THEATRE GOSSIP #514: Come Back to the Five and Dime, Megan Hilty, Megan Hilty

Previous thread

Megan Hilty IS Betty Boop!

"Dick Kallman " is a great name for a professional escort.

So-legit- who is playing Fanny on the tour of Funny Girl and who is playing Bobbi/Joanne in the Company tour?

Folks, can we finish the old thread? Only a few more replies to plop in.....

What's playin' at the Rialto?

SHUCKED!

DANCIN'!

SWEENEY!

NEW YORK NEW YORK!

PAL JOEY?

BOMBSHELL!!!

These ENDLESS Theater Trolling Threads are tiresome. The troll needs to be shot in the head for the good of us all. Destroy Broadway much?

As others confirmed in the last thread, CORNELIA STREET sounds godawful. The NYT review is quite bad, but the reader comments are worse: apparently people are leaving in droves at intermission.

Yes, that's the director's daughter in a lead role opposite Norbert in the photo. I love that the reviewers are calling this out.

Nepo baby....

There was a tour guide on a trip to Mexico I once went on named Pepe. One of the old ladies kept called him "Peepee".

I was so eager to see the new play THE WANDERERS with Katie Holmes at the Roundabout's Laura Pels as I'd read lots of good chat about it. But what a disappointment! Another millennial navel-gazing play about nothing, And so talky, talky, talky, the 2 intermissionless hours felt like 4.

Katie is well-cast as a seductive pseudo-intellectual movie star but doesn't really have the sense of comedic style to carry it off. The other 4 actors are actually quite good, though Sarah Cooper, the comedienne who brilliantly did all those hilarious videos where she'd mime to Trump's voice, was a little drearier than I would have expected of her.

Why are all these new American plays so small and insignificant? Attention must be paid!

The director's daughter isn't nearly as bad as the other "ingenue" with the lazy eye and the hideous singing voice. She almost looks mentally challenged, but hey, she survived Neil Pepe.

I find a lot of new American plays overly earnest and dreary, dreary, dreary.

Exactly my thoughts, r13.

With all the horrors that are going on in the world and especially right here in the US, where are the new Tony Kushners? These new writers just seem obsessed with their awful 1990s childhoods.

Agreed, R14. But where is the OLD Tony Kushner? Why isn't he writing more great new plays?

Have we lost him to Hollywood screenwriting forever? I admire his talent, but frankly, I don't really like his movie writing very much.

I'd kill for an actually funny stage comedy.

Kallman's murderer Charles Grosso was released from prison three years ago. He's an actor and writer. He should have died behind bars.

If only there were more musicals done on roller skates.

There seem to be lots of places for young writers to go develop their craft as "serious playwrights."

But can anyone teach you to write funny? And don't all those writers run off to write sitcoms?

I'm sure Jane and Andrea would *love* to don their skates again, r18.

Dick Kallmann gossip. that luxurious full head of hair he was sporting in the mid '70s photos was real, no plugs or toupee for dickie boy even in his mid '40s.

Anyone going to Chita's tribute next week? The producing of it seems challenged. Zero advertising and a talented but not terribly A-list lineup has resulted in low sales. And why watch other people do her numbers when she's still capable?

Is anyone going to London to see the limited run of Old Friends with Bernadette and Lea Salonga?

[quote]And why watch other people do her numbers when she's still capable?

Bless your heart, r22.

Watching this...

Broadway's newest bombshell!

We need a new musical with

A dream ballet

A freewheeling patio number

A rousing up tempo cakewalk

Dozens of chorus boys in jockstraps

A faded movie glamour queen who reignites her career in the lead

A coup de theatre right before intermission

Who can provide us with such an entertainment?

How has Lillias White been? Her voice sounded rough in a promo for her Chicago stint last year. Is she still in Hadestown? Can she still do her runs or is the voice getting ragged?

The company that prints (printed?) Broadway souvenir programs is called Dewynthers - are they still operating out of New York? Or do they only have offices now in London?

It seems like only London but I can't find any articles saying when or if they closed up shop in NY...

r29 Dewynters, and no, the same parent company bought SpotCo back in 2008 and it seems to have taken over Dewynter's US operations, as the footer of the SpotCo site links to Dewynters as their British sister company.

Tony Kushner apparently had ONE great work (or two if you count them as two plays) in him.

He hasn't produced a new play for 15 years....been too busy churning out crap for Spielberg.

And, he's 66. Unless he announces he's going back to writing for the theater full time, it's very unlikely he's gonna whip out anything comparable to "Angels in America" before he's gone.

He really was a major disappointment.

The trend I'm seeing is fucking actors thinking they're playwrights and whipping up some really shitty plays in about three months and calling them ready for a "world premiere".

And, the shows are all slight. Frequently about some boring trauma in their life. ALWAYS one act even if it's two hours long.

Starstruck - is it a stage piece that "celebrates" Gene Kelly's work or is it a filmed work? If it's filmed, the creators missed the point and have edited the dancing, ruining the way Kelly was filmed.

Edit, edit, edit, quick-cut, quick-cut, quick-cut - exhausting.

[quote]The trend I'm seeing is fucking actors

Pics please.

Luxuriant, r21. Please.

Will Bernadette be singing Imelda's number from GYPSY?

As long as Imelda isn't singing it....

So wait: Titus's Burgess and Randy Rainbow = instagram official??

R38, now THAT’S a pair made in DL Heaven! Titus has such a messy mussy!

Imelda sounded better at the Sondheim concert than Bernie.

If Titus and Randy marry, Eddie Murphy should officiate.

When two bottoms share a passion......

"Double Headed Dildo"

The song that Sondheim forgot to write.......

[R31] what are you on about? Ever hear of Caroline, or Change?

The recent revival of Caroline, or Change made it very clear that it is less than a stellar work.

Lots of freaking out on the street. Most of the upcoming Spring musicals have absolutely no advance.

r33...

[quote]One of the first choreographers to bring the ‘American style’ to Europe, the legendary Gene Kelly was invited to create an original work for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960. His jazzy, joyful Pas de Dieux was highly acclaimed at the time but has been rarely performed since. The Scottish Ballet has lovingly revived the original ballet and added a delightful new twist.

Jason Alexander Sets Broadway Directing Debut With ‘The Cottage’ Starring Eric McCormack, Laura Bell Bundy & Lilli Cooper:

Another season, another Lili Cooper flop show.

I read the Dick Kallman book over the past couple days. Fun, quick read, and very insidery. The only part that I thought didn't work was the character of Devin, who felt like he was written by another person. I didn't buy his and Matt's relationship, I hated how the author made him sound like an idiot, with "Papi," coming out of his mouth every sentence as if he was being paid for its use. But it's a small issue comparatively. Definitely recommend it.

Well I finished Up With the Sun last night and it was okay. I liked it and the author certainly seemed to capture the personalities of Carole Cook and Dolores Gray.

However my favorite part was the description of the author's one sexual interlude with Kallman:

".....he pulled my hair and called me 'good little cocksucker' ..... after he pulled up his pants...."

R49 Yes, Devin seemed more contemporary than Matt would be circa early 80s.

It was an interesting read though after a time I just wanted to slap Dick viciously (and Dolores, too).

I wanted the rough detective to share his sizemeat with one of the characters. Ah, well.

I’m surprised by the lack of excitement for the rest of the season as well. Even New York New York has NO buzz with no-names as the leads and the videos of them singing have no wow factor. I agree that shows should have a diverse cast…but they should be wows…not “eh”

Was it Audra as Mame or Audra as Madame Rose being discussed before?

I heard New York, New York is capitalized at $25 million.

I'm seeing the SHUCKED ads everywhere. They must have some money....

Good for Shucked for giving it a go. I'm tired of shows coming in quiet and disappearing as quietly and then being surprised.

Agree about Devin: former hustler who is also a great amateur policeman and caretaker. Too perfect to be credible.

hooker with a heart of gold

Will Ryan Murphy option this? Hannah Waddingham for Dolores?

Did anyone see "The Seagull" in London directed by Jamie Lloyd?

Playbill is all abuzz about RIDE THE CYCLONE!

Is disability the new black?

R31 How can creating one of the great plays of the 20th Century be considered a disappointment? If he never wrote another word, he'd still have THAT play. What have you accomplished?

R63 It is rather flawed.

Its flaws only make it more fascinating IMHO.

I don't think the Dick Kallman book would make a good movie or limited series. If "Hollywood" couldn't get viewers, then this thing wouldn't draw flies. It's a fun read, but it would not translate well to film because the thing that makes it a fun read is all the tiny detail that would be shorn away in an adaptation.

Kushner said ten years ago, "I don’t think I can support myself as a playwright at this point. I don’t think anybody does. I’m developing a series for HBO .”

Tribute to Cheets scheduled for Monday has been postponed. Hope she's ok.

No one was buying tickets.

Wasn't "Hollywood" dreadful? And it was cast with nonactors like Laura Harrier.

R68, although a "scheduling conflict" was blamed, I strongly suspect the "postponement" was solely due to poor ticket sales. This event was only announced about a week ago, and it was scheduled for this coming Monday. That's probably one big reason why it wasn't selling.

Does anyone know if Simon Stephens, the writer of the dreaded CORNELIA STREET at the Atlantic Theatre Co. is the same Simon Stephens as the director PHAEDRA with Janet McTeer at London's National Theatre?

I'm seeing PHAEDRA next month and curious. Doesn't seem like he could have been those 2 places at once as PHAEDRA recently opened, too. But you never know.

Yes, R72, it's the same person.

We need a revival of “Your Arms Too Short To Box With God.”

What about Simply Heavenly?

[quote] I don't think the Dick Kallman book would make a good movie or limited series. If "Hollywood" couldn't get viewers, then this thing wouldn't draw flies. It's a fun read, but it would not translate well to film because the thing that makes it a fun read is all the tiny detail that would be shorn away in an adaptation.

All depends on casting.

How does it depend on casting when the issue lies in the storytelling?

It could be a fun project for the screen. But imagine trying to explain who Dolores Gray is to a Gen Z audience. I'm over 50 and most of my peers have no idea.

She was starving in SHERRY!.

I want this to flop so badly. (Sorry, cast, some of whom I like, but you're better than this trash.)

Just saw a pic of Michael Arden on social media. When did he become so....large?

Lili Cooper is the Queen of Meh.

So now there are two Britney type shows on Broadway? Jesus...It's like the wild party year...

Yes, but unlike both WILD PARTIES, & JULIET is actually selling tickets.

I have my doubts about this second Britney show.

Chits tribute was likely cancelled because the ticket prices were obscenely high and as such, no one was buying them. I love Rivera, but it's kooky to think she's going to be moving $500-$2000 seats to this ho-hum affair.

