THEATRE GOSSIP #393: The Antecedents of Merrily’s Mary Edition

[Quote] In other words, a typical Datalounger...

You forgot "fat."

And alcoholic.

I was hoping to find this on Youtube but it doesn't appear to be on there. Anyone see it?

So have Isaac and Wesley broken up?

R3 "Ladies of the Corridor" ran a month on Broadway in 1953. This TV taping is kind of a must-see, with fine work from Cloris Leachman, Barbara Baxley, and Tyne Daly-lookalike Zohra Lampert. And then there's an unforgettable Jane Wyatt, as a mother exercising ruthless control over her gay son. If no one else cares to put it up on YouTube, I'll have to get a friend to transfer the old VHS tape to DVD and upload.

I thought it was a sequel to 'Little Ladies of the Night'

Shelley And Her Boys !

Were there some numbers from "Minnie's Boys" on "Ed Sullivan" or some other variety show back then? I seem to remember "The Rothschilds" from around then did.

R4 - really? I thought they were a cute couple. Were they engaged?

Did Wesley find out that Isaac leaked his nudes?

R9 I was asking, someone posted in the last thread that they had.

R10 We're going to need you to post them - assuming by "his" you mean Isaac's.

No, Isaac leaked Wesley's nudes.

I've seen Wesley's nude.

Quite nice dick.

Thankfully it didn't include one of his Chipotle explosions referenced on another thread.

"The Whole Audience Was Vibrating" -- Your Memorable Performances:

Your memory serves you well, r8. THE ROTHSCHILDS was presented on the Ed Sullivan Show, including the entire incredible SONS sequence (it is thrilling). It's long gone from BlueGobo but I think may have been included on one of the commercial DVD packages of Sullivan's shows.

The Ed Sullivan Show channel on YouTube has been upload pretty good quality clips in recent years. It wouldn't surprise me if clips like the one mentioned above show up on that channel soon enough.

*has been uploading

But where's Darling of the Day??

The episode of Ed Sullivan where Patricia Routledge performed "Not On Your Nellie" appears to be lost. I would give anything to see it.

Exactly. Saw it when it first aired, since a friend was in the DOTD chorus. It was a delight, but I too long to see it again.

Have the Patricia Routledge fans all heard her definitive "Marvellous Party" from the revue Cowardy Custard? I'd love to hear from anyone who actually saw it. The audio is on YouTube.

There are a lot of great sullivan clips that used to be on Blue Gobo that are now not available anywhere.

Can we go on a Darling of the Day tangent? It has SO much that is strong about it. Clever story, some very fine songs. For whatever reason, it had a wildly contentious and tortured tryout. It came to Broadway and played the George Abbott, notoriously a flop house, and with no book writer credited. It actually received pretty decent reviews, with Routledge receiving love letters. But it limped along and closed in a month, though Routledge later won a Tony. When York has done it in Mufti, I felt it had a bit of a sluggish pace to it, but some editing could get the whole thing a little faster on its feet. While we would never see it on Broadway, I do wonder if Encores!, Goodspeed, Chichester or an ambitious regional theatre could give it a go... There are far worse shows.

Who will want to see some of those mega musicals after all this? Is it possible that this interruption will end the life of PHANTOM, and WICKED and ALADDIN?

I wish this virus would cause that church to give up the Hellinger (or the "Hell," as its known in the biz). But I'm not optimistic.

By the way, if you ever walk by and see that it's open for church services, I highly recommend stepping inside to check out the lobby and auditorium. It's one of the most beautiful theaters on Broadway, and it's SUCH a shame that the motherfucking Nederlander family sold it to a church instead of to the Shuberts.

those shows are likely the only ones that will survive from this season, R26

Why was FOLLIES the only nominated musical not to perform an excerpt on the 1972 Tony Awards?

Too expensive to mount.

[quote]I wish this virus would cause that church to give up the Hellinger (or the "Hell," as its known in the biz). But I'm not optimistic. By the way, if you ever walk by and see that it's open for church services, I highly recommend stepping inside to check out the lobby and auditorium. It's one of the most beautiful theaters on Broadway, and it's SUCH a shame that the motherfucking Nederlander family sold it to a church instead of to the Shuberts.

Same MFers who are trying to lift the entire Palace Theatre up off ground level just so there can be more goddamn retail space fronting on Broadway on the ground floor. Nederlanders really are pigs, but let's keep in mind that the Shuberts have also displayed their fair share of greed and stupidity, like evicting those beloved, popular restaurants on 45th St. and tearing down those buildings years ago to make way for a new tower that, as it turned out, is only now in the very beginning stages of construction. Those restaurants -- Sam's, Barrymore's -- could have remained there in operation for all these years. I tell you, pigs are everywhere.

Cheer up -- we've got some of Hyancinth Bucket's singing for you until "Not on Your Nellie" reappears.

Jimmy Nederlander also priced the Hellinger way out of the range of any potential theatre owner. He was determined for it not to fall into the hands of any competitors who would operate it as a legitimate theatre. Truly malicious.

They also owned the New Amsterdam in the 80s and didn't seal up the roof after running tests on some iron beams. The theatre was run down, but after years of resultant water damage, the theatre was nearly destroyed.

Also little discussed, they also owned the Harris Theatre on 42nd Street. It was a single balcony, 1200-seat house, with a wide stage. In the "New 42nd Street" redevelopment, it had to have been sold off and was demolished without much attention in 1996, I think to make more room for Madame Tussauds. Had it stayed up, it probably would have been booked steadily for the last 25 years.

Thank you for that heads up, r26. All of this time I've been calling it the 'linger. That would be absolutely wonderful, r5. I'm wondering....should Mrs. Goulet be cancelled?

Anyone else watch Small Island streaming on NT Live? It is waaaaaay too long, but it has some interesting characters (and some that need a fuller fleshing out) and some lovely scene changes. Again: Kudos to the National's designers who take full advantage of that stage and its capabilities. I continue to sigh for the missed opportunities for the scene change to the Loveland sequences in the NT's recent Janie Dee's Horrid Dress, especially when the rest of that production's scenic design was so good.

That's why the NT Follies needs to cross the Atlantic. Though I'm worried they'd fuck up the recasting, e.g. the Lenk COMPANY.

Yeah, they'd probably make Ben and Buddy into Follies chorus boys and Sally and Phyllis into gold-digging stage-door Joanies.

R35, I wish it would come here too. I saw the NT Follies and it was one of the richest theatrical experience of my lifetime. And Jamie Dee was so wonderful as Phyllis that it made up for the horrid dress.

Josephine Barstow was transcendent. An unforgettable theatrical moment.

[QUOTE] Or is that over because Tay Tay shit the bed?

I seem to recall that the actual “shit the bed” incident occurred in D.C. when Wes was appearing at the Emcee in Cabaret at Signature.

I saw it in the movies over here in the US, and I thought the Buddy was really excellent, and surprised more people didn't point that out, among some of the other fine performances.

I just found out that an old college friend counts George Furth as a cousin. Any DL questions I can relay?

So LCT is offering a free year of membership when you renew. Because most of their subscribers are gone.

I preferred the Buddy to the Ben, though I think Ben is the hardest role to play among the leads.

Bit of theatre news from D.C.

I think DARLING was just unlucky. It needed a strong leading man—Rex Harrison comes to mind—and Vincent Price was just not it. Or maybe if they cast an Alfred Drake, Styne and Harburg might have been able to write songs appropriate for a real singer. It was a great year for meh musicals—Hallelujah Baby, Happy Time, Ilya Darling—and as I recall, it got blah reviews except for one rave from The Times that came too late. Will never. be a great show, but Encores! could do well by it with someone like Annaleigh Ashford as Alice.

"Hallelujah, Baby" and "The Happy Time" have really good scores ,even if the shows as a whole were disappointing. The OCRs are really enjoyable, as is "Darling of the Day" (well, maybe not Vincent Price's performance).

Does anyone know what shows were scheduled for Encores Off-Center productions this summer?

All canceled, of course, but I didn't see any word about it. They must have already have been in the talking/scheduling stage back in March.

TIA.

PS: I thought they did a nice job with "Promenade" and "Road Show" last summer. "Working," not so much.

I never miss a Helen Hunt musical.

I hope that Paul Hilton and Lois Smith both repeat their recent Drama Desk Awards whenever the Tonys come back. Richly deserved. They were my two favorite performances in The Inheritance.

I don’t know if they can R49. Did all the Tony voters see the performances?

"Hallelujah, Baby" and "The Happy Time" have really good scores:

Nah. Three good songs each and that's it: My Own Morning, Being Good Isn't Good Enough, Talking To Yourself/I Don't Remember You, Please Stay, Walking Among My Yesterdays.

What's the news out of DC, r 43? It's paywalled.

R28, someone needs to ask your question of Sondheim, while he's still here (sorry) to answer it.

If I may speculate. It costs a FUCK OF A LOT of money for a show to appear on the Tony Awards. Rehearsals for the performers. A lot of money hauling the costumes to the Awards venue, then hauling them back. Wardrobe staff to pay. If the musical number requires a set, then that has to be acquired and paid for.

The awards were broadcast on April 23, 1972. FOLLIES closed July 1, 1972. Presenting on the Tony Awards would mean more money lost that would never come back. It's an easy business decision not to incur that expense as a show is winding down.

[quote]It costs a FUCK OF A LOT of money for a show to appear on the Tony Awards

Unless you get the fans to pay for it

That's an interesting point. Hal Prince, in later interviews, made it sound like the closing of FOLLIES and the loss of the investment came as a big surprise to everyone involved (eg, "the next day, we were closing!"). As Prince was a pretty canny businessman before he started directing, I didn't really understand it.

Could an appearance at the TONYs have turned business around?

[quote]The awards were broadcast on April 23, 1972. FOLLIES closed July 1, 1972. Presenting on the Tony Awards would mean more money lost that would never come back. It's an easy business decision not to incur that expense as a show is winding down.

One could make the argument that an appearance at the Tonys might have let it run longer.

Oh sorry, R51. It's a piece about Eric Schaeffer's resignation from Signature Theatre, following sexual assault allegations (though he and the theatre deny the charges).

FOLLIES was before TKTS fucked up the economics of Broadway. There was no behemoth selling discounted tickets on the day of the performance. That has robbed shows of the security of advance sales. Sure, the big hits have advance sales. Big ones. But if a show is not longer that hot ticket it once was, everything has moved to the TKTS line. They don't have much in the bank. A few bad weeks of winter weather can close a show. In the past, the producer could look at the advance and discern whether to hang on or fold the show. VERY difficult to do that these days.

Prince could sit at his desk and look at the past ticket sales, current sales, and his advance. It would be clear to him just how much gas was left in the show.

Thin the herds.

I applaud at least some of this cancel culture.

Is Eric Schaeffer the Kennedy Centre FOLLIES guy?

This twitter thread, started by Schaeffer's accuser, Thomas Keegan, has the details, plus redacted posts from others who say they were also assaulted by Schaeffer.

Schaeffer's str8 accuser has BDF

I must be naive.

I don't understand gay men in theatre who sexually harass straight men. They shouldn't be harassing anyone, but it's not like there's some shortage of other gay men to hit on.

Well, "straight" in show business is often a murky term.

r62, it's because they get off on the harassment, not the sex. It's not like they don't notice the person they're targeting doesn't want them.

I call bullshit. I know him a bit and I know tons of people who’ve worked with him. He didn’t do it.

Whatever you think of Schaeffer (and, of course, his blah production of Follies), he’s not the kind of guy who does shit like that. If you told me he turned a blind eye to others being sex pests, maybe, but not himself.

These accusations are crap. Not that it matters in this day and age.

R57 There used to be some drugstore around Broadway that insiders and knowledgeable NYers knew that sold discounted tickets before the TKTS booth went up.

Mel Brooks and those other powers before those premium seats for "The Producers" led to tickets prices really going out of control and zooming higher.

If TKTS went away, does anyone really believe ticket prices would drop? It’s like the argument that rent control is keeping rents high.

This pandemic, terrible as it is, might be a reset for ticket prices when shows start up again, whenever that might be. Prices for lots of things dropped during the 1930's depression.

I think Follies could have sold a few more tickets if they had Yvonne de Carlo sing "I'm Still Here" or had the girls perform "Who's That Woman?"

