THEATRE GOSSIP #549: The “I Write the Flops” Edition

Old thread:

OHIO will announce closing this week. Bank on it.

[quote] False equivalency, [R598].

It isn't. But it doesn't work for your narrative, I'm sure.

Have it your way, r3. Others can judge for themselves.

For god's sake let that mess die with the previous thread.

Which will be better of the novel-inspired musicals—The Notebook or Water for Elephants?

Any word on Water for Elephants?

[quote] Any word on Water for Elephants?

It’s full of trunk songs.

The Ohio producers were so busy patting themselves on the back for bringing neurodivergent representation to Broadway that they forgot to lean into the creatives & demand rewrites (and cuts).

Any update on a transfer for Old Friends?

Cam tried but I don’t think he succeeded

“I Write the Plops by Bav” would have made a better title than what we’ve been stuck with…

I Write the Suffs, by Shaina "Meeskite" Taub.

Saw Kimberly last night for the first time on Broadway. Didn't think more or less of it this time around, but Clark and Milligan were both out and sorely missed. Justin Cooley remains the bright light in the cast.

I was looking up the Chekhov adaptation THE WISTERIA TREES, and noticed it had a cast member named [bold]Kitty Snapper[/bold].

Why?

Helen

Was Helen Hayes romantically linked to her protégée Bethel Leslie (also in “The Wisteria Trees”) or is my head just making that up?

[quote] The “I Write the Flops” Edition

Jesus, another Sondheim thread

Random internet gossip on Helen Hayes' love life? How are you getting internet access in your assisted living facility?

Feel free to change the subject, r21, but I suppose sneering is more fun for you.

Helen is the FIRST LADY of the AMERICAN THEATER!

How's Happy Birthday? It had a decent run.

I mix that up with the Julie Harris mess “Skyscraper” for some reason…

Hey, I was in "Skyscraper"!

Aaron and Sutton will stun all the naysayers.

I believe that, r27.

But that won't stop the pedantic assholes from naysaying.

What about the neigh sayers?

r27 - is there going to be an actual baritone voicing Sweeney from the pit?

Really, r26? I wanna see it. Go ahead...kick.

[quote]Any word on Water for Elephants?

I'm still waiting for "Dumbo Drop: The Musical."

The Mint Theater did Happy Birthday. I don’t remember much about it but enjoyed it.

Was Helen Hayes romantically linked to her protégée Helen Lawson (also in “Flowering Bushes”) or is my head just making that up?

[quote]Someone could scream the N word in a crowded Compton neighborhood, and then come on here and say that the majority of black themed shows Broadway has mounted in the past four years have been flops. The first part would be considered racist, but it would have no bearing on the fact of the second part.

Since it was part of the previous thread, I've quoted the post above so others can judge for themselves whether they think it's an example of "false equivalency," as someone else claimed. In my judgment, it is not.

R28, please explain for us what's "pedantic" about many people feeling that Tveit and Foster are extremely miscast in SWEENEY TODD? I don't think it's "pedantic" at all, just a difference of opinion.

Zach Williams, failed national tour actor turned instagram whore, thinks gays should sit back and watch Trump happen!

[quote]R34 Was Helen Hayes romantically linked to her protégée Helen Lawson (also in “Flowering Bushes”)

That (short lived) show was called [italic]”Flowing Bushes”[/italic] in tryouts. Mae West wrote it.

The title change when it came into New York didn’t stop it from getting raided, unfortunately [bold] : (

[quote]Since it was part of the previous thread

This isn't the previous thread, r35.

Listened to the recording of "Ohio" today...Jesus, what a vapid score. Most of the songs start in that stupid 90s 2/4 staccato tempo and go into endless lyrics about feelings and wanting to belong. All the songs say the same thing, over and over....It was like listening to MAIL. (Yes, I just dated myself.)

[quote]Yes, I just dated myself.

Well, r40, if no one else will...

R37 I saw that too. Wait till the republicans repeal sodomy laws. He can thank his parents then.

Wouldn't it be Republicans reintroducing sodomy laws?

Were any of these shows hits?

Not a one, R44

R35 it’s nonsensical. Idiotic, even. Stop reposting that shit in the new thread. Create your own “race discussion” thread elsewhere.

Exactly, r46.

R46 and R47, the post I quoted is very much about theater in addition to being about race, so piss off trying to censor the discussion.

[quote]Zach Williams, failed national tour actor turned instagram whore, thinks gays should sit back and watch Trump happen!

It boggles my mind how anyone in the theater can feel, and loudly proclaim, that his parents have a "right" to vote for Trump. Because we all know they have the "right" to do so, but this idiot seems tragically unaware of the consequences.

You’re flailing across two threads R48. Badly, at this point.

Right, R50, because no one here ever referred to posts in a previous thread. I have no more to say on the subject, so I'll shut up if you will.

Flail away.

[quote]The Mint Theater did Happy Birthday. I don’t remember much about it but enjoyed it.

R33, it wasn't The Mint, it was the always excellent and much missed TACT (The Actors Company Theater) that produced it with DL Legend Karen Ziemba in the cast! I miss TACT, they also did a great production of Neil Simon's LOST IN YONKERS and a very moving Brian Friel play LOVERS that same year

[quote]It boggles my mind how anyone in the theater

But we're talking about Zach Williams

This thread needs some elegance!

When is the last time a musical had a lovely waltz tune anyway?

Concerning regional theater issues, I worked in many of them starting in the mid-1970s (I'm ancient!) and here's the big difference today:

Back in those early years, local audiences would eagerly attend shows, often through yearly subscriptions, whether they were new plays or revivals of classics (of which they might know little else than the title), and starring a company of very talented actors they'd come to love, seeing them in show after show in wildly varying roles. There were no stars and no wildly familiar recent titles from Broadway. Those audiences were proud of their local theaters and homegrown talent, trusted the artistic directors and choice of seasons and happily supported them, habitually enjoying a night out every other month or so.

But that generation of theatergoers literally died out by the end of the 20th century. With all the info and PR now on the internet about all the latest "must-sees" on Broadway, younger audiences are suspicious and dubious of local theater. There's unfortunately a belief that if it's created in their home town or nearby, it can't possibly be good. Snob appeal at its worst.

If a well-known star isn't performing in it, the cast can't possibly be any good. Nobody wants to see a Hamlet or The Seagull if it isn't starring Al Pacino or even Michael Urie (of course, for straight plays, this is true even on Broadway). And, god knows, nobody in the regions wants to go and see a new play with challenging ideas they've never heard of.

This is why regional theaters, even the the nost prestigious like Arena and the Guthrie, are now scheduling all those done to death musicals like Grease and Cabaret every season. And their idea of a new play is a rethought version of Dial M for Murder or Ken Ludwig's awful Murder on the Orient Express because the titles are recognizable.

Tourists would rather save up their dough and come to NY once or twice year and see the shows everyone online is talking about than spend that money at home. There's no interest or curiosity about what their local theater is producing.

It's a huge problem, and as someone who grew up in those great theaters, I find it very sad. I don't see the regional theater movement ever really recovering from it.

Set your DVRs for Tuesday's The Drew Barrymore Show. "Drew is on site at the Barrymore theater with the iconic Barry Manilow to talk about his Broadway show “Harmony.” They’re also joined by his collaborator on the show Bruce Sussman." I'm assuming that the segment was taped well in advance. I wonder what they do in situations like these. Will Drew and/or the show acknowledge that HARMONY is done in two weeks? And will there be unintentional comedy in whatever Barry & Bruce have to say?

I love you, R56.

[quote]Zach Williams, failed national tour actor turned instagram whore, thinks gays should sit back and watch Trump happen!

[quote]It boggles my mind how anyone in the theater can feel, and loudly proclaim, that his parents have a "right" to vote for Trump. Because we all know they have the "right" to do so, but this idiot seems tragically unaware of the consequences.

What's going to happen is going to happen.

Just make sure it doesn't happen to you.

Maybe Roundabout could hire Billy Porter, Zuri Washington (the wig-obsessed loon from the last thread), and Sara Porkalob for a production of Albee’s “Two & 3/4 Tall Women.”

is there time for another show to swoop in and grab the a Barrymore in time for this season? Has one been circling?

Circling the drain?

r35 maybe there’s someone nice at your residence —perchance that sweet Jamaican woman who changes your poopy Depends for you—who world like to hear your repetitive arguing, but we’re here for some gossip not your relentless babbling.

R63, since the discussion has moved on from R35, you post was unnecessary and just tempting a response which will just prolong the agony.

R 44, how many hits were there that season?

The whole return from COVID was used as a loss leader by producers. They did a lot of prestige titles (like Dana H. and Pass Over) and vanity projects (Plaza Suite and Mr. Saturday Night), knowing that no one was coming back yet, so flops would not be held against them.

In a few cases, they got a little lucky. But part of the reason they did so many black titles in a throwaway season was so that it would give them cover when they did NOT produce much black work later.

As is your post

Patti LuPone just gave an interview to NY1 where she said she might be done with musicals for a while but there is chatter in the wind for an off-Broadway play and possible Broadway play.

She said the non-equity thing is a non-issue.

She’s 75 in April, what roles would she be playing in an off Broadway play format?

I will say I would pay to see her and Laura Benanti do August Osage County.

She would ou

[quote]She’s 75 in April, what roles would she be playing in an off Broadway play format?

Everybody Loves Opal

I liked How To Dance In Ohio. I question my taste.

Both Plaza Suite and Mr. Saturday Night were in production prior to COVID. Plaza Suite had completed a Boston Try-Out.

I wanted to rim the lead guy. Everything else about it was a disaster. Closing notice in 3-2-1

[quote] I wanted to rim the lead guy. Everything else about it was a disaster. Closing notice in 3-2-1

Oh FANK you! You fixeded my shitter.

Though Plaza Suite could have been better, there's no question that for a lot of people it was the right show at the right time. People turned their noses up at it, but the audience came. How many other commercial straight plays (new or revivals) have recouped? It's about to play London and I bet there'll be some video version too.

Going back:

The Wisteria Trees, by the much picked-upon Josh Logan, was something like the 40s-50s version of a "subscriber play" at a big NFP from the mid-90s onward. It looked like serious drama but didn't challenge their values, written by someone they'd heard of, starring someone beloved, people enjoyed it, reviews were respectfully good and if not great it was all good enough. A satisfying night out. A quote ad with raves for Hayes. Audiences felt like they'd seen something. No movie version, not even a tv spectacular, though there is a radio version with Hayes. With a large cast, it didn't even make it six months in its original run (and one month of that timespan was summer layoff), but it was well-thought-of enough to rate a City Center revival in 1955, again with Hayes.

