THEATRE GOSSIP #533: “The Snark Is Broken” Edition

Old, tired, thread

Lame

It's just fine, OP, thank you.

Near the end of the last thread, someone asked about what's more likely for Some Like It Hot, closing at Labor Day or during the New Year's cull. Thoughts?

They’re probably all excited about NYNY closing and hoping to pick up that business. I predict they make it to the end of the year.

Thank you OP!

So if The Cottage has an extended, flatulence, joke, is the real question who cut the Cottage cheese?

How long do we give that one?

So as theatre is starting up for flyover queens

Is anyone seeing the tour of the Wiz?

Tour of Funny Girl

Tour of Company?

In honor of Inga...

Bookend song 1

Bookend song 2

A friend saw Shark is Broken and said it's the best play she's seen in years and the cast of three is perfection.

Inga as Ophelia and Fritz Weaver as Hamlet, 1958 American Shakespeare Festival.

Beautiful in Baker Street...

"The Snark Is Broken" is a very good title, OP.

Inga: Another Northwestern grad leaves the scene.

Inga Swenson was like an Audrey Hepburn who could actually sing.

Good work OP! Thank you for your efforts.

Is there really going to be a tour of COMPANY? I know people who worked on it on Broadway and they haven't heard a thing.

Nice NY Times rave for SUMMER STOCK at Goodspeed, even if it's just Elizabeth Vincentelli. I wonder if some idiot producers will now try and move it in.

15 Lost NYC Theaters in Manhattan:

[quote] Is there really going to be a tour of COMPANY? I know people who worked on it on Broadway and they haven't heard a thing.

I don’t know if it’s part of a tour, but the Pantages in LA has it scheduled for next summer

Company National Tour

Horrid title, OP. People are being kind to you.

God forbid people being kind. You missed being the 'pointlessly bitchy" title of r1 r21, by quite a lot. We were down to our last 10 posts and OP stepped up. Title includes a twist on a currently running shoe and includes "edition". A perfectly serviceable title.

My God, the time we waste in theatre threads bitching about the title. Just get the fuck on with it.

[quote]A friend saw Shark is Broken and said it's the best play she's seen in years and the cast of three is perfection.

Thanks, r11. "Best play" sounds a bit much, but maybe your friend doesn't see a lot of plays. I do want to see it. Did I hear correctly that Shaw's son is in this/wrote it?

Great post, r18. I loved the Bijou. I was there when it was torn down (yes, old now, wasn't then).

Of all things yesterday, I was thinking about the supposed Broadway production of The Mousetrap. Is that still happening?

R22. Well she just saw Camelot last week so she would probably think Moose Murders deserved the Pulitzer after that debacle. And, yes, Shaw's son plays Shaw and my friend said Alex Brightman plays Richard Dreyfuss better than Richard Dreyfuss.

Good news/bad news for DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES.

Good news: they're recording the score, some of which is gorgeous. The leads never sounded better, IMHO.

Bad news: if there were a chance of a Bway transfer happening soon: they wouldn't be recording the Atlantic Theatre version. IMHO.

I really enjoyed it. But this show will never come to Bway.

Now HERE is something no one asked for....

But who would play the priss and who would play the slob?

Who's the Sally and who's the Rita?

I will play the Odd Couple by myself. It will the greatest sensation in the history of Broadway.

Billy should do his one woman presentation of When Pigs Fly.

R26. I'll be there opening night!

Will the COMPANY tour put the freewheeling patio number back in?

I once partied on Patti's freewheeling patio.

[quote]Good news/bad news for DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES. Good news: they're recording the score, some of which is gorgeous. The leads never sounded better, IMHO. Bad news: if there were a chance of a Bway transfer happening soon: they wouldn't be recording the Atlantic Theatre version. IMHO.

Well, of course, that doesn't necessarily follow. They may be planning to transfer the show in the near future with the cast intact and without any rewrites to the score.

r25

it shouldn’t come to broadway, it has all the commercial appeal of a PhD dissertation

A Lipstick-lesbian PhD, or a sane dissertation?

Recording an Off-B'way show before a B'way transfer is announced is hardly unprecedented -- I think both GREY GARDENS and A STRANGE LOOP, among many others, qualify.

And obviously, releasing the score to the ticket-buying public now could excite interest in seeing the show on Broadway. That is, if it was music that the ticket-buying public cared anything about.

I've never even watched the movie because it seems like such a downer.

[quote]And obviously, releasing the score to the ticket-buying public now could excite interest in seeing the show on Broadway. That is, if it was music that the ticket-buying public cared anything about.

In the case of this show, nope and nope.

I was 13 when the film Days of Wine and Roses came out and I've still never seen it. Just too bleak as someone just said upthread. The only thing that perks my interest in the property is the gorgeous Henry Mancini song which was sung by EVERYBODY in the 60s and, of course, isn't in this damn show.

Producing this show on Broadway is utter foolishness and a waste of good money. Goodspeed's Summer Stock would even be a better bet. Love that Corbin Bleu!

Howdy neighbor, r41...

[quote] The only thing that perks my interest in the property is the gorgeous Henry Mancini song

It piques your interest. One of the perks of staying awake during high school English classes is knowing such things.

Any of you old queens wanna be a “prologue dancer” in the new Cabaret?

But, it perks up my nipples, R43

Is the prologue set on a patio, r44?

Gang! After my triumphant turn in DOUBT in regional theatre that was mentioned in the last thread, what role should I tackle next?

I can do it all!

I can sing, I can dance, I can act, I can stand!

Can you do a realistic death scene?

Is the patio joke near death?

Is the patio joke near death?

As is Steve, r49.

While I love the score of 110 IN THE SHADE, I always think that Jones and Schmidt missed the mark in not expanding several of the numbers. As an orchestrator for many years, my job was more than just taking a composer’s work and opening it up to a broader range of instrumentation. It was also to work with the team to expand a number so that it has a musical curve, fits the space where it will be performed, and allows for the musical tension and resolution that a good Broadway moment engenders.

R10’s post of the beautiful Act 1 ending number – Old Maid – is a perfect example. The orchestration is excellent, but it sounds like a direct translation of the composer’s piano score. While this number may have worked in someone’s living room, it definitely needed to be expanded to meet the emotional need of a big Act 1 finale on a Broadway stage.

Imagine if "Everything's Coming Up Roses" had only one verse and one chorus and eliminated the roses/daffodils, sunshine/Santa Claus, bright lights/lollipops, and ended on “Everything’s coming up roses for me and for you.” It just would not have the impact of the actual finished version.

Schmidt and Jones had great success with The Fantasticks, but all their scores after that sound as if they meant them to be performed in a smaller, intimate space, and lack the structure for a bigger venue. Look at the score of CELEBRATION, which suffers from this same problem. I think this team should have and would have earned much more respect among the great composing teams of Broadway if their work had been... well, more expansive.

imho

[quote]Schmidt and Jones had great success with The Fantasticks, but all their scores after that sound as if they meant them to be performed in a smaller, intimate space, and lack the structure for a bigger venue.

Sorry, I don't hear that in the score of 110 IN THE SHADE. I think the music, the orchestrations, and the arrangements are just right for presenting that show on a Broadway scale.

R51, I hear you and I'm interested in your analysis but I can't help but wonder if the modesty of the orchestrations were purposely chosen to suit the story. Can you give an example of a similar song to Old Maid in a show about simple folk like Oklahoma or Carousel, and if the orchestrations are more to your liking?

Comparing 110 in the Shade to Gypsy really isn't fair. And maybe it's noteworthy that David Merrick, a compulsive controle freak (with taste!) produced both.

Anyone making it out to tomorrow's last performances of Grey House or New York, New York?

R53, one example that comes to mind is the song "Fifty Percent" from BALLROOM. If Schmidt and Jones had written it, it wouldn't have the "If anyone had told me a year and a half ago, that Maury would be gone" intro. And in the middle, it would go directly from "And I doubt if he'll spend New Year's Eve with me" into "So we have don't have the memories, I have enough memories...", totally missing the dramatic build that includes "But he says he loves me, and I believe it's true. Doesn't that make someone belong to you?' It would also not have "Life is anyone's guess, It's a constant surprise. You don't plan to fall in love, But when you fall, you fall." section. It still would be a very good song, but would entirely miss the full dramatic curve that leads up to "I'd rather have fifty percent of him, Or any percent of him, Than all of anybody else at all."

In "Old Maid", we have Lizzie jumping from "Why won't it rain? Please let it rain!" directly into "Oh God don't let me live my life alone." To really be impactful, there needs to be something else in between, like a further expansion of the frustration shown in "My dress is too tight. My skin is alive all over..." into "Why won't it rain? Please let it rain! PLEASE let it rain! Let it rain, Let it... OH GOD DON"T LET ME LIVE MY LIFE ALONE!!!)

I hope I explained this well enough. Again, I love the score, but I just wish that I went further.

imho

ODD COUPLE reboot: I can't imagine Tiffany being consistent live multiple times a week. Stand up is not enough prep for that specific, old style of comedy, I think. I'll eat my hat if that actually happens.

Anyone know when Crazy for You will transfer from West End?

It seems to be an almost exact copy, down to wigs, costumes, and sets from the 1992 version, based on the trailer. I liked the Great Performances version and it seems like it still might work.

R51 / Orchestrator - Now that you're here I have a random question for you. I LOVE the orchestrations for the Charleston (from Billion Dollar Baby) used in Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Very specifically, the "post woman's scream" moments from about 3:46 onward. I see that the wonderful Paul G was M.D., so, no doubt, his direction is playing a key role in the sound, but it's just... so thrilling the way the rhythm section is pumping away in syncopation as the luxurious sounding strings and woodwinds sound like they're almost chasing each other and the brass punctuates everything. The orchestra sounds like its practically levitating.

Can you think of other moments like this that approximate this orchestra sound from other recordings? I know that's a hyper specific question, but you sound so knowledgeable on the subject, I figured I'd ask.

And, sorry if any of my descriptions of the sound of the orchestra are... less than accurate. I have no musical expertise, I just know what I like.

More fighting about Roundabout please!

Old Maid is one of the most thrilling songs in 110, and must musicals would be fortunate to have songs of its caliber. The show struggles from a mostly unnecessary chorus, a love triangle that is a dated paean to domesticity, and a male lead who borders on a buffoon. Also, audiences usually compare it unfavorably to Oklahoma and The Music Man. The real problem is that it sits uncomfortably between more traditional shows of the 50 and more ambitious shows of the 70s.

R55, many of us thing there's nothing wrong with "Old Maid" or the rest of the score of 110 IN THE SHADE, and while your analysis is somewhat interesting, there is more than one "correct" way to write a song, so I think it's very nervy and annoying of you to keep second guessing Jones & Schmidt.

They included "imho", r60. Sheesh, this is the way threads turn...over nothing.

Who else has seen the abomination at the Delacorte? Asking for a friend.

Nobody went. It's why not for profit theatre is in a death spiral.

r60, are you saying you think Starbuck is written as a buffoon? Or do you think Robert Horton comes off that way on the recording? Either way, I don't see /hear it. Can you elaborate a little, please?

[quote]The real problem is that it sits uncomfortably between more traditional shows of the 50 and more ambitious shows of the 70s.

Cabaret really did set the stage for the '70s musicals to come.

I also don't think Starbuck comes across as a "buffoon," either in the writing or in Robert Horton's performance on the recording. Was R59 perhaps referring to the sheriff character? But I don't see him as a buffoon, either.

Why didn't Horton do another musical?

Saw the penultimate performance of NEW YORK, NEW YORK tonight. Not quite a sellout house, but close. The crowd was enthusiastic (and mostly well-behaved).

I'd been warned that the show was a dog--and it is. Not epically, shockingly awful, just a series of bad decisions by director, book writer, songwriters. The book is a mess. Leads Colton Ryan and Anna Uzele have less than zero chemistry--their relationship makes even less sense than in the (not very good movie). I found Uzele competent but cold. Colton Ryan is giving one of the oddest stage performances I've ever seen: muddy diction and lurching between oddly Southern and Lower East Side dialects. (The woman next to me in the front mezz couldn't understand a word he was saying, despite his volume.) Bizarre. None of the other performers made much of an impact.

Most disappointing to me was the score. If John Kander (with LMM's assistance) felt free to raid and repurpose his own extensive catalogue, why is NY NY so musically deadening? The two great songs from the movie sound... just okay. No better than that. "A Quiet Thing" (another terrific song) is a dull throwaway for Ryan. At least Uzele did a nice job with "Let's Hear It For Me" (from FUNNY LADY). The opening, "Cheering For Me Now" isn't half bad. But the other songs are duds, frankly, even with Stroman's hyperactive staging.

