THEATRE GOSSIP # 492: The "C U Next Tuesday, Lea" Edition

Previous thread:

I love the headline, "Lights out for Lea!"

Bwahahahaha.

What a fucking cunt, she is.

Ramin Karimloo to his leading lady: "Who are you now?"

[quote]Ramin Karimloo to his leading lady: "Who are you now?"

He's more likely to be asking this of Lea. Julie Benko has done a lot more performances.

Patrick J. Adams' replacement in Take Me Out has been announced--it's Bill Heck. Not a bad a choice (and those of us who saw him in Angels in America a dozen years ago at the Signature Theatre know he's comfortable with the nudity).

Isn't Bill Heck a tad old to be portraying a baseball player? Do they celebrate Old-Timers Day in this production?

Into the Woods revival cast recording coming September 30

Here's Bareilles recording "Moments in the Woods." Beautiful.

And btw, I'll never forgive Stro for ruining the ending of "Big Fish". It should have ended like the movie did.

I commented in the last thread about the rumor of Aaron T and twinks and someone asked. Did a Google search. r3 in this thread mentions it.

It seems to have originated from r536 in this thread:

[quote]Aaron Tveit lived in my building in Astoria all thru his Broadway years (he moved out around the time he left for London to film LES MIS). Definitely gay - saw him often with twinks younger than him coming in late (like after midnight, after a show). Often the twinks would be leaving the building the next morning in the same clothes they came in wearing the night before...

From the end of the previous thread...

[quote]I guess Tveit has a nice trim and wiry body, I've always thought his face is below average on the attractiveness meter.

For what it's worth, I (and my friends) thought Aaron Tveit was gorgeous as 'Tripp van der Bilt' on GOSSIP GIRL and when we saw him in the musicals NEXT TO NORMAL and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Also, in that FBI procedural he did with fellow Broadway hottie Daniel Sunjata several years back.

I mean, how could you not want to kiss this face all over? This video makes us want to jump into the screen with him. You can tell that Kerry Butler is crushing on him, too.

Call me a bitter show Queen, but I’m excited for the new Into the Woods Cast recording!!

r6, most of the leads have been cast too old for this production. Adams and Williams were both 40 when the show ran in the spring (they're both 41 now). Heck is 43, so, yes, too old in real life, but fits with what they're looking for (maybe someone believably old enough to be Williams' best friend?) Brandon J Dirden, who plays the other closest friend/superstar player, was born in 1978, same as Heck.

R13-You really believe Heck was born in the late 70's? You're deluded.

r14, I don't know. I'm not the birthday police. Just did a internet search and his year of birth came up as 1978 (but I guess he'd actually be 44, if we're believing that).

In 2009 he was claiming to be 31, so at least it's consistent. If you have other information, feel free to provide it.

Back to Matthew Morrison's cock please. And ass

For the Aaron Tveit fans there's a very cute and sexy video out there of him in a number in the musical SAVED at Playwrights Horizons from about 15 years ago in which he played a tormented high school basketball player who just can't resist his gay impulses. Loved that show (also with Celia Keenan-Bolger, Curtis Holbrook and old DL faves Julia Murney and John Dossett), based on the 90s indie film, but it got no respect.

Sorry, no time to link it.

Believe what you will, but through a friend I met a woman who briefly dated Tveit after connecting on a dating app. From what she shared he sounded like an unimaginative and selfish lover with not much to work with and who wouldn't touch her vagina. I personally found the tidbit of his fondness for singing his orders to wait staff even more offensive.

How does a man in a relationship with a woman not touch her vagina? Did they have sex with a plunger?

"Climb on, babe."

Aaron in "Saved"

Lavern Cummings

I wouldn't touch a vagina either.

Thank you for sharing, r23.

What's a vagina?

Hey, R598 from the previous thread…fuck off.

Aaron's most convincing performance is that Saved clip. Must ring too true to him.

Aaron Tveit likes boy hole.

He projects a "straight" image, but he is gay.

All the way.

Some yokels in ATC are already criticizing SB for her Moments in the Woods. Says Sondheim would have notes for her.

If he thought Eleri Ward's "stylings" of his songs was terrific (reported by Rob Weinert-Kendt on twitter today), I douht Sondheim would have given Bareilles a single note on Moments in the Woods. It was lovely.

Someone needs to push Lea down a flight of stairs.

Dont you have an appointment at Baskin-Robbins Beanie ?

Sondheim's still dead.

^to the great relief of us all

R10, I wonder if the twinks were yawning because he’s such a boring actor

Back Street X 3

[Quote] wouldn't touch her vagina.

We've clearly entered fan fiction territory.

Oh...

Didn't Susan Hayward and Eddie Albert play similar roles in both "I'll Cry Tomorrow" and "Smash-Up - The Story of a Woman"?

Well, she kinda can’t act.

(Sara B)

[quote] How does a man in a relationship with a woman not touch her vagina?

Hell, Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff were never even IN a relationship and she made sure he touched her vagina.

Lea is pro SCOTUS because she hopes Groff will be forced to marry her when they finally outlaw gays.

[Quote] How does a man in a relationship with a woman not touch her vagina?

You flip 'er over.

R26 How to kill a thread, you car wash cunt.

R37 clearly. All these people claiming to know specific intimate details about Tveit's sex life (yet are vague about them) are delusional.

To paraphrase researcher/writer Jan Harold Brunvand, whenever you hear "a friend of a friend" (or the like) it is the start of an urban legend.

I'll Cry Tomorrow was a biography of Broadway star Lillian Roth, who struggled with a monster stage mother, the death of her fiance and then alcoholism. Of course it was a highly Hollywoodized bio but it wasn't a mere fictional soap opera.

I'll Cry Tomorrow was based on Roth's autobiography and the film actually toned the source material down considerably. Hayward got an Oscar nom and Roth dubbed her songs. Roth made her Broadway comeback in 70 Girls, 70 and is on the cast album.

Roth's Broadway comeback was in I Can Get It for You Wholesale, almost ten years before 70 Girls, 70.

I'm corrected.

I wish I could have been one of those twinks. The thought of Aaron railing me all night....drool.

[quote] I wish I could have been one of those twinks. The thought of Aaron railing me all night....

while you belt "I'm alive I'm alive I am SO alive!"

And just like that, the term “dinner theater” is redefined.

I imagine the showings will be movies, not life performances, yes?

Well, since the article says:

[quote]League’s aim is to make the theater into a multi-screen venue that’ll show “first-run movies, blockbusters, independent and foreign-language films, as well as documentaries”

I think that it is safe to assume you are correct.

r48, another correction for you:

Susan Hayward did her own singing in I'll Cry Tomorrow. Lots of clips online especially fun is her sublime version of "When the Reed Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along" and "Get Happy" (very different from Judy's version). You may be confusing the film with Hayward's other great singer bio With a Song in My Heart about Jane Froman, who did indeed dub Hayward's singing voice in that one. Both films are so good. They just don't make movies like that any more.

RED Red Robin, damn!

And of course in the title song dance in "With A Song In My Heart" you get Susan's nipple.

With A Song In My Nip?

Today is Janis Paige's 100th Birthday! Happy Birthday, Janis -- who besides starring in the original Broadway "Pajama Game" was a Broadway Mame! That's practically DL favedom right there.

I'm glad they used Doris Day in the film version.....but Janis is a lot of fun.

R58 That's almost as good as Joel McCrea's penis hanging out of his pajamas in the hilarious film "The Palm Beach Story".

Janis is superb in "Silk Stockings" and almost steals "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" from Doris Day and David Niven.

Nobody ever remembers Janis when they start talking about who's left from Hollywood's Golden Age.

Bill Heck is far too old along with the rest of the cast. It should have been Noah Reid or Ben Feldman.

There aren't many left. Marsha Hunt just passed last week. Olivia de Havilland and Luise Rainer had very long runs too.

R65 But would the others drop trou?

r67 Charlie Puth would have! Plus, he'd make a great Kippy!

My friend, a longtime subscriber to the Roundabout, was told she earned a "reward" of an extra free ticket to a matinee of the new all-female 1776.

I subscribed there for years but stopped a long time ago and I never received that perk. Did anyone else get "rewarded", or are very few people buying tickets for 1776....or just anymore?

Do they even want white men to attend?

TCM is showing a bunch of Janis Paige movies today. Doris Day's film debut in "Romance on the High Seas" is on right now.

Dolores Gray claimed that she was offered "Pajame Game" but she turned it down to go to Hollywood. It seems a little implausible that she and John Raitt would go into another show together so soon after the flop "Carnival In Flanders." Perhaps she was offered it before that show, or at least, before it came to Broadway.

r69 RTC have a whole rewards program now for all sales to all show, I got a free ticket too. It's cool actually

An all female identifying POC cast of 1776, no thanks I'll pass.

Only the woke will attend, R74.

Sorry to link to the Post, but...Phantom closing at the end of the year?

I recently saw one of leads from the new woke 1776 interviewed on TV, I wasn't sure if it was an effeminate black gay man identifying as a butch lesbian, or a black butch lesbian identifying as an effeminate black man??????? Who's going to pay $200 a ticket to see this freak show?

[quote]Who's going to pay $200 a ticket to see this freak show?

Not me.