Hayes headlined Mary Chase's second biggest play, Mrs. McThing, in 52-53. It ran nearly a year, playing three different theatres. IMDB says there's a 30 minute tv version with Hayes, Bea Arthur, Sam Levene, Lee Meriwether, Irwin Corey, and Iggie Wolfington. No film adaptation, but it was a high school and community theatre favorite for a while and at times can feel like a live version of the world's longest Sid & Marty Krofft show, playing at being full of whimsy and nonsense while actually being earthbound and completely lacking in inspiration. Astonishingly, someone wrote a musical version of Mrs. McThing (why?) that never went anywhere. Midgie Purvis, Bernardine...Mary Chase's plays just got worse and worse.

Happy Birthday, produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein and directed by Logan, was an actual hit. It ran over 500 performances, a good long run for a postwar comedy. Hayes won a Tony. There was a tv version with Betty Field. And DL fave Karen Ziemba gave a lovely, understated performance in the TACT revival.

[quote]Patti LuPone just gave an interview to NY1 where she said she might be done with musicals for a while but there is chatter in the wind for an off-Broadway play and possible Broadway play. She said the non-equity thing is a non-issue.

How could it be a "non-issue" for a person who made a big deal of letting her Equity membership lapse to continue to do shows on and Off-Broadway? Is Patti that ignorant in addition to being a bitch?

I wonder if Patti’s going to pop up in Equity shows out of nowhere, do a scene or a song, then run for the hills and disappear before authorities can catch her. She’ll become a union buster bandit. Maybe she’ll even do the appearances for free so the producers can’t be charged with hiring her?

It might even escalate to them finding actors she’s tied up backstage so she could steal their numbers and go on.

Seriously, I thought she might be able to continue to make concert appearances on Broadway and somehow get around the Equity requirement that way, but there is NO WAY Equity is going to let her do a play on or Off-Broadway unless she rejoins.

Patti could do something at the Perelman at WTC. I hear they are skirting AE. For now.

Would the non Equity performer be seized on the stage, mid scene, and removed?

I don’t care for the idea of an Equity Deputy Gulag.

R73. We dis Mrs. McThing (we called it “Mrs. McTurkey”) when I was in high school in 1974. Our director was an aging southern queen who had directed it once before and had played Ellsworth the chef (my role) when he was in grad school. It’s twee and clunky at the same time. The most exciting part was when the set fell over on opening night. It really is one of those “why?” plays, other than as a vehicle for an aging star like Hayes. I think she won the Sarah Siddons Award for it in Chicago when the tour played there (we were in a suburb of Chicago). Its target audience would appear to be gay men in a state of arrested development.

I say No Thank You!

———-

[italic]The moral behind Mrs. McThing, a comic fantasy, is that small boys shouldn’t always scrub their ears, and that perfection is a terrible thing. The dispenser of this wisdom is Mary Chase, who wrote before about imperfect mortals in her play, Harvey.

The Hero of Mrs. McThing is Howay Larue. A normally mischievous youngster, Howay is spirited away from his mansion by vengeful Witch McThing because she feels Howay’s mother has snubbed her urchin like daughter. Gleefully Howay finds himself in a pool-hall lunchroom, where he joins a gang of comic mobsters.

Meanwhile, a substitute Howay, a hateful prig, is created by the witch out of an old stick and palmed off on Mrs. Larue. Unaware of the replacement, she is glad at first to see how Howay has reformed. But soon she grows uneasy over Howay the Good, and is deeply mystified when Howay the Bad phones her from the lunchroom. Before the witch gets through, Mrs. Larue herself is changed into a scrubwoman, helps rob her own home, adopts the witch’s daughter as a playmate for Howay, and returns to her unbewitched state with a firm conviction that it is best to let kids be kids.

[quote] Its target audience would appear to be gay men in a state of arrested development.

It should be a DL fave, then!

Lupone mentioned something about a guest artist contract.

It would seem she would be foolish to do a play without Equity protection. If shit hits the fan, she won’t have a union to protect her.

I have a sneaky suspicion she would do the play off Broadway on a guest contract and then quietly renew her membership if the play transferred to Broadway.

I wish "Beau is Afraid" had been an awards contender, simply because I would have loved to see Patti in Oscar campaign mode.

[quote]Patti could do something at the Perelman at WTC. I hear they are skirting AE. For now.

You should write to her about that. I wouldn't put it past that bitch.

[quote]Lupone mentioned something about a guest artist contract. It would seem she would be foolish to do a play without Equity protection. If shit hits the fan, she won’t have a union to protect her. I have a sneaky suspicion she would do the play off Broadway on a guest contract and then quietly renew her membership if the play transferred to Broadway.

Guest artist contracts normally go to people who ARE in Equity when the rest of the cast and company is not. As far as I know, there is no "guest contract" in which an Equity company hires a non-Equity cast member. But maybe she's too self-involved and ignorant to understand that. Of course, there are non-Equity companies than perform Off-Off-Broadway, but would she really do a show with a company like that?

Well, actresses are desperate for good roles.

Did she ever give any kind of actual reason why she quit Equity? I recall it being linked to the Lillias White incident, but I don't see how Equity got the blame for that. And her only statement on it seems to be that when she resigned, they told her if she applied to rejoin she'd need to be approved and she got all pissy and went all Don't You Know Who I Am. But that itself doesn't make sense as that would've been after she already made the decision to resign.

R86, LuPone is infamous for flying into rages over various things and vocally spewing her feelings without thinking, so you're probably wasting your time in trying to make sense of her statements and actions.

[quote]R87 LuPone is infamous for flying into rages over various things and vocally spewing her feelings without thinking

In short, she’s a ginger. Beware.

What Lillias White thing?

Couldn’t Patti afford the Equity dues anymore?

Patti could rejoin Equity for a production, and then leave again.

R90, It’s not expensive.

[quote]R91 Patti could rejoin Equity for a production, and then leave again.

I like this idea - a constant, rageful back and forth.

[italic]Equity doesn’t know what they’re up against!

Equity will be around long after she has totally decayed in the ground.

It's last call for HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO...closing Feb. 11th.

Hi Betty! R87 we loved you in Cats!

Just waiting on you, A Beautiful Noise ...

Ohio closing notice posted.

A flop is a flop is a flop.

It’s fun to trash Patti but everyone I know who’s worked with her loves her. Flame away.

R100. Really?

I've never gotten the Patti leaving Equity thing. She can certainly afford the dues and I Imagine the health and insurance plan is as good as any her husband could provide. And at age 75, she could be raking in her pension (considerable with her long resume) without work affecting the payments.

Remind us all again why she chose to leave, pleae.

All this talk about The Wisteria Trees but I don't think it's been mentioned that it's Josh Logan's version of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard set in the deep South.

Seriously, R100?

Seriously, R100?

r102 If she's 75, she's been on Medicare for 10 years anyway.

Seriously, R100?

Seriously, R100?

[quote]Remind us all again why she chose to leave, please.

Because she's squeezed every drop she can from it, and they can't do anything further for Patti LuPone. She likes hearing herself bitch about anyone or anything that has ever helped her. She's really a major piece of shit.

R102, I don't remember if she gave any cogent reason for leaving Equity, but whatever reason she may have given, I'm sure it was all about grandstanding and seeking attention. Similar to how she announced after WAR PAINT that she would never to another Broadway musical, and of course she reneged on that.

[quote]Because she's squeezed every drop she can from it, and they can't do anything further for Patti LuPone. She likes hearing herself bitch about anyone or anything that has ever helped her. She's really a major piece of shit.

I agree with all of that, except she can't do another Broadway show as a non-member of Equity, unless maybe she was able to negotiate to do a concert in a Broadway theater as a non-member. I assume Equity offers waivers for some of those concerts, as when Barry Manilow performed on Broadway, for example.

[quote]r110 I'm sure it was all about grandstanding and seeking attention. Similar to how she announced after WAR PAINT that she would never to another Broadway musical, and of course she reneged on that.

She’s bold, impulsive … like many good performers.

True to an extent, R112, but there are also many great performers who are not "impulsive" in such a bitchy, nasty way.

Is this where the bigots blame The Blacks for Ohio’s closing notice?

Come out, come out wherever you are 🫥

Such an asshole you are.

Watched the 2013 National Theatre Othello directed by Nicholas Hytner yesterday. Adrian Lester as Othello and Rory Kinnear as Iago (with — surprise! — Jonathan Bailey as Cassio). Gripping, the three hours flew by. Bless you, National Theatre At Home.

I thought Patti didn’t actually quit AEA, that she took financial core status.

Can you explain "financial cores status," R117? And anyway, she's certainly talking like she quit.

How To Eat Ass In Ohio would’ve been more of a crowd-pleaser.

Many DLers will be upset with Kevin; others will applaud. Just skip over his self-congratulating intro sectionvup until :46.

PATRIOTS is coming to the Barrymore theater off its West End run last year. I'm looking forward to it... I thought it was timely and eye-opening.

It was always a long shot but the marketers on this one didn't help. "The Autistic Musical" can't be your only claim to fame.

Interesting article from last May on the Lindsay Mendez settlement. Apparently he never had a job, was a “stay-at-home father.”

r102 her pension is safe even though she left

I loved the 2013 NTLive [bold]Othello[/bold] when I saw it years ago R116. All of the actors were superb and the "Desert Storm"-esque setting worked beautifully. Now I'm going to have to re-watch it and pay more attention to Jonathan as Cassio.

Another exceptional Hytner production is [bold]Hamlet[/bold] from 2010, also starring Rory Kinnear. It is set in a modern totalitarian state, which really works to highlight the themes of surveillance and paranoia in the play. Performances are, again, stellar. It's a far better NTLive Hamlet than the Cumberbatch one from 2015 (which I saw live and have no need to see again).

I'm surprised PATRIOTS is coming over. I saw it at the Almeida. Typical Rufus theatricality but a B play...Of everything I saw, I wouldn't have guessed that would transfer.

So Patriots is going for the "12 weeks, change an obscene amount for tickets, make people think it's a must-see" route, just like Prima Facie last season. The greed is horrifying.

HEY YOU, ONLY 12 WEEKS TO SEE THIS REMARKABLE PLAY! WITH NO STARS!

The NT Live production of "Twelfth Night" is also spectacular. Tamsin Grieg playing a female Malvolia, lots and lots of gayish gender-bending lunacy.

Ruth Wilson playing Hedda Gabler is also terrific, despite the crap anti-climax ending.