[quote]Why didn't Horton do another musical?

Top billing Monday, Tuesday you're touring in stock.

R68 I agree with everything you wrote, but I did think that Emily Skinner made an impact, despite her poorly written part.

Agree. Her subplot seemed shoehorned in the plot to give fair representation to WWII. (And what of the weird vignette of the cleaning lady turned opera diva? Totally off-the-wall, but I guess it supported the "If you can make it here" theme.)

[quote]I found Uzele competent but cold.

I agree, and it seemed to me a similar situation to HADESTOWN. Nowadays, any female lead in a show -- ESPECIALLY if she is played by a woman of color -- she always has to come across as "strong" and "in control," and is not allowed to show any vulnerability or really even much love for the leading man, because that would be viewed as regressive. Of course, this is ridiculous, but there you have it.

Lin Manuel Miranda has had two “hits” and because of that’s God in the theatre…but let’s remember a thing or two.

His first hit In the Heights is kinda forgotten or overshadowed now…and the movie version BOMBED. The audience just wasn’t there.

I agree, Hamilton was a cultural phenomenon and hoisted him into the stratosphere….but that doesn’t mean everything he touches will turn to gold…I think this debacle proves that.

What happened to Stephen Douglass after playing File in 110 in the Shade? Did he do any other shows? Did he die young? I also love his Ravenal in the Lincoln Center Showboat with Barbara Cook and, of course, as the original young Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees. Handsome man!

I don't know if it was a commercial hit but LMM's film of Tick, Tick....Boom! was really terrific and beautifully, cleverly directed. I wonder if he just hasn't been interested in pursuing more film directing.

R75, what you wrote is true, but I would point out two things: (1) even the greatest talents can sometimes have huge flops, which I hope goes without saying; and (2) I think the two main problems with NEW YORK, NEW YORK were that there were too many cooks, including TWO book writers, and that one of those book writer's credits consist of one flop after another over the past 30 years or so.

The biggest problem with NY NY was a director who didn't know how to shape a show and ask or demand for the required changes from the writers and composers. And a producer who didn't know how to control and properly support that director.

Since Google is my friend I (somewhat) answered my own questions about Stephen Douglass and was very surprised to read that he moved to England in 1972, working there in musical theatre and opera for many years and died of leukemia in 2011. Married twice with several children.

I guess musical theatre was changing so much by the end of the 1960s he felt he'd work more in the UK.

True, R79, I should have included Stroman's inability to shape a show among NY NY's biggest problems. I can't comment on the producer's responsibility, because I know nothing about that. But I do believe that too many cooks and the very limited talent of book writer David Thompson were also largely responsible for doing the show in.

LMM did do something which was very important - he gave widespread visibility to the Latin community for Broadway audiences. When the entire emphasis with diversity has been on blacks , LMM did shoe that Latins are capable of bringing more than just fiery dances and stereotypical portrayals to the stage.

This last season featured shows with roles for women that should have been showstoppers: CAMELOT, SOME LIKE IT HOT, NYNY, OLIVER! They all flopped for me not because they were women of color, but because they were bland. Lili Cooper made an impression, but largely because her material was better than average.

NYNY was a stillborn idea. What was the core of the show? [Italic] Let’s use Kantor and Ed trunk songs to tell multiple stories of artsy types, trying to make it in New York. [/Italic] That was doomed from inception and shouldn’t have made it out of a pitch meeting.

Ebb not Ed, Siri. I need to proofread more.

[quote]What happened to Stephen Douglass after playing File in 110 in the Shade?

That debate with Abraham Lincoln really ended his career.

I disagree, R84. I think a musical about a diverse group of people trying to make it in NYC in the years immediately following WW-II was a great idea in theory, BUT the main problem here was a lack of focus. There were far too many characters, and the story of the central couple was very poorly written and just not all that interesting.

I thought Lily Cooper was quite good in OLIVER at Encores, and sang the role beautifully. I like (but don't love) Philippa Soo and found her bland but pleasant in CAMELOT.

But I agree that a lot of the fault is in the writing. No one knows how to create an engaging heroine in a musical anymore. They must have "agency" and independence, but so many of them come across as strident, humorless, dull. Sorkin's take on Guinevere turned her into a selfish, lecturing shrew (she reminded me of the women I avoid in my corporate job.) No actress can win hearts with that approach.

The most egregious example was BAD CINDERELLA--the single most unappealing, unattractive, charmless lead character ever. (The actress didn't help matters.)

One more problem with NEW YORK NEW YORK: the central relationship is interracial. (No color blind casting here.) In NYC in the 1940s.

Good for them for going there. It's addressed several times, but it's not a real source of conflict for the couple, and barely so for the people around them. That just felt dishonest to me.

[quote] think a musical about a diverse group of people trying to make it in NYC in the years immediately following WW-II was a great idea in theory,

But with trunk songs not written for that purpose, band-aided by Lin Manuel?

r89 cites a great example. And interracial couple in the 40s but you can't address that musically because [italic] you're using old songs that aren't about that [/italic] .

Don't forget Stephen Douglass' immortal duet album with Isabel Bigley of Rodgers and Hammerstein hits.

R89, I've been saying exactly the same thing. An interracial romance between two musicians living in NYC in the late 1940s is certainly credible, but it was silly to imply that everyone accepted it completely, no one objected to it, and there were no obstacles to it whatsoever.

R90, I don't think the decision to include K&E trunk songs was fatal in itself, but unfortunately, some of those songs were very poorly chosen. For example, "A Quiet Thing," which didn't fit the show or that character at all.

R92, On The Town featured Sono Osato as Miss Turnstyles. It was certainly more provocative as we were not just dealing with miscegenation but also the concept that a sailor was flirting with a woman who in the minds of Americans was an enemy. If there was an Asian American Francine, even without any subtext, it would have been interesting.

And yet the original ON THE TOWN, written in 1944, never dealt with any race issues at all and everyone was just fine with that.

Did anybody notice the elder Harry Groener and Greg Jbara on a hearing panel in Oppenheimer?

How unusual for a Broadway musical from 1944 not to deal with race issues.

[quote]Her historic achievements, however, were not enough to shield Osato from discrimination and racial adversity, even within the performing arts. After her father was sent to a Japanese internment camp at the outbreak of World War II, Osato was encouraged to change her name; she assumed her mother’s maiden name, performing as Sono Fitzpatrick with ABT. Because of her Japanese heritage, the federal government barred the American-born dancer from touring with ABT.

[quote]Returning to her given name, Osato began a career on Broadway when she was cast as a featured dancer in the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, choreographed by Agnes de Mille. Her work in the production earned her the inaugural Donaldson Award for Best Female Dancer in 1944.

[quote]However, it was her casting as Ivy Smith in the 1944 Broadway premiere of On the Town that marked a historic moment in racial integration onstage.

[quote]The musical about a trio of U.S. sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City is often overlooked for breaking ground as one of the first Broadway productions to feature a non-segregated cast. In addition to casting a Japanese American in a principal role, the original company of On the Town also included six African American performers in its ensemble, a progressive decision that was noted by critics at the time.

[quote]The creative team, led by composer Leonard Bernstein, director-choreographer Jerome Robbins, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, were deliberate in their decision to eschew racial stereotypes in the production, offering no commentary or acknowledgment of race onstage. Her father, who remained confined under military guard, was unable to attend her historic opening-night performance, which drew praise from critics.

gosh, r97, thanks?

Why can't some musicals just be plain entertaining and not the subject of a treatise on race relations, sexism, and gender identity Produce those and watch people come back to the theater; Broadway is its worst enemy.

r97 - thanks! Unlike R98, I was unaware of this casting in the original On the Town and found it very interesting.

New York, New York was simply awful. I sat there the entire time thinking, “if they wanted to do a piece set in NYC during the war years, they should have fucking revived On the Town.”

That On the Town revival (was that... 10 years ago?) was SUBLIME.

Barbara Cook hated working with Stephen Douglass. I read that somewhere but can’t remember why she disliked him.

Cook praised Douglass' singing (and looks), but said when they did "Show Boat" his acting "wasn't up to the demands of the role [Gaylord Ravenal]."

Not to throw shade…but has anyone ever written a review of Barbara Cook’s acting? I know for many, her Sally was the best sung, and her voice was a marvel….but was she ever in a position to judge anyone’s acting ability?

My Ravenal was always UP to standards, except when he was doin’ the blow…

R75, blaming Miranda for the disaster of NYNY is pretty silly. He contributed lyrics to a handful of songs and presumably sat in on creative discussions, but that's an awfully far cry from writing and starring in IN THE HEIGHTS and HAMILTON. Whether he has another outstanding show in him very much remains to be seen -- but NYNY contributes next to nothing to the case.

R105, even IF Cook wasn't much of an actress (a point I'm only conceding arguendo), that hardly proves that she was no judge of that ability in others. By your logic, opera reviewers are unqualified if they themselves can't sing.

I blame Miranda for AJLT, NYNY and Cuomo! ;)

^that’s SNARK

I didn't see Barbara Cook in SHE LOVES ME but if that OBC recording is any evidence, her portrayal of Amalia as heard in her vocals indicates a brilliant heart-wrenching performance in the acting department, too. And, for that matter, her Marian is superb, as well. She acts all those songs with incredible emotion and great humor.

Something the O'Haras, Fosters, Benantis and Lukers never quite approach. Cook is the difference between a lovely soprano ingenue like them and Joan Roberts, Isabel Bigley, Jo Sullivan and Jan Clayton and a true star.

I’m seeing Brokeback Mountain in the West End next week just prior to its closing… any chance it will hop the pond? Curious to know opinions of those who’ve seen it, and, also, how explicit it gets? Are the songs intrusive or more narrative? I’m avoiding reviews until I see it myself, but I’d like to know more about those aspects before going in.

Go in with VERY low expectations, r111 and you might just like it.

Dear lord, against my better judgment, I went to see The Grey House. WTF was that? I can't believe crap like that made it to Broadway. Does anyone have any insight on this? Lori Metcalf and Paul Sparks were fine but had little to work with. The rest of the cast was all amateur hour except for the young redheaded kid.

It really confounds me why Joe Mantello, who must have his pick of any project on Broadway and is richer than Midas, would want to direct Grey House. He must be really bored.

I heard really good things about Grey House. What didn’t you like?

Where is Christine Ebersole

I thought *you* had her, r116.

[quote]I heard really good things about Grey House.

Who did you hear that from, r115?

Friends, reviews - not saying they were right, just curious about it r118

[quote] The biggest problem with NY NY was a director who didn't know how to shape a show and ask or demand for the required changes from the writers and composers.

It’s not that exactly. Stroman assumes that anyone who comes to one of her shows is only interested in her choreography. So anything else in the show exists only as a delivery system for her dances.

While in London, I’m also going back to the transcendent Bridge Theatre revival of Guys & Dolls with an expat friend from NYC with whom I saw dozens of Broadway shows in the 2010s. Certainly, nothing on Broadway (or anywhere, Mary!) can compare to it, so I will be curious to see how the production is holding up many months since my first experience and her opinion of it. And, yes, we will be standing/immersive. Any word on a transfer?

Cook also seems a splendid actress on The Gay Life; her rendering of those two ballads reveal sensitivity and depth. She's also pretty great on The studio recording of The King and I.

The problem with Grey House is that it just didn't make sense. There may have been some horror/folkloric/mythical antecedents that went into its creation, but nobody thought to inform the audience what they were. I hated it.

I've never read/heard a single complaint about Cook's acting.

[quote]Dear lord, against my better judgment, I went to see The Grey House. WTF was that? I can't believe crap like that made it to Broadway. Does anyone have any insight on this?

I have no insight on this subject, but maybe the debacle of THE GREY HOUSE will at least help convince Laurie Metcalf that she doesn't necessarily HAVE to come back to Broadway in a new show every damned season, which is literally what she had been doing before the pandemic.

Hey, r125, she obviously likes exercising those muscles and her track record is pretty damn good.

^yea—for all of her Roseann/Connors success, she’s theater first tv second.

I think Jan Clayton in that R&H special doing the bench scene was extraordinary. So leave her off that list, please.

Saw the Bridge Theater Guys and Dolls last month and though I loved the staging, I was disappointed with the cast. We did see the Adelaide undestudy, (who was good but not a star) but thought the Nathan was dreadful. The Sarah was fine, but the Sky couldn't sing for shit. Couldn't come close to the 90s revival.