That Justin Guarini's nosejob is hideous.

Do any of you plan on seeing LETTERS FROM MAX or A BRIGHT NEW BOISE? Please report back.

I try to keep up with new plays but I don't want to be bored senseless, either.

Speaking of Hannah Waddingham if this rumor is true that The Devil Wears Prada will resurface in London with Jerry Mitchell directing then I should think she’ll end up as Miranda.

Does she not have TV rods in the fire?

No, that's just her penis.

Sheridan Smith probably would have made something of the AnnE role but she's aged out, I guess.

The 41-year-old? Yeeeeaaahhh.

I can't believe they think PRADA is worth saving. It was a bad idea poorly executed then, and... now?

Well, Legally Blonde found an audience in London, so they likely hope Jerry Mitchell will do it again.

Hannah would be perfect casting. Sheridan is starring in Shirley Valentine right now. Could she pull off Miranda? Hmmmmmm. She did work with Mitchell in Legally Bland.

As much as I do like Beth Leavel, Hannah Waddingham would be much better casting as Miranda. But without a great deal of re-writes, it's not like the show will be any good.

I saw & Juliet last week, I'm only 35 and it made me feel very old. Is this how everyone else felt when songs from their teen years started popping up in jukebox musicals? The performances were good and it does its job as a fun "party" show, but it made me dread what's to come in the next 5-10 years on Broadway.

[Quote] I'm only 35

What are you doing here?

DWP might stand a chance if they throw out the book and persuade Paul Rudnick to come back.

Oh yeah, Paul Rudnick, that great maker of hit musicals.

I really would hope that Hannah Waddingham is getting better offers these days than warmed-over DWP.

[quote] I don't think the Dick Kallman book would make a good movie or limited series. If "Hollywood" couldn't get viewers, then this thing wouldn't draw flies. It's a fun read, but it would not translate well to film because the thing that makes it a fun read is all the tiny detail that would be shorn away in an adaptation.

The issue with Hollywood is that Ryan fucking Murphy had his grubby mitts on it. This could be good with the right people in charge.

I keep hoping Meghan Hilty will do a revival of Blood Brothers. I know it doesn’t play well in the US, but I like the show.*

*Except when the Marilyn Monroe motif goes one step too far and the mother compares her druggy jailbird son to Marilyn.

Do we know what Sutton Foster has next on her schedule?

I really want to see her in a big splashy Broadway show, but from what everyone was saying, Music Man was not the best fit for her, so I skipped it. I hope she's got something awesome lined up...though I'd expect she'd want a bit of a rest now, after a year on the boards.

...I hate how, because of lifespans of people and musicals, the Great Performers only really have 5 or 6 big successful shows if they're extremely lucky. Most have 2 or 3...and they can play for years on end.

Sutton's had 3 great triumphs in Millie, Drowsy Chaperone and Anything Goes...that's pretty incredible. I hope there's another one in store.

Three hits in 25 years is not impressive.

I had no idea Claudia McNeil could sing. She’s really good in that one cut.

[quote] Imelda sounded better at the Sondheim concert than Bernie.

But she didn’t have half Bernie’s star quality.

Imelda always comes across as that angry PTA mom that can carry a tune during community theatre auditions and gets a big part.

Bernadette, though her voice isn’t what it was, is a STAR!

R103 she's getting a bit long in the tooth.

Who's going to write this big splashy hit musical for Sutton? JRB? Pasek and Paul? Shaiman/Wittman? LMM? Frankel and Korie (they seem to be busy with the Kathleen Battle show)? The well is pretty dry.

Bernadette's voice never was.

LMM writing for Sutton LOL.

Sutton Foster

IS

Betsy Ross!

What Bernadette always has had is giant breasts.

The Kathleen Battle show?

[quote]she's getting a bit long in the tooth

As an existential aside, I am 68 and have not noticed my teeth getting any longer.

Sutton F is 47. What sort of older lady roles is she right for? Could she ever play MAME?

Could Sutton ever play Miranda P in a (hopefully, revised for the better version of) PRADA? She can be very funny. I just don't know if she can do "arch/bitchy" as required. (I like Beth Leavel, but she's not really Miranda, either.)

I think she made some major bank with her TV series. YOUNGER ran for 7 seasons. She's not hurting for money.

She made millions in the last year.

She's fit AND she's firm! Chrissy Metz IS FANNY BRICE!

A Bright New Boise, even though it's an early Samuel Hunter work, is a really good play in a really great production. The cast is impeccable. They tell you on the way in it's 90 minutes with no intermission, but it's closer to two hours. No matter. It's fascinating. Damaged people fucked up by religion, a familiar Samuel Hunter topic.

Sutton's ANYTHING GOES may have been a hit, but I would hardly describe that show as an artistic triumph for her. She was SO miscast.

Emily Skinner should have a much bigger career. That's all.

[quote]They tell you on the way in it's 90 minutes with no intermission, but it's closer to two hours.

I've noticed this more and more lately—producers lying about the length of shows and trimming 15 or so minutes from what they publicize as the runtime. It's annoying.

Oh please. Emily Skinner plays every role like she's auditioning for Annie Get Your Gun. Too bad she never played the role In NY.

From The Time's review of "Prince of Broadway": And Ms. Skinner (of the original “Side Show”) delivers such an electrifying and individual take on “The Ladies Who Lunch” that every casting director in town should make a point of seeing it.

Emily Skinner is in the same boat as Julia Murney. Capable. Talented. Unique. Non stars.

Stephanie Block was a former member but the Cher show of all things took her out of it.

What is “The Prince of Broadway”?

[QUOTE] Imelda always comes across as that angry PTA mom that can carry a tune during community theatre auditions and gets a big part.

I’m getting tired of hearing this. Imelda found so many incredible moments in the National’s “Follies” (which I saw live, not the TV version most of you haters use to judge that performance). She was absolutely devastating at the end of the show. And her “Too Many Mornings” was beautiful. Leave Imelda alone.

For r125.

Imelda's popping eyeballs and clacking dentures are too distracting to me.

Her Neely O'Hara hands don't help either.

I would love to leave her alone but she keeps getting foisted upon us.

R124. Both Murney and Block push too hard and are pretty bland. Same with Kelli O'Hara. I wouldn't include Skinner in that group. She's been a standout in every show she's been in.

I'm so tired of the excuse about Imelda "Oh, you HAD to see her LIVE." Unless we sat at the back of the Acropolis to watch her perform, she would still come across as a desperate, mugging screecher. She is HORRIBLE on stage.

[quote] Stephanie Block was a former member but the Cher show of all things took her out of it.

Ha, but yeah, I kind of agree. She's let down a brick wall somewhere and it shows.

Prince of Broadway really should have taken Skinner out of it too. She really showed range in it. Before that I wasn't a big fan. She was horrible playing the Harlow role in Dinner at Eight years ago.

[quote] Imelda always comes across as that angry PTA mom that can carry a tune during community theatre auditions and gets a big part.

Disagree about BRIGHT NEW BOISE. Aside from the big bomb drop in scene one, the whole play goes nowhere.

I saw Stephanie in the Into the Woods revival and I found her totally winning in the role. She was a very pleasant surprise for me

Sondheim stating his limits to Austin Tichenor. The explanatory caption from The Sondheim Review is eye-roll inducing itself.

Emily Skinner also has a very good soprano range, as well as being a very good belter. She's can also be funny; she was hilarious opposite Brian D'Arcy James Encores production of "Pardon My English" as a East European with a distinctive accent opposite D'arcy James who keeps getting bopped in the head and switching personalities and accents.

Has Audra had a long run in her shows, including her Tony winners? Many times there weren't that many shows open that had people she (or other nowadays compete against). Aaron Tveit compete against himself (yes, he gets the award, no, he doesn't) when he won -- there weren't others deemed acceptable in that category, while in the early 1980s they eliminated categories, so Leilani Jones, above the title, was given Featured rather than Leading for "Grind".

Huh?

Audra won a few times without much competition -- there weren't as many shows open those years that produced potential nominees. Same with Leilani Jones and Aaron Tveit.

Leilani Jones also won because she was a lead shoved into the Featured category because they did away with lead categories that year due to lack of nominees.

What's next for Lea? Chess? Fiddler? TPOS? (Sadly, Jerome Robbins' Broadway will likely never be revived.)

Linda Leilani Jones?

Lea Michele and Lea Salonga could team up for something.

Could Lea play Florence in Chess? No one wants Lena Hall back.

LeeAh/LayAh

All the better for a Lucy X, Jessy Y rhyming scheme. But Sondheim unfortunately isn't around to do it.

or Jessie, that is.

I love Bernie.

Watching her in Follies - a thrill - made it clear her voice was on the outs. She sounded hoarse and couldn't quite make the seamless switch into head voice.

I really hate that people who work their whole lives to get better as vocal artists are undone by aging so quickly. What's happened to Betty Buckley's instrument is tragic. We'll never see her in another musical. And from the clips of her in Hello Dolly, she sounded like a completely different person.

Imelda fucking sucks, I'm sorry. She's a garden gnome with middling ability. I don't her near any more musicals or concerts about musicals, ever, thank you. I'd rather listen to Glenn Close and Hugh Jackman.

(okay, I wouldn't actually, but you get my point.)

Nonsense. Imelda has a solid singing technique. Her tone is not shrill or screechy.

How long since you lost your hearing, dear?

The irony, when you're defending Bernadette Peters, who never had any singing technique; hence "See Me on a Monday."

If you're talking about me, R150, you're talking to the wrong person. I've never discussed Peters on here. (Or at least in this particular conversation.)

I understand criticism of Imelda's acting choices. But her singing is not hard on the ears. Hugh Jackman? Yes, absolutely. Not Imelda.

Imelda has another musical in her future, set to star in a new West End "Hello, Dolly!" in 2024.

Was there any interest in doing a TV "Hello, Dolly!" with Bette?

Put on your Maundy clothes.

Billie Porter did ever better than that one ever did, but with Beanie?

R61 Ride the Cyclone is great. Very funny and a fantastic score. Saw it twice, even better the second time.

Is Esmerelda playing Cornelius Cankles?

Lea out of FG tonite and her vacation starts on Sunday. Glad she was well enough to attend multiple shows at Fashion Week over the past few days.

I liked Imelda in 'Follies' but in every other musical she's been in she's just so relentlessly "ON" that it's off-putting. I cannot imagine what her Dolly Levi will be like.

Lea is about to steal Audra's crown as Part Time Actress, Full Time Diva!

But Audra never shit in anyone's wig.....

Why did "Ride the Cyclone" flop in New York? For anyone who saw it, was it a poor production?

