Theatre Gossip #420: WEED Like to thank You, HERBert Hoover edition

You forgot people being beaten on the streets for no reason.

[...]

More re-opening announcements coming tomorrow (Wednesday the 12th)?

It looks like MRS. DOUBTFIRE, A Musical Comedy is rebranding as DOUBTFIRE, The New Musical Comedy. Jury is out on whether it has to do with pronoun sensitivity or simply streamlining the marketing...

I would think that a show based on a known property would want to use all elements of that property (even its full title) to entice the public. Then again, it's not like this is a Madam Butterfly vs. M. Butterfly situation.

[quote] I would think that a show based on a known property would want to use all elements of that property (even its full title) to entice the public

Yeah because that always works so well

So far, no show has announced a definite Broadway opening that excites me to spend money on a ticket except for COMPANY, which I saw in London and I'm not sure I really need to see it again.

It's going to be very rough for business for at least the next year, no doubt about it.

[...]

Can't believe in the year 2021 I am asking this, but has Chicago announced the leads for reopoening? Amra Faye Wright probably never even cleared out her dressing room, but I doubt Erika Jayne and Paulo Szot will be back as Roxie and Billy. What an opportunity to perhaps inject some fresh blood into the show.

[...]

Laura Benanti says she won't come back to Broadway until she feels safe. Let's hope she keeps her promise.

The video of Bentanti talking social justice from her car is a camp classic. Drag Queens will be doing it for years.

[...]

Why is the OP greyed out? It gives this thread an unwarranted air of illegitimacy.

[...]

Thanks R15. What's odd is that I used to have it set to that but don't remember changing it. No wonder I was seeing so many greyed out posts all of a sudden.

[quote]Has Chicago announced the leads for reopoening? Amra Faye Wright probably never even cleared out her dressing room, but I doubt Erika Jayne and Paulo Szot will be back as Roxie and Billy. What an opportunity to perhaps inject some fresh blood into the show.

Speaking of new blood, CHICAGO shut down for the pandemic JUST before the young woman who won the role of Roxie in that contest was supposed to go into the show. So I'm guessing maybe she will be Roxie for the reopening, though of course I'm not sure, because no one ever knows for sure what the Weisslers will do. And yes, I wonder if the suicide of that poor Mary Sunshine will become an issue again, after having apparently quieted down following some initial coverage in the press and in social media.

[quote]The ironic thing about that Lion King shooting is that it was Disney who wanted the hookers, pimps, drug pushers, and assorted shady characters banished from Times Square because they were dragging the city down by association.

What shooting are you referring to? Did the recent shooting in Times Square have anything to do with THE LION KING, other than the fact that it was in the general area of that theater?

the gunman stood atop the Lion King marquee and rained bullets down into the tourists.

[...]

Cut the intermission, please. Why I hope the pandemic ends a theatrical tradition:

[...]

NY Post says New Yorkers must support Broadway right now:

[...]

When Covid Dropped the Curtain on Broadway Actors, TV Kept the Lights On:

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1988, "Carrie" opened at the Virginia Theatre, now the August Wilson Theatre.

I think intermissions work best when there's a passage of time between acts. For example, EVITA's Act I ends with Eva convincing Peron to run for president; Act II picks up with his inauguration.

[...]

OP in the *Psychologists are theorizing that many Trump supporters are suffering from untreated mental illness...* thread:

"I never met a Biden supporter who wasn't a sociopath."

[...]

Patti is happy and back! And blonde?

Now that is a truly horrific development. ^^

[...]

It makes her look cheap, common, desperate. Loose.

PATTI LUPORN.

and that is different from her old hairstyle in what respect, r33?

Color.

[...]

Charles McNulty has been, and will always be, a pretentious hack. He was despised by all when he worked at The Public, and it made sense that he landed in a no-theatre town like Los Angeles. His taste and writing style are strictly mid-90s.

[...]

Not sure how I feel about any Los Angeleno prescribing whether I need an intermission or not on Broadway.

Some shows need them. I'm not a fan of long one-act musicals, for example.

Let the storytellers decide how long their stories need to be.

Did anyone else see Norm Lewis' concert on Monday outdoors at Lincoln Center?

Norm looked and sounded great, despite packing on the same CV-19 weight (20-25 lbs, maybe?) that a lot of us have.

Any inside dish on Mr. Lewis? I've always found him appealing.

R27, you seem a bit confused. The amount of time that passes during intermission is almost exactly the same in the stage and film versions of MY FAIR LADY. In the stage version, the amount of time that passes is the time between the embassy ball and Higgins, Eliza, and Pickering arriving home after it. In the movie, the time that passes is the time between those three leaving to go to the ball and then arriving at it.

But you're right about THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

McNulty is an example of a type of theatre criticism that is on its absolute last gasp. No one reads them anymore. They just wait to hear from friends. The era of The Times (Los Angeles or New York) being able to "make" a show is long gone. In terms of the Ahmanson, McNulty is reviewing the same national tours that are playing Des Moines. The Taper is an average (at best) LORT. The rest doesn't matter. He goes to New York and reviews all that, but nobody in LA cares.

I agree. No one wants to ponderous "I think I feel I know" theatre criticism anymore--one more reason Lady Brantley (finally!) lost her spot.

They're competing with every other theatregoer with a Twitter/Facebook account.

I haven't been back to Broadway World in a while, but I miss Whizzer's write-ups of shows then in previews. Astute and to the point.

"wants to READ..." ^

I find it incredible that, in McNulty's article about intermissions, he didn't even consider (or didn't bother to mention, if he did consider it) that intermissions in longer shows are not only for the benefit of the audience, but for the performers as well. Can he be THAT clueless, selfish and stupid? Shockingly, some of the fools he quoted also don't seem to be aware of this little fact.

And then there's this insane comment: "Whenever I’ve touched on this topic in the past, I’ve received letters from older readers pointing out that intermissions for them are a necessity. This problem, however, is architectural rather than physiological. If playhouses were better designed, spectators wouldn’t feel trapped in their seats. At the movies, if someone has to go to the restroom, they go. No need to stop the film."

Shocking and infuriating that someone who thinks and writes like this is writing for a major news outlet.

Who was the real Whizzer? Was that ever revealed?

From R24's link. "the actress Kelli O’Hara "

Seriously? Is she auditioning for a Helen Dawson show?

Considering the horrendous condition of most Broadway theaters, the intermission serves as a time to stretch and get your knees out of your face, and wipe off the sweat of the fat person whose blubber has creeped over to your seat. Broadway theaters are not customer -friendly.

They've added too many fucking seats

There are going to be so many discount cards in the mail come July. Not to mention TDF. I seriously doubt TDF won't be able to resist packing in the "wretched poor" when that happens.

We got ANNIE!

R49, there are many more fat people now.

They better cast a little girl with actual red hair and actual empty eye-holes.

WE SEE YOU SOON TO BE CAST WHITE ANNIE WITH NO EYES

I checked Telecharge today, and it looks like the opening date for Company’s return is sold out. For regular tickets anyway. I didn’t check the special high-price seats.

So there's been a rumor circulating that Mel Brooks is eyeing a limited revival of The Producers. The show just celebrated its 20th anniversary last month. I know Nathan has said he's officially 'retired' from doing musicals but maybe a limited 4-6 month run (with big stars) to jump start Broadway (it's a SUPER New York centric show) is just the thing needed?

Apparently the 1st national tour sets (owned by Pittsburgh CLO) were just purchased recently...which makes the rumor all the more curious! I could honestly see a lot of short term national tours coming thru Broadway (as they frequently did in the 60s/70s/80s) during this transition period.

No one wants to see the Producers again. And Nathan won't do it without Mathew and Mathew is doing Plaza Suite with his wife.

Yeah Plaza Suite definitely kills that possibility. Though maybe he'll do it with Marty Short (the original pick for Bloom)?

good piece of gossip r57 even if it's not true

Can Martin Short still play a naive young man? Isn't he in his 70s?

For that matter, can Matthew?

[...]

I can play Bloom, and I'd be great.

Yes, Frankie. Turn around and spread your asscheeks so we can see your bloom.

"Oh, I credits all da mornin'/And I debits all da ebenin'..."

Yup, that’ll go over REALLY well these days.

[...]

The Old Vic's reopening season will include a revival of Into the Woods directed by Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman

Don't forget us!

[quote]"Oh, I credits all da mornin'/And I debits all da ebenin'..."

[quote]Yup, that’ll go over REALLY well these days.

Not that I think The Producers should return, r65, but it would be easy to cut that, and the later bit where a Black officer speaks with an Irish accent, prompting Max to say "I've heard about black irish before, but this is ridiculous!".

As far as age is concerned, the comedic star wattage of a Short/Lane pairing would quickly allay those concerns I think. Akin to the Merm going into Hello Dolly at the advanced age she was.

I'm not saying we need a revival of TP, but it would be a fun way to kick things off...definitely an EVENT if nothing else. And if they did reuse the tour sets, I imagine it'd be relatively cheap to mount too.

[quote]Any inside dish on Mr. Lewis? I've always found him appealing.

Charter member of the BBDC.

Delightful! ^

Does Norm Lewis have a type? He's definitely one of mine.

Chicago will probably reopen with the usual suspects. Charlotte, Amra Faye and one of the rotating Billy’s. Maybe they can lure Bebe back to play Mama. Or Amos.

I've wondered what Bebe Neuwirth would be like as Joanne in COMPANY. She's age-appropriate, and can do "chic," "wry," and "grumpy."

Maybe if the revival runs, and after Patti leaves.

This Sunday on the Buzzr network - a third tier cable channel that airs classic game shows - they are doing a "Broadway matinee" themed afternoon from 3 p.m. ET to about 7.

Included will be an episode of Password from Christmas 1966 featuring Stephen Sondheim that hasn't been seen in like 50 years. Also featured during the event will be Chita, Florence Henderson, Joel Grey, Bob Holiday, Julie Andrews and Larry Kert.

If anyone's interested...

Sondheim's partner on the show is his lover at the time, Lee Remick.

Over the weekend watched the production of Company that they filmed at the Vivian Beaumont starring Neil Patrick Harris. I had never seen it and I liked it more than I thought I would after hearing you all talk about it.

Seeing it gave me some insight into the movie A Marriage Story, seemed like it might have been Baumbach's idea of what the married life Bobby might have looked like. Sondheim never ceases to amaze me, brilliant, but the bougie middle class New Yorkness of it was a little much. Maybe he intended it to be?

