THEATRE GOSSIP #468: The Bats, Balls and Tonys Edition

Previous thread:

Wait! We're already onto a new thread!!

Saved from the bottom of the last thread. Last week's numbers. POTUS saw a sharp drop post-opening, as did For Colored Girls. Was this before the ticket-buying campaign to save it? Hopefully so (if not, yikes). Did something happen to Hangman? Also a sharp drop, and only playing at 40%. (Mr. Saturday Night was down, but it lost two performances with Crystal being out,so that probably explains it.)

I think audiences are and will be avoiding POTUS because it looks like a bad SNL sketch. The feature that CBS Sunday Morning did on the show last week did it no favors. It convinced me not to waste my money.

I'm worried this is going to be a Beetlejuice/Candyman situation. People are saying enough they're going to will it into being.

It's amazing that Strange Loop has yet to break $500,000 -- and the breakeven has to be more than that. Colored Girls, Skin of our Teeth, POTUS and Paradise Square should just close up shop. All their facing is continued losses and a Tony won't get them anything but wounded pride. Time for Broadway to grow up.

That Wesley Taylor/Alex Wyse film sounds awful. The amount of overacting in the photo alone...

And Sean Grandillo in another gay themed project. Why exactly doesn't he just come out at this point?

Patti Lupone won for Company in London, where she stole the show. Maybe she will triumph here as well?

I streamed the National Theatre's production of Trouble In Mind on NT Live and was not impressed. Nearly all the actors seemed to be playing to the rafters at the Drury Lane; it was acted way too big for the tiny Dorfman Theatre. I kept thinking, Why are they all yelling? And nearly all the actors seemed to be playing caricatures instead of characters. I'd love to see a better-directed production of it someday, as in this one the play was better than the production. (And because the audience sat on three sides of the stage every time the camera director cut to a certain angle you could see a young woman in the front row wearing a very bright red sweatshirt with ICE CREAM printed on it in big white letters. The hell...? At least she was masked.)

R8 I hope so. She is excellent as Joanne. Matt Doyle could get his too.

Matt Doyle having a Tony somehow makes it about as worthless as a Broadway.com fan award.

Who played Jamie "Not Getting Married Today" on Broadway? Jonathan Bailey was superb in the 2018 West End production

Matt Doyle, also superb.

Broadway Understudies '66 from the last thread. Not a lot of star power. At least you get Linda Gerard!

Gerard was excellent!

Jonathan Bailey was superb in the London production, adding so much to the song with his very specific acting choices. Doyle is simply serviceable, "just" doing the song and let the material do all the work.

It's telling that in London, the minister's bits added to the number but didn't overshadow him. On Broadway, the minister steals the number and gets all the biggest laughs.

For the life of me I didn't think Matt Doyle - or the entire show for that matter, played any differently than an extended not very good Miscast sketch. Oh look we're doing the wrong gender. Until all the dancing Bobbies and babies were everywhere. Then I thought they had just lost their minds. Company, my ass.

Yes, Bailey was fantastic in London production.

Has Wes Taylor moved on from Isaac?

I've seen Jonathan Bailey 3 times on London stages, first in a play at The Donmar called The York Realist with him and Ben Batt as gay lovers and Lesley (Mrs. Patmore) Nicol as Ben 's mum; Company, in which he was truly electric and really stole the show from Patti and Rosalie Craig; and just recently in Cock, a terrible play with a provocative title in which he never left the bare stage and more than carried the evening (he was not bare, however!).

He has incredible talent, charm and talent, no surprise. He needs to come to Broadway (just keep Sam Gold away from him)!

R19-Well, Isaac seems to have found a new bf and has definitely moved on.

Did the nudes of Jesse shut down #467?

I thought after all the hype, maybe today would be the first time Take Me Out sells out and it wouldn't be on TKTS. No such luck (for them). Still there, along with just about everything else.

r22, threads automatically close after 600 posts.

I think I shall have my headstone read:

reply 600

R25, how about: " Bajour"?

[quote] It's amazing that Strange Loop has yet to break $500,000 -- and the breakeven has to be more than that

Could this be the first Tony Award best Musical to never have a national tour?

The Actors Fund has been renamed the Entertainment Community Fund. Who's genius idea was this? What a clunker of a rebrand. And completely unnecessary!

Don’t forget me, R6.

Sorry, Whose*

r29, I was looking more at the capacity, but ouch. That average ticket price and gross is dismal. Sorry, Mrs. D!

#467 only got to 576 posts.

Paradise Square with an average ticket price of $40.31. Does anyone know if they count comps when making this average, or is it the average only for people who paid?

Beanie's exploits have enlivened there threads. Thank you Mr. Feldstein for bankrolling you spawn to the heights of DL-fame!

Wrong, r32...604 posts

Yeah, I'm seeing 604 over there too. It was at 596 when I started this one and posted the link over there.

Of course, r26!

BAJOUR!

reply 600

Towards the end of the last thread, was how people from the last "Take Me Out" and a replacement cast of "Naked Boys Singing" dealt with finding out extended nude scene from their shows ended up on the web (and in certain cases on x-rated sites). Anybody know some of the actors?

This is from the same channel (Tony Sheldon’s) who posted that fabulous Understudies 1966 special. This is an hour long Aussie documentary chronicling auditions for a touring production Down Under in 1983. After the first cut some bitch tears into the director for not letting her go through. I wonder if that was staged.

He has some fun stuff, r39...

[quote]Could this be the first Tony Award best Musical to never have a national tour?

Did Passion have a national tour? Surely not.

Yes, R41, with Pia Zadora.

[quote]Matt Doyle having a Tony somehow makes it about as worthless as a Broadway.com fan award.

I can see that this thread is plagued by one or more people filled with completely irrational hatred for Matt Doyle, just as the last one was plagued by one or more people filled with completely irrational hatred for Jesse Tyler Ferguson. If only you realized how pathetic you are, but I guess grammar school-level posts like yours are to be expected when people are able to post anonymously.

Anyway, Matt Doyle is excellent in COMPANY, as anyone without an agenda will tell you.

And Adrian Zmed, r42.

Beanie Feldstein IS Fosca in Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning Passion! This weekend at Ft. Lauderdale's Parker Playhouse.

[quote]The Actors Fund has been renamed the Entertainment Community Fund. Who's genius idea was this? What a clunker of a rebrand. And completely unnecessary!

I agree it's clunky, but I have to say, I can't think of anything better, and I'm sure they tried. They felt they really needed to change the name because it does imply that they only help actors, which has always been an issue in terms of people donating to them and also the people who seek help from them.

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

Oh please. The only heat Patti generates is when she mistakes a heating pad for a tampon.

R43 = Matt Doyle

People on the BWW boards are saying Into the Woods will be transferring to Broadway, with an announcement coming this week. I hope it's true. Not going to make it this week, but would love to see this cast.

Not Monica Lewinsky Singing Do Not Precipitate on My Celebration

I wonder if Linda Gerard ever went on for Babs or Mimi.

Mimi had a bar mitzvah or two to attend (and sing at) during her long run so I’m sure Linda went on.

Couldn't they revive that execrable version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just so Beanie could play Veruca Salt?

Speaking of Company, I still want to know who I should blame for Andy being a sex idiot. Was that Marianne's invention or does it go back to George Furth? Sometimes it was funny (like in "Barcelona" when Andy repeats the name as if Bobbie's forgotten it), but often, it was a case of diminishing returns.

JTF tweeted this and then deleted it…

I'm appalled by the disrespect shown to the actors of our company whose vulnerability on stage ever night is crucial to Take Me Out. Anyone who applauds or trivialize this behavior has no place in the theater which has always been a safe space for artists & audience members.

And naked men.

Lol so he’s discouraging people from coming to the play…

Reverse psychology?

Oh, fuck off, JTF.

We knew he was going to start drama queening about something at some point during the run of this show.

What did he expect? What did he reasonably expect?

Nudity is what I came for and I wasn’t bored at all (except during the JTF scenes).

The stuff about big ideas and beautiful language cracks me up because really, the play has not aged well. I'll concede to remarkable acting, though.

Here the content of what Second Stage says

[Quote] Second Stage Theater has worked to ensure the privacy of the "Take Me Out" company by creating a phone-free space with locked phone cases at all performances. We are appalled that this policy has been violated and unauthorized footage of our acting company has been posted. It is deeply unfortunate that one audience member chose to disrespect the production, their fellow audience members, and, most importantly, the cast in this manner. Taking naked pictures of anyone without their consent is highly objectionable and can have severe legal consequences. Posting it on the internet is a gross and unacceptable violation of trust between the actor and audience forged in the theater community. We are actively pursuing takedown requests and ask that no one participates in the distribution of these images. Second Stage is also adding additional staff at the theater to enforce the policy.

Leave me alone, I just want to see naked TV stars in peace!

wow the clip at r150 sounds like a really really good… high school show

JTF there is a reason you were nominated for 6 Emmys and lost every time. They say awards don’t matter…but it speaks about how an industry feels about you if they never give you the prize.

LMFAO, R5--that's the shitter's SOB PR flack earning his oats!

The outraged Second Stage producers are a collective bunch of MARYS!

JTF is a hypcritical little fucking QUEEN. You know he was probably the first to fap to the leaks since he's never onstage to actually see them. He probably had them secretly commissioned!

R50, she sounds like an untalented high school girl with her wan voice and amateur-hour crooning. The only things that's thin about her is her voice.

Jesse Williams' flopping cock is currently residing on the desktops of many, many thousands of computers and laptops.

Why is the OP crossed out at the start of every one of these threads?

The internet has basically come together in its love for that big beautiful dong on Jesse Williams. A rare feat. JTF and the producers can sit down and STFU. I had two friends yesterday say they now have to see the show because of that leaked video.

What a gross and appalling violation to have everyone and their mother saying how unbelievably hot you are.

"What a gross and appalling violation to have everyone and their mother saying how unbelievably hot you are."

I know, r74--isn't that hawt?

I couldn't give a fuck about Jesse Williams' privacy. He got a Tony nomination on the same day everyone was slobbering all over the internet over his anaconda. Boo-fuckin-hoo.

I think Jesse Williams has the right to dignity, but anyone pretending that this situation hasn't been milked like a barn full of holsteins is just that: pretending.

[quote]I can see that this thread is plagued by one or more people filled with completely irrational hatred for Matt Doyle

Matt Doyle isn’t qualified to lick Jonathan Bailey’s boots. Put their two performances side by side and it’s a joke how amateur Doyle is. He should have stuck to being an aspiring personal trainer, but unfortunately he thinks very highly of himself, as was proven when he spent the entire pandemic crying to his online Twitch followers about how it’s so hard for him to get cast because his type is “leading man.”

Matt Doyle considers himself a leading man? I like the guy, and even I think that's an impossible dream.

Who is Matt Doyle?

The one who isn't Mike Doyle, R80.

WEHT Mike Doyle? He at least got naked on stage.

And it was all over the internet, as it should have been.

Matt Doyle ain’t even Mike Doyle, much less Jonty Bailey!

I saw a play in which Mike Doyle dropped his pants and undies and bent over to get a coke suppository shoved up his ass. Now, HE was a STAR!

WHET him, indeed.

Mike Doyle kinda fell off when his relationship with Andrew Rannells went to smithereens

Is Rannells still partnered with his Hank from Boys in the Band? Or has he moved on

How is Beanie performing tonight? Any reports onstage, or better yet, off?

Is it Olive Oyl and Popeye Doyle?

Are you saying there was a correlation, R86?

R48 = POS.

Hey, POS -- Matt Doyle obviously does have some fans, including the people who gave him a Tony nomination. So your show yourself to be an idiot with your "joke" that anyone who would write something positive about him here would have to be the man himself.

R87, I think it was the other way around and Tuc Watkins dumped Rannells.

Rannells is 43 years old and Doyle is 55. Rannells was too young for him.

Yeah, Doyle is a hack… a hack who not only got a Tony nomination but is largely considered a front runner.

We saw the show two weeks ago and he was outstanding. Sad when frustrated wannabe actors show their jealousy.

So, seems it's the entire Platt family who are assholes. Jonah Platt tweeted - and then deleted - this:

[quote]$175 for a ticket to a Broadway performance with 5 understudies (including the 2 leads) and a technical malfunction that stopped the show for several minutes. Not great!

