THEATRE GOSSIP #508: The Till the Fatuous Lady Sings Edition

Previous thread:

Not bad, OP.

But I would have done "WWAMD: What Would Arthur Miller Do? Edition."

Ah, that would have been good. Someone in the previous thread requested a title with fatuous, so I went with it.

A non-fatuous lady from the last thread...

Excellent, OP!! Well done!!

I've been going through cast albums and recordings of flop musicals - just listened to Anya. Great voices and arrangements, but some lousy songs. I don't love the book of the current version of Anastasia, but at least there are some great songs in there ("Once Upon A December" is magic, and "Journey To The Past" and "Learn To Do It" And "Paris Holds The Key To Your Heart" are all fun). The animated movie is definitely better than the stage show, though (sorry Altomare, you're great!)

I also skimmed through Dear World, which is pretty bleak, but I rather liked Angela singing "I Don't Want To Know".

Do you have any songs from flops that you just love?

Another from Jerry Herman: "I Won't Send Roses" from Mack & Mabel. I also like the pop version of "Poor Little Person" from Henry, Sweet Henry.

"Time Heals Everything" and "I Won't Send Roses" from flop MACK & MABEL are as good as anything Jerry Herman wrote for his successful shows, IMHO.

I'd rather listen to MACK & MABEL vs HELLO DOLLY any day of the week.

Probably an obvious pick since even at the time the score was recognized as better than the show, but "Model Behavior" and "Invisible" from Women on the Verge... I love the whole score.

Patti

[quote] Till the Fatuous Lady Sings

Ugh, yet more Beanie/Porkablob content.

Just saw Aurora posted this today. Fun.

I'd love to see Patti in a leading role singing live, belting for the Gods...I hate that it seems like that ship has passed. She's one of the great ones.

War Paint was a great flop (was it a flop?) thanks to songs like "If I'd Been A Man" and especially "Pink".

And Carrie of course, with "And Eve Was Weak" at the top of the list...but we ALL know that one, right boys?

"Loving You" from PASSION.

As far as earworms go...

Because it's worth watching again...

...and again...

...and the POWER! And the GLORY! For-EVER! And EVER ! AND EVERRRRR

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-MENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!

At least half of the songs in HOUSE OF FLOWERS are better than anything heard on Broadway in the last 40 years.

Name two good ones!

Snow...

A Sleepin' Bee

Don't Like Goodbyes

I Never Has Seen Snow

2 Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree

One Man Ain't Quite Enough

What Is a Friend For

House of Flowers (title song)

Will STRANGE LOOP even make it to closing? Did the filming fall apart?

Assume it lost most of its investment?

From the previous thread:

[quote]1776 is pretty much a nightly offering on my ticket papering service (but no one is supposed to know about that). They LITERALLY cannot give tickets away to that fiasco.

As I said from the beginning, if this show was not produced by one of the non-profits with a subscription base, it would not have even approached completion of its limited run and would have closed shortly after opening.

As far as brilliant moments from bad shows go… *ducks*

r18 - etc. Gosh, that Arlen/Capote score is wonderful. I like Bab's version of Snow, but I think Liza's is even better.

Slink away, R19… your’e a hopeless moron.

Has anyone on Apple Music been able to find the new London cabaret with Remayne?

To [R591] from the last thread. I also think that the IVO WSS was a magnificent piece of theatre. I have never seen a better use of video on stage. I loved it and I hope that, one day, Ivo puts the show back on somewhere in London, Europe.... I will fly wherever it is to see it. And wouldn't it be nice if someone had a copy of the show and s/he would be so kind to share it with us mortals? It is almost Xmas, and I have been good, damn it!

Hey, r24, you forgot about me!

Hi dolls! Thanks for showing my clips of me singing my hits! Hopefully u all stream my live 54 Below concert on New Years!

It should be ‘Til, not Till.

I don’t find it there, r31.

Incidentally, that Oscar-bait movie TILL came and went pretty fast, didn't it?

r31 Not Apple Music, but here, Willkommen and Mein Herr are the only tracks released so far

Dear god, how much coke did Eddie snort before he recorded?

Has it been mentioned that Colin Donnell and Patsy Murin have an album out? There's a version of Meadowlark.

That's not all that Colin has had out.

I know. I haven't listend to the album because it's just not the same if he's not on all fours.

The full album is due to be released on January 20th, R31.

There seems to have been some strange goings on with regards to its release. The CD version suddenly appeared in some UK shops a few weeks ago but has since been withdrawn from sale. It seems strange that the album is finished and there was stock good to go (especially pre-Christmas) and yet they wait another month before it is officially released. There's been some online chatter that the release is being held back to coincide with an announcement of a Broadway transfer, but I'm unconvinced. It's all very odd - the London production will probably welcome its fourth Sally and Emcee pairing at the end of January, and here they are fucking about with the cast album from the first cast.

FWIW, I found the performance of Willkommen to be overwrought as fuck. But Jessie Buckley's Mein Herr is pretty stunning.

R35, I actually Googled it to confirm before starting the thread, and though I was inclined to use 'Til, every reference I could find said the phrase used Till, oddly enough.

I can only assume that the visual for Willkommen is stunning because the recording is a snooze.

Horrible thread title once again.

Maybe next time just make it

THEATRE GOSSIP #509: The Horrible Title Edition

We're all blessed to have seen Colin's very average unimpressive penis.

R47, yawn. What a new idea no one's ever proposed before.

I'd love to be average sized.

[Quote] Maybe next time just make it THEATRE GOSSIP #509: The Horrible Title EditiTHEATRE GOSSIP #509: The Horrible Title Edition

Nope. That sent the loon(s) on a threadstarting rampage the last time.

I'd love to drink some urine.

R48 I liked it.

r49 wiggle that stick out a little

I'm not sure blessed is the right word...but I have to give him credit for being one of the few celebs not running around trying to get them pulled. His thread on L P S G still seems to be up, and the photos are easily found through a search.

I preferred Adam Jac0bs' big hairy dick.

When did Adam Jacobs get nudes leaked?

A few years ago. They were on the site that has since banned nudes with everyone else's. (It...wasn't big.)

Oh, well. We'll always have Kyle Dean's receiving fellatio.

That site has not banned nudes. The entire site is nudes.

Broadway nudes at any rate.

Nope. They just deleted one thread. There's still plenty there.

To which site are you guys referring?

If Cabaret transfers I hope Jessie Buckley plays Sally. Love her.

Anyone else tired of the hand wringing going on in some quarters about the poor sales for Some Like It Hot? Maybe it’s not selling because no one asked for it in the first place.

Where's the hand wringing happening? I haven't seen any of it.

Adam Jacobs is very sexy I bet his dick was just lovely

So who would be the...ahem...biggest Broadway star/stars?

I'm not a fan of SLIH but I find all the analysis of why, even with rave reviews, its box office is so poor kind of fascinating. It seems like all the praise of it being a good old-fashioned brassy colorful toe-tapping show is exactly what is putting prospective audiences off.

Unless it's a star-driven revival like Music Man or a juke box musical with beloved songs, most audiences want to spend their $$$$ on musicals that DON"T fit the Golden Age of Broadway mold like Six and Hamilton and, of course, Wicked, Book of Mormon and The Lion King.

It'll be interesting to see how New York, New York handles all this and how it will be perceived.

R32, the fact that you would single out one of the absolute worst aspects of that production for such praise is truly bizarre. And as for your willingness to "fly wherever to see it"......well, have a nice trip!

[quote]So who would be the...ahem...biggest Broadway star/stars?

The "members" of the Broadway Big Dick Club (BBDC) of course.

I also loved the use of video in the IVO WSS but, because of it, the power of the production would never come through on a boot leg or even a legal film capture. For that matter, everything about that production would work against it being captured on film. It was all about the live visceral performances onstage in that moment of viewing.

[quote]Has it been mentioned that Colin Donnell and Patsy Murin have an album out?

I've heard some tracks from it and, well, let's just say this album is strong evidence that Colin's career success is based on something other than his singing talent.

[quote]I also loved the use of video in the IVO WSS but, because of it, the power of the production would never come through on a boot leg or even a legal film capture. For that matter, everything about that production would work against it being captured on film. It was all about the live visceral performances onstage in that moment of viewing.

Are you people on drugs? The use of video in that show was roundly criticized by everyone with a modicum of taste and a well-functioning brain.

[quote]It was all about the live visceral performances onstage in that moment of viewing.

Some of which performances took place at the extreme rear of the vast stage of the Broadway Theatre, or were obscured in one way or another so that they could ONLY be viewed clearly on video screens. Because, you know, that's what visceral, "live" theater is all about.

Wicked and Lion King seem to fit the Golden Age Broadway mold to me, r71.

Well, neither show has ensembles of tap dancing chorus boys and girls, for starters, r77. Which is a big "selling point" in the SLIH advertising and TV commercials.

[quote]Wicked and Lion King seem to fit the Golden Age Broadway mold to me, [R71].

It ain't easy being green, r72

Very few Golden Age shows had tap-dancing choruses

Golden Age shows didn't have much tap, did they? Wasn't it Nanette the one to bring it back?

Helen Lawson bought tap to Broadway in The Tappin' N***** in 1959.

Maybe not tap but many of those Golden Age musicals had dancing choruses and the big musical numbers had extended dance breaks. Oklahoma, Carousel, Brigadoon, Kiss Me Kate, Guys & Dolls, Pajama Game, Music Man and on and on....

Wicked and The Lion King don't have pure dancing beats in them like those old shows. SLIH has them and they're prominently featured in all the promos, enough to apparently turn audiences off.

Is Adam Jacobs like Tony Yazbeck and Ramin Karimloo?

Hopelessly straight and not at all interested in attention from the men folk?

What is where is all the lecturing and gay-splainiing on the last couple of threads? It’s not fun. Race and supposed golden age analysis and carping and insufferable pedantry—save us.

Jesus is there anything Jean Smart can't do?

Wonder if Buckley could have sustained her voice and intensity for a long run. That's why "Carrie" was such a tragedy. there were genuine moments of brilliance overshadowed with a terrible production.

I would love to hear Jean Smart's I'll never fall in love again

The audience for tap shows is all at Forest Lawn

Going back to most produced playwrights - around here it's the Jones Hope Wooten shows that role off the assembly line every few months. They're all roughly the same. Single set, mainly female roles, TV sitcom humor. Audiences eat them up.

I have pics saved from the collection Michael Longoria sent me on Grindr. Beautiful cock. I'd have to stuff a ball gag in his mouth though, so it wouldn't sound like I was fucking Cher.

[quote] I have pics saved from the collection Michael Longoria sent me on Grindr.

that's what imgbb is for, r90

[quote]What is where is all the lecturing and gay-splainiing on the last couple of threads?

Are you okay?

Seems to me that what some people love about SOME LIKE IT HOT is the very thing that many others are not responding to at all or are turned off by, namely, the "old-fashioned musical comedy with lots of dance breaks" aspects of it. But, of course, nowadays there are a lot more people in the latter group than in the former. If this same show had opened 10 years ago, it might have done much better at the box office.

SILH: No stars. a title few recognize or care about, and very modest WOM.

[quote]a title few recognize

Yes, that must be it.

SOME LIKE MY TWAT

Interesting that, quite a few years ago, the title of the musical SUGAR was changed to SOME LIKE IT HOT for touring productions, etc. going forward, because the theory was that reverting to the title of the movie would be a huge plus in terms of audience recognition. And that may have been true at one time, but now, I fear the situation is that even many old movies that are considered true classic have little or no name recognition among people under 60 years of age or so.