I think they did that in the theater.... !

What will bring Broadway back is a top notch "event theater" show like "The Grapes of Wrath" or "Nicholas Nickleby". A show that is solidly classic yet extremely well staged and directed.

[quote]I think Follies could have sold a few more tickets if they had Yvonne de Carlo sing "I'm Still Here" or had the girls perform "Who's That Woman?"

I mean performed this on the Tonys broadcast.

Well, at least Alexis got to do a truncated version of L&J in '75...

That really is the least. Fuck. Couldn't they have paid for the b-roll footage from LA. That was made for excerpt broadcast, wasn't it?

Anybody remember twofers? A shows last gasp.

I used to have an unused one for Miss Ann Miller in MAME, r75....

I have a two-fer for Ruth Gordon in THE MATCHMAKER.

Ethel Merman ended her Broadway career on 2fers.

Anyone else think that it’s suspicious that Schaeffer’s accuser demanded $250,000 when he made his first complaint?

The accuser said he regrets it, but was told the theater would not take his charge seriously without a dollar amount attached.

r63=Mrs. Harold Prince

[quote]The accuser said he regrets it, but was told the theater would not take his charge seriously without a dollar amount attached.

Why does attaching a dollar amount to such an accusation strike me as a bad idea?

I sincerely doubt a not-for-profit LORT theatre would demand that he ask for money.

I presume he means his lawyer.

He was told by a lawyer (not the theater) that he should ask for money.

If Schaeffer did it, it's gross, but come on this guys acts like he was fucking attacked.

Did you read the account, r86? The guy was attacked. Others have also come forward.

Others have come forward on the record?

In 1971, the Tonys had only been broadcast for about 4 years. Had the shows that performed gotten a box office bounce after the broadcast performance?

Everyone is looking at the decision not to do a number through today's eyes. But what was the thinking about the possible benefits back then?

Another on the record, three or four more anonymously. This comes as a surprise to few. So far, the only person to truly defend him has been an actress with whom the accuser (Keegan) had an affair (on her husband, since Keegan is poly) during the run of a Signature production.

[Quote] This comes as a surprise to few.

Elaborate, please.

Men are such beasts.

Is that expose with Jerry Mitchell ever going to come out?

I’m sorry, but that $250K demand sounds just like extortion to me. Cough up the money or I go public.

Time to bring this back.

I totally forgot that the Weisslers were going to do an Apprentice musical. They had an apartment in the Trump building at Columbus Circle that I heard they sold after Trump announced his candidacy. Say what you will about Fran and Barry, but they are old school, diehard liberals.

I'd love to hear some of the material they wrote for that R95

A lascivious jerk grabbing your junk at a party is not an attack

r98 Is that part of the Eric S. story or "The Apprentice" musical?

[quote]Hal Prince, in later interviews, made it sound like the closing of FOLLIES and the loss of the investment came as a big surprise to everyone involved (eg, "the next day, we were closing!"). As Prince was a pretty canny businessman before he started directing, I didn't really understand it.

After FOLLIES closed on Broadway, it played at the Muny in St. Louis in July 1972, and then the production transferred to L.A., where it opened the Shubert Theater there. Of course, that mini-tour couldn't have been planned at the last minute. I assume Prince had already booked that deal by the time the Tonys rolled around, although even if that were true, it still would arguably have been a good idea to pay to do a number from the show on the Tonys if only to spur ticket sales in the other cities.

Hey, gang, let's take it over and put on a show!

[quote]Hey, gang, let's take it over and put on a show!

It has all those black metal staircases, so maybe a Rent revival?

Now Lea Michele will try to push for the lesbian role that was played by Idina Menzel, but as a producer, I'm not going to hire her for anything. She's too much of a "see you next Tuesday." And Gavin Creel will want in, but he leaves me rather cold. And a big, fat "NO" to Ben Platt as the nerdy filmmaker.

So who else have we got?

There were so many of those musical treasures at BluGobo that disappeared. But this one was transferred to youtube and survives.

Stritch understudied Merman in Call Me Madam and led the national tour, although Merman opened the tour in DC before Stritch took over.

As I've posted many times before, work that skirt, Elaine, work it!

It sure didn't hurt Cabaret's box office, r89....

Would allowing Follies to run longer have helped? I thought it was so expensive to stage it couldn't make money even with full/almost full houses. Is that incorrect?

It surprises me that somebody like Harold Prince didn't realize that tv is a historical tool. He should have realized that in the 21st Century people would want to look back and get a glimpse of what the original production of Follies might have been like. Even a five minute Tony Awards presentation is exciting to look at, whether the show is a hit or a stinker.

I think they should have filmed FOLLIES in a similar way to LIZA WITH A Z. I guess none of the leads was big enough at the time to entice one of the big networks.

[quote]I guess none of the leads was big enough at the time to entice one of the big networks.

Everybody from children to old ladies knew who I was. The Munsters had only been off the air for five years.

Not big enough for guaranteed ratings to justify the expense. Was there anything on TV with lines equivalent to "panties wringing wet"? I expect there was in the late 1970s but not at the beginning.

[quote]Not big enough for guaranteed ratings to justify the expense. Was there anything on TV with lines equivalent to "panties wringing wet"? I expect there was in the late 1970s but not at the beginning.

PBS was showing nudity. In 1973, they broadcast "Steambath".

Follies was visually a beautiful show. And the idea of a bunch of showgirls saying goodbye to the Follies was certainly interesting. But I think the relationship aspects of the show between the leads was just too intellectual for most of Middle America at the time. Young people were still in "Hair" mode and anyone over 35 didn't want a musical where they had to think.

[quote]The episode of Ed Sullivan where Patricia Routledge performed "Not On Your Nellie" appears to be lost. I would give anything to see it.

Which doesn't really make sense, because it was aired and rerun as well. I wonder if there is some other reason that episode has not resurfaced?

[quote] Which doesn't really make sense, because it was aired and rerun as well. I wonder if there is some other reason that episode has not resurfaced?

Especially on PBS where Patricia Routledge has become a star through eternal reruns of Keeping Up Appearances. PBS for awhile was running some of the old Ed Sullivan shows.

[quote] Anybody remember twofers? A shows last gasp.

I used to LOVE those twofer papers that one could find on various counters. As a gayling, I loved picked them up whenever I would visit NYC with my parents

R107, it is a lot easier to stage a concert to be filmed than to film a large scale, long show designed and staged without any thought of filming.

But this is DL, the land of fantasy, where people in the 1970s are concerned about creating video records for the 21st century and where critical thinkings goes to die.

Ed Sullivan ran forever. There are a lot of episodes missing.

[quote]where critical thinkings goes to die.

I KNEW I smelled somethings rotten in here!

LIZA WITH A Z isn't just a concert.

[Quote] But this is DL, the land of fantasy, where people in the 1970s are concerned about creating video records for the 21st century and where critical thinkings goes to die.

If only you were as superior as you affect... They made a record (TV) of a lesser show like "Applause." (And yes, I know it was not the Broadway production shot on stage.)

FOLLIES was a little too early for a full video recording. But by 1977, the Metropolitan Opera did its first live telecast. It was La Boheme with Pavarotti and Renata Scotto. If FOLLIES had gotten a recording that looked as good as this, then the FOLLIES Freaks would never have to leave the arm chair in front of their own TV's.

"But I think the relationship aspects of the show between the leads was just too intellectual for most of Middle America at the time"

I think you're partially right. It wasn't the relationships, though, it was the very concept of the show, with its many levels and resonances, that was considered "intellectual," and very striking for a musical. For me FOLLIES is possibly the greatest of them all, sharing pride of place with THE KING AND I and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, all adult and metaphorically rich.

Everyone thought that Met broadcast of Boheme would kill the box office, but instead it soared.

Meanwhile I saw a pre Follies bus and truck tour of Hello Dolly! with Yvonne De Carlo in the spring of 1969 and she was FABULOUS! FABULOUS I tell you, FABULOUS!

When I first heard the audience recording, I was disappointed that the beautiful score I knew was centred around such a mundane plot. The leads seem very small and petty. Of course, it works its magic on me with subsequent listening but I wouldn't be surprised if my initial reaction was shared by a lot of people.

FOLLIES was not too intellectual. The problem that killed it was that it focused on mature characters with the problems of mature people. And that was not where the nation was at that time. 70 GIRLS 70 opened at the same time and in the most unintellectual way possible looked at... mature characters with the problems of mature people. It died at the box office very quickly. FOLLIES limped by for as long as Hal Prince could nudge it forward.

The focus of the time was young people and change. Not old people and their problems. FOLLIES was also saddled with no stars to speak of and no familiar tunes to grab people's attention. A tough sell.

r121 here. Thanks Richard Skipper I hot linked your Call on Dolly site for the pic of de Carlo as Dolly. Richard Skipper's callondolly.com is the ultimate site for everything Hello, Dolly! related.

R118, Applause was not recorded so "that in the 21st Century people would want to look back and get a glimpse of what the original production [...] might have been like."

Do you really think that is a factor in deciding what producers consider in deciding what to show on the Tonys or what they try to sell to television networks?

Neither was Liza with a Z recorded for such a purpose. Why are you arguing point that wasn't made? I mentioned Z because it was staged in a theatre in a manner beyond a concert - it was a show - and recorded for TV broadcast. That's all. I never said the OBC of FOLLIES had a hope in hell of being recorded in such a manner.

Originally, Act I of FOLLIES was supposed to end with an Esther Williams-style aquatic ballet called "Wringing Wet" sung by Phyllis and danced by a knock-kneed Young Phyllis and a chorus of sloshing showgirls. In addition to being too expensive, the creative team also felt it undercut the Loveland sequence. It’s a tragedy that Ben Bagley never recorded it.

Rumor has it that Bagley DID record it but decided not to put it out once Mrs. Wagner went overboard.

[quote]LIZA WITH A Z isn't just a concert.

It's also a tasty dessert topping.

Have you tried Heavenly Hash?

The original Follies was in 1971. How many people actually saw it. It ran for a year in New York and less than six months in LA. It's a bizarre cult.

Bizarre how? It received a cast album. And then an all star concert in the mid 1980s that was recorded.

The anti-Follies people are always so hostile.

[quote]Three good songs each and that's it

I disagree, r51. In the case of Happy Time, "A Certain Girl" and "Without Me" are excellent songs, both quite rousing (which the show desperately needed) but in different ways. The title song isn't bad, either. In "Hallelujah, Baby," Witches Brew is great, a perfect evocation of the kinds of shows that were done back then.

[quote]FOLLIES was not too intellectual.

The Loveland sequence is a bit difficult to accept, going from reality to internal fantasy.

Uh huh. "Clumsy" is not the same as "Intellectual."

I'm open to all that happening. But I've never been convinced that the authors pulled it off.

But the montage sets that up.

R130 - thanks! That was hilarious. Her Liza impression is 👌

Just felt like listening to this...

Schaeffer once came on to a friend of mine in a Facebook message, but I'm not sure if that counts as assault.

r140 no that's not assault. Does cancel culture just rot people's critical thinking skils?

Thank God we are back to Follies discussion. Some things should only be left to true aficionados of theater.

What are the chances that the Follies movie is still gonna happen post-COVID? Do we think they are aiming for A-list (Renee as Sally? Hugh as Ben? Nicole as Phyllis? M as Carlotta?) or respectable lower-tier stars? Also, will Steve pen a new tune, and, if so, what/where should it be? So many questions, so much Follies.

Amy Adams as Sally, Chris Pine as Ben, Toni Collette as Phyllis, Jamie Bell as Buddy. The young counterparts will be stunt cast (Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish etc.)

[quote]Schaeffer once came on to a friend of mine in a Facebook message, but I'm not sure if that counts as assault.

I'm pretty sure that counts as coming on to someone in a Facebook message.

The Signature thing is total bullshit, and good for Eric Schaeffer for giving a big "fuck you and good luck" to people who can try to destroy a 30 year career with a fucking Facebook post. I'm sorry -- "attacked" -- at a public awards ceremony from which there are NO witnesses? A married straight guy who claims he would need $250,000 in counseling after this "attack." And not even one anonymous person is saying he threatened a job.

