, Betty, Glenn or Elaine…so I can’t compare…but for someone who didn’t see the original, I loved the whole thing and Nicole’s voice was extraordinary!

SB is releasing a live cast recording which sounds pretty exciting.

It’s a not uninteresting staging of Sunset Boulevard, interspersed with a Nicole Scherzinger concert where her setlist consists entirely of Norma Desmond’s songs from Sunset Boulevard.

She can belt, but girl can’t act for shit.

[quote]She can belt, but girl can’t act for shit.

Neither could Norma, r326...she only had *one* look.

R323 I am 57 and I saw the original on Broadway, and Betty in London first. I saw the revival twice and it is great. Far better than the original and NS is incredible

Thanks for that clip, R312. Now, for the people who had previously never seen or heard Kiki and Herb, can you imagine listening to that voice and looking at that person for the length of a Broadway show?

Stop. It.

Oh, my goodness, look at Betty *go*!

R328, There’s an excellent quality boot of the London revival in circulation and it is, indeed, wonderful.

It should win numerous Olivier Awards on April 14th.

SUNSET BLVD. is a Mary! theatrical experience like few others. It’s a wildly inventive and new take on the show, but with a full orchestra (!), and a cast totally committed to every moment of the script/score, be it as it may. When I saw it in London last year, Nicole received TWO mid-show full standing ovations for both her big songs in each act, plus, of course, the curtain call. It’s lightning in a bottle, so I’m glad all 4 leads are coming to Broadway.

I am surprised that the other three leads are coming with SB (maybe because of the recording). I will say that the David Thaxton was incredible also but they could have cast many actors from this side of the pond. Tom Francis is very good but his role is one note and he does not do much with it, his vocals are nothing extraordinary. And for Grace Hodgett Young.... someone please explain it to me. She is just okay.

Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis and David Thaxton are superb in their roles.

There's no doubt that the show was well done. I just don't know if this revival will work with the non-theatre people in the US. And let's face it: the show is structurally flawed and not really that good, despite three or four really good numbers. It took this gimmicky angle to make it work with more sophisticated/open London audiences.

R336, Is the St. James Theatre “location friendly” in order for Tom Francis to perform his inside/outside Act II opening number?

Happy Easter.

Has-beens, R315? Their Christmas show had a sold-out run last year at Town Hall, and the hear before that at BAM.

I can't beleive the gays here are so stupid as to critique the singing of JVB/Kiki. She's supposed to be a broken-down, drunken, ancient cabaret singer. It's comedy, you boobs.

[quote]It's comedy, you boobs.

Comedy is supposed to be funny.

[quote]She's supposed to be a broken-down, drunken, ancient cabaret singer.

We have Liza.

Saw SUFFS. Meh. Didn’t think it was bad, but a little lacking. Feel like it’s good for young girls and younger women, but it’s not sophisticated theater.

Did anyone actually see or hear anything about the pre-pandemic B’way revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Laurie Metcalf and an inexplicable trio of British actors including (gulp) Uncle Rupie Everett, the terribly overrated and, because of it, annoying Patsy Ferran (good grief) and the potato-faced literal measurement of limited talent, Russell Tovey? They should’ve changed the name of the play to What the Fuck Did Laurie Metcalf Do To Deserve This? It’s almost like COVID was created to put her out of her misery. (No pun intended.)

Oh, good. More sniping about Kiki and Herb. Just what this thread needs.

It is funny, R341, unless you're a drip.

I've never understood how bitches on DL can't appreciate K&H. Their act is practically made for you.

Do they get the vote?

It's on K&H loon who can't accept that many people don't find them funny.

And selling out Town Hall is hardly an achievement.

Really, R348? They sell out wherever they perform. Whereas npo one pays to see you.

*no one

R349 eats shit out of Justin Bond's dressing room toilet.

I would love to see a time-lapse account of how Broadway tickets get sold. I’m looking at Appropriate orchestra seating. Not much is sold, but they want over $300 for most of the center and front, $200ish for the back third, and then $175ish for the last rows and sides. The average price will likely end up at $150ish.

It used to be that buying in advance meant better, lower priced tickets. The opposite seems to be the case now. They just discount the good seats at the last minute. And, there are also fewer discount codes now.