[quote]I really hate that people who work their whole lives to get better as vocal artists are undone by aging so quickly. What's happened to Betty Buckley's instrument is tragic. We'll never see her in another musical. And from the clips of her in Hello Dolly, she sounded like a completely different person.

Why do you say "so quickly?" As far as I know, Betty's voice didn't start to fall apart until she was well past middle age; I seem to recall that she still sounded fine in TRIUMPH OF LOVE. Same for Bernadette, although she always had the other issue of inconsistent singing quality from one performance to the next, but that's not what we're talking about here.

I saw this current production of RIDE THE CYCLONE when it was done at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton last year. I HATED IT! It's the kind of show where each of 6 or 7 actors is given 15 or 20 minutes to tell their background story (each actor plays a high school kid thrown to their death from a carnival ride) and there was the inevitable torture of sitting there knowing how many more stories I'd have to endure before it was mercifully over. Only high point was when the Ukrainian (!) transfer student whipped his shirt off.

It was pretty clear to me why it wasn't a success off-Broadway.

What could Bernie Peters and Bernie Sanders star in together?

He's only 7 years older than she is.

[quote]What could Bernie Peters and Bernie Sanders star in together?

Weekend at Bernies'

R186 The Musical!

oops I meant R166

Watching Law & Order on the Paramount network and Daniel Sunjata is playing the accused with John Benjamin Hickey as his attorney. I think this was probably one of Sunjata’s first TV appearances, I would guess around 1999 or 2000.

Morgan Fairchild wasn't really good looking, was she. That nose job almost gave her a shark fin in the middle of her face.

Daniel Sunjata is a gorgeous man. It’s tragic he wasn’t gay/bisexual and it’s tragic his career floundered

He's a no good baby daddy, according to LSA.

Is it really "tragic" if an actor who's gorgeous but has very limited talent ends up having a mediocre career?

Sunjata was fine and looked great in the original "Take Me Out", but aside, from his physical allure when looking down at nether region, Jesse Williams actually was better in the role acting-wise. Sunjata was a bit too matter of fact in the role.

R165-"Sunset Boulevard" or "Same Time, Next Year".

R174-Well, he's fucking bald now.

[quote] What could Bernie Peters and Bernie Sanders star in together?

The Gin Game

For my money Daniel Sunjata nailed the youth, naivete and dopey-ness of Darrell Lemming in TAKE ME OUT in a way that made the play work so much better than Jesse Williams and the revival. Williams seemed far too sophisticated and knowing. And ultimately not as sympathetic as Sunjata.

Now, I'll readily admit that may have simply been because Sunjata actually possessed all those traits in real life and was playing himself. But I'm happy to blame all that on director Scott Ellis, who didn't get the character and who is no Joe Mantello.

[quote]For my money Daniel Sunjata nailed the youth, naivete and dopey-ness of Darrell Lemming in TAKE ME OUT in a way that made the play work so much better than Jesse Williams and the revival. Williams seemed far too sophisticated and knowing. And ultimately not as sympathetic as Sunjata.

The character is young, but I don't think he's meant to be naive and/or dopey. I thought Sunjata's performance was so casual and low-key -- so matter-of-fact, as R174 put it -- that it seemed the stakes for the character were very low, when of course the reality is that they are sky high. R178, I don't think he understood the character any better than you do.

So, yes, I thought he was pretty bad in the role -- though maybe not quite so bad as he was in that production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS.

Sunjata shaved his head for a role. He still looks very good.

Has he ever shaved his hole?

Bernie Sanders and Bernie Peters in a musical version of The Gin Game could at least have a freewheeling porch number

Gin! to be produced at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London in autumn 2025, starring Imelda Staunton and Andre De Shields.

[Quote]Even New York New York has NO buzz with no-names as the leads and the videos of them singing have no wow factor. I agree that shows should have a diverse cast…but they should be wows…not “eh”

Wow is that ever true. I know it is not fair to judge a show by a tv commercial.....but something should stand out. The casting was ridiculously 2023 and doesn't reflect reality then, or now. Most crucially, both leads were absolutely charmless and look interchangeable with the equally bland and charmless Some Like It Hot cast.

The last two years have brought us some of the most underwhelming performers to ever grace the musical stage. These ensembles are so competent and boring, just a soul gaggle of people more suited to an aerobics class, totally forgettable. The various universities that have programs that cater to musical theater are producing colossal bores with very little spark.

^ *soulless…

But should Sally Bowles be a good singer?

Daniel Sunjata should really transition to Gay-for-pay porn.

Is everyone ready for BAD CINDERELLA's first preview tonight?

[Quote] But should Sally Bowles be a good singer?

You tell me.

Sally Bowles as dyke.

[Quote] Sally Bowles as dyke.

I thought that was a given.

I like the Lana Cantrell performance. Whether or not Sally has a gorgeous voice, she should project show biz bravado and bluster, because that's who she is.

I find the "Sally shouldn't sing well" argument very tiresome. (I wouldn't choose to go to theatre to hear anyone sing poorly, any more than I want to watch them act poorly.)

Poor dear Lana couldn't move for shit but she had the right kind of voice for Sally. Dark, flinty. The performance seems rather thrown together.

Did Sunjata have a big dangler too? Or does Jesse outshine him in that department?

No. Tinymeat.

I'm a grower!

I loved Miss Vicki Frederick. Stunning Cassie and stood out in Dancin'.

She's no Johanna...

Has Vicki commented on the death of Raquel Welch?

Lea Michele and Michele Lee could team up for something

R184/R185 Broadway currently sucks, because talent and a strong work ethic are being deliberately ignored (and not celebrated nor rewarded) in order to hire people via diversity quotas who may not have the constitution for the job, which just produces mediocrity, as we have seen.

The same thing is happening in Hollywood -- diversity over skills and conscientiousness.

Woke Culture is killing the arts on top of stifling it via bowdlerization.

Could Michele Lee get away with playing '70s era Dolores Gray in this Dick Kallman piece?

I'm your Fanny today at 2

I remember that Sunjata had a nice sized sausage. And I saw it at the Donmar.

Who is LSA?

Much preferred Daniel Sunjata to Jesse Williams in TMO. Pretty much preferred everyone in the earlier version with the exception of Brandon J. Dirden.

Here it is, boys!

Everything about the original Take Me Out was better than the most recent Broadway production, except that there were bigger dicks in the new production.

I know you shouldn’t judge a show based on its curtain call but fuck does this look bad

Talk about a one-note samba...

Wouldn't you rather listen to it than talk about it, r210?

[quote]except that there were bigger dicks in the new production.

Well, apparently they have gotten 24% bigger since then.

Colton Ryan, who plays the male lead (or one of the major male roles) in NY, NY, is very good looking and has a great singing voice. I've enjoyed him in the few things in which I've seen him onstage and in film, so I have high hopes for him in the show based on that.

Are those brows tweezed?

Threaded

Colton Ryan is dreamy!

Who's his BF?

Sunjata and Eigenberg nude in the original TMO. And yes, this is better than the recent Williams version.

It's Kohl Sudduth and his low hangers that really made an impression.

[quote]But should Sally Bowles be a good singer?

No, she should make our ears bleed.

[quote]I know you shouldn’t judge a show based on its curtain call but fuck does this look bad.

I don't judge "Bad Cinderella" based on its curtain call. I judge it based on its stupid title.

Juit watching that clip at r217 reminds me how great Sunjata was in the original.

As a rule of thumb, the more elaborate the curtain call the shittier and dumber the musical.

The only exception to this rule is the recent stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro on London, where the curtain call was as smart and joyous and the rest of the show.

Almost Famous had a fantastic curtain call. Unfortunately, you had to sit through the show to get to it.

R209 Fuck.

You know, I can't help but feel like they could have done little more, you know?

Sunjata and Eigenberg are perfection in that clip. The revival didn't come close, except for Brandon Dirden's performance which was the one superior element. (and I'd bet Scott Ellis just stayed out of his way).

Goodness...

It was a kinder, stupider time.

More Sunjata in the original (the caption says with Eigenberg, but this is the Weller scene).

Vs the (lesser) Williams version

You'd think the play was a work of quality by all this back and forth.

To each their own, but these clips confirm my memory that Sunjata's performance in the original TMO was way too casual, as if the stakes for his character were very low, when of course they're incredibly high. It's not an inept performance, just very surfacey, with no depth or passion to it.

Why is New York, New York being turned into a musical? I've never made it all the way through the film without falling asleep.

It won't have that pace, r232. It's going to work much better on stage with the changes I assume they're making.

Isn't it a new story?

Yes.

Yes, it's a new story. So basically it's just an attempt to take advantage of existing IP--the well-known songs--like most other new musicals these days.

[quote] Deadline understands that the characters played by Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli in the 1977 film will not appear in the new iteration. Indeed, our reporting indicates that the new New York, New York will feature little of Scorsese’s storyline.

[quote]It will still be set in postwar 1946, but the focus will be about a city in recovery, plus the casting and story will be inclusive.

Thank god. I hated that movie's plot and main characters. Who beats up their pregnant wife in the car??

Not that I'm excited to see more of LMM. Like...enough already. I get that he "has cred" but he's not some genius.

LMM is so overrated...and popping u everywhere.

I would love LMM if only for the way he triggers so many DL-ers.

NY, NY is gonna flop. Hard.

It might, r240...

I hear NY, NY has too many characters and story arcs and Stro has no idea how to edit.

Jimmy Doyle and Francine Evans are the lead characters in both the screen and stage NY NY. Is it a completely new story or a REVISAL.

One week until Sweeney starts previews! Has the backstage drama alluded to on here calmed down?

It's difficult for New York, New York to be a "revisal" when it gas never been on Broadway.....or any legitimate theater at all.

Also, "inclusive" may please the woke social justice warriors on Twitter who do not buy tickets or get them for free as New York Times staff but it mean nothing to those who normally buy tickets.

The hard truth is NY NY flopped as a movie and even the main song wasn’t a a semi hit until Frank Sinatra sang it.

During the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the song became much more well known as commercials and sports events used it.

Outside of a niche gay audience though, nobody is that familiar with the film.

OF COURSE this will bomb on Broadway.

Thanks to whoever posted that Vicki Frederick clip. She should have been a huge star. She was far and away the best thing about that A CHORUS LINE movie debacle.

I am assuming she’s retired and/or married well? Sorry, I’m sure this has been discussed here before in one of the thousands of Broadway threads, but I would love to know.

Vicki started too late on screen.

[quote]Jimmy Doyle and Francine Evans are the lead characters in both the screen and stage NY NY. Is it a completely new story or a REVISAL.