I think it's also a fact that even if 60-year old classic films still have name recognition, increasingly fewer people are going to think that a musical adaptation is worth - at a minimum - $75 for a ticket.

Bat Out of Hell bombs in Las Vegas.

I don't think it's that people are no longer into "tap" musicals as much as the fact that the numbers shown on TV for SLIH are just underwhelming -- it just feels like all of that furious tapping they're doing is nothing more than a labored attempt to cover up for the fact that the score is a snore (glowing reviews notwithstanding). That said, I still wish them well and hope they can keep going for as long as they can.

People are mad the show's not in black and white.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1982, a revival of "Alice in Wonderland" opened at the Virginia Theatre.

(Last one for the year - Thank you, Broadway Briefing.)

If Dance of the Vampires came back today in that same production, it'd be a hit.

Mr. Splatt into the Royale to replace the irreplaceable Mr. Carver.

How is Matt Doyle in Little Shop?

Deadline picks the best of 2022:

Greg Evans is a putz

And is there any more ridiculous job than being Deadline’s Broadway critic?

I know we are all in agreement, but I thought of Datalounge while watching Pat Harrington on Tattletales tell of the Broadway show he was in that opened and closed on the same night. He was so sure it was a flop that he called American Airlines during intermission to book a flight for that night back to LA.

This doesn’t happen much nowadays, but it seems to be pretty common in the past.

[quote]I know we are all in agreement

Which Datalounge Theatre Gossip thread do you read r109?

I think we are all in agreement that shows used to close a lot quicker back in the day.

Because they weren't backed by corporate conglomerates.

Damn, that guy in Bat Out of Hell is hot. And this would have been my year to go to Vegas for Christmas if not for Covid.

I saw Richard Kline on an episode of "Password" the other day with DL fave Janis Paige (still with us at 100) from probably the mid to late 70s. Kline on some other tv show mentioned he had a stark naked entrance soaked in water in some play at Lincoln Center though the production didn't last long. Possibly he mentioned something akin to "shrinkage" before "Seinfeld" made it a household word. But Kline was very cute back then, cute and probably quite hairy. The other Kline, Kevin (don't think they are related) did a full-frontal scene in "Loose Ends" in Washington, D.C. but they made him and his female co-star wear bathing suits on Broadway. What a shame. Any D.C. folks who saw Kevin or NYers who saw Richard au naturel?

Jumping back to R104 for a moment, is that true, Parade will play the Jacobs this spring?

Yes, Parade is taking the Jacobs. Guess THE NOTEBOOK isn't coming in until next season.

I saw Loose Ends in NY. By then nudity was not so rare on the Broadway stage. I wondered why they had to wear bathing suits. Was the Circle in the Square subscription audience so much more conservative than the audience in Washington? The Broadway audience was seeing full frontal in things like Lenny and The Changing Room.

r102...

I did full-frontal as Alice in Wonderland.

R114, a simple search of IBDB and the Lortel Archives shows that they only production Kline was in at Lincoln Center was Troilus and Cressida in 1973. It ran 57 performances.

"Narrow Road to the Deep North" at the Vivian Beaumont -- Richard Kline played Man from the River, and some other roles in 1972.

[quote] a simple search of IBDB and the Lortel Archives shows that they only production Kline was in at Lincoln Center was Troilus and Cressida in 1973. It ran 57 performances.

And an even more simple search if IBDB shows that Kevin Kline did the Broadway production of Loose Ends in 1979.

I can't find other confirmation, but someone on the BWW boards reports Jesse Williams was out of Take Me Out today and Ryan Broussard, the understudy from the 2nd Stage run, came back to fill in. In his Instagram stories, it shows him arriving in Times Square this morning, but I can't find anything else. Almost makes me want to go see it again (if only it wasn't so cold). He's very handsome (and actually was a baseball player).

And he just posted on IG he'll be on at 8.

I saw Kevin Kline do full frontal….at the WEST SIDE CLUB

I'm the one who saw Loose Ends. I saw it twice. I didn't realize it was as late as '79. That makes it even more inscrutable why they didn't do the opening scene on the beach in the nude. Unless Kline who had already made such a big splash in 20th Century didn't want to be seen nude on Broadway. He did wear very small bikini briefs. And he was on the very skinny side.

For Brits (and those with proxy access to iPlayer): the Sondheim concert Old Friends will be on BBC Two on New Year's Eve at 5.35pm

Despite the entire Merrily run being sold out, including the $2,500 ticket benefit performance, NYTW is swallowing a major financial loss on the production.

[quote]Despite the entire Merrily run being sold out, including the $2,500 ticket benefit performance, NYTW is swallowing a major financial loss on the production.

Why? The only explanation for that would be if the star salaries are through the roof, and I wouldn't think they would be for this kind of a production in that theater.

I remember reading somewhere back in the day that the nudity was cut from Loose Ends not because of modesty, but because playwright Michael Weller felt it was too distracting (and truly gratuitous), especially as it happened in the opening moments of the play. I saw it in DC. Kevin had a lithe and muscular long-waisted swimmer's body, hairy in all the right places. Young Jay Sanders was also very hot in this and (IIRC) Celia Weston, who now plays all those kooky Southern character ladies, played his blonde and sexy/earthy girlfriend or wife.

Beautiful Roxanne Hart played opposite Kevin. She did a lot of good stage work back then in the early 80s and was, maybe still is, married to handsome actor Philip Casnoff who got injured by a piece of scenery in the huge flop Shogun. He also played Sinatra in that TV movie opposite Marcia Gay Hardin and Gina Gershon as Ava and Nancy. I wonder if either Roxanne or Philip still act.....though I suppose a simple search of IBDB or IMDB would give me that answer.....

And how the hell could NYTW lose money on Merrily?? It sure wasn't spent on the sets and costumes.

NYTW as a non-profit would have to pay favored nations (same salaries) to all their actors so it wasn't actor salaries.

R130 Roxanne and Philip are still together and both have lengthy resumes, up to and including the present day.

That's what I thought, R131. So I can't understand how NYTW could possibly be losing money on this show, certainly not a lot of money, especially not with those super-high-priced tix for that gala.

Is it the Sondheim estate? How is this thing losing money with it sold out?

[quote]Is it the Sondheim estate? How is this thing losing money with it sold out?

"The Sondheim estate" would not be the problem.

I have fifth row seats to Merrily. They were $125, cheaper than decent seats to any of the Broadway shows currently on life support.

Try harder, anti-Merrily troll.

Point and laugh at R137. 🤡☠️☠️

I can’t imagine morose Parade will do well in the dead of winter…

Yeah, r139. You aren't going to find a freewheeling patio number in *that* one.

Ain’t no Mo ain’t no Mo

no Mo no Mo

Merry Christmas!

R136 Tickets are $150, not $125..

[quote]I can’t imagine morose Parade will do well in the dead of winter…

Performances don't begin until March. The producers are smarter than you think, and a lot smarter than you are.

Mother Goose’ Pantomine in London with Ian McKellen

Those panto cross-dressers would be all canceled in NY, unfortunately.

Roger Friedman finally caught up with Death of a Salesman and absolutely loved it.

Re Big Broadway Cocks, Howard McGillin definitely belongs on the list. It’s huge.

Re SOME LIKE IT HOT: I wonder if it would be doing better had it been a faithful adaptation of the film, including casting? I bet theatergoers would prefer to see the movie recreated on stage almost verbatim than reimagined.

Incidentally, I agree with the person who suggested in the previous thread that perhaps they should have taken the jukebox route instead and mined the great American songbook. The original film already features several 1920s songs either performed by Marilyn and the band or as instrumentals.

At any rate, what was a farce about cross-dressing has become a 'woke' ode to transwomen of color. People are getting tired of sermons/lectures. They want to be entertained, first and foremost.

[quote]perhaps they should have taken the jukebox route instead and mined the great American songbook.

Yes, that worked so well for Bullets Over Broadway.

It’s time for a revival of Five Guys Named Moe.

[quote]It’s time for a revival of Five Guys Named Moe.

I'm in.

I think what this country needs is a revival of Ragtime:

1) The black experience

2) the Jewish experience

3 White diva belts 11:00 number

This show has it all!

Imagine if they revived RAGTIME and it was a blockbuster success (after the first two failed attempts) because it was now relevant and resonated with people, a la CHICAGO in the 1996 revival that is still ongoing.

Unfortunately, the very good 2009 revival flopped. It was the same time an also good revival of Brighton Beach closed suddenly. Ragtime never seems to get a break.

Why does Ian McKellan resemble Leslie Jordan in that pic?

R149 He's lovely.

I know he's now nearly 70 but I'd still like a long, languorous look.

Ian looks like Doris Belack in that picture.

It probably doesn't get hard anymore.

Au contraire. A little blue pill and I bet Howard's pendulous XXL dong can drill through steel (and many a bottom's gaping hole).

I thought Aint No Mo was a sequel to Five Guys Named Moe.

No, it was a sequel to No No Nanette

Gotta love pedantic 'Gotcha!' posters like r144. Feeling smart now, dearie?

pedant | ˈped(ə)nt |

noun

a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning: the royal palace (some pedants would say the ex-royal palace).

I wonder if Howard got with his male "Where the Boys Are '84" co-star back in the day... That guy was hot.

Wait, Isn't Ain't No Mo a sequel to One Mo Time?

One of my favorite Captain and Tennille songs. Do That To Me One Mo Time

Everything about that Bullets Over Broadway production was wrong-headed and the period tunes that were selected were nobody's favorites.

In the old days I had an LP of the films score. The songs from the film of SLIH are already ahead with: Runnin' Wild, By the Beautiful Sea, Down Among the Sheltering Palms, I Wanna Be Loved By You and I'm Thru With Love. The Shaiman/Wittman score sounds pallid next to those classics.

[Quote] Bat Out of Hell bombs in Las Vegas.

Good. Every time a jukebox musical fails, an angel gets his wings

Why doesn’t Apple Music have the OBC of Mame with Lansbury???

Because it’s racist r171

Missy Dennis having affair now!

[quote]Why doesn’t Apple Music have the OBC of Mame with Lansbury???

You mean you wouldn't rather have the soundtrack of LucyMAME?

No Mo Nanette!

Parade will have a successful 6 month run and pay back its investors only because the Plattypuss freaks will fill the seats for as long as he's in it. Which won't ever be longer than 6 months. Expect Noah to accompany him, and replace someone in a Broadway musical. Maybe he could play Toulouse in Moulin Rouge.

“NYTW is swallowing a major financial loss on the production.”

Link, please. How much are the tickets, what was the average ticket price?

Not involved with the show here, but NYTW has walked the Broadway transfer road many times before. Hard to believe they wouldn’t have gotten

a) enhancement money to pay for the bulk of the production cost on the commercial side, and

b) used the show as a magnet for major underwriting grants on the NFP side, all the while making sure they get

c) torchbearer points or some kind of ongoing weekly percentage from the run of the Broadway transfer.

If anything, one would think NYTW had set up the whole thing so that most every dollar in ticket sales was “gravy”.

Also from upthread: “NYTW as a non-profit would have to pay favored nations (same salaries) to all their actors so it wasn't actor salaries.”

