THEATRE GOSSIP #467: Bean Feast or Famine? The 2022 Tony Nominations Edition

Previous thread:

Beans beans and nothing but beans!

Saw "A Case For The Existence Of God" at Signature last night. I know they were college roommates, but are Kyle Beltran and Will Brill married to each other? They have a synergy that certainly suggests it.

r3, I think Kyle Beltran is dating/partnered/boyfriends with Adam Chanler-Berat.

Birthday Candles will be completely ignored by the Tonys, and deservedly so. I've seen bad productions at Roundabout, but this one takes the fucking cake. Which collapsed in the pan the night I saw the "play". And Debra is lousy in the play.

I’m patiently waiting for Emily Blunt to play grownup Veruca in a Willie Wonka spin-off franchise film.

I just finished Ozark last night. Katrina Lenk looks absolutely gorgeous in her final scene.

[quote]"In the musical’s last moments, Into the Woods gets lost. In an effort to amplify community engagement, deBossonet deploys amateur talent into the aisles for the show’s final reprise. The Public Theater has been far more successful in such integrations with its Public Works program. Here, it feels like an afterthought to fulfill a grant requirement."

Also, this idea was shamelessly stolen from that Sondheim tribute at the New York Philharmonic some years ago, when they brought hundreds of singers into the aisles at the end to sing "Sunday." But, of course, those were not amateurs, so I'm sure that made a big difference.

Timothee was scheduled to make his West End debut in something called 4000 Miles at The Old Vic. The producers just announced its cancellation, blaming it on a two year Covid delay.

"Something called 4000 Miles."

A Pulitzer Prize finalist that won a number of awards and has been seen a large number of LORT theaters. Is that the "something" you are referring to?

r7

I will not forgive her for her final scene

been a bit of a funny girl rabbit hole on YT.. I am curious why Barbra never went back to Broadway. I know other things were much more lucrative but has she ever said why she never returned? Also she was SUPER pissed that she lost the tony to Carol(when did I eat corn?) CHanning?

Only a finalist, r10?

I don't think Streisand wanted to do eight shows a week.

Barbara hated the long runs. She famously started marking her performance in FG rather than playing all out.

You will notice that she never toured on the level that other musical acts did--presumably for the same reason.

Babs Streisand may have been furious about losing to Channing, but she was an idiot not to realize it would happen. Hello Dolly was a smash hit, with raves across the board. Funny Girl got very mixed reviews except for Streisand’s kudos. Hello Dolly was clearly going to sweep and carry beloved old-timer Carol Channing with it.

[quote]Barbra hated the long runs. She famously started marking her performance in FG rather than playing all out.

She would also cut numbers, and sections of numbers, at certain performances as the run continued, due to her boredom in doing the same show over and over again. And as shitty as that attitude is, I guess she at least deserves credit for her honesty in coming right out and admitting it.

[quote]WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND!

I certainly don’t want to whistle down Beanie’s wind.

"I always wondered, just what is the color of my wind?"

Or downwind of Beanie.

[Quote] Hello Dolly was clearly going to sweep and carry beloved old-timer Carol Channing with it.

She was 43, r16.

It's kinda funny to think that Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was roughly 15 years before Hello, Dolly! By that logic, if Lea Michelle had starred in Funny Girl, she might actually have scored the Tony this time around.

She very well might have since the field is so weak this year.

Barbra got bored with 8x a week, wanted to be a movie star and later on started to get stage fright in performing in front of people. She also realized later on it was a smart move to make her appearances special events.

What other roles might Barbra have done had she come back to Broadway? At least among those that were produced I don't see that many that might have been great casting for her. Barbara Cook stopped getting cast and got heavy after her sort of show petered out after "The Grass Harp".

Rachael Lily Rosenbloom, of course.

Lily Garland?

The Unsinkable Molly Brown was in serious trouble out of town and Tammy Grimes was nearly replaced by Barbara Cook. Just think what a megahit it would have been if Barbra had been around then!

I was going to say Streisand for Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me, but SLM predates Funny Girl, if only by a little.

She ended up doing the movie, but On a Clear Day You Can See Forever?

R17 Fun fact: the real musical hit that season was Fade In/Fade Out. It & Carol Burnett were the favs for awards & out grossed both Dolly & Babs. Until it didn’t (Carol faked a bad back causing the show to be suspended. Then Carol was caught in the lie & finally had to return to it Carol even offered to buy out her contract but Betty Comden refused. Carol returned but the show lost it’s following & became a footnote. Anyway. Just learned about that. The other thing is Babs was given a star of the decade kind of tony - some such bullshit . I’ve been reading about musicals as of late- it brought up the Carol - Babs- Carol thing.

I would say the most advantageous time for Streisand to come back to Broadway would have been in the 1984-1988 period. She only did one movie during that time, her recordings were on the wane (until The Broadway Album, of all things, catapulted her back to the top of the charts- and which would have been a great tie in for her return to the stage). But even in that period, I'm not sure what she could have done. She was a little old for Song & Dance, she would have been amazing as the Witch in Into the Woods, but would never have taken an ensemble role, maaaaaaaybe the revival of Sweet Charity, but I highly doubt it. Or possibly the Stratas role in Rags, which was so beneath her, quality wise.

I would more see her doing a straight play, something like The Real Thing or Joe Egg. But once she went into prepping for The Prince of Tides, I think any possibility of Broadway after that was over forever.

Barbra Streisand IS Effie White!

Barbra as Sarah in Ragtime!

I'm trying to imagine Barbra as Sally Bowles. Surely she could've sang the fuck out of the title song. I also think about her as Dot in "Sunday" just so we could hear her side of the duet "Move On." (We heard her version of "Putting It Together" on "The Broadway Album.")

i would have been curious to see her do the daughter role in Night, Mother. that role has to have a strength to it, but i wonder if she would have been able to allow herself to also fade into the wallpaper. she may be too naturally dynamic.

R23, Barbra could never have pulled off Sweet Charity. She's not a dancer.

Babs as Mary Tyrone was a missed opportunity. She could have done it with Dennehy.

There was a rumor Babs would play Gertrude when Rafe Fiennes brought Hamlet to Broadway. Why they went with that Francesca Annis bitch is a mystery for the ages.

She is a little old, but if she had come in to replace Mare in Girl from the North Country, that show would have run forever.

Barbra would have been great as the Witch in Into the Woods - it even has the requisite makeover sequence for her.

A young Barbra would have also made a terrific April in Company and if they had done a revival of Wonderful Town in the 1970’s a terrific Ruth.

Uh oh, why do I sense a hall monitor showing up soon to shush all this Babs casting talk?

It's Make Believe ballroom casting talk. Someone would have told her Sally Bowles she looked too Jewish and might want to get the hell out of Berlin.

Considering Barbra's dislike for the eight-shows-a-week grind, I'm wondering if the most preferable option would have been doing Funny Girl for Encores! around 1999 or 2004, one of the anniversaries. Or Encores! in general.

My guess, no Tony nom for the Beanie.

And, not because she was miscast in a role she's not good enough to play.

The fact she took off the weekend after the show opened to attend a friend's fucking wedding is not going to set well with your average old Tony voter.

If she DOES get a Tony nom, then it was purchased for her.

Barbra was actually attached to the film version of Cabaret for awhile, back when the director was going to be someone else, Herbert Ross maybe? I can't remember. The film went through minor development Hell. Eventually, whoever it was dropped out and when Fosse came in, he dropped Barbra and brought in Liza.

It was a long story and Barbra's version has always been that she turned the part down.

What's with Barbra playing shkisas back then? She wanted to play Liesel in "Sound of Music" and then Sally Bowles?

shiksas, sorry

[Quote] If she DOES get a Tony nom, then it was purchased for her.

How, exactly?

Beanie will get a Tony nom or there’ll be hell to pay in the Feldstein family.

[QUOTE] Beanie will get a Tony nom or there’ll be hell to pay in the Feldstein family.

There are simply other, BETTER options this year. Sorry, Jonah.

[quote]there’ll be hell to pay in the Feldstein family

Pics please.

Two obvious shows for Barbra would have been BALLROOM (written by her friends the Bergmans) and SUNSET BOULEVARD. Both starring roles but not as taxing as FG for the middle aged star.

Before Dolly/FG she had lost the Supporting Tony for her Miss Marmelstein in I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE to Phyllis Newman in SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING of all people. And I believe she had a rep even then of getting quickly bored and restless with 8 shows a week in a show that didn't even run very long.

I would bet, with her eye always on international film stardom, it must have driven her crazy to have to wait out the ordeal of doing FG on Broadway for 2 years and then a run in London before she'd be free to star in the movie and then never look back.

BALLROOM is a show that Barbra would obviously have no interest in, r51.

The feud between Carol Burnett and Betty Comden & Adolph Green over Fade In/Fade Out was pretty nasty. Carol was in the wrong and caused the very profitable show to fold costing the creators a lot of money. Few other performers would have been forgiven so entirely.

I wonder if time had healed that wound by the time all of them (and Phyllis Newman) did the famous concert version of "Follies" at Lincoln Center in 1985. I guess the revenge was that Carol was pretty awful in her one number.

She was beyond awful.

All four were pretty awful, r53.

[quote]...and Phyllis Newman will have to do as Stella

When I saw Joanne Worley play the role it made me realize how TERRIBLE Phyllis Newman really was as Stella.

Phyllis just didn't have the pipes for it.

Phyllis just didn't have the pipes for much of anything.

Carol redeemed herself for her professionalism and dignity during the Moon Over Buffalo debacle that was amply documented. Y'know, when the director directed her on how to be funny.

Barbra would have made a great Leona Helmsley in a one character play.

She had a narrow lane, r58. When she stayed in it she was fine.

No, r60, just...no.

Barbra would have played all of Tovah's roles, including Yentl, Golda and Dr. Ruth.

But alas, r63, no panty-flashing Rose.

I think Jones and Schmidt wanted Barbra for 110 in the shade.

Moon Over Buffalo is a terrible, unfunny play, and Carol was pretty lousy in it.

It's not like she could have saved it, but she wasn't helping.

Barbra wears panties?

I can't quite hear Barbra sing Old Maid, r65.

The Moon Over Buffalo is on YouTube (in 4 parts).

I saw Moon Over Buffalo at the Bucks County Playhouse when I was a kid. I didn't like it.

I WANT A BETTER LOBBY PHOTO, AND I FUCKING WANT IT NOW!

You’re forgetting she was funny in the ‘70s. Barbra should have done They’re Playing Our Song.

Ethel Merman will be out of GYPSY Friday, Saturday & Sunday to attend the wedding of a friend.

Mary Martin will be out of THE SOUND OF MUSIC Friday Saturday & Sunday to attend the wedding of a friend.

Bernadette Peters will be out of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Friday, Saturday & Sunday to attend the wedding of a friend.

Pamela Anderson will be out of CHICAGO Friday, Saturday & Sunday to attend the wedding of a friend.

I was holding out for "They're Playing MY Song".

Umm, R73, one of those things is not like the others.

Was Phyllis the last white Stella?

I think R73 means that not even Pam Anderson would so such a thing, R75.

do ^

[quote] Will Beanie get her coveted nomination?