Sondheim was schtupping a woman?

Bebe would make a great Joanne in this new revival. She sort of looks like what Katrina Lenk could turn into in 20 or 30+ years. She's never been much of a singer, but she has songs written for Elaine Stritch. She'd probably be great.

A Terry Gilliam Into the Woods sounds potentially fascinating.

Annie is a safe, predictable choice for the next live TV musical, but at least it's one most people like.

A limited revival of The Producers might be just what Broadway needs. I'm finding the current lineup of returning shows a little uninspiring. The Producers can get people laughing again and maybe even remove some of the sticks from people's asses and remind them how fun a traditional musical comedy can be. We need to start to be able to laugh at ourselves again.

I saw an interview with Nathan Lane and he said that every time he sees Mel Brooks, Mel brings up reviving The Producers. He said that Mel said - C'mon, limited run, we'll make a ton of cash, and be done. Nathan made it seem like he didn't have much interest. However, if the price is right I am sure he could be lured back.

Dr. Meade: She is in mourning, sir. She will not consider it.

Scarlett: Oh yes I will!

^ Sorry, wrong thread.

R11, That's my girl.

I thought Laura was loved here?

I don’t think a revival of The Producers would work right now. The show feels too mean for the current climate. I wasn’t a particular fan of the original version anyway.

A revival of Hairspray, on the other hand, would draw NY’ers and tourists (families and couples, US and international), especially if there’s a big male star playing Edna. It’s a happy show, the music is great and the message is perfect for today.

Yeah but in today's climate do you think they could get away with a man in drag playing Edna?

Girls, Girls, both shows suck!

No man playing a woman! It's literal violence.

[quote]She's never been much of a singer, but she has songs written for Elaine Stritch. She'd probably be great.

Bebe Neuwirth covered "Zip" in the Encores PAL JOEY about 25 years ago, and slayed it. No, she's never had a beautiful voice, but knows how to sell a comedy song.

Bebe for Joanne! Everybody rise.

[...]

Norm Lewis is very DL

Hmmm....theaters LIKE intermissions because they can sell overpriced booze and t-shirts.

[...]

I know London is getting a first class revival of Hairspray this Summer. I actually think Producers and Hairspray are exactly the kind of musical comedy confections (I know, MARY!) needed to get people back out. In fact any number of musical comedies from 2001-2011 would be better than most of the ones produced over this last decade.

And Edna really needn't be a T issue: it's a woman, played by a man as an artistic choice. It has nothing to do with the character's gender and everything to do with old school theatrical and and drag conventions. Both shows would actually be a tonic for the toxic wokeness sucking the life out of Broadway (and comedy!)

R78. They have been described as being very much “in love” for a time on the 60s (presumably after Anyone Can Whistle. Whether they actually schtupped is not clear—in fact, it may have been romantic rather than erotic live, and Sondheim’s attraction to men may have “queered” the deal (as we used to say), for all we know. I believe they remained very close.

It needn't be, but it be. Remember, these are the people whining that Hedwig is played by a man.

R90, what did Bebe Neuwirth cover "Zip" with?

And John Cameron Mitchell stated that Hedwig is indeed NOT trans.

Are we so sure that it's gonna be hard to get people back in theaters?

Judging by the crowds at bars/restaurants, most people don't seem very crowd shy...a ton of people are more than ready to 'get back to normal' by doing stuff.

R97 / R99 - That's the most ludicrous thing about all of this. You have the playwright himself stating that it's not even a T role and it's still not good enough for the mob. As if he mustn't dare define his own art. I can't wait for the left-wing pendulum to swing back to actual progressive ideologies. This shit is killing art and turning off would-be allies.

Yeah...that's what cracks me up about "Hedwig"....the whole concept of the play is clearly stated in the title of the show and its title song.

It's an ANGRY inch! Hedwig isn't happy that he got talked into "a sex change operation that got BOTCHED"!!!

"Hedwig" isn't a trans show...it's very much a QUEER show and very strongly rooted in gnostic doctrine but it really has next to nothing to do with transgenderism.

[...]

Saying "Q-Word" makes you sound retarded.

I was watching Jeopardy tonight and there was a clue about the Napoleonic Code and I ‘splained to my husband how Stanley Kowalsku talks to Blanche about in Streetcar and that made me think about Ivo von Hohe doing a production of that play in which Stanley is depicted as an upright businessman who “gaslights” Blanche with Anthony Jeselnik, using his delivery style as Stanley. Chrissy Metz or the “roomy” girl from the HS production of “Millie” as a Blanche with body dysmorphia

Ivo Van Hove already did a production of Streetcar at NYTW back in the early aughts.

R103. Sorry, doll, but you really are a square from Squatesville. Stop policing people who are comfortable with the word “queer.” No one is forcing you to use it—and as someone in my 60s, I, too, have memories of it’s hurtful use. But the poster is right, “Hedwig” has a queer aesthetic and perhaps a queer ideology.

R106. Yes, but didbit Star Anthony Jeselnik? I thought not. Maybe Jeremy o. Harris can provide a race play spin to it.

Jekyll & Hyde musical starring David Hasselhoff

You're welcome

[quote]Yes, Frankie. Turn around and spread your asscheeks so we can see your bloom.

Please don't, Frankie.

[quote]Norm Lewis is very DL

He's very Data Lounge?

I saw a clip of a rehearsal from "Mrs. Doubtfire" the other day on TV. Don't know why but I'd love to fuck the stuffing out of Rob McClure. He's just my type where it comes to bottom guys (except the whole not being gay part, that is).

Antiques Roadshow has started doing shows where they appraise celebrities' items. Luba Mason and Ruben Blades were on. She had bought a Hirschfeld print of Broderick's How to Succeed as she was in it. She later bought the original Capeman for him. They live in Chelsea. S. Epatha was on last week. She lives in Harlem.

I know what you mean, R112. There's something endearingly sexy/not-"sexy" about Rob.

[quote]Over the weekend watched the production of Company that they filmed at the Vivian Beaumont starring Neil Patrick Harris.

Not quite. It was a New York Philharmonic staged concert at what was then called Avery Fisher Hall, which is about three times the size of the Vivian Beaumont.

Okay, I also watched something that was performed at the Vivian Beaumont over the weekend, whatever it was. . .

Lights up, on Wash...

[...]

R114, He was brilliant in Chaplin.

Any buzz on Karen's replacement in Moulin Rouge?

R112 this show is called “Doubtfire” now

r117 yay thank you!! what did you think?

R121 Nothing really happens, and the lead actors do not play it big enough to be engaging.

Are they going with the same kids or recasting?

Is Patti channeling Joey Heatherton?

[quote] Luba Mason and Ruben Blades were on.... They live in Chelsea.

Thanks r113 I didn't even know they were together.

OP did you know about TV [italic]Annie[/italic] when you titled this thread? Your title is suddenly...better.

Why are casting suggestions (and casting) for Joanne in COMPANY always for aging actresses like Neuwirth and LuPone, who are 62 and 71 respectively? Joanne is supposed to be a viable sex partner for Bobbie/Bobby. Stritch was 45. When she wonders why she and Bobby have. never "made it," we're not supposed to think, "Ewww."

(PS. Is that line used in the current production?)

Was Merman in Dolly really an event? I thought they were selling twofers during her run.

[quote] Joanne is supposed to be a viable sex partner for Bobbie/Bobby. Stritch was 45. When she wonders why she and Bobby have. never "made it," we're not supposed to think, "Ewww." (PS. Is that line used in the current production?)

I am told that, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, in the gender-swapped production, Joanne know says to Bobbi(e), "When are you and my husband going to make it?" As bizarre, nutso, and ridiculous as that sounds.

I believe the upthread reference of Merman going into Hello Dolly! was used in comparison to Matthew Broderick returning to The Producers, that both actors were/are too old for their roles but were/are big enough stars that their ages didn't matter.

But Merman reviving Annie Get Your Gun in the 1960s would have been the more apt comparison.

And in any case, Merman going into Dolly to close the long Broadway run out was a huge event and the last time she ever appeared in a Broadway show.

As regards Patti's "advanced age" in playing Joanne in this new COMPANY. I saw it in London and she's treated as a bit of a grande dame type figure, sitting and observing the action and often not participating in the horrible choreography with the rest of the cast.

[quote]As regards Patti's "advanced age" in playing Joanne in this new COMPANY. I saw it in London and she's treated as a bit of a grande dame type figure, sitting and observing the action and often not participating in the horrible choreography with the rest of the cast.

Why am I not surprised about that last part?

[Quote] "When are you and my husband going to make it?" As bizarre, nutso, and ridiculous as that sounds.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

I have no issue with a senior citizen not wanting to break a hip. If you're going to cast older (COMPANY, FOLLIES, GYPSY etc.), you have to make allowances.

[quote] I am told that, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, in the gender-swapped production, Joanne know says to Bobbi(e), "When are you and my husband going to make it?" As bizarre, nutso, and ridiculous as that sounds.

Yes in the show it almost plays (at least to me) that Joanne and her somewhat younger Black husband no longer have sex and she's almost pimping him out since she knows he doesn't get any at home.

Are we taking bets on whether Miss Hannigan will be a POC

They will probably get that always-terrible-in-a musical favorite, Queen Latifah. She is terrible in every musical she's in, but she's always first offer. She was laughably bad in The Wiz.

R137, lots of people were bad in THE WIZ, but maybe the incompetent director was to blame, at least partly. I thought Latifah was excellent in the movie of CHICAGO, and she was also fine in HAIRSPRAY even though maybe slightly miscast in that.

I think Annie will be black and Miss Hannigan will be white. I was a teen in the '90s but I recall there being some ambivalence of Nell Carter being the villain even in the late '90s.

I agree about Latifah in CHICAGO: she was terrific.

She seemed a bit young and naïve for Motormouth Maybelle in HAIRSPRAY, but I enjoyed her anyway.

One of the misinterpretations of the 2002 CHICAGO film is that Mama Morton would not have been black. That was just not allowed back then.

R96, but is Lee Remick a Kathy or an April?

I saw a clip of a rehearsal from "Mrs. Doubtfire" the other day on TV. Don't know why but I'd love to fuck the stuffing out of Rob McClure. He's just my type where it comes to bottom guys (except the whole not being gay part, that is).

That never stopped Matthew Broderick.

Donna Murphy for replacement Joanne!

[quote]When she wonders why she and Bobby have. never "made it," we're not supposed to think, "Ewww."