Now, I'm sure there are some here who'd agree with what he said - but the fact he is (was?) a Broadway actor and yet is tweeting something like that is pretty shitty. Especially given his dad's show was one of the ones flying understudies around the country to keep performances going.

Plus, always fun to see a son of a millionaire moaning about money.

Patti vs an anti-masker. We have a new 'who do you think you are'!

That is why we continue to Stan Patti LuPone!!

Only Patti would do that and only Patti could do that!!

Doyle is ... fine. He is always a bit of a blank. That performance is carried by the staging, which employs visual gags that push the performance into looking like something more than it is. If he wins, it's because voters are taken in by the staging tricks. I completely expected Doyle to be nominated and to be considered a category front runner, but I thought Chris Sieber, Christopher Fitzgerald and Claybourne Elder were all better than Doyle.

No one talks about Chris Fitzgerald's performance. What do you like about it?

[quote]Sad when frustrated wannabe actors show their jealousy.

Very true. And the ones post here are really embarrassing themselves -- or, as I said, they would be if they weren't able to post anonymously.

[quote]Doyle is ... fine. He is always a bit of a blank. That performance is carried by the staging, which employs visual gags that push the performance into looking like something more than it is. If he wins, it's because voters are taken in by the staging tricks.

What a stupid comment. That song, "Getting Married Today," is a real bitch with all those incredibly rapid-fire, non-stop lyrics. It's very difficult just to get the words out clearly without stumbling, let alone to act the song well enough to earn laughs throughout -- and no, the laughs are NOT primarily because of the "staging." Many actors can't manage it at all, at least not at that speed, and some can do a great job with it, like Doyle. The Tony nominators recognized this, and rewarded Doyle with a nomination. It's sad, or rather pathetic, that you can't recognize it as well, or can't admit it because you have some hidden agenda.

I think even Matt Doyle himself would be surprised to learn he has such (a) passionate fan(s).

Um no, Doyle Stan. By now, I've seen that number performed by Beth Howland, Veanne Cox, Madeline Kahn, Julie Andrews, Katie Finneran and Jonathan Bailey. All made more of an impression than Doyle, who also went to a shrieking queen caricature that I found off putting on top of the staging gimmickry. I don't really remember the one from the Raul Esparza production, so Doyle can come second-to-last.

Is Matt Doyle Mike Doyle's son? Matt is young enough to be, and Mike's old enough.

[quote]who also went to a shrieking queen caricature

I watched a few of his Twitch streams. He didn't go into a shrieking queen caricature, he is a shrieking queen caricature

I guess Max doesn't have much else to do other than post here while waiting for Hugh to catch a cold

[quote] What a stupid comment.

Could we stop saying crap like this. And, no, I'm not a 'hall monitor.' Just over nastiness without wit.

Lol Patti Lupone!!!

Forget the Leaissance, we need a Mike Doyleassance.

[quote] No one talks about Chris Fitzgerald's performance. What do you like about it?

He has the pot-smoking scene. From the Roundabout production on, it has had a dated sensibility to it and it never really made me laugh. The gender flip in this scene really worked for me, and I thought Fitzgerald played it with a building hysteria that really paid off. He's likable and funny and I thought he was a real highlight.

R105, I call 'em as I see 'em. Some comments don't deserve any more discussion than to be called out as stupid.

[quote]By now, I've seen that number performed by Beth Howland, Veanne Cox, Madeline Kahn, Julie Andrews, Katie Finneran and Jonathan Bailey.

I don't think Julie's performance of that number was very successful. and though Kahn got laughs, she had to slow the tempo way, way down to get the lyrics out.

A new show written by a DLer?

“Which Way to the Stage” is about the performances people put on for themselves, their friends, family and potential loved ones, as well as the identities they hide behind.

"If you have ever fantasized about casting your favorite musical or ranked the actresses who have played Mrs. Lovett, chances are you will be familiar with Jeff and Judy. You might even be them."

"Judy (Sas Goldberg) and Jeff (Max Jenkins) are arguing over the respective merits of Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone in “Gypsy,” and Ana Nogueira’s “Which Way to the Stage,” at MCC Theater, is off, its needle already close to the red zone. At least Jeff and Judy agree on one thing: either of those two stars is better than the one they refer to simply as “Imelda” (Staunton, unless Marcos also appeared in “Gypsy”). “Like a caricature of a caricature of a performance by my mother in the Temple Beth Israel talent show,” Judy says."

"You might have sussed out by now that Judy is straight and Jeff is gay, and both have a way with quips."

I would pay to have Patti LuPone watch that show [r110] just for the glory of watching her rip the creators to shreds afterword

Matt Doyle is throughly mediocre in Company and he’s not winning a Tony. He was only nominated because Bailey won the Olivier and it’s about the only redeemably funny moment in the show. Any actor with basic skills (and any queen or chorus boy on Broadway) could have pulled off the exact same performance and gotten the exact same accolades. His nomination only speaks to how dreadfully off the rest of the show is and how desperate nominators were to find something to praise in the first show after Sondheim’s death.

The only thing that will keep Company open after the Tonys will be audiences pouring in to see LuPone’s latest tirade.

Btw, why isn’t this on DL yet?

r113

please see r96

[quote] I don't think Julie's performance of that number was very successful.

Since it was part of a loosely structured revue and not as it is presented in Company, it was memorable for the undercurrent of rage she brought to it and her incredible diction and precision. It's oddly cool and clinical and quite different from other versions, which is what surprised me about it at the time.

[quote] and though Kahn got laughs, she had to slow the tempo way, way down to get the lyrics out.

Are we trying to win a marathon or something? I'll take the laughs over setting a speed record. Kahn, when not beset by demons and insecurities, was magic on stage.

[quote]Are we trying to win a marathon or something?

No, but much of the humor of the song is that all those words are delivered SO quickly: Pardonmeiseverybodyherebecauseifeverybody'shereIwasnttothankyouallforcomingtothewedding, and so on.

Jennifer Hudson is listed as a producer on A Strange Loop. Does that mean that Hudson would receive a Tony and thus complete her EGOT if the show wins Best Musical?

Interesting that they are adapting The Kite Runner into a play that will open in July. Does anyone know anything about it? Loved the book.

R117-Unfortunately, yes.

Sorry for the following posts, which may be old news. DL wasn't letting me post since last night, so I've had all these (probably not very interesting) replies in mind.

r54, that's pretty much straight out of George Furth's original book. The Andy scenes are almost exactly the same as the April scenes from the original version, with a few lines tweaked here and there. Personally I thought Elder was great and deserved a nomination ahead of Doyle. Whereas Doyle was just doing the song and not really adding anything to it, most of the humor in the Andy scenes came directly from Elder's performance and acting choices. He really did add a lot to the character. For proof, here's Christina Hendricks in the 2011 staging. I like her in a lot of things, but this really isn't funny at all.

Another example, Elizabeth Stanley in the Esparza version. Again, not nearly as funny.

(And for the record, I like Stanley a lot. Her "Miller's Son" at the Sondheim 90th virtual concert was a highlight.)

I did prefer Richard Fleeshman’s hilarious “BARCELONA!” burst of frustration at Bobbi, Elder’s isn’t quite as funny.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but the latest update on the Into the Woods transfer from Reddit and BWW is that it's coming to the St. James for a limited 8-week run over the summer. Borle supposedly will be back, replacing Harris.

Broke is too unattractive!

*Boyle

Excuse me, R124, here at DL we refer to it as “the James.”

r73, it means a lot of people have downvoted/F&F the thread. I used to think it was the same people who always complained that the thread titles were terrible, since there were usually multiple of those, but I'm not sure there's enough to consistently get all the Theatre Gossip threads crossed out. (I did a search looking for the last one that wasn't crossed out--got into the 440s before giving up. They really were all crossed out.)

I'm thinking now it must be a lot of DLers who just don't like the Theatre Gossip threads and are consistently downvoting them when they come up?

R124 - thank you - would have rather seen Harris, but that's good news.

For those who haven't seen, here's Bailey. I preferred parts of the NY staging--the timing felt better, and I saw both Daniels and Coleman as the priest and they were better than the one here--but Bailey is vastly superior to Doyle. So many more levels.

[quote]No one talks about Chris Fitzgerald's performance. What do you like about it?

Speaking of Fitzgerald, did anyone see him as Barnum at Chichester? That production had such a weird energy around it. All the Cameron Mackintosh-style fanfare around it at the beginning, then that weird piece of non-star casting, then it turned out Mackintosh himself (huh?!?) was rewriting the script. What a pity.

Agreed with r102 on the others. I saw Finneran live too and while I didn't think she had complete control of the song, the acting was superb.

This Matt Doyle discussion is absurd. I don't know him, but he was the absolute highlight of this revival for me, and by a wide margin. Lenk and Patti are both miscast, and only Patti has the goods to overcome. Jennifer Simard made the most of her scenes and was my second fave performance of the show, so her nod is not a surprise. I really liked Fitzgerald and Elder too and would have absolutely nominated them instead of the two chaps from PARADISE SQUARE. They got nominated because their roles are so much larger than the COMPANY boys, plus they are both sensational dancers.

As for these comparisons to Jonathan Bailey... They're silly. At least 95% of the voters did not see that production, which was, I must clearly add as a reminder, pre-pandemic, so ancient history in terms of show-business awards calendars. The part is great, and the song is fantastic, so when it's done well, it's theatrical bliss.

r102, I had only seen Laws in the taped version of the Esparza production, and would have agreed with you that she was forgettable. But in doing a search, I found this live version, and she's better here. In the filmed version she seems like she's on tranquilizers or something so the number feels ridiculously muted. Still not one of the best versions though.

Maybe it's just nostalgia (I wore out the VHS tape of this as a gayling in 1992) but nothing will ever compare to Madeline Kahn's performance of the song for me.

R120, Elder did a good job with the character and got all of his laughs, but I think one of the reasons you found him so much funnier than those women who played the role is that, nowadays, maybe it's a lot more palatable to see a dumb himbo portrayed on stage than a dumb bimbo. P.S. I've always felt that Elder came across as gay in his past roles, even when the character wasn't supposed to be, but in COMPANY, his gayness is somewhat masked by the fact that he's playing SO dumb. He should thank his lucky stars for the role, because who knows when something like that will happen again.

When I heard Harris was replacing Borle in ITTW, I was disappointed, but after I saw it withe NPH I changed my mind. Borle might have been better in Act 1, but NPH was fine there and his Act2 surpassed, in my view, what Borle would have done there.

NPH got amazing reviews for ITW. Much better than expected.

I hear ITW and MERRILY are both planning Broadway transfers. And PASSION is about to open in the UK with Ruthie Henshall!

r133, yes, it's absurd when people have a different opinion than yours, isn't it?

For the record, I didn't see Bailey's performance live or before I saw Doyle's. I also had never heard of Doyle before or seen him in anything. I was unimpressed with him based solely on what I saw that evening in December. Afterward I saw video of Bailey's performance (not even the one linked) and immediately understood why people were hyped up about it. But per r94, I guess that just means I'm jealous of Matt Doyle but not jealous of any of the other actors whose performances I enjoyed.

Oh, how lucky we all are to have Buckwheat judge us.

I can't imagine Borle would do ITW and then go right into Some Like It Hot.

Wow, R140. That man is not attractive.

So JTF admits that the play he is in is a two and half hour bore with some flashes of nudity that audiences are enjoying more than the rest of it?

Brave.

R124-Thank God I saw it with NPH. I have absolutely no reason to watch Borle fuck up the role. Neil was perfection, but he probably has family vacations to plan.

R130 that was good - although I didn't care for the woman and her singing.....so precious.....

Hmm, not sure whose opinion to trust. Tony voters (and my own eyes and ears) or an anonymous loon. However shall I decide?

[quote]And PASSION is about to open in the UK with Ruthie Henshall!

That ain’t going nowhere, trust me. Not the West End and certainly not Broadway. Even by the standards of Passion, it’s indulgent and off-putting.

r147, the Tony nominations were selected by 29 people, not the thousands of Tony voters who will be choosing the actual winners. The majority of 29 people liked the nominated performances better than other performances. You can give that as much weight as you want. (Especially considering some of the shitty "opinions" Tony voters have confirmed over the years.)

