THEATRE GOSSIP #465 - A Tale Told By An Idiot: The Sam Gold's Macbeth Edition

Previous thread:

Sam Gold is one of the worst directors working. Did anyone see "King Lear"? It was a huge turd. What a fraud this guy is.

[quote]If she wasn’t jonah’s sister, they wouldn’t shit on her like this.

Oh, honey, if she weren't Jonah's sister, she never would have been cast.

The original cast of "The Changing Room" offered full-frontals by John Lithgow, George Hearn, Richard Masur, John TIllinger and Rex Robbins (who mentioned this credit of having recently taken up stripping in his Lansbury "Gypsy" bio). Lithgow even won a supporting actor Tony.

Ruth Negga is very beautiful, but very bland as an actress

They're practically using Reed's whole review as a quote. Plus actually using a quote from Theatrely

I'm a better actress than Ruth. Not batshit like Thandiwe too

plus that NAME!

"Plus big dicks, as always!" Always worth a premium ticket and fees.

Clever title, OP.

Meh

Oh gawd, now fifty posts about the thread title.

In his day, I would have enjoyed seeing sexy bear Richard Masur's cock, balls, and hairy ass, R4.

[QUOTE] Did anyone see "King Lear"? It was a huge turd.

I did. It was largely a fail, but I did enjoy some parts of it. Ruth Wilson was fantastic and Glenda Jackson was often spellbinding, especially during the storm scenes.

I also loved watching Elizabeth Marvel get fucked literally on top of a pile of trash and then squatting so she could hold the cum in. Not something you see every day on a Broadway stage.

Glenda and Ruth were really fun together at the stage door. You could tell they had gotten close during the production.

Glenda should have been nominated that year. Ruth deserved her nomination for Cordelia/The Fool (who had a great costume!)

In the last thread we got

[quote]R477 The first half of ‘Funny Lady’ isn’t too bad. But her costumes sure did her no favors.

This shall not pass.

We were Bob Mackie originals, we’ll have you know! Each and every one!

[QUOTE] Ruth Negga is very beautiful, but very bland as an actress

She’s not bland in “Passing.” In fact, she should have gotten an Oscar nomination for it.

R14 didn’t Pauline Kael say something nasty about Mackie’s Funny Lady costumes for Babs?

[quote]Strange Loop‘s Usher takes his name from the stop-gap Lion King job that pays (barely) his bills while he writes the autobiographical musical of his dreams...

So basically it's "tick, tick...Ka-BLAM"?

Deleted

[quote]Was there more nudity in the orginal Take Me Out? I counted three times this time around. The one dumb blond player getting dressed as he talks to Kippy/Patrick, the group shower scene in Act II and finally, Jesse and the hick player's scene. Incidentally, my favorite of the ensemble was the dumb-but-nice white guy.

So with Patrick J. Adams being Canadian, is it a given he's uncut? He said his Mom came to see the show.

[quote]r16 [R14] didn’t Pauline Kael say something nasty about Mackie’s Funny Lady costumes for Babs?

I do remember Kael wondered about the taste level of scores of scantily clad black dancers kneeling at the White Goddess' feet as she promised them "It's Gonna Be a Great Day".

What are the odds that FG will get a cast recording?

In the previous thread, there was talk about Helen Shaw giving a negative review to A Strange Loop. Were you all confusing her with Johnny Olensinski from the Post?

Saw Cyrano. Truly is an event, and Mr. McAvoy is a magnetic star in it. When did he get so buff?

Excellent title OP

Is Cyrano off-Broadway?

Way off. Brooklyn

Babs never looked more like a drag queen than in Funny Lady.

I'm not sure which is the worst Funny Lady, The Main Event or The Mirror Has Two Faces.

For absolutely no reason...

Sam Gold is good with new works like FUN HOME and A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2, (I suppose you could include THE FLICK, but it was so relentlessly tedious - mostly the playwright's fault), but he always has to get gimmicky with revivals. The LEAR was bad enough (except for Ruth Wilson) but his version of GLASS MENAGERIE was an abomination.

I recall hearing that his OTHELLO with Craig as Iago was good but I didn't see it.

A fun and gossipy letter from Sondheim

I was confused by the Thatcher bit. Was Arthur’s beloved man trying to put the moves on Sondheim?

Tom Hatcher

Ohmygawd. That "Funny Lady" clip is unbelievable.

The film makes zero attempt to get anyone's hair, makeup, costumes, lighting or vocal arrangements to evoke the 1920s/30s in the slightest! Everything says 1975!

That staging and set are appalling and Barbra spends 90% of the number glued to the upstage wall where the audience can barely see her! And that clapping is so random, did the choreographer just tell everyone to clap whenever they felt the spirit? It's pretty lousy. I've never sat through the whole film, but not sure it would be much fun, except on a purely campy level.

[quote]r27 Babs never looked more like a drag queen than in Funny Lady.

Let the jury decide.

KING LEAR was horrible. Please do not lie to others and say it was "spellbinding" -- Lear is an un-actable role in the best of circumstances. Poor Ms. Jackson was swallowed whole by the play's abyss and Gold did nothing to help her. And Ruth Wilson must be the worst Fool I've ever seen. Not to mention that hideous, droning Glass score. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.

Will the Beanie Baby follow up Funny Girl with a newly minted production of Funny Lady?

I am all a flutter…

[quote] I’m voting for Six as Best Musical, with only score for Strange Loop.

Six is definitely more bankable for a tour (Strange Loop isn't AT ALL), but calling Six theatre is a huge stretch.

It's a concert

Did anyone else hate Spring Awakening? Thought it was awful when I saw it years ago. But just watched the trailer for the HBO documentary and they were making it sound like some work of utter genius - instead of kids in Amish costumes with microphones jumping up on chairs and singing soft rock. And Lea Michele's boobs.

Loved it, but felt the score really carried the book, which was weak. Performances were great. I still listen to the cast album 15 years later, and I am not a cast album fan.

[QUOTE] KING LEAR was horrible. Please do not lie to others and say it was "spellbinding" -- Lear is an un-actable role in the best of circumstances. Poor Ms. Jackson was swallowed whole by the play's abyss and Gold did nothing to help her.

Well, I said that Glenda was “spellbinding” not the whole production so at least quote me accurately. And it’s an opinion, dear. Not a “lie.”

Unclench.

Sam Gold lost his touch after Annie Baker went into semi-retirements. Baker is the only playwright whose work was enhanced by Gold.

I'm no fan of Beanie or this FG revival but I can definitely see it become the show you take your daughter/granddaughter/niece/god child and her friends to for their birthday/Sweet 16/Bat Mitzvah, much like WICKED's key to BO success.

Annie Baker is semi-retired? She only wrote one good play, The Aliens. I won't miss her at all.

I wonder how Glenda Jackson got on with Sam Gold since I got the impression that she gave Joe Mantello a tough time with THREE TALL WOMEN. I have to wonder if she got impatient with his pretentiousness.

She did LEAR in London earlier with Deborah Warner directing, and that had to be better.

"his pretentiousness" meaning Sam Gold's.

For r554 in the previous thread, the nude scenes in Take Me Out are all the same, but at least in the first one there may be less actual nudity. I found this clip of Eigenberg and Sunjata in the original version, and they seem to stay naked a lot longer than their counterparts in the new one (almost weirdly so?). The scene in the current version certainly didn't seem like it was lacking anything, but Williams and Lundstedt did cover up a lot more quickly than these two (at least in early previews; I don't know if it's changed since then).

Deadline reviews “POTUS”:

I saw GJ's Lear in London and on Broadway. The one on Broadway was a lot better ( I know it might not seem much but...)

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Broadway show opening in the afternoon before. Is this a first?

They were clearly going for a Trumpian set in the Sam Gold Broadway “King Lear.” Purple carpet, gaudy gold lions on either side of Lear’s throne, etc.

Wow, POTUS sounds horrifyingly awful. I can't wait to read a real review of it.

Jesus she is talented. I know people bitch and moan about Into the Woods and yet another staging, but it’s worth it for her

I don't know that Lear is "un-actable". Derek Jacobi certainly did well with it.

r49, I've been curious about that too. I know they had to do it in this case because they moved up their opening at the last minute to meet the Tony deadline (before it was subsequently extended), and all the other nights were taken with other openings, so they had to do a matinee opening. Hopefully someone knows.

r51, if you want a terrible review, here's one that calls it the 21st Century's "Moose Murders" :

Is this a good review or a bad one/

[quote]Unclench.

Pics please.

You couldn't find a weaker score than Spring Awakening's, except for the other forgettable scores from that quarter.

That McAvoy Cyrano has about as much romance, panache and poetry as a piece of crap. Unbearable.

r56, it's mixed--positive on the cast and mixed on the material. Having seen the play, I had much the same feeling. The play itself isn't very good (maybe one of the weakest plays I've ever seen on Broadway, to the point where I was wondering what it was doing on Broadway. It too often goes for cheap or easy laughs, and some of it is downright stupid, but isn't without entertaining parts). The cast is great and very talented, and they have enough energy and skill to make it work better than it should (though even they can only carry it so far). Watching this cast was fun. The play itself, less so.

Wow, Jesse Green is starting to make me wish for Brantley to come back. When did he lose all his teeth?

Wow Heather Headley sounds fantastic in that clip from Into the Woods.

I wish she did Broadway more

i'm getting a "Private" notice from the Headley video.

[quote]I recall hearing that his OTHELLO with Craig as Iago was good but I didn't see it.

No, no, no. Another abomination, despite praise from some critics who have lost their fucking minds.

I loved Cyrano at the BAM and at the Playhouse in London. A lot of people were crying around me during the final scenes, so I think you might not have seen it. It is a brilliant revival. And McAvoy is brilliant.

Saw THE MINUTES. A very good cast in a facile satire. The character names alone seem like something from a 60's off-off-Broadway show.

Noah Reid is very appealing and I'm betting Cliff Chamberlain has a nice bod. Jesse Meuller is largely wasted.

The City Center took down the Heather Headley video and I have no idea why because it was gorgeous!

Home Sweet Homer opened and closed at a matinee performance. I hope POTUS has better luck.

[quote] Jesse Meuller is largely wasted.

I didn't even know she drank.

Google Inside Encores! INTO THE WOODS Rehearsal: "Stay With Me"

[quote]I think Beanie will be perfect for the picture based on the life of Mama Cass.

Now that is a great idea.

[quote]Wow Heather Headley sounds fantastic in that clip from Into the Woods.

She always sound good, she's a professional.

Beanie as Mama Cass? I realize that this is the Datalounge, where fat-shaming is a high priority, but come on: Mama Cass had a fantastic voice. I don't want Miss Feldstein anywhere near a biopic of her.

Sara Gettlefinger is going to headline The Cher Show this summer at Ogunquit Playhouse. I’m sure she’ll be wonderful.

Thanks, R74. If it wasn't for you, or the post from the last thread about it, we'd never have known.

Drama Desk has postponed their nominations until after the Tony nominations. Doesn’t that take their importance away?

Guess they need longer for Beanie Feldstein’s check to clear

Is everyone going to Funny Girl this weekend? Beanie is taking pity on those who love the score and want to see the show on stage. It seems everyone hates her performance except pre adolescent girls and Rex Reed.

It might be considered odd by some for the star of a big Broadway musical to take the weekend after opening off but with those reviews who wouldn't?

If I were Beanie I wouldn’t leave the theatre for ANY reason.

[quote] with those reviews who wouldn't?

This was scheduled long, long ago. Must be some film commitment or something. Now it's just going to be more interesting than we expected.

[r79] except, of course, to go buy “buy one get one free” at Kentucky Fried Chicken

Beanie would be a good casting choice for Tracy Turnblad if "Hairspray" were to be revived anytime soon, but she'd have to lose some weight first.

[quote] Drama Desk has postponed their nominations until after the Tony nominations. Doesn’t that take their importance away?

Aren't you sweet.

WTF is doing taking off one week after opening? What kind of producers allow that sort of crap to go on. This is insane. Beanie should know better.

I don’t think she’ll be missed

I found another copy of the Headley video, but DL isn't letting me post a link. But if you go to Playbill's Tiktok page, it's currently the first video on there.

I’m off book and I already showed Ramin my vagina with a desk lamp if they need me to fill in?

(I mean just the three minutes of Headley doing the number in rehearsal, not the 7 minute sneak peak interview that cuts in interviews with others.)

In Take Me Out tonight - 2 separate lunatics in the audience caused scenes during the second act. Second one was so out of control that the actors had to leave the stage and they had to bring the lights up.

Unclear what they were yelling about but I’ve never seen anything like it.

Jesse Williams is so hot. His dick was huge - swinging around.

Saw Company today. Everyone was in. Such a well-directed piece, and lots of fun.

Patti is terrific but Katrina is weak on the singing and acting. She needs to stop with the fillers and Botox. Looks like a kabuki mask and totally distracting.

R89 Is he as big as Jussie?

[quote]R89 - 2 separate lunatics in the audience caused scenes during the second act. Second one was so out of control that the actors had to leave the stag… Unclear what they were yelling about

They were probably “interfered with” by a masher.

r91, Jussie wasn't originally cast. He did the original reading, flew back to Chicago afterward, and went to Subway...and the producers were no doubt glad they dodged a bullet before hiring him.

That said, yes, Jesse is comparable.

The second screaming lunatic who got escorted out of Take Me Out tonight sounded suspiciously like a DLer. Considering the audience was all gays and fraus - the odds are strong that it was, in fact, one of our own.

If it was one of you bitches - FESS UP.

That Headley Into the Woods footage - voice is terrific but the physicality is that of a non-actor.