Please explain this further. This certainly isn’t the law for NFP orgs, nor an AEA rule. It may be the common justification the NFPs use to pay everyone scale that they possibly can, but do you really think the above the title headliners in shows at Roundabout, Lincoln Center, and MTC are taking home the same as everyone else? My guess would be “scale” as the salary of record for everyone, but some sort of signing bonus, bonus for completion of the engagement, per diem/expense allowance, bonus for award nomination or win, or back-end for the headliners. But yes, the journeyman actors are making scale. Favored nations for all the non-celebs/non-names, sure. Favored nations for the stars? No.

Even losing performances to press comps (which the jacked up final performance tickets would balance out), with 9 sold out weeks of 8 shows a week in a 199-seat theatre with no standing room, they could easily gross over $1M with an average ticket price well under $100.

If, as someone said earlier in the thread, tickets were a minimum of $150, that would put the gross for the sold out run over $2M, plus another $300K minimum on top of that for the final performance alone. How many of those CheapTix in the lottery are there?

And there’s no way NYTW let a production cost that much without commercial producer enhancement and corporate and private grants and underwriting. If their annual expenses and revenues are anything like their most recent financial reporting, a sold out hit that cost ~1/4 of their annual expenses made them lose money makes little sense. Are you sure you have your facts right?

Spotify has the OBC of Mame but you have to subscribe to listen in order. Otherwise Spotify scrambles and plays related material

[quote] Also from upthread: “NYTW as a non-profit would have to pay favored nations (same salaries) to all their actors so it wasn't actor salaries.” Please explain this further. This certainly isn’t the law for NFP orgs, nor an AEA rule.

I’m willing to bet this is bullshit, too. Radcliffe, Groff and Mendez may be making the same scale as everyone else as a BASE, but they are almost certainly getting a signing bonus up front, plus a holding fee to commit to the Broadway run.

Any holding fee would be paid by the commercial producer, not by NYTW. And everyone in Roundabout, LCT etc shows makes LORT money until it converts to a commercial production.

A Dutch reality competition series to choose a Danny and Sandy for a revival of Grease started last night. Tje one who won the Sound of Music competition series was schlepped on to do this dreary Christmas medley. Truly ghastly.

And here are the Danny/Sandy candidates:

1776 and Strange Loop both canceled today's matinee due to laziness in the cast. Oops. I mean illness.

I'm the above poster who made the claim that ALL the actors in the NYTW Merrily would be paid on a favored nations contract and I'll stick with that. The fees are all controlled by LORT and Equity. Though, admittedly, it's true that theaters like MTC, LCT and The Roundabout might provide "perks" to their stars from anything from limos to and from the theater, to paying nanny fees and child care to stylist fees for PR appearances......to all sorts of astonishing things.

Designers at LORT theaters are all paid the same fees, too, throughout a season, whether it's for a small cast one set show or a multi-set period musical.

You’re all insufferable

If Styne and Merrill couldn't write a proper score in the early 70s for Hot when there was still a big audience for this kind of show there sure as hell isn't anyone around today who could. To be fair it seems that in the 70s all the great talents who were still around had lost all their talent. I'm not sure why. Maybe the culture had changed so much they had lost their confidence.

Also to put a few period hits into a period movie is one thing. But to shoe horn in an entire score of old popular songs in a book musical never works. The story doesn't stop. It grinds to a halt.

How do these people how well endowed Howard McGillin is? As far as I know he never appeared nude in anything. But boy was he a looker and talented to boot.

Some of us have actually seen the noted appendage live and up close, r187. Only once, but it has lived in my memory ever since.

Somebody here once claimed to have blown Howard backstage.

R189 We need a full report.

Length, girth, description of bush. Straight, or does his cock bend? Does he make noise when he cums? Big shooter?

SLIH has a lot to like, but it's a souffle that never fully rises. The biggest problem is the score. The lyrics are so self-aware and the melodies and orchestrations never stop screaming "YOU"RE GONNA LOVE THIS!!!" The score rarely equals the dizzying joy or fun or wit of the performances or (most of) Nicholaw's work. It's like seeing "Crazy for You" with music by Harold Karr. No one dares tell Shaiman and Whitman this because their egos are the size of The Shubert, and they can be nasty, but it's why the show isn't a smash. And in today's climate (literally) and today's prices, its hard to make that sell well. If "New York, New York" is any good, it will take what's left of the audience for a "good 'ol fashioned show'," and they'll be toast.

There was a joyous simplicity to the hairspray score. They’ve never done that again. Now they feel like they’re too busy being Shaiman & Wittman

Wittman is witless. He must stop writing lyrics and find a new career track.

That they had to draw on a song from SMASH to fill out the score says a lot.

Shaiman is a fanboi, not a genuine theatre composer.

I find Shaiman's work to be professional, but generic. Even much of Hairspray's music is generic, but the book helps enormously. Also, I kind of resent doing a musical of SLIH. First there's already one, but beyond that, it's pretty much a perfect film, so really didn't need to be musicalized at all. I've always been taught to choose something that musicalizing would add to it, and make it better. That's frankly not possible with this.

The Apartment is a pretty perfect film I would say as unpleasant as it is yet it still made a smashing musical. The stars have to align.

Promises, Promises is actually a great case study in adapting a hit film into a musical.

For starters, though it follows the film's plot, the tone of the musical is entirely different. The musical's humor is kind of goofy and silly whereas the film has a darker and more satiric bite to the comedy. And then Bacharach's score is not typical of musical theatre, not even musicals of the early 70s but much more pop-infused with that obvious Bacharach sound.

Maybe SLIH should bring in a Glee cast member. Amber Riley IS Sugar!!!!

R188, When, where and how?

R178, The 1983 Broadway revival?

Kevin McHale *IS* audience member!

R198, also a whole sexual revolution happened between the film and the musical. That is part of the reason for the change in tone. The story is almost identical, but because societal mores were so different, the meaning of events changed.

SLIH follows the model of Promises, Promises. It takes a great film that does not need to be musicalized, but justifies itself by allowing changing mores to influence the script.

The problem is that while PP has a great score, SLIH does not.

R123, Was this reboot of Take Me Out a mistake?

I think some of you are being unfair to Shaiman and Wittman. The score and lyrics of SLIH are NOT the only things wrong with the show. There's also the libretto and the direction. And the complete lack of sex.

But is the musical better than the film?

Going back to Promises, Promises for a moment, I think it was a mistake for the revival to have changed its era from 1968 or thereabouts to 1962 or therabouts. I get it, they were chasing the Mad Men audience, but it was jarring. Just like I was glad that the Jennifer Lopez-led NBC telecast of Bye Bye Birdie never happened. Remember that one? Harvey was going to rewrite the book and he specifically described Rose as Albert's "mistress," rather than what she actually was, his long-term girlfriend.

Timing is everything even when you have a big cock

Which best musical winners will go down in history as the biggest flops? Passion? A strange loop? Some thing else?

The Some Like It Hot is entirely substandard—and relentless, too.

Wait till June…

Jon Hamm

IN

"Take Me Out."

R204, if it means a lucky few got to see that beautiful man naked, then no. Totally worth it. (The investors may feel otherwise, of course.)

(On a less shallow note, the BWW comments about his performance are positive. It sounds like he was great in the role, so it's nice that he got to do it. Williams never missed a show in the first run.)

Oh, DL showqueens. Don't ever change.

Jon Hamm is a bloated, balding, 51-year-old alcoholic who wears increasingly laughable hairpieces. Howard McGillin is 69 years old and looks every minute of it.

But let's go on fetishizing their hawtness. Or hungness. Or whatever.

R215 Christmas alone again, dera?

[quote]Just like I was glad that the Jennifer Lopez-led NBC telecast of Bye Bye Birdie never happened. Remember that one? Harvey was going to rewrite the book and he specifically described Rose as Albert's "mistress," rather than what she actually was, his long-term girlfriend.

What was the point of that change?

I kinda hate that Howard's private life gets dished on here....that's disrespectful. I mean...keep the size of his privates to yourself, right?

....but also, tell me more because YOWSA!

Tell me more, tell me more

Did you get very far?

Tell me more, tell me more

Does he have a circ scar?

R215 well, since most DLers are in their 70s and 80s, they'd be thrilled to get a hold of that young to them McGillin dick and that practically juvenile Hammaconda!!!!

There have been some good movie to musical transfers.

42nd Street

Grand Hotel

Nine

Shenandoah (I think it’s under appreciated)

The Wendy Hiller movie is the best but I don't think that makes "My Fair Lady" pointles...

*pointless

Outside of 42nd Street for obvious reasons they did not have hit scores that produced a couple hit pop records like PP. That at the same time was fully integrated into the book.

The thing with Pygmalion is that at the point where the song is you wonder where it went and the music plays in your head. Also the music gives those scenes a greater emotional depth. Though Hiller's performance almost makes up for it. Though the Higgins and Freddie don't definitely.

Who's had a splashed face full of Arden urine?

Other way 'round, hon.

R226, Eve?

r227 He's been more of a dom lately, if the stories are to be believed.

I didn't see that Promises revival but I'm curious about the above poster's and other criticism I've read about it over the years. How did the change in period from 1968 to 1962 impact it onstage other than, I suppose, the costume and maybe the set design? Were the orchestrations changed to give it a different sound and was that detrimental? What else?

I realize the Chenoweth and Hayes casting was off, and the interpolation of other Bacharach songs, but I'm not asking about that. And it's not that I don't agree with the criticism, just simply curious about more details about the "egregious" period change.

R 207, it was such an odd choice. Putting PP in the era of The Apartment made the changes the musical made seem weird.

And the musical style was off. You can write a contemporary score for a show set in the past. But the revival was like doing the story of Alexander Hamilton with Stephen Foster songs. Or the Great Gatsby with big band music. Late 60s pop clashed with the early 60s setting in a distracting way.

Exactly R215. Shut the fuck up about mediocre Howard McWhatever. No one cares about his dick. Jesus Christ.

Hiss!!! HISSSS!!!!

[quote] No one cares about his dick

I'll just have to sing about it now, like a Christmas Carol. Carol of the Bells. I mean Balls. I mean bells.

Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / Howard's big cock / big.....COCK!

A Strange Loop is just behind Passion in terms of performances. Assuming ASL does make it to the scheduled end, if not New Year's, Passion will keep the record for shortest-running Best Musical winner.

Passion, 280 performances from May 1994-January 1995.

A Strange Loop, 267 performances to date since April 2022.

On the other hand, if we included previews, Passions' 52 (!) would put its full total past ASL's.

Mad Men was trendy so lame-ass Rob Ashford set both How to Succeed and Promises in that era whether or. It it worked for the shows. And had trendy but contemporary Anderson Cooper do the narration in the former in case it didn’t sound boring enough. (As opposed to the the Broderick version’s smart use of Cronkite which was genius in a mediocre production)

I miss good directors.

R230, The best thing about that Promises, Promises revival was Tony Goldwyn.

What about Tony Goldwyn’s big cock?

R239 We need to see more of it before making a statement.

Howard apparently shared his more freely and openly.

Not to defend the horrible Rob Ashford but, to be fair, How to Succeed..... is and always was set in the Mad Men Era.

R239, talk about the perfect gift to unwrap on a Christmas morning!

The Promises Promises revival was just stupid. I thought, however, that Sean Hayes really had a ton of star charisma on the stage—wish he had more of a Bway career

Sean Hayes is one of those people who seems to be talented - I know he's now producing a lot. He was so pigeonholed by "Just Jack" and lord knows that film where he played a woman was not a good use of his project-selecting skills.