You could fill the category quite easily without her. I'd put any of the following ahead of her:

Sharon D. Clarke Carmen Cusack Sutton Foster Joaquina Kalukango Brittney Mack or Andrea Macasaet Mare Winningham

Theatre queens would have exploded had Barbra done Follies at Encores a few years back as Sally.

Her Losing My Mind would have been brilliant.

I agree she would have made a great Witch and she loves makeovers where everyone sees how gorgeous she is!

And they could have stuck in a "Hello, Gorgeous!" after her transformation at the end of Act I.

Right, r80, and she woulda tapped her ass off in the Mirror number.

God, the concept of Barbra on stage in a play or musical again is laughable. If there was a musical for her to perform in, it would have been "70, Girls, 70" because you know Babs is ancient and has been ancient for decades.

She's been ensconced in Malibu, creating movies that were all about, um, her. She needs to be the focus! She needs to be lit perfectly! She is a star!!! She has not been a cast member for decades. Her ego would not allow it.

Let's move along boys....

They offered Barbra a run in Dolly but she demanded they adapt the film to the stage with her as directress.

Did Barbra have the soprano notes for Sally? She's certainly more Sally than Phyllis, but it still doesn't seem like a great fit.

Speaking of Pamela Anderson, has there been any word on how she's doing as Roxie? Is she any better or worse than many of the others who have given it a shot? Her quiet speaking voice makes me think she's probably wearing 5 mics just to be able to hear her at all.

R85...

Barbra could never have pulled off the transformation into the gorgeous witch in ITW.

I know Encores normally doesn’t have understudies but I’m guessing with Covid still a thing they have them for ITW? Speaking of understudies and speaking of Lauren Mitchell I saw her go on as The Baker’s wife in the original production. Not a single laugh. Vocally underwhelming. I wasn’t surprised when she transitioned into producing.

r88, yes, they do. Jordan Donica, who is supposed to be playing Rapunzel's prince, has been out and his understudy, Jason Forbach, has been on (and is the one mentioned in all the reviews).

I thought Phyllis Newman was nothing special but there was also nothing lacking in her performance when she played Stella in FOLLIES both times.

The Carol Burnett/FADE OUT, FADE IN story has always made me very sad, because as far as I know, it's the only story of horrible, selfish behavior on her part throughout her entire career. On the one hand, I guess she realized that TV could be her road to major stardom, but on the other hand, it really does seem like she betrayed everyone involved in the Broadway show and single-handedly turned a big hit into a flop. What a shame.

Well, r90, she lacked the strong belt and brassy broad aspect some of us like in a Stella.

"A Pulitzer Prize finalist that won a number of awards and has been seen a large number of LORT theaters. Is that the "something" you are referring to?

Yes, that thrilling drama which I read and saw performed and don't remember a damn thing about it.

"BALLROOM is a non-starter of a show that Barbra would obviously have no interest in"

There ya go.

R92, she may have lacked the brassy broad aspect, but I thought her belt was just fine in that song.

Chacun à son goût, r94.

And Phyllis Newman will have to do...

If Barbra did Into the Woods, there would have been a scene where Cinderella confides in the Witch that she could never have been as pretty and glamorous as the Witch is.

Barbra was also considered for DL fave BAJOUR.

As far as Phyllis winning the Tony, remember that she was some kind of Bway royalty by marriage and that BS was something of an upstart.

At least everything worked out for them both. Barbara became a major film and music star, and Phyllis appeared as Kim Cattrall's mother in the cinema classic "Mannequin."

Phyllis was Judy's understudy in Bells are Ringing.

But only cause she was fucking the c0-lyricist, r100. And I don't mean Betty Comden.

There’s an excellent chapter on Fade-Out Fade-In in that flops book, “Second Act Trouble.” Carol’s bad behavior started well before she became disenchanted with the show.

I remember when they finally did a Jule Styne tribute on those little composer tribute things on the Burnett show, she wouldn’t touch a FOFI song (they did do “You Mustn’t be Discouraged,” which Bernadette Peters sang.)

[quote]Carol’s bad behavior started well before she became disenchanted with the show.

Details, r102?

Man, every time I am exposed to Spring Awakening, I go crazy for the music and it's stuck in my head for weeks after. I have been listening to it non-stop since I watched the doc on Tuesday. The last time this happened was when I saw the Deaf West on Bway over Thanksgiving 2015. I played that damn cast album through Christmas. And I had just gotten over it seeing the show at Deaf West out here in LA.

Wasn't the real reason that Carol wanted out of the show was her scandalous affair with then-married TV producer Joe Hamilton who was promising her he'd divorce his wife, marry her and produce a TV variety show for her in LA? Plus, Carol knew that Fade Out-Fade In was just a lousy show with disappointing reviews in spite of the good (but not great) box-office.

Also, I remember hearing (maybe even here on DL) that if you watch the Follies documentary closely you can see Carol, Adolph and Betty pointedly ignoring each other in the backstage footage.

[italic] Aware that she owed an explanation to the cast, Carol sent a message that was posted on the backstage bulletin board: "Just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about the whole mess. Someday, when it is all over, I'd like to tell all of you and the public about the producers and their play." She claimed that a doctor recommended by Osterman had warned her in September that she "would risk serious injury if I didn't cease all activity."

Osterman and Styne promptly brought charges against Carol at Actors Equity Association, requesting disciplinary action. She had refused to submit the matter to arbitration, and now it had become Equity's hot potato. Carol, in turn, filed countercharges against the producers, asking Equity to "deprive Osterman and Styne of their right to act at producers in the theatre for attempting to destroy me as a performer and for attacking my personal and professional integrity." Equity had no choice but to reject her allegation. Instead it appointed a committee to consider the producers' charges. The situation was exacerbated further by Carol's continued appearances on The Entertainers, even though these had been filmed prior to her hospitalization. Adolph Green expressed surprise at seeing her hit in the face with a pie and having a door fall on her head on the TV show. At a press conference in her apartment, Carol, wearing a surgical collar, attempted to refute this accusation by explaining, "The thing with the door was done with a camera angle and a sound effect. And I'd like to say to Adolph that I've never been hit with a pie in my life." She admitted that she was "unhappy and dissatisfied with the musical long before last July," and acknowledged that she tried to buy her way out "for as high as I could Afford.” [/italic]

Carol was a cunt.

I’m sure Betty Hutton was an absolute delight when she subbed for Carol.

Just noticed I spelled her name "Barbara." Ouch. I really do know better!

I once had a run-in with Phyllis Newman at the old Metropolitan Room in Chelsea. She was a bitch at the coat check. She gave me a lot of lip. I can’t even remember the actual details, but my partner has been dining out in the story for 15 years.

Sorry, r110, you didn't have your ticket so I didn't give you your coat. You never tip anyway.

[quote] The fact she took off the weekend after the show opened to attend a friend's fucking wedding is not going to set well with your average old Tony voter.

What the fuck? Is this true? Yikes…

Welcome to the past month and a half, R112. How was that coma?

Phyllis Newman was one of the cuntiest cunts who ever cunted, so if she found Carol Burnett cuntier than she, then we must down to the new grand prious of master cunts: Carol Burnett

And God took Carol's first born as punishment

What a horrible fucking thing to say r113.

I think r115 is fucking horrible

Woods at Encores is spectacular. Just spectacular. I hope it transfers. Only that dumb ending with the kids and the old folks, JESUS. Otherwise, just terrific.

Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green were just the kind of mean, nasty, entitled Upper West Side Jews that created the enduring stereotype.

They used to come into a restaurant where I worked and they just made everyone hate them. Oddly, once they realized we weren't going to jump through their hoops they quieted down, but they never quit with the "Do you know who I am?" bullshit!

I never liked Phyllis Newman either!

Carol, dear, you were no sweetheart yourself.

Phyllis Newman sang 'You Know How to Love Me', right?

'I'd like to tell all of you and the public about the producers and their play.'

I guess she never did because it really seems like she simply wanted to get out of a show so she could go to LA and become a TV star. Well the show must have been lousy because it's never been revived by anyone anywhere and these days they'll revive anything.

I'm amused at Jane Alexander being uppity. Yeah, she was really setting the world on fire there ....

R114, Phyllis' best friend was Betty Bacall, so she learned to be cunty from the master.

R105, And yet, Carol participated in Comden and Green's Kennedy Center Honors tribute in 1991.

Jane Alexander with her serious “I’ve been beset by menstrual cramps” kind of acting.

[Quote] the kind of mean, nasty, entitled Upper West Side Jews that created the enduring stereotype

You mean Jews?? or Karens?

[quote] Well the show must have been lousy because it's never been revived by anyone anywhere and these days they'll revive anything.

The York did it in 1997 as part of the Musicals in Mufti series. I saw it. It's not a lost classic or a top tier show, but it's solid, professional and funny.

Fun to watch, there was a show with Mitzie Welch who was Carol Burnett's standby in FADE OUT FADE IN. Mitzie's husband was Ken Welch who wrote I Made a Fool of Myself of John Foster Dulles and made a star of Carol. and w rote special material for the Garry Moore Show and Carol BUrnett's show, both are gone now and were friends of mine.

Linda Gerard was on DEAL OR NO DEAL and has been repeated many times. She passed not too long ago.

Queen cunt of all time Arthur Laurents wrote and directed Phyllis Newman’s one woman show The Madwoman of Central Park West in the 1980s. I’ll have to look through his three autobiographies (the third just out in paperback last month) to see if he has anything particularly unflattering or interesting to say about her… given his style, I bet both are in there somewhere. Did anyone here see the show?

And how did God punish Jane Alexander?

Did any of you cunts cunting on Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green ever meet them or even come within spitting distance of either of them. You don't know what you're talking about.

I saw Mitzie Welch in FADE OUT FADE IN, after Carol had left, the last day the show ran. (The first time) I thought it was great, and Mitzie was wonderful.

R205. Wrong. Fade in was the season’s big hit. It was great box office & the reason the producers wanted the show to go on. Doesn’t really matter as it ended as a flop. And in the 1960’s. Unrelated but related: i listened to the recording on youtube. It wasn’t much.

Well, I did, r133. I interviewed Newman in her apartment several years ago and she couldn't have been more gracious and funny. The article was about her breast cancer, and I know she would naturally put her best foot forward for a journalist, but still . . . I liked her a lot.

As for FADE OUT, I came to NYC for a visit in 1964 and had tickets. I learned that Betty Hutton was performing that week, and I wouldn't hear of missing Burnett, so immediately let those tickets die and booked for when Carol returned. She was great, but the show was not. It's pretty flimsy stuff, although the cast album is great fun.

Wonder if all of Carol's shenanigans cost her a Tony nomination. Jack Cassidy got one. It was the year Liza won.

[quote] I saw Mitzie Welch in FADE OUT FADE IN, after Carol had left, the last day the show ran. (The first time) I thought it was great, and Mitzie was wonderful.

I saw Lewis Hallam in HAMLET at the Chapel Street Theatre, and Lewis was wonderful.

Maybe Carol Burnett, alone in her Hollywood mansion, rolling around in her endless supply of millions of dollars, watched the Follies Documentary one cold chilly night and decided to let bygones be bygones and reached out to reconcile?