I saw that 1977 Met TV broadcast of La Boheme and was hypnotized (my first opera, albeit not in an opera house). I ran out and bought the vinyl recording the next day. I upgraded to the CDs when they were released and still listen to them. I also saw Baz Lurhmann's very enjoyable La Boheme in SF before it went to Broadway. Imagine, singers who looked the age of the characters! But, vocally, it's still Pavarotti and Freni for the win.

What was the point Glenn? Can’t you leave Patti alone?

By the way, why can’t we watch youtube videos here like before?

If that assortment of, ahem, talent is the “cool kids” than what, perchance, am I?

[quote] (Renee as Sally? Hugh as Ben? Nicole as Phyllis? M as Carlotta?)

I don't care if she is 900 years old, I hope that "M" stands for Marilyn Maye.

FOLIES!

[quote]Was there anything on TV with lines equivalent to "panties wringing wet"? I expect there was in the late 1970s but not at the beginning.

Well, for heaven's sake, they cut have cut that one line. It's been cut from some of the major revivals.

[quote]Bizarre how? It received a cast album. And then an all star concert in the mid 1980s that was recorded.

Exactly. And cults have sprung up around shows that had far shorter runs than FOLLIES. For example, umm, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. (The cult began before any of the revivals.)

I kind of like the idea of Reneé as Sally. Toni Collette seems like a Sally as well, but I could very well see her as Phyllis too.

CZJ as Carlotta?

I don't want a movie Sally who can't handle the score. I'm glad there was never a Shirley Maclaine Sally Durrant Plumber.

Carlotta will be black, probably Jennifer Hudson.

Bebe Neuwirth or Catherine Zeta-Jones for Carlotta.

Baz Bamigboye just tweeted that Hairspray starring Michael Ball will open April 21st for a 19 week engagement at the ENO.

Chrissy as Tracy?

Bebe Neuwirth?! Why not Christine Baranski?!

R147 That was Renata Scotto opposite Pavarotti in the 1977 telecast. I somehow think they fixed Pav's big high note in post-production, since I seem to remember he cracked on it while doing it live.

in "Che gelida manina".

Bebe’s better casting than Christine. More the right age. Christine’s too old.

Bebe must be 60. Carlotta should be 49.

Darlings, yes, Stephen has written me a new song should I choose to play the role. Young Carlotta. But to play 25 when I actually am 25 gives me no real challenge, you know?

My goodness. This is so...so...much.

She gave it her all...

So The Sound of Music Live! is being put online after all, starting tomorrow. Remember how, back in 2013, there was a fair amount of perving over the kid playing Friedrich? One “theatre insider” even tweeted “Friedrich, call me in seven years.” WHET to that kid? Did he mature nicely?

The American one or the UK one?

WHET me and my career in musical theatre?

R168, obviously the American one. The Friedrich in the UK one was fug.

That was just all kinds of fabulous, R165. So, in the movie, Joan was an Ice Follies star who didn't skate?

Baranski and Neuwirth are both too old and couldn't sing "I'm Still Here" pleasantly if their lives depended on it. Besides, we already saw what Baranski did with the role in the Encores production and I'm fairly certain no one wants that filmed for posterity. Zeta-Jones would be the most appropriate choice since she's the right type and age, but who knows what will happen.

I do hope they keep Meryl out of it unless she wants to cameo as Hattie.

Zeta Jones made a dog's dinner of "Send In The Clowns." A rangier number would be an even bigger mess.

Wheeeee!

Thick thighs.

I was at the Magic Castle a few years ago and a straight guy I liked grabbed my crotch as he walked by. I thought it was hot.

Now what does a girl from Texas know about ice?

Pepsi hits the spot without any ice at all, R177!

Isn’t “The Ice Follies of 1939” what Joan is off to tape in the early morning in the opening scene of “Mommie Dearest”?

[quote]That was Renata Scotto opposite Pavarotti in the 1977 telecast. I somehow think they fixed Pav's big high note in post-production, since I seem to remember he cracked on it while doing it live.

Did you watch the clip linked to above? Pavarotti doesn't quite crack on the high C in "Che gelida manina" but he sort of almost cracks twice during it, which is how I remembered it from the original telecast. If they had gone back and fixed it for the video release after the live telecast, I'm sure they would have dubbed it with a perfect note.

oh my god wtf with all the Follies crap? Seriously ladies, give it rest. Back to gossip...who's had 3 ways with Eric Schaeffer?

Philip Bosco would have made a great Weissman.

You mean film, r179. Yes it was,

[QUOTE] Yes it was,

Oh, dear.

So now they are telling us all to open our windows at 1 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday to scream in appreciation for Gay Pride since we can't have the parade. Will you all comply?

The 7 pm screaming is good enough for me.

O. Deering you, r184.

Olive. Poor Olive.

So I guess they couldn't get Sonja Henie for that and they got Joan Crawford and a twirling peppermint barbershop pole instead?

[quote]So now they are telling us all to open our windows at 1 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday to scream in appreciation for Gay Pride since we can't have the parade. Will you all comply?

So, a lot of screaming queens. What are we supposed to scream?

Everyone should scream "FOLLIES!" at the top of their voices, of course.

I absolutely believe the Eric Schaeffer accusations, both the groping and the workplace environment charges. There’s a significant intervening variable here: ALCOHOL.

R179, no, because video tape did not exist. She could not have been taping anything.

[quote]So I guess they couldn't get Sonja Henie for that and they got Joan Crawford and a twirling peppermint barbershop pole instead?

Sonja was busy sexing up her boyfriend.

Larry Blyden . . . underrated?

[quote]oh my god wtf with all the Follies crap? Seriously ladies, give it rest. Back to gossip...who's had 3 ways with Eric Schaeffer?

I believe Young Buddy and Old Ben of Follies fame did.

[quote] no, because video tape did not exist. She could not have been taping anything.

...except her eyebrows

Yvonne DeCarlo attacked me! I deserve money! #MeToo

[quote]So now they are telling us all to open our windows at 1 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday to scream in appreciation for Gay Pride since we can't have the parade. Will you all comply?

Which scream are we to do?

Orgasm - like we've just had sex with Jon Hamm

Princess Diana - we are in complete shock

Proud - we're here, we're queer

Excited - Sondheim dug around in his possessions and found a pro-shot of the original Follies

Fearful - Biden has announced Chirlane McCray as his running mate

Agony - the grim reaper finally caught Olivia de Havilland

Technique - acting 101 scream up and down the scale to warm up the voice

[quote] Excited - Sondheim dug around in his possessions and found a pro-shot of the original Follies

If you don’t choose this one, you don’t belong in this thread!

Just scream "I'm Mad As Hell, And They Changed My Seat Location For 'Music Man'".

I shall scream "I'm mad at the little homosexual boys!"

This is what I'm going to do.

Time to bring back "The Streak"!

*

[quote]Philip Bosco would have made a great Weissman.

I'm sure he would have leapt at the chance to do a one-minute bit at the top of the show.

I was referring to the film version, R205. And, yes, I do think he would have leapt at the chance, especially if a prestige cast and director had somehow been assembled.

Interesting series of tweets by a sound designer in the UK:

The theatre Industry is dying and it’s dying now.

Not everyone likes theatre. But if you watch film/tv this is going to affect you because much of what and who you watch had their origins in theatre, whether it’s Fleabag or the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Theatre’s been around for centuries-it’s resilient to plagues and wars. But the people who work in theatre aren’t. They are desperately suffering right now and things are about to get a lot worse. Majority of us have relatively low pay and little government support.

It’s been a pivotal week as we waited to hear whether the government would help sustain our industry until we can re-open. Instead they released a vague and meaningless “roadmap.” As to financial support the silence from the government has been deafening.

In the UK theatre directly employs over 300,000 people. There’s another 100,000+ indirectly employed by companies like set builders and hire companies.

Over 100,000 people visit London to watch a West End show every single week - and for every £1 spent at the theatre they spend another £3 on food, drink, accommodation and travel. That's over £500 million per year into those industries.

As other industries begin to reopen, the future of theatre is bleak. 2 metre social distancing means most theatres can operate at max 9-15% audience capacity. 1m distancing means max 33%. Theatres need 50-60% capacity just to cover their costs.

Survey of 40,000 theatregoers says only 15-20% would attend if theatres open now. We need to be past social distancing, or have other solutions before we can safely and economically open. Many believe that’s unlikely before early 2021. 70% of theatres will be bankrupt by then.

We can’t safely open up theatres now. We can’t economically open theatres now. And audiences wouldn’t come even if we did.

There are 3 theatre workforces:- permanent full-time venue staff; freelance/short-term staff employed for a specific show- actors, musicians, crew and creatives; and casual day-to-day staff such as follow-spot operators, ushers and dressers. This is simplified, actually it’s more complex than that.

On a typical show: 20% full-time employees, 80% freelance/short-term/casual. Many mix freelance and short-term PAYE- not thru choice but because how HMRC classify work. Consequently MAJORITY of us excluded from SEISS freelance support scheme and don’t qualify for furlough.

Most people I know have received NO INCOME AND NO SUPPORT SINCE MARCH. And they have no prospects of any work for the remainder of 2020. Freelancers are in a desperate situation. ExcludedUK estimate 3 million UK freelancers are in similar position.

With reserves drying up and no support from the government, theatres can’t afford to keep furloughing full-time staff. They’re going into administrationor starting 30%-50% staff cuts. We’re at the start of a tidal wave of redundancies that’ll sweep across the country over the next 3 weeks.

Online theatre can’t save us. Playing to small audiences can’t save us. Outdoor theatre can’t save us. We need external help and we need it fast. Both for individuals excluded from government income supportand for the theatres that employ us, either full-time or otherwise.

Whatever you think of the arts the economics of the situation are very simple.

Without government support estimates suggest that 200,000 people who are currently without work, or will imminently lose their current job, will have to start claiming benefits.

Without government support, many theatres won’t be able to re-open, or will be utterly eviscerated. HMRC won’t receive the £200+ million VAT we normally pay to them each year.

Allowing theatre to die isn’t just heartless it’s bad economics.

These are just the statistics for theatre - the wider creative industries like live music face similar issues, closures and redundancies. And these industries all affect our food and drink, travel, accommodation and tourism industries, too.

Patti and the gang. Sounds good

Patti and Power of Women Varitey

[quote]Yvonne DeCarlo attacked me! I deserve money! #MeToo

You should be so lucky!

r207 the theatre community could appeal to Israel who just received 38 billion dollars from the US government during this COVID crisis.

R206 Philip Bosco had a weird thing whereby I think he didn't like to travel west of New Jersey or something like that, so if the film was going to be made in Hollywood or away from the East Coast, he most likely would have passed on the offer.

Bailed out on the Boys from the Men online reading. Good cast but there’s a reason Mart Crowley’s play wasn’t produced in NY. Mario Cantone really should play Mendy in an online reading of The Lisbon Traviata.

I see tomorrow’s Play in the House will be Jonathan Harvey’s wonderful Beautiful Thing, about two gay teens in love on a housing estate in London. I hope they’ll cast actors who can actually do the accents.

r213

Is there a link to the Boys reading? Who else was in the cast?

[Quote] I hope they’ll cast actors who can actually do the accents.

It will be "Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins" central, I have no doubt. (Is Cynthia Eriva too bougie to play the Tameka Empson part?)

How many of you enjoy virtual play readings?

R214, try this:

Mart Crowley’s The Men From the Boys

Thanks for the links. That Carver guy is no actor, is he?

Follies has been a flop in every one of its renditions.

No way Hollywood is going to pour money into that shit.

Why would TV ever had considered a show that didn’t even win Best Musical

"The Inheritance" was a flop. It will probably still be filmed.

I think it could be argued that many shows, though financial flops, were still artistic successes and therefore worthy of being filmed (if only for posterity).

[quote]Bailed out on the Boys from the Men online reading.

So did I. The actors looked more bored than I was.

SEESAW

[quote]Why would TV ever had considered a show that didn’t even win Best Musical

You mean like "Bye Bye, Birdie"? Or "Gypsy?" Or "Grease"? All of which were done by NETWORK television--not PBS. And you can add "The Prom," coming to Netflix.