Agree there should be a part out there for him somewhere that's a better fit.

R244, Sean received good reviews for the Oscar Levant play headed for Broadway.

R244 Agree. Sean had a really interesting indie film career before he got Jack, and now he’ll only ever be Jack for the rest of his life. Proof that massive commercial success and tons of money also has its pitfalls.

I fear Jim Parsons is headed for this same fate. In recent interviews he’s said that his goal is to produce films that spotlight him as something other than Sheldon. However, he is now trying to get an Andy Warhol biopic off the ground… yet another nebbish and effete character.

R246 if Spoiler Alert is any indication he's going to fail miserably at that

[quote] However, he is now trying to get an Andy Warhol biopic off the ground

We’ve had enough actors trying to play Warhol. Give him a rest for awhile.

[quote]Shenandoah (I think it’s under appreciated)

I think it sucks.

I have NO plans to watch this. But I'm curious what others think.

ELECTRIC ISLAND.

Sizzle!

R247, So, both “Bros” and “Spoiler Alert” bombed at the box office?

Of course they did.

I saw Jim Parsons in his new movie SPOILER ALERT.

The movie is okay - I haven't read the book. But Parsons' face is so homely, the closeups scare you! His weird neck and dead eyes.....whew.

He might try producing some movies that he doesn't star in.....maybe onstage it isn't such a problem.

Sean Hayes was wonderful in the PP revival, but had no one to play against. KC was horribly miscast, too old, too much from another era.

Sean Hayes was pretty good in the revival; the understudy was on for Chenoweth, which I actually was glad to see, as I thought Kristin sounded miscast. Actually, the terrific "Promises"x2 production I saw starred Martin Short over at Encores. He really can sing, and Kerry O'Malley was quite good opposite him, with a fabulously funny Christine Baranski was Margie McDougall.

Sean Hayes has a new Broadway show coming in where he's playing Oscar Levant, as Hayes really can play concert piano, which he demonstrated when the director threw in a scene of Hayes as Mr. Applegate playing the ivories in "Damn Yankeees" at Encores years ago.

Short and Baranski

Baranski, Smart...great dames having great late careers!

[quote] Agree. Sean had a really interesting indie film career before he got Jack, and now he’ll only ever be Jack for the rest of his life. Proof that massive commercial success and tons of money also has its pitfalls.

No he didn't. He had one movie, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, where he played a gay character, and that Fall he was on Will and Grace.

Parsons and Hayes both had too much work done

I'm sorry Bennett's choreography for A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing has been lost. I was used to listening to the obc and the number just fades out as if it were on a 45. I played that lp a lot as a kid. Then I got to see the show in '70 and I was knocked out by the fact that on stage the number doesn't fade out it just turned into another choreographic show stopper. What a terrific surprise. Also he devised a very funny crossover for the middle aged execs during the middle musical bit of Where Can You Take A Girl. And then there were his movements for The Grapes of Roth in a jammed crowded bar. I wish somebody since then had half his talent.

I have half his talent and twice the acrobatics And dream skipper. And occasionally Charlie Williams when he’s really drunk and desperate for work

I’m always intrigued when people say someone is miscast.

Bernadette in Gypsy and Follies. Kristin in Promises. Betty Buckley in Gypsy and Hello Dolly.

Can’t people just be appreciative of these once in lifetime talents playing roles that are good theatre roles and be grateful that they got the opportunity to see them?

I myself missed out on Bernadette and Betty in Gypsy and would have loved to see them!

Bernadette was miscast as Rose in GYPSY, but she was still the best thing in a mediocre production. I'm glad to have seen her.

The word on the street and internet about Peters was so bad I decided not to go. Very stupid of me. I wish I had seen her.

[quote]So, both “Bros” and “Spoiler Alert” bombed at the box office?

Yes, because America only responds to content where gays are being tortured.

Case in point: the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan movie where Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge (from Spoiler Alert) play a married couple held hostage by Dave Bautista and forced to sacrifice each other.

r263 Miscast means wrong for the role; KC was, indeed, wrong for PP. but I saw Bernadette in Gypsy and she was great that night.

I think one of the recent reissues of Promises Promises included “A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing” from the Italian(?) production, which included the dance music.

How many young Broadway performers can you spot and name? I was shocked to see that the third singer is Grammy Award-winning Olivia Rodrigo. She sings so badly, I thought it was just a pretty high school girl who couldn't sing.

Has anyone ever done Basketball better (and I include Jerry Orbach).

He should have led the revival.

The best number in the PP revival was “A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing” with Hayes and Katie Finneran, who won the Tony.

Molly Shannon took over that role when Finneran left - Shannon had been a guest star on W&G at one point.

I love hot straight cock like Adam Jacobs'.

R251 - I personally have zero interest in seeing that, but Rachelle Rak is such an entertaining dancer. Loved her in Fosse. Her "I Gotcha" was a total treat

[Quote] The word on the street and internet about Peters was so bad I decided not to go. Very stupid of me. I wish I had seen her.

Peters terrible when I saw it. Just horrible

I saw Peters in previews and she was absolutely awful. She had improved a lot by the time of the Tonys.

And Rachelle tells a really fun story about working with Gwen Verdon and Gwen's hilarious comment about Rachelle's performance at about 8:05 in this video. Pretty good Gwen impersonation, too!

I feel like I've read about Sam Mendes and Bernadette not really gelling? I don't mean anything acrimonious, just that he didn't let her 'find' the performance. And, that, coupled with her bad flu or whatever she had early in the run contributed to an uneven performance?

Or was it that Arthur Laurents didn't allow Mendes to fully execute his vision? Someone on here probably knows.

All I can tell you is I saw her mid-way through the run and went in thinking her casting didn't made sense on paper. But, she was a total knockout the evening I saw her. Everyone focuses on Rose's Turn, but I also loved the final (post-Rose's Turn) scene.

The problem with Chenoweth in PP was that Fran is not supposed to be chirpy.

Bernadette has never spoken a bad word about Sam Mendes but she had to be furious that she was left to her own devices

As someone who saw Orbach in the original PP, I can say that his was one of the great numbers from a musical I'd ever seen. Such a surprising and brilliant performance from such a simple song. I was knocked out. Fontana is fine, but didn't for me outshine Orbach.

Fontana was proficient.

Fontana will never knock anyone out. He's the definition of ordinary.

[Quote] Fontana was proficient.

That’s basically redundant. He was pitch perfect in Brighton Beach but basic since.

He was excellent in SONS OF THE PROPHET.

[Quote] I’m always intrigued when people say someone is miscast.

See music man before it closes and get back to us

R266, given that the movie hasn't come out yet, how do you know America's going to respond to that either?

Sutton defines a new level of miscast w/Music Man.

LOVE that Rachelle Rak! I really hope she's married to some hot daddy billionaire.

I haven't liked Rak since that A Chorus Line revival documentary where she behaved like she deserved a part and demanded to be cast - and that fool from some tv dance show decided to do his OWN choreography instead of doing what he was asked to do.

The delusion is real.

Tammy Blanchard isn’t good in the Gypsy clip. Benanti was the best in my memory

Tammy Blanchard was a good Louise…less successful as Gypsy. Same disease Crista Moore had.

Benanti was the first Gypsy who surpassed her Louise.

[quote] and that fool from some tv dance show decided to do his OWN choreography instead of doing what he was asked to do.

That was Tyce Diorio, and he won an Emmy for choreography the year that flop A Chorus Line came out for So You Think You Can Dance. He may not have been suitable for ACL, but he’s easily one of the most successful people from that movie, he constantly works and choreographs in Hollywood.

I'd like to see that BBC Sondheim tribute, but I'm in the US. I know you can watch BBC shows online via iPlayer, and you can access it with a UK-based VPN (which I can do) but I don't know how to set up an account. It wants a post code. Do I just make one up?

This has been gone over a million times. The only reason Bernadette Peters was "bad" in the beginning of the "Gypsy" run was because she was genuinely sick with an upper respiratory infection that she couldn't shed. She tried to work thru it as the pro she is but it didn't work. Peters doesn't miss unless she can't realistically perform.

R294, no, she was bad because Mama Rose makes no sense with a kewpie doll voice.

The audience was so excited during the overture and then Peters absolutely deflated that balloon.

[Quote] Peters doesn't miss unless she can't realistically perform.

She should have missed. I’ve disliked Peters ever since that performance.

R294, Bernadette is a pro. She resumed her concert tour shortly after her husband was killed in a plane crash.

More like she needed the money

[quote] It wants a post code. Do I just make one up?

Go to the website of a reputable London hotel and copy their postal code. It works for me.

I didn't adore Peters as Madam Rose, but both her performance and Mendes' surrounding production were far more interesting, layered and rich than the LuPone/Laurents version, at least as seen on Broadway.

[Quote] Peters doesn't miss unless she can't realistically perform.

Absurd.

Also, it must have bee hell for Peters getting conflicting notes from Mendes and Laurents.

[quote]If Styne and Merrill couldn't write a proper score in the early 70s for Hot when there was still a big audience for this kind of show there sure as hell isn't anyone around today who could. To be fair it seems that in the 70s all the great talents who were still around had lost all their talent. I'm not sure why. Maybe the culture had changed so much they had lost their confidence.

SUGAR has far better music (by Jule Styne) than lyrics (by Bob Merrill), but I would still has it has at least four or five excellent songs, and most of the rest are no worse than mediocre. So overall, the score is far superior to that of SLIH.

[quote]The score and lyrics of SLIH are NOT the only things wrong with the show. There's also the libretto and the direction. And the complete lack of sex.

I would agree with that, and I would go further and say that the book is far worse than the score, because the book is absolutely idiotic and nonsensical.

R303, And Sugar had me!

But Amber Ruffin!!!

[quote]Was this reboot of Take Me Out a mistake?

It's not a reboot, it's a return of the revival, which did extremely well in its initial, limited run. I guess the producers miscalculated as to how many people who wanted to see it hadn't had a chance to do so, and how many people who saw it the first time would want to see it again. And by "it," I'm referring to both the production and the star's penis.

[quote]Harvey was going to rewrite the book and he specifically described Rose as Albert's "mistress," rather than what she actually was, his long-term girlfriend.

My understanding of the word "mistress" is that it refers to a woman who's having sex with a man who's married to someone else. Was THAT the change Harvey was going to make? And if so, would Albert have had a wife who appeared in the show, or would she have been a character who was only referred to? Or was he just using the word "mistress" incorrectly?

With Promises Promises Katie Finneran became a star. And with Annie, she became not a star.

R307, It’s a revival of a revival, also known as a reboot, moron.

R310, my understanding of the word "reboot" is very different from yours. And I'm right:

[quote]"to produce a distinctly new version of (an established media franchise, as a film, TV show, video game, or comic book). Example: The studio is rebooting Spider Man."

Stage revivals of plays and musicals are never called "reboots," not even when there's a lot of rewriting done, in which case they're sometimes called "revisals." And the current run of TAKE ME OUT would CERTAINLY not be called a "reboot" of the recent revival, it's a return engagement. And again, the initial run of this production did very well at the box office, it's only the return engagement that has done poorly.

So if anyone here deserves the "moron" label, it's you, not me.

“Reboot:

Something, especially a series of films or television programs, that has been RESTARTED or revived.”

They really should have had a few various hung actors in that role. Jesse Williams was a good choice, of course, but there was ample (!) opportunity to spotlight others, too.