The Bridge's GUYS & DOLLS was so sublime I feel like I could never return to see it again. There's an exuberance on first viewing that I don't think could be duplicated for me. And I wouldn't dare allow myself to be disappointed.....and I fear it's the sort of production that could go over the top with a lack of discipline from the performers as there's so much direct interaction with the audience (btw I sat for it). But I can't wait to see what Andrew Richardson (Sky) does next.

Can't imagine why it wouldn't transfer to NY, except for the huge expense of gutting a Broadway theater to accommodate it, but I also think we're going to be seeing lots more immersive theater experiences in the coming years. Especially if HERE LIES LOVE (which I have no interest in) is a financial success. They're the wave of the future and one experience that cannot be duplicate anywhere but in the theater.

Scarlett Strallen was wonderful in the Menier Chocolate Factory's She Loves Me

La Cage has started previews in Regents Park Open Air Theatre this week - anyone been?

All this talk about UK Guys & Dolls... anyone remember the early 2000s revival with Ewan McGregor, Jenna Russell and Jane Krakowski? I saw it when visiting London and, clearly, I'm going to be diagnosed with dementia by my 50s, because I can't remember much about it at all. I was in my early 20s then and, yet, I barely remember the production. I do recall enjoying it -- most especially Jane Krakowski and Jenna Russell -- but I had no frame of reference having never seen a production before.

[quote]Hey, [R125], she obviously likes exercising those muscles and her track record is pretty damn good.

Obviously, but some of us feel there's such a thing as overexposure. I can think of another TV star who has frequently returned to the theater but does allow some space between her appearances, for fear of overexposure and to prevent the audience from taking her for granted. Until now, Metcalf has had a very different mindset, but now that her desire to be back on stage as often as possible has prompted her to become involved in a huge flop, we'll see what happens going forward.

A dance remix of "Feel the Light" has been released ahead of the upcoming world premiere U.K. run of To Wong Foo The Musical, offering a first listen to one of the songs from Lewis Flinn's score. Adapted from the 1995 cult classic film by Douglas Carter Beane and Flinn, the new musical is set to debut at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre October 21–December 17, with opening night October 26.

The Kennedy Center’s Guys and Dolls staged concert was near perfect, but was blocked from Broadway because of the Bridge production. They could do much worse than that cast - Jessie Mueller, Philippa Soo, Steven Pasquale, James Monroe Iglehart.

[quote]I think Jan Clayton in that R&H special doing the bench scene was extraordinary.

I second that. Best performance of Julie in that song ever. She is somewhat otherworldly and so moving. That kiss at the end is so sexy. Raitt sings wonderfully but Clayton acts rings around him.

r130 Two reviews so far on Theatreboard, and so far they're loving it

Why do you suppose Jan Clayton didn't do more on Broadway after CAROUSEL? Other than the original LASSIE on TV what were her major credits?

She was an alcoholic, no?

It always comes back. Jan Clayton did Follies and was Collins' understudy.

[quote]It always comes back.

It never left. How could it?

There were almost 30 years between Carousel and Follies.

Sondheim must have seen Jan Clayton in Carousel when he was mentored by Hammerstein and I imagine he was thrilled to hear her audition for Follies.

Joe Mantello can choose whatever project strikes his fancy. It doesn't have to be good material. He makes it better.

He's also a millionaire thanks to Wicked. He doesn't have to work.

We know all that, R142. The valid question was why Mantello would waste his time on such a lousy play. Why would he want to work on bad material and "make it better" when he could work on good material and give it an excellent production? The fact that he's so rich and doesn't need to work makes it all the more puzzling that he would taken on this play as a project.

Clayton also did the 40s revival of SHOW BOAT, playing Magnolia.

No one remembers Jan Clayton for anything but this

Sure, Jan.

Good and Evil…

Montello has essentially retired to Palm Springs. He's earned it.

[quote]Ghee To Play Lady Chablis

Now that is perfect casting.

I remember Clayton from "The Snake Pit" (1948).

How dare they cast non-Louisianans in that musical!!!!

Last night was the Sondheim show at the Hollywood Bowl. The critique was the numbers were as expected and I agree.

If you have LuPone why didn’t you give her the chance to sing new Sondheim material. Fans would have loved to have heard her sing:

Stay With Me

Losing My Mind

Last Midnight

Move On

Really anything from Sunday in the Park

[quote]Really anything from Sunday in the Park

I don't touch Eva, r152, Patti doesn't touch Dot.

[quote]If you have LuPone why didn’t you give her the chance to sing new Sondheim material.

Has it not occurred to you that maybe she told them what she wanted to sing?

Patti did say the final “harmony” before joining in the ensemble singing of “Sunday”

PSSSTTT....

She's in the attic!

Awww...

How are things in Ricamora?

[quote]No one remembers Jan Clayton for anything but this.

People who know nothing about Broadway or Rodgers and Hammerstein, perhaps. That said, I remember watching the original "Lassie" series in reruns, where it was called "Jeff's Collie." I thought Jan Clayton was one of the best of the TV moms of that era. She had such warmth. June Lockhart seemed like such a cold fish by comparison.

[quote]The critique was the numbers were as expected and I agree.

Many of the numbers were expected -- but not always in their particular form.

I did not expect Brian Stokes Mitchell performing ALL parts of "Getting Married Today" (the original Amy version).

I did not expect Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess doing "Too Many Mornings". Ditto Skylar Astin & Sierra with "Move On". (Skylar's "Finishing the Hat" was perhaps expected, but it was also excellent.)

I did not expect "Night Waltz", "What More Do I Need", "With So Little to Be Sure Of" or "Flag Song" at all.

I did not expect so little representation of FOLLIES, MERRILY, or WOODS.

Additional notes: Patti never should have done "Send in the Clowns". I can't think of a song that her voice is more ill-suited for. I felt she struggled to keep it toned down the whole time. (Conversely, she knocked "Being Alive" out of the park).

Loved hearing Brian Stokes Mitchell as Sweeney, and he seemed to really enjoy sinking his teeth into those songs. Cast him instead of Grobin and I'm there.

The mash-up of Sutton's "Losing My Mind" and Sierra's "Not a Day Goes By" may have looked good on paper, but I don't think it worked that well.

Having only seen Skylar as the Baker (with Sutton & Sierra) in the Bowl's wonderful INTO THE WOODS several years ago, he really impressed me. Think he could be a terrific George in SUNDAY.

Clayton and former MGM executive Samuel Marx co-wrote a book on Rodgers and Hart in 1976.

R161 Skylar is dreamy.

Mediocre nightmare-y

Has FUNNY GIRL recouped yet?

Ever since Sondheim on Sondheim did that mashup of losing my mind/not a day goes by…people think it’s brilliant.

But both songs deserve to be done separately.

Recouped the invertment or recouped from Beanie?

^ investment

You mean recovered from Beanie.

[quote] recoup - regain (money spent or lost)

No, I mean " recouped."

Stokes took on Sweeney in DC decades ago, and wasn't memorable. Maybe he has aged into it.

The 169, the question is whether the show has recouped its investment during its run so far, you can't separate it into "during Beanie" and "after Beanie."

Sez you, R170. I thought that he was mesmerizing in the part. His singing and acting in "My Friends" alone were worth the price of admission.

I saw the Bridge Theatre Guys & Dolls last week and thought it was fantastic. It's a one of kind production, it was so magnetic. Sky's understudy was in and I thought he was really sexy, played it really well. Miss Adelaide is a total effing star. I thought it was so interesting the way she played it, she just completely made it her own and was very clever. They didn't have to change anything or re-write her story or anything (like SLIT), she just made the role her own. Bushel and a Peck was little sleazy but Take Back Your Mink was an absolute showstopper. She was fantastic. Nathan and Sarah were fine, Nicely Nicely was great. It was a fully diverse cast - I really liked how the Charlie Bernstein character was played as a butch lesbian and then was featured in the title number with her femme girlfriend. It was perfect.

The staging does restrict things a little bit - Luck Be A Lady was nothing like when Ewan did in the Michael Grandage production where it was huge dance number. Here it was kind of awkwardly staged. It wasn't very expansive. The orchestrations were great. I just loved the whole thing though, it was so joyful, I don't think I've felt that kind of joy in a theatre ever. I was in the front row balcony and it felt like I was being pulled into the magnetism of the immersed live audience around the stage. It's booking until April, I'll definitely go see it again.

[quote]The 169, the question is whether the show has recouped its investment during its run so far, you can't separate it into "during Beanie" and "after Beanie."

Do you have any friends? Thought not.

Finally just gave in and purchased tickets for HERE WE ARE at The Shed for mid-October. Though there were plenty of seats available, the prices still range between $259 and $399 (plus extra charges, of course.....for god knows what!). As it appears to be a small intimate space on the seating chart, I opted for the cheap seats, but I don't think they're more than 8 rows back from the stage. Not expecting much, but you just know EVERYONE will be talking about this show in a couple of months.

Also, bought tickets for I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE at CSC for the same week and really looking forward to that one.

Thanks, r175. I just got tickets to CSC, which were ridiculously priced at $200 each.

For context, Assassins were $84 each in 2021, and Man of No Importance were $127 in 2022 for almost the exact same seats.

R174, the immaturity of that response is exactly what we all expected from you. The next thing I expect you to come out with, screamed in a high-pitched voice, is "I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I??!!!!!!"

r173 what is SLIT?

R179, I think they meant SLIH for Some Like It Hot. The Adelaide in this production is black.

R178 has confirmed he/she has no friends, so we must be kind to his pomposity. Now, back to theater.

Marilyn

No, R181, I've just confirmed that your sense of "humor" is infantile.

NOW, back to theater: I wonder what the base price will be for tickets to see Kenneth Branagh in KING LEAR at The Shed?

R182. Oh for the days of the local tv critics who covered the Broadway beat…Pía Lindstrom with her gimlet eye ;)

*Anyone* with a gimlet eye, r184.

Stewart Klein was fabulous. He couldn't keep a straight face during his nasty reviews.

FOLLIES

Speaking of Anne Frank, anyone remember the Anne Frank puppet show with Mandy Patinkin that was at the Public about 12 years ago?

Sorry R179, R180 is right, I meant SLIH.

Also, I paid £24 for my Guys & Dolls ticket, evening.

[quote]The original source tapes used during the Boston tryout of the show (FOLLIES) which played as characters entered at the start

Can someone explain to me what this means? I listened to the recordings and I still don't understand.

The Prologue changed, r190. It was one of the first attempts when the Follies girls enter the reunion.

I don't know if it's fair to judge from YouTube amateur clips, but the music direction seems a bit... sloppy and uninspired at the Sondheim Hollywood Bowl thing. Have to say, Patti looks terrific for a woman a few years off from 80 and her voice is in very good shape. Other than Skyler's George, the other performers seemed very... serviceable. Perhaps you had to be there?

Sutton hurts my ears.

That's part of her charm, R193.

I'm old enough to remember watching Pat Collins (not the Hip Hypnotist nor the fabulous Broadway lighting designer) deliver her theater reviews on local Boston TV news in the late 60s/early 70s before she moved on to NY. And this was still in an era when all the big Broadway shows had Boston tryouts. Her raves and pans became almost more powerful than those of Eliot Norton, the respected theatre critic of the Boston Herald for many years, who taught me Modern Drama and Shakespeare at Boston University in those years.

Is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book worth a read? I like the movie but it's been awhile since I saw it.

Is it true Eastwood kind of neutered the movie's gay storylines/aspects?

I'm definitely interested in the musical version (I'm partial to musicals with lots of unique supporting characters ) I'm hoping they do another, more public workshop.

Brutal review of the old 2010 Anne Frank puppet show: "Matt Acheson’s clammy, corpselike marionettes, always hovering somewhere in the rafters of Eugene Lee’s Auschwitz-inflected set, are profoundly disturbing, even — no, especially — when their presence skirts the edge of dark comedy."

God I wish there was a sequel to Not Since Carrie!

The book of Midnight in the Garden is terrific; was a huge bestseller. The movie was a sad disappointment; Eastwood was the totally wrong director for this sensual, gay-infused topic. The soundtrack, however, is great. K.D. Lang, Rosemary Clooney, Cassandra Wilson, Alison Kraus, etc. singing standards.

Agreed, R198. It also saddled us with Eastwood's talent-free daughter in a role that (IIRC) wasn't in the book but was merely added to heterosexualize the protagonist.

A shame, since Kevin Spacey and Jude Law were both perfect for their parts then. And I do give it points for featuring both Kim Hunter AND Dorothy Loudon!