Either plant yourself or have a reason to move. Hopping and lunging and weight-shifting indiscriminately is very distracting.

Even the positive reviews of POTUS and Mr. Saturday Night make me NOT want to see them.

Shaw from Vulture liked them both, while being completely upfront about their problems.

Well, thank you Alan Eichler. You can never get enough of Gretch.

I was okay with Katrina Lenk's acting in Company, but neither she nor the guy singing "Another Hundred People" were that good at singing. I also thought Claybourne Elder was overall charming (and hot), but Andy came across as functionally impaired.

The upcoming Spring Awakening documentary that premieres on HBO next week is extremely well done. Definitely one of the better theatre documentaries put out there.

Nick Arnstein lived until 1965.

Do we know if he ever saw Funny Girl?

I wonder if Elliott Gould is in New York if he will see Funny Girl - his opinions would be interesting - you know he must know the show backwards and forwards.

[quote]That Headley Into the Woods footage - voice is terrific but the physicality is that of a non-actor.

That was a press event, not a real rehearsal. It's just to introduce the cast.

[quote]That said, yes, Jesse is comparable.

Which is probably why he agreed to do it.

[quote] That Headley Into the Woods footage - voice is terrific but the physicality is that of a non-actor.

Nonsense, Miss Adler, but thanks for the note.

[quote] Either plant yourself or have a reason to move. Hopping and lunging and weight-shifting indiscriminately is very distracting.

The witch costume is probably integral to her physicality. She's played the part before and probably knows what she's doing to use it well. Her onstage movement in Purple and Aida were exquisite and in total physical command. (I'm not an HH fangurl just someone who has always found her terrific onstage.)

Will this Into the Woods salvage Lear de Bessonet's rep? It will be fascinating to hear Encores' line-up for next season.

King Lear is not unactable. As a geriatrician, I see daughters bickering in my waiting room about their demented fathers on a daily basis.

Regan and Goneril are certainly not unactable.

The role of the demented father in your waiting-room is probably a harder one to bring to life, however.

I have never before heard the role of King Lear described as "unactable." Only on DL.....

Lear is difficult. It's family bickering, true, but it's also watching a political leader descend into madness as his state collapses. Huge, messy stuff.

Macbeth opens tonight, but it sounds like the review embargo has been extended until Friday. Trying to bury them?

Hey Beanie, take a look at the clip of Heather Headley playing the witch in Into the Woods, this is how a star sells a song!

R114, she could, but it won't magically give her the big voice to do it.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1997, “Jekyll & Hyde” opened at the Plymouth Theatre.

Poor Jason Robert Brown. Yet another disappointing stage musical.

What are all the other aspiring young Sondheims working on right now. (I know there's THE KARATE KID in development,) Anything exciting in development?

when can we admit that JRB isn't anything?

J&H...'97

Is Jesse Tyler Ferguson going to win a Tony?

when they have a Tony for flaming ginger pubes that we gratefully don't have to see in Take Me Out

I would be surprised if he got a nomination.

Cabaret '87

JTF shouldn't even be nominated for Take Me Out. He was fine, nothing special. I actually kept trying to imagine Dennis O'Hare in the role throughout the show. The fraus sitting on both side of me were laughing hysterically whenever JTF said anything.

That character really annoyed me - a raging homo money manager who becomes completely obsessed with baseball (?) and refuses to listen to his gay client (who seems to be struggling mentally) when the client repeatedly says he wanted to retire. I think it was supposed to be endearing or funny that this older gay guy fell so madly in love with baseball - I thought it was obnoxious how he kept ignoring what his client was asking. I couldn't tell if that was JTF's performance or the writing. How did you all interpret that character?

Jesse Williams was just so beautiful - worth the price of admission. Also thought Patrick Adams and Michael Oberholtzer were fantastic.

Denis O'Hare was brilliant in the original cast. He was the quirky heart of the play.

Alyson Reed has a great Sally “voice,” but she looks like an ungainly drag queen.

What was particularly brilliant about Denis O'Hare's casting and performance was that Mason Marzac is an outlier gay man, not someone very comfortable with all he observes in other more typical gay men in New York City (I'll never forget his hilarious monologue about his gay neighbors and their little "dogette"). The loneliness he portrayed made him incredibly sympathetic.

I haven't seen the revival but I can't imagine Ferguson could bring that kind of simple honest humor and pathos to the role. He seems as cliched a gay as is imaginable, definitely the owner of a little dogette.

Jill Haworth was the PERFECT Sally Bowles, look no further. Walter Kerr be damned! I saw the original show 4 times, unforgettable.

[quote] definitely the owner of a little dogette.

r127 you nailed it. I didn't realize until you said it

Dame Judi.

[quote] I actually kept trying to imagine Dennis O'Hare in the role throughout the show.

Yes, O'Hare was fantastic in the role. I totally fell in love with his character.

R127 - wow. dead on. That is probably why I found the character so grating and obnoxious. Not at all sympathetic! Because when he kept bitching and moaning about his nasty gay neighbors, JTF and his husband seem like they would BE the nasty gay neighbors.

Would have loved to see O'Hare in the role.

Ah, Dame Judi. John Kander’s favorite Sally.

R127, exactly right. I saw both - O’Hare captured something both funny and heartbreaking. Ferguson just seemed like a distraction from the main story.

I want to be unfaithful to my husband with Denis O’Hare.

Denis O’Hare has a bigger dick than one would expect. But then Jesse’s is huge.

You'd better be black, R135

I can change him.

r124, I agree with everything you said about Ferguson in Take Me Out. I hope O'Hare was able to sell all that stuff where the character was refusing to let Lemming quit, but I spent the whole thing thinking JTF as the character needed to shut the fuck up because it wasn't his life and the guy didn't owe him anything. The character as he played it was a pointless, annoying distraction.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid he will win. The competition doesn't look too deep this year and name recognition might let him slip through by default.

Ramin tests positive and out of FG for ten days This has got to affect the BO because he was the best part!

[quote]This has got to affect the BO

Is Gavin Creel standing in for him?

Do both FG leads will be out this weekend. Oy

Ben Platt to the rescue!

It's a sign! Close the show now!!

I was considering trying the lottery this weekend, since I'd like to see Ramin but am not interested in Beanie. Guess I'll save some money.

Evidently the standby, Jeremiah James, will be going on.

On the other hand, one of the Nick understudies is Stephen Mark Lukas. If he was going on, I still might be tempted to go...

"Platt, you're not exactly going out a youngster, but you can still come back a star!"

BROADWAY HISTORY QUESTION: Has there ever been another instance where the star of a big show had a PLANNED absence the weekend after opening?

That just seems pretty outrageous and the antithesis of "the show must go on."

It is something we will start seeing more of as children who never heard "no" are cast as adults?

Wow, I hope Stephen Mark Lucas gets rid of all those herp sores on his lip before he takes the stage.

Tonight was the Musical Theatre Awards in the Netherlands. I always wanted to hear “Send in the Clowns” sung in Dutch.

I saw The Changing Room at The Odyssey in LA around 1976. Although everyone was naked, it was not erotic. There was even a sight gag where a guy got his towel pulled off and revealed his shaved pubes. There was a sequence where the entire cast comes onstage after getting a shower offstage. It was all so casual. The only name that I see in the program was Andrew Robinson who played the maniac in Dirty Harry.

[quote] Unfortunately, I'm afraid he will win. The competition doesn't look too deep this year and name recognition might let him slip through by default.

I don't know about that. If Austin Pendleton is in the mix, I could see him winning as a career award. The guy has been doing theater for 60 years and has never won a Tony. He's only been nominated once, for directing. And this year marks his 60th anniversary of his Broadway debut. He's worked with everyone, is also a beloved acting teacher, and this would be a great way to honor him. Shit, if I was a Tony voter, I'd vote for him no matter what.

Also he was great in the Minutes.

How do we know Jesse Tyler Ferguson is hung?

It’s so funny to hear all these raves about Austin Pendleton in The Minutes. I saw him in Broadway Bound maybe nine months ago at a semi-pro theatre in Cleveland. He played the grandfather. He was just awful. He couldn’t remember any of his lines. Maybe it was a terrible bit of casting or maybe he was just embarrassed to be there. I assumed he was on the downside of his career. Nice to hear he’s doing well in The Minutes.

R140, Hasn't the quarantining been reduced to 5 days?

Sam Gold's A DOLL HOUSE at Williamstown Theater Festival 10 years ago, was one of the worst pieces of shit I have EVER seen. UnFUCKINGforgivable. It has been the only time I have ever heard an audience actaully boo. Demoralizing for the actors, but it was utter shit.

r154, I have to believe r136 is referring to Jesse Williams being hung, not Jesse Tyler Ferguson. (Was a bit confusing though.)

Andy Robinson is a wonderful actor who gave up a promising theater career to do a lot of crappy TV show and movies. But you've gotta eat... and not everyone has the "An Egg to Die For" episode of "Murder She Wrote" on his resume.

Denis O'Hare's performance was exhilarating. An absolute joy every time he was on the stage. This guy sounds terrible. If you do the role poorly I can imagine the character being annoying.

I've worked with Austin (as a director) and for sure, he can be really out of it sometimes. But so few of those old school folks are around anymore! He's in the original FIDDLER for heaven's sake!

Yes - you have the beautiful Jesse Williams character really struggling with wanting to retire from baseball, dealing with homophobia and realizing he doesn’t have anyone in his life - and then there is this flaming mincing ginger Jesse Tyler completely ignoring him and gushing about how much HE loves baseball.

Also, I never bought he was a successful money manager.

Me and the gays sitting in front of me were not amused.

I know that Beanie worked out her absence way in advance and it was announced(though there are of course going to be people who didn't know) still I would like to know the reason why producers would allow the star an entire weekend off if it's not part of a vacation. Let alone the weekend after opening. A destination wedding? That would be funny.

Another star who was like fuck the Oscars I've got a performance to do was Anne Bancroft.

Michael Mayer, the Great Fat Hack of the Great White Way. Sam Gold has a lot to aspire to.

R135, you’ll have to fight me for O’Hare! Pure sex.

I loved him in Take Me Out! Then there was an audience talk back (It was at the Public) and he knocked my socks off with his answers—smart, cultured, talented. Too bad he’s an actor.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson went full frontal in that play about Adam and Steve. It’s big, but it doesn’t make up for the face.

It does amaze me that Austin created the role of Motel and was there for the entire creation of Fiddler. I would have liked to have seen him full frontal then rather than when I did.

R166, Or the carrot colored pubes.

R161, Austin survived directing Elizabeth Taylor in that 1981 revival of The Little Foxes.

Jill

r151, I saw the original production of THE CHANGING ROOM and it was also utterly unerotic. LIke it wasn't even trying.

I hope Johanna Day wins for featured actress.

Black Chuck Cooper will win.

Speaking of Fiddler, has anyone seen the new documentary about the making of the film? Topol and the three eldest daughters are interviewed but no Paul Michael Glaser. Everybody else is dead.

If Broadway were actually exploring diverse casting, an actor with a disability could have been very interesting in the Jesse Tyler Ferguson role. His lack of acceptance by the gay community, his newfound idolatry for the physical accomplishments of baseball…

R174, where can we watch the documentary? And including its title would be helpful, too.

With Ramin out for 10 days, how are they going to get Tony nominators in ? I suppose they were already not coming this weekend to see the fanny understudy, but now they cannot come next week either?

Here’s the trailer. Opening in NYC this weekend but it’s been playing on the festival circuit

Weird review embargo for Macbeth being discussed on ATC. Apparently Macbeth is opening tonight (Thursday) but reviews are embargoed until 4pm Friday.

Is there that much love for the movie version of FIDDLER?

I love the stage show and have enjoyed several different productions over the past decades. But I think the movie's a bit of a misfire.

I stand corrected, r166. (Sorry to have doubted you, r136! But still, the idea of JTF having a big dick... You really never do know, do you?)

I as well think the film of Fiddler is a disappointment and I love the show yet it is a well loved movie. I think the best reasons for seeing it are Rosiland Harris and Leonard Frey.

🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢

[quote] Is there that much love for the movie version of FIDDLER?

I wondered the same thing. I thought the poster above meant the doc that came out a couple years ago, Fiddler- A Miracle of Miracles, but nope, there's a doc about the movie alone, which that other doc already covered. Something like this usually feels like an extra on a DVD, and I'm willing to bet this will, too. if you've ever seen any of Jeffrey Schwarz' documentaries, you'll know what I mean.

The movie of Fiddler looked like it was filmed through a glass of weak tea.

Austin Pendleton is very funny in The Minutes - he creates a few moments of comic pandemonium, but the play gets so ridiculous I'm not sure he can overcome its limitations. JTF is ok in Take Me Out, but no match for what Denis O'Hare did with the role. Chuck Cooper's Act 2 monologue in Trouble In Mind though should win him the Tony. One of those moments in the theatre that I won't ever forget.

And Chuck Cooper may also prove to be the one Tony that voters will use to provide some affection for TROUBLE IN MIND as its not likely to win any others.

I also saw the original “Changing Room.” Plenty of nudity, befitting a men’s locker room. It added to the reality of the play, and to the emotional interaction between the men. Men act differently when they’re together as a team, changing and horsing around. It’s actually a very subtle play, showing how the whole athletic scene is also changing, as well as deep changes in the lives of individual players.

John Lithgow played a working class shlub. In Act I, two teammates discuss how his wife is cheating on him, which he may be aware of. He is more enamored of an electric power drill he’s just bought. In Act II, he’s brought back before halftime, his nose probably broken. An assistant coach helps him undress, to prepare going to the hospital. Lithgow is very moving, insisting he take his new drill with him. He won the Tony.