My understanding is that the names have been retained but the story and characters are very different.

Why didn't they go with stars?

The film NY/NY may not be remembered, but the song is, and that’s the name recognition they’re paying for.

I think it’s a much better idea to keep the songs and throw out the story and characters than it would be to try to recreate that dreary film on stage.

It may be terrible, but it has the chance to be good. I’ll wait and see.

[Quote] It may be terrible, but it has the chance to be good.

Not with that bland, "inclusive" cast.

NY, NY might actually be decent and/or do well.

If the new songs are decent and mesh with the ones being re-used, and the story is compelling......

But lack of a decent story doesn't automatically doom a show. I could have farted out the cobweb thin premise of Mamma Mia while I was on the can.

Oh, didn’t realize Stroman is directing NY NY.

I personally think she completely sucks are a director. I try to avoid her shit

The last time I saw Sunjata on stage was in St Joan. He had gained a lot of weight

He was on Grey's Anatomy and faded so quickly into the woodwork there. He's nice to look at but whatever star quality is, he had the opposite - the camera did not seem to love him and nothing about his performance made the viewer want to know more.

I love the movie. It's beautifully shot and designed, has a knockout performance from Liza, and contains a musical sequence that really is one of cinema's great fever dreams—what's not to love?

You can, admittedly, sense Scorsese's cocaine bender bursting from every frame, but that just heightens the film's strange carnival charm.

Vicki married well. Very well. More than once. Last I heard she was living in Florida. Her Music and the Mirror is legendary because she started the number with her hair in a ponytail and during the dance it came loose as she whipped her head around. Bennett fucked her over and she left ACL to join Dancin'. I saw her when she moved into Ann Reinking tracks when Ann left to make All That Jazz and she was every bit as stunning.

And of course, she was the killer once on Murder, She Wrote, which is a true claim to fame.

Daniel Sunjata got labeled as a 9/11-truther for narrating the film Loose Change. I think that affected his career.

The upcoming Bway season looks like a complete bore. I have no desire to see anything

r260, it's a label he gave himself since he said he agreed with everything in the film and believed it was the truth.

Does Bway want/need a revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? The cast sounds promising.

I saw the original and I guess I liked it, but I have almost no memory of it

THE OUTSIDERS!

[quote]I’ll wait and see.

Said almost no one ever on Datalounge about an upcoming Broadway show.

Cutest thing EVUH, courtesy of Miss Bernie Peters.

Weisslers, please take note.

So Sunjata is dull AND dumb. Noted.

"Inclusive."

*Shudder*

Some Like It Hot?

Some Like It Not!

HA! I should write reviews for the Post....or at least headlines.

The Secret Garden is a lovely show with a gorgeous score.

And yet SG is quite quite dull.

Can’t wait to see Beanie as “Meat Pie #1” in Sweeney!

Is the advance for NY NY as low as rumored to be? And are the operating costs as high as rumored to be? It cost $25 million, right?

I’d like a time warp where we could see Denis O’Hare and Jesse Williams in Take Me Out.

Interesting article on the SHUCKED composer in today's TIMES. Reads pretty brave to be openly gay in Nashville.

Daniel Sunjata came out as a 9/11 truther in the 2006-2008 years when it was trendy to do so. See:

Rosie O’Donnell

Ed Asher

Christine Ebersole

Charlie Sheen

Spike Lee

It’s only afterword during the Sandy Hook stuff that people who questioned the narrative were labeled insane.

Some educate me. I thought ALW's "Bad Cinderella" had a whole new original score. Tell me this song doesn't sound exactly like "In My Own Little Corner" from the classic score.

I think you're right, r277. The notes are inverted or something, but beginning with the phrase "I am back...." you can really hear the similiaries.

What a surprise.

pyuck

Has Bway run out of movies to convert into musicals? Has it run out of song catalogues to vomit up on stage?

My biggest curiosity about New York, New York is why Lin-Manuel Miranda chose this to be his first proper post-Hamilton theatre writing credit.

Hamilton, despite its naysayers, was bold, theatrically imaginative and original. A traditional book musical, directed by musical comedy traditionalist Stroman, cobbled together from a half-remembered Scorsese film with a single famous song from a beloved writing partnership where one has been long dead doesn't just lack the boldness of Hamilton (or In The Heights, nor his contributions to Bring it On, come to that), it feels positively antiquated.

Having written the most celebrated musical for a generation his next Broadway writing credit could have been about anything he wanted and producers would have stepped over their own mothers to bring it to the stage. I find it odd that he decided to hitch his wagon to this rather novel concoction.

Miranda may style himself as anointed by Sondheim,, but he's not even close. Lord knows why he's taken on this project, but it certainly can't be for the creative challenge.

There’s very little LMM in New York, New York. He has written lyrics for something like two songs.

Some people's "celebrated" are other folks' "over-rated".

Maybe LMM just wanted the chance to collaborate with John Kander. What’s wrong with that?

Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Kander are friends and wrote a song together for fun some years ago. It was called "Cheering for Me Now" which is now being used in the musical, NEW YORK, NEW YORK. I think he also contributed lyrics to another song.

NY NY isn't using stars because the producers are just as incompetent as the producers of SLIH, believing that name alone will bring in the crowds. When will these idiots learn? Expect a shitload of appearances on The Today Show and on Kelly And Her Gay Husband.

NY NY has “We’re going after the tourist dollar” all over it.

Does NYNY include "Happy Endings"? ?

Probably not the entire thing...

Yep, the day after the Tony Awards.

LMM is doing NYNY for the sole purpose of writing with John Kander and hitching himself to the Kander and Ebb legend. You can guarantee if Sondheim was still alive and had anything remotely near production-ready, he'd be doing the same thing with Steve.

NYNY feels like a Steel Pier-type show. Kander and Ebb were at their best writing darker, complicated, and more challenging material: Cabaret, Chicago, Spider Woman, The Visit. Where are those factors in this new NYNY?

Practically any time Robert De Niro appeared in the film (after his first couple of scenes courting Liza Minnelli) in the film "New York, New York" it was quite dark -- almost like a horror movie. Liza is great in the film, and the decor, especially of the nightclub scenes is wonderful. She also had "The World Goes 'Round", another socko number in the film, in addition to the great title number.

When posters here rant about NY, NY needing stars, do they mean of the Jeremy Jordan and Megan Hilty type of local stardom? Known Broadway actors who dependably deliver and have something of a following? But who would still have to be paid more than unknowns. And there really aren't even many who fall in that category.

Or do they mean actual nationally/internationally known stars from film and TV who can sing?

I'm not sure the former type would really help sell a middling show and the latter type are very hard to attract, schedule, cast and pay. Do you really think AnnE Hathaway or Jake G., for example, want to be tied up to such an iffy enterprise? It's why those types only do revivals when they deign to work on Broadway.

I'm really not trying to defend NY, NY but casting isn't like magic. You don't just say "Abracadabra" and it suddenly appears.

It's hard to defend *or* criticize it at this point.

[quote]NYNY feels like a Steel Pier-type show

How so, r292?

Another reason why Lin is doing "New York, New York" is that he hasn't come up with a new show, or even an idea for one, in a decade--the writing of "Hamilton" goes back a number of years before its NY stage premiere in 2015. So "New York, New York" is a way for him to be involved in a new Broadway musical without actually conceiving or writing one.

[quote]I find it odd that he decided to hitch his wagon to this rather novel concoction.

We don't.

[quote]Reads pretty brave to be openly gay in Nashville.

So that means I'm brave?

NY NY needs the combined star power of Beanie Feldstein and Ann Miller!

I'd pay to see Ann Miller.

[quote]I'd pay to see Ann Miller.

I did.

So did I.

[Quote] Nashville actually has a sizable gay community

BOOP! the musical has a shot if Foster and Bob Martin infuse the book/songs/orchestrations with some of the irreverence and subversiveness of the original Fleischer animated shorts. The preview clips (although they're not in a theatrical context) with McPhee don't give me much hope, but Martin is capable of channeling that 30's screwball/madcap energy.

But I'd agree that the success of the show also rests on a bonafide star turn. Megan Hilty would've been perfect 5-10 years ago...not sure if that's the case now? Bernie could've made a vehicle of it once upon a time too! Part of the issue is that there's no more 'larger than life' Broadway stars being produced. The college conservatory training programs suck any quirk or persona out of any would-be stars.

Boop, the musical? Seriously?

What about DL fave Annaleigh Ashford? She's fairly large.

You all enjoy this singing voice?

I love Carolee Carmelo and wished she’d become a bigger star

Betty Boop will most certainly be played by a black woman. Who would it be?

Most of the really quirky, imaginative talents that came to New York City in the last ten to fifteen years never got anywhere beyond a few songs during Mostly Sondheim at The Duplex. Telsey + Company, the modern day theatrical mafia of bad casting, wouldn’t let them through the door, they cast the same mediocre performers on an endless loop. It’s even worse now, no actor will be cast on sheer merit, there’s quotas, inclusivity contracts and the dire habit of hiring cheap for everything. Somebody like Nathan Lane would NEVER get a gig if he was starting out today…

[quote]Betty Boop will most certainly be played by a black woman. Who would it be?

It's Cynthia Erivo's if she wants it.

[Quote] Betty Boop will most certainly be played by a black woman. Who would it be?

Sadly the actress from the Police Academy movies died a while back.

They should call it Betty Boop, not just Boop; what are producers thinking nowadays?

Betty Boop started off as a dog.

[quote]Kane's voice and appearance were thought to be a source for Fleischer Studios animators when creating Betty Boop. Kane attempted to sue the studio for claims of stealing her signature "boop-oop-a-doop" style, but the judge decided that the proof of this was insufficient, thus dismissing the case.

Not buying it, r314.

The best song in NY NY is "The Man I Love," which is possibly the greatest American pop song. By George and Ira Gershwin.

Here's the real link, I think.

Lin-Manuel glommed himself on to the "Fiddler on the Roof" special, when he was probably born before the show was even written, and had nothing to do with it, other than having a song made into a production number at his wedding. And which he made sure circulated, possibly so he could get onto that PBS "Fiddler on the Roof" special. Again, nothing to do with the writing of the show

[quote] My biggest curiosity about New York, New York is why Lin-Manuel Miranda chose this to be his first proper post-Hamilton theatre writing credit.

A girl's gotta eat. And pay taxes on all those royalties.

I think LMM is being pretty smart. He knows there is *NO* possible successful follow-up to Hamilton. Whatever he writes, particularly in that Broadway-does-hiphop style of his, will be an utter disaster, so he's not going to do it. He's producing, he's directing, he's acting in Mary Poppins, he's doing little bits of work in lots of things. When he returns to writing an actual show, it will be after many years, and something very different than Hamilton, so it won't be compared. He has $70 million dollars, so he's not in any hurry.

