THEATRE GOSSIP #463 - The Some Like It Beanie Edition

Previous thread:

Dire, OP. At the very least you could have called it Some Like it Fat.

Love the title OP!

r601 in the last thread brought up Uzo Aduba. At the last Tony determination meeting it says Clyde's was discussed, but nothing about her specifically, so it looks like she'll be eligible in Featured Actress since her name's not above the title.

My pendulous cock did not make the headline?

Some Like it Fat would have worked for that, too, R5

Danny, you’re going to get double-penetrated on camera, but you gotta keep that big dick in a jockstrap and hope that you can come hands-free. Dem’s the rules.

Great title, OP.

Fat Chance was better.

From the previous thread-the reason Beanie can approximate a British accent is her girlfriend is a Brit. Imagine how proud she must be right now.

Beanie IS Sugar.

Wrong. Beanie is more like Equal.

Not even close, R12.

Some Cantrell to christen the thread...

Speaking of accents, for those who wondered about Keala Settle doing a Brit at the Oliviers, her dad is a Brit & her mom is New Zealand Māori.

Anyone hear actually see Beanie in Funny Girl? Am dying for reviews

Lana Cantrell isn’t very impressive. Who made the decision that she was going to be a DL theatre icon? I’d like to ask for a recount.

R13-Sweet And Low?

Did the poster who insisted Reichard "is not hung. He’s average." (428 in the previous thread.) ever return after the photo was posted? I'm genuinely curious if he didn't know what he was talking about or if he really thinks that's not hung/average...and if so, where are the men he's hanging out with?

FG will be opening soon. How much money did MR. Hill play the critics to write complimentary words about Beanie. I’m sure the reviews will say…”her voice isn’t Barbra, but she’s funny and acts well”

I blame Michael Mayer for the shitshow I really do.

Here's Beanie's wonderful Brit accent. SO MUCH TALENT!!

Wait, Beanie is a lesbian? I did not know this.

From the last thread:

[quote] What properties besides Phantom and Wild Party have two completely different musicals made from them? Not counting some that have been repurposed like Grand Hotel which recycled scores from an earlier version right?

Aida’s taken a couple of different forms on Broadway (Disney’s “Aida” and “My Darlin’ Aida”), but both of them reset the story in a different time, so I don’t know if that counts.

What kind of a hill of beans is Beanie?

It’s going to be sad that Beanie will be Tony nominated because of poor competition when Elena Rodger, who similarly couldn’t sing the score well, was snubbed because of fierce competition.

I don't think I've ever seen DL so eager for something to get bad reviews.

Should they just give the Best Featured Actress Tony to Patti already? Or will Jane Lynch beat her to it

R15, that’s still no excuse for Keala Settle’s accent at the Olivier Awards. She was born and raised in Hawaii. She’s lived in NYC for several years. She’s an American.

Right R22? Links? Source? Enquiring lesbian minds want to know.

She came out publicly a few years ago. She often posts photos with her partner on Instagram.

Even discussed here. (The Barbara Streisand comments have certainly aged well.)

Someone best stick a 'TY' tag on her now if she hopes to have even half the shelf life of a Beanie Baby in this ill-conceived revival.

Thank you R30 and R31!

Damn, Beanie's got some heinous choppers. Get those things bleached, bitch.

Ohmygawd.

I just came from a matineé of "All My Girls", and as feared (I'd already read it), it is a beyond cringeworthy show. It's so difficult to pinpoint what is exactly wrong without hundreds of pins to point, but the writing is incredibly terrible. To save time they just should have called it "White/Bad". Even at this late date all of the gays are swishy, boozy, "Oh, Miss Gurl!" writer's creations and the woke speechifying is as appalling as it is deadly dull.

It's the longest 95 minutes in town!

If you aren't completely mortified to be gay already...you will be!

R35-Thankfully, it'll be gone after this Sunday. What was Second Stage thinking? That gay subscribers have no taste?

Did it extend a week? I thought the original closing date was Apr 18.

r31-

12/18/19-

[quote]Beanie Feldstein reminds me of every upper middle class, unattractive, overweight and overdramatic Jewish girls in my high school theater program in the mid 1990’s who were convinced they were the next Barbra Streisand.

There was a rumor that Michael Mayer strongly considered taking away "The Music That Makes Me Dance" from Beanie and giving it to Ramin. With the appropriate pronoun changes, natch.

Would find that very hard to believe, but if it's true, it would only serve to underline BF's failings. And to totally screw with her confidence.

If they really wanted to sell tickets they would have given Music that Makes Me Dance with original pronouns and have a subplot about Nicky in prison

[qupte] What properties besides Phantom and Wild Party have two completely different musicals made from them? Not counting some that have been repurposed like Grand Hotel which recycled scores from an earlier version right?

"A Tale of Two Cities" had two full-scale musicalizations, both flops. The 1969 London show was called "Two Cities." The 2008 Broadway version got the full title, "A Tale of Two Cities." Both were recorded.

Cyrano de Bergerac had the Broadway musical starring Christopher Plummer in 1972 and the recent off-Broadway musical and then film adaptation with Peter Dinklage. And I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't other musical versions over the years.

There have certainly been many adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories on stage including the musical Baker Street and the plays The Crucifer of Blood and Baskerville.

Look for other royalty-free properties for more titles.

I always thought The Ghost and Mrs Muir would make an interesting musical.

Which current show do you think led to the most cocksucking and buttfucking after the audience members went home.......or did they even wait until they got home?

Annie, of course.

Definitely, "Mr. Saturday Night."

Among the cast or audience?

To My Girls

MJ

Girl From The North Country

Wicked

Take Me Out seems like the most likely answer, given the demographic most likely to attend and what's on display.

And of course Birthday Candles. Because who can help but be affected by Ms. Messing's overwhelming charisma?

Actually, Ms. Messing's Kate Hepburn impression was like ice water on my libido.

Dangling dong

[quote] Take Me Out seems like the most likely answer, given the demographic most likely to attend and what's on display.

The "gentlemen" most likely to get super turned on by going to see Take Me Out are likely there because it's the only bare cock they have gotten that close to in years. They won't be getting laid after.

r51, not surprising. I was being sarcastic, of course.

Hadestown, of course.

R45, Harmony

Who's a great idea for a new book musical?

I need a summer project.

[quote] Samuel D. Hunter's Case for the Existence of God should be retitled:

Case for the Absence of A Dramaturg

God was it dull, with the bonus of an unexpectedly woke ending that made me loathe the overall play and experience. Bleuch.

Major cringe.

Agree! Truly cringeworthy This was one of the worst things I've ever seen. Completely contrived and totally unbelievable. Who does this McArthur "genius" think he's writing for.

R57, Charo

[quote] Charo

Can I play her?

Beanie will not get a nomination. The nominees will be: Sharon Clarke, Sutton Foster, Joaquina Kalukango, and Mare Winingham. Winner will be Clarke.

Clarke should not even be nominated.

That’s not Daniel Reichard R19. I’d have enough experience to know.

There are five nominees these days, R61. It's not the 90s anymore.

Beanie will not *not* get a nomination.

Not a current show, but I wonder if anyone's sex life ever improved because they saw Oh, Calcutta!?

Maybe Beanie's saving herself for the critics and the most amazing performance ever will be there on opening night, never to be seen again,..

I’m voting for Clarke.

At this point it would be a real slap in the face to not nominate Beanie. But if her reviews are mixed to negative - all bets are off.

If you don't nominate Beanie, you will have killed her childhood dream.

Best friend Ben Platt will be Bean's date at the Tonys.

it would make me so happy for her not to be nominated, but do you know the press she'll get if she's not? The New York Times alone will write think pieces about it for a full three months.

Deadline reviews "for colored girls":

R72, When Lucie Arnaz was not Tony nominated for They're Playing Our Song in 1979, its producers took out a large ad in the NYT which basically berated the Tony nominators for excluding her.

R58,

Thank you. I'm glad not to be the only one who loathed that POS play.

The problem is Lucie Arnaz was enjoyable in TPOS. Beanie is like an over cooked noodle. The meal is edible but you wouldn’t order the dish again and probably write on Facebook how disappointed you were in the meal

[Quote] At this point it would be a real slap in the face to not nominate Beanie. But if her reviews are mixed to negative - all bets are off.

Yes, and it will be sunny today. Although if it begins to rain, all bets are off!

RIP Robert Morse.

The New York Times is handing out Critics' Picks like it's Christmas morning! I'm wondering if they're saving it all up for a big fat pan of Funny Girl?

R44. Even better if they used the Bernard Herrmann music at this basis for the score (Matthew Bourne used some of the themes in his ballet The Red Shoes).

How do we think Matthew Lopez will “reimagine” Some Like It Hot? Will it now be five hours long and dripping with self-importance?

r63 So just someone with the same body with the same freckles in his apartment, eh?

You're just embarrassing yourself now with your attempt to pretend you've fucked him or whatever.

R81 Probably. Reading the comments on Playbill’s Instagram page, a lot of people don’t understand the difference between transgender and drag, so there’s a lot of “do we really need more transphobia” etc

There was a rumor on a FB Broadway page that said that the new Some Like It Hot will be set in the 1950s. But surely, that can't be true?? Could the film be that re-imagined???

Why do so many people think that any man in a dress is automatically hilarious and entertaining?

The Beanie criticism on the chat boards has really been ratcheted up in the final week of previews as all the theater queens are now in attendance.

R86, what are some of the comments?

I assumed Lopez would have given up writing at this point, seeing as how twisted his arms must be from all that patting himself on the back.

The Inheritance is quite a poor play

It had potential, R89, but it needed an editor. Daldry should have pushed to cut the bloat.

[R44]: “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” has been musicalized several times. I have one tepid score on CD. And I even saw a different version at a theater near Burbank in the early 2000’s, starring James Barbour as the Captain, but the chief drawback was that it was adapted from the original novel, not the 1947 screenplay. Checking on Google, I found 2 more versions, one done in Glendale in 2019, also derived from the novel, and yet another one, announcing a “pre-Broadway” production.

“Cyrano” has also had a number of musical versions over the years, some existing only as independent CD recordings. It and “Hunchback of Notre Dame” seem to compete for the record number of most unproduced scores. I’ve heard several versions of each, and their music is just forgettable. (Not to mention the notorious “Quasimodo” by Lionel Bart, which was finally performed in 2013 in London.)