The nudity is intrinsic to the reality of the play. It was very natural in the presentation, and the whole show worked beautifully. But, with all that, despite the funny banter and horseplay, I don’t remember any serious gay implications among the characters.

It was just this side of a documentary. Lindsay Anderson, director of the original British production, had also directed the neo-realist film, “This Sporting Life,” also about rugby players, and also written by “Changing Room” author David Storey. Too bad “The Changing Room” was never filmed.

I saw a good production of Storey's "Home" a few years ago; it was filmed by Anderson for the BBC in 1968 with a sterling cast. Anderson's film of Storey's "In Celebration" is one of the most depressing portraits of a dysfunctional family I've ever seen: young Brian Cox plays one of the sons.

The movie critic David Denby said that Kael loved "Fiddler on the Roof" so much that when he told her he thought it was schmaltz, she was so displeased that he felt it marked the beginning of the end of their friendship. Oy vey!

I don't even remember Kael's review of Fiddler but I find it so hard to believe she loved it. It really does seem like the type of movie she'd totally hate and have a great time blasting.

[quote]JTF shouldn't even be nominated for Take Me Out. He was fine, nothing special. I actually kept trying to imagine Dennis O'Hare in the role throughout the show. The fraus sitting on both side of me were laughing hysterically whenever JTF said anything.

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but it's not right for you to make definitive statements like "he was fine, nothing special." At the two performances of the show that I recently attended, JTF got lots of honest laughs from a large percentage of the audience, not only "fraus." So shut your trap.

[quote]I haven't seen the revival but I can't imagine Ferguson could bring that kind of simple honest humor and pathos to the role.

You, too, should shut your trap until such time as you see the show.

Nope she loved it. I couldn't believe it. She up to that point had not seen the stage musical. And the original production that had opened in 1964 was still running on Broadway when the film opened. It by that point was an international hit loved all over the world. Hal Prince expressed his incredulity that a critic like Kael was indifferent to seeing such a cultural phenomenon. To me the film has the look of a washed out documentary on eastern European poverty. It has none of the color and exhilarating joy of the musical.

You people who are trashing JTF's performance in TAKE ME OUT are reacting to him as if he's still playing his character from MODERN FAMILY, but he's not playing his TMO character that way AT ALL, so it's only YOUR stupidity and lack of imagination that causes you to see it that way.

Fiddler was actually shot with a stocking over the camera lens. Fiddler, Cabaret and Sound of Music are, for me, the three perfect film musicals.

Oswald Morris won an Oscar for the cinematography.

Jesus, someone on here is a JTF troll.

I remember when I watched The Wiz as an adult, I could not believe how poorly it was shot. So much was presented only in wide shots as if we were watching a stage musical. When I looked up who the cinematographer was (Oswald Morris), I thought- well, surely he was strong armed into this by Lumet. The man won an Oscar for shooting Fiddler, he knows how to shoot musicals.

Then I saw the film version of Fiddler and said, Not so fast....

You got that, folks? You're entitled to your opinion as long you don't express it as a definitive statement! Boundaries have been stated!

I'd say Justin Mikita must post on here but I'll bet even he doesn't think as much of JTF as R194.

One more thing about JTF in Take Me Out ... I think that when you have a star actor playing a supporting role like that, it throws the balance off whack. It also made the lines sound worse, like self-conscious "Gee, I'm so clever! *wink*" stuff rather than perhaps genuine (albeit overdone) insight. Long story short, I felt like I was watching Jesse do what he did in Fully Committed.

What, bomb?

Oh, that was good, R202. Come, sit closer ...

[r177] I don’t think Tony voters have anything to worry about missing a Funny Girl performance

Who wants to see Beanie strike this pose?

[quote] I don’t think Tony voters have anything to worry about missing a Funny Girl performance

r204 I said 'nominators,' who have to see everything.

"Jesse, thanks for the offer but the answer is still no. I'm sorry, man." -- Jesse Williams

Charles Isherwood's review of FG is a polite pan, trying hard not to hurt Beanie's feelings it seems. (She deserves our affection and respect.) Working for Murdoch seems to have tamed his usually bitchy instincts.

Kael was a fan of Norman Jewison's, which makes her love of Fiddler more explicable ... she was more of an auteurist than she would ever admit, but that's a different thread ...

A wonderful performance by standby Jeremiah James as Nick Arnstein in last night's Funny Girl. While Ramin was initially missed and is surely wonderful, James was quite terrific, quickly evaporating any disappointment in not seeing Karimloo.

Apparently Jesse Tyler Ferguson has found this thread. Hi Jesse!

You’re not going to win a Tony, btw!

Why are the critics all walking on eggshells with Beanie? Is there any other above-the-title lead in a Broadway show whose feelings would be so fussed over and protected? FFS. Worry less about the rich girl cosplaying being a Broadway star and more about the audience members shelling out hundreds of dollars to see her.

Bad reviews come with the job. Heat, kitchen, all that crap.

They are worried about being cancelled on social media for acting like “bullies” and criticizing a nice fat girl. That’s my guess.

[quote] a brave little dynamo named Beanie Feldstein

Oh, Charles.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is the reason I'm skipping TAKE ME OUT. Saw it at the Public and a few times on Broadway. Who was the guy with the weird ball sack in the original?

and for whomever was asking about Cornet Man

[quote] Ms. Feldstein misses the silken, jazzy sensuality required for her next solo, “Cornet Man.”

R194, hunty, JTF is a lightweight in the role. Almost everyone is saying that while comparing him to Denis O'Hare, so there's actual context and has nothing to do with JTF's sitcom. Now do wash that sand out of your vadge, dear.

I think one of JTF’s old theatre friends has shown up to defend their buddy. Which is fine. Loyalty is nice. But don’t tell me to “shut my trap” MARY. I saw the show and your friend is quite average in an otherwise strong production (with some beautiful cocks and great asses on display). Like someone already said - his character felt like an irritating distraction taking time away from the plot. Apparently O’Hare was the heart of the show - so much so that posters here have strong memories of his performance decades later. So it seems to be more JTF and less the playwright at fault here.

R212/213, they're not walking on eggshells. They're panning her. Did you see the Gawker link?

I saw 'Cyrano' last night and really liked it. I knew the basic story going in, but I'd never seen any version of it before, not even that Steve Martin movie, so maybe that helped a bit. I'm kind of amazed it was adapted by someone in their 60s, given how 'rappy' it sounds at times.

James McAvoy is spellbinding. He, and the lighting designers i guess, made me tear up at least 3 times. He's wonderful whenever he's able to just use his normal accent in a role. I do wonder though if I would've felt the same if they'd cast an actual ugly person with a giant nose in the role.

Evelyn Miller as Roxanne is wonderful. At first she looked like just another pretty girl, but then she spoke, and I sat up and paid attention. I hope she finds more success after this. I got a strong Diana Rigg vibe from her.

I'm confused as to what is the point of this roduction of Cyrano--it's one thing, obviously, to cast someone using their normal accent, but an actor who's good looking, with no nose prosthetic, seems to fly in the face of what the play is about. All McAvoy would have to do is present himself as the true author of the love letters and Roxane would run to him, on mere sight alone.

All McAvoy would need to do is push the dupe out of the way and say to Roxane, "Here I am!"

Yeah it was mostly about bad timing in this version.

I wouldn’t say Beanie’s reviews were soft on her at all. The majority of them were quite harsh.

Anyone who thinks Beanie's reviews were harsh has never read John Simon's reviews. Even Frank Rich, Walter Kerr and Brooks Atkinson didn't hesitate to call a spade a spade. These current "pans" are all written with great caution.

Brantley didn't hesitate either if he hated something...

r220, I suggest you seek out a "classic" version of the play (haven't seen the Dinklage version) to see how radical the current one is. Especially the difference in Roxanne's ultimate fate. I loved this one, too, but all the more so because of the choices they made to modernize it.

225, I sincerely doubt it's because ol' Beanie wields any power. Some critics have always had more bite to them, and some have not.

^^That was for R225^^

[quote]Even Frank Rich, Walter Kerr and Brooks Atkinson didn't hesitate to call a spade a spade.

THAT'S RACIST!!!

[quote]Jesus, someone on here is a JTF troll.

No, the problem here is the anti-JTF trolls, who are not assessing his performance in TAKE ME OUT on its own merits.

I saw Take Me Out last night and quickly tired of JTF doing his nellie queen routine. It's just an ok performance. I longed for O'Hare. On the other hand, I was expecting very little from Jesse Williams, and he was much better than Daniel Sunjata ever was in the role. Plus, there was that kielbasa hanging between his legs. I do think Sunjata was full frontal more than just once in the original production, though. And Scott Ellis is still a lousy director. He had no clue about how to get a good performance out of the actor playing Shane.

[quote]I remember when I watched The Wiz as an adult, I could not believe how poorly it was shot. So much was presented only in wide shots as if we were watching a stage musical. When I looked up who the cinematographer was (Oswald Morris), I thought- well, surely he was strong armed into this by Lumet. The man won an Oscar for shooting Fiddler, he knows how to shoot musicals. Then I saw the film version of Fiddler and said, Not so fast....

The FIDDLER movie certainly has its flaws, but I don't think there's anything wrong with the way the musical numbers are filmed. I would say the filming of all of them is very good, with "Matchmaker," "Miracle of Miracles," and "Chavaleh" as three highlights.

r233, much of the dancing in the film of Fiddler is filmed from the waist up. Is that really how you think the bottle dance should have been filmed?

[quote]One more thing about JTF in Take Me Out ... I think that when you have a star actor playing a supporting role like that, it throws the balance off whack. It also made the lines sound worse, like self-conscious "Gee, I'm so clever! *wink*" stuff rather than perhaps genuine (albeit overdone) insight.

You probably don't have the self-awareness to realize that this is entirely your problem. And I can't imagine why you think it's an issue when JTF plays supporting roles but not star roles. I wonder, how would you suggest that he deal with this issue? By never playing another role ever, or by only playing starring roles? It would be rather difficult for any actor to have a career under those circumstances, so do you think he should just retire because YOU can't accept him in a supporting role?

r235 you're also r192 and r194 and r231. So it's clear whose trap should start shutting.

[quote] I've asked this recently, but got no response, so trying again: Apparently, there is some way to tell which posts on DL were posted by the same person. Can someone please tell me how you do that? Does it have something to do with the ff button? I guess one way to tell would be to block someone, but then all of their posts would disappear.

And, poof.

r232, See the link at r46 for the other scene. Yes, Williams covers up a lot faster in it than Sunjata did.

One more comment for you JTF haters: I saw TAKE ME OUT twice during the course of one week recently (long story), and both times, he got every laugh in the script and also was very strong in his character's few dramatic scenes, including the ending. I can honestly say that he seemed to have the audience in the palm of his hand -- because they were responding to his performance on its merits, rather than having some agenda to hate him, as so many of you people inexplicably do. And P.S. although I personally loved Denis O'Hare in the role as well, I remember that some people felt he was overacting.

But they are, R231. You just choose not to acknowledge that.

The Dutch Musical Awards were last night and Willemijn Verkaik showed yet again why she was one of the best Elphabas ever-she played her on Broadway, in the West End, Germany and The Netherlands.

The Les Mis section’s a bit patchy. The one who’s playing Valjean there next year is sort of hot, though.

"And P.S. although I personally loved Denis O'Hare in the role as well, I remember that some people felt he was overacting."

Oh my sides, R238! You thought JTF wasn't overacting but O'Hare was? JTF in a toe to toe with O'Hare is simply not in the same league.

Tradition is particular terrible. It is nothing but a series of shots of peasants in Czarist Russia going about their daily chores. Diane Sawyer might as well make an appearance to talk about the hard conditions these people live under. On stage Robbins made it a communal dance. It was up to Jewison to make that number dance on film. How? I don't know but I'm not a big Hollywood director shooting a movie musical. Oswald Morris clearly had lost his talent by this point as so many did in the 70s who worked under the old studio system.

R242 Yeah I thought all the Mountain Dew Mouth in the Fiddler movie was a bit much.

No one knows what's going on in someone else's head, so trying to explain away someone's reaction based on something other than what they've said--just because you don't like what they've said--is dumb.

For that matter, r238, how do you know the audience was responding to his performance on its merits, rather than having some agenda to like him, being predisposed to based on liking him from his sitcom work?

I haven't seen the new version, but I too loved O'Hare in the original when I saw it at the Public, and it's interesting to note that I remember him as the lead, not a supporting character. He really felt like the center of the production.

I noticed Jesse Williams was the only one who washed his dick in the shower scene lol. The others only touched their upper bodies. Williams wasn't afraid to touch that huge thing. The fraus next to me (who seemed like fun) started hyperventilating when he took off his towel.

Is the cast walking the red carpet prior to their opening night performance something new? SJP and hubby did it and now it looks like the cast of MB did it the other night.

So does Beanie have off two weeks or just this weekend? I’m hearing two different things.

[quote]a brave little dynamo named Beanie Feldstein

"I think I can, I think I can".

"I thought I could, I thought I could."

[quote]The man won an Oscar for shooting Fiddler, he knows how to shoot musicals. Then I saw the film version of Fiddler and said, Not so fast....

Both those movies look exactly as directors Norman Jewison and Sidney Lumet wanted them to be. Cinematographers don't have free reign.

So will Jesse Williams' third leg get a supporting nomination?

It will get a Special Event Tony, r252.

R252, I heard it's receiving union scale.

R252, Does it have its own Twitter account yet, like Jon Hamm's dick?

It has its own zip code.

R247 I don't think it's new. Maybe something from the last 20 years. idk but it's always struck me as odd.