I'm not a LMM fan but you're all crazy if you don't think ANY new musical on Broadway wouldn't be thrilled over the moon to have him associated with their project in any way.

OTOH< I am hearing that he spends far more time in NY, NY rehearsals than he needs to and is always cracking bad jokes that nobody finds particularly funny.

*

[quote] He has $70 million dollars

70 million dollars dollars?

I saw Carolee play Desiree at the Thalia last March in a concert version of A Little Night Music and she was sublime.

Judy Kaye as Mdme. Armfeldt was amazing, too.

[quote]Judy Kaye as Mdme. Armfeldt was amazing, too.

They should have also given her Miller's Son.

[quote]Lin-Manuel glommed himself on to the "Fiddler on the Roof" special, when he was probably born before the show was even written, and had nothing to do with it, other than having a song made into a production number at his wedding. And which he made sure circulated, possibly so he could get onto that PBS "Fiddler on the Roof" special. Again, nothing to do with the writing of the show

But that's fine, because it showed how an incredibly successful current writer of musical theater was deeply influenced by FIDDLER, P.S. I believe LMM also played Tevye in high school or college, a fact which you left out to try to help make your stupid case.

This isn't new, but it's new to me and I imagine some of you haven't seen it before. I love these glimpses backstage and behind the scenes in theatres. This one, filmed at the Met while dancers, musicians, singers and actors rehearse and gifted crafts people and crews prepare costumes, build scenery and set the building up for audiences is fascinating to me. It's wild that all of that activity is happening at the same time in one building.

Who is THE OUTSIDERS musical being made for?

I'm a fringe fan of the book/movie but know several people who are die-hards and this does not appeal to them. If anything, they would like the movie recreated on stage, not revised or updated or whatever else they plan to shoehorn in.

I don't understand why the powers that be are not giving the fans what they want? Are they dumb businesspeople? But we've been seeing it again and again on Broadway. And they wonder why the shows flop.

I'm not at all opposed to non-traditional casting, but this one's a bit of a head scratcher. I was visiting the National Theatre's site to look up any upcoming NT Live screenings near me, and saw that Best of Enemies (about Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley) is coming in May. Zachary Quinto plays Gore Vidal and David Harewood plays William F. Buckley. I haven't seen this play before, but my impression is that it's not a highly... stylized, high-concept production in which this type of non-traditional casting could make sense. Anyone UK folks see it in the theatre?

[quote]I'm not at all opposed to non-traditional casting

I'm not sure that's true.

It is true for me, R331. I'm not one of DL's Klan Grannies. I think non-traditional casting can be interesting and thought-provoking. Of course, the most famous recent examples are Hamilton (successful) and 1776 (less successful.)

But, both of those were done as part of a very intentional concept.

What looks like a realistic play about a well documented moment in television history between two highly recognizable mid-century U.S. cultural figures in Best of Enemies seems a less obvious one for me. Especially if only one of the real-life characters is cast non-traditionally.

[Quote] But, both of those were done as part of a very intentional concept.

What makes you think this isn't? And I hate to break it to you, but every theatre performance you've ever seen in your life is the result of intentional concepts (historic and aesthetic), whether you were aware of them or not.

So, when is a white actor going to play Martin Luther King or Bill Cosby or Luther Vandross or James Baldwin onstage?

Of course, that would never happen. And, shouldn't.

Not sure why it's ok for black actors to portray real WHITE people on stage. Because of...racism? Colonialism? Slavery?

It's so stupid.

It's the double standard that is annoying the fuck out of people. Not just Americans.

At any rate, wokeness will not bode well for liberals in the long run.

Unless they stop pulling back now.

Still, they insist on doubling down.

It's like watching a slow suicide.

The problem with casting "stars" in New York, New York is the fact we don't really have musical theater STARS anymore. It used to be, most actors came to prominence FROM stage backgrounds and that's not really the case anymore. Especially when it comes to musical theater.

So now we have "Megan Hilty" and "Christian Borle" and names like that starring in Broadway shows and making a minor name for themselves but none of them are REAL stars like in the old days. Those aren't names that guarantee full houses for long runs.

There's Hugh Jackman but he's really the ONLY movie star big name who does musical theater now. No one else is interested or has the background.

Oh, wait....there's Jinkx Monsoon who turned a 25 year old dinosaur back into a standing room only hit.

I guess New York, New York needs to hire Rpdr girls.

R334 - fair point, but from the clips I've seen it doesn't look like the whole production is 'conceptual', but only the casting of this one role is... which is what feels odd to me. But that's why I asked if anyone had seen the show, as I was interested to understand how (if at all) the non-traditional casting is addressed in the play.

Also, to be clear, I'm not aligned with the antiquated "whataboutism" of R335 & R336.

It's not antiquated to be ACCURATE when it comes to the portrayal of REAL people.

If you wanna do Black Willy Loman...go for it. Black Medea or Chinese Blanche DuBois or South Asian George and Martha...Do it! They're characters...not actual people.

And, if they wanted to fucking explore a show about Buckley being combative with someone on topical issues of the day, then why the fuck not do a play about Buckley debating James Baldwin, an actual BLACK man, that occured in this same period of time?

This is just moronic pandering.

The British version of West Side Story was a little odd.

[quote]It's not antiquated to be ACCURATE when it comes to the portrayal of REAL people.

Nor is it necessary.

In a hundred years, no one would care if a whites person played MLK Jr.

In a multicultural society, theatre needs to reflect the populace. It does that by allowing every race to play every race.

R335, if they wanted to do a show about Buckley being combative with someone Vidal would NOT have been the choice.

Buckley's loss of control on live television was beyond anything else in his career. It was not just about being combative.

[quote] I'm not a LMM fan but you're all crazy if you don't think ANY new musical on Broadway wouldn't be thrilled over the moon to have him associated with their project in any way.

r323 speaks sense. And r320 do you truly not think the Fiddler filmmakers wouldn't have [italic] begged [/italic] LMM to appear in their project for funding, for viewers, for publicity, and for relevance? Everyone would love a bit of that reflected fame for their project, and he's a mensch for participating. Ditto NYNY which he probably did to be (wait for it) [italic] nice [/italic] to his friend Kander.

Hey poster above, drop the "Klan grannies" crap, you are not more enlightened than anyone else- and your usage of that term proves it.

[Quote]The premiere cast was led by David Harewood as Buckley and Charles Edwards as Vidal, which provoked debate around Harewood's colour-blind casting. Lawson supported the choice in The Guardian, commenting that 'as a means of equalising opportunity for actors, there is no reasonable argument against racially fluid casting'.[6] Clive Davis went further in The Times, adding 'It’s a clever touch to have Buckley — no friend of the civil rights movement — played by a black actor. Harewood’s presence undermines the liberal preconceptions of the audience'.[4]

[quote] So, when is a white actor going to play Martin Luther King or Bill Cosby or Luther Vandross or James Baldwin onstage?

Tonight’s commentary is brought to you by the makers of “White Jesus”

Am I the only one who thought LMM was charming in the Mary Poppins movie. I thought he did a great job.

He was OK. But dreadful in HIS DARK MATERIALS.

I respect LMM as a writer (even if I don't love all his work equally).

I don't really care for LMM as a performer, except in tiny doses (like Piraguero in the IN THE HEIGHTS film). But I understand how with his present fame and recognition, it's easier, better paying, and probably more fun to take on acting jobs vs writing a new musical.

I'm not overly optimistic about NEW YORK NEW YORK but I agree that it was smart to ally himself with John Kander. LMM is damn smart about the moves he makes.

LMM is absolutely a talented creator, but as an actor he’s just dreadful. He’s a black hole of self awareness mixed with a desperate need to be loved in anything he performs. He was always the weakest link in Hamilton, seeing the show with any other actor in the title role revealed his inadequacies. He also can’t sing, so there’s that too. But he’s a force of self confidence who loves to be “ON” at all times, he’s a gift to the musical theater industry because he truly loves it. That’s a good thing for the most part.

Dana Ivey loved PARADE!

R311-Ever been to an audition at Telsey & Company? It's like a private club. If you manage to get through the door, they'll be sure to treat you like shit throughout your audition. That's why the same fucking names get cast in mediocre shows. Tight little gay clique, there.

Another casting director with no imagination and the same rotating clique of stage actors is Mark Saks. If Mark wants you to fuck him or suck his dick, you'll be called in for everything. Not that anyone would ever consider it, but Mark has a rich fantasy life.

Mark Saks doesn't have sex.

Yes, he's a lot like Ed Koch in that sense. Lots of power but not an ounce of attractiveness.

Mark Saks doesn't have A sex.

Mark Saks sucks.

SLIH just performed the "Let's Be Bad" number on "The View" this morning. I think that's one of the better numbers from the show.

That’s the fascinating things about the Broadway theater industry in New York, it is just full of the absolute worst human beings when it comes to casting, public relations and theater press. The ruling class are all horrible old white gay men who are monsters, hateful specimens who won’t advance with any progress, they are still existing on the old ways, it’s forever 1998 to them. The Theater League is comprised by the most mediocre failures in the world, clueless drones. They shoot their poison loads over a quarter page in People magazine while casting a forty eight year old hag as a high school student because they used to do blow with her backstage at Fosse. They all are footlight villains.

Bernie Telsey is not gay.

r360=Helen Lawson

R360-Funny, he's managed to deceive an awful lot of people into believing he is, including the guys he's slept with. I've never seen him in the audience at a show when he isn't accompanied by a young, hot stud.

R358

Isn’t that from Smash as well?

r359, please take your meds. Thanks from all your friends on Datalounge!

[quote]So, when is a white actor going to play Martin Luther King or Bill Cosby or Luther Vandross or James Baldwin onstage?

No one has ever thought to pose that question on DL before! So thought-provoking!

MERCIFUL HEAVEN WHO WOULD FUCK IT?

[quote] all horrible old white gay men

Isn't Bernie Telsey (who is not r366 for the newbies) married to Kate Lear, daughter of Norman?

r364 sorry to tell you but r359 is right if a little messy in her arguments. Ask any press agent their favorite online sources and they'll tell you EW and People. What a coup! Casting isn't much better.

A white man has played MLK.

[quote]Am I the only one who thought LMM was charming in the Mary Poppins movie. I thought he did a great job

He is so forgettable in that movie it was if the camera didn't film him.

Michael Arden who is directing "Parade: is so freaking cute. He's the last actor I met right before the pandemic hit.

Was the experience golden, R372?