Another example of 2 shows from one source is “Pajama Game,” based on “7 1/2 Cents,” and “Say, Darling,” about the making of it.

Isn’t Matthew Lopez working with Christopher Castellani (of “Who is the Bad Art Friend?” fame) on adapting Castellani’s book, LEADING MEN, for film? Or did he wisely bow out of that mess?

r85 God knows Drag Race is working hard to disabuse them of that notion.

R91, if you're not contributing to Forgotten Musicals on Facebook, you should be. Your post above was really interesting.

[quote]What properties besides Phantom and Wild Party have two completely different musicals made from them? Not counting some that have been repurposed like Grand Hotel which recycled scores from an earlier version right?

There was Marcelle Maurette's 1952 play ANASTASIA (inspired by the story of Anna Anderson) which opened on Broadway in 1954.

That play was adapted into the Oscar-winning 1956 film starring Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, and Helen Hayes.

In 1965, the same play was adapted into a Broadway musical ANYA, which bombed big time. Over the next thirty years, the musical was reworked several times under new titles: A SONG FOR ANASTASIA (1967), THE ANASTASIA GAME (1989-1990), THE ANASTASIA AFFAIRE (1992), and ANASTASIA: THE MUSICAL (1998).

In 1997, the original Maurette play was once again adapted for the big screen as an animated musical by Don Bluth, which was then turned into another Broadway musical in 2017. This versions didn't do well, either, and closed after two years.

thanks for all that, R95.

The 1997 film (starring Meg Ryan, Angela Lansbury, and John Cusack!) had songs by Ahrens and Flaherty. I never saw the stage version, but the movie is pretty bad, as I recall.

Lopez was not working WITH Castellani in any way. He was adapting the book without any collaboration with the author.

[ByJupiter]: Thanks. I’ll check it out. I’ve been seeing Broadway musicals for over 50 years, and always enjoy finding new ones.

I have a ticket to see “Knoxville” at the Asolo in Sarasota, and I may even trek to La Jolla to see “Lempicka” this summer.

But my favorite show unreleased on CD remains Skip Kennon’s lovely score for “Time and Again,” which I actually saw at the Old Globe in San Diego in 1996.

Is Løpéz any good at comedy?

Ok, R82. Whatever.

[quote]...and “Hunchback of Notre Dame” seem to compete for the record number of most unproduced scores

Don't forget this version, r91...

Anyone seen POTUS? Just heard a classic putdown from a multiple Tony nominee.

What was the putdown?

Regarding Meg, r96, at 1:45...

[Quote] Not a current show, but I wonder if anyone's sex life ever improved because they saw Oh, Calcutta!?

I read an old book called “What turns women on” (or something close to that). It contained lots of stories of women who, after seeing Oh Calcutta with a partner got so turned on that they fucked their brains out once they got home. Some even had sex before they got home.

No nude pics from Take Me Out yet?

Seems that POTUS will see a huge divide by those who see it as a fun night in the theater and those who find it totally imbecilic childishness. I wonder where the critics will land?

R78, Was Robert Morse planning to attend the opening night of Funny Girl?

No, he saw a Sunday matinee preview and it killed him, r108.

Well he sure won’t be at the opening night of Some Like it Hot.

according to the new artwork, Some Like It Hot has no cross dressing or trans or anything like that.

[quote]Cyrano de Bergerac had the Broadway musical starring Christopher Plummer in 1972 and the recent off-Broadway musical and then film adaptation with Peter Dinklage. And I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't other musical versions over the years.

Saw this New year's Eve. Why? I have no idea and all I remember about it was that I saw it New Year's Eve.

I saw this, too. Dutch musical with Dutch leading man. Why on earth did anyone think this would be a hit on Broadway?

And we both saw it, go figure.

People REALLY need to stop conflating drag (essentially a burlesque tradition) and trans. They have little to nothing to do with one another. One's a comedic theatrical device, meant to be superficial. One's a matter of personal identity, which is anything but. But they can and SHOULD be able to exist in the same realm without the former being labelled transphobic. But as they say, 'nuance' is the new N word... SMH.

I've also seen the ridiculous argument that straight men in drag are *appropriating* gay culture. NO. Drag / men dressing up in women's clothing (and vice-versa) was around LONG before RuPaul, drag brunches and Stonewall. Culture is shared, people. Or at least it used to be before the woke mob decided culture was some form of intellectual property.

Elegance is learned.

And we've got elegance

We were born with elegance

And with elegance.....elegance.......elegance....ELEGANCE! We'll carry it off!

Carmen Cusack shall be giving her Mrs. Lovett at the Muny in July. With Robert Cuccioli as Judge Turpin.

I saw her Dot in Chicago, with Jason Daniely as George. One of the strongest pairings I’ve seen.

why are you leaving out the dreamy Ben Davis as Sweeney?

R117, it wasn’t Jerry Herman OR Charles Strouse, it was Bob Merrill.

All of you who are dissing the new SOME LKE IT HOT are assuming that it has not been done yet. There has been a workshop production that was well received with positive response - that's why the Shuberts are doing it and booking in their premier theater. The comments were variations of "...I didn't think that this could be done 2022, but this show is GREAT. Really funny and really fun."

I have nothing to do with the production, but friends I trust have seen the workshop production. That's my source.

[quote]The comments were variations of "...I didn't think that this could be done 2022, but this show is GREAT. Really funny and really fun."

I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. To do the show "as the movie" would just come off as old-fashioned. Sugar only ran for 505 performances in 1972-73.

[quote]There was a rumor on a FB Broadway page that said that the new Some Like It Hot will be set in the 1950s. But surely, that can't be true?? Could the film be that re-imagined???

The movie was released in 1959.

R124 Oh, dear.

yes r124 but it takes place in 1929

PS r124 The Ten Commandments was released in 1956 but that doesn't mean... Oh, never mind.

Some Like My Twat will land just like Tootsie and Doubtfire—with a thud.

[quote]according to the new artwork, Some Like It Hot has no cross dressing or trans or anything like that.

Sweetie, Curtis and Lemmon weren't in drag the ENTIRE film.

No one is interested in Some Like it Hot. I don't care what some PR wag leaked out of the workshop.

I wish I were clever enough to link the poster art work for this new Some Like It Hot but if I could, you'd under stand why some might think they've upped the period to the 1950s. Google it!

It was linked at R111

If I had a penny for every WOW! I heard coming out of a Broadway workshop I'd be richer than Jeffrey Seller.

Oy. Thanks, r132.

How did I miss that? I said I wasn't very clever Anyway, you can see the confusion of historical periods right there.

Oh, it's okay, R134. Easily missed. I didn't mean it snarkily. : )

I don't love the artwork but it definitely isn't 50s. Very faux art deco.

That skirt on Sugar is pure 1954, r136.

R133, We all thought Hazel would be a winner.

I knew Hazel sucked and got out of it as soon as I could.

One of the announcements about Some Like it Hot mentions that it will still take place in the late 1920s.

So Some Like It Hot will be Bridgertoned? It will be set in an alternate universe in which white men can openly lust after and pursue a romantic relationship with a Black woman? OK.

Back in the 1920s in the US? Sorry, forgot to include the most important bit.

R142, Will Fanny Brice make an appearance?

[quote]So Some Like It Hot will be Bridgertoned? It will be set in an alternate universe in which white men can openly lust after and pursue a romantic relationship with a Black woman? OK.

So shocking that a Broadway musical based on a famous movie farce isn't a social documentary!

R144 Please! That counter-argument is getting stale. 🙄

But people expressing shock and outrage over non-traditional casting isn't stale at all, R145.

" Non-traditional" = bringing in minorities ( especially one) just to do seem diverse, with no regard to the integrity of the work.

Multiple reports that Company had a longer than usual intermission tonight, after which it was announced Patti wouldn't be returning and her understudy was taking over for Act 2. Apparently a non-Covid illness. I hope she's okay (especially on her birthday!)

Why is there no dish on Mr Saturday night?

Based on the grosses, it may just be because there's no interest.

The only audiences interested in MR SATURDAY NIGHT are straight and over 80 years of age. Not quite DL's profile.

And what about those awful wigs on Billy Crystal? Onstage and in real life.

OMG is Patti’s toilet going to make another tweet?

Billy does not look absolutely mahvelous.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1977, "Annie" opened at the Alvin Theatre.

Michelle Collins discussed Funny Girl on her podcast. Her friend who was with her said he couldn’t believe how bad the show is in general (regardless of casting), but they both said Beanie was just totally out of her depth. That it was like being forced to watch a kid perform and to have to tell them how good they are. I don’t see how any of the reviews will be any kinder.

Where can I find that delicious podcast. r155??

It was *the* hit, r154...

R91 so many adaptations because the Mrs. Muir novel is public domain? Or the rightsholders kept writing short options for new versions because none of them went anywhere?

Michelle Collins is very funny on air but a complete sociopath in real life.

You need Sirius for her radio show.

Is Katrina Lenk not going to get a nomination?

Based on her reviews, my guess is no

[quote]One of the announcements about Some Like it Hot mentions that it will still take place in the late 1920s.

Don't the guys witness The St Valentines Massacre and that's why they are hiding? The massacre was in 1929.

Does it have a freewheeling patio number?

Michelle’s podcast is separate from her Sirius show. It’s called Midnight Snack. The Funny Girl stuff is from this week’s episode.

I saw POTUS at its second preview performance.

I thought it was very funny.

How can you not like a show which has its very first word be “cunt”?

I saw Funny Girl this evening. One of the worst revivals ever mounted. The Bean is fat, ugly, costumed horribly, unfunny, shrill, vulgar and sings like a fourth-tier junior college student. But the production around her is equally awful—direction, sets (hideous), lights, choreography, the works. And what a *brilliant* idea to shoehorn in cut numbers and songs from the movie into the already deadly second act, making it even more of a slog.

D+

Jesse Green was in attendance. I can’t imagine this ends well.

Deadline reviews "Hangmen":

[quote]Does it have a freewheeling patio number?

We can only hope, R163.

Hangmen- talk about a slog.

Did anyone wish Patti Happy Birthday yesterday? Or Tony Danza?

Fuck them both!

[quote]Jesse Green was in attendance. I can’t imagine this ends well.

Not THE Jesse Green? Who the fuck is Jesse Green?

Are you new here, R172?

And by here, I mean Earth.

R172 If you're on the Theatre Gossip thread and you don't know who Jesse Green is, you just need to quietly leave the room and don't come back until you've finished your homework, taken out the trash, and given the cat a bath.