Oh I'm just sure DL fave Rob Ashford will do a marvelous job directing the musical version.

R200, he's been workshopping version(s) of it FOREVER -- a friend of mine played the hustler role in a few of them maybe 10 years ago, opposite the likes of Kenneth Branagh and Roger Rees, if you can imagine. I think that DL fave Leslie Uggams was involved in at least 1 of them (no, not as the Lady Chablis!). He said that Alfred Uhry was lovely to work with.

Sounds like Midnight in the Garden will need a very strong lead producer to guide this to fruition. Which you just know it will never get. Where are the strong smart producers these days? It's a lost art.

What happened to Sutton? Why did she start singing that way where everything has to be straight tone, praying to God that she sustains the note?

Did someone scream at her to never use Vibrato when belting?

It’s really unpleasant these days

These days?

Anyone seen The Cottage? Closes Oct 29th, don't know if this was the original plan.

The York is doing three very rare, forgotten musicals in their "Mufti" season this fall, How to Steal an Election, The Lieutenant, and Golden Rainbow. I've always been curious about The Lieutenant and would love to see it. One of the best recent theater experiences I've had was seeing their production of Lolita, My Love, and realizing what a fantastic lost score it was.

[quote]and Golden Rainbow

That patio number better be extra-freewheeling!

They're doing a play with music of The Pianist, starting at George St.

Austin Pendleton is in the just-announced cast. He is a national theatre hero

one of the Broadway advertising agencies is seeking a new digital media manager These are the primary requrements

[quote] 2-3 years experience in a digital advertising related role with a focus on campaign planning and management. Prior experience in an agency supervisory role preferred. Proficient knowledge of digital advertising industry and tactics. Prior experience with using Google Analytics. Prior experience building out campaigns using Meta Ads Manager and Google Ads. A passion for data and analytics

So next time you're in a meeting getting advice from a digital media managerabout what to do with your hundreds of thousands of dollars to save your show, remember they have two years of experience.

R209, that's not unusual these days. No one can find qualified young people to fill jobs and the mid-level jobs are the hardest to find. I can put an ad out and get 50 resumes for an assistant and the same for a director but very few qualified ones for a manager. I'm a Gen Xer and when I was an assistant, my peers and I used to work in a job 2-3 years minimum. Young people today expect promotions now after 6 months. I had one assistant demanding a promotion to account manager after 3 months when he barely knew the operations of our company. I think this ad is reasonable - they want someone who has planned campaigns and managed them for two to three years.

[quote]No one can find qualified young people to fill jobs and the mid-level jobs are the hardest to find

[quote]Young people today expect promotions now after 6 months

So they're exploiting supply and demand the way the market intended.

Golden Rainbow will never be forgotten as long as Datalounge exists.

There was already a workshop concert version of Golden Rainbow directed by Stuart Ross performed a few months ago. I heard went very well.

Calling Carole Bishop!

Carole Bishop said she was the best dancer on Broadway and the only one who was her peer was chinless wonder Pam Sousa. Had it not been for ACL, we almost certainly would have never heard from her again.

Oh c'mon, r215, she's hardly in Kilgallen territory.

Have we ever discussed the best Cassies

A Beautiful Noise and Once Upon a One More Time have both got to be close to closing, right?

Last week they sold at 55% and 56% capacity audiences, R218.

Tick-tock....

R217. Deborah Henry and Vicki Frederick were my favorite Cassie's. Did not see Reinking but did see Donna during her return engagement. Laurie Gamache was very good but seemed too young. Wanda Richert was better as Val. I don't remember much about Pam Sousa or Cheryl Clark.

Did anyone startle at "Deborah Harry" as Cassie at R220?

Now that's A CHORUS LINE for the ages.

‘Grey House’, ‘New York, New York’ Close On Upswings; ‘Jaws’ Comedy ‘The Shark Is Broken’ Swims Into View – Broadway Box Office:

Deborah Henry sadly passed away much too young. Not only was she an amazing Cassie (her dancing was great and she acted the role beautifully) but she was a hilarious Val.

Exactly what we don't need - a SPAMALOT revival.

Aren't most Monty Python fans in nursing homes by now?

R226 hold on for a few minutes as all the DLers confirm with their nursing home roommates.

[quote]Exactly what we don't need - a SPAMALOT revival.

Will it be " re-imagined for the modern audience"?

" I'm the Lady of the Lake," " I'm the Lady of the Lake."

This production is all about The Kennedy Center board showing "they still got it..."

Michael Urie will be quite busy in the coming months starring in the premiere of a new play based on The DaVinci Code at the Ogunquit Playhouse (can you imagine??) to costarring on Broadway in the new revival of Spamalot.

Jeffrey Finn is the producer of Spamalot, which means no discount mailers and a very short, turbulent run.

R231-But Mr. Sheffield is in The DaVinci Code. How could it fail?

Stephen Cole has a new musical that just trod the boards down in Texas (deep in the heart of Addison Texas!). Water Tower Theater presented "Goin' Hollywood" in July.

Oh DL soothsayers, what's your prediction... will "Goin' Hollywood" go to Broadway and take the Big Apple by storm?

Here's a review...

Gamache may have been young but her solo was breathtaking. Like, you held your breath

PS that was from the show's closing night, so obviously adrenaline is high. Here's a rare video of her Cassie from the wings

Out where they say...

[quote]Where is Christine Ebersole

Appearing with Michael Feinstein and the Pasadena Pops on Sept. 9 in a "Hollywood Blockbusters" concert at the LA County Arboretum.

[quote]But Mr. Sheffield is in The DaVinci Code. How could it fail?

I saw him in "Urinetown" on Broadway.

[quote]I'm old enough to remember watching Pat Collins (not the Hip Hypnotist nor the fabulous Broadway lighting designer) deliver her theater reviews on local Boston TV news in the late 60s/early 70s before she moved on to NY.

I loved her reviews, got to meet on the night "Grease" broke the record for longest running musical on Broadway at the Royale Theatre. I said "I'm just a fan" and she seemed surprised and very sweet. She was married to the late composer Joe Raposo who worked for years with The Muppet

I also got to meet Travolta and Olivia Newton John too so it was a good night.

I want these glasses...

Pat Collins played the Rona Barrett-type reviewer in All That Jazz. I don't know if she and Fosse had an affair, but bios said he would regularly send her flowers saying things like "miss you".

R242 LIAR!!!!!!

[quote] One of the best recent theater experiences I've had was seeing their production of Lolita, My Love, and realizing what a fantastic lost score it was.

That was an amazing evening! The show is probably hopeless, but it was fascinating to see. You could really see what Alan Jay Lerner was going for. And the score had some amazing moments.

[quote] Water Tower Theater presented "Goin' Hollywood" in July.

You got me excited for a second…I thought you meant the musical version of “Once In A Lifetime,” with a score by David Zippel and Jonathan Schaffer.

That Stephen Cole musical sounds like something that would have been produced in the early 1970s in the West Village like Boy Meets Boy or Buy Bonds, Buster!

I love THE FLAG SONG. Who sang it at the Sondheim thingy?

Brian Stokes Mitchell, r247

Found it, R248, thanks much. I think BSM does this so well. There is a bobble in the beginning, tho, here.

Any word on The Who's TOMMY? Will it transfer?

Cheryl Clark

17 year old Ariana

BSM is great but that wig/hairline needs ICU assistance.

Oh Mrs. Fosse, are you suggesting that Miss Pat is the reporter that is constantly mentioned in ATJ as one of his girlfriends?

[quote]Oh Mrs. Fosse, are you suggesting that Miss Pat is the reporter that is constantly mentioned in ATJ as one of his girlfriends?

Does ATJ mean All That Jizz?

She’s not good r252

Is Ariana doing Kiss of the Spiderwoman next year?

Mr. Kirdahy is currently doing a second workshop with Ariana as the Spiderwoman.

Lord, the power of Eldergays who haven't left the 20th century is strong in this thread... Fosse, ACL/Cassie, Fossie, ACL/Cassie... what's happening in the 21st century?

R259 - "Follies"!

R259, haven’t you noticed? Most current Broadway shows have their roots in the 20th Century - MJ, A Beautiful Noise, Chicago, Some Like It Hot, Kimberly Akimbo, Here Lies Love, Aladdin, The Lion King, Back to the Future, Funny Girl, Parad. Good Night Oscar, The Shark is Broken, Sweeney, Harry Potter, Wicked. What’s happening in the 21st century is a great question, but not just for the eldergays.

And btw, r259, “the power…is strong in this thread” is a reference out of 1977. Methinks ByJupiter protests too much.

DL fave Tovah explains it all for YOU.

I somehow never saw Spamalot. I'm not a Monty Python aficionado. Never seen the films, but have enjoyed many of their sketches. Was the original production enjoyable? Was it closer to The Producers level or more Something Rotten level?

[Quote] Fossie

Oh, dear…and all that jazz

I'm one of the few who really hated SPAMALOT, R264. It had no reason for being, IMHO.

Someone described it as a "meta-musical" --every musical moment was a parody of musical theatre conventions, and none of it very fresh or funny. I saw it late in its Bway run with a very tired replacement cast mostly phoning in their performances. And I'd liked some Monty Python when I was a kid. What a bore.

I think diehard Monty Python fans got their fill the first time, and younger audiences will not care.

For what it's worth, the Kennedy Center production of "Spamalot" got great reviews and had a talented cast.

The Stratford production ( playing now) is excellent and features eye candy Liam Tobin as Galahad. Eric Idle visited .

I'm guessing they may be courting some bigger stars than the Kennedy Center cast if they didn't announce casting for Spamalot...?

MikeR abstains from penetrative sex during previews (and on Barbara Cook's birthday.)

[quote]I'm guessing they may be courting some bigger stars than the Kennedy Center cast if they didn't announce casting for Spamalot...?

Some of the cast members from the Kennedy Center production may have other commitments. Rob McClure is doing the tour of "Mrs. Doubtfire" and Alex Brightman is in "The Shark Is Broken."

Apropos of nothing, Cole Porter kind of had gay voice didn't he?

You said it, Larry!

Do you think Rob regrets signing on for that Doubtfire tour when he could be back on Broadway with Spam?

I saw the original SPAMALOT and remember enjoying it quite a bit but can't recall much about it at all.

It's not worth recalling. Watch MPATHG instead

I thought Spamalot was a bore.

So Ben Rimalower’s Into the Woods podcast had Ellen Foley on and she was the original Witch at the Old Globe production before it moved to Broadway.

She said she was devestated that she wasn’t asked ti continue to Broadway and it was because James Lapine hated her.

However the story I read was that Betty Buckley had done the workshop, was unavailable for the old globe production (she was in Song and Dance) and then came back to do the pre-Broadway workshop before leaving altogether, which paved the way for Bernadette.

I find it sad that Ellen has held on to believing that she wasn’t invited to move forward because the director hated her, when I think the real story was Betty Buckley was always the first choice….until she wasn’t.

The ITW producers and Lapine knew they needed the star quality that only Bernadette could provide for Broadway. Foley and Buckley could not deliver that. It was that simple.

Was anyone else replaced before the show arrived on Broadway?

The Narrator, Little Red (Danielle Ferland couldn’t do San Diego), Cinderella’s Prince (Howard McGillin turned it down for Anything Goes). The podcast has some interesting bits of information here and there.

Betty Buckley was supposed to be Mrs. Madrigal in the musical Tales of the City. She did the workshop. Everytjin* was set in her deal and she was on the verge of signing, when she disclosed that she would need a couple of performances off during previews to fulfill concert gigs. That was it, the producers had barely hung up when they called Judy Kaye and it was bye-bye, Betty.

R279, I'd say that Buckley's "star quality" was not at issue -- that she had in spades! My understanding is that she pulled some of her standard-issue batshit craziness during the pre-B'way workshop, and they ditched her. Alas -- she was thrilling onstage and would probably have been terrific in the part.

Who saw it?

While I love Bernadette and think she was perfect in the role, I wish Betty Buckley could have played the Witch at some point. She has an intensity to her that would have lent itself really well to that role.

Buckley’s humorless intensity would have unbalanced the original cast. Maybe that would have been a benefit, but she is very different from actors like Kim Crosby or Chip Zien.

Anyone see The Shark is Broken yet? I'm curious about it.

It seems like a show that would be at the Fringe Festival in the 90s.

Betty Buckley’s pussy is broken!

Michele Lee, TV and music-hall star

I thought Bernie opened ITW as a favor to Sondheim. She was only in it for 6 months. Is the Witch really that great of a role?

It's a great ensemble role, r289.