I will say it’s annoying on the blogs when people point out how many times she has been absent. You are labeled a racist misogynist for even suggesting it’s a problem that she is out more than she is in.

Who is absent? Hedda Gabbler? Well she killed herself …duh.

I'm sorry theater is expensive, but theater is expensive. And some people can pay. There are Ford Focuses and there are Teslas. People play different prices for different things. Sorry this is news to you.

Except, r131, the model is just flat out broken. I can afford to see what I want, but I am tired of this. Many friends are deciding to see fewer shows.

Most shows fail. Even poorly selling shows think they can sell seats for $300. I think the producers of Cabaret and a few other shows are about to learn a very hard lesson.

[quote]"The Autistic Musical" can't be your only claim to fame.

That is precisely Kevin's point in R120. He is advocating for story, not gimmicks.

“Sorry this is news to you.”

Can we maybe have one DL thread that doesn’t drip with unnecessary cuntiness? Literally, we all love theater so can’t we just get along? Agree to disagree etc?

Here here, r134. So many people here confuse bitchiness with cuntiness.

Francis Ford Coppola's movie musical "One From the Heart" restored, re-cut, and re-released. It's currently playing at IFC Center and supposedly will play other cities as well.

One of the better soundtracks...

God, that movie is concentration camp torture, and the soundtrack is even worse.

R56, yours is an excellent post.

[quote]Back in those early years, local audiences would eagerly attend shows, often through yearly subscriptions, whether they were new plays or revivals of classics… and starring a company of very talented actors they'd come to love, seeing them in show after show in wildly varying roles.

I would offer that those audiences still exist, maybe smaller in number, but in my circle of gay friends especially many of us still buy the subscriptions and enjoy evenings at the theatre. (I’ll add I’m in a top 10 U.S. city by population.)

[quote]This is why regional theaters… are now scheduling all those done to death musicals like Grease and Cabaret every season.

Oh, I don’t know. Our top three venues are hosting these in the Spring 2024 season. Of course, some may be better than others. Sister’s Irish Catechism: Saints, Snakes, and Green Milkshakes!, Laughs in Spanish, Othello: The Remix, A Case for the Existence of God, Pictures From Home, The Nerd…

Jane Eyre, Thornton Wilder’s (unfinished) The Emporium, that rethought version of Dial M for Murder, Les Misérables (yeah, done to death), Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue…

On Your Feet!, Pick Me Last, Beetlejuice, Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes, Dog Man: The Musical, Girl From the North Country.

[quote][R102] her pension is safe even though she left

I'm sure R102 didn't mean that he thought LuPone's pension would be negatively affected by her leaving Equity. He meant that, because of her age, she could remain in the union and continue to work as much as she wanted without her pension benefits being reduced.

Well, r138, you haven't shown yourself to have very good taste, so...

Re The NT Live (or At Home) Twelfth Night: Agreed about Tamsin Grieg's Malvolia; her letter scene was great. Unfortunately, I thought the Olivia wasn't very good. (I don't think anyone will ever beat Mark Rylance's.) However, that NT production was the first time I'd seen a Twelfth Night in which the Sirs Tony Belch-Andrew Aguecheek B-plot was actually funny and I kept waiting for them to come back. Bonus points for casting Oliver Chris as Orsino. who was terrific in what I always think is a larger role than it really is. Plus, I wanted his car.

r124, yes, thank you for agreeing with me.

As r140 states, I meant that after a certain age (I think it's actually 70 & 1/2) your monthly pension will not be lessened by any union salaries you earn. Before that age, the pension would be affected.

I was excited about PATRIOTS until I heard that that big old ham Michael Stuhlbarg is now playing the lead. Who's the Brit star not transferring with it?

How would her union pension be reduced by staying in the union and earning additional union wages? 🧐R143

Thanks R134. R131, go enjoy your Tesla.

[quote]I'm surprised PATRIOTS is coming over. I saw it at the Almeida. Typical Rufus theatricality but a B play...Of everything I saw, I wouldn't have guessed that would transfer.

So is PATRIOTS transferring or is this an all American cast (except the guy who plays Putin) If Michael Stuhburg is playing the lead, why is the casting director asking for British accents? I assumed Sonia Friedman had pulled a fast one with Equity as is her want.. and had negotiated most of the Almeida/West End British cast

Maybe Patti can be lured back to the Legitimate Theatre by a revival of The Wysteria Trees?

(Surely there’s a role for Sharon Scruggs, too.)

R142: Olivia was a bit bland, yes.

I think Michael Stuhlbarg is a very good actor. I worked with him often many years ago and he was just a lovely, fiercely talented guy. There are some (many) actors whose success is mystifying to me but he is not one of them.

[quote]I'm sorry theater is expensive, but theater is expensive. And some people can pay. There are Ford Focuses and there are Teslas.

That's one way to describe the regional theater model - overpriced shit that nobody wants to pay for.

[quote]"The Autistic Musical" can't be your only claim to fame.

But wasn't that, in fact, this musical's only claim to fame?

[quote]Can we maybe have one DL thread that doesn’t drip with unnecessary cuntiness?

The theater threads have always been a haven for cuntiness, as the dilettantes who think they know everything about theater to the point that they just use initials for shows and actors, have absolutely no tolerance for anyone whose views do not comply with their learned opinion. It could be the fact that's it's theater or the location of the posters.

Patti LuPone

*IS*

Mother Courage

12 weeks only at

The SHED

I know the conversation has moved on considerably from R56 but I just wanted to add that it was a great post.

R56, I agree and I believe this also has to be yet another result of massive consolidation and corporatization, which has affected so much of American life. It's less likely that any truly new works can bubble up from anywhere, because the $$$ and capital is going to the known entities. If it can't make the shareholders money.......

Thrilled that “Stereophonic” begins previews in April with the original cast. Anyone who hasn’t seen it should get tickets.

Is it true NETFLIX is producing PATRIOTS? Here we go...

Ah I understand now r140 thanks

r56 here. Thanks for all the confirmations on my post.

The failure of regional theater issue is not unlike the failure of the mom and pop store. There's an odd snobbism that's developed that if it's homegrown, it can't possibly be as good as that product/institution/brand with the shiny nationally known label. It's one of the many terrors of the power of the internet.

I think my tween friends and I liked "Rollerball" for different reasons.

That eye candy was for Norman Jewison's thread.

Sorry!

Young hairy Jimmy Caan is welcome here anytime, r161.

As is his son Scott!

R159

Thanks letting folks know it want actually our fault

I have just realized someone named Inga Swenson was in “110 in the Shade”… not Inger Stevens.

I always wondered how Inger Stevens could end up as the lead in a Broadway musical.

R165 ...someone?

Mrs. Keller to you…

Lizzie...

[quote]r167 Mrs. Keller to you…

I believe our precious Pat Neal was there first.

Now that Boy George is going into Moulin Rouge! I’m curious if they will interpolate some of his material - “Karma Chameleon” and/or “Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me?” especially. Given that there are over 100 songs already musically quoted in the show, it will be interesting to see if they begin “updating” it as it plays.

Don't fuck with me, fellas.

The original cast recording of DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES has absolutely captured me. Guettel seems to have fully embraced Romanticism: the songs recall Liszt, Rachmaninov, Bernstein, and a touch of Schoenberg.

R172 Hi Kelli! Sorry everyone on DL thought that Marin Mazzie did King and I better than you did. But we gotta call a Spade a spade!

To those who are praising NT at Home, are you aware that there are also NT podcasts? Not very many, sadly, as they're very good. They are mostly recorded talks with a single person or a panel that took place in front of the audience before particular shows.

The mention of Twelfth Night reminded me, because Simon Russell Beale told a story that those who have seen a good TN will appreciate. In a long-ago production in which Donald Sinden played Malvolio, there was a sundial in Olivia's garden. On Malvolio's first entrance, Sinden walked by the sundial, checked his watch and then altered the sundial.

PS If you're a Ruth Wilson fan and you haven't seen the first season of the TV series Luther, do so forthwith. She has a stunning, season-long role and is wonderful in it.

Inga Swenson starred in BAKER STREET the first Broadway musical I ever saw and I will always love and remember her from that. She was a gorgeous beauty with a glorious voice onstage. Unforgettable!

I'm always distressed that most people remember her (if at all) only as that dour character on BENSON.

She was wonderful on Benson.

I first knew her as Rose's mopey, dopey, and full of crap sister, Holly, who sleeps with one of Blanche's beaus.

r174 - sorry, I don't always keep up to date on the latest casting announcements. Are we talking about Ruth Wilson because she's doing something in NY this season?? And, I agree, she's a fantastic actress.

She was awesome on Soap, as was every cast member

Nora Bayes real name was Rachel Goldberg.

*

Warner Bros. really loved producing all those turn of the (19th) century musicals like r181, Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Strawberry Blonde, etc.

Shame Ann Sheridan never tested her mettle on the Broadway boards in a musical. She would have been a fabulous Phyllis or Carlotta in her prime. Had she already died by 1970?

[quote]Warner Bros. really loved producing all those turn of the (19th) century musicals like [R181], Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Strawberry Blonde, etc.

Oh, dear.

She died in '67, r182.

Inga Swenson might have done a ton of theater and movies but how could anyone forget her hilarious appearances on Soap as Ingrid? Corinne, Corinne, Corinne.

Benson made her a lot of money and she was able to retire comfortably.

B S

Not shocking at all

More Than One Million Dollars?

And that ain't hay!

I wonder how it makes the temporary replacements feel?

Tveit and Foster enter on Feb 9? That's not a good gap and could certainly hurt the longevity of the show.

Whenever Groban was out the box office took massive hit so this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The numbers will rise with Foster and Tveit but they won't be at Groban's level of popularity.

R191, They will for the first few weeks out of curiosity and Aaron, especially, has a huge fan base.

But nothing like Groban's.

I think Foster and Tveit *together* can bring in similar grosses.

Happy 91st Birthday, Chits Rivera!

Sutton Foster used to bring in audiences but she really ruined herself with Music Man. Her singing and acting was terrible and was definitely a low point in a starry career

R196 You are so funny, I am breaking character to laugh.

R195 - has Mlop commented??

[quote]has Mlop commented??

We're not sure.

Is Mlop that Black Jewish Republican running against Suozzi?

[quote]You are so funny, I am breaking character to laugh. —sutton

Me too!

Rhinoceros is on tonight.

On where

On Safari

Daktari! A new steaming service

[quote]Aaron, especially, has a huge fan base.

Inexplicably.