Datalounge ticketbuyers, what are you paying? I live out of town, so I usually just pay and grumble.

Jealous, R351?

R352 try today tix. A friend said appropriate was on there.

They sold out Town Hall? BFD. Hold my non-alcoholic wine. I am legend.

They sold out a run, idiot.

Why are you so invested in beating the dead horse known as Kiki & Herb? No one cares. That has been made clear to you, post after post. There are people on here who don't like them. They don't care if you like them, nor are they trying to take that away from you. Enjoy them all you want, if that's your thing. But read the room.

Kiki Dee and Herb Alpert?

What are we predicting for a Suffs closing date?

Maybe they can hang on until Election Day.

Suffs won't close. It'll move to Town Hall. I hear you can sell out anything there.

[quote]It'll move to Town Hall. I hear you can sell out anything there.

Decades ago, I saw a show at Town Hall on Thanksgiving Day and it was pretty full. “Yiddle with a Fiddle.”

Well, if you can make it where Yiddle with a Fiddle made it, then you can make it anywhere!

[quote]They sold out a run, idiot.

Happy Easter. Relax today and do your blood pressure some good.

C.an you argumentative people go make your own thread, please?

I don't know. Can we?

On tonight’s third and final episode of the delicious UK miniseries Nolly (on PBS Masterpiece) we’ll get to see the title character in rehearsals for a provincial production of Gypsy. You haven’t really lived until you’ve seen Helena Bonham Carter as Nolly as Rose. And Nolly actually bitches about Rose having to enter through the auditorium before getting up on the stage. It’s quite amusing.

Thanks for the tip, R367.

I can't say enough good things about Nolly, r367. Helena is brilliant.

Noele Gordon actually made it to the London stage in 1983 in a short-lived revival of "Call Me Madam" at the Victoria Palace (where "Hamilton" now plays).

Nolly is paint drying. Just dull as fuck.

May I suggest that we NOT include Kiki and Herb in the title of the next theater gossip thread?

Madam Noele...

I love Helena Bonham Carter and want to love NOLLY so much but I'm finding it very limp and disappointing.

I don't know what the the supposedly beloved character that she played in the long-running series was like but, perhaps, if we saw her to be very different from Nolly herself, sweeter and more charming, we might understand what made her such a national treasure for so many TV viewers. There's no real sense of that character present.

To each his own, r374. I'm loving it and her.

r343, have you ever seen Patsy Ferran onstage? Seeing her as Blanche in Streetcar (opposite Paul Mescal) was like watching that play for the first time. And her Eliza in Pygmalion (opposite Bertie Carvel) was the funniest and ultimately most poignant Eliza I've ever seen. She's the real deal and I hope she gets to Broadway in something soon.

Her casting as Honey and Russell Tovey as Nick were what made me most excited about seeing that Virginia Woolf, not to mention Laurie Metcalf and Joe Mantello's take on it. Rupert Everett was the only questionable aspect IMO.

Thanks, R376. Yes, I saw her in Rebecca Frecknall’s production of Summer and Smoke at the Almeida. I didn’t get it. To me, she’s like an algebraic expression inserted into plays whose value is never defined and therefore doesn’t make any sense.

Rumor mill is churning out that CSC will do Anyone Can Whistle directed by Trip Cullman with book rewrites from John Weidman. Rachel Bay Jones as Cora, Santino Fontana as Hapgood, with many CSC/Wholesale cast members in the male roles. Fay still to be cast.

Santino is good but rarely exciting. I prefer him on plays but he insists on doing musicals.

R379, I agree. Despite having a fine singing voice, he really seems less compelling in musicals. I saw one on his first professional performances. He played Hamlet at the Guthrie to close their original performance space. They wanted someone young and he was in the University of Minnesota’s graduate acting program. He was very promising.

But he is really hard to cast in musicals. I think because his voice is at odds with his acting. His singing is sincere and straightforward, but lacks the color and complexity of his acting choices. Hapgood seems like a bad fit.

Can he fill Guardino's shoes?

Santino Fontana has already played Hapgood in NY, in the staged concert version of 2022 at Carnegie Hall, with Vanessa Williams and Elizabeth Stanley.

Trip Cullman should have the career Sam Gold has.

Mike Nichols begat Joe Mantello, who then begat Trip Cullman.