Will any Broadway musical ever out-run Phantom? Hamilton, maybe, but I don't think so. Wicked, perhaps?

William Daniels has been married to Bonnie Bartlett, 93, since 1951.

"Chicago" doesn't cost much to run, and it's still timely.

I remember Bonnie Bartlett falling down an elevator shaft.

"Hamilton" will be thought of more widely as a gimmick after stuff like this new production of "1776" and more woke, poorly cast crap is produced and flops at the box-office. Some play like "Six Degrees of Separation" will start to make fun of the way that play made fun of "Cats".

I'm tolerating this evening with Rose and Blanche because of my friendship with you.

[Quote] Who's going to pay $200 a ticket to see this freak show?

R77 you should be ashamed of yourself. I don’t claim to understand the trans phenomenon - but it wasn’t all that long ago that people were saying this sort of thing about gays. Many still are. Why don’t you shut your ugly mouth until you can learn to express yourself in a civilized way? Hate speech is hate speech and it promotes more of it.

[quote]I remember Bonnie Bartlett falling down an elevator shaft.

In what? I only remember Diana Muldaur falling down the shaft on "LA Law."

But Bonnie will always be a DL icon just for having played Barbara Thorndyke.

Ala Miss Muldaur, r82?

R85 Truth hurts.

So, R85, are you going to see the show?

Well, r89, unless *you* see it you're not in a position to judge.

R89 it has nothing to do with the show. It’s how r77 chooses to express himself. “Freak show” is hateful, and gays should know and do better, even here.

R91 Are you lost? We do not need a hall monitor, and DL does not go for booze and trannys.

The premise is tired, a direct steal from "Hamilton' and a number of plays which substitute black actors for white actors and trans performers taking pivotal roles. It's as innovative as doing musicals based on movies.

And if it flops, r93, it flops.

[quote]DL does not go for booze and trannys.

Well, you're half right.

Are the rumors true?

R96, just wait for the ground-breaking all female, all-black/trans version to hit the stage next year. No one will have ever seen anything like it.

It’s amazing to see Phantom is closing.

That said, I revisited it about 10 years ago and it was in a pretty sorry state back then

Sister Patina

R98 Maybe now they will clean the fucking theater.

R100, yes! That theatre was a dustbin!

r96 I find the idea that it's losing a million a month a bit hard to believe. In 2012 it was said running costs are $600,000 per week, accounting for inflation that'd be $750,000. Unless covid adds another 100 grand to that, they've been running enough profitable weeks to compensate for the loss-making weeks in the winter

Unless this is the first stage in a PR campaign from Cam Mack which results in the cheaper touring version put in like in London.

Say what?

Chicago has to run another 8 years to pass Phantom. It’s a strong possibility.

Can you imagine a show running for 34 years on Broadway? If I was cast as Christine and was pregnant and now my daughter was pregnant, it would be possible to have a grandchild in the time this show ran on Broadway!

There's an alternate universe where Carrie ran for 34 years and Phantom flopped after 5 performances.

[quote]Can you imagine a show running for 34 years on Broadway?

What do think that means, r105? I remember it being such a big deal when Dolly and Fiddler had their long runs. Now we have Phantom/Chicago-length runs.

So what will be next for The Maj?

Musicals with forever coming-of-age audiences who've never seen the show like LION KING and WICKED could realistically run forever.

WTF has become of the Rosie/Ellen thread??

Never mind, I found it. For some reason it disappeared from my Thread Watcher.

Got an email invite to a research screening of the film version of the musical of The Color Purple but the age range only went up to 29.

You don't look a day over 28 r112!

NYT confirms Phantom to close on February 18

Don't know why but "Phantom" closing is actually kind of sad to me. End of an era and all that sort of thing.

[quote]Very few leading men on Broadway are actually gay

And very few of the leading men in Hallmark movies are actually straight.

Does Chicago still play to full houses at this point? It’s pretty cheap to run

And now the sultry vocal stylings of...

R117. I saw a video of the Chicago Sunday evening curtain call on Instagram and the person who posted said the performance was sold out. I think it still does very well. Probably heavily discounted.

I love Chicago. I’ve seen it so many times—although not recently. It’s always more entertaining than most other shows

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1964, "The Committee" opened at the Henry Miller's Theatre.

The Committee '69

[quote] And btw, I'll never forgive Stro for ruining the ending of "Big Fish". It should have ended like the movie did.

Why would you blame her? She didn't adapt the book the movie was based on, John August did, who also did the movie screenplay.

[quote]I love Chicago. I’ve seen it so many times—although not recently. It’s always more entertaining than most other shows.

I've seen it a lot, but I guess I saw it one time too many, because I would be very happy never to have to see it again, at least not in the version that's been running since the Clinton administration.

Was going to post this in the MSNBC thread....but I think it will be more appreciated here:

Mary-Louise Parker has been dating Lawrence O'Donnell for the past year or so. I don't think it's any kind of secret but....who knew? Love them both though they don't seem like a likely couple.

WHAT, r125???

Wait what? Since when??

A year or so, I've heard.

Lawrence looks damn good for 70.

While I'm sad the closing of PHANTOM signals the end of an era, I must say that the show, as currently cast and 'directed' has been missing the original Hal Prince spark that made it so irresistible.

Yes, it's always been a gothic melodrama, bordering on real cheese. But when you saw that show as Hal, Maria B and Webber originally envisioned...with Crawford's older, ghostly Phantom anchoring the triangle, it was quite magical and emotionally stirring. However, CamMac's obsession to make the Phantom role into some hot, young thirst trap (since about 2007) has really hurt the basic storytelling. And melodrama doesn't work without 'stakes'.

While Ben Crawford seems like a nice enough guy, his 'bro-y' millennial take on the Phantom lacks the pathos and gravitas needed to anchor the high style of the piece. It becomes an evening of BAD acting and "101 things to do with chintz!"

[quote]you should be ashamed of yourself. I don’t claim to understand the trans phenomenon - but it wasn’t all that long ago that people were saying this sort of thing about gays.

Will you PLEASE give that dopey lie and false equivalency a fucking rest! There is ALMOST NOTHING similar in gay people seeking equality vs. "trans" people seeking to deny biology, science and gender. It's not the same at all!

Buying into the Gender Identity cult's madness doesn't make anyone a "progressive", it makes one a homophobic misogynist and chowderhead!

I can't believe that anyone on this thread has seen Phantom in.....even the last 25 years.

Is procreation related to biology?

[quote]Are the rumors true?

It's twue, it's twue.

This thread is crying out for some Lola Falana...

Lola Falana for The Phantom. Could add years to the run...

Now that Phantom is closing, what will that overly precious prisspot Seth Sklar-Heyn possibly DO with his life?

[quote]Now that Phantom is closing, what will that overly precious prisspot Seth Sklar-Heyn possibly DO with his life?

OnlyFans?

Except he has neither penis nor hole.

I Sheba huge favor-request if Valens still lurks here or anyone for that matter.

I know full video exists of the Old Friends Sondheim concert that happened this year in London, but I can’t locate it. Bernadette Peters sang Losing My Mind.

The second thing I’m looking for is audio of Samantha Spiro singing Like It Was as Mary Flynn in her revival of Merrily where she won the Olivier. Bonus if you can locate Becky Ann Barke.

Come back little I Sheba!

Is r140 mlop? Or someone having a stroke? Or mlop having a stroke!

R140 is the face of theater queen dementia.

R79- The Lion King will pass Phantom. Chicago or Wicked might. Hamilton won’t come close.

R85- people ARE still saying that stuff about gays!

r137 He's now associate director on the Australia production

What's his story?

Do actresses in Broadway shows ever keep their wigs?

Glenn Close always has it in her contracts that she gets to keep her costumes. Does that include wigs?

Patti LuPone steals whatever she can shove up under her shirt as she’s leaving the theater. Has she ever walked out wearing a wig?

Why are you asking, Lea?

nothing worse than the hall monitor hall monitor

Wigs are made for individual heads and can usually not be reused on others. Yes, actresses keep them.

This looks like the end of the world

Brought to you by Ken Davenport, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Ken Davenport, Broadway's Used Car Salesman.

PHANTOM may be closing on Broadway but there will always be iterations of it out there on tour and in the regions to keep Seth busy.

Will Seth get to keep the chandelier in his apartment?

Oh look. Jen Cody finally in something other than a Little Sally costume.

What Broadway stalwart is next on deathwatch, WICKED? LION KING?

Ah, yes. As long as there is a PHANTOM production in the world, Seth S.H. will have a job. He is to productions of PHANTOM what George Lee Andrews was to Monsieur André.

I see Hunter got his wife Cuddles a job in Vacation.

Seth Sklar-Heyn is the absolute worst! THE WORST! A bitchy queen with no creative vision and a highly inflated opinion of his “skills”, Cameron loves him, because he’s a hollow Yes Gurl. Even when Hal was ailing he’d give sharp directives with the show, he always knew how to balance the leading trio, even when an actor wasn’t quite perfect. Seth just wants everything to be dumbed down so HE can understand it. Every production he touches becomes lesser, but not as bad a Shitster Larry Connor, now there’s a non-talent that is aggressive in his ineptitude.

Fuck off, R92 - you don't speak for the DL w/ your fuckin' transphobic and likely racist bullshit.