R236, "poof!" is just the kind of response to be expected from a witch like you. I find it hilarious that you went through all that trouble to determine which posts in this thread were mine :-) Anyway, you people are entitled to hate JTF's performance in TAKE ME OUT, but it seeing how audiences are loving him in the show, based on my two viewings of it, your opinions REALLY don't matter.

[quote] Both those movies look exactly as directors Norman Jewison and Sidney Lumet wanted them to be. Cinematographers don't have free reign.

No they don't, but nor are they hired hands simply there to take orders and not bring their own expertise and artistry to the work. It's a collaborative relationship that benefits from both people contributing and having a say in what the look is. And make no mistake, there are many DPs, especially the old school ones, who were just as tyrannical as any of the most difficult directors ever were. I'm not saying Oswald Morris was a tyrant and Jewison and Lumet were pushovers, but when you have someone in the position that Lumet was in at the time (directing a musical for the first time that already had bad press going into shooting, and being in over his head in so many ways), you do tend to lean on someone on the team who has done this before and is considered one of the greats.

[quote]I think that when you have a star actor playing a supporting role like that, it throws the balance off whack. It also made the lines sound worse, like self-conscious "Gee, I'm so clever! *wink*" stuff rather than perhaps genuine (albeit overdone) insight.

Sorry, R239, but I don't think this is an example of assessing someone's performance on its own merits. Sounds to me like it's all about the poster's own baggage and other issues.

[quote]You thought JTF wasn't overacting but O'Hare was? JTF in a toe to toe with O'Hare is simply not in the same league.

I did not write that I thought Denis O'Hare overacted the part, I wrote that I loved him in the part but some other people felt he overacted it. Sorry for your reading comprehension issues.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I do think JTF's performance is more subtle than O'Hare's, but you apparently can't even tell the difference between a very broad performance and a more subtle one.

For those who have buyer's remorse (like me) for buying tickets to Funny Girl before the reviews came out, if you have tickets during Ramen's absence you can get a full refund. The woman at the box office didn't ask any questions. Happy to have dodged that bullet. If I ever get curious, I'm sure the show will be on TDF in a few weeks.

[quote]Tradition is particular terrible. It is nothing but a series of shots of peasants in Czarist Russia going about their daily chores. Diane Sawyer might as well make an appearance to talk about the hard conditions these people live under. On stage Robbins made it a communal dance. It was up to Jewison to make that number dance on film. How? I don't know but I'm not a big Hollywood director shooting a movie musical. Oswald Morris clearly had lost his talent by this point as so many did in the 70s who worked under the old studio system.

This has got to be one of the most foolish posts I've read here in a long while. I tend to agree with you about how "Tradition" was filmed, as a voiceover with no one seen singing or dancing, and with all those quick cuts. But OF COURSE it was Norman Jewison's decision to do that, NOT Oswald Morris's. Can you possibly fail to understand this? Or do you disagree -- because if you do, you're completely ignorant of the filmmaking process.

Of course I was talking about Jewison's filming of Tradition. Morris had nothing to do with that. It was Jewison's choice which I guess I did not make clear.

[quote] you're completely ignorant of the filmmaking process.

I'm not the poster you're bitching at, but they are likely closer to reality than you are. On a big budget studio movie, especially back then, the director did not have complete autonomy, especially someone like Jewison who was hardly a maverick. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen and a lot of compromises are made, deals haggled, and favors exchanged. As many iconoclastic filmmakers there were, especially in the 70s, there were that many more films which were being made by committee. So you really have no idea what happened on that set, and to screech at people who express an opinion when I'm certain you were not present on the set makes you look foolish.

"I'm sure the show will be on TDF in a few weeks."

Not if I can help it.

[quote]How do you know the audience was responding to his performance on its merits, rather than having some agenda to like him, being predisposed to liking him from his sitcom work?

That's an honest question, and here's my honest answer: I don't believe audiences ever laugh heartily throughout an actor's performance in a comic role just because they're predisposed to liking him from his previous work. Laughter is a reflexive response, and it doesn't work that way. For example, I'm pretty sure audiences were predisposed to adore Daniel Radcliffe in HOW TO SUCCEED, and while they may have come out of it insisting that they did adore him in the role, the fact remains that, at the performance I attended, he completely missed almost all of the laughs.

It's fine if you disagree, but that's my perspective.

Rex a friend of mine after your review of Beanie thinks you're dotty.

R268 Loudon or Parker?

[quote]a brave little dynamo named Beanie Feldstein

A brave "little" dynamo??

Renfrew, r269.

[quote]'m not the poster you're bitching at, but they are likely closer to reality than you are. On a big budget studio movie, especially back then, the director did not have complete autonomy, especially someone like Jewison who was hardly a maverick. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen and a lot of compromises are made, deals haggled, and favors exchanged. As many iconoclastic filmmakers there were, especially in the 70s, there were that many more films which were being made by committee. So you really have no idea what happened on that set, and to screech at people who express an opinion when I'm certain you were not present on the set makes you look foolish.

Incredible. Norman Jewison was already an established filmmaker when he made FIDDLER, and had already directed a musical: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. If you are seriously suggesting that the concept of filming "Tradition" as a voiceover, with none of the cast seen singing or dancing, would have been anyone's decision other than Jewison's, I think you're ignorant and/or delusional.

Of course, once that overall decision was made, Morris had a lot of input as to how exactly the sequence would be filmed in terms of camera movement and placement, etc. But if you think he could possibly have been the one to decide that the song would be delivered as a voiceover with no choreography whatsoever, again......ignorant and/or delusional.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" was made two years after "Fiddler".

I think Morris did his greatest work in b&w ("The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is fantastic), but after "Fiddler" he also did "The Man Who Would Be King" (he worked with John Huston several times) and "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" in color, both excellent.

Jesus, Mary R261, take a Midol. Clearly you're a JTF stan who won't be dissuaded. And clearly, you DID think O'Hare overacted it because you said, "I do think JTF's performance is more subtle than O'Hare's, but you apparently can't even tell the difference between a very broad performance and a more subtle one." That means, Mary, you think O'Hare gave a "very broad performance"--i.e., he overacted. In fact, I do know the difference, which is why I (and everyone else here but you) preferred O'Hare.

As for R258 (the same JTF Stan, btw) and her cunty comment "but seeing how audiences are loving him in the show, based on my two viewings of it, your opinions REALLY don't matter." As if the opinions of other theatregoers who didn't love him have no validity whatsoever--as if it's all just about concensus opinion ruling the day. Well, it isn't, bitch.

""but seeing how audiences are loving him in the show, based on my two viewings of it, your opinions REALLY don't matter."

It's called discernment, R258. I suppose you think every standing ovation given in a Broadway theatre is deserved as well because practically every show gets one these days.

And in other news, some girl on girl action. Vincentelli and Taylor snatch, I mean, catch up.

I liked Miss Saigon...so shoot me.

Did gingerbushlover r258 just call me a witch? Seriously?

Always interesting to learn which topic will stop a thread cold stone dead. Here it seems to be a tie: Fiddler's director v cinematographer dispute (not really theater gossip) OR JTF v Dennis O'Hare in Take Me Out. I'm amazed that so many recall the latter's performance in such rich detail nearly two decades ago. Either way, both topics are lead balloons.

JTF doesn’t need anyone defending him. Take one look at his social media - he’s very pleased with himself and his own biggest fan. Tremendous confidence for a 50-something ginger. Must be that big red dick and his younger husband.

So while your effort is noted JTF fan - you can scale back your efforts - he seems just fine.

This thread's eponymous reviews are coming out any minute now.

I had no idea that JTF was hated as much as LMM on DL theater gossip threads.

[quote]So while your effort is noted JTF fan - you can scale back your efforts - he seems just fine.

Girls, girls! You're both tedious!

Aren’t the Macbeth reviews coming out in a half hour?

Yes, r285. I believe that's what r282 was referring to.

Will Daniel Craig learn the true meaning of knives out when the critics have their say?

how on earth did the media agree to hold their reviews until 4PM on a Friday?

Just because the horse isn't quite dead enough...

I recall enough about the original TAKE ME OUT at the Public to say that despite O'Hare's performance (and I generally love his work), that character got on my last nerve very quickly. I have no interest in seeing the play again.

I like the movie of FIDDLER for the most part (Topol is a bit much, but Mostel would have been more overbearing on screen).

[quote] Topol is a bit much

especially 'down there' according to all reports

It starts....

"It takes considerable grinding to make Macbeth this dull."

Topol was actually sort of sexy in the film of Fiddler. Maybe it helped that he had a tan through most of it.

If the funny girl marketers are in charge of this one too, we'll soon see- " Short, eloquent, violent and packed with sensational business!" on the marquee

Another terrible production from the terrible Sam Gold.

Remember Russell Tovey, DL fave of yesteryear (LOOKING, etc.)?

You can see him alternating with 3 other casts in CONSTELLATIONS at the Donmar.

Is CONSTELLATIONS a good play? Didn't see it in the NY run.

R280, We could go back to discussing my mouth watering dick.

Another review where Jesse Green sounds like he's being kinder than necessary to a mess

Some Green excerpts:

-----

If you’ve seen enough of Gold’s Shakespeare — whether excellent (“Othello” at New York Theater Workshop, starring Craig and David Oyelowo) or inexplicable (“King Lear” on Broadway, starring Glenda Jackson) or in between (“Hamlet” at the Public Theater, starring Oscar Isaac) — you’ll know that he does not make idle or showy choices. His experimentation is always purposeful, even if, as here, it’s sometimes hard to know what that purpose is. For at least the first half-hour of “Macbeth” I thought he was trying to demystify the play by placing it in more familiar contexts.

That kitchen, for instance. Or the scenes set in what looks like someone’s TV room. (The “thrones” in Christine Jones’s set are raspberry-upholstered chair-and-a-halfs.) At other times it seems we’re at a high-school pep rally; when Scotland’s mortal enemy, Norway, is mentioned, Gold has the cast mutter “Boo!” as if at an opposing basketball team.

-----

Though the production too often feels as if it were designed for the company’s own edification — an endless rehearsal rather than a Broadway revival — it is not without its outward-facing qualities, especially after the initial throat-clearing. There are beautiful, quietly observed moments: a glance between Craig and Negga, for instance, that says more about marriage than some entire plays on the subject. There are smaller characters crystallized in a flash: Lazar’s Duncan dainty and handsy, Maria Dizzia’s Lady Macduff heartbreakingly resolute.

But the top note here is gore, the more so because most other notes are muted. We see slit throats, amputated legs, huge spouts of blood and, for good measure, a gun. Even that cozy food table from the start of the show turns out to be the witches’ workshop, where they brew their disgusting potions — some involving human body parts pulverized as if by Julia Child with an industrial stick blender.

-------

All this is accompanied by effects that put yet another demystifying frame on the action, this one not from life or theater but from movies. The fog at the Longacre is thicker than in “Casablanca.” The foreboding aural effects (sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman) recall slasher flicks; the screeching violins (music by Gaelynn Lea) more specifically reference Bernard Herrmann’s score for “Psycho.”

Perhaps to help us, or the cast, come down from all this, Gold concludes the show by having Bobbi MacKenzie, who otherwise plays a witch, sing a song by Lea called “Perfect” as the company slurps at what I hope to God is soup. The moment is lovely and would be fitting if this were, say, the finale of “Pippin.”

Still, at the end of an often brutal Broadway season that was rightly concerned with harm and heartlessness — in which many shows, including this one, were bedeviled by illness and delays — I liked Gold’s showing us that in times of distress and violence people should remember to care for one another. If it has nothing to do with “Macbeth,” it has plenty to do with us.

Daniel Craig play is a Disaster Royale

[quote]Their repeated potion-making refrain, “Double, double toil and trouble / Fire burn, and cauldron bubble,” has been cut from the text, maybe because it’s too much fun.

[quote]Lady M’s famous “Out, damned spot” scene. (She delivers that line to a blemish on the ground, by the way, instead of on her hands.)

Sam Gold, ladies and gentlemen.

Agree that Topol was kinda sexy in Fiddler. He and Golde looked like they actually fucked. And I could see him getting a bj from the Rabbi’s son.

Ouch.

Why not? We only have one rabbi, he only has one son. It's a perfect match.

Oh, and Lazar Wolf was a hot bear. Frumah Sarah was a cunt.

[quote] Speaking of overrated, it may be time to add Gold to the list.

Hollywood Reporter

r301

[quote]It would be erroneous to report that the production suffers from a surfeit of bad ideas, because there are no ideas to be found.

Oh, delicious

Only 14 cast members and yet two dramaturgs seems to explain so much

Okay, just because ... Motel, Perchik or Fyedka?

R304, I've been saying that for years.

Fuck Fyedka, Marry Perchik, kill Motel.

Is there a worse director on Broadway? I can't think of another in his league for pretentiousness, pointlessness, and ineptitude.

Daniel Craig isn't exactly a great stage actor. Even Mike Nichols couldn't pull a cohesive performance out of him in that misbegotten Betrayal production. Only Rachel Weisz was worse.

[quote]And clearly, you DID think O'Hare overacted it because you said, "I do think JTF's performance is more subtle than O'Hare's, but you apparently can't even tell the difference between a very broad performance and a more subtle one." That means, Mary, you think O'Hare gave a "very broad performance"--i.e., he overacted. In fact, I do know the difference, which is why I (and everyone else here but you) preferred O'Hare.

No, no, no. Saying that I think Denis O'Hare's performance in TMO was very broad -- which is definitely was -- is NOT the same thing as saying I think it was overacted. I suspect you do understand the difference, and you're arguing with me only because you want to be cunty.