A major problem with arguments over color-blind casting is that some people who espouse it keep insisting that "race shouldn't matter and anyone of any race should be able to play any role based solely on talent," BUT then they turn right around and say that, of course, no white actor (or Asian actor, or Latino actor) should ever be cast as any of the black characters in A RAISIN IN THE SUN or to play a historical black figure like Martin Luther King, Jr., et cetera.

If everyone would admit that the true reason for casting black actors in white roles is reparation for lack of opportunities throughout history, of course a lot of people would still object to the practice, but at least the reason given for it would be an honest one.

I don't want to see a black actor play William F. Buckley, Jr. It makes no sense, and the concept is just some bullshit excuse to generate publicity. Fuck your concept, this is a new play. Just put it on the way it was meant to be done. Stop "Dream Skipper"-ing every fucking piece of theater.

R374, that old trick of making up some argument that no one ever said so that you can demolish it is getting trite.

No one ever justified race-neutral casting for the reason you give. It has always been espoused as a way to level the playing field and provide a wider range of roles for a demographic whose casting possibilities have been limited.

Being white is different than being black. Being black is different than being white. Casting a black actor in a "white" role is different than casting a white actor in a "black" role.

But if you are so tone deaf that you do not see that, you are are just tone deaf.

[quote] Being white is different than being black. Being black is different than being white. Casting a black actor in a "white" role is different than casting a white actor in a "black" role.

Really? Because it's just been proven to you that it isn't. But if you are so tone deaf that you do not see that, you are are just tone deaf.

Betty Boop was not inspired by Little/Baby Esther. At least not directly or consciously. Helen Kane certainly was (as were a host of other baby talk, kewpie doll performers of that era) but Grim Natwick, the creator of Boop in her earliest (dog) form used Helen Kane as the inspiration. This has been confirmed four ways from Sunday.

I think it's marvelous that there's such rich heritage IN the character...but people trying to spin this "Boop is secretly Black" or its creators "misappropriated Black culture" narrative have a definite agenda. And aren't interested in facts (or many things being true at once!)

This all said, I'm all for a black or white Betty Boop! Just please, let them be a goddamn STAR! (Mary!)

R376 isn't the one being tone deaf, r377.

So William F. Buckley should be played by a black actor?

I'll ask this again, regarding Boop: How are they going to deal with the sexy waif archetype?

There's no "should" about it, r380. There's also no "shouldn't". It's up to the creatives to do whatever they want with their material. If you don't like it, don't go see it. You're coming off as disingenuous.

How are they going to deal with the massive freakish head??

I truly hope BOOP! doesn't go for campy humor. I really think Jerry Mitchell is all wrong for it.

The style needs to be anarchic. like AVENUE Q.

And those tits! Jesus!

They have to include Cab...

Michael Arden is much...uhhhh....wider than he used to be. Somewhere, his hubby is in a bathhouse keeping the marriage intact.

r363, "Let's Be Bad" originated in Smash, but they butchered it for SLIH. It was one of the things I was looking forward to going into it, because I figured they had at least one great song, but they had to rework it (especially since there's no Marilyn character anymore). So now it kicks off Act 2, as the Osgood character tries to convince the Jerry/Daphne character to go over the border to Mexico with him and the other dancers for a night of fun. It's somehow a lot less fun; it doesn't help that it's slower.

Compared to the original. More energy, more intensity, more everything.

(This thread really does come back to Megan Hilty, doesn't it?)

Watching the clip I wish J. Harrison Ghee had been cast as Sugar.

It would have been more subversive and might have led to livelier numbers for Sugar to sell.

Even the concert version had more energy.

Let’s get serious…Gloria Stuart at the end of Titanic had more energy

[quote]No one ever justified race-neutral casting for the reason you give. It has always been espoused as a way to level the playing field and provide a wider range of roles for a demographic whose casting possibilities have been limited.

YOU may have never heard or read of anyone using the argument that "anyone of any race should be able to play any role, based solely on talent" for casting actors of color in traditionally white roles, but I have certainly heard that argument multiple times over the years. And I still occasionally hear it, although I think more people have smartened up and now realize that it doesn't stand up to scrutiny because it is only selectively applied.

On that note, "race-neutral casting" or "color-blind casting" are not accurate terms for this practice. Those terms would only be accurate if the casting DID work both ways, and white people were now being cast as black fictional or historical characters, which of course is not what's happening (nor should it).

Casting a Black actor as racist segregationist William Buckley seems like an insult to the actor.

And to the playwright.

R389 - Smash is definitely not my thing, but you're 100% right. That has 50 times more energy than what was performed on The View.

People are being much more vocal about how Shaiman and Whitman didn't deliver with this show. Sad. It's a score of B+s.

R397, the title song got some brief buzz through YouTube etc. Even I liked it when I first heard it. But then someone pointed out that the melody is nearly identical to the theme song of the old animated TV series HUCKLEBERRY HOUND. And many of the other songs are equally derivative, to say the least, and not in a good way.

Why did they even feel the need to repurpose "Let's Be Bad"? It's a mediocre song, so why not just write a brand new mediocre song?

[quote]I don't want to see a black actor play William F. Buckley, Jr. It makes no sense, and the concept is just some bullshit excuse to generate publicity.

I agree. And the concept actually takes away from the reality. That debate was between two white, rich intellectuals on different sides of the political aisle. This production makes it between a black man and a white man. It's a completely different dynamic that doesn't fit the situation. It was a political debate not a racial debate.

There needs to be a musical based on the life of Rose Marie. From child star to the Dick van Dyke Show.

I would love to hear a score full of B+s. SLIH ain't that.

Won't she be in Boop, r401?

If the Buckley actor was a Black man with an otherwise very similar build/facial structure etc. I could see a very compelling reason to "blindly" cast that actor.

Hamilton worked as it did because those real people were hundreds of years old and had layers of mythology obscuring their story; viewing those people through a contemporary lens was compelling.

But to select someone who has no resemblance whatsoever to portray Buckley, a real person from more recent memory, is a bit more problematic. They may as well have cast a Latina Trans Woman. Or Porkalob.

Ariana DeBose has deleted her twitter after a spectacularly cringe-worthy performance at the BAFTAS yesterday led to online mockery

The tricky thing about playing Boop is she was all tits and pussy. It's gonna take a really good actress to play that.

R393, the term color-blind is a pejorative. No casting is color-blind nor should it ever be. Color-conscious casting was used for a time and it probably a better term.

You are right that race-neutral is not a good term for the same reason color-blind is not good. (And I am sure you have heard why the term color-blind is not good since the 1980s....yet you still use it.)

Your claim that you have heard this argument about "best person" is one that you probably have heard from others arguing against it. Or from some well-meaning but uninformed supporter.

We all share in the dominant culture. All of us are part of it and can play it from the inside. However, with few exceptions, few white people have been inside non-white cultures. Most black actors can code-switch to dominant culture behavior because they have been doing it all their lives. How many white actors can code-switch well enough to blend into black or latino culture?

Dominant playing non-dominant is always condescending. That is why in our culture men (dominant) playing women (non-dominant) is seen as inherently comic, while women playing men is not. It is the "lowering" of oneself that is seen as comic. A white man speaking inner city slang reads as comic, but a black man speaking like a senator does not.

In a perfect world, we all could play anything and sing kumbaya. But in our real culture, there are actual differences.

[quote]But to select someone who has no resemblance whatsoever to portray Buckley, a real person from more recent memory, is a bit more problematic.

To you and who else, r404?

Have you seen Michael Arden recently? Wow.

[quote]is seen as inherently comic, while women playing men is not

Lucy Ricardo and Fran Fine would disagree, r407.

[quote]However, with few exceptions, few white people have been inside non-white cultures. Most black actors can code-switch to dominant culture behavior because they have been doing it all their lives. How many white actors can code-switch well enough to blend into black or latino culture?

White people aren't allowed to code-switch because they will be accused of culture appropriation or blackface. I think that's part of the point. White people *must* stay in their lane while non-whites (specifically blacks) are allowed to drift into whatever lane pleases them.

[quote]Have you seen Michael Arden recently? Wow.

He looks great, he's not 20 anymore.

[quote]There needs to be a musical based on the life of Rose Marie.

The ultimate Hattie Walker that never was.

Are r81, r387, and r409 the same person desperately trying to get people to engage in discussion about Michael Arden, or are there really that many people interested in him?

(If they are separate people, then yes, r409--r81 and r397 have.)

I posted he was the last actor I met before Covid and not R409, R81, or R397 and I think he looks great.

R407 Singapore Fuckin' Fling-type or real alert!

R411, no one is "allowed" to code switch. You do it to get a job, or to fit in with friends, etc. It ain't something you do for fun.

Usually when white people learn to code switch it is because they grow up in a black family or neighborhood.

I never knew a white person who had to act black to get an education or a job.

Singapore, a white guy, blacksplaining to white folks again.

Again this topic sends a Theatre Gossip thread down the tubes.

Isn’t Vicki Frederick Peter Sellers widow?

I couldn't help but notice the biggest difference between those two Let's Be Bad numbers is the youth and beauty of the chorus kids in the TV version. While it's great that Casey is keeping his older gypsy....er....ensemble friends working, it they just can't give the number the sexy vitality it needs. Even Casey Garvin seems lumbering.

Also, Christian Borle's weight gain.

Sorry. Arden has a stalker. He's described as a sea captain with a peg leg.

Whenever two queens start a pissing contest here it's miserable for the rest of us.

[quote] Really? Because it's just been proven to you that it isn't. But if you are so tone deaf that you do not see that, you are are just tone deaf.

Especially when this is the quality of the debate. You don't deserve to discuss Buckley here or anywhere else.

This really is quite horrific…gurrrrlll!

They are really raking Ariana DuBose on the hot coals over on the BAFTA 2023 thread tonight. Is she disliked in theatre circles?

That BroadwayWorld photo feature on PARADE is ridiculous. Five or six photos of the same individual or couple or group in the exact same setup? Reminded me why I never click on those things.

The term "color blind" casting implying that the production hires the best person who auditioned for the role regardless of their ethnicity, is just a fucking lie. Not how it works at all.

Theaters are just casting non-white actors in roles to make themselves look good. Or, in a vain and futile belief that casting a bunch of black or Asian or Latin actors in their show means black/Asian/Latin audiences are going to magically turn up and start filling their theaters.

That hasn't been happening. Why would non-white audiences start to fill seats after decades of being encouraged to stay out of theaters?

And, let's be real. How many black theater goers are there in the world just itching to see a black actor play William F. Buckley? (For that matter, how many audience members of any race, ethnicity, age are that excited about seeing ANY actor play William F. Buckley in a play? I mean...yawn.)

Dying is easy, award shows are hard.