Don't EVER speak for us. You fuckin' cunt.

THANK YOU, R159! My impressions exactly. Seth highly fancies himself the heir to Prince's direction, but lacks any sense of smarts or grace. He's just a (not much of a) "pretty boi" who entices Cameron. Seth is a glossy, overly-mannered, wanna-be fashion magazine qween.

It's no surprise the show is closing so soon after Prince's death (considering the Pandemic shut-down), plus a totally inept advertising campaign that attempts to be "cool" and cheeky ("New York's Favorite Mask"), rather than selling the opulence, music, and stagecraft. They've given clueless children the keys to the majestic palace, and the kids burned it down.

Agreed 161, once Cameron bullied the show’s DNA into having a “hot young Phantom” the entire purpose of the core story, the layers of the romantic triangle deep into father fixations/unrequited romance, went out the window. Darling Seth was also made to stamp out ANY “eccentric” impulses The Phantom actor might have had, and also made sure NO hand movements mimicking Michael Crawford, so the character wouldn’t be ethereal or ghostly, make him a frat brah with a bad rash. Fuck off mediocrity!!!

“Fuck off, [R92] - you don't speak for the DL w/ your fuckin' transphobic and likely racist bullshit.

Don't EVER speak for us. You fuckin' cunt.”

She writes, speaking for us.

Both Seth Sklar-Heyn and Laurence Connor’s careers are fascinating. Both now carrying substantial director credits, but neither have directed anything of note apart from Lloyd Webber productions and Cameron Mackintosh revivals - both of whom are notorious control freaks.

Who knew being megamusical yes men could be so lucrative?

She spoke for me, r163.

But isn't the job of those resident directors like Seth to staunchly carry out the vision of either the original director or the mandates of the lead producer? They're not hired to bring creative ideas of their own, are they? Those mega-musicals like Wicked, Jersey Boys and Book of Mormon are machines that have to duplicate everything that's in all the multiple companies. no?

I don't mean to defend, just to comprehend.

Me too. I’m tired of the brats throwing their anti-woke fits every time a new production is announced.

You’ve made your point, now let the adults talk.

[quote]And btw, I'll never forgive Stro for ruining the ending of "Big Fish". It should have ended like the movie did.

You mean you didn't like the big fish coming out of the orchestra pit? (This really happened.)

[quote]Roth's Broadway comeback was in I Can Get It for You Wholesale, almost ten years before 70 Girls, 70.

Rob Roth is making a comeback?

I saw Phantom on opening night back in 1988 or whenever. It left me cold.

It's basically a rape fantasy, innit?

It was pretty underwhelming. I remember the much heralded chandelier wiggled slowly down to the stage, it took forever. I was unimpressed.

Luckily saw the OG production of Into The Woods which had recently opened and thought that was great.

With Phylicia Rashad?

No, the OG cast.

What's OG?

OBC.

OG = original or originator

It's a hip hop term. You won't like it, r173.

You mean OBC, r175?

OBC = old bitchy cunts

So the Shuberts have The Majestic, The Broadway and The Winter Garden available for the Spring...(Crapfest Cinderella going into the Imperial...) Back to The Future has yet to announce, but what other big shows are still looking for this season?

I'm hoping LEMPIKA takes The Broadway. I need a good laugh...

[quote]but what other big shows are still looking for this season?

Well "Into The Woods" is closing in January so a revival of it will probably open in the spring.

Any update on the Palace? It would be kinda cool if at some point, all 41 Broadway houses had a tenant in them.

With the quality of recent Broadway shows, prospective tenants are eager to get in.

So who's next?!?!

[quote]Any update on the Palace? It would be kinda cool if at some point, all 41 Broadway houses had a tenant in them.

The theater has been lifted in place and the interior restoration is going on as well as the new lobby and entrance.

With PHANTOM closing, John Riddle and his gorgeous cock will have to find new work.

You down with OBC? Yeah you know me!

R167: "I’m tired of the brats throwing their anti-woke fits every time a new production is announced. You’ve made your point, now let the adults talk."

Your attempt to insult the anti-woke has resulted in a slur centered on ableism. "[L]et the adults talk" is a holocaust to the hearing impaired.

Merrily will take the Maj.

Or maybe Madge will take the Maj for a limited Vag.

^c'mon - at this point, everyone knows I only want dick that's 28 years or less. everything else was just for show.

Call me crazy, but I could actually see Groban's SWEENEY revival becoming a huge hit with the casual tourists. Particularly if it steers into the extravagance and scale of the original in the production design. That coupled with Groban and a 26-piece orchestra, which they'll no doubt advertise, could make it the kind of old school (dark) musical comedy that people are craving.

I don't think anyone could've anticipated this Into the Woods revival becoming a sleeper hit, and I think Sweeney has a lot more going for it.

There’s no evidence that ITW is a hit without Sara Bareilles.

I think it will be as successful as Daniel Radcliffe in EQUUS.

I only know Sara Bareilles' "Love Song." Did she have hits beside that?

[quote] Your attempt to insult the anti-woke has resulted in a slur centered on ableism. "[L]et the adults talk" is a holocaust to the hearing impaired.

Oh just fuck off, you twit

"you twit"

lol euro-striving 20 something ameritrash

Bareilles' work on ITW was really wonderful. I don't know that anyone would have predicted it, but maybe I'm not familiar enough with her to judge.

Can we now try my version of The Phantom of the Opera?

Nobody cares what stupid trolls like you say, r197

Well, they've done Phantom and they've still never brought a Hunchback in. Any other Lon Chaney vehicles crying out to be musicalized?

It’s time for a Robin Hood musical.

Another TWANG! ?

Hunchback was nixed in favor of Wicked when the money people balked at spending money for the on stage chorus of " statues."

I'm all for what R197 has to say.

R198, I'm not surprised at all. I saw her in Waitress opposite Gavin Creel. She's a wonderful actress.

r195, they weren't as big, but she also had hits with "King of Anything" and "Brave."

Has the Waitress film got a release date yet?

Will YOU be on the Broadway Cruise?

On a side note: Kristin Chenoweth’s headshot looks terrible. She looks like death warmed over…using a sterno to do the warming.

Certainly seems better than the pickings on the TCM Cruise. Can you imagine being locked on a ship for days with:

Chevy Chase

Lainie Kazan

Richard Dreyfuss

Sean Young, and

Pat Boone?

That headshot is flattering compared to the reality.

Did Kristin ever meet her real parents?

My God....shes so thin you can see the muscles and veins under the skin. Doesnt she have anyone that force feed her a cheeseburger ?

Sadly, at this point in her aging, eating a cheeseburger, or even a lot of cheeseburgers, is not going to fill out Kristin's face, It will all go directly to her tummy and remain there, very localized. And it's the same for anyone over 50 or even 40.

[Quote] Did Kristin ever meet her real parents?

Yes. It turns out they inspired the miniseries "V."

I wouldnt doubt it r215....she looks like a reptile with human shin stretched over her face

Bareilles. Can. Not. Act.

Kristin has been throttled by Marc Kudisch and Aaron Sorkin.

Chenoweth must be suffering under the smiles.

[quote]I don't think anyone could've anticipated this Into the Woods revival becoming a sleeper hit

You're kidding right? Every Sondheimite expects each revival to be the next "Phantom".

Any news on the Follies movie? Chris Pine as Ben Stone? Zac Efron's new Old face as Buddy?

James Corden, Sara Bareilles & Josh Groban in the Bathroom

[quote]On a side note: Kristin Chenoweth’s headshot looks terrible.

She seems to be suffering from a severe case of excess forehead.

Prince and Sondheim's original proposal or a Follies film: Liz Taylor as Phyllis, Henry Fonda as Ben, Debbie Reynolds as Sally and Gene Kelly as Ben. Obviously it never happened but the idea was out there.

That movie casting must have been before Liz Taylor did the movie version of A Little Night Music. Her singing leaves something to be desired.

Donald O’Connor would have made a good Buddy.

Doris Day seemed a good choice for Sally.

Ethel Merman as Hattie.

And we’re off

And we're on

Re Bareilles, normally I'm resistant to anyone other than an original cast member singing a score--I'm not proud of it but there it is, and I thought that would be true of the new cast album as well--but I'm delighted with Sara's recording of "Moments." No one will ever replace Joanna Gleason for me, but Bareilles is a pleasure.

I don’t think the drop in box office is because Bareilles is out. I think that, like every other Sondheim production, there’s a limited audience and that audience has already seen the show.

It the drop was so steep and sudden r229

But not It.

Also the Weissler’s wouldn have had her come back to Waitesss so much if she didn’t make a significant BO difference every time.

I'm sure she has/had an impact, but the show was popular enough to justify a transfer after City Center, which is not all that frequent, so she's not remotely the only factor in the success of this production. Everything about it, regardless of cast changes, has been appealing to theater-goers, from tourists to broadway regulars--and not just the Sondheim fanatics.

And let's not forget that the tourist numbers decline after Labor Day.

Kristin cannot seem to get her personal life in order poor thing.

Who is Josh Bryant? And is he on her payroll?

[quote] like every other Sondheim production, there’s a limited audience and that audience has already seen the show.

Face it, Dorothy--the Sondheim audience is limited.

Debbie Reynolds is Sally duh

Ann Blyth as Sally.