And yet, with Elaine Stritch, that's precisely what I thought.

[quote]One of the misinterpretations of the 2002 CHICAGO film is that Mama Morton would not have been black. That was just not allowed back then.

Thank you for that brilliant and essential observation.

R148 it's not brilliant nor essential; it's truth. A prison female morton would not have been black in the 1920s.

How about a prison matron in a musical comedy? "Chicago" isn't a documentary, you dimwit.

In case you haven’t noticed, “Chicago” is not a documentary.

Please don't feed the race-baiting trolls. Not worth your time or energy.

[...]

[...]

"They didn’t do elaborate dance numbers in Chicago jails back then either."

They did in mine, r149!

One of the first Mama Mortons after Mary McCarty vacated the role was black. I can't believe someone's making that argument about Chicago, A Musical Vaudeville.

I think it says a lot about how much better people are aging these days when 70-something LuPone is playing a role that Elaine Stritch played in her 40s. If I saw pictures of them in the role side by side, I'd say they look around the same age. Patti's looked 45-55 for the past 30 years and Elaine never seemed to look under 40 in her entire life.

[...]

Black people aren't known to beat white children, so it's not a stereotype.

R154, so now you are going to claim that Bob Fosse and the original producers understood Chicago? When they cast Aliana Reed as McCarty's replacement they were just trying to look woke. That was very big back in 1977.

Yet another argument about non-traditional casting. Not tiresome at all.

Lindsay Lohan for Annie! Dina Lohan for Star To Be!

The only Lohan musical I'd like to see is Gypsy with Dina as Rose and Lindsay as Louise. They wouldn't even have to act.

Ali Lohan as Agnes?

[...]

Hannigan isn't really a criminal. And whatever she does do is super bumbling. She's a comic villain, so ascribing any sort of racial stereotyping to the character if cast with a black woman is just woke nonsense.

If I recall, the issue with Nell Carter as Hannigan wasn't her race but that she was more mean than funny in the role. I've seen it happen with many other actresses in that same role. It makes you really appreciate what Loudon was able to do with that role.

[...]

Wasn't that the complaint with Katie Finneran, too?

Finneran had a great Hannigan in her, but her director was James Lapine who likes to suck all the humor and joy out of everything. When they brought Jane Lynch in, the show improved a bit. I got the feeling Lapine didn't direct Lynch as much and just like the funny lady be funny.

Maggie Task set up a publishing company with another woman to print gay plays.

[...]

What are the betting odds on Bette Midler playing Miss Hannigan? Lots of scenery chewing to be had.

OP in the *What was wrong with Betty Hutton?* thread:

"White women are a disaster period."

Racist much, r29/OP?

[...]

I'd love Melissa McCarthy to try Hannigan. Alternatively, Delroy Lindo as Warbucks could be sensational too. A hugely underrated actor who always elevates everything he's in.

And while we're at it, Paul Rudd for Rooster and Kathryn Hahn for Lily.

[...]

Hahn would be fun.

I know he's beloved on DL, but can Paul Rudd sing? Or dance? Even a bit?

So r129 how do they handle the moment when Peter asks Bobby if he has ever had gay sex? Does Susan now ask Bobbie in the gender switch version?

Now and Forever?

[quote]Can you think of a better Broadway-related stoner reference than mine?

How 'bout this, r163?

[...]

[quote]The only Lohan musical I'd like to see is Gypsy with Dina as Rose and Lindsay as Louise.

That makes one of us.

[...]

If Midler played Hannigan, they'd have to eliminate the fancy Easy Street dancing, which would be a shame. Midler doesn't have the moves anymore.

[...]

OP in the *Jewish-Arab violence rolls through cities like wildfire, with police overwhelmed* thread:

"And after we get rid of the camel jockeys, the Christ Fuckers are next."

Streisand as Hannigan...

No one wants to see Midler onstage anymore. Dolly was enough punishment.

Kathryn Hahn is a Hannigan, not a Lily.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1978, "Runaways" opened at the Plymouth Theatre, now known as the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

Carol Burnett could still do it...

Audra would be amazing...

Kathryn Hahn would actually be a terrific Hannigan. Maybe, after WandaVision, she’s got the visibility.

Unfortunately, we'll probably get stuck with Awkwafina or a Kardashian.

Seth deconstructs RUNAWAYS

How about Sigorney Weaver as Joanne?

[...]

Not sure if anyone's commented upthread yet, but....

WEST SIDE STORY revival is notably absent from today's lists of returning Broadway shows.

Huh.

Maybe because the movie is due to come out soon?

[...]

The release date for Spielberg's WSS is Dec 10, 2021. And it has essentially nothing to do with the radically different Ivo Von Hove revival that was on Bway.

Rudin was a producer on the Bway version. Do we think that's a factor if WSS is not returning to Bway?

I'm sorry to say I thought the WEST SIDE STORY revival was awful. The only thing good about it in my opinion was Isaac's performance.

WSS will be back. They're just looking for a stooge to "produce" it. They have to come back to get all the grant money the shows are applying for. My guess the same person will do WSS and MM.

Audra would be amazing as Star to Be. Hannigan? Uh. No. She’s about as funny as a root canal.

[...]

Audra is way too old for Star to Be. It needs to be a newcomer.

Get Marie!

[...]

Kathryn Hahn would be a fantastic Hannigan. I've heard she sings a bit, but I don't know if she has the right voice for it or not.

Years ago, I saw a workshop of a musical that Hahn was in. She was terrific. Her voice would be more than adequate for Hannigan.

[...]

Did the late Victoria Mallory have an aging painting in her attic? This is her in 2010 when she was in her 60s and she looks like she's in her 40s. Maybe the Filipino in her? She had an affair with Len Cariou before eloping with Mark Lambert in ALNM. Watch her bail him out when he forgets a line.

Victoria is one I never heard anything but glowing things about from people who worked with her.

Sorry r206 but this is how you REALLY butcher that aria.

Why not Ana Gasteyer?

Victoria really did age beautifully.

Amy Schumer looks like a Hannigan.

She's too old now, but Sally Struthers has been delighting audiences for decades as Hannigan. I'd love to see her be able to do it in this type of situation, but it won't happen.

Hahn would be a marvelous Hannigan. If ol Betty Hutton could warble thru the score, I'm sure Hahn would have no issues with a little coaching. Kate McKinnon could be fun too, though I'd venture it'd be closer to a Dottie Loudon performance (that is to say, ham-fisted but no less delightful!)

I could see Norbert Leo Butz being a decent Rooster too. He's got some TV cred now too. I imagine they could cast a contemporary crooner to cameo as Bert Healy (Harry Connick? Buble? Groban?)

Now that you've brought her up r213 why doesn't Ana's name come up more often?

Annaleigh Ashford is probably too successful to be Lily St Regis.

R218, because she did it at the Hollywood Bowl and laid an egg.

r202 gets it correct. Some of the shows where you would think "Why is that coming back" have no choice. To get both their complete insurance monies and their Save-Our-Stages federal money, they must resume performances. How long they run is a different question...

[quote]Can you think of a better Broadway-related stoner reference than mine?

"The Gentleman Is On Dope"

The Hollywood Bowl really has no idea how to produce musicals. They get amazing casts, but they're so crazily directed and under-rehearsed its painful.

What's the Tea on Sutton Foster replacing Megan Mullally in the London "Anything Goes." Was it like when Stro called Nathan sobbing when Dreyfuss was so bad they didn't know what to do? Isn't Mullally sort of known for backing out on theatre? She walked away from the Roundabout "Lips Together..."

r220 not too much of an egg, she can change her performance if the director helps her out.

What about Megs Hilty? Is she strictly being a mom now?

You didn't like the 2019 Into The Woods at the Hwood Bowl?

It did drag a little and some parts were miscast imo but there were some good performances that helped make the evening.

I enjoyed "The Producers" at the Bowl ... and was pleasantly surprised by how good Dane Cook was.

Still waiting on return announcements from Book of Mormon, West Side Story, To Kill a Mockingbird, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Girl from the North Country.

Wasn't Mullally attached as Sally in a production of Follies? Was it in London as well?

It is strange that Mullally seems to pull out of projects at the last minute. I thought they just made a new commercial with her fairly recently ... why would they do that if she was leaving??

Mulally has only left two shows, though, right?

Agreed that Dane Cook was the revelation in the Bowl's production of "The Producers". As good (if not better) than most of the Franz's on Broadway.

Of course, Roger Bart and Gary Beach were great as ever. Richard Kind was perfectly fine, but Jesse Tyler Ferguson was AWFUL. And you got the whiff that *he* thought he was really good in the part, which made it even more cringe.

[quote]Seth deconstructs RUNAWAYS.

No, thank you.

[...]

North Country is returning, R228. I know one of the producers. Should be announced soon.

I thought Richard Kind was an awful Max, though he was clearly working hard. Brad Oscar and Hunter Foster were my favorite non-NL/MB duo. I also saw Brooks Ashmanskas as Carmen a few times--they gave him quite a long leash in that role.

Did Cuddles Cody have a role in it?

Klea Blackhurst IS Miss Hannigan!

I'm happy to hear that, R235. Does your friend know anything about the future of Plaza Suite?

R191, She's 88 years old and possibly uninsurable.

[quote]Carol Burnett could still do it..

We've seen her version already and have sufficient.

[...]

Barnard Hughes had to be the luckiest actor. In Prelude To A Kiss, he got kissed by Alec Baldwin (off-Broadway) and Timothy Hutton (Broadway) and John Dossett (Broadway replacement). I wonder if he ever slipped any of them the tongue?

Helen Gallagher for Hannigan?

[quote]Helen Gallagher for Hannigan?

Except she's 94 years old.

Lin Manuel-Miranda as Daddy Warbucks in Annie Live. You heard it here first! Sarah Jessica Parker is trying to sell her left tit to play Hannigan.

[...]

As we saw in her Once Upon A Mattress, SJP isn't funny in that classic musical comedy style.

Helen LAWSON for Hannigan.

Lin could give us rooster too

[quote]As we saw in her Once Upon A Mattress, SJP isn't funny in that classic musical comedy style.

What do you mean? She was the best Annie on Broadway.

[...]

[quote]As we saw in her Once Upon A Mattress, SJP isn't funny in that classic musical comedy style.

As we saw in Peter Pan Live, classic musical comedy style is not a requirement.

[quote]As we saw in Peter Pan Live, classic musical comedy style is not a requirement.