I’m sure the cuntiest cunt who ever cunted, Phyllis Newman had nothing to do with the reunion.

I saw Carol in Moon Over Buffalo where she gave a master class in comedy. Specifically, how to take an awful piece of shit play and make the audience laugh so hard they forgot how bad it really was. The fact that the playwright thought she was ruining his masterpiece is laughable. Lovely Lynn Redgrave subbed for Carol and the laughs just weren’t there.

Carol was sensational in Moon Over Buffalo. The play was… okay for a door slamming farce. It was not a work of genius. Carol took it and put it way over the top. It only worked because of her. Everyone else was meh.

The documentary is… bizarre. Director and writer completely disconnected from reality until they open and realize Carol is everything in the show, and boy does their tone change quick. Whatever issues she had in FO/FI decades before, she redeemed herself with her professionalism and talent in MOB.

There really is a disconnect between what happened on that show and the professionalism Burnett has shown through the rest of her career.

yes, you're right, r139. r140 I think you're underestimating Phil Bosco, who was a perfect partner for Carol. And Jane Connell gets a Purple Heart for having too delivery hack Ludwig's worst lines. ("Hearing aid?" "No, I don't want lemonade," or such bullshit.)

r66 is completely wrong.

[QUOTE] Phyllis Newman sang 'You Know How to Love Me', right?

No, that’s Phyllis Hyman who committed suicide sometime in the ‘90s. She was a Tony nominee for Featured Actress in a Musical for “Sophisticated Ladies” in 1981.

Ok VALENS (or anyone else for that matter) if you are here, I know in the last thread you said you were retired, but if u can make a gay boy’s dream come true, are you able to share the audios of Into The Woods at City Center? I’ve seen little snippets on Twitter so I know the full audios are out there but I have no knowledge of how to track them down.

Thank you!

I worked with Phyllis Newman as well as Comden and Green. All delightful. I don't know what R114 is going on about.

[quote]And how did God punish Jane Alexander?

I loved INTO THE WOODS at Encores (and ITW is not even my favorite Sondheim: that would be Sweeney Todd). But the triumph is in the casting, which is impeccable, and the performances--everyone is good, some are stellar. The sets and costumes are good, the orchestra is sublime (though the sound was a little spotty on Saturday afternoon).

It all makes director Lear DeBessonet look awfully good, though I don't think it's her work that shines. A few dubious directorial choices and moments that could have been magical but weren't. (I loved Heather Headley's vocals but her scenes with Rapunzel fell flat; the Witch's "glamour" transformation was offstage and clumsy, etc.)

And the chorus of old people and children at the end was as unnecessary, hokey, and distracting as everyone else has said. That reminded me of her dreadful production of WORKING: a complete conceptual misfire from start to end.

ITW was a delight, anyway.

I’ve never been a Phil Bosco fan R142, and he seemed to appear in everything I saw on Broadway during that period. I thought he was fine in MOB, solid, if not exceptional. He never really rose to Carol’s heights. I kept worrying that he was in terrible shape and that he would collapse into a heart attack with all that physical comedy.

I did like seeing him being combative with that dumbass director in the doc though, and he seemed like a good attentive colleague to the other actors. Agree with you about Jane Connell, she really got some terrible lines but managed to somehow put them over. The hearing aid/lemonade line was particularly cringeworthy.

As far as I'm concerned, the shocking anti-Semitism of the poster who trashed Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green is more than enough reason to completely dismiss the comment. Plus, my personal experience of them was very positive.

r140 did you see Bosco in The Heiress?

MOON OVER BUFFALO was not even good enough to be called "just okay." It was a piece of shite, made palatable by some great performers -- not only Burnett and Bosco, but most of the supporting cast as well.

Yes R150. Like I said, he seemed to be in everything I saw during that period.

I thought he was stunning with Cherry Jones

Then he did Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We all gotta pay our bills.

[quote]She's [Barbra] been ensconced in Malibu, creating movies that were all about, um, her. She needs to be the focus! She needs to be lit perfectly! She is a star!!! She has not been a cast member for decades. Her ego would not allow it.

So....Sunset Boulevard, then?

very, very good R154. Applause from Massachusetts. Maybe Babs should steal the movie from Glenn? A couple of octogenarians battling it out for Norma!

For those who have enjoyed the Encores ITW (I have not seen it), I'm wondering if what appears to be in the production photos the simpler sets and costuming actually helped the production? Sometimes I think all the over-bloated bad design we're seeing on Broadway these days, actually gets in the way of the performances and the heart of the show.

I posted at R147 and I agree, R156. For the most part, the sets and costumes are specific but simple and don't get in the way.

The Giant's Wife, for example, is Annie Golden on a mike and a pair of giant shoes, manipulated by the puppeteers who also handle Milky White and Cinderella's birds. Those elements worked beautifully for me, particularly Milky White, who actually emerges as a real character.

The City Center stage is an awkward space to navigate, and the actors are sharing the stage with the orchestra, but it came together beautifully, for the most part.

Okay, so maybe more props to DeBessonet for mastering all that.

The opening number, Act 2.

I met Comden and Green twice and they seemed like lovely people. Newman I saw in On the Town and she was wonderful as was the production. Miles beyond what was done a number of years ago on 42nd Street. The raves for that were mystifying.

I'm guessing with no Tony nom, Beanie will leave FG by the end of June.

[quote] Beanie will leave FG by the end of June.

How?

Hopefully, in an oversized body bag, R161.

She'll say, "DAD-DY! I'M DONE WITH THIS FUNNY GIRL SHIT!"

Jesus Christ, we're 163 in and its Barbra, Fade Out/Fade In, and a smattering of Encores.

[quote]I saw Carol in Moon Over Buffalo where she gave a master class in comedy.

I saw Carol in Moon Over Buffalo where she gave a master class in going down with the ship.

Can we retire the hackneyed "gave a master class in..." phrase, as I can't recall the last time I agreed with whoever was giving such a "class". Carol swam against the waves, getting louder and more shrill which of course the audience responded to. I imagine it was like Lucy's performance in "Wildcat" once she saw the show was a dud and she'd have to give the audience something. Philip Bosco was superb, but even he couldn't save the shitty writing.

Adolph and Phyllis weren't nice to "the help", it is common in people with an elevated sense of themselves. I'd met them a number of times. It's not like they couldn't be charming, they just chose not to be at times.

Dad-dy! I have a NEW dream.......

The actress who came off horribly in the Moon Over Broadway documentary (too lazy to look up her name) was very funny in the show. It’s a shame her claim to fame is acting like an unknown diva bitch on film for everyone in the industry to see.

[Quote] Can we retire the hackneyed "gave a master class in..." phrase, as I can't recall the last time I agreed with whoever was giving such a "class".

To confirm, [italic] the world [/italic] should retire a phrase because [italic] you [/italic] don’t agree with some people?

Ok VALENS (or anyone else for that matter) if you are here, I know in the last thread you said you were retired, but if u can make a gay boy’s dream come true, are you able to share the audios of Into The Woods at City Center? I’ve seen little snippets on Twitter so I know the full audios are out there but I have no knowledge of how to track them down.

Thank you!

It’s a shame they didn’t get Joanna Gleason for the Stepmother in ITW.

[quote]"Something called 4000 Miles."

Demonstrate your complete ignorance of theatre outside of *B*R*O*A*D*W*A*Y* without demonstrating your complete ignorance of theatre outside of *B*R*O*A*D*W*A*Y*.

I met Adolph Green and Phyllis Newman when I was just a young, stage struck little gayling. They were both perfectly charming and Adolph especially went out of his way to be courteous and sweet to me. I still remember how kind they were towards me, when there was nothing for either of them to gain from it.

It's the theatre gossip thread, r164. Unfortunately no one specified it had to be theatre gossip from this century.

News flash: Some celebrities behave very differently with different categories of people. For example, friends as compared to fans as compared to "the help" and people working in a service capacity. It seems this was true of Lauren Bacall, and it may have been true of Adolph and Phyllis as well. That said, one of the few times I met Adolph occurred when I was working as a clerk in a record store and he came in to shop. I was definitely functioning in a service capacity on that occasion, but he was very nice and charming to me.

Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa and I want it NOW!!

[quote] And Jane Connell gets a Purple Heart for having too delivery hack Ludwig's worst lines. ("Hearing aid?" "No, I don't want lemonade," or such bullshit.)

I cannot believe this haggard old trope still gets trotted out to this day in film, television and theater. It was unfunny 30 years before Ken Ludwig employed it. Yet people still laugh. I don't get it. It has never been anything other than eye-rollingly dumb.

[quote] The actress who came off horribly in the Moon Over Broadway documentary (too lazy to look up her name) was very funny in the show. It’s a shame her claim to fame is acting like an unknown diva bitch on film for everyone in the industry to see.

Kate Miller. I looked her up a few years ago, curious to see whether she'd become a real estate agent or a housewife, only to find she's been working steadily in television for the past 20 years. Who knew?

Kate Miller

[quote]I cannot believe this haggard old trope still gets trotted out to this day in film, television and theater. It was unfunny 30 years before Ken Ludwig employed it. Yet people still laugh. I don't get it. It has never been anything other than eye-rollingly dumb.

I think the trope CAN still be funny if the actual lines are funny, which in this case they certainly, absolutely, definitely were NOT.

To me, something like this would be funny: "Granny, have you had your breakfast today?" "What? I didn't break anything!!!"

They're both hoary, r179. Zero wit.

r114 has some 'splainin' to do. Everyone else who's posted about the Greens has been either noncommittal or has sung their praises. What, specifically, can you tell us in support of your Phyllis Newman diss.

Yes, r168, exactly that!

Well I helped Lauren Bacall in a record store and she was as sour and unhappy as legend would have it. I wanted to say 'No wonder Sinatra dropped you like a hot potato!'

Just watched a montage from into the woods - NPH looks good. Wish they would release this version on PBS so we could all see it. It looks great and I don’t love the show.

Blossom

While I've heard positive stories about Adolph Green (and Phyllis Newman and Betty Comden), I had only one "I was in the room..." moment with him. It was many years ago in the lobby of Playwrights Horizons when Sunday In the Park was trying out. Of course it was a hot ticket, and any theater with a subscription base and a show schedule that can't be extended is very much challenged with fulfilling all the requests for tickets.

I was queuing to pick up my tickets for the evening performance when I heard a loud conversation between the gentleman at the box office window and the woman behind the plexiglass. Short version: he wanted tickets for the show and she told him that the show was sold out for the entire run, even house seats. The conversation ended with THOSE words: "Do you know who I am?" The woman responded "Yes, I do Mr. Green, and we're STILL sold out!" I remember the angry look on his face as he left the window and marched passed me as he exited. And I remember thinking "I can't believe he pulled that hackneyed phrase out". Perhaps it was just a bad day.

I saw nothing in those Into the Woods clips to indicate it's anything more than a typical production of into the woods with A LOT of over direction. I mean, pretending you're a matador and bull with the red cape? Dear lord.

a matador coercin' a bull, if you please

[quote]Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa and I want it NOW!! —BF

You’ve got Ben Platt, Beanie. That’s pretty darn close.

Oy. That's pretty bad.

Bring this to Broadway immediately.