The Shark is Broken is 90 minutes of the actors playing Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss bickering with each other, with the actor playing Roy Scheider as mediator. I found it amusing in a few spots, but it's a very minor effort. The audience seemed to love it, though, with whooping and cheering when a famous line from the movie was quoted. The actors are all fine, and it's uncanny how much Ian Shaw looks and sounds like his father. Alex Brightman is fun as a portly Dreyfuss (who was not that fat in the movie). Colin Donnell strips down to a speedo at one point, so that was enjoyable.

If it seems like a fringe show that’s probably because the producer/director, Guy Masterson, usually does a handful of productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year, mostly one-man shows.

For instance, I live in London and attend the theatre often and I’ve never heard of The Shark is Broken. “London’s Splash Hit Comedy” probably played a short run at a pub theatre somewhere inside the M25.

It seems so very easy to make an audience whoop and holler these days.

R291, when Colin stripped down to the speedos, how many tats did he show or is he slashed in body make-up to cover them up?

ByJupiter I was in the back of the orchestra section and didn't see any tats. They could have been covered in body makeup, though.

Looks like it played at the Ambassadors Theatre, a serviceable proscenium, in the West End for 3 months at the end of 2021. Probably got a good deal on the rent during the pandemic.

Got rush tix to The Cottage last night. Of course, no one mentioned Eric and Laura are out all week, as well as another cast member. If it weren't for the clever direction, this show would stink up the Hayes. As it is, it still stinks.

Alex Moffat has the best role in The Cottage, and provides the only real laughs in the piece. Very physical performance.

I'm sorry why are Eric and Laura Bell already out all week?

Telecharge gives you those notes when you start purchasing

The Cottage was like a bad imitation of those crappy British sex farces from the 1970s. I smiled once during the whole show. And I thought Alex Moffat was mugging up a storm like he was playing to the fourth balcony at Radio City. Dreadful play.

Both Eric and Laura are out right after the opening. WTF

R302 maybe they read the reviews.

God are there no standards anymore?

Ellen Foley as The Witch

Betty Buckley as The Witch

A new LMM musical is on the way

[quote]Lin-Manuel Miranda is adapting a stage musical version of “The Warriors,” Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel. That book inspired a 1979 cult action thriller directed by Walter Hill that is even more widely known.

[quote]Details for the project are still murky, but an individual with knowledge of Miranda’s plans confirmed his involvement. Both film and novel center on a fictional street gang in New York City, who travel from the Bronx to their home turf in Coney Island after they’re framed for the murder of a respected gang leader. The film of “The Warriors” isn’t a musical, but it does feature songs by Barry De Vorzon, Joe Walsh and Arnold McCuller. Though the movie projected an arresting image of urban decay (and was shot as the city teetered on the edge of insolvency), Yurick’s novel provided an even darker look at street life.

I notice the gorgeous and very talented Broadway siner/actor Clifton Oliver has died. They don't give his age in the obits so far, but I doubt he was even fifty.

I knew him a tiny bit here in NYC some years ago and the notices are vague indicating to me his drug/booze issues just wore him down ultimately. Very sad.

Has anyone worked with him?

R295, We’ve all seen the disappointment beneath that SPEEDO.

I saw Ellen Foley when she played the Witch during what turned out to be the last month of the Broadway run. She was ok. Nothing more. Not as good as Bernadette but better than Rashad.

That's what happens when a star originates an ensemble role, r310.

*3* GIRLS *3*

Vanessa Williams was better than Rashad.

The Warriors is a fantastic movie. It's a terrible idea for a musical.

R313. Vanessa wasn't better than ME

Yeah, r314, as bad an idea as a biography of Andrew Hamilton?

Yikes! Adam Feldman gave BACK TO THE FUTURE no stars. Is that a first for him?

Holy cow. And THE SHARK IS BROKEN is a terrible, unfunny bore. What a waste of 90 minutes.

The 3 actors do a decent job embodying their JAWS counterparts--and that's interesting for the first 2 minutes. The other interesting 2 minutes is Colin D in his swimsuit--it's pointless and gratuitous, but far more entertaining than what comes before and after. Shaw looks and sounds like his father but he's the least compelling actor in the group. And he's written a really mediocre play, IMHO.

Co-written, to be accurate. Because it takes 2 adult men to create something this dull.

JAWS was part of my 70s childhood. It was huge. But how much exactly do you have to love JAWS to like this play?

Boy, “Boom Crunch” is a real stinker. I’ll bet Bernadette begged Steve to write her something else.

Willy Falk plays “Che’s Neighbor” (1 scene, no lines, maybe a sentence) on the latest ep of And Just Like That

Can BACK TO THE FUTURE really beat all those terrible reviews?

Deadline:

THR:

Jesse Green at the Times: not good.

Stolen from the AI Porn thread....

[quote]Barbara Cook and Tommy Tune have pre-show anal sex from her wheelchair

[quote]Apropos of nothing, Cole Porter kind of had gay voice didn't he?

KIND of???!!!!

[quote]No one mentioned Eric and Laura are out all week

Why in the name of all that's holy would two stars (or even one star) of a small-cast ensemble comedy have scheduled absences for a full week (or even for a day or two) right after the opening? The theater has really come to a point where anything goes.

Willy Falk looks good. Two scenes and no lines is referred to as 'featured background' but it's nice to see him working.

R328, It’s so unprofessional.

Ok here again is the timeline for the Witch:

0) James Lapine wanted Patti LuPone to play the Witch and was his first choice. LuPone didn’t want to play the witch (at this time, the witch only had the rap) and wanted to play Cinderella. She auditioned for Cinderella, they said no and offered her the Witch. Negotiable broke down, and she passed, and did Anything Goes.

1) Betty Buckley did the playwrights horizon workshop. It was only act one and there was only the rap. Betty annoyed James Lapine by being late all the time, their friendship felll apart, and she accepted to replace Bernadette in Song and Dance on Broadway, and passed on moving forward with ITW

2) Ellen Foley was cast for the Old Globe. Boom Crunch was added. Sondheim liked her, Lapine hated her and called Buckley back and said, “you have to be my witch.” Lapine moved away from the Witch being a lesbian, which was the intent, and toward abusive mother (which was Buckley’s idea)

3) Betty Buckley replaced Ellen Foley and played the witch for the pre-Broadway workshop. Sondheim added Stay With me and wrote the song for Betty’s voice. So far, the Witch had the rap, Stay with Me and Boom Crunch. Paul Ford worked with Betty on Boom Crunch, and she told him she “didn’t hear the song the way he did.” Buckley disagreed with the costume choices for the Witch and created her own staging for the scene between her and Rapunzel. Again, Lapine and Buckley butted heads and Buckley and the producers couldn’t come to terms on the deal to come to Broadway.

4) Bernadette was brought in, after the workshop, to open the show. She had a filming commitment to film Slaves in New York and so could only be in the show for a few months. Sondheim replaced Boom Crunch with Last Midnight and added Children Will Listen. So now, with Bernadette, the role had Rap, Stay With Me, Lament, Last Midnight and Children Will Listen.

5) Bernadette was nominated for a Drama Desk award, but was NOT nominated for the Tony. Instead, co-star Joanna Gleason was bumped up from Supporting (where she won the Drama Desk) to Lead Actress and beat Patti LuPone for the Tony (who was nominated for Anything Goes)

6) Phylicia Rashad, Besty Joslyn, Nancy Dussault and finally Ellen Foley closed the run, with Cleo Laine doing the tour.

[quote]Cinderella’s Prince (Howard McGillin turned it down for Anything Goes).

R280 How fortuitous for Kim Crosby and Robert Westenberg, who met and fell in love while doing INTO THE WOODS on Broadway and have been married for over 30 years.

And who were both wonderful in their roles.

WHET Christine Estabrook who I believe was Robert Westenberg's first wife and had a very promising NY theater career going in the late 70s/80s for awhile? Does anyone even know who I'm taking about? I went to school with her at Yale and, graduating right after Meryl, she seemed like she was gonna be the next big thing. Last I heard she created the role of Wendla's mother in Spring Awakening.

Don't know much about Christine Estabrook other than she played Marcy the realtor on American Horror Story: Murder House and Hotel

Christine Estabrook was interviewed on the ITW podcast also. She did the original reading (without the songs) as the Baker’s Wife, but didn’t expect to go forward once there was singing.

R331, you tell the timeline exceptionally well, with a lot of details that are very insider. Were you professionally connected to the show?

[quote]WHET Christine Estabrook who I believe was Robert Westenberg's first wife

I don't believe they ever got married, but not for lack of trying. Per this NYT article when Westenberg made his Broadway debut in the 1983 ZORBA revival:

[quote]Opening on Broadway has been 'a real thrill,' says Mr. Westenberg, who will turn 30 next week. The busy schedule of success has necessitated adjustments, however. The actor had planned to get married last winter to Christine Estabrook, an actress he met when both were appearing in 'Major Barbara.' But 'Zorba' was going on tour, and the wedding was postponed until Mr. Westenberg could get away for a honeymoon. He is still waiting.

Then four years later, he met Kim Crosby in INTO THE WOODS and the rest is history.

Walter Charles has passed away. So many wonderful performances. RIP

Awwww, r338...

R309-The only noticeable bulge in Colin's bikini briefs in his gratuitous and unnecessary scene, is the lump from the mic pack on his ass.

Colin Donnell’s disappointing dick.

What's wrong with it? It looks fine to me. I wouldn't mind sucking it.

Saw TSIB last night. So Colin has to shave his body every day to look like Roy Scheider? Because he sure ain't hairy on stage. He'd better be careful. Michael Cerveris used to be a Wooly Mammoth but he had to shave his body so often for nude scenes, he's now as naturally hairless as a chihuahua.

I agree. Colin Donnell’s dick isn’t huge, but it’s not disappointing at all.

r341 is used to sitting on traffic cones.

R345, Anyone who finds Colin Donnell’s cock satisfying is to be pitied.

R346. Fuck you!

r346 goes by the nickname *Gaping*.

Mrs. EstaWesten?! No wonder they were divorced.

Bow down for Jennifer Simard singing Britney, you thirsty size-queen bitches.

Meh.

Jennifer steals every show she's in. I'd love to see her as a leading lady.

My meh wasn't for Jennifer.

[quote]The only noticeable bulge in Colin's bikini briefs in his gratuitous and unnecessary scene, is the lump from the mic pack on his ass.

Wait, what? The actors are using mic’s? For a play at the tiny Golden Theatre?

I'll be glad to give a meh for Jennifer Simard

She was unmemorable in COMPANY (she's no Barbara Barrie!) and unbearable in HELLO DOLLY! (even Beanie was better in that one).

All actors use mics in everything now. It saves their voices and cuts down on absences.

Wait! On second thought.....

I often confused Walter Charles with Keene Curtis. First World problems,

Saw Roger Bart buying flowers at a bodega on Amsterdam/82nd a few hours ago. I guess they’re for the grave of Back to the Future?

I even worked with both Walter Charles and Keene Curtis and confused them. But both were such lovely men of the theater, confident and easy going, as well as super-talented.

I definitely remember Walter Charles because he did frontal nudity as Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd. During the “Poor Thing” flashback, he opened up a robe or something and bared all. Barbara Cook was sitting in my row.

[quote]All actors use mics in everything now. It saves their voices and cuts down on absences.

Properly trained actors in the legitimate theatre don't need mics.

[quote]It seems so very easy to make an audience whoop and holler these days.

Not really.

R361, The audiences at Moulin Rouge act like they’re at a WWE event.

What now, Lainie?

The audiences at Moulin Rouge basically are at a WWE event.

What *is* KO up to these days?

R365 Enby, now.

R365, Actually, KO is short for . . .

There were lots of screaming in NYNY when I saw it las week.

[quote]There were lots of screaming in NYNY when I saw it las week.

They were screaming, " Let me out!" and " This sucks donkey dicks!"

... and " Show us your tits!"

"WE WANT LIZA!!!"

[Quote] Saw Roger Bart buying flowers at a bodega on Amsterdam/82nd a few hours ago

Seeing his physical transformation, I’m surprised that’s all he was buying at the bodega

Roger and Audra are Chipotle buddies now.

I saw Christine Estabrook in "The Sisters Rosensweig", and she really stank it up.

It is already a kind of goofy play, so she had to be really brisk and nimble especially at the top of the show which was slow going already but she just had no authentic presence. I thought she was really bad in it.

Maybe she just wasn't good enough for a better career?

[quote]The audiences at Moulin Rouge act like they’re at a WWE event.