And as we also saw in Peter Pan Live, being comatose is not considered a drawback.

Is there any doubt Megan Mullally will get Hannigan?

Christian Borle for Rooster.

Nathan Lane *IS* Daddy Warbucks.

"In fact any number of musical comedies from 2001-2011 would be better than most of the ones produced over this last decade."

And the ones from 1940-1960 would be even superior to those.

Angela Lansbury is Sweet Charity

Has anyone ever heard of this version of "Annie"? The entire IMDB entry (which has no reviews and is missing a lot of information) seems fake.

Sorry, either Annie or Miss Hannigan or both are gonna be POC. Bets on Tiffany Haddish or Wanda Sykes (she actually did it before, to good reviews) as Miss Hannigan and a totally “woke” cast. Tbh if Lorene Cox wasn’t so terrible in Rocky Horror Live! I’d give her the upshot. Billy Porter even. They’ll get some Broadway folks in it, but just for secondary roles. Also, the Queen Latifah Hannigan seems likely, as well, but I think it’s gonna be stunt cast since it’s not a real singer’s role and she is not a pop culture thing atm. Also: Ariana as Lily?

[...]

In an era of absurd income inequality, doing an unnecessary reboot of a show that features Oliver Warbucks living on Fifth Avenue seems....tone-deaf.

[...]

R259, that was an Australian production that I believe was filmed for AU television.

And please for the love of God, pay the Gennaro estate and use his iconic "Easy Street" choreography. No one has gotten it right since.

Here's Betty Hutton, Gary Beach and Rita Rudner showing em how it's done!

Correct, r264. It starred Anthony Warlow as Warbucks, who finally made his Broadway debut a year later in the same part in the Lapine revival. He's a huge star of musical theater and opera in Australia. Big, wonderful voice.

^ A very fine actor, too.

Christ, Warlow even managed to make Jekyll & Hyde tolerable with that 2-disc (remember those) “concept studio album”... though Carolee and Linda Eder (say what you will, but she is the role) are assets, as well. Plus, a more jaunty but also more dynamic vibe to the score than what ended up on Broadway. Bitch, bitch, bitch...indeed.

[...]

Poor Megan. She's parlayed her award-winning and iconic Karen Walker into . . . almost nothing. What success has she had after W&G?

Megan Mullally is a multi-millionaire off of Will & Grace. She's set for the rest of her life. Her days of being "hot" are over for the time being, but it doesn't matter.

Betty Hutton is thoroughly professional in that Annie clip. But she doesn't get a single laugh.

I hear the reason Megan has left ANYTHING GOES is a "foot injury" but does anyone really believe that? Were they already in rehearsal?

Have any of the filmed versions of Annie included the song We'd Like to Thank You? I know the Huston version dumped it. It's one of my favorites from the score, establishing that the show is set during the Depression.

Toni Collette for Hannigan. But probably not a big enough name.

Daniel Dae Kim as Daddy. although he's only 5'8". Or Elon Musk.

Herbert Hoover = Donald Trump

FDR = Joe Biden

Lots to mine in a new ANNIE

Plaza Suite probably won’t open until early 2022 since SJP will be shooting her reboot for the next few months.

Harvey Fierstein as Miss Hannigan

[quote]Plaza Suite probably won’t open until early 2022

Well, that's definitely a good thing.

Good. That’ll give Matthew Broderick plenty of time to not memorize his lines.

r259, that’s the tv broadcast of the Australian tour.

OP...

in the *Every non-Black race has fucking earned racism* thread:

"You all benefit from anti-Blackness so you deserve retaliation for it and you will fucking get it. The George Floyd riots were just the warmup."

and

in the *AOC is endangering the gay and lesbian community* thread:

"Fuck her and the racist homophobic horse she rode in on."

With Rudin in Woke Jail, will the Death Of A Salesman revival with Nathan be scrapped?

Christ, I hope so.

It is scrapped. They are bringing over the highly acclaimed all black version directed by a white woman. Sorry Nathan.

Just a few of OP's posts in the *Ocasio-Cortez on Taylor Greene: 'These are the kinds of people that I threw out of bars all the time'* thread:

"I wouldn't complain if MTG slapped that racist fucking cunt across the face like she fucking deserved for aiding and abetting terrorist attacks on Jewish women and children with her racist antisemitic xenophobic hate speech against Israel."

"Go Roseanne go! Speak Jewish truth to gentile RACISM!"

"AOC is a racist fucking cunt who should be waterboarded for aiding and abetting terrorists.

She is a fucking cunt and R27's mental health slurs are incitement to violence. Civilized nations prosecute people for hate speech. Time to start doing it here. Start with her and her racist antisemitic xenophobic ableist terrorist sycophants"

"AOC is just another racist spicracker bitch who deserved worse than what she got and will get it for enabling this latest round of terrorism against Israel."

No people like show people, R285!

I could see Emily Blunt as Hannigan.

We need something new....something bold! NANCY! the Musical

[quote]Harvey Fierstein as Miss Hannigan

What a wretched idea.

Alice Ghostly was hilarious as Hannigan.

[quote]Alice Ghostly was hilarious as Hannigan.

Great casting choice that also let audiences know what Paul Lynde would have been like in the role.

Ellen as Miss Hannigan

She'd be a great Sandy, r292.

Lucille Bluth as Miss Hannigan!

Jessica Walters actually might have made a fantastic Hannigan! Particularly if she doubled down on the Lucille factor.

Well, she could definitely sell a song, r295.

[...]

R291. EXACTLY!

The arrangement for Jessica's version of "Always True to You in My Fashion" (from a 1968 TV production of "Kiss Me, Kate") makes me think she was probably wearing white go-go boots when she sang it.

I ALWAYS wore white go-go boots!

They just usually edited them out in post.

Alice Ghostley was doing Hannigan in a production of Annie at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater in Jupiter when I was a teenager. I was working in a bookstore at the mall a town away and she came in looking for some books. I waited on her, suggested a few titles, and rang her up. She was so nice, and grateful for the help, that she asked my name and offered to have tickets left for me to see the show.

[quote] Mulally has only left two shows, though, right?

r231 that's a lot. They were both announced, on sale, in rehearsals and advertised-- and she bailed. Doing it twice is a lot. Who knows if this injury is real, hope it is, would hate to think of her as nuts

I loved Mullaley on W&G but her rep after the W&G reboot is just toxic. She looks like a troublemaker, a prima donna who cannot get along with anyone and who cannot sustain pleasant working relationships for any length of time.

There were lots of stories about MM being trouble when she bailed on the LIPS TOGETHER TEETH APART revival some years back. Nothing she's done outside of W&G (including her epic fail of a talk show) have come to much.

She and her husband like to sell this image of being lovable, laid back bohemians but I don't buy it. I suspect she's an unpleasant person.

No one fucking cares, R285.

Didn’t MM leave Lips Together.... because she didn’t think Patton Oswalt was cutting it during rehearsals? I always thought it was odd that the Roundabout scrapped the entire production instead of simply replacing her.

It makes you wonder just how bad Patton Oswalt was.

I read she had trouble with Mantello too

You had wondered why the OP had been grayed out, r304.

I have never been a fan of Patton Oswalt, so I will cut MM some slack on that.

LIPS TOGETHER is not a play that needs reviving, IMHO. Really second-rate McNalley.

[quote]While he’s one of Broadway’s proven hitmakers with Wicked and others to his credit, Mantello can be confrontational with his actors.

How big an asshole is Joe Mantello? I've been impressed by his directorial efforts but have heard rumblings for years. Anyone got specifics?

That wasn't me, R308.

I don't know how he'd be onstage, but Patton is a talented actor. He was award worthy in Young Adult and more than held his own with Charlize Theron, so I would imagine he could handle himself alongside a marginal talent such as Mullally. And he was great in the lead of a little seen film called Big Fan. If you're judging him solely on King of Queens, then you don't really know what he can do.

r311 - You posted:

"Why is the OP greyed out? It gives this thread an unwarranted air of illegitimacy."

R314 Nah, sorry, that was someone else.

R310, His sacking me from Pal Joey tarnished my name on Broadway.

OMG, I'd forgotten that PAL JOEY. With a 70-something Stockard Channing...

I would think his replacing you with his boytoy would have tarnished HIS name more.

Okay I know I'm setting myself up for some hate for my comment but what about SJP as mama Rose?

Haven't you heard her so-called singing voice?

She isn't right for the role.

I also had the misfortune of seeing SJP in that godforsaken 90s revival of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS (someone mentioned it upthread).

She cannot sing. She cannot dance. I did not see her as a child in ANNIE, but no one needs to let SJP near another stage musical again, not ever.

To be fair, every single aspect of that production was awful. And yet she still managed to underwhelm.

Well she sang in Annie and in How To Succeed In Business and she was good.

She is a smoker so maybe she can't manage it carry a tune anymore?

She did not sing well in How to Succeed. She also did not act well. Her performance in Mattress was appalling.

SJP has never seemed like an actual actress to me. She's more like a talk show host. Like Kelly Ripa but Jewish.

Montello is known for being old school in the rehearsal room and finding a cast member to target and be cruel to in order to "motivate" others. It's public knowledge he was brutal to Idina during Wicked. Mullally wasn't taking any of that, and walked.

[quote]It's public knowledge he was brutal to Idina during Wicked.

Ha! Some co-stars should be struck regularly, like gongs.

He should have been, Idina is a terrible actress.

Amazing voice, horrible actor.

Mantello was also rumored to have been pretty brutal to Matthew Broderick during The Odd Couple rehearsals (when he admittedly wasn't getting it). Nathan Lane wasn't any more supportive if his Bar Centrale rants (at the time) are to be believed.

[quote] NY Post says New Yorkers must support Broadway right now:

Not if the same shit at the same crazy ticket prices shows up again

r314....yep, it was you. Or somebody posting on your device.

It was Joe.

Sarah Jessica Rosemary

I think she sounds perfectly fine there.

As Broadway Plans Its Return, "Hamilton" Will Require Vaccines Backstage:

R117 I just want to THANK YOU for your generous sharing of the new ITH production. I really enjoyed it and hope others do as well.

Megan missed a few eps of the W&G revival final season because of a feud with Debra

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1951, "Flahooley" opened at the Broadhurst Theatre. Barbara Cook, making her Broadway debut, was among the cast.

R325, Is Joe a graduate of The Otto Preminger School of Directing?