I was mistaken about JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR coming before FIDDLER, so my apologies for that. But it doesn't change my certainty that the decision to film "Tradition" as a voiceover song with no choreography was Jewison's, I'm sure with some input from the film's choreographer, and maybe even some input from Oswald Morris, but of course the director would have had the ultimate say for something like that.

[quote]Did gingerbushlover [R258] just call me a witch? Seriously?

Not to sound like Rizzo, but there are worse things I could call you. Far worse, and all would be accurate.

Seriously, the fact that you stoop to making fun of JTF's "ginger bush" in expressing your dislike for him and his talent says SO much more about all you evil, bitchy, childish queens than it says about him, and I think you must realize this deep down.

That always feels like the last card to play ... why yes, we all must loathe our successful bretheren.

Piss off, JFT stan. You've proven yourself a contradictory fool repeatedly. No one cares. You're tired even for DL.

^^ emphasis on 'repeatedly ^^

If not for Modern Family, nobody would know who the fuck he is. He is a legend in his own mind. In 10 years, nobody will know his name.

I've only seen Jesse Tyler Ferguson live in the ill-conceived ON THE TOWN revival in Central Park 20-odd years ago, and he failed to impress even then.

Lea DeLaria was fun, at least.

[quote]Piss off, JFT stan. You've proven yourself a contradictory fool repeatedly. No one cares.

Please don't speak for everyone, or for ANYONE other than yourself. And although annoying you was of course not my primary gold in posting multiple times to argue with multiple bitches, it sure is a nice fringe benefit.

[quote]If not for Modern Family, nobody would know who the fuck he is. He is a legend in his own mind. In 10 years, nobody will know his name.

Really, the JTF hate from you people is borderline pathological. How pathetic that you actually think you can get inside his mind that way.

[quote]Is there a worse director on Broadway? I can't think of another in his league for pretentiousness, pointlessness, and ineptitude.

Surely there must be one other name that comes immediately to mind? Ivo......

[quote]For those who have buyer's remorse (like me) for buying tickets to Funny Girl before the reviews came out, if you have tickets during Ramen's absence you can get a full refund. The woman at the box office didn't ask any questions. Happy to have dodged that bullet. If I ever get curious, I'm sure the show will be on TDF in a few weeks.

I get the refund for the star being out but I seriously don't understand the buyer's remorse because of critics. You bought a ticket because you wanted o see it so why is your enjoyment of it contingent with some stranger's opinion. You might actually enjoy it.

I thought constellations was alright when I saw it in NY. Didn’t hate it, but also don’t remember it very clearly. Definitely worth seeing for RT if the tickets aren’t crazy expensive. He’s hot.

Jesse Green goes out of his way to be as kind as possible to directors like Gold because Green is predisposed to people who deconstruct or meddle with (in other word, fuck up) older plays. I recall an article where he and Brantley were talking about revivals and the subject of Gold's horrendous crap-fest of a GLASS MENAGERIE revival came up. Brantley was understandably dismissive of it, but Green, while noting that it had problems, talked about "defending its right to exist" as if he was the ACLU defending free speech.

Green was much kinder to HANGMEN than it deserved too.

This is why I take any Green review with many more grains of salt than I ever did with Brantley.

Isn't it bad enough we had to put with schmactor Jesse Ferguson Tyler when he was on that fucking terrible Modern Family piece of shit for 12000 years and now he's taken over this thread with his awfulness in a a play about naked penises?

Gingerbush is kinder than fire crotch.

[quote] Is there a worse director on Broadway? I can't think of another in his league for pretentiousness, pointlessness, and ineptitude. Surely there must be one other name that comes immediately to mind? Ivo......

Don’t forget me!

JTF was quite charming in SPELLING BEE.

Tell me eldergays, were there hack directors in the Golden Age of Broadway like Sam Gold, Ivo von Hove, Michael Mayer, Scott Ellis and....Rob Ashford (thank you r326!), who would be trusted with beloved plays and musicals and given multi-million dollar budgets and big stars to stage revivals with NO regard to audience's expectations?

Or is this a 21st century phenomena? I really don't get it. It's the lack of smart and talented directors that's killing Broadway more than anything else.

SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT JESSE FUCKING TYLER FERGUSON!!!

[quote] I get the refund for the star being out but I seriously don't understand the buyer's remorse because of critics. You bought a ticket because you wanted o see it so why is your enjoyment of it contingent with some stranger's opinion. You might actually enjoy it.

The overwhelming consensus is that Beanie can’t sing the score and that Mayer’s direction is inept. No desire to pay full price for that.

Remember how James Barbour had sex with 15 year old Cristin Milloti? He was arrested right? That was sort of wild.

Isn’t Julie Benko too thin to play Fanny?

"How pathetic that you actually think you can get inside his mind that way."

R319, you ARE JTF! You are the sad ginger wizard behind the DL curtain.

Or a sad stan.

Either way, sad.

Now, with your permission, JTF stan, can we move on from JTF?

And you're coming off sad as well to the rest of us, r333.

Thank you, r334.

R328, it's more a latter 20th to 21st Century phenomenon.

The 1960's saw the advent of directors trying to make Shakespeare more "contemporary" with mixed results. I'm thinking of British directors like Tony Richardson and Peter Brook, but there were others.

I never thought too much of Richardson outside of some of his early films, but he's a genius next to the likes of Gold, Mayer, and van Hove.

[quote] I can't think of another in his league for pretentiousness, pointlessness, and ineptitude.

How dare you suggest there is someone more pretentious than I...

"Or is this a 21st century phenomena? I really don't get it. It's the lack of smart and talented directors that's killing Broadway more than anything else."

Yes, R328. What a dearth of actual talent. Sam Gold personifies that.

That's an inaccurate description of Peter Brook, R337.

[Quote] is this a 21st century phenomena?

Oh dear

The rise of inept but experienced directors is a vicious cycle that comes from the stupidity and laziness of New York producers, which is taken advantage of by these directors’ agents. The only qualification most producers are able to discern in directors is experience and agent recommendations- rather than checking out director talent that is probably in bloom all across the country

Those lazy New Yorkers.

[quote]It's the lack of smart and talented directors that's killing Broadway more than anything else.

Maybe not more than anything else, but I agree that it's a major factor, especially when it comes to revivals.

[quote]And you're coming off sad as well to the rest of us, [R333].

Thank you. Lots of irrational, over-the-top haters in this thread. Hopefully they'll spontaneously combust and won't infect the next one.

Speaking of Richardson, I'm late saying this because I'm in an opposite timezone, but having watched the Haworth and Dench clips from Cabaret I really think the younger Richardson, Natasha, is queen of the role. I rewatched the three clips of her on YouTube and I realised that she plays it very similarly to the way Dorothy Comingore played Susan Alexander in Citizen Kane, which is a spot-on comparison. It's that same desperation to be a big hit, along with the suppressed knowledge she barely has the talent to stay afloat. Because Richardson's talent is all in her acting, and she's beautifully directed, she nails it.

Liza had the desperation to be loved and the vulnerability, but she had way too much singing and dancing talent. It makes the film a great watch, but it's as if Callas had played Susan.

The overwhelming consensus is that Beanie can’t sing the score and that Mayer’s direction is inept. No desire to pay full price for that.

Then you are an idiot for pre=buying the ticket.

Mange merde, r346...

The most memorable Shakespeare staging I saw in recent years was Robert Lepage's Coriolanus.

Julie is too thin to play Beanie, not Fanny. Julie looks a lot like Fanny.

I'm looking forward to seeing JTF in TAKE ME OUT to see what he does with the role. I really like the play and loved the original production, especially Denis O'Hare, who was so remarkable as Mason that many of us still remember him in the role, and fondly. Mutual friends always speak highly of Denis, and how thoughtful and smart he is. He brought that intelligence to the role, and the result was magical. All that said, I'm going in with an open mind as JTF takes the stage. And to follow up on that disruption at TAKE ME OUT, apparently someone started screaming about apples in one act and the coronavirus in the other. Make of that what you will.

Chuck Cooper was so good in TROUBLE IN MIND, and Austin Pendleton is terrific in THE MINUTES. I expect both of them to be nominated for Tonys.

I'm seeing MACBETH next week, mostly to bear witness. I walked out of Sam Gold's KING LEAR at intermission. It was that unbearably pretentious. Glenda Jackson cannot be blamed for that debacle. She's one of the all-time greats, and KING LEAR is absolutely actable. What an absurd comment that was earlier. I've seen several brilliant productions of the show, including the one with Derek Jacobi. Perhaps not coincidentally, they were all in England, or transferred from there. By the way, Daniel Craig can be excellent on stage. I loved him in ANGELS IN AMERICA at the National back in the day. But if Glenda Jackson can't rise above Sam Gold, Craig has no chance.

Excited to see POTUS tonight. I don't need a genius script, but I sure could use some laughs, and it looks like that play will deliver some, though Susan Stroman is not particularly known for her ability to improve a script.

The tour promoters will vote for SIX for Best Musical and most industry folks will vote for A STRANGE LOOP. After those reviews last week, the Tony will go to A STRANGE LOOP. SIX is, as an earlier poster said quite accurately, a concert. A STRANGE LOOP actually has something to say, and better music.

CYRANO at BAM largely works. The audience is asked to use its collective imagination to suspend the disbelief that this gorgeous movie star is, in fact, unattractive. And it does. CYRANO has a stripped-down, modernized take that Sam Gold tries to do with classics but cannot. With Gold's deconstructions of classics, it's all about him. Look at me, look at me. He really should stick to new plays.

[quote] Lea DeLaria was fun, at least.

Lea DeLaria literally screamed her entire performance.

I'm trying to think of something I've seen that is worse than POTUS, but I'm having a difficult time of it.

What are you thanking that absurd JTF shitstain for, R34, you Mary? Hikjacing the thread with her blind love of the highly mediocre JTF? If tou don't like pushback I highly suggest you both leave DL.

That was for R345. Now let us continue with the thread, please.

JB last night

The opinion that Lear is un-actable is not absurd, thank you very much. There's plenty of historical agreement with the idea, even back when audiences could actually read. Here is Charles Lamb in 1811:

So to see Lear acted—to see an old man tottering about the stage with a walking-stick, turned out of doors by his daughters in a rainy night, has nothing in it but what is painful and disgusting. We want to take him into shelter and relieve him. That is all the feeling which the acting of Lear ever produced in me. But the Lear of Shakespeare cannot be acted. The contemptible machines by which they mimic the storm which he goes out in, is not more inadequate to represent the horrors of the real elements, than any actor can be to represent Lear; they might more easily propose to personate the Satan of Milton upon a stage, or one of Michael Angelo’s terrible figures. The greatness of Lear is not in corporal dimension, but in intellectual: the explosions of passion are terrible as a volcano: they are storms turning up and disclosing to the bottom that sea, his mind, with all its vast riches. It is his mind which is laid bare. This case of flesh and blood seems too insignificant to be thought on even as he himself neglects it. On the stage we see nothing but corporal infirmities and weakness, the impotence of rage; while we read it, we see not Lear, but we are Lear—we are in his mind, we are sustained by a grandeur which baffles the malice of daughters and storms; in the aberrations of his reason, we discover a mighty irregular power of reasoning, immethodized from the ordinary purposes of life, but exerting its powers, as the wind blows where it listeth, at will upon the corruptions and abuses of mankind.

Raves for Benko on the chat boards.

"Michael Angelo’s"

Oh, dear, Charles Lamb. It's a shame Charles Lamb from 1811 didn't live to see Paul Scofield play Lear. The Lear of Shakespeare can certainly be acted, despite what some old queen from the 19th century thought. Really--this is your supporting evidence? I give you, in response, not only Scofield, but Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, and a multitude of others. Stop this nonsense, please.

What a tedious thread, between the "King Lear can't be acted" queen and the JTF stan.

Julie Benko's voice is miles better than Beanie's but still a little thin, no? At least on the Twitter link at r356. But, my god, all that whooping and hollering from the peanut gallery. throughout her singing,....it sounds like a rock concert at the Howdy Doody Show. Calm down, girls, and let her finish the song.

Another Julie B

What are the chances Beanie WON'T test positive for Covid now that Ramin has?

[quote]What are you thanking that absurd JTF shitstain for, [R34], you Mary? Hikjacing the thread with her blind love of the highly mediocre JTF? If tou don't like pushback I highly suggest you both leave DL

The thread wasn't "hijacked," you POS. It was a normal discussion, and it wouldn't have started to become so focused on JTF if people like YOU hadn't felt it necessary to keep trashing him, thus requiring others of us to argue with you. Now, about that spontaneous combustion....

Moving on: R357, the fact that Charles Lamb wrote this way back in 1811 doesn't make his opinion more valid than yours or mine. In particular, I would question his long-winded point that "On the stage we see nothing but corporal infirmities and weakness, the impotence of rage; while we read it, we see not Lear, but we are Lear—we are in his mind, we are sustained by a grandeur which baffles the malice of daughters and storms." I for one have never found that the experience of reading this play (or any other) is superior as compared to seeing it, and I daresay a lot more people would agree with me than with Mr. Lamb in that opinion.

Went to the film Fiddler documentary talk back last night with the director, Neva Small, and Rosiland Harris. I'm not a fan of the film but a friend is and I do like Harris and Frey in it a lot. Did not know Frey was nominated for an Oscar and Harris had understudied Midler on Broadway who encouraged her to go to the film audition saying she already knew they did not want her.

Harris said whenever she would greet Frey she would have her opens and call out 'Leonard!' She noticed he would back away. Somebody said to her, 'He's gay.' She was like oh. I guess she did not even have a friendship with him from what she was saying. Well their chemistry on screen is great.