There's also this thing called "a search engine" where you can look stuff up you don't know!!!

It's super easy and fun!

THIS is Jesse Green, R 172!

Our panties are all twisted up over a potential Tony snub for Beanie - but what about Hugh? What's the lineup and could he actually be snubbed? After all he's done for the Broadway? Is there enough competition?

[quote]Our panties are all twisted up over a potential Tony snub for Beanie

My panties remain untwisted.

what panties?

Hey, how about Keala Settle as Beanie's replacement Fanny? Producers won't need to buy new costumes and Keala can sing.

There’s no way Hugh Jackman’s 3.5 million plus a week grosses will be ignored. You are delusional if you think he won’t be nominated. Period.

Hugh and Keala.

it's also not a great year for leading men, is it? Just Strange Loop guy, Ramin, McClure, Myles, Billy Crystal and Hugh?

in plays, Matthew and Sarah and also both possible omissions

If McClure wins, it's another Tony for a man in a dress. Just don't get it.

[quote] If McClure wins, it's another Tony for a man in a dress. Just don't get it.

Not really r183, or only in the broadest sense. He works like a dog switching costumes, being funny (way more than Santino in Tootsie), leading the show (way more than Santino in Tootsie), and having a range of emotions to tackle (way more than Santino in Tootsie). I didn't like the show, but it's a bravura performance. Nonetheless, I think Myles will win - which I find more depressing. The kid is a really really good Michael Jackson impersonator who performs a very long set.

Lenk's "Being Alive" on Late Night last night/this morning, if you want to judge how she sounds today for yourself...

(IMO, definitely still some spots where she sounds like she has a weird accent)

I fully expect the Strange Loop guy to win, but am rooting for McClure. I like the show more than most people, but I thought he was absolutely fantastic.

Wow, I saw Company with Nikki Renee Daniels on as Bobbie and absolutely loved the show. But Lenk’s performance in the above clip does nothing for me. In fact, I’m nervous that her voice is going to give out. She almost sounds like she’s fighting a cold.

Wasn’t impressed by Lenk at all when I saw it. Loved her in the Band’s Visit though.

Too bad Ben Brantley isn’t reviewing FG. Isn’t Jesse Green more generous?

Posted in the last thread (or the one before?), but here's Daniels's "Being Alive" for comparison.

[Quote] Isn’t Jesse Green more generous?

No.

So what’s going to win Best Play this year? Hangman?

Most likely. That or Lehman, and Hangmen has the advantage of running now.

R190, He didn't like Company, The Music Man or Plaza Suite, but he liked Take Me Out.

Was Lehman Trilogy on Broadway? I thought it was a limited run off-Broadway somewhere.

I hope Jacquel Spivey, the kid from "A Strange Loop," wins best actor in a musical.

Lehman had a limited Broadway run in the fall.

How does Ben Brantley make money these days? Who pays for his trips to London to swoon about the West End theatre scene?

R195 agreed. He was fantastic.

It'll come down to Hugh and Spivey. There's no love for MJ or anyone involved with it.

But my guess is Hugh will take the Tony.

I was told on another message board that not only is Beanie “well casted” in Funny Girl but that she actually looks like Fanny Brice. The delusion is deep with these Beaners. Useless to point out reality to them.

Seems like Kissinger enjoyed Saturday in the Park with George

After seeing A Strange Loop last night, I think Spivey will be the one to beat for Best Actor. I can't see Hugh winning for that underwhelming performance. Spivey works for it. I was also surprised by Antwayn Hopper in ASL, especially after his dreadful performance in The Life at Encores. So we can really blame Billy Porter for everything in that debacle, including the performances. Hopper is terrific in ASL, and obviously working with a much better director. Having said that, I can honestly predict ASL won't win Best Musical. It's not all that. There's a lot to admire, but in the move to Broadway, the creators have Increased the volume to the point where the lyrics are unintelligible and every aspect of the show has been turned up several notches. The audience last night was screaming appreciatively and often, but I found the whole evening exhausting, which I didn't feel at Playwrights Horizons. I don't know who producers think will be the sustaining audience for this show, but I wish it well. Anything to keep J. Hudson from an EGOT.

Six will probably end up being this year's Best Musical.

R202 yes I found the volume to be an issue too. I knew the score from the off-Broadway cast recording (MARY!) and I couldn't hear a lot of it because the music was so loud over the vocals. What is that about?

Spivey was adorable though. Would be great if he won.

Well, who knows what George got up to in the park on Saturday, R201?

I know I enjoyed the Phantom of the Ballet.

I hated Strange Loop and the pity-party for the fat, unattractive, delusional protagonist. I’m going with Six.

r204 Did you click the link?

Yes. That was humor.

I'd love to know Sondheim's candid thoughts on Kissinger's note.

Henry Kissinger turns 99 next month.

Is this the absolute worst year for outstanding Broadway performances, or is it the dearth of good material?

[R158]: No idea about rights availability to novel of “Ghost and Mrs. Muir.”

The musicalized version I saw in Burbank was clearly based on the novel, not the screenplay, because it included Mrs. Muir’s son, who grows up to become a prissy, disapproving clergyman. Meanwhile, Act II opened with a sassy music hall number, sung by her blowsy, grown daughter. These two totally upended the story line. Maybe if the music had been memorable, it might have worked. Sadly, it wasn’t.

The hallmark of bad theater isn’t disgust; it’s boredom.

Now you know how I felt watching “Legs Diamond.”

Good ol' Legs Diamond...

[Quote] The audience last night was screaming appreciatively and often, but I found the whole evening exhausting

Enough to keep me away

r208 Scroll down

[Quote] Yes. That was humor.

Usually have you tell people, it didn’t work.

Usually if you have to tell people

[quote] If you're on the Theatre Gossip thread and you don't know who Jesse Green is, you just need to quietly leave the room and don't come back until you've finished your homework, taken out the trash, and given the cat a bath.

OH Honey, pull the rolled up Playbill outta your ass. I Googled him and I couldn't give a shit. The last NY Times critic I ever heard of was Vincent Canby I didn't care what he thought either. I have no use for reviews, never have. I had The NY Times Sunday Entertainment section as a kid and I saw the ads. I didn't need some stranger's opinion. If the show or cast interested me, I went, if not I skipped. I even ended up working behind the scenes on Broadway and never read a review of any of the shows I worked on and the world still turned.

Beanie will be nominated but Lead Actress in a musical will be Clarke or Sutton will win. I’d actually be happy with Clarke. I enjoyed her more than Tonya, or it could be I’m just not a fan of the person Tonya has become. It shouldn’t affect awards…but it does.

Lead actress in a play is Mary Louise Parker.

Lead actor musical will be Hugh. Sorry queens, he’s terrible in the role but Broadway loves him.

Featured Actress in a musical will hopefully be LuPone.

Why do I want FG to fail so much? I keep scouring for negative word of mouth online and am expecting a bloodbath this Monday morning. I like the original and I’m a moderate Streisand fan but idk this production just seems so shoddy

It certainly was in London, R219.

[quote]Lead actor musical will be Hugh. Sorry queens, he’s terrible in the role but Broadway loves him.

Spoken like a true DL'er. We expect nothing less.

Well, just smell r217. I can smell her from here.

R218-But darling, Hugh is the wrong color to win Best Actor.

Did Billy Crystal get Kissinger tickets for "Mr. Sunday Night"?

I blame hack "director" Michael Mayer for everything wrong with FG. It's his arrogance that says "All of my creative decisions will make this work!" And I hope he's taken to task even more than poor Beanie in the reviews.

And yet, Mayer still gets more shows to direct. Two musicals already on his schedule for next season.

I can’t help but think that the FG producers are hiring trolls to post raves on social media

After all the Times hype, Green will probably equivocate and write a tepid rave.

"Beanie may not be the greatest star, and may not be funny, but when all is said and done no one can deny she IS a girl!"

Beanie looks like a teenager which makes the show look even more like a high school musical.

There should be Razzie awards for Broadway every year

Between B s as nd Jane Lynch, it should be called

DYKEY GIRL

Johanna Day for Featured Actress in a Play (How I Learned to Drive).

Beanie? That's a person named Beanie?

Aaron Tveit will be presenting Best Actress in a Musical.

But not hole?

[quote] There should be Razzie awards for Broadway every year

And they should be called THE MURIELS.

no- The mlops

Sutton has Best Actress in the bag.

I like her fine but she just shouldn't be a 3-time Tony winner

Maybe Beanie could stick ping pong balls in her cooche and shoot them out for laughs

R239, you’re exactly right.

Sutton is lovely as a Bway star but she doesn’t have that extra star quality that day Kristen Chenoweth or Audra have.

It baffled me that she has two Tonys

Poor Debra Messing is ranked 9th of 11 potential nominees for Best Actress in a Play, according to goldderby.com. The four other lowest ranked actresses are all in Skin of our Teeth and Chicken and Biscuits.

R239, Kanye West shouldn't have 22 Grammy Awards.

MJ the musical or MJ the author of Loop?

Tony Winner Predictions: Best Actor in a Musical : Jaquel Spivey ASL Best Actress in a Musical: Sharon Clarke, Caroline or Change Best Featured Actress in a Musical: L. Morgan Lee, ASL or Patti Lupone, Company Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Matt Doyle, Company or David Paymer, Mr. Saturday Night

Best Musical : ASL Best Revival: Company

Tony Award prediction: No one outside of New York will watch. And fewer will care.

Hugh Jackman will have to be nominated in order to get anyone to have the slightest in watching. He's the only NAME that has a chance of drawing the casual viewer.

Except that the "extra star quality" Chenoweth has is profoundly annoying and limited.

I blame Megan Mullally. I was Americas Sweetheart until she blabbed to the press about hating me.

[quote]Hugh Jackman will have to be nominated in order to get anyone to have the slightest in watching. He's the only MAME that has a chance of drawing the casual viewer.

My vision is getting blurry, r246...that's how I read it.

Patti's out again tonight at Company; looks like Simard is on as Joanne (which sucks for the understudy who saved the show last night). Hope it's nothing too serious...

[quote]It baffled me that she has two Tonys

So you're saying Sutton is the Hilary Swank of Broadway?

The Tony Award recipients will all depend on how woke Broadway thinks it is.

I love the way R166 says, "....an already deadly second act." Bravo!

How much longer do we have to wait for these Funny Girl reviews...?

Beanie really should've toured this in Eastern Europe before bringing it to Broadway.