R186, Adolph Green, Phyllis Newman, Betty Comden and Stephen Sondheim were all close personal friends who traveled in the same social circle.

I'd be willing to bet that after being rebuffed at the box office, Adolph phoned Steve and secured tickets to the show.

Tomorrows nominations should be fun....

Exactly. There are always tickets for the right person.

My only up close moment with the Greens was one Saturday evening during the internission at the Uris Theatre where Sweeney Todd was playing.

In the midst of the crowded lobby, Adolph was having a loud and very animated conversation with Morley Safer, while their wives stood by looking bemused.

What does Phyllis and Adolph's son Adam do these days?

I went to summer camp with him decades ago.

At least he doesn't embarrass himself writing terrible scores like his sister.

Adolph Green’s choppers were horrifying. What a homely piece of shit he was.

Adolph was a serial adulterer, but maybe Phyllis was relieved someone other than her had to sleep with him.

If nothing else, it will be interesting to see what show posts the first post-nominations closing notice. (My money's on Paradise Square.)

I didn't realize that Adolph was married to Allyn Ann (1945-53)...

Allyn Ann McLerie

Allyn Ann McLerie

Say it three times and...

Say it loud and there's music playing ...

And Allyn Ann McLerie's final husband was George Gaynes, leading man to Roz Russell in Wonderful Town (lyrics by & Betty) and also lovingly remembered as the pompous leading man on the soap opera portrayed in Tootsie.

The Madwoman of Central Park West was taped for TV.

Here you go r131 and others.

Is anyone here old enough to remember a weekly TV show in the mid-60s called That Was the Week That Was? It was kind of like SNL but more sophisticated, a NY-centric satire on the weekly news as if written by Nichols and May. IIRC Phyllis Newman was a semi-regular on it and she would do lousy impressions of Barbra Streisand.

And, of course, many eldergays will remember Phyllis as an occasional panelist on What's My Line? after Dorothy Kilgallen's death. But she was far more bubbly and giggly than Dorothy and yet not nearly as fun.

I once walked past Adolph Green and Phyllis Newman as they were having a very loud argument outside a restaurant near the Manhattan Plaza parking garage on West 42nd Street.

Both Adam and Amanda Green unfortunately resemble their father.

The good looking guy on the right is Amanda's surgeon husband.

[quote]And Allyn Ann McLerie's final husband was George Gaynes, leading man to Roz Russell in Wonderful Town (lyrics by & Betty) and also lovingly remembered as the pompous leading man on the soap opera portrayed in Tootsie.

When he's not being lovingly remembered as Punky Brewster's foster dad.

Will Beanie be sleeping tonight or will she be gorging herself with junk food in anticipation of Monday morning's Tony nominations?

Beanie gorges herself on junk food on any day ending in a Y. Why should tomorrow be any different?

[quote]Is anyone here old enough to remember a weekly TV show in the mid-60s called That Was the Week That Was?

I remember it mostly for a singer named Nancy Ames who performed the show's title song at the beginning and end of each episode. The show put her in the spotlight for a while, and introduced David Frost to American TV audiences, but it ran for less than a season. It was based on a British show that was much more successful.

Adam Green writes about theater for Vogue.

[quote]Tomorrow's nominations should be fun....

There will be screams . . .

Wasn’t Millicent Martin in That Was the Week That Was?

BF will get her nom.

Yes, R217.

How many nominations for TAKE ME OUT?

Does anyone else find it mystifying that TAKE ME OUT is not generating more - ok, ANY buzz?

A hunky TV star is fully nude...and yet it is not approaching PLAZA SUITE levels of business?

Take Me Out is visible on a nonprofit's level of advertising and has subscribers who get in cheaper, and Plaza Suite is having an ad blitz because its commercial

Here's the flaw in the Adolph Green / Sunday tickets. The story otherwise sounds plausible, but I don't believe for a second that any close friend of Sondheim (which at least Newman certainly was) went to the box office to score tickets. Actually, I don't believe that Adolph Green ever presented himself at a theater box office hoping to buy tickets to anything.

R222, Won't you please give a hearty hello to R192?

Happy to, 223 (hello, r192) but our responses are not the same. In one scenario, Green approaches Sondheim after being rebuffed by the box office; in the other, he would never have gone to the box office in the first place. Enjoy your day, dear.

oh god.

Maybe r186 got it wrong and it was Adolph Menjou. Steve would NEVER have given HIM tickets!

Guess this is as good a time as any to revive the classic Maureen Stapleton line: "Adolph Green is the only man in New York I'd rather go down on than kiss."

Didn't see this posted. The list of nominators. There's 29 this year.

For anyone who needs a link to the nominations announcement.

Thanks to the poster who mentioned Emily Blunt playing an adult Veruca Salt., I dreamed about the revenge fantasy musical, SALT!, coming in 2027.

Good god this is painful

I did see Sondheim up close talking with Comden and Green. They did seem to know each other well. It seems odd that Green would go to a box office not having tickets waiting there for him. I'm not saying the poster is lying. Green was losing it towards the end.

William Ivey Long gets a nomination - that'll cause some fuss

All these nominations for MJ. Uuuggghhhh

Patti and Jennifer Simard both nominated for featured actress in Company

Jesse Williams's dong got its nom!

JTF got his nom

Hugh got his too, which was always going to happen.

Nothing for Beanie!

No Bean Feast for Ms. Feldstein...

No Beanie

Funny Girl not even nominated for revival. Think Jared Grimes is the only nomination they got

I am glad to not be in the Feldstein home at this time.

No love for Plaza Suite

How long until Funny Girl posts?

Lead Male performance in a musical is a mess. Will Hugh win it or the guy in Strange Loop?

Will Colored Girls take down their closing notice?

Full nominations

Yeah they got a lot of attention.

Paradise Square got more Tony attention than anyone had predicted

Ten nominations for Paradise Square? Guess we know who was really out there buying nominations, because one for that book is nonsense.

Why the hell does Six need two directors?

Jennifer Simard?

I know R252? And Matt Doyle, while fine, is no Jonathan Bailey.

The Tony Nominators today:

I don’t even remember Simard from Company…

No Austin Pendleton.

BREAKING NEWS

Beanie Feldstein was rushed to Bellevue within the hour and is currently on suicide watch.

R253 No chance of getting rid of him back to Barry's Rentbo, er, Bootcamp now

No Johanna Day for How I Learned to Drive

No John Lee Beatty for Plaza Suite

I'm shocked at all the love for that crapfest Clydes

And in our enjoyment of Beanie not getting nominated, we missed - neither did Lenk.

Bet Jane Lynch is pissed too.

Odd that SKIN OF OUR TEETH got 6 nominations, but not one for Play Revival.

In other words, R224, you're calling R186 a liar.

That's not very nice, sweetie.

Funny Girl should get a special award for BEST SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE with Company a close second.

Glad to see they have no problem honoring that Pedophile musical

What is that sound outside my window? Oh, it must be the wailing of Beanie Babies everywhere.

Lowest rated Tony's ever. Even usual viewers will have no interest in seeing those nominees perform

So THE MINUTES gets nominated for best play but no other nominations? Was it that slim a year for new plays? I feel sad for Austin Pendleton.

Rex Reed must feel like a fool this morning.

Rex Reed should feel like a fool every morning.

I find it interesting how the number of nominations varies so much in different categories.

It's too early for Rex to feel anything. He is still hungover from last night.

r268, Reed lacks the self-awareness. His reaction is probably this:

Will there be a new march in Times Square protesting William Ivey Long's nomination for DIANA?

They really went out of their way to NOT include Funny Girl. Only 3 musicals for Best Musical Revival.

Jared Grimes. Was he even good in FG?

It's egregious!

Does Funny Girl have a show tonight? Will it be a doom & gloom performance?l

[quote]I feel sad for Austin Pendleton.

I've seen all the Supporting Actors, except Hangmen, and all the nominees with the exception of Oberholtz in TMO, were better than Pendelton.

Chuck Cooper should win

Mrs. Brolin is smirking in Malibu this morning.

No Daniel Craig either and there are like 7 people in that category. They could have then had more people than 5 in Best Actor or Actress in Musical or more than 3 Best Musical Revival, but, nope, they pointedly do not. No Katrina Lenk either. Maybe this will be Jane Greenwood's year? Has she ever won yet?

Will Funny Girl still be allowed to perform a musical number on the Tony Awards?

Jane Greenwood finally won a Tony for The Little Foxes and was awarded a Special Lifetime Achievement Tony a year or two before that. She's a big fave so could win again this year for Plaza Suite.

None of the queens from SIX nominated.

Broadway's Veruca Salt is having a big meltdown this morning. Hand me down a can of beans, as they sing in "Paint Your Wagon".

Mrs. Brolin is snoring in Malibu this morning.

The producers of Paradise Square and Colored Girls are screwed. They now have to spend hundreds of thousands keeping their shows open and advertising these awards, and they will still see no bump at the box office, and then when Paradise Square loses, will close on or around July 4. (colored girls already closing). Ah Broadway...

Is there a world where MJ wins Best Musical? Who would have thought 10 nominations?

Johanna Day not getting a nomination is really awful. She was incredible at the end of the play during the aunt’s monologue.

Jesse's dick should get a special Tony Award.

r281 There was always that time they allowed Finding Neverland to perform despite it getting no nominations at all, so who knows. I'd say you'd think they'd have the sense to save their money, but if anyone involved in this production had any sense it wouldn't have happened.

Incidentally - what's the story with that Finding Neverland performance? Just Weinstein flashing the (AIDS charity) cash, or was there something more to it?

No one cares about Johanna Day as an actress.

So what’s it like for Jarred Grimes at Funny Girl? Does he have to pretend he didn’t get a nomination?

Also, Sydney Chaplin got nominated in 1964 but this year it was like Ramin didn’t have a chance. Not even in Featured?

I wonder how well Beanie with a deflated ego performs.

When she sings "I'm the Greatest Star", will the audience answer back "No, you're not!"

Most if not all Broadway shows have no show tonight which will be a moment of relief, at least.

"Hello, not so gorgeous!"

The Minutes let Austin Pendleton shine in the first 30 minutes, but then Tracy Letts' script ignored him for an hour. He had a shot, but then his character just vanished into the ether. They don't nominate you for that.

Wow! And Beano thought Passover was last month!

I'm just sorry The Minutes was nominated for Best Play.

Where’s my nomination?

Gabby Beans, in. Beanie Feldstein, out. We have spoken.

Patrick J. Adams didn't get nominated either. Heard he was actually quite good.

I feel bad for Claybourne and Katrina. I know theatre Twitter loves Jennifer Simard but I found her to be an annoying ham on stage.

Beanie…well what the fuck did you think would happen Michael?

[quote] Paradise Square got more Tony attention than anyone had predicted

It will be the Slave Play of 2022

Maybe they'll mount a revival of "night, Mother" for Katrina and Johanna. With Beanie as the couch.

Neil Doogie Harris is aging well. Handsome man, GREAT eyes

Garth must have been throwing around much money, dinners , vacations and a arm around many a shoulder for PARADISE SQAURE to come up with all that!!

Do you think Barbra will send a funeral wreath?

