Theatre Gossip #318 - Anna Kendrick still cutting her baby teeth on movie musicals edition

I assumed Anna Karenina, OP.

This should have been the William Ivey Long ‘s Career is in the Toilet thread. He’s been replaced on the Fosse/Verdon miniseries which will star Sam Rockwell and Michelle Wiliams.

No kidding? That's pretty good for starters.

Who is the most semen hungry of all Broadway?

R2, That may have been inevitable. WIL has very little film experience unless you count the Broadway Live shows. He has a lot of trouble with film unions and their rules

I just don't get Anna Kendrick. Never did.

She has a kind of chipmunk/gerbil quality that's just the opposite of sexy.

Her attractiveness is based on the fact she is small and busty but also relatable. Her persona and her approach to being an attractive actress is based on the fact that seduction and sexuality is really the last thing on her mind most of the time. She doesn't really look like a woman who wants you to fuck her deeply -- she looks like a woman who would kill for a slice of pizza. That works for a lot of people.

Sexy is over-rated as a requirement for an actress to be employable.

Thank you, r8!

She's excellent in the L5Y movie (in which Jeremy Jordan is totally miscast)

Disappointed that Anna Kendrick is the subject of this thread. Was that really the best this OP could do?

There was once a time when these threads were full of juicy gossip. Now they are full of Anna Kendrick? Get ahold of yourself, Datalounge!

R12 Give us gossip then

Andy Karl's big dick. That was gossip-worthy. Any verifications, or is it just the stuff of legend, like the audio tape of Betty Hutton in "Fade Out Fade In"?

It may be gossip worthy, but you need to provide the actual gossip.

The actual gossip is that someone referenced Andy Karl's nine-inch dick in the last thread. Now we are asking for receipts. Surely there's a dresser somewhere who knows the truth.

It's better than speculating about why Anna Kendrick deserted Broadway.

R16 Andys eyebrows are looking essex boy over plucked and very english metrosexual moron

Now we're talking, R17. Eyebrows.

What does this mean? Karen Olivo not going to Broadway? Or Aaron? Is it because it is the last performance or there is more?

karenolivo76I will be this sad on Sunday... 👋🏽 @aarontveit I’ll miss making music with you.

I mostly like Anna Kendrick, but she sure did stink up the Into the Woods movie (which had its own share of problems without her). She sang the score well enough, certainly, but I found her so boring and lacking humor in the role. I've seen actresses kill with some of Cinderella's lines (Laura Benanti was a revelation in the role - incredibly funny and easily the best part of that shitty revival), but I think her only genuinely funny moment is the expression she gives the Baker's wife when she and the Prince ride past her in their carriage and she thanks her for the shoe to make her baby.

I thought she was much better in The Last Five Years. I agree that Jeremy Jordan was incredibly miscast. Great voice, but he's always been bland in everything I've ever seen him in.

I agree with you, R20. She seemed very awkward and self-conscious in the ITW movie. If the movie hadn't been such a clunker in so many other ways, her performance might have been worth complaining about.

[quote]She has a kind of chipmunk/gerbil quality that's just the opposite of sexy.

Speak for yourself.

bravo, R22.

R19, it may just mean that the show was a huge hit in Boston (it was) and that they all loved doing it (they did, apparently) and she's going to miss it. I mean, the word is that it's not going to Broadway for almost a year (really stupid, if true), so she's not going to be making music with him for a while at least.

Anna Kendrick in Mame (unanswered, from the last thread)????

As what? Gooch's unborn babY?

Michael C looks sexy bald. Frankly he looks odd when he wear a wig (i.e. Peron in Evita).

There were no "mediocre" reviews for Pretty Woman (also stated in the last thread).

They were all dreadful pans.

except for Diane Snyder in the Telegraph who gave it 4 stars outta 5 .... UGH !

I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea to wait to bring Moulin Rouge to Broadway. It sounds like a very interesting project and it got some good reviews, and, perhaps, the producers think that taking a little time to tweak it could make it a massive hit. It's not as though it will lose momentum, because, since the tryout was out of town, it really doesn't seem to have any. Let's compare this to the similar decision the producers of Hamilton made. Everyone thought they were crazy to delay the opening, because it would miss the Tony deadline and lose momentum, but it all worked out fine in the end. I don't recall if they tweaked Hamilton, or if it was more just a question of schedules and timing and getting the right theater. So..dealing Moulin Rouge is not the worst thing that could happen to something that might just have a future. Plus, even if they might not be able to secure the two leads that far out, although both are excellent, they are not vital to the production.

Well done R22!!

Nikki Renee Daniels is leaving BOM on Sunday and is coy about what is next. Any ideas?

I thought the L5Y movie was fantastic... both Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan were perfection. Surely, you cannot discount the amiability and likeability he brought to what can be a very easy to dislike role... the same can be said for Anna/Cathy. I thought "The Schmuel Song" was the highlight of the film. Obviously, Jeremy's screen career is working out will given the lucrative SUPERGIRL gig, so casting agents must see something in him. He seems to want to focus primarily on theatre, though, especially since one assumes he has some fuck-you TV money banked after several years on SUPERGIRL. Kendrick's screen success is more surprising... it seems unlikely she will come crawling back to Broad-way anytime soon unless it's something epic. You never know, though.

[quote]There were no "mediocre" reviews for Pretty Woman (also stated in the last thread). They were all dreadful pans.

They were marginally better than the reviews for "Gettin' the Band Back Together." Even the apostrophe in its title was panned in the NYT.

The Chicago Tribune critic said that "Pretty Woman" is "great fun."

R32, it’s NEVER “casting agents,” only “casting directors.”

I wouldn't be surprised if the next time we got GYPSY on Broadway, it would be with someone like Anna. I just have a bad feeling.

As who? Caroline the Moo Cow?

Anderson Cooper *IS* milky white

[quote]Anderson Cooper *IS* milky white

Over my dead, bloated body!

Don't forget Jeremy Jordan on the Tangled TV series. (Random, yes, but apparently this musical number is supposed to be the best thing in Disney 2d animation right now.)

Kendrick, like Jason Robert Brown, is the very opposite of sexy, sophisticated or soignee.

I love when musical theatre actors get together for more attention from each other at events like "Miscast"! Such a hoot! Everyone trying to be the loudest in a conversation. Fun!

Kendrick is cute. A lot of people respond to that.

I loved Jordan’s rendition of “Let It Go” at Miscast.

He did a pretty good rendition of "She Used to be Mine" s well.

...as* well.

She is just a scrappy little bundle of talent. What's not to love?

Ken Fallin has no idea what he's doing. I much prefer Squigs' work.

Well look who joined IG:

God, he looks TERRIBLE

Gavin is one of those guys who's cute even when he's not trying.

He looks 50 there.

Anna Kendrick is cute if you like ants.

Gavin Creel has the type of face you forget hours after seeing him. Bland as hell. Is he Canadian?

My impression is that Pretty Woman got even worse reviews than Gettin' the Band Back Together (god, what an obnoxious title to type!).

Maybe it's because Pretty Woman has a somewhat tonier personnel and the reviews therefore seemed harsher and more condemning.

Pretty Woman was exceptionally and unrelentingly awful.

Any hot bulges!?

Gavin's from Ohio.

From what I've heard, R57, it still is!

I recall Gavin holding court in the men's room at the Opening Night party for "Hair". Seemed to have a lot of fans.

Um will someone start another bway sex thread?

Feel free, R62!

Fallin & Squigs aren't fit to sharpen Glen Hanson's pencils.

I love Susan Haskins. There I said it!

OMG, Gavin looks SO adorable ---- wouldn't it be fun to wake up next to him? And so polite and charming, as well - two qualities not exactly found in overabundance on this site LOL

Any London theatre gossip? I hear Vanessa Kirby keeps ducking out of her production of Miss Julie but no ones sure if it’s her love of partying or dislike of the production that’s to blame.

Word is that VK hates the "Julie" she is in and has wanted out almost from the beginning ---- and who can blame her? It's ghastly.

R43 nails it.

Wow Gavin must really be feeling the heat of aging and imminent unemployment to so transparently jump back onto Insta

His too young boyfriend must have influenced the Insta join. That’s what happens when you date children. How many more years do you think the relationship has before it crumbles? Place your bets!

My older coworker is the one pressuring me to join Instagram. Her teenagers are on it so she wants friends on it, too. Pretty sure this is just a sign that old people are invading the platform so kids will need to find something else now.

John Glines has died.

Those of us of a certain age will recall when he became the first person to thank his same-sex lover (yes, he used that word) upon receiving a Tony award. In 1983, that was a big deal.

Lawrence Lane, the man he thanked was not mentioned elsewhere in the obituary. Glines died in Bangkok and his surviving husband is listed as Chaowarat Chiewvej. Anybody know the inside story?

He was a pioneer in producing gay theater. Those of you who enjoyed the recent revival of TORCH SONG TRILOGY have John Glines to thank.

Glines died about two weeks ago. He'd lived in Thailand for some time. I was trying to reach him for an interview earlier this year and was unsuccessful.

Andy Karl: how many flops does he get before Broadway dumps him? Enough already.

Was watching some old show and came across Andy Karl's doppelganger. It bothered me that Andy reminded me of someone but I just couldn't quite place who. Comedian Jim Varney!

[quote] Andy Karl: how many flops does he get before Broadway dumps him? Enough already.

Except Pretty Woman is a hit.

Andy Karl needs his next new musical to have not been based on a popular movie. He seems to own that genre, and it's not really helping his career.

Let’s be honest here. Andy Karl is best when doing featured ensemble roles like he did in “Legally Blonde.”

I wonder if Andy should spend a few years (maybe even a decade) on the tours and regional circuit, then see if he can't make a bigger splash as an older gent.

R63, R62 has no money.

Let's see what I can do, r81!

R79 he is excellent in featured roles. “On the Twentieth Century” was his best for sure.

Agreed, R83. I think Andy Karl was pretty fantastic OTTC. He has a certain amount of inherent smarm and charm, and that role was perfect for him. I also thought he was good in Groundhog Day, although the play didn't need to be produced.

Andy Karl should do porn.

Gavin Creel should also do gay porn.

Ummmm. I saw Skintight. Idina was pretty awesome. Who knew?!

Gavin is presenting a preview of a new project next week, at Joe's Pub in NY. Going on Instagram provides an easy way to talk about it.

I have a feeling Gavin has done gay porn - somewhere at some point. Just a hunch.

Idina was just average in a role any competent stage actress could have played. Will Brittain was the real star of the piece.

his ass was the real star of the piece

Broadway and Screen Legend.......

****

MISS JULIE NEWMAR!!!

****

Gavin Creel is way too boring for porn.

R67 & R68, how many performances has Vanessa Kirby missed? I saw it early in the run - worst thing I’ve seen on a stage in about 10 years! It was FUCKING AWFUL. She must be mortified that they’re broadcasting it via NT Live in a few weeks.

Of course, The Gen-Z and late millennial crowd love it because they don’t know any better. It made me think of the missing link between all of those talented theatre artists who died of AIDS and weren’t able to pass on to future generations how to actually make theatre. Now directors just rely on sound effects to indicate to the audience that they think they’ve created something edgy or whatever. It’s ridiculous that the young writer who adapted Julie (from the Strindberg) thinks she’s written a play about race - simply because the cast some black actor as the chauffeur who committed himself to spending a lot of time at the gym.

Theatre audiences died too, and weren't able to pass on to future generations how to appreciate theatre.