I feel bad for Kristin! Sure…love letters from The NY Times about how you are the best thing about a show and dismiss the star of said show IS lovely….but it doesn’t compare to the strong arms of a man at home.

Don't stop there, Idina. You also have the jaw of a man.

I'm not sure why so many are trying to downplay the effect Bareilles's departure (and possibly Soo's) had on ITW. Yes, there are fewer tourists after Labor Day, yet no other show dropped more than 4% in attendance that week. Attendance at ITW dropped 30.8%. In a single week! So, no, it's not just about fewer tourists, and it seems unlikely that the show just happened to run out of available Sondheim fans on Labor Day.

From BWW:

[quote]Up for the week by attendance (% of capacity) was: FUNNY GIRL (16.8%), CHICAGO (12.8%), COME FROM AWAY (10.6%), BEETLEJUICE (7%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (4.3%), HADESTOWN (4%), WICKED (3.5%), ALADDIN (1.9%), MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL (1.7%), THE BOOK OF MORMON (1.1%),

[quote]Down for the week by attendance (% of capacity) was: INTO THE WOODS (-30.8%), HAMILTON (-3.8%), HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD (-1.5%), THE LION KING (-1.3%), DEAR EVAN HANSEN (-0.9%), A STRANGE LOOP (-0.8%), SIX (-0.5%), THE KITE RUNNER (-0.1%),

You know how these threads are... Bareilles is a pop singer. Jen Cuddles Cody isn't the only Broadway snob...

Aw, C'mon. Cheno is cra-cra in that actorly way, and it's well known she can never sit still for any period of time. She announces so many things that never happen -- her wedding is now another. Still, she's Cheno and we love her. She has become Sally Brown -- Broadway's odd little sister who's always around but never really does anything.

Debbie Reynolds didn’t have the pathos needed to put over “Losing My Mind.”

I also think Kristin Chenoweth is not living in reality. Years ago, she announced she was going to do a Dusty Springfield biopic. Even if she lip synched all the songs, her speaking voice sounds nothing like Dusty. How did she think it was going to work when she talked in her helium voice and then started singing in Dusty’s low pitched bluesy voice?

Kristin needs to understand her niche is not ballsy pop singers.

There still may be wedding bells...

You just know Josh must be packing. BDF for miles!!!

She's so short that you can simultaneously do her in the vagina and mouth!

The Piano Lesson starts previews tomorrow -- anyone going?

I think The Piano Lesson is Wilson's best play. Can't wait.

[quote]She's so short that you can simultaneously do her in the vagina and mouth!

Provided you have two penises.

In which case,

Pics please.

Cheno musicals she has "announced": Betty Boop, Dusty Springfield, Tammy Faye Bakker, revival of "Whorehouse", and Dolly Parton. And I think I'm missing about five...

Cheno can no longer physically manage 8, or even 6, performances a week. Her injuries prevent it.

Wasn't Cheno also attached to musicals of Soapdish and Death Becomes Her?

[quote]Debbie Reynolds didn’t have the pathos needed to put over “Losing My Mind.”

She also didn't have the singing voice to put it over.

But it was a movie of FOLLIES. India Adams could have dubbed her, r255.

[quote]But it was a movie of FOLLIES. India Adams could have dubbed her, R255.

If India Adams dubbed her, would she have done the number in blackface, R256?

R252, she’s in NYC next week for readings of the new Stephen Schwartz musical The Queen of Versailles. So there’s another one.

Mimi!!!

Fifi!!!

Gigi

Zizi !!!

Bebe!

Didi!

Keke AND NeNe

P. P.

ReRe

e.e.

I fucked up. That’s don marquis not e,e.

L.L.

Only of interest to a select group of downtown New Yorkers of a certain age: Jeff Weiss has died.

Very sad news about Jeff Weiss. I worked with him a couple of times in the 90s and 00s and he was an utter delight. Sweetest man in the world and so funny, onstage and off. I know he had lots of rough years, I do really hope his last decade was happy, peaceful and secure.

[Quote] I do really hope his last decade was happy, peaceful and secure.

I was confused for a second until I realized I was thinking of Jeff Whitty.

HOT KEYS!

D'OH.

Who else is watching "Heathers" streaming for free on Roku? Thoughts?

trailer

After ‘Phantom,’ Which Shows Will Be the Longest-Running on Broadway?

‘The World Has Changed’: Cameron Mackintosh on Closing ‘Phantom’:

C.C.

How much money would Lauren Lane have made from The Nanny? 10 million?

From r279's link

[quote]Just under about $950,000 net now, which is about $100,000 more than it was pre-Covid.

I don't buy these numbers. The running costs were $600,000 a week in 2012, which with inflation would be $750,000 now. So we're supposed to believe that even before covid Mackintosh let costs increase over the rate of inflation?

I just don't buy this. The grosses are healthy.

[quote]“You don’t want to run a great show into the ground,” he said. “It’s always been one of my mantras throughout my long career: There’s an art to closing a show, as well as opening one.”

Aren't there stories that Mackintosh fudged the grosses of Cats towards the end and kept it running just so it ran longer than A Chorus Line? And as for running shows into the ground...

There was a BO surge at Phantom after the announcement.

Not helped by Shubert not cleaning the theatre

Jeff Weiss and his serial masterwork (every Friday night at Naked Angels for a LONG time), HOT KEYS (title referred to how keys would get in the sauna at the bath house). It was very brilliant—sort of an Oscar Wildish (though not so precious, in fact pretty raunchy) take on gay life in NY and around the world in the early 90s. Maybe late 80s—I’m hopeless with dates. Performed with tremendous zest by a cast of promising, hungry young actors—David Pittu was particularly brilliant, as was Jeff in the top primcipal role—a gay man who was, iirc, passionately in love with his impossibly beautiful SON. Musical numbers were a frequent feature, and every show opened with a group sing along of “Where or When” and ended with another, of Herman’s Hermits delicious “There’s a Kind of Hush.” (Nicky Paraiso, music director). HOT KEYS somewhat assuaged the pain caused by the death of Charles Ludlam and the subsequent demise of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company (though Everett Quinton unexpectedly made it rise from the ashes in somewhat altered form for a good ten years. Those were the days when people really cared about theatre and they were wonderful. Susan Sontag was a devoted audience member. It was that kind of show. Mary Hartman Mary Hartmann for the intelligentsia. Unforgettable.

Please...it should have closed years ago. We could be on our 3rd revival by now and there would be more interest in it.

I don't remember hot keys, r285.

Hot Keys

I meant I don't remember the keys getting hot in the sauna, r288. . Why would they get hot?

Leelee

Saw John Lithgow on Central Park West today, talking to a guy walking his dogs. Told him he was back in NYC for a while. I know he's directing a one man play. Could he be thinking of appearing on stage again?

Jeff Weiss' nephew is Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

r291, if you told John Lithgow he was back in NYC for a while (sic) why didn't you just ask him if he was going to appear in a play?

John told the dogs he was back in NYC.

Sisi!

Reports are that Benko is killing it at Funny Girl. Multiple standing ovations every night.

WigShitter better watch her back. Especially if she's not doing the eight shows a week.

Drop it Beanie...unlike with you, Julie cant upstage Lea.

There's video of Benko. She's a little above community theatre.

THey're gonna rename a theatre after Benko one of these days.

R298 That's a lived-in interpretation unlike WigShitter's high school THEEATER drivel.

That's pure acting. The other bitch just radiates phoniness.

Dee Dee

[quote] There was a BO surge at Phantom after the announcement.

That's because those fucking producers are too cheap to run the air conditioner backstage!

It's hacky.

Beanie, just run down to the market and get some ice cream and other munchies to drown your sorrows instead of stinking up this thread.

R251

I wonder who went on as Dee Dee when Miss Blount had to go on as Hattie...

HOLY SHIT r305

[quote] Debbie Reynolds didn’t have the pathos needed to put over “Losing My Mind.”

[quote] Debbie Reynolds didn’t have the pathos needed to put over “Losing My Mind.”

Yeah well Debbie had a hit number one record and and Oscar nomination and Dorothy Collins didn't.

Losing My Mind by Dorothy Collins

Debbie also had two husbands who fucked her over and went into debt to buy Ginger Rogers' old scanties, so fuck her!

Dorothy got Ron Holgate

J.J.!

Speaking of Debbie I rewatched the Debbie/Carrie documentary on HBO MAX recently. Spotted Penny Worth among Debbie’s friends at an awards ceremony and at her home afterwards. I wonder if she and Deb became friends during IRENE.

Some more of Miss Brown...

[quote] That's a lived-in interpretation unlike WigShitter's high school THEEATER drivel.

Lived-in?!?!?! Oh, my sides!

Benko would be insufferable across the dinner table.

[quote]R82 I remember Bonnie Bartlett falling down an elevator shaft.

I get Bonnie Bartlett and Bonnie Bedelia mixed up.

Sorry.

[quote]I get Bonnie Bartlett and Bonnie Bedelia mixed up.

Good lord, man, how...

If there's ever a musical about the Campbell's Soup Kids illustrations, Sam Primack at R275 would be a perfect get for it.

[quote]Jeff Weiss and his serial masterwork (every Friday night at Naked Angels for a LONG time), HOT KEYS (title referred to how keys would get in the sauna at the bath house). It was very brilliant

It was the worst piece of crap I've ever seen in my life, and one of the few shows I ever walked out on in mid-performance.

