THEATRE GOSSIP #398 - The "Mitzi Gaynor Was Supposed to Have Been Roxie at Encores!" Edition

Ugh. Horrible title.

Theatre is dead.

Can anyone comment on this all male production of Mame?

Why did Jerry Herman approve it?

Why is it considered a piece of LGBTQ history?

Just why?

Act 1

Act 2

Was trying to cast a film version of Follies in my head today and was seriously stumped over Sally and Buddy. Pfeiffer is a pretty obvious choice for Phyllis, and I could see Victor Garber playing Ben, or any number of other guys playing either of those parts. But for Sally and Buddy I just don't know....

R5 Victor Garber gave a respectable performance as Ben at Encores!' "Follies" in 2007.

Pfeiffer is too old. Phyllis and Sally are about 50 and the men a bit older.

Really, the best two film actresses would be Renée Zellweger as Sally and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Phyllis with Hugh Jackman as Ben. Not sure who'd be good for Buddy....maybe Russell Crowe.

Whatever happened to Michael Hartman? Just googling his career trajectory, it looks like he was running his own boutique PR firm with major clients like “Wicked,” then left to become CEO of some specialty ice cream company, then went to Serino Coyne? What an odd path.

And his more recent credits at SC have been pretty underwhelming, too—“Slava’s Snowshow,” anyone?—which makes me think he was exiled to some PR Siberia. How do you go from repping “Wicked” to that?

Broadway is a brutal mistress. Things happen to people along the way. Leave Michael alone.

R9, you do realize saying that only makes people more curious, don’t you?

Seth Rogen as Buddy

In the last thread, a poster mentioned the idea of Dixie Carter in Coco. I'm wondering if she should have done more musicals work right after Designing Women ended in '93. I know she played Mame in an episode, but I really see her as possibly the definitive Vera Charles. Or what about a surprise revival of Dear World? What about having her take on Kiss of the Spider Woman for 1995-96? Or Sunset Boulevard for 1997-98? Or, of course ... Follies (I see her as Phyllis).

"Broadway is a brutal mistress"??

Oh, please.

R7 has never heard Russell Crowe sing. Or seen him dance.

R3, honestly, it’s likely an all male cast would be the only kind to get Mame right

Charlie Sheen is the best Buddy we have today. He reeks of 'traveling salesman' in a way Gene Nelson never could.

Is Charlie Sheen a box office draw? Victor Garber wouldn't draw flies at the BO.

Actually, I suspect Victor Garber's BO would draw lots of flies.

Is that you, Bradley Cooper?

[quote] Leave Michael alone.

r9 this is a gossip thread. That's now how this works. That's not how any of this works.

I never miss a Russell Crowe musical

Hear me out ... Hugh Jackman as *Buddy* ... he can do that middle-aged desperation vibe (see Bad Education), and Ben is easier to cast

I'd hope to avoid more of Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones in musicals. They had their moment in Chicago, but they aren't legends in that regard.

I could see Catherine Zeta-Jones as Stella, however, doing a decent job of Who's That Woman. It could work, except for the fact that she's probably had so much Botox that there is absolutely nothing different about her appearance, invalidating the point of the song.

Something tells me there weren't really any black women in the Follies back in the day, but now it seems like it's a tradition for Stella to be played by a black actress. That's the way they went in the Broadway Revival and with the National Theatre Company as well.

My God, that was horrible.

Worse than Lucy.

Was Hartman MeToo’d or something? Which reminds me, what’s up with William Ivey Long? Did anything ever come of that Medium post from back in March?

*** 3 GIRLS 3 ***

If you want to know why Hartman came back to New York, you need to look into a story in Texas about the husband.

Broadway Bares: ZOOM IN 2020

Give a little.

[quote]I could see Catherine Zeta-Jones as Stella

Stella is too small a role for CZ-J. She would only take Phyllis or Carlotta. Any other role is not worth her time.

Is Patrick Wilson famous enough and old enough to play Ben?

If Kristin Chenoweth wasn't so chirpy, I might consider her for Sally. But I can't stand her helium voice.

She probably wouldn't accept it, but Sarah Jessica Parker could do Hattie.

Daisy Eagan for Hattie!

R17 VIctor Garber was in TITANIC, one of the biggest blockbusters ever and for 12 years was the highest-grossing film of all time!

[quote]VIctor Garber was in TITANIC, one of the biggest blockbusters ever and for 12 years was the highest-grossing film of all time!

Unfortunately, nobody remembers him in that movie.

We've already discussed this on the Follies Film thread. The consensus was Chris Pine as Benjamin Stone with Amy Adams as Sally Durant (Plumber). There was support for Toni Collette as Phyllis.

Someone also suggested Jamie Bell as Buddy. He's only 34, but like Pine, he reads older.

[Quote] Charlize Theron started her career as a ballet dancer in South Africa.

Theron has openly said that she can't sing. She'd look sensational as Phyllis.

[quote] Theron has openly said that she can't sing. She'd look sensational as Phyllis.

Can Theron lip synch?

I'm available....

Theron doesn't even have to sing. They could fix any notes. Phyllis only requires a limited range. I was surprised that Janie Dee sounds as much of a non-singer as Alexis Smith.

[quote]honestly, it’s likely an all male cast would be the only kind to get Mame right

Not in this instance.

Can anyone spare s copy of Sheridan Smith’s “Funny Girl”? No snickering, please!,

Sure.

Anyone have the Japanese subtitled Dear Evan Hanson?

It used to be on YouTube and linked from DL, but YT deleted it before I got a chance to watch

Sure.

R43, I love you

[quote] I really see her as possibly the definitive Vera Charles

Then get your glasses adjusted. There has already been a definitive Vera Charles, thank you very much.

Young Marx.

Re that all-male Mame, it's curious. They obviously had some money - the orchestra is terrific, and the costumes look designed, rather than just pulled from what the theatre had in stock. The sets are middling, though. Mame and young Patrick are the only two halfway decent actors. I can't believe they couldn't find a queen who knew how to deliver Vera's lines. One thing I'll say about Gooch - when "she" comes downstairs for her big reveal, she plays it as Gooch in dress-up, rather than that Gooch has suddenly become a burlesque queen. Which is good.

Does anyone know where this was? Of course, it's 40 years ago. I imagine a lot of that cast is no longer around, from age if not from AIDS.

Sheridan Smith should have refused to have that production taped at that time. She had gained so much weight that it's a real issue.

Her size is just the beginning of the problems with that production.

I wasn't basing the fat comment on the thumbnail, but on watching a bit of the clip - her in her middy blouse and later in the Coronet Man number. Girl is heifer-sized in that video.

So that all-male Mame is in San Francisco. Makes it even stranger that they couldn't find some more-talented actors, especially for Vera.

Maybe they used The Cockettes as talent.

[quote]Then get your glasses adjusted. There has already been a definitive Vera Charles, thank you very much.

Yes, there was. My wife, the actress Coral Browne.

Exc-u-u-u-use me, r53!

Robbie Fairchild’s ex will return to Paris in November, this time to be in 42nd Street with Norm Lewis as Julian Marsh.

R27 do tell or even just tease a little more

Faith Prince is playing Dorothy Brock?

Do you think in future productions of Assassins, the "N" word will be removed from John Wilkes Booth's "The Ballad of Booth"?

Tne "n word" is used quite a bit in a lot of modern plays -- "Ragtime," for one.

The remarkable story of the Shaw Festival and how they are continuing to employ 500 people despite having no shows.

Is Robbie Fairchild out or he just lets everyone "assume" and leaves it alone?

I don't follow him but someone has linked to IG posts with his bf.

[quote]Is Robbie Fairchild out or he just lets everyone "assume" and leaves it alone?

I would say Robbie Fairchild is pretty out at this point. In June, he posted the following under a picture of himself and his sister as children, both of them wearing tutus:

Happy Pride ❤️💜🧡💙💚💛 I had no idea when I was this little that there were pioneer men and women, just like me, who had fought and were continuing to fight for my freedom to love. I am so grateful. So so grateful🌈 Thanks for the pic mom!

Doesn't that imply that he is a pioneer of some sort?

I think he meant "just like me" to mean fellow homos, not that he, too, is a pioneer.

R58 They'll say the n-word in "Pig Latin"

I often wonder about words like that being used from now on since there seems to be this idea now that these words can never, ever be said - even if it's coming from a character you shouldn't like or there's some historical context to it. I'm wondering what this attitude will do to art years down the road. Will people only be able to call one another a "pee pee head" when they're trying to hurt someone's feelings? Aren't people not supposed to be nice to everyone and be a stand up individual in fiction? Seems like there's not a lot of conflict if we start policing what even the villains of a story can and can't do. It's like we want them to be evil, but not too evil, because that'll make some people too uncomfortable.

The reason I brought up the "N" word is that I just saw that British historian Lucy Worsley got a lot of blowback for quoting John Wilkes Booth in one of her historical documentaries.

(It probably didn't help that she was dressed as a field hand at the time, but that's our Lucy. I kid, I kid).

The N word is now more offensive and unacceptable in theater than depictions of murder, rape or abuse. This is where we are.

R59. Yes, and a coalition of BIPOC Theatre Arts majors at Ithaca College have just sent a list of complaints and demands over what they describe as racism and transphobia in the department (Google Ithaca College BIPOC Theatre and you can find the letter, which has been posted publicly). One instance of complaint was when a white music director made reference to the “n” word (he said the actual word) while they were rehearsing “Ragtime” a few years ago. I don’t know you talk about that show and work with actors and singers without uttering the word st some point.

They’re doing “Sweeney Todd” this season (if they actually get to perform)—what about all the British anthrophages that show will offend!

Why did the last thread end so abruptly?

WE SEE YOU WHITE UNSEEN VICTOR GARBER IN 'TITANIC"

[quote]Why did the last thread end so abruptly?

It didn't end abruptly. It was closed at 601 posts.

When I was a boy there was a very large painted blocklong sign in Time Square between 45th st and 46th street above the Astor and Victoria movie theaters. It announced in bold letters a film called The Legend of Nigger Charlie. It gave me pause every time I saw it but I don't believe there were any comments about it in the press. It even made it onto postcards featuring Times Square in the 70s. The term was just as offensive during that time period as it is today but it was occasionally used to make a point.

Really r74 It was widely used openly on tv still.

Robbie & his boyfriend call each other “boo” & disgusting things like that.

That really is disgusting, R76.

Noah Galvin and Ben Platt looking for 3ways during a pandemic is not a good look

How do you know they're doing that, r78?

This is what you get when political extremists are involved in the arts: censorship. When the far-right were in charge, we had the Hays Code. Then, in the '60s the pendulum went toward the center and we had approx. 40 years of practically non-censorship. Now, the pendulum has swung far-left and everything that doesn't adhere to their agenda is censored. But, as my grandmother used to say, the pendulum always swings back.

They're bored of each other by now what do you expect

They're bored with each other by now. What do you expect?

It would be outrageous to remove the N-word in Assassins. Up until that moment it's possible to be finding Booth quite an attractive character, who may be on the wrong side of history but is mourning what has been done to his home, the South, in terms of the carnage and destruction and brother-against-brother stuff. When he says that word it is meant to be a big shock to the audience, and it is. It puts everything he's said so far into a whole new perspective and immediately shrinks him in stature, which the Balladeer caps off with the insouciant "What he was was off his head".

Sondheim has deliberately placed the word for maximum shock-value in the sentence and in the musical phrase.

Surely no black person who understood the intention could object? It's pinpointing the evil masked by hypocrisy that was the Old South.

What's so hard about avoiding using the n-word when putting together a production? The actors have the script. They know that they'll use it on stage.

You’re right, r83. It’s masterfully employed. But bear in mind there are people demanding To Kill A Mockingbird be removed from school curricula for including that word. Not to mention there were activists boycotting The Scottsboro Boys because it employed minstrel show tropes. Context and intent aren’t being considered in some cases.