Miss Meryl as Miss Julie

I'm so sick of theater "artists".

Went to an AWFUL play last night and there was a party of 4 theater "artists" sitting in the front row. (At least one actor (male/gay as fuck) and a director who sometimes acts (female) and a couple other arty types.) These are all young, "theater artists of color" and big social justice warriors....you know, the type that will cast a black genderqueer male 24 year old deaf actor in a wheelchair as Rose in "Gypsy" because diversity is more important than a well cast, well acted production. Anyway, the actor, who is not a good actor, started guffawing out loud in a very theatrical manner during a not particularly funny scene in the play we were viewing. Several people turned to look at the guy with the over the top response. Not sure if the actor in the audience KNEW the actors on stage, but the response really made no sense...the scene was mildly funny (no one else really laughed; a titter or two at best) but not a "OH MY GAWD THAT IS SO HILARIOUS!" kind of moment.

That happened a couple times more during the night and the director/actor chick did it a couple times too. REALLY big responses to moments not worthy of them...shrieks of laughter and thigh slapping. I'm sure if confronted, they would get huffy and state, "You're just racist against colored audiences and their natural 'big' responses they have as audience members!" but their responses weren't African American in nature but hammy, narcissistic actory type responses that said "Hey, Look at ME! This moment is about ME having a big response!" Like idiots at funerals who aren't even close family members of the deceased who have ridiculously contrived nervous breakdowns and need lots of attention...while the widow or mother of the deceased is quietly weeping in the corner.

Oh, and there was also excessive crying from last night's hams in the audience. The director/actor chick was having a HUGE emotional breakdown over the ending of the awful play; she was sobbing with tears streaming down her face while being comforted by other people in her group. (Oh, and this theatrical party of four were the only audience members to give this turgid production a standing ovation.) I really wanted to slap all of them but also wondered if all the actors ON STAGE appreciated the over the top theatrics from that corner of the house; it was distracting for the audience so it must have been distracting for them, too. (It wasn't a huge space.)

And, not surprisingly, the hammy audience members also tend to give hammy bad performances when they're actually onstage.

Who are Broadway’s Best Cocksuckers?

Thank you, r97, for that astute (and no doubt absolutely truthful) chronicle of your experience. The sheer narcissism and hypocrisy of today's "artistes" beggars belief. Sir Laurence was a shrinking violet in comparison.

r97, why not just name the damn play you saw?

Agree/w you R97 ... and the above. Grow a pair and name names. Jesus!

R97 is what’s wrong with DL - vague posing without names.

I appreciate Idina taking career risks. She could coast on Frozen and Glee fame to do shitty musical revivals and shmaltzy tv guest spots, but she always returns to original off broadway work.

Unlike a certain blonde co-star who literally does the complete opposite of what I just said

Best friend a Sondheimite, dragged me to "Into The Woods" with the original cast opening week, then the revival, never was impressed. Then he dragged me to the Ziegfeld Theatre for the movie and I loved every frame. Loved Kendrick too.

R104 Of course you did Meryl

The movie was an abomination. Sondheim claims to have loved it, but I don't know how that's possible.

I don't get the hate for the ITW movie, either. I thought it was certainly the best Sondheim movie to-date, and a fine movie on its own merits. Why do people hate it? Is it just the people who hate everything?

Of course, I enjoyed The Producers movie musical, too, but more as a record of the original cast than as a piece of film art.

Idina immediately followed up her long WICKED stint with a very risque and difficult role (well, actually, three roles) in Michael John LaChiusa's SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE for a limited run at the Public. Her best work to date, actually. Fearless performance and a performer worth more credit than she gets since it seems everything she touches turns to gold and/or she's really, really lucky. Haters will hate.

Best Sondheim movie to date is a low bar. What bothered me, for starters, was that the score was decimated--including the 5-note bean motif, which repeats throughout the show and served as a little "clue" to characters and certain actions and appeared in several of the songs, as a vamp or underscoring. It was a smart, clever and fun element of the score, and it was a shame to lose it. I don't know why Sondheim allowed it. I don't know what bothers other people.

Good Christ, R107- you liked the film versions of ITW AND The Producers?? Fuck, just kill yourself right now. You seriously have the worst taste in the world.

There is no excuse for cutting "No More." It is a fantastic number. "No More" and "No One is Alone" are the best combination of back to back songs in a show.

Shut up.....

Absolutely, R111.

[quote] "No More" and "No One is Alone" are the best combination of back to back songs in a show.

Ever?

I might vote for "ever."

Better than the stretch of "Maria," "Tonight," "America," and "Cool" in West Side Story? "Mister Snow," and "If I Loved You" in Carousel? "Doin' What Comes Naturally," "The Girl That I Marry," "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun," "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "They Say It's Wonderful" in Annie Get Your Gun?

R116 Yes better

There are no fantastic numbers in ITW. And I liked NO ONE IS ALONE better as THE CANDY MAN.

I'll be glad to make room for Mister Snow and If I Loved You. The rest are fine but not as fine.

[quote]Who are Broadway’s Best Cocksuckers?

Angela Lansbury

Yes, ever, and, yes, R116, better than all of those. "Cool," "Mister Snow," and everything in Annie Get Your Gun are all underwhelming.

I don't even think they are the best back to back songs in a Sondheim show, let alone ever. But you know, knock yourselves out.

[quote]I don't get the hate for the ITW movie, either. I thought it was certainly the best Sondheim movie to-date, and a fine movie on its own merits. Why do people hate it? Is it just the people who hate everything?

To Sondheimites only the original live productions are worthy. They've listened to the original cast albums for forty years and even have the scratches memorized. No one anywhere can do it better than the originals. EVER.

Idina was amazing in SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE.

Better than the back-to-back hits “Poontang,” “Come in My Mouth” and “The Cunnilingus Champion of Company C” in Let My People Come?

Christ on a cracker! Heating a movie because of a five note leitmotif that no one even notices? R107 proved right: it’s only people who hate everything!

The Producers movie was stagey but perfectly enjoyable. Into the Woods was a good film and sounded gorgeous in the theater.

Looks like a fun job

I thought the movie version of Into The Woods was a lot better than the version of Sweeney.

For sure. At least the cast of ITW could sing!

Oh god, Sweeney Todd was a fucking piece of shit.

Yes, hating the movie because of an absent five note leitmotif is a bit much. Personally, I didn't really like the movie either, but that was mainly because it was rather humorless. Or, at least, the humor of the stage production didn't translate to film. So, consequently, the more somber moments weren't nearly as impactful.

There is a commercial video release of the original ITW stage show, right? The movie is a slightly different take. I didn't even notice "No More" was missing because unlike some savant, I haven't memorized the score + it was already at the 2.5 hour mark at that point. Don't people generally hate the second act of the stage show becomes of how ballad-heavy it is? Whatever cuts they made still got the point across. Only the slavishly devoted would really not be able to accept the changes that made the property a better film.

R132 And yet, the film was totally shit

No, R132, people do not at all generally hate the second act of the stage show of ITW. It's the entire point of the show. The fun first act is all a set up for the real story about loss in the second act. It is fantastic theater.

I have read that very assertion about Act 2 being terrible here on DL. Looking at the movie reviews, that seems to be what most critics took issue with...the darker turn and slower pace of the last part of the film (overall it was well-reviewed and did good box office--not a flop).

I liked it. I like the stage show. I can understand that they're different mediums, though, and not get caught up on a missing song or re-working of a few characters. Just the lushness of the music combined with the stunning visuals was worth the price of admission. I was expecting more changes, honestly, but they seemed to trust the underlying material with a few choice revisions.

R103

One does sometimes get the feeling that the one true regret in Kristin Chenoweth's life is that the Lawrence Welk Show is no longer a thing. But I don't think it is fair to condemn her for her Hee-Haw/Lawrence Welk aesthetic. It is so cringeworthy that it carries its own risks and should count as edgy.

But, yeah R108, Idina's repeated return to tiny off broadway audiences to try something she probably wont be great at deserves some appreciation.

I have never understood Idina's appeal. She's ugly as sin. I mean, hard to look at, U-G-L-Y. Limited acting talent. She could scream for awhile but how many times did she fuck up that Disney song live on air to have people collectively shrug? The way she gasps for breath when singing is just evidence of her bad technique, and I'm betting she is desperately hoping for some sort of acting hit so she doesn't have to demo her ragged voice anymore.

Idina singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" to Barbra Streisand:

Including No More in the movie would have meant keeping the character of the mysterious man (all but deleted), and that would have meant giving the movie a whole other metaphysical layer that probably wouldn't have worked. At the very least, the added business would have made an already long movie even longer. Of course, this character didn't have to be the mysterious man, just the baker's father, but that would have been even worse. We had seen none of him except for a brief shot in darkness, and now here he is singing a duet with his son. Their exchange would have been empty.

R137

Sin is popular around here ugly or not.

My favorite part of the Idina Don’t Rain On My Parade is Barbra’s reaction.

She’s warm to Beyoncé...a huge star that’s not competition.

But Idina is something of a reminder of her younger self.

So her reaction is...bemusement mixed with resentment and all in a controlled television closeup.

I think she's trying not to frown knowing that cameras are trained on her. She has exactly nothing to resent re: that decidedly underwhelming performance, unless she's resentful that the producers would serve such shit-on-a-shingle as a "tribute" to her career. Yet another example of Idina stinking on a national broadcast. People in the Youtube comments are saying that Lea Michele does a better version, which is just embarrassing.

Here's Lea's:

I think Lea's fans are remembering the Glee version, which of course could be edited. That Tony performance was her "audition" for a full production and poor girl blew her chance in front of the entire industry. Notice that she's not been cast as a lead in anything on stage since Glee left the airwaves.

I've always got the vibe that she thinks she's better than Broadway ever since she migrated over to television. It also seems like most of the Broadway community's not that interested in her.

Lea is great. She was a Broadway baby with one hit show as a teen followed by TV stardom. So far she has managed not to die or get arrested - which is also huge considering her hit TV show was Glee. People clearly hate her for her role in Glee -- so I'm glad I only watched occasional clips of the show.

I love R141's description of Babs. Resentment.

Time for Andy K, starring in his own private gun show...

On the Twentieth Century. It's a shame he's all suited up in Pretty Women.

Sigh....

What gym does Andy work out at?

Anyone?

Gracious!

R150 The gym of over plucked eyebrows?

Maybe this topic's been discussed before, but I was inspired by Kiss Me, Kate's return. What other musicals that haven't been done to death (so no Gypsy or Fiddler) would you like to see as future revivals?

r153 Whistle Down the Wind! Roberta! Roar of the Greasepaint the Smell of the Crowd! The Grass Harp!

And of course, Bajour!

There used to be a troll here who would christen and end every thread with exclamations of long unproduced musicals. His favorite to shout was Pippen, but then Diane Paulus went and redid it. Along with the Karen Z troll, he is often missed.

TITANIC!

BRIGADOON! (a proper revival, not a one-off)

BARNUM!

r155 Maybe they could do Titanic on a floating barge in the East river and sink it every night. Last cast member standing without tetanus wins.

Brigadoon would be a great idea if you needed a fast way to lose a lot of money. That show is the very definition of a slog.

LADY IN THE DARK!

MACK AND MABEL!

FLORA THE RED MENACE!

For the love of gay music theatre Jesus.....

COCO!