R252 Not necessarily. After all, if that were the case Slave Play wouldn't have lost in every single category it was nominated last year

R252 Don’t Monkey With Broadway!

[quote]...what a *brilliant* idea

That's the pull quote, r253!

[quote]Patti's out again tonight at Company; looks like Simard is on as Joanne (which sucks for the understudy who saved the show last night). Hope it's nothing too serious...

How many times does she have to miss for you to decide it's too serious.?

[quote]How much longer do we have to wait for these Funny Girl reviews...?

C'mon Charlie, it's a party, we're all here at Sardi's, have a drink, the papers should hit the streets in less than an hour.

Sutton really improved when I watched her "Anything Goes" from London; her acting as a "broad" was much more convincing this time around. My nephew was thrilled to have seen Stephanie J. Block go on has her understudy in NY, and I probably would have been too, if I had the chance to see her in the role. But Sutton definitely improved her characterization. Robert Lindsay was really overdoing it though as Moonface -- preferred Joel Grey in NY.

Stephanie Block replaced Sutton but she wasn’t her understudy.

Patti is 73 years old so if she’s stick she needs to stay out until she’s fully recovered.

^sick. Not stick 🙄

Or shtick?

Maybe Sutton was on vacation then.

Stephanie J Block filled in for Sutton when Sutton took two weeks off to film the pilot for Bunheads, later, when Sutton left for goo, Block took over as Reno.

Block taps?

I know she's eligible, but MLP winning Best Actress/Play for a role she originated 25 years ago just seems stupid, especially if the play is deemed a "revival".

If she didn't do it on Broadway, wasn't rewarded for it, and is giving a great performance, let her at it!

[quote] If she didn't do it on Broadway, wasn't rewarded for it, and is giving a great performance, let her at it!

I totally understand that, but it also plays into the "if it wasn't on Broadway, it doesn't count" mentality. She just won the bloody Tony last year, it's not like she doesn't have one.

[quote] I totally understand that, but it also plays into the "if it wasn't on Broadway, it doesn't count" mentality.

That’s not exactly a hidden agenda. The Tony’s entire purpose is to define “theater” as “Broadway”

Kristin Chenoweth was dazzling in the pretty good On The 20th Century revival… a shame it was a very tough season because she definitely should have won a Tony for it. Ditto Andy Karl, who was sensational.

What about all those actresses in POTUS? No noms for them? Vanessa Williams? Julie White? Lea de Laria?? Julianne Hough???? Where do they rank?

Also, the 2015 Tony Awards once again presented category fraud since Christian Borle certainly should have been Lead Actor not Featured for Something Rotten! (which he would have also won), leaving room for Andy Karl or Max Von Essen, both of whom were excellent in their respective shows. Kelli was due so it was Chenoweth’s to lose (also acting as co-host of the ceremony with Alan Cumming), though had The Fucking Visit been anything but a boring slog it would likely have been a sentimental win for Chita.

What is the deal with Patti LuPone? Surely one of you queens know what’s going on. Is it the C word?

Cunt?

I sat next to Max Von Essen in a cafe last week. Much taller than I expected. But still handsome!

Did anyone see Max opposite (cancelled?) Alice Ripley in The Baker’s Wife at Paper Mill? There’s a decent bootleg and copious clips, seemed like a decent production - needless to say, Max nailed (?) “Proud Lady” and ditto Alice with “Meadowlark”.

Yes, r274, it is the C word.

Cunt.

That’s always the C word where Patti is concerned.

Now, ALW....let's not be a pot calling out the kettle!!!

Oh Broadway is going to make for damn sure that they show how woke they are this year. Count on it.

Antwayn Hopper has no friends backstage at SL. Believe me...

[quote] It baffled me that she has two Tonys

Well, maybe the exact two Tonys she has baffles you, but Sutton absolutely deserves to have two Tonys. She deserved one for The Drowsy Chaperone and (arguably) for Violet. So if you toss the one she didn't deserve for Anything Goes, there are definitely replacements.

What baffles me is that Audra has six. Or that Lansbury has five. Or that Danny Burstein has fifty million nominations. It's a tiny community. This kind of thing happens, as inexplicable as it is.

Mimi

My Horrors! OMG! Beanie is giving one of the most reaching, pleading, exhausting and HORRIFIC performances in ages, it’s beyond “not right for the role” it is aggressively wrong. She has NO chemistry with Ramin, it’s actually unpleasant to watch them together, and he seems it realize it, a careful performance from him, he’s usually electric. Beanie isn’t singing the score, she is basically yelling the words until the various big finishes and then she pushes her head up and back and cries out the last note. This is a performance that is absolutely being allowed because someone close to her is paying for this show. It is worse than any high school effort, truly, TRULY. There were screaming teen girls up front, but the theater gang I saw were in shock, nobody dare post on social media, the press reps looked ill in the back of the house. Yet, as bad as Beanie is, it’s Jane Lynch who was my worst of the worst. Charmless, mugging, hammy and again, not an ounce of chemistry with Beanie, none. Beanie is oddly disconnected through the whole show, it’s as if she trying to remember everything, it’s kind of unsettling. Her manic dancing has no skill, just force, rehearsed to numbness. A tragedy of the stage. This show deserves to be slaughtered, but they’ll probably try and save her, and it. Really bad. BAD.

I just endured Macbeth. What a dreadful evening. Ruth Negga is absolutely awful, a high school performance. WTF???? And one of the worst professional productions I have seen. Mr. Craig still has a very nice ass but....awful, awful, awful

[Quote] Except that the "extra star quality" Chenoweth has is profoundly annoying and limited.

Most actors have a schtick that stick to. Cheno has figured out her niche. She’s amazing at it.

[quote]She just won the bloody Tony last year, it's not like she doesn't have one.

I wonder if this might actually work against MLP winning this year -- i.e., no matter how great her performance, voters may feel she just won last year, so give it to somebody else?

[quote]I sat next to Max Von Essen in a cafe last week. Much taller than I expected. But still handsome!

MVE! Haven't heard his name in quite a while.

Christ, the screeching going on in the Facebook "Broadway Remembered" page warning people not to post bad things about Beanie in Funny Girl is unbelievable. What is with these fucking Marys? How bad could what's been said be that there need to be multiple warnings?

[quote]Ditto Andy Karl, who was sensational.

Who?

r285-

Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the assassination?

This is the queen on FB who is losing her beads over the Beanie bashing.

^ He liked this comment:

[quote]"Neither Barbra or Lea look nothing like the real Fannie Brice. If Lea had this role it would be just a Barbra copy cat. I’m glad they cast a newcomer. She will make this her own if people will let her."

He's a real martinet. I guess he founded that group, but the page is full of posts with him dictating what can and can't be said. He won't have anyone speak ill of Liza's Oscar appearance, either.

Block lead the national tour of Sutton's Anything Goes to much acclaim and good reviews.

From the previous thread:

[quote]Oh, and let's remember you're the piece of work who posted this on the James Snyder thread....

Can someone please explain to me as simply as possible how anyone can tell that two or more posts were made by the same person? Does it involve blocking someone first? But if you block someone, then how can you read their subsequent posts in order to claim they're the same person who previously posted such-and-such? I just don't get it.

You block them, then go to the ignored button up top and you can see all the posts of the person you blocked. Then you unblock them so you can continue seeing their posts.

So...r295 ...she taps?

You can see their most recent past posts, not all their past posts.

Rachel York headlined the Anything Goes tour.

Antwayn can’t even spell his fucking name correctly…

Enough about Beanie’s ineptitude does Daniel Craig actually present his hole in Macbeth?

[quote]Christ, the screeching going on in the Facebook "Broadway Remembered" page warning people not to post bad things about Beanie in Funny Girl is unbelievable. What is with these fucking Marys? How bad could what's been said be that there need to be multiple warnings?

I was in that that group for a while and left voluntarily. The stupidity was mind-numbing, and the sophistication on the level of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League. "Let's all play nice!" I feel much more at home on DL, oddly enough.

r300, see r295.

Wait a minute, who led the tour? Block or York?

r285

I was there Friday evening and concur. It is an awful, misguided mess with a Beanie stinking up the joint right at the center. But everyone is awful except for the actors playing Mr. Keeney and Mrs. Strakosh.

Didn't Block leave and York take over? York did it out in LA.

This year’s Tony Award nominations will be delayed by nearly a week, administrators of the awards said Friday, because enough actors have been out with coronavirus cases that it has become difficult for awards nominators to see all the eligible performances.The Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, who present the awards, said nominations would now be announced on May 9, instead of May 3. The awards ceremony itself will remain, as scheduled, on June 12.

The change reflects the extraordinary disruption the coronavirus pandemic has caused to this theater season. Multiple shows — on Broadway, Off Broadway, around the country, and in Britain, Canada and elsewhere — have been forced to cancel performances and shift schedules because of coronavirus cases.

On Broadway several shows have been scrambling to open before the eligibility deadline, which was scheduled to be April 28, but will now be May 4. Four shows — “Paradise Square,” “Macbeth,” “Plaza Suite” and “A Strange Loop” — canceled multiple performances because of coronavirus cases. (Among those testing positive were the “Macbeth” star Daniel Craig and the “Plaza Suite” stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.)

Even now, when all shows are running, some actors are still out. That has made it hard for the nominators to see all the eligible shows with all eligible performers onstage.There are six shows scheduled to open next week, including “Funny Girl,” “The Skin of Our Teeth,” “A Strange Loop,” “POTUS,” “Mr. Saturday Night” and “Macbeth.”

Awarding the Tonys this year should just be based on attendance.

Didn't POTUS move its opening night from May 4th up to Apr 28th to make the cut? Whoops.

[quote]Not 2015 (although I wish it was)

You really want to relive the last seven hears? Really?

Hugh might win cause he is helping Broadway survive during Covid, but the guy from A Strange Loop deserves it and will likely win it. Hugh is mostly mediocre in the show, energetic and smiley, but at times he's just sorta bad. Without question he will be nominated. As will Billy Crystal.

Six is definitely winning Best Musical over ASL. A lot of those Tony voters are gonna be horrified by parts of ASL.

Why is Paradise Square staying open? To get Tony nominations?

Someone in the last thread suggested Strange Loop might win Best Book and Best Score and Six would win Best Musical and I suspect that's how it's gonna shake out. Everybody loves a winner.

R285, but did you like it?

r307, Rachel York was Reno in the Roundabout Anything Goes tour- all of it. I worked on it. She was out constantly, however- which is her reputation, unfortunately.