That statement is badly composed and poorly punctuated. Therefore, there are probably many meanings that different people will find. R64 is reasonable. R65 is, too.

That Fairchild would take to the internet to announce his utter ignorance of the history of one of the major civil rights movements of the past 100 years is probably not so open to interpretation. The ignorance is pathetic and publicizing it is, too.

If we ban the N word, then we blow a hole in Fred Williamson's oeuvre. Three of his titles will be gone.

Find the Krazy Glue on Eric Bentley's desk!

[quote] My God, that was horrible. Worse than Lucy.

Except when Lucy did it, she had $12 million and people who were involved with the original Broadway production to do it with.

Amy Adams as Sally is a great idea...but wouldnt we have to wait another 20 years for her to start looking appropriately old?

The great thing about Michelle is she looks ten years younger than her age, can ACT, has musical experience and is sexy - all needed for Phyllis. I wouldn't buy Streep in the part at all.

The trouble is....who is in Michelle's range to play opposite her as Sally?

Why does Sally have to look old? There are plenty of old characters in FOLLIES. The four leads are all under 50.

I'd love to see Michelle Pfeiffer as Phyllis but I think the producers would have a much easier time funding the movie by casting people closer to the age of the leads (40 somethings).

[Quote] The trouble is....who is in Michelle's range to play opposite her as Sally?

Mare Winningham.

Hollywood 40-somethings all look 30.

We have Stella to sing "Lord, Lord, Lord, that woman is me" in the Mirror number. We don't need the leads to look old. Sally talks about being fat. Has Sally ever been played by a fat actress?

[Quote] Hollywood 40-somethings all look 30.

Chris Pine sure doesn't.

Not necessarily in close up. And change the hair to 1971 styles. That will age them nicely.

This is Amy Adams six years ago. By the time they ever get this fucking movie made, she will be PLENTY old for Sally.

Mitzi Gaynor might have actually made a decent [italic]Mame[/italic] on screen but she had given up on movies by then.

I'm surprised they didn't try to rush MAME into production with Liza after the success of CABARET.

"Cabaret" was groundbreaking in terms of movie musicals. To have followed it with an old chestnut like "Mame" would have done no favors to Liza's career. Not that the crappy movies she did make post-"Cabaret" were great choices.

It was already in production before [italic]Cabaret[/italic] was released, but Lucy breaking her leg got it pushed back. The lack of serious Oscar chances once WB saw it got it pushed back further from Christmas 1973 to Easter 1974.

[Quote] "Cabaret" was groundbreaking in terms of movie musicals. To have followed it with an old chestnut like "Mame" would have done no favors to Liza's career.

It likely would have been a hit. And Liza could have sold the songs like gangbusters. I don't see how it would have hurt her. She was difficult to cast in the first place.

They should have done BLACK MAME with Diana Ross.

At least she would have been closer to Mame's age then than she was to Dorothy Gale's age four years later.

Clifton Davis would have been a handsome Beauregard.

Let me think, r95....

Touche. (I didn't think of Cook as it was a concert but I concede...)

That was so ridiculous when Sondheim said they cast the concert as if they were casting a revival. Would Barbara have been able to do the mirror number? Carol as Carlotta? Mandy as Buddy? Really?

I had no idea he said that. Carol couldn't have played a sloe eyed vamp on the radio.

He also said the men (Mandy and George) were too young for their roles and the women (Lee and Barbara) were “slightly too young”.

I’ll bet that went over well...

[quote]I’ll bet that went over well...

At least as well as Elaine Stritch pulling focus by vociferously hunting for one of her shoes while Barbara sang "Too Many Mornings," stopping occasionally to pretend to listen to her, and then going right back to pulling focus.

At least that was a rehearsal (albeit a filmed one)

On stage she backs into Liliane Montevecchi during what is supposed to be a shared bow for the trio, but clearly Elaine thinks is a solo bow for “Broadway Baby”.

R90, Amy Adams is 45, the same age Dorothy Collins was when she played Sally.

The script indicates that Salyy is 49 years old.

[quote]I had no idea he said that. Carol couldn't have played a sloe eyed vamp on the radio.

What were they thinking when they cast Carol Burnett as Carlotta? She's completely wrong for the role in every way. Did Carol put money into the show?

I hate how in "I'm Still Here" she sings "I've been through Herbert and J. Edgar Hoo-woo-ver." That extra bump was a poor attempt at comedy and Carlotta doesn't need to add comedy to the song.

[quote] "Cabaret" was groundbreaking in terms of movie musicals. To have followed it with an old chestnut like "Mame" would have done no favors to Liza's career. Not that the crappy movies she did make post-"Cabaret" were great choices.

Old chestnut? They both opened on Broadway the same year!

Eric Bentley, Critic Who Provoked Lovers of Broadway, Dies at 103:

R114, the story is that they wanted Carol to sing Broadway Baby and Stritch to sing I'm Still Here. But Burnette (or her reps) turned down BB and said she wanted to sing I'm Still Here.

Do not know if it is true but it makes sense. The proposed casting in the story is more expected and Burnett has always pushed to expand people's ideas of what she can do, so pushing for the less comic, more acted song makes sense.

[quote]the story is that they wanted Carol to sing Broadway Baby and Stritch to sing I'm Still Here.

Did they not read the script? I realize it was just a concert version, but neither Burnett nor Stritch are Carlotta types. And neither are top singers.

Stritch was a top.

Carlotta is pretty flexible in what kind of actress it can work with.

DeCarlo, Baranski, Bergen, Paige, Gray, Kitt, etc. This is a pretty disperate group of actresses, and while not every perfromance was great, all of them seemed reasonable bets to play Carlotta.

Weird someone brings up Carol Burnett and Liza because they're very similar. Quite homely and not romantic leading ladies. It might work onstage but not in movies. Carol seems very much a second banana in the movies. Liza had Cabaret and that's pretty much it. Sterile Cuckoo, she was meant to be the weirdo everyone wants to get away from and she did a good job. Unlike Streisand, the camera doesn't love her imperfections. Not a surprise she never became a real movie star.

[quote]Carlotta is pretty flexible

Pics please.

Carlotta requires glamor. She should have sex appeal but glamor is the number one quality. Liza has/had glamor. Burnett never.

We have to believe that Ben had an affair with Carlotta and in the show he basically asks her to start it up again. Carlotta makes it clear that she's being fucked by a much younger guy and then might throw him away and get a younger one. Nobody wants to fuck Carol Burnett or Elaine Stritch.

Glamor can be created. It usually is created. When you work with so many of these 'glamorous' performers, you see that. I never met deCarlo, but from personal experience I can tell you that Tracey Bennett, Earth Kitt, Christine Baranski, and even Dolores Gray were far mousier and less striking looking than their onstage personas.

Weirdly enough, Stritch is one of the few performers I know who had that energy and glamor off-stage that they had onstage.

Back to the MAME clip for a second....what the hell is 'Mother Burnside' doing in the middle of the title song dancing with the chorus? I didn't watch the whole thing, just flipped through, but caught that business.

As for Liza, she really is a good actress and someone should have set her up with a couple of film scripts with juicy parts. Things like LUCKY LADY and RENT-A-COP might have been fun for her to make but nobody cared in the end. A MATTER OF TIME should have been a great pairing of her and her dad. I loved her in NEW YORK NEW YORK and she was also good in STEPPING OUT and the tv film THE WEST SIDE WALTZ with Shirley MacLaine.

Don't forget Liza as Lucille Austero on Arrested Development, R126. TV, yes, but she was very funny.

Liza turned down CINDERELLA LIBERTY. I wonder if she could have had Marsha Mason's movie career. She probably could have done THE GOODBYE GIRL at least.

Here's Carol in a glamorous dress. Still not glamorous. Glamor is commanding, not ingratiating. It's why someone like Dolores Gray, whose face was almost as "goofy" as Burnett's, nevertheless had glamor. The bangin' body (when kept in check) helped of course.

Dolores had "bazzazz"!

Lansbury was able to play a glamor she did not have as Mame. Her stock in trade as an actress was a lack of glamor and she has rarely gone for glamor since.

But were they as good as Misses Hepburn and Loudon, r126?

For absolutely no reason...

Lansbury was a good mover, which helps with glamor. She had poise.

[quote]Yes, and a coalition of BIPOC Theatre Arts majors at Ithaca College have just sent a list of complaints and demands over what they describe as racism and transphobia in the department (Google Ithaca College BIPOC Theatre and you can find the letter, which has been posted publicly). One instance of complaint was when a white music director made reference to the “n” word (he said the actual word) while they were rehearsing “Ragtime” a few years ago.

I find it terrifying that some people are so foolish as to try to ban the word even when it's used by characters who are clearly supposed to be villains, to make it clear that we should hate them precisely because they are the kind of bigots who would use such hateful, offensive language. If you start instituting bans like this in the theater, the next step might be ban the use of the word in print, even in non-fiction writings about racism, the Civil War, etc That's how human history begins to be erased -- and it's vital to preserve all aspects of history, not just the positive things.

[quote]That Fairchild would take to the internet to announce his utter ignorance of the history of one of the major civil rights movements of the past 100 years is probably not so open to interpretation. The ignorance is pathetic and publicizing it is, too.

Umm, please withhold your very harsh judgment and read Fairchild's statement again. I agree that the statement is not well written grammatically, but nevertheless, it's 100 percent clear he's saying that WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE BOY, as in the photo, he was (of course) unaware of pioneers in the gay rights movement.

[quote]We have Stella to sing "Lord, Lord, Lord, that woman is me" in the Mirror number. We don't need the leads to look old.

The story of FOLLIES makes no sense unless the four leads appear in their mid-to-late 40s, maybe 50 at most. They're supposed to be old enough that they have a lot of regrets about their lives, but not so old that their lives are nearly over. And, in 1971, people didn't live as long as they do know, and older people then looked older than people of the equivalent age today, so you have to take that into consideration as well.

[quote]He also said the men (Mandy and George) were too young for their roles and the women (Lee and Barbara) were “slightly too young”.

I've never understood why Sondheim said that, because it was only true of Patinkin. Hearn and Remick were almost perfect for their roles as far as age, and Cook if anything was about seven or eight years older than Sally is supposed to be. Sondheim probably just said what he said to be nice and gallant, but he probably shouldn't have brought up the ages of the performers to begin with.

[quote]Mitzi Gaynor might have actually made a decent Mame on screen but she had given up on movies by then.

R98, that would have been great casting. And though of course Mitzi's had nowhere near Lucy's level of fame, she had become quite well known to a wide audience due to all those TV specials she did in those days, aside from those who remembered her from the movies. Still, I can't imagine any studio would have bankrolled a MAME movie with Mitzi as the star -- they felt they needed a really huge name.

[Quote] And, in 1971, people didn't live as long as they do know, and older people then looked older than people of the equivalent age today, so you have to take that into consideration as well.

Alexis Smith looked pretty great in 1971. She looked even better in the decade and into the eighties.

And Nelson's dancing was still athletic and vigorous. I hope they get a movie Buddy who can really move. That's why I suggested the youngish-but-doesn't-read-as-it Jamie Bell.

*later in the decade.

Allelujah! by Alan Bennett

[quote] That Fairchild would take to the internet to announce his utter ignorance of the history of one of the major civil rights movements of the past 100 years

Get off your high horse. That’s not what he announced at all. He said WHEN HE WAS A CHILD he didn’t know there were others like him, who were paving the way for him to be able to love whomever he wanted when he grew up. He was born into a Mormon family, which explains why his personal coming out journey took him till his late 20s.

"When I was a child" could mean present day, though.

[Quote] WHEN HE WAS A CHILD he didn’t know there were others like him

When he was a HUSBAND he didn't fucking know.