Santino seems like one of the great actors who somehow has missed a great career. I was not a fan of Tootsie.

this. It’s from the Facebook Broadway Remembered page, with Jaye P. Morgan, Hans Conreid, Gary Owens, Anita Gillette, Bob Hastings, Jo Ann Pflug

I assume it’s a joke...

Santino has to be at least a little pissed that he missed out on the Frozen gravy train. He was one of the core four on the original poster, but the first movie’s plot killed any chance of him cashing in on it (to say nothing of sequels).

Rachel Bay Jones is TERRIBLE casting for Cora.

I would think Rachel Bay Jones would be better cast as Fay than as Cora, even if she's maybe a little too old for Fay.

Santino a GREAT actor?

Rachel Bay Jones as Cora is just Madeline Kahn redux.

R396, yes, it’s a parody of the 1970 dinner theatre circuit. The same guy did My Fair Lady with Ed Asner and Loretta Swit, Ann B Davis and Jim Nabors in Camelot, etc.

Deluxe Fuxley

Sources tell me Rachel Bay Jones was not a backstage favorite at HERE WE ARE!

Mike Nichols was always trying to get into Robbie Baitz's pants when Robbie and Joe Mantello were a couple. Joe was not a Nichols fan.

Has anyone else heard about a new play that Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone will be doing on Broadway in the fall? Directed by Jack O'Brien?

And no, this is not an April Fools joke.

Well, there's 3 hot theatre gossip items for all you bitches asking where the theatre gossip has gone.

This is the first I've ever heard of Mike Nichols being into dick.

I could tell you stories, R308.

You must be joking, R398.

R396. Watch out, Mia

Also r122, r397.

R396 I don’t doubt that. Mia stated she was moving back to the city for a while and LuPone said she is interested in doing a Broadway play.

The problem is LuPone barely sells tickets for musicals and all of her plays crash and burn (see The Anarchist)

Mia is fine on film but gets lost in the crowd.

Mia is nearly 80. Is she up to doing a live play several times a week?

Nichols and Richard Avedon were reportedly lovers, according to Avedon's bio. Mark Harris, who wrote Nichols' bio, chose not to address the topic in his book.

R405, Mark Harris actually addresses it (fairly extensively) by saying he did not find any evidence for the claim.

R404. Piece of cake

Also Mia probably likes Patti right now. They have been friends for many years and it was at Mia’s house that LuPone has her warmest memories of Sondheim.

I guarantee after 6 weeks of working together, Mia will be less fond of LuPone.

[quote] Rumor mill is churning out that CSC will do Anyone Can Whistle directed by Trip Cullman with book rewrites from John Weidman

Some of us remember Weidman’s script revisions for, “I Can Get For You Wholesale” with less than affection.

Shosana Bean stops the show in Act 2 of Hell's Kitchen. The show is going to be a big hit.

Hi Shosana r410! Welcome to Datalounge! Sorry your career didn’t rise to the level of Menzel!

I think Trip Cullman has exactly the career he deserves, R383.

. . .

R406, They’ve both been dead for years. What “evidence” did he expect to unearth, cum stains?

I agree, R412. I was confusing Trip Cullman with Kip Fagan, who's a better director than all of them.

As well as the best looking.

I think that Ms. Sawyer would have objected to any serious exploration of Nichols' gay side. I saw Harris and Kushner greeting Nichols and Sawyer at a party years ago and they were kissing and hugging in a way that suggests that Harris wouldn't be entirely objective in his book.

LuPone gave up her Equity card. How can she do anything on Broadway?

Exactly, R418. I was thinking LuPone might somehow get around the fact that the quit Equity by doing a concert show in a Broadway theater under a non-Broadway contract, if that could be possible. But I'm sure there's no way she could do a play in a Broadway house unless she rejoins Equity.

She'll rejoin quietly and then get pissy with anyone who asks about her Equity status. She didn't even have a half-decent reason for quitting in the first place.

[quote]She didn't even have a half-decent reason for quitting in the first place.

Apparently not, other than sheer bitchiness, which often seems to be her only motivation.

Patti is in concert tomorrow evening at Symphony Hall in Boston.

Just checked the site and there are definitely seats still available in all sections.