We need more sex stuff on here! Who's boning whom? Which musical has the hottest backstage activity? (Hello, Dolly! with Bette cheering from the sidelines??)

The only one of those that might stand a chance of a revival is Brigadoon. It was certainly popular at City Center last year.

Coco is total shit. TOTAL.

[quote]Including No More in the movie would have meant keeping the character of the mysterious man

Why? Who's to say they couldn't have reconceptualized it and had other characters sing it, or the Baker sing it with someone else.

I love Sondheim. I love the original production of Into the Woods. I do not understand the reverence that some have for 'No More'. Of all the 'important' numbers in that show, it is, by far, the weakest and dullest.

r161 Which characters might those be? I think the full impact of No More relies on the revelation that the mysterious man is the baker’s father. To have the song assigned to other characters or to the baker and some other character would seem unnecessarily convoluted business just to be able to retain the song.

[quote] I think the full impact of No More relies on the revelation that the mysterious man is the baker’s father.

In the stage script, that revelation happens about three quarters of the way through Act 1, when the Witch says to the Baker, "Meet your father!"

And in the movie, there is no such revelation at any point in the script. Hence, the superfluousness of No More.

R97, I see that all the time in the audience—obvious theatre people over-emoting in the during shitty performances on stage. It’s a combination of supporting their on stage colleagues and wanting to audiences to look at them instead of what’s on stage. ME ME ME!!’

The reason the ITW movie is just okay is because the musical is just okay. It makes for a nice day at the theatre but to go on and on about what a supposed miracle it is is nuts.

Have attractive-bodied Broadway couple Collin Baja and William Dixon Popp terminated their marriage?

(More gossip, less ITW analysis!)

R160, please see R161. R166, the absence of that very significant revelation (and consequently the absence of "No More") is one of the shortcomings of the movie. Along with the missing bean leitmotif, which unifies the score. However, Sondheim says he loves it, and loves Rob Marshall, so......

Oh, and the Sweeney Todd movie was execrable.

MAGGIE FLYNN!

Donnybrook!

Cast MAME!

I’m just glad we got a full-orchestra instrumental version of No More as the underscoring for that scene, along with the Ever After that was used in the movie, and Stay With Me and Last Midnight, which were not.

None of the sung songs in the movie hold a candle to the versions on the OBC. I listen to those four instrumental songs far more often than I listen to anything else from the movie soundtrack.

I love the OBC and haven't listened to the movie soundtrack since the day I uploaded it--and listened then mostly to hear the new (cut) song for Streep. (btw, the first 5 notes of Stay With Me are the bean motif).

The cut song wasn’t released on the soundtrack.

It was an extra on the dvd, however.

Whatever, it ended up in my playlist. Thanks.

r174 I rather like the soundtrack version of Stay with Me. And I don't care who actually sang it.

Are you referring to “She’ll Be Back” as the cut song?

thank you r127. he looks like he smell good. and his shoulders when he's walking back onstage. Yum.

If you want to talk theater gossip, you'll just have to wait for the Sondheim dilettantes to dissect every piece of music he ever wrote. It makes them feel smart and sophisticated.

[quote]None of the sung songs in the movie hold a candle to the versions on the OBC.

'No One Is Alone" is way better than the OBC.

movie...

OBC...

Or maybe we just enjoy it, R181. If you have any gossip, we're all too happy to be distracted, but we're not responsible for entertaining you if you come to this thread with nothing to offer.

R153, THE SECRET GARDEN, CANDIDE, CITY OF ANGELS

"attractive-bodied", good one, R169!

Whatever happened to Bobby Steggert?

Hope he doesn't age into a porky social worker …. or another character actor.

The only No More is from Golden Boy and on the obc it is spectacular.

Always Mademoiselle as caught on the Tonys is magnificent. Previn's music, Kay's arrangements, Beaton's costumes and Bennett's staging show a beauty and exciting professionalism long gone from the Broadway stage.

For those who saw Kline(one of the funniest performances I've seen) in Twentieth Century and then Karl did Andy even come close? I couldn't go. While not a great musical Prince's production was one of the great musical comedy productions I've seen. I second acted it a lot. I can't imagine anybody today coming up with that brilliant chase scene.

[quote]Along with the Karen Z troll, he is often missed.

I’ll give you Karen Ziemba, but the person who pollutes threads with old show names is never missed. It’s usually the Poppins Loon filling up the thread so people will go to the next one he’s created

Would Coco have had a longer run with a different lead? I didn't see it, but the music is beautiful and lush (not much variety, but you can't have everything), and in the stills the costumes look glorious.

As a Broadway fan, I am loving these discussions lately. Have a question for any insiders or people who might actually have a connection to Broadway: A while back I heard a podcast with a guest casting agent who said something about casting that absolutely shocked me.

He said that it isn't uncommon for the person who gives the best audition to not get the job. He also said that just getting an audition for a Broadway play is a very inolved and difficult process. I remember he did say it was easier to get an audition for chorus part in a musical but that to get an audtion for a play was not an easy thing. Even with an agent and with decent credits. Maybe C-List actor or someone can explain why getting an audition is so difficult and why the best audition doesn't always get the job?

I'm just speculating here, R190, but maybe it has to do with directors and god complexes? It might be frustrating to feel there's nothing to create.

[quote] Would Coco have had a longer run with a different lead?

It didn't.

French actress Danielle Darrieux stepped in when Hepburn left the show in August, 1970 and it closed 8 weeks later

"Moulin Rouge" closes tonight in Boston. No news about transfer to NYC, opening.....come on, someone has to spill the beans.

Well, so much for that theory, R192.

Maybe we'll get an announcement this week on Moulin Rouge?

Coco as source material doesn't even sound terribly exciting. Does the musical even mention her connections to the Nazi party? I don't think those were uncovered until this decade.

The USP for Coco was seeing Katharine Hepburn in a musical. The score's grown on me, particularly the music during the fashion show finale, but I can't pretend it's a show that's stood the test of time. OTOH, some poster said they kept suggesting that Encores! cast Dixie Carter in a run. THAT I would have loved to see.

This discussion of CoCo reminded me of some amusing gossip on Katherine Hepburn during the Broadway run. She had a Lupone like habit of yelling at the audience.

Check out posts #384 and #385 on "The Nastiest Person on Broadway Part 2" for the details. In fact all the posts in that thread are worth reading.

LINK BELOWN

SUGAR!

TAKE ME ALONG!

ANGEL!

R190, it has a lot to do with profile. Producers want names. Back in the ‘90s, if you’d been on a soap opera or Saved By The Bell, you were considered a name.

Also, making the above the title talent look better or even giving them say in casting. And then also, connections. For instance, if you’re Phyllicia Rashad’s daughter, you probably grew up around show folk, same as Gwyneth Paltrow. Also, actors who have aunts who are casting directors, will inevitably get a big break.

Lens Dunham is COCO!

The millennials will eat it up.

Someone mentioned Grass Harp above which made me want to listen to this.

One of the longest-running shows (1920 performances) that's never been revived (and probably never will be): "The Magic Show."

To reply to the question upthread about why someone who auditions the best doesn't get the part...This might not be the best analogy, but might offer some insight. I used to be a professional songwriter, and a good friend was a song plugger at Universal, which is the person, essentially, who signs writers and gets their songs recorded. it is very very very difficult to get a songwriting contract, and he would often not sign the best writer. His thought was that he would rather hire someone who had room to learn and grow, so he could be more involved in the process. Signing someone who was already the best held no interest for him. So, perhaps directors would prefer an actor who was putty and less formed -- but still capable of a great performance -- than an actor who already knew everything on the day the audition?

I think even the millennials have gone off Lena Dunham. She is the worst.

[quote]Maybe we'll get an announcement this week on Moulin Rouge?

The Imperial is free September 16........

And sometimes, the person who gives the best audition doesn't get the part because the person who gives the best audition is batshit crazy or very difficult or has a reputation for giving great auditions but then not giving good performances.

Some people know how to nail their 16 bars and nothing else. It's a small community; people talk.

I think the revival of Dreamgirls will get the Imperial.

r190, I work in casting. To your questions:

[quote] He said that it isn't uncommon for the person who gives the best audition to not get the job

When you are casting a play you are casting several discrete pieces that comprise a whole. Someone can come in and do a fantastic audition and not book the job because something about them physically or in essence doesn't fit with existing decisions that have already been made. Recently, I had a situation where the role was too small and the person who gave "the best" audition was simply too strong and made such an impact that it throws the production out of balance because they ran the risk of upstaging the other performances, just through sheer presence and talent. See what I am saying? It would have been like wearing a beautiful bridesmaid wearing a bright red designer gown while the other bridesmaids and bride were all on the same page. Make no mistake, that individual (whom I have known for years) went to the top of my list to bring back for other suitable projects. What it comes down to is telling the story: Does casting this person tell the story the way the creatives envision it: Sometimes the person who gives the strongest audition does not move forward for that reason. Sometimes members of the creative team disagree and to avoid tension, the person doesn't move forward to keep peace.. there are lots of reasons. However, casting directors notice a great audition and it will get you back in the room which is all actors should worry about. Sometimes its literally a coin flip as to who books.

Secondly, Casting directors (note we are not agents) have clients we have to please and manage the expectations of just like every business. Broadway casting is often about economics. Even non- profit Broadway casting. The economics of having a name on your list come into play. Some directors will choose someone they have worked with before over someone they haven't just a policy. I will say it again, all actors need to worry about is doing their best work for the casting director who will bring them back, the other stuff is out of your hands.

[quote] He also said that just getting an audition for a Broadway play is a very inolved and difficult process. I remember he did say it was easier to get an audition for chorus part in a musical but that to get an audtion for a play was not an easy thing. Even with an agent and with decent credits.

Time . We get thousands of submissions for everything (from agents and managers) We go through those and bring in the people we are most confident fit the parameters of the discussions we have had with director/producers. Of course, we think all these people are fine actors but they are also "right" I don't bring everyone I love in for everything. Some directors like to see surprise choices, some don't. its a case by case basis.

[quote] So, perhaps directors would prefer an actor who was putty and less formed -- but still capable of a great performance -- than an actor who already knew everything on the day the audition?

No, not really. Because of short reheasal processes and sometimes lack of imagination they want the opening night performance on the first audition despite what they say. They need to know you will get there on your own as much as possible. Directors have lots of responsibillty on a production and coaching cannot be one of them.

Timing and luck play a role. Getting an audition and doing well can do as much for your career as doing a role sometimes. Actors need to understand the process: focus on booking the room, not the job.

Thanks for the insight, R212.

Also, most casting directors in New York are failed actors. They don't suddenly have an eye for talent because they thought THEY had talent, too.

[quote] Thanks for the insight, [R212]

You are welcome. It is difficult to explain casting to someone IN the business, let alone outside the business but I try.

Waking up a little, I think I can answer r190 a little more lucidly.

To sum it up sometimes the best actor and the best actor for a specific job are not the same person. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. But a good audition is never wasted. EVER.

[quote] And sometimes, the person who gives the best audition doesn't get the part because the person who gives the best audition is batshit crazy or very difficult or has a reputation for giving great auditions but then not giving good performances.Some people know how to nail their 16 bars and nothing else. It's a small community; people talk.

Not really true. If I know someone auditions well but lacks the technique to repeat it or move into a full performance, I will not bring that person in. The last thing you want is for a director to fall in love with someone you know is a nightmare. There are also levels and types of crazy. Some crazy is ok, some isn't. Everyone has baggage just make sure yours doesn't outmatch your standing in the business and the amount of reward employing you brings.