People don't seem to be able to see things like context anymore. Yes, I do believe context matters. If you have a lead character we're supposed to like and relate to and they're throwing the n-word around, I see the issue, but if it's the antagonist we're supposed to hate, why not? Where are we going to draw the line as far as what villains can do? So, they can't use bigoted language, but can they still maim, murder, and physically abuse the protagonists? Can they call them "fat" or "retarded" or are those words out now, too? I'm a gay man, but I don't even mind if a villain calls another character the anti-gay f-word. It just makes them more despicable and that's a good thing. It makes you hate them. Now, when you look at some of those 80's comedies when the "likable" characters are throwing that word around, it's offensive, but I don't find it offensive if we're not supposed to like the character.

That seems a bit simplistic. "As long as the character is a villain, they can say it."

[quote]The story is that they wanted Carol to sing Broadway Baby and Stritch to sing I'm Still Here. But Burnette (or her reps) turned down BB and said she wanted to sing I'm Still Here.

I've heard that, but I wonder if part of the reason for the change was also that they realized there was NO WAY Stritch could ever have sung those three sustained high notes at the end of "I'm Still Here." Burnett doesn't sing them perfectly -- she's a little shaky on the very last one -- but at least she more or less had those notes. Stritch did sing the song later in her career, in her club act, and she pretty much had to scream the end of it.

[quote]At least as well as Elaine Stritch pulling focus by vociferously hunting for one of her shoes while Barbara sang "Too Many Mornings," stopping occasionally to pretend to listen to her, and then going right back to pulling focus.

The song is "In Buddy's Eyes," not "Too Many Mornings," but yes, that part of the documentary is an incredibly bad reflection on Stritch and her constant need to pull focus.

It makes you wonder about Stritch's failure to get "Ladies Who Lunch" right on the day/night of COMPANY's cast recording...

As long as it's obvious that the storytellers aren't advocating using the offending words or phrases, I don't see an issue at all. Usually, giving them to a villain makes it obvious that they aren't saying this is the right way to live your life. What is the line exactly? It seems like it's different for everyone and that's the biggest issue with this who concept. People just needs to realize that anyone can be offended by anything and that doesn't mean we have to scrub every story clean of any edge just to avoid any bad press.

Some people are going to be offended by scenes of racism or domestic violence or or homophobia or disabled people being called slurs. Some of them might walk out and scream about it on Twitter, some might stay and stew in rage, and some might just shrug it off when they see what the show has to say at the end. None of these people are wrong and none of them are right. We can't police art because of what a small handful of people might say. All these Twitter warriors are a much smaller minority than people think. It's pretty easy to not give them power.

I thought the rules in the States were that black people could say nigga as much as they want, but whites never can?

But certainly no razzamatazz r130!

[quote] This is a pretty disperate group of actresses

Did you mean DISPARATE or DESPERATE? Because it kind of works either way.

Why would Aurora Spiderwoman remove her videos? She only posts ancient clips, few in broadcast quality.

^ Having a break for Summer, somebody commented on the last thread.

That's nice but why not leave the videos up?

Has anyone run across a decent Color Purple video? I have seen some clips of songs but not the whole show.

R152 No idea. hasn't he always been a little on edge?

More Judy!

[quote]That seems a bit simplistic. "As long as the character is a villain, they can say it."

Really? I'm surprised you don't understand why that makes perfect sense. The character does not necessarily have to be a "villain," but of course we're supposed to recognize it as hate speech when they use that word. Here's an interesting point: In the original TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC by James Michener, he writes that, when Nellie finds out that Emil de Becque has two children by a Tonkinese woman who's now dead, she's appalled that a "n____" was the mother of his children. Of course, in the end she realizes how terrible her learned prejudices are, and she sees the light, so we're supposed to forgive her for the way she used to think.

Can anyone imagine Mary or Mitzi using the word?

But that's built into the fabric of SOUTH PACIFIC ("You have to be carefully taught"). Aren't there important historical figures who were slave owners? If someone wanted to write about something good they did, but included their use of the n word, would that be wrong? It would be jolting to an audience. But would that be a bad thing. You have to be taught. And you also have to be reminded...

[quote]Nobody wants to fuck Carol Burnett or Elaine Stritch.

Tell me about it.

Amy Adams isn't interesting enough to play Phyllis. And, some of these other suggestions are just bizarre...Kristin Chenoweth as Sally? She's a terrific performer but she's a midget...showgirls weren't midgets.

Follies is all about aging and ghosts and regret and dealing with the past while in the present. Other than the ghosts and a some of the ensemble playing minor characters, the two main women characters are about 50...the piece is set in 1971 and they were the last of the Weissman Girls prior to the start of WW2 which would mean they' were 18 to 20 when the Follies ended circa 1941. The two men are a bit older so probably about 52 or so. ALL the other main characters are about the same age and MUCH older....which is why Follies is so hard to cast. The average age of the characters is around 62.

Follies doesn't work if you cast actors who aren't the correct ages or can't legitimately pass for the ages they're supposed to be...and, they all need to mesh together. If you cast 50 year olds to play Buddy and Ben and Phyllis but a 40 year old to play Sally, it's gonna throw it all out of whack. I LIKED Imelda Staunton in the National production despite all her tics but she was far too short and read quite a bit older than Janie Dee...it really wasn't good casting.

On Golden Pond with Julie and Christopher.

Hamlet.

Brent Carver has died.

Read: the Ragtime at Ithaca. As I understand it, the students weren’t objecting to characters saying the word onstage in the world of the play. They objected to one of the directors (music or staging, I think it could be the former as the latter was a POC) saying it during rehearsal. I never got what the context was—it could have been the director wanting to demonstrate how he wanted it said or sung or to give a sense of how it would function dramatically or musically. I certainly can’t imagine he was using it casually or conversationally.

[quote]It could have been the director wanting to demonstrate how he wanted it said or sung or to give a sense of how it would function dramatically or musically. I certainly can’t imagine he was using it casually or conversationally.

Exactly. I know the bigoted fire chief says the "n" word at least once, but then Coalhouse himself sings it at one point, "I'm not their n____."

To clarify, Nellie doesn't actually speak the word in TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC, but Michener tells us that's how she thinks of Emile's dead wife.

Brent Carver has died. Did anyone see him in Kiss of the Spider Woman or Parade? I only knew him from recordings, but his Molina seemed fabulous.

Sorry R163 - DL is acting up for me today. New posts on in threads aren't showing up at the time they're posted, so missed that you'd already posted about Brent Carver.

I have a house cam of Parade, and even in shitty quality, carver is very good.

[Quote] If you cast 50 year olds to play Buddy and Ben and Phyllis but a 40 year old to play Sally, it's gonna throw it all out of whack.

Not necessarily. It depends on the actors in question. John McMartin was born in 1929, whereas Gene Nelson was born in 1920. While one was pursuing women at 20, the other was 11 years old... I doubt you're objecting to their casting as a former duo of stage door johnnies.

[Quote] If you cast 50 year olds to play Buddy and Ben and Phyllis but a 40 year old to play Sally, it's gonna throw it all out of whack.

A director who gives line readings is a shitty director.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: There will NEVER be a Follies film 🚨

Who thought there were would be a more than good FOLLIES revival? And by a bunch of Brits no less?

*there would

68 seems much too young but he had a long life compared to many of the gay men of his generation. Cold comfort, perhaps. Quite a career too.

I love Parade. A beautiful show.

Young Brent. No wonder he was cast as Ariel in The Tempest.

^ Hopkins, (who played Prospero), was still drinking then, wonder if they tricked?

I don't even think Sondheim talks about [italic]Follies[/italic] as much as DL.

Let QueenNyla show you how it's done...

Pity they draped that bathroom rug on her.

Now, now, at least they gave her a flattering wig.

R179: She was great and made me wonder what Nell Carter could have done with that role if she had lived to do it. But I'm still not sold on gamut/dammit as a rhyme.

Does anyone have the link to clips of that (what looks like) community theatre production of "Dreamgirls" where Effie is verrry light skinned and sings mostly in head voice? (And no, I'm not talking about Miss Lake Dardenelle.)

As a concept musical, Follies will only work as a film if you get rid of all the songs and replace them with pastiches of film sequences from different periods and genres. It's an inherently theatrical piece, and unless it is a smart adaptation it'll end up just being documentary footage of a stage musical. We already have the excellent NT Live recording - there's no reason in the world for there to be an actual feature film. Fosse managed it with Cabaret, and Richard Linklater might yet manage to pull off Merrily - but I can't think of another concept musical that's successfully been turned into a film. (Is Cats a concept musical? And look what happened there...)

The same problem arises in adapting any metatheatrical or metaliterary property to film. Like in the adaptation of Ian McEwan's Atonement - Briony Tallis should have been turned into a filmmaker, not kept as a novelist.

FOLLIES is inherently filmic. If you can't think of how "Waiting for the Girls..." could be adapted to the screen, I don't know what to tell you.

Lyrically, "The Trolley Song" is very much a stage number. We're told everything. But does the number work on screen? I say: Yes.

[quote] "Broadway is a brutal mistress"??

Didn't you know? There's a broken heart for every light on Broadway.

Many, many thanks to our NT poster for putting up Alan Bennett's "Allelujah!" above! I laughed and may have cried a bit more than once, but it's a sentimental play. Very nice staging by Nicholas Hytner, too. (Has he ever directed any play or musical badly? Not that I've seen. I saw his "Carousel" at Lincoln Center, which totally changed my mind about that show for the better. "One Man, Two Guvnors" was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and his "Midsummer" was bliss.) Anyway, thanks again NT poster!

Oh for chrissakes, r183, you know not to mention her name! Now she's going to.....

Who the hell keeps misspelling "glamour"? It's spelled with a u, and that's not a Brit spelling, it's THE spelling. The "u" only disappears in the word glamorous.

R149: I will never say a bad word about Linda Lavin's singing again.

I mean R189, sorry. See, that's how bad it was. It made me forget how to count.

And like Linda, Miss Lake Dardanelle made multiple recordings of her... hit.

Book of Mormon with Gavin Creel

...a handbag...

"I love Parade. A beautiful show."

...a handbag...redux...

r195/r196=Lady Bracknell

Carver was indeed wonderful in Parade. The show has the nuance and subtlety of a diesel truck. Preach preach preach. Tell Tell Tell. You don’t know this man? NO SHIT.

Someone get the chanteuse at R179 a basket so that bitch can carry her tune.

[quote] Theatre is dead.

Yes, R2. It is. Literally.

And Aaron Burr shot it, too.

I remember seeing and loving Parade soon after I moved to NYC. So weird to see Carver has died.

Time does zip by quickly

I saw Brent Carver in both "Kiss of the SpiderWoman" and "Parade".

Parade was a mess. I just looked it up and it only ran for two months once it opened. I guess it was Harold Prince trying to make magic with a show that really should have played off-Broadway. That being said, Brent was the best thing about the show and was excellent in the role. Unfortunately, he had to play opposite Carolee Carmello, as his wife, who was dreadfully miscast. She played the wife so uptight and haughty, think a Southern version of Miss Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies. There was no warmth from her at all.

Parade was indeed a mess. So much there but the production was a mess. Like Merrily.

Meanwhile, I posted this up thread but it never showed up. So here it is again.

[quote] Like Merrily.

Except Parade has shown itself to be a good, solid show post Broadway. There was a strong script under that bad production.

Unlike Merrily.

The script of Parade was unfocused. It didn't know whether it was a story about a marriage, or intolerance, or small town prejudice or a procedural or....

r194 I tried downloading that video but ended up with no audio. The audio plays when I stream it, but there's no sound in the download. Strange.