I don't know why Jewison gave himself credit for the pogrom at the wedding or the Fiddler following the family to America. It's in the stage musical. I thought the snow was real but it was powdered marble which was not only a disappointment but I don't think it was healthy either for the actors or soil.

Well made and definitely worth seeing especially if you like the film and want to learn more on the history of the piece. And there was actually a literal fiddler on the roof. As in a person. It was not only a symbol.

Can you imagine Ethel Merman in the audience at "Funny Girl"?

"Sing out, Beano!"

R364, there's only one JTF stan on this thread, and that's you--there's no "thus requiring others of us" because YOU alone are "us." No matter--a silly gash like you and her obsessions with ugly ginger mediocre tv stars won't stop the rest of US.

I think Tina Benko sounds really lovely in the "People" excerpt. I felt she sounded a little out-of-breath in "Don't Rain on My Parade," but that's often a problem with that bear of a song.

Will be REALLY, REALLY interesting to see what happens going forward in regard to whether a cast album of the new production will be recorded, how long Beanie will stay with the show, how many scheduled or non-scheduled absences she'll have in future, whether Benko might be promoted to an alternate and given two or three perfs. a week, etc.

r364 and r367 - Shut the fuck up about JTF...BOTH of you.

Hall monitor at R369.

Being better than Beanie doesn't mean that Benko makes you forget Barbra.

This hall could use a bit of monitoring r370.

Why, R372? It's a fuckng gossip thread on a gay site known for pointless bitchery.

Benko is much better than Beanie (not saying much) but still sounds like an understudy. A Broadway understudy should sound that good. It’s ridiculous that she’s THAT much better than the lead in her first performance covering the part. Sigh.

Thank you for the clips. It’s cute that there is already a Twitter fan account dedicated to her.

Benko will do matinees, since Beanie's voice will not hold up to the rigor.

Of course Benkos voice sounds thin in the clips posted...they were done from the audience with a cell phone. Shes still miles above anything theyve released of Beanie.

Pointless bitchery is different than repetitive name calling

Oh, please, Mary R377.

Sounds like the same thing to me, R377.

Repetitive name calling is boring. Pointless bitchery is entertaining.

We can move the JTF talk to this thread below featuring this gem of an encounter…

The friend that met him works as a host in a moderate restaurant in NYC. Apparently, JTF, husband, and 2 females showed up with no reservations, and would only take a table in the corner, and instructed my friend to "please not call attention to us." (No one was paying attention in the first place). There was no corner table, so my friend asked if they wanted to take another table, and then he'd move them when the corner table came open. JTF says to hubby "ugh, deal with this one, please."

Hah, I was waiting for someone to confuse Julie Benko with Tina Benko. Are they related?

[quote][R364], there's only one JTF stan on this thread, and that's you--there's no "thus requiring others of us" because YOU alone are "us." No matter--a silly gash like you and her obsessions with ugly ginger mediocre tv stars won't stop the rest of US.

The major difference between us, bucko, is that in discussing JTF, I've been focusing on his acting, while your ilk have acted like childish, silly, pathetic little homosexuals in focusing on his "ginger pubes."

How are sales going after the miserable funny girl reviews?

There's pointless bitchery, r373, and there's thread hijacking.

Didn't somebody say with Beanie this will be another Wicked. With mothers taking their daughters, teenage girls, bachelorette parties, matinee fraus, chardonnay wives, in other words nobody who wants to see Funny Girl.

And there's arguing back and forth, which falls under the categry of pointless bitchery, R385. I'm willing to give it a rest if you are.

Okay, my sincere apologies for getting sucked into the JTF nonsense. I'll try to remember in future that one post to counter childish bitchery should be sufficient, and multiple posts are not necessary or effective.

As noted above, I'm very curious to see if a cast album of the new FUNNY GIRL is produced. Believe it or not, I've heard there's some question as to whether there will be a MUSIC MAN cast album, because apparently financing is an issue with that, which surprises me.

[quote]It's a fuckng gossip thread on a gay site known for pointless bitchery.

Well, you've got the "pointless" part down pat.

Says you, R389. And thanks, R388, for that massive-aggressive response.

As for moving on, which I'm happy to do (I've posted other things on this thread, btw)...how about that asshole Sam Gold? Has anyone mentioned him yet?

*passive-aggressive

But I like my typo, so.

Nothing passive-aggressive about my response, sweetheart. Look up the definition of that term. I apologized for my multiple posts, not for challenging assholes. Now let's BOTH drop it, OKAY????

So this won't be ending anytime soon.

You'd think that the financing for a Music Man cast album with Hugh and Sutton would be a sure thing ...

So it's a qualified apology, which is the definition of passive-aggressive. I also do not apologize for challenging assholes. But happy to move on, R392.

No, r393, because both of them refuse to let the other have the last word.

R394-Why? Nobody gives a fuck.

Does anyone also feel that Lynn Nottage is the biggest sell-out on Broadway for writing the book to the Michael Jackson musical while agreeing to the terms of the pedo's estate not to refer in any way to his sex crimes? She should have to give back her (unearned) Pulitzers.

R393 you made me lol.

There are so many cast recordings of Music Man! I think what would be cool would be a live recording of a performance so u could get the audience reaction to everything as well.

JTF was on Jimmy Fallon last evening, with guest host Shawn Mendes.

Fallon and Mendes were feigning being aghast that JTF has never won a Tony and predicted he will for Take Me Out, even though neither has seen it yet.

JTF looked pasty, bloated and thoroughly unappealing. That paid husband is earning every cent.

Oh, but R401, JTF is an icon, don'tcha know? 😂🤣

Gawker has a 'blind' item which reveals Anna Wintour has banned JOH from the Met Gala for him smoking on the red carpet; and that JOH has since been getting his friends to try and get her to change his mind, even sending her a letter asking her to.

Begging to be allowed back into the Met Gala really does sum up his 'brand'.

And who is JOH?

Keep in mind that English producers tacked a happy ending productions of "Lear" through the 19th century. Not sure how much credence I want to give to Charles Lamb, who sounds only slightly less pretentious than our Lear troll.

John O'Hurley?

And who is that?

R403, According to today's NYP, the entire Kardashian clan has been invited.

R406, Jill O'Hara?

Jeremy o’Harris I would guess

I solemnly promise that I will move on as of now and let the pathological JTF hatred, as expressed for example in R401 and R402 above, continue without further challenge from me.

[quote]You'd think that the financing for a Music Man cast album with Hugh and Sutton would be a sure thing ...

Exactly. But I'm told that both of them are making exorbitant salary demands to do the recording, which is somewhat surprising, seeing as how BOTH of them received less than rave reviews -- through Hugh's were worse overall than Sutton's.

We will hold you to your promise, r411.

But R411 won't quit, will she?

R411, in case you missed it, JTF is a mediocre hack.

I think the JTF stand and the JTF hater are the same person, amusing himself by arguing with himself and hijacking the thread. Who does that sound like?

The Benko clips are minor league, at best. The keys are lowered, she has a thin airy lower register, and her voice is undistinguished until she gets in the upper register at which point it’s all a shoulder shrug. She also sounds like a sophomore or junior at some music theatre conservatory. Clearly, they didn’t want anyone who would really outshine Beans.

And frankly, that Idina clip up thread of Coronet Man shows she would have probably been terrible as well. She’s so uncomfortable in her body it’s hard to watch. I don’t believe for a second she would have been able to sell the physical comedy. She’s a park and bark singer. She wouldn’t suit the character at all. And probably Lea Michelle would have the exact same problem. She comes across as aggressive and charmless. That’s why she played Rachel, although Ryan Murphy managed to soften her and round off the sharp edges on Glee, something that wouldn’t be possible in a show where she essentially would have to completely rely on charm and never leave the stage.

I don’t see any of that happening R368. Beans is not going to split a show with a mediocre understudy. If she can’t do it, and the sales are low, they’ll close the show. There isn’t anyone currently findable that can do this show. They just need to let it go.

What's a JTF stand, R415?

Yes R398, I was shocked when I saw her involvement. It’s an association she’ll love to regret.

^ Live

Last night's Tonight Show was pretty enlightening. It made me not want to see Take Me Out and made me wonder why everyone on the planet buys Shawn's claim he's heterosexual. Honey, you came out on national television just with that top you were wearing.

Of course Nottage is shamelessly cleaning up. Money whore, and the most overrated playwright in a threeway competition with the tedious Annie Baker and the downright untalented Sarah Ruhl, with Ruhl winning that title.

Those are the most overrated female playwrights. The most overrated male playwrights are Will Eno and Adam Rapp.

I have hated many Adam Rapp plays, but that last one with Mary Louise Parker was a winner.

Adam Rapp is an execrable playwright and person, as is his attention-whore queeny brother.

I don't suppose the Broadway cast of COMPANY will be recorded?

I’m getting tickets today for one of the Benko dates in August. I really liked the tone of her voice in the clips that have come out today and I’ve always wanted to see a full production of “Funny Girl.” I don’t want to have to suffer through Beanie.

[quote]and made me wonder why everyone on the planet buys Shawn's claim he's heterosexual.

Hardly everyone on the planet. No one on DL buys it for a second.

I liked when they did Lear on “Slings & Arrows” (2006)

Re-Watch the insta post at r426 and looks at Jane Lynch. She looks so happy she could bust. It's sweet. Wonder what she's thinking...? 🤔

R425-Yes, as soon as Annaleigh Ashford takes over Bobbi.

[quote]Wonder what she's thinking...? 🤔

"I taught her everything she knows!"

I listened to both clips of Benko and I also find myself underwhelmed, although I do think that her voice worked better in "People" (which I almost sort of liked,) than it did in "Parade." She sounds, dare I say it?, CALLOW. She doesn't always sing smack dab right in the center of the pitch, so it can almost come across as sounding a bit flat. If she TRULY has the goods to really do this role, I don't think she brought it, based on these clips. It might not be fair to judge someone on two minutes of audio, but these two minutes are incredibly important to the role. She had the chance of a lifetime to truly go out an understudy and come back a STAR. And she blew it. Too bad, kid. I don't think this will help her career much at all.

Jane Lynch does look thrilled for the understudy at curtain call. That’s pretty cute. She was practically cheering for her.

Miss Fatty Feldstein ALREADY has her understudy going on for her?

Knowing that she was going to go on for Beanie in this planned absence, how much more rehearsal do we think Benko would have gotten (if any) than if Beanie was not taking time off? I'm wondering if we're listening to someone who wasn't quite rehearsed to the point where she felt comfortable yet. I mean, yes, Benko is miles above Beanie, whether she's been rehearsed or she's doing a cold performance. I'm simply wondering if she could possibly have room to grow or if this is it. Because while she is markedly better than Beanie, she ain't great.

I believe Benko knew for at least a month or two (or more) that she would be going on for Beanie this weekend. Apparently it was part of Beanie's contract from the beginning that she would have these dates off. (Isn't she going to some wedding in the Hamptons this weekend?) If production didn't give her enough rehearsal, Benko should have been working with an acting coach and a vocal coach on her own to make certain she was absolutely, completely rehearsed and prepared. If she wasn't, that is entirely on her. I was rooting for her to have a real "Star is Born" moment, but it just didn't happen.

[quote] Clearly, they didn’t want anyone who would really outshine Beans.

And yet, she does. Dramatically so. Her soaring voice just underscores the “amateur hour” nature of “the Beans” and her awkward, clumsy performance./

Honestly, Benko having a "Shirley Maclaine" moment would have been the only thing to save this production, which now has so much stink on it, it will never survive.

Good to see Beano’s PR team is hard at work, even if she isn’t.

If this is Beanie's PR team at work, then she should fire them pronto. Everyone so far has commented that, while not a star is born, Benko is in every way, shape and form, miles above the Beanster.

FUNNY GIRL will close, then Beanie will go on to replace Katrina L in COMPANY.

It was Benko’s first time in front of an audience. Maybe she never rehearsed with a full orchestra. Maybe she’s holding back a bit because she’s nervous. It’s hard to judge someone based on their first performance.

Sounds like every night at Funny Girl is amateur night, no matter who's on the boards.

R311, Would love to hear more about that production of Betrayal. Craig doesn't seem to have much luck on the stage, involved in one mediocre production after another.

I want someone to ask Lupone what she thinks about a leading lady taking the first weekend after opening night off so she can go to a wedding.

[quote]If production didn't give her enough rehearsal, Benko should have been working with an acting coach and a vocal coach on her own to make certain she was absolutely, completely rehearsed and prepared.

The idea that working with coaches can have you as fully prepared as a proper full rehearsal is idiotic.

I’ve come to realize that “clearly” is one of the most obnoxious words on DL. There are nine so far on this thread alone. It means, variously, “I am smarter than the rest of you,“ “it is clear to me but not to the rest of you morons,” and “smell [italic] me [/italic] .”

lollll Beanie is at a wedding in the hamptons?? good lord.

Any cast album is a money loser these days. Considering we all stream at this point and no one gives a shit about Bway cast albums, they’ll make back about $30

There are exceptions (Hamilton, Wicked), but cast recordings are just marketing devices now.

R416 And, after all, "Coronet Man" is OWNED by Rosemary Clooney!

Whose wedding is it? A cousin? Or is she going for the cake?

Will someone kindly tell me what musical Coronet Man is from?

Duh, it's from Georgia Pacific.