It was a trick that really couldn't be repeated.

I still can't believe that pasty ass Jesse Tyler Ferguson won the Tony.

Did the leaked video of Jesse Williams’ cock harm ticket sales?

r315, no. If anything it gave the show a temporary boost in sales that the producers misinterpreted as wider interest than there truly was. The show wasn't selling out before the leak, it sold out after the leak...and then it came back and once again isn't selling out.

Broussard getting some nice coverage for stepping in Friday, though it's kind of sad People is just regurgitating social media posts for content. I guess it is Christmas though, and People magazine, so more shouldn't expected.

Must agree with R311. I never hear the term "reboot" in theatre. It sounds and feels like Variety-speak, ie, movies and TV. Not stage.

Hungry for more good songs from flop musicals :) "Model Behavior" is amazing and stuck in my head. I feel like walking around saying "Peppa!" on cell phone.

I tried to see if any of the songs from Moose Murders were recorded before...

I realize this song is schmaltzy as hell, but I can't help but like it. Linda sells it.

What's the last production on Broadway with really strong choreography? I loved Joshua Bergasse's work in On the Town, Warren Carlyle's work in After Midnight and Bill T. Jones' work in FELA.

Back to Some Like it Hot, during the yacht scenes, all I could hear in my head was Stairway to the Stars. A couple of the movie songs interpolated into the score could’ve helped the show.

[quote][R263] Miscast means wrong for the role; KC was, indeed, wrong for PP. but I saw Bernadette in Gypsy and she was great that night.

I think many people today don't understand the concept of miscasting, because 'woke' casting has become anything goes..

The fact is, not everyone is suitable for every part; it's not a one size fits all.

[quote]The problem with Chenoweth in PP was that Fran is not supposed to be chirpy.

I remember she was originally cast as 'Rapunzel' in the early stages of Disney's TANGLED , when it was going by the title RAPUNZEL UNBRAIDED.

My friend said that was terrible casting and that her voice was better suited as the animal sidekick to a Disney princess. 😂

[quote]Bernadette is a pro. She resumed her concert tour shortly after her husband was killed in a plane crash.

[quote]More like she needed the money

Or she understood that the show must go on, a concept lost on currently woke Broadway which encourages laziness. It's sickening.

[quote]They really should have had a few various hung actors in that role. Jesse Williams was a good choice, of course, but there was ample (!) opportunity to spotlight others, too.

Don't think Equity would have approved of...Help Wanted, Must Be Hung,

How was Laurents able to exert influence over the Mendes Gypsy? Once he gave permission for the production, shouldn't that have ended any power he had over what happened? Unless changes to the book were proposed, I don't understand how he was able to force Mendes to abandon his plans.

He should have let another directorial voice be heard, but Laurents was a lot like Mama Rose. There will always be someone around who is ancient enough to think calling Peters a kewpie doll is a hilarious and cogent argument, but I found the Mendes production to be far superior to the last Laurents one. Peters showed quiet devastation realizing that she truly had the talent but not the timing, but having no one to turn to but the daughter she rejected.. Lupone ended the show by literally clawing fir the scenery. You tell me which is the better interpretation.

I recall there being much criticism about the starkness of the sets in the Mendes version of Gypsy.

Sounds like he didn’t relinquish all power contractually R327. He possibly had approval for certain elements as part of his allowance of Mendes’ production.

An American in Paris was the show with the best choreography.

What happened was Sam foolishly let Arthur Laurents and his husband Tom attend the final rehearsals and previews. It was a mistake. According to Michael Reidel’s column, they came to blows. Sam wanted the production to feel like his recent Cabaret and bring out the darkness. Arthur had his 1989 Tyne Daly prompt book and shit over everything that wasnt a carbon copy of that production.

I believe this to be true because even Patti LuPone has said many times that Arthur was tied to the 1989 prompt book for the first few weeks of the 2008 revival also and wanted her to do Tyne Daly’s line readings.

Bernadette was caught in the middle. She was loyal to Arthur but is a strict professional who always does what the director says. So her performance in the beginning was a MESS. Tony voters rejected her.

Then Bernadette performed Rose’s Turn on the Tonys and was a revelation because she did it “her way.” By then it was too late and the Tony went to Marissa. Gypsy grosses started to drop off and was ready to close.

The most interesting thing then happened according to Arthur Laurents. Bernadette gave up her salary to keep Gypsy running. It kept everyone else employed and she was able to do the role for a full year.

R310 and r311 are both jerks. Who the fuck cares the definition of ‘reboot’?

It’s no fun at all and this isn’t a platform for back and forth carping. Some of you think you’re here to be [italic] right [/italic] when we’re all actually here to entertain each other. Do better.

Meanwhile: did anyone have any idea Iesse was so big before he was cast. It was so perfect for the character to have the goods to justify his god-like confidence and aura.

And calling each other names - You’re a moron. No, [italic] you’re [/italic] a moron - gives fat bitchery a bad name. do better.

[Quote] Bernadette is a pro. She resumed her concert tour shortly after her husband was killed in a plane crash.

Maybe she just didn’t like her husband all that much

[Of course I meant gay bitchery not fat bitchery but probably right both ways.]

Bernadette was just awful when I saw her early in the Gypsy run. Completely miscast.

I laugh when I see all the theater queen’s desperately lobbing excuses on why she did things a certain way, as if Bernadette can never fail at a role—she was sick; she had conflicting direction; she only settled into the role later. SHE REALLY SUCKED

I thought Bernadette liked the ladies. In her career, were there ever any rumors of affairs with men or dating men? Maybe that's why she quickly resume touring. Her husband was just a beard.

R338, She was with Steve Martin for years.

And a MARY CHRISTMAS to you R333/R334, you pompous cunt.

Which is worse? A pompous cunt or a moron?

Bernadette gave up her ENTIRE salary to keep the show running? Sounds unlikely to me.

Was she making that much that her solo salary could fund everyone else??

She had amazing skin for her age but then started up with the Botox. Now she looks like crap

Did we all forget the words, "return engagement"?

The idiot producers closed Take Me Out on the very day it won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play.

I realize another show was scheduled for that theatre, but savvy producers could have worked that out.

Will there be a follow up interview with Sara Porkalob after 1776 finally closes?

Serious question. I would be interested in hearing what she'd have to say.

The last we heard of Sara P, she was on Twitter asking about a NYC sublet. Sounds like she plans on sticking around.

I just read that Vulture article, and since she hates the play, her character, and the way it was directed, she really must be giving a good performance every night. Not.

[quote] The last we heard of Sara P, she was on Twitter asking about a NYC sublet. Sounds like she plans on sticking around.

The Times Square Bubba Gump's aint gonna run itself!

Arthur Laurents said during an interview on theatre talk with Michael Reidel that Bernadette saw a production of something else (possibly Hairpray?) and said “If that is running, Gypsy cannot close” and gave up her salary to keep it running.

That was his story anyhow.

Here is the link for the interview. His comments about Bernadette are towards the end

So, can I infer that Bernadette is the fatuous lady in the thread title?

[quote]—Sara Porkalob, getting fitted for her PF Chang’s hostess outfit

"I'm sorry, but I only do appetizers and entrées. You'll have a new server for your dessert."

Bernadette's hubby worked in finance and was very successful. She wasn't hurting for money so it's quite possible she either gave up her salary or worked for equity minimum. Equity might have insisted she be paid something.

R354 She can only do part of a shift, after all.

What are we, monsters?

I really liked Bernadette Peters in "Sunday In The Park With George" - on tv, in movies, and everything else onstage......not so much.

Right, R312. The word "reboot" does NOT apply to stage revivals, at least not to any one that has happened thus far. If all current worldwide productions of THE LION KING were to close, and the show was extensively revamped in some way and then reopened, I suppose that MIGHT be justifiably be called a reboot, because by this point THE LION KING is truly a "franchise." But it's just silly to apply the word "reboot" to a limited-run stage revival of a Broadway play.

Bernie fans wanting to do a deep dive should see THE JERK with Steve Martin. A surprisingly funny and endearing little movie. Yes, it's dumb.

And we have our next thread title:

"The Reboot/Restart/Revival Edition."

It's not a Reboot/Restart/Revival, It's a RETURN!

[quote]Of course I meant gay bitchery not fat bitchery but probably right both ways.

Umm, you might want to consider that calling someone a "fat bitch" or a "gay bitch" is as insulting as calling them a moron.

It's a " Reimagining for modern audiences......"

Wonder how Bernadette's agent felt about her giving up her salary.

[quote]The idiot producers closed Take Me Out on the very day it won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. I realize another show was scheduled for that theatre, but savvy producers could have worked that out.

It's not always possible to move a show, or another show, to keep one of them running. But also, did you not consider that one of the Jesses may have had a conflict that would have prevented them from continuing in the show at that time? That's only one reason why it may have closed on the day it won the Tony.

How is the actor who has Dennis O'Hare's part? That was a pretty wonderful performance. Who is it Ferguson?

[quote]Did we all forget the words, "return engagement"?

No, "we all" did not, and I used that phrase up above somewhere.

[quote]Wonder how Bernadette's agent felt about her giving up her salary.

Bernadette's agent is thrilled he is cashing in on a musical actress who doesn't have a voice left

Yes, r366. I saw Ferguson's understudy, who was quite good.

Oddly enough, as I posted earlier, Bernadette was fantastic the night I saw the show; she had the pathos at the end which made her incredibly moving, a trait I have not seen in other Mama Roses. I know she won the Tony, but I did not think she was right for Annie Get Your Gun (maybe because I don't like the show itself?) And yes, I know, Reba...

Jesse Tyler Ferguson was ok, less so if you just don’t like him or his schtick. Denis O’Hare captured lightning in a bottle. You just felt the entire audience loved him.

[quote]Will there be a follow up interview with Sara Porkalob after 1776 finally closes? Serious question. I would be interested in hearing what she'd have to say.

For my part, I hope we never hear from her again, though I don't suppose that's very likely.

Denis is a wonderful actor and a wonderful person.

[quote]Jesse Tyler Ferguson was ok, less so if you just don’t like him or his schtick. Denis O’Hare captured lightning in a bottle. You just felt the entire audience loved him.

I got the impression that most of the audience felt the same about Jesse's performance in the role. Denis also has what one might call his own "schtick." Both performances were very quirky but well-suited to the character as written, and both were very well done.

[quote] Will there be a follow up interview with Sara Porkalob after 1776 finally closes? Serious question. I would be interested in hearing what she'd have to say.

Why? I think we’ve all heard everything she has to say. Or at least 75% of it.

r346, there was a change in producers, which likely complicated things. The first run was produced by Second Stage alone; the second, commercial run brought on a bunch of new, different people (starting with the Weisslers).

And as pointed out, casting was likely an issue. Patrick J. Adams needed to be replaced and there may not have been time between sales taking off post-leak and the closing.

Someone in a previous thread said it best--Ferguson would have made more sense as one of the bitchy, small-dog-owning gays making fun of Mason than as Mason himself.

[quote] For my part, I hope we never hear from her again, though I don't suppose that's very likely.

I’m fairly sure most don’t ever want to hear from her again in NY. She’s going to struggle to find casting directors willing to submit her for anything. Maybe she can do a third tier role on some shitty streaming show that features lots of non binaries. With a Tony nom she might have gotten her foot in the door for auditions in Hollywood. That most likely won’t happen now.