Dear Edith plays every note of her voice in her delivery above, but, damn if she doesn't do it even more hilariously in the studio recording with John Gielgud. She takes a pause before letting the line rip, from chest to head, and squeezes every last bit of air on the vowel at the top of her register.

Okay, Parade, Parade. What about Kiss? I'm too young to have seen Brent in Kiss of the Spiderwoman -- my first Broadway show as in the early 2000s -- but my little gay heart loved the cast recording. Not everyone can "bring" their stage performance to the recording booth, but I always felt like I was hearing the full Brent Carver performance on that recording.

You beautiful romantic crazy kid.

Brent in Spider Woman was raw, dangerous, heartbreaking, and had an arc like few others in the role. He won his Tony and was gone by the fall...Livent's Darth Grabinsky offered him the moon to stay on (huge payday, a luxury apartment, 24 hr car service), but Brent didn't cotton to the life of a broadway celebrity. He was extremely private, extremely shy, and extremely raw and vulnerable with his emotions and New York was not for him.

After he left Spider Woman, he hightailed it back to rural British Colombia for a while before showing up in Cyrano de Bergerac at a regional theatre in Edmonton.

Spider Woman tops my list of shows I want to see revived. It’s riskier and less commercial than it’s remembered to be (it features a decidedly non-comic, onstage bowel movement that is, weirdly, a major turning point in the story), but it’s also sensationally entertaining in the right hands and with the right casting.

I saw the tour (with Chita) when I was in middle school. I don't recall the on stage deuce, but perhaps I was more transfixed by Chita. I can't imagine the show ever being revived without at least somewhat of a name in the title role and there are so few actresses with name recognition I can think of who would have the requisite triple threat skills and touch of glamour. Perhaps 29 year old ingenue Catherine Zeta Jones?

Sutton Foster will probably do it.

[quote]he hightailed it back to rural British Colombia

We were never British subjects. Spanish-yes. British? Never.

SPIDER WOMAN has some great moments, but some truly awful ones. Morphine Tango, anyone?

Thank you, no r216.

I prefer heroin suppositories.

I saw Spider Woman in London with Bebe Newirth. The whole thing came off as inane, actually.

The idiotic lyrics included “There are big breasted women over the wall!” “I don’t miss you inside me” and “I know him like the back of my hand.”

I still laugh at the thought

I really enjoyed the Bway production of Parade. It really communicated the love of the couple and their fight to free him

Is it wrong that I didn’t realize that the gal was supposed to be sort of retarded in Light in the Piazza?

Now that was a musical that I thought really sucked

Not wrong r220, just stupid.

Or maybe just sort of retarded.

this is... interesting

r220 is joking, of course.

R220, that all depends on which production and which cast members you saw.

And you left out all of it.

COVID-19 knocked actors off the Broadway stage. But are the lights dim forever?

"Hurlyburly" opened at the Ethel Barrymore on this date in 1984. Anyone here see that production? If so, what are your memories of it?

Kiss of the Spider Woman was an example of how the talent elevated the material. As noted above, there were some cringeworthy lyrics in the show. However, a new generation got to see Chita dance and it was wonderful.

Brent Carver was marvelous in the role. He brought innocence to a character that could have been fussily annoying. And he had some spectacular moments. "She's A Woman" and "Mama, It's Me" were thrilling moments in the show. Unfortunately, Kander, Ebb and McNally had no idea what to do with the Valentin character and most of his material is really bad.

There were also aspects of the original novel that were toned down in the musical. In the novel, Molina is specifically there to spy on Valentin, which is not clearly brought out on stage (if it were, it would have been indicated in the music). Additionally, in the novel, Molina is transgender. In the musical, Molina is played more as effeminate gay. Look for this to be a flashpoint in future productions when the T community starts demanding that only a transgender can play the role.

Whatever happened to the production of Kiss of the Spider Woman that Audra McDonald was supposed to star in?

[quote] Is it wrong that I didn’t realize that the gal was supposed to be sort of retarded in Light in the Piazza?

What did you expect? She's supposed to be from Winston-Salem.

Nah. It's just wrong..

Did you think Margaret played a tricky game in a foreign country to marry off her perfectly normal and very beautiful daughter?

I imagine you can only do Spider Woman now with a Latinx cast. I suppose Karen O is a given (love her or hate her) but who would play Valentin and Molina?

I know! I know! LMM can play both parts.

Valentin is pretty easy. Anyone who can portray butch and has a great hairy chest. Molina has to be a complete, embarrassing queen who can make us root for her. And, I agree, Karen O. (I can't dances peoples) is a given.

I will admit but "Mama, It's Me" gets me hard every damn time.

Brent Carver was colorless and bland as Molina (well, he WAS Canadian). He was horribly miscast to play a Latino because he was one of the whitest white men of all time.

R220, were you kicked in the head by a pony as a child? That would explain your confusion.

R228 - Molina in the novel is transgender? I just recall him as an effeminate swishy queen. How did I manage to miss that detail?

He’s more of a cross dresser, no?

Has the T community co-opted the role of Molina and it really should be just a gay man who does drag?

This article implies he was transgender.

[quote]Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia) is a freedom fighter who is captured, tortured, and then thrown in a cell with Luis Molina (William Hurt), a cross-dressing homosexual (he is most likely a transwoman, but as a sign of the times he is just referred to as homosexual) being held in prison for charges of having sex with an underage boy.

R238, I think they have. According to the Wikipedia page, Molina is a transgender woman....news to me.

[quote] I'm still not sold on gamut/dammit as a rhyme.

Sondheim does more of those very-close-but-not-perfect rhymes than a lot of people like to acknowledge. There's another one in the same show, "beauty celestial, the best you'll agree."

[quote]FOLLIES is inherently filmic. If you can't think of how "Waiting for the Girls..." could be adapted to the screen, I don't know what to tell you.

I agree. A great director, DP, and SFX department could do amazing things with the present-day characters dissolving into their younger selves, images of their younger selves being superimposed on footage of the present-day people, maybe even some split screen sequences. And another thing a movie version of FOLLIES could do easily would be to make it clear that certain scenes -- for example, "Too Many Mornings" -- are taking place in parts of the theater other than onstage.

I’m sure this has been discussed and other threads but just listening to the Broadway channel on Sirius and an Elena Roger Evita song came on and was just horrible, what happened between London and Broadway I thought reviews for that production in London were great And they all praised Atlanta. She sounded horrible on the song I heardAnd I did see it on Broadway and I thought she would be better in person but I was completely let down

[quote]And they all praised Atlanta.

???

Re Molina: Unless the character comes right out and makes a statement in the musical or in the source material, I don't understand how we're supposed to know whether he identifies as a trans woman or as a cross-dressing gay man. If he does identify as a trans woman, I assume that means without having had surgery, given the time he's living in and his life circumstances.

[quote]I thought reviews for that production in London were great And they all praised Atlanta.

Elena's alternate was a woman named Atlanta. To say she brought a new interpretation to Eva Peron is an understatement. She added 10 minutes to the show because she riffed all through Don't Cry For Me Argentina and The Actress Hasn't Learned The Lines.

Thanks, R243. I didn't see the alternate in the role, and didn't know or didn't remember her name.

The Last of the Haussmanns with Julie Walters.

I remember in the film of Kiss, at one point Valentin is upbraiding Molina and says something like “Aren’t you a man? What is that between your legs?” To which smiling responds, “A mistake!” I don’t know that that makes him definitively trans—he lives his life as an effeminate gay man—but it does suggest he does not see himself as masculine. I read the novel when it came out and saw the musical (and thought Carver was anything but bland), but I don’t remember if either included this exchange. I also think historical setting and cultural context of the story makes any simple categorizing of the character’s sexuality and gender reductive.

The original book was the problem.

[Quote] Did you think Margaret played a tricky game in a foreign country to marry off her perfectly normal and very beautiful daughter?

Most viewers don’t give a crap after the first 10 minutes

[quote] Did you think Margaret played a tricky game in a foreign country to marry off her perfectly normal and very beautiful daughter?

According to the musical, Italians are stupid and can’t figure out who’s a retard and who isnt

[quote]According to the musical, Italians are stupid and can’t figure out who’s a retard and who isnt

Or pedophiles because they thought the girl was much younger than she actually was.

[quote]According to the musical, Italians are stupid and can’t figure out who’s a retard and who isnt

I could have told you that.

R250. Hardly pedophiles, as Clara is in her mid to late 20s, but seems more like an 18 year old (which would have been a marriageable age, especially in the Italy of the era, in which few young women went to college).

Benay...

Early Lawson...

Macbeth - Act One.

Macbeth - part two.

Someone should do an "Evita"/"Spiderwoman" mashup. Or have Evita play Aurora.

Barbara Stanwyck, chantoozie.

I am already ducking for cover - but please keep an open mind - Someone on the upthread mentioned I think sarcastically - Charlie Sheen as Buddy in Follies. You know - about 10 or 15 years ago before he totally flipped he might have been quite charming. In the the early seasons of 2 1/2 men he played a jingle writer and would perform them - he doesn’t have a great voice but he is musical - plus he HAD built in comedic talent - and that wistful loser quality. He might have pulled off a pretty fun “Buddy’s Blues.”

To rhyme a word like silver

Or any “rhymeless” rhyme

Requires only will, ver-

Bosity and time.

– Stephen Sondheim

(From a letter to the editor of Time magazine, May 24, 1971.)

Not just a chantoozie, r258, but also terpsichorean! Take a look at her coffee grinder...

I believe we're told in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA that Clara is 26, and yes, Fabrizio's family are initially outraged because their son is 20 and they assumed Clara was considerably younger -- but certainly not underage. As for them not being able to tell that Clara is mentally challenged (or whatever term you want to use), we're supposed to think that's partly because of the language barrier. And, of course, Clara doesn't act out in front of Fabrizio's family, the only time we see her actually have a panic attack is when she gets lost in the streets.

‘Clara, dear - what is two plus three?’

Yvette...

Kelli...

Marguerite

r262, Clara does have a fairly bad meltdown in the scene with Fabrizio's family when the sister in law is flirting with him; Margaret is horrified but the family seems to chalk it up to passion/jealousy.

r170- not if they are the correct line readings.

As for the n-word, I was in a NYC production of HAIR in which we sang the original lyrics "prisoners in nigger-town, it's a dirty little war. Three five zero zero. Take weapons up and begin to kill...." There were no protests or complaints and that phrase is sung over and over.

"Colored Spade" would get [italic]Hair[/italic] canceled if it were a new show.

When the Olivia de Havilland film version of The Light in the Piazza played its initial release engagement in Winston-Salem, the stock studio newspaper ad was headlined at the top with:

WINSTON-SALEM IS MENTIONED FOUR TIMES IN THIS FILM!!!

Thanks to the person who posted Young Marx. I've been wanting to see that for a long time.

Oh honey, we all have been. Last of the haussmanns is up as well.

I finally caught the movie of “Light in the Piazza,” and noticed it predictably has more depth. Yvette Mimieux seems more mentally challenged than Kelli O’Hara did onstage. The father actually visits, and demands Mimieux be put in a facility when they return, which adds an urgent edge.

And there’s a moment at the very end that speaks volumes. A child is eating popcorn, and throws some at the happy couple as they leave the church. De Havilland watches in suspense, as Mimieux in her wedding dress bends down, picks up some popcorn and eats it. Then De Havilland sees new hubby George Hamilton bend down and also eat popcorn, and De Havilland sees that this union may yet work. Quirky, but strangely moving.

———

I was lucky to see Carver in “Kiss.” He was wonderful. He had a sly watchfulness to his character, always pushing just a little extra to annoy, or ingratiate himself. Now forward, now pulling away. And the neediness underneath. A willowy, feline presence, only soaring when he’s awash in his movie memories. And that sweeping ending, when he finally dances with Chita. It made me want to join them. Kind of an overproduced musical. I’d have had less crowd movements, a la “Evita,” with more emphasis on life in their cell versus Molina’s movie fantasies, until the two blend.