Last week, the venue was offering 20% off for up to four seats per transaction.

I've recently found out that you don't need to be a member of Equity to perform on or off Broadway. But Equity tries to keep that quiet.

[quote]I've recently found out that you don't need to be a member of Equity to perform on or off Broadway. But Equity tries to keep that quiet.

Non-equity members can appear on Broadway in very limited circumstances, like when they had all those extras in THE INHERITANCE. But no leading or featured role on Broadway can be played by a non-Equity member, so if you're not already a member, you have to join.

That's what I thought too, r424, but I recently heard it from a Equity Councilperson. Legally, Equity can't force you to join.

Two stars of Broadway shows that we all know were attacked/held up at gun point in the last two days. This city has a major, major mental health crisis on its hands and @govkathyhochul and @nycmayor are failing us with these band aid solutions and stuffing more cops into the picture. More cops and armed national guard don't stop this problem. It's systemic and the only thing that stops that are major investments in mental health and resources and to STOP pumping money into an overbloated NYPD. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. The most wonderful city in the world deserves better than the desperation we leave so many in.

Tell Eric to get a job and pay his taxes. That would be more helpful than random Instaho posts.

Julia Lester has been losing a lot of weight since Into the Woods. Maybe Ttip Colman will ask her to do the Lee Remick part in Whistle. She’s only a couple of years younger than Remick was when she originated it.

I'd rather see Julia play Cora.

Donna could still do it...

Yeah I don’t know how Equity would spin it other than

“Supreme Cunt, Patti LuPone, known by all for cuntiness rejected her equity card and has decided to work non-contract opposite star of yesteryear (and known mental case) Mia Farrow in a play that is destined to close early”

What is up with Jordan Fischer’s leave of absence?

Leave of absence from what, R432?

Hadestown

Hilarious that they're trying to pretend it's a scheduled absence - just one of those scheduled things not announced until it actually begins?

Patti is hardly an unknown who could play an Equity role without major blowback. She decided to leave, so she should not receive any of the benefits.

Thanks, R434. I saw no announcement of Fisher's leave from HADESTOWN. I don't think it has been very well publicized, which it should have been, even if few people really care.

Actors can choose to go on voluntary withdrawal from Equity if they're not planning to work under any Equity contracts for a while. They can return to active membership any time they choose, and will then have to pay only their current dues and not back dues for the withdrawal period.

Right, R438, but it will be interesting if LuPone rejoins, given the statements she has made about Equity.

What's her gripe with Equity?

r440 The woman answering the phone didn't know who she was.

Seriously.

Wow, R441--really?

That is ridiculous, almost comically so.

r410 the show is going to be a huge hit but not just because of showstopping vocals. I loved the dancing too. The story was ok.

Patti stood on the steps behind TKTS and burned her equity card chanting, “I renounce the Devil of Broadway and all that it stands for.”

This after Equity basically paid for her new hips.

Was she wearing hostess pants, r445?

r442 I was only exaggerating a tiny amount:

[quote]“They accepted my resignation and told me that if I ever wanted to rejoin, I'd have to be approved,” she explained to the outlet. “And it's the perfect reason I withdrew from Equity. Fifty years to this year...I've been a card-carrying member of Equity, and they don't know who I am basically. They just said, 'Fine, but if you want to rejoin, we're going to have to approve you.'”

So her own reasoning is that she expects the rules to not apply to her. But even that makes no sense, because she's claiming the reason she quit Equity is because of what they said to her after she quit. Who knew that she could see the future?

Maybe Equity didn’t know who Patti LuPone was because her diction is so bad.

IssPettyLupo

I’m sorry Miss Lupo, but you’re not a registered member.

Patti LuPone is a shit stirrer.

Mia Farrow is not box office.

The chemistry between Norman Bates and Rosemary's Baby was pretty memorable back in 1980.

Patti's got her work cut out for her.

Probably, r446. She does have a rather large potamus.

Saw HELLS KITCHEN over the weekend. Another stupid pop biomusical that screams at you all night. The choreography was exciting but pointless and because you could see ten minutes in how this was all going to end, I left at intermission. Figured it would just be more of the same, and wanted to go meet friends. It will be like the Neil Diamond thing -- big numbers at first, and then a slow death until the theater owner says "enough."