The brilliance of Denis O'Hare's casting and performance was he captured the pathos and comedy of an outlier gay man who never felt accepted by other gays nor even certain he wanted to be accepted. JTF just seemed like part of the pack and there was never any poignancy in his portrayal.

r378 Didn't she post recently about wanting to bring her show Dragon Lady to Broadway? So we're going to hear from her if that happens, or more likely hear from her when it doesn't happen and she tries to paint it as racism.

Don't besmirch Marissa Jaret Winokur's win. Tracy Turnblad is a wonderful character who carries the show and MJW shined. And "Hairspray" was the hit of the year, sold out from the first preview. No where is it written if you play Rose, they hand you the Tony.

[Quote] Denis O’Hare captured lightning in a bottle. You just felt the entire audience loved him.

I fell in love with O’Hare’s character. That night there was an audience talk back. O’Hare was so charming that I fell in love with him too. I became an instant fan with that performance

I'm the one who asked about Denis. I saw it a couple of times and it was an extraordinary performance. One of my favorites on stage. I'd like to see the play again but I'm having reservations about Ferguson. Like he won't even come close.

I loved OHare but the play isn’t good enough to see twice in one life

[quote]With a Tony nom she might have gotten her foot in the door for auditions in Hollywood.

Without being cruel OR racist about it.... Sara Porkalob is incredibly average-looking. Pleasant-looking enough, but utterly forgettable. I cannot imagine her getting any real traction in film or TV.

PS: she might rethink those eyebrows.

Pork slob is going to get a nomination.

In other news, I failed to win the lottery for MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG tickets.

Again.

Merrily has no merch (except a NYTW shirt, not show specific) and no bar. They could bring in a lot more if they were able to find the staff and space. Though would surely require some portable pottys, only 2 stalls in the ladies room.

R387 they release tickets daily, keep checking the site !

[quote] Don't besmirch Marissa Jaret Winokur's win. Tracy Turnblad is a wonderful character who carries the show and MJW shined.

Winokur was the very definition of mediocre. Tracy is supposed to be cute (despite her weight), vivacious, charming and a great dancer. Winokur was none of those. You wondered why anyone was making a fuss over her. In the original film, Ricki Lake was adorable and had personality for days, AND she could really dance (especially for a big girl). Winokur brought nothing to the role. It's likely the reason she's had no career since.

Jesus...Can the Bernadette in Gypsy freaks start their own link, and get out of here. It's been like 5 fucking years of this...

Going by what people say around here, Bernadette was bad in GYPSY, bad in Follies, bad in Annie Get Your Gun....

So what was this legend actually good in? Just Sunday In The Park and Into The Woods...? That's it?

R351, Song and Dance.

[quote]Pork slob is going to get a nomination.

Do you want to put money on it?

The chances of Porkblob getting a nom are very low. She publicly shit all over the industry, and the reaction outside of her Twitter bubble of echo chamber idiots was not good, to put it lightly. Most likely 1776 will get shut out, as it should.

It's too bad Merrily won't open this season. We could have had an all Sondheim Musical Revival category at the Tonys this year and made sure 1776 was ignored.

I have a feeling Porky will be nominated just to show everyone- See, we're NOT racist!

[quote]Someone in a previous thread said it best--Ferguson would have made more sense as one of the bitchy, small-dog-owning gays making fun of Mason than as Mason himself.

You're entitled to that opinion, but obviously, a lot of people -- including a majority of the Tony voters -- disagree with you and think he was pretty much perfect for the role.

[quote]I’m fairly sure most don’t ever want to hear from her again in NY. She’s going to struggle to find casting directors willing to submit her for anything. Maybe she can do a third tier role on some shitty streaming show that features lots of non binaries. With a Tony nom she might have gotten her foot in the door for auditions in Hollywood. That most likely won’t happen now.

Yes, like that "Poison Oak" guy, she might perhaps get some work on TV and in film, because those industries don't care so much about what happens on Broadway, even when people behave like shits. But I doubt you'll see Porkalob or Poison Oak back on stage in NYC any time soon, or maybe ever.

[quote]I'm the one who asked about Denis. I saw it a couple of times and it was an extraordinary performance. One of my favorites on stage. I'd like to see the play again but I'm having reservations about Ferguson. Like he won't even come close.

How weird that, just because you loved someone in a role (and I agree with you in this case), you fear or assume that someone else "won't even come close." It's your choice whether or not you see this production, but for what it's worth, some people feel it's superior to the first one.

r362 it’s DL’s motto

[Quote] DataLounge - Gay Celebrity Gossip, Gay Politics, Gay News and Pointless Bitchery since 1995.

Oh, look. The JTF stan is still here, and still refusing to accept any criticism of his beloved Mr. Ferguson.

(Psst--Scarlett Johansson has a Tony too, which is proof enough that winning one isn't necessarily a conclusive marker of quality. Tony voters are just as prone to star fucking as any other group.)

[quote]I have a feeling Porky will be nominated just to show everyone- See, we're NOT racist!

Naah. Her performance wasn't even remotely the best one in that show, let alone one of the best of the season. I'm guessing that if anyone is nominated -- and that's a big if -- it will be either Carolee Carmello or the Ben Frankilin.

If you hear BP sing in a show - you are hearing how Shirley Temple would sing it.

R400, They gave a Tony to Mary Tyler Moore in 1980 just for being Mary Tyler Moore.

...a precedent Lea Michele is probably hoping will be followed.

Pork slob is never there. I doubt the nominators all even saw her

Bernadette was unforgettably fabulous in DAMES AT SEA and MACK & MABEL.

[quote]it will be either Carolee Carmello or the Ben Frankilin.

A perfect summation of American theatre circling the drain.

The... person playing Ben Franklin was dreadful. Imagine Whoopi Goldberg, but with all of her humor removed. I mean ALL.

Seriously... she/they didn't land a single laugh the night I saw her/them. Which is pretty much Ben Franklin's purpose in 1776.

TAKE ME OUT was worth seeing again just to remind myself how clever the intricacies of the plot are and how much is there besides the nude shower scenes. For me, Jesse Williams seemed too sophisticated and knowing for Darrell but his schlong made up for it. Brandon Dirden was a standout as the player from the opposite team who *****SPOLIER ALERT***** gets "taken out" and finally made sense of the close friendship between he and Darrell that the original production never quite achieved. The rest of the revival cast is competent and sexy but with little of the physical diversity and very specific hotness of the original cast.

All in all, a watered down version of the original but still worth seeing.

[quote]Winokur was the very definition of mediocre. Tracy is supposed to be cute (despite her weight), vivacious, charming and a great dancer. Winokur was none of those. You wondered why anyone was making a fuss over her. In the original film, Ricki Lake was adorable and had personality for days, AND she could really dance (especially for a big girl). Winokur brought nothing to the role. It's likely the reason she's had no career since.

None of the major (TV, movie, stage) Tracies (from the musical version anyway) has had much of a career since.

It's almost as if there aren't a lot of roles for plus-sized women, and having a career requires becoming a talk show host... (or going on reality TV as Winokur did).

How dare you

Just realized Ain’t No Mo is actually gone. What ado about nothing. Poof!

[quote]Oh, look. The JTF stan is still here, and still refusing to accept any criticism of his beloved Mr. Ferguson.

That's not at all what I'm doing, just offering a different opinion that obviously is shared by many others. Strange that you can't understand how someone who has a solid theater career and also was one of the leads of one of the most popular, long-running TV shows of recent years might have a lot of fans who are not "stans" and who actually think he's talented. But damn, you people are so hateful.

[quote]For me, Jesse Williams seemed too sophisticated and knowing for Darrell but his schlong made up for it.

Interesting. I think that character is supposed to be very knowing and worldly wise, though I wouldn't describe either the character or Williams' performance as "sophisticated." I also disagree with you about the hotness of the rest of the cast, though I saw the show during the original run, not the return.

r411=Melissa Beth Miller

Bernadette was also wonderful as Desiree, replacing Catherine Zeta-Jones in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. She was fabulous in SUNDAY IN THE PARK, INTO THE WOODS, I saw her late in the run in GYPSY (she was great) and wonderful in her first Tony win, doing the entire first act of SONG AND DANCE by herself. I agree that her FOLLIES started off with her playing the ending basically, and I think the director was at fault. Her ANNIE GET YOUR GUN was okay at best, but her Dolly Levi was very funny and the true spectacle of a great star performance on Broadway.

Add Laura Noses as another one who screwed up her career.

Laura Osnes may have become a batshit crazy anti-vaxxer. But at least she used to show up for performances, and gave 100%.

She certainly was very good. The Oak guy wasn't even prepared to go on, and Porkalob doesn't realize how fortunate she is to be on Broadway,, since so many other folks would kill to be able to give their all (i.e. 100%) in performance.

Porkflop will go the way of Jill I mean Joey Soloway......when you use your 15 minutes in the sun burning every bridge that got you there, it should be no surprise one never hears from them again.

Now that Ain't No Mo' is indeed, no mo', A Christmas Carol is next on the closures list (this Sunday).

[quote]I just read that Vulture article, and since she hates the play, her character, and the way it was directed, she really must be giving a good performance every night. Not.

You're assuming she's giving ANY performance every night. My understanding is that she hasn't been on in ages.

Porkalob has been out with many, many "mental health days." It's the new trend of blaming everyone else for your bad acting. They've got it on the tea towels over at "Strange Loop."

Speak of the devil....1776 canceled tonight due to illness.

Way to go, DL. You've triggered the cast of 1776 and now they can't go on!

Like they read DL!

The fault isn’t just Porky’s. 1776 totally sucks as a musical. It has a book so strong that the songs sort of intrude—not great for a musical.

The score is just fine, r428.

The "Hamilton" approach doesn't work for this -- it's even more of a gimmick than that other show.

1776 was also cancelled on 12/22.

[Quote] The score is just fine, [R428].

The score is fine. It just doesn’t belong in 1776

[Quote] 1776 was also cancelled on 12/22.

It was a limited run. The closing was predetermined

The closing IS predetermined...to take place on January 8. That has nothing to do with the show being cancelled on 12/22, or today.

[quote]A Christmas Carol is next on the closures list (this Sunday).

There is nothing so over as Christmas.

[quote]including a majority of the Tony voters

Getting the most votes is not necessarily the same as getting a majority of voters. The only person who can say they get a majority of voters is Aaron Tveit because of the 60% rule, and if there were ever only two nominees.

Christmas is supposed to be 12 days, but they've already stopped playing Christmas music on the radio and people will soon throw out their trees. WTF? They won't even wait for the four calling birds or the three French hens!

[Quote] but they've already stopped playing Christmas music on the radio and people will soon throw out their trees.

Thank fucking God. I can’t take it any more

The last couple of times I went to Vegas for Christmas (pre-Covid), they were taking down all the decorations inside and out on December 26th. I didn't understand it since the holiday goes through Jan 1, and Vegas gets a ton of holiday visitors the week between Christmas and New Years. The last time I went, I timed my visit that I left on the 26th because I love how festive the city looks.

Is NYC doing the same thing now or do they keep everything up through New Years?

NYC keeps everything up until New Years

That twitter feed is crazy. Today: no will Swenson, no Stephanie block, no Alex brightman, understudy Christine, understudy Zidler and Duke, understudy Penny Lane, understudy MJ.

Did any of the London DL’s watch the Sondheim concert last night? Was it any good?

[quote] Nowhere is it written if you play Rose, they hand you the Tony.

You got that right. Fuck Mary Martin!