I’d like to have seen Carver’s other work. I missed “Parade.” I’d have enjoyed seeing him as Gandalf in the odd theater production of “Lord of the Rings,” not really a musical per se, though it has some lovely songs, and some reportedly spectacular staging. There’s a CD of it, complete with a DVD of video highlights.

WE SEE YOU WHITE YVETTE MIMIEUX!

So finally someone is standing up to Scott Rudin. Will be interesting when all his investors find out how he's been shifting ad buys between shows, which is against all investment documents. This is why Dolly made so little profit for its investors. Rudin kept burying the ad spends for his loser shows in the DOLLY ad budget.

[quote]The agency says it provided ad and marketing services for various productions by the multiple Tony Award-winning Rudin without a written contract

Well that was fucking stupid of them.

[quote]The suit claims Spotco had an oral agreement with Rudin since around 2014.

Producers being so well known for keeping their word.

He's as big a goniff as David Merrick was.

From the Dept. of Rhymeless Rhymes:

I painted my car engine/orange in no time flat.

A request: I've always been curious about It's a Bird, It's a Plane, it's Superman - The Musical and apparently Cheyenne Jackson starred in an Encores concert version of it a few years back. I would love to see it, if anyone has it and can link to it. I imagine that must be a perfect role for him given his physique and incredible voice. Thanks in advance!

Do we know which musicals were filmed "live on stage" pre-Covid, a la King and I/Hamilton/Newsies/She Loves Me, but have yet to be released?

I would like to think they had the foresight to do that with Bette Midler In Hello Dolly, given it's huge success. I never got to see the show or the tour and I'm still kicking myself.

I can't imagine Bette wanted her performance preserved because of the state of her voice.

R280 The London Aladdin was filmed and is screening on Disney sometime.

While the Broadway Aladdin films himself...

R283 where can we find these videos folks have mentioned?

I went to a production of Women Behind Bars in LA in February that was being shot for video. I’m waiting for that to surface.

Bette was in fine voice, and they could have sweetened the vocals in post-production. I think we'd have heard by now if Dolly had been filmed

No, Edward Watts played Superman at Encores! Cheyenne played the role in another concert version, but I don't remember where it was. I thought it was preferable to the one at City Center. Cheyenne was perfect. And, as I recall, Lea deLaria played the villain in drag.

Who played Linda Lavin?

There used to be a version on YouTube of Bette's Hello Dolly shot by an audience member.

And Bette sounded like worn out shit on it, too.

In performance, she floated on the excitement in the theater, an excitement she created, but which doesn't get captured in its entirety on video.

I hear they want Nathan and Matthew for the revival of SPIDERWOMAN. With Charlie Williams as Aurora.

Charlie will only do it if he can perform the choreography on his knees.

Bette in the title song.

Cheyenne Jackson played Superman in 2007 first in a Reprise! concert version in Los Angeles and then in a Musical in Mufti version at the York Theatre in NYC.

What is the West Side Story recording with Cheyenne Jackson like?

I don't get the love for Cheyenne Jackson. I think he's kind of fug. Sort of like porn actors, they try to look sexy but they never quite make it.

There's never been much love for Jackson here. People used to be wild about Raoul Esparza.

The only thing I found him sexy in was All Shook Up.

R295 I really like it. It's a live recording of the complete score with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony.

Nation by Terry Pratchett.

R294 sorry, I had only heard about his performance and Superman I'm passing and didn't make a note of where it happened. Thanks for the info. If anybody has the video of those performances, please post it.

I think Jackson has a terrific voice and I really enjoyed him in Xanadu. One of the things I love so much about theatre is that actors who aren't "Hollywood beautiful" can glow on stage because of the character, the costumes and the context.

Of course, I think Jackson definitely has his own appeal and is far from fugly, but your mileage may vary.

I wonder if any of the tour Dollys were filmed...

Do you guys think they'll bring the Dolly tour back once restrictions lift? Or is it dead in the water now? I guess the excitement for Dolly probably wouldn't be as high, but that being said they already had a tour up and running. They could just store all the parts and once it safe take it around the states. It was very well received the first time around.....so why not? It would certainly be more cost-effective than trying to get a brand new show set up for a tour.

Did people like Carolee Carmello in the role?

Old Hats.

Wild.

I was surprised by Midler's raspy vocals in Dolly. It's not like that's a tough sing for just about anyone with any musicality whatsoever. Between hearing both her and Betty Buckley sound so worn out singing the role, I had to make peace with the fact that even our favorite belters can't escape the effects of aging. Peters was a different story altogether. Though her vocal capabilities have diminished a fair amount over the years, I thought she sounded better than she had in years in the role. The performance I saw had her starting our hoarse and raspy with her first song and building up strength throughout the evening with each song. It was pretty interesting to watch. She was also the one who got both the comedy and the humanity. Her monologues to Ephraim were very moving and heartfelt, but she was getting laughs that even Bette didn't manage to get.

Donna Murphy was a pretty terrific Dolly as well and landed the laughs and the pathos. With Midler, you just had the laughs and with Buckley, you just had the pathos. Murphy and Peters brought them both with superior vocals.

r300 That looks just like "Once On This Island." Did they borrow the costumes and sets?

R306 other way around. Nation is from 2010 I think.

Barbara Stanwyck circa 1940s for Phyllis!

And Alice Faye circa 1930s for Sally!

R304 - That describes the Bernie performance I saw to a T. I was in Dallas for work last year at the same time Bernie had a few concerts with the Dallas Symphony. I decided to snag a ticket even though I was very nervous about what sort of state her voice would be in -- I didn't want to ruin my earlier memories. I was pleasantly surprised at how good she sounded. No, she didn't sound like she did 20 or 30 years ago, of course, but, interestingly she sounded DRAMATICALLY better than when I'd seen her in concert 8 or 9 years prior.

Well she *was* a Ziegfeld chorus girl, r308...

I cannot see any of the google drive videos that the nice person is posting here. This is what I get: 404. That’s an error. The requested URL /get_player was not found on this server. I'd love to see Aleluiea. Thanks.

Do you have Link Previews turned off?

^ Just unchoose offsite link previews.

Also, try using a different browser if you can. They always play on Chrome for me.

Thanks! Turned off link preview and it worked!

[quote]Alice Faye circa 1930s for Sally!

Isn't Sally a middle-aged broad? Look, fucker, I was in my early-mid 20s in the 1930s! I wouldn't be old enough to play this bitch! I got away with playing Fanny Brice, but 49 is too much.

R312, Alleluija is embarrassingly bad. The actors are great, but has Allan Bennett written a good play since....actually has he ever written a good play?

R318 Most of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (TV monologue plays) are pretty brilliant. Particularly the ones with Patricia Routledge, Maggie Smith and Julie Walters in 'Her Big Chance.' You can find a bunch of them on Youtube.

R319, I agree. I like Talking Heads. And some of his essays are wonderful.

But his plays are horrendous.

Like listening to paint dry.

[quote]That describes the Bernie performance I saw to a T. I was in Dallas for work last year at the same time Bernie had a few concerts with the Dallas Symphony. I decided to snag a ticket even though I was very nervous about what sort of state her voice would be in -- I didn't want to ruin my earlier memories. I was pleasantly surprised at how good she sounded. No, she didn't sound like she did 20 or 30 years ago, of course, but, interestingly she sounded DRAMATICALLY better than when I'd seen her in concert 8 or 9 years prior.

R310 , it seems to me that Peters has had a reputation for being very inconsistent vocally pretty much throughout her career, even sometimes within the same performance. I don't fully understand what that's all about, but it's interesting.

Sorry if this has been posted already. It’s from a Florida high school production of Light in the Piazza and it ain’t too bad:

The young lady in the clip above, Celene Perez, died last month.

R324, how tragic. What a beautiful performance.

After watching a few Nine videos on YT, Was there any sort of backlash of Spaniard Antonio Banderas playing an Italian in Nine?

Bernadette's voice has always been inconsistent. I've seen her sound a little ragged and hoarse before, but she's always hit the notes.

No, he was well-received. If it hadn’t been for the Hairspray sweep that year, Banderas would have handily won the Tony for Best Actor.

Raul Julia wasn’t Italian, either, was he?

But Daniel Day-Lewis is?

The House of Bernarda Alba with Glenda Jackson and Dame Joan Plowright.

Jekyll and Hyde - the ballet

Gemini with Scoott Baio and Sheree North.

R324, where did you hear that? I couldn’t find anything online, but it may be too soon. Was it a Covid death?

R323 -- WTF? That's very impressive for a high school. And, looking in the pit, unless those are a bunch of seniors who flunked out of 11th grade 20 times, they hire professional musicians for a full orchestra, too? Those lucky kids.

Slightly OT but I just saw an episode of Rhoda on Decades TV, one of those digital over the air subchannels. It was the first time I had seen the show in years. I either had forgotten or never knew that in the front of her apartment, Rhoda had a framed window poster for Angela in Dear World.

I do remember that Dick van Dyke had a small framed poster for some forgtotten Edwardian musical behind his desk in his office with Buddy and Sally, maybe The Arcadians?

R335 here. I did some googling and the small framed poster behind Dick van Dyke's desk was for Charles Froman's Broadway production of The Dairy Maids.

R335 here. I did some googling and the small framed poster behind Dick van Dyke's desk was for Charles Froman's Broadway production of The Dairy Maids.

All sources indicate it was suppose to be Vanessa Williams but Ann Reinking accepted the role when Vanessa wasn’t able too

Williams is only ok. No loss that she didn't originate that role in the revival.

Vanessa Williams can't dance. She was awful in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Of course, the movie of NINE was supposed to star Xavier Bardem. Has any actual Italian ever played the role of Guido other than Sergio Franchi, who replaced in the original Broadway production?

.I watched Liza last Friday on Dick Cavett along with Paul Harvey and your Miss Gina Lollobrigida. This was after Cuckoo, pre-Cabaret. Of course Dick asks her about not singing Mama's songs and of course she said "Because no one sang them better".

However...she says she *does* do Stormy Weather and Come Rain or Come Shine on her just released album. And, I quote: "We do them with a grooving rock feeling."

Gawd.

Has any Frenchman played Emile in a major production of "South Pacific"? I doubt there are many.

Vanessa Williams sounds like an interesting choice, but that woulda been one pretty chilly evening at the City Center between she and Bebe.

How long into the revival's run did they start modifying choreography for Roxie and Velma? I believe there are three Roxie dance tracks depending on the level of expertise (dancer/mover/Melanie Griffith), but I remember seeing Luba Mason as Velma (with Brooke Shields as Roxie... a delightfully daffy musical comedy turn) and "All That Jazz" seemed different. I can't remember many details, but I do recall the drop-flip onto the floor move with the boys was a touch more... delicate. Mason sounded great and I'm sure was cast to provide visual balance with the tall Shields (hmm... a possible Phyllis?), but it was slightly disappointing to see Chicago with both leads simply moving well. How is "Hot Honey Rag" handled when it's between a trained Fosse dancer and a Real Housewife? Just cut the cartwheel and hope it's a quick 6 week run?

Another "Behind the Curtain" mystery. On a recent podcast, Hinton Battle talks about being 15 (FIFTEEN!!!) when he was bumped up from ensemble to lead as The Scarecrow in the very troubled out of town tryouts for The Wiz after the original star left in Philly. Battle does not name names but says it was a well-known comedian. My initial thought was Jimmie Walker but I don't think that would work due to his Good Times schedule. Flip Wilson seems too old. Googling didn't bring any results, but I did discover Butterfly McQueen was also originally in the cast as Queen of the Field Mice and then later became the Addaperle stand-by. Hey... a check's a check.