[quote] Also, most casting directors in New York are failed actors. They don't suddenly have an eye for talent because they thought THEY had talent, too.

Several of us started as actors or directors or just wanting to be in the business and realized we didn't have tat specific talent but I have yet to hear a casting director with that background regret their life choices. Many casting directors who are very successful were never actors or any kind of performer. We all love actors, thats what we have in common. Hopefully, if you are mad at us a group reading my posts will put something in perspective.

That nastiest person on Broadway thread is juuuuicy.

which one is that r216?

R217 see R198.

Of all the movies that could be turned into musicals, I don't understand why they keep going for weird GenX nostalgia pieces. Why not take an old property and either make it a period piece or update it to modern day? Lover Come Back would make a great musical, its got better bones than How to Succeed (and I LOVE H2$). Pretty Woman doesn't have anything going for it other than name recognition. It'd be better off as a Carnival Cruise production.

I liked the Into the Woods movie well enough. It's easily the best of the Sondheim film adaptations ( a low bar, yes). I think the casting was pretty great and everyone could sing which is rare in a movie musical. My biggest issues were the lack of humor (look at Meryl's first entrance in the movie - a scene full of humor on stage, but she doesn't land a single laugh) and the deletion of Rapunzel's death. I heard it had something to do with Disney not wanting to kill off one of their princesses, but leaving her alive causes "Last Midnight" to make zero sense. I remember having to explain why the Witch was doing what she was doing for a friend who'd never seen the show. That's not a good sign.

As much as I love "No More", I do think it would have probably killed the pacing of the scene. I was genuinely surprised by what they were able to keep for a PG movie ( the stepsisters cutting their feet, the pigeons pecking out their eyes, the Prince seducing the Baker's wife, etc.)

Why does DL hate the film version of A Funny Thing?

London's Ethel....

r221 Because its practically not a musical, and it has none of the burlesque charm or rapid farce of the original. It's a triflingly fine Zero Mostel flick, sort of like an old Abbot/Costello film minus the other half. But its not a particularly good musical or adaptation.

Thanks, R223. I've never seen it and I was a tiny child when I saw the original (Mostel toward the end of his run.)

And because Richard Lester cannot direct a steady camera shot to save his life.

What was charming in Hard Days Night is headache inducing in ...Forum.

Now I'm tempted to watch it.

They are making musicals out of movies from the 80s and 90s because that’s where the money is. The people buying the tickets grew up in the 80s and 90s.

How is that The Deer Hunter adaptation coming along?

I'm still waiting for Koyaanisqatsi .... the Musical

Coukdn't be any more soporific than what's on Broadway right now

Despite the general lack of humor (with whimsy in place of it), it's hard to deny that "Agony" was absolutely hilarious and sensationally played by Chris Pine and (especially) Billy Magnussen. A classic movie musical moment... and the showstopper of the film, inventively staged. They were perfectly cast and made the very best of their roles, which can be very lackluster otherwise (looking at you, Gregg "White Paper" Edelman). Good on M for getting Billy the role (even though the promotional materials often neglected to even mention him in lieu of the plethora of major A-listers involved).

Who's M?

R232 must be new to DL.

OH, wait: never mind. I keep forgetting she was in the film.

She got him the part?

Isn't that always the case, R234?

Billy M through Meryl a mean fuck, and she got him the role as a thank you.

I insist on a "sensory bond" with at least one of my male co-stars on every project.

It's in my contract. And Don has been very supportive and understanding for decades now.

M saw Billy in VANYA AND SONYA AND MASHA AND SPIKE on Broadway and the rest is history. He was stupendous in the show, in and out of his clothes.

My family and I used to watch the film of Funny Thing on TV whenever it was on which was a lot when we were growing up. Clean burlesque.

Yeah it's a mess but they keep all the good songs, throw out all the Broadway filler songs of which there are quite a lot (like much of Bye Bye Birdie, oy), and Mostel, Gilford, Silvers and the brief shots of Keaton are all so wonderful I always enjoy it.

I understand Funny Thing got Sondheim his east side townhouse.

He says Gypsy got him the bank loan for the house. That makes more sense; he's been in it since 1960 and Forum was 1962.

What songs do you consider filler? Other than That Dirty Old Man, I think it's a solid score.

Coco? The "scene" fashion show finale with the red dresses and Ms. Hepburn walking side to side on stage was a joke. Moving staircases, yuck!

Bennett was the last great stager of Broadway musicals and if you have a problem with staircases moving or otherwise on a stage you should be banned from all theaters.

Who's her? WHO'S HER?

Director Richard Lester usually gets the blame for all the music cuts in the film of Funny Thing. That's a shame because that's the opposite of what happened.

The producers had made the decision to film the show as a non-musical when they asked Lester to direct. He was very hot in 1965, coming off the Beatles' films and The Knack. He was also the choice of Mostel. Lester was appalled at the decision to cut the songs (as was Mostel) and Lester refused the job unless he could use at least some of the score. The producers relented to get him to sign.

The Billy of the Philippines

Any inside info on the casting for the Dolly tour? How did Betty Lynn pull off getting that role? She's seemed to have been out of the loop for a long time.

I was pleasantly surprised by Buckley’s casting as well. Joy Behar turned down the tour, so I guess it was kinda anything goes casting wise

Will there ever be a film of Vanya and Sonya, etc.?

[r248] probably at some point. It got the good reviews. I’m surprised Sig couldn’t get it made, she’s still a name

Let's be honest, I would probably take Sig's role in a film. Chris Durang is my dearest of friends. Though David Hyde Pierce would surely remain. And, of course, my Billy Mmm.

Vanya movie? Meryl as the glamorous movie star with a hot young bf and Glennie as the dowdy, spinster sister of course.

Sean Young played Sig's role in a regional production a couple of years ago and got good reviews. After her latest news misunderstanding, she actually got signed for a new tv mini-series. Sean was very good at comedy in films like "Young Doctors in Love"; I'd love to see her comeback continue.

I have to ask -- is Vanya, etc. enjoyable beyond the fun of seeing a hunky young man in his underwear?

When Durang is good, he's very good indeed. On the other hand, I did see "Sex and Longing", and Dana Ivey had a few brilliant scenes and Jay Goede was in his underwear in that, looking lovely, but otherwise, yikes! "Vanya" is very good.

Great body on that guy in the VANYA clip, too bad about the idiotic tattoo. Why do actors do that? Sheer stupidity?

Such a trite play.

Chris Pine was definitely the highlight of the Into The Woods movie. I never knew he was such a musical theatre ham. I'd like to see him in more musical roles.

Chris got musical during his SNL episode. He also sang in Wet Hot American Summer.

Christopher Durang is 95% intolerable and 5% brilliant. He and David Ives both do absurdist camp-light humor, often with gay themes. While they have more imagination, they can manage neither the zip nor the pathos of peak Neil Simon.

Vanya is a (mostly) great show that was anchored by a decent enough Siggy and great DavidHPierece and BillyM performances. He also has some one acts that are small gems (his play Titanic goes... well... overboard, but it still has some really knockout moments). But if you've ever had to sit through Laughing Wild or Beyond Therapy you also know he's got a lot of tics that are at best amusing and at worst dreadful. His Tony Nom for History of American Film or whatever it was called was egregiously stupid.

Speaking of Anna K, whatever happened to the film version of Veronica's Room she was supposed to be starring in /maybe co producing? It's not a perfect play, but it is rather thrilling.

(I don't know how you could possibly market the movie though without giving away what its about)

I saw Chris Pine in an Irish play in LA a few years ago. The name's escaping me. Pretty hyper-violent dark comedy -- blood literally all over the stage. He was VERY good. Though, sitting in the second row, I was disappointed to discover how small he is -- with TINY, elfin feet -- maybe size 6. I guess that's true of a lot of film actors.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore, r261. And OMG, that final scene! I saw either the first or second preview and nobody knew what to expect. The audience reaction when the lights went up (after a very long total blackout) was quite extraordinary. Pine was quite competent, and had a certain charm that played well. I don't remember tiny feet, though, and I was only in the third row.

That's the one! Thanks, R262. Very entertaining production at the Mark Taper Forum. Interesting tidbit, the actor in this rather minor role opposite (and upside down from) Pine in that production is Alan Alda's nephew.

Didn't realize there was a new production in London right now with the lovely Aidan Turner

DEATHTRAP. Chris Pine, Billy and Glenn.

Anna Kendrick for the wife and G humbling to play the psychic part. Coukd be worse, ask Jonathan Groff.

R259 Sister Mary is perfection

[quote]Chris Pine was definitely the highlight of the Into The Woods movie. I never knew he was such a musical theatre ham. I'd like to see him in more musical roles.

Jake Gyllenhaal was originally cast but pulled out because it was a supporting role to do "Nightcrawler"

Wonder if that's why Gyllenhaal went to do Sunday in the Park.

He’s super tiny and has terrible skin R261, some of the worst in the business like Brad Pitt. It’s shocking in person. It’s why he frequently wears a beard these days. Ironically, with the magic of lighting and makeup, he comes off amazingly well on screen.

How can VANYA's original production be mentioned without naming Kristine Nielsen? She was brilliant and Tony-nominated. Alas, she's now using the sae bag of tricks, to diminishing effect.

R270

That is a wonderful story, then. With todays high def everything - bad skin is really hard to hide. It is great to know that he has such a good career with skin problems.

Why doesn't Meryl revisit this Durang role?

I think Chris Pine has the best chops out of all the current crop of Chrises. He can sing, has charm, can do comedy (which is a skill you either have or you don't and it can't be taught), and is a all around solid actor. I can see him aging into interesting character parts. The other Chrises...not so much.

If "The Bean Motif" isn't in the name of thread #319 I'm burning my collection of Playbills.

A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine for revival, please.

[quote] I'm burning my collection of Playbills.

Pics please.

CHARLEY AND ALGERNON!

r271, you obviously haven't seen much of Kristine Neilsen because she's been relying on those silly tics for decades now.

According to this site, Chris Pine is taller than 6’. I just saw a photo of him next to DL fave Jeremy Renner and Chris is at least 2” taller.

As a devoted Sondheim acolyte, it's always a thrill to go to a multiplex and see his shows on screen, sitting alongside a demographic that would be unlikely to go and see a staged production. So, I enjoyed the experience of ITW (and Sweeney) in a cinema, but haven't really managed to sit through either of them again, even though I bought copies of both films on DVD.

FWIW, the ITW film doesn't work and that's because of the crowd scenes. The stage version is a metaphor (insofar as all stage works are), whereas film - even fantasy films - belong in a world that is far more realistic. The characters in the stage version team up, forming an unlikely group to save the kingdom from an existential threat because there is - literally - no one else in this stage universe who can do it. They are ciphers, archetypes, whatever - but they're representational. The wold on stage contains no more characters than the ones we see. And importantly, they're the ones alive at the end. But the film showed us crowd scenes, and so the kingdom is populated with other people, and so there is no reason why an unlikely troupe would be left to the task of killing the giant. Some other people could have done it; but the score nor the narrative allows any room for the perspective or inclusion of any characters who are not part of the ensemble.

My complaint here isn't that the film is unbelievable, because for fuck's sake - it's a fairytale. But I thought the idiom of film made it hard for the narrative to sustain its own internal dramatic logic.

What is going into the Winter Garden ?