Well R446, as someone who has understudied on Broadway, a vocal rehearsal with the pianist is just about going through the music to make sure that you know the notes. The pianist is not going to tell you where to breathe, how to best phrase a vocal line, where you can hold back in reserve and where to go full throttle, how to modify a vocal sound on a note, etc. They also will not obviously not do what a voice teacher will do, either. The stage manager basically gives you your blocking and that's about it. Filling in the blanks, vocally and dramatically, is kind of up to you. That is why I said that Benko should have been working as much as she could on her own. Understudies don't get much rehearsal, if any, until after a show has opened due to the time needed for production. Equity will only allow a certain number of hours a day for rehearsal. To a point you are on your own and must rehearse yourself when you are not given the time or attention that the lead does.

And yes, I do think she was way better than Beanie. She just sounded a bit "uncaffeinated."

[quote]Harris said whenever she would greet Frey she would have her opens and call out 'Leonard!' She noticed he would back away. Somebody said to her, 'He's gay.' She was like oh.

There are plenty of gays here terrified of just a hello from a female.

R455 And yet none of that changes the fact that she can't be "completely rehearsed" (your words) unless she gets a full proper rehearsal. And given how soon she was going on after opening, the creative team should've made sure that happened.

R348 - from the old OFFICIAL** SUMMER STOCK THEATER MEMORIES /GOSSIP/DISH THREAD!!!

I love Anita Gillette as well, so when I share this story with you, understand that it comes from someone who respects her talent and her longevity.

Anita was appearing with Judd Hirsch in Neil Simon's CHAPTER TWO at the Imperial Theater on Broadway. She and Judd were both terrific in the show (as was Ann Wedgeworth, remember her?) At the time, I was dating a cute guy named Ned who was the concessions manager at the theater. On matinee days, I would often slip away from my theater and go over to visit him. We would sit at the back of the balcony and chat and... whatever.

One afternoon, we caught Anita and Judd cutting across the stage to go out for food, and so we eavesdropped on their conversation. Anita was telling Judd that she loved working at the Imperial, because it was where "she got her start". She said that one of her most enjoyable jobs was playing Sally Bowles in CABARET. She had been the understudy, and during the run, took over the lead part from Jill Haworth. Judd stood there as Anita launched into the rest of her tale.

"Every night, I lived for the wonderful moment when I would get to sing THAT song, the one that everyone knew, the one that everyone was waiting for. The production was fabulous, the cast was great, the audience was in the palm of my hand. The moment was mine, and I LOVED it! I would slither down to the front of the stage, bask in the spotlight for a moment, wait for the arpeggio to finish, raise my arms up, turn my face to towards the heavens, pause again, and then SING!" Acting out each step in detail, Anita glided to the front of the Imperial stage, took a deep breathe, looked up towards us, and then opened her mouth.

Now Ned and I were enraptured with this whole event. We had slid down in our seats so as not to be discovered, and knowing that Anita and Judd were "involved" at the time simply added to the magic of the moment. So when it became clear that Anita was actually going to sing, we were over the top with anticipation. And sing out she did - like Louise.

What good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play.

Life is a Cabaret, old chum,

Come to the Cabaret.

I wish this story had a happier ending, dear reader, but sadly (like some dates) the setup was better than the delivery. As soon as Anita launched into the 11 o'clock Cabaret number, it became painfully clear that it had been a looooooong time since Anita had sung on a stage (or anywhere else, apparently). To say that she was ‘unsure’ would be kind. If you've ever seen those horrendous singers on AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, when a well-meaning vocalist launches into a rendition reminiscent of fingernails on a blackboard, then you know what I mean. She was simply awful.

Judd let her go on for a few moments, and then diplomatically interrupted and said "Anita, if we don't get out now, we won't be back in time for half hour". Anita finished her verse, took a small bow to the phantom audience, and exited stage left. She was ecstatic in the reliving one of her favorite magical, musical moments.

And once again, a theater fantasy of mine had been shattered.

Billy Boy

[quote]The Benko clips are minor league, at best.

Well maybe minor major league. Certainly wasn't impressed but I will hold final judgement when I hear her legitimately recorded and not from a bootleg cell phone. And when was it, "Star Search" or "American Idol" where audiences started to burst out in cheers and applause because the singer hit a note? Growing up on Broadway no matter how cool it was we waited for the song to end because we actually wanted TO HEAR EVERY NOTE.

Yes the trend of clapping and cheering mid-song is beyond obnoxious. Do performers even like when that happens?

One also has to remember that Benko cannot veer off too much from the star's performance - she basically has to do Beanie's show, not her own, though she can embellish a bit as long as it's not wildly different. I had two separate friends there last night, who were kvelling about not only how wonderful she was, but also her chhemistry with Ramin's understudy, who she obviously reherased with.

There is clapping, cheering and hooting throughout Moulin Rouge.

It's probably gotten to the point where if they don't clap and cheer mid song you feel like you're bombing. Like if a show doesn't get a standing ovation the cast is probably think we must really be terrible.

Has there ever been a show on Broadway where both the leading lady and the leading man were out just one week after opening?

Well, we can't blame Ramin for his absence.

Understudies rehearse together, which makes sense that she had good chemistry with him. And someone on the Beanie thread mentioned that Benko and other understudies did a full runthrough for the higher ups at R503, so it sounds like she got more rehearsal than most under studies usually do.

NY1 is saying no more proof of vaccination at Broadway theaters… are masks next?

Sorry for the stinky linky. Look for the "Critics agree, it's Beanie Flopstein in Funny Girl" to read about Venue's runthrough.

r425, no word yet on a Company recording. They keep releasing one minute clips, all of which are well-done, so I hope there's at least a pro-shot. But yeah, they should just record the thing. Even with Lenk being iffy, this cast sounds better than the London one.

we don't need a pro-shot version when we have the OTHER Patti one.

Some of us would rather endure Lenk than watch NPH.

r467, they extended the mask mandate through 5/31, but yeah, I'm not sure it will last much longer. I read on another board the Shubert theaters will still have monitors making sure people have their masks on, the Nederlander theaters won't, and the Jujamcyn theaters might. (Moulin Rouge is the exception to the vaccine mandate. Regular audience members don't have to show proof of vaccination; people in the Can Can seating still do because of how close they are to the performers.)

Speaking of Jujamcyn theatres...

What the hell is that, R473???

I think it's called...a look, r474.

^ I didn't say it was a *good* look.

I mean, i suppose it's a step...up? from his usual i wish i were a woman frocks, but Kee-RIST!

Roth looks like a cross between a community theater Leigh Bowery and Seymour Spider from HR Pufnstuf.

That reminds me. I was looking at photos from the red carpet of A Strange Loop's opening, where JR was rocking his usual...interesting look.

But the most interesting one to me was the smoking hot Jeremy Pope, who was wearing these interesting pube-baring pants. Is this a look now? (Not that I'm complaining in this instance.)

Meanwhile James Franco popped up at the Macbeth opening. Does that mean he's back?

What the fuck is resident Broadway loon Tonya Pinkins wearing?

I want a tight face reaction shot to Tonya Pinkins when Sharon Clarke wins the Lead Tony for Caroline

All this talk about "Julie Benko should have worked with a vocal coach and an acting coach..."

How do you know she didn't? Suppose she did and this was still the best she did.

Considering her vocal coach tweeted about her debut and she retweeted...

God, I bet Jeremy Pope has a great bush ...

R480 I don't see any pubes - what am I missing?

Here's a bigger version. Look in the gap in his waistband.

More Lear from “Slings & Arrows”

I have to rewatch all three seasons now : )

Ah thanks 488 I see it now.....

So does Noah Reid wear clothes that show off that hefty ass and package in THE MINUTES?

No, and he looks dumpy.

R480, How are they pube baring?

R490, All I see is his navel.

r494, I circled them just for you. If you still can't see the dark curly hairs in the gap in his pants...I'm not sure what to tell you.

Judging from some of those Strange Loop premier pix, it must be nice to live in a bubble that celebrates your mental illness.

R496 Tommy Dorfman looked like a man in bad drag.

Those arguments about Benko’s rehearsal time need to take into account that FG is a vanity project for the Beanster. There is probably no one in charge at the production who cares if the understudy is prepared or not. After committing the crime of foisting BF on the audience, they aren’t going to lose much sleep over an under rehearsed Benko.

Beanie taking off the weekend after thd opening — that is one of the most amateur things I’ve heard of. You’re the leading lady, you DO NOT DO THAT.

She should be replaced. She’s seriously lacking the professionalism needed.

[quote]What the fuck is resident Broadway loon Tonya Pinkins wearing?

I think it's called a gunny sack. In this case, a stenciled gunny sack.

I don't think anyone's mentioned the Almost Famous musical was announced for later this year yesterday. Anyone see it in San Diego a few years ago? There are actors I'd be interested in seeing (Sam Gravitte!) if they continue with it (Wicked announced SG and several others are leaving May 22, so this would be perfect timing for that).

A British Queen....

Since everyone knew Beansie would be jumping ship for the week of course the understudy would be prepared.

I'll ask again. Where is the source that this scheduled time off is to attend a wedding...and whose?

How is it any of your business why some stranger took off from work? How about we call your boss and ask where you were your last day off?

I'm sleeping with my boss, r505. He'll know exactly where I was...and what position I was in.

In theory, this is a gossip thread. Shouldn't it mostly be about things that are none of our business?

The thing is, If she had a commitment prior to opening and a week after opening, why didnt the producers just push back the opening by a week ? Thats the part I dont understand. Its not like its a month or longer. I know theyre committed to the theater, but from a quality and continuity standpoint it would make more sense to postpone a week. It makes the production come off as second rate in my opinion.

^ It’s a vanity production and the usual ‘rules’ don’t apply.

Re: Company. Looks like I wasn't the only one wondering. (I'd almost wonder if he was reading the site, but this Instagram story was posted before I made my comment here.)

That's why I've asked in both threads, r508. It keeps getting stated that this was "scheduled before rehearsals began" and it's "for a wedding". Where was this actually reported? Link?

r508, they couldn't push back the opening a week. The Tony deadline for openings was April 28, with nominations set to be announced May 3. They only just moved it last week due to all the Covid absences, so the deadline is now May 4, but they certainly didn't know it at the time. They were operating under the assumption the show had to open by Thursday.

(It's also why there were six openings this week, and POTUS had theirs at the Wednesday matinee because there were no open evenings.)

[quote] I don't think anyone's mentioned the Almost Famous musical was announced for later this year yesterday. Anyone see it in San Diego a few years ago? There are actors I'd be interested in seeing (Sam Gravitte!) if they continue with it (Wicked announced SG and several others are leaving May 22, so this would be perfect timing for that).

I saw it. It was fucking horrible. (And I am a huge fan of the film.) They basically just made it a Disney ride version of the movie in musical form. It's the Hall of Presidents doing Almost Famous except there's a new score (mixed in with 1970s rock songs). The original songs are mostly forgettable, a la Tootsie, save for one song which is really lovely. The original songs clash hard against the 70s rock songs. If you've seen the film and loved it, then there is no reason to spend $150 to see this, and if you've seen the film and didn't like it, then you're not going to have a different experience here.

Besides the aforementioned ONE good original song, the only moment the show comes alive is at the curtain call. They stage it where they have the cast come on to take their bows singing the song "Fever Dog," which was a song written for the band in the film Stillwater and also used in the show. Each cast member comes out and gets their turn at a few lines from the song. They all sound amazing, they're goofy and 70s and genuine and there is more heart and fun and life in that then the whole cynical endeavor that came before.

The cast is mixed. The kid who played William (the lead), Casey Likes, was exceptional, and Colin Donnell was good. None of the women were very good. The girl who plays Penny Lane has zero charisma and a very average voice. You don't understand why William is so taken with her. Even Anika Larsen, who plays William's mother, was meh, but they gave her nothing to do, and her one number is terrible. I know Drew Gehling was in it, but I remember nothing about his performance.

Sam Gravitte is ensemble with a couple of small featured roles. He does have one ensemble bit where his shirt is off and he has a ridiculously good body. I would not mind seeing them dump everyone except for the lead (even Donnell) and start over, but it wouldn't get me to see it again, so I don't care. Avoid at all costs unless you can get a super cheap ticket to see Casey Likes before he becomes a star, because he should.

Though I didn't see it in SD I have heard similar things about ALMOST FAMOUS. Just a lot of meh. I can't fathom producers who think this is a worthwhile or financially promising project to bring to Broadway.

I had dinner tonight with a friend who loves going to theater and sees most everything, always very positive and usually optimistic about NY theater. When I asked what I might see this spring, he couldn't name one show to recommend.

Ouch! Thanks for the detailed info, r514. I'll probably still see it, but will stick to lottery/rush/TKTS.

From what I can tell, most of the cast is returning except for Donnell. It looks like he's been replaced by Chris Wood, who I know mostly as Melissa Benoist's husband (the current one, not the old one who abused her) and Supergirl co-star. Apparently his Broadway debut.

Well, maybe she did, R484. But I have heard her sing better, which lead me to wonder. And saying that she's at least way better than Beanie is still very faint praise indeed.

[quote]And yet none of that changes the fact that she can't be "completely rehearsed" (your words) unless she gets a full proper rehearsal. And given how soon she was going on after opening, the creative team should've made sure that happened.

Seeing how the creative team knew well in advance that Beanie would be missing three performances ONE WEEK AFTER THE OPENING, it would be unconscionable if they didn't give Benko one full run-through rehearsal.