Speaking of Lubas, did any of you see Luba Lisa back in the day? In addition to her chicken walk in a feathered bikini that got her a Tony nomination for "I Had a Ball," she was also Anita in a Lincoln City Center revival of "West Side Story"?

If Karen Morrow's story at Onna White's memorial is true, Luba Lisa was the original "I can't dance, peoples" Anita.

I seem to recall them making a big deal about adjusting the choreography for Maria Friedman in London, who replaced Ruthie Henshall. Friedman wasn’t a great dancer, but her personality was perfect for the role. That would have been around 1999 or so.

R345, I think you are looking for too much star-power in a production that featured Tiger Haynes and Ted Ross. They would not be booking a Los Vegas headliner.

I think we are talking more on the level of Nipsey Russell, Scatman Crothers, Charlie Williams, etc.

Playbill says that the original Scarecrow was Stu Gilliam (who he?)

[Quote] original Scarecrow Stu Gilliam was replaced with a then-18 year old Hinton Battle

Is Hinton Battle playing "Ann Miller" with his age?

I've never seen anyone who was French play Emile DeBecque. I suppose when they did it in Paris, someone did. :) The only actor I saw who actually played it with a French accent was Philip Quast, in the London Revival. He was excellent.

Stu Gilliam is exactly the sort you would expect them to cast.

[quote]The only actor I saw who actually played it with a French accent was Philip Quast, in the London Revival. He was excellent.

Robert Goulet, who was French-Canadian, played it with a French accent in a tour that I saw. Also, I thought Paulo Szot did a very creditable French accent, even though he's Brazilian. Of course, he may have had a lot of familiarity with the language by the time he came to do SOUTH PACIFIC at Lincoln Center, especially since he's an opera singer.

As for CHICAGO casting: I find it interesting that the Weisslers seem to have decided long ago that, while Velma always needs to be played by an excellent dancer, this is not necessarily true of Roxie. In a way, this makes sense, because Velma is supposed to be a professional dancer. But on the other hand, all of the numbers in CHICAGO (except arguably the "Hot Honey Rag") are supposed to be fantasy numbers even more so that most musicals, so in that sense, one could argue that Roxie really should be a great dancer as well -- like Gwen Verdon and, at the time, Liza.

BTW, Danny Burstein's letter is devastating.

R355 So bloody sad.

Over There with The Tredaway twins.

Blithe Spirit with Dirk Bogarde, Ruth Gordon, Rachel Roberts and Rosemary Harris.

"Spaniard Antonio Banderas playing an Italian in Nine?"

"Raul Julia wasn’t Italian, either, was he?"

"But Daniel Day-Lewis is?"

To quote Cole Porter, "So what, so what, so what?"

Roxie is sort of like Sally Bowles. You can cast someone with somewhat mediocre singing and dancing ability if they at least capture her desperation. It really is more of an actor's role at this point. Well, maybe not in the case of Christie Brinkley.

Melanie Griffith was a great example. Here was a woman with no real dancing skills and tiny, but passable singing voice who acted the hell out of it and got some of the biggest laughs I've ever seen a Roxie get. She more than made up for what she lacked.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like the Tonys?

[Quote] I read survivor websites

As Elizabeth Taylor said to Liza Minnelli about tabloid stories, "Don't read 'em!"

But r347, she *could* chicken walk. That chicken walk brought her a Tony nom. They really should have had her Anita chicken walk.

I made the post upthread about Rhoda having a Dear World window poster in her apartment. They were strip running the series and a couple of episodes later, Dear World was gone and picture of flowers had replaced it.

[Quote] Dear World was gone and--

I don't want to know!

Oh, *great big* W/W, r365!

Thanks for posting that "Blithe Spirit," r358. I think it's funny that Ruth Gordon shows up as Arcati (doing very well), but doesn't even bother with a British accent.

^ Like Glenda and Joan doing 'Banana Alba' with no Spanish accents.

I'd rather an actor retain their own accent than do a bad one.

Has the Bacall "Blithe Spirit" ever shown up in someone's collection?

R368, I hope that is a joke.

I was disappointed in her, r367, and I was expecting her to be wonderful.

R371 Nope, scroll up.

r355 - ugh. That's just... crushing. I feel so terrible for both of them.

Jordan Roth's hair could do with some volume.

I understand the Burstein's wanted to lower their son's chances of catching the coronavirus but it doesn't sound like Danny is in any fit state to be sole carer for his wife. They may also think that they're sparing the son from seeing his mother's health decline but... he needs to be part of it, as tough as it is.

*Bursteins

R373, why would they have accents?

The play is a translation. Usually an accent indicates that the character is speaking English but colored by their native accent.

If they are speaking English the characters would be speaking "Spanish" hence, not accent is needed.

That is why no one uses Russian accents when playing Chekhov, German accents when playing Brecht, French accents when playing Feydeau , Jewish accents when playing a Biblical drama, or Spanish accents when playing Lorca, etc

(Did a troll just make me belabor the obvious?}

A little. I live in a small town, and they did a production of Frankenstein, where, within the first scene, the accents went from German, Russian, Kiwi and English...it only got worse.

That isn't consistent, though. Didn't Gunton use a Spanish/Argentinian accent in EVITA but LuPone didn't.

Gunton was the only leading or featured performer who used an accent in EVITA.

Shouldn't the direct figure out what they're going to do with accents from the start? Either everyone does one (unless there's a reason in the script) or no one does. I see this in many productions of Sweeney Todd where Lovett is always played with an accent, even if it's a bad one, and no one really cares what Sweeney or anyone else does.

r376, they probably don't have the money or insurance coverage to afford home care for Rebecca. The only alternative would be to put her in a nursing home, and I don't think either of them are ready for that. I don't think they want to do a GoFundMe or beg the Broadway community for help, which would only help in the short term, but I'm afraid from his description of the progress of her symptoms, the short term is all she has left. So, so horribly awful.

r382

I have seen at least 2 audition sheets saying that any actor going for Peron do NOT try to imitate the accent on the OBC

r384

And that's why the 24 year old son should be part of her care.

Speaking of Frankenstein just watched the National Theater production the other day with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Creature and Johnny Lee Miller as Victor Frankenstein, really enjoyed it. Cumberbatch gave a great performance as the Creature.

Then I watched it a few days later with the roles reversed and Miller was not as good as the Creature, he also wasn't great as Frankenstein.

[quote]they probably don't have the money or insurance coverage to afford home care for Rebecca.

They're both members of Actor's Equity. Can't the union help them in any way?

There’s the Actors Fund, but they are probably tapped out, having provided emergency funds for so many actors suddenly out of work.

Rebecca is technically the boys’ stepmother, although she came into their lives when they were fairly young. It’s so shocking to hear that the ALS is progressing so quickly with her. Generally, it’s a 2-4 year survival, but there are, in fact, many patients who have lived quite a bit longer than that.

I'm surprised one of their friends in the Broadway community hasn't started a GoFundMe. Can't you just start them on someone's behalf?

Speaking of Mitzi Gaynor, Broadway director/choreographer/performer Tony Charmoli has died. Not only did he choreograph Woman of the Year and Ankles Aweigh, he was in Love Life and Make Mine Manhattan and staged lots of great numbers with beloved DL divas.

Also, Tony's in the Scotty Bowers film, corroborating Scotty's stories. Tony tells about an orgy that took place at his house.

[quote]R134 Lansbury was a good mover, which helps with glamor. She had poise.

Poise PADS, more like it.

[quote]R171 🚨 BREAKING NEWS: There will NEVER be a Follies film 🚨

[quote]R187 Didn't you know? There's a broken heart for every light on Broadway.

Or twenty-thousand.

There's a broken light for every heart on Broadway.

The marquees will go red along the West End to remind people that theatre is important.

[quote]The marquees will go red along the West End to remind people that theatre is important.

That should do the trick.

I'm sure Tony is choreographing Betty a snappy number in...well...wherever she is.

Did I ask for your opinion? Fuck off, r398!

Harvey Fierstein on Broadway’s "Horrifying" Shutdown, Writing His Memoir—and "Gentleman Callers":

R398, that choreography actually looks pretty cool

Has anyone purchased Charmoli's book? I Google Image searched his partner but to no avail.

R43, Thank you for posting.

Watching Ben Platt's character sing "Waving Through a Window" in the context of the plot is just devastating.

r399 - Guess what, Betty...I smudged...

That article by Danny Burstein is incredibly sad. I can't imagine what he and his wife are going through just to get through each day. I wish them well.

Endgame with Alan Cummings

Have you Sweeney with Michael Balls?

Poe - The Musical.

- Blithe Spirit with Lauren Bacall - the audio is available on Spotify.

[Quote] Blithe Spirit with Lauren Bacall - the audio is available on Spotify.

Thanks. I presume it's out of copyright. Could someone put it on YouTube?

Betty, you were always a C U Next Tuesday kind of gal.

R407 Sure.

Thanks, 411.

Is this really Sandy Duncan? She looks like Maureen McCormick.

R413 Sure is! The eye gives her away.

R409, how could it be out of copyright?

[Quote] how could it be out of copyright?

Perhaps I should rephrase. Audio is sometimes uploaded to download/streaming services from "companies" that don't own the audio. That said, some productions fall out of copyright. I think the first "Night of the Living Dead", or a similar low budget horror from that period, wasn't registered/renewed properly. Anyone can release it.

And, of course, in Europe there are lots of recordings that have fallen out of copyright up to the year 1962.

RIght, but that audio production of Blithe Spirit uses a script that is still a valuable property.

The underlying rights are still owned by Noel Cowards heirs, so it cannot legally be distributed without approval.

Even if the recording itself is out of copyright, that only means the artists and producers involved with that production cannot profit from it.

Coward's estate still owns the words spoken and can demand payment for them, block the recording's distribution, or whatever.

Ok, but Elaine Stritch can be heard on YouTube in a radio production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" I'm sure it's not supposed to be there but it is... perhaps the Bacall "Blithe Spirit" will join it...

That Stritch production Who's Afraid is a bootleg of a BBC radio production. (I think it was also available commercially, but I could be wrong.)

No one can seriously believe that Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf has somehow passed out of copyright.

And yes, Blithe Spirit, may join them.

But it would be a bootleg.

But it would be silly to think the play has entered the public domain.

ATC is in a tizzy because Then She Fell never went after tourists and the pinheads there never heard of it.

Why are drama teachers from the midwest surprised that they do not know what is going on in New York theater.

I used to have the Bacall Blithe Spirit on vinyl...

I expect Bacall was awful as Elvira and I want to experience it.

I had not idea Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (sp?) is a No Nose Nanette.

I love this remembrance of Julie Wilson. (But what happened once she got off the bus in Jersey City? Did she live right near a stop?)

[Quote] She asked me to walk her to Port Authority, where she wrapped her slicked back hair in a babushka, and took the bus back to Jersey City. On our walk, I told her about a photo I had seen of her at La Maisonette at the St. Regis Hotel, which she ruled for over a decade with her throaty, sultry vocals, her statuesque figure, and her wit and wisdom. She said, "Was I holding a big copy of "The Kinsey Report?" I told her yes, and she replied, "Well, it was a comedy number in my act, but just between you and me and the bum in the gutter, it's a pretty good read."

Re the Bacall "Blithe Spirit" (with Coward himself and Claudette Colbert and Mildred Natwick), I know the video exists as well, because I know people who have seen it/have it. It seems to be very holy-grail-ish (not as much as the Merman TV Annie or the Pat Routledge Sullivan Show Not on Your Nellie, though), and I have nothing to offer in return, so I've never had the nerve to ask for a copy.

Search Bacall Coward Colbert Blithe Spirit DVD bitches. The colorcast is lost but the kinescope is out there.

Your tone seems very pointed...

Some color photos remain.

Mildred, doing her thing.