You know that song from FROZEN, r427?

I'm Coyote.

No regrets.

Whoopsie wrong thread

Still an improvement over the Buckley discussion. Thanks, r430/r431!

I'd be happy to see someone hired to play Sylvia Miles to hit John Simon over the head with food or playing Shelley Winters tossing water over Oliver Reed's head, or either of those ladies (or anybody) throwing water or food on William F. Buckley's head, but this play confuses things since the real Buckley would be all uncomfortable sitting next to African-Americans. How could a Black person playing a White person, rather infamously against things for minorities or Democrats and non-rich people in general, be effective without that person's race cancelling out the actuality of Buckley's own issues with race?

Seriously, let Buckley's specter choke on a pencil and talk about someone more compelling.

Well, it is a new play, so it is on topic. But choose a different topic then...

Is Jennifer Coolidge our new Sylvia Miles or our new Barbara Nichols?

,,,,,,

I looked at the Parade photos. Arden certainly looks a damn sight better than those two fucking meeskites, Platt and Diamond. Jesus! Imagine paying Broadway prices to look at those faces for two hours.

[quote] Especially when this is the quality of the debate. You don't deserve to discuss Buckley here or anywhere else.

Wow, sick burn.

Did DeBose perform or just give an embarassing speech?

DeBose gave an embarrassing performance. Like she did in WSS.

I cannot wait for this country to get over race.

Let anyone play anyone. Race shouldn’t matter. They’re all fucking actors. They are playing what they are not.

No one watched the BAFTAS

[Quote] DeBose’s medley celebrating women. The first part was a full-bore rendition of Sisters are Doin’ It For Themselves; in itself an orgy of spinning and twirling and flung chairs, performed by DuBose

Does anyone still... hire... a proofreader?

If I was a black actor, I'm not sure I'd be too thrilled to be cast not for my talent, but for some white director to try and make a ridiculous point (or to draw attention to his production).

R443 August Wilson thinks you are wrong.

If I *were a black actor...

From the other thread

I wonder if we’ll finally see Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson now. With Stockard Channing as Elizabeth Taylor, no less.

*

[Quote] [R443] August Wilson thinks you are wrong.

So? He’s dead

Okay, that wasn't very good, at R449. But I've seen far worse/more embarrassing stuff at awards shows.

I don't love Ariana's voice: I think of her as an actress and dancer who can sing a little, that's about it. But she can be dynamic and charming (as in WSS). I blame her BAFTA fail on poorly chosen material, poorly staged. "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" was always grating and obvious, IMHO, and the rap was badly written.

...or don't.

Ariana is a spectacular performer. The problem with the BAFTA performance is that she can’t understand the words. Life goes on

She wrote the song.

She couldn’t have gotten LMM to help her out?

[Quote] It's up to the creatives to do whatever they want with their material. If you don't like it, don't go see it.

Well it looks people haven't been going, based on all of those endless "woke" flops.

To the person who is asking if Ariana is liked....my post from the Baftas thread *may* be why so many are rejoicing:

[Quote] Ariana, much like Ava Duvernay, and that annoying one from Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria really benefited and capitalized on the whole minority #OscarSoWhite/LatinX mania that gripped the media (causing the media to completely overlook the significant numbers of Trump-loving minorities, but that's a different issue.)

Ariana, along with, Cynthia Erivo, were "allegedly" among the fiercest agents of chaos who destroyed that Natasha, Pierre and the War of 1812 musical when a mediocre Hamilton alum was lucky enough to temporarily take the role before Mandy Patinken took over.

So Ariana finally falling on her ass at the BAFTAS is absolutely delightful.

Back to the Baftas...

Mark Harris is being extremely hypocritical on Twitter, slamming those who are dissing Ariana’s rap. He’s the husband of Tony Kushner, who got justifiably snubbed at the Oscars for his crappy adapted screenplay of West Side Story. If he wasn’t with Kushner I have a feeling he would have torn Ariana’s performance at the BAFTAs to shreds like everybody else.

R459, I was well aware of the hateful Cynthia Erivo's involvement in the NATASHA, PIERRE debacle, but if Ariana DeBose was also involved, that's news to me and I'm very sorry to hear it.

Also, you got the details of the NATASHA, PIERRE story wrong. That Poison Oak guy was hired to take over the role, then his start date was delayed because he wasn't ready (i.e., he was struggling with the demands of the role due to lack of talent). Then Patinkin was announced to take over for a few weeks after which Poison Oak would return, but Patinkin never did perform in the show. He withdrew when all of that vile controversy arose thanks to Erivo and others idiotically crying "racism" as a charge against a show that had one of the most diverse casts on Broadway, including a very high percentage of black performers. IMHO, the whole affair was one of the worst things ever to happen on Broadway.

Was Ariana even a star when the Natasha fiasco happened? Wasn't that before she hit it big?

Plenty of Broadway people were chiming in about the Oak bullshit, star or not, and Ariana was in Summer: The Musical at the time and had been nominated for a Tony (which, if her work in WSS is anything to go by, I'm certain she also didn't deserve).

[quote]Was Ariana even a star when the Natasha fiasco happened?

I was BORN a star, baby!

Omg these are real tweets

This goes way back.....

Ariana is a great singer/dancer but the words in this number come off like gobbledygook.

Maybe she was just winded from all the dancing.

Subtitles would have helped

I think I heard her sing “huckada de jeepers” at one point.

Maybe that was her audition for THE LESLIE UGGAMS STORY.

You know, in all of the teasing Leslie Uggams receives over that "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" performance, "huggin' the bejeepers" is one of the few phrases she sings almost correctly.

And 'almost correctly' is about the best we can hope for from a huge Broadway star singing in a huge televised special from our nation's capital.

r463, this was 2017. Debose was in A Bronx Tale at the time. Summer wasn't until the next year.

But yes, she had plenty to say during that mess. (from the Internet Archive since her Twitter's gone)

More quoted here.

Why was AdeB hosting the BAFTA ceremony in the first place?

She wasn't. Richard E. Grant and someone else were the hosts. Debose was just a presenter/performer, presumably because she won last year. Troy Kotsur, who won supporting actor last year, was also there (and there was a minor to-do where his sign language interpreter said Carey Mulligan as the winner instead of Kerry Condon). The BAFTAs were just a mess.

Boycott Ariana DeBose!

Debose was spectacular in Summer.

CBS profile of Jinkx Monsoon on Bway

The Natasha debacle was ridiculous. That Oak guy didn’t even learn the role. But Anti-Semite Cynthia still came out swinging for him. Fuck her.

We should not discriminate against untalented people on Broadway.

Talent requirements are white supremacy in action!

New musical, JUSTICE, spotlights Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor.

Sounds interesting.

But how could they have resisted the urge to call it THE SUPREMES?

R482 ummm why are the leads not BIPOC?!? This is unacceptable. Shut it down!

Calm down, Cynthia, one of the composers is a tranny.

r483, I know this is a joke post, but it doesn't work because Sotomayor, as a Latina, IS BIPOC.

R485 no, no they need to be real BIPOC. Black women of color and by color I mean dark, dark chocolate.

I'm Blackity Black!

When asked to perform at an awards show the only sane answer is “NO!”

Where is "Say You Love Me," the Fleetwood Mac bio-musical? Internal romances, marriages, band breakups, songs that were actually written to mirror or comment on the relationships going on in the band?

"Law & Order" Has Always Been A Second Home For Broadway Performers:

L&O being one of the only NYC TV productions - between the soaps and Broadway they always had plenty of locals to fill roles.

Oh, good. Tom Kirdahy is resurrecting the thriller on Broadway and Joe Mantello is directing. It stars Laurie Metcalfe and Paul Sparks. Title is Grey House and it opens May 30th.

I told you about it weeks ago, r492.

Do try to keep up.

[quote] Laurie Metcalfe

Oh, dear.

What I don't get is why Ariana's management thought it was a good idea for her as a recent Oscar and Bafta winner to be the paid entertainment on an awards show.

Babygirl, in a world full of choices, choose yourself.

R493-You told us the title and director. Nothing about the producer and the cast. Try to be succinct next time if you have so much advance info.

[quote]When asked to perform at an awards show the only sane answer is “NO!”

If only ...

Oh no, Annette...

Thanks to all here who have reminded us that Ariana De Bose was one of the troublemakers who stupidly caused the NATASHA, PIERRE debacle. I had forgotten that she was involved.

Oh, please. De Bose didn’t cause the NATASHA issue.

What did she do?

R383, papier-mâché.

R501, the "issue" was that some people tried to paint the plan to temporarily replace Poison Oak with Mandy Patinkin as racist, when it was NOTHING of the kind. And Ariana De Bose and Cynthia Erivo were two of the most recognizable people who fanned the flames. P.S. De Bose's comment that the "optics" of the situation were "bad" was an especially stupid and reckless remark.

It was a textbook example of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face, because the show swiftly closed. Erivo tweeted that "Ticket sales shouldnt override a person doing his job," but if there are no ticket sales then everyone loses their job. But neither Erivo nor DeBose lost out on a paycheck, since they weren't even in the show.

and Oak was replacing the very white Groban so the whole thing was far from racist

Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Cynthia and Ariana criticizing the producers (the horrible carpetbagging Kagans, lest we forget) for saying Oak wasn't stage ready? Well, was he or wasn't he? Was that decision ever defended by the director Rachel Chavkin?

How many grey haired matinee ladies will be confusing Grey House with The Cottage this summer at the TKTS line?

I don't have a clear memory of the sequence of events, but I think what happened what this: Oak's debut in the role was delayed because he was struggling with learning it, I think in particular he was struggling with the piano playing that was required. But then I THINK he did actually begin performing in the show, and the producers' plan to bring Patinkin in for a few weeks -- WHILE CONTINUING TO PAY OAK DURING HIS TIME OFF -- was announced after that. Someone please correct me if any of that is incorrect.

Obviously, NATASHA would have sold hundreds if not thousands more seats with Mandy. It all just sounds horribly mishandled by the producer and director.

Can we please talk about "Once Upon One More Time"?

Feel free to say anything you'd like about it.

The Oak situation was a travesty. An overblown, woke, virtue signaling fiasco -- led by that insufferable Erivo and clapped back by countless others (DeBose included). It was completely baseless, born out of a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. Oak was woefully underprepared for the rigors of the role. They sought a 'star' in the Groban vein and found that in Patinkin. Oak was only ever a short term contract. This is show BUSINESS. Oak is not a name recognized star on any planet. And again, woefully unprepared for the role. There are reports of this from many sources. Some say he went in with an ego, some said he wasn't given enough time. But it was a poor casting choice -- and they sought to remedy with a theatre star. Who happened to be white.