Paradise is just the beneficiary of so few original musicals this season, isn't it? Plus its diverse

I liked Paradise Square. Its preachiness was a throwback to a more hopeful time. I imagine it would be a good show for schools to put on.

Thought Roslyn Ruff should have been nominated over Gabby.

Barbra has her nails being done today. First things first.

Gabby Beans was just ok. Ruff was brilliant.

Turns out the precious note that Babs sent Beanie was just an Applebee’s gift card.

I wonder if STRANGE LOOP is the SLAVE PLAY of 2022. I don't sense much love for it...

If there's a God in heaven, Jesse Tyler Ferguson will not hear his name called the evening of June 12th.

[quote]Mrs. Brolin is smirking in Malibu this morning.

You should see me doing cartwheels this morning!

r301, Adams was excellent (and better than several, if not all, of his nominated co-stars. He was much more natural onstage and suited the character). The problem is the part isn't very flashy, and with all the Take Me Out cast in the same category, it was easy for him to be overshadowed.

Is was also easy for him to be overshadowed by that thick pendulous D

Mr. and Mrs. Broderick have both been egregiously overlooked, as well as their esteemed company.

Broadway royalty!

Tabitha and Marion, bring me the AXE!

JTF and his husband are making (or made) a documentary about the return of Broadway after COVID, I would imagine that's gotten him a lot of goodwill. I would love to see the documentary actually.

And we think Beanie really expected a nomination?

Yeah they really went out of their way to not nominate Funny Girl or Plaza Suite.

I think Beanie really did expect a nomination. One of my friends kept saying “she’ll PROBABLY get a nomination - even if her singing wasn’t apparently great, she’s just so endearing”. :::Yawn,eyeroll:::

R320, I’m sure she expected one but no one else was gonna make that happen. You know, she’s been preparing for this role her entire life as we have been told, ad nauseam.

So which is more surprising and egregious - Beanie or Katrina?

Beanie - surprising but not egregious Katrina - egregious but not surprising

Neither, R324.

For those in the business, who are the biggest surprises among the nominations?

[quote] For those in the business, who are the biggest surprises among the nominations?

That I wasn't nominated again for my overall spectacularness

I wonder if we will ever find out if it was Ramin’s week-long Covid absence that prevented the Tony nominators from seeing him.

While I'm glad to see a little play like CLYDE'S and its makers getting recognition.... it really isn't that good a play. And Uzo's part really didn't amount to much.

That said, I would be perfectly happy to see Ron Cephas Jones for Best Featured Actor, for a really compelling and original performance.

[quote] Mrs. Brolin is smirking in Malibu this morning.

I doubt Mrs. Brolin gave it a second thought. Beanie and her flop are not on her radar.

I wonder if Beanie thought she would or might get a nomination. All the important notices for her were bad.

Well this is a fine kettle of beans!

They really overworked the PR machine for Beanie and it just didn’t work. I had thought voters would give her a sympathy vote for effort but I’m glad they didn’t.

When you look at the total list of nominations, it shows how the "non profit" mentality has taken over the Tony awards. I'm not saying its a bad thing, but MOULIN was lucky there was no "Strange Loop" or "Fun Home" their season.

Mare Winingham? YAY! So happy for her.

R336 right? A pleasant surprise

I was sure they'd toss Beanie or Jane a nom.

I am really surprised more of the posters on here are not talking about the ridiculous expansion to 6 nominees for over half the categories. There is no way there was such an embarrassment of riches this season that we needed to have 6 nominees in so many categories. I can understand the Best Actor in a Play situation with seven because they wanted to make sure they got in all the actors from The Lehman Trilogy, but not at the expense of other actors. And they could not put them in one nomination (like Billy Elliott) because they played different roles. Fine. But six nominations for all those categories in what was, at best, an anemic season in quality and quantity. And then when you look at categories like costume, lighting, sound and scenic designs and realize that there are actually 11-12 nominees because of the musical/play split, it's like participation trophies.

That being said, it's especially galling that neither Johanna Day nor Austin Pendleton got nominations over some of the ridiculous category overstuffers who were chosen. And that a musical everyone hated is tied for the 2nd most nominations overall because let's be diverse. Worst Tony nominations ever.

Yes, and even with all of the nomination expansions, still only one now for FG

One nom* for FG

I’ve never heard of POTUS, but now I’d really love to see it. Sadly, no NYC trips on my horizon.

[quote] I wonder if STRANGE LOOP is the SLAVE PLAY of 2022. I don't sense much love for it...

The show is loved by the critics and the woke who have taken over Broadway, although, other than in San Francisco, it will not tour well, which is a concern for producers. Of course, it doesn't have much competition. Sad year form musicals.

Who got snubbed?

If you were Beanie or Jane Lynch, or Ramin, would you go to the Tonys?

Gabby Beans got a nomination and Shoshana Bean got a nomination, but bupkis for Beanie.

R345 I would to show support Jared, but I doubt Beanie will actually go

Well, what timing. He needs people to vote for him to win a Tony, and Jesse Wiliams's dick video leaks online...

God bless you R348.

He is an amazing specimen of man. How did you come across that r348? Where else is it being posted & talked about?

I love Patti Lupone and I saw her in Company in London and thought she terrific, that being said, I’d be perversely thrilled if Jen Simard won the Tony - if only because I’m sure Patti’s response would almost certainly justify an amber alert for domestic terrorism.

R350 It was posted on LPSG, though I'm sure it'll be deleted from there very quickly, they were shutting down threads about him last night when someone posted censored screenshots of the vid

Here's another view

Yes thank you R348. Hoping more of the video surfaces, including when he kisses the homophobic player in the shower next to him.

I loved Girl From the North Country. Saw it the Tuesday before the COVID shutdown on Thursday. Not a juke box musical. Excellent story around the Dylan's music, performend and sung beautifully by the cast. Intend to go back. If A STRANGE LOOP does not win - and I imagine it will for both well-deserved and "woke" reasons - GFTNC would be my next choice. SIX is a pop concert on steroids.

Finally, the Jesse pics.

Sometimes there's God so quickly!

It's clear some of you shut-ins have never seen a penis before. Even your own, thanks to the rolls of fat covering it.

God giveth and he taketh away.

and fuck you too, r356

I still think that GirlNCountry should win. It is the best musical and I have seen them all, except MJ. What I really hope is that the sublime work that Mare Winningham does on that stage is finally recognized. It is truly one of the best performances by an actress in a musical. I did not care for Clarke, Foster or Kalukango.

[quote] I just finished Ozark last night. Katrina Lenk looks absolutely gorgeous in her final scene.

That was an overdose of botox

I saw How I Learned to Drive on Sat. It was the first time I've been back to the theater since the pandemic.

I was surprisingly fine in my mask for two hours and plan to go back more regularly now.

The play was good but it didn't feel as dangerous as it must have 25 years ago when it first premiered. It's about child molestation, of course.

I thought Clarke was just fine, but crazy ass Tonya Pinkins gave a superlative once-in-a-generation performance in Caroline, or Change - and in retrospect, it’s total bullshit she lost to Menzel, who was also just fine in a part that seemingly ever third girl graduating from a musical theatre program has done to similarly “just fine” results over the last twenty years.

Let guess how many viewers the TONYS will have this year.

I'll start: 27

[quote]Ten nominations for Paradise Square? Guess we know who was really out there buying nominations, because one for that book is nonsense.

R250, that was my immediate response as well :-(

[quote]Why the hell does Six need two directors?

Because they're both incompetent? Of course, zero plus zero still equals zero.

[quote] Paradise Square got more Tony attention than anyone had predicted

The TONYs are desperate because there just aren't many worthy new shows

The Johanna Day snub is appalling.

There's no comparison between Clarke and Pinkins R362. None whatsoever.

What's wrong with Broadway's marketing? I'm not a theater person, but I'm generally aware of what's being talked about on Broadway. For the first time ever, I've not heard of any of the nominated shows before today, save for the revivals of The Music Man and Funny Girl.

Oh geez completely forgot about Deb Messing. Just like the nominators.

[quote] The show is loved by the critics and the woke who have taken over Broadway, although, other than in San Francisco, it will not tour well, which is a concern for producers. Of course, it doesn't have much competition. Sad year form musicals.

A Strange Loop really is the best musical this season--it doesn't matter if its "woke." Sadly, I doubt it will win Best Musical solely because it's to risque for flyover America

[quote] Ten nominations for Paradise Square? Guess we know who was really out there buying nominations, because one for that book is nonsense.

Please explain how one buys a nomination? (and while you're at it, explain it to Beanie and Katrina)

I think the Paradise Square nominations are really just about its “the shanty Irish and the poor Black folk should be friends” theme, which is admittedly pertinent to our times.

I’ll be watching R363 although I am not looking forward to Ariana DeBose hosting.

[quote]A Strange Loop really is the best musical this season--it doesn't matter if its "woke." Sadly, I doubt it will win Best Musical solely because it's to risque for flyover America

I had mixed feelings about A STRANGE LOOP and mostly negative feelings about GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, but at least they are respectable nominees, and I guess the same could be said for MJ (arguably). But if either SIX or PARADISE SQUARE wins Best Musical, it will be a very sad day for the Tony Awards and the theater in general. I haven't seen MR. SATURDAY NIGHT, so I can't comment on that one.

I thought STRANGE LOOP was a fascinating experiment but I didn't find it moving or satisfying. The score was really repetitive to me. But I do think it will win.

After Into the Woods closes, I wonder who will call Sara Bareilles first - the producers of Company or the producers of Funny Girl?

Is there any possibility that Hugh Jackman will NOT win?

No way Sara Bareilles has the voice for Funny Girl. I thought she wasn’t even at Joanna Gleason’s level.

the road needs both MJ and Paradise Square to tour and fill all these barns in Flyoverstan.....

[quote] But if either SIX or PARADISE SQUARE wins Best Musical, it will be a very sad day for the Tony Awards and the theater in general.

Didn't they say the same thing about " Contact"?

[quote] the road needs both MJ and Paradise Square to tour and fill all these barns in Flyoverstan.....

If it weren't for all of those "barns," there would be no money for Broadway producers to get money to launch any shows. So, you'd better not disparage them, or the NYC theater queens can expect to play $5,000 for a rear balcony seat.

R372, why would I need to explain it to Katrina? Nothing I've ever heard about her indicates she's the kind of person so desperate for awards and recognition she would pay for it if it were an option. Have you heard otherwise?

[quote]If either SIX or PARADISE SQUARE wins Best Musical, it will be a very sad day for the Tony Awards and the theater in general.

[quote]Didn't they say the same thing about " Contact"?

Some people did, but that was a question of categorization rather than quality.

Also, I don't know how Drabinsky is keeping the show running with its excreble box office numbers either, yet that's happening too. Somehow managing to bribe enough of the 29 nominations to get noms seems less implausible. Certainly more plausible than the idea that anyone could actually think that book is worthy of any recognition.

Love Bareilles. She would be a lot more likable than Lenk in Company.

So Diana the Musical and Funny Girl are tied in nominations.

R353 Seems it's your lucky day

[quote]After Into the Woods closes, I wonder who will call Sara Bareilles first - the producers of Company or the producers of Funny Girl?

Or perhaps the producers of Into the Woods for a transfer that is looking more and more likely.