R336 I know there are blind items and stuff saying Messing is a cunt, but has anything ever been actually documented? Meanwhile you have Mullally's diva bullshit documented, and yet still people insisted Messing must've been at fault.

[quote]I think she sounds perfectly fine there.

She sounds like shit.

Can Olivia Colman sing? She could be Hannigan. She looks like Carol Burnett, for starters.

Messing may not have a sterling rep but wasn't it MM who was rumored to be the problem on the set of the W&G reboot (and the reason its ending may have come sooner than expected)?

I don't think she sounds like shit, r340, but definitely not Broadway level.

I saw SJP in "How to Succeed" and thought her singing was lousy, and her acting wasn't much better. I will admit that she would have been fine in a community theater production of the show.

Joe Mantello may be hard to work with, but a lot of his work has been spectacularly good.

This guy has worked with lots of old lady actresses. Messing is the only one he passes on discussing.

[quote] I don't think she sounds like shit, [R340], but definitely not Broadway level.

If you're referring to Mullally as Broadway level because she's playing it so affected and theatrical, then you don't have much of a leg to stand on.

I was referring to her stronger vocals, r347.

Nene Leeks as Miss Hannigan

Mullally is getting no love here, but she could be a fun Hannigan. Maybe NBC is fed up with her, though, if she misbehaved on W&G.

Mullally is an actual singer unlike Sarah Jessica who is a non-singer doing her best to get through a song.

I like Mullally, but she’s most effective when she goes into her Karen voice

Why do we think SJP sang well enough to get Annie as a kid but isn't much of a singer now?

Because Annie’s songs don’t really require great singers

[quote] Why do we think SJP sang well enough to get Annie as a kid but isn't much of a singer now?

Because her voice changed through age and lifestyle choices. She has always had a thin voice. In Annie appearances, she was always heavily miked to make it sound like she had more of a belt than was there. But she has lost the little that was there as a child.

[quote] Because Annie’s songs don’t really require great singers

This is really not true. Those songs require a lot for a young singer. Think of even the first line of "Maybe," which starts low and has big interval jumps up to a high belt. She sings in at least six songs. It's not Effie or Eva Peron, but it's still a big sing for a young girl. It requires proper technique and control and coaching.

“Maybe” is definitely a rangey song.

Presumably, she was smoking two packs a day when she was 11.

Wasn’t, not was. ^

R357, I had no problem singing it.

Weren’t there new songs written for Nell Carter and Anthony Warlow for their respective productions? I wonder if they are considering including either of them or perhaps some of the lame songs from the movie.

McArdle's voice is another issue, in a way. She had a warm, clear sound and a really sophisticated voice for a 13 year old. I don't know that anyone has sung those songs better than she did, although Lilla Crawford in the most recent revival came close (save for that terrible Noo Yawk accent forced upon her).

[quote] Weren’t there new songs written for Nell Carter and Anthony Warlow for their respective productions? I wonder if they are considering including either of them or perhaps some of the lame songs from the movie.

Yes. Warlow's song is pretty good, but Nell's on the other hand...

LOL! Thanks for posting that, R362... it starts off horribly but does get better, though Nell is milking it for all it’s worth (which isn’t a lot, honestly). The problem lies more with the lyrics than the music, though the overall concept is quite sound. Stupid lyrics for the chorus though (really, nothing more witty/ironic than “you make me happy”?).

*4* ANNIES *4*

Is ANNIE the new FOLLIES?

ANNIE *SINGS* FOLLIES!

FOLLIES is *always* the new FOLLIES.

The extra song for Nell was a contractual requirement. Agreed re: the lyrics. They just kill time and accomplish nothing.

"You Make Me Happy" was actually the second attempt at writing a song for Carter. It began as "Don't Mess with Mother," possibly as an addition for the "Easy Street" scene, when Hannigan, Rooster and Lily are concocting their scheme. The team kept the melody of "Don't Mess with Mother," but new lyrics were written, and it was moved to the scene that you see in my link above, where Grace comes to adopt Annie.

And to terrify you all, here's Kathy Lee Gifford performing "Don't Mess with Mother" on the 30th anniversary recording of Annie.

The description of Andrea's show is priceless, typos and all:

[quote] America's undeniably truest Broadway Star, Andrea McArdle mesmerizes audiences with the music of Broadway and Hollywood legends, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Jerry Herman, Johnny Mercer, and Charles Srouse to name a few. The irrefutable Broadway defining voice who won our hearts since her epic childhood, Ms. McArdle relays countless tales of her unique life of treading the boards and sings these iconic showstoppers in the way only this super talent can. Ms. McArle speaks with delicious honesty and humor as she charms audiences with her personal tales of the luminaries that have been an extraordinary part of her life. The names that flow (Streisand, Landsbury, Channing, Liberace ...) bring us back not only to a different time, but when to be a star of the stage was simply a different persuasion. Get ready for an evening of song and Broadway history.

R338-No, Joe is a professional who's been unlucky in some of his casting choices.

R369, I saw her perform at the Barrington in the Berkshires four years ago and she was wonderful.

Poor Andrea. Such a great, powerful voice and such a cold, unappealing actress.

For a big star, SJP doesn't have the worst voice. She'd be fine in certain roles, but she doesn't really have classic musical comedy acting chops. She could be amusing as Carrie Bradshaw, but she's not a clown like Carol Burnett which is why her Once Upon A Mattress didn't work.

I think it's possible that SJP might have been good in MATTRESS with a different director. Gerald Gutierrez did an excellent job of directing some types of shows (for example, THE HEIRESS) but, ummmm, not others. And SJP was very good when I saw her in SYLVIA, not exactly the same kind of comedy as MATTRESS, but at least somewhat similar.

SJP sang recently in HERE AND NOW, a little (deservedly) overlooked indie movie. SJP plays Frances, a renowned cabaret singer/songwriter. She only sings near the end of the film... and the result is this.

Hmmm.

It's not unpleasant, but it's underwhelming. A tiny, thin voice with little support. Winsomely charming in this setting, but imagine paying money to hear this in a Broadway theatre? It doesn't help that the song mostly sucks and that the film is a bore, despite a good cast.

[quote]I think it's possible that SJP might have been good in MATTRESS with a different director.

I disagree. The role of Princess Winnifred requires a clown. Whatever her acting talents may be, SJP is not a clown.

All Annie, All the time.

Thanks r374.

See if SJP was a better actress and could sing she's a great candidate for some plum female Broadway roles.

I think Sarah could be a great clown, but to me she seems like someone into acting because she thinks it's cool and fun moreso than really loving it. She gives nothing, she just there.

In the clip of her as Rosemary she seems like she's doing a walk through of the performance at half intensity just to make sure she's got all the marks and movements down.

SJP singing a bit of 'Maybe' as an adult.

If she wasn't already busy with her show (and wanted to do another revival so soon after GREASE), I could see Rosie O'Donnell as being a hit with the '96 MATTRESS.

Rubén & Luba

Changing gears.

Spiderman fights the Goblin in Turn Off The Dark clip.

This looks pretty wonderful: Deborah Kerr and Paul Scofield doing Noel Coward’s A Song at Twilight in a 1982 TV production. Wish the whole thing was on YouTube. Anyone seen it?

[quote]Agreed re: the lyrics. They just kill time and accomplish nothing.

Did Martin Charnin ever write any memorable lyrics?

Bouncing Off The Walls, song Spiderman.

He wrote some funny lyrics for Upstairs at O’Neals. That’s all I’ve got.

I saw it with Anne Baxter, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, r383. I also got all three to sign my program. Somebody stole it.

Deeply Furious from Spiderman.

This show might have been a disaster but it was one spectacular looking disaster.

Amazing special effects and sets and very dangerous execution. I wish someone would take it to Vegas.

R388 Shows still need, decent actors, decent stories and decent scores.

You queens crack me up. Carol Burnett can't sing for shit and is worse than SJP, yet everyone praises Burnett and shits on SJP (and I'm not talking about comparing them in Mattress, I mean the general talk about both of them over the years in here). Burnett is a rancid talk-singer who still makes my ears bleed, but because she's somehow beloved for her crappy variety show, she gets a pass.

You need help, r390. Are you Matthew?

Nope, I just enjoy pointing out hypocrisy.

I remember as a kid being really confused watching the Carol Burnett Show when her singing segments came on. I couldn't figure out if she was singing badly or I just didn't understand.

She was fucking horrible.

R392 Carol can sing.

[quote]Rosie O'Donnell as being a hit with the '96 MATTRESS.

Well, she certainly looks like she was hit with a '96 mattress.

All anyone has to do is call up their sense memory of Carol singing "Herbert and J. Edgar Ho-oo-oo-ver" to settle the case.

Carol stinks.

Could she be the mattress?

Carol & Julie

Carol at her belting best

R382, Patrick Paige, who played the Green Goblin in Spiderman, is in the movie version of In The Heights. It took me a while to recognize him, because his hair is completely white now. FYI, the ITH film is full of cameos and pop references.

...and LOTS of dancin'...

The Act 2 sequence in Once Upon a Mattress where Winnifred tries to sleep on the mattresses should be a clown's comic showcase. In the SJP production, you could hear a pin drop. Completely mortifying for her.

At least that production had a few cute boys in tights as compensation.

R400 We know love, it has been posted.

You're welcome, r401.

Am I the only one who thinks Angie Lansbury can’t sing for shit?

I watched it r400, it was better than I thought it was going to be. Chu did some great things with his direction and the re write to film was really well done.

Thank you to whoever did the sharing.

r405 You're welcome. Thought the film needed some actual drama, not joins yearning.

Pearl and Carol.

There was more tension in the stage version I saw, but seeing something live on stage things are more heightened anyway.

Speaking of Burnett, my local PBS station has been showing old Carol Burnett Shows once a week. The first one I caught had Maggie Smith as guest star (!!). Bless her, Smith was game and held her own against the Higgins family; she even warbled with Carol a bit. Last week had Steve Lawrence and Eydie, sorry, Lily Tomlin (fine in a monologue that was clearly her material, less so in the show's sketches). This week Rita Moreno drops by. The production numbers are both time-capsule hilarious and boring. I can't believe I watched this show every Saturday night.

R408 “Elderly” or “Enola” Gay?

I think Lansbury is underwhelming as a singer, but she knows how to sell a song as an actress, so you don't mind it.

WTF is Kathie Lee Gifford singing on that Annie cd? Who thought that was a good idea?

You're an idiot, r410.