New Year’s Eve is much more a Vegas holiday than Christmas is, and they only have a week to get ready for it.

r441 Ugh, one expects laziness to be a little less blatant than calling out the day after Christmas

r442 It airs on New Year's Eve. Though it was Tina Turner night on BBC Two yesterday, so the gays were kept happy.

To me as well TMO is a better play than people give it credit for. It IS more than its shower scenes. And it was even better at the Public where it was in 3 acts, longer and better able to develop its plot and characters. I'd automatically go back if I could see that play again.

I was only a toddler but I saw Peters in On the Town and she was fabulous. If ever a role and an actor were perfect it was there. Much better than Betty Garrett in the movie.

I liked Peters in the somewhat recent Follies. The day I went, she claimed to have vocal troubles (but she sounded exactly like she’s sounded in the last decade—groggy) but it made sense for her character

Will 1776 even make it to January 8? What about A Strange Loop and Jan. 15?

[quote]Christmas is supposed to be 12 days

Only 9 for me.

I have seen Bernadette twice. I saw her in Follies and Hello Dolly and loved her in both, but then again, I’m a big fan.

I saw Bette Midler, Betty Buckley and Bernadette in Dolly and Bernadette was my favorite. I liked all three though.

I saw Patti LuPone in Company, War Paint and Sweeney Todd.

I regret missing Patti and Bernadette in Gypsy and Bernadette in a Little Night Music.

I never found Betty Garrett all that, r447.

'72

For me, Patti's high point was in Anything Goes. Never quite got her, even in Evita, but she became a true Broadway diva as Reno Sweeney. It's all been somewhat downhill since then. Mostly enjoyed her in Gypsy and Sweeney and she was "valiant" in War Paint, but I thought she was pretty awful in Company.

Is this just geriatric Broadway World now?

Now?

Why don't you try to liven things up for all us oldies, r455?

[quote]Is this just geriatric Broadway World now?

New here?

Most shows have a grueling schedule this week since many are cutting Saturday and Sunday performances for New Years. That means at least three 2 performance days this week. And we know how delicate some actors are.

Has anyone attended the Patti LuPone shows at 54 Below so far? I know it’s Songs From A Hat, so the setlist will be different each night, but very curious about what surprises might be in store. (I’m going tomorrow night and will report back.)

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Patti had opened Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.

I bet she will be terrific in that small performing space, r460. I envy you.

[r460] I’m going after New Years. I try to never miss Patti. I’m scared though that at my show she will pick pop tunes out of the hat. I’m a show queen and I wanna hear her sing the good songs. I love her but was disappointed in her Far Away Places concert.

R461 Well, she wouldn’t have the ALW memorial pool at least.

Whatcha got, r455...

That On the Town closed at the end of '71. I don't believe it even made it into '72. It lasted maybe 10 weeks? I was so sad when it closed. I only got to see it once. And I remember it being lavish. Large cast and lots of sets. Kerr complained there were too many. You can never have too many sets in a musical comedy that takes place all over New York City. The Imaginary Coney Island ballet seemed to really take place in the dazzling Coney Island of a mid-westerner's imagination in the 40s as if out of a Technicolor musical. That last revival was computer game gun metal ugly. I guess that was the point.

So if his first name is Denis, is that pronounced like 'penis' but with a P? Or is it still pronounced the same as Mame's last name (Dennis): DENN-iss, and somehow it's just missing a 'n'?

It's pronounced *Denise*, r467.

[quote]Christmas is supposed to be 12 days, but they've already stopped playing Christmas music on the radio and people will soon throw out their trees. WTF? They won't even wait for the four calling birds or the three French hens!

Outside my building Sunday night, I noticed a Christmas tree that had been stripped of its ornaments and tossed by the dumpsters.

R437, I think the 12 days are before Christmas. Dec 25 is the 12th day.

I think the 12th day of Christmas is jan 6 which the epiphany, the day of the wise men which is 12 days after christmas. It's the day where many of cultures give gifts

We used to take our tree down on the Epiphany when I was a kid, which I loved because I wanted it to stay up as long as possible. Now I take it down whenever I'm tired of looking at it, which is usually Jan 1.

MERRILY cancelled tonight as per Twitter. Sucks for such a sold out show.

I am one of those who saw Howard's big cock. Yes, it's huge. Yes, he's cut.

We did not have sex, so I do not know anything else about it.

I think he was displaying it a lot during the period when he first came out and before he settled down.

He looks like a hot an in his 60s, which he is. What's wrong with that? Everybody's going to get there sooner or later. He's in fantastic shape, and not fat at all.

Now, who's had George Dvorsky?

In the last thread was a discussion of why Lansbury is considered is Bway legend when she only had 3 major hits (and a few minor ones—but always excellent work).

Lupone has only had Evita, Anything Goes, Sweeney Todd (minor hit), and Gypsy and yet she’s a legend

I was at Merrily tonight. They had the audience wait for over an hour, and then the three leads came out to apologize and do a Q&A. All were incredibly engaging, which gave a glimpse of the production that 200 of us now probably won’t see. Less disappointing since the show is going to Broadway, but NYTW did themselves no favors with their handling of this.

I saw Bernadette in Mack & Mabel when I was a kid. Also saw her in Sunday in the Park, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Night Music.

Saw Patti in The Baker's Wife, Evita, Can Can, Oliver, Gypsy. Also saw her Night Music in concert. She was not perfect for Desiree. She would have been a great Petra back in the day.

r471 is correct.

R476, Why was the performance cancelled?

There was an announcement at 7.30 that there were technical difficulties. Around 8:15, Radcliffe came out with Groff and Mendez and read a statement from his phone, joking that he would screw up the technical details. Apparently, some piece of equipment was frozen. The three of them are engaging and have great chemistry.

'I think he was displaying it a lot during the period when he first came out and before he settled down.'

Ok now boys, tell me where he was displaying it! Locker rooms? Nude beaches? Turnpike rest stops?

I don’t need to see Howard’s big dick. Truly.

I'd happily glance upon his substantial appendage.

I first saw Bernadette Peters as the warden’s secretary in the Burt Reynolds movie The Longest Yard and I thought she was delightful.

I think the majority of the audience would have been happy with a concert performance of Merrily in addition to a refund. Everyone was getting paid anyway and it wouldn't have been a wasted evening.

I first saw Bernadette in GEORGE M! as George M Cohan's sister Josie. Even in that supporting role she stood out. She was that odd soubrette who became an ingenue and then a leading lady.

I used to be a OB GYN nurse, and I performed a sonogram on Mrs. Lazzara , and saw Bernadette as a fetus I win

WHET Robbi Morgan?

R485, The cast and orchestra could not have performed a few impromptu musical numbers from the show to appease the audience?

Can you imagine an Ethel Merman show being cancelled because of an equipment issue?

She would have performed her numbers then and there.

Whatever happened to professionalism?

Perhaps, R475, considering how much shit is constantly shoveled onto Broadway: is it any surprise that starring in 3 major hits leads to massive stardom?

[quote]I bet she will be terrific in that small performing space, [R460].

Years ago, I bought a ticket so see Audra McDonald perform at a fundraiser for the Cleveland Orchestra. The space was a very intimate theater, maybe 300 seats. On the small stage, there was a grand piano, a stool, and a microphone. The show was about to begin when, over the PA came the announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, due to illness, Ms. McDonald will be unable to perform. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Ms. Patti LuPone." She came out and sang a beautiful recital, never needing to project to the back of the theater. Just an intimate evening with her, a piano, and a mic. Magic and memorable; much more so than if it had been in a large theater.

Show me the Clit of Bernadette!

R488,, WHET Bayn Johnson the original Curley McDimple?

R489, Actually my great-aunt wanted to see Merman on a trip to New York. She got her ticket for Happy Hunting, and the show was indeed cancelled due to a technical problem. There was an issue with electricity in the theater, so lighting and other stuff was not working.

So she never saw Merman live.

There were far less automated scenery and lighting and sound and projection effects back then so technical difficulties were rarer.

r489 Oh do shut up

I was at the critics' performance of Les Miz, way back when. The computer wasn't working and every critic in NY was sitting there for an hour, waiting. Finally they got it to work. (I'm sure they were completely panicked, as the show was sold out for the previews and they didn't know how they'd get all those critics in otherwise.) Unfortunately, the show with the extra hour ran so long, that I couldn't wait for Valjean to finally die!

The New Group (shudder!) is doing a new play by Thomas Bradshaw (eek!) titled "The Seagull/Woodstock, NY." There are at least two huge red flags in just that info alone, but also, the "fight and intimacy director" for the show is David Anzuelo, who, in a previous New Group production, literally masturbated his erect penis onstage. (No, he didn't ejaculate, but yes, it was his actual penis, not a prosthetic.) Just FYI, so y'all can decide whether you want to buy tickets immediately or avoid this show like COVID. Oh yes, Parker Posey is also in the cast.

Poor Parker Posey.

First, famously snubbed for an Emmy for the Staircase and now this!

Thomas Bradshaw is a name everyone should avoid.

What has Bradshaw done before that was so reprehensible? HIs name is new to me, I think.

Everything Bradshaw has done has been reprehensible.

Ish he related to Clifford?

I rarely get to New York to see a show but recently got to see Kimberly Akimbo. I adored it. I was so thrilled to see something original and not based on a hit movie or a catalog of an artist's hit songs. I did wonder though, how do casts keep shows so fresh? I think every Broadway show I've ever seen feels like it is brand new. I've seen shows that have played for years and still felt this way. Has anyone ever felt like they saw a tired production?

A Strange Loop was a tired production from the start.

Barnum. I saw the original. Later in the run I second acted it. Come Follow the Band was so tired and sloppy I left. It was the same cast. They had no energy and couldn't care less. To be honest it is the only time I ever saw it that happen.

Last time I saw it a couple of years ago, Chicago with sagging pretty badly.

I'm surprised as well they couldn't do a concert performance of Merrily in such a tiny theater and with such a modest set. Everybody would have been happy and it would have made it all that much more a special occasion. Think The Cradle Will Rock where not only were they not allowed in their theater they weren't even allowed on the stage of the theater they went to and the composer sat at the piano and played the score. I wonder what technical problem prevented that from happening for Merrily.

The Twisted Accounts behind Gypsy: A Musical Fable

[quote]I'm surprised as well they couldn't do a concert performance of Merrily in such a tiny theater and with such a modest set. Everybody would have been happy and it would have made it all that much more a special occasion.

Why are some of you people "surprised" that they didn't do this or that when you have no idea what the specific problem was? What I heard was that, because of the cold, a pipe burst in one of the restrooms, and if that's true, I assume they were not legally allowed to keep an audience in the building for a full-length show without functioning restrooms. But even if that's NOT true, there's lots of other things that could have gone wrong that would have prevented them from doing "a concert performance."

I blame Maria Friedman. I always have.

Sunset Blvd did a performance in concert in front of the show curtain when the set malfunctioned one night. Glennie was Norma at the time.

People in show biz today are much too coddled. I mean the idea of an Eliza Dolittle not doing 8 shows a week would have been a you've got to be kidding situation. I saw Carol Vanness who had so badly injured her ankle she could not stand perform Vitellia in a wheelchair on the stage at the Met. Also I remember reading when I Love Lucy started there was no restroom for the women so the law said no audience was to be allowed in. Lucy said oh for God's sake the women can use my bathroom.

r510 that sucks. They should expand the bathrooms nonetheless, if possible. Idk if you can just put a portable potty outside w/o violating codes

The only part of the set that moves (I think) is the circle next to the door, they change to say City Hall etc (see below at 1 hr 1 min 17 sec). Dunno how the backdrops work.