Well explain this, in Brazil they have re-staged "Defying Gravity" and it blows Broadway away but what the hell is with the singing? Do they have a sing-a-long night or is that every performance?

R375 - this appears to be an encore performance of Defying Gravity after the final performance of the show in Brazil, and seems to have been done for the enthusiastic fans in the audience. Which is why, I guess, half of them have their phones out.

I find it quite lovely.

THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG and all the rest of the Wasserstein oeuvre have not aged well.

That Elisabeth Moss-led production of The Heidi Chronicles was just awful.

R378 part of that is because Elisabeth Miss looks like dirty dishwater, no matter how u light her.

I was a freshman at NYU in the fall of 1988 in the drama program and my theater school was Playwrights Horizons. One of our classes was stage management and our big project we were studying was The Heidi Chronicles because it was going to be on the mainstage shortly. Our teacher gave us copies of the play to read and at our next class, he was so excited to discuss it, but we were all 18 year olds and none of us liked it or identified with it. He was a gay man in early-mid 30s and he thought it was the most brilliant thing ever, but we never warmed to it.

We did get to sit in on it a few times during performances and our final grade for the class was to be in the booth and call the show during the performance (with the actual stage manager right next to us, of course, overseeing everything we did). That was both super fun and super nerve wracking.

Years later I worked on the Broadway production of An American Daughter and got to know Wendy. I adored her. I can appreciate The Heidi Chronicles more now as I am older, and I think she definitely had something to say with most of her work, and could write a good line (and based on most of the new shit being produced, we need her more than ever). But I wouldn't put her in the pantheon of great playwrights at all.

[QUOTE] James Lapine wanted Patti LuPone to play the Witch and was his first choice.

Can you imagine if Patti had done the Rap? The audience would have spent the next 20 minutes whispering, "What did he do? What did she say they have to collect? Why is she mad at them?"

For me, Uncommon Women and Others is her best play. It doesn’t push to a facile resolution like Heidi, but has all the wit and intelligence. Still, Wasserstein was unique for not only being a successful woman playwright, but for being a commercially viable one.

What a sad story. Her contradictions ultimately bested her as an artist, but also as a human. She was so intent on bearing a child that she risked her health with fertility treatments and the pregnancy.

It's kind of astounding to think that when Wendy first broke on the scene in the late 70s, and even throughout the 80s, she was virtually the only American female playwright being produced in New York. I agree with the poster upthread who said she could write some incredibly astute and funny lines but her plays don't really quite resonate any more,

Wendy was lucky in coming on the scene at just the right time, aided immeasurably by her close association with Andre Bishop and Frank Rich. (Yes, I know he recused himself from reviewing her work, but certainly had some influence on the positive press she got from the Times. )

I found the bio on Wendy fascinating. Great insights into her high-powered, accomplished, insufferable family.

What happens when you raise children who are constantly being told how exceptional they are? And that they are not to take "no" for an answer?

I wonder what's become of Wendy's daughter. It's probably good for the kid that she's not at all in the public eye.

I remember going to the Lortel to see Uta Hagen in Collected Stories (a two-hander featuring Hagen as a character loosely based on Grace Paley). Wasserstein was in the audience, flanked by two of her gays. At curtain call, when the audience was rapturous, I caught a glimpse of Wasserstein, who had the sourest, most envious look on her face (she was not applauding). I thought, we’ll, either she has a beef with Hagen and/or Margulies, or she is steaming because the audience was acknowledging a genuinely brilliant actress in a play featuring two female characters with depth—something one could never accuse Wasserstein of. I’d seen the TV version of Uncommon Women (well-acted), as well as a college production (at least the actresses could play roles they might actually be cast in) and The Sisters Rosenzweig (polyester Chekhov, saved only by Madeline Kahn’s great comic turn, which seemed to come from Kahn’s genius, not from anything on the page) and read The Heidi Chronicles. All unthreatening second-wave bougie white feminism. The Pulitzer for Heidi is one of many of those awards that will in the future be explained by an historical sentiment that has nothing to do with art.

R386. How rude to sit there and not applaud colleagues.

Wendy was a fat meskite and not very talented.

Speaking of Chris Durang, any health updates? I suspect he's not long for this world, unfortunately.

Wasserstein came of age in a theater world dazzled by the likes of Sam Waterston and Blythe Danner, so...

An interesting YT video popped up on my feed which I hadn't seen before. A few scenes from the original Pippin featuring Ann Reinking. I remember the 70s being a prime time for great female show dancers: McKechnie, Reinking, Bergman, Clark, Frederick, etc. Are there any Broadway dancers today, male or female, who are highly regarded but may not be stars. The choreography on Broadway is more than corrupt (as Arlene Croce once proclaimed) but are there essentially dancing stars anymore? Or is everyone so concerned with being a Triple Threat that they're not really good at anything.

The Pippin clip also features Pam Sousa, Candy Brown, Kathryn Toby (all would be in Chicago) and Jennifer Nairn Smith who was perhaps the most beautiful Broadway dancer of the era.

Here is a Pippin commercial featuring Michael Rupert, Sandahl Bergman and Kathy Wright. Fosse tried to make the show look like a porno.

I agree that the 70s was a great era for theatre dance. I think choreography has been really devalued in decades since: either completely ignored by/omitted from musicals or bastardized in cheesy, Vegas-y, post-MTV moves. Dance doesn't get the respect it deserves (and critics don't seem to care much).

The last time I was impressed by new dance in theatre was in the CAROUSEL 2018 revival. The production itself was a mixed bag, but Justin Peck's choreography was outstanding. And NEW.

I liked some of Andy Blankenbuehler's work in HAMILTON, but not all. He seems really inconsistent (or perhaps just limited). Some of Jennifer Weber's work in KPOP (another mixed bag) was also noteworthy, and should have been seen by more people.

I'm not impressed by other contemporary choreographers who seem to work all the time.

Limited, R393? I'll show you limited.

To respond to R391: no, I'd be hard pressed to name contemporary "dancing stars." It would be difficult for any performer nowadays to build a career in live theatre centered on those skills, I think.

[quote]The choreography on Broadway is more than corrupt (as Arlene Croce once proclaimed)

I'm not sure what this means. "Corrupt" is an odd choice of words. (BTW, isn't Arlene Croce infamous for refusing to review a Bill T Jones dance about AIDS "because she didn't want to be guilted into feeling bad about AIDS"? I paraphrase, but still...)

R395, yes she was famous for that and is also regarded as the greatest dance critic of the generation. And that's really not up for discussion. The "corrupt" word came up in her pan of A Chorus Line when she noted that Broadway dancers are inheriting a vacuum.

And your qualifications, R393?

Joyce Carol Oates says Arlene Croce was/is up for discussion, R396.

"Discussion" was a nod to her (in)famous work, "Discussing the Undiscussable."

“Discussing the Undiscussable” (available online to subscribers), in which she “non-reviewed” Bill T. Jones’s “Still/Here,” which she never saw but still managed to dismiss with cascading ire and resentment. Her justification was that Jones, who’s black, gay, and H.I.V.-positive, had used as material video testimonials of people suffering from aids and had unapologetically offered “victim art.” “By working dying people into his act, Jones is putting himself beyond the reach of criticism. I think of him as literally undiscussable.”

Fosse wanted his dancers to stand out. So did Tommy Tune. Broadway dancers today are very cookie cutter and generic. I think the revival of Dancin proved that.

Croce also was infamous for criticizing the FOLLIES lyric, "Beauty celestial/The best you'll agree" because she insisted the word "bestial" was hidden there as a misogynistic jab.

How wonderful for us all that a woman with serious issues (including paranoia) about gay men should go on to become "the greatest dance critic of the generation."

One more reason why smart people should not take critics and other self-appointed cultural gatekeepers quite so seriously. Let alone name our theatres after them.

r390, as someone who saw Blythe Danner and Sam Waterston onstage at the height of their beauty and power, the former in BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE and the latter in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, among other productions, I'd kill to be "dazzled" by the likes of them again. We rarely see young stage actors with that kind of talent in plays on Broadway any more.

[quote] Croce also was infamous for criticizing the FOLLIES lyric, "Beauty celestial/The best you'll agree" because she insisted the word "bestial" was hidden there as a misogynistic jab.

OMFG

I like Sam Waterston, but his excitement instage had long since subsided by the time I caught it.

He was a foxy guy in his youth.

I am still saddened to learn that actors on Broadway are using mics in straight plays. Where is craft?

His run in Pippin solidified for Michael Rupert that he was, in fact, not bisexual but thoroughly gay.

[quote]James Lapine wanted Patti LuPone to play the Witch and was his first choice.

Patti says that she wanted to play Cinderella. The Witch and the Baker's Wife are the only roles with the stage time and material to attract star names. Could you imagine Bernadette as the Witch, Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife, and Patti as Cinderella?

Then you have two stars in ensemble roles

[quote]Fosse tried to make the show look like a porno.

Sweetie it was the "Swingin' 70's" smack dab in the middle of the Sexual Revolution. EVERYTHING looked like porno

Isn't the Witch supposed to be beautiful after the transformation? Could Patti pull that off?

Bonnie Milligan & Laura Osnes - "Disney Princess Medley"

Really cute. Laura Osnes should be back.

[quote]Sweetie it was the "Swingin' 70's" smack dab in the middle of the Sexual Revolution.

It was considered chic for a period to go see Deep Throat when it came out.

[Quote] I caught a glimpse of Wasserstein, who had the sourest, most envious look on her face

What is an envious look?

Patti LuPone as Cinderella? The part calls for charm, physical beauty and a shimmering soprano. LuPone was 0 for 3 even then.

Wendy had a magical pussy.

Try as I might, I just can't get excited about HERE WE ARE. It'll be nice to have some new Sondheim tunes, but presenting an incomplete score–that can never be completed–to a paying audience seems antithetical to Sondheim's artistic sensibility.

[quote]Patti LuPone as Cinderella? The part calls for charm, physical beauty and a shimmering soprano. LuPone was 0 for 3 even then.

Doesn't it also require someone who doesn't look 40?

Where is Linda Hart? is Michele Pawk in wicked has anyone seen her? Where is Barbara Walsh?

It’s been nearly 2 weeks and I still think my thread title is pretty good

How nice for you.

How nice for us all.

It's not good, it's not bad, it's just nice.

r391 - nice find! Pippin is one of those rare shows in which I equally love the original and the revival. I was deeply skeptical of the circus concept until I saw the revival and it just worked. And, despite all of that circus business, the revival still felt very focused on theatrical storytelling and dance. As for dancing stars, I think you're right, that just isn't what Broadway is focused on these days. That said, I still get a small thrill (Mary!) when I catch an especially talented, charismatic dancer in the ensemble of a show.

There was this stunning red headed dancer in the 2014 revival of On the Town who truly stood out in an excellent ensemble of dancers, Samantha Sturm. She played the "girl in the green dress" and she gave one of those performances that was somehow perfectly calibrated with the rest of the dance ensemble, but, through her talent, skill and charisma instantly drew your eye. Funnily enough, she made me think of Ann Reinking in that way, R391. I can't find much of her in On the Town, but this dance video she made shows off her talent nicely, I think.

Apropos the dancing stars discussion above, a few days ago I saw Little Charlie Stemp in Crazy for You. I’ve never seen him perform live, and had only really seen him dance in the filmed version of Half a Sixpence, which I found relentless and twee. But live - he’s absolutely the real deal, and moves like a dream.

It’s a shame he was born seventy tears too late, or that nobody seems interested in making or actually seeing contemporary dance musicals.

While here in London, last night I also saw Aspects of Love, which is the only ALW 1980s show with which I am unfamiliar. Probably one of the most outright bizarre evenings I’ve ever spent in a theatre.

r425 - Yeah, I'm afraid you couldn't pay me to see Aspects. Sounds like you'd recommend Crazy for You, though! Let us know if you see anything else worth recommending. I've got a UK visit coming up myself.

The Times offers a freewheeling patio number.

Sooooo sick of free yawning patio numbers schtick.

That’s how “jokes” work on Datalounge. Someone says something witty and then the wit-deprived keep repeating it thinking it’s still funny.

Have pity on them. They can’t create, so they just copy something until they’ve destroyed any humor that was originally there.

Love Charlie Stemp.

[quote]Someone says something witty and then the wit-deprived keep repeating it thinking it’s still funny.

To paraphrase: Extraordinary how pervasive cheap humour is.

Oh stop being a cunt for once in your life and enjoy the joke, it's one of DL's many unique qualities.

I enjoyed the joke the first twenty or so times.