R430 'Tits, Lauren. have your tits out.'

Who doesn't adore Mildred Natwick?

So Broadway.com’s parent company laid off 100 people yesterday. Is Paul Wonterek gonna be the first Broadway “name“ to start an OnlyFans, then? Did he get the heave-ho, too? All the Broadway sites are beyond depressing these days (for obvious reasons). TBH these DL threads have been quite fun and lively these last few months (in my opinion, at least). Are Theatermania and BroadwayWorld next to go?

Paul Wontorek? OnlyFans? Ewww.

I'm not sure if all these boots being posted are from one poster, but THANK YOU whomever you (or y'all) are! May I ask if you have any of these? Probably a longshot, but thought I'd ask...

FELA! (Broadway or national tour)

ON THE TOWN (the most recent Broadway revival -- hopefully with Megan Fairchild and before the orchestra reduction)

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (LA Opera Production with Judith Ivey, Victor Garber, Laura Benanti)

Most of these are NT Live broadcasts, not someone sitting in the audience with a camcorder.

And yet they have all been wonderful. Repeating the above, thanks to everyone who has posted these fabulous performances, boots or officially recorded or whatever. Much appreciated.

What do you mean yet? The NT Live performances are professionally recorded. Of course they're better than a fan recording.

I've seen the Bacall Coward Colbert BLYTHE SPIRIT and though Bacall is as uncoward as she can be, she's really funny, At one moment Natwick is standing next to her and exclaims, "I smell ectoplasm!" Bacall, highly offended, brays "What a disGUSTing thing to say!" I fell off my seat laughing.

New musical fans should check out SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED with BD Wong (and donate to BWAY CARES).

I'm curious what others think. I'm impressed Wong and his partner put this all together under quarantine.

R435, I've def seen FELA posted on there threads

R440, it really was creative but his voice isn't good enough to pull off an hour show.

Beginning of a trend?

I think you mean bust pads, r431. Those ain't her tits.

Boobies, boobies, boobies. Nothin' but boobies. Who needs em?

Dear Mildred...

Uh, r440, you do know that SONGS FOR AN UNMADE BED is 15 years old and had nothing to do with Brad Wong originally...

R447, Good, now it can be presented with someone else starring

Misses Hayes and Natwick...

Um 90 minutes of BD Wong singing is....challenging. His voice is okay, but not particularly exciting...

He did a great job on the video, it would have been better if there was just a tad less of him though.

Not sure how many people still have extra cash to donate but I hope they get a good response.

It's interesting how different the theater community is from dealing with Hollywood people. I started watching bootlegs and viewing fundraisers on YT when lockdown hit. I work in Hollywood, been here for over 30 years and it really touches me how much community theater people share. In Hollywood you can honestly work with someone for years and they would not lift a finger if anything happened to you. You'd definitely get the polite inquiries as to how you are doing but outside of that everyone just looks out for themselves.

Also the acting community in Hollywood. . .Oh wait, there is no community among the actors in Hollywood except for the exclusive gay groups of guys and ladies that hang out together, but who know who the hell those people are?

Well, there's now apparently a new group of unemployed agents and casting people. Have they started at least to commiserate with each other for not being able to pay for their Porsches?

R435 The other two were never recorded.

Fela - Off Broadway.

Anybody have a decent boot of Les Miz?

No

Hollywood is just awful. Awful. It's a city and a business run by narcissists, and I hated my time in LA. Broadway is fantastic. I hope it comes back.

The Little Prince.

Uncle Vanya.

I'm changing my major to Joan.

Just an FYI.

Okay, Cane Face, okay.

Anyone have a bootleg of SUMMER to post? Please!

Tonight on Dick Cavett. 1971, 10 years before Mommie Dearest.

FAYE DUNAWAY, FRANK PERRY, AND RAYMOND BUCKLAND • TALK

Faye Dunaway reveals how the end of "Bonnie and Clyde" was filmed; director Frank Perry teaches the history behind his film "Doc"; and occultist Raymond Buckland discusses witchcraft..

Oh my gawd, she's wearing a caftan and smoking a cigarette in a very affected manner. Dick's in a shirt and tie.

Can someone please explain to me why Dick Cavett had a career. I find him the most uninteresting interviewer, and his schtick seems to be "look at me being cute and turning the story back on me" in every interview. Did people really watch him? He's so bad at what he does...

At the time, he had interesting and often intellectual or artistic guests (as opposed to the more middlebrow folk on Carson) and he had what seemed like an insightful and thoughtful perspective. I was in high school at the height of his popularity and he was an antidote to the stand-up monologue my folks stayed up for on Carson (they usually went to bed after the monologue). Watching the Cavett shows now can make me cringe, but he seemed a breath of fresh air. Same (though lesser) with Tom Snyder.

Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show was the most exciting talk show ever.

I've always found Cavett an empty poseur and a climber, but he did great guests.

Talk shows can be deceptive. People thought that assclown Charlie Rose was a great host for the longest time, too, remember?

How can you not love Tom Snyder actually bringing up on the air (I forget with which guest though) the story of Milton Berle's (and Forrest Tucker) have biggest penises in show biz!

having, that is, as in possessing

Cavett tried to straightsplain "faggot" to Ian McKellen, which makes Serena's jibe about Cavett being a bigger queen rather satisfying.

Has anyone ever heard Tiler Peck's speaking voice? No wonder Fairchild jumped ship!

Cavett had the best guests and, additionally, the best mix of guests. You would never see Katharine Hepburn on the Tonight Show. And whether you liked him or not, the guests were given more time and received more substantive questions on his show than on any other. His shows were much better than anyone else's.

Much of the success of "The Boys in the Band" can be credited to Cavett's faithful promotion of it. It was a small off-Broadway show, but he understood it was revolutionary and had great cultural importance. No one else with a national television show was interview the cast, some of them repeatedly.

I'm sure this was discussed about 200 theater threads ago but being a new convert to watching stage productions I have to say that Javert comes across as a closet case obsessed with Jean Valjean because he's in love with him and wants that hole so very badly. The religious bent doesn't help matters either, just inflames his guilty feelings and makes him want to punish Valjean even more.

Bring His Hole.

Mike Douglas actually had some superb guests as well, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosting for a whole week.

R475 I like Patti doing this. Otherwise that show leaves me cold.

Also want to echo the Thank You over video links.

....and the heartache over Danny and Rebecca. I agree the son should help but why do I think this couple put his health and safety ahead of their needs? Thst sounds like them. Danny will surely have a breakdown soon if there isn't some respite for him. They NEED another person (or persons) stepping in to assist. Did Rebecca's concert raise enough funds for her to get that treatment?

Also, did anyone post that Chayenne/Superman video?

[quote]R478 They NEED another person (or persons) stepping in to assist.

We should start a volunteer sign up sheet, here.

I'm sure our endless natterings and questions would make her long for death, though.

[quote]Don't tell me about it, fix it!

Katherine Hepburn to hovering makeup/hair assistant on Cavett's show.

^^ It's Katharine.

If Rebecca Luker is not getting the care she needs, then members of Equity need to FLOOD the next council meeting and demand better health insurance. Few actors work more than Danny Burstein, so he should be able to expect that his union's insurance will care for him and his family in times of medical emergency. That's what the goddamned fucking medical insurance is for. And, yes, I am very well aware of the complexity of it all. Private insurance, Medicare, and social service agency programs. Don't anyone try to excuse this situation. It's not so complex that it cannot be handled well. The family might not get everything it wants, but they should get everything they need.

And fuck Go Fund Me. Danny and Rebecca should not have to beg. They are members of a union that is now over 100 years old. There has been plenty of time to get it right.

bravo R482

R 482 is 100% correct. Equity should be shamed for this and the membership should be livid. If this can happen to Danny and Rebecca, it says so much about the inadequacies of that union. It's horrific.

Please post Jagged Little Pill!

R485 just search YT. Its up there. Stumbled upon it numerous times.

Hope you didn't turn your ankle, r486.

It wouldn't occur to r486 to post the link.

Sure it did, r488.

So well said, R482. So well said.

I never miss a Rufus Wainwright opera - Hadrian.

Things I Know To Be True.

[quote]Did Rebecca's concert raise enough funds for her to get that treatment?

I believe the funds raised by that concert were for research into a promising new ALS drug, not for Rebecca personally.

Danny's comment about not having health workers said something to the effect that no health worker would want to come to their house given that they had both had Covid. But health workers are prepared for that circumstance. They wear masks and face shields and gloves in situations where they are possibly exposed to a communicable disease. I would think at this point they should be able to get someone to help, at the very least for a couple of hours a day. And don't NY markets do home delivery? There's also various volunteer organizations that will do shopping for elderly or immune-compromised people, and it doesn't cost a thing except the price of the groceries.

[Quote] no health worker would want to come to their house given that they had both had Covid.

That makes little sense. I know health workers who had COVID-19. Once recovered, they went back to work. Their co-workers didn't refuse to work with them because they had it previously. The Bursteins are no different.

I expect the shopping is actually a relief - just to get out of the house (apartment).

FAGGOT LITTLE PILL!

r496, lay off the hard drugs, huh? Hugs, not drugs.

R497 was a public service by the Ad Council, the makers of the immortal classic "VD is for Everybody."

I want VD!

It can't be worse than a lump on the breast. Or Huntington's chorea.

[quote]I want VD!

It's not as exciting as it sounds.

Actually r488 I wasn't going to go search for it when it is literally easy to find on YT. It wasn't even a question that needed asking. Step 1 for finding any show online is to spend ten minutes on YT.

...also, I'm even less inclined to go out of my way to do something obvious for someone here after I had trouble in the previous thread accessing the Two Guvernors download, and various smart asses here refused to even tell me where to find the link (just go search through 600 comments you lazy slob!), or how to troubleshoot the issue of not being able to download it once I did the work to find it, as if Im supposed to either be some technological wizard or completely retarded, with no middle ground in between.

Honestly some of you people really revel in this pointless bitchery don't you?

I know that Lukers concert was to raise money for the treatment, but my question was whether or not she actually got to try the damn treatment.

The treatment is in the developmental stage. It needs funding to get it to trials, which is when, presumably, Rebecca would start taking it. All of that was talked about in her concert, and also in her initial announcement of her illness back in February.

[quote]Honestly some of you people really revel in this pointless bitchery don't you?

Well, yeah. Which is one of the stated purposes of this site.

As opposed to posturing by ill-informed pedants like yourself. Which is, now that I think of it, pretty pointless and totally bitchy.

You do realize that DLers who don't usually post on TG threads regard them as attracting the worst, meanest, and most toxic DLers, don't you? (I think the most recent mention was on some "Are Most DLers Mentally Ill" thread--but I'll let you find it yourselves.)

I share this as a semi-regular poster on this thread. Just saying. We pretty much occupy the lowest bar on our beloved sinking ship.

And now, back to our regular programming.

Why are you deflecting?

You do realize that DLers who don't usually post on TG threads regard them as attracting the worst, meanest, and most toxic DLers, don't you? (I think the most recent mention was on some "Are Most DLers Mentally Ill" thread--but I'll let you find it yourselves.)

Actually, I did not know that. Thank you for the heads up. And I can 1000% guarantee I am not going to go find that for myself. A bit tired of digging through threads.

;)

Has there been any word on when the trials will start, or if the money raised by the Luker concert was sufficient to get that ball rolling?

Did anyone see this? My dvr at the time died with it on my dvr

So who'll be watching DIANA on Netflix?

I know I will, though I fully expect it to be dreadful.

Is Judy Kaye playing Betty II?

I believe so! So there will be at least one solid performance.

Finally...good news...

R10 The ever-resourceful Judy Kaye plays both the Queen and Barbara Cartland (not at the same time).

The above was in response to R510, not R10.

I'm sure the stunning young beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones will be playing me.