Yeah, I compared seeing Almost Famous to seeing the revisal of On a Clear Day (which, though I thought did not work at all, was an intriguing experiment and a risk- something Broadway rarely does anymore) in that through all the dross, I got to watch the debut of someone who I knew I would want to see in anything else they do. I remember the first time Jessie Mueller sang, I knew she would be a star and that I would go see everything she did (and I *almost* have, since I don't live in NYC). That's how I felt about Casey Likes. Now, I would have sat through On a Clear Day again to see Jessie a 2nd time. I would not do the same for Casey/AF.

r511, here's one story that says Beanie's out because of a wedding. I don't know how reputable the source is (I think this is the guy who used to write for Fox?)

R481, I hope not. He's one of the few I'm glad to see get cancelled.

Outrageous unprofessionalism along with bad reviews means Beanie won't be long for Broadway. Maybe her equally fat brother can make his Broadway debut in "A Thousand Clowns"?

My, what an attractive photo of Beanie at R520.

It looks like she's starring in "The Kate Smith Story" rather than a show based on the life of Fanny Brice.

Have any of the Benko critics actually seen the show or is everyone basing on the cellphone clips? Everyone on BWW and Twitter who were there were RAVING about Benko.

Well, Ben and Noah were at a wedding this weekend (Ben's IG stories) in Montecito, and the bride is one of Beanie's friends, so seems very likely the wedding story is true.

If she had it written into her contract that she needed to take the weekend off the WEEK after the show officially opened to attend a friend's fucking wedding, then it's just more proof this is a fucking ridiculous vanity production. If not some sort of actual scam ala The Producers.

I mean...that's fucking ridiculous.

[r520] that is the best photo to sum up Funny Girl in 2022.

Her face says it all.

The comments of YouTube and TikTok clips seem positive about Beanie so maybe she will survive this afterall…

BEANIE MANIA!

R520, did you see this from the article you posted?

This is the worst timing for COVID troubles. Tony voters are making their way through all the Broadway shows so they can cast ballots starting next week. But between the casts getting sick, and the voters also susceptible, the Tony deadline had to be extended til May 9th.

Feldstein and Karimloo needn’t worry, though. They should be cinches for Best Actress and Actor in Musical unless something really goes sideways. They’re knockouts in their roles, the first actors to take them on since the show finished its four year run on Broadway in 1968.

Nobody in the history of the theater has ever taken off the weekend after the opening. So why shouldn't we speculate on what asshole reason she has for this?

I’m not a fan of the star or this casting, but if this wedding has been on the books for a year, and with all the shifting schedules that every show faced, this weekend may have always been an immovable object on the calendar so It’s not like she’s quotation mark taking off a week after opening.” Who knows when they were even originally hoping to open? However in the old days of “the show must go on” a star probably would have said to wedding, Sorry. I got a show to do.”

Beanie will be nominate after the committee declares that, because of the pandemic and unforeseen absences, the acting categories will be expanded to ten nominees.

[quote] However in the old days of “the show must go on” a star probably would have said to wedding, Sorry. I got a show to do.”

Welcome to the new world of Millennial/Gen Z.

R525 it is true. Check the bride's stories. At least she's masked.

Here she is. Thank god she could make it!

So Beanie gets trashed for giving an inadequate performance unsuitable for broadway then gets trashed for taking three days off even though it was planned way in advance. Under the circumstances shouldn’t we be grateful she’s gone? For a few days anyway.

r530, yes. I think he's overestimating her chances after those reviews (and Karimloo's--it seems like there's a solid five ahead of him in Lead Actor) but we'll see if the Tony voters feel otherwise.

And the deadline was only moved on April 22, two days before FG's scheduled opening. If it had been moved earlier, maybe they could have shifted the opening to this Tuesday or Wednesday, right after the wedding.

Show the leading man you’ve been kissing just tested positive and still you go to the wedding. I see it’s outside, but still. All weird. Although with this absence scheduled for so long, it also would’ve been crappy to suddenly take the weekend away from the understudy but the surprise appearance could have been some good publicity

So not show

I was sent a copy of Benko's entire performance (audio only) and I was able to have a more critical listen and to hear the entire performance. She's fine, she's good, but she's not the second coming of Streisand and there are vocal issues. Notes not supported, a breathy lower register, notes tilting to being slightly flat because they're not right in the center of the pitch, her high belt notes not "popping," etc. She doesn't sound as steady as she has in the past, which is not a good sign. She also sounds a bit underpowered overall. If people are raving about Benko, it might be that they are grading her on the Beanie curve. But remember, people screamed and yelled for Beanie as well. I was rooting for Benko ("We were ALL rooting for you!") but I just don't think it was the be all and end all.

r534 Which of the producers, who would've approved such a request, are Gen Z/Millennials?

The producers were probably glad to send Benko on so people would make comparisons between her and Beano instead of Beano and Streisand.

The answer to the mystery is so simple. The lead producers (though anonymous) are her father and brother.

I will never stop laughing if Beanie doesn’t get COVID from Ramin only to test positive after this stupid fucking wedding, only to miss an additional ten days.

Where the fuck if Michael Reidel when you need him?

If Beanie is out for 10 days wouldn't they just take that exit ramp and close the show "due to COVID"?

[quote]Where the fuck if Michael Reidel when you need him?

Oh, probably just where you would expect.

If the Funny Girl producer were not so blinded by this strange obsession with an "amateur night" star, she could have refused to allow Feldstein to take off after the opening for any reason. I doubt very much that Feldstein would have given up the role of Fanny for a wedding.

Or for anything else--your favorite uncle died at dawn, your ma and pa have parted, etc. There used to be a genuine belief among actors that those eight performances a week were the most important thing in your life. Your friend can get married without you.

This only adds more evidence that Feldstein is a spoiled brat whose poor attitude matches her utter lack of talent. She got away with it in movies and Hello, Dolly! was no challenge. And the critics were terrified of exposing how unable she is out of fear of the cancel mobs. She's fat and clunky, so to criticize is "literal violence." And they know their publishers would cave instantly and they'd be jobless, maybe forever.

I think R544 is right. That explains everything in this most unBroadway of sagas, this Emperor's new clothes of a production.

Do you know how many weddings I've missed in my lifetime? It's such a Jew thing to miss 3 days of Broadway shows to go to SOMEBODY ELSE'S WEDDING.

Esp. after all the, "I've wanted to do this since I was 5 years old!" What a spoiled, entitled brat.

r545, I do seriously wonder if a real old-fashioned gossip columnist could be embraced on Broadway in these woke and PC days. Would it all just be considered as bullying?

[quote] The lead producers (though anonymous) are her father and brother.

Do we have any evidence of this?

Scene: Wings, August Wilson Theatre Time: Tuesday, May 3, 2022. 7:15PM.

"Ewwwww, what's that sound???" "Beanie's back."

1. Its a fucking WEDDING. She is the LEAD in a newly opened Broadway show. She is a typical entitled child. She is going to do what she wants regardless of protocal or what anyone says. I dont care if she scheduled it 3 years ago...ITS A WEDDING. Unless she is the bride, it is not a priority for a professional. And if she were the bride opening a Broadway show, you do it on the sly between shows OR YOU RESCHEDULE IT. Talk about immature.

^^^I guess thats what you get when youve never had to work for a living and everything is handed to you...including your professional opportunities...she has no concern for other peoples money and commitments or the value of a dollar and hard work.

Funny Girl is produced by Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis and David Babani.

Beanie Feldstein will roast in Hell for the stunt she pulled this weekend.

r551, no, it's simply endlessly repeated in multiple threads as the only possible explanation for her casting. To those people, the fact that she was cast is the evidence that her family is paying.

[quote]Judging from some of those Strange Loop premier pix, it must be nice to live in a bubble that celebrates your mental illness. —Anonymous

There seems to be nothing but contempt here for A Strange Loop, it's author MR Jackson, and its star. Much of it undoubtedly from the hordes of DL klan grannies, taking a break from venting their bile on MM, but others, who though they've not seen the shown, tar it with the "woke" brush.

In a article in the NYT Mag about Jackson, his view of what plays should be is actually "anti-wokeism" and reflect a lot of the criticism heard here about "re-writing history" to fit current thinking into works of a different period.

(Jackson) “There’s so much presentism in so many works, particularly the ones that are dealing with historical issues. I’m kind of like, Why is there this weird rewriting of history so that it can flatter you and validate you? Why can’t we just tell stories about these people as they were and whatever their positions and attitudes were? I think that that’s actually a lot more powerful, because then you can understand how other people lived and thought and dreamed and made mistakes or whatever. I keep seeing all of this stuff that’s like, This is just like right now, and I’m like, No it isn’t!"

Friedman, Landis and Babani are the lead producers but the Feldstein family pays the bills, r555. Wake up!

[quote] Feldstein and Karimloo needn’t worry, though. They should be cinches for Best Actress and Actor in Musical unless something really goes sideways.

The Tony nominators are still seeing shows up through this coming Wednesday. Since Funny Girl just opened a week ago, I would bet that several of them have not yet seen Karimloo. With him out for 10 days, I think it's unlikely he can get a nomination.

He should livestream some shirtless workouts stat

Please remember - the Tony Nominators are a select group of only about 40 people, many of whom are either retired theater professionals or people in the arts only adjacent to theater. These are not the Tony voters seeing the shows right now.

I'm not sure what my point here is, lol.

Considering the reviews, I doubt very much the slacker fat pig in the lead will get a Tony nomination, considering she's competing with actual professionals.

Alice Ripley groomed me and no one cares

[quote]“There’s so much presentism in so many works, particularly the ones that are dealing with historical issues. I’m kind of like, Why is there this weird rewriting of history so that it can flatter you and validate you? Why can’t we just tell stories about these people as they were and whatever their positions and attitudes were? I think that that’s actually a lot more powerful, because then you can understand how other people lived and thought and dreamed and made mistakes or whatever. I keep seeing all of this stuff that’s like, This is just like right now, and I’m like, No it isn’t!"

I agree with this 100 percent. But the answer to his questions -- which I'm sure he knows, and they're just rhetorical questions -- is that a lot of people have no problem whatsoever in rewriting history to reflect current "woke" attitudes. Which I think is a TERRIBLE mistake, but sadly, that opinion does not hold sway, nor does it even seem to be tolerated.

[quote]Friedman, Landis and Babani are the lead producers

The last named of those three is one of the biggest turds in London and New York theater, so I very much doubt he objected to the star of FUNNY GIRL having three scheduled absences a week after the opening.

By the way, do we know why Ramin is out of FG for 10 days? I thought the currently recommended quarantine period was five days, but maybe I'm wrong about that? Maybe the answer is that it's all rather arbitrary, so different people listen to different recommendations.

R394 Do people really want to hear Hugh vocals without seeing him? Even many of his fans don't think he sings that well.

[quote]Do people really want to hear Hugh vocals without seeing him? Even many of his fans don't think he sings that well.

That did occur to me, but the cast album would still be an easily obtainable memento of the show.

r567, the current rules are that you have to quarantine for five days, and then wear a mask for an additional five days. Given that most Broadway performers can't go on wearing a mask, folks have been staying out for 10 days.

(2) If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result, regardless of your vaccination status, follow these steps:

Isolate for at least 5 complete days, with Day 0 being the date your symptoms started or you were tested for COVID-19. Follow these important steps to keep yourself and those around you safe:

...

Day 1 of isolation begins the day after you became symptomatic OR the day after your specimen was collected, if you do/did not have symptoms. Isolation ends after 5 full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation​).

...

After leaving your isolation, you must continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days. Wearing a well-fitting mask following isolation will decrease the small risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to others. Respirators (e.g., N95 masks) are a useful option for personal protective equipment to protect people from exposures in specific settings.

R559 absolutely correct! Those London folk would never have gotten this turd FG off the ground with the La Beanie Familia investor dump. Mommy F DEMANDED her baby get her dream made real. And there is no way this producing team will let any understudy or swing steal our big gal’s luster. When she becomes bored of it all, it will close. There’s a juicy story behind this, but no theater gossip reporters exist anymore, and sad radio drip Riedel wouldn’t dare…

^ *without darn it…

r572, are you enjoying your fantasy? You have no idea what the Beanie Mama demanded, if anything, or what juicy story may exist behind this. I don't like these people either, but really.

[r553] I’m glad to see Elaine Stritch has entered the chat

Thanks for the Noah Reid wardrobe report R492 - disappointing as the information was.

Hee.

While Elaine was a narcissistic, drunken mess, she wasn't WRONG about that, R575.

Ya want three days off? No way....ya just started.

Second r492 that Reid did look short and dumpy. Kept picturing pre-meltdown Armie H. in the role throughout the play. He would have been very easy on the eyes.

Who the fuck takes three days off for a wedding? One day off, maybe, if it’s someone in your immediate family. I thought her lifelong dream was to be on Broadway.

Mr. Saturday Night is recording its cast album tomorrow.

Yea, it was my dream.....but I mean like...not EVERY DAY!

I've been imagining Beanie as a child, growing up in Beverly Hills....

Did she, in fact, want "a bean feast"?

It's like the origin story in a comic universe movie.

Who am I kidding?

Beanie was never that slim.

Or tuneful...

New thread a-comin’ soon. Any suggestions for a title?

Something about JTF?

"A Strange Loop Interlude: Anit-Wokeism"

I started one. If everyone hates it, feel free to start another and consign mine to the scrap heap (especially if everyone prefers "anit"-wokeism.)

Both titles are awful, but since you got their first, we'll struggle on with yours.

What is a "bean feast," anyway? She's serving chili?

r590:

...And bean feast definitely should have been in the next title. My bad.

When did I eat beans?

[quote]The comments of YouTube and TikTok clips seem positive about Beanie so maybe she will survive this afterall…

TikTok comments? Well, that settles that, then.

and....

[quote]Something about JTF?

Could we just not?

this....

is...

the

end

BAJOUR

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an ugly hack.

He really is.

CARRIE!