Benko sounds fine, but there's nothing special about her performance there. Lea, on the other hand, had that star quality thing going in the videos of her first performance. LM's a natural on stage--not so much TV/film--which I'm sure has always bothered her.

Beanie, meanwhile, works better on film--as the fat girl whose face has enough bone structure to work on camera.

Someone performing during a show in costume and in the context of that show displayed more star quality on video than someone performing in a park in a T-shirt and jeans with a handheld mic and lousy sound quality? Wow, there's a fair comparison.

When and if Lea performs in Bryant Park, or if there's performance footage of Benko in the show, so there's a real comparison to be made, then this discussion might be worth having.

There is show footage of Benko. Someone posted her "Don't Rain on My Parade" (audio AND video) on Instagram.

Hey, someone claimed that Benko was giving a "lived-in" performance there--it isn't.

And, yeah, costumes, live orchestra, etc. all help a performance, but you can tell a lot about a performer if you have the knowledge. I'm a trained singer and I can always tell a lot about technique, diction and the actual power of a voice, particularly when comparing live performances. I knew the moment I heard Beanie's little home-grown COVID singing Zooms that she wouldn't be able to pull off Funny Girl--wrong kind of voice, not nearly enough power. By contrast, I can tell that Benko's got the vocal chops to get through the part with no problem.

What I don't see in Benko is anything that comes off as distinctive and what I've noticed about the stars I've seen live (not all of them, but most) is that they have something that makes you pay attention and remember what they're doing. I don't happen to like Barbra Streisand, but there's no question that she's memorable and distinctive.

Could Benko evolve into someone like that? Sure. It happens. But she's not a star now.

Julie Benko is even more ordinary than the crop of CCM and Carnegie Melon grads currently barking on the Great Bright Way…

Do you recall seeing someone who was ordinary the first time (or early times) you saw them but who became distinctive later?

Yes, when I've seen videos of these park performances and then later saw the actors in the actual production.

Also I thought Michele was dreadful in the FG Glee clips I watched, yet the recording of one of her Broadway FG performances was much more impressive.

Dreadful AND forgettable?

R300- have you seen both Benko and Lea? If not, can it.

r320- we see Benko’s choices in that video. Put a costume and Bway lights, she’s still making the same choices.

[quoter]Julie Benko is even more ordinary than the crop of CCM and Carnegie Melon grads currently barking on the Great Bright Way…

Funny how pretty much everyone who sees her has the opposite opinion.My guess is that you haven't even seen her do the part.

[Quote] Funny how pretty much everyone who sees her has the opposite opinion

What were the box office numbers during Benko's interim replacement run? Anecdotes are cut 'n' all but...

I’m going to see Lea on the 28th. I was supposed to see her on the 13th but Covid happened. Not only did I get a refund, but also a $30 voucher with the acknowledgment that prices had gone up since I initially bought my ticket. There wasn’t a pair of tickets available til October (except when Benko is on) but as I only needed one ticket, I was able to find one for the matinee on the 28th. So far, Lea is doing her job at her box office. She just needs to get healthy and stay healthy. She officially returns on the 20th. I would’ve loved to have gone that night but it’s sold out.

R329- my guess is you haven’t either?

Once again, here's the Julie "Parade" video--

R333, She's completely competent, just not distinctive, which is maybe what you want in an understudy. R328 mentions choices--she doesn't surprise you with any of hers.

Compare her with someone like Barbara Harris or any number of the performances that get singled out on DL.

With Lea Michelle, I don't think it's about being a particularly original actress, but the chick commits and has a bit of that crazy stage energy some performers have--she responds to an audience. And maturity has helped. I was underwhelmed by that Tony performance of Parade and her Barbra imitations on Glee.

Is this what you mean by distinctive star power?

R240 = Legend

All the standing ovations for both Benko and Michele = fangirls and boys are desperate for a star to match those of the old days.

Julie B is what will bring the nation out of Covid ! !

r296 why did you have start that? See what you did?

[quote] This might not be the last you see of the Phantom and Christine Daae. The musical could eventually return to Broadway in a different form, the producer said. “I’m sure ‘Phantom’ will come back at some point,” he said. “After I took ‘Les Miz’ off, it came back twice!”

Yes, a different form. Bad, and worse, Cam!

Benko is the rarest of birds, the Lucky Understudy.

She is Not and Never Will Be the lightning-in-a-bottle, once in a lifetime talent. On the other hand, luck and a sufficient amount of talent and skill has saved her from a career of performing on cruise ships.

And tepid talent can become famous. It's why we have Idina Menzel

Poor Lainie got canned for promoting herself when she went on for Barbra while Julie’s self promotion got her a shitload of publicity and a role in a new musical. Good for her.

having just seen Lion King for the first time on tour..... is Julie Taymor 10 years after Spiderman essentially damaged goods? thanks to anyone with any insde scoop..

Julie Taymor is a C U N T.

The ONLY Julie on anyone's lips around here better be BENKO!

Benko is in the same league as a Nancy Hess. She's a competent understudy but she'll never be a star. She's a technically efficient singer but that's about it.

I'm sure she's very nice though, nothing against her.

Rewatched the film version of Chicago last night after several years and it really does still hold up. I went into it thinking about Toni Collette playing Roxie, but Zellweger is terrific, and CZJ more than deserved her Oscar. And the technicals are fantastic, especially the editing and costumes. I will say I still don't understand the nominations for Latifah and John C. Reilly, as both were unremarkable, and conversely, I think Gere should have gotten Reilly's nomination. But it's always such a relief to revisit a movie you loved to find that it bears repeat viewings.

ITA, R347, except about Gere (the weak link in the film, IMHO) and Latifah, who delivers exactly the comic performance that the character and the movie both need.

CHICAGO is a genuinely great movie musical, one of the few in the last 2 decades. It holds up.

Taymor is a VERY difficult person. Oh, what the hell. Julie is a fucking bitch.

Michael McKean (Lenny) is a very underrated actor. He recently had a recurring role on the British tv show “Breeders” and it took me awhile to figure out where I knew him from.

Is Annette O'Toole doing anything interesting?

I'd love to see Joshua Henry in Sweeny Todd. He'd kill it, vocally.

[quote]Rewatched the film version of Chicago last night after several years and it really does still hold up. I went into it thinking about Toni Collette playing Roxie, but Zellweger is terrific, and CZJ more than deserved her Oscar. And the technicals are fantastic, especially the editing and costumes.

I'm with you except about the editing. I think a few sequences are almost destroyed by the rapid-fire editing -- parts of "All That Jazz," for example, and "The Cell Block Tango" -- and it's a damned shame, too.

Josh Henry is not good in ITW. Nor was he distinguished in Carousel.

But, he's black, R54, so it doesn't matter.

[quote] Benko is the rarest of birds, the Lucky Understudy.

Who are others? Donna Murphy by all accounts did great covering two leads in Drood but she's a genuine rare specal talent. Or is your point, r341, that the lucky understudies did great in their original gigs but didn't go on to greater heights?

Yes, the editing of the Chicago movie was terrible. The final sequence is obviously so poorly done as to cover Renee Zellwegger’s lack of talent.

The all-time greatest understudy to star has to be Shirley MacLaine

Also Sutton Foster? Was she the "Millie" understudy?

Gretch!

Stop trying to make Gretch happen!

More on the Osnes lawsuit

Osnes= lying anti-vaxxer cunt

Gretch was her nickname, r361.

Shirley MacLaine pulled a Shirley MacLaine!

Marva Hicks has died.

Mara Hicks sucks dicks.

Satan, you say that like it’s a bad thing…

I saw Marva in Thunder Comma Knocking At Your Door offBway.

It was actually pretty good despite the stupid title

[quote]R356 Donna Murphy by all accounts did great covering two leads in Drood but she's a genuine rare specal talent.

She is helpful.

The Osnes lawsuit is interesting. It sounds like the Post was wrong about her being 'fired,' but losing the other gigs probably had to do with her being unvaccinated more than the Post's reporting of it

r335, My mother actually saw Channing in that show--and, yep, she could certainly hold focus. I once saw her on Fifth Avenue--some celebs are underwhelming in person (Charles Bronson was grey, stooped and short, for instance), but Channing was exactly what you'd expect. She had the platinum hair and was wearing a bright orange pantsuit. (This was in the 80s.) You couldn't miss her.

Nothing against Julie Benko and I haven't seen her in FG but her "success story" is unique to other proficient understudies all because of the fiasco known as Beanie. If she'd been understudying Laura Benanti in She Loves Me and went on numerous times, for example, there would have been little to no publicity coming her way no matter how much she pushed on Instagram.

Most of Julie's success is about showing up Beanie (however unintentionally) and saving the day at FG.

I love Joshua Henry but boy, does he overact sometimes.

Yes, Sutton was Erin Dilly’s understudy, but she took over while the show was still in workshop.

Sutton took over during the tryout in La Jolla. Maybe during rehearsals there. Not sure if Dilly ever gave a public performance as Millie.

Did Ellen Foley join Into The Woods knowing that she wouldn't open the show?