That's all well and good, r280, but the film of ITW is the ONLY production that has ever worked and proven to be actually entertaining.

FOLLIES, r281!!!

That's a really interesting pov, R280; I hadn't thought of it before but I think you're right. (But I still hate that they eliminated the bean motif).

That does make sense about the crowd scenes. You forget that there's a whole kingdom out there on stage. On film, it's hard to ignore. You'd think they'd at least pass some other survivors or wounded people from the surrounding areas in the second half of the film.

....

Supposedly Chris Evans is a musicals fan. In 15-20 years, it'd be interesting to see them as Frederik and the Count in a production of A Little Night Music.

But can Chris Evans sing? I know a lot of musical fans who can't sing a note (though, some think they can). He's certainly dashing enough for many roles. I can see him being wonderful as Joe in Sunset Boulevard. Same with Chris Pine. Honestly, I'd like to see either of them tackle Ben in Follies (see, we always end up back at Follies) when they're old enough. For one, it'd be nice to have a Ben that's worthy of Sally's obsession all those years. Ben should be smoking hot and he's rarely cast that way.

Fifteen to 20? They’re both 37. Cariou and Guittard were both 34 during the original Broadway production. (Yeah I looked it up.) Not that I’m clamouring for a new film version, with or without them.

They're definitely the right age for Night Music, but for Follies, they'd need another 10 years. Come to think of it, Night Music could use a new film version.

r278, since I went to college with Nielsen, I am more than aware of her style and her mannerisms. But I contend that they only really got irritating and set in stone around the time after VANYA. Pretty sure that's when a lot of critics turned on her.

" (see, we always end up back at Follies) "

What a dull marquee. They should have put a boot on it.

The bean motif wasn't even removed from the ITW film though. It's so ingrained in the score you'd have to chop most every song. Perhaps it wasn't in the underscoring as much, but it's still present in the accompaniments of "Giants in the Sky" and "No One is Alone," the melody of "Stat With Me," etc. It'd be like saying they removed the Dies Irae was from Sweeney Todd because they cut the ballads in the film. It's the basis of the entire score and cutting it would be far more effort than it's worth, if not impossible

True, but it's not introduced with the five beans, so you lose the idea that it's set up as a theme. If it's not important to you, that's cool. I thought it was a terrific part of the original score, and I missed it.

R274

I agree on Pine as the best hot young hollywood Chris. Mostly because he is the most traditionally versatile as an actor. I wouldn't mind seeing Chris Helmsworth(sp?) as Cinderella's Prince. Can he sing?

I actually don't completely hate the Sweeney Todd movie. I like that it was really gory and gross and the orchestrations are beautiful. I missed a few of the songs and poor Anthony and Johanna might as well be cameos. I think it came down to bad directing with Helena Bonham Carter. I know she's capable of being more broad and quirky and I believe Burton misdirected her to whisper every line and song. She seemed more alive in her 10 minutes in the Les Mis movie than she did in Sweeney.

I would have gone to Hawaii Kai instead.

For those of us who have never seen her on stage, could someone please describe some of these Nielsen tics? I’d like to decide if I hate her. Thanks!

Just hate her irrationally, R299. It's the DL way.

Picture Lypsinka doing Katharine Hepburn

[quote]DEATHTRAP. Chris Pine, Billy and Glenn.

Pine is too young. Needs someone late 40s or 50s-ish. And Glenn is certainly not right for Pine.

Love the idea of Billy, though. I saw the late David Carroll in that part at the Music Box. Little did I know he was actually gay in real life, too!

The SWEENEY movie was very adventurous at the time for a big studio and a major star to take on, with Burton finally fulfilling his decades-in-the-making dream. When was the last R-rated big budget movie musical? THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE 30 years prior? A lot of Burton's aesthetic and iconic style was majorly influenced by having seen the original London production multiple times, by his own admission. Sondheim was very adamant that it be pared down and worked closely with John Logan on all the cuts. Supposedly, he wanted it even leaner and more concise than what was finally released, as a matter of fact. He approved every cut, like it or not. I thought Sasha Baron Cohen was phenomenal and the true standout of the film. Depp acquitted himself remarkably well and it was tailor-made to his strengths, which ended up working out well. He's no George Hearn or Len Cariou, but he was at least adequate. I think had Toni Collette won the role of Mrs. Lovett it would be a solid A (the final two were TC and HBC, but the director's wife won out in the end). As it is, it's a solid B and on par with the ITW film as far as I'm concerned.

The only reason Coco ran as long as it did was because of Hepburn. Danielle Darrieux was wonderful in the part and could sing, but had nowhere near the star allure to keep it open after Hepburn.

The score is mediocre. A rewrite of the book would't fix that. "A Woman is How She Loves," which is a dreadful song, would have to be cut these days anyway.

I love the Sweeney movie and, fuck, I especially love HBC. I think she does a great job but have no idea why she felt she needed to give the same performance a few years later in the Les Miz film.

The Sweeney movie is flat-out better than the ITW movie because Sweeney is flat-out better than ITW.

Can we not talk about Ariel Stach'el and whether he is hung or not? Nothing else matters!

Well, if we're discussing penis sizes from "The Band's Visit," let's also add cute hottie Adam Kantor.

R302: As much as he is vilified, Kevin Spacey would be perfect for Sidney... especially opposite Billy M. The Simon Russell Beale (speaking of ITW...) revival with Jonathan Groff was not well received, but it's hard to believe they would ever be romantically involved. BTW, I suggested Glenn for the psychic role (Helga), not the wife. Anna Kendrick actually could be interesting in that role, I think... she has a neurotic, mannered quality that would work well for the piece. I wish it was revived more, it's a helluva lot of fun... thankfully, the movie is very faithful and entertaining (and not very dated, especially given the subject matter). The kiss must have been very controversial at the time, especially with Caine kissing shirtless Superman to reveal the twist. Does anyone remember what the reaction was like at the time?

Was Stach'el in Follies?

Ari'el Stachel - big feet and meaty hands. The odds are good, r307.

As the story goes, the reveal in Deathtrap was spoiled by a major magazine (Time or Newsweek) ahead of time. That cost the film quite a bit of business.

OMG, Stachel's feet are objects of worship in themselves -- be still my, um, heart .,...... ! EVen his apostrophe is sexy !!!!!!!

It's the MAGIC bean motif, not the bean motif!

Was there a kiss in the original stage version of Deathtrap? I can't imagine it was very sexy with John Wood (was that his name?) and even a young Victor Garber.

BEANS!!!

I saw Deathtrap in a movie theatre when it first came out and the kiss was met with laughs and tons of giggles. However, that was nothing compared to the kiss in the film Making Love a few years earlier which had people jumping out of their seats and running to the box office for refunds. I'm not kidding. If you saw what I saw you would realize how far we've actually come in terms of acceptance.

Keene Curtis was the best Albin/Zaza and I saw alot of them. Much better than blowsy Hearn. Peter Marshall was a sexless stick of wood. They toured together in La Cage for quite some time then took over the leads on broadway right before closing.

[quote]When was the last R-rated big budget movie musical? THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE 30 years prior?

"Phantom Of The Paradise" was rated PG. " South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut", "Rocky Horror Picture Show", " Dancer in the Dark" were R's

[quote]I saw Deathtrap in a movie theatre when it first came out and the kiss was met with laughs and tons of giggles. However, that was nothing compared to the kiss in the film Making Love a few years earlier which had people jumping out of their seats and running to the box office for refunds. I'm not kidding. If you saw what I saw you would realize how far we've actually come in terms of acceptance.

I concur, I was a theater manager and lots of people left every show, but for our theatre, no one, not one asked for a refund, nor would I have given one.

How was Van Johnson in La Cage?

I agree about Keene Curtis in LA CAGE. Helluva great guy too,

Gene Barry was anything but sexless, r318.

I was on the set of the "Deathtrap" movie when the kissing scene was shot. Two versions were filmed, one with the kiss and one without. I assumed the latter was intended for when it was shown on network television.

R 309

I saw Deathtrap in the theater too. It had been spoiled for me by Newsweek -- but to be honest I probably would NOT have bothered to see it if it had not been spoiled! It sounded like it would be a silly Murder She Wrote episode turned into a movie without some indication that there was more going on. The revelation that Reeve was playing a gay man without actually camping up his already prissy/pretty boy persona from the Superman films seemed surprisingly self aware and smart as an actor -- so it was seen as proof that he could 'really act.' There were laughs in the audience and lots of giggling/squirming behavior from the straight boys. And YES - straight boys went to see it! Superman was that big a deal.

R291. I was at Northwedtern with Nielse, though she was a few years ahead of me, so I mainly knew her as one of the luminaries of her class. I thought she was wonderful in Vanya (it would seem that Durang wrote it for her gifts) and perfectly fine in You Can't Take It With You. It's when she has a role like the one she had in Present Laughter (a show I enjoyed), one that is somewhat drab and workaday--any competent actress could have played it--that her style seems mannered or OTT--she does MORE than the role can support. But I can honestly say I am never bored by her.

Sorry for the typos--"Northwestern" and "Nielsen." Miss Heston would have my head for those!

[quote]The revelation that Reeve was playing a gay man without actually camping up his already prissy/pretty boy persona

R323 here. And yet I overheard a couple of the crew members on the set, who seemed to think Chris was playing the role too femme, talking about how he was in danger of hurting his career.

Nielsen was also awful, just awful, in the Shakespeare in the Park's MIDSUMMER.

I saw Nielsen for the first time in Vanya off-Broadway, and the telephone scene was a master class in acting. She should have been put in Featured for the Tonys, where she would have won easily.

Speaking of Keene Curtis, Robby Benson mentions in his autobiography that one of the stars of "The Rothschilds" came on to him backstage, asking to exchange blowjobs with him. He was 12 or 13 at the time. He identifies only as "a Tony-winning actor," but a page later praises Hal Linden as being a really wonderful man. So that leaves only Keene Curtis, doesn't it, as the predator?

[quote]As the story goes, the reveal in Deathtrap was spoiled by a major magazine (Time or Newsweek) ahead of time.

Well anyone who had seen the play already knew ...

Vania and Sonya et al was filmed for PBS, but I can't seem to find a working link. Does anyone have one? Thank you.

[quote] I saw Deathtrap in a movie theatre when it first came out and the kiss was met with laughs and tons of giggles. However, that was nothing compared to the kiss in the film Making Love a few years earlier

Making Love and Deathtrap came out within 6 weeks of one another.

Perhaps you're thinking of Pete's Dragon.

Speaking of giggles and Robby Benson, this scene got a lot of nervous titters from my sisters and the mostly teenage-girl audience I saw Ice Castles with. It was very, uh, gay-confirming.

I actually saw Betty Hutton in "Fade Out - Fade In", R14. I’d never heard of a pirate tape existing, but I’d buy one that came my way, if only to be reminded of just how awful she was. I’ve seen a lot of Broadway shows, but Hutton’s stunningly inept performance has yet to be equaled, although Madonna’s in “Speed the Plow” came close. At least Madonna didn’t have to read her every line from a script.

[quote]Well, if we're discussing penis sizes from "The Band's Visit," let's also add cute hottie Adam Kantor.

Let's throw in "Bandstand" and Corey Cott, and the entire cast of "The Boys in the Band."

[quote] We can skip "Gettin' the Band Back Together."

Speak for yourself. I'd like to see what Mitch Jarvis is packing.