[quote] I think it could be argued that many shows, though financial flops, were still artistic successes and therefore worthy of being filmed (if only for posterity).

To whom do you intend to make this argument? To the freaks and malcontents at ATC? Or to financial investors in Hollywood? Because, the argument will be more readily received by one of those groups than by the other.

And unless you plan on using your own money to fund this movie, you've got a problem. Posterity or not.

[quote]Philip Bosco had a weird thing whereby I think he didn't like to travel west of New Jersey or something like that, so if the film was going to be made in Hollywood or away from the East Coast, he most likely would have passed on the offer.

I believe he didn't like to fly, or rather refused to fly, which is certainly less weird than refusing to travel west of New Jersey.

[quote]I think it could be argued that many shows, though financial flops, were still artistic successes and therefore worthy of being filmed (if only for posterity).

Many of them are filmed for posterity by the Theatre on Film and Tape program. Regardless of how "worthy" you think a show is, it's probably not going to be filmed or taped or whatever commercially unless the movie or TV version or whatever is thought to be financially viable. Or maybe it might be filmed as a small-budget project, like THE LAST FIVE YEARS or HELLO, AGAIN or LUCKY STIFF.

The “panties wringing wet” line is how one separates the REAL Follies from the FAUX Follies.

[quote]R29 Too expensive to mount.

Like me.

[quote]R98 A lascivious jerk grabbing your junk at a party is not an attack

What if your female boss did this to you three times at a professional function, after you’d told her to stop?

Would those feel like attacks to you? Or just giddy, harmless frolics?

I agree with R230. The context is not an excuse.

Institutionalized homophobia has always meant gay men have to rewrite the rules about expressing ourselves sexually. That's not going to change overnight. It also means some gay men have a real problem with boundaries. Just because you strongly desire someone/something doesn't mean it's yours for the taking. Or that your desire is returned.

One of my most cherished possessions...

So I assume someone here will know how to upload the Hamilton film.

[quote]But to play 25 when I actually am 25 gives me no real challenge, you know?

That routine is so tired it's practically dead, r164. Especially since CZJ celebrated her 50th birthday quite openly this year.

The proper punishment for what Schaeffer did is a big, humiliating slap in the face. Not a lifetime in exile.

[QUOTE]The proper punishment for what Schaeffer did is a big, humiliating slap in the face. Not a lifetime in exile.

The lifetime in exile is for his FOLLIES. The harassment claim is just a way to get it done.

Oy, 5 minutes into Beautiful Thing on Plays in the House...the accents!!!

R237 The real thing.

And in the first bit the stage direction read out loud is a character is holding a can of Coke and the actor is holding a glass of water? WHAT THE FUCK? And the accents are really bad. Shame. If an effort had actually been made to find appropriate actors who are either genuine Brits or at least can fucking do the accent then this would have been a great Pride event.

The person casting it probably can't tell a good Brit accent from bad. It's doubtful they watch Eastenders.

Natascia Diaz is forcefully defending Schaeffer on Facebook, attacking the accuser for money grubbing and generally being a slut. Some have pointed out that Diaz may be supporting him because he is one of the few who will still cast her due to her reputation for toxicity in the industry. I guess it was a very long fall from Seussical, in so many ways.

Is she the one who almost got Cassie in the Chorus Line revival?

Yes. Here is her Chorus Line "highlights."

Donna remembers the iconic " Turkey Lurkey Time" and ACL.

Losing out to the ever-beige Charlotte D’Amboise had to sting.

Natascia's toxicity is as clear on her Facebook page as her lack of acting ability is evident in that clip.

I think McKechnie actually said Diaz should have got it over D'Amboise.

R247 anyone should have gotten it over Charlotte.

[quote]Is she the one who almost got Cassie in the Chorus Line revival?

She should team up with Rachelle Rak who lost out on Sheila.

Charlotte's much more beloved, though. Sometimes simple likability plays out in these decisions. Did they want to work with someone kind who's a team player or someone who's toxic? A lot of people have careers mainly because they're easy to work with. This isn't to take anything away from Charlotte's talent. She's been great in a lot of stuff, but her Cassie wasn't fantastic.

Did no one else catch Papi playing Tartuffe for the Alliance Francaise today? I understand it will be posted on YT. Papi fans won't want to miss, because he displays a body part that made me scream and applaud. (Mary! I know.) He's a terrific Tartuffe.

I am guessing butt...?

I'm guessing he DID NOT display his butt in an online reading of a play, maybe a bare foot?

Hal Prince sucked cock. Eric Schaeffer grabbed cock. Max von Essen rode cock.

Did Hal swallow, though?

Tartuffe was fun with some exceptional performances (Raúl and the maid especially) but what a technical disaster. It was very telling in the Q&A afterwards with the director complimenting herself and her woke “vision” while praising the technical crew as if they discovered a cure for COVID. It was a mess and everyone’s video froze up constantly besides having the whole thing look like a surreal nightmare. Am I missing something here? I mean, it was valiant to try to do what they did but it needed a lot more work before presenting it to an audience. Raúl looked gorgeous and his ass was better than you would even expect, so there’s that.

R254 Do you really think Max Von Essen has an asshole?

More on Lynn Nottage, and Jordan Roth.

And lots of semi-blind items for Pride.

Is the article at r258 accurate, though? I haven't seen Jordan Roth in heavy eye make up.

I purr corrected.

Difficult color, green.

Quite an interesting read on the Roths and Judith Light as well. Plus the not so subtle reference that Ryan Murphy's number is coming up.

The writer’s inability to resist cuntiness undermines anything worthwhile he has to say.

I read it more as a gossip column than any statement on American theatre

Yeah, that whole "violently queer" spiel is offputting. Am I the only one who is not remotely outraged about the regional Nottage cast being replaced? "I'm not a star but neither is she! Harumph!"

I guess you had to be there. Everything Grissom writes is true. I toiled for many years in the offices of Old Broadway (TM) and have witnessed for myself some of what Grissom reports. The rest of it rings absolutely true. 100% pitch perfect. If the tone is too bitchy for you, then you just don't speak Show Biz. It is every bit that bad and more. David Merrick earned the name Howard Kissel gave him, "The Abominable Showman." But he's hardly alone in deserving that title.

Did Marion Seldes at least have a nice apartment?

[quote]Did Marion Seldes at least have a nice apartment?

She lived with Shelley Winters for several years on Central Park West.

The Show Biz has always been A Nasty Biz. That's all I've ever heard from from my friends in "the Biz."

Who the fuck is James Grissom? I honestly can’t figure out what he’s trying to accomplish with these articles other than garner attention for himself. His agenda is so opaque and ultimately meaningless; all finger-pointing and bitchiness but no call for concrete solutions. That’s great that you hate all these people, James, but who would you hold up as an example of good, progressive (or even just positive) behavior? If there’s a path he’s advocating for, I can’t see it through all the bile.

What a pointless human being.

It's hard not to think he's trying to exact revenge on a business that didn't let him in.

R266, this is a new development. For decades when a play moves on some or all members of the artistic staff might go on but also some or all might not.

Lately this has been claimed as an injustice.

Doing a regional production is not a guarantee of work in future productions.

Grissoms idea that playwrights should be accountable for what actors are paid is bizarre. (How would they even know?)

R262: That's a quotation, right? Can you tell us what it's from?

Somehow I hear a Maggie Smith putdown tone in it. Is it Downtown Abbey?

R274, it’s actually a Maggie Smith putdown from Gosford Park. So you were really close there.

So, any guesses on the blind items? The TV producer one is obviously supposed to be Ryan Murphy, but what about the gropey director?

Blind items these days seem to come after the news items. So gropey director = Eric Schaeffer?

[Quote] She lived with Shelley Winters

That's the best diet tip I've ever heard.

I sort of hope Murphy IS a voyeur as has been suggested. It would make a change and it would help my lunch stay down.

He's exposing NYC's non-profit theaters for what they are. Gigantic tax frauds that line the pockets of a few business people. Lynne Meadow is unequipped to be the "Artistic Director" of anything other than her own hair. And I'm not saying she would do that well.

She's seventy-fucking-three years old. Retire, already. Move over. NO ONE can suggest that the Boards of Directors of these large non-profit theaters are doing their jobs when Lynne Meadow has been Artistic Director of MTC for 48 years, Carole Rothman has been with Second Stage for 41 years, and Todd Haimes has been in charge at the Roundabout for 37 years.

That's insane. These non-profits get enormous tax exemptions, while these executives get enormous pay checks, while the public is ill-served by this kind of stagnation. Grissom is right to be furious, as should anyone be who cares about the theater or New York City. We should get our money's worth from these institutions, but we never get it. Instead, we get ego mania in the management and neglect from the Board.

He is not exposing "large non-profit theaters." He has been after MTC and Second Stage, which have long been known to be pretty awful organizations.

Do not lump all the non-profit theaters in that pot. Soho Rep,

The 'fat and bubbly and avuncular' actor who is 'so sorry for the person I became and was allowed to be' is Nathan Lane. Though I'm dubious about him being sorry for his horrible behavior.

No theatre company should have the same artistic director for more than 15 years.

Who’s the elder Tony winning widowed director?

10, unless he or she is seriously talented and good at self-renewal.

[quote]Though I'm dubious about him being sorry for his horrible behavior.

What did Nathan Lane do? I never kept up with gossip about him.

[quote]Though I'm dubious about him being sorry for his horrible behavior.

What did Nathan Lane do? I never kept up with gossip about him.

The tall man from "The Boyfriend" movie is no longer active as a director, is he? He is quite old now, though.

Nathan Lane was an asshole. Nasty alkie. I hadn't heard that he reformed.

How is Ryan Murphy one of those guys? One is a major TV actor who used to be on Broadway. The other is some ancient director.

[Quote] A major producer of television has been hit with various complaints, and two men who recently contacted me refused both a non-disclosure agreement and a financial settlement, and want to take their cases to court. Will the networks currently producing this man continue to support him? If news of these charges emerge, will the actors in his projects, among the most vocal and liberal and virtue-signaling in Hollywood, feign ignorance? Will they do the right thing and offer support to their boss and friend, but condemn his actions?

Did you read the whole thing?

Ken Russell?

In this cruel pandemic, looking back at what matters, I truly regret not seeing Bonnie Franklin in [italic]Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

If Pat Harrington wasn’t playing George, I’m not interested.

The way that actress is leaning away from Bonnie...

[quote] In this cruel pandemic, looking back at what matters, I truly regret not seeing Bonnie Franklin in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Did Albee write a fifth character for Bonnie to play especially for this production?

Bonnie played "the kid" grown up -- later used, but as a boy in "Next to Normal"

I thought Bonnie played the nosy neighbor whom George is having an affair with when he totes Martha’s empties to the trash. She is based on Dorothy Parker or Elaine Stritch, I can’t remember which.

My one...and only...Broadway appearance.

[quote]r280 NO ONE can suggest that the Boards of Directors of these large non-profit theaters are doing their jobs when Lynne Meadow has been Artistic Director of MTC for 48 years, Carole Rothman has been with Second Stage for 41 years, and Todd Haimes has been in charge at the Roundabout for 37 years.

Well, at least in Rothman's case, she co-founded the theater (with Robyn Goodman.) She had the vision. So I'd think as long as she wants, it lives and dies with her (?)

What are the racist incidents alleged in the R258 article? (Sorry - - I'm not too up to date.)

I think it's fallacious to say that all Darryl Roth does is fund productions. Grissom makes a point of pointing out Jordan Roth's failures... It's not like Darryl Roth just lucked into producing so many Pulitzer prize winners.

[quote]So I'd think as long as she wants, it lives and dies with her

That would be true if it was a private venture and she owned it. But it's not and she doesn't. There is no valid reason for rubber stamping her continued involvement decade after decade. If she wants her own theater company, go open a private corporation and build a theater company.

There is no reason for the public to underwrite, via tax exemption, an enterprise that serves an interested few better and before it serves the public. If the Board of Directors cannot or will not devote resources to appropriate succession planning, as well as to the artistic growth of the organization, then it is not doing its job.

Whatever these people had to offer has long ago been offered. Now they should move out of the way, or go open one they actually own.

Are there other existing reviews of it??