R206 how is it inexplicable?

He's talented and good-looking.

A lot more attractive than the homely actors Hollywood is currently pushing like Barry Keoghan and Tom Holland, especially in his youth when he started out.

Aaron Tveit looks like a boy band member, not your typical stage actor. I think girls like that.

Wow, that Rhinoceros trailer is…um…something. Is the actual movie any good. Does Zero Mostel chew up all the actors in addition to all the scenery?

[quote]Aaron Tveit looks like a boy band member, not your typical stage actor. I think girls like that.

Oh please. His career has been based mainly on support from gay men.

R210, Not even remotely true. His female fan base is expansive.

And Groban's fan base is international.

I looked through his resume and Tveit has very little outside of theater. We've seen that fans flock to performers who've made their name outside of Broadway but with few exceptions, Broadway does not create the BO stars. We will see if Tveit and Sutton can command the BO the way Groban did.

R213, Aaron’s been in several films, starred in two television series and appears in concert frequently.

Les Miz, Grease Live, and Schmigadoon aren’t nothing.

Not to mention . . .

Aaron gained a lot of female fans via the Hugh Jackman/Russell Crowe LES MISERABLES film in which he portrayed fan favorite Enjolras, leader of the student rebels.

That movie is very popular with young women/girls.

That Grease Live! also got very good ratings and was the most-watched program that night and was nominated for like 10 Emmys. The soundtrack was a bestseller, too.

And then there was Schmigadoon, which no one watched.

Tveit has a voice, but he's SO bland -- maybe young girls like that? -- and so limited in terms of roles he's physically and vocally right for. He was a very bland Danny Zuko, and in LES MIZ, he stuck out like a sore thumb because he so blandly American. Also, I realize this is very subjective, but although he's got a nice, trim body, I've always found his face not especially attractive.

Many people are predicting his Sweeney Todd will be an epic fail because, again, he's so physically and vocally wrong for the part. We'll soon see.

Abel and Smith in The Wisteria Trees acted regularly with Miss Cornell.

[quote]Many people are predicting his Sweeney Todd will be an epic fail

Same with Josh.

You sound like a lot of fun, R220.

When Aaron flops, I'm ready to be the Lea to his Beanie.

[quote]Many people are predicting his Sweeney Todd will be an epic fail

The same DL-ers who predicted that Josh Groban would be an epic fail?

Les Miz is being re-released in theaters around Valentine's Day, so that could give Aaron some exposure.

[quote]Les Miz is being re-released in theaters around Valentine's Day, so that could give Aaron some exposure.

I think you have that wrong. It's Jodie Foster's new movie, "Miz Lez."

Jodie Foster is not a real actress. She has never appeared on the legitimate stage.

[quote]in LES MIZ, he stuck out like a sore thumb because he so blandly American.

What does that even mean?

He stood out for me, because he was the best-looking guy in the film.

[quote]R228 Jodie Foster is not a real actress. She has never appeared on the legitimate stage. —Arlene.

She did some stage play in college. I think it was set in a prison. People said she looked fat.

I'm no Sutton fan but that Encores clip of her in Once Upon a Mattress is damn fabulous. Looks like another huge hit for her and for Lear de B. I'm sure it will have a Broadway transfer when Sutton's commitment to Sweeney is done, whether this season or next.

And, no, I'm not a shill or I would have provided you bitches with a link.

I’m no fan either, but I Googled and found it. Are you kidding? She sounds terrible, plus is actively unfunny.

R232 = Deb Jackman

[Quote] Many people are predicting

How Trumpian

Saw the Mattress clip (no thanks to r231). It feels cruise-ship bland but I don’t want to trigger the “video isn’t a way to judge” troll. Although it’s impressive to see Sutton doing that 2 weeks before she debuts as Lovett. It scares me a little for her Nellie

The Mattress clip is totally cringe.

To be funny, “Shyyyyy” has to sound brash not not just belty. It’s ironic, you know?

I had no idea.

Jodie Foster expressed interest in going into Agnes of God for a short run but that never happened. Rumor was the producers felt security would be an expensive nightmare thanks to the idiot who made her life hell.

There was a pic (in people magazine?) of Foster in her college play. I can’t find it online : (

From NYT article, 04/05/1981

———

[italic] For Miss Foster, this was a bizarre interruption in a largely successful struggle to lead a normal undergraduate life. For example, she seemed to have met the challenge of appearing in a show without stealing it. On March 26, she appeared in 'Getting Out,' a play by Marsha Norman, in a production by Yale students at the Educational Center for the Arts, near the campus in New Haven. She steadfastly refused requests to be interviewed for a story on her stage debut, saying she would instead only speak about her role for stories about the play.

The play ran for two weekends

————

[italic]"It was a very weird time," she begins tentatively. " I was doing two weekends of a play [Marsha Norman's Getting Out]. One weekend happened and then...Reagan got shot...and then I had to go back and do the next weekend's [preformance]. It was, uh, standing room only. And the odds were against anybody [in the audience] getting the play...that's not why they were watching."

Now I'm imagining Sutton Foster in GETTING OUT and Jodie Foster in ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.

Is Hugh giving Sutton a warm hand on her opening?

Jodie in "Getting Out" / Yale, 1981

MATTRESS opens tonight. Will we get some late-night reaction to the performance? And why would it need a rewrite. by the Palladinos no less?

Jodie needs to do "Assassins."

Saw Matress last night. The new book is overwritten and not very funny but Sutton and Michael Urie are wonderful. At least they didn't change the plot much and the songs are all in the same places. Can't see it moving.

Sutton does well with hoydenish roles.

I always thought it a bit odd that Jodie did this X-Files episode. But she was a fan of the show and friends with the casting director.

R239, Has John Hinckley seen “Nyad”?

[quote] Jodie needs to do "Assassins."

As Squeaky!

Imagine “Unworthy of your Love”

Yeah, Jodie did seem to have the freshman 15 going on in that photo in R245.

R253 more like Freshman 40!

I assume the rewrite of MATTRESS is due to all the jokes and schtick about Winnifred being a man-hungry spinster, which was definitely a "type" in 1950s comedy.

R255. Is Winnie a husband snatcher in this version?

She's still man-hungry, as you can't change the lyrics to SHY, and that's what the song's about.

The females are empowered in Mattress, so it's acceptable for Broadway

[quote]Many people are predicting his Sweeney Todd will be an epic fail

[quote]The same DL-ers who predicted that Josh Groban would be an epic fail?

FWIW, I predicted that Josh would be very good in SWEENEY, but I also predict that Tveit's won't be any good if only because his vocal type is ALL WRONG for the part.

Damn, I had been really looking forward to MATTRESS because of the casting, BUT I had completely forgotten that the book has been rewritten :-(

For those curious about the Sutton clip.

Why wasn't a new book written for my version of "Once Upon a Mattress"?

Respectfully, that was really the best child actress they could find for "Days of Wine and Roses"?

I was shocked to see Cheyenne Jackson. Is he trying to return to Broadway?

It's weird to see Cheyenne play the exact same role he would have played as a juvenile. He's good in Mattress, but God, he's 48.

Um r265 Carol Burnett was 26 when she played Winifred and Sutton Foster is 48 too….so…

Do you count Sutton's age in dog years?

R266, Carol may have been 26, but she looked older.

Carol has a *sound*. Sutton...doesn't.

You know, Cheyenne might have been the correct replacement for Groban. Those maniacal blue eyes scream mass murderer.

And since we're going there, would Annaleigh have been better for Mattress?

God, yes. She would have nailed it. I know plenty of people find Annaleigh hammy, but I love her authentic quirkiness. She was spot on as Paula Jones, but also brought out some underlying pain.

Agree! She is endlessly inventive and was great in ST. And she's much more versatile than Sutton.

*Totally* agree!

Has Annaleigh ever done Encores? Not everyone likes the pressure of a short rehearsal period and performing off book (which is now pretty much expected) in a major production that will get reviewed.

[quote]Respectfully, that was really the best child actress they could find for "Days of Wine and Roses"?

Sadly, I agree. And she was way too old for the age she was supposed to be playing.

Although at least she was better than "Young Tom," the kid who showed up at the end of the recent revival of Camelot. Boy, he stunk up the stage.

[quote]The Obie Awards, the venerable honors for outstanding Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions, is doing away with its annual ceremony and will instead use the funds to provide winners with grants ranging from $1,000-$5,000.

[quote]Heather Hitchens, the president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which presents the Obies, called the grants a new path forward for the awards, saying the move “genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off & Off Off Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment.”

[quote]Select winners of this year’s 67th Obie Awards will be announced Saturday on New York’s Spectrum News NY1 as a special presentation of the channel’s On Stage program hosted by Frank DiLella. The special airs at 7:30 p.m./ET.

If the leads are available, Encores will bring them for singing and staging rehearsals 2 weeks before the rest of the cast starts so that's 3 &1/2 weeks of rehearsal. They'll also bring in dancers early on a dance-heavy show. Not really that bad.

Though the tech is murderous. Just 2 days, only 1 with costumes. But it forces everybody to behave, get on with it and not complain about their costumes.

If Mattress is a hit, maybe they bring it to Broadway with Annaleigh.

[quote]I was shocked to see Cheyenne Jackson. Is he trying to return to Broadway?

Why wouldn't he be?

[quote]Although at least she was better than "Young Tom," the kid who showed up at the end of the recent revival of Camelot. Boy, he stunk up the stage.

The whole production stank.

Cheyenne would make a great Billy Flynn.

Paul Kreppel of all people is in "Mattress."

New "before-and-after" puzzle for "Wheel of Fortune":

Olivia Colman Domingo

Jennifer Jason Leigh Taylor Young

Bess Truman Capote

carol Channing Tatum O'Neal

Funny item from Popbitch:

[quote]Seems like those rowdy West End audiences we heard so much about last year aren't settling down. Rod Stewart was at the Kit Kat Club last Tuesday to see Cabaret and was evidently very taken with the show's immersive atmosphere.

[quote]Not only was Rod singing along with all the songs, he was shouting comments to the performers as they went on and off stage (including a hilariously hearty "There she is... Go on, girl!" at Fraulein Schneider ahead of her big number).

[quote]He got so stuck into the chorus of Tomorrow Belongs To Me that, during the interval entertainment, one of the ensemble sidled up to him to tell him to pipe down. But Rod didn't pipe down. And a few dozen refunds were issued to neighbouring punters as a result.

Maybe Sally should've started singing "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy."

The stars get all the good drugs.