I obviously haven't been paying attention. I had no idea Fantasia did The Color Purple. I thought After Midnight -- in which she sang exquisitely -- was her Broadway debut. This is a total stunner. Clearly she connected with the part. Had no idea she had this in her. Did anyone see her?

Oops. Sorry, here's the clip I was referring to in R338

Fantasia is a mess and it's never gonna happen for her. Next.

She was barely on and it became a total joke

R319, BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS was also R.

Isn’t the “Magic Bean” motif what Rapunzel is continuously heard singing throughout the film?

Gurl, please!

I played Vanya in a local production of Durang’s play. Such a fun show to do. I loved my fellow cast members.

FWIW, I thought Peter Marshall was a very winning Georges in La Cage. Great charisma, wonderful voice and a helluva nice guy offstage. He's still going strong at 92! Keene was a great, sensitive Albin/Zaza...though the comedy didn't come as effortlessly as it did with Hearn (as is evidenced in that clip). It's a shame Lee Roy Reams never got a chance to open before it closed (he was in rehearsals when they posted notice). His take on the 'La Cage Aux Folles' number (used for years in his act) is near definitive...

That was embarrassing , r345.

I agree about Nielson never being boring. And I've always loved her acting. In HIR at playwrights horizons several years ago she was pretty thrilling I thought. And way yes that she should have been nominated for supporting actress in VANYA. She was incredible. Also agreed her monologue in the 2nd act on the telephone was a masterclass, and completely different from everything else she'd been doing in the play up to that point. I am always glad to see her onstage.

Robby Benson hasn't gained pound since that underpants clip and he still has every hair on his head. Met a few years ago at the CHILLER autograph show in Jersey. Here's a pic someone took of him and Paige O'Hara, he was the Beast and she was Belle's voice.

[quote] She was barely on and it became a total joke

r341 she got a great review in the Times for Color Purple and play almost 7 months. she had a stretch during that when she missed a lot, had no training to handle the emotional toll of the role, but got it together and then did much of the tour too I think. She did 2 stints in Midnight, maybe four months and then another 5 weeks, and only missed one performance I heard. She's a kind hard-working young woman who was in over her head.

her review in Color Purple and she got great notice for Midnight too

Her performance in Color Purple was astounding. Completely changed the show for the better AND boosted the box office. It was being hailed in the same leagues as Reba in AGYG and Sandy in CHICAGO. Unfortunately, she had some attendance issues during the Broadway run because she lacked discipline. Had she opened the Doyle revival instead, she would be a Tony winner.

Kristen Nielsen was amazing in VANYA. She was submitted by the producers as featured but the Tony Administration committee put her into leading. As someone on the show, we are upset as the Tony for Featured would have been hers!

Yes, R342, that's one place it appears.

Ha hahahhahaha R279, not even close.

So how was Tony-winner La Chanze in the original "Color Purple"? It seems she's not talked about that much these days despite creating the role of Celie (and winning the Best Actress Tony for it).

Not talked about where, R355? Here?

I thought La Chanze was wonderful in it, and deserved the Tony. The show...not great...

I never miss a Julie Harris musical....

Btw, how do you address La Chanze? "La" or "Chanzie"?

"Take a Chanze on Me"?

That Lee Roy Reams clips was a major embarrassment. Jesus.

Speaking of Durang, anyone know anything about Pamela's First Musical which is being produced in NJ? Did he rewrite the book from Wasserstein or?

Durang has indeed done a brush-up final draft on the Wasserstein script of Pamela's First Musical.

I've read it and it's very.....twee and dated.

Has matinee Dolly been announced yet?

I, for one, thought Kristine Nielsen was dreadful in You Can't Take It With You.

Every line was followed by a facial twitch which seemed to project either "Aren't I eccentric?" or "I can't believe I have to say this line!"

Someone else was talking about how Ben in Follies is rarely cast as someone sexy. I'd say Brent Barrett was probably the sexiest Ben I've seen. I think this moment plays SO much better when you see the lust Sally and Ben had for one another. This might be my favorite version of the song. It's beautifully acted by both of them.

Yes, the actors are fine (and I love Sally's "surrender" posture!), but the tempo at the start is too slow for my taste, too staid....it nearly collapses under its own weight mid the first chorus. Where's the urgency, the desperation? Thankfully, it picks up. No doubt it was a choice, still.....

That was soap opera quality acting.

I'd say the same's true of Sally's singing. And the surrender.

Is that better than high school level, r367?

The HS kids aren't at all bad for HS kids.

At least David Merrick had good shows to promote. On a separate note, Mitch Jarvis is a nice guy and I feel bad for him that this is his next Broadway role after Rock of Ages.

I don't see the problem there (in the article in R371). The show was legitimately reviewed by the NYT in 2013 in their NJ production and little if anything has changed since then. If they wanted to be 100% transparent, they could have credited the reviewer's name, but they don't have to for it to be legit. She was writing for the NYT and the review appeared there. End of story.

I worked on a film that was reviewed during the NYFF by the New York Times and by a long time entertainment critic with the paper. He gave it a great review and it was on the front page of the Arts & Leisure section. The pull quote was used in many marketing campaigns. When the film was released theatrically, for some reason they assigned it to a third stringer NYT film reviewer who hated it. Why is his review any more legit that the review from the film festival? I would say it wasn't because who the fuck is he? And the producers continued to use the original positive NYT quote in their marketing material.

Sad to hear that Barbara Harris has died. Now SHE would have made a tremendous Dolly OR Mame.

R372 I get it. And it doesn't even matter. It's just desperate.

Harris could also have made a fabulous Rose, too.

Wasn't Harris attached to play Tessie Tura in the Bette Midler Gypsy and Midler bullied her out of her contract or something? Shit, she's the one who should have been playing Rose, not Tessie Tura. She really would have been a great Mame, too, and especially Dolly. I could have seen her as a damn near definitive Dolly. Such a shame she hadn't acted in 20 years.

And RIP Brian Murray!

Aretha Franklin, Brian Murray and Barbara Harris. That's quite a trifecta of talent.

Alas, we never got Harris' Sally Durant Plummer....

I always wanted her to play Miss Trixie in A Confederacy of Dunces.

Yes, R376, but she would have been a fantastic Tessie, too. If the Midler story is true, I wonder if it's because Harris had built such a reputation as unreliable and scattered. Or maybe she didn't want the competition. Midler's no actor.

Midler was an embarrassment in that Gypsy - playing every scene to the balcony with those Norma Desmond bug eyes and peaking too early with "Everything's Coming Up Roses". She should be ashamed of herself if she was the reason Harris quit.

Harris really would have been a brilliant Sally in Follies as well. So many great roles she never got to play. From what I've heard, though, she hated doing the same thing every single night, so she had a reputation for getting bored in shows. Some people are like that. They feel like they've done it and they can move on. It's still a shame she never got to do the great musical stage roles like Rose, Mame, Dolly, Sally, Mrs. Lovett, etc. I don't think there's even one of those that she wouldn't have nailed.

I was a huge Fantasia fan after she won AI.

At my performance of Color Purple, Fantasia left after the first act. Announcer said she was ill and she did look pale and sweaty during the first act. Unfortunately that ruined the show for me though the understudy was fine.

I also saw her in After Midnight and she was excellent. Her voice and style suited the material perfectly.

I'll let somebody else post Gorgeous. I'll post this...

I’m a fan of Fantasia, too, but I doubt she had the training or discipline to do eight shows a week of TCP, which strikes me as being a tough sing. They should have given her a half-week schedule to start like Miss Saigon did with Eva Whatshername when she opened the West End revival.

You know, I got bored with the theater, too.

Gregory Harrison was a lot hotter than Brent Barrett, let me tell you.

Alan Jay Lerner wrote the part of Daisy Gamble for Barbara Harris.

She moved to Scottsdale in the early 2000s and taught acting for a spell, saying the chances of her returning to the screen were slim.

"I don't miss it," she said. "I think the only thing that drew me to acting in the first place was the group of people I was working with: Ed Asner, Paul Sills, Mike Nichols, Elaine May," she said in the Phoenix New Times piece.

"And all I really wanted to do back then was rehearsal. I was in it for the process, and I really resented having to go out and do a performance for an audience, because the process stopped; it had to freeze and be the same every night. It wasn't as interesting," Harris said.

It's such a shame that so many brilliant theatre performers get bored with their roles. Barbara, Barbra Streisand, Madeline Kahn, etc. I can understand it, though. After so many performances, there's not much left to explore and you kinda feel like just going through the motions.

Weren't all those ladies rather neurotic? I don't think it was just boredom.

Barbara Harris' obit

I love the OCR of ON A CLEAR DAY. The movie is unwatchable

r381 Even more embarrassing was Midler at the Emmys the following year. You could tell she and the producers were going for a rousing opening number followed by a standing ovation. She ran frantically around the stage, all Norma Desmond bug eyes (your phrase, thanks). The applause was merely polite, as if they didn't quite know what hit them. She lost them at "Mama."

It's hard to believe TV Gypsy was nominated for a big bunch of Emmys (more than ten as I recall). It won only the obvious one, for music direction. Bette lost to some Scientologist.

^ "They" being the audience, sorry.

That is not what I'd call polite applause.

So glad I saw Harris in APPLE TREE. Like Kim Stanley and Julie Harris, most of her performance work will live mostly in legend.

"Weren't all those ladies rather neurotic? I don't think it was just boredom."

More like these ladies were/are excessively bright.

Christ, that clip just proves that Bette had no idea how to play Rose. The only thing better would have been if she'd given the audience a taste of her pre-song monologue right before. THAT'S easily one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life. And who opens an awards show with "Rose's Turn?" If done right, it's certainly a sour, bitter start to the evening. In Bette's hands, one feels absolutely nothing after watching it. Maybe Bette had it in her to be a great Rose (Arthur Laurents thought so and he was notoriously picky and bitchy about who could and couldn't play the role), but she wasn't directed right.

Bette's acting instincts have always been terrible and her performance as Rose proves it. Thank God for Jerry Zaks.

I really hate when people make fun of my headlines, so I'm reluctant to comment on this one, but...really? I cringe every time I open this thread. Kendrick was discussed for maybe five posts, and it was certainly not something that needed to be discussed any further. Why on earth is she in an opening post? I'm sorry, OP, because I know how awful it is when someone trashes your headline, but you failed on this one. Here's hoping the next time is the charm.

R395 Well, there is the OCR which alone shows how wonderful vocally and acting-wise she must have been, plus there is the video from the Tonys that year.

Also Barbara Harris made a lot of very good films as well.

She and Bruce Dern were an adorably sexy and quirky working class couple in The Family Plot. It's not much of a film except for their memorable performances.

Its kinda insane though that Midler lost the Emmy to Kirstie Alley of all people.

That would have been like Lupone losing in the last revival to Anne Heche or something

Or Bernadette Peters losing to Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray.

None of Harris's film work equals seeing her live.

If Vanya... was filmed for PBS it never aired. The thing I hate most about Midler's Gypsy is it killed the chances of Tyne and company recording the show for PBS. Now that was a production that should have been preserved (although there is a decent bootleg out there).

R403 I didn’t see all the nominated performances but it seemed like a tight year. Bette, Helen Mirren for one of the earlier (i.e., good) Prime Suspect instalments, plus two candidates for body-of-work Emmys, Jessica Tandy and Joanne Woodward. It looked like an upset four times over.

R397 It’s hard to believe they decided against the obvious choice, Everything’s Coming Up Roses. It’s more appropriate as an opening number for an awards show, better known than Rose’s Turn, and might have gotten the crowd on their feet.