The personal anti-Patti mythology is hateful. We claim to want real Broadway talent and committed performers and then can’t wait to hate them. I don’t know the woman, but I do know folks who know her and have been in shows with her and they had only good things to say. She shows up, she’s got high standards and she delivers. Way preferable than the bland non-presence “stars” we yawn at in show after show.

Agreed, r454.

Mia was quite good in Romantic Comedy and looked about 18 at the time. And after playing opposite hammy Perkins she should be fine playing opposite hammy PLP.

[quote]I don’t know the woman, but I do know folks who know her and have been in shows with her and they had only good things to say.

That's surprising, seeing as how, judging from her own memoir and some interviews she has given, LuPone seems to have only bad things to say about a huge percentage of the people she has worked with throughout her career.

[quote]She shows up, she’s got high standards and she delivers.

She yells at audience members - Gypsy

She yells at stage managers - Evita

She yells at other cast members - Noises Off

She fakes tapping - Anything Goes

She misses her cue - Les Miserables

She trashes dressing rooms - Sunset Boulevard

She complains about more experienced cast members - The Bakers Wife

I could go on but I won’t.

r454 Why should any of that make her immune to criticism? Especially given how much she enjoys criticising others.

Bless her heart...

Now did Norma Desmond get hold of Christine Daaé's wardrobe?

[quote] Mia was quite good in Romantic Comedy and looked about 18 at the time.

Oh Magoo, you've done it again.

Indeed the Patti hate on this thread is hilariously unhinged. If you all hate her that much she’s doing something right.

R426 Eric Ulloa's post is very anti-police.

And no accountability for the criminals.

[quote]R392 it’s a parody of the 1970 dinner theatre circuit.

I found this article (blog entry?) on the rise and fall of dinner theater. It has some gossip in it. Sal Mineo wrecked the furniture on stage.

Plus:

[Italic]Mickey Rooney “would not talk to anyone backstage,” remembers attorney David Tong, who grew up at his parents’ dinner theater, first as a busboy and eventually as production manager. “And he would only sign the ‘Mickey Rooney Scrapbook,’ a magazine he sold there for $10. He would not sign the program.”

From a friend who was in EVITA, Patti-hating by her cast members started a long time ago.

Any word from the first CABARET preview last night?

Gavin McLeod had to be gay, right? He was even in a Blake Edwards movie “The Party,” and Edwards always put his married gay male lovers into his movies.

Gavin McLeod

Born: February 28, 1931, Mount Kisco, NY

Died: May 29, 2021 (age 90 years), Palm Desert, CA

Spouse: Patty MacLeod (m. 1985–2021), Patty MacLeod (m. 1974–1982), Joan Devore (m. 1954–1972)

Children: 4

[quote]He was even in a Blake Edwards movie “The Party,”

Was that the one where Peter Sellers played an Indian? Blake sure liked dressing whites in other ethnicities.

So what does this mean about Vanya the day before its postponed first preview?

[Quote] Newly announced for the creative team is Elizabeth Harper, who will share lighting-design duties with the previously announced Lap Chi Chu.

Yes, 46 years ago lots of people didn’t like you either, r466, when you were in your 40s

Preview delays almost always are about technical problems/set, lighting, sound time.

[quote]So what does this mean about Vanya the day before its postponed first preview?

They realized that casting Jayne Houdyshell in Chekhov was a huge mistake.

R453 Funny, I thought the first act of Hell's Kitchen was decent, and the second act was stunning.

Are people planning to go to Cabaret? If so, what did you pay and where are you sitting? I’m on the fence, but just can’t get over spending nearly fifteen hundred dollars to sit at a table. Or even $800 for a pair of mezzanine seats.

Jinx is Audrey starting tonight

They never released any audio of Darren, did they?

Well, now that Jinx has played Audrey, Jayne Houdyshell has somewhere to go after Vanya closes.

[QUOTE] Are people planning to go to Cabaret? If so, what did you pay and where are you sitting?

I’m going in late April. $250 for orchestra.

I wonder how many potential Seymors turned down the opportunity to kiss Jinx before they got Corbin Bleu to come back and do it.

Helen Shaw not a fan of TOMMY.

Lincoln Center has a fee of $16.50 for Uncle Vanya tickets. Why so high?