R373 you could say the exact same thing about Lea Michele. Why didn't she just join the show like every other replacement does and not have some second big premiere? To say nothing of the audience packed with her friends and fans who made sure perception was deliberately skewered in her favor? How different would the outcome be?

Most if not all of Lea's success is hype thanks to her showbiz friends who made sure she got skewered good press. Look beneath and it's a second-rate Streisand performance that any Babs impersonator worthwhile can do without breaking a sweat. And some far better, I might add.

[quote] who made sure she got skewered good press.

Oh, dear!

Do you begrudge Bernadette Peters for what they afforded her in replacing CZJ in "A Little Night Music"?

R378, So you saw her performance?

[quote] Do you begrudge Bernadette Peters for what they afforded her in replacing CZJ in "A Little Night Music"?

I begrudge her for - LINE!

[quote]Most if not all of Lea's success is hype thanks to her showbiz friends who made sure she got skewered (sic) good press.

Even R378 couldn't deny Lea was being vilified everywhere (including on DL) about replacing the sainted Beanie. The pressure on her leading up to her debut must have been unbearable. Her friends are to be congratulated for having her back.

[Quote] Her friend

Fixed.

[quote]Even [R378] couldn't deny Lea was being vilified everywhere (including on DL) about replacing the sainted Beanie

New to DL, are you?

r383, "sainted Beanie"? You think the same DL that was ripping her to shreds and relishing in every lousy review and every bit of unprofessional behavior considered her sainted or was taking her side over...anybody?

I get that Lea has plenty of haters here, but come on.

(which is to say, there are plenty of reasons for Lea to be vilified. She was reaping what she sowed with her own prior bad acts that had nothing to do with Feldstein.)

I saw Ellen Foley play the Witch. She was fine but no way would they have opened the show with her. No one cast in a workshop of tryout is guaranteed the role on Broadway.

Or on the big screen.

[quote]Do you begrudge Bernadette Peters for what they afforded her in replacing CZJ in "A Little Night Music"?

I don't recall there being a huge premiere for her, but if there was, she's BERNADETTE FUCKING PETERS. Of course a Broadway legend is going to get treated like a Queen whenever she steps into or starts any show.

This bitch who hasn't been relevant in years until she got this replacement gig doesn't even compare.

[Quote] she's BERNADETTE FUCKING PETERS.

But so is Lea!

The chatter on 1776 since they started previews in NY has not been good. I'm seeing it this week and my expectations are very low. I do hope the NY critics will be more discerning than those in Boston if it's justified.

I shall report back!

Did Lea do any more performances than her first before she got COVID?

I don't recall the Boston reviews being all that positive, R392, but I probably missed some. The ones I saw were polite but not especially laudatory.

R393. Lea played 4 performances before she was sidelined.

Customer reviews for " 1776" in Boston.

Sean Hayes Sets Broadway Spring Return As Oscar Levant In Doug Wright’s ‘Good Night, Oscar’:

[quote] Lea played 4 performances before she was sidelined.

We have sufficient.

[quote]Sean Hayes Sets Broadway Spring Return As Oscar Levant In Doug Wright’s ‘Good Night, Oscar’:

... and good-bye, Tony.

Did Sean Hayes turn down Tootsie?

Returning to Broadway in "Good Night Oscar": Miss Dunaway as Joan Crawford.

R236

That was perfection. Great Golden Girls reference...

I'm gutted by this Phantom closure announcement. I really am.

I think Cameron just wants to remount a cheapo production later and screw the estates of Hall, Lynn and Maria out of more cash.

He's been trying it for years with his "glorious original!" Crapfest of a tour.

The show, in whatever form, won't be the same without the sets, costumes, direction and choreo.

We will never see anything this opulent again.

To each their own but....

Phantom is a minor musical, at best.

The only decent number is "Masquerade".

It's in my heart, what can I say. I love the score, the atmosphere it creates, the sets, the costumes...all.of it.

All these shows about more relatable content are well and good, but I can't stand crappy sets or digital screens.

Cam is fudging the numbers here for his own reasons. He can't change it as he wishes, what with union rules and preexisting contracts, so he's killing it.

And with it just getting back on its feet....

[quote]Customer reviews for " 1776" in Boston.

Why I have no interest in customer reviews:

"Turning old stuffy material full of self important men in wigs into something relevant and vibrant is no easy feat…but this cast and creative team have done it!"

I blame black but not trans Christine

Does anyone under 80 care about Oscar Levant?

If it's a good play, yes.

Does anyone under 80 attend a Broadway play ( not musical)?

They could do a scaled down version of Phantom, a la Chicago.

Without the sets, it would accentuate the relationships

And (unlike Chicago) bore the audience to death.

No, they can't.

They will try, but it will suck.

The relationships aren't that complex.

Remember the shortlived Les Mis? Yeah. That show has more going on in the relationships, but people missed the turntable and original direction.

You can't handwave Hal Prince's work on this. Or Maria's.

Phantom was a draw for this long because of the genius of the design and staging.

As many have pointed out, the focus of the story itself is a bit icky.

Now it's MY turn.

R405 oy, the virtue signaling emanating from that quote.

It's true that only audiences well over 65 are really familiar with who Oscar Levant was, so I suspect a lot of them will love Sean Hayes but only because he's playing some peculiar character who has nothing much to do with Oscar. I remember as a child when I' d see Oscar in a TV interview I was totally freaked out by him. Fascinated, but freaked out.

Oscar Levant is one half of The Odd Couple, yeah?

Sean didn't keep PROMISES PROMISES running very long.

What can I say? Gay men as romantic leads don’t sell well

Was the Ramin Karimloo - Samantha Barks movie talked about here? I dont' recall.

Just got a Telecharge email blast "celebrating diversity." Even ticketing companies feel a need to virtue signal?

All of this " diversity" nonsense in theater is geared to making progressive white people think that they are so progressive. Meanwhile, they still live in The Hamptons. It's a feelgood move. And every progressive white person who supports this virtue signaling is patting herself on the back as being the catalyst for such an historical social movement.

The Evan Hansen producer tries to distance the show from the movie

[quote] Perhaps the poorly reviewed film of the same name diminished our audience.

"The film of the same name"? It's the same show, hun.

I really disliked Evan as a character, though I thought Ben's performance was terrific.

Not surprised this is ending.

How long was the run?

R425 December 4, 2016 to September 18, 2022 (1,672 performances)

R422 No, they don't want to be called out by the Diversity person at Equity.

Btw, does anyone still wear a hat?

r427 Does a fascinator count?

Only if helps me get my next "LINE!"

There’s a reason ALW is mum about the Phantom closing, he didn’t agree, but he’s so fucking driving off a cliff regarding his Cinderella Broadway dreams, that he can’t focus on anything else.

Well, this sounds fun....

But quite miss-able, frankly.

What a delightfully homely cast.

Dot dot dot dot dot dot dot....

I loved to see Oscar Levant on the talk shows when I was a tyke.....he looked like he was ready to fall off the chair and always shook when he tried to light his cigarette. But he always had funny things to say.....one night on Jack Paar he took on fellow guest Zsa Zsa Gabor and they were both hilarious.

And I hope they use the line that Oscar wrote in his book about his New York debut as a pianist: "Last night Oscar Levant left his contemporaries and his conductor far behind....."

[quote]Does anyone under 80 care about Oscar Levant?

Another tiresome slam at DL eldergays. If the play is good, it shouldn't matter. How many people under 40 truly cared about Alexander Hamilton?

Wasn't Oscar Levant the one who claimed he knew Doris Day before she became a virgin?

Yes, R436. When I was a child, I used to see him on game shows (I remember him on "Hollywood Squares") and had no idea who he was or what his background was, but he was such a quivering mess at that point, even at that age I couldn't understand why anyone would put him on television.

Jack Paar once asked Oscar Levant what he did for exercise. Levant's answer: "I stumble and then I fall into a coma."

There's a big difference, r435. There's no video or film of Alexander Hamilton, not even a photograph. All we have are a few idealized oil paintings. But Hamilton's political beliefs resonate and are still still discussed and debated today.

Oscar Levant is still very much alive on youtube for those who care to check out the real deal. And for those who don't, why the hell would they want to see a play about him? What did he ever do or say, other than 3 or 4 funny quips, that resonate today? I think the major audience for this will be Sean Hayes expecting to see him play some outlandish character they've never heard of.

^ I do not enjoy Sean Hayes, am way the hell under 80, and I would see this.

[quote]Oscar Levant is still very much alive on youtube for those who care to check out the real deal.

But who would do that, when nobody under 80 cares about Oscar Levant?

Video clips on YouTube, however many there are, don't make writing a play about him unnecessary. What an absurd argument.

Now Oscar Levant = Alexander Hamilton in the scheme of American history. Okay.

Just curious, r440, what's the attraction for you, especially if you don't enjoy Hayes?

You really know how to miss a point, R442.

I find Levant's story interesting, r443. I only know Hayes through TV. Perhaps he is better on stage.

[quote]Now Oscar Levant = Alexander Hamilton in the scheme of American history. Okay.

Yep. I'm with r444 on this one.

But 1776 IS a show about stuffy pompous men in wigs. That's the fucking point.

Hilarious, r435! A slam at eldergays? I'm in my 70s and saw Levant frequently on TV. But I have no interest whatsoever in watching a play about him with a less than brilliant actor.