Let's not forget this

a friend was telling me about a series of threads that were very popular on Datalounge, like years ago, titled "The Nastiest Person On Broadway" I found some ofpart 2 on a google search and much of it referred to much juicier gossip from the earlier threads Part 2 was shut down after about 200 posts. My in the know friend was telling me there was lots of behind the scenes stories of bad behaviour by Broadway stars. Does anyone know where to find part 1 of this thread?

I'd love to find that thread, too, r292. My husband told my name came up as one of the nicest people on Broadway on that thread and that got me hooked on Datalounge forevermore. I remember lots of names were named so it's probably unsalvageable now. I think this would have been around 2005-07.

I don’t see Annaleigh Ashford as Winnifred at all. She’s a Lady Larkin, not a Fred.

R293 any hints to who u are?

I think that Ashford is a real talent -- I've seen her in DOGFIGHT, KINKY BOOTS, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and SWEENEY TOOD (twice) -- but I haven't always loved her.

Her performances in DOGFIGHT, KINKY BOOTS and SWEENEY TODD were, for me, marred by generalized quirkiness, sloppy accent work and lazy audience-fucking. (The second time around in SWEENEY, shortly before she departed, was the worst I've seen her on all these counts. At no time did she seem the least bit engaged with anyone else onstage.)

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU worked much better -- she didn't seem to be straining for effect, just naturally funny and endearingly quirky. The Tony was well deserved.

SUNDAY didn't leave much room for mannerisms, and she really gave herself over the what the role called for. I thought it was a lovely performance -- also the only time I've seen her when she felt like a living, breathing human being all evening, and also the best singing I've heard her do.

I was very pleasantly surprised by her work in the Monica Lewinsky thing -- in fact, I thought that she was one of the few people who was totally successful that project.

I hope to see her Sally at some point.

Looks like Sutton is getting raves for MATTRESS. Popping popcorn to read how the Datalounge Sutton haters melt DOWN!

[quote] I hope to see her Sally at some point.

Bowles? Brown? The one from The Wild Party?

[quote]—I know what you meant

But you don't know why...

[quote]At least she was better than "Young Tom," the kid who showed up at the end of the recent revival of Camelot. Boy, he stunk up the stage.

One hates to speak ill of the performance of a very young actor, BUT....that was absolutely appalling. And even if allowing that performance to happen onstage in a Broadway show were the only huge mistake Bartlett Sher ever made in his career -- which it certainly wasn't, and not even the only huge mistake in that particular show -- he should have been drummed out of the business for that alone.

[quote]R263 Respectfully, that was really the best child actress they could find for "Days of Wine and Roses"?

I wish Beanie were available to fill in.

I saw "Merrily" a few weeks ago and they stuck a child actor into Act II. I saw the original in '81 (with my First Communion money) and I don't recall any child in the original? I am endlessly annoyed at the many, many little changes that have made this new production what everyone calls "Innovative!", which of course it isn't at all. It's the same emo-feel bad musical it always was, and of the three productions I've seen (OB, Encores and current) I think I like it the least. I have absolutely NO IDEA what everyone is raving about. None!

The so-called talent on Broadway has been a joke in recent years. It seems anyone can be an actor/singer/dancer. We're just supposed to suspend disbelief. But so not worth the heavy prices.

r293, here is a link to part 2 of the threads I found just by a google search. My friend who told me about this said it looked heavily edited and it probably was. You can see the thread was closed before it reached 300 replies. PART 1 is where the juiciest, most sensational gossip was spilled. My friend's theory is that some of the leaders of the bigger theaters in NY were discussed and lawyers probably shut it down. He said it was full of stories about big stars and back stage stuff

Just spent the morning reading through r305. Hilarious! Can only imagine what was in Part 1 that got it shut down.

Foster and Ashton......really poking around at the bottom of the same barrel.

That thread didn't get shut down. If it had been shut down, it wouldn't exist any longer. It just petered out, and after a certain time of not posting in a thread, the site just closes it and archives it.

r305, glad you enjoyed it. My friend thinks he took a screenshot of Part 1 but can't find it right now . According to him it included stuff about Linda Lavin, Lauren Bacall and Neil Simon and his second wife that wasn't entirely flattering. Some gossip about British Theatre Royalty Mirren /McKellen not getting along though he did point out they worked to gether AFTER that alleged fued. As well as gossip about Lane/Broderick and their alleged faling out.. plus a bunch of stuff about people only known to the NYC theater going audience. If he finds the screenshot, I will post it here if what r308 is saying is correct. I don't want the DL gods to get pissed

R309, Nathan and Matthew appeared together two weeks ago to honor Mel Brooks.

They were on a break!

Josh Groban....verificatia of sizemeat? Any front row Frannies get a glimpse of VPL?

My favorite Annaleigh Ashford performance was in the web series Submissions Only, as the callback girl. She was perfect.

Annaleigh is best in small doses.

R312, I’ve always considered Josh Groban asexual, same for Hugh Jackman.

The main Sweeney understudy is NOT NOT NOT asexual, and Mrs Lovett knows it

If Mattress transfers to Broadway and Sutton Foster is not available, can they get Jodie Foster?

[quote]I’ve always considered Josh Groban asexual, same for Hugh Jackman.

Another DL "asexual" diagnosis based on absolutely nothing. Do you also consider them "on the spectrum"?

Don't be so pedantic, R318, I know what R315 meant. Not that Groban is LITERALLY asexual, just his stage persona/presentation feels pretty devoid of sexual energy. For all we know, he's a pussy-crazy non-stop animal at home, he just doesn't have much sexual energy on stage.

Ummmm...............r305's link to Part 2 is available to read. I just read over 360 posts there and IIRC it begins in 2011 and ends in 2019 after several bumps over the years. r309, this is the thread with all the Mirren/McKellan stuff and the Nathan/Matthew Odd Couple stuff, Lavin, Bacall, Lena Horne, Lynne Meadow, plus tons of other delish dish.

And r308, I thought Part 1 was shut down? If it's archived why can't it be accessed via Google?

R320, I was talking about the Part 2 thread, which people are saying was shut down because you could no longer post on it. I explained that if it had been shut down, it would no longer exist, and that the reason it closed (different from being shut down, which means to be deleted on here) was because it had gone inactive. I was not talking about the Part 1 thread at all.

However, since you mentioned it, that thread was not shut down either. It still exists. You all are just not searching it properly.

[quote]Nathan and Matthew appeared together two weeks ago to honor Mel Brooks...

...in an INSUFFERABLE, tedious, low-energy, endless, REALLY unfunny bit, which neither seemed fully committed to, showing off how tired ass their schtick has become!

You’re being generous, r332. It wasn’t even close to being that good.

Thanks to the posters who resurrected those Nastiest threads. I wasted a few hours today reading them.

But......I think there actually was a much earlier thread on the Nastiest People on Broadway (it might have even been focused on non-actors) from the mid- 2000s. Does anyone remember that?

I wonder if Bonnie Franklin went toe to toe with Lauren Bacall backstage during APPLAUSE. Bacall had management’s ear but Annie wasn’t afraid to slap a bitch.

“Damn it, Betty!”

They adored each other, R325.

The R326 shot must be from a Wear Your Pukiest Outfit fundraiser.

R326. How nice for them

There are several posts on the nastiest person thread about Jerry Orbach's billing in the Chicago tour. Yes, he was billed solely above the title before Gwen and Chita came in. After that, Gwen got first billing with Jerry next to her with Chita below them. Chita was never billed below the title and I have a program from the LA run to prove it. Also, to be clear, it was Jerry's first wife involved in altercations with Pearl Bailey and Rex Reed and not his second wife, Elaine Cancilla, who was a doll and adored Jerry.

Penny Fuller.

Fuller than [italic]what?

R330, You might want to speak with Chris Orbach and have him tell you what a “doll” his stepmother Elaine is.

Jerry Orbach’s first wife, Marta Curro, dumped a plate of food on Rex Reed in a NYC restaurant after he wrote unflatteringly of Jerry’s singing in Chicago.

Who’s the original Eve fired from APPLAUSE in New Haven? Did she do anything else… or just slink away into the dark?

R334, Diane McAfee, who was fired but later played Eve in the national tour.

R335, Diane and Applause co-star Brandon Maggart had a child together, who is Fiona Apple.

Don't forget their other daughter, R336, cabaret sensation Maude Maggart.

Jerry Orbach died in 2004 and worked till practically the end of his life. The final L&O's he shot aired posthumously. That story with the letter from Chris Orbach was from August 2008. Elaine Cancilla got pneumonia and was dead by April 2009. So in the end it probably worked as planned: there were funds to help Elaine while she was alive, and then it reverted to Jerry's children.

Elaine would have also had her own Equity pension and social security. Not enough to live extravagantly, but when she was still performing she was rarely without work. She was a nice lady.

Kiss of the spider woman movie

[quote]R336 Diane and Applause co-star Brandon Maggart had a child together

Was she already knocked up when she was fired in New Haven?

I hope she wasn’t sent out in the rain with a shawl over her head, like a doomed Thomas Hardy heroine…!

Line!

Diane played Eve in numerous stock productions for years. I heard she was let go because she was too young which makes sense since they replaced her with the older Penny Fuller.

Naming her daughter Fiona seems very Theater Geek-ish to me. That’s the heroine in Brigadoon.

*2* GIRLS *2*

R338 - good find! I totally missed this news from early December... I was traveling for the holidays. Ugh. J-lo.

Who else were they going to get, r344? She'll be fine. She can do glamour and dance it well enough. Chita will just be happy it didn't go to Rita. It's not like the piece is a treasure from the canon.

This sounds intriguing. Sufjan is a talented songwriter and Justin Peck is no slouch. Anyone seeing it in Chicago?

Cameo for Cheets?

Given the fact that the great John Kander is still with us and recently collaborated with Lin Manuel Miranda on New York, New York, plus Condon’s penchant for adding several new songs to the movie musicals he directs, we can surmise there will be new songs and one assumes a lot of the chorus material (“Over The Wall” and its many reprises) will be excised. It will also be interesting to see if they create entirely new movie musical scenes for The Spider Woman and what style they will evoke…

EGOT for John Kander? How many new songs?

All you need is one for an Oscar

Not likely at this point.

r343 OMG! They're not the same person!

[quote] This sounds intriguing. Sufjan is a talented songwriter and Justin Peck is no slouch. Anyone seeing it in Chicago?

I liked it 10 years ago when Todd Almond and Matthew Sweet did it and it was called Girlfriend.

r349 - aw, the thought of that is quite heartwarming, but seems unlikely at this stage.