[quote]I can't believe Pappas intends to domesticate Albee's tragedy and soften his expressionist rage. I suspect it has more to do with the actors, neither of whom seems to have enough meanness in them. Ultimately, acting requires you to choose what to show of yourself, and Tsoutsouvas and Franklin never seem other than nice people caught in a self-destructive spiral.

[quote]Tsoutsouvas' George cuts a sly, nebbishy figure, as befits an academic also-ran mired in conviction of his own inadequacy. From that weak-seeming center, he unleashes a voice that soars and plummets, relishing Albee's brilliant torrent of witty abuse. That voice and something strangely alert in his body and unlined face make this George's premature descent into middle-age even sadder.

[quote]Franklin's Martha has a similarly soft presence, though the pain and wear in her face and the rasp in her voice make her despair more readily apparent. She has a great alcoholic bray. But where's the monster within?

R301, without tax exemption there would not be any theater.

The only private, commercial theater in the US is Broadway (and a small companies tucked away). And it usually presents work either developed or premiered by non-profit theaters.

It would be great if there were a way to regulate non-profits to make them get rid of dead wood and bad management practices. But there is no way to do that without also eliminating their power to innovate.

Most non-profits that make bad decisions fail. The money stops coming in and they shutter---just like in any for-profit business. Their customers will stop coming to see bad shows and funders will stop giving if they think their money is being badly spent.

We are in an age when executives make a lot more than most workers, in every sector. Maybe that is something we should ask the foundations to counteract in their non-profit funding. But given that the Red Cross et al are not likely to take that oversight lying down....well good luck.

Interesting factoid:

Natascia Diaz Is the daughter of legendary MET baritone Justino Diaz.

After watching that A Chorus Line documentary, I wondered what happened to her. She doesn’t seem like she’s had much of a theatre career at all

[quote]The tall man from "The Boyfriend" movie is no longer active as a director, is he? He is quite old now, though.

I have a name, and it's not exactly an obscure one on Broadway.

Carole Rothman is well known for her racist behavior. Just ask Ruben Santiago Hudson.

[quote]She lived with Shelley Winters

That would come in handy in the event Manhattan is hit by a tsunami.

[quote]Natascia Diaz Is the daughter of legendary MET baritone Justino Diaz.

Thanks for that info. I had no idea.

[quote]After watching that A Chorus Line documentary, I wondered what happened to her. She doesn’t seem like she’s had much of a theatre career at all

She works a lot in the D.C. area. One of a fairly small group of actors who seem to make good careers there by working in show after show at the various theaters.

I’m surprised Grissom hasn’t mentioned Jordan Roth’s throuple relationship with husband Richie Jackson and TV/film extra Anthony whatsisname. When Anthony got found out by Edie Falco on set of Nurse Jackie she went ballistic and fired Jackson as both her manager and producer of Nurse Jackie,

[quote]r306 Carole Rothman is well known for her racist behavior. Just ask Ruben Santiago Hudson.

What was the behavior?

R309, are you saying Edie Falco fired Richie Jackson for being in a throuple relationship? Or was there more to it than that?

Edie Falco is a conservative so sex may scare her.

But I think it was because it was with an extra

Trump went to Roth and Jackson’s wedding. I wonder what they think of him now

The extra was walking around the set of Nurse Jackie acting like an ass and flaunting his status (by being in a throuple) in front of cast and crew. Edie didn’t like that the extra was acting like he was untouchable and could do whatever he wanted, so she canned him and Richie. It was discussed in a theatre gossip thread ages ago, or maybe it had its own thread.

Here’s the thread....

Was it truly a trouple or just a 3-some?

Jackson is purportedly into leather and S&M

Edie Falco rightfully objected to anyone on the set of her show obtaining a role (and behaving unprofessionally) because of who they were fucking or not fucking behind the scenes. She was 100% correct. I'd hardly describe that as "conservative" behavior.

It was a throuple. They did everything but go away on vacation together. Anthony would apparently get into fits of rages over this. He tried to get Richie (and B D Wong)’s son to include him but that never worked.

That is an absolutely GLORIOUS takedown of Daryl and Jordan Roth and others. That guy is a terrific writer.

And as far as the Pink Wall of Silence, you need to go no further then this thread to see it constantly in action. It’s fucking disgusting. And you tired queens who protect and endorse this behavior need to die right along with the theater, which whether you like it or not, is absolutely dying right now. And good riddance. Both Broadway and Lincoln Center (where I’ve made a lot of money and pretty much the entirety of my career) can burn down to the ground as far as I’m concerned and all those assholes right along with it. Yeah, I’ve been complicit. No more.

How convenient to discover one’s moral backbone and renounce complicity when the industry is completely shut down.

Oh shut up you tired old cunt.

And very courageous of you to post your objections anonymously on an anonymous message board.

Jesus, someone get Grissom an editor! Or is he being paid by the word?

R320 / R322, please go back to ATC and making sucking sounds at Ann's snatch.

[Quote] And as far as the Pink Wall of Silence, you need to go no further then this thread to see it constantly in action. It’s fucking disgusting. And you tired queens who protect and endorse this behavior need to die right along with the theater, which whether you like it or not, is absolutely dying right now. And good riddance. Both Broadway and Lincoln Center (where I’ve made a lot of money and pretty much the entirety of my career) can burn down to the ground as far as I’m concerned and all those assholes right along with it. Yeah, I’ve been complicit. No more.

This makes no sense. This is a gossip forum. We always ask for names. Names to be posted on the internet. Who the fuck are we protecting with that modus operandi?

I’m always wary of people going on and on about the abuse and discrimination they see in these various not-for-profits yet offerIng absolutely no specifics. You say someone is racist? Tell us how you know it. You got something to say, say it.

R323 If someone would actually pay for his writing he wouldn't be posting on Medium

True dat.

Applause - with Lauren Bacall

Is that Sammy Williams' (of "A Chorus Line") naked ass among the few guys in the "Oh! Calcutta!' part of the "Applause" number?

Lockdown The Last Five Years.

Eeeeek, that tinny sound.

R33 The guy you're thinking of is Fosse dancer Gene Foote at the far left of the screen. He, Williams and ACL author Nicholas Dante all had the afro.

Did that video of "Applause" leave out the butt shots during "Oh! Calcutta! on tv? I seem to remember seeing them years ago in the show.

The only good song in APPLAUSE is the title song. It's the only song that had any life outside of the show. And, at the time, it popped up a lot. So what the fuck was Bacall thinking that she let them give the best song to a supporting player? She should have kicked ass and gotten the song. If anyone would know how to do that, it would be Lauren Bacall.

The Tony Awards kept it in but there's a reaction show in the CBS special. The Tony Awards also makes it clear that they're wearing tights over thongs but who cares.

The amazing Rita!

[quote]The writer’s inability to resist cuntiness undermines anything worthwhile he has to say.

Posted on the Datalounge.

R337 - Ha ha ha! I'll say!

That is a really excellent quality video of APPLAUSE linked to on YouTube. Thanks for the link.

[quote]r336 The amazing Rita!

Hayworth is a superb dancer (Astaire's favorite partner) but I personally like this version of the song better.

So the eldergays at ATC tipped me off to a live concert Rufus Wainwright performed on Facebook for his new album. He opened the concert with Jerry Herman's 'Dear World' which -- I know this makes me a bad gay -- I'd never heard before. The lyrics really do feel appropriate for our time, though! Rufus was quite emotional after singing it.

It’s amazing to think that a star as iconic as Lauren Bacall would be willing to do a musical on Broadway not just once but twice, and the best Broadway could offer her was Applause and Woman Of The Year.

Bacall couldn't sing, couldn't dance and by the time she did WOTY was a known colossal pain in the ass.

[quote]It’s amazing to think that a star as iconic as Lauren Bacall would be willing to do a musical on Broadway not just once but twice, and the best Broadway could offer her was Applause and Woman Of The Year.

Any musical starring Lauren Bacall would have to be tailored to her personality, given the fact that, as R343 pointed out, she could neither sing nor dance. "Applause" and "Woman of the Year" are possibly better than she deserved.

[quote]"Applause" and "Woman of the Year" are possibly better than she deserved.

Plus, she was a colossal pain in the ass long before she stepped foot on a Broadway stage.

Daily on Data Lounge: "There's never any dishy, fun gossip or bitchery or insider reveals on here anymore"

(Someone comes along with fun dishy bitchery/insider reveals)

Cunty Old DLer: "IT'S A LIE! HE'S A BITTER FRAUD!!!! NONE OF IT IS TRUE OR APPLICABLE!!!!"

Also: James Grissom HAS to be a DLer....albeit one with actual writing talent.

Bacall won Tonys for both APPLAUSE and WOMAN OF THE YEAR.

Kander and Ebb spoke highly of Bacall after they did WOTY together. They also did not think much of her replacement Raquel Welch.

[quote] One actor, fat and bubbly and avuncular

That doesn’t fit Nathan at all, just the fat part. He has never been “bubbly,” his public persona was exactly the opposite. They always talked about the dark cloud he carried around with him. And he was hardly avuncular either.

George Salazar trying to milk the race train for his own benefit. No, George, they didn't include you because no one knows who the fuck you are and those who do think you're a white lesbian.

Hmm. That’s weird, because the day after the Tonys, Corden tweeted about the original song and posted a link to Salazar singing it in the recording session. Salazar tweeted him back, praise, thanking him, saying he was a cool dude or some such.

The number wasn’t chosen to represent Be More Chill, it was chosen to be a parody.

Corden should have invited Salazar out to sing it on his show, though.

R359 Brooks Ashmanshas?

[R350] Brooks Ashmanskas?

Has anyone read James Grissom's Tennessee Williams biography? I've avoided it because all the quote Grissom puts up online of conversations with Williams seem overly artificial. Williams was a queen, but not so queeny that he always spoke like a character in one of his own plays.

Can someone tempt Grissom over to the DL? We need that cunty wit and willingness to burn every bridge

No, R354. It's Nathan Lane.

No one knew about the dark cloud until getting close enough to him to be exposed to it. Otherwise, it was all zany, antic, Nathan, all the time. He's terribly insecure. If you see him at a party, he's either at full throttle and over the top, or he's sulking and quiet and withdrawn. But any sort of middle ground where the rest of the world normally operates has historically been out of his reach. His alcohol abuse made it all worse, both the highs and the lows.

He says he's gotten it together better in later life. If so, I applaud him. Because he was a mess.

But was Nathan “notorious for his [sexual] comments, his grabbing, his pleading”?

R358, yes.

This is a stupid idea. And it won’t work.

Sounds like a great idea to me r360.

I think it’s worth trying. People are so desperate for places to go and things to do, I could see this selling well. And that particular show is a good choice to try in the UK.

They've started doing small drive in movies in parking lots in LA and a lot of families are coming out. Why not?

As Six is a nothing more than a short concert with amazing lighting design, it's as good a show as any to try and see if this format will bring out enough audiences to make it financially viable.

But it remains a dog's dinner of a musical, though. Good for the writers, I guess, but I continue to be puzzled by its phenomenal success.

And you've always had dinner theater so why not drive in theater at these times?

I get why Six is big in the UK. As children, the Brits are all taught about the six wives of Henry VIII. The rhyme they all learn in grade school about them, "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived," is the basis for the show. There’s also the Spice Girls factor. They’re still huge in the UK and Six trades on this.

What I don’t get is why it’s caught on in the States. Fun songs, but it barely exists as a show.

Girl power!

Spice Girls didn't help the VIVA FOREVER musical.

I find the James Grissom thing horribly sad. This is obviously a human being who needs to take his meds, but he's sending out vile and bile to the world, settling old scores based on God knows what. It's even more sad that something like this is given serious discussion in this day and age. Anyone can tweet anything, and it's "real." Shit. And his Williams books is based on alleged conversations he had with Williams, although there are no surviving notes or pictures of the two of them together. And when you read it, it just feels like some crazy fan fiction. Sad.

r342 - She was pretty much iconic only as Bogie's wife when she did Goodbye, Charlie in 1959. She was a movie star, but not an iconic one. Then she did Cactus Flower, 1966-68. Those gave her Broadway cred. The nostalgia craze starting in the late '60s made Bogie bigger than ever and her status became elevated. She knew she couldn't depend on a steady film career by that point. Broadway gave her the chance to be an iconic star on her own apart from Bogie. In 1970, Applause wasn't considered dreck. Like MAME, it was a hit and had a very respectable run. But the ladies who opened those shows were what set off those runs. Two movie dames that were suddenly singing-dancing Broadway Stars! Who knew?