Nobody posted this Broadway treasure?

[quote]Here's hoping the next time is the charm.

Hopefully for a different OP.

[quote]Or Bernadette Peters losing to Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray.

Nikki did the movie and was wonderful, Bernadette lost to Marissa Janet Winokur, whose career Now is just where it should be.

r411 It's Jaret. Marissa Jaret Winokur. I believe we last saw her in a "blink and she's gone" role on Smash. Or was that Nikki Blonsky? 😜

[quote] It’s hard to believe they decided against the obvious choice, Everything’s Coming Up Roses. It’s more appropriate as an opening number for an awards show, better known than Rose’s Turn, and might have gotten the crowd on their feet.

Angela Lansbury opened the Tony Awards with "Everything's Coming Up Roses" in 1989.

r413 A revival every five years seems appropriate.

Harris could have made a delightful Desiree, too.

Craig Zadan RIP

She'd have been a delicious Charlotte as well, r415.

Excuse me R412, I WON Celebrity Big Brother.

r418 It's Marissa. Marissa Jaret Winokur. Do I have to correct you of all people?

I think people believe Rose is an award worthy role by itself and that anyone cast in that role deserves it, but that's not always the case. Angela deserved it, Tyne deserved it, and LuPone deserved it. Hey, if you saw her live, Imelda deserved it, too. Midler was such a bizarre case. She seemed so perfect for the role on paper (much like Dolly) and failed so spectacularly (unlike Dolly). There are still moments here and there where she becomes Rose, but it mostly felt like a really bad drag performance. Maybe, like Faye in Mommie Dearest, she has an absent director to blame (since he was dying of AIDS at the time).

Craig Zadan is not well. Sad.

He's fine, he sends his love!

[quote] Craig Zadan RIP

Oh damn. He was only 69. His SONDHEIM & CO book was my go-to book for information on Sondheim info for years.

Complications from shoulder surgery? WTF? I wonder if it was like Joan Rivers, where he thought he was going in for a minor procedure and pfffffft

Condolences to his partner, Elwood Hopkins

Meanwhile, in non-binary theatre news....

Here's Meryl's little girl, Grace Gummer, in a Tracy Letts play.

Is she.... transitioning?

Grace Gummer looked fine to me when I saw her in the show. That is not a good photo.

And Tony Winning Director (for the amazing revival of "Mornings at Seven") Vivian Matelon died also today! That's 4! Harris, Murray, Zadan, and Matelon!

Wow.

Craig Zadan's death...damn.

Jesus! I was just insulting the Zadan-produced Gypsy. Don't smite me, Craig. Does this mean those once a year live musicals he helps produce are over now or will Merron keep the flame alive?

In Barbara's honor, maybe they'll do "The Apple Tree" live with Mylie Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Matthew Perry as the devil.

Interesting interview with the wonderful Charlotte d'Amboise

Matalon actually died last Wednesday. Loved his production of Mornings at Seven.

[quote] Maybe, like Faye in Mommie Dearest, she has an absent director to blame (since he was dying of AIDS at the time).

Faye hardly had an absent director. Frank Perry was an excellent actor's director and had worked with Faye before on the film Doc. Faye's performance in MD was alternately fantastic and over the top. Everyone (ESPECIALLY Dunaway herself) likes to Monday morning quarterback that film and performance and make excuses as to what went wrong so that the blame falls on someone else. The fact is there was a definite direction and tone and choice for that film and that performance. The problem was that when all the pieces were put together, it became camp. It can be difficult to see that unfolding during the day to day production, especially with several fingers in the pie, including Dunaway and her useless husband who got a producer credit. But Frank Perry was a terrific director who guided many actors to their best performances.

Emile Ardolino, on the other hand, was a fucking hack and was nowhere near strong enough or talented enough to tame Midler into giving a good performance as Rose. That whole movie was a piece of shit and it was his fault. Midler can be a really good actress but she must be directed and she must be forced to throw out the schtick and the laziness. It rarely happens, but when it does, she's wonderful. Ardolino had no idea how to work with actors.

Barbara Harris would have been a far better Rose than Midler could ever hope to possibly be.

Zaks could only do so much with Midler; she still wasn’t very good.

Zadan was not well-liked over the years. Shoulder surgery? Does anybody really die from...shoulder surgery?

I don't know about "well-liked" but Zadan sure lost his taste over the years. Those live TV musicals he produced all seemed so out of touch with the times.

Love that Charlotte d'Amboise interview (I listened to it at the gym today). She had some really nice things to say about Christina Applegate and her dedication to Sweet Charity.

Agreed, R436. I love her natural speaking voice. I've only seen her in Chicago and Pippin, two shows in which she spoke in a deliberately affected manner. Her natural speaking voice is beautiful -- she could get into v/o work and recording audio books.

Speaking of D'Amboise, how about those SPLITS!

[quote]Complications from shoulder surgery? WTF? I wonder if it was like Joan Rivers, where he thought he was going in for a minor procedure and pfffffft

Shoulder REPLACEMENT surgery. That’s a bit more complicated than just shoulder surgery.

Boy, all the talent assembled in that 1995 Company and it never amounted to much.

I heard more than once that Midler as Rose was brilliant in rehearsals, but got spooked when taping began and reverted to her easy shtick.

Let's give Charlotte d'Amboise a nod of approval for having a husband, Terrence Mann, with one of Broadway's biggest cocks.

Poor Boyd Gaines. Not well.

Every time Harris is mentioned, I think "Julie". Julie as Desiree. Julie as Charlotte...

Zadan my have got an infection in the hospital. Unfortunately, I have know two people in recent years who have died due to infections they received during replacement surgery (knee and hip).

There's no reference is Brian Murray's NYT obit to a significant other or family. What's the story?

I don't understand how one can die from complications after shoulder replacement surgery.Unless it was a really crappy hospital.

And it's usually considered relatively low-risk, R444.

Stroke during surgery? Happens.

R444 thinks Craig is living on a tropical island with Elvis and JFK, Jr.

R443, Murray was gay although back in his RSC days in the UK in the 60s he had affairs with both Vanessa Redgrave and Diana Rigg.

No more Luigi arms for him, r438!

[quote] Kristen Nielsen was amazing in VANYA. She was submitted by the producers as featured but the Tony Administration committee put her into leading. As someone on the show, we are upset as the Tony for Featured would have been hers!

Agreed. Kristine is always entertaining but this was a triumph for her. Btw, everyone who works with her likes her, not something you can say for everyone. I hear she has a much younger husband .. so maybe the DL is jealous.

Oh and WTF is it with these tiresome jokes about Boyd Gaines health? He's is about to do play at McCarter

Broadway chorus boy and "Survivor" hottie Reed Kelly nudies.

I'm watching Perry Mason. OMG, I've never seen such a young Burt Convy!

I wonder if the new London revisal of Company will be doing Tick Tock. It's been left out of the three productions I've seen.

Confusingly, it'll be known as "Tick Tock, Motherfucker."

R454, actually it will be called "Clit, Cock".

R543 I doubt it. None of the actors who play the boyfriends is a dancer.

r453 It would be interesting to see. A sexy dance by a woman is very different (and perceived differently) from a sexy dance by a man.

Asked and answered: Tick Tock IS in the London revisal.

r458 Which one is the "Kathy" character and who's playing him?

They're also going back to the original "topless" idea.

Sorry if this has been posted. Here's Rosalie Craig singing snippets of Beeyaang Alive.

^ Not snippets, that was a different video. This one is complete.

That guy Reed Kelly has ugly feet and a small dick. Yucch.

The complication rate after shoulder surgery is less than 5 percent, The two major ones are infection and blood clots, which are the same with any surgery.

I didn't realize Tick Tock was cut from alot of productions of Company (mostly because I'm not a huge fan of the show and the few productions I've said had Tick Tock intact). Charlotte said that when she was out with a neck injury the number was cut, presumably because the u/s wasn't a dancer. Speaking of Charlotte, she gives a lovely performance in Frances Ha (Greta Gurwig film).

The "BEING" in the last phrase of "Being Alive" was horrible.

In one of his Instagram posts, Reed Kelly admitted he has a big cock. Wonder how true this could be.

Without Zadan and Meron does this mean the inevitable Lifetime Gypsy with Zeta Jones will never come to pass?

Is the revival with Laura Linney back on?

Thanks for posting, R461. I wanted to like it, I really did. But I don't. Sappy old (and dead) Dean Jones is stuck in my head forever

Has anyone come close to Dean Jones? It's like when I saw a Harold Prince salute right before his Showboat and Johns came on to do Send in the Clowns. In those few minutes she wiped away years of wonderful singers doing it.

You sat there thinking 'This is the only way.' When Sondheim writes a song for someone and uncannily reaches their essence as an actor...ok Mary!

I couldn't get all the way through that Being Alive. The arrangement was tedious and ponderous and hideous.

I suspect even Jones didn't realize how perfectly he would sing that song.

Which arrangement, R471? The Bobbie one or the original?

I had shoulder surgeries on both sides (spaced six months apart). Granted, they weren't replacements, but cutting away weakened tendons and retying them (or something like that). Both times I went home the same day, but I was under general anesthesia for both, as well. I suppose with Zadan there might have been a problem while under anesthesia--as someone above suggested, maybe a blood clot or a stroke of some kind. But it is a low risk surgery, so I am somewhat shocked. It may be that there was some underlying, undiagnosed condition Zadan had that only became serious (fatal) when his body was in the state of vulnerability any surgery involving general anesthesia produces.

Or he was just unlucky. Or God was getting back at him for the Midler Gypsy.

r469 You're welcome. But I didn't post it because I liked it. I was thinking maybe someone would chime in and say he did, and say why. No success so far.

Dean Jones also did the best yawn on Barcelona.

I think any surgery can go bad, even if the patient has no underlying issues. And if God was exacting revenge, I hope it was for that execrable Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston. Christ, that was awful.

R473, shoulder replacement is a little more complucated than what you had. The normal amount of time in the hospital is three days.

Blood clots are a standard risk for any general anesthesia surgery, as are infections (for any surgery). It said in the article that Zadan died at home, so whatever the cause, it didn’t hit till a few days following surgery.

[quote]And if God was exacting revenge, I hope it was for that execrable Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston.

Cinderella was an underlying cause, but it had more to do with that lousy Hairspray and even lousier Sound of Music. There are only so many bad TV musical adaptations a deity can take.

Jesus wept, indeed.

[quote]And if God was exacting revenge, I hope it was for that execrable Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston.

Boy, that came out of nowhere. Kudos just the same.

It surprised me, too. I must have been more traumatized by it than I thought.

Reed Kelly’s dick is out and no one on the board cares. Sorry, chorus boy.

Reed Kelly's dick certainly isn't big in that picture that was posted with the rest of his pix. Of course, there's no face attached, but supposedly it's him.

[quote]It surprised me, too. I must have been more traumatized by it than I thought.

Is this in reference to the Reed Kelly dick pic?

[quote]Without Zadan and Meron does this mean the inevitable Lifetime Gypsy with Zeta Jones will never come to pass?

What a shame. And I was so looking forward to playing Louise.

Maybe Reed Kelly is a shower not a grower.

which post r467

i just went through his Insta and he seems hot but needy narcist

The dick pic which was posted above, r485, is of his erect cock. But there is a pic earlier with his wearing gym shorts, and covered up, his dick does indeed look huge.