R346 I saw it at Bard last summer. I'm not much of a Sufjan fan (I was pretty bored during the Planetarium thing he did at BAM in 2013), but recognized Chicago from the titular album. I was mainly intrigued by Jackie Sibblies Drury's contribution and it felt almost nonexistent? From what I remember, everything was set around a campsite. Between the songs in the album were wordless interludes that thinly tied together a very vibes-based narrative. "look at us happily reminiscing at a campsite"

The music was performed well and the dancing struck me as typical Peck. I didn't regret making the trek up. I'll be seeing it again the Armory soon.

R218 Aaron has a really nice ass in those tight pants.

But what uninspired choreography.

[quote]However, since you mentioned it, that thread was not shut down either. It still exists. You all are just not searching it properly.

Thanks r321, appreciate it. Can you tell me how you searched for it? I did a google site search and tried a few of the big names mentioned in google+datalougne and I didn't find it. There are a few other threads from the old days, I'd like to revisit.

AND it was well worth it, the dish about Bacall and the production of The Three Sisters at the Roundabout is priceless.. as is most of the thread

Also saw ILLINOIS at Bard and will echo exactly what R355 except that I not going to bother seeing it a second time.

Justin Peck is the annoited straight male choreographer.

Gene Kelly, Bob Fosse, Justin Peck

Don't forget us!

Looks like Working Girl with a score by Cyndi Lauper will be getting a workshop next month.

Joshua Berfasse

Bergasse

R362 barf. The reason the movie is so memorable is the recurring let the river run theme song.

[quote] Thanks [R321], appreciate it. Can you tell me how you searched for it? I did a google site search and tried a few of the big names mentioned in google+datalougne and I didn't find it. There are a few other threads from the old days, I'd like to revisit.

You're welcome. And I didn't mean my post to come off bitchy (not that you said anything of the sort), I just remembered it had a slightly different name from the Pt 2 and searched it and found it right away. I don't think you necessarily did anything wrong. In any case, glad to have helped.

What does someone like a Michael Urie make for something like spamalot? Mattress?

Always adored the Summer Stock thread. Now THAT had some fucking classic gossip.

R367 equity minimum. He is not a name and is interchangeable with other men of his ilk. He has no Tony or Emmy nominations, let alone Oscar.

I can assure you that Michael Urie makes well above minimum when he appears on Broadway.

Equity minimum is not for featured roles, even if they don’t have a big name or award. Please spare us this ignorance.

R370. After Torch Song he's lucky he's not working for room and board.

I wonder if Jonathan Bennett is getting paid more than Michael Urie for Spamalot? Bennett is a slightly bigger name.

[quote]Kiss of the spider woman movie

She auditioned for the Wicked movie and was rejected, so I guess she decided to do this instead. She really wants another Oscar nomination.

When Encores started, the entire cast, including stars, made minimum. I can’t imagine it’s still the same. I would guess Sutton, Harriet Harris, Urie, Daniels, and Ghee are making well above scale for Mattress.

R375, what about poor Cheyenne?

r376 - Carfare and they pulled his costume out of stock.

R374. JLo has never received an Oscar nomination. She thought she'd get one for her ok performance in Hustlers but she was wrong.

She didn’t get one for Selena?

[quote]She didn’t get one for Selena?

She did not.

when JLo can deliver a heartfelt performance like this one, then maybe she can be in a show.

Pedo

Thanks R381. The kid was fabulous!

J Lo has no real talent other than presence. There are far better singers, dancers and actors. She got lucky for a time. Now it's all desperate.

Anyone remember when J Lo announced she was doing Bye, Bye Birdie?

[quote]J Lo has no real talent other than presence

That'll work for Aurora.

Rich & Jealous

I remember that, R385. I think it was going to be an NBC special with Harvey Fierstein rewriting the book.

There are big busted women...

[quote]I remember that, R385. I think it was going to be an NBC special with Harvey Fierstein rewriting the book.

Harvey Fierstein rewriting a book = Adding lame anachronistic jokes.

COVID killed this Birdie. Harvey as Mae?

[quote]Harvey as Mae?

I've seen most of these Kennedy Center semi-staged concert productions but that certainly would have kept me home.

[quote]She didn’t get one for Selena?

She received a Golden Globe nomination but lost to eventual Oscar-winner Helen Hunt.

R381, I reckon most showbiz kids could be as heartfelt about that song. They've nearly all got someone in the wings who is singing Rose's Turn under her breath, after all.

Mark Lester, on the other hand, somehow achieved the same level of vacancy as Dickens's own uber-saintly Oliver, whose neck one wants to wring throughout both the book and the film.

Mark Lester's singing of "Where Is Love?" was dubbed.

Saw “Once Upon a Mattress” at Encores! tonight. Not a particular fan of Sutton Foster, but she was terrific, a completely confident star’s comic performance, and the audience loved her. But the whole company is good. It’s fun to see Foster, Michael Urie and Harriet Harris try to out-ham each other but no one ever goes over the top, the whole evening is cheerful, buoyant fun. J Harrison Ghee is good, Nikki Renée Daniels has a lovely voice and Cheyenne Jackson manages to not look too old to be playing the hunky juvenile, it’s a nice return to musical theater for him since falling off the wagon after ten years of sobriety.

Packed house and the audience loved it. NYers should grab a ticket next week if one can be had. Would be a smash if Sutton wasn’t already booked for “Sweeney Todd.”

Actually, R390, I think Harvey was going to add extra drama to Birdie. I vaguely remember him referring to Rose as Albert's mistress, which makes me think that they were going to shoe in a Mad Men approach to the whole thing. Either way, thank God this didn't happen.

[quote]And they never said who Albert would be, but I suspect it was Derek Hough

Because his sister was Sandy in Grease Live with Aaron Tveit?

[quote]Cheyenne Jackson manages to not look too old to be playing the hunky juvenile, it’s a nice return to musical theater for him since falling off the wagon after ten years of sobriety.

"Ten years"? Oh, hon...no. I wouldn't believe any such thing...at all.

[quote]I looked through his resume and Tveit has very little outside of theater. We've seen that fans flock to performers who've made their name outside of Broadway but with few exceptions,

[quote][R213], Aaron’s been in several films, starred in two television series and appears in concert frequently.

[quote]Les Miz, Grease Live, and Schmigadoon aren’t nothing.

Also, Aaron had a recurring role as one of Serena's flames, Tripp van der Bilt, on the wildly popular GOSSIP GIRL. He appeared in 10 episodes over 3 seasons.

He has a lot of young female fans because of GG, LES MIZ, GREASE LIVE!, and more recently SCHMIGADOON!

Aaron played Allen Ginsberg’s lover in “Howl”, when James Franco was hot.

R398, because Jennifer and Derek were co-judging World of Dance on NBC at the time.

When did James Franco ever resemble Alan Ginsberg?

It says right there in the linked Playbill article that James Van Der Beek would be playing Albert in BIRDIE. Did no one here read it?

[quote]Mark Lester's singing of "Where Is Love?" was dubbed.

Hey, Marni Nixon has to make a living too.

R404. I think Derek Hough was in reference to the BBB Tv movie starring JLo that never materialized.

[quote] —And they never said who Albert would be, but I suspect it was Derek Hough

R398, you need reading comprehension.

“ Hairspray favorite will appear alongside Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek, who'll star as Albert.”

We seem to be talking about two different projects.

From October 2016.

May 2017

March 2018, when the TV project seems to have died for good.

Jennifer Lopez is not talented at all, she's just determined, which for her has generally been enough, but...

As if JLo would ever appear in one of those cut-rate Kennedy Center musicals......

Sutton is playing the ingenue at nearly 50?!

R414, Something wrong with that?

[quote]Sutton is playing the ingenue at nearly 50?!

The thing is see, she's older than she ever intended to be.

Glenn Close was 54 when she played 'Nellie Forbush' in the 2001 TV remake of SOUTH PACIFIC.

R417 We are still laughing about that.

As a local reviewer wrote when Barbara Eden came through town in South Pacific.

They're supposed to be Nellie's nurses NOT Nellie's nieces.

[quote]Glenn Close was 54 when she played 'Nellie Forbush' in the 2001 TV remake of SOUTH PACIFIC.

That was beyond ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing about that character that makes any sense if she's in her 50s -- or, for that matter, really much older than her mid-20s.

They could've asked me -- but them I'm much too beautiful to play Winnifred.

Glenn Close does land some weird parts, relative to age and singing ability.

R422 - Patti LuPone

Damn Buena Vista Social Club was one of the most joyous musicals I’ve seen. The closing performance today got the kind of an ovation from the audience that I haven’t heard since Chicago at Encores. Hopefully one of the crappy musicals headed to Broadway this season will flop or never actually arrive so BVSC can transfer.

I know this is not Broadway world, but I wanted to know something about Night of the Iguana: the reviews in December said it was at times sluggish and the actors were still tripping over their lines.

Has anyone seen it lately, and is it running any smoother or faster now? I'm seeing it next Friday via TDF and I was just wondering…

So did GUTENBERG recoup?

If it took more that 17¢ for it to recoup, Broadway is even crazier that we thought.

You can't open a Broadway show these days -- no matter how small -- for less than $3 million.

You can barely attend one for $3 million.

I saw NIGHT OF THE IGUANA in late December, and it was indeed sluggish -- a wonderful but hard-to-land play in the hands of people without command of its poetry. (The Hannah in particular was disastrous.)

[quote]a wonderful but hard-to-land play

I just can't cotton to it myself, r430.

But can you 27 WAGONS FULL OF COTTON it, R431? ;-)

A friend saw it Friday night and thought it was much better than he expected it would be. But he also never saw the play before so he may have been reacting to that.

I wouldn't know, r432, I've never even seen Baby Doll.

I can only imagine that IGUANA is better know than it was right after it opened, with all those performances under their belt. As I recall, at least one performance was canceled right before opening, I don't remember for what reason, but I'm sure that threw them a bit. And it is a VERY LONG play with a LOT of lines.

I love the picture-perfect and stunningly beautiful Ava Gardner of Showboat and Mogambo, but I also love the world-weary and ripe Ava of Night of the Iguana. I'm not sure I've heard of the actress currently playing the role, but I hope that she brings the time-warn sensuality that the part seems to call for

If you want to picture Maxine as a non-showbiz Googie Gomez, then that will probably give you an idea of what Daphne Rubin-Vega can bring to the role. Just be glad it isn't a musical.

Deadline reviews "Days of Wine & Roses" and "Once Upon A Mattress":

NYT:

r438 Is this the first time we've had mother-and-son shows in a tandem review?