Now it no longer even qualifies as a joke. It’s just idiots with nothing to say seeking attention.

Is this an eldergay thing? Are their LPs skipping again?

Did you guys cunting at my patio reference click the link? The slideshow effects look like fucking Turkey Lurkey Time.

No.

Would Robyn Hurd from Moulin Rouge be considered a star dancer these days? Her husband Clyde Alves from NY NY and On the Town? Tony Yazbeck?

[Quote] It’s a shame he was born seventy tears too late, or that nobody seems interested in making or actually seeing contemporary dance musicals.

Who the heck could create one. It’s not a shortage of dancers, it’s a shortage of choreographers. Casey Nicholaw? Rob Ashford? We had a prayer with Rob Marshall, but he left us for greener pastures.

Erich Bergen posted new pictures on Instagram with a girl and they look like they are dating in the pics.

I was under the impression he was a glass closeted gay?

I guess I was mistaken

Here's one of the great things about Bob Fosse. He hired dancers for their craft, not their looks. He had the best dancers on Broadway in his productions, but he didn't care about their faces. The original Chicago had some of the homeliest dancers I'd ever seen on a stage, but damn, could they dance. Today, directors want pretty boys and women, and gym rat bodies on stage, and their dancing comes second. You gotta be a beauty and that's the unfortunate truth.

Erich Bergen can beard all he wants, but he's a cocksucker through and through.

I think Charlotte D'Amboise was the last "name" female dancer so you can see how far we've fallen. I think others like Robbie Fairchild and Michael Berresse have carved out nice careers as dancers first but in these changing times, the Houghs are bigger names nationally.

I still remember the thrill of watching Correia, Battle and Burke. It was a great, golden age of dancing.

[quote]I think Charlotte D'Amboise was the last "name" female dancer so you can see how far we've fallen.

Charlotte is a fabulous dancer, r442. She can't help it if she doesn't have star quality.

ITA. Charlotte is a marvelous dancer....

Without star quality.

Back to other dancers: did anyone else see ONLY GOLD last fall? A fascinating failure, but it was the danciest new musical I'd seen in years. Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography and direction.

Sadly Donna had no star quality either. Now Karen Ziemba........

[quote]Sooooo sick of free yawning patio numbers schtick.

Actually, I find this to be one of the more entertaining of DL's recurring gags. But if you have no patience for recurring jokes, DL isn't the place for you. This is the place where a lame joke ("So-and-so is DEAD TO ME") gets turned into a required "format" that trolls lose their shit over if it isn't followed every time someone dies.

The patio line just doesn’t seem worthy of DL immortality

It's as immortal as Steve and Eydie, r447.

So..... not immortal and not worthy.

Moving on.

Like Steve and Eydie, I think the patio joke is something you either get or you don't.

Yes, r450.

Dana Moore was a standout in every show I saw her in especially leading Fugue in Sweet Charity. Charlotte seems like a sweetheart but I can always see her working when she dances. It never seemed effortless especially in A Chorus Line.

The star dancers had distinct personalities and singing voices...Verdon, Rivera, Gallagher, Wyler.

Listen, I love Verdon but a singer she wasn't. Why Ann Reinking modeled her own singing after her is one of the more bizarre psychological studies.

Speaking of Sweet Charity, Fosse tried the two biggest star dancers of the time, Reinking and McKechnie in it and it still failed leading you to understand that the only reason the revival succeeded was because of Debbie Allen.

Shirley you jest!^

[quote]Listen, I love Verdon but a singer she wasn't

Bullshit, r454. She had a lovely, warm *character* voice.

[quote]Yes, R450.

It never fails to make me smile, Doris.

The standards for Broadway singing from dancers has always been low.

True triple threats aren't that common, r458. I don't know why you would expect them to be.

Let's be triple threats! I'm Jane Powell!

I'm Angie.

I might be Gene Kelly, but he wasn't exactly an accomplished singer.

Kelly was a marvelous singer.

Sammy Davis Jr. was a genuine triple threat.

[quote]Would Robyn Hurd from Moulin Rouge be considered a star dancer these days? Her husband Clyde Alves from NY NY and On the Town? Tony Yazbeck?

I'm not familiar with Robyn, but Clyde and Tony are very talented, genuine triple threats, but I'm not even sure that Tony would qualify as a star.

By the way, if that London Crazy for You revival comes here, I hope Tony gets to play the lead... even as a replacement. He's so charming. He also seems like such a genuinely nice person (not that that matters as an audience member,) but it makes him even more charming to me. He's also a religious person who, like Kristen Chenoweth, doesn't use his religion as a weapon. It was cool to see him take a stand against Laura Osnes' lunacy during the height of the pandemic.

[quote]Doris-LaChat (blame me)

Oh, I do Doris. Believe me, I do.

Ann Reinking sounded best in Goodtime Charley both in person and on the OBC. Of course Betty Buckley would made those songs sound better than they were but that wasn't meant to be.

Lucy/Mame would have sounded better than Ann.

R464, I'm with you about Tony Yazbeck - he's wonderful in a musical. I saw him on On the Town twice (at Barrington and then NYC). Man how I loved watching his performance.

If he's a lower case Christian like Cheno, fine by me.

Ariana Dubose qualifies as a true triple threat, bless her overexposed little heart.

Yes, Ariana is a star dancer.

[quote]Sammy Davis Jr. was a genuine triple threat.

#MeToo

To answer the question upthread - I saw ONLY GOLD at MCC and it was indeed a true new dance musical, The choreography and dancers, at first, were very exciting, especially in that small intimate theater, but it all became horribly repetitive by the middle of the long first act (the entire thing was over 2 & 1/2 hours with intermission) and never recovered. It was all terribly hampered by a very silly book, another of those "fractured fair tales" that seem to be so hopelessly ubiquitous right now, as well as a lot of lousy music, sung centerstage by the composer as the dancers whirled around her. And Ryan Steele, speaking of promising dancing stars of the day, proved he's not leading man material.

Though it's true that some of Fosse's female dancers weren't particularly pretty of face, all had rocking bodies and looked fabulously sexy in costume and makeup. His men often tended more to character types (hot Christopher Chadman in PIPPIN was the rare exception) which I think somehow fulfilled some personal fantasy for Fosse (see, the nerdy guy can get the babe!).

Star dancers are a dying breed

Casting Roy Scheider as himself also might have fulfilled a personal fantasy for Fosse.

except that Fosse originally cast Richard Dreyfus, who quit at the last minute. Schneider was an emergency replacement (and an upgrade in hotness)

I wish I'd had Roy at hand in case of emergencies...

We had "Dancin'", "NYNY" and "Some Like It Hot" chock full of dancing and no stand outs.

Well, Casey Garvin stood out for me in SLIH! Not necessarily for his dance moves.....

I've seen Casey standing out in Shubert Alley at intermission.

Jim Borstelmann was hot in Chicago. Talk about hitting the wall.

Give the dancers some interesting choreography.

signed,

[quote]Gower

[quote]Onna

[quote]Bob

[quote]Michael

[quote]Tommy

[quote]June Taylor

R481. Jim Borstleman has transitioned into a character actor which is fabulous for him. Bring him back to Chicago as Amos.

[quote]Jim Borstleman has transitioned into a character actor which is fabulous for him

Yes, it is.

Casey Garvin can sit on my face. All. Night. Long.

[quote]Jim Borstleman has transitioned

What's his new name?

Caprice.

Ariana DeBose is only a triple threat because she threatens to bore an audience in whatever she does.

Ariana DeBose makes my skin crawl. She is a cruise ship performer at best.

Agree about Casey Garvin…hot body. Handsome. In his IG he seems to be smitten with his bf but one can be smitten emotionally and still take loads from other hot chorus boys.

R490, His cock is gorgeous.

Pretty is as pretty does, r491.

Back to the Future is performing this week on Good Morning America.

Will they drag the DeLorean there, r493?

I walked past the Back to the Future marquee last week and must say that is one beautiful marquee. Absolutely stunning. Such a burst of color when you look up at it.

[quote]Listen, I love Verdon but a singer she wasn't.

Go back and listen to Damn Yankees. Her voice is strong and she belts beautifully in Whetever Lola Wants. By the time of Chicago, the cigarettes had taken a huge toll on her voice. Even by Sweet Charity in 1966, she sounded okay but the damage was showing.

Let's put it this way, R496. If she'd only danced as well as she sang, we wouldn't be discussing her. I get that she had an attractive voice, but it wasn't a particularly good one by Broadway standards.

[quote]Listen, I love Verdon but a singer she wasn't.

But she recorded an album!

Verdon's voice had a singular quality that helped make her a star, in the Pantheon with Martin, Merman, Channing, Rivera, Peters, Lansbury, etc. From the first few notes we know exactly who's singing. You might not want to hear her singing standards on a solo album (I have that LP!) but voices with character like hers are in short supply today.

[quote]But she recorded an album!

So did Tiny Tim.

The shocker about Verdon's voice is how rapidly it deteriorated. There's a change and slight lowering from Can-Can to Damn Yankees. On Damn Yankees she sounds her best and does her biggest belting and can still sing in longer phrases with a lot of volume and control. By the time we get to New Girl in Town, which immediately followed Damn Yankees, there's no big sing required.

By Redhead her voice is noticeably wobblier, coarsened, and lowered. That's also where the tales begin of her dropping songs mid-show. Notably she would usually drop songs that required more singing instead of dance numbers.

Flash forward several years to Sweet Charity and compare her long note at the end of "You Should See Yourself" with one of her sustained belted notes from Damn Yankees. Then listen to Debbie Allen's Charity to hear what a Charity who has more sheer voice to use can do with that same material.

Chicago sounds rough, though once again her characterization and acting carry it. Some of that may be the recording with its echo, and singing alongside Chita, whose voice is even lower but who could still sustain notes and make a great big singing sound.

None of this is to dog the acting and personality in her singing or her ability to put the songs over. There's no question she stands as a major, individual presence on her cast albums, all of which are enjoyable listening. As someone said upthread, her singing voice is immediately identifiable like Merman or Channing because of her unique vocal quality. And for a time she had more Tonys than any other musical theatre performer. She stood in the center of those shows and was a true Broadway star.

"The Girl I Left Home For" is a must-have.

R500, So did Mrs. Miller.

I've always wondered if Gwen was privately very upset and regretful about what smoking did to her voice -- assuming that was the culprit, and I think it was. As R501 noted, there are moments on the SWEET CHARITY album where she really does not sound good at all, and that was 1966. On the CHICAGO album, you can hear her singing very carefully so as not to let the wobble get out of control and not to waver off pitch. There was NO WAY she could have sung "My Own Best Friend" as a solo, as originally planned, so they made it a duet with Chita.

I would think that the second-hand smoke living and working with Fosse for all those decades would have ruined Gwen's voice even if she'd never puffed a cigarette of her own.

R504, Years of deep throating Fosse’s big cock would damage anyone’s vocal chords.

R505 so THATS what happened!

Fine, r501. Even so, I saw both Verdon and Allen do Charity. There was no contest as to Verdon's superior performance in the role. Not even close. Personality always wins the day.

[quote]I would think that the second-hand smoke living and working with Fosse for all those decades would have ruined Gwen's voice even if she'd never puffed a cigarette of her own.

Good point, that never actually occurred to me. I have no idea how frequently Gwen herself smoked. We also have to remember that, in those days, EVERYONE smoked even in the workplace, i.e. rehearsals. In the Pennebaker documentary of the recording sessions for COMPANY, you can see several of the orchestra members smoking IN THE STUDIO DURING THE SESSION, and I think maybe some of the cast members as well. I believe I have read that Chita smoked in her younger years but then quit, which probably helped her vocal longevity. I think the same is true of Streisand.

Saw THE SHARK IS BROKEN over the weekend. Got a cheap ticket, third row dead center. Meh. Alex Brightman is really good as Richard Dreyfuss. Ian is pretty great as his dad. Colin Donnell looks good in a speedo but it's not as interesting a role. But I wondered what the point was?

When Verdon starred in SWEET CHARITY those "Taxi Palaces" with girls you could legally rent (for dancing!) by the hour still existed in Times Square, lending a reference point and context to the show and character of Charity, that's all been lost in revivals.

$$$$$$, r509.

Happy first day of rehearsals for Here We Are, everybody!

Rumor had it that Verdon started cutting Where Am I Going from Charity because she didn't want to compete with the Barbra Streisand single of the song.

I keep getting discount offers for "here lies love". Is it not getting traction? Or are they just getting through a summer hump. I'm surprised I don't hear much talk about it. I loved it.