Is it real?

Whoever said ugly feet was right.

But has someone said ugly face? Oops, I just did.

I’d drink his cum.

[QUOTE]The dick pic which was posted above, [R485], is of his erect cock

If you think that's erect...maybe speak to your doctor.

But if your doctor says you need a new shoulder, seek a second opinion.

Zadan. Cosmetic procedure gone wrong?

Does anyone maintain a cast photo list of guys who performed in "Naked Boys Singing"? There's the movie version, plus someone once posted a secret video taken from the audience; the management is usually good at stopping those, but apparently one got through.

Did anyone ever consider casting Carol Channing as Julie in "Show Boat"? I know it's bizarre casting but Carol at some point said that she was part African-American, though she hid it for most of her life apparently. I think she could have managed the role's two songs "Can't Help Loving Dat Man of Mine" and "Bill", actually reasonably well.

I never missed Carol Channing doing a Helen Morgan role.

Had Helen Morgan lived she could have been one of the Dollys that followed Carol in the original run and still have been younger than Bette or Bernadette.

R492, maybe you should speak to YOUR doctor. I agree, that’s an engorged, erect dick, and not a big one.

[quote]Zadan. Cosmetic procedure gone wrong?

No. Shoulder surgery gone wrong. Aren’t you paying attention?

R499 It's a semi. If your erections flop downwards like that, then yeah, go see a doctor.

Also, I deserve a prize for not making jokes about ages of posters in regards to this.

Pauline Kael called Carol Channing "an albino Louis Armstrong" in her review of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Oh, Jesus, that's wonderful.

This one, R495?

Yep, i know who some of those guys are; it must be from about 10 years ago.

I clicked the link and it says video no longer available... it can't have been taken down 6 minutes later?!

Still there.

Strange. Does bing geoblock videos?

I actually really liked Rosalie Craig's Being Alive until the "Beyyyyyang"s at the end. I do wonder how the show will work as a whole with this concept.

I think it's going to be very peculiar, but that's as much because of our own preconceptions as anything else. Even if it's a wonderful production, I'm afraid I'll be resistant to it because it's not the show I love and am familiar with. The "Being Alive" was okay, and the orchestrations sounded more or less original, but much heavier and more syrupy -- almost turging--than the original.

Sometimes Bing does that with video links. Try searching for Naked boys singing.

[quote]Did anyone ever consider casting Carol Channing as Julie in "Show Boat"?

No, but I'm thinking of casting her in a revival of "Naked Boys Singing."

Carol Channing was going to play Willona on Good Times but Charles Lowe talked her out of it.

Here's the movie version of NBS.

or search "Naked Boys Singling" with that mispellng.

mispelling.

[quote]I don't understand how one can die from complications after shoulder replacement surgery.Unless it was a really crappy hospital.

more likely a crappy surgeon, followed by infection (sepsis)

misspelling.

I love someone misspelling misspelling.

He loves you back!

He didn't just misspell misspell. He misspelled it and then corrected his misspelling by misspelling it again. It's exhausting, I tell you.

You rang?

Can we get back to the naked boys singing or singling or wherever we can see them doing this along with each one's penis? Thank you.

Sophia called from Shady Penis. Boyd Gaines is not well.

Would the distaff version of Boyd Gaines be Goyld Loses?

In a few weeks, Waitress hits the 1,000+ performances club. Is there enough life in the show to keep it running until next Labor Day, or will it close in the January rush?

I don't get the success of Waitress but I guess that's just me. The reliable understudy is back in the lead for the next 2 weeks then Mrs. Odom takes over. Which raises the question will the two little white girls who play Lulu, Jenna's daughter be replaced or will their jobs be saved thanks to colorblind casting? I think it will be gone by the end of the year if not sooner. They really should have gone for a name replacement instead of the wife of a semi-name.

Try this for NBS. This cast is much hotter than the one in the movie.

The Zadan cause of death is extremely fishy. Just sayin.

infections after routine surgery are common, but no one wants to talk about it.

especially trump and his hospital owing cohorts

"Trump administration rule could stop public reporting of hospital infections despite death toll"

Shout out to Ethan Slater's gams!

Thanks, R531. That lead me to find this. Can you believe that fat, ugly thing on the left is going to be playing the Jessica Lange role in the Tootsie musical? I wouldn't even put on an earring to get close to that.

^^ whoops, led.

Wow, those Naked Boys Singing songs are really bad. I mean, REALLY bad.

But that cast in the second one linked is definitely attractive. Does anyone know who any of those actors are?

[quote]And if God was exacting revenge, I hope it was for that execrable Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston. Christ, that was awful.

And believe it or not, they originally wanted Whitney to play Cinderella. She looked at how much work was involved and said, "I'll play the Fairy Godmother." Whitney as Cinderella would have been like Diana in The Wiz.

[quote]That guy Reed Kelly has ugly feet

All dancers have ugly feet. It's due to all the work they have to do.

DL fave Laura Benanti is taking over for Lauren Ambrose in MFL!!

Is Benanti doing eight shows a week?

r532 you're a pig

Laura's in MFL until mid-February.

Good for Laura! She's wanted this for so long.

Is this real?

[quote]THIS IS MY DREAM YOU GUYS MY LIFE LONG DREAM AND ITS HAPPENING

[quote]Is Benanti doing eight shows a week?

Nope! It's lucky number seven for me!

She'll call out for half of them, anyway.

Seven minus the ones you'll skip, right?

This thread is barely limping along.

Time for some Andy Karl.....

[quote]Seven minus the ones you'll skip, right?

Who knows?! We'll see!

YAZZ, queens....

Sockless.

Benanti knows that by the time the next revival rolls around she'll be old enough to play Mrs Higgins so she's smart to step in as a replacement. I like Ambrose and even cutting back to 7 shows a week didn't bother me but MAN she gets a movie thing and now it's BUH BYE.

Happy FedEx man.

TWENTIETH CENTURY gun show.

The Eliza understudy must be thrilled just thinking about how many times she'll be going on now that Benanti is taking over.

Holy cow. Liza Doolittle trended on twitter over this.

Good for Benanti. It is a shame they did not give it to her from the first -- I would have loved to hear how well she got along with Diana Rigg. But I'm glad she has agreed to step into this production rather than sulk.

Andy Karl is a chorus boy who got lucky. He's very capable, seems nice and easy to work with and that goes a long way with casting directors.

[quote]The Eliza understudy must be thrilled just thinking about how many times she'll be going on now that Benanti is taking over.

Always happy to spread joy!

Andy Karl = Fetch

Sorry, Andy Karl. Today is still not your day. Laura Benanti has agreed to replace Ambrose.

MFL is trending

Hey girlz, we have our own Andy Karl troll.

For our Andy Karl lovers:

[quote]Happy FedEx man.

Oh, dear.

Anyone who can not belt the word ME properly does not deserve to be on a Broadway stage.

You don't always belt MEEE, love, sometimes you bellow MAAAY.

'Hard pass. That's what they said to me.'

Karl is costumed MOST UNFLATTERINGLY in Pretty Woman.

Isn't LB a bit well, hard, for Eliza?

[quote]Isn't LB a bit well, hard, for Eliza?

Let me have this.

Oh yeah. There was absolutely nothing at all 'hard' about Julie Andrews. Ever. No thin lipped coldness. Nope.

I wish Benanti luck, but I was pretty disappointed with her misguided take on Amalia in SHE LOVES ME, which just seemed angry and charmless. I really hope she makes different choices for Eliza.

I felt the same, R570. Do you recall whether any of the critics noted this?

Amalia is supposed to be sad and lonely. She was vivacious and sarcastic. She'll ruin Eliza too.

R572

You do realize she is stepping into a production not creating her own role, right?

R572, Laura was directed to act that way. I wasn't her decision. The directors and producers wanted an Amalia that young working women of today could relate to, not a period appropriate Amalia.

While I largely enjoyed the recent revival of She Loves Me (because it's She Loves Me, a near-perfect show), I really wish they'd dialed the sitcommy schtick down to 5 and let some of its Mitteleuropean melancholy come through. I don't blame the cast, just the director and producers.

Ditto, r575.

If she plays her cards right, Laura just might become the new Margot Moser!

Well, this tells us... not very much.

I think all we know at this point is that Jonathan Bailey won’t be doing Tick Tock, bare chest and all. But there were at least two other hotties in that cast photo someone posted.

I prefer a slower tempo r578.

Miss Moser.....

A friend for whom She Loves Me is a beloved show went to the revival and got lucky(sort of) because Benanti was in that night.

He really loathed it. I was pretty surprised. It's almost a show you can't get wrong but they managed to.

Do they intentionally select unattractive men for NBS? Sort of not to detract from the songs, although you can take that however you want. When they cast something like Equus or Take Me Out, they seem to be equally aware of the attractiveness of the men.

"The directors and producers wanted an Amalia that young working women of today could relate to..."

Because art today is no longer about entering the consciousness of another character and understanding that there are different POVs, different life experiences than yours. No, now it's about providing mirror images and tailoring everything to narcissistic mindless drones.

It was a big mistake. Amalia should be vulnerable, not a brittle, wiseccracking career girl.

r583 I was thinking, based on that clip, that they cast the guys to be similarly sized.

r569, if you think Andrews wasn't warm in SOUND OF MUSIC, you need help.

I'm thrilled for Benanti and might actually have to go back and see it again. My main issue was Ambrose. She was passable in the book scene, but whenever she'd start into one of the musical numbers, it was like she forgot how to act and should shake her head, bulge her eyes, make weird arm movements, and stare down at the ground. It was awkward as hell. The sad part is that she clearly has the vocal chops for the role, but she doesn't know how to act within a song at all. This has never been a problem with Laura and I think she's one of the most talented musical theatre performers that we have. I'm sure her Eliza will be hilarious, heartbreaking, and beautifully sung.

Good description, R588. She looked like she was channeling The Incredible Hulk when she transitioned from speaking to singing.

I think Benanti has the potential to really nail this, and it's sort of fun to see how thrilled she is to get it.

The role should have gone to me originally.

That description of Ambrose is right on the money. I've never seen someone go from rather good in their book scenes to absolutely awful in their musical numbers while still having the voice for the role. It's was unnerving. Also, I assume everyone has on a mic in this production, right? Why aren't they turning up Lauren's mic? You can barely hear her most of the time. God, knows she can't project past the first few rows.

Margot Moser also replaced Barbara Cook in the flop “Halloween,” when Cook elected not to continue with it after Florida. It never did get to NY.

R583, they probably cast the men based on their ability to somewhat carry a tune and their willingness to do the entire show with their schongs out.

In Jamie Lee's role, r592?

I like Lauren Ambrose a lot as an actress, but until she learns how to act within a song, she doesn't belong on stage. As others have said, I also had a problem hearing her many times as well. Sing out, Lauren!

3 months from today:

Laura: I could have sang all night, I could have sang all night, but I have called in sick. I went out jogging here and then I had a beer and then I saw a tick. I couldn't risk contracting Lyme's mess, and so I stayed indoors for now, I only know that I will watch myself get high, I could have sang, sang, sang all night!

r592 Barbara wanted it rewritten as "Halloween on Wheels".

Coming full circle, when Jamie Lee Curtis hosted SNL in 1984, they did a sketch where she starred in a slasher musical.

[quote]I could have sang all night

Oh, dear.

Third midnight!

THE MISSING 5-NOTE BEAN MOTIF!!!