Then I suggest that you don't go to see it, R447.

wow some of the folks who want to argue here just let logic and knowledge fade away. There are countless examples of popular biographies - on film, on stage, in books - whose success are not related to the degree people 'care' about the person depicted. If the story is interesting or the creative execution is good, they succeed as well as fiction. Hamilton is a vivid example as r435 says - not because so many people CARE about him or, as r442 insufferably tries to posit, because of how he fits in the 'scheme of American history' (lo! what a contrarian asshole you are, r442), but because the show is good.

“ contrarian asshole” is the raiison d’etre of Datalounge.

“raison” goddammit

An editing function is the least of Muriel’s fucking problems on this site.

What black, Latinx or trans person will be playing Oscar Levant?

Not even figs. Raisins!

[quote]"This is the first time a piece of theater has really touched on suicide and mental health and the stigmas around them."

Hmm, well, maybe not the first time. I know this actor is just a youngster, but he probably shouldn't say things like that.

One of the most interesting things in this NY Times article about the DEAR EVAN HANSEN closing is the info that Ben Platt was not present for the final performance and was not among the former Evans who took stage at the end of the curtain call. It's also worth noting that, even though most of the article/interview is in Q&A format, it's so poorly written that it eventually mentions Platt in passing without ever stating that he originated the title role.

[quote]"This is the first time a piece of theater has really touched on suicide and mental health and the stigmas around them."

Fuck you too!!

FG grosses over a million without Lea last week. I guess lots of folks who bought tickets to see Lea stayed for Julie.

[quote]FG grosses over a million without Lea last week. I guess lots of folks who bought tickets to see Lea stayed for Julie.

I find that really interesting. Thanks for the info.

And Into the Woods again had the lowest % capacity of all shows. So much for the folks who said it was summer tourism declining etc. That would have affected every show. Bareilles was the draw

The Stephen Sondheim curse strikes again!

I hate what has happened to Broadway but it really only sells with stars or Hip Hop music

[quote] I hate what has happened to Broadway but it really only sells with stars or Hip Hop music

Do we have to do this again? Sondheim has never sold for long, going back 50 years

[quote] What hip-hop shows have brought in audiences other than, perhaps, " Hamilton"?

r455 Well Ben is on tour, so of course he couldn't be there! He was , shall we say, entertaining literally dozens of people in Nashville on the night of the last show.

And only a week until he plays MSG. Yes, the actual arena. Ticket sales are...

Wonder if the ITW producers are regretting that extra extension until January.

Beetlejuice is closing in January.

[Quote] And Into the Woods again had the lowest % capacity of all shows. So much for the folks who said it was summer tourism declining etc. That would have affected every show. Bareilles was the draw

No, it was a summer draw for tourists and Sondheim-loving NYers. All the Sondheim-loving NYers have seen it, and most tourists have never cared for Sondheim.

So, if the tourists don't care for Sondheim, how is it a summer draw for them?

I certainly regret signing on until January!

r468, why? Did you really have anything better to do?

Was Oscar Levant gay?

ITW producers said cast replacements for the extension until Jan would be announced soon and someone said Brian would be returning. I wonder if they have a bigger name lined up for the Witch or Bakers Wife.

Block already announced on Twitter she's there through the duration of the extension, so no bigger name is coming.

I want to see Lea Michelle as Sally in the next revival of FOLLIES. Kristen Chenowith looks younger than her years (from the audience) so she can play Phyllis. Can Tony Yazbeck play Buddy? Can Josh Groban play Ben? I need to see Beanie play Hattie (Her "Broadway Baby" = Tony nomination) and, while we're at it, let's have a great Broadway star like Chita Rivera play Carlotta. AND we will finally get a complete recording of the original score on two LPs. Or CDs. Or Streaming, whatever the fuck they are doing these days.

[quote]I need to see Beanie play Hattie (Her "Broadway Baby" = Tony nomination)

That works for me!

Toni Collette was more of a Velma than a Roxie.

Toni Tennille was more of a Roxie.

With Beetlejuice closing, what goes into the Marquis (or the 'Quis, as we in the know call it)? I know the rumor was that Back to the Future would go to the Winter Garden.

"What black, Latinx or trans person will be playing Oscar Levant?"

Oh, and make the piano playing optional, as I'm offended since I was given lesson as a child and I'm culturally deprived and therefore entitled to special treatment.

wasn't given lessons, that is

uh, r473, there's already a recording of the complete FOLLIES, from Paper Mill.

What shows will replace the ones that are closing?

There's a surprise musical coming in the Spring nobody's even talking about right now. Wait.

[Quote] there's already a recording of the complete FOLLIES, from Paper Mill

With Jonathan Tunick's uninspiring conducting.

[Quote] There's a surprise musical coming in the Spring nobody's even talking about right now. Wait.

Original or Revival?

“Freak show” is hateful"

And so, so true.

"Because the show is good."

Said no one with any taste or discernment (or without an agenda) ever.

"Turning old stuffy material full of self important men in wigs into something relevant and vibrant is no easy feat…but this cast and creative team have done it!"

Are members of the creative team allowed to post customer reviews?

"The only decent number is "Masquerade".

OMG, a truthteller with taste on DL! I love you, r403!!

"fangirls and boys are desperate for a star to match those of the old days."

Fangirls and boys are desperate for audiences to be clapping for THEM. (fixed it for you)--it's ALWAYS about them

"it makes one a homophobic misogynist and chowderhead!"

Possibly the best (and most accurate) takedown I've ever read on DL! Congratulations!

I’ve been through Reno, I’ve been through Beverly Hills

And I’m here.

[quote]There's a surprise musical coming in the Spring nobody's even talking about right now.

Is this anything like surprise anal?

Is it Guys and Dolls, R482?

Toni Tennille is 82, though she doesn't look it, and playing Dolly Levi in a costume that's a very different take on the Harmonia Gardens dress. She was good in Victor Victoria and seems to be a down to earth person.

[Quote] So, if the tourists don't care for Sondheim, how is it a summer draw for them?

It sort of it because there are just more summer tourists. As the tourists dry up and Sondheim fans dry up, no one left really gives a shit about a Sondheim show

R489, I didn’t realize she was in SHREK too (see 00:49 )

R490, DLers do........... from the countless Sondheim ass-kissing posts.

The "surprise" musical is that final Sondheim show with Joe Mantello directing and Bernadette and Nathan starring.

"Beetlejuice" closing:

[quote]"Beetlejuice" closing

It won't be the first time.

I had totally forgotten Beetlejuice existed.

Hence, the closing.

Beetlejuice at the Tonys is still top-tier cringe to me.

Speaking of Phantom, has anyone seen this? It's a high school. Damn, go to 25.00 for the theme sing.

That fucking eyesore which are the Beetlejuice ads/marquee will finally be removed from the Times Square area, thank god.

Nathan Lane blew his voice out in The Producers, and putting him into a musical isn't wise.

God that joke is funny, R453, not to mention fresh.

R502, don’t you know the trolls can’t let a show be announced without whining about trans this and black that?

It’s all they have. If they stop trolling, they have nothing.

[Quote] As the tourists dry up and Sondheim fans dry up

Honey the Sondheim fans dried up - and dried out - 20 years ago.

Surprisingly moist Sondheim fan here.

are you serious, r493?

Oh, wait, r493; I see that it's true. Something to live for!

"AS we all should probably have learned by now, to be a Stephen Sondheim fan is to have one's heart broken at regular intervals. "

Sondheim is one of those artists who won't be appreciated until after death.

Oh, wait.

At least he didn't spend his final years working on his own musical version of the Wizard of Oz or something equally unnecessary.

R499, they're doing an incredible job. That's high school???

Sweeney Todd producers must be shitting their pants over that ITW drop. Suddenly, everyone thought Sondheim might actually sell for once. Turns out it was just the fans of a third tier pop singer that was keeping it afloat. Oops. And niche PBS baritenor Josh Groban doesn’t have nearly enough star power to sell Sweeney. And if you think that’s bad, wait until the collapse of that ridiculous Merry revival that no one wants.

Judy dear, you’re a wonderful character actress but sexy leading lady who has men drooling? No. Yes, you had two men lusting after you in 20TH Century but that was an offbeat character-type lead. Not everyone is right for every role.

“Hello, Gorgeous” how clever. Has the funny girl team ever used that before in marketing?

I’m the biggest Bernadette Queen there is…but after her “Children Will Listen” at the Tony awards I’m praying that if she does one last musical it’s something like Night Music where she has basically one song with no range.

Judy Kaye dodged the proverbial bullet by not being cast in one of history's worst musicals.

The other Britney musical is taking The Marquis. Not the Britney musical going into the Sondheim. The other one.

I saw the Britney Musical coming in when I visited London (&Juliet). Typical brainless jukebox crap

R510, Sondheim was smart enough to leave Wizard of Oz alone. Judy, the Arlen and Harburg score, the transition from sepia to Technicolor, etc. are all irreplaceable. Beloved properties often fail in adaptation because they don't meet expectations based on nostalgia. Meanwhile, ALW can ruin his ill-begotten legacy by obsessing over his version of Cinderella that nobody cares about.

Looks like we all know what to be for Halloween...

Carol Burnett is leading a campaign to rename the Majestic Theater for Hal Prince.