Damn Jesse Williams. Put. It. In. Me.

How thick does that thing get at 100%? He's got my vote.

R388 thank you for your service.

The road presenters aren't buying any shit Broadway is handing them anymore. The WOKLAHOMA!, Tootsie, Prom and BAND'S VISIT tours have all been disasters with ticket buyers staying away in droves. Oklahoma! is also enduring walk outs in every city, even the majors. People know bad theater when they see it...And they don't want to. They won't have the patience for "Paradise Square."

Who is with Jesse in that clip?

So you're at the gym. You're showering. THAT walks in, strips down, gets all glistening wet, and lathers up. What do you do?

I wake up R395

I'd try to get my phone out of its lockbox.

Julie Benko may be filling in a lot more than she had expected to, if Beanie suddenly remembers a lot more weddings she simply cannot miss.

R394 it's Michael Oberholtzer

r395 Given he clearly has fluffed himself up to around a semi, I'm guessing the gym in question would be an Equinox

And Jesse was paying his ex-wife $40K per month for her to NOT be getting that cock anymore?

It's not just the cock, it's ALL of him. Wet.

on the other Jesse Wiliams thread someone says it's prosthetic

R403, And that someone is an idiot.

But don't you understand the FUNNY GIRL was Beanie's DESTINY?

Poor Katrina, .Has anyone played Bobby/Bobbie/Boobie and not gotten nominated?

[quote]The WOKLAHOMA!, Tootsie, Prom and BAND'S VISIT tours have all been disasters with ticket buyers staying away in droves.

Even if you don't like those other shows, I REALLY don't think they deserve to be put into the same garbage category as WOKELAHOMA!

[quote]But don't you understand the FUNNY GIRL was Beanie's DESTINY?

The way things turned out, with all the humiliation, I would say that role in that show was more like her fate.

Maybe I will consider taking over the role. Lick my boot first and I'll see how I feel.

If the powers that be behind Beanie Feldstein Enterprises had dreamed within reach, she’d probably have gotten lovely notices and a Tony nom in a decent revival of Hairspray (“New Orchestrations! Motormouth is a Trans WOC now! Jane Lynch is playing the dad! etc.)

Jesse Williams: "I'm tremendous"

Truer words, sir.

[quote] “I'm tremendous. I'm very, very grateful today. I found out from a barrage of text and phone calls from my family, closest friends, and team of representatives. It was all at once, it was quite the display of abundance from everybody. It was pretty awesome, and it feels like a continuation of what had been a really generous and warm welcome from the theatre community, from the Broadway community. This is my first time doing a play, it's my first time having this experience, nevermind being on the Broadway stage. So, I'm asking a lot of questions, learning, and trying to honor the material. I've just had such incredible help, and patience, and confidence from so many people. One of the great things about today is that we're a collective win, the whole play is nominated. My teammates are nominated. All of us are able to share in the warm reception, and we've had awesome audiences that are paying attention or listening intently. This role, I have to say, is incredibly demanding and emotionally devastating. Every day, sometimes twice a day. And it's nice to have a little light, and I'm still figuring out how to find that balance, honestly. I have an apartment full of some of my closest friends, and we're walking to go get some food after this, enjoy the sun and get the hell outside and get some fresh air.”

I enjoyed Wokelahoma except for the stupid ballet.

Don't forget Curley and Laurie's wedding outfits splattered with Jud's blood after Curley shoots him!

Today is a good day for Jesse and an even better day for all the fans of his extra-big talent.

[quote]Poor Katrina, .Has anyone played Bobby/Bobbie/Boobie and not gotten nominated?

I first saw "Company" in one of the handful of previews performed in March 2020 and thought she was the weakest part of the production, but I thought she might improve. She didn't. Wrong casting choice.

Fat Ham won the Pulitzer for Drama. We're never getting rid of wokeness.

[quote]But don't you understand the FUNNY GIRL was Beanie's DESTINY?

An excellent example of "Be careful what you wish for."

Also: "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones."

[quote] Fat Ham won the Pulitzer for Drama.

Autobiography of the Jesse Williams cock

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1982, "Nine" opened at the 46th Street Theatre.

From the LA Times:

In his screed against Broadway, Mamet writes off off-Broadway and says regional theaters have killed any natural affection for the art form with their relentless focus on “outreach” and “social consciousness.” It’s true that Broadway has sucked the oxygen out of the media ecosystem for theater. But it’s frightening to imagine what Broadway would be like without off-Broadway and the regional theaters that have been incubating its best work.

But true creativity is cultivated elsewhere. Broadway just happens to be where it’s enshrined.

April 26...

[quote]we've had awesome audiences that are paying attention

Oh yeah. That they are.

Maybe Beanie and the lead of Fat Ham could swap roles, because, well....

NINE

Do you think Beanie and Ben were cuddled on the couch this AM watching?

I guess filling a theater with genuine laughter for two and half hours in a comedy doesn't mean anything anymore. The Broderick's should have been nominated.

R415, it was odd casting. After all the love letters from critics about the gender flip feeling merited thanks to Rosalie Craig’s warm and understandably stymied Bobbie, that they went with Lenk, who sort of gives a standard “cold fish bachelor” take on the role (to say nothing of the less assured vocals).

PARADISE SQUARE got so many nominations not because it's good but because the other original musicals this year are that bad. Hell, even Lynn Nottage got nominated for the book of MJ, cause SIX doesn't really have a book worth mentioning, MRS DOUBTFIRE is shit and FLYING OVER SUNSET's libretto is stunningly undramatic.

I am surprised that Johanna Day wasn't nominated. I thought that was a sure thing. But everyone who did get nominated has bigger, more substantial parts. Not Day's fault.

As for Austin Pendleton, the earlier comment by a poster about how Pendleton gets forgotten after the first 30 minutes is right. Again, the part isn't substantial enough, though I'd have nominated him many times over Michael Oberholzer, who's been directed to play that part like a DELIVERANCE reject.

What is clear, and I hope producers take notice, is that if you cast a supposed name in a lead role in a well-known musical and she can't sing the part, she might very well get snubbed. Lenk was simply miscast. Beanie got what she deserved: nada. As expected, FUNNY GIRL was a lot of talk (including on DL) without much substance.

I don't know why some categories have six people. That is weird, and unnecessary. The season didn't warrant that.

A STRANGE LOOP has this one in the bag. SIX is a concert, PARADISE SQUARE is muddled and overlong, MR SATURDAY NIGHT is a play with unnecessary songs, and MJ is about a child predator, and not one who gets his just end like Uncle Peck does in HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE. The spoiler could be GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY. Hmm... But that show seems to have zero momentum. Mare Winningham would get my vote.

In the play category, CLYDE'S doesn't really deserve to be in that group, but it's not awful, and the other nominees are all good, sometimes very good, but not great. I'm guessing THE LEHMAN TRILOGY will take it despite having a rather weak third part.

Nominations I'm delighted about: Ruth Negga is easily the highlight of MACBETH, Rachel Dratch is pricelessly funny in POTUS, Deirdre O'Connell was riveting in DANA H, and Chuck Cooper and LaChanze both broke my heart in TROUBLE IN MIND. And two friends got nominated as well, talented men who've been plugging along for years, and I'm thrilled for them both.

R406, Yes, Dean Jones.

Also Boyd Gaines

i stand corrected (although r429 Larry Kert was nominated so maybe Jones was ineligible since he left so fast)

Every time somebody writes extensively about their opinions about these nominations, they end up showing their ass. Rachel Dratch was not "funny" in POTUS, she was dreadful and one-note. And the entirety of TROUBLE IN MIND was under-rehearsed under-directed. TFANA's WEDDING BAND put that revival absolutely to shame. Roundabout should be embarrassed (as they always should be) for that offensively amateur revival.

I predict Joaquina Kalukango will win the Tony, as she gave the worst performance of the season and had the most dreadfully amateurish material to "act".

r426, I can understand Broderick not being nominated--they had to push the nominees to seven to fit everyone they wanted. But Parker... Well, if they were going to increase Lead Actor, they could have increased Lead Actress too if they wanted. (Which they must not have. I didn't see it, so can't judge whether she was worthy.)

Saw “POTUS” over the weekend. Silly, ridiculous fun. Suspend belief and go and laugh. The 7 ladies on stage appeared as if they were having a ball. Wouldn’t be surprised if Rachel Dratch took the Tony.

Old news (but I couldn't post before now). Patti's statement was very classy.

[quote]Every time somebody writes extensively about their opinions about these nominations, they end up showing their ass

Pics please.

Also Sara Bareilles really does seem delightful.

[quote] Every time somebody writes extensively about their opinions about these nominations, they end up showing their ass

OMG, we're straining in our caftans to get a peek!

r432 struggling with what the word "opinions" means

Rachel Dratch is too ugly to win any award except in a dog show.

Were you giggling as you were posting that, r440?

Rachel Dratch winning a Tony after Tina Fey got stonewalled for Mean Girls would be kind of a hoot.

Jesse Williams is trending on Twitter and people are going wild and posting quite funny reactions to the leaked cock video. The handful of Debbie downers here calling us “sad old queens” and fat “shut-ins” who have “never seen a penis before” should join the party. Bunch of killjoys!

Jessie and JTF are going to be on WWHL tonight. I wonder if it was taped before the leak.

Feldstein might have been passed over because the nominating committee felt she wasn't good enough. But it's also possible that they were irritated at her taking off for that wedding.

It's bad enough when actors do this for a concert gig or whatever, but at least that;s a matter of a contract to fulfill.

But Feldstein did not need to go la-di-dahing off to a wedding. This is just the bad attitude of a spoiled brat who doesn't have any sort of dedication.

Beanie's on the roof!!!

Why would Streisand be smirking? Did she steal Carol Channing's Tony for Hello Dolly?

Boyd Gaines wasn't nominated for playing Bobby either.

Didn't Company play in previews back in 2020? How is it even eligible this year?

Hopefully this is the last gasp of Sondheim sucking the theatre wing does.

[quote] Has anyone played Bobby/Bobbie/Boobie and not gotten nominated?

I don't think Boyd Gaines was nominated for that Company in 199-something.

It never opened r448 so it wasn't eligible until this year. Previews don't count.

How does that fat bitch Lupone keep getting nominated every year when there are legends who are the same age who can't even get work on Broadway?

No one wants to hear that shrieking caterwauling that cow calls singing emanating from their TVs!

Company largely got in because of Sondheim's untimely passing.

The Plaza Suite omission was very shocking. Broderick is Broadway royalty.

no one was predicting Broderick to get in. He's rarely been nominated for his work in recent years and Plaza Suite sucks. (this production, not the play)

Look for Funny Girl to just burn through the advance and then fold up shop with a whimper. This was supposed to be Beanie’s Broadway juggernaut, instead it revealed itself as the Empress Has No Notes. This wasn’t set up as a long run revival return, it was created so Beanie would wow the world and win her Tony. Very similar to Platt’s raw desire to win his Oscar for DEH, both ruined the art while chasing the awards and glory. A well deserved pass, poor audiences who will get an even more diminished BF…

r448, like many shows that started previews in the spring of 2020, Company didn't officially open, which is why it was only eligible now, since it has opened. The same with Girl from the North Country, Hangmen, The Minutes, Six...