An opinion is just an opinion. You don't have to trust any of them, or call people loons for having ones that differ from your own.

My apologies. That was of course for r146. r147 popped up while I was typing.

r142, I hate to say it, but...yeah. Back when Slave Play hit there was some profile on him that described how charismatic he was and how he would hook up with these guys who were drawn to his charisma, and looking at the photos, I was like...Wow. That must be some charisma in person, eh, because...oof.

Heather Headley, brilliant in Into The Woods. Tony time next spring, even if only do a limited run in the fall. But that first act needs a slight trim.

r145, yeah, both actresses I saw do it on Broadway were better.

Is the Matt Doyle loon the same asshole who was going on and on about how brilliant JTF was in Take Me Out? Get a hobby, hon. Neither of them are going to fuck you.

[quote] I used to think it was the same people who always complained that the thread titles were terrible, since there were usually multiple of those, but I'm not sure there's enough to consistently get all the Theatre Gossip threads crossed out.

I complain about the titles just for fun. (I sincerely don't think they're all that great, but who cares? It just feels like a silly, harmless ritual.) But I have never FF'ed the OP. But then I wondered after reading your post if maybe FF'ing every OP of Theatre Gossip was a ritual I was unaware of. Anyone?

LOL he literally describes the process of him making all the decisions himself as “democratic, meritocratic, and pluralistic “

[quote]Is the Matt Doyle loon the same asshole who was going on and on about how brilliant JTF was in Take Me Out? Get a hobby, hon. Neither of them are going to fuck you.

That comment is deliciously ironic, since it's probably your rage that neither of these men will fuck YOU -- or some other insane, irrational reason -- that causes you to hate them so much, whereas my opinion of them, whether you agree with it or not, is based on their onstage performances. Between the two of us, you fit the definition of a loon far better than I do.

Anyone who is not a loon most emphatically does not belong on a DL THEATRE GOSSIP thread.

[quote] That comment is deliciously ironic, since it's probably your rage that neither of these men will fuck YOU -- or some other insane, irrational reason -- that causes you to hate them so much, whereas my opinion of them, whether you agree with it or not, is based on their onstage performances. Between the two of us, you fit the definition of a loon far better than I do.

I don't hate either of them, dear. You, on the other hand, are a waste of space.

Matt Doyle winning a Tony would be apt for such a lackluster, irrelevant, and forgettable Broadway season.

Can the tony voters on this thread please just make sure JTF doesn’t win? Especially after his self-righteous Twitter lecture on how gross and appalling we are for looking at the cock photos?

Doesn’t the genital area of a ginger have a certain distinct odor? Did I read that somewhere or is it an old wives tale?

No one in the featured actor/actress in a play categories merits a Tony Award, but Chuck Cooper will likely win his 2nd and is probably the most deserving of those included. After Johanna Day was snubbed, you may as well throw out the female side completely. None of them are any good.

If Neil Patrick Harris can't do the Broadway run, let's give him the benefit of the doubt. He probably has a wedding to go to.

[quote] Doesn’t the genital area of a ginger have a certain distinct odor? Did I read that somewhere or is it an old wives tale?

How do you think Justin Mikita went from schoolteacher to film producer?

No more photos at Take Me Out. They mean it this time!

Please, the Signature loves all this publicity. It's the only chatter this bore of a play is getting.

So silly an infrared system. We all saw it. Cock is out of the bag.

Justin Mikita worked at Griffin-Schake with a friend of mine sometime around 2010-2011.

[quote]Please, the Signature loves all this publicity.

That’s possible. But this is a Second Stage production.

Oh, sorry. Is there a difference?

r131 There was a documentary about the making of that production (not solely it, it was a series and the Chichester Barnum was one they followed, along with a musical adaptation of Happy Days) called The Sound of Musicals and Mackintosh was in full-on tyrant mode. Not just re-writing, but over-ruling the director in front of everyone, stamping his feet and yelling, etc. Unfortunately I can't find a link to that particular episode of it.

r150 He also claims he's a top - not by choice but as he tells it when people see him they assume he's a top so he's never been given a chance to bottom - so, you know, take his claims with some salt

JOH also claims he's a talented playwright, so watch your blood pressure with all that salt.

Follow up to r95 - people have worked out the show he was talking about was MJ. If you're actually going to pay money to see that, you deserve to be disappointed

Patti once again on how to behave in theatre

i can't with you all posting things that are already posted. Life is TL;DR for you? Boyd Gaines, now Patti. Read the damn thread.

I don’t get it. JA has a terrific body and a huge cock. Why would he care who sees it? He has nothing to be ashamed of.

Who is “JA”?

Jess-ay, perhaps?

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1994, a revival of "Grease," which featured Rosie O'Donnell, Billy Porter, and Megan Mullally, opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

[quote]You, on the other hand, are a waste of space.

Right back at ya, sweetheart. I sure would love to be a fly on the wall in your TV room if Matt Doyle and/or JTF win a Tony, just to watch your head explode.

JW not JA

Broadway’s Patti LuPone And ‘Company’ Double Down After Viral Video: Wear A Mask Or…

For anyone who was interested but missed the "POTUS" segment on CBS this past weekend:

[quote]JW not JA

As though the overuse of initials in these threads weren't already confusing enough.

Jesse Williams, r185. He was mistakenly initialed as JA briefly.

I thought Borge dropped out of ITW because of SOME LIKE IT HOT? How would he be available for two weeks in the summer then?

And everyone agrees this cast, with NPH as the Baker, is what elevates this production.

R187-You're a real absorber of details.

Any elders experience Abie's Irish Rose being produced in your community growing up? by high schools, etc.? Just curious when the extrene popularity of this script had reached it's expiration date. thx.

Darren Criss & Julianne Hough To Host Tony Awards Pre-Show On Paramount+:

Jeez, they got better hosts for the pre-show than the actual show

They got an Oscar winner whose career is red-hot for the actual show, r191. That’s far better.

Bless your heart, R192

I'm an eldergay, but for me, the two outstanding performances of "I'm Not Getting Married" were Beth Howland in the original Broadway production and Sophie Thompson in the 1996 West End production (with Tony-nominated Adrian Lester as Bobby). Both Amys were quirky and totally believable in their fear and anxiety. I saw Beth several times, and she only got better.

That said, I do enjoy Marianne Elliot's staging of Getting Married in the current production.

Sophie Thompson

R160 I think JTF is probably pissed that no one went to the trouble or wanted to post naked pictures of him when he went full-frontal in the replacement cast of "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told".

Now Jay Goede and Alan Tudyk, those were fabulous guys to see nude! Goede seems to have retired from acting though, which is a shame.

Tudyk put his thing in Cheno. Negates all memories of him. Jay Goede, however, is still fantasy material.

Seeing all those photos of Patti in Company really drives home the point that she's way too fucking old to be playing that role.

She's old enough to be playing Joanne's mother instead of Joanne.

Noel & Mary

The thread needs more dick, so the aforementioned best Doyle.

[quote]Darren Criss & Julianne Hough To Host Tony Awards Pre-Show On Paramount+:

So they're not interested in having anyone watch?

Speaking of the Tonys, any speculation on numbers would be performed?

Not "I'm the Greatest Star"

[quote]She's old enough to be playing Joanne's mother instead of Joanne.

She's even tall enough to be her mother.

Which is better—last row of orchestra or second row of mezzanine for A Strange Loop? (“Don’t Go” is not a helpful response.) Thanks in advance

Is there nudity in "A Strange Loop"? or just imagined nudity?

I sat front row for The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told - not knowing what exactly I was getting into. Alan Tudyk is still locked in my brain, the other guy I saw was Juan Carlos Gonzalez - who later showed his uncut cock on Oz.

The thing I remember most is that it featured a pre Strangers with Candy Amy Sedaris. Also Orlando from Strangers with Candy was in it as well.

Good lord, if there's anything worse than a Paul Rudnick play, it would be a Paul Rudnick play with a nude Orlando from Strangers With Candy.

Second row of Mezzanine is better for strange loop than last row of orchestra

[quote] Is there nudity in "A Strange Loop"? or just imagined nudity?

I imagine the nudity would be horrifying. Have you seen that cast?

[quote] Second row of Mezzanine is better for strange loop than last row of orchestra

Not necessarily. The rake upstairs in the Lyceum is very steep so there is no leg room in the mezz. If you're even moderately tall, your knees will be screaming after a half hour. It's almost as bad as the Beaumont.

You see some of the chorus in jock straps and there is a sex scene where the lead has to take off his pants, I was unclear whether he took off his underwear too. The lighting was very dark.

Orlando was dressed throughout

Phew

Lainie

Stumbled upon this old All My Children and the very young actress in the first scene reminds me a lot of BF. Her name was Stephanie Winters and she had apparently played one of the orphans in Annie on Broadway. She was let go from AMC just a few months after she was hired and replaced by fresh faced Lauren Holly.

Funny Girl is at the TKTS Booth for 1/2 price tix, dahlings!

It’s marvelous because I bought my tickets a couple weeks ago at regular price.

Before the reviews

Before the Tony snubs

Before Beanie took off to go to a wedding and Ramin tested positive.

Before Jane wondered how the fuck she ended up as a mother.

Mike Doyle’s dick has nice length, but no girth.

He seems perfectly at ease showing it off, though.

Well, as my campaign to have Jonathon Bailey replace Matt Doyle in Company failed, I will start a new campaign...

Beanie out, Jonty In, as hot Fanny. At least he could sing it.

I wonder how much money it would take for Patti LuPone to agree to do a one night concert of the Funny Girl songs… given the shocking power of her voice, even now, I’d venture to say she could perhaps even rival vintage Barbra. I’d go.

[r221] there are a couple of vids on YouTube of Patti singing Don’t Rain On My Parade.

Assume an "apparently..." at the start of each sentence:

Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez will be joining Daniel Radcliffe in the Merrily revival

The Producers is again due to return, with Nathan and Martin Short

A Follies concert with Audra as Sally

Patti would want money, of course, and she's entitled to it for her talent and energy, but I bet she'd love to do it just for the shits and giggles -- plus she'd sing the hell out of those songs!

I heard The Producers was being scrapped because people wanted to make changes to the material to clean up some of the less than pc stuff and Mel said no way.

Yes, R225, we all read that blind item a few threads back.

Beanie Feldstein IS Ulla!

And you know what, she'd have her advocates to do it.

The Producers was the least funny, least entertaining night I’ve ever had in a theatre. And I saw it with Lane (and Lee Evans).

The only worse thing I can imagine is if Richard Dreyfuss had actually done it.

Was Dreyfuss cast originally?

google it.

Why would I when I can just have you do it, R231?

[quote]Which is better—last row of orchestra or second row of mezzanine for A Strange Loop? (“Don’t Go” is not a helpful response.) Thanks in advance

I went this week and sat in Row N, which is next to last row in the orchestra,, and the visuals were fine. As the NYT review notes, it's the sound that's the problem with the orchestra drowning out the singing.

Can't opine on how the mez would be.

Isn't Audra a bit . . . robust for Sally?

I would worry about Audra’s recentish tendency to over-sing.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1937, a revival of “Abie's Irish Rose” opened at the Little Theatre, written, produced, and staged by Anne Nichols.

I saw "A Strange Loop" from the mezzanine, and it was perfectly fine, R205 There are lights that frame the stage that I think I missed the full effect of from not being in the orchestra, but that's about it.

I'm rooting for Morrison to win Featured Actor. He was the best part of the show for me.

And yes, as others have said, whoever did the sound did a terrible job. I don't understand how that happened/wasn't fixed.

R184 those clips from POTUS were deadly. Were they all reading lines from cue cards? It did seem like an SNL skit.....and that blocking for the chase at the beginning looked like something from a Jr. High show.....

I really hope Rob McClure kicks every Best Actor In A Musical nominee's ass in June. He works it. The show sucks, but remember John Lithgow in Sweet Smell Of Success.

I bet Jane Lynch is pissed she’s not playing Julie White’s role in POTUS, though.

New BROADWAY BARES trailer.

What say we? Do we care anymore?