They cried wolf, Patinkin pulled out for fear of getting eaten alive by the wokiest theatre types and the show closed prematurely (they ultimately brought in the creator to finish out the contract). It put tons of talented people out of work needlessly over a reckless, baseless claim of racism.

So why is the new Laurie Metcalf play opening JUST after the Tony nominations?

Is that the new quirky thing to do?

R513 nails it.

[quote]Obviously, NATASHA would have sold hundreds if not thousands more seats with Mandy. It all just sounds horribly mishandled by the producer and director.

I don't think the situation was mishandled by the producer, especially since THE PRODUCTION WAS GOING TO CONTINUE PAYING OAK'S SALARY while he was on hiatus during Mandy's run, which I believe was only going to last about three weeks. And the director had nothing to do with it. For a clear explanation of what actually happened and who was to blame, see R13.

I wonder why if Mantello and Metcalf were both available, why they didn't just do Virginia Woolf again? Don't get me wrong, having seen DEATHTRAP in its original run, I've seen how great a stage thriller can be but let's be honest: the track record since then for thrillers has been terrible.

(PS: I don't count Pillowman as a "thriller".)

R514 probably because after the Tony broadcast, all of the shows featured will close.....if they haven't before then.

You're probably right, R517, but that doesn't really answer R516's question.

It is all about Mantello and Metcalf telling everyone they have enough Tonys and couldn't care less about Tonys.

I'd give my right nut to see Metcalf play Martha.

r514, I would guess it's because they don't think it's any kind of awards contender. I was reading some reviews of the Chicago production yesterday to get a sense of what it's like, and yeah. I like thrillers but this doesn't sound like my thing.

[quote]I'd give my right nut to see Metcalf play Martha.

Lay it on the chopping block motherfucker.

Please, NATASHA would have had a short blip with Mandy P and then continued its path towards closing.

It was a stupid musical with everyone running around constantly, pretending it’s still being shown in a tent.

The first previews of Bad Cinderella have finished and the conclusion so far is it sucks even worse than in the West End

I've been reading a lot of reviews of the Chastain production of A Doll's House. Even the positive ones make it sound terrible to me. Here's a decidedly negative one. Read the comments for a spoiler of the big coup de theatre (which does sound interesting...if you're in the half of the theater thatcan see it).

No one denies that NATASHA would have closed soon after Patinkin left after his three-week stint, The point is that the show could have at least run that much longer and kept all those people employed for that period, rather than closing earlier and putting everyone out of work, which is all that Erivo, Poison Oak, et al. accomplished -- well, that plus creating a huge amount of ill will and causing many people to hate them who had not previously felt that way.

Was DeBose amazing in Hamilton?

R526, that was years ago and no one gives a crap any more.

Both Erivo and DeBois makes lots of money for other people now. Everyone’s happy with them

R527, she had a very very small role

It was better that NATASHA died. It was over-hyped. When people finally saw it, nearly everyone I knew thought WTF was that shit?

So what did Jessica Chastain do in the finale that half the audience couldn't see?

Maybe she put in a set of clown teeth.

[quote]So what did Jessica Chastain do in the finale that half the audience couldn't see?

SPOILER

She exits out the stage door into the street.

R527 She was the bullet with big hair.

If I remember Oak was meant to learn the piano accordion to take over the Joshy part, who played the piano,. But when he turned up for rehearsals, he couldn't play it. So Josh stayed some extra weeks maybe and Mandy was going to fill in the interim, but then shit kicked off.

Oak left Station 19 after only a few seasons, which seems strange. Why leave a good paying job for nothing.

It is curious to me that Laurie mentioned many times that Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf is her life’s dream and why there was never an effort to try it again

R535, she’ll likely get another chance. It’s just too hard to bring all the actors, director, and production people (and funding) together again exactly as it was.

And guess who's in A Dolls House!? OAK!!!!!!!

Other than DEATHTRAP, what are some of the BIG thrillers that have been on Broadway? I’m not being facetious, I would just like to know what I’m not remembering. Flyover here, but always see a few shows when I go to NYC, but I hardly ever go with anyone who will go see a non-musical. The last one I saw was BURN THIS with Adam Driver and Keri Russell, which I liked well enough, but my boyfriend hated it and still hasn’t forgiven me. Before that, I think it was DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME.

Wait Until Dark

[quote]So what did Jessica Chastain do in the finale that half the audience couldn't see?

I heard it involved ping-pong balls.

[quote]She exits out the stage door into the street.

Is that a joke? Because I can't imagine that the stage door of any Broadway theater would be visible from any seats in the audience. Maybe you mean not the stage door, but one of those huge doors at the back of the stage that are used to load scenery in and out?

The first preview of Parade was greeted by protesting neo-Nazis outside the theater.

Depressing and scary.

You’ve got to be kidding me

Yes. Depressing, scary, and disgusting.

SLEUTH was another long-running hit Broadway thriller.

Veronica's Room wasn't a hit, was it?

It sure as hell wasn't, r546.

[quote]Veronica's Room wasn't a hit, was it?

Not as big a hit as "Veronica's Closet."

Ah, Heckie.

Broadway Thrillers: SLEUTH, DRACULA, ANGEL STREET (A/K/A GASLIGHT), DIAL 'M' FOR MURDER, NIGHT MUST FALL, ROPE, CHILD'S PLAY, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, WAIT UNTIL DARK

The Bad Seed managed nearly 10 months (334 performances) on Broadway.

I'm curious why IBDb doesn't list any understudies for The Bad Seed.

I'm sorry, did someone upthread actually call Burn This a thriller??

Did anybody see...Voices in the Dark? Judith Ivey...and snow.

Thank you for joining us, Summer Strallen aka R524.

[Quote] the plan to temporarily replace Poison Oak with Mandy Patinkin

Temporarily. Yeah, sure. That Tree was not coming back.

Have Nazis ever protested a Broadway show before?

I heard an audience member refer to the Judith Ivey show as "Joyce Is In The Dark"

That's the way I initially read it too, R553, but a second read showed that Burn This was being referred to as a non-musical, not a thriller.

Grey House is billing itself as actual 'horror' not mere thriller

Wouldn't Misery count as a thriller?

I wonder if that protest at Parade last night was real. Neo Nazis have nothing better to do than to protest a 25 year old musical? And if they are so concerned about pedophilia, shouldn't they go up to protest the show at the Neil Simon?

NATASHA was a bore at the Imperial; it was designed to be an outdoor "experience," an immersive thing.

The Nazi protest had to be a publicity stunt

I have a hard time believing the producers would dare play with such fire. Neo-Nazis have long revered Mary Phagan, and they hate Leo Frank—especially since his lynching is what led to the formation of the ADL. It's sadly not a stretch to believe they would protest this musical.

Are we pretending he didn’t try to bang a 13yo?

Whenever something happens, there always has to be someone questioning whether it was real, doesn't there? That's right--every gay bashing is fake, every school shooting is a false flag, and every act of antisemitism is a publicity stunt; no Nazis exist at all. (/s because you know someone's going to take that seriously.) Every damn time.

Sigh.

Is the Chenoweth Tammie Faye musical officially dead at this point or still gestating? She said once the music was beautiful...

I've always wondered how closely it would resemble Evita in terms of structure....

The Nazi protest was real. This where the country is heading and people need to wake up.

Is no one paying attention to the laws that are passing through the state legislature that is banning drag shows? It won’t stop with drag. I promise.

[Quote] Are we pretending he didn’t try to bang a 13yo?

A Nazi has appeared

[quote]Temporarily. Yeah, sure. That Tree was not coming back.

If all of that shit stirred up by Erivo et al hadn't happened, and if Patinkin had gone into the show, I expect what would have happened was that the show would have sold very well during his run. Then Poison Oak would have gone back into the show, ticket sales would have dropped again with no star in the cast, and the producers would have been completely justified in closing the show with the usual two weeks' notice. Unless they could have found a star for one of the other roles, which I assume would have been very difficult to do.

We still have GATSBY! to look forward to, at least...

[quote]Is the Chenoweth Tammie Faye musical officially dead at this point or still gestating?

I'm in my twenty-third month.

[quote]NATASHA was a bore at the Imperial; it was designed to be an outdoor "experience," an immersive thing.

It was never actually performed "outdoors." It was performed in a tent, which is not the same thing.

Yes. Mandy Patinkin in a show is always smooth sailing.

Direct link to possible GATSBY song: Florence Welch wrote this for the Baz Luhrmann 2013 film, from Daisy's perspective.

What do we think?

[quote]I wonder if that protest at Parade last night was real. Neo Nazis have nothing better to do than to protest a 25 year old musical? And if they are so concerned about pedophilia, shouldn't they go up to protest the show at the Neil Simon?

Assuming your question is serious, I would point out that Michael Jackson wasn't Jewish. And that, I'm sure, is the main source of these cretins' hatred.

Well Miramontez is the press rep, so it was most likely fake Neo-Nazis, he’s the master of duplicitous “happenings” for his clients…

[quote] Assuming your question is serious, I would point out that Michael Jackson wasn't Jewish. And that, I'm sure, is the main source of these cretins' hatred.

Because Nazis love Black people so much...

Well I would protest Mandy Patinkin in that show because Pierre would have been mid-twenties at the time the musical takes place, and what was Mandy then - 87?.

Does anyone know who’s the Evita in the upcoming production at ART?

R580, of course all or most neo-Nazis hate black people, but as far as I know, black people are rarely the primary focus of their hatred. I thought that point was obvious without my having to make it specifically. Maybe you think it's just a coincidence that these cretins chose to protest PARADE, a show about a JEWISH man accused (falsely, according to the evidence) of raping and murdering a child, rather than MJ, about a non-Jewish man who had multiple accusations of child sexual abuse aimed at him and who paid millions of dollars to make at least one of those accusations go away.

Who is in Kiss of the Spiderwoman at the Kennedy Center?

I put this in the Marilyn Cooper thread. Why isn't there something comparable on Broadway now?

THE GIN GAME already *has* been adapted into a musical. At Goodspeed Opera House.

I thought we were still talking about Mary Tyler Moore and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S....

I never miss a Kim Hunter musical.

MARY!

CHITS!

[quote]Who is in Kiss of the Spiderwoman at the Kennedy Center?

Tyne Daly

New thread

Tyne just turned 77 years old!

Tyne was a fine Rose!

THE LAST SHIP!

Everything's coming up Rose's what?

I like Tyne, but she seems a bit Dowdy for Aurora, don't you think?

Bejeepers!

Bejeweled!

Brigitte!

BAJOUR!

Does Solea Feiffer have anything better to do than reappear as Evita now that her Broadway musical closed?

clog