That’s more than the price of my first Broadway musical.

Bajour!?

Gosh $250 r479 to hear Eddie’s weird sing-song delivery. He won an Olivier for this nonsense.

Saw [bold]Fat Ham[/bold] at the Geffen in L.A. on Sunday. I wish I had whatever the Pulitzer jury was smoking when they awarded that mess the Prize for Drama.

The Lion King and Wicked made $3 million last week. That's insane!

"Wicked" and "Lion King" both played nine performances last week.

Who’s Eric Ulloa?

Saw CABARET tonight. I preferred the Roundabout edition. This one tries way too hard.

Tries too hard at what?

[quote]Indeed the Patti hate on this thread is hilariously unhinged. If you all hate her that much she’s doing something right.

You have a point, my dear. An idiotic one, but a point.

Christopher Durang has died.

[quote]The Lion King and Wicked made $3 million last week. That's insane!

[quote]"Wicked" and "Lion King" both played nine performances last week.

To the Foster/Tveit haters who keep calling Sweeney Todd a flop despite evidence to the contrary, last week it played 7 performances and grossed $1.497 million (100% capacity).

By comparison, the blockbuster Merrily We Roll Along did 8 shows and grossed $1.527 million (100% capacity).

Receipts.

I think Sweeney could still sell some tickets even without stars. Sad to see it go.

Tragic about Chris Durang, what a sad lingering way to go for such a brilliant mind.

I worked with him a couple of times over the years, very prickly personality, not the sweet imp he might have seemed.

Nevertheless, RIP.

How did he die? Alzheimers?

He died from complications of the same affliction Bruce Willis currently suffers from.

Caroline Aaron as Albert's mom at the Kennedy Center [italic] Birdie [/italic] sounds genius. Ditto Richard Kind as Harry MacAfee.

Sandy Powell doing costumes for the Florence [italic] Gatsby [/italic]

[quote]Caroline Aaron as Albert's mom at the Kennedy Center Birdie sounds genius. Ditto Richard Kind as Harry MacAfee.

But some of the other casting is questionable, to say the least.

Has Powell ever designed for the stage?

So Jenna Russell is in the London Imelda Dolly? As Irene Molly? She’s in her late 50s. Is she really supposed to be believable as Irene? Or is she standing by for Imelda?

[quote] Has Powell ever designed for the stage?

She did all the ensembles for Kiki & Herb.

Good Lord Caroline Aaron is a treasure. I first saw her when she replaced Joanna Gleason in Social Security on Broadway and she walked off with the show. She'll be an awesome Mae.

Maybe the Cornelius will be suitably elderly.

R506. Robert Lindsey IS Cornelius!

Sad re: Durang.

Cornelius is already cast with a 40 year old. Harry Hepple.

Will Alison Pill be signing playbills at Vanya?

Maybe someone bought her a rubber stamp and ink pad.

Is anyone here a member of Theater Extras? It looks like the best of the papering services these days, but I'm loathe to join a new one unless it actually offers good options.

Thanks.

They could have cast Little Charlie Stemp in Imelda Dolly. He already had experience in Midler Dolly.

Or Play-by-Play?

[quote]"Wicked" and "Lion King" both played nine performances last week.

The 'trick' of being able to do nine performances when Equity allows actors to only do 8 shows a week probably originated with producer Norman Kean. It works when you have a show with no big names. On any given performance, you rotate some of the cast with understudies so that no one appears more than 8 times a week, but you can get 9 performances when needed, like during holiday weeks. As the owner of the Edison Theatre, he also was able to do two different Broadway shows running at the same time in the same space. OH! CALCUTTA! and Me & Bessie overlapped at the Edison with a Saturday having 4 shows in one day.

Christopher Durang with his partner.

Norman Kean was keen. Until he wasn't.

Jim Parsons as the Stage Manager in Our Town? Was Sean Hayes busy? This is community theater level casting. I like my Stage Managers to have a bit of gravitas.

*3* GIRLS *3*

Yes, r518, with a good amount of anticipation, around the announcing of this cast and its ‘stars,’ it does feel somewhat underwhelming.

R519. That entire production is pitch-perfect. What a cast!

And it’s being billed as Our Town “for our time.” Pass.