The problem with both shows is that the source material gets diluted in having to make room for the songs. Plus the fact that that in both cases, the source material had already been on screen with two iconic performances from two iconic actresses. I'll add that Applause's score is dated and pedestrian. It was kind of a no-brainer for Betty to take on WotY. It worked usurping Bette, why not take on Kate?

Who would have guessed that Bacall's numbers sound better when sung by actual singers?

Exhibit D.

[quote] Anyone can tweet anything, and it's "real." Shit.

And you, R369, offer NOTHING to suggest that the things Grissom has written are not real. So what is going on in your psyche that you have to rush to Data Lounge to be a contrarian, sticking up for billionaires who can well protect themselves?

As someone who as worked a lot in the Broadway arena, every word he has written I find from my own personal knowledge and experience to be either absolutely true or at least to be perfectly in keeping with what I know to be true from my own personal experience.

I see DL's resident alcoholic mess is back, here to rant and rave and pontificate and cast aspersions at everyone because he's pissed off! Pissed off! And we're all COMPLICIT!!!

Fuck off, bitch. You've pulled this routine before. You just get pissed when no one follows up on your trash. Yeah, we really believe you had a "career, most of it at Lincoln Center." If you did, it must have been as an usher. Were you the one Steve Schwartz was blowing when his hairpiece came off?

[quote]No one knew about the dark cloud until getting close enough to him to be exposed to it. Otherwise, it was all zany, antic, Nathan, all the time.

You're wrong, Nathan's dark cloud was so well-known that it was one of the main issues when the Sunday NY Times Magazine did a feature on him during The Producers. The title was "This is It- As Happy As I Get, Baby." He made no excuses for his "cloud" or his behavior (a perfect example being Vicky Clark's experience with him when she went on for Faith Prince for a couple of performances of Guys and Dolls. He was horrible to her, and that word got around quickly). Zany and antic were never good descriptors for Nathan. Mean, yes. Cutting, yes. Amusing and droll, yes.

sad but understandable

"I'm one of the girls who sings like the boys...."

So who had the better (hairy?) chest during the "Barcelona" scene in "Company" -- Dean Jones or Larry Kert? How about on tour? Pictures if you have, thanks, luv.

And Rosalie Craig and Katrina Lenk aren't the answer (nor is Patti LuPone)!

Man r378, that's a tough one. I'm gonna go with Patti Lupone.

And the answer is -- George Chakiris (1st national!)

Spice Girls are still popular in the UK? They haven't been in the US for, like,, twenty years. I was a teen in the late '90s and recall the phenomenon, but then you never heard anything about them post-2000.

I don't think Spice Girls are popular in the sense of radio play all these years later. But they did a successful stadium tour of the UK last year. Not everything they touch turns to gold, as their flop jukebox musical proves.

Here's Larry Kert in "Company"

Drive-in musicals? Sure, the audiences will be protected in their big PPE aka cars. But the performers? No. They won't be distanced, on stage and off. And the producers will have them sign waivers. This can work with a one man show, or Yo Yo Ma, or a singer with a handful of distanced musicians. But a full-on musicals? The safety of the performers is not considered. All that singing, spitting, and sweating. And a 5, 6, 7, 8...

Could this see the rise in more intimate plays and musicals again? Broadway was almost totally dead as far as plays are concerned.

Is R374 Lynn Nottage or Jordan Roth?

Well, Cameo isn't going to cut it. Time for the chorus boys to hit Onlyfans.

[quote]R349 They also did not think much of her replacement Raquel Welch.

Someone who could actually sing and dance - -

I----

And could Betty do THIS ? ?

Angie surprised not only with her singing, but also with her dancing. Look how much terpsichorean art she displayed in That's How Young I Feel at 23:20. Was Jane Morgan a dancer? It was a no-brainer to turn it into a tap number for Annie.

Broadway closed until January, 2021.

Sorry could only find a story link at FOX News.....

How I gonna buy my flipflops and condoms? HAHAHA......I don't wear.......condoms.

[quote]I find the James Grissom thing horribly sad. This is obviously a human being who needs to take his meds, but he's sending out vile and bile to the world, settling old scores based on God knows what. It's even more sad that something like this is given serious discussion in this day and age. Anyone can tweet anything, and it's "real." Shit. And his Williams books is based on alleged conversations he had with Williams, although there are no surviving notes or pictures of the two of them together. And when you read it, it just feels like some crazy fan fiction. Sad.

Agreed, 100 percent. Appalling and very frightening.

[quote]R365 And you've always had dinner theater so why not drive in theater at these times?

The performers would all have to be from the same household, for social distancing lenience to work.

Sorry I hadn't refreshed my page and didn't know the news had already been posted.....

Still not wearing condoms.....

Bring on the King Family, r395!

Presumably, the cast and onstage band for Six could all be tested and then shelter together for the remainder of the tour.

Are the Cowsills available nowadays?

[Quote] The performers would all have to be from the same household

Fratpad but with Broadway chorus boys?

Why can’t Logo do a Big Brother type show but with out of work chorus boys? Why can’t we have nice things?

Thanks, r397. I have a straight friend who asked me to define camp. I'm just going to show him that clip and be done with it. It amazes me that they were once vaguely popular.

I thought the Bridge Theatre's irreverent take on Midsummer Night Dream was an utter blast. I SO wish I could have seen it live. Maybe I was just in the mood for it, but it is utterly joyful, and that felt good in times like these. Watch it while you can on the biggest screen you have! (It's streaming until 7/2 on NT Live's YouTube channel.)

Good Lord, that clip at R397. I’m speechless. Those are the whitest people I’ve ever seen getting “funky.”

R403 The Theseus/ Bottom scene has me crying with laughter.

[quote] I have a straight friend who asked me to define camp. I'm just going to show him that clip and be done with it. It amazes me that they were once vaguely popular.

The King Family wasn't just "vaguely" popular. They were HUGE in the 1960s. Their Christmas special every year was very popular. I'm surprised that they are completely forgotten in 1960s nostalgia.

How do some of you download yt vids in the highest resolution possible. All of the sites I've previously used only offer a step down resolution (e.g. 360p when the video on YT is 480p).

Fantastic bootleg of DEH. I really love that show.

Y2mate works for me, just got the DEH in 720.

Well, if the King Sisters are too white, how about the De Castros?

Love them!

One of the King Sisters married a Mexican, so they weren't "all white".

They were responsible for a Kanekalon shortage that lasted a few years, r411.

Alvino Rey, r412?

[quote] I have a straight friend who asked me to define camp. I'm just going to show him that clip and be done with it.

r402, a better example of camp would be the del Rubio triplets.

Anybody know why Richard Fleeshman didn’t transfer with Company? Was he not asked? Claybourne Elder is cute and all, but Richard Fleeshman is ridiculously hot and obviously can work in the US since he was the lead of Ghost. What’s the story there? Did Marianne Elliot just want all new people for the Broadway version?

[Quote] ridiculously hot

Disagree.

[quote]Did Marianne Elliot just want all new people for the Broadway version?

Not ALL new.

I know there has been a thread here about who is gay in the theatre.

Anybody remember the exact title?

I'm searching but only getting the usual theatre gossip threads and none of the titles point to what I'm looking for.

[quote]I know there has been a thread here about who is gay in the theatre.

A thread on who isn't gay in the theater would be more manageable.

Fleeshman's body was insanely hot in Company, and he was hilarious when I saw it.

More hilarious than Johnny Whatisname (Amy)?

Bailey. Johnathon Bailey.

420 I've been watching the fund raising interviews on YouTube since the lockdown started and it's been an education on how many gay men are in the theatre. Interestingly, there does not seem to be comparable numbers of gay women in theatre.

Seems that in film and tv more bi and gay women are found but not the same representation or willingness to come out, on Broadway.

Still I know there was a thread and I wanted to not just see the names but any gossip related to who was with who.

[quote]Bacall won Tonys for both APPLAUSE and WOMAN OF THE YEAR.

The win for Woman was ridiculous. Linda Ronstadt deserved it hands down that year for Pirates of Penzance.

And even if they didn't give it Linda, then why did they pass on Chita? It would have a make up Tony for not getting one for Chicago.

Speaking of 8-packs, Matt Doyle is totally ripped but seems to constantly have some ailment or another judging from his Insta. Today it’s a scratched cornea. Does he have a track record of missing performances?

Well. Liz Smith was with Elaine Stritch...

There are no performances at the moment.

Ronstadt was derided for the amplification needed to make her vocals acceptable. Forbidden Broadway did a parody about it. Bacall was no singer but there was no smoke and mirrors. What you got was honest.

I'm a bisexual!

That’s the whole point of being an icon. People will buy tickets to see you no matter what shit you’re in

Can you stop being an icon?

Glynis....

Forbidden Broadway also ridiculed Bacall's voice.

Pirates was a huge musical at the time. Woman was a hit, but it didn't even do it's best box office until Raquel Welch stepped in (which supposedly infuriated Bacall).

Morbid fact: During Bacall's run in Woman of the Year, there was somebody who threw a brick off the roof of the theater.

My teenage gayling self imparted this fact to my driver's ed class. Nobody cared!

[Quote] Pirates was a huge musical at the time. Woman was a hit, but it didn't even do it's best box office until Raquel Welch stepped in (which supposedly infuriated Bacall).

Did Bacall tour in Woman of the Year? I doubt Ronstadt took Penzance on a National Tour. And the Birdie sequel was a flop, no? (Bye Bye Chita as a contender.)

Big ol' flop, r436!

Chita and Merv...

I thought Raquel toured with Woman after doing Broadway?

Supposedly Bacall was pissed with all the attention and acclaim that Welch received because she felt that it made her performance feel inferior.

Yes, R436 and the show got a bit of an overhaul. A revised title song, and it was re-directed and re-choreographed, this time by Joe Layton...a big step up in the 80s from Tony Charmoli and Robert Moore. Barbara Eden did the later tour (tent circuit, I believe)

[quote]I doubt Ronstadt took Penzance on a National Tour.

Rondstadt had already done the show in Central Park where the show originated. She was also busy making the movie version. She hit career gold with this show.

R435, where did the brick land?

Does seem to be the relevant question r442.

Wasn’t Rondstadt constantly out with “sinus problems” (sniff sniff)? Did anyone here get to see the fabulous Karla DeVito?

Was the Minnie Mouse on helium review about Linda as Mimi or Mabel?

[Quote] where did the brick land?

In "Torch Song Trilogy." And the rest is history...

One of the stories about Bacall in Applause at the time went around in two versions. In one, she entered the elevator to take her to her 2nd floor dressing room and on the back wall was scrawled "The Beast of Broadway." In the other version, it was written on her dressing room mirror. It didn't make the papers but everybody in the community heard about it.

[quote][R435], where did the brick land?

Sorry, I don't remember. I've been trying to look the story up to see if it was a one time incident or whether there was someone who was doing it regularly.

The brick killed a man. It wasn't just one time, either. There had been someone who had done it a few times, but only this time did it kill someone. The backstage entrance was changed so it would be a safer entrance for the actors. I don't think they ever caught the person, although the brick droppings did stop.

Well, Betty still had to make the curtain time.

I saw Karla DeVito, R444. She was fine, as I recall (that was, ahem, a few years ago), but because I was expecting to see Linda, I was naturally disappointed. I also recall that one of Mabel's sisters reminded me of Audrey Meadows, to the point where I think I decided I was, in fact, watching Audrey Meadows.

Bacall did the best she could with her limited voice and she was never really much of an actress, but she had that elusive star power which counts for a lot on stage.

It's interesting how many big Broadway stars have less than desirable singing voices like Bacall, Channing, Merman, etc. They're magic in the theater, but they don't always make for the most pleasant experience when you play the CD in your car. At least they weren't boring. So many of the new crop of Broadway talent are really well trained and have lovely voices, but not pizazz or star power.