So I know this was a horrible flop but I’m kinda obsessed with this song lately , “Stop Time” by Barbara Walsh.

I couldn’t believe the show got a lot of Tony nominations but nothing for Barbara. To me, it’s the only good song in the score.

Rachel was starring in that production of 42nd Street in Massachusetts, the one where Tom Wopat was fired and arrested for fondling an underage girl in the cast.

[QUOTE] I know she's eligible, but MLP winning Best Actress/Play for a role she originated 25 years ago just seems stupid, especially if the play is deemed a "revival".

No one who has actually seen this production would post this, so I’ll just assume you haven’t. Also, who do you propose should beat her? Ruth Negga in her psychotic performance as Lady Macbeth? Debra Messing?

Does anyone remember who played the ANYTHING GOES Actors Fund benefit? Sutton was sick, though she had managed to do the matinee but barely and finally had to bow out that evening. I swear I saw Rachel York do it, but why she would have I don't know.

R316 it’s a wonderful song. There’s another beautiful song in the show sung by the lead male called something like “I Want to Go Home.” But boy, was that show ever an overblown mess. The Forbidden Broadway parody nailed it.

[quote] I couldn’t believe the show got a lot of Tony nominations but nothing for Barbara. To me, it’s the only good song in the score.

Big WAS Daniel Jenkins, period. Whatever artistic successes the show had were aided mightily by his performance. That he didn't get a Tony nomination was one of the most shocking omissions in the past 30-some years. Add to that Christa Moore getting a nomination for Leading actress when her role was clearly featured and she had very little to (and nothing warranting an award- not her fault), and it almost felt like a slap in the face to Jenkins, who is by all accounts, one of the loveliest human beings working in theater.

Best actor was a crowded field that season, but they could have easily put Savion Glover in featured, since it was an ensemble, and worse cases of category fraud are perpetrated every season.

It's understandable why Walsh wasn't nominated. She was good, but not memorable, and her role simply wasn't large enough or dynamic enough to make her chosen over the strong competition that season.

It looks they are allowing at least some Beanie criticism on Broadway Remembered: “ Beanie had no power in the music. I had high hopes but she couldn’t get me up the mountain let alone over it. Not all that believable as Fanny. No real chemistry between her and Nick. Sad but true. The last act is pretty dull and way too slow!”

“ Really went in wanting to like it but 15 minutes in and Ms. Feldstein lost me. I have enjoyed her movie appearances and I liked her in Hello Dolly! but this role is not for her. I found both her vocals and acting weak. Not making any comparisons to Streisand,as I have seen other actresses make the role their own but In my opinion, Ms. Feldstein failed to do that. Too often she looked lost and like a little girl playing dress up in the costumes they put her in. As I said, I’m not comparing her to anyone but this role needs an actress/singer with power to deliver. Think they would have been better off casting an unknown or lesser known Broadway talent in the role.”

Oh my goodness gracious.

That fat neckbeard queen who runs the page probably hasn't come out of last night's food coma yet and will vigorously scrub those incendiary comments from his page posthaste!

What is Carly Jetson doing these days? Why wasn’t she casted as Fannie?

There is no world in which Max Von Essen deserves a Tony for any of his bland characterless performances. Award for best voracious endless bottom whore at an orgy on the other hand…

Deux moi even posted a blind item about how Beanie’s father and Marc Platt are financing this and the whole cast knows she’s terrible. Did anyone else see that?

Here’s the Reddit thread with the post screenshotted…

As I remember, URINETOWN was deemed by many the best of that year, but ultimately voters thought it objectionable to have it stand alongside South Pacific, My Fair Lady, etc. as exemplars of Broadway. Instead, the award went to the wildly mediocre Thoroughly Modern Millie. Could the same fate await Strange Loop—too explicit, too sexual, too edgy—for most voters? Pulitzer notwithstanding. Of course, it may lose votes because it's crap (I haven't seen it).

Can someone briefly tell us what is so edgy about ASL? I’m not going to see it before the Tonys (if ever). Is there a song about him bottoming or something?

R319. Kristen Beth Williams played Reno at that performance. She’s lovely. Very talented.

I realize SIX is selling out and making a fortune but does anyone else think they need to get those girls on TV more often to hawk the show before Tony noms come out? It doesn't feel like the show and it actresses are very prominent in the NY theatre scene psyche.

R329, there is a scene of him bottoming for a white man that loves to degrade black man.

*men....sorry

That’s the problem with The Loop show.

YET again Cis White Gays are the devil and need to be cancelled. This is a big thing in “woke” politics today. Cis White gay men are as awful as MAGA Trumpers for this crowd

Does he not realize Cis White gays are the primary musical ticket buyers?

R332, so kind of like the last scene in Slave Play with the tilted mirror?

Is the “white man” in ASL played by a black man? I thought I heard that it was an all-black cast.

This is Helen Gallagher (miscredited), right?

They should have Beanie lipsync.

Did anyone here see Leslie Uggams when she took over for Patti in Anything Goes?

R337 did Liza supposedly lip sync in The Act?

I saw "Reichard" nudes on LPSG. They featured a chest that didn't match shirtless pics of him that included his face. Maybe Miss Daniel is disseminating fake nudes to bump his profile?

Liza's The Act was partly lipsynced.

Doesn't sound like either to me, r336...

Thanks, R297. I thought it might be something like that, but geez, that's a lot of work just to sniff out what comments have been made by the same person. I guess some people have time for that.

[quote]He's a real martinet. I guess he founded that group, but the page is full of posts with him dictating what can and can't be said.

Seriously. I posted something that had a very mildly negative tone to it, and the martinet blocked me from posting for a few days. At which point I exited the group.

R329 ASL has a lot of lyrics throughout the show about getting fucked and sucking dick - there is also a scene where he goes to the doctor who sings about whether or not he’s getting penetrated.

And then the scene where he takes off his pants and gets on his hands and knees and proceeds to get fucked by some old daddy.

If that blind item at R327 is meant to be about Beanie, then it's sloppily written. First of all, FUNNY GIRL hasn't officially opened yet (as of this writing). And the remark that "Vocally, they just can't keep up with their other cast members" would be an odd thing to say about the lead in any production of FUNNY GIRL, because none of the other cast members has any major singing to do, except maybe a couple of brief moments for Eddie Ryan.

Not to overreact, but if SIX wins Best Musical, that will be an utter embarrassment and a very sad indication of what Broadway is becoming.

R347-Oh, and Memphis wasn't an utter embarrassment and sad indication of what Broadway was becoming?

[quote]This is Helen Gallagher (miscredited), right?

It sounds like her to me, and it makes sense that she would have been asked to sing in shows honoring Jule Styne.

What is it with the gay martinets? It seems to be a type.

[quote]Oh, and Memphis wasn't an utter embarrassment and sad indication of what Broadway was becoming?

I didn't say it wasn't, but if you were to twist my arm, I would have to say that MEMPHIS wasn't quite so mind-numbingly awful and offensive to the senses as SIX.

Ellen Barkin’s Tony win for The Normal Heart is one of my favorites in Best Featured Actress in a Play. Her big monologue towards the end of the play was just ferocious and stunned the audience.

Yes R336 you can tell it's Helen from the sagging pitch, gurgling wobble, and lingering bitterness in the patter.

R340, There is only ONE full frontal nude of Daniel Reichard on that LPSG thread. It's mixed in with nudes of Taylor Collins.

The Daniel Reichard full frontal photo has already been confirmed. The apartment matches exactly other photos of him on his Instagram page taken in the same apartment and his face is clearly visible.

Helen had a somewhat strident voice. But....sometimes it worked.

[quote]And the remark that "Vocally, they just can't keep up with their other cast members" would be an odd thing to say about the lead in any production of FUNNY GIRL, because none of the other cast members has any major singing to do

Perhaps they meant to suggest that she can’t even keep up with the chorus.

Have the tempos in songs featuring Jane Lynch all been increased because Jane cannot hold a note?

Since Jesse Green was seen in the audience the other evening, I'm sure he's at home consulting his thesaurus for appropriate adjectives to use in his Sunday evening review.

"Different"..."unconventional"..."really something else"...eager to please"...

There must be a Broadway queen working at the BBC given those chose to broadcast Funny Girl earlier this afternoon.

Don't rain on Patti's parade...

[quote] I saw "Reichard" nudes on LPSG. They featured a chest that didn't match shirtless pics of him that included his face. Maybe Miss Daniel is disseminating fake nudes to bump his profile?

although I have not seen the whole package, that is definitely his chest.

Best Featured Actress In A Play this year will be Johanna Day. She is stealing the show over at the Friedman Theatre.

Is LuPone back in Company today or is she still out?

R363, I agree. She was incredible. Would love for her to win.

R315, any dish about Erich Bergen from that Anything Goes tour?

Eddie Ryan and Nick Arnstein both sing enough to tell what kind of voices they have in FG. Jarred Grimes has a solid song-and -dance voice, and Ramin has legit chops. Beanie pales next to them.

I wonder if Michael Mayer’s story of “finding” Beanie was all bullshit to cover up the fact that her family and the Platts were buying her the part?

Will Lainie Kazan be attending the opening night of Funny Girl?

How about Mimi Hines?

[quote]"Different"..."unconventional" - ..."really something else"...eager to please"...

"Tons of personality!"

[quote]Eddie Ryan and Nick Arnstein both sing enough to tell what kind of voices they have in FG.

I would argue that isn't really true of Nick Arnstein in the original FUNNY GIRL. All he has is his unchallenging vocal parts in the two duets, "I Want to be Seen With You" and "You are Woman, I am Man," plus a very brief reprise of a few lines of "Don't Rain on My Parade." But I do understand they have added some singing for Ramin, so maybe there's now enough for him to display how good his voice is.

That's a writer for the New York Times?

Mimi is 88! Wonder if she's in any shape to attend.

But will Barbra attend?

[quote]would argue that isn't really true of Nick Arnstein in the original FUNNY GIRL.

I wasn’t talking about the original, I was talking about this revival, which is why I specified the two current actors. Nick had more “power singing” in this version, not much, but enough to show off genuine legit vocal chops.

A Strange Loop is a gazillion times better than that crapfest Slave Play, so similarities between the two should be kept to a minimum. And unlike Slave Play, A Strange Loop is going to win at least one Tony Award.

It is a bit depressing to think that Six will win Best Musical, isn't it?