There’s only one mother… and it’s not me…

After I saw "days of wine and roses" I REALLY needed a drink...

Did you have one?

Weren't the reviews for WINE AND ROSES at the Atlantic rather tepid? At the time it seemed risky to transfer. Now based on these notices it seems a brilliant idea. (After listening to the score, I still don't want to see it.)

I’m a fan of every artist involved with Days of Wine and Roses, but “tepid” is exactly how I would describe my response to what I saw at the Atlantic. Maybe repeated viewing help, or maybe the material deepened, but it felt fully matured and clear when I saw it. Who knows? I had the same response to Kimberly Akimbo, but forced myself to see it once it was on Broadway. Just not my show; and I got Covid.

[quote]Just not my show; and I got Covid.

I got a rock.

I'm glad I saw Days of... at the Atlantic, just for those two performances. But as an abject Adam Gueutel fan, I was pretty disappointed with the score and it's just such a depressing slog of a show. But I wouldn't be surprised if they both ended up with Tonys for it.

[quote]But as an abject Adam Gueutel fan,

... who can't spell his name.

Nice interview with Patrick Cassidy and Adam Guettel.

Well, I called MATTRESS and Sutton for the big hit and star performance I saw in the Encores' clip and now described by the NY Times review.

I've gone to so little theater in the last few years and a friend took me to Here We Are in its last week. I then went and saw the ticket prices. $230 to $430 for an off Broadway one act musical so far west it could have been in the middle of the West Side Highway. I had no idea my friend was so wealthy.

What was the one act musical, r451?

If R451 left at intermission, then he saw a great show!

Maybe R451 meant that only the first act of HERE WE ARE is really a musical :-)

Or maybe he forgot there was an intermission.

R430 the Hannah is that production's reason for being, which the NYC critics subtly alluded to in their reviews.

There are some accomplished actors who are well-established on New York's stages like Rubin-Vega, Daly, Pendleton, DeLaria...and then there's...

The young lady playing Sue Lyon's role was a weak choice too.

Directed by Emily Mann and designed by Beowulf Boritt with lighting by Jeff Croiter. Even if they're all there just to pick up the check, it must be said the lady surrounds herself with excellent talent, whether it's from relationship building or just deep pockets. Surprising they can come close to filling a theatre that large for that long.

Adam is an example of how cancellation rules only work for certain people. He wrote on Twitter in defense of Brett Kavenough at the height of the confirmation hearing drama. The same Brett who later helped overturn Roe vs Wade.

Adam will likely win the Tony and Laura Osnes can’t get a job on Broadway.

R452 The one act musical was Sondheim's wonderful musical based on The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.

It was followed by a play by David Ives. The one good thing that you can say about it was that it lengthened my life by several weeks in just an hour.

Fuck you R456, I just sang before the chicken plucking contest at the State Fair.

R456, that's an excellent point, and it occurred to me as well. But I think part of the reason is that Guettel's support of Kavanaugh didn't get anywhere near as much publicity as the Laura Osnes situation did.

[quote]The one act musical was Sondheim's wonderful musical based on The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. It was followed by a play by David Ives. The one good thing that you can say about it was that it lengthened my life by several weeks in just an hour.

Interesting, I've never heard it phrased that sitting through a bad play lengthened someone's life. I've always heard pretty much the opposite phrasing, along the lines of "Those are two hours of my life that I'll never get back.."

Osnes is also a dime a dozen. Guettel, whatever his faults, is decidedly singular in what he brings to the table.

If Jason Robert Brown’s show The Connector makes it to Broadway, I could see him giving some competition to Guettel. It’s JRB’s best score in years.

R460 you get the phrasing correct “Those are two hours of my life that I'll never get back.”

But it’s your inference that may overreach, by stating it means only life has become shorter. There’s a fair read that it could just as well mean life has become longer by two hours. “I’ll never get back” is open to interpretation.

R461, Adam Guettel has that double barreled legacy that Broadway loves.

Osnes was about workplace safety, not just politics.

Apparently Purlie Victorious has been recorded for PBS' Great Performances. Glad I'll be able to catch it.

Kenny Leon seems to be able to get nearly everything he directs aired on PBS

Wish I felt the first act of Here We Are is wonderful. I saw it as a sore disappointment. Maybe the cast album will make me change my mind.

Lots of tix on TDF for Wine and Roses.

R465 the counter argument would be for women who travel on National tour, making them keep a pregnancy to term is not just politics but also about safety. And that law was overturned by a guy that Adam publicly supported when the nomination hung in the balance.

R462, I saw the workshop of MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL and thought that was JRB's best score. Really great songs, variety of styles, some catchy enough to stay with the listener. The book needed a ton of work so I hope that they can get it together. I look forward to The Connector.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a funnier play than Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!

[quote]If Jason Robert Brown’s show The Connector makes it to Broadway, I could see him giving some competition to Guettel. It’s JRB’s best score in years.

If THE CONNECTOR does make it to Broadway, it's highly unlikely -- as in almost no chance -- that it would be this season.

[quote]Wish I felt the first act of Here We Are is wonderful. I saw it as a sore disappointment.

Same here, and I kinda think at least some of the people who say they loved the show (or at least the first act) feel that way at least partly out of loyalty to Sondheim.

[quote]You get the phrasing correct “Those are two hours of my life that I'll never get back.” But it’s your inference that may overreach, by stating it means only life has become shorter. There’s a fair read that it could just as well mean life has become longer by two hours. “I’ll never get back” is open to interpretation.

Sorry, your interpretation makes no sense. If you say "Those are two hours of my life that I'll never get back,," what that really means is that you feel you've wasted two hours of your life, which is certainly not the same thing as feeling one's life has become longer by wasting those two hours.

Nobody is buying tickets for Wine & Roses. The box office is quite dire.

Didn't they just announce an extension R476

Nope.

Ok we shouldn’t be comparing genius composer Adam Guettel with Laura Osnes. Osnes is so incredibly dull. She is where she belongs.

R479 = Tony Yazbeck

[quote]I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a funnier play than Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!

Shit! I had no idea about this. I hope it extends. I'm not back in NY until May. Cole is fucking hilarious and has... all the right screws loose.

Adam Guettel a genius? Is he really?

[quote[Nobody is buying tickets for Wine & Roses. The box office is quite dire.

The reviews are quite positive but don't exactly make it sound like the Feel Good Musical of the Year.

[quote]Nobody is buying tickets for Wine & Roses. The box office is quite dire.

They're probably losing a lot of intermission liquor sales too.

475 contradicting herself….🫣

There is not a chance in hell Adam Guettel will win. He'll probably get a nomination but there is total bad word of mouth for that ridiculously indulgent score.

[quote] He'll probably get a nomination but there is total bad word of mouth for that ridiculously indulgent score.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, “the music isn’t as bad as it sounds.”

I was years ago when I was young a Sondheimite. But that was a long time ago having been disappointed by a number of the musicals in the latter part of his life. In Here We Are I found him in his old delightful brilliant form. Maybe because I found it so much better than the movie it was based on. But I have to admit I need to see it again because that was quite a while ago.

[quote]Osnes is also a dime a dozen. Guettel, whatever his faults, is decidedly singular in what he brings to the table.

Osnes is way more talented and professional than a lot of the so-called talent currently on Broadway.

Seriously, many incompetent, lazy people on stage and behind the scenes these days.

It feels like amateur hour.

What a generalized useless comment

R489 I resemble that remark.

I think they moved Wine and Roses to get those Tony Awards. I doubt it will run.

[quote]Adam Guettel a genius? Is he really?

In my opinion, yes, he really is. On the basis of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA and FLOYD COLLINS alone. I am not really a fan of the DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES score overall, but I should listen to it some more making a final judgment.

OH MARY! is fantastic. It is soon to become a tough ticket so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Get your tickets NOW. It will extend and/or move to Broadway. Kevin McCollum is a producer.

My thoughts from the last two threads:

On understudying… I directed a production of THE FANTASTICKS in summer 2022 and our Matt got COVID with 4 performances remaining. I decided to take over the role for the sake of the rest of the company. I was completely aware that I was Corky St Clair in Waiting for Guffman. After all, Matt says he’s “nearly 20” and I was/am nearly 50. I only had a day and half to learn everything and I went on without having rehearsed with the rest of the company. It’s doable. It took a lot of concentration. I’ve never been so focused and aware in my life.

On Matthew Broderick…. I was at a performance of THE PRODUCERS where Matthew forgot the lyrics to “That Face.” He just stood there, lost. The conductor Patrick Brady handed Matthew a copy of the score for him to look at. He figured it out, gave the score back, and continued the show. The audience seemed to think it was part of the show. They laughed throughout the whole ordeal. As for his recent performance with Nathan at the Mel Brooks tribute, he had flown in from London and had to go back on the same day. They should’ve had Stroman stage it but that was probably too much for him to handle so we were stuck with what we got.

On TV vs Broadway…. Having done both, I think TV is WAY easier. For TV, you stand on pieces of electrical tape and say words for a couple minutes per take. If you mess up a line, you take a beat, say the line again, and move on. You and your scene partner may never even get through the scene without a mistake but the audience never knows after it is beautifully edited. For a Broadway show, your whole day is about preparing for a 2.5 hour take. If it’s demanding vocally, you simply can’t speak all day long and you are terrified your voice won’t be up to it that night. And there’s an immediacy to the fear because you will be completely exposed in front of live audience that paid a lot of money to watch you perform.

On casting the “best person”……. there’s no such thing. There are many people in NYC or LA who are fully qualified for a role. No one chooses “the best one.” They choose the one who fits their artistic vision. For the big roles I’ve booked in my career, I wasn’t better than everybody. And no matter how well I did at the audition, they could’ve easily passed on me. In one case, I “beat out” Christian Borle, John Lloyd Young, and Michael Arden for a role. I’m not a better actor that those guys. I’m sure my audition wasn’t “better.” The director made an artistic decision and I was fortunate that he picked me.

On how much people get paid for theater……. there Is a type of contract called “favored nations.” Everyone in the cast agrees to take the same pay. In a regional theater production in 2005, I starred opposite an Oscar winner. We were both paid $1500/week.

I saw “Wine and Roses” when it was at the Atlantic.

Downbeat, yes, but not depressing. It’s excellent, the socre is interesting and the two of them are terrific. At the end I felt exhilarated as you do when you’ve seen good theater.

Aaron Lazar posted a picture on Instagram and he is officially using a cane to walk.