I got an email from BAM and David Byrne encouraging me to buy tickets to "Here Lies Love." I don't think it's a great sign if Byrne is calling in favors to use the email lists from organizations that had nothing to do with the show.

I enjoyed the hell out of SHARK IS BROKEN. Colin Donnell is the weakest part of the trio, but Shaw and Brightman more than make up for it. The last scene was perfect and you could hear a pin drop. I wonder what Richard Dreyfuss thinks of the piece, because he comes off as a real douchebag. And was he doing blow that early in his career?

Has Spielberg seen the show? I'd also like to know what he thinks of it.

THIS DAY IN BROADWAY HISTORY: In 1922, "Whispering Wires" opened at the 49th Street Theatre.

If anyone has been to a Streisand concert in the last 25 years, whether or not she smoked is of little consequence. She sings the songs like an octave lower than she used to.

R507, whenever we see revivals, they never live up to our original experiences. I think people thought that after seeing Allen and then seeing Applegate/D'Amboise. Or, gasp, Follies.

Verdon has a very definite appeal and was probably the greatest female show dancer of all time. But singing and even acting were mere sidelines and she, like so many Broadway superstars, had a face meant for the back row.

Having seen Verdon in Sweet Charity (where she cut nothing) and Chicago numerous times, I'd say there was A LOT more going on in her performances than the sensational dancing. In both, she was consistently and deliciously hilarious as well as poignant and I never found her singing wanting in any way. She was one of a kind.

R521's take certainly lines up with my sense of her. I remember a friend's report after the Encores! CAN-CAN -- he said that from Charlotte d'Amboise's (perfectly competent) performance, you couldn't begin to see how it could have been a breakout role for Verdon. That pretty much defines star quality in my book.

She lit up the stage...

I saw Verdon and Minnelli in Chicago. No comparison. Minnelli was a star. Verdon at that time, sadly was already a has been. There was a definite niche for her onstage but even those days were at an end and it's significant that she never did anything of note that did not involve dancing, even Cocoon.

R519, And her voice is as raspy as Andy Devine’s now.

Bitches get shit done.

I'm guessing that none of the dozens of rave reviews Verdon received over the years ended with " . . . but too bad she's such a lousy singer."

R527, I also doubt any of them said "wow, what a singer."

What do we know of this project, DL?

It's John Doyle directing, so that's usually a mixed bag.

And whoever designed the campaign art should be arrested. Visually, this is just... the worst ever.

It’s about the 12 Apostles…that’s my first inkling. Anyone else?

THE 12's preview clips (can't find them now) didn't seem that interesting. Looks like it is one or two settings with people arguing about faith. It is possible things have been rewritten though.

The composer compared the original score to classic rock...

Jesus Christ, what’s next?

The 13?

Surprised with John Doyle in charge it's not The 9

[quote]If anyone has been to a Streisand concert in the last 25 years, whether or not she smoked is of little consequence. She sings the songs like an octave lower than she used to.

You are exaggerating so greatly that your point is lost. When she first recommenced performing live in the mid 1990s, her voice was still in terrific shape, and I'm pretty sure she sang some songs in her original keys and lowered others only slightly. Now, of course, she has very little voice left.

For a bunch of ancient dusty-assed farts, DL sure is rough on older people

[quote]Will they drag the DeLorean there, [R493]?

Please don't mention "drag." We have enough trouble with DeSantis already.

[quote]It's John Doyle directing, so that's usually a mixed bag.

Will the actors playing the apostles have to play their own lyres?

Well if Outer Critics Circle nominee Wesley Taylor is in it, then you KNOW it’s going to be good!

THE 12 sounds like warmed over CORPUS CHRISTI with bad music added.

I saw Allen in SC before the Tonys. I was struck by how good her dancing was, how competent the singing was, and how amateurish her acting was—her Charity seemed more like Lutiebelle. The standouts were Michael Rupert and Bebe Neuwirth, both of whom received deserved Featured Tony Awards. It was only some years later that I realized I’d seen Rupert as Pippin in the National Tour (at the Shubert in Chicago). I’d never heard of Neuwirth, but she wiped Allen off the stage, in the same way Chita (and also Paula Kelly) did with Shirley jn the film. The editing of “There’s Gotta Be Something “ in the film covered some of MacLaine’s limitations, but I still could tell who the real dancers were (and I saw the movie when I was 11!).

I've seen quite a few Cassies over the years, but I think Robyn Hurder's (at City Center) was the best in both acting and dancing.

Chita never wiped anyone off the screen with that face. It's incredible to believe that she was only in her 30s when she did the movie but she looked in her 50s. Her witchy visage makes any role she plays onscreen into an instant villainess.

I was not unhappy to see Bebe take the Best Supporting Actress award but the winner was unquestionably Elisabeth Welch for Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood.

[Quote] I still could tell who the real dancers were (and I saw the movie when I was 11!).

Particularly impressive since it was just seconds before your “uncle” came in your mouth

What the fuck.

Debbie Allen played Charity as if she was mentally challenged. If you saw Ann play Roxie in the revival of Chicago on Broadway then you also saw her Charity because it was the same performance. If you saw Ann at City Center then you saw the smoldering, sexy Jessica Rabbitt-ish performance she should have given on Broadway. If you saw Bebe as Charity then you were probably left cold like I was.

Well let's face it, Charity WAS mentally challenged.

[quote]Charity WAS mentally challenged

Not as much as Gelsomina, r547.

[quote] I saw Verdon and Minnelli in Chicago. No comparison.

I agreed but the opposite way. Minnelli had the voice, was an okay dancer and actor (Liza was always Liza). Verdon was a spectacular dancer and outstanding actress. She was by far the better Roxie of the two.

Agreed, r549. I saw both Verdon and Minnelli twice.

I also thought back then as I do now, some age = desperation helps with Roxie.

I forget if I've said it here or elsewhere, but I wish Beverly D'Angelo would have gotten a chance to play Roxie in the late '90s.

".....(Verdon) never did did anything of note that did not involve dancing."

Is that a put down? Is it like saying Merman never did anything of note that did not involve singing? Verdon was a superstar and like other Golden Age Broadway stars from Mary Martin to Barbara Cook, she had an ineffable quality and presence onstage that went far beyond sheer talent.

Verdon was a dancer, not a singer, not an actress. An observation but it's a Broadway tradition. Leading Ladies of Musicals who had zero appeal in movies and TV. Merman had Mad Mad World and could be counted on as a loud mouthed broad. It never translated anywhere else.

Of course it's a put down, r552. R553 mistakes caustic snark with wit.

R553, you make it sound as if Verdon, Merman, whoever else were 1-trick ponies whose failure to make big-screen careers proves that they weren't really that good. That's reductive and silly.

There have been countless movie/TV stars whose appeal vanished onstage. Does that mean that they weren't wonderful movie/TV actors?

The tradition continues. Judy Kaye, Carolee Carmello, Jennifer Holliday, Faith Prince, Karen Ziemba, Victoria Clark etc.

r553, you're delusional. Anyone who saw Verdon live could never say she wasn't a singer or an actress.

Carolee Carmello ain’t even a Broadway star…

What do you think about how nonprofits spend their money?

That's the original argument. Verdon was not a singer or an actress and that's one of the reasons she had no success outside of the Broadway stage.

It's not up for argument, r560. Gwen *sang*. She was a Broadway *Musical* legend who spent a great deal of her post-dancing career *acting* here and there on screen.

Sorry, r553, but Verdon was indeed an actress. It was one of the things that helped make her a star - she wasn’t just a brilliant dancer, but she could act, really act. And her voice was decent enough in the ‘50s to put over a song.

The Center Theatre Group has always had a ridiculous amount of staff -- and none of them ever happy. I've had meetings there where I thought "who the fuck are ALL these people?" Everyone had a middle manager, an assistant, a director of some bullshit title...It was insane.

You make not like her sound, but she's hitting the notes and getting the laughs and...*dancing*.

^may not

Here is Verdon in 1972 on Love American Style. It's actually sad to see.

They wanted to make a series for her and Ray Walston and threw in Whitman Mayo from Sanford and Son. Did Gwen have Parkinsons?

R561 ran out to the record store the next day to try to buy this.

I'm sorry... just stop feeding the asshole troll. I'm too young to have ever seen Verdon on stage, and even I, from just video clips, can tell she was a truly brilliant musical theatre actress... not "just" a good dancer.

[quote]The last scene was perfect and you could hear a pin drop.

That's a good thing in a comedy?

A High School Rocky Horror Show Production.

My have times changed.

[quote]Filmed on March 13, 2015

jamie and tiff, 2 of the biggest dykes in town.

[quote]I think Gwen is fine in that GIMME A BREAK episode, especially considering the horrible writing. I think she looks and sounds really good, no shaking that I can see.

R557, I saw Verdon live. So I can tell you first hand, she was not a singer. But neither was Rex Harrison and he gave a great musical theater performance--you can be a great musical theater performer without being a good singer.

Listen to the audio of Verdon performing Roxie. She was okay as an actress, an amazing dancer, but as the recording attests, not much of a singer.

Will Gwen Verdon find her way into the next thread's title?

Just as long as her voice doesn't, r576.

“… you can be a great musical theater performer without being a good singer.”

Bet your ass.

R575, you probably heard Verdon in her latter years, and we have already established that her voice deteriorated tremendously over the decades, probably due primarily to smoking. But if you listen to her early cast recordings, and the one solo album she made, her voice was more than fine back then -- nothing exceptional in terms of range or quality, but nothing wanting, either, and of course she had tons of personality in her singing.

It's too bad Verdon never played Sally in CABARET, isn't it? Was she too old by the time of the original production?

I saw SWEET CHARITY when I was in high school at a Saturday matinee.

I'll never forget the scene in which Charity, Nickie and the other one (what was her name?) are about to sing "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" and it's set in the locker room of the Fandango Palace and Gwen had to make her one big costume change out of her iconic little black dress into a ruffled red dress. Onstage she stripped out of the black number and she was revealed to be in some kind of black mesh onesie and little else and all the matinee ladies gasped!

A very risque look at the time. She then proceeded to wriggle into the red dress. I guess she was in her early 40s back then but could still carry it off the semi quasi-nudity, more or less. Fosse could clearly get her to do anything.

Loved the unforgettable ending of the show in which Ruth Buzzi as a (supposed) Fairy Godmother gives Charity some hope. What an amazing show!

Was that before or after Ruth Buzzi played Evita? R581

R579 You prove my point. "Nothing exceptional" is not the same as "good."

Whatever your point is, you troll, I'm not "proving" it at all. I wrote that Verdon's vocal instrument was nothing exceptional in terms of range or quality, but also that it was not wanting at all in terms of the kind of songs she was required to sing. And of course, there have been many fine or even great singers who did not have exceptional voices in terms or range or quality. Frank Sinatra is only one of countless examples.

[quote] And of course, there have been many fine or even great singers who did not have exceptional voices in terms or range or quality. Frank Sinatra is only one of countless examples.

Sinatra? Not much range or vocal quality?! You’re joking, right?

Spamalot presale opened today. Anyone know who’s in the cast?

Spamalot depresses me. Why? Who cares?

R587 = Joy Behar

I saw Chita as Charity in summer stock. I went with my hs friend who had a neighbor in the chorus with whom we made arrangements to meet after the show to get something to eat. When we met with her, she asked," Do you mind if I invite Chita?" Of course, the answer was an enthusiastic," Yes." So, we went out to have sandwiches. She was delightful ( and very hungry). When we were leaving, I took her napkin and stuffed it in my pants. That was such a gay thing to do.

R576, nor her face.

Re: Verdon. Stop. Just stop.

[quote]Sinatra? Not much range or vocal quality?! You’re joking, right?

I'm sure anyone with a brain knows that I meant Sinatra did not have a very wide range in terms of the notes he could sing well from the bottom to the top of the scale, and that his voice itself didn't have the gorgeous, semi-legit quality of some other pop singers of the day. He did have a lovely sound when he was very young, but that changed quite drastically as he grew older, presumably due primarily to smoking. But even in his absolute prime, his vocal instrument was nowhere near as impressive as that of Vic Damone or Jack Jones, for example.

THAT'S what I meant.

[quote]Was that before or after Ruth Buzzi played Evita? [

Before Evita but after Mame.

FIRST MIDNIGHT!

bathtubs

BATHTUBS was a cute idea. But a disappointment overall, IMHO.

I'm so excited! SPAMALOT is coming back to save Broadway!

*

Make it stop

BAAAAAAAjour

But no link to the next one...