The play categories are going to be so much more competitive and interesting than the musical ones.

The NYT will give Nepotism Beanie’s Funny Girl debacle the same treatment they gave Ben Platt’s Evan Hansen’s movie disaster. They are the only major publication that downplayed that massive pile up. They are nothing if not predictable. And Jesse Green has a family to support.

What family does Jesse have to support?

And the NYT had been giving DEH so much copy since the play opened that they were just trying to save face by not trashing the movie on the same level as everyone else.

Beanie’s standby is plugging her Fanny debut next weekend on Instagram. No class.

If anyone cares at this point, that is definitely Helen Gallagher's voice mis-identified as Dolores Gray upthread. I'd recognize her voice anywhere, especially in her hilarious introductory patter.

Well, that would explain how Beanie is able to take shows off a week after opening, if her family & friends are backing it.

r464, Patti is evidently still out this afternoon.

r378, you'd think Ms. Kazan of all people would approve!

R381, Thoughts and prayers.

What’s up with Max Von Essen ?

I remember him when he first came on the scene/-absolutely gorgeous, with a great singing voice and presence. And then nothing. He hasn’t become any sort of star.

I saw him talking with some guys on the street last fall. Older, of course, but still beautiful. Sadly, he’s remained a chorus boy

The STRANGE LOOP producers (and critics) are going to try to guilt the voters into believing its the best musical, but the voters won't fall for it. SL is, at best, an interesting experimental musical, but its dramaturgy is stillborn and it's story just navel-gazing. The score is good, not great. Just because they're talking about bold new ideas (meth, grinder, rape, Tyler Perry) don't make the show good. It's just bold. Reminds me of all the ridiculous false hype around Stew and PASSING STRANGE (the same BS was tried for TITLE OF SHOW." About 20 minutes into SL, I got everything it was offering me, and I wanted out. I didn't need another musical about a tortured soul writing a musical. Been there, done that, at way too many NAMT festivals. It will be gone by Labor Day. No one wants a rape musical.

Next season - "Slave Play, the Musical."

He had a couple of good parts in Dvita and American in Paris and even scored a Tony nomination. He is talented, but his greatest talent is the sexual magic he apparently makes.

R384, Has he been on Broadway since the Evita revival with Ricky Martin?

[quote]Angela Lansbury gets emotional watching herself deliver "Rose's Turn" in Gypsy.

[quote]Beanie really should've toured this in Eastern Europe before bringing it to Broadway.

Hasn't Eastern Europe suffered enough this year?

If Six wins (and I predict it will over A Strange Loop, which is too risqué for a middle America tour), will it be the first time a show that played cruise lines first wins?

How sad

R3779, don't you know that Dolores Gray was an excellent mimic? You should've heard her Inga Swenson.

r388, yes, he was in An American in Paris (and got the Tony nomination that has some posters above breathing fire) for a year-and-a-half and then Anastasia for a year.

How rich could Beanie’s father actually be? He couldn’t afford to fund an entire Broadway production.

He was the accountant for Guns N’ Roses.

[quote]Angela Lansbury gets emotional watching herself deliver "Rose's Turn" in Gypsy.

Meh. She’s no Beanie.

[quote]No one wants a rape musical.

sez who?

R394 And then Madonna's business manager, and one of the founding partners of one of the leading (according to THR) business management agencies in Hollywood. It's not like he's just some regular accountant.

R286, are you saying that Craig bares ass in MacBeth or you're lusting after his physique?

I suspect the critics will be gentle with Beanie. Unfortunately.

R399 that is what I fear

Does it matter in the long run, r399? Word of mouth has a much larger delivery system these days.

I was just in the Saturday matinee of ‘Funny Girl’ and I do want to not like her but Beanie was good enough. The story is about a woman who was sold to audiences as ‘funny’ and Beanie played her as a vaudevillian comedienne so it worked in that regard, and some of her vocals were strong. I liked how she hugged Jane during the curtain call too. It showed that the talk of them hating each other is probably not that true. She will get nominated and it wasn’t bad. Maybe I am someone who wants the underdog to succeed but she did suffice. She shone the most in the second act with the bagels. Let’s be nicer and let them tell their story in their way. She isn’t Barbra okay let her recreate the role. It was okay.

[quote] If Six wins (and I predict it will over A Strange Loop, which is too risqué for a middle America tour), will it be the first time a show that played cruise lines first wins?

Isn't that better than New Haven?

R402 = Ben Platt

R394 Accountants only slow things down; figures get in the way.

She Did Suffice should be the new tagline.

Yes, r406! r402's pull quotes:

"Beanie was good enough"

"some of her vocals were strong"

"it wasn’t bad"

"she did suffice"

"It was okay"

Ramin is terrible casting. They should have cast a John Stamos type TV name who sings ok. A non-singer Fanny with a Nick whose singing role has been enlarged? Fucking terrible balance.

Did Dolores have big cojones or was she just colossally stupid? Maybe both... She doesn't say what the rewrite was like...

I can't see Green or Isherwood being "nice" because Beanie is just ok.

R402, OY! That’s exactly the kind of absurdity I’m seeing on various theater sites, social media, BE BEST BEANIE! Why is it so hard to admit she’s not up to the role, which is a fact? This, “Oh give her a break, she’s trying, she’s sweet in the show”, HUH?! This entire production is the Broadway equivalent of being forced to watch your boss’s child sing a song after a holiday dinner party. Beanie and Jane have ZERO chemistry, and that “hug” is done exactly the same every curtain call. I agree the various press outlets will be gentle with her, but the truth is that she is a professional actress who has desperately wanted this role since childhood, the resources were abundantly available, and here she is world! Beanie, and Ben Platt are VERY similar in both their familiar hierarchy and their presenting an “awe shucks” demeanor while silently having obsessive entitlement impulses that know no limits. The show is stillborn with her in the lead.

Did Jane try to Betty Lynn Beanie with some unrequested performance critiques?

Someone with family and friend financing a show, making it unnecessary for her to even have to audition for the part, is not an underdog.

R411, that's what you get from a generation that has been told that everything they do is excellent and that the effort is is all that matters. Also, it is a reflection on the people who told them that. It is also what you get from a theater crowd that is used to giving everything a standing ovation. Why do you think that the great Broadway artists have disappeared and, in their place, we are subjected to mediocrity on every level?

I am r402 just see it

I don't believe anyone was putting their professional reputation on the line by miscasting Fanny. They thought she could do it.

Moss Hart was almost ready to fire Julie Andrews from "My Fair Lady"; in her case, she wasn't having problems singing the score, but with acting a Shaw role with no previous experience in that kind of acting. A weekend with Moss of intense coaching worked wonders with Julie, enough to placate Rex Harrison, who was being more of a bitch than usual. Maybe someone thought a vocal coach or teacher could do the same thing with Beanie? Results haven't been that encouraging unfortunately.

R411 AMEN.

The press would not have be gentle with Lea Michelle. If she was lousy they would have skewered her.

Let’s hope that Beanie gets the reviews she deserves good or bad.

"I didn't think that this could be done 2022, but this show is GREAT. Really funny and really fun.""

An uninformed, idiotic opinion, whatever the virtues of the current incarnation could be (doubtful).

I want to have your babies, r414.

"The score is good, not great."

The score is non-existent--there, I fixed it for you.

"22 Grammy Awards."

22 meaningless Grammy Awards--there, I fixed it for you.

Tonight on That Girl:

S4 E1

Mission Improbable

Ann (Marlo Thomas) is knee-deep in garment-district espionage. Part 1 of two. Leo: Lou Jacobi. Al: Avery Schreiber. Don: Ted Bessell. Becker: Sandy Kenyon. Sophie: Naomi Stephens.

*

Conclusion. Ann (Marlo Thomas) tries to patch a quarrel between owners of rival pajama factories. Leo: Lou Jacobi. Al: Avery Schreiber. Bernice: Viola Harris. Don: Ted Bessell.

[quote]I liked how she hugged Jane during the curtain call too'

Well engrave the Tony now!

Is there a link for the Daniel Reichard full frontal?

R423, In the previous thread #513.

I hope its Peter Marks on FG. He took out Katrina and Hugh and was uncompromising. He better apply the same standards to FG.

Peter Marks writes for the Washington Post now? He will cover FG for the Post, but not the Times.

What is going on with Patti LuPone? She used to berate cast members for missing shows.

She’s a privileged old lady now. The rules don’t apply to her.

r428 is a jerk

The critics weren’t kind about her performance as Monica Lewinsky and that show disappeared without a trace.

I don’t think she’ll get any special treatment for FG - which for audiences is a far costlier prospect. Plus it sounds like the whole production is shit.

I predict the headline: “High School Musical”.

[quote]I hope its Peter Marks on FG. He took out Katrina and Hugh and was uncompromising. He better apply the same standards to FG.

Marks may well pan the show, as he did with "The Music Man," but he has a tin ear and probably won't recognize Beanie's vocal limitations. But, yes, he writes for the Washington Post.

Beanie is such an appealing, talented actress in film. I'm baffled that she was encouraged to go so far out of her lane, here.

R432 Is she? She certainly wasn't any of those things in Impeachment.

She's a character actress. She needs to be playing supporting roles as kooky friends/neighbors/relatives. In a film, she should be in 2 or 3 scenes, tops.

There's nothing WRONG with being a character actor. Contemporary film/tv have somehow made it shameful to be the very talented person who is a little too old/young/fat/odd looking to be an injenue or lead. Everyone wants to be thin, pretty, young even if they're not any of those things.

Alleged Reichard. Big nips.

Actual Reichard. Not so big nips.

More not so big Reichard nips.

Saw POTUS last night. Thought it was like an inane 105-minute-long Saturday Night Live sketch. The actresses screamed at each other at a 10 energy level throughout most of the play. I was clearly in the minority, though. The audience hooted and hollered and applauded after each two-minute-long scene.

R436, As if nipples do not change size and texture. Reichard has dozens of shirtless photos on his Instagram page and his nipples vary from photo to photo.

The apartment shown in the full frontal photo matches precisely the apartment seen in his Instagram page photos with his face clearly visible.

The blue wall, white brick wall, dark wood floors, white cabinet with the unique slanted legs and the wall mounted television above it all match.

Coincidence?

The full frontal photo is Daniel Reichard.

[Quote] The apartment shown in the full frontal photo matches precisely the apartment seen in his Instagram page photos with his face clearly visible.

Link?