I'm sure Bob Wankel is thrilled with this.

R418- I believe Promises Promises was a hit for Sean and Kristin.

[quote]Carol Burnett is leading a campaign to rename the Majestic Theater for Hal Prince.

So we'll have to start calling it "The Hal" instead of "The Maj?"

Love Carol Burnett even more now.

[quote]Honey the Sondheim fans dried up - and dried out - 20 years ago.

I'll drink to that! And one for Mahler!

[quote]Judy dear, you’re a wonderful character actress but sexy leading lady who has men drooling?

She could have played the lesbian mistress, Guilietta.

[quote]Judy Kaye dodged the proverbial bullet by not being cast in one of history's worst musicals.

I'm one of two people who actually like Aspects of Love. Are there some crappy moments? Yes. But there are also some very thrilling moments. I love the Mermaid Song between Alex and the little girl.

Phantom is overdone, overhyped and overvalued but I am totally on board with naming a theater after Hal Prince.

So will The Imp be renamed The Herm (after Jerry Herman)?

When will be seeing The Lin?

I don't really get the vitriol.

Phantom is beautifully staged, directed and has a wonderful score.

Fine, it came out in '88. So what?

I really think it gets shit on simply for having succeeded in a way no others have.

Be sad Follies didn't stick around (I am!) but don't shit on Phantom for managing to last. And for being as beloved as it is.

This is really a tough development for a lot of people.

Oh...and as for Masquerade being the only "good" number....are you kidding?

The Mirror/The Title song is stunning. The lake?!? Come on!

You're dead inside if the candles don't move you.

And the Overture!

Cinderella announcement coming tomorrow?

R480, Fuck Off.

When I was a gayling in high school I was OBSESSED wtih NOTES/PRIMA DONNA. I think it's an impressive piece from ALW.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1966, a revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Ethel Merman opened at the Broadway Theatre.

I lifted my buckskins and pissed all over you young cunts!

Phantom is a truly beautiful production but the actors got lazy and (as has been mentioned before) the auditorium was rarely cleaned for Phantom’s full run. There’s a huge layer of dust over the rafters

I wonder how well they've been compensated the last few years....the POTO cast...

Is George Lee Andrews retired?

R535 me, too. I was impressed by all of the internal rhyming. Plus, it's like a proto-"One Day More."

Did Les Mis really come out after Phantom..? I thought it was before...

On my way to NYC for the first time in years. Is it true that now you can tap a credit card at subway turnstiles instead of having to use a Metro Card? Are all of the turnstiles changed for that?

R543: I believe you're thinking of OMNY, which you can set up on your phone. I don't believe there's a option to just swipe with your credit card (but I could be wrong.) More info about OMNY below.

Yes, you can just tap your credit card, R543. I do it all the time, and I have never set up any sort of account with OMNY.

Nothing was as bad as the Winter Garden during the CATS era - renamed the Litter Box.

[quote] Meanwhile, ALW can ruin his ill-begotten legacy by obsessing over his version of Cinderella that nobody cares about.

He's richer than even your imagination, let him have a hobby.

R547. Exactly. If he wants to throw his money away but employ hundreds of actors, crew etc in the process then let him.

Word is Mr. ALW is NOT happy about the closing...

What closing?

Abie’s Irish Rose, Rose.

That show has closed up shop. The actors washed their feet and called it "Angel Street."

Broadway waved goodbye to Dear Evan Hansen this past week, and the production enjoyed the fourth highest-grossing week of its entire run, taking in $1.25 million and playing to 100.56% full houses. The Tony-winning musical's final week on the boards saw an increase of more than $200,000 from the previous week with fans rushing to the Music Box Theatre for one last viewing.

Elsewhere, the usual suspects topped the list, with the top five spots going to The Music Man, Hamilton, MJ the Musical, The Lion King, and Wicked. The Hugh Jackman- and Sutton Foster-led Music Man revival pulled in nearly $3 million, its best week since July.

Notably, Funny Girl, after seeing a massive box-office increase with the addition of Lea Michele and Tovah Feldshuh the week of September 11, was still flying high even as Michele was sidelined with COVID this past week—standby Julie Benko took over the role in her absence. The production brought in $1.14 million, which, while a decrease from the initial boom, remains markedly higher than the production was seeing before the casting change.

Broadway was up nearly $5 million from the previous week with box-office totals coming in at $24.95 million, thanks in part to three new productions entering previews: Leopoldstadt, Cost of Living, 1776, and Death of a Salesman. Of the 24 running shows last week, most were playing to large audiences as well, with 90.95% of seats filled cumulatively. Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and MJ the Musical all played to standing-room-only houses with more than 100% of seats filled, with only nine productions playing to less than 90% capacity.

Writer/performer Douglas McGrath....

Is he a homosexual?

[quote]Did Les Mis really come out after Phantom..? I thought it was before...

"Les Miz" came first.

Pippin reunion! LELAND PALMER!

Leland is female rabbi, right? Jennifer Nairn Smith could be a sister of Brendad Ickson's.

McGrath is married to a woman and has a kid, but I don't know if he's a homosexual.

[quote]r527 I'm one of two people who actually like Aspects of Love

I worked with Danielle DuClos once before she played Jenny. I’ve always wondered why more roles didn’t come her way. She was a nice girl, and talented.

Hottie Andy Karl is back into ITW, playing the other Prince this time.

A somewhat androgynous face, r459.

It’s interesting they only announced the Woods cast until the 22nd. We know Block is until January 8th. What other cast changes could happen from November 22nd to January 8?

Besides the scenic elements*, my favorite part of Phantom is the very creepy chord progression on the organ at the end of Music of the Night. I saw the original Broadway cast about six months into the run. Miss Brightman looked like a raccoon. (*Of course, the chandelier "crashing" to the stage is a huge, um, letdown.)

ITW? I’m available!

I interviewed for a job with Doug McGrath for a film he was directing and starring in in the late 1990s. Can't remember the name but it also ultimately starred Sigourney Weaver. McGrath was an idiot. Nevertheless, I did not get the job.

Idiot? How so?

Sad how all those incredibly sexy Pippin chorus girls all look like broken housewives now.

McGrath is in fact an idiot, but he comes from West Texas oil money, so he's had a nice career.

Company Man, R565?

Most people have never even heard of it, so you probably didn't miss anything.

R567, I think they look damn good for a bunch of women in their 70s. Wish Ann Reinking was still around.

I don't think they look sad. Selling sexy past a certain point becomes sad.

Woody Allen had a cameo in "Company Man"; McGrath's collaborated with Allen on "Bullets over Broadway" and his wife is Allen's former assistant.

Andy Karl. *sigh*

We're gonna need more botox. *sigh*

[quote]We're gonna need more botox. *sigh*

[quote]—Andy's aesthetician

Save some for me!

Andy Karl needs to play every role in boxer briefs, IMHO.

Would Andy Karl have a better career if he let himself get fat? He doesn't have the face of a hunk.

Like Chris Sieber fat, R577? That would be sad.

Sad for your boner, yes. But he might get more work - mob projects etc.

I first saw Candy Brown in Applause with the Baroness. Candy played..."Candy". The same role as..."Bonnie".

Barbara Alston was a different woman from the Crystals' singer, yes?

R 557, Leland Palmer, now Linda Posner, is not a rabbi. She was not allowed to become a rabbi because she wasn't raised Jewish. She is a chaplain, I believe.

I like him

Bailey is probably younger than the Catch Me If You Can guy was but doesn't Bailey read too old for the character. Zac Efron also reads too old but that's his own fault.

I can't stop listening to this... just audio though... the video is so cringe but he does have a great voice. his something's coming is excellent as well

I was wondering why Jill Clayburgh won’t be part of the Pippin reunion and then remembered why. 😢

I only recently discovered her grandmother Alma Clayburgh was an opera singer who is buried in the Bronx (Woodlawn Cemetery)

[quote] But he might get more work -mob projects etc.

Now I can only do moob projects.

Did Chris Sieber & Boyfriend's Batman & Robin act from Broadway Bares surface again? It was surprisingly erotic, as I recall.

[quote] I was wondering why Jill Clayburgh won’t be part of the Pippin reunion

She's a bit under the weather.

Did Jonathan Bailey win the Tony for Company?

No, but he won an Olivier for the London production in 2019.

Anyone making a new thread? Or shall I?

Question for the world- How did Paul Wontorek get a career, and the one he has in particular. Yuck

r590 Since he didn't appear on Broadway, that would have been a stretch.

[quote]I was wondering why Jill Clayburgh won’t be part of the Pippin reunion

She's busy rehearsing for a revival of "night, Mother" opposite Irene Ryan.

Please do, r592!

WICKED is going to flop big time. Both parts. The country will have changed so much by 2024/2025. There is already backlash against it, which will only increase in the following years.

Why? Green Americans find it problematic?

Jill Clayburgh is so marvelous on the OBC for PIPPIN. I just love her in that.

Clayburgh played an opera singer in La Luna, the skinniest ever?

[quote]I was wondering why Jill Clayburgh won’t be part of the Pippin reunion

She's having tea with Malcolm Gets and Boyd Gaines that night.

My gracious, this thread is slow.

Enjoy these newly released Lea as Fanny photos.

SUGAR!