[QUOTE] I bet Jane Lynch is pissed she’s not playing Julie White’s role in POTUS, though.

For those of us who haven’t seen it, can you describe her role?

POTUS is constantly on tdf - it just seems like the type of thing where audience fraus would be roaring with laughter and I would be checking my watch throughout. Is the whole show about how stupid and incompetent the presidents are and how the women had to run everything behind the scenes. And how HILARIOUS and CRAZY that is?

Did anyone here really enjoy it? I like the actresses in it but the concept seems grating and overdone. This is just based on the way I’ve seen it marketed.

[quote] Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez will be joining Daniel Radcliffe in the Merrily revival

So is every single show next season going to be a Sondheim revival?

Oh yes, R244. No Sondheim stone will be left unturned.

Just wait for the "revised, urban contemporary" take on "The Frogs."

[quote] POTUS is constantly on tdf - it just seems like the type of thing where audience fraus would be roaring with laughter and I would be checking my watch throughout. Is the whole show about how stupid and incompetent the presidents are and how the women had to run everything behind the scenes. And how HILARIOUS and CRAZY that is?

Yes.

[quote] Did anyone here really enjoy it?

No.

[quote] I like the actresses in it but the concept seems grating and overdone.

It is.

A Sondheim revival is always better than another jukebox musical or 80s/90s film retread

[quote]POTUS is constantly on tdf - it just seems like the type of thing where audience fraus would be roaring with laughter and I would be checking my watch throughout. Is the whole show about how stupid and incompetent the presidents are and how the women had to run everything behind the scenes?

No. It's a farce, and it's not really "about" much of anything except non-stop, nonsensical but hilarious situations and how the characters react to them.

[quote]Did anyone here really enjoy it?

Yes, very much.

[quote]I like the actresses in it but the concept seems grating and overdone.

You sure are assuming an awful lot without seeing the damn show. If you're so convinced you'll hate it, you probably should stay home.

The first word in the show is 'cunt.' If you find that sort of thing hilarious, then POTUS is for you. It might be the worst show to play the Shubert since Whoop-Up.

I'll bet that Jeremy O Harris is filled with a jealous rage that Black playwright James Ijames won a Pulitzer for his play FAT HAM. At least JOH has the consolation of knowing that he was allowed to attend the Met Gala. Oh, wait. No, he wasn't invited.

[quote]POTUS is constantly on tdf - it just seems like the type of thing where audience fraus would be roaring with laughter and I would be checking my watch throughout. Is the whole show about how stupid and incompetent the presidents are and how the women had to run everything behind the scenes. And how HILARIOUS and CRAZY that is?

All the actresses are playing to the back of the second balcony, from the beginning of the show until the painful end. I found it amusing for about 10 of its 90 minutes.

[quote]Did anyone here really enjoy it? Lots of audience members were howling with laughter. It was the first play where I didn't find Julie White amusing. Rachel Dratch mugs and over-acts a storm, which seemed to amuse a lot of people. Her performance left me cold.

[quote]I like the actresses in it but the concept seems grating and overdone. And for some unknown reason, there is an intermission after the first hour, and then there is a second act that is about 20 minutes long. It's not like there was a set change or any other reason for an intermission. Maybe the Shuberts just wanted to sell some $15 (or is it $20 now?) sippy-cup cocktails.

Sorry about the formatting screw up in R251.

You should be, R252, you bitch.

If ever a 2 act show should have been one act, it's POTUS. Act II is padded and nearly pointless and has a hard time rebuilding the momentum from the first act to no avail. You also don't need to buy a ticket as I'm sure you could hear those ladies yelling from down the block

Saw STRANGE LOOP last night with a friend's Tony tickets. I sorta enjoyed it, but I don't think its very good writing.

r255 nothing really rhymes, right?

Is Paradise Square going for Best Book or Best Butt?

I understood what you said R251 - no problem.

Well, since B Positive has been cancelled by CBS can Annaleigh Ashford be reruited as Beanie’s replacement?

That is not a Jewish woman.

Well I have it from a good source that SWEENEY TODD is coming back with Josh Groban and Carmen Cusack. So that's another Sondheim show!

A DeuxMoi post about Broadway. The campaign against a legend sounds...intriguing

There was another one suggesting Gaga will be in Cabaret next year.

r261 I read Annaleigh Ashford, and to be directed by Thomas Kail

The Gaga/Cabaret post. Also suggests they're trying to get Cumming back....surely not though

No one wants to see Alan Cumming trot that shit out again. I'd rather see Carol Channing play the Emcee. In present condition.

Sorry, r264, Zombie Carol will only return if it's Dolly.

Trying to figure out who the beloved industry favorite being shut out in favor of an up-and-comer is.

It's not Lenk, because there are no up and comers there. It could be Johanna Day, with the actress from Clyde's being the up and comer. Or it could be Gabby Beans getting in over Roslyn Ruff, but I don't know if Ruff was a lead or featured.

Sounds like they’re trying to get Joel Grey to recreate his iconic role!

[quote]It's not Lenk, because there are no up and comers there.

Couldn't Joaquina Kalukango qualify as an up and comer?

Doubt if Groban has the gravitas for Sweeney.

Maybe, but I look at her as almost overdue (by current standards) as she was thought to be in the running last year for Slave Play.

Also, the BI said "this shouldn't have been her year" for the up-and-comer, and Kalukango has been seen as a front runner to win all season long, even before the show came in (due mostly to her not winning last season).

Whoever the up-and-comer is, her nomination sounds like it was not a likely inclusion.

[quote]Trying to figure out who the beloved industry favorite being shut out in favor of an up-and-comer is. It's not Lenk, because there are no up and comers there. It could be Johanna Day, with the actress from Clyde's being the up and comer. Or it could be Gabby Beans getting in over Roslyn Ruff, but I don't know if Ruff was a lead or featured.

I'm surprised you would consider Lenk or Ruff "beloved industry favorites." That phrase sounds like it's referring to someone with a lot more theater credits going back quite a few years. Johanna Day, on the other hand, fits the description very well.

[quote]Doubt if Groban has the gravitas for Sweeney.

He has the dick for it.

Groban doing Sweeney would be like your Cantor doing it.

Looks like the proposed Into The Woods transfer is falling a part. Too many of the principals passing...

Could Austin Pendleton be the beloved industry fave or were they referring to a woman?

Trying to reconcile the "stallion": clue with SJP, right?

[quote]Groban doing Sweeney would be like your Cantor doing it.

But would it be like Eddie Cantor doing it?

[quote]Looks like the proposed Into The Woods transfer is falling a part. Too many of the principals passing...

The cast is dying off?

No Rose, they're drying off after the new second act shower scene interpolated to compete with Take Me Out

I’m not surprised, R274. Television and pop stars are only attracted to limited runs - they have to get back to the work that actually makes them money.

Is SJP the beloved old timer?

[quote] I'm surprised you would consider Lenk or Ruff "beloved industry favorites." That phrase sounds like it's referring to someone with a lot more theater credits going back quite a few years. Johanna Day, on the other hand, fits the description very well.

While Day is the veteran of the three, Ruff has been a 20+ year veteran of film, tv and stage. Working under the radar, but not that much more under than Johanna Day. I think she's just as valid a candidate as Day.

Lenk has been working for almost 20 years herself

[quote] Could Austin Pendleton be the beloved industry fave or were they referring to a woman?

Definitely a female.

Not sure who the legend could be. The primary legend in the field in Patti but there is no movement brewing; she’s been a face of the reopening of Broadway, she gives a knockout performance decades into her career, she’s connected to Sondheim and people love her putting assholes in their places.

In the last thread a poster got huffy at the suggestion that the Paradise Square nominations might have been bought and demanded to know how they could have done that. The post at r262 shows at least one way, and that it's not just people here raising the suggestion.

Gaga needs a juicy Broadway role if she wants to complete her EGOT....and, you know she does.

Sally Bowles could be just the ticket.

Though, now it's quite obvious she's EGOT hunting so that could work against her.

I was expecting it a few days ago, but it turned out today was the first day Take Me Out wasn't on TKTS.

Plus they raised the premium seats to $249 from the previous $199, and made a lot more orchestra seats premium. The generous reading would be that they need the higher prices to cover the costs of their new infrared cameras and more employees. The cynical/realistic reading is that they're milking the publicity for all its worth.

A friend of mine thought the legend was William Ivey Long, but there is no way in hell he's winning that Tony. Besides the cancel, no one is voting for that show and he's certainly not the front-runner.

the word 'stallion' is probably the key to that blind item because it's such a peculiar choice of word but I don't know what it could mean

Josh Groban sells tickets. Those Sweeney producers are smart. The Broadway in the Fall?

Evan at 41, Josh is an Anthony, not a Sweeney.

[quote] Evan at 41, Josh is an Anthony, not a Sweeney.

Evan Hansen goes insane after everything and becomes Sweeney

But, r287, could there be planned protests with placards and banners against William Ivey Long on the Tony Red Carpet?

Could be for sure, R292, but the BI predicts a possible upset.

The upset is clearly referring to either Patti or Hugh. But Patti will win, Hugh won't.

Gaga plying Sally Bowles wouldn’t be a good look - Oscar winner Emma Stone already played her. It’s such an obvious choice for EGOT bait.

She should try to snag the Mary role in the upcoming Merrily revival, although if the rumors are true, Lindsay Mendez would be excellent in it.

Is Mary supposed to be a big fat person no one would even stick Bea Arthur's dick into?

r288 I've seen it suggested that the writer used "shut out" incorrectly, and that it is a reference to Mare Winningham - with the idea that "stallion" is meant as a hint - mare, stallion, etc. It doesn't really make sense, because if there's that much ill feeling about it, they could all just vote for Mare anyway.

It'll be hilarious if the famous sister turns out to be La Toya rather than Janet

Wouldn't the performer reprising his iconic role in Cabaret be Eddie Redmayne? Who'd wanna see Alan Cumming as the MC again??

r298 Was his performance iconic though? It was well-received, but iconic?

Plus, he wouldn't need convincing. The whole recent revival was his idea, he basically appointed the director, he invested in it. So the they in "they are trying to get a certain performer..." would be him.

Well, these days, r299, "iconic" is bandied about pretty liberally.

It's not Alan Cumming AGAIN, is it? If so, what's the new take on Cabaret--that's it at night a cabaret and by day, an old-age home?

Actually, given how Gaga did those shows with Tony Bennett - maybe Joel Grey could be a possibility

Well, it would be just the chance for Joel Grey to reclaim his iconic role!!!

"What good...is shitting...alone in your room?"

[quote] Is Mary supposed to be a big fat person no one would even stick Bea Arthur's dick into?

Mary ends up fat at the beginning, but usually slims down as she gets younger.

She calls herself “fat, drunk, and finished” in the first scene.

How is Mendez gonna slim down the chunk in 2 hours?

Gaga could actually be a good fit for that London production if it’s coming over here

I think that one is going to Rob McClure. He's loved by everyone he's ever worked with and he's been a hero through this. People want to reward him.

Expect an irrational amount of Sondheim coming, every producer who saw ITW wants to replicate that energy, unfortunately even the potential producers of THAT production can’t quite wrangle it all.

Prepare ye a complete implosion at FG, it’s coming!

Groban is desperate to play The Phantom, so essaying ST might help convince those who aren’t keen on him donning the half mask.

If THE PRODUCERS returns, it’s because they upped the money to where Mel doesn’t care if they tweak it, but having Nathan finally agree to return for a very limited time may have changed the game (but still skeptical).

They want to bring Hairspray back, but NOT with the current Tour cast. They want to bring Cabaret back but NOT with Cumming.

Gaga was rumored for the Ricky Martin Evita, the Hollywood Bowl Into the Woods, and even the ill-fated Rosie O’Donnell Funny Girl. None of which came to be. There was also buzz years ago of playing Louise opposite Barbra in the film Gypsy.

I’ll believe the Cabaret rumor when the contract is signed and the show is officially announced

Isn’t Gaga a little old to play Sally?

Never, R311!

R235 She's been oversinging for years. But since she's a big star, they're afraid to give her corrections.

[quote]Looks like the proposed Into The Woods transfer is falling a part. Too many of the principals passing...