[quote] Actual Reichard. Not so big nips.

Both photos have a freckle next to the belly button.

Whomever this Reichard is, he's just like every other chorus boy this board lusts after: unexceptional and homely of face. Give it up already.

He has a face?

[quote] Whomever this Reichard is, he's just like every other chorus boy this board lusts after: unexceptional and homely of face. Give it up already.

BYW, it should be " Whoever," since it's the subject of the sentence. But, I guess you'd be more tolerant of the discussion if he had been in Follies.

Reichard married Patrick McCollum, the choreographer of " The Band's Visit." amongst other works.

Has Reichard tried bangs?

R439

Same apartment. Same pattern of body hair. Same kink in happy trail. Same freckles. Same navel. Same idiot who is trying to pretend they fucked him?

Tonight is opening night!

Will Beanie take some Beano to help with review stress?

Will Ramin find solace in a chorus boy?

Will Jane curse her agent?

Will DL explode when the reviews are surprisingly positive and Beanie gets compliments?

I shiver with anticipation.

Will Reba replace?

R449, If not, I'm available.

On my birthday???

R390 is why I still come here after two decades.

I didn’t fuck him. I don’t find Reichard attractive in the slightest. As I said, I watched him and his boyfriend getting fucked by multiple guys. I did fuck his boyfriend (along with my husband) whom I found to be much cuter with a better ass and dick, some chorus boy twink who had done the ACL revival and La Cage and then retired and started working as a concierge. I don’t recall his name and I haven’t seen or heard about him in years. He’s briefly in the ACL documentary in the background. I heard they had a bad break up a couple of years later fighting over some top.

I actually worked with Reichard some years later, he got throughly mediocre reviews as expected and has dropped into obscurity, no surprise. This was in the early aughts. All the boys were into Tina, X, coke, and partying then. Max Von Essen and ShyAnne were all in the same loop. I couldn’t care less whether you neckbearded ATC shut ins believe me or not. I block you loons constantly.

Joey Dudding?

Is it unusual for a Broadway musical to open on a Sunday?

R453 You're just embarrassing yourself again. You've already been proven as full of shit over whether it's his dick or not. Take your little fantasies to Nifty.

[quote]I actually worked with Reichard some years later, he got throughly mediocre reviews as expected and has dropped into obscurity, no surprise.

He works consistently with a very successful singing group called THE MIDTOWN MEN, made up entirely of former cast members of JERSEY BOYS, including Christian Hoff. They play lots of dates all over the country.

Never heard of them. Don’t care. Like I said, not going to argue with you tired hags.

[Quote] She needs to be playing supporting roles as kooky friends/neighbors/relatives

Because she’s fat?

[Quote] The apartment shown in the full frontal photo matches precisely the apartment seen in his Instagram page photos with his face clearly visible.

[Quote] Link?

Anyone asking for a link when someone has already said it’s on Instagram [Italic] and cited whose page it’s on [/italic] is too lazy to live, even by DL caftan-lounging, sherry-sipping, Geritol-quaffing standards.

So why was someone with a dick like that be fired from PAL JOEY?

I love how r435 offers that pic as an example as not-so-big nips, when they look plenty big?

Anyway, for those who can't access Instagram, one of the apartment pics:

Another

Endless point counterpoint about Daniel Reichard’s nipples. We’re doomed.

r464, just biding our time until Beanie's reviews hit in 12 hours....

I would love to have Reichard bouncing up and down on my dick, while his cock flapped away.

Yes, that’s Reichard’s dick. The freckle near the belly button is the giveaway. Certainly there might be some photoshop enhancement.

That moment you take your son's basketball team to a performance of wicked and they find out you are THE original Elphaba.

[Quote] not going to argue with you tired hags.

But y'are in that chair, Blanche, y'are!

You're not even going to namecheck Debbie Shapiro's son, huh?

R461, He wasn't, Christian Hoff was.

r470 beat me to it. Was about to say Sam Gravitte is the best part of r468's photo (and likely most photos).

So will the Thread 472 headline be about Beanie's triumph or downfall or about Daniel Reichard’s nipples?

Can someone who knows, please explain the specifics around who built and sustained Beanie's career? Being Jonah Hill's sister can't explain even 1 percent of it. There have been references to family money and nepotism, but who are the producers/finance people who are in Beanie's corner? I have nothing against her. Just curious who the players are.

[quote]I actually worked with Reichard some years later, he got throughly mediocre reviews as expected and has dropped into obscurity, no surprise. This was in the early aughts

Sounds pretty harsh. He has supported himself as a performer and has been on Broadway. How many people who come to NYC to be actors can say that? If you look, you will find that the biggest, most talented stars have gotten shitty reviews at some point in their careers. Are you a performer yourself?

So what time does "Our American Cousin: The Musical" start tonight?

r459....No, its because she's unattractive and untalented...AND fat.

R472, You just know he's blessed down south.

Speaking of Ramin Karimloo and chorus boys...any scoop on him ? I know hes married with a few kids, but does/has he dabble ?

The NYT reviews are usually posted online by 10:00 PM.

If the reviewers tonight are afraid of appearing too bullying in regard to Beanie's performance, they can always focus on the wretched cheap production surrounding her and blame the "director" for casting her. I'd be more than satisfied with that scenario.

Are they opening FG on Sunday, Apr 24, because it's Streisand's birthday and this is her present - seeing all of the reviews saying no one could do the role of Fanny Brice other than Streisand?

What if Beanie tests positive for COVID tonight?

That sounds like a prank worthy of David Merrick, r482.

I hope they hold Beanie to the same standard they did with Katrina in Company

Beanie grew up connected with with money in LA and went to the most expensive private school, Harvard Westlake, along with Ben Platt who is her childhood best friend. She also went to Stagedoor Manor - that NY theater camp - and was in some CBS Sunday morning feature about it when she was a kid.

She was fine in booksmart and ladybird - she seems perfectly nice - I didn’t even mind her in Impeachment. She just doesn’t have the talent for FG.

Isn’t she also going to be in the Merrily We Roll Along film version?

[Quote] What if Beanie tests positive for COVID tonight?

It will probably be the only positive notice of the evening.

Stage manager: “Beanie! Beanie!! It’s POSITIVE!

Beanie: “The NY Times of Hollywood Reporter?”

Stage Manager: “The Covid Test!”

You can’t underestimate what a leg up it gives you to have (wealthy) parents who work in the entertainment industry, a brother who is already a movie star, and a best friend whose dad is a major Broadway and film producer. For a young performer, that access is everything. It’s not just part of Beanie’s (or Ben Platt’s) success story — it’s the whole story.

[quoote]Isn’t she also going to be in the Merrily We Roll Along film version?

I will be blissfully long dead.

Funny Girl will probably be a disaster but after a few years it'll be referred to in her press clippings as "Beanie TRIUMPHED on Broadway in the 1st ever revival of Funny Girl..." just like after the film Booksmart disappointed and disappeared w/o a trace and people now refer to her as having a film career.

"Stillborn!" will be the pull quote that gets butts in seats, mark my words.

[quote]Isn’t she also going to be in the Merrily We Roll Along film version?

Her and Platt, yes, along with Blake Jenner. Nepotism meets domestic violence.

Didn’t they cut Blake Jenner and replace him?

[QUOTE] Didn’t they cut Blake Jenner and replace him?

God, I hope not. He’s hot as hell.

Who is Blake Jenner and what are his Broadway credits?

R493 I don't think so

R495 None. He was in Glee for a bit which apparently is good enough for Hollywood.

[quote] Maybe I am someone who wants the underdog to succeed but she did suffice.

“She did suffice” should be in the ads.

Who is going to tell the director of A Strange Loop the sound design is horrific? I was in the 7th row, and couldn't make out the lyrics. These boneheads are sabotaging the actors working so hard up there. I understood every word at Playwrights. The sound designer did the same thing to Be More Chill when it moved. And we saw what happened there.

The sound is killing the show and it's exhausting. The actors deserve better.

Had the same trouble, R498. Where I was sitting, I had to strain to hear the lyrics over the volume of the band.

[quote] Funny Girl will probably be a disaster but after a few years it'll be referred to in her press clippings as "Beanie TRIUMPHED on Broadway in the 1st ever revival of Funny Girl..." just like after the film Booksmart disappointed and disappeared w/o a trace and people now refer to her as having a film career.

If she waits just a little longer than that, they'll credit her with throwing the first brick at Stonewall and giving the gays their freedom.

[quote]On my birthday???

Your 80th birthday, no less, Babs.

R486 is genuinely witty. He should have rewritten the FG script.

Poor woman who has to eat Beanie’s pussy tonight

Not one comment yet on the other poster about Ramin Karimloo and extra curricular activies?

Because there are none, R504. Go see Take Me Out for the 18th time to get your jollies. Wear your caftan for easier access.

Should Beanie and FG have their own thread????

No. Beanie shouldn't have her own anything.

[r507] except a rewards card to Wendy’s

R508, did you see that abomination, "The Humans"? She doesn't even deserve a Wendy's rewards card.

[quote]You can’t underestimate what a leg up it gives you to have (wealthy) parents who work in the entertainment industry, a brother who is already a movie star, and a best friend whose dad is a major Broadway and film producer. For a young performer, that access is everything. It’s not just part of Beanie’s (or Ben Platt’s) success story — it’s the whole story.

The best post in this thread. What a slap in the face to talented performers with no connections to see someone like Beanie get this role. You know it’s REALLY bad when her performance is actually working to garner sympathy and an active comeback campaign for Lea Michele. Regardless of whether or not she’s a nice person, Beanie should not be able to get away with buying herself a role that she is 100 percent not qualified for.

People like Beanie and Ben Platt are destroying any good will left in this industry. Why even try when these kids can buy their success? Platt, by the way, is a completely odious person with a MASSIVE sense of entitlement who is desperate for fame and believes he has a future Oscar in the bag because of the Linklater Merrily film. He is the male Lea Michele in every sense except for the fact that at least Lea got into the industry on merit.

I hate people who use their rich relatives to get ahead, even when they are incompetent.

[ quote]I hate people who use their rich relatives to get ahead, even when they are incompetent.

Who would do that?

Nepotism in show business has been around since time immemorial.

Countless sons and daughters of established stars used their family connections to enter the profession.

Others, like David O. Selznick, used marital connections to advance.

It's the ones who came from nothing, like Streisand, who truly made it on their own.