Allegiance.

Beware of Pity.

What is Lea Salonga's reputation? She doesn't seem to be a benificiary of color blind casting. Is her acting on an Andrea McArdle level?

Pretty certain that Salonga has an impeccable reputation among her peers from MISS SAIGON, LES MIZ, and elsewhere. She's a hard worker and a class act.

Privately, I wonder what her POV was on Jonathan Pryce and the original Bway production of MISS SAIGON. I don't know if she's ever spoken up about it.

PS: Salonga's a much better actress than McArdle, hands down. Why even make that comparison?

Because Salonga has had a pretty blah career. We know she can sing. She's attractive enough. Is the fact she's Asian what keeps her from working much on Broadway or in the West End? Or has she stuck mostly to concert work to better raise her offspring?

Lea has always seemed classy. Did she get the big Disney bucks?

It’s true, I was asked be part of Diana, but I felt the role of Meghan Markle was too much of a stretch, even for an accomplished thespian such as myself. Not only would I have to be aged up so much, but to portray such an unappetizing figure would only do a disservice to my legions of fans around the world. Best of luck to whomever they cast!

The Netflix deal is actually a great break for the Diana cast, as no one was buying tix to see it on Bway, anyway. Maybe they'll get some more work out of it.

So win-win.

having worked with McArdle.....I can say ANYONE is a better actress. The voice is still amazing...but that's all there is.

[quote]having worked with McArdle.....I can say ANYONE is a better actress.

Not Jennifer Holliday.

Linda Eder?

I can't believe Linda Eder still has "fans." She so clearly stopped trying decades ago, and yes, she really cannot act.

When is The Prom on Netflix?

Whatever happened to Malcolm Gets? Are they no longer writing Broadway shows for his type? Last I saw him, he did a few episodes of "Suits Starring Meghan Markle."

Someone would occasionally comment that Gets was battling illness. I wonder if it was the same poster who'd make similar, in-passing comments about Boyd Gaines.

What about The Boys in the Band? Isn't that due from Netflix, too?

I don't know that they finished filming The Prom. I have a friend that worked on it and they were still filming right up until COVID lockdown. They had not wrapped principle photography when shut down happened.

[quote] Did she get the big Disney bucks?

For voicing an animated character? Surely you jest!

The girl in Piazza is not mildly retarded. She just speaks intermediate Italian learned in an adult education course in the US. Which means she speaks beginner Italian.

r529=G, waiting with bated breath.

[quote]They had not wrapped principle photography when shut down happened.

Oh, dear.

I'm finally catching up with stuff that's been on my DVR forever, and last night I got around to watching the Lincoln Center Live concert by Stephanie J. Block. (I'm not sure when it was filmed, but it was a while back because it was after "Falsettos" and before "Cher.") What's our take on her? I've only seen her "live" once -- opposite Jason Alexander in "They're Playing Our Song" in LA, and of course I thought she was excellent in the "Falsettos" that was shown on PBS. So ... where does she fit in among our current crop of female Broadway stars? It doesn't seem like she's ever considered to be in the same league as a Benanti, O'Hara, or Mueller--but should she be?

Well, what do YOU think, r538?

r539 I would say "yes" in terms of talent, but I don't know anything about her reputation or the way she's perceived by the industry.

Block is very well-liked. Great work ethic, nice person.

The Prom did finish filming and will be on Netflix sometime this Fall.

She 's a DL pariah but I thought she was terrific in Drood. Very funny. Was surprised by the DL dislike.

SJB is quite talented, however the problem is that she believes she's more talented than she actually is.

[Quote] she believes she's more talented than she actually is.

Block has a Tony award now for Best Actress, while Benanti has a supporting one, though Benanti has done more shows on Broadway. Unfortunately Block's win for for "The Cher Show" which didn't last that long, as opposed to Jessie Mueller's for "Beautiful" which was a big hit with other women taking over her role during its long run. But Block is probably in contention for any big musical nowadays that doesn't involve legit singing (unless that's a talent she's been hiding or hasn't been hired for thus far).

Block will be another Whatsername - Drowsy Chaperone, Shirelles musical...

[quote]Salonga has had a pretty blah career. We know she can sing. She's attractive enough. Is the fact she's Asian what keeps her from working much on Broadway or in the West End? Or has she stuck mostly to concert work to better raise her offspring?

I don't think the fact that she's Asian has had anything to do with it, but your other suggestion is on point. Apparently, she does a lot of concerts and makes a lot of money off them, and yes, of course, it would be easier to work a career like that around child rearing. But also, I think if she had had a follow-up hit to MISS SAIGON, that might in turn have led to more theater roles, But the revised FLOWER DRUM SONG was a flop, and much more recently, so was ALLEGIANCE.

Broadway doesn't really produce "Stars" anymore. There are performers known and liked by theater/Broadway fans but it doesn't go much beyond the Broadway websites and chat rooms. Benanti, O'Hara, Mueller and Block might be Broadway "stars" but your average Joe doesn't know who they are. It's not like the Golden Age when EVERYONE knew Mary Martin and Ethel Merman and Carol Channing.

Today, very few B'way based actors crossover to larger stardom. Really, the last ones to sorta do it were Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. They've had high profile gigs outside of Broadway. Audra is a larger star too, I suppose but she's certainly not on a fame level to a Golden Ager like Martin or Merman despite her 32 Tonys. She's too bland to be a big star. Talented and nice but...not very charismatic.

And, the only male Broadway star is Nathan Lane.

Salonga also went into "Les Miz" at some point -- I forget if she was Fantine, Cosette or Eponine.

And, Idina is really only a "Star" because she was lucky enough to be associated with three huge hits: Rent, Wicked and Frozen. She's also "nice" and talented but she's not really very charismatic.

Is Annaleigh Ashford a star?

Idina's only famous because of MEEEEE!

R552 NO.

R552 She's up and coming with a supporting Tony. It's not like Benanti sells that many tickets despite her talent; she's better know for her hilarious Melania Trump impersonation on Stephen Colbert's late night tv show.

[quote]Today, very few B'way based actors crossover to larger stardom. Really, the last ones to sorta do it were Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. They've had high profile gigs outside of Broadway. Audra is a larger star too, I suppose but she's certainly not on a fame level to a Golden Ager like Martin or Merman despite her 32 Tonys.

I think it's safe to say LMM has become a major star as a result of Broadway (and richer -- they said on the news yesterday that he made something like $42 million this past year).

Yes, she IS, r554!

Lea Salonga has been a judge or coach on several seasons of The Voice in the Philippines and has five million Twitter followers.

She works plenty, and is probably well off enough to not have to slog through an eight show a week schedule unless she really wants to.

Lea Salonga was also in the revival of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND.

On Dick Cavett tonight:

GINGER ROGERS, RUBY KEELER, LEONARD FREY AND STANLEY KAUFFMANN • TALK

Ginger Rogers, Ruby Keeler, Leonard Frey and Stanley Kauffmann are interviewed in 1971...

All the LMM haters here, check this out

[quote]Forbes just released their Highest-Paid Actors of 2020 list and while it’s not altogether surprising to hear huge stars like Dwayne Johnson and Ben Affleck have made the top ten list, you might be surprised to hear Lin-Manuel Miranda did, too. Thanks to his deal selling Hamilton to Disney, he sits at number 7 and made a cool $45.5 million.

If I understand correctly, that's merely the payout for the Disney Plus broadcast of HAMILTON. He can still sell the rights for another feature film adaptation at some point.

And when live theatre comes back, there are/were, what, 8? 9? different Bway, regional, and touring productions of the show, with more to come.

All that said, no... LMM is not really a Bway star like Nathan Lane. I don't foresee him opening someone else's new Bway musical in the lead. But you never know.

If you go away...

Audrey and a and Christine are not stars.

I'd say that Patrick Wilson has crossed over. People know Patti LuPone from her tv appearances. Glenn Close was definitely a crossover star.

[quote]If I understand correctly, that's merely the payout for the Disney Plus broadcast of HAMILTON.

No, I don't believe that's correct. Disney paid $75 million, and I doubt LMM got the majority of that - the producers would have at least gotten an equal share to what he got. It must includes his royalties and so on.

Wow. Lainie was really slim back then. I mean, for her, that is.

And now Disney's deep in the red.

Lainie's singing was so affected.

Is Lainie a Sapphic sister? A lesbyterian? No one's ever told me for sure. Who's her GF?

Were she and Kaye Ballard ever... together?

What about Michelle Lee?

Let's talk Bway lesbians!

Patricia Morison!

[quote]r562 If you go away...

Step off, bitch!

Lainie goes Disco!

Step aside, R571! Let me show you how a STAR does it!

Good lord, r562, that certainly went on forever.

When I was a boy and saw the original Follies the 4 leads were ANCIENT. To me they were ready for the grave. Now if I were an actor I would be much too old to play either of the men.

Ha ha!

Watching the Noel Coward tribute from Irish Rep with KT Sullivan--who is a dead ringer physically and similar vocally to DL fave, the late Dorothy Loudon.

How was KT's Lorelei Lee?

Matronly?

Now, now...

Now KT is doing Elaine Stritch in SAIL AWAY. Pretty funny.

R577 I knew a couple of people involved with that 1995 production and I think it was a heartbreaker for them. Didn't they move the production from Goodspeed based on strong reviews, only to get slaughtered on Broadway.... by some of those same critics? Or at least the same papers.

Not the first (or last) time this has happened, I believe.

Lea Salonga has played both Eponine and Fantine

Lea played Eponine in the 10th anniversary concert of LES MIZ. I've seen several versions of the show and the movie, and she was my favorite Eponine, by far.

I also liked Samantha Barks in the movie. She was a standout in a deeply flawed version.

Frances Ruffelle

Linzi "CARRIE" Hateley

Last one...

Miley Cyrus (audition for the movie version)

What's the point of getting someone to sing without music for an audition?

[quote]What's the point of getting someone to sing without music for an audition?

It's easier to hear when they go off-key. It's also why casting people ask for ballads (it's easier to cover being off-key in an uptempo song).

To go off-key don't you have to be on-key to start with?

I really liked Block in The Mystery of Drood and she seems very kind. I think this may just be a case of her voice or her presence in interviews or maybe her face or something not clicking and making people drool over her as if she's a big star. I've never seen her do anything that would be anything less than professional or gracious.

Chenoweth has a sweetness and purity and operatic strength to her voice that is utterly charming, and Menzel has a kind of longing quality that makes her very relatable as a performer. I definitely think of Block as a powerhouse and I know she's a good actress from seeing her transform into someone mousy and insecure in 9 to 5. But I think she just comes off stronger in some way that overshadows her talent perhaps. She's like a schoolteacher who would hold you accountable. It may be a sort of toughness that keeps her from winning people over the way some of the other leading ladies do. But then again, I think her career speaks for itself. She's done an excellent job headlining shows and definitely has the pipes.

Lea Salonga was also the singing voice of Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan.

Judy Kuhn was the singing voice of Pocahontas.

Donna Murphy was the singing voice of the witch in Into The Woods

R532 I think it's coming towards the end of the year as Netflix wants it to be an awards contender.

Glenn Close was the voice of the litter box in Cats.

The Dick Cavett Show was great. At one point Ginger told a story how she pissed off the woman playing Vera when she did MAME in London. Ruby was only on for a bit as she had to get to a Nanette performance. Leonard Frey was so funny and charming. He was just coming off the closing of Lolita, My Love.

THIRD MIDNIGHT!

Margaret Courtenay.

Courtenay must have suddenly become a rather improbably Vera once Juliet Prowse joined the company...

who dares to start a new thread?

[quote]Ruby was only on for a bit as she had to get to a Nanette performance.

I always thought it was interesting in the old talk shows how other guests stayed on stage when new guests came out. It seemed to show respect.