As I may have mentioned before, it seems clear that Heather Headley is unable or unwilling to do eight performances a week in an open-ended run. That plus the rumors we've heard that the ITW transfer would have Borle instead of NPH would, I think, effectively destroy any momentum and buzz the show might have for a successful Broadway run. Pus the production values would really have to be upped for Broadway, and that would cost a lot of money.

R278 Can we get Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins involved in the shower scene in "Take Me Out"? Sounds like a perfect opportunity and Jesse Williams' huge member can be the McGuffin.

[quote]Groban is desperate to play The Phantom, so essaying ST might help convince those who aren’t keen on him donning the half mask.

I'm having trouble understanding what this means. If Groban wanted to play the Phantom on Broadway, I suspect he could go into the show whenever he wanted to. And if you're not talking about the Broadway production, then what ARE you talking about? A remake of the movie????

Maybe Joel Grey wants to spin his iconic MC and do Cumming's take on it -- though I don't know if he wants to bare his ass at his advanced age.

Too cheap, cheap, cheap talk a lot spend a little more.

I was just looking over all the red carpet photos from the past few weeks on BWW and can't help but note drag queens in outrageous clothes are at every single event. Also several men in dresses but I don't think they're necessarily trans.

I don't understand how they get celebs to pose for those photos. They are the most unflattering portraits imaginable.

R314, can you clarify what you meant by "Heather Headley is unable or unwilling to do eight performances a week in an open-ended run"? More specifically . . . "unwilling" makes sense, but what do you mean by "unable"? Concert commitments, or something else?

She was terrific in THE COLOR PURPLE.

I think Heather’s kids are relatively young and she was commuting from NYC to wherever she and her family live during Purple. Her kids and their summer vacation may be her priority right now. Plus Benton is tied up with Gilded Age filming and Donica is going back into Phantom.

Doubtfire closing May 29th.

r320, her Netflix show was renewed for a third season last week. That might have something to do with it.

Put me down in the "Give Rob the Tony!" camp.

Wow, if only Irra Pettina had as much support in her day as Rob does now.

If it’s the gritty new UK Cabaret, where attitude matters most… so many options for Sally…

R320, maybe "unable" wasn't the best word to use, but what I meant was that possibly Headley feels she can't do eight a week because she doesn't want to put that much strain on her voice. And I wasn't even referring to THE COLOR PURPLE, I was referring to THE BODYGUARD in London.

R316, surprisingly enough, ALW doesn’t especially like the idea of Groban as The Phantom, he and Cameron are VERY leery of putting a “Star” in the role, Donny Osmond has been sniffing around it for years, they don’t wanna pay more than five cents under 10K a week for it ever.

[quote]Isn’t Gaga a little old to play Sally?

Doesn't Gaga sing too well to play Sally?

Virtual face slap for Jonah Platt after his bitchy tweet:

SmithCastlebury

2 days ago

This. Also. I saw Jonah in Wicked and……. probably would have PREFERRED an understudy……

Josh Groban is a boring pudding without the depth or menace required to play Sweeney.

And, he's not cute enough to play Anthony. Also, far too old.

He should do some sort of boring brother show with bland lookalike Ben Platt where they can bore people to death every night.

Nathan and Marty Short could be a real dynamic duo. The original duo actually, before Marty passed on it and it went to Matthew. Could be a fun 4-6 month stint that reinvigorates the boards. Sure, it's not GYPSY, but with that original cast, it was musical comedy perfection. Could be a fun victory lap for all!

Unless The Producers stars trans women of color I have NO INTEREST!!

Martin Short as what?

One of the old ladies?

He's 40 years too old to play Bloom!

[quote]Put me down

Pics please.

That’s what’s so crazy about people saying Martin Short and Nathan Lane. They are 30-40 years too old for this. You are supposed to root for Leo Bloom and Ulla. If Martin is 40 years older than who they cast as Ulla, you don’t root for them.

Unless your audience is Tony Bennett

also Lane and Short would rival the POTUS cast for insufferable screaming. Broderick balanced Lane but Short and Lane would be literal hell

oh Muriel why why why

Because I hate your motherfucking guts r388.

Muriel is seeing into the future again.

interesting r297 - stallion ==> Mare is a great connection but is she "up and coming"? Would the shut out "beloved industry favorite" be Lenk?

Gotta feel bad for the Doubtfire company. They've been through hell to no avail. Has any show had a rougher time from Covid? Preview close open close open close ad infinitum.

The closing stories quote Kevin McCollum as saying Doubtfire "capitalized with Broadway economics on three separate occasions." That's gotta sting!

r341 Sorry, I didn't explain it well - the theory was Mare is meant to be the industry favourite, and Joaquina Kalukango is the up and comer who's likely going to win, preventing Winningham from getting her Tony. This is all based on the idea that the original writer used the phrase 'shut out' incorrectly.

Doubtfire was lucky it ever got produced at all. It wouldn't have survived but a few months even if Covid never happened.

A Strange Loop on Late Night last night. I haven't seen the show, but I gather that this was one of the few songs that could be performed on TV because the others are more/too explicit?

It was...fine. Neither great nor terrible. Kind of hard to imagine it selling many tickets (though I've felt that way about just about all of these televised performances lately. Everything feels so blah.)

Yet SOME LIKE IT HOT plows onward.

More on the oncoming implosion at FG, please.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1973, "Cyrano" opened at the Palace Theatre, with Christopher Plummer in the titular role.

[quote]Gotta feel bad for the Doubtfire company.

I personally volunteer to comfort Rob McClure (yes, I think he's hot).

[quote]campaign against a legend is brewing behind the scenes

It's Hugh Jackman. Watch for some mud to be flung on social media (and perhaps more mainstream news) about his ties to Ivanka and Jared and the Trump/GOP moneyed powers that be. He almost quashed this story when it surfaced last year. This time he won't be as lucky. And there may be other skeletons in his closet.

[quote]beloved industry favorite getting shut out

It's SJP, for Lead Actress in a Play. I don't think Parker is "incredibly talented" but I cannot deny that she's world famous and builds a lot of goodwill for Bway and other NYC cultural institutions. Some people are shocked she didn't get a TONY nod, just as sign of respect. No idea who this "stallion" is, but it's probably just the author's idea of another horse joke.

The NY Post has an actual editorial calling out LuPone for being a hypocritical Karen yelling at an unmasked audience member while not wearing a mask herself onstage during the talkback

They don't mention the fact that it's an actual rule, as if it's her personal privileged decision

I won't link it hear because I don't wanna give them any clicks (or give you an NY Post tracking cookies) but it's easy to find if you're curious.

Holy shit we're fucked as a society.

I'm surprised Julie White still has a voice at the end of POTUS. She screams every line. Her voice was ragged the night I saw her. And that was a Thursday!

[quote]A Sondheim revival is always better than another jukebox musical or 80s/90s film retread

At this point they're both tired. We need another jukebox revival like we need the 500th production of Gypsy or Company. Which is to say not much.

[quote] I'm surprised Julie White still has a voice at the end of POTUS. She screams every line. Her voice was ragged the night I saw her. And that was a Thursday!

She always has that sound, even in plays where she doesn't scream so much. I think that is just her voice.

Julie White in The Little Dog Laughed gave one of the best performances ever done on Broadway.

There's a reason she won over Vanessa Redgrave, Angela Lansbury, and Swoozie Kurtz. She was THAT good.

Which Sondheim shows should be revived? Because some will be, regardless.

I've never seen a production of SATURDAY NIGHT but some of the score is charming.

Are we due for a new FORUM, not starring Nathan or Whoopie or any of the usual suspects?

I still long for a stage version of EVENING PRIMROSE (with a heavily revised book, please). Or a fully-staged, lavish, dance-y revival of DO I HEAR A WALTZ.

There are some gems in PASSION and ROAD SHOW. But for now, I've had sufficient.

Please no more musicals with Whoopi. PLEASE.

[quote] I've never seen a production of SATURDAY NIGHT but some of the score is charming.

I’ve see two different productions and you’re right. Some of the score is charming. But there’s not much else there.

[quote]I still long for a stage version of EVENING PRIMROSE (with a heavily revised book, please).

I may or may not like such a production, but I would definitely go see it.

[quote] Or a fully-staged, lavish, dance-y revival of DO I HEAR A WALTZ.

It’s worth seeing as a curiosity, but would be better served off-Bway at this point. It’s a fairly small show. And there isn’t that much room for dance in it.

[quote] There are some gems in PASSION and ROAD SHOW. But for now, I've had sufficient.

Passion is a masterpiece that took me a while to understand. But Bounce/Road Show is and always will be a mess. And not even a hot one.

The sound mixing on the "A Strange Loop" Seth Meyers performance is atrocious—even worse than it was in the theater! What is the deal? It's such a disservice to the performers.

[quote] The NY Post has an actual editorial calling out LuPone for being a hypocritical Karen yelling at an unmasked audience member while not wearing a mask herself onstage during the talkback

This POV (which I've seen expressed several other places outside the Post) drives me up the fucking wall. Of course Patti was unmasked. She just spent the entire previous two hours unmasked in the same space she was on when she had the argument. What would be the point of having her and the rest of the cast participating in the talkback mask up 10 minutes after they left the stage and came back to it? They all know they are negative. Why? Because they test EVERY DAY. Who knows what some random obnoxious, lazy cunt in the audience is carrying around in her rotting corpse?

Just more anti-mask bullshit from a right wing rag.

[quote] Julie White in The Little Dog Laughed gave one of the best performances ever done on Broadway. There's a reason she won over Vanessa Redgrave, Angela Lansbury, and Swoozie Kurtz. She was THAT good.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reason, because Redgrave gave (arguably) the best stage performance of her career in The Year of Magical, and White adequately performed a Douglas Carter Beane role. There is no competition. Whatever reason they had for choosing White had nothing to do with talent.

On the other hand, this is [italic] actual [/italic] fucking privilege.

[quote]She always has that sound, even in plays where she doesn't scream so much. I think that is just her voice.

I have seen her onstage in several different plays, and I literally have never seen one in which she didn't scream a lot of her lines. She gets that awful rasp in her voice when she screams, not on the relatively rare occasions when she speaks lines at a normal stage volume.

I agree. I think Julie white won because she battled Brett Butler for 3 years in Hollywood, and Broadway wanted to give her a prize

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

r366, I'm not clicking on a DailyMail link, so what does that have to do with theatre?

[quote] think Julie white won because she battled Brett Butler for 3 years in Hollywood, and Broadway wanted to give her a prize

Not likely. The Brett Butler mess was long over when Julie White won. I think she was a well-regarded semi-known actress who seemingly out of nowhere gave a masterful, show-stopping performance.

That Daily Mail link is being posted by some psycho all over DL.

It’s not SOME psycho, r369. It’s Matt the Loon, who’s racist and anti-trans as well. It’s our own DL psycho.

I'm not sure why SJP deserves a Tony nom "out of respect".

Respect for what?

Her gravitas as a beloved theater actor?

She was a replacement Annie and a terrible Winnifrid in Once Upon A Mattress. And, now she's doing some tired old Neil Simon play from 60 years ago.

She's not exactly Katherine Cornell.

She married a homo. Does that at least make her Kitty Carlisle Hart?

The whole "Matthew Broderick is gay" thing....is there any actual indication that he IS?

Other than the fact he's a theater nerd and married to a notorious fag hag, I've never seen anyone post anything about him having a boy toy, or hook ups, or flirting with men, or even hanging around other gay men or doing anything the slightest bit gay.

He doesn't really SEEM gay.

He seems depressed.

Matthew still seems second-best to me!

She was also a mediocre Rosemary replacement in How to Succeed.

No, R373, I was just making a joke based on the rumors. I myself don't believe it, but I have run into people over the years who swear it's true.

[quote]She's not exactly Katherine Cornell.

She's not exactly me, either.

Few people working in Broadway make enough to live. It’s a starving artist’s life. So SJP doing AJLT which was a cash grab with zero artistic merit probably didn’t ingratiate her with voters.

Sarah Hessica is also no Kim Cattrall!

Photos: Meet the 2022 Class of Tony Award Nominees

So, Second Stage upped all the ticket prices for Take Me Out after the nudes "leaked". It was a greedy marketing ploy, nothing more. Second Stage, you are the new Roundabout!