I saw a made-for-TV cast of Pirates:

Robby Benson (Fredrick who could barely carry Mabel), Maureen McGovern (Mabel), Treat Williams (Pirate King - is that really the character's name?), Kaye Ballard, George S. Irving (Major General)

[quote] The brick killed a man.

I was trying to take out Harry Guardino but I kept missing. Caffeine jitters from drinking too much High Point.

I saw Bacall in WAITING IN THE WINGS. 2000, was it? She could not act. And she was onstage with Rosemary Harris, Helen Stenborg, Elizabeth Wilson, et al. Such a disaster. She looked terrific, much much younger than her 75 years -- that actually made matters worse, since she looked nothing like anyone who would be waiting to die in a nursing home.

[quote]I was trying to take out Harry Guardino but I kept missing.

Actually, they were fucking during WOTY. Then they had a nasty breakup, as always happened with Bacall and her men (except Bogart).

[quote]Actually, they were fucking during WOTY. Then they had a nasty breakup

Hence, the brick throwing.

[quote]Wasn’t Rondstadt constantly out with “sinus problems” (sniff sniff)

That was Andy Gibb.

Who in the "Pirates" cast got to see Rex Smith's huge dick?

Ronstadt would have absolutely have gotten it if she played the Tony game. People were thrilled to have the top female pop singer on Broadway. But she didn't attend Tony nominations presentations and it was feared she wouldn't attend the Tony Awards themselves. She didn't.

The touring company wasn't bad. it had Pam Dawber, Barry Bostwick and Andy Gibb, who was always out. Joanne Worley was also in it and was a riot. It was one of the best performances in that role because she really camped it up.

[quote] Who in the "Pirates" cast got to see Rex Smith's huge dick?

Ronstadt.

Who was Bacall's last lover?

[Quote] Who in the "Pirates" cast got to see Rex Smith's huge dick?

Isn't it said that everyone gets to see it?

When she was doing WOTY, Bacall attended a party at Gloria Vanderbilt's house. Apparently, she was even more of a cunt and a group of men decided to throw her in the pool. Gloria heard about it and headed off the group and told them it wasn't going to happen in her house. Drat!

[quote] Isn't it said that everyone gets to see it?

That’s my schtick!

Betty bullied Terence McBally.

Betty bullied Terence McBally.

[quote]I was trying to take out Harry Guardino but I kept missing. Caffeine jitters from drinking too much High Point.

High Point is decaffeinated! I'll tell you a secret: Caffeine can make me a little tense, and tension can show on your face! High Point has no caffeine, but it's loaded with FLAVAH!

R445 that was Time magazine on Mrs Lloyd Webber in Phantom

“But these deficiencies might be overcome if she displayed the least hint of star quality, or even stage presence, instead of acting like Minnie Mouse on Quaaludes”

ALW certainly had the last laugh with Phantom. Has any huge hit ever had such bad reviews? Frank Rich’s pan was vicious. I can’t even imagine what John Simon must have said (I read his review once upon a time but have forgotten). I seem to remember Miss Saigon was disliked but not outright panned like Phantom was.

R469

Sing!

Squeak!

Sing!

Squeak!

Sing!

Squeeeeeeak!

R435 You actually stood up and announced it to the class?

After Bacall finished Woman of the Year, she filmed The Fan and, per usual, fucked her leading man, James Garner. Her breakup with him happened just as the film wrapped & was even nastier than usual. So much so that when the director decided they needed to film a different ending, Garner flat-out refused. By then Bacall was in her early 60s so she must have been having “affairs” but the last one that got a lot of press was Garner.

“Attention! Attention! This is Miss Shuster. Someone is throwing BRICKS off the tops of buildings! We’re all doomed!”

Garner was married?

I will say I thought Bacall and Cooper were a fantastic pairing and their song together was the highlight of that show.

And here it is!

As long as the Phantom has been playing with a long list of Christine's and Erik's there must have been some combination at some point that helped to elevate the material?

[quote]Who in the "Pirates" cast got to see Rex Smith's huge dick?

Estelle Parsons.

One way to keep theatre alive? Put it on TV:

Many of us are hoping that one of the results of COVID 19 is that it kills American Theatre magazine.

Bacall took her curtain call after everyone had been cleared from the stage. Then she had a stagehand come on and give her a bouquet of Roses. In an evening of lousy acting, her surprised reaction was the low point.

Wasn't Betty also screwing Len Cariou during Applause?

[quote]Then she had a stagehand come on and give her a bouquet of Roses.

She stole that idea from Marlene Dietrich.

[quote][R435] You actually stood up and announced it to the class?

Actually, it was driving day, so we were in a car. The driving instructor and four of us students.

R447, Liz Smith absolutely did run the "Beast of Broadway" story, though her version was set up a bit differently. It was a blind item.

'Which Hollywood legend currently starring in a musical on the Great White Way has earned the nickname 'Bob?' It's an acronym for "Beast of Broadway."

It would seem there was no love lost between Liz and Bacall.

I don't understand why everyone wanted to sleep with Bacall. James Garner was sexy enough to get anyone he wanted.

He probably did it to help him get a future movie lead. James Garner was usually the male movie lead to a bigger female star.

I recently watched The Fan and it was a fun movie, but I couldn't help thinking that the cinematographer or director must have really hated Bacall, because she looks awful in the movie. It's like they went to the extra trouble to make sure every wrinkle and bag under her eye was highlighted. For a big star, she certainly didn't seem to have much say in how she looked on screen.

Incidentally, as a gayling I used to have a Barbie and the Rockers book titled "The Fan."

The Fan is a blast and I rewatch it often. It should definitely be part of the “Shitty Movies You Love” thread. It’s true Bacall looks hungover, dry and old most of the time, although she reminds us why she’s a “stah” in the “Hearts, Not Diamonds” campfest production number. The director and/or cinematographer must have loved Michael Biehn because he is sex on a stick, especially in the speedo scene.

That scene where she's seen in silhouette in a negligee (full length of course) was enough to have even the gay guys in the audience run out screaming.

The Fan is garbage. The only person worth watching is Maureen Stapleton.

[quote]The Fan is garbage. The only person worth watching is Maureen Stapleton.

The same can be said of "Airport," among other movies.

Barry Bostwick’s huge dick in the tour of Pirates gave Smith’s a run for its money. His Pirate King pants were super tight, and his penis was super evident and supersized.

R491 The new Bluray of The Fan looks great. Michael Biehn tells the story of first meeting Bacall. He hands her flowers, she immediately hands them to someone else and completely ignores him. She was definitely the c word. The audio commentary is also a lot of fun.

[quote]I don't understand why everyone wanted to sleep with Bacall. James Garner was sexy enough to get anyone he wanted.

Well, back in her youth and early middle age, Bacall was beautiful. She doesn't look good in The Fan, but she actually did in her late 50s - early 60s. All the lubrication was still working then.

JEEZ-zus CHRIST!

Sam Craaaaaaig, where evah you ahhhhhhh....

Ronstadt's Mabel was not a great performance. It was a sincere, earnest effort by a huge pop star in a milieu that was foreign to her. And she was charming. But she was also tentative and her upper range was shaky. If nothing else, Bacall had style and self-assurance.

Pick a note, Betty!

I remember a poster who wrote about getting Bacall to sign something - "Don't smear!"

If you just listen to the cast album of Woman of the Year, then it is reasonable to wonder, "WTF???" But Bacall's singing was obviously the very least of her abilities. She dripped star quality and commanded the stage every moment she was on it. If that singing was the best of it, she never would have been hired twice to helm Broadway musicals.

I saw her in APPLAUSE and she was a dynamo. I was still in high school, so I won't debate the fine points of her performance. But I was accustomed to going to the theater by that age and I am confident that I'm correct when I say she stood out. She was a powerful and memorable presence on a stage.

10 years later, in Woman of the Year, it really did feel like it was 10 years later. She still had oodles of presence, but she was 10 years older and it felt a good deal less exciting. In fairness to her, Woman of the Year is fairly heavy and dreary thing to have to push over the footlights every night. When Raquel Welch came in for a few weeks to cover Bacall's vacation, every day of her 16 year age advantage worked in her favor. I did not feel a need to see the dreary show again when Welch took over the role permanently. That's when things are said to have gotten shaky. But she sold a lot of tickets.

In any event, there's no Tony Award for best singing. If there was, Ronstadt would have come back to Broadway and won year after year. But Mabel is not much of a role with which to compete for an acting award.

r496 that movie is a guilty pleasure but I feel silly spending another $25 on a crap film I already own on DVD, on a silly whim. Is it really worth it?

R473, "The Fan" had completed filming before Bacall even began rehearsals for Woman of the Year. WOTY opened on Broadway in March of 1981, "The Fan" was released in May of 1981.

There's a photo of the two marquees almost side by side online, but for some reason I'm unable to post links on DL.

Bacall and Garner had made Robert Altman's "HEALTH" and she had starred in a two part "The Rockford Files" prior to filming "The Fan".

In Bob Randall's book, "The Fan", Sally Ross is murdered by the fan, which was never how the movie was to end.

In a lengthy interview with a British journalist on YouTube, Bacall surprisingly admits that she liked "The Fan" but did not think "The Mirror Has Two Faces" was a very good movie.

I saw WOTY three times during its Boston previews, with substantial changes each time. In the earliest version, Bacall's Tess Harding character feared she might be pregnant.

Bacall was then 56.

No wonder she was afraid r505!

'Michael Biehn tells the story of first meeting Bacall. He hands her flowers, she immediately hands them to someone else, thereby demonstrating to the sniveling upstart who is in charge on that set.'

Fixed it for you, R496. Bacall undoubtedly saw no need to ingratiate herself to a relative newcomer. That doesn't make her a cunt. (Not that was not a cunt. Oh, yes. She was.) But she knew who was married to Bogart and whose name was going first in the credits.

In her autobiography, Bacall describes celebrity as an illness, so in a way, it doesn't surprise me that she liked/approved of "The Fan." I expect she'd admit that "Misery" is a much better movie, though.

r503 If you can get it for $20 or less, I'd say it's worth it.

R504 Mirror is terrible movie, vanity project to Barbra. Lauren was the best thing in it but she had way too few scenes.

Goodness, this thread is flying along. Time for a new one in a few days. Any suggestions for a new title?

Bacall was also great in the two Lars Von Trier films she did, and Birth with Nicole Kidman. I never understood the buzz around her performance in Mirror - it's a fairly depressing spin on a romcom.

Broadway is dead to me?

Yes, R513. Broadway is dead.

It's been dead for quite some time.

R507, Having once been a newcomer in films herself, you'd think she would have been kinder to a young actor making his film debut, especially one as attractive as Michael Biehn.

I met Bacall at a Harvard Coop book signing for "By Myself" in January of 1979.

The bookstore was packed and she was pleasant to everyone. While she was signing my copy of "By Myself", I asked her if she might also sign a hardcover published copy of the "Applause" libretto.

She took it from me, looked at the cover, smiled and began to sign it for me. Suddenly, the raging queen from Knopf standing next to her, took the book from Bacall and handed it back to me, insisting that she was only allowed to sign her book.

Bacall apologized and as I walked away, she shouted out "But, thank you!".

Thanks to the poster who posted Dear Evan Hansen. I saw it back in August, went in expecting to hate it and be annoyed by the whole thing. I was shocked at how much I ended up enjoying it. I think the fact that I saw it with a replacement Evan and not Platt had a large part in that though.

Bacall is very good in that "... Two Faces" scene where she recalls how it felt to be beautiful amidst an adoring group of people.

Anyone catch Linda in La Boheme? Supposedly there's a video of one of the performances that's in some museum in the city.

I would have loved to see that Boheme. Howard McGillin was in it, wasn't he?

[quote]Well, back in her youth and early middle age, Bacall was beautiful.

I guess different strokes for different folks. I never thought she was beautiful. IMO rather plain.

She aged faster than practically any actress, ever.

I find it a really apt sign of the COVID times that we're talking about The Fan here as well as on its own thread.

And for those who say Betty looks her age, I don't think it's the director not liking her. I think it intentionally shows her vulnerability - and it was brave of her as an actress. I'm sure she approved the look and lighting and knew exactly how it was looking.

I'm sorry....Lauren WHO?

r495 Bostwick's endowment can also be seen in Rocky Horror when Brad strips down to his tighty-whities.