Speaking of Company, I don't like the ad that's currently on Playbill's page. A lot of the cast look like they're farting.

"Funny Girl" has the distinction of being the only musical revival this season not nominated for best musical revival. Usually it doesn't take much for a show to be nominated for best musical revival. And yet . . .

You'll note that in Patti's gracious tweet at r435 she omitted her costume designer Bunny Christie (who was nominated for her ugly sets but not for her ugly costumes).

Broderick hasn't been nominated for a Tony in a long time, not since The Producers 20 years ago, I think. Though he's appeared on Broadway a lot. So this year is like most others for him.

Does anyone know if Boyd Gaines was nominated for his Bobby in Company? Someone here must know!

Also, how's his health these days?

I'm so sick of the Sondheim worship. Who the fuck keeps asking for revivals of this particular show?

It's about as relevant in today's climate as a nehru jacket.

[quote] Feldstein might have been passed over because the nominating committee felt she wasn't good enough. But it's also possible that they were irritated at her taking off for that wedding.

yes r444 that shit don't fly with the nominators for sure. If she was borderline, that pushed it over. You don't get any bonus points for non-Broadway behavior.

Thank you r459

TL;DR, r447 and r449?

Bobby/Bobbi is a tricky role, because there's really no character there. He/she is really just a device brought in to show a bunch of funny vignettes about marriage and sing some good songs. Even with the best performers, "Being Alive" rarely feels earned or warranted. What the role needs is someone with a likable personality who you'd imagine having a lot of friends. Dean Jones was great that way. It needs a more Sandra Bullock type. I'm not her biggest fan, but Sutton Foster would be pretty great in the role. Lenk is talented, but so wrong for this role. To her credit, she did land a few laughs along the way, but she's still a naturally chilly performer and that's not going to do a lot to help bring this particular role to life.

I saw both Lenk and Nikki Renee Daniels (when Lenk was out with Covid) in the role. I preferred Daniels. She was a much warmer person you could actually imagine being friends with all the others. It wasn't believable Lenk would be friends with some of the cartoonish people around her. (Simard is very funny, but very broad. Same for Fitzgerald--funny, but nothing resembling an actual human being.)

[quote]But Feldstein did not need to go la-di-dahing off to a wedding. This is just the bad attitude of a spoiled brat who doesn't have any sort of dedication.

It'll be very interesting to see whether she sticks with the show now she knows she isn't getting a Tony, or if she starts skipping performances, etc

No one in that COMPANY revival behaves like a real person or like a friend or spouse of any another character. This was true in London and still true here. But just watch Marianne Elliott walk off with that Best Director Tony.

Also, I'm still fuming that Michael Mayer's name is rarely mentioned and blamed in all this criticism of FG. Thank god, sense prevailed and he wasn't nominated.

Okay, I haven't seen Beanie in GH, and have no desire to, but I have to admit...nepotism aside, she seems like a decent person? She congratulated Grimes on his nomination in her IG stories, and this was very kind and classy:

Adding onto R464's post, this time around, I wondered how on earth Bobbi would ever have gotten to know the people in her circle of friends/how she got the reputation of being the dependable one/etc. At least with Jamie, it's outright said that they went to school together.

Hee hee ... I know what you meant to type, R467, but I'm giggling at the idea of Beanie's next role being on General Hospital.

It's also funny/sad that FG only has Grimes to promote on social media.

r469, Ha! Damn my typo, but that's funny.

Boyd wasn't nominated for his Bobby. Tomorrow is his 69th birthday.

But at least for the 1st week of the month FG has good grosses. Who is buying tickets? And for how long can they sustain the box office?

r466, actually that's one thing I liked about the mostly understudy cast early last month. They did seem like more of a group of actual friends. The main cast felt like they'd been cast solely as individuals with no thought to whether they made sense as couples or a friend group (and they didn't). Yet the understudy cast did make sense to me. Maybe they've bonded and are tight in real life? I don't know, but it's another thing that made the show work better for me.

You won't see Boyd Gaines performing in public again. Let's leave it at that.

That's very sad to hear.

Was his Bobby not well-received, or was it just too competitive of a year in Lead Actor? I see the nominees were:

Nathan Lane - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - WINNER

Savion Glover - Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk

Adam Pascal - Rent

Lou Diamond Phillips - The King and I

The first three were obviously big hits. Was Phillips that great?

I saw that production (which ran for almost 2 years) and was underwhelmed, but Phillips got very good reviews, so his nomination was no surprise.

She is dressed like a stylish woman and the others all shop at Burlington Coat Factory

So where this leaked Jesse video?

R412 you are wrong

r479 put down your Pringle’s and read the damn thread

Or just do a search for any of the other threads. It's all over the place.

It was an underwhelming production, r476. Wasn't Veanne the only one nominated? One critic said something to the effect that the original was a gimlet, and this one a wine spritzer.

[quote]put down your Pringle’s and read the damn thread

All these years and I've asked you for nothing and just this once and this is how you treat me? Your Mother was right.

Will Company run long enough for Katrina to exit and let Nikki take over the role?

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY in 2022: Beanie Feldstein was overlooked for a Tony nomination for her leading performance in Funny Girl.

Even if Katrina left, I doubt Nikki would get to take over full time. They really need a name who can sell tickets. Without that, they'd probably just go ahead and close.

I was curious, and did not realize The Producers holds the record for most Tony musical wins. I'm assuming it was good? I saw the original movie, but didn't have any interest in the musical.

Beano's fine, she sends her love.

Is Patti definitely going to win?

Boyd was out of Company a lot. I think it was vocal issues. I saw his standby and so did most of my friends. Other than Company, he’s rarely been absent and I don’t think he missed a single performance of Gypsy.

I would assume that Patti will win this year, but we did joke earlier in the thread about if it ended up going to Jennifer Simard.

Man, not to bring it back to #466, but no matter how many times I rewatch the 'Moon Over Broadway' doc with Burnett and Bosco, it never ceases to amaze how cringe-y Ludwig and director Tom Moore come across throughout the process. Burnett is a total pro, doing what she can with a half-baked farce...but when the producers start optioning 'jokes' from the dentist from Long Island to punch the script up (as they apparently did for 'Crazy For You' when Ludwig couldn't be depended on to write a joke) ...it really does feel like a total amateur hour.

[quote]You won't see Boyd Gaines performing in public again. Let's leave it at that.

You again?

Boyd Gaines revealed that he had undiagnosed acid reflux that was severely impacting (scorching basically) his vocal cord function. He eventually got it taken care of, but went undiagnosed for a good chunk of the Company run before getting his arms around the underlying issue.

Well, the video leak is starting to hit the mainstream press. I'm sure the cast really appreciates the Post providing links to the video on Twitter. (And I'm sure Adams appreciates the Post evidently misidentifying Oberholtzer as him, since the video they link to is the Williams/Oberholtzer one.)

Why is Lupone even nominated, she did it at Lincoln Center.

That was technically a concert, not a full production, and it wasn't on Broadway. It's like asking how the original Chicago revival cast were eligible when they did at at Encores first.

So can we expect a leak of the ensemble shower scene to be coming soon?

What was notable about Lou Diamond Phillips in The King and I was that he wasn't Yul Brynner (or even trying to be).

Yes, Boyd Gaines had terrible vocal issues singing the Company score. I was at a performance and he simply couldn't hit the notes, it was so embarrassing. Which could be blamed on idiot director Scott Ellis for casting him, not unlike the situation we have now with Mayer and Beanie.

Big Monday night on Broadway what with the Assassins concert at the Sondheim Theater as a benefit for CSC and Patti Lupone's concert at The Beaumont on her night off from Company.

I do hope someone tapes her concert (legally!) - her patter tonight between songs (which is always great) has got to be hilarious and dishy with so much to comment on (has she seen the TMO vids?).

Has anyone noticed that for two years in a row the Pulitzer for drama has gone to a play about a queer overweight black person, written by a queer black playwright? Hmmm....

So does DL think any of the JW vids were leaked on purpose?

…on Tony day

It was an inside job! I demand a blue ribbon DL panel to thoroughly investigate this.

I wish that I was Jesse’s girl

What's wrong with Boyd Gaines ? I've heard he's chronically ill with something for a while now.

I think whatever he has, r507 is being caused by DL posteritis...

I wonder if Boyd's friends ever call him "Boydie," followed by "Boydie baby," "Boydie bubi," "Boydie angel" and the ever-popular "RoBoyd darling."

Sorry, I missed last year's winner by Katori Hall. Also gay-themed.

Clitori Hall!

You're welcome...

[quote]Didn't Company play in previews back in 2020? How is it even eligible this year?

[quote]Why is Lupone even nominated, she did it at Lincoln Center?

Sometimes the rank stupidity on display here is truly shocking. Unless these people are trolls purposely posting idiotic questions, in which case they're pathetic on another level.

[quote] Thank you [R459] TL;DR, [R447] and [R449]?

Bitch, I fucking said it all the way up at R430.

Thanks, r512! Amazing photos!

The two Jesse’s were on WWHL tonite. Must have been pre recorded because no mention of Tony noms or dick. Just Andy blabbering about his new kid. Jesse W. is very hot even with his clothes on

This is sort of fascinating-Elaine Stritch, Ruby Dee, Cornelia Otis Skinner and Inga Swenson on CBS’ Camera Three in 1965 discussing their profession. Swenson is particularly eloquent and I enjoyed the moment when Stritch corrected herself regarding a comment Swenson made which Stritch had disagreed with.

Jennifer Simard has the right idea.

[quote]What's wrong with Boyd Gaines ? I've heard he's chronically ill with something for a while now.

Because a DL troll has been posting "cryptic" messages about his supposed illness for a while now.

Was anything Boyd did on stage ever as riveting as this?

That was a big drama off stage when Boyd Gaines did Company.

As stated he wasn't very good vocally. Missed tons of shows.

They were going to move it to a commercial run but the Roundabout insisted he be replaced with Michael Rupert.

Sondheim and the director refused to fire him so the Roundabout didn't move the show.

R519 ...a while? Decades.

I’m the first to make fun of the woke Pulitzers, but it’s really more about what’s being written and staged at this point than what they’re choosing. What would the alternatives have been this year?

Is this Matt Kavenaugh (and friend)?

[quote] I’m the first to make fun of the woke Pulitzers, but it’s really more about what’s being written and staged at this point than what they’re choosing. What would the alternatives have been this year?

NOTHING. They've done it before in years where the rejected shows would have beaten the past few years' winners handily. Send a message- DO BETTER or no awards. Something the Tony nominating committee would be smart to employ, as well.

No one is buying tickets for Company based on Katrina Lenk's "star" power.

She has none.

Patti and Sondheim are the only names that are generating any heat for that show.

R526 They should dump Tony nominated Matt Doyle and bring in Olivier winning, and Brigerton star, Jonty Bailey. They would sell the fuck out. Then.

You morons haven't noticed that both Boyd and Malcolm have completely disappeared from the public eye for years? There's a reason which is not my place to disclose.

Why would a professional like Boyd Gaines accept a role that they could not sing? Where’s the glory in that?