Hugh looks very…weathered.

R382, Indeed he does. Hugh and Sutton were insufferable the other night on Seth Meyers, kissing each other's asses back and forth.

R345, And yet, Funny Girl is playing near capacity.

You can expect that not to last much longer, r384. Their advance nut is running out soon, and the reviews - and bad word of mouth - have taken their toll.

[quote]SJP doing AJLT which was a cash grab with zero artistic merit probably didn’t ingratiate her with voters.

It took me a while to figure out that AJLT refers to AND JUST LIKE THAT, which is a TV series. But now that I have figured it out, I must ask: What the hell does that have to do with Tony nominators deciding whether or not to nominate SJP for her performance in PLAZA SUITE on Broadway?

Nothing

[quote]Their advance nut is running out soon, and the reviews - and bad word of mouth - have taken their toll.

You're not the first person to say this. I've heard that the show is only sold well through June, but I don't understand why only till then. Did their initial ticket sales period only extend through June? Are they now selling through the summer and into the fall, and are those tix not selling?

And in re of the Tony nominators, I just don't see how showering that diverse group of 29 theater nerds with gifts and "perks" would insure any of them granting a nomination to anything/anyone they didn't like.

[quote]And in re of the Tony nominators, I just don't see how showering that diverse group of 29 theater nerds with gifts and "perks" would insure any of them granting a nomination to anything/anyone they didn't like.

And anyway, isn't it true that the perks, swag, etc. were greatly limited a few years back, when it was felt that the practice was getting a little out of hand? Of course, we are talking about Garth Drabinsky here, so I guess it's possible he's just disobeying the rules.

There were rules put in place for Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmys in terms of what could be sent to voters, but I don't know if anything like that was done for the Tonys. I also have never heard of the nominating committee being courted that way.

Okay, this sounds like it could be either super fun camp or really terrible. No middleground.

The Brick: Never Let Go - May 5 The Brick, 579 Metropolitan Avenue near Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Begins May 5. Closes May 21.

His art will go on! Writer-performer Michael Kinnan presents an encore run of his 60-minute solo stage adaptation of Titanic, James Cameron's Oscar-winning three-hour cinematic epic. With minimal props (the necklace, a step ladder, a splash zone) and major talent, he transforms his legit love for the movie into an exhilarating low-tech theatrical experience in which he plays every character convincingly. Kinnan has been doing the show since 2017 and his run last year at The Brick received a rave review in The New York Times. In this brilliant reimagining of a pop-culture touchstone, he's truly the king of the world.

I’ve heard talk Catherine Zeta Jones is looking for a return to Broadway. Naturally she would be an ideal Phyllis but Follies always loses money. I know people will joke she’s going to play Dainty June or Annie, but legit I don’t know what else she’d be good casting for besides Phyllis.

And Reneé as Sally?

Kiss of the Spider Woman, of course, r393.

And they're doing it at the Kennedy Center next year so she could join in.

CZJ as Mame or Mama Rose.

I would love to see CZJ as Aurora.

r384 Isn't being near capacity when you're only two weeks rather concerning?

Their best week in terms of grosses was the last week of previews.

CZJ would be a perfect Aurora. I can't see her as Phyllis, though--at least, I don't want to.

Beanie is over FG. She's already planning her comeback, playing both Hilton Sisters in a revisal of Side Show.

They're calling it Wide Show.

What’s interesting is the chatter is that Heather Headley doesn’t want to extend in Into The Woods. Might CZJ make a good replacement?

Or does the Witch HAVE to be a person of color these days?

Heather Headley isn't indispensable to ITW.

Renee doesn't sing in public live, which is why she didn't sing at the Oscars the year "Chicago" won Best Picture.

CZJ might be called out for being non-Latina if she were cast, though I don't know if Aurora is specifically that. She call always say she part Sephardic Jew by marrying into the Douglas family. Take that, Equity diversity monitor! What un-Bliss!

I don't think CZJ would want to do that strenuous of a dance role at this point.

Must agree that if they revive SPIDER WOMAN, it's going to be a much more BIPOC/Latino cast than the original (Chita notwithstanding).

The movie version (non-musical) with a pasty, swishy William Hurt is genuinely painful to watch these days. At least that had Raul Julia.

It also had Sonia Braga, who was Samantha's (DL fave Kim Cattrall') lesbian lover when Samantha went that way for an arch on SITC. Braga also played "Dona Flor" in the film which Tovah Feldshuh got a Tony nomination for the very much played commercial of "Sarava".

Yes, you're right about Sonia Braga. She should have had a bigger career here than just SATC--she was quite good but that storyline was ridiculous.

Fine, fine. I hear you. I guess Scott Rudin has learned his lesson. I’ll come back and play Aurora. For a few weeks anyway.

Ariana De Bose would clearly be the front-runner in wishful casting for any Spider Woman revival on Broadway.

mlop once again nails it with her perspective on all this (seriously), from Fb … “Patti was protecting the audience. Since they don’t look at the Vaccine Cards it’s scary. The performers are checked every day. It’s all over the place. I sent PAtti a thank you card.”

Take a stroll around NYC with Jesse Williams:

I am so tired of hearing the name Jesse Williams.

I am so tired of hearing the name Jesse Williams.

Well, ya mention him often enough.

There isn’t a jockstrap up to the task of containing the Williams jewels.

Speaking of Rudin, expect a major announcement in the next few weeks....Lawyers have been working.

No Spivey at “Strange Loop” tonight. We passed and “Skin of Our Teeth” ( mixed bag, but that play always is —Act III was incredibly moving).. if Divey isn’t back for tomorrow matinee, we’ll skip it this trip—he seems to be one of the main reasons to see it.

Are you planning on coming back before August? Otherwise I wouldn't be too sure it'll still be here.

CZJ would be a reasonable Leona Samish

Jesse will be launching his personal brand of XXXL jockstraps once "Take Me Out" closes.

Do Jesse's child support payments revert back to $40K per month once the play closes?

Better to hear Jesse Williams than Jesse Tyler Fergerson

She'll be scattin' up a storm. Call Cunard and book passage today, boys!

R392, it is a surprisingly well done little show. I was dragged to it, and I found the performer to be touching and funny.

Count me among those who think CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD is a great American play. Brilliantly directed and performed. Will certainly transfer after this short run. At least three of the major contributors are gay (author, director, and Beltran; don't know about Brill.

And for me, the last 10 minutes qualify as a coup de theatre, to revive an old DL topic.

[quote] heir advance nut is running out soon

WTF is an advance nut? A show has an advance (money in the bank), and a nut (weekly breakeven dollar figure).

"Advance nut" sounds like a bottom's situation between tops at a gangbang.

“Lawyers” haven’t been able to do shit for Scott Rudin. There’s no major announcement coming and he’s not making some sort of mysterious comeback. He’s finished. The wannabe insiders here are hilarious.

R418. I hope to come back before August. In any case, I’m not prepared to pay close to 200 a seat to see an understudy in what is being drifted as a star vehicle. There are enough regional theatres in my area that I can see it far more cheaply there, if it comes to that.

GFTNCountry extended..... I think it is a wonderful musical and, in a perfect world, Mare Winningham would win.

[quote]“Lawyers” haven’t been able to do shit for Scott Rudin. There’s no major announcement coming and he’s not making some sort of mysterious comeback. He’s finished. The wannabe insiders here are hilarious.

I guessed, rather, that the poster was suggesting that criminal charges were to be filed against Rudin.

R380, Why does Sutton look as though she's just received surprise anal?

Who in their right mind would pay to hear Linda Lavin sing?

Woooops! From the back she looked liked one of the chorus boys!

[quote]Count me among those who think CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD is a great American play. Brilliantly directed and performed. Will certainly transfer after this short run. At least three of the major contributors are gay (author, director, and Beltran; don't know about Brill.

[quote]And for me, the last 10 minutes qualify as a coup de theatre, to revive an old DL topic.

Don't tell us, R425. Does Cromer have them make a real breakfast on stage?

more like a "piece de merde"

Ha, r245! It's actually the playwright's coup, excellently rendered by Cromer.

R431-More than likely she walked in a a surprise anal.

Could someone spoil the coup de théâtre?

could someone please spoil the ending of the Existence/God?

I sat thru it and still don't know what happened.

R438=It's really beautiful and simple, if you pay attention and listen to the words. Which R439 obviously did not even try to do.

[quote] I hope to come back before August. In any case, I’m not prepared to pay close to 200 a seat to see an understudy in what is being drifted as a star vehicle. There are enough regional theatres in my area that I can see it far more cheaply there, if it comes to that.

Oh for sure. I get it. Not that I'm making a case for an understudy, but I do know that with this particular show, people were shocked that Larry Owens, who played Usher at Playwrights, was not coming to Broadway (which is a whole saga in and of itself). I heard from more than one person that Owens WAS the show and no one else could come close, but they found Spivey and he seems to be the front-runner for the Tony, so I think there is a good case for the regional production to find someone up to the task (if it's not a non-union tour).

I have seen both Owens and Spivey and I prefer Spivey. There's more arc to Usher's story with Spivey. Owens was phenomenal from the start. Spivey is nervous, afraid and he is really moving in the final scenes.

[quote]People were shocked that Larry Owens, who played Usher at Playwrights, was not coming to Broadway (which is a whole saga in and of itself).

Can you give us a synopsis of the saga?

Sure. Apparently Owens got up his own ass during the run, was being really difficult (and had been somewhat difficult during rehearsals as well), and was in effect fired from the show after it closed. (There was always a hope/plan to move it to Bway, cast intact.) The director gave a "him or me" scenario, and no one wanted to keep working with Owens.

Owens has spun it as- he left to try his fortunes in Hollywood, but no one would leave a show that was going to Broadway when they were the lead an had gotten the reviews he did (and who is a chunky, effeminate black man who's not exactly being sought after).

A chubby fem being difficult and up their own ass? How shocking.

Thanks, R444. Based on your account, Owens seems to be one of several actors in recent years who are shooting themselves in the feet by being difficult to the point that people will be reluctant to work with them. Other examples include Ari'el Stachel and, of course, Karen Olivo. I believe Olivo has AGAIN said she's retiring, but if she does change her mind AGAIN, I think she may have difficulty finding anyone who will work with her.

Ari’el Stachel was only difficult in the situation of that play with David Hyde pierce. And it turned out he was right, because the play was a widely panned piece of shit.

I didn't like the show myself, R447, but from what I read about the way Stachel conducted himself and the reasons for his leaving the production just before opening, he was not "right."

Ari’el Stachel also flopped out on SVU.

[quote]Owens has spun it as- he left to try his fortunes in Hollywood

To his credit, he did pop up in one of the final episodes this season of "Abbott Elementary" as the gay teacher's boyfriend, so perhaps that will turn into a recurring thing for him.

Owens was a nightmare at Playwrights and the whole company demanded he be let go.

430 has it sort of right...

[quote]Ari’el Stachel also flopped out on SVU.

How do you mean? Was he on the show for awhile but not well received and is not continuing?

Dolls! I’m at Funny Girl and it’s the act break, and this is the most bizarre show I’ve ever been to. Beanie’s voice fluctuates between awful and strong depending on the note, Ramin is gorgeous, but has no chemistry with Beanie. The costumes are ugly as sin. The orchestra sounds good. Jane Lynch is playing the mother like a lady who’s dentures don’t fit.

The audience doesn’t care that Beanie can’t sing. They are on her side and hoot and holler after every song!

Mediocrity is to be rewarded, r454.

Strange Loop is a real chore. Whiny & self-satisfied. Michael R Jackson has no craft. He can only write whiny femme fat black gays who are writing a musical. Zzzzzzzz. I’m voting for Girl From the North Country.

It will be interesting to see whether he can do anything else, or whether Loop was just a fluke.

Love this. His humility is just so touching.

That Sally from the London “Cabaret” plays that song so demented. It’s scary.

I recall when Circle Rep did a revival of The Mound Builders at another location other than the theatre on Seventh Avenue South, don't recall why they were off-site that season, but Tanya Barfield was sick and the incredible Joyce Rheeling went on in her place. She was so relaxed and natural in the role, it wasn't until the end of Act One when I realized she hadn't been flipping through a magazine in the play, she'd been reading her lines from the script. Strong personal memory. She was a great stage actress.