Sweetheart, I said she was underwhelming as a singer and you bring me a perfect example of it. She's pretty much talk-singing through half the song. She sounds fine, and she's a good enough actress that she knows how to camouflage her voice's weaknesses to make you think she's better than she is. I'd take that over Iscreama Menzel any day. But let's not pretend Angie has a voice for the ages.

[quote]Did Martin Charnin ever write any memorable lyrics?

Certainly not these:

"Yesterday was plain awful.

You can say that again.

Yesterday was plain awful,

But that's, not now

That's then."

So, r413, it's a choice between "underwhelming" and "voice for the ages"?

Man, we're really hard up for topics if the thread's become "Sacred Cows I Don't Like."

Some people are just too stubborn and dumb.

The woman has four Tonys for leading actress in a musical, r417. Your evaluation of her vocal skills as "underwhelming" is just...odd.

Dorothy Loudon recently became the focus of the great DL What Was Wrong with Betty Hutton thread but this thread reminded me that Dot was originally cast as the Queen in the SJP Mattress until stage fright forced her to bow out. Though I believe it was before rehearsals began. She was replaced by old Acting Company star and Patti Lupone Juilliard rival Mary Lou Rosato.

R418, have you listened to her recordings? You can really hear it in Sweeney Todd. Lansbury was great, but it was not her voice. Compare her Worse Pies in London to Millicent Martin who can actually sing the role. Or even Imelda Staunton.

Lansbury is a great actress. What makes her artistry more admirable is that she gives great musical performances even though she does not have a great voice.

R420 Staunton? Oh honey that got away from you.

I saw her in Sweeney and Gypsy, r420, and she was thrilling (hardly underwhelming). You may prefer Martin's or Staunton's *sound*, but they are in no way superior singers.

R421, okay, you may be right.

I was fortunate to see Lansbury in MAME, DEAR WORLD (in Boston), PRETTYBELLE (in Boston), GYPSY (twice) and SWEENEY TODD (twice).

We simply don't have Broadway stars of that magnitude any more.

[quote] Lansbury was great, but it was not her voice. Compare her Worse Pies in London to Millicent Martin who can actually sing the role.

When did Millicent Martin do "Sweeney Todd"?

Stephen Spinella *is* Miss Hannigan

Chad Kimball *is* Sandy

Oh, I guess you meant Julia McKenzie, Millie's "Side by Side" co-star.

I have the feeling the Carol-hater IS Matthew. Anytime someone smells of obsession and lunacy, it’s usually Matthew.

[quote]Sweetheart, I said she was underwhelming as a singer and you bring me a perfect example of it. She's pretty much talk-singing through half the song. She sounds fine, and she's a good enough actress that she knows how to camouflage her voice's weaknesses to make you think she's better than she is. I'd take that over Iscreama Menzel any day. But let's not pretend Angie has a voice for the ages.

Your repeated, idiotic comments about "talk-singing" prove that you LITERALLY have no idea what you're talking about.

The idiot claiming Lansbury is a mediocre singer—and talk-sings “If He Walked Into My Life”—is a complete idiot and musically illiterate. Truly. Trust me. I know of what I speak.

R424, Wanna bet?

R148/R149/r154 I was talking specifically about the movie. While the musical numbers (except for the opening/closing songs) are musical fantasies in Roxie's mind, the majority of the movie is set in the real world (i.e., 1920s Chicago). There were no black prison matrons back then. The film and stage show are totally different animals.

We are in awe of your brilliance, R141.

R433 Critical thinking skills is nice, isn't it?

So is verb subject agreement.

Angela Landsburys spirited and evocative singing of Worse Pies Of London ranks with the greatest stage performance of our age.

r404 et al. is/are being pedantic and fundamentally wrong.

[quote] Am I the only one who thinks Angie Lansbury can’t sing for shit?

There's a difference between having. great or beautiful voice, and not being able to "sing for shit." And the pantheon (yes, I said "pantheon") of Broadway singers–male and female–is full of great performers who are in that rich, middle space of great but not beautiful singers in the way theater needs them to be: emotive, dramatic, rich with character, and solidly on key etc. In fact, most: Bernadette Peters, Robert Preston, Carol Channing, Nathan Lane, Chita Rivera and many more, you belligerent fuck.

Jerry Herman had to work with Lansbury for her Mame audition. She was already a solid movie actress and had done a Broadway musical. So why did he have to work with her? He was concerned about her singing the score. She’s an excellent actress but her singing needs work. Her voice had always been a bit metallic.

R425, sorry. I mean Julia McKenzie.

I always mix them up.

Nothing wrong with being metallic, ya dumb putz.

Here is Julia MacKenzie singing Worst Pies in London. It was a shock when I heard it because I had never heard an actress actually sing the song.

Why yes, r441. McKenzie has been the *only* actress to not talk-sing the role. Most have only talked it actually. Then, of course, there was the divine Lorene Yarnell who mimed it.

Why did Julia McKenzie wear an Afro in her performance?

It was an homage to Jan Brady, r443.

Sweeney Todd was written with Patricia Routledge’s voice in mind. She turned the role down but would have been the perfect Lovett.

"Sweeney Todd was written with Patricia Routledge’s voice in mind"

So it was written before Lansbury was cast?

In the years preceding MAME, Lansbury's reputation was based on playing everyone's bitchy dowdy mother, from Laurence Harvey to Warren Beatty to even Elvis Presley, so, of course, Broadway producers were wary of awarding her the role of Mame, a woman dripping with zany sophistication and warmth. Jerry Herman had to coach her so that the character came through, as well as the notes.

Gasp! Troll 5850 is a theatre troll?!

Was also very active in the first Betty Hutton thread, r448.

Maligning Lansbury on a gay gossip thread will get you about as far as citing all the things you don't like about cock.

I too don't care for Lansbury's voice, except for her rendition of "Beauty and the Beast." Her voice is really cartoony to take seriously.

Her SINGING voice, I should say.

I did, r383. It's excellent, as one would expect. But I not only love the play, but all of Coward, Kerr and Scofield, who gives among the greatest of performances in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. What's not to like?

[quote]So it was written before Lansbury was cast?

It was first offered to Patricia Routledge and she turned it down.

I saw the Julia McKenzie SWEENEY TODD; she and the production were magnificent.

It's a character voice, r451. I don't see how you'd consider her rendition of, say, Walked Into My Life cartoony, but to each his own. I guess you like her Beauty and the Beast because it's actually from a cartoon. Yes, r454, I know. I was just pointing out that there wasn't a complete score written before Angela was cast. The role of Nellie would have been written around Lansbury's strengths.

Personally, I love her rendition of Beauty and the Beast because it is so simple. It is really beautiful.

Sweeney Todd wasn’t written around Lansbury’s strengths. She doesn’t have the soprano notes Routledge had. As she climbs the scale in “Worst Pies” she throws it into a character voice because those high notes are not in her range.

I don't have a problem with a character having a character voice. Of course she doesn't have Routledge's soprano notes. She wanted to be an opera singer. But I really wouldn't want to hear Patricia's Mame or Gypsy.

McKenzie has the better singing voice, but is her rendition better than Lansbury's for that? I think not.

Word is out a prominent producer is casting for a workshop of "City Of Angels". I hope they cast Noah Galvin and Ben Platt. That would be a riot.

R460, the question was not whether Lansbury was better or not. The issue was the quality of Lansbury's voice--and when you hear MacKensie it is hard to argue that Lansbury is a strong singer.

But as has been said above, Lansbury's accomplishments in musical theater are even more admirable because she did it with a not-so-great voice.

No, r462, that would be Miss Tyne Daly.

Who is “Troll 5850,” and why do I see none of her posts?

r462 just doesn't want to know.

CITY OF ANGELS is a complete empty calorie show. Look for the WOKE crowd to go after it, right after they finish torturing MUSIC MAN.

r365 thanks for that. For some reason, I've heard the songs but never Angie's original. The defense rests.

[quote]Jerry Herman had to work with Lansbury for her Mame audition. She was already a solid movie actress and had done a Broadway musical. So why did he have to work with her? He was concerned about her singing the score. She’s an excellent actress but her singing needs work. Her voice had always been a bit metallic.

FWIW, you nasty bitch, Lansbury herself has freely admitted that she had to work very hard on the score of MAME in order to improve both the stamina and the quality of her voice, and most people I know feel that she succeeded brilliantly.

[quote]Sweeney Todd wasn’t written around Lansbury’s strengths. She doesn’t have the soprano notes Routledge had. As she climbs the scale in “Worst Pies” she throws it into a character voice because those high notes are not in her range.

She doesn't "throw it into a character voice," she transitions into her soprano register, as many female singers have done who have sung very rangy songs. Those notes are/were very much within the range of Lansbury's soprano extension. You don't know what you're talking about.

I heard the MAME recording after I heard GYPSY and Lansbury does sound better on the latter. Lansbury's singing is characterful. I doubt a great number of people have wanted to grow up to have Lansbury's voice, in the way young girls wanted to sound like Andrea McArdle or Jodi Benson. Lansbury's is not a "Yasss Queen" voice but she was up to the demands of her signature roles, even if she wasn't her vocal best at the outset of her musical theatre career.

And Mr. S revised WORST PIES so that it dropped into a lower key for Ms L in the second half of the song.

You can hear where Mr S had to revise WORST PIES by cleverly dropping it into a lower key for Ms. L in the second half of the song.

Lansbury might not have had the most beautiful, pristine voice but she had character and charisma. That's something that many with stronger voices don't have. Give me a Lansbury, Channing, Merman, or Bacall any day of the week over some of the uninteresting bores they put up on stage these days. I'm really scared that the "actors who sing" group is dying out and there aren't many to replace them and we'll have to settle for "great singers who do a little acting" instead.

And lest we forget....Angie could dance. Her abilities turned Mame into a triple threat role. When was the last time you saw a Mame who was capable of all three?

Ugh, sorry for the double post. First didn't one show up for minutes.

Jesus....Let's stop arguing about Angela Lansbury and gossip about Broadway! What's going on with WSS? Will it re-open? JAGGED's advance was plummeting before the shut down. Can they revive the beast? Who will see PHANTOM with no foreign tourists in town? Will Mathew and Sarah really return? Who is Olivio's replacement -- Kathy Lee Gifford? Who will see CHICAGO with no foreign tourists in town? Will the many Broadway justice coalitions tear apart the all white Music Man? Who will see ALLADIN with no foreign tourists in town? Is Book of Mormon really doing the super secret workshop everyone is talking about -- will they really kill the jokes to be Woke? Who will see WICKED with no foreign tourists in town?