The whole thing is so fucking sad and all I can say is I pray whatever time he has left is as peaceful and comfortable as possible.

r494 - Great read, Eric, thank you.

Hi C-list! Love reading your posts. Hope all is well in your world.

R494 Welcome back you delightful minx. been too long.

Thank you both! Yes, all is well.

'Harmony' is too Jewish.

There'd be no showtunes without Jews.

Stagehands at Atlantic Theater Company, "Titanique," and "Little Shop of Horrors" are making moves to unionize.

Hi C-List! Wondering if you read through the vintage DL threads "Nastiest Person on Broadway" linked up thread by r321. Just wondering if you had any thoughts to dish about that gossip and wondering if you are mentioned in the threads? Have you heard these stories before and can you confirm them? Thanks !!

R504 So, you're asking a working actor to dish on his fellow actors in a public forum, where he is readily identified/identifiable? How about you tell us your name, where you work, and share some of your nastiest stories? Sheesh!

Off-bway stagehands are unionizing? Hoo boy. Good luck with that.

(All for unions but also aware of NYC producing costs.)

[quote] [R504] So, you're asking a working actor to dish on his fellow actors in a public forum, where he is readily identified/identifiable? How about you tell us your name, where you work, and share some of your nastiest stories? Sheesh!

r504 here, Sorry C-List, I didn't realize you had actually revealed your identity here! Anyway, you might enjoy reading through those threads even if you cannot comment

Calm down, Mary @ R505.

I don't believe C-list would still be considered a working actor, but regardless, it wouldn't be wise of him to talk trash about other people in the business if so many people here seem to know his identity.

Who on here has said they’re aware of his identity, R509?

510, I assumed, based on r505 s reaction that C-List had identified himself, otherwise, what risk would there be in him commenting on the Nastiest Persons on Broadway thread. Is this not the case? If he isn't known by his real name, why would posting anything be a concern?

[quote]Who on here has said they’re aware of his identity, [R509]?

Many, many people, r510. C-list actor is a long time poster who self-identified here years ago. He's Eric Milligan (spelling?), best-known from the TV show Bones. While I doubt he is finished with his acting career, I believe he mostly works in mental health care these days.

I'll always love C-List, crushing on Nathan Lane while listening to PASSION seems to be a common experience for the both of us.

Off Broadway theaters unionizing...Oh Good, even more empty, struggling off-Broadway theaters taking the next obvious step to demolition.

[quote]crushing on Nathan Lane while listening to PASSION

That is one oddly specific fetish.

LOL, R515!

Well, Nathan does look like Fosca.

On a good day, R517.

Chita Rivera has died.

Bajour, Chita.

[quote]'Harmony' is too Jewish.

And "Fiddler" wasn't?

Or The Rothschilds?

I can confirm some of the stories on the Nastiest thread! I guess I just can't tell you which ones! R513- we must meet and share stories! Tis true that I'm working in mental health care. I've performed here and there over the last couple years and I still audition for projects that really interest me. I suppose I might be down to D-list at this point but I assume D-list is more reserved for reality TV show contestants, but I'm not against them by any means! Still, for the sake of DL, I shall forever be....

Cheets was the best. Simply no one like her.

For the record, I never actually shared my name on DL (you did misspell it, R512) but it was very obvious for most people.

Surprisingly coherent statement from mlop....

[quote]I can't find the words. Have been friends with this lady for 55 plus years. Her kindness to me and what she has done is amazing. When I was recovering from Cancer 40 years ago she said to call her anytime during the night if I needed to speak to someone. She was always there for me The opening nights and the parties after that. etc. There was no one else like her. I am devastated. My heart goes out to the family, Lisa, Julio, Lola, Aramando and all those who were special in her life.

I can't believe a cunt like Rita gets to live longer than Chita.

And now, Hinton Battle has passed on, age 67.

3-time Tony winner Hinton Battle also died. 😔

Who will be the third Broadway star to die now?

Sad day in theatre.

R530, Janis Paige

Chicago lost the original Velma and a Billy Flynn in the same day.

Hilton Battle’s phone number is in my phone. I barely remember our friendship but he was a nice guy.

[quote]Hilton Battle’s phone number is in my phone. I barely remember our friendship but he was a nice guy.

As nice as Hinton Battle?

[quote]Chicago lost the original Velma and a Billy Flynn in the same day.

And, apparently, they both spent much of their youth in Washington, D.C.

Oh golly. Adored Chita. Imagine having to do The Rink with Liza. What a fucking trooper she was.

Trouper dammit

During the brief run of The Rink, Chita played opposite Liza, Lenora, Stockard and Mary Testa. She said in an interview that she never knew who was going on from show to show.

I was never a huge fan of Chita, maybe because I wasn't crazy about most of her shows. But I've said many times that her Velma was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.

Eerily, I had just finished listening to the Audiobook version of Chita’s memoir this morning and several hours later I received the news alert on my phone.

She’s quite candid in the book, which she reads on the Audiobook. Much about what a mess Liza was during the run of The Rink, but she says kind things as well.

I knew about her affair with Sammy Davis during the run of Mr. Wonderful, but I did not know of her affair with Gus Trikonis during the run of Bajour.

After their breakup, Gus met and married Goldie Hawn.

^Chita and Gus Trikonis

But Chita elevated the material in every show she was in, including The Rink, Merlin and our beloved Bajour. Certainly The Visit. Probably even Bring Back Birdie.

BBB didn't give her anything to elevate,r543.

Bring Back Birdie seems like such a bizarre project… I’m not sure if it came before or after Annie 2, but one would think if one was such a huge bomb than why attempt the other? Although Charles Strouse seems to be a sweet man judging from his autobiography, a much different picture is painted in rehearsal pianist/pit keyboardist Paul Ford’s fascinating, if often scathing, memoir, especially in regards to Bring Back Birdie and Rags. The fact that Strouse has had no hit shows for 40 years despite writing many new scores, plus all revivals of his big hits have been poorly received even despite their legendary status seems to speak poorly of his taste. Ford basically says Strouse was the cheapest person he ever met and all decisions were always money-based… but, honestly, who would ever surmise that Bring Back Birdie or Annie 2 would ever work?

Bring Back Birdie was way before Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge. The latter had a marquis up and a full page ad in the NYTimes. Eventually it opened Off Bway with the title Annie Warbucks. A show I’ve always thought could have a great sequel is Avenue Q. You can definitely tell a new story with those characters.

[quote]The latter had a marquis up and a full page ad in the NYTimes.

Even royalty couldn't help!

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

Plaza Suite Turns Sour^

It sucks!

PLAZA SUITE got the kind of reviews in London that it should have received in New York.

Clearly the reviews were written by friends of Kim Cattrall and that non-binary GAZA supporter!

Oh good [italic] My Best Friend's Wedding [/italic] as a jukebox musical with Bachrach-David songs.

[quote] A show I’ve always thought could have a great sequel is Avenue Q.

Avenue R?

From Chita to Goldie?

That's certainly changing your mind with a vengeance.

Donna McKechnie joining Wicked next month.

Is she a Glinda or an Elphaba?

[quote]I saw “Wine and Roses” when it was at the Atlantic. Downbeat, yes, but not depressing. It’s excellent, the socre is interesting and the two of them are terrific. At the end I felt exhilarated as you do when you’ve seen good theater.

I saw the musical in its current run and had the same reaction. At times it was difficult watching the the couple's descent into alcoholism but at the end I felt fortunate to have seen such a top-notch production.

Donna is 81??? Brad Oscar joins the cast as the Wizard.

Closeted Jordan Litz is like Aaron Tveit's younger, hotter brother.

The fraus in the Heartstopper thread creaming their panties over this, LOL!

Benefit of the doubt for Joe Locke but that doesn't seem like a pretty sound. The amazing part though is that they practically posted it live, since his first performance started today at 1PM

The pace of R561's Pirelli’s Magical Elixir is much too slow. A musical director does this when the actor can't sing the notes or enunciate the lyrics very well. Hopefully, Joe will improve, and they'll bring the number up to tempo.

I don't think that's a problem specific to the new Pirelli - I felt the tempo of the current Sweeney was weirdly lethargic throughout the show.

[quote]I can confirm some of the stories on the Nastiest thread! I guess I just can't tell you which ones! [R513]- we must meet and share stories! Tis true that I'm working in mental health care. I've performed here and there over the last couple years and I still audition for projects that really interest me. I suppose I might be down to D-list at this point but I assume D-list is more reserved for reality TV show contestants, but I'm not against them by any means! Still, for the sake of DL, I shall forever be.

Unless I missed it, in reviewing the NASTIEST ON BROADWAY threads, some stuff has been removed. There was quite a bit of fun dish about Neil Simon and MTM and his second wife Elaine Joyce being a nightmare. There was some rather hilarious details about the Ill fated THREE SISTERS at the Roundabout. More stuff about the McKellen/Mirren fued. And some stuff about MTC LCT and Roundabout leadership. Sadly lost to the ethers

Apparently Locke also messed up on the choreography of the Ballad

[quote] Apparently Locke also messed up on the choreography of the Ballad

To be fair to Locke, the choreography is so terrible, he can only improve it.

[Quote] Apparently

r566 what does that mean?

r568 It means that was what was said on social media (by his own fangirls so seems unlikely they'd lie), but because I did not see it myself I didn't feel in a position to state it as an absolute fact.

First performance nerves maybe

r565, did you read both threads, Parts 1 & 2? All the subjects you mentioned was covered considerably between the 2 threads (though I can't vouch if specific dish was eliminated for whatever reasons).

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

Four Stars from The Telegraph

Four stars from The Times

Rave from the highly regarded Matt Wolf...

Four Stars from The Standard

A reguluh Lunt and Fontanne.

Olivier and Leigh!

Phil Ford and Mimi Hines!

Mimi Hines & Maurice Hines!

Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows!

Ron Turcotte and Secretariat!

Sid and Nancy!

Mary and Ethel

The Captain and Tenille!

Funt and Mundane

Sacco and Vanzetti

[quote]Plaza Suite review — Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick sparkle

Sparkle, Sarah, sparkle!

Other than the cast, how is the current Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along different from the London production Maria Friedman directed and the production she directed in Boston at the Huntington Theatre in 2017?

Some witty and brave please launch a thread here before we Bajour. Everyone will hate it. But we’ll love you [italic] inside [/italic] for doing the right thing.

New Thread as requested

550 is too much of a downer. Much like Mlop.

Thank you R591!

Let’s wrap this one up: Merlin!

Bring Back Birdie!

Lempicka!

Seventh Heaven!

1491!

And of course…

BAJOUR!