Gross. No one wants to see those sacks of shit in r511 and r512 here. Someone start posting Reichard's giant nipples again!

Do you think Beano is at the theatre yet? What is curtain time tonight? When is her call?

I actually thought Beanie was fine in The Humans. The movie itself was bullshit, but so was the play. Stephen Karam should never direct again. There was no reason to shoot that fucking thing like a horror movie if you can't deliver on that stylistic choice. Not that it should have been turned into a horror movie, of course, but the text did not support the style whatsoever.

r506, there already is a FG thread if you want to revive it.

R515, How many bottles of Pepto-Bismol do we believe she'll have ingested before tonight's curtain?

You all do know that the reviews have been written and ready to fun for days now? Right?

Yes, dear, we do. But we haven't read them so it would be natural to speculate what they will write.

But I imagine her need for Pepto-Bismol is greatly exaggerated.

I wonder if she’s giving the cast super nice opening night presents or just Eau de Toilette along with DVDs of How to Build a Girl?

R476 Thank you....you took the words out of my mouth. Except I would have said repulsive looking, moderately talented and fat.

STUNNING AND BRAVE!

FUNNY GIRL! BOOKING UNTIL NOV. 2022 - BUT BEST AVAILABILITY IN MAY & JUNE!

Yes, but they’re talking about Ramin having to kiss her, r524.

At least we have this, for posterity.

[quote]People like Beanie and Ben Platt are destroying any good will left in this industry. Why even try when these kids can buy their success? Platt, by the way, is a completely odious person with a MASSIVE sense of entitlement who is desperate for fame and believes he has a future Oscar in the bag because of the Linklater Merrily film. He is the male Lea Michele in every sense except for the fact that at least Lea got into the industry on merit.

It was so telling how basically no Broadway people said anything to support Platt over the DEH stuff. Hopefully they'll start spilling some stories soon enough.

Loathe Ben Platt but at least he could sing the score of DEH. Granted it was written FOR HIM but he was still able to sing it.

His appearance and acting were difficult to sit thru but I didn’t mind his voice at all when I saw the Broadway show.

all that mucus though.

Yeah the mucus was nasty.

Ben Platt is fine and was great in the Bway DEH. He was too old for the movie and seemed more annoying.

He takes himself too seriously as an actor. He’s nothing more than fine.

[quote] Who is going to tell the director of A Strange Loop the sound design is horrific? I was in the 7th row, and couldn't make out the lyrics. These boneheads are sabotaging the actors working so hard up there. I understood every word at Playwrights. The sound designer did the same thing to Be More Chill when it moved. And we saw what happened there...The sound is killing the show and it's exhausting. The actors deserve better.

Why don't you do it? e-mail the Producer.

[quote] Ben Platt is fine and was great in the Bway DEH. He was too old for the movie and seemed more annoying. He takes himself too seriously as an actor. He’s nothing more than fine.

DEH finally on HBOMax May 6 nine months after opening

I have heard this complaint from a few friends who have seen A Strange Loop at the Lyceum. If the person who posted above also noticed the issue during Be More Chill, I wonder if it's something to do with the acoustics in the house. The Lyceum is not known for being a musical house. In 35 years of theatergoing, I don't think I've ever seen a musical there.

R530. What’s wrong with too much mucus?

The celebrities arrive.

I’m dripping precum I’m so excited for reviews

R537, I’m not seeing a single real celebrity

Peppermint!

She's minty fresh, r540!

[quote]The Lyceum is not known for being a musical house. In 35 years of theatergoing, I don't think I've ever seen a musical there.

You missed seeing us?

First review, from Observer:

Review: Beanie Feldstein Grabs the Spotlight, Unsteadily, in ‘Funny Girl’

It’s not quite savage, but it’s not good. There’s some serious burns in there.

Cote captures the problem here. Feldstein’s abundance of shortcomings take this tale of a hardworking girl who was too good to be denied and makes it a wish fulfillment fantasy. Lucky Girl.

A minor review, but very well written. So far, Beanie’s not getting a pass.

R546 That pic is a perfect example of what is called "mugging"

Barbra's actually getting quite a nice 80th birthday present by all the great mentions of her original stage and screen performance. The Beanster's handlers maybe didn't think this quite through...

Beanie is just too zaftig, and resembles an errant Pick-a-Little lady who wandered over from the Winter Garden theater.

Beanie is just too zaftig, and resembles an errant Pick-a-Little lady who wandered over from the Winter Garden theater.

Yikes! The last line of that Observer review.

THR review:

The Hollywood reporter says Beanie gives a “highly enjoyable” performance. It’s exactly as predicted.

I feel like anyone else would be getting slaughtered with reviews…but Beanie slides through

From THR… “Feldstein gives a spirited, highly enjoyable performance, and her freshness drew squeals of appreciation from what seemed like a large contingent of very vocal young female fans on a recent press night. But she never quite makes the material soar, and this is a rickety vehicle that needs a supernova to put gas in its tank.”

Such gentle criticism my god.

Criticism is dead.

R553 Uh, did you actually read it? They panned the production and basically said she wasn't a good enough singer/star to pull it off....albeit in a nice way.

Lol, THR spends nearly four paragraphs talking about Barbra Streisand and even name checks Lauren Ambrose. When most of the review is about other people than the star, you’re in trouble. What little they do say about her is barely complimentary at best and insulting at worst.

So far, the reviews are bad.

How long before closing?

"But she has a lovely, light singing voice in a part that often calls for big-belt power, and she reads girlish, never quite selling the consuming hunger that propels Fanny to stardom in the early-1920s Ziegfeld Follies. Feldstein leans hard on the comedy with enormous charm, but she struggles to locate the raw vulnerability of Fanny in later years, as her marriage to inveterate gambler Nick Arnstein (Ramin Karimloo) falls apart.

The revival’s shortcomings by no means rest entirely on Feldstein’s shoulders. Neither director Michael Mayer nor script doctor Harvey Fierstein has solved the problems of the creaky book, which can’t build Fanny’s longing for offstage romantic fulfillment to match her professional success — and her eventual showbiz survivor resilience — into a robust through line. The show feels patchy and episodic and it needs a knockout, roof-raising lead to paper over the cracks."

That's not exactly "sliding through".

Feldstein won't be savaged. Just like creepy Ben Platt wasn't for his dad's movie. Critics will be gentle, but won't say anything too nice.

The not too subtle message of the above reviews is “ she stinks, but we need to keep our jobs.”

WTF is up with that dowdy gold dress with all the fussy lace on Beanie in the photo accompanying the (bad) review at r546? Hideous color on her, though it would have been perfectly appropriate for Mrs. Strakosh. Also, that wig isn't exactly flattering either.

One review said she nails 3 numbers -- but doesn't Fanny have like 11 or 12 numbers including a big reprise at the end?

But the producers get the pull quote “spirited, highly enjoyable performace”

It sounds like something Rosie O’Donnell would say. I’m surprised the critic didn’t call Beanie a “cutie patootie”

If Beanie is anything like her horrid brother she’ll be suicidal tonight, these kids are SERIOUSLY FRAGILE. During The Wolf Of Wall Street junket Jonah Hill would cry if anyone hinted that he was “funny” in the film, he considered that code for being fat. And I’m not saying baby tears, I’m talking Norma Desmond screaming over her dead monkey bellowing.

Reading that Observer review and crying as I type this.

Can all of you eldergays just imagine what John Simon would have made of Beanie? Oh, those were the days.....

Time Out: "Beanie Feldstein falls on her Fanny"

Two stars

It begins…

I hope the show runs long enough for Peppermint to take over as Fanny.

I swear to G-d if Jessie Green raves...

That one overlooked Ramin basically.

Hmmmm.......so Mrs. Strakosh gets the best review from Time Out?

[Quote] To cover its holes, this musical requires a star who really has the goods. What Feldstein has is the okays.

The Time Out review seemed fair enough to me. The role (and show) needs a great singer to make it work.

Streisand is getting the best reviews of her career

R573, that’s a great line.

Deserves its own post:

“If I wanted Tracy Turnblad, I’d stream Hairspray, but I expected a funny girl.”

This thread's going to start moving fast as the reviews break in the next fifteen, so here's a new thread:

The Observer’s last line is a classic:

“If I wanted Tracy Turnblad, I’d stream Hairspray, but I expected a funny girl.”

AMNY: Review | No joke, ‘Funny Girl’ is seriously miscast

I'm shocked and dismayed that Michael Mayer isn't being criticized much.

R579 I’d like to report a murder.

[quote] But her singing is as studied and limited as her scene work. She has a thin, nasally voice that no amount of manipulation by sound designer Brian Ronan can coax into sonic depth.

There you have it.

[Quote] I question how Feldstein could even be cast as Fanny in a high school or theater camp production.

Five more minutes until the big one ...

Daniel reichard?

NYT don’t let us down! (It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to see a show be panned like the new FG). I fear a polite review though..

So far is there a pull quote that’s worth putting up?

Variety:

‘Funny Girl’ Review: An Underpowered Revival Brings Fanny Brice Back to Broadway

[Quote] You root for her to raise the roof, but she only bumps against it a little.

NYT

A RAVE from NY Times!!

Review: Broadway’s First ‘Funny Girl’ Revival Shows Why It Took So Long

Beanie Feldstein stars as the comic Fanny Brice in the show’s return after almost 60 years.

Jesse Green fucking misspelled "Barbra Streisman."

La-la-la-la laaaa....

No r593 slow down. He’s quoting Jerome Robbins. Oy

[Quote] Karimloo also sings beautifully and, to the extent the new book tries to beef up the role, he’s got the beef to do it.

Yup, now that I read that all the way, I feel like a real dope. Also, an awful lot of history lesson in that review, I think.

La-laaaaa....

When a girl isn't pretty like a Miss Atlantic City....or isn't as talented as Barbra...

All bad. Bajour, babies

"Still, you can’t blame Feldstein for the show’s problems; that would be like blaming the clown for the elephants. The main elephant is the book, written by Isobel Lennart and fiddled with for this production by Harvey Fierstein, to no avail.” ELEPHANT!

"That Arnstein wasn’t remotely gorgeous, and Karimloo totally is, we can allow. Karimloo also sings beautifully and, to the extent the new book tries to beef up the role, he’s got the beef to do it.” BEEF!

Whew! Now I can rest easy. I'm off to have Gorgeous cloned!

That Variety review is the most articulate in criticizing the show's problems.

I loved the last paragraph in the Variety review.

can someone post the text of the times review