[quote] It will be interesting to see whether he can do anything else, or whether Loop was just a fluke.

I saw a reading of his next musical, White Girl in Danger, which though long and insane, I felt was genuinely funny, with a sharp satirical edge. I liked it much more than A Strange Loop.

R460. Do you mean the great Tanya Berezin? And I agree about Joyce. Amazing actress.

Sorry, it's Joyce Reehling, not Rheeling. Though she hasn't worked in over 20 years, as far as I can tell, she's still very much with us.

Moulin Rouge cancelled performances this weekend. Well, yeah, since the zip codes in the Broadway district have a 10/11% positivity rate. It’s like fucking Pyongyang there these days.

[quote]Ari’el Stachel also flopped out on SVU.

Not exactly. He was brought on for a couple of episodes, and has been brought back twice since then, including in the season opener this year. It looked like, at first, they were considering putting him in relationship with Kelli Giddish, till they went with the inevitable and solidified Rawlins' romance with Carisi.

[quote]It’s like fucking Pyongyang there these days.

But cuter.

What did Owens do that was so bad? Just rude and nasty?

I thought Spivey was great. So true about his arc. He also seemed so excited at curtain call - it was adorable.

Sutton Foster is looking REALLY old in that one picture linked upthread. Easily Winthrop's grandmother.

White Girl in Danger? Good Lord, doesn’t Strange Loop have a song called “Inner White Girl?” Seems like he has a range from A to…B.

More like A to anus

“Inner White Girl” is a great song though.

R462- Yes. Thank you! Tanya Berezin.

A couple weeks ago on the Smartless podcast he co-hosts, Sean Hayes talked about a time when he was doing Promises, Promises and, at curtain call, when he and Chenoweth were supposed to enter at the same time from different sides, she was MIA.

Turns out, she’d passed out backstage because… she hadn’t eaten all day.

And he told his story like it was a normal thing. He didn’t say if it was a matinee or show night but the idea that there anything normal about someone not eating anything by 2 pm or 8 pm when they need the energy to perform for two hours… I mean, that’s next-level eating disorder crap, right, or am I off base here?

I kind of felt embarrassed that for he that he shared it.

Here we go again… Jeff Whitty just posted this on Facebook. I’m sure we’ll know ALL the details (and more) sooner rather than later given how he documented the Head Over Heels disaster…

“It seems that the pieces are falling into place for my ownership of the art I make to get stolen - again - by corrupt entertainment industry businesspeople. This time they’re going for AVENUE Q.

Watch this space. I am not sitting down for this. I cannot go through this again: the shunning, the villainizing, the threats and intimidation, all of it. The heaviness is too much.”

Michael can write about it all he wants, he's not going to suddenly turn into a white girl.

Oh joy, more Jeff Whitty meltdown. But what’s left to be done with Ave. Q? It opened, it closed, it toured, it was published. Are they doing a movie or Netflix special or something?

The song is dead-on: White women really CAN do anything and get away with it. It’s a very true song.

Agree R477. Loved the last 2 songs in A strange loop. Spivey sung both of them beautifully.

Wouldn't be a surprise if Lopez and especially Marx forced Whitty out if any kind of special/filmed version is planned

Why would they do that? And why especially Marx?

Die in a grease fire your rancid cunt R440

r480 They didn't get along at all during the development and production, Marx and Whitty especially hated each other.

I hadn't seen this posted. Sorry if I missed it. BF singing the big FG number.

Honestly, she doesn't sound as bad as I expected after all the talk, but it's certainly not the caliber you'd want or expect on Broadway.

JB in her final performance before B's return. Sounds better than she did in the recording from the first performance...still has room to grow.

I was going to write maybe Beanie can destroy On a Clear Day.... next but then I remembered Harry Connick beat her to it.

r485, both cases had Michael Mayer steering the ship (straight into an iceberg), of course. He certainly deserves some of the credit/blame.

How much will Aaron Tveit's departure affect ticket sales at Moulin Rouge?

[quote]Wouldn't be a surprise if Lopez and especially Marx forced Whitty out if any kind of special/filmed version is planned/

I don't know what "forced out" would mean in a case like this. Obviously, Whitty isn't required to be hired as director, or to be hired to work on the new project directly in any capacity. He should, of course, be entitled to whatever royalties he should receive as book writer of the original show.

What has Jeff Marx been up to since AVENUE Q? He writes good, solid comedy songs, something in rather short supply in musicals these days.

Thanks R483, I hadn’t heard that.

Both Beanie and the understudy sound like contestants at the Jimmy Awards. The understudy would place higher than Beanie in the finals but neither of them would have even won.

Lea Michele blows both of them out of the water.

And god that audience clapping is grating.

[quote]Honestly, she doesn't sound as bad as I expected after all the talk, but it's certainly not the caliber you'd want or expect on Broadway.

It's certainly not a pretty sound.

All I’m getting accentuation of big notes at the end of every line. Beanie doesn’t connect with any of the lyrics

Beanie SUX.

[quote]Beanie doesn’t connect with any of the lyrics.

And she's a little pitchy.

And not in the good way, r493!

r488 Well, the reason they didn't get along is that Lopez/Marx thought Avenue Q should just be a series of unrelated vignettes set around the songs, whereas Whitty thought there should be a story connecting the songs together.

If there is some kind of adaptation under way, it'd be very easy to imagine Lopez/Marx returning to their original plan and cutting out Whitty's contributions, and so depriving him of any of the royalties from any new adaptation. Given they all co-wrote the show, that seems rather like forcing someone out.

I'm sure we'll get a manically written Facebook post soon enough which will somewhat explain the story.

Dolls! After Funny Girl I went to City Center and saw Into the Woods last night. Completely different experience than Funny Girl! Everyone was on top of their game last night and it was magical. Heather Headley got the most ovation, as well she should, but everyone was first class! All of the people seating around me said this was the best Woods they had seen since the original cast, and I agree!!

For Beanie and the Underbeanie it doesn't have to be about technical singing. We've all heard technically mediocre or impaired singers put across a song. They both seem incapable of [italic] acting [/italic] the song. I know I know it's unfair to compare them to Barbra but one can still [italic] learn [/italic] from her. She has intention and drive and innate ambition coming through, and the orchestration aren't fighting her or driving her, they're matching her.

[quote]If there is some kind of adaptation under way, it'd be very easy to imagine Lopez/Marx returning to their original plan and cutting out Whitty's contributions, and so depriving him of any of the royalties from any new adaptation

I don't think it would be at all "easy" for them to do that, given Whitty's rights as co-author. And, by the way, if there is some sort of project underway, it may ALSO be complicated by the fact that Marx and Lopez broke up as a team around the time when THE BOOK OF MORMON was coming into being. I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned that in this thread, unless I missed it.

On the other hand....what I just wrote applies only if this is going to be some new version of AVENUE Q. If it ends up being a sort of a sequel with a different title, then I imagine that would make a huge difference as to Whitty's rights and how much he's entitled to.

It's very telling that there are new Funny Girl TV commercials but none featuring Beanie singing a song. Hmmmmm................

It would be nice if people could criticize Beanie and her standby without invoking the godawful Lea Michele. There are likely plenty of people who sound better than them. Stop trying to make her damn comeback happen.

r499 I didn't say it'd be easy for them to do, I said it's easy to imagine them wanting to do that. As for the rights of the book writer - what are they exactly when a musical is adapted into another medium? When film adaptations happen, many books are replaced by screenplays written by someone else.

Jeff Whitty is cray. His real talent was dancing at the Slide.

His real talented was getting banged by groups at The Slide.

Doesn't Jeff Marx get $ from Morman? I heard some of his work is still in there....Same with the original director.

If they decided they were going to make a movie or a series based on Avenue Q, unless Whitty had something in his original contract that guaranteed him right of first refusal to be able to write the script or be involved (or be able to have a say on HOW they adapt it), then they likely do not need him to go forward. This was his first book, so he probably was a "writer for hire" (in the sense where, outside of payment and royalties, he had little say over anything once the show was out there). And he probably signed away any rights to have a say in any sort of adaptation.

That being said, he does have to get some sort of credit and some sort of payment for the show to be adapted, as they are using his source material as the basis of the new project. And considering he IS the writer of the source material and an Oscar nominated screenwriter, you would think he would have some cache. But I suspect he burned those bridges long ago.

He was pushed on me as a possibility for a book writer to adapt a project I created into a stage musical and I curled my lip at it. And this was even before the Head Over Heels meltdown. He's been toxic for years. I don't even know how he hitched his wagon to Can You Ever Forgive Me, as well written as it was. Would you want to deal with him?

What is Marx doing these days? Probably wondering how the boyfriend he dumped, Harris Doran, got to be more famous than him.

Wow, he got a hot piece like Harris Doran? Have you SEEN Jeff Marx? He puts the EEEE in Meeskite.

[quote]What is Marx doing these days? Probably wondering how the boyfriend he dumped, Harris Doran, got to be more famous than him.

I lost track of Harris Doran years ago. Just looked him up and didn't realize he has been working steadily as a director, writer, and producer in film and TV, although I'm not sure I would describe him as "famous."

Who's seen THE MINUTES?

Donna Murphy posted pix from Into to Woods and says

[quote]. There's a second part to this Into The Woods chapter in my life coming up this week. Will keep you posted .

[quote] Who's seen THE MINUTES?

I have. I liked it for the most part, until it sledgehammers its point home in the last few minutes.

[quote] I lost track of Harris Doran years ago. Just looked him up and didn't realize he has been working steadily as a director, writer, and producer in film and TV, although I'm not sure I would describe him as "famous."

I wouldn't say he has been working steadily so much as he has been creating web content for himself.

Wow, I wonder if Donna is going to do the Broadway run instead of Heather?

Donna Murphy is sweet and all, but she's entirely too old to be playing the Witch. Who'd believe it?

I never thought her voice was all that, frankly.

[quote]Doesn't Jeff Marx get $ from Morman? I heard some of his work is still in there....

The rumor is that Marx either gets points or there was an enormous payout when it first opened. There was an NDA, of course. The SOUTH PARK boys decided it would be fun for them to co-write book, music, AND lyrics, making Marx unnecessary. Ahem.

[quote]Same with the original director.

Who was that? Trey Parker and Casey Nicholaw are co-credited.

PS: the friend who shared the MORMON story finished by saying, "Well, the SOUTH PARK boys wrote about as much of MORMON as Mel Brooks wrote for the score of THE PRODUCERS."

Just passing that along.

Lol what’s the actual point of transferring a production but without the main people in it

Agree with R512 about the minutes. The end was ridiculous. Enjoyed it up until then. Went completely off the rails.

Well Donna taking over as the Witch if WOODS transfers makes a lot of sense. I saw her do it in Central Park a few summers ago, it's a good fit for her. And I think the Witch can be older, why not? Just that Donna was pitchy the night I saw her. But then, she always is, a little bit.

is there a thread on PBS Anything Goes? not finding it

r516, Jason Moore was the original director (which makes sense with all the Avenue Q connections).

"Doubling down, Mr. Rudin and his producing partner, Anne Garefino, also urged Mr. Parker — who usually oversaw his own work — to share duties with the director of “Mormon,” Jason Moore , a Tony Award nominee for “Avenue Q.” Ms. Garefino, who is executive producer of “South Park,” said, “I would be in rehearsal for ‘Mormon,’ I’d know the intention of the scene, and I’d be thinking, ‘No, no, no.’ I knew the subtlety that the guys were going for, and it wasn’t happening.”

By spring, the producers had canceled their agreement with Off Broadway’s New York Theater Workshop, infuriating its leaders, who had been advertising the show in subscription brochures. And the producers forced Mr. Parker on Mr. Moore, who said in an interview this month, “I wasn’t entirely happy but I understood, because Trey is great at directing his own work.”

Little did Mr. Moore know that he would soon receive a contract offer from the “Mormon” producers that included, Mr. Moore said, one-third of his usual royalty. This, despite assembling much of the cast and design team and overseeing two years of work. The message clear, Mr. Moore exited in June."