They should put Blackpink and BTS into CHICAGO.

And Mockingbird. And Lehman.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

The Girl From The North Country.

Six.

Oh yeah, Lehman? What's going on there?

[quote]One of the threats is usually lacking

For this I love you almost as much as caffeine itself r473.

R461 - Hilariously AWFUL! Haha dear God, that would be 'Springtime For Hitler' level casting.

Platt should go no where near anything Cy Coleman. You need a Harry Connick type for that score plus a hardboiled Bogart presence. The show's a period piece and Platt (like most contemporary MT kids) wouldn't have the first clue how to handle the style it demands.

Now if they could lure James Marsden to Broadway -- he'd be sensational (in either role really!)

Did Lansbury tap-a tap-a tap-a in "That's How Young I Feel"?

r482 - No, Annie, you get to claim that honor. But that's only because you're Ann friggin' Miller and how the hell do they put you on stage *without* a tap number? Angie didn't need them. Go to 23:30...

I can't imagine Matt and Trey are about to bow down to the 'woke' demands. I think they'd sooner close the show than defang it. If people in 2021 are misreading the satire, that has everything to do with the public and NOT on the creators. Satire can't exist without some level of critical thinking and

Christ, I can't imagine what the producers of a new 'Guys and Dolls' or 'How to Succeed' revival would be up against in this humorless, petulant climate.

I like Maye's alternate notes.

r441 you call that singing?

That was dreadful, I burst out laughing.

Look at you trying to gaslight us, you're adorable.

Bless your heart.

I haven’t used to blonde Patti yet.

When Scottsboro Boys got picketed because "minstrel shows are racist", I knew irony and satire were goners.

Frankly I think the Book Of Mormon folks should just reopen without apology. If people don’t want to see it, they won’t come.

[quote] She doesn't "throw it into a character voice," she transitions into her soprano register, as many female singers have done who have sung very rangy songs. Those notes are/were very much within the range of Lansbury's soprano extension. You don't know what you're talking about.

Believe whatever you want. But for the critical thinkers out there, notice this:

At the 40 second mark, she has to sing a series of soprano notes and her voice is very thin as she sings them. These notes are not in her comfortable range. She passes them off as the singing of a Cockney shop woman, but if Julie Andrews did that in My Fair Lady, we’d be asking for our money back.

Lansbury was a “charm” singer, she could put over a song, but she had a limited singing voice.

Please stop i think I'm dead enough!

[quote]When Scottsboro Boys got picketed because "minstrel shows are racist", I knew irony and satire were goners.

Tragically true. And of course, most or all of the people who protested and picketed the show had NOT seen it.

[quote]Frankly I think the Book Of Mormon folks should just reopen without apology. If people don’t want to see it, they won’t come.

Agreed, though I do wonder if its chances of reopening.

[Quote] Julie Andrews

Speaking of talk-singing...

Official tickets for Music Man haven’t started selling yet, but apparently some resale sites are selling tickets north of $3000 each. $3000 to hear Sutton butcher “My White Knight”? No thanks.

[quote]Speaking of talk-singing...

If Rex Harrison could get away with it, why not me? Why should I do all the heavy lifting?

I think they should have gone with Alex Brightman and Sierra Boggess for the Music Man leads.

[quote]At the 40 second mark, she has to sing a series of soprano notes and her voice is very thin as she sings them. These notes are not in her comfortable range. She passes them off as the singing of a Cockney shop woman, but if Julie Andrews did that in My Fair Lady, we’d be asking for our money back.

When Lansbury was young, her natural singing voice was soprano, as can be heard in the film of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY when she sings "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird." Years later, she began to sing more often in her lower, alto-belt range. By the time SWEENEY TODD came along, she was indeed more comfortable in that range, partly due to age; but her soprano range was still in very good shape. Of course, the notes in "The Worst Pies in London" that you're complaining about are not AS strong as her belting notes, because they fall in her lower soprano register, right above the break. But those notes are nowhere near as "thin" as you insist they are. P.S., not long before SWEENEY TODD, Lansbury was a replacement Anna in the Broadway revival of THE KING AND I, and she sang mostly in her soprano register in that show.

Marian should be Asian or Latina.

[quote]Frankly I think the Book Of Mormon folks should just reopen without apology. If people don’t want to see it, they won’t come.

Sorry for my cut-off response above. It should have been: Agreed, though I do wonder if MORMON'S chances of reopening might be lessened somewhat by the fact that it's a Scott Rudin show.

[quote] She doesn't "throw it into a character voice," she transitions into her soprano register, as many female singers have done who have sung very rangy songs. Those notes are/were very much within the range of Lansbury's soprano extension. You don't know what you're talking about.

You know, you're a little demented. I've counted at least four different people who have posted about the weaknesses in Lansbury's voice. (I'm the one who called her underwhelming, but I'm not the one who said she couldn't sing for shit, nor have I commented on it since you threw your little hissy fit at me.) It's entirely possible that you are actually the one who doesn't know what he's talking about. I know that would seem somewhat impossible for you to see, with your head planted so firmly up your own ass, but I wanted to make sure you understood, with your narrow view, that you weren't battling just one person.

Oh dear fucking christ r489. You're right. YOU'RE RIGHT. In fact, you are always right.

We are undeserving of your overwhelming wisdom.

The entire Datalounge bows down to your superior knowledge and generosity of spirit.

And R500 proves my point.

"...but I wanted to make sure you understood, with your narrow view, that you weren't battling just one person."

Neither are you, r499.

Yeah, I am. I checked.

Then you didn't check very thoroughly.

I am not saying that he's the only one disagreeing. I'm saying he's the only one throwing a little bitch fit over it and calling people names.

Girls, you are all fat whores.

"When Scottsboro Boys got picketed because "minstrel shows are racist", I knew irony and satire were goners."

That was the least of that show's problems.

R507 I know right, those structural issues in the second act.

R499, see my post at R496 as evidence that I know what I'm talking about and you don't. Or, at least, I'm able to articulate my meaning better than you are yours.

And the beating continues.

R509, I actually don't care all that much. I said what I said and then walked away after your nutty posts. But you continued to berate me even though I had stopped discussing it because you thought it was one person, so I came back to correct you. Clearly you don't always know what you're talking about.

You seem to be able to dish it out, but obviously can't take it.

[quote] When Lansbury was young, her natural singing voice was soprano, as can be heard in the film of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY when she sings "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird."

IF that’s Lansbury singing. On film, anything is possible.

Isn't "Marian the Librarian" going to play a little rapey these days?

And whether or not they change Mormon, who will go? and who will laugh?

[quote] [R507] I know right, those structural issues in the second act.

The show had no intermission.

Does somebody really want to move onto the next thread or what? I didn't expect we'd be spending so much time arguing about (or in my case, skimming arguments about) Angela Lansbury.

R511, I don't believe I indicated anywhere that I thought you were the only person making those negative comments about Lansbury's voice. But anyway, I won't pursue this further because I too have made my point, and I'm guessing others are getting really tired of this sniping.

I will leave the subject with this link to Lansbury singing "Love Is Only Love" (cut from MAME, later used in the movie of HELLO, DOLLY!) in what to me sounds like a lovely mix of her lower belt and upper soprano registers.

ok r516 YOU stop right there. 🛑! YOU are starting up this nonsense again. Go take a few viagras and jerk off to Mary Martin or something but stop it now.

Talk about wobbly singers. Mary Martin was the wobbliest.

Mary wishes.

All this talk about how Broadway is being held hostage by the humorless woke makes me curious how it responded during the post-HAIR period. Not one and the same, of course, but the idea is similar: "We don't want your ideas, old people, so deal with it!"

Lansbury did such a bad job on Rose's Turn during the pre-Broadway tour that they brought in Jule Styne to coach her. He eventually turned the climactic finish into more a Baby June parody because Lansbury couldn't sing it as written. Objectively, she's very, very weak on the LCR. That last note. Yeesh!

This is how Lansbury sounded on Broadway. She can't sustain any drama or intensity during the Mama's talking loud sequence and seems totally winded throughout the entire song. The finish is pretty bad.

KNOCK. IT OFF. ALREADY.

Lansbury's talent has always been that she was a better actress than most Broadway stars. She could make you believe that singing and talking could flow naturally. That's what the best musical theatre performers do. When they open their mouth to sing, you don't go "why the hell are they bursting out into song?", you just believe and don't question it.

Vocally, she wasn't Ethel Merman or Julie Andrews, but she always made the best of what she had. Other people could sing and act better than her, but very few did both at the same time as well. It really is a very specific skill that not many have.

I saw Lansbury as Rose twice in the pre-Broadway tour of Gypsy (at the Chicago Lyric Opera House, a huge space). Trust me, there was nothing lacking in her performance and her “Rose’s Turn” was one of the most thrilling numbers I have seen in almost fifty years of attending professional theatre.

Merman wasn’t that great of a singer. Her only two positions were “loud” and “off”. She had zero subtlety in her singing.

oh, Jesus, enough with the Angela shit, ladies. Take your meds, go on Grindr, and leave us all alone...

Does anyone else think it's tragic that the best musical theatre performers don't usually have the prettiest or most perfect voices?

I never think of someone like Nathan Lane, Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, or Patti LuPone having the prettiest or most pleasant voices, but I remember their performances a hell of a lot more than ones given by those who were better singers but lesser actors.

R526, And your upper register was shrill, Cookie.

Bring back a woke To Kill a Mockingbird with Queen Latifah as Atticus Finch and Ali Larter as Scout.

There's a reason the lilting sopranos Joan Roberts, Jan Clayton, Isabel Bigley and Marion Bell never became Broadway stars, in spite of creating the roles of Laurey, Julie Jordan, Sister Sarah and Fiona, respectively.

cheyenne just performed “if i were a bell” at miscast (live now but you can rewind)

Dreamgirls L.A. '83

As a result of it being mentioned in Halston, the bygonebroadway IG account posted this. There's a comment on there from someone who said their dad worked on the show, and then said the mob used to fund sure-to-be flops as a way to launder money - bullshit or true?