[quote] Why would a professional like Boyd Gaines accept a role that they could not sing?

Didn't know Beanie posted on DL.

[quote]There's a reason which is not my place to disclose.

Then shut up about it already.

r516, yes, it had to have been pretaped. Ferguson posted on Instagram yesterday that he was going to be on vocal rest for 48 hours and his understudy will be going on today. So tonight's a good time to go for those who don't like JTF but want to see...everything else.

JW’s cock is the standby. It can speak, walk around, and wear all of JTF’s clothes. They just don’t have a baseball cap big enough for the head.

R369- Nothing’s wrong with Broadway marketing. You’ve now heard of all these shows. There’s your marketing for you.

E374- What do you have against Ariana DeBose? I think she's awesome and a great choice.

Re: This morning's snubs....I was in the 2000 revival of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and we got horrible reviews across the board. NY Post called us “God-awful” and USA Today named us 2nd on Worst Shows of the Year. And even WE got a nomination for Best Revival. Of course, we knew new had zero, and I mean zero, chance of winning. But we got to perform on the show and I’ll never forget it.

Patti’s statement about Lenk is wonderful. If I was starring in a musical with Patti LuPone and she said that about me, I’d love that about as much as a nomination.

Who cares if Boyd didn’t get nominated for COMPANY. He’s won, what, 4 Tonys for acting? Is he second only to Audra? Or did Julie Harris get more? Checking.... yep, Harris won 7 plus a lifetime achievement award.

R488- When it opened, with the original cast intact, there has never been anything better. Hilarious, tuneful, incredible. The show did not hold up to the same level with replacement after replacement. I’d really never want to see it without Nathan and Matthew etc.. And that is NOT to say the material is anything less than wonderful. It just has to all be together. Nathan, Matthew, Mel, Glen, Susan, Thomas. When all those forces are working TOGETHER? Magic.

I gotta say the Take Me Out video leak must have something to do with the show’s PR. Would not be surprised if they filmed it and they leaked it. It’s just so unabashedly getting people to talk about the show.

R506- Where can I FIND a woman like that???

Nice, R512!! Great photos.

Is JTF the only gay in the cast of TMO? I wonder if he stands in the wings and watches.

The comment about Jane Lynch wearing a big sweater in FG and looking like she works at a lighthouse in Maine deserves its own special Tony.

no, Blanche, he kneels

I'm guessing Parkinson's for Boyd and HIV for Malcolm

The last time I saw Boyd perform was in that quarantine reading of The Heidi Chronicles with the OBC and he was as wonderful as he was during the original run. Funny, sweet and touching. I hope he’s ok.

[quote] Didn't know Beanie posted on DL.

She just posted on that thread about the Alabama corrections officer who sprung the huge meat prisoner and then killed herself when they were being caught. Someone suggested Renee Z for the musical and Beanie posted she'd bleach her hair and do the tour. She'll need a new job soon.

R432,

You don't have to agree with me. The Tony-nominating committee did, and that's all that matters. Rachel Dratch may very well win the Tony. She's so damn funny in POTUS.

Also, I didn't say the production of TROUBLE IN MIND was perfect. It was Roundabout, so anyone who knows anything knows not to go to any early performance, cause their shows are always under-rehearsed. I went later in the run when the show was a well-oiled machine, and I thought LaChanze and Chuck Cooper were superb. That said, I will definitely be seeing WEDDING BAND at TFNA. Glad you liked it so much.

The “insider” with knowledge of Boyd Gaines’ health has been dropping this same information for years and appears to get off on knowing something the rest of us don’t.

wow Jesse Green is a bad writer and tired old queen

[quote] Still, poring over my personal Tonys spreadsheet, which I keep in a special air-locked safe with my original cast vinyl recordings and Playbills printed on papyrus, I am impressed with the nominators’ determination to spread the wealth.

You're all forgetting that Boyd Gaines sang the role of George in Roundabout's hit revival of SHE LOVES ME and won the Tony for this performance. So SLM and COMPANY director Scott Ellis thought he could sing Bobby. Big mistake. Not unlike Katrina Lenk's journey.

Malcolm Gets has been teaching acting in the theater and dance dept. at the University of Florida in Gainesville (look up their website) for awhile now and has been with the same partner for decades. He's healthy and apparently perfectly happy to be out of commercial theater, at least for now.

Regarding Boyd Gaines... it's really quite sad that posters to this thread don't simply thank him for the work he's done previously and wish him well. He's not yet 70 years old, but does seem to be worn out and tired.

I saw him perform in The Age of Innocence at Hartford Stage in 2018 and it was nice to him act (the play was very good and the set and lighting design lovely and evocative). He was in his early 60s then and playing an old man, but he looked old and weary.

How the Pandemic Shaped the 2022 Tony Nominations Landscape:

Every time they announced a nomination for PUTUS and read that awful subtitle, I was embarrassed for all involved.

Boyd Gaine circa 1980 in Fame.

R547, And we're all embarrassed for you for typing PUTUS.

R547 sweet of you to be embarrassed for folks as they received Tony nominations.

"wow Jesse Green is a bad writer and tired old queen"

Yes, it's time for some fresh faces among the NYC critics.

[quote]Also, I didn't say the production of TROUBLE IN MIND was perfect. It was Roundabout, so anyone who knows anything knows not to go to any early performance, cause their shows are always under-rehearsed. I went later in the run when the show was a well-oiled machine, and I thought LaChanze and Chuck Cooper were superb.

I second that. Saw TIM twice once in early previews and later in the run. It was much better later. Cooper earned the Tony

Jesse is entitled to whatever level of privacy he wants, of course. But if I had a cock like that, I’d have my agent take out "For Your Consideration" ads in the trades featuring photos of it, front and center.

I had no idea this is Jesse’s stage debut. He said on WWHL that anything he does after this will be easy.

Oh dear. Was no one else available?

I hope they work her demented smile into the projections towards the end of the show.

Isn’t Stephanie Blick youngish for Norma Desmond?

[quote]Isn’t Stephanie Block youngish for Norma Desmond?

WAY too young!

She’d too Jewish looking to play Norma.

Malcom teaches theater at the University of Florida, and does not look well.

Did the person who recorded the Jesse videos also get the shower scene too?

The other shower scene, that is, with the 6 other guys?

I suspect they recorded the whole show. They also posted a chaning room scene of Jesse.

*changing

R561, supposedly yes, but it hasn't been released/leaked yet.

The Jesse in Act 1 shots

R557, Block is 49, Swanson was 50 during the filming.

r565 Well Jesse doesn't want the focus taken away from him during voting season

I could be wrong about this, but my memory is that Jesse took off his clothes during act one (in front of his locker) but did not shower with the other baseball players. I think he only flashed his butt to the audience during that scene the night I saw it. Of course, it was a very nice butt. But we didn't see Jesse in a shower until act two when his character confronted the homophobic guy. Is that right?

Yes we only saw his butt in Act 1. Act 2 was the big reveal.

r569, correct, except it varies from night to night whether JW shows frontal in that first scene depending on how quickly he covers up. (In the original production, both Koovitz/Lemming actors did most of the scene nude. In this one, they cover up pretty quickly.) As seen in r566, the frontal is sometimes visible in that scene; sometimes not.

[quote] No one is buying tickets for Company based on Katrina Lenk's "star" power. She has none. Patti and Sondheim are the only names that are generating any heat for that show.

No one is buying tickets for Company

The mod at L P S G just posted that they got a DMCA notice requesting removal of all the images. So the show evidently doesn't want the stuff out there (or it's served its purpose...) Don't be surprised of things start disappearing (but seems unlikely they can remove them from everywhere...)

I still have no memory of Jennifer Simard from Company. I saw it in December. Found the gender swapping aspect of the production quite tedious. As if a 35 year old straight woman wouldn't realize half the shit she was singing about. Could be that Lenk didn't pull it off, but Sondheim was enough of a genius that you can't just casually gender swap the entire cast like some college theater trick and expect it to work.

Broadway Understudies--1966

I'd like a refund.

Anyone else having problems supporting a musical that has characters hating"God Hates Fags" as well as that "clap along to AIDS' number. I just kept thinking of dead friends who would have found no humor. Sorry to be a downer, but that was my experience.

What did you think of "Dinah Aids" as a drag name?

[quote] Anyone else having problems supporting a musical that has characters hating"God Hates Fags" as well as that "clap along to AIDS' number. I just kept thinking of dead friends who would have found no humor. Sorry to be a downer, but that was my experience.

You are not the only one...

Oh look, Wes Tay Tay has a new project.

R577, what musical is that from?

R573, Thousands of people have downloaded the videos already, so good luck with that.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

r583, I can't read the article--members only, I guess?--but I have to admit that is an excellent choice of header photo.

Jesse must be going through a WHOLE lot of emotions right now. Proud of his Tony nomination. Embarrassed (maybe?) by the leak. Pleased that the photos/vids show off his giant cock. Wondering if more pics and vids are on the way...

Hey everyone, there's about fifty different Jesse Williams threads on here. Could we talk about theater in this one?

There have been photos and videos of the original "Take Me Out" and a long clip of a replacement cast of "Naked Boys Singing" on the internet for many years. How have those guys dealt with it?

Any word from anyone reliable on how shows actually wrapped yesterday? Who saw bumps and who didn't?

I think Sunjata has commented negatively about that fact. I don't think Mike White was please either. (White was in a different play.)

*pleased

[quote]That was a big drama off stage when Boyd Gaines did Company. As stated he wasn't very good vocally. Missed tons of shows. They were going to move it to a commercial run but the Roundabout insisted he be replaced with Michael Rupert. Sondheim and the director refused to fire him so the Roundabout didn't move the show.

I heard it was the director, Scott Ellis, who I think went on record at the time as saying that he considered Boyd his acting alter ego, or something weird like that, and that's why he wouldn't replace him. Of course, he also cast him as the lead in SHE LOVES ME, which was a much better fit.

I would be surprised if Sondheim got involved directly in any of the COMPANY drama surrounding Boyd continuing in the role.

[quote]Regarding Boyd Gaines... it's really quite sad that posters to this thread don't simply thank him for the work he's done previously and wish him well

Who said we don't wish him well? Sad?

Last week's grosses finally came out this morning. At least the shows that needed the boost the most got the Tony nominations they needed. Now we'll see if they'll pay off for Paradise Square, North Country, Strange Loop, Hangmen, For Colored Girls, POTUS....

I always like Broadway World's chart a little more:

Jesse doesn't have a single thing to be ashamed of. That's Michael Fassbinder in Shame impressive.

New thread:

For the record, this is the first theatre gossip thread I started where no one said the title was terrible...so you all have three posts to do so. (I'll still consider it a smashing success.)

In the old days there would be reporters and cameras outside the stage door of Funny Girl to get Beanie's reactions to the Tony noms. Where are Walter Winchell and Dorothy Kilgallen when you need them?

A new photo probably couldn't say it any better than this old favorite, could it, r598?

BAJOUR!

TITLE OF SHOW!

That photo of Beanie has got to be the worst piece of publicity the show could put out there. And why is she wearing Mrs. Strakosh's old dress in her big seduction scene?

WHOOP-UP!

So Chita, but Nancy Dussault stole "Bajour" right away from you!