It's still backwards.

r513 Just sounds like people in showbiz back then were more easily taken advantage of by producers.

[quote] Just sounds like people in showbiz back then were more easily taken advantage of by producers.

People sure like to think that people who came before them were somehow stupider. A strong work ethic and a feeling of responsibility to audiences doesn't equate being 'taken advantage of'

PS sure, a 9-show holiday week is a beast but does anyone here actually know if that sort of thing was done back then? I think of it as a newer money-grubbing move, and I don't blame actors for having an 'out' for a performance in a 9-show week.

[quote]People sure like to think that people who came before them were somehow stupider

Given how many old people watch Fox News...yeah.

[quote]A strong work ethic

You should show an employer the exact same amount of loyalty that that employer would show you.

[quote]a feeling of responsibility to audiences

They can get their money back and re-book. The idea people should put their health at risk by performing when unwell, or with an unreliable piece of stage equipment because they owe it to the audience is fucking stupid.

Happy 70th birthday Tovah!!!

R510, Please shut up.

[quote]What has Bradshaw done before that was so reprehensible? HIs name is new to me, I think.

Nazi incest, a 65yo gay couple banging their 14yo son, a black dude arguing on the phone with an ginormous hardon, just to name a few things.

He's into shock for shock's sake, which becomes infinitely more interesting than his writing.

The issue at Merrily was apparently with the soundboard. So, no, a concert version wouldn't have been possible.

the theater is tiny. The could have grabbed a piano and sang without microphones and it would have been thrilling. What a fucking joke...

r524 You really must be an idiot if you think they could've just done that with zero rehearsal time to adapt to singing at the volume needed for that

That would have been cool. A tiny theater, a piano and acoustic. Like anybody today could do that! They'd have to bring Nora Bayes back from the dead. And she would have been like I don't sing in closets!

Take me out to the bawl game…

Hey kids, let's put on a show!

At the top of Franklin Shepard, Franklin acknowledges Mary lost weight and she confirms 170 pounds.

Some productions (not NYTW) have her in a fat suit for That Frank. So, is it a wink at her losing the fat suit, which no longer makes any sense? Or is Mary supposed to be 300+ pounds in the numbers where they’re younger?

In the bygone Broadway days of yore, they wouldn’t have needed amplification for a 200-seat auditorium.

Amplification at that scale annoys the fuck out of me.

Patti LuPone would have done the show without mics. Just saying

R529, that is a joke about Mary breaking up with a guy, not her losing weight.

Well, with Lindsay Mendez playing the role, can you blame us for confusing it?

Thank you, R532. That line has nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not Mary is depicted as being heavy at the start of the show and thinner as time moves backwards for the characters.

Whoever brought this up is probably also one of those who SIMPLY CAN"T UNDERSTAND why the show at NYTW was canceled last night.

Take Me Out to the Ballgown

Sporty Formal Wear

Mary does refer to herself as “drunk, fat and finished” in the opening party scene.

r532 omg I’m so embarrassed hahaha thank you!

Get off my lawn

For all the justiable grumbling about Broadway performers' questionable work ethic, I think a concussion is a legitimate reason to miss shows.

I hope Brightman is okay. He's a wonderful performer and has always seemed very committed to this show.

Alex Brightman has shown his dick.

Brightman is sexy as hell, even with the extra pudge.

I guess a concussion can be seen as a possible excuse. As long as it isn't used too often.

That's what he gets for not wearing an Ann Miller wig.

r541

wha?? where?

The grosses are out for this week and they are pretty bad for everyone not named Hugh or Lea

[quote]hey'd have to bring Nora Bayes back from the dead.

Nora who?

Blossom!

Have any of you defending MERRILY actually been to NYTW? It's tiny! The cast could have at least sung a few numbers unamplified for the audience who will not be able to re-book The show's run is mostly sold out

At the very least the audience should have been told specifically what went wrong "technically." Very badly handled by management.

This is why some people are not throwing away their money for shows that may or may not happen.

'Hey Blossom we've got to cancel the performance. The soundboard is on the fritz.'

'Fuck the soundboard! They're paying to hear me! And they'll hear me in Yonkers!'

You know that song from Frozen, r549?

R547, it wain a film about 3-4 years ago. Just Google "alex xBrightman nude" and they have a lot of screenshots. Semi-thick, but not too long,

r25 A strange loop is filming today

[quote]What has Bradshaw done before that was so reprehensible?

Well, she was simply awful to that nice Aiden.

Lypsinka break!

Artistic director of a Kansas City children's theatre just killed himself over sexual abuse allegations.

I miss Lypsinka!

‘More on sexual abuse’. Only the fucking NY Post

Can we get back to the Merrily cast and what a bunch of lazy, spoiled, pampered. and unprofessional actors they are?

No thanks.

[quote]Manning went on to recount how Church allegedly assaulted him at the director’s home during a party after the production of “Dinosaurs.” “I found myself pushed back on the bed, his mouth was on my body parts, my clothing seemed to disappear, and very quickly the director had penetrated me,” he wrote. “It felt like my body was being used. How did this happen?” Manning said,

I guess it's too much to ask for this accuser to have offered some explanation of why, as A FULLY GROWN ADULT MALE AT AGE 27, he wasn't physically able to rebuff Church's assault.

'his mouth was on my body parts, my clothing seemed to disappear, and very quickly the director had penetrated me'

This guy has got to be kidding.

Everything but the bloodhounds...

It can't be too much longer for Ohio State Murders, can it?

Surprise anal personified

[quote]It can't be too much longer for Ohio State Murders, can it?

I thought it was announced as a limited run, but I guess I was wrong about that. Of course, it may turn out to be severely limited anyway.

I figure I should see Ohio State Murders. Am I assuming correctly that there are tons of discounted tickets everywhere?

That documentary “Broadway Rising” is streaming and is god awful. My friend and I ended up talking through the last 20 minutes of it. Painfully boring and completely disjointed. Terribly produced.

I still love R524 's idea that someone could just grab an acoustic piano somewhere and carry it over to NYTW to on stage.

I love the idea that NYTW might have communicated with the patrons. They still haven’t said a word or offered refunds.

Groff plays a piano on stage in the later numbers

If Ohio State Murders closes before its anticipated date in February, it would be the fifth premature or early closure of the season, the others being Walking with Ghosts, KPOP, Ain't No Mo' and Almost Famous.

RIP Jason Raize. What a talent. First Simba in The Lion King Broadway, but closeted and ultimately suicide shortly after this performance at an Elton bc/efa concert at New Amsterdam (as it was called in 1998). Brilliant performance!

Isn’t it still called the New Amsterdam?

It’s the Tonya Pinkins now, R574.

Or the Pinks, by those in the know.

r570 Other people who were there have said they were told they'd be refunded, get comps to another NYTW production and have priority booking for the Broadway transfer.

[r573] the closet kills. Sad story. To have such success and yet can’t enjoy any of it!

Interesting, r572, but I haven’t received any communications. Coincidentally, I was supposed to see Company on the same date in 2021. It was cancelled also, but LuPone identified the virus responsible and included her toilet as a reference.

Even with priority booking, seeing the show on Broadway will be more expensive. NYTW had the audience on the street or crammed into the lobby for 30 minutes, then sitting in the theater for another hour. The Q&A was nice, but NYTW didn’t miss the opportunity to close on a bad note by having a surly employee insist it needed to end.

Anybody who watches the Sondheim concert on BBC2 on Saturday night via a VPN is worse than Hitler.

[Quote] RIP Jason Raize. What a talent. First Simba in The Lion King Broadway, but closeted and ultimately suicide shortly after this performance at an Elton bc/efa concert at New Amsterdam (as it was called in 1998).

Also RIP John Wilkes Booth. Died after unfortunate incident with President Lincoln. What a performer.

WTF 573?

New thread dread is real.

Come on over to the SLIH thread, r582. More dishy and fun.

Because theaters can never possibly, I mean really in a million years have a rented piano delivered to them. I mean in NY it must take weeks to rent one. And when was the sound check done. 30 seconds before curtain up?

R584, don't be ridiculous. Oops, too late....

And the musical director probably couldn't play one.

[quote]'his mouth was on my body parts, my clothing seemed to disappear, and very quickly the director had penetrated me'

What was Olivia Benson's reply?

Someone send this thread to hell already.

Oleebia, r587.

R579, you are right. Instead of taking the time to fix the soundboard issue, they should have just called it.

I mean, even if they did fix it after an hour, the overtime expenses would have been exorbitant. How stupid of them to be willing to swallow the costs for the sake of satisfying customers.

Good point, R579.

Here's another example of why people aren't buying theater tickets. You pay a lot to see a great play like "Death of a Salesman" and because the theater must sell booze to the audience, they're getting drunker and more ugly to be with, and then you deal with shit like this.

[quote]Another audience member in a tweet shared, "The woman in question was seated in the front row, just a few seats from us, & during the 1st act was talking loudly, seemingly intoxicated. When ushers intervened at intermission, it became a public spectacle during Act 2, interrupting the show."

Well, when the ushers "intervened at intermission," why the FUCK didn't they escort the woman out of the theater at that point and give her a refund if necessary? Are the house staffs at Broadway shows good for anything?

R593. They didn't escort her out at intermission because they were probably afraid of being called bullies, racists or she could possibly have pulled out a gun and shot them. Far fetched? Not today my dear.

r579 So in other words you're just going to find something to whine about no matter what

Understood, R594. But if they called the police to help them get the woman out of the theater AFTER she disrupted the opening of Act II, they would have been much better off doing the same thing during intermission. And based on the reports of her behavior during Act I, that would have been entirely justified.

R595, I’ll be fine. However,, a refund is not the same as a replacement. With Company, I ended up paying $200 more for the replacement tickets. Merrily will probably also cost me about the same for Broadway prices. Do you consider that a fair exchange?

R518 the part that no one who complains about a nine-show week tells is that the AEA rule is that a short week (a seven-show week) either precedes or follows it. So it averages out; sixteen performances in two weeks, just as if there had been two standard eight-show weeks.

The thinking being that instead of playing two standard eight-show weeks, when there are holidays, you add a performance in one week (to make nine) and lose a performance the following week (to make seven) to create a larger block of off time for the holiday in question.

Failing that, if a ninth show is added to an eight-show week without losing a show in another week, in a unionized show, it has to be approved by AEA and there's absolutely extra compensation at an overtime rate.

And you can never work more than ten days in a row without a full day off, or daylight day of rest plus overtime (for the work hours to do a single performance), depending on the contract.

You can never have more than two double-show days in a row. It can be pretty intense for actors and for crew (especially wardrobe), with a dance show, to do a touristy schedule of Friday night, two Saturday, two Sunday, as you're doing the show five times in a little over two days/50 hours.

And you cannot call rehearsal during the daytime on the day after a day off. First call is half-hour for the first show of that day. A schedule that doesn't abide by this has to be approved by AEA in advance and will cost a producer some $ in premiums. Sometimes the cast gets to vote on whether they accept the amended schedule or not, especially on smaller contracts.

R597, in my opinion, if a performance is canceled, they should give you a replacement ticket for another performance without charging you a penny extra, even if the show moves to Broadway in the interim. I'm a bit surprised if they don't do this as a matter of course.

It's still backwards.