Thanks for that interesting article, R522. The MORMON history is more complicated than I knew (didn't know about NYTW, for example). And not a mention of Jeff Marx in the recounting.

Jason Moore went on to do SHREK (which I mostly hated) and THE CHER SHOW (which I mostly enjoyed).

Hmmm....What about all those NDAs that are out there...

Donna can do the glamorous second act witch with no trouble--she doesn't read "old" any more than Bernie did. And she'll bring the humor back to the role which Heather completely abandoned. I think it's a great fit. Wondering, though, who they'll get as the Baker. Please god not Corden.

I thought Donna and the whole production in the park was terrible.

The park production was… not great. Everyone was kind of miscast including Mueller, Donna, and Amy Adams. I liked the giant made of trees. Everything and everyone else was completely forgettable. Donna, as much as I like her, sang flat the whole night like she did in Encores Anyone Can Whistle.

I'd completely forgotten about that ITW in Central Park. Those free tickets were almost impossible to get, and then it turned out to be a complete bust, from everything I'd heard/read.

That Central Park ITW was a disaster, but I think most of that could be laid at the feet of the very gimmicky British directing team. They didn’t trust the material, overthought the fuck out of material that the authors had already thought through plenty, and then heaped extra concepts upon it for good measure. Oh, and they didn’t have a clue how to direct a very capable cast of actors.

Didn't Gideon Glick play Jack like the first bottom into the sling on a Friday night at the Anvil?

I wonder if Scott Rudin is writing a book about his adventures in the stage and screen trade.

I know everyone is saying Heather was humorless in act one, however, she actually got a lot of laughs last night when I was there. The line readings were different then how Bernadette did they, but the humor was still there. I will say she opted for no humor during the rap. That was different.

Actually, the only good thing in the Park ITW was Sarah Stiles as Little Red. The only other things I remember is Donna pushing for laughs (unsuccessfully) and Jessie Mueller's thick ankles.

r530 Is he capable of playing any other way? Including in real life?

[quote]I know everyone is saying Heather was humorless in act one, however, she actually got a lot of laughs last night when I was there. The line readings were different then how Bernadette did they, but the humor was still there. I will say she opted for no humor during the rap. That was different.

Agreed, I'm surprised to hear anyone say her performance was humorless. Far from it. She got lots of laughs when appropriate at the performance I attended, as well.

It's pretty well known that Glen Kelly (arranger extraordinaire) assisted Mel in the actual composing of the score. Mel came with the simple, hummable melodies and lyrics and Glen fleshed them into full Broadway showtunes. With big assists from Larry Blank and Doug Besterman in the orchestration dept.

And in fairness to Mel, he's one in a long line of Broadway composers who couldn't read/write music. But it didn't stop them from producing catchy tunes!

Someone on deux moi just spotted “Andrew Rannells and his boyfriend Tuc Watkins” having dinner so seems they are still together.

[quote] Actually, the only good thing in the Park ITW was Sarah Stiles as Little Red.

I wouldn't believe this if my life depended on it. Sarah Stiles is nails on a chalkboard awful. How that talent free cunt ever managed two Tony nominations tells you exactly the dire state theater is in.

so is Into the Woods transferring or not?

Gilded Age has started filming and word is Donna will have more to do this season. Wouldn’t ITW take up about 10 weeks of her time?

I’m watching Oliver! On TCM. Mr Bumble just sold Oliver to an older man after singing BOY FOR SALE. Should Oliver be canceled?

[quote] Someone on deux moi just spotted “Andrew Rannells and his boyfriend Tuc Watkins” having dinner so seems they are still together.

I could be seen having dinner with several exes, doesn't mean we're still together

R542, Slut!

R542 they were in Palm Springs (should have added that detail)

So Rannells is helping Tuc move into his retirement condo?

I saw ITW this afternoon. It was fine, but the audience reacted like Sondheim had risen from the dead. Their hysterical cheering was way out of proportion to what was happening onstage. Plus, they cheered loudest for the cow.

" . . . the audience reacted like Sondheim had risen from the dead."

Actually, CBS is planning that for the In Memoriam segment on next month's Tony Awards.

Which begs the question -- which Sondheim song or medley of Sondheim songs will they use over the In Memoriam segment?

R548, "Every Day a Little Death".

I saw an interview with Jaquel Spivey this weekend. He is all kinds of adorable and seems very DTE. I hope he wins the Tony.

Whatever the decide for the Sondheim medley I beg CBS and the producers not to involved Ben Platt or the song “Somewhere!”

Have they ever used "Not While I'm Around" for the memorial segment?

The Memorial segment should be a medley of “Worst Pies in London,” “You Can Drive a Person Crazy,” and “Lucy & Jessie.”

I'll bet anything that CBS and the producers will do both of those things. Platt has probably been badgering them for months.

You just know it'll end with Sunday with a huge choir being raised on the Radio City stage lift

Maybe Heather agreed to do a limited transfer of ITW if she doesn’t have to do eight shows a week. Maybe Donna will fill in twice a week like she did for Bette Midler.

I'll also bet anything that LMM will find a way to center any Sondheim tribute on himself.

LMM, of course, doesn’t have the wit, talent or sense of dramatic storytelling through song found in Sondheim’s farts.

r557 He already did, with the Times Square performance of Sunday

Of course he doesn't, r558. But as r559 points out, he already elbowed his way into the Times Square thing (which had been organized by somebody else , who got pushed aside) and he has been posturing for months as though Sondheim personally passed him the torch.

Funny Girl is filling at least 90% of their seats.- so as long as Beanie is getting people in seats. She not going to get replaced - no matter how bad the reviews have been

[quote]I think the Witch can be older, why not?

How old IS the average witch?

She has to be glamorous after the transformation. She doesn't have to be 20.

I'd like them to play Anyone Can Whistle under the In Memoriam. It has always struck me as the most autobiographical of all his songs, and it is suitably serious and wistful.

Who's seen THE MINUTES?

I have. I liked it for the most part, until it sledgehammers its point home in the last few minutes. —Anonymous 1

ditto, same reaction to ending

r521 I'm watching the PBS Anything Goes right now and thinking, "Why is Sutton Foster a theater star?"

She's a meh singer, and a lousy actress.

She also looks weird.

I mean, this is a role made famous by Merman and then Patti did a terrific job in her revival and now this....non entity is supposed to be a great Reno Sweeney??!?!

Patti did a terrific job in her revival If you don’t count her clumsy clodhopping that she passes off as dancing. For that aspect alone, Sutton deserved that Tony.

No one deserves an award when performing the absolutely pedestrian, cruise ship choreography of one Kathleen Marshall.

I had to turn off this horrible production of Anything Goes.

It's a turd of a production which is sad because if done well, Anything Goes should be a joyous thing to behold. A silly fun show with terrific songs.

Sutton was ghastly but so was the rest of the cast...bad performances and terrible direction.

Well, darling Felicity Kendall was OK but I'll excuse her anything because she's adorable.

Marshall did a lot better on Anything Goes than Michael Smuin did in thd LC version. He completely ruined “Blow Gabriel Blow” with a truly bizarre dance that took it totally out of being a revival number. He also didn’t tailor any dances to Patti’s strengths (such as they were) and she looked awful.

Apparently, according to social media, they inserted a moment for Ramin to show off his abs in FG… while only him performing fully nude could conceivably save the production, can anyone who has seen it (recently?) comment? Asking for a friend.

When was the scene inserted, before or after the reviews?

Sutton was great in the Roundabout production, but everything in the recording of the London production seemed off. Just flat and low-energy. (Sorry if I'm repeating myself. I feel like we discussed this before when it was shown in the UK and was posted online.)

Ramin's shirtless scene was there since the beginning of previews. They knew the show needed all the help it could get from the start.

The Sondheim tribute at the Tonys will climax with the NY Trans Choir singing "Our Time".

I was at FG on Saturday and the shirtless scene was fine but he really needed to be pantless. Even Jane Lynch would catch vapors

Not just pantless, naked and full frontal.

and dripping precum.

It's a shame Take Me Out won't have an open-ended run. Ramin would be an excellent new castmember!

[quote]The movie version (non-musical) with a pasty, swishy William Hurt is genuinely painful to watch these days. At least that had Raul Julia.

R405 you know, there are Brazilians who look like Hurt. They are not all swarthy Latinos.

And a lot of gays are swishy, too.

I don't get the outrage.

[QUOTE] Have they ever used "Not While I'm Around" for the memorial segment?

Scott Bakula sang it at the Kennedy Center Honors tribute for Sondheim in 1993. He looked and sounded gorgeous doing it. There’s a nice Hillary moment here too.

Is Ramin actually shirtless or just wearing an open robe with no shirt on underneath? Either choice is very silly but the former would be ludicrous pandering. Do all the Beaniestans whoop, whistle and holler?

I watched that laborious London Anything Goes on youtube months ago. It was painfully unfunny and lacking in exuberance. Robert Lindsay was particularly awful, giving Sutton a run for her money.

Maybe you just had to be there.

Has Sondheim's husband ever spoken publicly about Sondheim's death or their life together? Might he speak at the Tonys?

Hello everybody. This is ... MISTER STEPHEN SONDHEIM.

Has Sondheim's brownstone sold yet?

Is it on the market? Maybe Romley was added to the deed when they married, and intends to live there.

[quote] Is Ramin actually shirtless or just wearing an open robe with no shirt on underneath?

Open robe with no shirt. It's at the top of Act 2 which has Beanie crawling up out of the orchestra pit to surprise Nick in Monte Carlo. We know we're in Monte Carlo because there is a big illuminated sign that says 'Monte Carlo' in acid green lettering. Very continental. He enters in the open robe to some hoots and hollers from the hen parties in attendance.

[quote] It's a shame Take Me Out won't have an open-ended run.

It's a shame Take Me Out won't have an open-ended Jesse Williams.

As the starter of the past several threads (some admittedly more successful than others) I have no idea what the next title should be. Hopefully someone else has an idea and will start a new thread and link to it here.

[quote]I saw an interview with Jaquel Spivey this weekend. He is all kinds of adorable and seems very DTE.

Am I correct in guessing that DTE means "down to earth?" Whatever it means, why the hell couldn't you spell it out? Too much trouble for you?

[quote]Is Ramin actually shirtless or just wearing an open robe with no shirt on underneath?

I'm not surprised it's just an open robe. If he were shirtless, that would reveal his multiple, extensive tattoos, which needless to say are wildly inappropriate for the character. Not that I imagine anyone at FG would care much or at all about that....

Thanks for the Scott Bakula clip. Nice rendition. Bakula's time on stage, compared to the years he put in on TV is surprising to me. He's obviously well-suited to work in the theatre, but he moved away from it early in his career.

Forgotten Musicals on Facebook has something up about "Romance/Romance" today too. Now that was a lovely little show (especially act I).

Always thought Bakula has BDE*.

r589 I DDG'd** it. Apparently it can also be Down To Everything. r550's use was silly but no need to be so nasty. CTFO***

[italic] *Big Dick Energy [/italic]

[italic] **Duck Duck Go [/italic]

[italic] ***Chill the Fuck Out [/italic]

And of course Bakula always looked great without his shirt off, as every TV show he was in tended to take advantage of.

The two articles yesterday about Paradise Square's money issues were both interesting reads

Article 2

the Sondheim townhouse is not listed for sale in any public listings.

Saw Tootsie on tour in LA.

Just another “we have a sellable title, so we can just produce a mediocre show and it will still sell tix” musical. Everything creative (score, book, design, etc.) was very average, as if they didn’t care very much.

Theater was only half full, on a Saturday night. Serves them right.

Any word-of-mouth on THE BEDWETTER?

Or ROMEO & BERNADETTE?

BAJOUR!

[quote]A new lawsuit against Paradise Square Broadway LP filed in New York Supreme Court, not far from where the Civil War-era musical is set, provides a window into the Garth Drabinsky production. It’s the Canadian producer’s first show on Broadway since he was convicted in 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario, of defrauding Livent Inc. shareholders of nearly half a billion dollars. Publicly-traded Livent, which Drabinsky co-founded, filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998.

Interesting that the Broadway Journal article contains this information but the Forbes article DOESN'T EVEN MENTION Drabinsky's criminal record.