MJ canceled last night and tonight. Cast illness

Jonathan Groff and his BARbra . . .

Let's face it, the only reason anyone is bringing Our Town back is because someone has a hard-on to do it with color blind casting.

George is a black man?! Oh how EDGY! The Narrator is a big, flaming nelly? GENIUS!

It's a bore of a play. I'm surprised they didn't get Kenny Leon to direct it.

Penelope gave Martha Scott a run for her money…IMHO

R525 is the race pest—go away

R527 is the Tourette's victim who screeches KLAN GRANNY every two minutes.

Our Town is one of my favorite plays. It will withstand a lot of bad choices, but not Jim Parsons. I can just make some bacon and remember the Cromer production. Hard pass.

Spaulding Gray…before.

R528 what a retort! I save my posts for the real thing—unrepentant bigots like yourself. Enjoy your grease fire.

R531 thinks talking about race means you're a racist.

Oh no you two again. Starved for attention (and cock).

[Quote] It's a bore of a play. I'm surprised they didn't get Kenny Leon to direct it.

He is, numb nuts.

no, I'm not the race arguer. I simply made one statement and the Klan Granny flinger started drooling, so excited to get some action again.

I find it ridiculous that we can't discuss this issue rationally without some white savior coming in and screaming RACIST!

Michael Stuhlbarg.

[quote] He is, numb nuts.

No fucking shit, dickhead. It's called sarcasm.

[quote]I'm surprised they didn't get Kenny Leon to direct it.

R525, Kenny Leon is directing it.

You don't say!

[quote] Let's face it, the only reason anyone is bringing Our Town back is because someone has a hard-on to do it with color blind casting.

If there’s no bacon, I ain’t going.

Ephraim Sykes is 38 years old. Is Stage Manager Jimbo gonna explain why he waited so long to marry Emily Webb? In Act 1, they are teenagers. In Act 2, early 20s.

“I'm not the race arguer. I simply made one statement…all about race…”

FIFY

Das Lusitania Songspiel

Go fuck yourself, R542. You're the Paul Revere of Hall Monitoring on here.

Gotcha!

R544 is in the corner—with his lame ass reply.

I suppose every generation gets the Our Town they deserve.

Too bad Jinx Monsoon is doing Little Shop. She’d make a great Mrs. Soames.

What is considered the front runner for the Best Musical Tony?

Lempicka!

I saw Kate Mulgrew do it and she got Ryan's Hope because of it. I thought she was terribly miscast. Her George was Richard Backus who also had a career on soaps. Fred Gwynne was Stage Manager and John Glover, Eileen Heckart and Geraldine Fitzgerald were in it as well.

I love Barbara Bel Geddes Mid-Atlantic accent. Why don’t more women talk like that?

[quote]MJ canceled last night and tonight. Cast illness

Seriously? At this point in the run, they don't have enough people to cover? That's ridiculous.

Uncle Vanya is all that and a bag of chips. Lovely performances all around.

[quote]Uncle Vanya is all that and a bag of chips. Lovely performances all around.

So they replaced Jayne Houdyshell, then?

Are there no other Black directors besides Kenny Leon? Sheesh.

Beware of The Kit Kat Club if you're handicapped or have a disability. They could care less. Also, for a musical about the rise of Fascism, they have the perfect crew outside and inside the theatre. They fit right in.

[quote]I saw Kate Mulgrew do it and she got Ryan's Hope because of it. I thought she was terribly miscast. Her George was Richard Backus who also had a career on soaps. Fred Gwynne was Stage Manager and John Glover, Eileen Heckart and Geraldine Fitzgerald were in it as well

I saw that production. Geraldine Fitzgerald was a bit long in the tooth to be playing Emily's mother, even in the barn of a theater in which it was performed. Eileen Heckart was out the night I was there, so I saw her understudy, who was possibly the worst actress I've ever seen in a professional production. Any actress from any community theater would have made a more believable Mrs. Gibbs. Her performance was so bad, it's still etched in my memory after these many, many years.

Many years later, I saw an equally horrible performance: Spalding Grey as the Stage Manager in the 1988 Broadway revival. Even Jim Parsons will have to be better than he was.

[quote]It's a bore of a play.

If you're a moron.

OUR TOWN always makes me cry at the end.