R525, Barry had his cancerous prostate removed in 1997.

"The major possible side effects of radical prostatectomy are urinary incontinence (being unable to control urine) and erectile dysfunction (impotence; problems getting or keeping erections)."

Barry talked about how disappointed he was to have lost Grease on the Merv Griffin show. He said he got Rocky Horror instead and like one person in the audience clapped.

You can MARY!! me all you want, but my eyes welled up at the end of Act 1 of the Bridge Theatre's Midsummer Night's Dream. It's just total joy. I wound it back and watched it a couple more times, too. Really, stream the production while you can (two more days). Also, I would like ALL of Oberon's costumes, please and thank you.

[quote]In Bob Randall's book, "The Fan", Sally Ross is murdered by the fan, which was never how the movie was to end.

I can't remember how the movie ended originally, but after a couple of poorly received preview screenings, the decision was made to refilm it. The new ending would have Garner's character saving Bacall. Garner refused, so it was rewritten so that Bacall kills Biehn herself.

On the record, Garner maintained that it was one of the worst films he'd ever made, and the only good thing was working with Betty Bacall. He appreciated her professionalism.

Can someone post the dream link?

Bacall was definitely beautiful when she was younger. But smoking and booze take a toll, and smoking had practically obliterated her looks.

[Quote] He appreciated her professionalism.

What he appreciated starts with p, certainly.

Garner had been around long enough to know what to say and when to say it and to whom.

By 1980, there is no way anyone would want to fuck that bony old woman.

R528 Agreed, it was a delicious moment, full of such joy. And when Oberon does the love smile, and then his acceptance smile, beautiful.

R530: The link to the Dream production is at R534. Enjoy!

Thanks!

I was at a show in the mid 90s, and was standing outside during internission. There near me was Bacall with Peter Stone. When we went in, I found myself walking next to her back into the theatre, and turned to look at her and was shocked, even though she was only inches away, she looked absolutely beautiful. Whatever work she had done was subtle and I was amazed how good she looked.

I think Bacall had a facelift in the run up to her Oscar losing.

Watching the DEH handbag. Does he have autism, what are the endless twitches and eye jabbing and shit about?

r539 Seems like more of a tote bag to me.

Damnit, r408. The link is already gone.

R539 It's to show you just how hard Ben Platt is acting. Never mind that it's a borderline offensive stereotype of mental illness.

R528, I also found myself crying at the end of the first act of Midsummer---but also laughing.

I cried when she opened her mouth.

I know that Ben is problematic. I know that DEH is a problematic show. But Ben in DEH was a really great performance. I'll go sit in the corner now.

Barth-Feldman was much more age appropriate as EH. Much more believable as a teenaged misfit.

That Cinderella song is the pull number from the show?

Yep.

Sorry, R541, I knew it wouldn't last long. It was very good and really close to the stage. R539, of course the character has issues. He is an unusual and lonely boy. That stated, my issue with Ben's performance is that he too often makes a point of actually looking like he is singing (eyes closed, facial strain, etc.) when it is not appropriate within the show as the character isn't singing, he's just expressing his thoughts.

I saw both Ben Levi Ross and Stephen Christopher Anthony in the national tour and neither of them do that, which I appreciated. They also sang the hell out of the score with ease and thought they both sang it better than Ben Platt...but that doesn't mean that I disliked Ben Platt in the role and thought that he was good (other than the "singing" antics) in the recording that was above.

I think that the role is so strong that pretty much anyone would have won the Tony, including the road Evans. I don't see the show as problematic at all. I think it is definitely one of the strongest shows in recent seasons and love that it is original. I'd go see it multiple times before going to see Hamilton once.

R549 Issues? He is a fucking mess.

[Quote] I knew it wouldn't last long

Had the uploaded titled the video "Dear Evan Hansen" or was it untitled and unlisted?

No, it was actually titled "Dear Evan Hansen" which I thought was pretty crazy because it was way too easy to find. It had subtitles in Chinese or Japanese and English. It just showed up in my recommendations.

I know he is a mess, R550, but you're never not on his side. He's easy to empathize with, and it's heart-breaking.

R552 It would make a bit more sense to me if his condition was named, as for why nothing happens to him, after, sorry, he behaves appallingly. I actually thought the chunky friend character was better written, and realer.

Anyhoo, am putting back on Youtube for the people who missed it. Please hold caller.

Patti LuPone and Ben Platt *are* "Harold & Maude: The Musical"

Telecharge is closed, R554. Just like everything else.

R554 Platt is also far too old for that role. But Patti is perfect.

There was already a Harold & Maude musical at Papermill. With Estelle Parsons. Whose character was made to play....the spoons.

It. Was. Not. Good.

Unfortunately, Patti said that Company was going to be her last Broadway musical.

[Quote] Anyhoo, am putting back on Youtube for the people who missed it. Please hold caller.

Thanks. I suggest having the video as unlisted with a one letter title.

[Quote] Unfortunately, Patti said that Company was going to be her last Broadway musical.

She said the same about that May Belline / Estee Lauder musical.

No one would want to go out with War Paint being their final show. Ugh.

Evan Hansen and his friend who fabricates the false e-mails to help him are horrible people not deserving of anyone's sympathy and I hated that the show tries to redeem Evan at the end. Fuck him. That said, a thoroughly original musical with a complete coherent story is a rarity these days and I respect the creators for achieving that.

Oh Honey, Patti will be working on Broadway until she drops. She's this generation's Stritch. She's be in residence at the Carlysle every year from October through January in 5 years. After she croaks, the mantle goes to Sutton.

[quote] Anyone catch Linda in La Boheme? Supposedly there's a video of one of the performances that's in some museum in the city.

It's only about a 20 minute or so compilation of rehearsal clips of the four actors playing Mimi and Rodolpho. Ronstadt sings beautifully and she and David Carroll work much better together than she and Gary Morris.

R562, Evan isn't a horrible person at all. He doesn't do anything out of a desire to hurt anyone at all. He is a kid who gets carried away and gets too deep in to the lies to dig his way out. He also unexpectedly has the traditional family experience he has always wanted. That's a pretty heady experience for a lonely boy to just walk away from. Even making up the e-mails are meant to make Connor's family feel better. It isn't like he has any idea about the college money offer that comes up. I can't imagine anyone watching the show and not at least sympathize with him, if you can't make it all the way to empathy.

Actions have consequences, regardless of what his intentions were. At any point in time during the course of the play he could have told the truth, but he chose not to- repeatedly- until is snowballed out of control. He wanted his fake family and the girlfriend. I have ZERO sympathy. NONE.

R538, For many years, Bacall swore that she would never have a facelift.

But, she did after filming "The Mirror Has Two Faces".

Doing promotion for the movie, she looked like her younger sister.

Beanie Feldstein as Emily and Ben Platt as George, perhaps?

[quote] There was already a Harold & Maude musical at Papermill. With Estelle Parsons.

And DL's own C-list Actor as Harold.

Interesting, R566. I am definitely not an empathetic person normally, but even I can understand and sympathize for a very lonely 17 year old boy who has no real friends, no father, and a hugely absent mother, and is so broken that he tried to commit suicide. He doesn't set out to gain a fake family, he starts by wanting to help two grieving parents of a very much more troubled child who committed suicide feel better.

[quote]Beanie Feldstein as Emily and Ben Platt as George, perhaps?

The last thing Broadway needs is another production of Our Town. How about a revival of Dark of the Moon?

I saw the Evan alternate Michael Lee Brown. I thought he was great. He came across as sympathetic but not manic or twitchy like Platt - well what I’ve seen of him. Michael also covered the other two male roles - I thought this video of him performing all three parts of Sincerely, Me was cute

I thought Dustin Hoffman got canceled?

R569, Was the production with Janet Gaynor a musical or a straight play?

[quote]I thought Dustin Hoffman got canceled?

No, that was Bill Cosby. I sometimes get them confused myself.

What is a Beanie Feldstein?

[quote]Beanie Feldstein as Emily and Ben Platt as George, perhaps?

Are they going to rename it "Our Shtetl?"

Ben Platt sang the shit out of Evan but his acting was cringeworthy. I saw the show in previews on Broadway so I hadn't yet been exposed to the cult of Splat and came in with no expectations. (I know it had an Off-Bway run, but I hadn't read much of anything about it.) I was somewhat stunned at how bad his performance was and that no one bothered to direct him or at least correct him. I felt at times like I was watching the character Jim Carrey used to do on In Living Color, the burn victim fire chief. The real standout in that cast for me was Laura Dreyfus, who deserved a nomination (and should have won over Rachel Bay Jones). Mike Faist did nothing to warrant a nomination.

I love that, R572. His Connor is kinda hot!

R579 There is a bootleg of him as Evan floating around but I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet.

I could see Dustin Hoffman in a production of "Our Town" if they sort of combined it with "The Cradle Will Rock", both with no scenery.

All these bootlegs of "Dear Evan Hansen" and nothing of "Camp Morning Wood"?

Hoffman got cancelled, too, R575. A bunch of times.

[quote]R569, Was the production with Janet Gaynor a musical or a straight play?

Straight play.

[quote]Beanie Feldstein as Emily and Ben Platt as George, perhaps?

Please tell us you're not a casting director.

Some of these secondary Evans are cute. I need to expand my Evan dick pic collection beyond Ben & Noah.

Sam Tutty, the ginger London Evan, is very cute.

Looking at all these Evans, Platt is the only real uggo.

Dustin Hoffman in Our Town seems a trifle tone-deaf in 2021. Maybe Elimy can be trans...?

Janet could have done it as a musical!

I saw Platt a couple weeks after it opened on Broadway. Was amazed by his voice, but also considered him too old for the role. Either that, or the character’s just slow. (But, with Platt’s mannerisms, how could the character be manic and slow?) I was also impressed with the book and direction, especially with the way it presented the internet as a pervasive, even intrusive presence.

However, it was after the show, when the cast put on an auction for Platt’s prop cast, to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, that Platt’s deficiency showed. The auction was managed by the actor playing Evan’s buddy, because, when Platt first announced it, he was still doing the twitches and vocal tics like his character, and, as a result ended up watching from the side.

This made me wonder if maybe Platt’s nervous tics are real. I’ve never seen him in anything else, and personally consider him to be a one-hit wonder.

And, looks like they may have to film the rest of “Merrily” in face masks.

Ben Platt over emoting. And so old. Is he really doing the film? He is so old.

R592 Is the Platt DEH handbag that is floating around.

r559 there are a number of boots on y Tube under the title slime tutorials. If you type that in many boots will pop up along with actual videos on how to make slime. So if you want share with other booters, you can use that title.

Broadway in 2021 needs anything that will put butts in seats. Bring on the Dustin Hoffman OUR TOWN.

Can we cast Meryl and Dustin in something where SHE slaps HIM?

r570 at least Evan is not the phantom of the opera. When I finally saw that show (during this lockdown) and learned the story I was truly surprised at how creepy a story it is. Evan is a least within the understanding of some misguided human behavior.

R594 All my videos are unlisted and I only share here.

[quote]Actions have consequences, regardless of what his intentions were.

But Evan had absolutely no way of knowing how his white lie, which he told for the sole purposes of comforting the family of the boy who committed suicide, would snowball completely out of control and cause a viral phenomenon.

So, if you were a high school kid whose classmate committed suicide, and if you were then called to the principal's offices because, through a misunderstanding, the boy's parents thought you were his only dear friend, and if the crying, desperate mother and the terribly upset father then asked you to confirm the friendship and tell you about it, are you SO SURE you would have had the strength to say, "Sorry, it's just a terrible misunderstanding. I barely knew him at all, and actually, he was kind of a bully towards me?"

If you answer "yes" to this, you're either a liar or a heartless human being. Either way, not someone I want to know.

[quote]r525 Bostwick's endowment can also be seen in Rocky Horror when Brad strips down to his tighty-whities.

Sarandon's breasts are exquisite in that, too.

That movie has a very sexy cast, in general.

Pousse Cafe

[quote]Bring on the Dustin Hoffman OUR TOWN.

Who????

No Bajour!?

By all means let's keep trotting out the most ancient of actors we can think of to breathe life back in Broadway. I know how about we do FOLLIES!!!

Bajour!

606!!