I was at the gala Disney event celebrating Beauty & The Beast 25th anniversary at the Met. Only perhaps 200 of us in the room. When Angela unexpectedly came onstage and sang the title song, accompanied by Alan Menken on solo piano - I believe the last time she has sung live to date - it was what all the eldergay theatre queens always describe. There is nothing like a big star singing a perfect song tailored to their skills (and lack thereof). Needless to say, it was rapturously received with a several minute ovation. At nearly 90 then, she showed why and actor who sings always beats a singer who acts. There is no comparison, now or then.

Wow, Lilias White is fucking HORRIBLE in that Dreamgirls footage.

How many of you queens watched Miscast? And why couldn't DL un-fave Billy Porter learn his lyrics? He was the only performer who seemed to keep looking at off-screen something-or-other. Plus he's way less adorable than he thinks he is.

r535 You are cuddly. And everything is out there, now.

Absolutely lovely r538. And the bit of dialogue at the end made it even more so.

Busy Rehearsal Studios Offer A Sign Of Hope As NYC Artists Prepare To Return To The Stage:

New Documentary About Ann Reinking THE JOY IS IN THE WORK to Debut on YouTube:

Why do you suppose HADESTOWN has not announced a re-opening yet? Or has it and I missed it? Besides WSS and BOOK OF MORMON, are there any other shows that haven't announced?

We haven't heard from American Buffalo, Girl from North Country, Plaza Suite, Harry Potter, Sing Street, Lehman Trilogy, Thoughts of a Colored Man, The Minutes (which may cancelled?)

Criterion just announced a Blu-ray release of ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: COMPANY, scheduled for August 17. It will feature a new, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by Chris Hegedus and Nate Pennebaker, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack.

Extras include:

[bold]New audio commentary by composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim[/bold]

Audio commentary from 2001 featuring director D. A. Pennebaker, actor Elaine Stritch, and Broadway producer Harold Prince

New conversation among Sondheim, orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, and critic Frank Rich

Never-before-heard audio excerpts from interviews with Stritch and Prince, conducted by D. A. Pennebaker and Hegedus in 2000

“Original Cast Album: ‘Co-Op,’” a 2019 episode of the TV series Documentary Now! that parodies the film

Reunion of the cast and crew of “Original Cast Album: ‘Co-Op’” recorded in 2020

I remember reading a while back that Armie Hammer would not be returning to The Minutes when it came back, so I think they have plans to come back.

Look what’s coming to The Criterion Collection in August!

Wow, R546, we would have never known!

Sorry for the double post.

[quote]I was at the gala Disney event celebrating Beauty & The Beast 25th anniversary at the Met. Only perhaps 200 of us in the room. When Angela unexpectedly came onstage and sang the title song, accompanied by Alan Menken on solo piano - I believe the last time she has sung live to date - it was what all the eldergay theatre queens always describe. There is nothing like a big star singing a perfect song tailored to their skills (and lack thereof). Needless to say, it was rapturously received with a several minute ovation. At nearly 90 then, she showed why and actor who sings always beats a singer who acts. There is no comparison, now or then.

Angela did it again in 2018, as part of an Alan Menken tribute by the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. See link.

R541 the trailer for the Reinking doc is just people singing her praises. Hopefully they are including clips of Ann dancing, too.

that Reinking doc doesn't look to be much more than an amateur thing thrown together by a fan or a friend.

[quote] Wow, Lilias White is fucking HORRIBLE in that Dreamgirls footage.

I THINK I saw Lilias White when Dreamgirls toured through Washington DC. Whomever played Effie was awesome. Instead of the volcanic belt of the original, this Effie held notes out really long, which has its own power. The crowd went wild.

While I do love Lilias White, I think, for all her runs and soul style, I wish she could be louder. All her singing would have way more impact that way.

I do hope the COMPANY doc extras include an interview with Barbara Barrie and they ask her what she REALLY thought about performing nightly with Stritch.

With Stritch gone it'll be interesting to see what those left still standing (and there aren't many) thought of her.

It doesn't appear they talked to any of the remaining cast for the blu ray. Instead they wasted space on that painfully unfunny parody and a cast reunion for its painfully unfunny performers.

Unless I can see through their clothing and dermis and am able to diagnose tumors from this supposedly amazing blu ray upgrade, then I'll stick with my DVD. The thing was shot on 16mm.

R555, A Dean Jones full frontal would please me. Dean was quite a hottie in 1970, especially in the shirtless "Barcelona" scene where he displayed his gorgeous hairy chest.

R438 is an idiot. Jerry Herman worked with Lansbury to teach her the songs for the audition, *not* because he was concerned about her voice. He talked about it many places, including his "autobiography".

[quote]At least that production had a few cute boys in tights as compensation.

Including Lewis Cleale as Sir Harry. HUGE dick.

[quote]There's a reason the lilting sopranos Joan Roberts, Jan Clayton, Isabel Bigley and Marion Bell never became Broadway stars

If the implication is that they didn't become stars because they were singers, not actors, that's not true in Jan Clayton's case. She had a lovely soprano voice, but it wasn't in the same class as Barbara Cook, Rebecca Luker, or Roberts. And she was an excellent actress. Just watch the long If I Loved You bench scene that is available on line. Her acting is wonderful. She got married, had kids, and moved to LA in the late 1940s. Then she got "Lassie" and her Broadway career became an after thought.

Doesn't Lewis Cleale have a much much younger husband?

Lewis Cleale and his hot young husband are off in the hinterlands raising llamas on their ranch. Great fella!

Really, r559, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮? You forget to mention that Miss Clayton was a Christine Crane for the ages?

I knew someone involved in the original production of Company, and he said that Barrie wasn't much better than Stritch. They both were a pain in the ass.

Lansbury has an idiosyncratic voice which makes her especially effective in dramatic musical roles

[quote]I THINK I saw Lilias White when Dreamgirls toured through Washington DC. Whomever played Effie was awesome.

Assuming it was the same tour I saw in D..C., that was indeed Lillias White playing Effie.

I think I read it here ... did Teri Ralston have an affair with Hal Prince?

Lehman Trilogy will not be coming back.

If that's true about Lehman, it brings the "fatalities" to five: Mean Girls, Frozen, Lehman, Virginia Woolf and Hangmen.

No big loss on Lehman. Christ, what a bore.

[quote]If that's true about Lehman, it brings the "fatalities" to five: Mean Girls, Frozen, Lehman, Virginia Woolf and Hangmen.

Also THE MINUTES.

[quote] I think I read it here ... did Teri Ralston have an affair with Hal Prince?

I don’t know about that, but she definitely had an affair with Topol during “The Baker’s Wife.” In Patti LuPone’s book, she mentions two women were screwing Topol during the tour, a younger woman and a desperate older woman. The “older woman” is Teri (she was actually only 35-36 during the tour), who calls the others “perfect shits” when they take Topol up on charges with Equity.

Teri was only 30 when she did Company?? She looked at least 40-45.

Please, queens, I’ve been busy doing important work

I mean look at this.. Fiddler who? I had a series!

Teri Ralston was actually 28-29 when she auditioned for Company, but she told Hal Prince she was in her mid-30s because that was how old the character was. It backfired when she wanted to audition for Petra in Night Music, because Hal Prince thought by that point she was in her late 30s, too old for Petra.

Wow. I would have pegged her at much older. Her IBDB says she was born in 43. Also surprised she never did another Broadway show after ALNM.

Please indulge me for a moment. Why does this bougie site not hold my settings or places in threads???

Now back to your regularly scheduled pointless bitchery.

Teri Ralston was on one of the Stars In The House reunion shows a month or two ago and “salty” isn’t even the word... no idea if that was her attitude back then, but she definitely did not come across as a team player, but maybe she’s bitter.

[quote]Wow. I would have pegged her

Kinky!

Florence Klotz had a big old crush on Teri Ralston and that's why she got the prettiest gown in ALNM.

Looking it up ... of the original COMPANY cast, we still have Barbara Barrie (turning 90; don't forget that you were eventually cut from Barney Miller, Babs), Cathy Corkill (apparently; a Vocal Minority member), John Cunningham (turning 89), Carol Gelfand (another Vocal Minority member, turning 84), Charles Kimbrough (turning 85), Merle Louise (87), Donna McKechnie (80), Pamela Myers (turning 74), Teri Ralston (78), Marilyn Saunders (yet another V.M., 73) and Dona D. Vaughn (possibly; still another V.M. member, no age given). So, yeah, a look back with the remaining handful might have been nice for the new Criterion update, but on the other hand, maybe only a few of that handful are still lucid.

Also, the "Vocal Minority" is a joke that's so of its era, no?

Donna McKechnie was born on November 16, 1942, so she's not 80. Not yet. And she's quite lucid.

[quote]maybe only a few of that handful are still lucid.

At the very least, Pam Myers, Teri Ralston, Donna McKechnie, and Charlie Kimbrough are all still lucid. That would have been enough. And if Barbara Barrie, John Cunningham, and Merle Louise are still together, that would have been great. But missing out on those initial four - that's a real shame.

[quote]At the very least, Pam Myers, Teri Ralston, Donna McKechnie, and Charlie Kimbrough are all still lucid.

Which is SO MUCH MORE than can be said for your average DL poster.

[quote]Florence Klotz had a big old crush on Teri Ralston and that's why she got the prettiest gown in ALNM.

Teri was cock crazy back in the day, but if it meant the prettiest gown, she might very well have let old Flossie K have a lick.

Hooray, the tour of [italic]Tootsie[/italic] is coming back. Theater has returned!!! Yay!!! It's all been worth the wait.

I wonder what's happening with the Band's Visit tour?

Per Cuomo's announcement, what will be considered full capacity at RCMH?

The non-Equity tour of TOOTSIE! Yay, that should just be swell.

Revive FOILIES!

Just listened to a John Wilson recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs featuring singing by Sierra Boggess and Julian Ovenden. Is Wilson well-regarded in England? I found his pacing of the songs to be deadly dull, and both Boggess and Ovenden completely over their heads trying for American accents...not to mention a complete lack of personality for both singers. Boggess reminds me of all the worst aspects of Sarah Brightman.

Radio City Music Hall is opening next month to vaccinated audience members. That should be interesting to see how they handle that. Will the anti-vaxxers with their religious or moral or other crazy reasons for not getting vaccinated sue if they are denied access?

r592 Sierra Boggess is American. Why would she need to do an American accent?

Babs

Is WSS not re-opening?

Seems like a film version of Book of Mormon is on the way

WSS should never have opened in the first place.

What about Dear Evan Hansen? What about Hadestown?

WAOVW won't come back because Metcalf will be shooting The Conners.