You and many, many others, R561. It's a fine play, but it's the third act that won the Pulitzer Prize.

Hmmm. The third act wouldn't be so effective if it didn't follow two solid ones.

How could a young Kate Mulgrew be miscast as Emily Gibbs? She might have given a bad performance but.....miscast?

We might have had a conversation here about this distinction before. Sometimes (maybe often) actors don't have the talent or skills to deliver but that's not the same as being miscast.

I hate Thornton Wilder’s plays.

I have tickets for Uncle Vanya in June. As a play it leaves me cold but the cast is intriguing.

Remember “the wonder years” episode featuring their school production of Our Town? As a gayling viewer, I was quite moved.

I'll defend Spalding Gray's Stage Manager to my dying breath.

R564, I think sometimes people mean different things when they say a performer is "miscast" in a role. Often they mean miscast in terms of physical type or age, but sometimes they mean miscast in the sense that the actor isn't right for the role because they don't have the ability to play it properly -- for example, a very subtle actor would be miscast as Margo Channing in APPLAUSE, while an actor who can't play subtlety would be miscast as Mary Tyrone in LONG DAY'S JOURNEY and many other roles.

Oh dear

Fuck the Murdoch Sun and fuck you, R570.

That Our Town at the American Shakespeare Festival in Connecticut was outstanding. It was the first time I'd seen the play on stage, and I was a sobbing mess throughout Act III. I have a vivid memory of a large cluster of black umbrellas on that stage as seen from the mezzanine. Mulgrew was devastating. Michael Kahn really outdid himself with that, with Winter's Tale, and with Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. And Fred Gwynne was just about perfect in all three.

I love "Our Town." Always have, always will.

I believe they COULDN’T care less r557

What do you mean about the crew?

R570 she is completely overrated tbh

Big Wainwright fan though

There is no trick r515

Equity allows more than 8 shows a few times a year during holiday weeks. Wicked has done 16 shows in a row on tour and were not required by the union to swing anyone on or put on understudies.

Sheridan Smith blew it several years ago. She won't be back.

The standbys for Elphaba and Glinda are on at least once a week if not more.

John Cullum and wife dish on Madeline Kahn.

John Cullum's wife Emily just died a couple of weeks ago.

[quote]I'll defend Spalding Gray's Stage Manager to my dying breath.

Didn't you already drown?

r578 yes they are but they are not scheduled to be on regularly. The witches just call out.

I'll just leave this here: Follies opened today (April 4) on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1971.

[quote]Follies opened today (April 4) on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1971.

Whew!

I’m hearing at Cabaret they are putting a sticker over everyone’s camera phone. Please DLers confirm if this is true. That’s like literal rape.

R585. That explains why no curtain call videos have popped up yet.

That was done when it opened in London too.

There is a bootleg available from the London production anyhow r585

r570 How exactly would an investor close the show? Once they've given their money to the producer do investors actually have any say about anything? And "serving notice on the theatre"? What? I'm guessing these must be first time investors who are about to find out their money doesn't make them producers.

[quote]Follies opened today (April 4) on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1971.

It seems like only yesterday.

Why wasn’t Oh Mary nominated for the Lortel? It’s even PLAYING at the Lortel.

MARY!

R574 R585-By the crew, I mean the security guards outside, the "ushers" inside, and people who were hired to assist patrons. They don't.

Yes, they put stickers on your phones, but it's so half-hearted, they fall off by themselves. I saw people taking pictures from the tables.

[quote]R565 I hate Thornton Wilder’s plays.

Is there a reason?

Are you a gdamn COMMIE RED??

Pretty sure the Lortels are for last year's shows, right?

For some reason I was reading a review of the 2022 MACBETH… and this made me laugh:

[quote]Many of the actors portray two or three roles, there are few clearly articulated scene changes. In a note on the production, the two dramaturgs write that this “simplicity and flexibility…enables a high level of imaginative participation” – which I took to mean, you’re on your own.

According to a crew friend JLo shot “Where You Are” today at a soundstage in NJ for Kiss of the Spider Woman.

So...it's on.

Yes, I had heard from someone involved that SPIDER WOMAN is shooting this week in Jersey.

Spiderwoman has been casting background for the past month or so. No news on the rest of the cast?